Chapter 43: Vampire Maniac Strikes Riches!

The other three Taiyi Sect disciples also turned their heads, gazing at Chen Zheng riding the celestial crane, all with puzzled expressions, evidently not recognizing him.

It should be noted that those who followed the true disciple to search for the traces of White Sea Zen under the Feathered Ascension Sect are all inner disciples of the Taiyi Sect, numbering several hundred, most of whom know each other.

Even if not close, they have seen each other before.

But Chen Zheng is a complete stranger; they have never seen him.

"I know now, this beast must be the bloodsucking maniac who killed Brother Ma; the clothes he's wearing are Brother Ma's!"

One of the four women seemed to recall something, her eyes widening, and she pointed at Chen Zheng, shouting loudly.

"You've learned too much."

Before the woman finished speaking, Chen Zheng's cold gaze fell on her, and his right index finger twitched slightly.

With a swoosh, a stream of qi formed by his finger thrust burst forth, tearing through the void, heading straight for the woman's brow.

"Ah…"

The woman's brow was struck instantly, blood gushed out, she let out a terrible howl, and her body, along with the flying sword she stood on, fell from midair, silencing her.

"Not good!"

"This bloodsucking maniac is a Divine Art cultivator, unbeatable, hurry and go!"

Seeing their fellow sect members annihilated by Chen Zheng's snap finger, the other three Taiyi Sect disciples' faces changed dramatically, daring not to linger, they rode their respective flying swords and turned to leave.

But Chen Zheng snapped his fingers again, three sharp sounds, and three more streams of qi shot from his fingertips, reaching the three before they could react, each striking their brows.

The three bodies went rigid, and together with their flying swords they fell from the sky, crashing into the black mud.

After the killings, Chen Zheng clapped his hands, sat leisurely on the crane's back, and casually instructed the celestial crane, "Little Crane, go down and search the corpses."

With his current strength, even a casual gesture releases massive force; a single breath can generate a qi stream akin to a flying sword, shooting dozens of li before dissipating, slaying several Mortal Secret Realm warriors is as easy as crushing ants.

This is comparable to a cultivator's magical power, so it's no wonder others mistake Chen Zheng for a Divine Art cultivator.

Of course, a cultivator's magical power is certainly more refined, more lethal, and more controllable—far beyond mere qi streams.

Moreover, a first‑rank Divine Art cultivator's power is at least seventy horses, surpassing Chen Zheng's fifty‑horse mortal strength by a wide margin.

But.

If a first‑rank Divine Art cultivator tries to kill Chen Zheng, it won't be that easy.

"Alright!"

The celestial crane's eyes flashed, it swooped down toward the four corpses on the ground, and with practiced ease extended its two claws, rummaging over the four bodies.

Soon, the four premium spiritual artifact flying swords and four gourds filled with pills were retrieved by the crane and handed to Chen Zheng.

The four gourds contained Nascent Soul Pills, over five hundred in total; Chen Zheng gave the celestial crane two hundred, which can be eaten as candy when idle.

Two hundred Nascent Soul Pills convert to roughly twenty thousand White Sun Pills, enough to purchase a high‑quality spiritual artifact, yet Chen Zheng casually gifted them to a mount.

If the Feathered Ascension Sect disciples learned of this, who knows how many would go mad with envy.

Some would even weep, begging Chen Zheng never to ride the celestial crane again, and to ride them directly instead.

The celestial crane felt delighted, silently sighing that being a mount for the generous master Chen Zheng was a blessing earned over eight lifetimes of cultivation.

At the same time, it felt deeply melancholy.

Because it is not truly Chen Zheng's mount; it was borrowed by Xu Yue'er from Jialan Peak.

When the expedition in the underground world ends and Chen Zheng returns to the Feathered Ascension Sect, it too must go back to Jialan Peak.

"Alas, if I were Brother Chen's mount, how wonderful that would be," the celestial crane sighed and thumped its chest and stamped its feet.

"Little Crane, go over there and look," Chen Zheng, unaware of the crane's thoughts, after draining the blood of the four Taiyi Sect disciples, rode it away to continue hunting.

Taiyi Sect disciples are exceedingly wealthy, far surpassing disciples of other sects; if he captures another seventy or eighty, acquiring their Nascent Soul Pills and spiritual artifacts, he could gather enough to purchase a treasure.

A treasure is the truly formidable magical artifact, its power immense, capable of cleaving mountains and splitting peaks with ease.

If Chen Zheng possessed a treasure, he could fill his shortcoming and truly stand against Divine Art cultivators.

From then on.

One man and one crane launched a massive sweep; any Taiyi Sect disciple they encountered was instantly sucked dry into a desiccated corpse by Chen Zheng, then the celestial crane whisked away their treasures.

One spiritual artifact after another, one gourd after another of Nascent Soul Pills filled Chen Zheng's pockets.

Driven by the many already wealthy Taiyi Sect disciples, he finally became rich himself.

"Gaga, I'm rich, I'm rich!"

The celestial crane also went overjoyed, laughing out loud, its neck laden with various gourds, unable to decide which gourd's Nascent Soul Pills to eat.

This novel you...

With this batch of Nascent Soul Pills, after returning to the Feathered Ascension Sect he can rapidly boost his strength, comparable to a Rou Shen Shi Chong warrior.

He would even, like many Taiyi Sect disciples, possess ten horses of strength.

"Stop shouting, continue searching."

Chen Zheng reached out and gave the overconfident celestial crane's head a tap, shattering its fantasy.

Boom!

Abruptly, a burst of thunder roared from afar, sounding like the heavens collapsing.

"Quick, hide."

Chen Zheng hurriedly ordered the crane to descend, hiding behind a large boulder, peeking toward the source of the roar, his pupils instantly narrowing.

At the horizon's edge floated a massive thundercloud hundreds of zhang tall, within which silver dragons as thick as water barrels twirled wildly, crackling incessantly, like a cataclysm looming.

Within the thundercloud, at the interwoven center of the silver dragons, a towering man clad in a Bagua Purple‑Gold Dao Robe stood aloft, like an ancient thunder god.

Seeing that thunder‑god‑like man, the celestial crane's eyes widened in horror: "That is Xia Jiuxiao of the Taiyi Sect, practicing the authentic Daoist Great Divine Thunder Break! The three attacking him are Wan Haishan, a true disciple of Wan Gui Immortal Island; Xue Wuhen, a true disciple of the Blood Shadow Demon Sect; and Elder Chi Lie of the Underground Demon Clan."

Indeed.

The thunder‑god‑like Xia Jiuxiao, surrounded by three Divine Art cultivators, showed no sign of panic, instead letting out a wild laugh as if he could shatter the heavens.

He was surrounded by swirling silver dragons, racing across the dim underground world, turning it snow‑white, and blasting the three Divine Art cultivators back in defeat.

One versus three, we hold the advantage!

Xia Jiuxiao is far from an ordinary divine cultivator.

"Let's go."

Chen Zheng watched for a moment, realizing that the four's conflict was likely sparked by his own "Blood‑Sucking Fiend".

He immediately rode the Celestial Crane in a swift retreat, flying toward the abyssal rift that leads down to the Underground World.

This journey has already yielded much and is essentially complete; there is no need to linger for further adventure.

Soon, the lone rider and his crane were far from the battlefield of the four divine cultivators, arriving beneath the massive rift that leads to the surface.

"Huh?"

Just as Chen Zheng was about to send the Celestial Crane upward, he saw seven celestial cranes in the distance charging toward this direction at speed.

Eight familiar faces were seated on the backs of the celestial cranes.

(End of Chapter)