Urgency
Pinghuai Street is the only bustling commercial street in Huizhou County. It has the most luxurious brothels and taverns in Huizhou County, the best weapons and iron shops in Huizhou County, and even a pharmacy that provides elixirs for cultivators.
Although the various cultivation supplies sold were far inferior in quality to those from large merchant guilds, they were more than enough for these wandering heroes in the "jianghu" (martial arts world).
In Huizhou County, where there is no curfew, Pinghuai Street is the gathering place for most martial arts practitioners and various gentry and young masters, and it is also the largest den of iniquity in the county.
Here, there are tales of chivalrous heroes who risk their lives for a beautiful woman, and rumors of wealthy young men spending hundreds of taels of silver in a single night just to win a smile from their beloved.
Two quarters of an hour ago, as dawn broke and before any unforeseen events occurred, Pinghuai Street remained bustling with activity, a stark contrast to the tranquility of other parts of Huizhou County.
After a night of heavy drinking and revelry, patrons leaving the brothel laughed and joked as they departed. Carts carrying supplies bustled through the streets, while some disciplined early risers were already enjoying their breakfast in lavishly decorated restaurants.
Among the people enjoying their breakfast, an elderly man in luxurious robes and a beautiful noblewoman sat quietly by the window on the second floor of the tavern, watching the bustling street below.
This combination was strange, because both of them wore iron masks with eerie crying faces carved on them, but strangely, no one around them paid any attention to them.
After gazing for a long time, the old man withdrew his gaze and murmured softly, as if sighing:
"Having lived in the mountain gate for so long, it's quite a change to be here in the mortal world today and witness the everyday life of ordinary people. However, the atmosphere of this marketplace has changed quite a bit since I was young; these low-level martial arts apprentices are now everywhere."
The middle-aged noblewoman remained silent upon hearing this. Her calm eyes gazed at the sky outside the window through the iron mask, but she said nothing.
Seeing that the middle-aged noblewoman did not respond, and the old man seemingly knowing what she was thinking, his withered voice boomed:
"Fellow Daoist Fu, now that we're here, let's not hesitate any longer. Although this journey is dangerous, with Fairy Luo here, as long as we follow the plan, Xu Changtian shouldn't be able to cause any trouble."
The middle-aged woman, upon hearing this, snapped out of her reverie, looked at the elderly man across the wooden table, and spoke in a gentle, clear voice:
"Now that I'm here, I won't hold back. I'm just a little curious why Lou Ji was left to be dealt with by Fairy Luo alone."
Their plan for the five of them was actually quite simple.
The group split into three teams: the woman surnamed Luo was responsible for holding off Lou Ji, she and the withered old man were responsible for searching for Jing Tingxi's daughter, while Taishi Ran and Fatty Zhou were responsible for searching for Xu Changtian's whereabouts within the city.
This seems reasonable, but it is not actually the case.
The key to the success of the entire assassination operation was actually eliminating the Black Scale Guard Chief.
Thinking to herself, the middle-aged woman looked up at the sky again:
"Wouldn't it be a better choice for the five of us to gang up on that woman? The Prime Minister's Mansion's reinforcements haven't arrived yet. Once Lou Ji is dead, Xu Changtian will be nothing more than a fish on a chopping board."
The withered old man chuckled softly upon hearing this, his voice, masked by his Weeping Iron Mask, sounding like a plaintive lament:
"Fellow Daoist Fu, Lou Ji is no ordinary cultivator; the risk of surrounding and killing her is far too great."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged beauty's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly beneath her stern expression. Having spent most of her life in the Southern Frontier, she didn't actually know much about this infamous Black Scale Guard commander.
"Are you saying that even the four of us Mortal Shedding and one Half-Saint couldn't defeat her?"
The withered old man shook his head, his tone leisurely:
"It's not that we can't surround and kill her, but that woman is skilled in using poison, and her Dao Domain is extremely strange. Our cultivation is not as good as hers, and we would easily fall into her trap. Letting Fairy Luo hold her off alone is the safest decision."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's eyes flickered for a moment behind her mask, and she let out a soft breath.
