Chapter 19: Intercepting in the Zhenyuan Realm

The three of them chatted idly, while the merchant caravan quickly cleaned up the aftermath; soon, they had hastily dug pits by the roadside to bury the few corpses, and after simply bandaging and treating the wounded, the team set off again.

Xu Chen rode his horse side-by-side with Jiu Shixiong and asked curiously, "Jiu Shixiong, what is the background of this County Princess of Xiyun, and why did that Eighth Prince come to kill her?"

Jiu Shixiong shook his head and said, "There are countless County Princesses and County Mistresses in the Great Song, at least eighty if not a hundred; heaven knows what her background is. However, the Eighth Prince, Zhao Wuji, is quite famous in the Great Song. It is said he has the cultivation of the Kaiyuan Realm, and he is also the imperial-appointed Pingxi King, as well as the biological brother of the current Great Song Emperor, Zhao Rui."

Speaking of this, Jiu Shixiong stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "I fear that some other things might happen during the Emperor's birthday celebration this time."

Zhao Xuan poked her head out from the carriage window and said, "Forget about what kind of prince he is; would Zhao Wuji dare to cause trouble for our Taiyuan Sect because of this matter?"

Jiu Shixiong laughed contemptuously, "This is not impossible, but if he dares to tear off the mask, I fear his life will be at an end."

Xu Chen was somewhat surprised and asked, "Is Zhao Wuji that bold?"

Jiu Shixiong nodded and said, "Although mortals revere us cultivators, the imperial families of various nations all have intricate relationships with Immortal Sects large and small, and their strength is not considered weak. The Great Song Emperor is himself a disciple of the Yuqing Hall and also has the strength of the late Kaiyuan Realm. I am not clear on Zhao Wuji's background, but I imagine he also has some Immortal Sect backing him; otherwise, that little fellow at the Innate Realm just now would not have dared to be so presumptuous."

Xu Chen was stunned for a moment and asked, "Then, since he failed in sending so many people to intercept and kill the County Princess of Xiyun, would he just let it go?"

Jiu Shixiong was silent for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "Logically, he certainly would not. It seems our journey will not be peaceful either. Junior Sister and Junior Brother must also be careful and cautious, lest we capsize in the gutter."

Thus, the three of them stopped talking and each released a strand of Divine Sense to constantly observe their surroundings, following the merchant caravan as they moved forward. An hour later, the caravan passed through the valley, and the path ahead gradually opened up.

Just as the entire caravan breathed a sigh of relief, rejoicing at having passed through the most dangerous section, Xu Chen's Divine Sense suddenly flickered slightly, and a trace of warning appeared.

"Careful!"

As Xu Chen exclaimed, his body soared into the air, and at the same time, a Flying Sword was flicked from his sleeve, transforming into a cyan stream of light that headed toward a large tree more than a hundred zhang away.

"Boom—"

Amidst the violent shock and explosion, a middle-aged man with a short beard and a high forehead, wearing black Daoist robes, appeared out of thin air from the top of the large tree. An Array Disk Magic Treasure hovered above his head, buzzing and trembling. Although he was unharmed, he seemed slightly disheveled, and at the same time, there was uncontrollable surprise on his face as he stared straight at Xu Chen, who was hovering in the air, swaying unsteadily.

"Who is it?"

After the explosion, Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan finally came to their senses and hurriedly soared into the air to protect Xu Chen in the middle. Two Flying Swords also flashed out almost simultaneously, circling above and below while emitting the sound of wind and thunder.

"The Taiyuan Sect is indeed well-deserved of its reputation; a mere entry-level Disciple of the Kaiyuan Realm was actually able to see through my concealment." The black-robed Daoist spoke, still surprised.

Jiu Shixiong asked with a grave expression, "Could it be that you, sir, also came for the County Princess of Xiyun?"

The black-robed Daoist smiled and said, "Since the three Daoist Friends already know, why bother getting involved in this muddy water? This matter has nothing to do with the Taiyuan Sect, and the three of you are not my match. I do not wish to be enemies with the Taiyuan Sect, so I ask the three of you to leave quickly, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves."

