Lei Tai was furious upon receiving the news that Xuan Qingban and his group had taken the opportunity to escape, and that fourteen of Lei Mansion's elite members had been lost. It takes at least several decades for the outside world to cultivate cultivators above level forty, but Lei Mansion, like other forces, currently lacks both the resources and time.
The loss of even one elite disciple is a significant blow to the Lei family's power!
Therefore, Lei Tai wouldn't give up on this matter so easily. If the Lei family couldn't win over the young elite disciples of the Qingxuan Sect and used this opportunity to damage the sect's reputation, then they had to be eliminated! Otherwise, many people would laugh at the Lei family, seeing them lose both their position and their resources! Because the young elite disciples of the Qingxuan Sect had already vanished, leaving only an empty place, devoid of any valuables.
Beneath the powerful protective array, Blackwind City is quietly under construction. The massive stone city stretches across the mountains, incredibly grand, with tens and hundreds of tons of earth and stone appearing abruptly, yet forming thick, sturdy city walls.
Only a very few people know that this was achieved through the use of force.
Magical power and supernatural abilities are filled with incredibly wondrous creations.
Transforming these mountains with magical power is far easier than modern construction, but also far more difficult. Only cultivators at the highest level possess such magical power.
For example, the sudden rise of huge boulders from flat ground, or the smoothing of the ground after a sudden uplift, are all effects of magical catalysis that alters the geological structure. The Blackrock City Lord's Palace is located in the eastern part of the city, facing east as its primary position. It possesses a magnificent and imposing presence; the palace-like buildings are tens of meters high and tens of thousands of square meters in size, occupying a vast area and standing majestically.
Outside the city lord's mansion, cultivators were already on guard. There were also cultivators patrolling in front of the mansion. These soldiers were in squads of five, all with cultivation levels above level thirty. The four squad members had relatively even cultivation levels, while the squad leader was about five levels higher. They wore uniform black clothing, and even their magical artifacts were standard equipment.
The silver spear is a mid-level material attack magic weapon, while the silver helmet, armor, leg guards, and boots are mid-level material defense magic weapons, which is quite extravagant.
This set of equipment, which combines offense and defense, is worth at least 100,000 low-grade crystals.
The Lei family put a lot of effort into this facade.
However, there wasn't just one guard and patrol team, but nine teams! Nearly fifty people!
Above the patrolling soldiers are the stewards. This is the standard job structure in the cultivation world. Above the stewards, besides the chief steward, are the prospective elders, all of whom are near-great masters. A level 49 peak expert could break through to level 50 at any time, becoming a great master and being promoted to elder!
Of course, the bottleneck between becoming a near-master and a master is not so easy to overcome; it depends on opportunity, and such opportunity is not easy to find.
Zhang Guodong ruined Han Feng's opportunity, causing Han Feng to become enraged, which shows how important this opportunity was.
At this moment, in the City Lord's Mansion, Lei Tai, his face filled with rage, had already smashed several cups. These were small magical cups made of top-grade jade, crystal clear and flowing, and they were actually smashed to pieces. They were used to drink wine and tea and could prevent the loss of spiritual energy.
These are generally owned by important figures and wealthy cultivators. Ordinary cultivators, where would they find such luxuries? They probably only use them for drinking wine and tea.
Beside Lei Tai stood Hong, a highly skilled expert who had been appointed as the deputy city lord, but he too was frowning and silent.
Below, the cultivators serving the city lord were also suffering terribly.
The city lord has been unpredictable lately, and those around him are easily mistreated, so they are all being very careful.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! They even lost a group of cultivators below level 40, and lost fourteen elite members of the Thunder Palace! Bastards!"
The roar terrified those outside, but they listened and then stopped, not exchanging words, and continued doing what they were doing.
“City Lord, please calm down. In my opinion, Han Feng has encountered a formidable opponent this time. Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have asked for help. According to the information from our base personnel, Han Feng is indeed seriously injured. For the opponent to be able to injure Han Feng, they must be at least a near-Grand Master level!” Deputy City Lord Hong said calmly.