"You're being too cautious."
The withered old man, unperturbed by the words, chuckled and replied:
"Better safe than sorry. Lou Ji almost never leaves anyone alive when she strikes; we must be on guard."
Before the words were finished,
A tremendous surge of energy rose from the County Office in the center of Huizhou County, prompting the two to immediately look in the direction from which the energy was emanating.
A purple beam of light appeared there.
To remain concealed, the two did not activate their Cultivation Method, and thus, the moment the escape light appeared, it vanished from their sight.
And then,
That beam of light, which made the world lose its color, pierced through the void and swept across the sky above Huizhou County!
Upon seeing this scene,
The two people sitting by the window in the tavern fell silent for a moment.
The withered old man smiled and said:
"Fellow Daoist Fu, Fairy Luo has begun her operation; it's time for us to move in as well."
The middle-aged woman frowned upon hearing this, and pointed to the sky:
"Lou Ji seems to have thrown someone down; that must be Xu Changtian, right?"
The withered old man, who had also witnessed this scene, chuckled and asked in return:
"Indeed, but can you pinpoint the exact landing point?"
"."
The middle-aged woman carefully recalled the scene that had just occurred to her.
Just now, she did see someone being thrown down from the sky by Lou Ji, but the person was enveloped in a mesmerizing aura, and even with her cultivation level, she couldn't pinpoint their exact location.
Judging from the energy it exudes, it seems to be Dao Domain?
The thought startled the middle-aged woman, who looked at the withered old man opposite her and asked, as if to confirm it:
"That energy just now was..."
"It must be Lou Ji's Dao Domain," the withered old man said with a smile. "Pretty terrifying, isn't it? This is the true strength of the Black Scale Guard Commander."
"."
The middle-aged woman did not reply.
But in that instant, she suddenly understood why Taishi Ran only sent the woman surnamed Luo to delay Lou Ji.
Lou Ji's manipulation techniques of the Dao Domain completely overturned her understanding.
The Dao Domain is the symbol of the Mortal Shedding Realm and the source of Mortal Shedding power. Once the Dao Domain is activated, cultivators within its range become virtually invincible.
However, the same Dao Domain has a fatal flaw: it is centered on Dao Domain cultivator and covers too little area. For top-tier cultivators like those at the Mortal Shedding and Origin Beginning, escaping is an instantaneous matter.
Lou Ji was able to temporarily shield other people with her Dao Domain.
If the middle-aged beauty were to face Lou Ji, and if the latter used such a ghostly method to envelop her in Dao Domain while maintaining a certain distance, then she would only be able to take the beating unilaterally.
The battles between cultivators Mortal Shedding are almost entirely a contest of their application of the Dao Domain.
Her Dao Domain was too far away to reach Lou Ji, while Lou Ji's Dao Domain could directly cover her.
How do I fight this?
For an ordinary cultivator who Mortal Shedding to face Lou Ji is a one-sided crushing defeat.
Startled, the middle-aged woman suddenly looked up at the sky to the south of the city.
She thought of the woman surnamed Luo who was currently Lou Ji, and her voice held a hint of worry:
"Fairy Luo, she..."
The withered old man tapped lightly on the wooden table in front of him with his fingertips and said in a deep voice:
"Alright, now is not the time to worry about Fairy Luo. As a half-saint, Fairy Luo naturally has her own methods. Since they have already made their move, we can't delay any longer."
Speaking of this,
The withered old man smiled gently:
"Fellow Daoist Fu, you had a very close relationship with Jing Tingxi back then. Because you love him so much, don't you want to find Jing Tingxi's daughter sooner?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman composed herself, recognizing the sarcasm in the other person's words, and gave a soft snort:
"You talk too much nonsense."
The withered old man chuckled and slowly stood up from in front of the wooden table:
"The sooner we find that woman, the sooner we can go and help."
