Chapter 222: Return Journey

222. Chapter 222 Return Journey

"Why are you chasing me?"

The bewitching female cultivator Hu Xianzi sensed that Xiao Zhangqing did not choose to chase Yu Mo Zhenren, but instead set his sights on her, and was instantly frightened to the point that her heart trembled.

What old thing has emerged from here, masquerading as a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?

Even the vicious, poisonous, dual‑cultivation phantom of the Xie family was blasted apart; how can this weak Fake Core True Person stand against it?

Xiao Zhangqing employed Great Roc Riding the Wind, his evasion technique nearly reaching the limit of the Golden Core realm; although Hu Xianzi's evasion was decent, it was utterly insufficient before him, and the distance between them closed at a visibly rapid pace.

Why chase you? Isn't it obvious? Of course you're easy to chase! "Stop chasing me! Go after Yu Mo Zhenren! His cultivation and strength far surpass mine, and his treasures must be abundant. Moreover, he harbors a great secret: even at the early Golden Core stage he can contend with mid‑Golden Core cultivators, having received the inheritance of the Nascent Soul True Lord!"

"Go chase him quickly; you'll surely reap great rewards!"

Hu Xianzi felt Xiao Zhangqing's aura drawing nearer; terror and panic drained the color from her flower‑like face, and her once bewitching, seductive voice now turned plaintive and moving, evoking pity.

Unfortunately, her mind‑bewildering tricks were of no effect before Xiao Zhangqing.

In the Cultivation World, whether male or female cultivators, anyone who emerges to commit murder, arson, robbery, or similar deeds is never a person of kindness.

No amount of disguise works.

If Xiao Zhangqing's strength were insufficient, Hu Xianzi would show no mercy in snatching the Condensed True Pill from his body.

"What must you do to finally release me?"

Hu Xianzi shouted hoarsely to the brink of exhaustion.

Seeing Xiao Zhangqing's figure within arm's reach, about to catch up, she fell into despair, realizing she could not escape, and simply halted.

Yet she did not abandon her will to survive, nor her resistance.

She landed in a valley, her magical energy spreading outward; in the blink of an eye the valley's weeds erupted into massive vines, forming a formation that shielded Hu Xianzi at its center.

These vines exuded murderous aura, bristled with barbs, and were surrounded by a green gas.

The gas was clearly a lethal miasma; a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who inhaled it would face immediate life danger, and even Golden Core cultivators would be affected.

Excessive inhalation would even sluggishly impede magical energy circulation.

Alas.

These tactics, if employed by an equal Fake Core True Person, would render them virtually invincible—a truly top‑tier existence.

Even an early Golden Core cultivator would find her a thorny opponent, with most unable to slay her.

Alas, against Xiao Zhangqing, when the power gap is too vast, her defenses become mere paper.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh! A few casual sword qi streaks fell, sweeping away the seemingly claw‑rending vines, and even the high‑grade toxic gas was completely dispelled.

Hu Xianzi tried to deploy more defenses, but as a Soul Transformation attack struck, she was instantly struck as if by lightning.

"Spare me! I— the sect leader of the Seven Star Sword Sect..."

Hu Xianzi's final plea never left her lips; she fell completely into an illusion, her memories extracted by Xiao Zhangqing's soul‑search.

"Hu Li... the manager of Autumn Moon Tower in Panlong Immortal City... still the lover of Miao Wanjian of the Seven Star Sword Sect?"

Xiao Zhangqing quickly understood the meaning of Hu Xianzi's unfinished words.

This woman is considered a notable figure in Panlong Immortal City.

Although her cultivation is only at the Fake Core level, in this bustling immortal city her strength is not top‑tier, yet because she once had a fleeting romance with Miao Wanjian in her youth, everyone in Panlong Immortal City accords her a modest degree of respect.

Miao Wanjian is the current sect leader of the Seven Star Sword Sect, the overt decision‑maker, and the strongest after the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor.

A late‑stage Golden Core cultivator, whose reputation and strength rival those of the former Character: Liyang Real Person.

He once even challenged the Nascent Soul realm, but failed.

Although the Nascent Soul was unattainable, his foundation suffered little damage, and his power remained near the Golden Core limit. Precisely because of this, his formidable strength yet lack of Nascent Soul led the Seven Star Sword Sect's Nascent Soul Old Ancestor to appoint him as sect leader, overseeing all affairs selflessly as restitution for the massive resources he spent when he first challenged the Nascent Soul realm.

