Chapter 160: Dahe Ghost City, Cultivators Fall (Ten thousand words update, please subscribe!)

It was definitely not going to be returned.

Luo Chen just teased him like that to relieve the anxious mood between them.

He could clearly perceive that Wang Yuan, who was always extremely calm and composed, revealed a trace of unease after learning about the battle of the five great Core Formation cultivators in Dahe Market.

All along, the image Wang Yuan presented was one of being unhurried and composed.

But the successive Core Formation-level battles in Dahe Market had put great pressure on him.

That was a pressure that the mere second stage of body refining could not bear.

A bottle of Spirit Elixir was not much, but it could provide great help to Wang Yuan.

He himself had a considerable amount of family wealth and could calmly cultivate to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Now with this bottle of Spirit Elixir, perhaps he could increase his speed quite a bit.

Luo Chen still had four bottles left; although he didn't have Wang Yuan's powerful physique to absorb the Spirit Elixir directly.

But with the alchemy technique of the Heart-Mind Hand, he could also decompose and absorb it.

The two chatted for a while, making various speculations and various response plans for the battle in Dahe Market.

But everything was just talk on paper.

That was a battle that spanned beyond their range of ability.

Therefore, they could only wait quietly for the result.

Xieyue Valley, where the Luo Tian Society was located, had already set the top-grade array bestowed by Deacon Miao Wen to a semi-activated state.

Once an enemy invaded, it could be directly activated to its peak level.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator came to commit an offense, it could block them for a while.

Midnight!

Wang Yuan sought out Luo Chen.

"No, we can't wait like this. If a result is decided over there, and it's unfavorable to us, then we are just sitting ducks now!"

Luo Chen's eyes flickered, and he finally agreed with a nod.

"In your opinion?"

"I want to go nearby to observe; if there's anything bad, whether to flee or defend, we can make a decision as early as possible."

"Then... let's go together!"

Wang Yuan refused decisively, "You shouldn't go."

"Don't underestimate me; I might not be good at fighting, but I'm quite good at fleeing."

Luo Chen set off with a smile.

The speed he displayed instantly made even Wang Yuan surprised.

After all, this was a speed that even Deacon Miao Wen and Luo Tianhong would look sideways at.

Under the night sky.

In a messy graveyard, two figures came with the wind.

Feeling the gloomy ghost Qi, Luo Chen shivered.

"Wouldn't it be better to choose another observation position? Why come to this mass grave."

Mass grave!

The burial place for many miserable loose cultivators who died in Dahe Market.

Initially, it was where some cultivators died, and their friends and relatives buried them here.

But over time, some people who died with incomplete corpses were also thrown here.

Especially later, the law enforcement team of the Yuding Sword Pavilion often threw the corpses of cultivators produced in the Dao-Discussion Platform here.

It was for disposal, and also for deterrence.

This place could be considered a major "scenic spot" of Dahe Market.

A scenic spot for bandits!

In the "advice" given to Luo Chen by the Zhenlong Black Market, the mass grave was the place most easily robbed.

Killing someone here didn't even require wasting a fireball spell to scatter their ashes.

Standing inside, Luo Chen could feel the gloomy aura that penetrated deep into his bones.

Sweeping with his spiritual eyes, he could faintly see many looming phantom shadows.

Ghosts?

Moreover, from these ghosts, Luo Chen could even feel strands of increasingly robust vitality.

Logically speaking, dead ghosts should be dominated by death intent.

But this kind of strange vitality seemed to be temporarily bestowed.

"I suppose this is the change brought about by the birth of the three Ghost Kings."

Luo Chen thought to himself.

And beside him, Wang Yuan was looking toward the inner city area.

His eyes were on the golden light and dark clouds constantly flickering in the night sky.

But he said, "The ghosts and spirits in this place are not climate-forming, especially since I am a body cultivator with extremely vigorous blood and Qi."

"On the contrary, by borrowing the changes in the ghosts and spirits here, I can judge the state of those three Ghost Kings."

Luo Chen raised his eyebrows, "How do you explain that?"

"Wherever a Ghost King is, it is a ghost realm. The ghost cultivators within it, although controlled by the Ghost King, can also be nourished and strengthen themselves."

"This is why third-tier ghost cultivators are called Ghost Kings."

Ruling a ghost realm and governing the ghost cultivators within it makes one a king among ghosts.