Then the conversation shifted.
"However, I have some doubts. Han Feng said that the cultivator who killed my fourteen elites was the same junior cultivator who was attacked by Han Feng three times in the Southwest City. City Lord, even a genius could not have gone from level 35 to level 49 in just over half a year."
Lei Tai paused, surprised. "Are you suspecting that this person found some ancient cultivator's elixir or rare treasure? Is that why he's made such great progress?"
Hong nodded slightly and said, "It's just a suspicion; otherwise, there's no other explanation, or I can't guess it."
Lei Tai's expression finally calmed down, and gradually a look of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"Then we must not give up tracking these people! Nearly a year has passed since the start of the Demon Battle Battle, and there are only two years left. If we can obtain the great treasure possessed by this person, Blackrock City can cultivate even more experts, and then we will surely become number one!"
“Yes, but City Lord, who should we send this time? Han Feng is considered a mid-level expert among the near-Grand Masters, and he could rank sixth among the ten near-Grand Masters in Blackstone City. If we send him this time, it would be safer to send two. Quality over quantity!” Hong said.
Lei Mansion currently has ten near-Grand Masters, who are also the prospective elders of Blackstone City. Among these people, perhaps one will break through to the Grand Master level and become an elder in the future.
Normally, these ten people wouldn't move without permission, and even if one of them were injured, that would be a very serious matter.
But this time, in order to humiliate the Qingxuan Sect, Han Feng was sent out, only to encounter this situation, which enraged Lei Tai.
"Then send 'Eagle-Eyed Shepherd'! Hmph, this time we must capture this person. If we can't capture him alive, we must at least find out the secret of this matter! As for the Qingxuan Sect, leave no one alive!" Lei Tai said immediately.
Eagle Eye and Shepherd are code names; their real names are unknown. However, they are ranked fourth and fifth among the top-tier high-ranking officials.
Each one is more powerful than the Korean wave!
The city lord and deputy city lord reached an agreement, and soon, Eagle Eye and Shepherd were sent out together, but Senior Brother Hua and his group were summoned back.
This puzzled Senior Brother Hua greatly. But given Lord Lei's order, they had no choice but to rush back, abandoning even the deserted Northwest Market. Perhaps Lord Lei had other uses for this place.
The Northwest City is now deserted, but it is well-equipped and it would be a shame not to make use of it.
"Lord Lei has sent others to take over this place. We have completed our mission and can return now!" Senior Brother Hua called out to the group. The group then set off.
"Mom can go drink to her heart's content now!"
"I heard that quite a few merchants have moved to Blackrock City recently, and most of the shops on the streets have been rented out! The city will be even more lively."
"It's a pity that the city lacks restaurants. If there were one that could rival the 'Wanxian Restaurant,' or..."
"The level of the No. 1 Restaurant has already driven the entire Southwest Imitation Market out of business!"
"Don't worry about that. The city lord said that once Blackrock City is built, the restaurant will be built as well. Everyone in Blackrock City can enjoy the secondary spirit crops specially cultivated by the city lord. Whether it's food or wine, it's much better than what you get in some small shops!"
Having completed their mission, they wouldn't need to go out for a while, allowing them more time to cultivate and enjoy a leisurely life.
Cities are much safer and more comfortable than imitation cities.
As night fell, the roars and cries of nocturnal animals gradually drifted from the mountains in the east.
In that grove of trees, everyone was still recovering their cultivation, while the injured continued to heal themselves. Now, including Zhang Guodong, there were only twenty-nine people left, who were the most important personnel of the Qingxuan Sect at present.
The people in the capital city are not to be relied upon now, as their cultivation level is too low.
Of the twenty-nine people, Zhang Guodong and Xuan Qingban were the only ones who were relaxed, guarding the other twenty-seven.
During the day, Zhang Guodong made a request to have Xuan Qingban become one of his confidantes, but Xuan Qingban has not yet responded.
By evening, the matter seemed to have been forgotten, and Zhang Guodong didn't mention it again.
He knew that Xuan Qing was perhaps struggling with an internal conflict, making a difficult decision. He gave her time!