"Haha!" Jiu Shixiong laughed instead of getting angry, "What big words. Since you know of the Taiyuan Sect, you still dare to provoke us; the Pingxi King's courage is truly too great."

The black-robed Daoist shook his head and said, "The Pingxi King is nothing. There is an inside story to this matter, but the three of you do not need to know. Since you are unwilling to leave, that is fine; as long as you do not interfere in this matter, I, the poor Daoist, have my own gifts of gratitude!"

Having said that, the black-robed Daoist flipped his hand and took out a Jade Bottle, saying, "I see that you, Daoist Friend, are not far from Foundation Establishment. Here is a Guiyuan Pill, just to form a good bond."

Jiu Shixiong's Adam's apple bobbed; Xu Chen clearly heard the sound of him swallowing, and he felt equally shocked inside.

The Guiyuan Pill is very precious among First-grade Spirit Pills. Although it cannot directly assist in Foundation Establishment like the Heqi Pill, it can make a cultivator's realization of the bottleneck clearer during refinement. If one is lucky enough, one can directly break through the barrier and succeed in Foundation Establishment through this realization.

Of course, this success rate is extremely low, only about a ten percent chance.

But an opportunity is an opportunity. For all cultivators in the late Kaiyuan Realm stuck at a breakthrough bottleneck, in the absence of a Heqi Pill, the Guiyuan Pill is no less than a top-grade Spirit Pill, capable of opening a door to advancement.

Zhao Xuan's delicate body also trembled slightly, and she felt her mouth go dry.

This single Guiyuan Pill was worth at least a hundred Spirit Stones.

The condition offered by the other party could not be considered insincere.

And the goal was naturally very clear: he did not want to be enemies with the Taiyuan Sect because of this matter.

Of course, thinking deeper, the power behind the other party might be slightly inferior to the Taiyuan Sect and he harbored fear, otherwise he would not have paid such a huge price.

However, amidst the silence, Jiu Shixiong licked his lips and said, "Hehe, the medicinal pill is indeed good! But we set out from Nanyang City with the merchant caravan, and our destination is Jingshi. If it gets out that the entire caravan was wiped out while we of the Taiyuan Sect stood by and watched, how could this reputation be compensated by a mere Guiyuan Pill!"

The black-robed Daoist did not refute, but nodded and said, "Then how can you, Daoist Friend, let this go?"

Jiu Shixiong shook his head and said, "Sorry, I cannot let it go. You either kill the County Princess of Xiyun with your own ability, or get lost immediately!"

The black-robed Daoist was instantly enraged and sneered, "It seems you are refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Since you want to show off, do not blame this poor Daoist for being impolite."

Having said that, a powerful aura was suddenly released from the black-robed Daoist's body, and at the same time, a Divine Sense like a giant wave swept over, covering the sky and the earth.

"Damn it, this is a tough nut to crack. Junior Brother, this one is yours!" Jiu Shixiong pushed Xu Chen to the front.

Xu Chen:...

Zhao Xuan screamed in anxiety, "Shixiong, this is the Zhenyuan Realm; the little brother cannot handle it."

"Hahahaha..."

The black-robed Daoist looked up to the sky and laughed, "It is not that this poor Daoist is timid for not wanting to kill you, I just did not want to waste extra effort. Since you are sincerely seeking death, then I shall fulfill your wish."

After the black-robed Daoist finished speaking, he pressed his finger forward, and the Array Disk hovering above his head shone brightly, instantly transforming into a size of over a zhang and whistling toward the three of them.

Xu Chen's legs instantly turned to jelly, and he barely managed to communicate with his Flying Sword to meet it.

"Boom~"

The Flying Sword collided with the Array Disk, the light shattered, and the Array Disk merely trembled slightly and continued to whistle over, its speed unchanged, while the Flying Sword was sent flying more than ten zhang away.

Xu Chen's face turned deathly pale, and his body shook violently as he took two steps back.

Almost at the same time, he felt a huge pulling force throwing him backward. While tumbling in the air, he caught a glimpse of Jiu Shixiong's Flying Sword transforming into a ribbon of light and heading toward the Array Disk.