After understanding this principle, Luo Chen understood why Wang Yuan came here.

Observing the battle or whatever, separated by such a distance, he couldn't see clearly at all.

But by borrowing the changes in the mass grave, he could understand the battle situation from the side; it was indeed a good method.

Luo Chen praised him, then walked to his side, looking toward the inner city of Dahe Market.

The Great Perfection Spirit Eye Technique allowed him to see further and clearer than Wang Yuan.

With the moonlight's blessing, even separated by such a distance, he could faintly see some hazy scenes.

"As expected of a sword cultivator known as having the number one combat power among the same rank!"

"Being besieged by four people of the same rank, he can actually hold on for so long."

Luo Chen praised.

Wang Yuan also nodded, "I suppose he also has the geographical advantage of fighting on his home turf."

Mount Luofeng was a place the Yuding Sword Pavilion had operated for a long time.

The spiritual vein, buildings, and arrays within it were more familiar to them than anyone else.

Plus the help of two sect Foundation Establishment cultivators, Pang Renxiong was not isolated and helpless.

"Just..."

Luo Chen remembered the group of Tian Xingzi he saw on the way back.

Since they dared to besiege Pang Renxiong, they must have taken all these things into account.

The Yuding sword cultivator's situation was still not looking good!

Suddenly, Luo Chen's gaze froze.

Inside Dahe Market, a sword Qi brilliant to the extreme erupted like a dragon.

The sword Qi was layered, and the sword hum resounded for a thousand miles!

The entire night sky was torn apart under this sword.

"This move is the one Pang Renxiong used this afternoon."

"He's risking his life!"

Almost simultaneously, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan made the same judgment.

The next moment, Wang Yuan and Luo Chen turned their heads at the same time.

The ghosts and spirits that were originally growing robustly nearby seemed to be scraped by a gale, pausing in unison.

Then, they withered.

The gloomy and cold ghost Qi disappeared quite a bit immediately.

What this meant, everyone knew clearly.

Those three Ghost Kings were gone!

Wang Yuan whispered, "Pang Renxiong's desperate attempt succeeded!"

"No, not yet!"

Luo Chen looked toward Dahe Market abruptly.

His expression was horrified, revealing confusion.

Because there was an equally peerless crimson sword Qi, from top to bottom, like a giant tripod, inserting into Mount Luofeng.

"Sword cultivator!"

"How could there be another sword cultivator!"

"And not helping Pang Renxiong?"

In his shock, that majestic sword Qi fell with a boom.

A roar of extreme anger spread everywhere as the sword Qi fell.

"It's you!"

After the roar, there was silence.

Luo Chen and Wang Yuan looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Half a month had passed since the Core Formation battle in the inner city.

Such a long time was enough to wash away most of the fear in the cultivators' hearts.

And after the great battle in the inner city, the possible remaining treasures swept away those fears with greed.

Luo Chen stood with a group of experts from the Luo Tian Society's Battle Hall in the distance, looking at the ghost-filled city.

"Core Formation cultivators come and go, leaving only a ghost city for the loose cultivators in the end!"

He sighed lightly, witnessing three late-stage Qi Refining loose cultivators stepping into the inner city together.

"Which batch is this entering the city?"

Beside him, Zhou Yuanli said respectfully, "For the convenience of management, the Yuding Sword Pavilion only set up one city gate. In the past half month, this is the seventeenth batch of loose cultivators entering the inner city."

"What about the previous sixteen batches?" Luo Chen asked.

Zhou Yuanli shook his head, "There has been no response."

Frowning, Luo Chen had a bad premonition in his heart.

The three Ghost Kings were indeed all killed by Pang Renxiong before he died.

But after they died, their essence ghost Qi almost all remained in the inner city of Dahe Market.

These were three Ghost Kings comparable to Core Formation!

In ordinary times, even one could easily destroy a city like Dahe Market.

Now the essence of three Ghost Kings all remained inside, directly transforming this place into a ghost realm.

Nowadays, it was simply a place where the living should not enter.

"Brother Wang is in seclusion, saying he wants to perfect a method to avoid ghosts, so he can enter the city to search for treasures later."

"Currently, my Luo Tian Society has no high-end combat power to suppress, which is a bit awkward."

Luo Chen's gaze swept across the surroundings, occasionally lingering on a few cultivators for a moment.

Those were subordinates of Foundation Establishment powers.

