Chapter 39: Multiple Factions Ambush? I

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion auction had settled, but a greater storm had only just begun.

As soon as Lin Xuan (Mu Xuan) and Qian Duoduo stepped out of the private room, they immediately felt countless gazes—some overt, some covert, and all carrying various intentions—focusing on them. Envy, jealousy, greed, scrutiny... they were like an invisible spiderweb, entangling them from all directions.

"Elder Mu, this way, the firm has a private passage," Qian Duoduo whispered, his expression turning grave. Though his background was extraordinary, he could not help but feel the pressure when faced with so many hostile factions.

"No need," Lin Xuan shook his head, his gaze sweeping calmly over the crowd. "Leaving through a private passage now would be no different than telling others we have a guilty conscience. We shall walk out the front door openly."

He knew well that the more critical the situation, the less one could show weakness. The reputation of the Four Seas Firm could deter some, but it would never stop those desperate scoundrels blinded by greed or enemies with long-standing grudges.

The two followed the flow of people toward the main entrance of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Along the way, Lin Xuan could clearly feel several powerful spiritual senses sweeping over him without restraint, carrying a cold, probing intent. One of them was filled with a thunderous sharpness, coming from the direction of Ye Chen; another was cold and obscure, carrying a dense, ghostly aura of death, clearly from the remnants of the Nether Sect; there were several others, some overbearing and some ethereal, coming from the imperial family, the state-protecting clans, and other sects.

"Fellow Daoist Mu Xuan, please stay your step," a cold voice rang out from ahead.

Lin Xuan looked up to see Ye Chen standing not far away, watching him with an expressionless face. He was accompanied by two burly Ye family guards, both at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm.

What was meant to come could not be avoided.

"Brother Ye Chen, what advice do you have?" Lin Xuan stopped, his face showing just the right amount of "confusion."

Ye Chen’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to see through him from inside out: "Fellow Daoist Mu is truly full of surprises to possess such financial resources. I only wish to ask, since you spared no expense of a million spirit stones to bid for this Jade Liquid of Condensed Elixir, is it for your own use, or... do you have other intentions?"

This question was highly aggressive, hinting that Lin Xuan might be acting under someone else's orders to deliberately oppose him.

Lin Xuan sneered inwardly, but his face remained "composed": "Naturally, it is for my own use. As a junior with low cultivation and dull aptitude, I can only pin my hopes on external objects to advance a few more steps on the path of the Dao. I cannot compare to a heaven-gifted talent like Brother Ye Chen, who can advance valiantly even without such items."

His words flattered Ye Chen while placing himself in the position of someone "hardworking but of average talent," which was reasonable and logical.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, clearly not entirely convinced, but Lin Xuan’s answer was watertight, and he could not easily flare up on the spot; after all, the other party still had the reputation of having "helped" in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range. He snorted coldly: "I hope so. However, possessing a treasure is a crime in itself; Fellow Daoist Mu should be careful."

Having said this, he took one last deep look at Lin Xuan and turned to leave with his guards, but the warning in his eyes was self-evident.

After dismissing Ye Chen, Lin Xuan felt no relief in his heart. He knew this was merely an appetizer.

Sure enough, as soon as they stepped out of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and onto the bustling street, the feeling of being watched became even more intense. There was no telling how many eyes were fixed on him from the shadows.

"Elder Mu, where are we going now? Straight back to the Four Seas Pavilion?" Qian Duoduo asked via voice transmission, his palms sweating. He felt as if countless venomous snakes were flicking their tongues in the dark around them.

"No, we cannot go straight back." Lin Xuan’s spiritual sense stirred, and his "Eye of Breaking Delusions" quietly activated. Wherever his gaze landed, he immediately saw more details—the restrained auras in the shadows of the street corners, the fleeting black shadows at the windows of the tavern across the way, and several cultivators in the crowd who looked ordinary but had steady gaits...

There were at least four groups of people watching him! The Ye family’s people might just be monitoring, but the Nether Sect and the Zhao family were definitely here with ill intent! There was also a party of unknown identity, but their aura was no less formidable.

"Go to the 'Hundred Herb Hall' in the west of the city; I need to purchase some auxiliary medicines to use with the Jade Liquid of Condensed Elixir." Lin Xuan casually named a location; this was one of the backup routes he and Qian Duoduo had discussed beforehand, intended to confuse the pursuers.

