The Beginning of Chaos

"Stop!" After chasing over several mountain peaks, the Hundred Charm Demoness raised a hand and shouted. The group halted in midair. One subordinate asked, "Palace Mistress! Why have we stopped chasing? Lu Wanqian definitely can't get away."

"Leave that dog's life to carry the news back to the Qingguang Sect. More than ten Nascent Soul Realm elders died, and they lost so many Spirit Stones. That should make the Qingguang Sect's flesh ache for quite a while." The Hundred Charm Demoness smiled.

That man frowned. "Palace Mistress, shouldn't we kill him to silence him? I'm afraid this will bring trouble upon our Illusion Demon Palace."

"Hmph! Do you think killing Lu Wanqian means the Qingguang Sect won't know we did it?" The Hundred Charm Demoness said coldly. "I want the Qingguang Sect to know that our Illusion Demon Palace did this. I doubt they have the nerve to come to my Phantom Yin Mountain—a pack of turtles hiding in their shells." A trace of hatred flashed through her seductive eyes as she gazed into the distance in the direction Lu Wanqian had fled.

"Go back. Transport the Spirit Stones back to the palace." With a delicate shout, the group flew toward the Spirit Stone mine.

Above the Spirit Stone mine, where severed limbs lay scattered everywhere, the Hundred Charm Demoness swept her gaze around in confusion. She had clearly planted a strand of divine sense on that young man, so why could she no longer sense it? As she wondered, her entire body suddenly shook. The Hundred Charm Demoness's lovely face drained of color. She could clearly feel that the divine sense she had planted had been effortlessly dispelled. She herself was already in the early Tribulation stage; without strength at the mid Tribulation stage or higher, how could anyone casually dispel the divine sense she had planted? And it had happened in an instant. This meant the person who had dispelled it was very likely in the late Tribulation stage. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to go from discovering it to removing it in such a short time.

"Palace Mistress! Come down and take a look! Something strange has happened!" a subordinate below reported from the entrance of the transport dragon's hold.

The graceful figure in the air flickered, and a phantom darted into the hold. Looking at the completely empty interior, all seductiveness vanished from the Hundred Charm Demoness's face. Her dark brows were tightly furrowed, and her expression was utterly solemn. An entire hold full of Spirit Stones had vanished without a trace. How was that possible? She had clearly seen the Qingguang Sect transport the Spirit Stones inside before making her move. Just who possessed such divine powers that they could move all the Spirit Stones away in such a short time? It was simply unimaginable!

Thinking of how her divine sense had just been dispelled, she was suddenly alarmed. The Hundred Charm Demoness flashed into the sky and shouted, "Everyone, return to the Illusion Demon Palace immediately! This place is not suitable for a prolonged stay!" Her subordinates heard the urgency in their Palace Mistress's voice and dared not delay. They flew into the air and followed their Palace Mistress as she sped toward the horizon.

The moment Yue Qianchou entered the golden pearl, he saw that conspicuous "mountain" and cried out, "I'm rich!" He immediately pounced over with a delighted grin and gave it an intimate embrace, rolling over it and flailing his arms and legs. Patting the bags filled with Spirit Stones, he chuckled with laughter. Only after a long while did he rise, looking at the magnificent sight before him with an expression that said his every wish had been fulfilled.

As he swayed his head in delight, he spotted Shi Xiaotian pacing back and forth nearby. He froze slightly, only then remembering that he had brought him in as well. He had not wanted Shi Xiaotian to know about the golden pearl, but in that moment of urgency, he had not had time to think of so much. Well, he was already in. After observing him for this period of time, this kid should be someone worthy of trust.

Then Yue Qianchou noticed something was not quite right. Shi Xiaotian seemed to have been circling within an area several dozen meters wide. Had this kid eaten too much and decided to take a walk? It did not look like it. He could not help calling out, "Xiaotian, what are you doing?"

