Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Zhao Xuhe's Desperation
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Skull Mountain, White Bone Cave, outside the marketplace.
A streak of light concealed itself amidst the mountain forest, revealing three figures. Two of them were none other than Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan, who had previously attacked the marketplace only to flee back in disarray.
The third person was an old man with white hair.
"Elder Ouyang."
Wu Zhichong spoke cautiously, afraid that this elder at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm would do something irrational. Ahead of them lay a dragon's pool and a tiger's den.
"Rest assured, I know what's at stake."
Ouyang Feng's expression was grim. Although his eyes, which gazed at the marketplace, were filled with bone-deep hatred, his tone was completely calm, without a hint of fluctuation.
"That devil is a ninth-grade formation master. He has set up inner and outer formations in this marketplace that are not easily broken by ordinary people. It's no wonder he has been able to roam free until now and even built a reputation as the so-called 'Blood-clothed Tower Master'. However, he is not a true peak Qi Refining cultivator; in the end, it's all just a castle in the air."
"But Elder Ouyang, the Supreme Empyrean Mirror also fell into that person's hands."
Wu Zhichong quickly agreed, then added in a low voice, "The Supreme Empyrean Mirror is mysterious and unpredictable. If that devil can control it, I'm afraid he would be no weaker than a peak Qi Refining cultivator."
"I have naturally considered this matter."
Ouyang Feng sneered, "The Supreme Empyrean Mirror is, after all, a spiritual treasure of our Divine Might Sect. How could a mere devil use it just by taking it? If he dares to use it, all the better!"
"I have already invited Master Yang Yezi, who originally refined the Supreme Empyrean Mirror. He is also furious that the mirror has fallen into the hands of a devil and has agreed to come to Skull Mountain to reclaim the spiritual treasure and set things right. With him here, if that devil dares to use the Supreme Empyrean Mirror to fight me, he will be courting death!"
Although Ouyang Feng was furious, he had not lost his reason.
Moreover, with Ouyang Haoze's cautionary tale before him, he couldn't possibly try to break through the formation again. After much thought, he concluded it was better to lure Lu Yang out of the formation.
"When does this person usually leave the marketplace?"
"Uh..."
Faced with Ouyang Feng's question, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan looked at each other, speechless.
Seeing this, Ouyang Feng frowned immediately and said with displeasure, "Haven't you been staking out the marketplace for a long time? How can you not even know such a small detail?"
"Reporting to the Elder, this person has never left the marketplace to this day."
"...Never?"
Ouyang Feng was taken aback. "Didn't you spread the news of the Shaman Ghost Mystic Realm inside? Doesn't he know that Skull Mountain is currently teeming with opportunities?"
The two looked aggrieved. "We spread it long ago."
"Then is it because the reinforcements from the Primal Saint Demon Sect haven't arrived, and the demonic path is weak, so he doesn't dare to leave?"
"In fact, the Demon Sect's reinforcements arrived three months ago and have been very active on Skull Mountain. Only this person has never left from beginning to end."
"Huh?"
After hearing the report, Ouyang Feng finally revealed a look of bewilderment.
"I'm not going out."
Inside the Blood-clothed Tower, Lu Yang and Fairy Feixia sat opposite each other. He politely declined Fairy Feixia's invitation while handing her a cup of spirit tea.
"Junior Brother is truly..."
Fairy Feixia looked at Lu Yang, her beautiful face suddenly showing a hint of a daze.
There was a time when she had been deeply disappointed by this junior brother's cowardice, yet it was he who, by proceeding with caution, had established the formidable reputation of the Blood-clothed Tower Master.
One must know that all cultivators are vying with the heavens for their destiny. A single slow step could lead to their lifespan running out and their death.
Even with so-called reincarnation, firstly, one might not have the fortune to cultivate in the next life, and secondly, one might not be the same person after rebirth. Therefore, it was not something to be relied upon.
But seeing him again this time, Lu Yang was just as he had always been.
Indifferent, tranquil, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.
