Chapter 135: The Bell Rings Across the Peaks

After all, in the chaotic world of the apocalypse that followed the arrival of the God's Remnant, most cultivators were Qi Condensation loose cultivators. The number of those who could reach Foundation Establishment was small, so they were rarely seen in the cities outside.

Only within large sects like the Seventh Blood Sect would a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators gather.

Thus, Xu Qing's appearance naturally caused a certain sensation. Even amidst the respect shown by those guards, before Xu Qing could reach the teleportation array, he felt a ripple coming from the distant City Lord's Mansion.

Xu Qing frowned, his heart on guard, and he cast a cold glance in that direction.

In mid-air, a long rainbow whistled closer and stopped three zhang away from Xu Qing, revealing a middle-aged man inside wearing luxurious robes.

This middle-aged man had an ordinary appearance, and his Foundation Establishment magic power was currently radiating outward as he sized Xu Qing up.

Xu Qing was also looking at his neck, judging in his heart how many magic apertures the other party had opened.

"I wonder what brings you here, fellow Daoist? I am Zhou Zhou Hengli, a member of the Zhou family of the Purple Earth, appointed as the City Lord of this city. This city is jointly managed by the three parties: our Purple Earth, the Seventh Blood Sect, and the Departing Path Sect."

"Passing through, teleporting," Xu Qing said calmly, faintly sensing that the other party did not have many magic apertures and had not reached the level of forming a Life Fire.

The middle-aged cultivator Zhou Zhou Hengli in mid-air looked as usual, but he was already extremely vigilant in his heart. It was because he felt a thick baleful aura from this sallow-faced cultivator before him.

Clearly, the other party was someone who had killed many, and judging by his attire, his background could not be discerned, which made him extremely wary. In particular, the other party's gaze seemed to land on his neck, which instinctively made his hair stand on end.

What shocked him most was that he could not discern the cultivation base of the person before him; he was worried about encountering someone with a Life Fire...

"Please!" Zhou Zhou Hengli's heart trembled, but he did not show it in his expression. While speaking in a low voice, he immediately made arrangements.

At once, all pedestrians in front of Xu Qing were dispersed, and while the surroundings were cleared, a path leading to the teleportation array was opened up.

Xu Qing's expression was calm; he knew this was a gesture of unwelcomeness from the other party, who clearly hoped he would leave quickly. He also felt strands of energy radiating from within the city.

That was not emitted by cultivators, but rather more like some arrays being activated.

Xu Qing considered this caution normal; after all, for a city in the wilderness, the entry of an outside Foundation Establishment cultivator naturally invited high vigilance.

Xu Qing nodded and simply stopped walking. With a roar of speed, his entire body flew up directly, whistling toward the teleportation array ahead. The speed was so fast that it kicked up a gale, causing dust to fly all around.

Zhou Zhou Hengli's pupils shrank even further, and he immediately followed.

During this flight, Xu Qing soon arrived at the teleportation site. The area had already been cleared, and there were no idlers around, only a few guards maintaining the array's operation, who bowed to Xu Qing in trembling awe.

"Greetings, Senior. The array has been adjusted. May I ask where you wish to go?"

Xu Qing looked at them, then swept a glance at the City Lord who was following from afar, appearing normal but actually being extremely guarded. He deeply felt the status of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He then stepped to the side of the teleportation array and spoke calmly.

"The Seventh Blood Sect main city."

As soon as his words were out, the guards maintaining the array hurriedly agreed and began to adjust the array for him. Only after confirming three times that there were no issues did they respectfully retreat more than ten zhang away.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over the teleportation array. He did not understand arrays, but having teleported many times, he could see some of the ropes. After scanning it, he stepped inside. As the light of the teleportation array shone, his figure vanished within it in an instant.

Not until Xu Qing's figure on the teleportation array dissipated did Zhou Zhou Hengli let out a long sigh of relief. Although he was Foundation Establishment, he did not want to provoke someone with such a baleful aura from the bottom of his heart.

"Under the Seventh Blood Sect's rule of not welcoming outside Foundation Establishment cultivators, he still dares to go there. This means there is a high probability he is not a wanted criminal. Could he be a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Seventh Blood Sect?"

Zhou Zhou Hengli touched his own neck and shook his head, no longer pondering the matter. To him, all outside Foundation Establishment cultivators were extremely dangerous. Once one of them possessed a Life Fire, he feared he would die instantly in the Profound Radiance state, so sending them away as quickly as possible was the optimal choice.

Otherwise, if a conflict really occurred, in this wilderness city far from his family, if he died, he died; even if his family noticed and came, it would be very difficult to track down any results.

At this moment, in the eastern part of the Nanhuangzhou, where the Truth Mountain Range connects to the sea, under the gaze of those seven giant blood children, within the teleportation array at the center of the extremely prosperous main city, Xu Qing's figure suddenly appeared amidst the shining light.

As soon as he appeared, before he could check his surroundings, he abruptly raised his head, his expression changing slightly.

He felt a powerful ripple coming from all directions within this main city, arriving invisibly in this instant and shrouding him within it. Although there was no action taken, this shrouding was like surveillance.

Xu Qing was no stranger to this ripple; it was precisely the power of the Seventh Blood Sect's array.

In the past, when Xu Qing returned, he had never felt this way.

But now that he had ascended to Foundation Establishment, upon returning, he immediately understood why outside Foundation Establishment cultivators dared not easily come to the Seventh Blood Sect.

