Chapter 21: Suspicious

When Xu Chen woke up again, he could barely feel that burning thirst and pain anymore; although he was still dizzy, the situation had improved significantly. He tried to circulate his cultivation, discovering that he was already able to use his Divine Sense to draw upon Yuan Qi, and he immediately let out a long breath, feeling much lighter.

"Junior Brother is awake, how do you feel?"

Zhao Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor meditating, woke up instantly and stood up in a hurry to ask.

Xu Chen slowly opened his eyes and said, "I feel much better; I am already able to use my Divine Sense to circulate my cultivation now."

Zhao Xuan was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful. You should lie down and rest a bit more while I go arrange some food."

After Zhao Xuan left the room, Xu Chen slowly circulated his cultivation technique to look inward at his Sea of Consciousness. Sure enough, he could clearly see the Blue Jade Bead, and he could also feel wisps of cold air still entering his Sea of Consciousness from between his brows, but they were being absorbed by the jade bead and then released as nearly invisible white mist.

"It seems this is another function of the jade bead!"

Xu Chen was pleasantly surprised.

However, even though he could circulate his cultivation and use his Divine Sense at this moment, as soon as his Divine Sense moved, he still felt a burning, scorching pain in his soul; it was just that this pain was now bearable, far from the extreme sensation of being burned by raging fire as it was in the beginning.

Xiao Huli was still lying on his forehead at this time, but it was fast asleep, even snoring slightly.

"This time, I really owe it to this little guy!"

Xu Chen reached out and gently stroked Xiao Huli's soft fur, muttering softly.

Xiao Huli seemed to feel the petting and found it very comfortable; it kicked its little legs a few times and wagged its little tail, brushing against Xu Chen's eyes and nostrils.

"Achoo~"

Xu Chen couldn't help but sneeze. Xiao Huli was startled awake, widened its little eyes, and stood up. Xu Chen simply sat up as well, gently placed Xiao Huli into his lap, and then sat cross-legged to begin breathing and circulating his cultivation.

This battle was extremely dangerous; the three of them could be said to have exhausted all their strength, using up almost all their Magic Treasures and Magic Spells, but the outcome was also unexpected: they had actually killed a Zhenyuan Realm cultivator.

Theoretically speaking, a Zhenyuan Realm cultivator possessing a second-tier Magic Treasure is far harder to deal with than a top-tier Second-Tier Demon Beast.

After all, a Demon Beast has limited intelligence; if three people join forces and are determined to escape, it is basically not a problem.

However, he was unlucky to have encountered a freak like Xu Chen.

Back in the fissure of Black Wind Ridge, even a Third-Tier Demon Wolf had its soul completely annihilated by the Blue Jade Bead; if a True Spirit Realm cultivator were attacked by the full energy of the jade bead, they might die instantly.

But ever since the jade bead merged into Xu Chen's Sea of Consciousness, its power seemed to have diminished significantly; yet, after the blue light was fully stimulated by Xu Chen's Divine Sense, the impact on the soul was still not something a Zhenyuan Realm cultivator could withstand.

Xu Chen's two attacks certainly caused severe damage to his own soul, but it was clear that the black-robed Daoist suffered even greater harm.

Coupled with the fact that Jiu Shixiong is also an expert who has spent years wandering the world and fighting, he would not let any flaw or opportunity pass by, so the black-robed Daoist ended up capsizing in the gutter and dying in frustration.

This was a pyrrhic victory, but it also demonstrated Jiu Shixiong's superior combat experience.

Especially that third-tier Phantom Talisman, which created unparalleled psychological pressure on the black-robed Daoist; combined with a Spirit Talisman in the hands of the Princess and Xu Chen's mysterious soul attack, the black-robed Daoist eventually panicked and died with regret.

Recalling this life-and-death struggle, Xu Chen felt that his cultivation was indeed shockingly trashy, not to mention that his combat experience was almost zero.

