"At the very least, he's a Nascent Soul Cultivator who's highly skilled in concealment."
Numerous thoughts flashed through Chen Sheng's mind.
He had investigated the matter and learned that the strongest person in Cangnan Commandery was the Cangnan Li Household's patriarch, whose cultivation was at early Spirit Transformation. But the Heavenly Devil Cult had long known that the patriarch had left Great Xia, so he was unlikely to appear here.
"I'll probe him first."
After a moment's thought, Chen Sheng still couldn't accept fleeing just like that.
Perhaps it was a passing expert?
"Everyone, prepare to attack. This person probably isn't simple."
Chen Sheng gave the order without hesitation.
"Yes!"
A leisurely voice rang out.
"Are you talking about me?"
As soon as the voice appeared, an array spread rapidly, enveloping the entire rear mountain in an instant.
A young cultivator in white robes crossed several hundred meters in a single step and arrived on the rear mountain.
"When did he get here?!"
Chen Sheng's pupils contracted, his gaze sharp as a terrifying surge of Devil Qi erupted from him.
The other Devil Cultivators' expressions also changed. They were all cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm, yet Han Xuanji's presence had only flashed past before he arrived here.
They had laid layer upon layer of restrictions around this hiding place, and numerous Golden Core Devil Cultivators guarded its perimeter. Yet someone had now made it right under their noses.
Such methods sent chills down their spines.
Chen Sheng tried to activate the array, only to discover that it had long since been destroyed without a sound.
"Fuck!"
Chen Sheng couldn't help cursing inwardly, a sense of dread rising at once.
"Where do you come from, sir?"
Suppressing the panic in his heart, Chen Sheng asked in a deep voice:
"The Heavenly Devil Cult is conducting its business here. We won't disturb you."
People of the devil path weren't hotheads either. When it was time to bow their heads, they had to bow.
Still, he subtly revealed his affiliation with the Heavenly Devil Cult in his words, afraid the other man wouldn't recognize it.
Sure enough, they were from the Heavenly Devil Cult.
Han Xuanji smiled. Killing Devil Cultivators placed no burden on his conscience. There was no telling how much blood stained their hands. In particular, the mortals of Northern Nether Province were practically penned up by the various devil sects, grown and harvested again and again like leeks.
In fact, Chen Sheng, as a holy son, had a territory of his own. But the devil sect also had rules against harvesting too many at once.
Forging a perfect foundation naturally required a vast amount of Blood Qi. Even sacrificing every living being in the territory under his control wouldn't be enough.
Thus, Chen Sheng had made careful plans in coming to Yong Province. By using Venerable Qingming's power to sacrifice the hundreds of millions of living beings in Cangnan Commandery, he could not only make a name for himself but also attain his great path to Spirit Transformation.
"Where I come from isn't important. What matters is that I'm the one who's going to kill you."
Han Xuanji sneered.
"How dare you!"
A glint flashed in Chen Sheng's eyes as he shouted angrily:
"Attack together!"
The moment his words fell, the attack began.
The dozen or so Nascent Soul Devil Cultivators present struck together.
Chen Sheng's attack was especially fierce. Devil Qi swept in all directions, instantly transforming into a net that covered heaven and earth as it descended upon Han Xuanji.
Heavenly Devil Life-Extinguishing Claw!
Born with an Innate Devil Embryo, he was exceptionally suited to devil-path cultivation methods. This secret devil-path technique was immensely powerful, and he had cultivated it to the utmost. Its power to break spiritual defenses was so great that it could easily suppress and kill even a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator.
One could say that.
Below Spirit Transformation, he, Chen Sheng, feared no one.
"That's it?"
Han Xuanji couldn't even be bothered to look at Chen Sheng. He casually raised his right hand and pointed from afar.
Has he gone mad?
