Qi of All Beings, Corpse Herding Traces (1)

The soft white clouds drifted across the sky above the Prefectural City with the plum blossom-scented breeze.

A paper kite swayed in the wind, slowly gliding across the horizon, gradually approaching the wealthy residential area south of the Prefectural City.

On an open-air platform of a theater below, Chu Ge slowly lengthened the kite string. The Pigeon Eye paper cutting pasted on his brow glowed with a faint red light, its pigeon blood and exotic power consuming and burning.

At this moment, through the connection between the Pigeon Eye and the kite, the vast scene within a radius of nearly two li unfolded before his eyes.

Pillars of Qi formed by the life force of living beings rose up.

Many of them were thin and short red lines, while a few were long and thick pillars of Qi.

Although they were few, their number was still considerable, far surpassing that of Linyuan City.

Chu Ge's initial glance revealed many pillars of Qi that should belong to Bone Tempering Martial Cultivators.

There were even some long and thick ones, no less than his own, possibly belonging to Blood Change Martial Cultivators.

"Within just two li, there are already two Blood Change Martial Cultivators. The Prefectural City truly lives up to its name."

Chu Ge sighed inwardly.

Back when he read web novels before his transmigration, he often saw how rare certain realm powerhouses were in the early stages, only to find them everywhere in new, larger places. He had often scoffed at this.

But now, having truly transmigrated and experienced it himself, he felt it was a different kind of flavor.

He didn't find it outrageous, just normal.

It was like moving from a small village to a large metropolis. The richest person in the village might be just one of many in the metropolis. It was the same principle.

Larger places with more resources and people naturally made it easier to produce and attract powerhouses.

Chu Ge slowly let out more kite string, and the Thousand Mile Kite soon approached the Lin Family's airspace.

From a distance, he could already overlook the Lin Family's mansion.

Pavilions, towers, lakes, and ponds – everything was there.

Many thick and long pillars of Qi were distributed throughout the Lin Family's vast residential area.

Chu Ge's expression changed slightly.

The Lin Family's influence was immense, with as many as eight or nine Blood Change Realm Martial Cultivators seeking refuge, many of whom might be their own clan disciples.

However, upon further thought, it was normal. Blood Change Realm cultivators were still mortal martial cultivators, and some might not even have Spiritual Aptitude. It was natural for them to seek refuge for the Lin Family's resources and martial arts.

"This might not even be the Lin Family's full strength, as not everyone would be staying within the manor. The total could exceed twenty."

Chu Ge mused, observing two pillars of Qi in the deepest part of the Lin Family mansion that billowed like smoke.

The thickness and length of these two pillars of Qi even surpassed the large Flying Head Zombie that Xiao Qian had controlled in the past. They were like pillars of Qi and Blood reaching the heavens, likely belonging to Force Condensation Realm powerhouses, who were rumored to surpass the mortal realm.

"It's said the Yun Family has two Force Condensation Realm experts. The Lin Family also has two. It seems the five great families are similar. Perhaps some are weaker, but they should all have at least one Force Condensation Realm powerhouse."

Chu Ge's expression turned serious.

Anyone targeted by an influence with two Force Condensation Realm experts would feel pressure, especially when he hadn't yet broken through to that realm.

"Why would a family like this target me? Only my eldest sister's side can explain this. It seems I need to investigate the Lin Family's background first."

Chu Ge pondered, glancing at the setting sun that was almost completely gone from the sky, and quickly began to reel in the kite string.

He wasn't sure what abilities Force Condensation Realm experts possessed, as he had never dealt with such powerhouses before.

He had only heard that such experts could guide the exotic power in the heavens and earth, and they might detect the exotic power within his Thousand Mile Kite. He needed to be cautious and not get too close.

After reeling in the kite string to a certain extent, Chu Ge leaped down from the theater's high platform and, along a less-traveled winding path, pulled the kite back.

Along the way, lights began to appear in the city.

Gaily painted pleasure boats and small boats sailed on the nearby river, carrying faint sounds of music and singing.

Through the Thousand Mile Kite, Chu Ge observed more intertwined pillars of Qi in the twilight.

The courtesans on stage forcing smiles, the ragged beggars on the street, the shrewd vendors in the market, the foul-mouthed ruffians at the alley entrance, the wanderers drifting with the crowd.

The myriad forms of life, the bustling mortal world, a mixture of auras.

Each aura, while differing in strength, also had subtle differences within.

It was like comparing a woman from the Jiangnan water towns to one from the Northeast snow villages; both were women, but their temperaments were different.

A realization dawned in Chu Ge's heart.

He felt his understanding of the essence and spirit of various people become more profound, allowing him to attempt drawing more Shadow Puppet Face Patterns, no longer limited to just porters.