"Boom~"

This strike was several times more powerful than Xu Chen's just now. The whistling Array Disk trembled and shook violently, and its speed dropped by at least twenty percent.

"Shixiong, I'm coming to help you!"

Zhao Xuan gave a clear shout, and her Flying Sword whistled over and also struck heavily on the Array Disk.

Amidst the splashing light, there was another loud sound that shook the soul. The moment the Flying Sword bounced back, the Array Disk paused slightly again, its speed decreasing by another twenty percent, but it still pressed toward Jiu Shixiong with unstoppable momentum.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot; the Taiyuan Sect is nothing more than this!" A trace of mockery appeared on the black-robed Daoist's face.

The Zhenyuan Realm and the Kaiyuan Realm, although only a one-character difference, their cultivation levels cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

Moreover, this Array Disk of his was a Second-grade Magic Treasure, while the three Flying Swords of the other party were all only First-grade.

His Divine Sense was powerful, and he had long seen that among the three from the Taiyuan Sect, Jiu Shixiong had the highest cultivation, at the late Kaiyuan Realm. As long as he killed the one with the strongest strength first, the other two would be vulnerable, especially the young cultivator blocked at the very back, who was only at the entry-level of the Kaiyuan Realm and could not even stabilize his body while hovering. Therefore, even if Xu Chen ran away now, he was confident he could catch up and kill him after finishing off the man and the woman.

However, he still did not quite understand how Xu Chen, this little piece of trash at the entry-level of the Kaiyuan Realm, discovered him just now when there was a Second-grade Array Disk Magic Treasure hiding him from over a hundred zhang away.

Perhaps, the little piece of trash had some extraordinary treasure on him that could detect crises in advance.

And this kind of Magic Treasure is truly a great item for home, travel, and robbing houses.

At the thought of this, the black-robed Daoist felt his saliva start to gush out with a splash.

In order to get his hands on the secret treasure on Xu Chen as quickly as possible, the black-robed Daoist's aura suddenly surged again, and his vital energy poured into the Array Disk crazily as if it were worthless; the Array Disk expanded by several more feet, like a giant millstone, and with layers of Array light and shadow, it whooshed and completely enveloped Jiu Shixiong.

Jiu Shixiong, who was already struggling to resist, let out a muffled groan as blood flowed from his nose and mouth; his face turned as pale as gold paper as he roared and struggled within the Array light and shadow, but it was of no use, and he was smashed from a height of over ten zhang in the air down toward the ground by the Array Disk with a whistle.

"Shixiong!"

Amidst the exclamation, Zhao Xuan's figure crashed straight toward the Array Disk, but the person in black sneered, turned into an afterimage to block in front of Zhao Xuan, and raised a hand to slap her flying away.

Xu Chen knew that if he didn't act now, Jiu Shixiong might die and his Soul would dissipate, so he also roared and released all his vital energy, controlling his Flying Sword to slash toward the black-robed Daoist.

The black-robed Daoist turned his head with contempt and glanced at Xu Chen.

This glance was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Xu Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

"Not good, a Soul attack!"

Xu Chen was shocked, but before he could make any reaction, he only felt a tearing, stabbing pain deep in the center of his brow, and he let out a miserable scream as he fell.

However, before the black-robed Daoist could even show a smile, his expression suddenly froze; he felt a blinding blue light invade his Sea of Consciousness along with his Divine Sense, and he was instantly struck as if by lightning, letting out a muffled groan as he staggered back a few steps, his entire aura instantly falling into disarray.

It was in this brief moment that the Array Disk, losing the guidance of his Divine Sense, actually stopped its downward pressure; Jiu Shixiong seized this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity and used all his strength to strike the Array Disk, causing the Array's brilliance to tremble wildly, and it looked as if he was about to break out of the Array.

The black-robed Daoist was both shocked and delighted; he shifted his Divine Sense to pull the Array Disk away from Jiu Shixiong and directed it straight at Xu Chen.

He felt at this moment that he had found the secret on Xu Chen, which was that Xu Chen's Sea of Consciousness was extraordinary and must be protected by some strange treasure, so he simply used all his power to deal with Xu Chen.