The Blood of a Core Formation Cultivator (Please Keep Reading!)

"Greetings, Senior Brother Qi Yuan!" Dong Xian stepped forward. Seeing Qi Yuan, his expression was respectful.

"You?" Qi Yuan glanced at Dong Xian and instinctively took half a step back.

For someone like Dong Xian, who seemed to possess a protagonist's fate, the farther away he stayed, the better.

In the TV shows and anime Qi Yuan had watched, whenever there was suddenly a close-up of some supporting character being kind to the protagonist, there was no need to think about it—they would soon be killed off, and then the protagonist would awaken his little universe.

That was why so many shows had comments like this.

"Old Man Fei."

Qi Yuan was not an old man, nor did he want to be killed off.

"Senior Brother Qi Yuan, I have an unreasonable request. I don't know whether I should say it," Dong Xian said.

Qi Yuan hurriedly replied, "You shouldn't."

That instantly choked off whatever Dong Xian had been about to say.

At that moment, Qi Yuan also took a serious look at Dong Xian.

He was an ordinary youth. The Remnant Soul within him had awakened; it was an artifact refiner, and this artifact refiner had taken a liking to your kitchen knife.

Seeing that Dong Xian had no reaction, Qi Yuan patted his shoulder. "Young man, there's a ball of strange flame in the back kitchen of Divine Medicine Peak. I feel like it suits you quite well."

After saying that, Qi Yuan left directly.

As he walked away, however, he concealed the knife's aura.

That Remnant Soul had taken a liking to his knife just now, putting him on guard.

Meanwhile, Dong Xian still stood where he was, completely bewildered.

"Strange flame? What's that?"

Just then, Old Artifact's voice sounded.

"You need to be careful of this Qi Yuan. He isn't as simple as he looks."

"Huh?"

"When I came into close contact with him just now, I discovered that his kitchen knife had been stained with blood."

"Blood? Isn't that normal?"

"The blood of a Core Formation Cultivator," Old Artifact said.

Dong Xian froze.

A Core Formation Cultivator?

That kitchen knife... had killed a Core Formation Cultivator?

One had to know that in the Great Shang Kingdom, Core Formation Cultivators were figures akin to imperial court offerings.

That utterly ordinary kitchen knife had actually been stained with a Core Formation Cultivator's blood?

Had the Seven Colors Peak Lord bestowed it upon Qi Yuan?

No wonder Old Artifact had said that kitchen knife was extraordinary.

Old Artifact continued, "This Qi Yuan can only be a friend, never an enemy."

There was another half to that sentence which he did not say: that blood had been stained on it recently.

Dong Xian could not help but laugh. "Why would I go picking a fight with the chief disciple of a peak for no reason?"

On Seven Colors Peak, Jiang Lingsu looked astonished.

"Senior Brother, you're leaving the sect?"

Qi Yuan nodded. "I've already spoken to the Sect Master. His old self agreed too, and told me to go outside and reach Foundation Establishment."

"Foundation Establishment?" Jiang Lingsu was puzzled. "Why leave the sect?"

Couldn't he reach Foundation Establishment right here on Seven Colors Peak?

"Reading ten thousand volumes is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

Jiang Lingsu paused. "Senior Brother, sometimes what you say actually makes sense.

But... I don't think you're doing this for Foundation Establishment."

"Sigh." Qi Yuan sighed. "Your senior brother is fleeing for his life, fighting for a chance at survival."

Qi Yuan felt that he was much like Great Immortal Nangong, that tragic figure—daring to fight for a lifetime of immortality.

Jiang Lingsu was speechless. "Senior Brother, speak plainly."

Seeing this, Qi Yuan said, "Am I not afraid that the Black Mountain Sect will suspect me of killing Chu Tianxiong and the others?

"What if Black Chicken Old Demon brings people to surround the peak, and I get trapped here? Wouldn't that be a dead end?"

"I'd still hide outside and come back after the storm has passed."

Jiang Lingsu: "...Senior Brother, you should hurry up and leave. I'm afraid that if I stay with you too long, I'll lose my brain."

Jiang Lingsu wore a look of utter disdain.

But then she seemed to think of something and reminded him, "Senior Brother, be careful out there on your own.

The people from Black Mountain Sect might jump over the wall in desperation and truly come looking for trouble with you."

"Great minds think alike. I also feel that Black Mountain Sect harbors the ambitions of wolves!" Qi Yuan agreed fiercely.

Jiang Lingsu: "...Senior Brother, I think if you were mute, you'd definitely be a peerless handsome man seen only once in a century."

But the moment he opened his mouth... she was on her knees.

Of course, it wasn't that Qi Yuan's voice sounded bad, but that the things he said were simply outrageous.

"There are still two vacancies in the Heaven-class seats. Anyone who wants to switch seats, hurry up—just one Spirit Stone!"

On the Spirit Boat, a female Qi Refining cultivator called out crisply to the Earth-class passengers.

This was a flying vessel bound for Bloodless City.

Bloodless City lay in the far north of Great Shang and was a rather chaotic city.

After all, Bloodless City was close to the territory under Black Mountain Sect's rule.

Generally speaking, not many righteous cultivators were willing to go there.

However, a kind of blood crystal was produced outside Bloodless City.

These blood crystals were quite valuable and could be used by certain cultivators for cultivation.

Thus, many Rogue Cultivators, and even disciples of major sects, went to Bloodless City to gather blood crystals and improve their strength.

At present, Qi Yuan was seated inside the Spirit Boat.

This Spirit Boat was a Foundation Establishment artifact.

But unlike ordinary Foundation Establishment artifacts, all its points had been invested in speed.

Hearing the words of the "flight attendant," Qi Yuan felt tempted.