The middle-aged woman also stood up, her slender fingertips lightly tracing the smooth surface of the table, and asked:
"Although Huizhou County is not large, it is still a county town. Can we directly Will Soul to investigate?"
The withered old man pondered for a moment, glanced at the two women fighting on the dome, and gently shook his head:
"Right now, Lou Ji and Fairy Luo should still be testing each other. She should still have the energy to observe the city. You saw her methods just now, so let's keep a low profile for now and not let her detect our Qi."
The middle-aged woman's eyes showed a thoughtful look as she whispered:
"That makes sense. In that case, shall we go to the Huizhou County or the Exotic Beast Bureau first?"
The County Office and the Exotic Beast Bureau, one being the place Lou Ji stayed this morning and the other the place where their Mystic Eagle Pavilion was parked, both have a chance of being Jing Xuelan's place of imprisonment.
While it's still necessary to remain concealed, the two of them can temporarily inspect both locations.
The withered old man pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then said in a low voice:
"We'll head to the Exotic Beast Bureau first. Jing Xuelan's cultivation is not weak; the dungeons in Huizhou County probably won't be enough to imprison her."
"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately."
The Mystic Eagle Pavilion, as the most valuable flying vehicle of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, is filled with countless restrictions. The secret chamber on the ground floor even has temporary restrictions set up by Lou Ji. However, for the two mortals, the Mortal Shedding old man and the middle-aged beauty, this level of restriction is as good as non-existent.
The two arrived at the secret chamber on the lowest level of the Mystic Eagle Pavilion as if it were empty.
The moment they entered the secret chamber, their gazes immediately locked onto the young woman sitting on the stone table in the center of the chamber, who was only wearing a bodice and underpants.
The woman, with a face as beautiful as an immortal, was unconscious with her eyes closed, as still as a virgin, her hands and feet bound by iron chains.
Upon seeing this, the withered old man did not immediately step inside. Instead, he asked the middle-aged woman beside him:
"Is this girl Jing Xuelan?"
The middle-aged woman gazed at the young woman, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes, her words tinged with complexity:
"It must be, she and that person share some resemblance in their features."
Hearing this complex answer, the withered old man's words carried a hint of a smile:
"Ha, you remember it so well. You and Jing Tingxi must have been together for decades."
"You can refrain from making sarcastic remarks."
The middle-aged beauty turned her head coldly. "Instead of saying all this, let's see if there are any backup plans left by that woman Lou Ji here."
The withered old man chuckled, "In life, there are always one or two people you can never forget. I understand you."
As he spoke, the withered old man's gaze gradually turned serious, sweeping across the entire secret room.
And soon,
His gaze then settled on the bottles and jars that hadn't been put away, and his cloudy eyes unconsciously narrowed.
"Is Lou Ji using Jing Xuelan as a test subject for medicine?"
The middle-aged woman, with her keener observation, immediately noticed the red mark that seemed to be branded onto Jing Xuelan's fair skin. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she spoke up to remind her:
"Old man, that brand on Jing Xuelan's neck... it looks like the red spot plague that's recently broken out in the Northern Border."
"."
Upon hearing this, the withered old man's pupils suddenly contracted.
The news of the terrifying plague spreading in the Northern Border could not be kept from these high-ranking members of the sect.
After all, this disease that drives people to lose their minds has also caused them considerable losses.
Moreover, since no news of Mortal Shedding Realm experts being infected had arrived, he couldn't be sure whether this strange infectious disease would be effective against them, but caution was always the best policy.
The quiet, cramped, and secret room fell silent for a moment.
The withered old man spoke again, his eyes now showing a hint of wariness.
"I remember that this disease is currently incurable."
The middle-aged woman pursed her red lips slightly beneath the mask and whispered:
"You said it yourself that it's only temporary, and you also saw Fairy Luo's previous reaction. We need to give her an explanation."