Buzz! The information to be scavenged had been mostly gathered; with a slight exertion of his Soul Transformation, this Hu Xianzi silently perished.

Xiao Zhangqing at least gave her some dignity, leaving her a whole corpse.

Others might be intimidated by Miao Wanjian's reputation and show mercy, but for Xiao Zhangqing there is no deterrent.

Soul‑search reveals that this woman is also a prolific evildoer, not merely having committed numerous murders and robberies.

Moreover, the Autumn Moon Tower she runs in Panlong Immortal City has been the site of many forced prostitution atrocities.

Autumn Moon Tower is not an elegant place like Xuan Yin Pavilion; it sells performances rather than bodies, using music to aid cultivators' Soul Transformation, comprehension, and the like, and truly offers "dual‑cultivation" services.

Xiao Zhangqing dislikes meddling, but when he encounters such matters, he will casually eliminate them.

Moreover, this woman initially harbored ill intent toward him.

"I'm leaving."

Xiao Zhangqing skillfully finished handling the corpse, then leisurely drew his flying vessel and flew toward his true body.

After tallying the loot from this "robbery," he couldn't help but sigh, "The Xie family elder ancestor and Hu Xianzi are actually quite decent people."

The Magic Treasures they carried offered little aid to Xiao Zhangqing's strength; although many items could be equipped, the skills extracted by the system were rather mediocre. The only somewhat useful one was the Body Refinement Method of the Xie family elder ancestor, but this technique, like the Xie family's reputation, leans toward evil and requires blood sacrifices, so Xiao Zhangqing discarded it as worthless.

Especially Hu Xianzi, who operated under Miao Wanjian's banner in Panlong Immortal City, has earned a fortune over nearly a century, and her wealth actually exceeds that of the mid‑Golden Core Xie family elder ancestor!

Of course, perhaps Xie Yun, as the head of the family, must bear the clan's expenses, leaving much of the wealth to the family rather than carrying it personally.

All in all, this single robbery refilled Xiao Zhangqing's previously depleted storage bag, which had been emptied by purchasing fourth‑tier puppet materials.

"If only I could be robbed twice more…"

Xiao Zhangqing thought with a lingering sense of unfulfilled desire.

However, he leisurely piloted his flying vessel for a long time, seeing no trailing pursuers; it seems the three factions that chased him earlier were all gone.

After soaring another thousand li, Xiao Zhangqing finally retracted his flying vessel, employing the Great Roc Riding the Wind technique to swiftly close toward his true body.

Once reunited, he headed toward Character: Liyang Immortal City.

Having completed this outing with full merit, he will, upon return, close his sect and formally condense a Golden Core.

For Xiao Zhangqing, the Golden Core presents no difficulty or bottleneck; he can break through at any moment.

The reason he went through all this trouble, traveling to Panlong Immortal City to obtain pills, is a single goal: to forge the highest‑grade, flawless Golden Core!

Forming a golden core is a crucial step for the future cultivation path; it will greatly affect the upper limit of future achievements.

Xiao Zhangqing wants to go far enough on the cultivation path, achieve Nascent Soul True Lord in the future, establish himself at the pinnacle of the Da Yu cultivation world, even go higher, roam across several major cultivation kingdoms, and be invincible in a domain and a world.

Forming the highest-level perfect and flawless golden core is the most basic.

"After forming the golden core, not only will my physical body's mana increase, but more importantly, my Soul Transformation will surely be able to fully transform at this opportunity, right?"

"Once the Soul Transformation completes and the Primordial Spirit is formed, besides a huge boost in combat power, I should also be able to fully master the Nightmare Reincarnation Technique, and then I can travel among myriad worlds."

"Xiao Zhangqing's heart was filled with anticipation; he was very curious about the specific effects of the Nightmare Reincarnation Technique, and also understood that if this supernatural ability is used properly, it will give him boundless opportunities."

"Besides that, after forming the golden core, the supreme treasure Fourth-Grade Spirit Wood Essence seized from the Giant Wood Sect half a year ago can also be equipped and used; it has three major abilities that he covets."

"In short, once he successfully forms a golden core, Xiao Zhangqing's strength will undergo a qualitative leap! He already possesses strength far surpassing that of ordinary golden-core cultivators, and by then his improvement will be even greater than the usual advancement from forming a golden core."

"In the entire Da Yu Cultivation World, even the two major Nascent Soul sects, he will have nothing to fear."

"(End of chapter)"