Chen Sheng's eyes turned vicious. By now, he no longer intended to conceal his presence. A diamond-shaped mark on his forehead flashed with bloody light, and Devil Qi filled the sky, as though a true devil had descended upon the mortal world. The entire mountain shook under that imposing force.
Yet in the next second, a piercing sound ripped through the air.
Boom!
Mighty spiritual power, like a divine sword, tore unstoppably through layer upon layer of attacks in an instant, then pierced Chen Sheng's forehead.
"You?"
Chen Sheng's eyes went wide, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Deathly silence.
Not a bird made a sound throughout the mountain forest. All the Devil Cultivators were stunned.
The devil-path holy son who had always stood so high above them, who had looked down on everyone, had died just like that?
In an instant.
The Devil Cultivators' faces went pale, and they began to think of retreat.
Those of the devil path were selfish and self-serving to begin with.
They had no intention of avenging the holy son. Instead, they considered the best way to escape.
Though Chen Sheng's master might hold them accountable later, that was better than dying right now, wasn't it?
"Run!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
In an instant, hundreds of people scattered like birds and beasts, none daring to look back.
As the saying went, better a fellow cultivator die than this poor Daoist.
Whoever ran fast enough might have a sliver of hope; whoever was slow could only be a scapegoat!
But could they escape?
Han Xuanji was no softhearted man. Every last one of these Devil Cultivators was a bad person, and his attack could certainly be considered ridding the people of a scourge.
"If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for running into me."
Han Xuanji waved his sleeve and spoke indifferently.
The next moment.
Every Devil Cultivator discovered that this space had been sealed off. There was no escape.
Then Han Xuanji sent a sword image flying from his fingertip, and its light split into countless rays.
Amid heart-rending wails.
Every Devil Cultivator died on the spot without exception, not even having time for their Nascent Souls to escape.
After doing all this, Han Xuanji frowned. Only then did he notice that Chen Sheng's corpse had vanished at some unknown point.
"A treasure to die in his place?"
Seeing this, Han Xuanji couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
He had obtained several such life-saving items through sign-ins himself. They could block a fatal blow from anyone below the Body Integration Realm and instantly transport their user an immense distance away.
Han Xuanji didn't know Chen Sheng's identity, but he realized that the fellow probably had an extraordinary background.
"Maybe after beating the young one, the old one will come."
Han Xuanji murmured.
Immediately afterward, he waved his hand and gathered all the spoils into his possession.
Then Han Xuanji activated the Void-Penetrating Divine Eye, his gaze passing through layer upon layer of space to see a thousand miles away.
Meanwhile.
Chen Sheng didn't dare stop for a moment as he fled with all his might.
He had expected Han Xuanji's strength to be considerable, but he hadn't expected to be killed in an instant!
"Damn it, he's definitely an old monster bullying a junior!"
Chen Sheng couldn't help cursing angrily:
"If I had a little more time to cultivate, I'd kill you!"
He believed that all his life, he had never been inferior to anyone. Which Devil Cultivator of his generation didn't give him a wide berth on sight?
To have competed his way to the position of holy son in the ruthless devil sect was inseparable from his master's strong support, but his strength and talent were also beyond doubt.
At that moment.
Yong Province, the Heavenly Devil Cult's branch headquarters.
Venerable Qingming opened his eyes and frowned slightly:
"Urgent rescue?"
Seeing the plea for help Chen Sheng had sent, Venerable Qingming didn't give it much thought. If he stood by and let Chen Sheng die, he would have a hard time when the latter's Void Return Realm master held him accountable.
He was already being ostracized in the Heavenly Devil Cult.
If he were targeted as well, he would have a hard time getting by.
With that thought, Venerable Qingming stepped forward and transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward Chen Sheng's location.
"Protector Qingming is a Spirit Transformation Peak expert. When the time comes, I'll ask him to tear that bastard to pieces and rip out his soul to be my soul slave!"
Chen Sheng's heart brimmed with killing intent.
Just imagining the scene filled him with delight!