The withered old man sighed softly:
"Alright, cover for me. I'll use my Dao Domain to check if this place is safe. If it is, we'll move her away for now."
After saying that,
A scorching flame rose in the withered old man's cloudy eyes, and the temperature in the originally cold and dry secret room suddenly began to rise rapidly, as if an invisible flame had enveloped the entire secret room.
The silence lasted for a moment, and then, as expected, the change occurred.
A ghostly aura began to spread from Jing Xuelan.
Upon seeing this scene,
The withered old man's eyes showed little panic as he said:
"That woman Lou Ji is indeed meticulous; she definitely left a backup plan here."
"Can this be resolved?"
"She left Dao Domain within Jing Xuelan's body. If we were to come into contact with her without any precautions, even the two of us would likely be directly affected. But now..."
The withered old man chuckled and formed a spell with his hands, "She is far away, and the Dao Domain formed by the little bit of Qi she left behind is just a rootless duckweed, it's impossible for her to harm me."
When speaking,
The scorching heat from the secret chamber, like a lava hell, instantly pressed down on the eerie aura emanating from Jing Xuelan's surroundings!
Let's go back to the present.
"You all hurry up and join me!!"
The withered old man's maniacal laughter echoed through the county town, flames clinging to his wrinkled hands that seemed capable of scorching the very fabric of space. "Jing Xuelan has been found! Now, the four of us just need to destroy this city, force Xu Changtian out, and everything will be over! Hahahaha!!!"
The maniacal laughter was incessant, and flames in his hands were constantly being hurled down towards the city below.
With each falling spark, a deafening explosion echoed through Huizhou County, accompanied by cries and screams from ordinary people.
For ordinary people like Shuli, the best outcome of a disaster caused by such a powerful being is to die instantly without pain.
Far above the center of the raging flames, the once dignified middle-aged beauty now appeared somewhat disheveled. Her elaborate palace attire, scorched by the flames, had torn at the sleeves and waist.
Her fair, lotus-like arms and plump waist were exposed, and a burning, stinging sensation kept rising in her heart.
The withered old man's magic was an indiscriminate attack, Three Yang True Flame he cultivated prevented her injuries from being immediately repaired and healed by his Cultivation Method.
But at this moment, the middle-aged woman had no time to worry about this injury.
The constant roaring sounds and the raging flames dyed the sky red.
Beneath the Weeping Iron Mask, the middle-aged beauty stared intently at the withered old man who had fallen into madness not far away; her gentle face was now ashen.
Looking at the withered old man who seemed to have gone mad, the middle-aged woman's mind raced as she quickly considered a solution.
Upon entering the Mystic Eagle Pavilion, the two of them had already given sufficient attention to the possible contingency plans Lou Ji might have left inside, but the withered old man still inevitably fell victim to them.
Just as the withered old man pressed down his Qi, about to completely eliminate Lou Ji's remaining Dao Domain in Jing Xuelan, a burst of pink light exploded in the cramped and narrow secret chamber.
Charm God Cherry Blossom.
That insidious woman, Lou Ji, has secretly concealed the Demon-Enchanting Cherry Blossom Poison within the Dao Domain!
The Demon-Enchanting Cherry Blossom Poison, prepared by Lou Ji, is far superior to that of Xu Yuan, a mere Little White at Soul Condensation.
In the instant of the eruption, the Charm Poison flowed backward through the Dao Domain unleashed by the withered old man, causing him to fall into a brief state of stun.
The middle-aged woman immediately tried to help, attempting to use her Source Qi to pull the old man out of the area enveloped by the pink halo, but she failed.
The instant her Source Qi came into contact with the pink halo, the Charm Poison instantly wrapped around her Source Qi and surged towards her body.
If she doesn't retreat, she herself will be corrupted by the Charm Poison and trapped here.
Just before leaving the secret room,
The middle-aged woman watched as Jing Xuelan, lying on the stone slab, slowly awoke from her unconsciousness. But her beautiful, open eyes were filled with murderous intent and madness.
