Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chapter 631: Blood Mist

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“In the Qinguang Sea Domain, there is Wind Lake City. Before I left, there were still seventy-five people stranded there,” Peng Xuming sighed softly.

The Qinguang Sea Domain had long fallen under the control of sea monsters, and Wind Lake City was one of the few large cities in that area.

Chen Fei had already anticipated that the location of the mission would be under the control of sea monsters; otherwise, Peng Xuming wouldn’t need to entrust others to rescue people.

But the Qinguang Sea Domain was one of the first to fall. Before entering it, one had to pass through the Minghu Sea Domain, which had also fallen.

The deeper one ventured into the territory controlled by sea monsters, the greater the danger. Moreover, having to bring people out from there made the danger self-evident.

No wonder Peng Xuming was willing to offer a piece of Heavenly Lingzhi; nobody else would accept such a task. For cultivators at the general Combined Aperture Tempering realm, it was simply risking their lives.

“The situation in the Qinguang Sea Domain, I believe Your Excellency is also aware of. It’s hard to say what the current situation is for the seventy-five people.”

Chen Fei looked at Peng Xuming, not explicitly stating everything but making his intentions clear: to bring out so many people, in both the Qinguang and Minghu Sea Domains, was no easy task.

Even if a peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert were to go, it would still be difficult to achieve this. There are simply too many unexpected factors that could arise.

After all, the more people there are, the more conspicuous the target, which is obvious.

“I understand!”

Peng Xuming nodded, taking out two portraits from his bag of holding and placing them in front of Chen Fei. He said, “If it’s not feasible for others, Your Excellency need not insist. But for these two individuals, I earnestly request that you bring them to Thousand Feathers City.”

As Peng Xuming spoke, he took out a jade box from the bag of holding and opened it in front of Chen Fei. Inside was another piece of Heavenly Lingzhi, albeit of a lower quality and vintage compared to the first one.

However, even if it was of lower quality, it was still Heavenly Lingzhi.

Currently, it was difficult to obtain even one piece in Thousand Feathers City. Chen Fei hadn’t expected Peng Xuming to have two such rare spiritual materials.

Nevertheless, for Chen Fei, one piece of Heavenly Lingzhi was already more than sufficient. After all, he had perfected the Unfettered Matrix Technique, greatly enhancing his ability to extract spiritual essence from spiritual materials.

Having an additional piece of Heavenly Lingzhi wouldn’t be entirely useless, but it would be merely icing on the cake.

Chen Fei glanced at Peng Xuming, suspecting that this man must have had some special fortune to possess two pieces of Heavenly Lingzhi.

“If you bring back either of the two individuals, I’ll gladly offer you the first piece of Heavenly Lingzhi I showed you earlier. However, if both of them return safely, both pieces of Heavenly Lingzhi will be yours,” Peng Xuming said firmly.

“Agreed!”

Chen Fei nodded after a moment of consideration. For others, venturing alone into the Qinguang Sea Domain would be akin to courting death, as it was now a forbidden zone for high-level martial artists.

Once one was detected by the sea monsters inside, it could lead to endless pursuit and ambushes. Those with weaker martial skills might even find themselves trapped in the midst of the ambush.

At that point, even prayers might seem unanswered.

But for Chen Fei, venturing into danger wasn’t an issue as long as he avoided the demon kings from afar. The real challenge lay in how to safely bring people out.

“Thank you, Your Excellency!”

Peng Xuming’s expression turned excited upon hearing Chen Fei’s acceptance. Despite the considerable value of the Heavenly Lingzhi, rescuing people from the Qinguang Sea Domain was an extremely daunting task.

Peng Xuming himself had attempted it once before, only to be discovered by sea monsters before reaching Wind Lake City in the Qinguang Sea Domain. In the end, he had to employ forbidden techniques to narrowly escape with his life.

His injuries had yet to fully heal, and the thought of venturing into the Qinguang Sea Domain again left him feeling weary and powerless.

Coming to Thousand Feathers City, Peng Xuming couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his loved ones trapped in Wind Lake City.

Initially, Peng Xuming had set higher conditions, but as time passed, he began to realize the harsh reality. Now, he only hoped to bring out at least one person, considering it a successful mission.

Chen Fei remained composed, asking several questions in succession to clarify various details about the mission objectives. Peng Xuming naturally provided all the information he could.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei and Peng Xuming arrived at the Task Hall to officially register this private commission.

While the Task Hall didn’t accept private missions, there was no issue with formalizing a commission. Peng Xuming placed the two pieces of Heavenly Lingzhi in the Task Hall as well.

The attendant of the Task Hall glanced at Chen Fei, feeling that he was prioritizing money over his life. How could he dare venture into the Qinguang Sea Domain at this time?

Although Chen Fei was formidable at the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the sea monsters wouldn’t engage in fair fights. They wouldn’t hesitate to overwhelm a weaker opponent. The consequences of being discovered were unimaginable.

“I entrust this matter to you, Your Excellency,” Peng Xuming bowed to Chen Fei outside the Task Hall.

This was the first person in recent times willing to undertake this mission. Upon hearing the mission requirements, others merely expressed consideration before disappearing without a trace.