After looting corpses the other day, he had gone from pauper to suddenly rich, and he wanted to try sitting in the Heaven-class "first-class cabin."

But then he remembered that he was a man destined for great deeds and needed to keep a low profile, so he extinguished that thought.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also going to Bloodless City to dig for blood crystals? Judging by your extraordinary bearing, you must be a disciple of a major sect, right?" At that moment, a beautiful married woman beside Qi Yuan struck up a conversation.

The beautiful woman was exquisitely dressed, her hair coiled into a falling-horse bun with a peachwood hairpin slanting through it.

Her pale green robe was elegant and refined, making her appear gentle, dignified, and incomparably proper.

Her attire was simple, but it was clear she possessed a modest fortune. She was a wealthy woman.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan could not help but sigh. Even after using disguise techniques and concealing Dao arts to change his face and lower his looks by ninety percent, someone had still seen through to the essence of his "handsomeness."

"I am but a Rogue Cultivator," Qi Yuan said. The role he was playing now was that of a Rogue Cultivator.

"Rogue Cultivators are quite good too. They have drive when it comes to doing things.

When I was young, I was a Rogue Cultivator too. Only after I grew older did I join a sect, because I came to prefer a more stable life," the beautiful woman said wistfully.

"Isn't Elder Sister in the prime of her youth?" Qi Yuan said.

As the saying went, when young, one did not know an older sister's charms, and mistakenly took a loli for treasure.

There were surely many Cao Cao types who would like a beautiful, wealthy woman like the one before him.

Qi Yuan's great skill was "Overlord Power," but he had not awakened Boss Cao's particular trait.

"Fellow Daoist, you truly know how to talk." The beautiful woman smiled so brightly she swayed like a flower in the wind. "How could I compare to young people like you, so strong and vigorous?"

As she looked at Qi Yuan's tall, sturdy body, she seemed to recall the past.

"Fellow Daoist, if you are going to Bloodless City to mine blood crystals, you must be careful of the people from Black Mountain Sect.

In Bloodless City, it is better to offend the City Lord than to offend Black Mountain Sect.

If you offend the City Lord, perhaps only you will die. If you offend Black Mountain Sect, your entire family may die." At the mention of Black Mountain Sect, a trace of fear and disgust clearly passed through the beautiful woman's eyes.

"Black Mountain Sect is actually that bad? They even wipe out entire families?" Qi Yuan lowered his voice, sounding somewhat agitated.

If Black Mountain Sect learned that he had killed Chu Tianxiong, would its people go to Blue Star and kill his whole family?

That would be terrible!

But on second thought, Qi Yuan had a damn family?

His household register listed only him.

How miserable!

When people cursed him online, he could not even retort.

"Black Mountain Sect has great power and influence, and it is incomparably overbearing."

The blood crystals we dig up in Bloodless City—not only do we have to hand over ten percent to the City Lord's Manor, we also have to submit twenty percent to the Black Mountain Sect.

"Actually... it's more than twenty percent!" At this, the beautiful woman gritted her teeth, looking quite furious.

Qi Yuan flew into a rage when he heard that. "Bloodless City isn't even under the Black Mountain Sect's jurisdiction. Why are they acting so arrogantly?

"They're even more black-hearted than capitalists. They should be strung up from streetlamps!"

Seeing this, the beautiful woman lowered her voice. "Fellow Daoist, you should keep your voice down. If people from the Black Mountain Sect hear you, the trouble won't be small."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan thought to himself.

I'm not being selfish!

I'm not avenging myself!

I'm carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf!

He brainwashed himself. In any case, he had already taken the moral high ground, enough to look down upon the Black Mountain Sect.

During the journey aboard the Spirit Boat, he and the beautiful woman chatted quite pleasantly.

Of course, it had little to do with Qi Yuan's emotional intelligence. It was probably related to his looks and youth.

About five hours later, the Spirit Boat landed.

The many cultivators disembarked one after another.

The beautiful woman politely extended an invitation. "If you don't have anywhere to stay, why not spend the night at my home?"

Qi Yuan glanced at the sky upon hearing this.

"No."

He had to hurry, or he would miss the last Spirit Boat.

There was no way he would stay here for the night.

After killing someone, he needed to run as fast as possible!

As for returning to the scene of the crime?

Anyone who killed often should know that going back to inspect the crime scene made it easy to get caught.

Just then, a somewhat dissatisfied voice rang out.

"Mother, I'm here."

A woman in an exquisite palace dress walked over. A female Foundation Establishment cultivator followed at her side. The girl in the palace dress looked at Qi Yuan, faint hostility hidden in her eyes.

Qi Yuan found it utterly baffling.

"Fellow Daoist Liu Piao, farewell." Qi Yuan bid the beautiful woman goodbye and turned to leave.

The woman in the palace dress stepped forward and took the beautiful woman's arm. "Mother, who was that?"

The beautiful woman smiled. "Xiao Rou, your nature is simply too guarded around everyone. He was merely a Rogue Cultivator I met by chance, someone who came to Bloodless City to dig for blood crystals.

"I thought his bearing was rather good, so I chatted with him. You're not so young anymore—you should find a Dao companion."

The wariness in the palace-dressed woman's eyes vanished. She said helplessly, "That huge blood crystal mine operation still needs me to handle it. Where would I find the time?

"And besides, Mother, while I may not be some proud daughter of heaven, it's not as though just any Rogue Cultivator pulled off the street would be worthy of me.

"Sigh, after I pick you up, I still have to go to the Black Mountain Sect with the other mine owners. I've already made arrangements with them—we leave in an hour."

At the mention of the Black Mountain Sect, an unshakable cloud of sorrow appeared in the palace-dressed woman's eyes.

Happy Qixi Festival!