When they met again, the withered old man had completely descended into madness.
"You bastard!!"
The middle-aged beauty couldn't help but let out a soft cry, and a spherical arc of light instantly condensed in her hand.
The withered old man has now gone completely mad, and their plans have been completely ruined. She must make a decision immediately.
Should we kill this withered old man on the spot, or follow his lead and destroy the county town below to force Xu Changtian out?
The thought had barely formed when a low, transmitted voice immediately resounded in her mind:
"Fellow Daoist Fu, what happened to Old Tian?"
It was Taishi Ran.
Huizhou County is such a small place, so Taishi Ran and Fatty Zhou's group naturally saw the commotion.
However, the two did not lose their composure and reveal themselves immediately. Instead, they used telepathy to first gather information.
After hearing Taishi Ran's telepathic message, the middle-aged woman temporarily suppressed her murderous intent and briefly recounted her experience to him.
Taishi Ran made his decision almost instantly, simple and cold-blooded:
"Go and rescue Jing Xuelan first. Ignore Old Tian and let him massacre the city to force Xu Changtian out."
"Since things have come to this, we can only use him as a scapegoat. With his cultivation level, he can raze Huizhou County to the ground in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. After we kill Xu Changtian, we can join forces to kill him."
"."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment.
Old Tian Wind Mist Sect is a powerful force, and this action is tantamount to throwing the Wind Mist Sect away as a pawn.
However, she soon chose to follow Taishi Ran's advice.
Given the current situation, this is the only way to minimize the losses to the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion.
After gazing intently at the old man in the sky, who was slaughtering civilians like a demon, the middle-aged woman flashed and sped directly towards the location of the Mystic Eagle Pavilion below.
The withered old man's madness instantly transformed Huizhou County into a living hell.
Amidst the chaos and panic of the streets, where pedestrians cried out and fled, a horse-drawn carriage quietly pulled up to the side of the road.
Looking out the car window, Xu Yuan felt his thoughts were in disarray.
The situation caught him off guard, and his plans were once again disrupted by the changing circumstances.
However, his habitual rationality allowed him to calm down in an extremely fast manner, and he quickly reorganized his next move in his mind.
First, he heard the old man's voice that had resounded throughout the world.
The other party came to assassinate him, and they were looking for Jing Xuelan.
Based on just one point, Xu Yuan was able to confirm the identity of the woman in the black dress.
Luo Bingli Great Elder of the reclusive Luo Clan, one of the beauties of the Burial Village, and one of the assistants and mothers-in-law of Qin Mo, the protagonist of the novel "Cangyuan".
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan subconsciously glanced at the Blood God Stone Pendant in his arms.
I wonder if this woman surnamed Luo is related to this sworn sister?
This assassination attempt was launched by the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, and ten thousand years ago, the Luo family was one of the seven clans of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Yuan suppressed it for the time being.
That's not important right now. What's important is that Luo Bingli is the biological mother of Jing Xuelan, one of the female protagonists in "Cangyuan".
Therefore, his decision to return to the Mystic Eagle Pavilion to find Jing Xuelan was probably the right one.
As long as Jing Xuelan is held hostage, Luo Bingli will inevitably be hesitant to act rashly.
Just like Xu Yuan was to Xu Changge and his father and maternal uncle.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan rubbed his temples hard and glanced once more at the mad old man in the sky.
Although the details are unknown, this old man must have been infected with Jing Xuelan's terrifying plague through the machinations of his older sister, Lou Ji. However, judging from his behavior, he should not have completely lost his mind.
After all, if he were completely controlled by this fun-loving plague, the other party wouldn't be so focused on killing him now; they would have already gone to find fun.
However, judging from his mention of "the four of us," at least three of the assassins are still hiding in the shadows.
"Third Young Master"
Lost in thought, Qianxi's voice suddenly drifted into the carriage, filled with worry. "If this continues, His Highness will likely be in danger very soon."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's heart tightened slightly.