Facing the black-robed cultivator, he had almost no power to fight back; if not for the jade bead showing its power, he would have been a complete burden.

Before long, Zhao Xuan led two inn maids carrying food and drink inside. Seeing that Xu Chen had already sat up, she was even more delighted and said, "Junior Brother seems to be much better, so I can rest easy. I will go call Jiu Shixiong over to eat together and discuss the arrangements."

Zhao Xuan had the people set the food down and turned to go to the next room. Soon, Jiu Shixiong followed, his steps unsteady. Seeing Xu Chen, he said with a face full of surprise and joy, "It's good that Junior Brother is awake; it looks like we can set off tomorrow!"

Zhao Xuan came in from behind, closed the door, and whispered, "Senior Brother, you and Junior Brother have only just gotten better; should we rest for two more days before leaving?"

Jiu Shixiong shook his head and said, "No, this matter has caused quite a stir. If the Pingxi King finds out the Princess is not dead, he certainly won't let it go. Furthermore, the black-robed Daoist's background is not simple either. We must not stay here for too long; even if we need to recuperate, we must find a safe place to do so."

Zhao Xuan nodded and said, "Then let's just return to the sect; otherwise, the road ahead is not very safe."

Jiu Shixiong shook his head, his expression grave, and said, "It is too far from the sect here; even with sword flight, it would take at least two days. Moreover, Junior Brother and I have almost lost all our cultivation and cannot fly on swords at all. The other side was able to dispatch a Zhenyuan Realm expert; I cannot guarantee there are no other helpers. Even if another late-stage Kaiyuan Realm guy comes, we would surely die. As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is often the safest. We must rush to Jingshi as quickly as possible. Once we reach Jingshi and see the Great Song Emperor, even if they have Danyuan Realm powerhouses, they wouldn't dare to kill us easily."

Zhao Xuan was about to speak, but Xu Chen also nodded and said, "Jiu Shixiong is right. Besides, the sect arranged for us to go offer birthday wishes to the Emperor; if we return to the sect and miss the birthday, it will affect the reputation of our Taiyuan Sect. I feel much better now; at most, I can slowly recuperate on the road, and I should recover very soon."

Seeing that both his junior brother and sister said so, Zhao Xuan stopped talking and invited the two to start eating.

The three ate and drank while exchanging information. Only then did Xu Chen learn that he had been unconscious for a day and a night, and that they were not far from the valley where the battle took place, in a small town called Wuyang, which was actually still very dangerous.

Seeing Xu Chen's nervous expression, Jiu Shixiong put on a smile uglier than crying to comfort him: "Junior Brother, don't be too nervous. Even if the Eight Kings want to send more people, it will take at least a few days. Moreover, they lost a Zhenyuan Realm expert, so I'm afraid they will be wary. After all, Zhenyuan Realm experts are not cabbages; even the Ziyang Sect would feel the pain for years if they lost one. Although our Taiyuan Sect is far inferior to the Ziyang Sect, we are not soft persimmons to be kneaded at will. Once this matter spreads, I'm afraid the Great Elder will also go to Jingshi to demand justice. The Eight Kings, let alone just being a mortal prince, even if he were the Emperor, would still have to kneel and admit defeat."

Zhao Xuan, who had been cautious all along, also revealed a hint of confidence and boldness, saying, "Jiu Shixiong's words make sense. Junior Brother, don't worry too much."

Xu Chen nodded and said, "Since Senior Brother and Senior Sister both say so, I can rest easy. However, this matter is a bit suspicious. How exactly did the Princess provoke the Eight Kings? Besides, the black-robed Daoist yesterday didn't seem to put the Eight Kings in his eyes at all. There must be some unknown secret about this Princess; perhaps it is not as simple as a normal mortal affair."

Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan looked at each other, seemingly having suddenly thought of this layer as well. After pondering for a moment, Jiu Shixiong said, "Junior Brother's idea is very likely. Originally, I didn't intend to get involved in this, but since the person is already killed and this grudge is already formed, it seems we must figure out the reason. Let's do this: finish eating quickly and call the Princess over to ask carefully."

"Alright!"

The three of them quickly swept the table clean like a whirlwind. After arranging for the maids to clean up, Zhao Xuan went out to find the Princess.

Before long, the Princess followed her in, still dressed as a man, but looking very uneasy. Especially when looking at Xu Chen and Jiu Shixiong, her eyes clearly carried terror.

"Zhao Qian pays respects to the two Immortal Masters!" After entering the room, the Princess bowed and saluted.

Jiu Shixiong waved his hand slightly and said, "Princess, no need for formalities. You have already seen what happened yesterday; we have already been dragged into this. But as the saying goes, every debt has its debtor; they were all coming for you. Our Taiyuan Sect cannot bear this disaster for you without rhyme or reason. You should know the reason why we called you here."

The Princess's face turned pale and she trembled slightly. After a long silence, she choked out, "Zhao Qian dares not hide anything from the three Immortal Masters, but this matter involves a great deal and is related to the Immortal Sect of the Ming Kingdom, the Ziyang Sect."

"Ziyang Sect?"

The three of them were stunned at the same time. Jiu Shixiong stood up abruptly, his face becoming extremely grave as he said, "If that is the case, you must not hide anything. Tell us everything you know so that we can respond accordingly."

Zhao Qian nodded and said, "This matter starts from three years ago. My father was originally the Marquis of Xilu, and because he guarded the border, he fought with the Ming Kingdom for years, but privately there were also some dealings..."

"There is no need to say all this messy stuff. Just tell us why you got involved with the Ziyang Sect." Jiu Shixiong interrupted the Princess.

Zhao Qian's body trembled slightly as she said softly:

"Three years ago, my father heard that an ancient Immortal's ruin had appeared at the border between Xilu Prefecture and the Ming Kingdom, so he joined forces with the Marquis of Zhendong at the Ming border to secretly arrange for people to excavate it. Later, they actually succeeded in digging out an Ancient Tomb.

However, the Ancient Tomb was extremely dangerous; hundreds of soldiers who went in never came out. Later, they had to secretly invite some Immortal Masters to go in and investigate, but they also never returned. Thus, my father and the Marquis of Zhendong became nervous and afraid, and they had a conflict in private. My father reported this to the Pingxi King. The Pingxi King led troops to directly intercept and kill the Marquis of Zhendong of the Ming Kingdom, and then drove thousands of surrendered soldiers to enter the Ancient Tomb again. Finally, the Ancient Tomb was forcibly opened. Sure enough, they found the remains of an Immortal and several Immortal Treasures inside. And even more bizarrely, all the soldiers and cultivators who had gone in to search for treasure earlier had turned into dried corpses.

My father believed this matter was too significant and requested to report it to the imperial court for secret handling, but the Pingxi King disagreed and actually wanted to kill my father. So my father had no choice but to flee, but in the end, he was still killed by the Pingxi King. Before he died, my father arranged for people to escort me back to the Song Kingdom, telling me that I must report this to the Emperor.

The Pingxi King was afraid of the news leaking, so he kept secretly arranging for people to find and hunt me down. I didn't dare to return to Jingshi, so I could only hide everywhere, and finally, I hid in Nanyang City on the edge of the Southern Border. The Nanyang City Lord was an old friend of my father's; he did not know the inside story, so I stayed in Nanyang City to take refuge.

This time, for the Emperor's hundredth birthday, I thought about returning to Jingshi to see if I could find an opportunity to see the Emperor and explain this matter. It just so happened that the three Immortal Masters were setting off with a merchant caravan, so the Nanyang City Lord let me accompany them so that there would be someone to look after me on the road. But I never expected that the Pingxi King would track down my whereabouts, which is why yesterday's events happened."