Now that the Yuding Sword Pavilion had fallen, and the life or death of the Luo Tian Society's backer, Deacon Miao Wen, was unknown, they had become dangerous again.

The reason why the several great Foundation Establishment powers were still holding back was nothing more than fear of becoming a target.

They were afraid of other Foundation Establishment powers making a move, and also afraid of the Yuding Sword Sect sending new cultivators to kill them as a warning to others.

But Luo Chen knew that such peace would eventually be broken one day.

He was absolutely unwilling to become someone else's alchemy tool again.

Therefore, he had no intention of leaving Dahe Market and going to the Yuding Sword Sect to report alone.

Pang Renxiong was dead; why would he go and join them?

It would be a waste of travel time and couldn't ensure he would have sufficient personal freedom after entering the Yuding Sword Sect.

Comparatively, fighting on his own, as long as he worked hard enough, his cultivation speed wouldn't fall behind much.

Most importantly, this was a choice following his true heart!

Just as Luo Chen was deep in thought, a commotion suddenly came from ahead.

He came back to his senses and looked toward the sound.

Inside the inner city, a flickering light of spiritual energy was struggling forward against the gloomy ghost Qi.

After about a few breaths.

The spiritual light in his sight suddenly exited the city.

"It's Elder Chu!"

"He actually didn't die!"

"Not only that, the dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators of the Wanbao Building are also fine."

After the spiritual light appeared, it was clearly a flying boat.

The leader was clearly the Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Chu, the owner of the Wanbao Building, whom Luo Chen and other loose cultivators were very familiar with.

As soon as he exited the city, Elder Chu waved his hand casually.

On the flying boat, seven Qi Refining cultivators were swept down.

"This old man has done his best; our fate ends here."

As he spoke, the flying boat's spiritual light reappeared, turning into a stream of light and flying toward the horizon in an instant.

At the same time, in other areas outside Dahe Market, several escape lights also flew out, chasing after Elder Chu.

It seemed to be the leaders of several Foundation Establishment powers going to find Elder Chu to ask about the situation in the inner city.

Luo Chen didn't have that kind of face, but there were people in front of him he could ask.

With a wave of his hand, President Sima Xian led people to jump out of the crowd, heading straight for the seven cultivators left behind by Elder Chu.

They all knew that these seven were not cultivators from the sects of Tianfan City, but local loose cultivators hired by the Wanbao Building, a subordinate shop of Tianfan City.

Among the seven, five were women and two were men.

Soon, President Sima Xian, relying on his ninth-level Qi Refining realm and the group of Battle Hall cultivators he brought, brought a male cultivator to Luo Chen.

"I ask, you answer!"

Without the protection of the Wanbao Building, the male cultivator no longer had his previous arrogance.

His face was pale, and he nodded hurriedly.

"Name?"

"Li Wanchun."

"How much do you know about the inner city battle?"

"Nothing at all."

"Hmm?"

"Senior, I really don't know!"

Luo Chen raised his eyebrows; this was the first time he had been called Senior.

Of course, that wasn't the point.

He asked suspiciously, "If you knew nothing, how did you survive?"

Li Wanchun said aggrievedly, "I only know that there were no customers in the shop at the time, and a powerful pressure swept down, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up, the Wanbao Building's array had already been activated, and we persisted like that for half a month before Elder Chu brought us out."

"You all?" Luo Chen's heart stirred.

"Yes, the few disciples of the Wanbao Building, plus the few of us local loose cultivators, all came out alive."

"Not a single injury?"

After several questions, Li Wanchun's mind had stabilized quite a bit.

He nodded hurriedly, "Indeed, there was nothing serious; there were many treasures in the building, and there was a great array to protect us, plus Elder Chu was experienced and took care of us. It is true that we didn't suffer any injuries. Just..."

"Hmm?"

He smiled bitterly, "Just that Elder Chu said the Wanbao Building in Dahe Market would probably not be able to restart for a short time, so he dismissed us."

Luo Chen frowned; he thought it was some important information.

Just as he was feeling depressed, another commotion came from ahead.

Looking up, in the gloomy ghost realm, four graceful figures were moving forward slowly.

"Someone else came out?"

Luo Chen perked up, hoping to hear some news from this batch of people.

However, the result disappointed him greatly.

Those four pretty figures, as soon as they exited the city, turned into spiritual light and disappeared.

Only one arrogant figure remained.