The two appeared to blend into the crowd casually and headed toward the west of the city.

However, the trackers clearly would not give up easily. They hung far behind like maggots on a bone.

When the two passed through a relatively quiet alley, a sudden change occurred!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several ink-black bone spikes, radiating a dense aura of death, shot out from the shadows of the walls on both sides without warning, aiming straight for Lin Xuan’s vital points! They were as fast as lightning!

The Nether Sect had made their move!

"Careful!" Qian Duoduo exclaimed, a flash of treasure light appearing on him as a protective jade pendant automatically activated, forming a light shield.

But Lin Xuan’s reaction was faster!

Aided by the "Eye of Breaking Delusions," he had long since perceived the trajectory of the ambush!

"Shrinking Ground to an Inch"! The profoundness of the minor completion realm was displayed to the fullest at this moment!

His figure blurred in place like a ghost, and in the nick of time, he dodged all the bone spikes by a hair’s breadth! The bone spikes drove deep into the ground, hissing with white smoke as they corroded the earth.

"You rats who hide your heads and show your tails!" Lin Xuan snorted coldly. Before the second wave of attacks could arrive, his figure flickered again, and he took the initiative to charge into the shadows of the left wall!

"Nine Turns Thunder-Steel Body," second turn! His blood and Qi surged like mercury, and thunder light faintly appeared!

Boom!

He threw a punch directly, the violent power of his blood and Qi mixed with a trace of imperceptible pale-gold thunder-steel, smashing fiercely into that patch of shadow!

"Puh-ah!"

With a scream, a figure shrouded in a black robe was forcibly blasted out of the shadows, his chest collapsed, and he spat out blood mixed with fragments of internal organs; it was clear he would not survive! It was actually a mid-stage Foundation Establishment deacon of the Nether Sect!

"The target is tough! Form the array!" A roar of shock and anger came from the shadows.

In an instant, three other Nether Sect cultivators appeared, each occupying a position. Their dense ghostly auras connected into one, transforming into a black cage that descended upon Lin Xuan! At the same time, countless phantom images of vengeful spirits lunged out from within, emitting shrill shrieks that disturbed the mind!

"Tricks of the trade!" Lin Xuan’s eyes were cold. He activated his "Turtle Breathing Technique" and the system’s defensive field to their full extent to resist the death aura and soul attacks. His figure moved like lightning, dodging and weaving in the narrow alley while his hands formed seals.

"Suppress!"

He let out a low shout, and a third-grade top-tier "Evil-Breaking Talisman" obtained from the system shop was activated, transforming into a beam of pure-yang golden light. Like a scorching sun melting snow, it instantly purified most of the lunging vengeful spirits, and the ghostly cage shook violently!

Taking this opportunity, Lin Xuan once again executed "Shrinking Ground to an Inch," sliding out from a gap in the cage like a fish and appearing behind another Nether Sect cultivator!

"Die!"

He pressed his fingers together like a sword, spiritual power condensing at his fingertips with an indestructible sharpness, and struck directly at the back of the cultivator’s head!

The cultivator turned in horror and sacrificed a bone shield to block!

Chila!

The bone shield was pierced through as if it were made of paper! His fingertips did not lose momentum and directly exploded the cultivator’s skull!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xuan had killed two people in a row! His methods were ruthless, and his efficiency was astonishing!

The remaining two Nether Sect cultivators were terrified; they had not expected the target to be so thorny! Where was this a first-stage Foundation Establishment? This was clearly a god of slaughter!

"Withdraw!" The two had no more will to fight and retreated rapidly, wanting to melt into the shadows and escape.

"Want to leave now? Too late!" How could Lin Xuan let them go? He moved again, following them like a shadow. His "Eye of Breaking Delusions" precisely captured the trajectory of their escape technique, and two sharp sword auras arrived before they could flee!

Puh! Puh!

With two soft sounds, the last two Nether Sect cultivators clutched their throats and fell to the ground, unwilling to accept their fate.

From the ambush to the end, it had been only ten breaths of time! Four mid-stage Foundation Establishment Nether Sect assassins, all wiped out!

Qian Duoduo watched from the side, dumbfounded. He knew Elder Mu was powerful, but he hadn't expected him to be powerful to this extent! This combat strength was likely no weaker than a late-stage Foundation Establishment!