There was no response! He called several more times, yet still received no response. It seemed Shi Xiaotian could not even see him standing right in front of him. Yue Qianchou found it strange and walked over to see what exactly he was doing. But as soon as he entered the several-dozen-meter area where Shi Xiaotian was circling, a force repelled him. The harder he pushed, the stronger the rebound became.

Yue Qianchou understood. Other than Sister Bai, there was no one else here. She must have tampered with things. He immediately passed through the forest and came to the bamboo cottage. Music and song still drifted from the bamboo pavilion, where the beauty sat upright. He clapped with a grin. "A beauty truly plays a fine tune and sings a fine song!"

The white fox did not even lift her eyelids and ignored him. Yue Qianchou sat down opposite her and said with an embarrassed smile, "Good Sister, let the person outside out! He's my friend!"

The music came to an abrupt halt. The white fox swept a cold glance over him, startling Yue Qianchou. He had never seen such a sharp look in her eyes before. She said coldly, "It is precisely because I know you brought him in that I spared him. Otherwise, I would have long since gouged out those thieving eyes of his that love to look around. He is not welcome here. When you decide to send him out, I'll let him out."

"Uh..." Yue Qianchou was stunned. How did Shi Xiaotian's eyes offend you? Looking at that peerlessly beautiful face before him, he quickly understood and shook his head with a bitter smile. With a face that could topple kingdoms and cities, what man wouldn't take a few extra looks? Forget it, I won't say anything. Xiaotian, count yourself unlucky.

"Turn around." The white fox's eyes showed a trace of surprise as she spoke.

"What?" Yue Qianchou asked blankly. The white fox glared with her bright eyes and snapped, "I told you to turn around. Didn't you hear me?"

"No, Sister! Even I'm not allowed to look?" The pretty face opposite him turned cold, and Yue Qianchou did not dare say another word. He obediently turned around.

Two slender jade fingers extended and pressed together, touching Yue Qianchou's back. Before he could react, he heard the white fox say, "Done!" Turning back, he saw a transparent, water-like flame resting on her fingertips.

"What is that? From my body?" Yue Qianchou asked suspiciously. The lovely face across from him furrowed its dark brows. "Someone planted a strand of divine sense on your body. If I had not discovered it in time, the moment you appeared outside, that person would have immediately discovered your whereabouts. Judging by this strand of divine sense, that person is a woman. Her cultivation has likely reached the early Tribulation stage."

"Could it be her?" Yue Qianchou cried out strangely. He already suspected the Hundred Charm Demoness, but he could not determine why she had done this. Had she discovered that he had stolen the Spirit Stones? The white fox said nothing further. A flame emerged from her fingertip and wrapped around that strand of divine sense, instantly turning it into drifting smoke.

Watching that strand of divine sense turn into wisps of smoke, Yue Qianchou's expression grew solemn. His fingers tapped cheerfully on the stone table as he considered where he should go from here. The white fox did not disturb him. This scene seemed familiar from many years ago: a scholar, brow tightly furrowed, pondering the puzzles in his books while she watched quietly from the side. She liked that feeling.

Why had the Hundred Charm Demoness planted divine sense on him? Since he could not figure it out, he would set it aside for now. He would not return to the Qingguang Sect anyway. The Spirit Stones he currently had were enough; it was time to find somewhere to cultivate properly. He could not cultivate here either. The Hundred Charm Demoness would surely leave, and the Qingguang Sect would sooner or later return to the Spirit Stone mine. He should leave as soon as possible while neither side was here and flee far away. Otherwise, even if he raised his cultivation here, there would always come a day when he had to go out. He could not hide inside forever.

With his cultivation, it was easy enough to hide inside the golden pearl and avoid capture, but when the time came, escaping the Spirit Stone mine would be difficult. He did not know whether anyone was still at the mine. No! He would go out and take a look now. If things went badly, he could just hide back inside immediately.