“It’s a deal, Your Excellency,” Chen Fei waved his hand.

After a moment, Chen Fei wandered through the city for a while, restoring his original aura, before returning to his courtyard.

“I’ll be leaving Thousand Feathers City in a few days, perhaps for ten days at the shortest, or a month at the longest. I should be back soon,” Chen Fei informed Tong Linyun.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Tong Linyun was startled by Chen Fei’s words. How could he be leaving for so long?

“No need, I’ll be more convenient traveling alone this time,” Chen Fei shook his head.

“Alright.”

Tong Linyun didn’t insist when Chen Fei didn’t agree. Given Chen Fei’s cultivation level, she understood that having her around might actually be a hindrance if they encountered any danger.

Three days later, Chen Fei changed his aura and left Thousand Feathers City, flying towards the direction of the Qinguang Sea Domain.

After a while, Chen Fei raised his eyebrows in surprise. He sensed five auras slowly trailing behind him. Their speed wasn’t very fast, but they remained persistently behind him.

“It seems that attending the recent exchange meetings in the market has attracted the attention of some people.”

Chen Fei realized the reason behind it.

Every time he attended these meetings, Chen Fei used his new identity. While he didn’t flaunt his wealth extravagantly at these events, whenever he made a move, it was with extremely rare items.

Like the Seven Treasures Soul Returning Pill from before, and the three mid-grade magical treasures he sold, the combined value of these items already exceeded tens of thousands of mid-grade elemental stones.

And yet, Chen Fei only displayed the aura of someone at the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

In Thousand Feathers City, even those who coveted his wealth could only keep their desires hidden deep inside. Some didn’t even dare to investigate Chen Fei’s background too openly, fearing any potential repercussions.

Now that Chen Fei was leaving Thousand Feathers City alone, it immediately triggered the greed in the hearts of those people.

The reason they hadn’t caught up yet was likely because they were still too close to Thousand Feathers City, and there were occasionally other Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators around, making it inconvenient.

They just needed to wait for the right opportunity to strike.

Chen Fei remained composed, flying forward at the appropriate speed for someone at the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Half an hour later, he had already flown several hundred miles away.

Here, the distance from Thousand Feathers City was already quite remote, and there were fewer appearances of Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts in the vicinity compared to before.

The five auras behind suddenly accelerated, using an extremely fast speed to catch up.

These five individuals likely possessed some sort of combined formation or other magical treasure enhancements. At this moment, their speed wasn’t much inferior to ordinary late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.

Chen Fei continued flying forward at his own pace. After a moment, the auras of the five individuals behind became clearly visible.

“Friend ahead, please wait a moment,” a voice came from behind.

Chen Fei’s figure slightly paused, halting in mid-air before turning to look at the five individuals behind him.

Yi Yuezhong and the other four were somewhat surprised to see Chen Fei actually stop. Normally, encountering another Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator outside would prompt caution.

If someone asked you to stop, the first instinct would be to accelerate away to avoid any potential accidents.

Chen Fei’s unexpected halt raised suspicions in the minds of Yi Yuezhong and the others.

But despite their doubts, Yi Yuezhong and his companions couldn’t afford to abandon their pursuit halfway through.

The opponent was just a mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, the same level as them. Could five against one still result in unexpected outcomes?

“There’s something we…” one of them began.

“You’re too slow,” Chen Fei said calmly.

As Yi Yuezhong and his companions approached Chen Fei, they naturally spread out, subtly surrounding him. However, upon hearing Chen Fei’s words, their movements involuntarily hesitated.

“What do you mean by that? If you don’t explain yourself clearly today, don’t blame us for being ruthless…”

Qian Shixing snorted coldly. He had just started uttering a threat, but before he could finish, he realized that Chen Fei had already appeared in front of him.

As if shifting and exchanging places, Chen Fei was clearly far away one moment, and the next, he was right in front of Qian Shixing. Yi Yuezhong and his companions could only vaguely perceive a trace, along with the fluctuations of the natural qi.

Apart from that, they couldn’t sense anything else.

Although Yi Yuezhong and his companions were confident in their plan against Chen Fei, they were still on high alert, focusing their attention on him.

However, despite their vigilance, from Chen Fei’s disappearance to his sudden appearance, they could only perceive faint traces.

The Qianyuan Sword appeared in Chen Fei’s hand, but it didn’t leave its sheath. With the scabbard, he struck towards Qian Shixing.

There was no sharp sword energy. This move from Chen Fei seemed ordinary, but in Qian Shixing’s vision, everything around him vanished at this moment, leaving only the scabbard growing larger in his eyes.

Qian Shixing’s body stiffened, unable to move. It felt as if the entire world had abandoned him.

“Buzz!”

In Qian Shixing’s consciousness, his mind trembled violently, finally pulling him back to reality. With a roar of anger, he realized it was a matter of life and death. The elemental energy throughout his body surged suddenly, and he swung his blade towards Chen Fei.

“Boom!”

The void seemed to explode like thunder. Qian Shixing’s body trembled, and with both himself and his blade, he burst into a cloud of blood mist..