He didn't even look at the many cultivators outside, snorted coldly, and disappeared into the horizon driving a colorful cloud.

After he left, the oppressive atmosphere became active again.

"That was Senior Hua from the Tianxiang Building, right?"

"Should be correct, it was him."

"Why didn't we see the other female cultivators of the Tianxiang Building?"

"Yeah, why didn't we see a single one."

"Hiss, they wouldn't have all died inside, would they?"

That last sentence, mixed in with many discussions, was then pushed to the center of the discussion.

Everyone had to admit that the once liveliest place of pleasure in Dahe Market had likely been wiped out, except for that Foundation Establishment True Person.

The four pretty and charming figures that just came out were not real people, but rather like a magic tool or magic treasure.

Only the Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Hua came out.

Thinking of so many beautiful female cultivators dying in the ghost city made people shudder.

"This senior, isn't he too..."

"Careful with your words!"

"Foundation Establishment True Persons are not for us to discuss."

Even if the discussion volume was low, the feeling of "rabbit dying, fox grieving" on everyone's faces could not be hidden.

Especially when the cultivators of the Divine Talisman Pavilion, the Spirit Source Studio, the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, and the Hundred Herbs Hall came out one after another in the afternoon, everyone had to accept the outcome that the Tianxiang Building had been almost completely wiped out.

Even the Spirit Source Studio, which had always been harsh to its own cultivators, had brought out two local loose cultivators.

It could be seen how cold and thin that Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Hua from the Tianxiang Building was.

It made no sense that other superior sect shops could protect their own helpers, but his Tianxiang Building of the Hehuan Sect could not.

Not to mention local loose cultivators, there was still an inner sect female disciple of the Hehuan Sect who came with the Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Hua in the Tianxiang Building, but her figure was nowhere to be seen.

In the crowd, Luo Chen walked respectfully to an old man's side.

"Hello, Senior Liu!"

"It's little Luo, I still prefer you calling me Shopkeeper." Liu Hecai stroked his beard and smiled.

Luo Chen nodded, "Shopkeeper Liu, I want to ask, Bai..."

"Sorry, she was from the Hundred Herbs Hall; I was at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion at the time. And the Hundred Herbs Hall..."

Following Liu Hecai's regretful gaze, Luo Chen turned his head to look.

Beside the Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Hundred Herbs Hall, there was no one, lonely and alone.

That new Foundation Establishment cultivator was actually just as cold and thin as the one from the Tianxiang Building, not making a move to protect anyone from the Hundred Herbs Hall.

He opened his mouth, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Inside, a feeling of emptiness filled his whole body.

"Sigh..."

"Let's meet again if fate allows!"

Liu Hecai patted Luo Chen on the shoulder, greeted the few disciples of the Yaowang Sect, and drove the flying boat away from Dahe Market.

After he left, Luo Chen looked at the gloomy city ahead.

A feeling of sorrow appeared in his eyes.

When disaster strikes, others are ultimately unreliable.

He understood this principle, and many people understood it.

But a friend falling in the ghost city like this made it very hard for even him, who had been mentally prepared, to accept.

Zhou Yuanli didn't know what the relationship between Bai Meiling and Luo Chen and the others was like.

He stepped forward and whispered, "Li Wanchun has already agreed to join the Luo Tian Society, and a few local loose cultivators have also been left behind by the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and the Hundred Herbs Hall; should we recruit them?"

"You handle it!"

Luo Chen waved his hand listlessly.

In his mind, he recalled the scenes of every time he went to the Hundred Herbs Hall.

That chattering, lively and cute female cultivator was just gone like that.

Although sometimes, she would be like other female cultivators working in large sect shops, carrying an inexplicable pride.

But after getting familiar, her true heart was still very good.

Usually, when he went to buy herbs, she would find him some good goods.

Last time Qin Liangchen was reattaching his severed limb, Bai Meiling had done her best to choose the best of every herb.

For this, she seemed to have been punished.

This matter was later told to him quietly by Feng Xia.

Luo Chen had always felt very guilty and wanted to find time to treat Bai Meiling to a good meal to express his gratitude.

But now, there was no chance.

"Fellow Daoist Li Wanchun, since you are skilled in magic tool casting, why not join my Duan family and display your talents?"

Beside his ear came this boisterous invitation.

Luo Chen turned his head abruptly!

(End of chapter)

. ===== CHAPTER 161 =====