No sooner said than done. With a movement of his divine sense, the scene shifted, and he was already standing in the Spirit Stone mine. The surroundings were silent. The bloody stench had yet to disperse, and the nauseating severed limbs lay unattended. There was no one! This was the perfect chance to escape. Yue Qianchou was overjoyed. He pushed the Mysterious Heaven Art to its limit and immediately fled with all his might in the direction opposite the Qingguang Sect.

He was still far from being able to use Sword Flight, but his speed in running and leaping was still beyond that of ordinary mortals. Like a wisp of smoke, he fled through the desolate mountains and wilderness. Before long, he was far from the Spirit Stone mine.

Thinking back on what had happened, it was truly enough to make one afraid afterward. He really had to thank Lu Wanqian. If Lu Wanqian had not forced Shi Xiaotian and him to carry those final two bags of Spirit Stones, the two of them would likely have ended up like the other miners—heads and bodies separated, torn to pieces. Everything had happened so suddenly then that even with the golden pearl, he would not have had time. Ah! Cherish life and run like hell!

Some time after Yue Qianchou had left, nearly a hundred streaks of light flew in from the direction of the Qingguang Sect and landed at the Spirit Stone mine. Anyone familiar with the Qingguang Sect would have been greatly shocked to see them. Nearly all of the Qingguang Sect's elder-level figures had arrived. Qingguang Sect Master Liu Changqing and Elder Lu Wanqian were conspicuously among them. At the front stood three white-haired, white-bearded old men. Even if Yue Qianchou had been there, he likely would never have seen these three before.

The crowd swept their eyes over the Spirit Stone mine, which resembled a slaughterhouse, and all their faces turned ashen. As the three elders at the front opened and closed their eyes, sharp gleams flashed within them. This alone showed how profound their cultivation was. Moreover, the fact that they stood ahead of Sect Master Liu Changqing made their extraordinary status even more apparent. The muscles on the central elder's face twitched as he slowly said, "Search the surroundings!"

Aside from the elders to his left and right, everyone behind them accepted the order with a clamor and scattered in all directions. Before long, the elders returned and reported the situation one by one. When the leading elder heard that all the Spirit Stones had been stolen and not a single person at the mine had survived, he gave a cold snort and said, "Liu Changqing, how exactly have you been serving as sect master? Why were the Spirit Stones stockpiled for over half a year before being transported back to the sect?"

Liu Changqing's expression changed drastically. He fell to his knees on the spot and said in terror, "Master! The sect still had ample Spirit Stones in storage, while the output from the five great Spirit Stone mines continued to increase. If all the Spirit Stones were transported back at once, there might not have been enough room to store them, so..."

"Enough!" The elder interrupted with a shout. "Spirit Stones are meant to raise the cultivation of the sect's disciples. What is the point of storing so many? Since production increased, why did the amount distributed to the disciples not increase as well? If the overall cultivation of the sect's disciples rose, would we still fear having no Spirit Stones to use in the future? You shortsighted fool! How did I ever choose you as sect master? Every disciple at this entire Spirit Stone mine has died, and all the Spirit Stones have been stolen. What an utter humiliation! Liu Changqing, how am I supposed to explain this to the ancestors when I return?"

"Master, calm your anger. This disciple knows his fault and is willing to accept punishment!" Though Liu Changqing looked like an old man himself, not a trace of a sect master's majesty remained in him now.

"Hmph!" The elder glanced at his kneeling disciple, then looked to the elders on his left and right and said heavily, "Junior Brothers, it seems our Qingguang Sect has been silent for too long. Not long ago, the Daluo Sect killed our disciples and stole our spirit herbs. Now the Illusion Demon Palace has come to slaughter and plunder us. Who knows who will come calling next time? A few days ago, I had just broken through to the mid Tribulation stage. It is time I put myself to some use. What do you two Junior Brothers say?"

One elder said coldly, "If I remember correctly, the Qingguang Sect should be one of the Huaxia Empire's ten great cultivation sects!" The other elder smiled faintly. "It seems the Cultivation World has been a little too peaceful lately."