Chapter 158 - 157: Qiankun

Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Qiankun

"Senior Sister, I don’t think you should get your hopes up so soon. Who knows what we’ll run into?"

Liu Tao had been in high spirits, but Chen Qingyang’s words were like a bucket of cold water, and she glared at him in annoyance. "What nonsense are you spouting? We’re about to turn back. What kind of trouble could we possibly run into?"

Chen Qingyang added, "Haven’t you heard that the world is ever-changing, Senior Sister? Anything can happen before we get back to Nine True Mountain. We have to stay vigilant."

In fact, Chen Qingyang’s Conscious Fish, while roaming three hundred li away, had already detected the tracks of Demon Sect disciples.

There weren’t many of them, just three. One of them even had a Cultivation at the Qi Refining realm. He couldn’t quite make out the Cultivation of the other two, however, and would have to keep observing.

’If possible, I should stir the pot and make things as chaotic as possible. It would be best if a Foundation Establishment Master got involved so I could observe their techniques.’

"Hmph!" Liu Tao scoffed. "Don’t be such a jinx. If what you say really comes true, we’ll be the ones to suffer!"

"It’s not about being a jinx. I’m just reminding you, Senior Sister, to stay on your guard at all times. Things haven’t been very peaceful lately."

"Heh!" Liu Tao sneered again. "Still say you’re not a jinx? I think you’re just hoping for trouble. You... you’re always like this."

Chen Qingyang didn’t argue with her, simply saying, "Senior Sister, you should get back to it. Once we’re done here, we can head to the next spot."

Liu Tao nodded. "Finally, you’ve said something agreeable."

She took the Jade Talisman from her robes and tossed it high into the air. Then, forming hand seals, she chanted an incantation. The Jade Talisman fell into the Array, and as a brilliant light flared up, the Sacrificial Refinement began.

Chen Qingyang, meanwhile, let his thoughts drift three hundred li away.

It was a group of two men and one woman—two old, one young—talking in a ravine. After observing for a while, it seemed the old woman was the leader of the three. Her strength was likely the greatest among them.

"Senior Sister, a lot of Daoist Dogs have shown up recently. The Master also ordered us to act with caution. We’re deep enough as it is. I don’t think we need to go any further," said the other elderly person, a man.

Before the old woman could reply, the young man beside them cut in, his tone resentful. It seemed he had a history of conflict with the old man.

"Normally, the Sect doesn’t allow us to clash with the Tai Xu Sect. Even if we do, we can’t just kill them easily, so we never get the chance."

"Isn’t it because you heard things were chaotic here that you made a special trip from the Sect, Senior Sister? You came to find an Artifact Spirit for your Magical Treasure. Senior Brother Zhao, what exactly do you mean by telling us to go back now?"

’From what Chen Qingyang could tell, the most common Dharma Gate for Demon Sect disciples involved Soul Banners. These people were probably cultivators of that path as well.’

’But I can’t determine their Cultivation yet. It would be a huge problem if I lured them over only to find them too strong.’

Hearing this, the old man immediately shook his head. "Senior Sister, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m just worried about our safety. The Daoist Sects have sent a lot of people, including some Half-Step Foundation Establishment Cultivators. If we run into them, we won’t even have the strength to resist. I don’t see any need to take such a risk."

’If they wouldn’t have the strength to resist, he could first rule out the old woman being at Half-Step Foundation Establishment, or even the Essence Condensation Ninth Realm.’

The young man spoke again. "Senior Brother Zhao, if you’re afraid of dying, just say so. How many Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivators can the Daoist Sects possibly have? With Senior Sister’s current Cultivation, she has no rival below the Sixth Realm. Besides, if we leave, where else are we going to capture a Qi Refining Sixth Realm Divine Soul? This is crucial for Senior Sister. Whether she can break through to the Seventh Acupoint is extremely important!"

The young man’s words were exactly what Chen Qingyang wanted to know. The old woman was undoubtedly at the Essence Condensation Sixth Realm, the highest among the three. Based on Chen Qingyang’s assessment of his five senior brothers and sisters, they should be able to handle her.

SMACK!

The old man could bear it no longer. Quick as a flash, he left a palm print on the young man’s face. It was bright red and bleeding slightly. The young man clutched his face, glaring at him with hatred.

"What do you think you are? When I’m talking to our Senior Sister, when did it become your turn to interrupt?"

Unexpectedly, the young man also didn’t fear death. "Zhao! This entire trip, you’ve been saying ’we can’t do this’ and ’we can’t do that.’ How did Senior Sister help you back then, and how are you repaying her now? People like you have the heart of a treacherous wolf!"

The old man was furious and went to backhand him again, but the old woman stopped him in time. She had been expressionless when the young man was slapped, but after hearing his words, a look of pity appeared on her face. She gently caressed his cheek. "Young Master, does it hurt?"

The young man’s smile was exceptionally warm, and combined with his handsome features, he truly had the air of a dashing young nobleman. "It doesn’t hurt, because I took that slap for Senior Sister."

The old man standing nearby looked as disgusted as if he’d swallowed a fly. He flicked his sleeves and turned his head away. "You’re truly regressing with age, getting completely infatuated with this Qi Refining brat. I really don’t know what’s so special about him. With his paltry Cultivation, can he even withstand your plundering?"

The old woman glared at him viciously, her black robes billowing as her aura surged. "Old fool, it seems you’re dead set on making things difficult for me."