Clearly, for the array, the priority of Foundation Establishment was greater than the status of a disciple. So, even though Xu Qing's identity token was shining at this moment, because he had not gone up the mountain to register his cultivation base, he could not dispel this sense of being monitored.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze, and walked off the teleportation array calmly.

The invisible shrouding of the array did not attract the attention of any cultivators or civilians here, and after leaving, Xu Qing changed into the Daoist robe he had prepared.

The trip to Sea Lizard Island had taught Xu Qing some experience, so he had prepared several sets of Daoist robes in his pocket.

Now wearing the gray Daoist robe of a Seventh Blood Sect disciple, Xu Qing walked on the street, attempting to keep his cultivation base constantly restrained and hidden, thereby observing whether the invisible lock of the array would change.

But even though he hid his cultivation to the extreme, making it impossible for passing cultivators to perceive it, the array's locking and surveillance still existed. This gave Xu Qing a deeper understanding of the Seventh Blood Sect's array.

"I wonder if covering it with the shadow would avoid the array's lock."

Xu Qing pondered. He only thought about it and did not try it. In his view, there was no need for this for the time being; whether successful or not, there were risks.

"Then, let's go up the mountain."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart, raised his head to look at the distant Seventh Peak, and walked toward it.

On the way, he passed by various shops, watching the cold and hurried pedestrians on the street, and watching the gray-robed disciples who appeared from time to time. He could not help but recall all the past events since coming to the Seventh Blood Sect.

He had feelings in his heart, but more than that, he was full of anticipation for the future profit distribution of at least five thousand spirit stones every month.

And just as his pace quickened, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.

The other party's appearance immediately caused awe among the surrounding civilians. As they hurriedly made way, the Seventh Blood Sect disciples below the mountain in the crowd were even more respectful, their eyes unable to hide their envy.

The person who came was a young man wearing a light purple Daoist robe. As he walked through the crowd, that touch of purple represented the nobility of his status. Combined with his outstanding appearance and powerful cultivation fluctuations, this person seemed like a god descending into the mortal world in the eyes of everyone.

It was precisely Zhao Zhao Zhongheng.

Xu Qing saw him, and he also saw Xu Qing.

If it were in the past, Zhao Zhao Zhongheng would have likely turned around and left immediately, unwilling to say another word to Xu Qing. But seeing him today, he snorted, and his right hand suddenly raised to point at the firmament.

At once, in mid-air, a Forbidden Sea Long Jing suddenly manifested, and after roaring toward the sky, it vanished instantly.

This scene caused exclamations all around, and there were even many disciples from below the mountain who fawned and praised him.

Zhao Zhao Zhongheng looked proud, and looking at the expressionless Xu Qing, he spoke arrogantly.

"The Forbidden Sea Long Jing, I have also cultivated it!"

Xu Qing's expression did not change at all, and he was too lazy to pay attention to the other party, continuing to walk toward the Seventh Peak.

Zhao Zhao Zhongheng frowned. Not seeing a surprised expression from Xu Qing, he felt very uncomfortable in his heart. But the scenes on the sea had left a deep shadow on him, so he endured it for the moment and did not continue to show off, walking toward the Seventh Peak.

He had come down the mountain this time because he had previously entrusted someone to craft an exquisite phoenix hairpin, and now he was holding it, preparing to return to the mountain to give it to Senior Sister Ding.

But as he walked, because there were only the entrances to the seven peaks of the Seventh Blood Sect in the direction of the South City, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians. Thus, a look of surprise appeared on Zhao Zhao Zhongheng's face as he looked at Xu Qing in front.

He discovered that the other party's target seemed to be the mountain entrance.

Although he was curious in his heart, Zhao Zhao Zhongheng was arrogant and disdained to ask. It was just that... as time passed, when Xu Qing was less than a hundred zhang away from the mountain road steps of the Seventh Peak, Zhao Zhao Zhongheng could not help it.

"Xu Qing, where are you going?" Zhao Zhao Zhongheng walked a few quick steps, caught up, and asked.

"Up the mountain," Xu Qing frowned and said calmly.

"Up the mountain? Gray-robed disciples are not allowed to go up the mountain unless summoned, and even if summoned, there must be someone to guide them! Only core disciples can go up the mountain alone!"

Zhao Zhao Zhongheng sized Xu Qing up a few times, did not see any fluctuations on the other party, and did not see anyone waiting on the mountain road ahead, so he snorted coldly.

Xu Qing did not pay attention to Zhao Zhao Zhongheng and continued forward, arriving before the mountain road steps.

Zhao Zhao Zhongheng watched this scene and sneered.

"If a disciple from below the mountain steps onto the mountain without cause, they will be blasted away by the array the moment they step on the stairs. Xu Qing, let's see how you..."

Zhao Zhao Zhongheng had not finished his words, just having said this, when Xu Qing in front of him, his expression as usual, lifted his foot and stepped onto the first step.

The moment his right foot landed, the mountain road steps of the entire Seventh Peak suddenly blurred, and an invisible force instantly swept toward him, as if verifying something.

Xu Qing raised his head, looking into the distance at the mountain peak. His cultivation base erupted at this moment, and the Foundation Establishment aura rolled out intensely in an instant. A bell chime immediately echoed from the summit of the Seventh Peak.

Amidst the melodious and profound sound, Xu Qing walked up the steps. As he moved forward step by step, Zhao Zhao Zhongheng behind him was hit by the Foundation Establishment aura erupting from Xu Qing. He retreated again and again, his body trembling, his face pale, his eyeballs almost falling out, and his mind stirred with monstrous waves.

"Fou... Fou... Foundation Establishment!"

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