Chapter 273: Overbearing

After a long conversation, Zhang Nuo finally understood the situation in the Zhai.

The so-called Leader of that Zhai was named Miao Chi; because he had always practiced Body Refining techniques, he could contend with existences of the same rank using only his physical body while in the outside world, but he was later hunted by enemies and inadvertently swept into the Mi Hai Vortex.

Although he lacked Spirit Power, which prevented him from continuing his cultivation, he had not lost the formidable strength of his physical body; when he discovered this Zhai, he killed the previous Leader and transformed himself into the new Leader, and seeing that no one in the Zhai was his match, he began to act increasingly overbearingly.

He demanded that the cultivators in the Zhai offer him a Demon Core every few days; if they refused, they would be beaten until their bones were broken and tendons snapped, or worse, tortured to death!

There had been a few who resisted at first, but at the bottom of this Mi Hai Vortex, only a formidable physical body was the hard truth, and in the end, they were still cruelly murdered by Miao Chi; that was not all, as he hung their corpses on the city walls for several days to warn the other cultivators in the Zhai not to defy his orders.

To survive, the cultivators in the Zhai could only go outside incessantly to search for Demon Cores, but since no one had Spiritual Qi to drive Magic Treasures, they would perish the moment they encountered higher-ranked demon beasts! In the dozen or so years since, quite a few cultivators had died because of this.

Furthermore, there were several more Zhais like this in this dark region, and each one had a Leader; they all frantically gathered Demon Cores to maintain their physical cultivation with the vigorous demonic power within the Demon Cores!

Zhang Nuo frowned and remained silent for a long time; Miao Chi was a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator and also a Body Refining practitioner, which definitely made him a powerhouse in this dark world!

"Looking at you, you must also be a Dharma Cultivator. When it is your turn to go outside to slay demon beasts, you must be careful. Although demon beasts are rare here, if you encounter one, it will be at least second or third rank; for people like you who cannot use Magic Treasures, that is equivalent to throwing your life away! Find a way yourself!"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo's expression remained gloomy, Diwu Yufu guessed what he was thinking and, out of pity, offered him a few words of warning.

Nodding slightly, because he had switched to practicing the 'Immovable Underworld King' technique, Zhang Nuo was completely different from them, but since no one among these cultivators knew Underworld techniques, they naturally could not sense the presence of yin energy!

The reason Zhang Nuo had not revealed his cultivation from the start was simply to understand the situation here; now it seemed that no matter where one went, there would always be a distinction between the strong and the weak, and those who bullied the weak by relying on their strength were everywhere!

Having made up his mind, Zhang Nuo continued to conceal his cultivation; regardless, Miao Chi had once been a Nascent Soul Stage existence, and he did not yet know how formidable his physical body had become! To cut weeds, one must pull out the roots; once the grass was beaten and the snake startled, things would become troublesome!

After chatting with Diwu Yufu for a while longer and seeing that he was getting sleepy, Zhang Nuo was very sensible and stopped speaking; Diwu Yufu was also relieved of the burden, sitting cross-legged on the bed to begin his breathing exercises.

The scattered specks of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings were merely a drop in the bucket for a cultivator like him! But even if it was little, it was still better than nothing! Thus, the cultivators in the Zhai continued to practice incessantly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the second day; because the bottom of the Mi Hai Vortex remained in darkness, time here could only be gauged by the cultivators themselves.

After a night of rest, Diwu Yufu's spirits were much better; he took Zhang Nuo toward another Stone House in the Zhai, where, according to him, lived an Elder who was specifically in charge of distributing items in the Zhai.

As soon as they entered, they saw over a dozen people crowded into the room, and an elderly man with white hair was holding something like an account book, muttering incessantly.

"Li Ergou, you didn't bring back even a shadow of a Demon Core this month; according to the rules, I cannot issue you anything. Try harder next month!"

The cultivator named Li Ergou had a bitter expression upon hearing this, but he dared not utter a sound and retreated from the Stone House; immediately after, the second person came before the old man. Flipping through the account book in his hand, the old man spoke a few words softly, then took several items from a shelf behind him and handed them to him. Upon receiving the items, the man was filled with joy and dashed toward his residence.

"What are they receiving?"

Zhang Nuo watched with great curiosity and asked Diwu Yufu beside him.

"They are some damaged Demon Cores, scraps the Leader doesn't use!"

The voice was low but filled with indignation; the Demon Cores they exchanged their lives for only yielded a few scraps in the end—this was too unfair, but who had any other choice? Facing Miao Chi's unassailable status here, these people could only suffer in silence. To stay alive, they had to learn to swallow their anger.

Soon, it was Diwu Yufu's turn to receive his items; he likewise received some damaged Demon Core waste, and after putting the items into his Storage Bag, Diwu Yufu brought Zhang Nuo before the old man.