The old man looked at her, his expression clearly wary. He forced a smile. "What are you talking about, Senior Sister? I was just saying that this trip might be too risky, but this brat kept interrupting. He’s the one with ill intentions."

"Don’t you know, Senior Sister? Before this brat started following you, he’d already caused the deaths of two people..."

Only Chen Qingyang noticed that as the old man spoke, the young man’s eyes turned incredibly sinister, and his entire demeanor became terrifying for an instant before returning to normal.

At this, the old woman’s expression toward the old man remained severe. "If we can’t find an Essence Condensation Sixth Realm cultivator for us to kill, then we’ll kill one at the Essence Condensation First or Second Realm. It just so happens my Young Master has refined a Magical Artifact that’s also in need of an Artifact Spirit."

The old man seemed to understand something, and his expression grew even more furious. "Senior Sister, don’t tell me you tricked me into coming all this way mainly to get an Artifact Spirit for this brat?"

The old woman didn’t deny it. "That’s right. This way, at least we won’t return empty-handed, and you won’t have to take too great a risk."

The old man felt utterly deceived. Just as he was about to vent his anger, the old woman said, "Junior Brother Zhao, if you say one more thing I don’t like to hear, I’ll turn you into my Artifact Spirit. In any case, if you die here, I can still explain it away."

Thus, the old man had no choice but to shut his mouth.

’After listening for just a short while, Chen Qingyang had a clear grasp of the trio’s Cultivation levels and a general understanding of their relationships. All that remained was to figure out how to lure them over.’

’Using the Conscious Fish to cast Li Yang Earth Fire probably wouldn’t be very reliable. It might even scare them away.’

’After thinking it over, Chen Qingyang decided that he, an Essence Condensation Second Realm cultivator, was the most suitable bait.’

In a few moments, Liu Tao finished her work. "Let’s go. We’re off to the next location."

But she saw Chen Qingyang staring at the Array, completely absorbed. "Senior Sister, you go on ahead. I want to observe this Array for a bit longer. I’ll catch up soon."

Liu Tao asked, "How long will you be? I’ll wait for you here."

Chen Qingyang replied, "Senior Sister, we should hurry up and finish so we can head back. Let’s not delay. Besides, I’ll just have to wait when I get to the next Array anyway. The two spots aren’t that far apart, so you should just go first."

Liu Tao thought for a moment before finally agreeing.

About a quarter of an hour after she left, Chen Qingyang, not caring if anyone was following him, unleashed his Wind Control Technique and rushed toward the trio’s location.

At that moment, the three were still discussing other matters when they saw Chen Qingyang glance at them from a great distance before quickly fleeing.

"It’s a Daoist Sect Disciple! He’s too far away to see his Cultivation, but he ran the moment he saw us. Senior Sister, should we follow and take a look?" the young man called out first.

The old woman made a swift decision. "Let’s go take a look. Junior Brother Zhao, what do you say?"

This time, the old man had no objections. All three of them gave chase after Chen Qingyang. However, the young man’s Cultivation was far inferior to the other two, and he gradually fell to the back.

This place wasn’t far from Liu Tao’s position, and Chen Qingyang could already sense his hidden senior brothers and sisters making their move. When he was only a dozen or so li from the temple, he stopped completely.

"What a waste of effort. Why would a Daoist Sect send an Outer Disciple out here?"

Now that they were closer, the old man discovered Chen Qingyang’s Cultivation wasn’t even high enough to qualify as an Artifact Spirit. He had wasted his time for nothing and started to get angry again.

The old woman, however, narrowed her eyes. "This brat must be up to something. Why would the Tai Xu Sect send someone like this?"

After speaking, she scanned him carefully again but couldn’t find any flaws in his disguise.

Just then, the sound of something tearing through the air came from all directions. By the time they thought to escape, five figures had appeared, completely surrounding them.

The old woman and the old man exchanged a look, panic in their eyes. Even if they wanted to flee, there was no way out.

Chen Qingyang continued to use his Conscious Fish as a guide, searching everywhere for a trace of the young man, but he seemed to have vanished. He was not in the sky, nor on the ground.

’Strange. This is truly strange!’

’With my technique, even cultivators much stronger than him would have a hard time escaping my tracking. How come it’s not working on this young man?’

At this point, the five senior brothers and sisters from the Tai Xu Sect were all dressed in moon-white robes, each holding a Magical Artifact. They radiated a powerful Qi Mechanism that trapped the two in the center.

A middle-aged man in a Daoist Robe shouted, "Today, we’ll give you a taste of your own medicine! State your names, so we know who dies today and which peak of the Demon Sect you hail from!"

The old man then complained to the old woman, "You damn old hag, where’s that Young Master of yours? You’re utterly foolish."

The old woman turned, but the young man was nowhere to be seen. A thought suddenly struck her, ’Don’t tell me I’m going to be jinxed to death by him too?’ "Cut the crap. Let’s work together and fight our way out of here first."

Then she bellowed at the people surrounding them, "If you want to know our names, you’ll have to see if you have the skill!"

She performed a Sacrificial Refinement on a Copper Mirror, her Magical Artifact, and threw it into the sky. The Copper Mirror expanded to about ten feet in size, shining with a brilliant light as black clouds rolled back from it.

Seeing this, the old man also brought out his Magical Artifact—a Copper Mirror identical to hers. Even its size seemed no different. It glowed with a magnificent Profound Light, and golden light rolled back from its edges.

One black, one gold—the Qi Mechanisms of the two Copper Mirrors were linking together.