Now, the only thing he can rely on is Qianxi, whom he borrowed from Li Yunqing. If she runs back to Li Yunqing, then he can only hope that his elder sister in heaven can lend a hand, or that his maternal uncle can come quickly.
After all, those shady characters from the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion were giving him too much face during this great calamity.
Four Mortal Shedding and one Half-Saint were dispatched to assassinate him, a mere Soul Condensation cultivator.
Xu Changge probably didn't receive this kind of treatment.
The thought flashed through his mind, Xu Yuan's heart pounded slightly. He asked aloud:
"I know, Qianxi, how many people's Qi can you sense from the Exotic Beast Bureau's Division?"
"Both of you are at the Mortal Shedding," Qianxi answered decisively. "And it seems they fought."
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes:
"Even if you count the Qi energy of Grandmaster, are you sure you can only sense the Qi energy of two people?"
Qianxi didn't understand what Xu Yuan meant by asking this, but she still replied in a low voice:
"Reporting to Young Master, I confirm that there are only two Mortal Shedding over there."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan steeled his resolve, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth, saying:
"Take me to the Exotic Beast Bureau in Huizhou County immediately!"
"What?" Qianxi's voice faltered.
"I said, take me to the Exotic Beast Bureau!"
"."
Qianxi hesitated, then asked, "Third Young Master, may I inquire about the reason?"
Xu Yuan's answer was straightforward:
"There's someone there who can make that demigod holding my sister back from taking any action, and only by controlling her can this deadly situation be possibly resolved!"
Are you sure?
"In this life-or-death situation, there's no way we can be 100% certain! Only by doing this can we have a chance to survive, and the same goes for your Highness."
"."
Qianxi remained silent; she had naturally heard what the old man had said.
Besides the half-saint woman in the black dress and the old man, there were three other terrifying beings of the same level as her lurking in the shadows within Huizhou County. This level of assassination attempt was beyond her imagination.
There was a moment of silence.
Qianxi's slender figure appeared in the carriage without warning. Without saying a word, she calmly reached out her delicate hands and hooked them around the man's waist.
Since His Highness has instructed her to obey this Third Young Master, then she will comply.
In a flash, their figures disappeared from the carriage, leaving only the curtains, rippling in the strong wind, gently swaying.
Under the full force of the Mortal Shedding Realm expert, a quarter of the vast Huizhou County was destroyed in a short period of time.
The area near the Exotic Beast Bureau in the south of the city was the worst affected, with flames rising for miles around and the stench of charred flesh everywhere.
Constantly dodging the old man's madly thrown Three Yang True Flame, when the middle-aged beauty returned to the top of the Mystic Eagle Pavilion, a look of astonishment flashed in her eyes as she gazed down at the Mystic Eagle Pavilion.
From her elevated vantage point, she saw two women and a man stepping out of the Mystic Eagle Pavilion and onto the vast deck behind the Mystic Eagle.
The man, dressed in a brocade robe, was handsome, his eyes flashing with a blood-red light as he stared grimly at the sky.
Beside him stood a woman in red, with an unconscious woman tucked under her arm; this was Jing Xuelan, who was imprisoned in the secret room.
But strangely,
The middle-aged woman could see the two people in her field of vision, but when she scanned the area with her Qi, there was no one there.
Standing on the deck,
Xu Yuan stared calmly at the unexpected guest who had suddenly arrived, but his heart was pounding.
In the illusion, he often gambled with Tianyan to survive. Unexpectedly, after returning to reality, as the Crown Prince of the Prime Minister's Estate's Mansion, he still had to gamble with his life.
He met the gaze of the woman with the Weeping Iron Mask for a moment.
Xu Yuan opened his mouth, and his voice, amplified by his Source Qi, resounded throughout the already ravaged Huizhou County:
Xu Changtian is here.
"To those who came here to assassinate me, I believe we can now have a talk."
Turning my back to all living beings! 7k!