"Elder Zhou, this person is a newcomer to our Zhai; could you see if there is an extra Stone House to arrange for him?"

The old man raised his head, his aged eyes appearing slightly murky, and after sizing Zhang Nuo up for a long time, he finally said in a low voice:

"There actually is one! The 'Ren' grade room in the east alley! Also, next month, you must hand over at least one Demon Core! Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to survive here!"

"Many thanks, Elder Zhou!"

With a faint smile on his face, Zhang Nuo put on a look of great gratitude! He turned and followed Diwu Yufu out of the Stone House; just as the two of them turned around, a young girl walked into the Stone House. She was dressed in white; in this Zhai, it was already quite rare to see a cultivator wearing clothes from the outside world!

Zhang Nuo's gaze swept toward the woman in white, and his heart stirred instantly; the woman looked to be seventeen or eighteen, her long, jet-black hair hanging down to her waist, and though her delicate face had no adornments, she still appeared fresh and refined, her graceful figure both beautiful and intelligent.

Her slender waist, which could be encircled by a hand, swayed gently with her lotus-like steps; that temperament, that charm, was as if several kinds of beauty had combined into one, beautiful enough to leave one breathless—perhaps this woman could only be described with two words: "Enchantress!"

Any man who saw this woman's appearance could not help but take a few extra looks! Even Zhang Nuo's heart was touched! Never before had a woman been able to move his heart with just a single glance! But the girl before him, white as snow, had done it!

The moment the girl in white walked into the Stone House, everyone fell silent, and several gazes turned toward her in unison; one could even hear the sound of intense heartbeats coming from the chests of several men.

It was not just the men; even the women were dazed upon seeing her. Why was she so beautiful and stunning, enough to topple cities? Various emotions erupted in the hearts of many female cultivators! Envy! Jealousy! Hatred!

"Elder Zhou!..."

The moment the girl in white opened her cherry-like mouth, Elder Zhou immediately took a large package of items from the shelf behind him and handed it directly to her.

"Many thanks!"

Those two words alone, spoken from the girl's mouth, sounded like celestial music, echoing in everyone's ears for a long time; even after the girl turned and left the Stone House, everyone remained immersed in that beautiful voice for quite a while.

Zhang Nuo shook his head slightly; he prided himself on no woman being able to make his heart ripple, but that woman, white as snow, had done it!

Following Diwu Yufu as they walked down the street, Zhang Nuo's mind was still on the girl in white; who exactly was she? In this dilapidated Zhai, her status seemed very high! Everyone revered her like a Fairy, and no one dared to profane her.

"Who was that girl just now?"

The question in his heart made Zhang Nuo unable to hold back any longer, and he finally asked Diwu Yufu.

"Hehe! You kid have good self-control! I didn't expect you to wait so long before asking!"

Seeming very surprised, Diwu Yufu let out a cold laugh and praised Zhang Nuo greatly. Left confused by him, Zhang Nuo looked at him blankly.

"I've brought no fewer than a dozen newcomers into the Zhai, and you are the one with the deepest self-control after seeing her; the previous few cultivators all asked me who the girl was the moment we stepped outside, but you waited for such a long time!"

Hearing the other's explanation, Zhang Nuo finally understood. With a faint smile, Zhang Nuo shook his head, offered no further explanation, and listened carefully to Diwu Yufu's words!

"The girl just now is named Su Haizhen! She was taken into the Zhai a few years ago; this woman possesses a Magic Treasure that can actually function in the absence of Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi, preventing others from getting close to her! Later, Miao Chi came and took a fancy to her at first sight, wanting to possess her, but even with his formidable physical body, he still couldn't deal with Su Haizhen's Magic Treasure, so the two have been at a stalemate. However, to win the girl's heart, Miao Chi has also spent a fortune, handing over a large amount of Demon Cores to her every month!"

Diwu Yufu told Zhang Nuo everything about Su Haizhen in one breath, and finally whispered in Zhang Nuo's ear:

"The Leader hates it most when other men get close to Su Haizhen, so you had better be sensible and stay away from her, otherwise if the Leader finds out, you'll be in for it!"

Entirely out of good intentions, Diwu Yufu's final words made Zhang Nuo very grateful; he nodded slightly, his mind now aware of the situation.

Before long, they arrived at Zhang Nuo's Stone House; after Diwu Yufu brought him inside and chatted about a few other things, he reminded him to be sure to hand over a Demon Core next month before turning to leave.

This room was not very large, even smaller than Diwu Yufu's room, but for Zhang Nuo, the size of the room was not important; what mattered most was that he needed an independent, free space.

Zhang Nuo sat alone on the bed in the room, his mind still on Su Haizhen; although it was only a fleeting glance, the girl had left a deep impression in his heart!

Constantly recalling Diwu Yufu's words, his eyes suddenly lit up! Because on Su Haizhen, he had discovered a monumental secret!