Just then, he suddenly detected several unusual black pillars of Qi among the surrounding red lines.

These black pillars of Qi were like crocodiles disturbing a calm river, causing the surrounding red lines to instinctively avoid them, making them quite conspicuous.

"Hmm? This aura... it's familiar!"

Chu Ge's expression changed slightly as he realized these pillars of Qi bore a strong resemblance to the aura of the Flying Head Zombie that had appeared in Linyuan City before, unlike the normal red pillars of Qi.

"Could it be that the Corpse Herding Sect has sent people to the Prefectural City?"

Chu Ge was astonished, a sense of foreboding striking him.

The Corpse Herding Sect had always been low-key and mysterious, preferring to reside in places with heavy yin energy and sparse population, rarely venturing into densely populated areas.

It appeared suddenly.

Thinking of Xiao Qian, he hurried back.

At the same time, he also noticed that the four black pillars of energy were heading in the same direction as him, and faster, clearly with a specific target.

"Something's wrong!"

Chu Ge immediately leaped forward, using his movement technique to rush towards the direction of the four black energy pillars.

As he sprinted with all his might, his vision quickly caught up. In his sight, several burly men appeared.

These men were also very fast, darting through streets and alleys, leaping over rooftops, avoiding crowded streets, and heading straight for the west of the city.

Chu Ge rapidly closed in, tailing them for a while.

Seeing that they were approaching the Moon Xi Inn, his eyes grew cold, and he knew he was right.

These four were all after Xiao Qian.

And they likely had some means of tracking her.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he settled on one: slowly putting on the Porter Mask.

Little Sprite Qian's various abilities were very useful to him, especially her spirit-infusing ability that aided his cultivation, protecting his meridians and acupoints, and increasing his cultivation speed by over thirty percent.

Over the years, even if he wasn't a top genius, he had the cultivation speed of one.

The auras of these four Corpse Herding Sect members were very strong.

But if he used all his means and attacked them by surprise, he was still highly confident he could eliminate them.

Even if there was danger, he could escape within the Prefectural City.

As for how to deal with the aftermath, he had already thought of several relatively stable countermeasures in this short time.

"Kill!"

Chu Ge's figure moved, like a fierce tiger re-entering the forest, suppressing his aura, his form hidden in the twilight as he quickly darted into an empty alley.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh--

In the increasingly dim alley, two figures moved rapidly one after another. Both had cold, wooden expressions, not like vibrant living people, but more like two killing machines.

Swish--

The moment the two figures stepped across a puddle, the burly man in the rear suddenly moved his dead, cold eyes.

Almost at the same instant, with a BOOM, the alley wall exploded, creating an opening. Many shattered stones and dust scattered violently from the immense impact.

A ferocious, thick claw covered in faint red scales suddenly lunged towards the burly man's head.

The burly man let out a low growl, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as he quickly raised his hand to block.

However, although his reaction was swift, it was still hasty and powerless.

With a CRACK, the burly man's blocking palm was instantly pierced by the claw. Before the strange green blood splattered could dissipate, a terrifying whistling sound spread.

The claw transformed into an iron fist the size of a sand pot, carrying dense qi, and slammed fiercely into the burly man's face.

BANG!!

A surge of powerful and sharp fist energy exploded.

Some bone fragments splattered in the air were pulverized by the qi before they could even spread.

"Ah--"

The burly man in front, who had narrowly escaped, roared and charged forward instead of fleeing.

BOOM--!

The alley wall shattered as if hit by a rampaging carriage.

Amidst the countless cracking and exploding stones and dust, a tall and sturdy figure emerged, exuding a monstrously terrifying aura.

His eyes blazed. As his thick arms, covered in faint red scales, clenched into fists, a qi explosion compressed and detonated in his palm. Like a tiger descending from the mountain, he charged towards his opponent, throwing a punch!

"Roar!!"

The fist wind was like a tiger's roar!

It instantly collided with the punch the opponent angrily threw.

The two forces pushed together, exploding into a white wave that spread in all directions, kicking up a cloud of dust.

CRACKLE!!

A bone-jarring explosion, accompanied by the sound of cracking bones, erupted.

The burly man let out a pained groan. His spirit was not shaken by the Crouching Tiger Fist intent, but he was heavily wounded by Chu Ge's terrifying strength.

His thick arm was like it had been hit by a giant stone roller, the bone in his elbow directly piercing through his arm and shattering into pieces.

His body staggered back, spraying blood.

"Second one!"

Chu Ge's qi and blood boiled. The Tiger Crouching Technique was fully unleashed, his muscles and bones writhing, unleashing astonishing power. Like a tiger descending the mountain that had gone mad, he sought to end it quickly.