Lin Xuan quickly cleared the battlefield, collected the storage bags of the few, and then grabbed the still-dazed Qian Duoduo: "Let’s go! Bigger trouble is coming!"

He sensed another, stronger aura rapidly approaching! It was the Zhao family! And one of the auras gave him a familiar yet dangerous feeling—it was very likely Zhao Lie, or someone even more formidable from the Zhao family!

At the same time, the Ye family’s monitors seemed to be closing in as well.

They could not afford to be entangled any longer!

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan took out a fourth-grade low-tier talisman from his Dust Ring—a "Small Teleportation Talisman" that he had purchased from the system shop at a high price!

"Go!"

He crushed the talisman! A powerful spatial fluctuation instantly enveloped him and Qian Duoduo!

"Trying to run? Leave the Jade Liquid of Condensed Elixir behind!" A violent shout came, and an incomparably sharp blade aura tore through the air, slashing toward the center of the spatial fluctuation! It was a Zhao family expert who had arrived!

However, the blade aura was ultimately a fraction too slow!

Swish!

With a flash of light, the figures of Lin Xuan and Qian Duoduo instantly vanished from the spot!

The blade aura slashed through empty air, carving a bottomless trench into the ground!

Several figures landed in the alley one after another, looking at the Nether Sect corpses all over the ground and the empty scene, their expressions turning extremely ugly.

"A Small Teleportation Talisman! He won't get far! Search! Seal off the surrounding area!" roared a peak-stage Foundation Establishment elder leading the Zhao family.

The Ye family’s monitors silently recorded everything and quickly transmitted it back to their clan.

In a remote alley dozens of miles away from the scene, space twisted, and the figures of Lin Xuan and Qian Duoduo stumbled into view.

"Cough, cough..." Qian Duoduo’s face was pale; the experience of spatial teleportation was not pleasant.

Lin Xuan also took a few deep breaths to suppress his churning blood and Qi. Although the Small Teleportation Talisman could teleport, the distance and direction were random, and it placed a certain burden on the physical body.

"We cannot stay here long; let's split up!" Lin Xuan decided decisively. "You return to the Four Seas Pavilion immediately; I have my own ways to escape!"

"Alright! Elder Mu, you must be careful!" Qian Duoduo also knew the situation was critical and said no more, turning to blend into the crowd and leaving quickly.

Lin Xuan quickly changed into an ordinary gray robe, activated his "Turtle Breathing Technique" and "Shadow Concealment Art," and simultaneously mobilized system energy for deep disguise, completely restraining his aura and slightly adjusting his features to become utterly unremarkable.

Like a drop of water merging into the ocean, he silently blended into the massive flow of people in the imperial capital.

Relying on the "Eye of Breaking Delusions" and his keen perception of danger, he skillfully avoided several waves of spiritual sense scans and patrol teams that were clearly searching for him.

An hour later, after taking a large detour and confirming he had completely shaken off his trackers, he returned silently to the independent building prepared for him by the Four Seas Pavilion from another direction, moving like a ghost.

Activating all the defensive arrays, Lin Xuan finally let out a long sigh of relief, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Today had been fraught with danger! Facing the Nether Sect’s ambush, the Zhao family’s pursuit, and the Ye family’s surveillance all at once—if not for his greatly increased strength, thorough preparation, and the trump card of the Small Teleportation Talisman, he might truly have fallen there.

"The imperial capital... is indeed filled with danger at every step," cold light flickered in Lin Xuan’s eyes. "However, it won't be so easy to snatch things from my hands!"

He sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing and recover, while also taking stock of his gains and losses.

The Jade Liquid of Condensed Elixir was safe and sound.

He had consumed one precious Small Teleportation Talisman.

He had obtained four storage bags from the Nether Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators, which should contain some resources.

Most importantly, he had revealed his fangs, letting those factions watching from the shadows know that he, "Mu Xuan," was not a soft persimmon to be squeezed by anyone!

After this battle, his conflict with Ye Chen, the Zhao family, and the Nether Sect had become completely public and intensified.

The imperial capital would surely be even more turbulent because of him.

And his top priority now was to refine the Jade Liquid of Condensed Elixir as quickly as possible to increase his strength!

Only by being strong enough himself could he fear no storm!

(End of Chapter 39)