Such a temperament was rare among cultivators. A phrase suddenly came to Fairy Feixia's mind: Water benefits all things but does not contend, thus nothing in the world can contend with it.
But in this life, if you do not contend, how can you seek the Dao? In the next life?
At this thought, Fairy Feixia couldn't help but sigh. "...I am ashamed. I'm afraid I will never reach Junior Brother's sublime state of mind in my entire life."
"Senior Sister overpraises me."
Lu Yang smiled faintly. "Didn't we agree before you came? This time, we will not discuss important matters, only the Dao. I will teach Senior Sister formations, and Senior Sister will teach me talisman arts."
"I will naturally hold nothing back."
Fairy Feixia's red lips pursed slightly. She lifted her veil with a fair hand, revealing a peerless face that could topple kingdoms. Beneath her thin, rosy robe, her peaks stood tall, and the curve of her hips was like the moon. Even her voice unconsciously became delicate and soft. "Speaking of which, I have yet to thank Junior Brother for saving my life before..."
The next day, when the sun was high in the sky.
In the marketplace, a disheveled-looking young man was pacing in his cave residence, his face full of struggle. It was none other than Lu Yang's old acquaintance, Zhao Xuhe.
"How could this be? How could this be?"
At this moment, Zhao Xuhe had reached the peak of his anxiety. "Everyone knows about the Shaman Ghost Mystic Realm now. If I don't act soon, I'll lose my chance!"
At this thought, Zhao Xuhe's aura suddenly erupted. He was no longer at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm as he was when he first arrived at the marketplace, but had broken through to the seventh level, the late stage. It was precisely because he had broken through the bottleneck that had troubled him for years that he had the idea of venturing into the mystic realm to try his luck.
But having the idea didn't mean he had the strength.
Without the opportunities from Coiling Dragon Island, he could only cultivate Heaven Mending Peak's Yin-Yang Grand Pleasure Ode. His true qi was merely fifth-grade, and his divine abilities and treasures were all inferior.
In this situation, competing for opportunities was simply seeking death.
After much deliberation, Zhao Xuhe finally gritted his teeth, took out a jade slip that had been gathering dust for a long time, and infused it with his magical power to contact a person he hadn't seen in a long while.
A halo of light spread from the jade slip, and after a long time, a voice came through. "Who is it?"
The voice was languid, with a hint of thirst, yet it made Zhao Xuhe feel exceptionally nostalgic. He couldn't help but whisper, "Feixia... it's me, Xuhe."
That's right, he and Fairy Feixia had a past.
However, to say they had a past was an overstatement; they were merely old acquaintances. After he was chosen as the son-in-law by the Heaven Mending Peak Master, he cut off contact with her to avoid suspicion.
He had thought they would never cross paths again, but he never expected that he would now be seeking her help.
Zhao Xuhe clenched his jaw and said in a low voice, "Feixia, I want to ask you for a favor. My path of cultivation is hopeless now, and I plan to leave the marketplace to make one last gamble."
He knew that Fairy Feixia most admired the act of burning one's bridges for the sake of seeking the Dao.
So only by saying this could he move her.
"But I don't have any contribution points right now and can't afford to buy treasures or divine abilities. In this situation, even if I have the will to risk everything, I'm afraid I'll just be throwing my life away for nothing."
"So... so... for the sake of our past friendship, lend me some..."
As he spoke, Zhao Xuhe couldn't help but recall the small moments from his past with Fairy Feixia, and a glimmer of unspoken hope rose in his heart.
However, in the next second, a basin of cold water was poured over him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
The delicate voice, which had been filled with warmth, instantly turned icy cold as it said indifferently, "Also, please don't contact me again in the future."
"I'm currently discussing the Dao with Junior Brother Lu. I don't want him to misunderstand."
*Crack!*
The next second, the jade slip shattered.
Zhao Xuhe stood there dumbfounded, not snapping back to his senses for a long time. After a while, his face gradually contorted, and a roar escaped from between his clenched teeth:
"No—!!!"
(End of this chapter)