However, Zhang Guodong disliked this somber and oppressive atmosphere.
"Qingban, tell me, why would the Lei family go back on their word and force the Qingxuan Sect to make a choice half a month in advance? I feel there's a big problem with this mask!" Zhang Guodong sat on a tree branch, holding a pot of wine in his hand, occasionally taking a sip. Across from him, in the darkness, Xuan Qingwei sat cross-legged, her presence barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
When Zhang Guodong called out "Qinghui" for the first time, he noticed Xuan Qingban's body tremble slightly, and he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Alright. No objection means tacit approval!
Xuan Qinghui was indeed very averse to this form of address. A string in his heart seemed to have been plucked; his breathing quickened, and he wasn't sure if he felt anger or irritation.
However, she was quickly drawn to Zhang Guodong's question. Indeed, the Lei family was a powerful force. Why would they turn their backs on a still weak Northwest city, not afraid of the significant negative impact this would have on their reputation, deterring potential cultivators from joining them?
Thinking about it now, there really is a big problem.
“I suspect that something in the city might have touched a nerve with the Lei family, enraging Lei Tai? Is that why they are pressuring us like this?” Zhang Guodong continued.
"Impossible!" Xuan Qingwei retorted. "Even the Imitation Market Exhibition is proceeding with extreme caution, let alone with its strength. How could it possibly pose a threat to the Lei Mansion?"
That makes sense, Zhang Guodong nodded. What could possibly enrage Lei Tai so much? Something incredibly valuable might be stolen, or an important person might be killed by a counterfeiter?
However, with the highest cultivation level among all the people in the city being only level 47, it is simply impossible to do these things!
"Could it be that Lei Tai's son, Lei Hui, has run into trouble?" Zhang Guodong dropped a bombshell.
Xuan Qing glared fiercely at Zhang Guodong. What kind of wicked thoughts were these! This man was utterly despicable.
point!
“Lei Hui is currently in Blackrock City!” Xuan Qingban said calmly.
"Ah, I've got it. If it really was his precious son who got into trouble, that old bastard Lei Tai would probably have already come after us. We wouldn't be able to escape even if we wanted to!" Zhang Guodong chuckled and said. "But... what could be the reason? The Golden Body Talisman?"
"Golden Body Amulet?"
Almost simultaneously, the two spoke, and their expressions immediately changed.
"Oh no! Could the golden talisman have been tampered with?" Zhang Guodong exclaimed urgently. "Quickly, take it out and check it! This thing might really be a time bomb!"
Chapter Dini's compass, the relationship has improved.
In the darkness of Blackstone City, a streak of dark light flew out from the direction of the city lord's mansion, streaking across the sky like a long arrow before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"A flying artifact!"
"My God, who is this person?"
"It looks like there are two people up there!"
The cultivators near the city lord's mansion were discussing amongst themselves and looking around.
That dark light was indeed a flying magical artifact. Its speed was more than 40% greater than that of a newly minted master! It was also twice as fast as Xuan Qingbo himself driving his flying magical artifact!
This flying artifact is so coveted that even the most powerful experts are extremely greedy for it.
Indeed, two people were standing on the flying artifact: Eagle Eye and Shepherd, the fourth and fifth among the ten near-great masters of Blackrock City.
This time, Lei Tai adopted Hong's suggestion: quality over quantity. With two near-master-level experts, Eagle Eye and Shepherd, even if Zhang Guodong were to take action, Xuan Qinghui's group wouldn't be able to withstand them. That's a fact!
The eagle-eyed man held a small compass in his hand. It glowed faintly, and a single needle pointed in one direction—east!
"I never expected the owner of Wanxian Restaurant to be a near-master! He's fooled everyone!" the shepherd exclaimed. He was a black man. His skin was very dark, as if he had been tanned for a long time. His occasionally open eyes flashed with a sharp light, which made him seem unremarkable. He sat steadily cross-legged on the shuttle-shaped magic artifact.
Hawkeye's eyes are extremely sharp, giving off a dangerous aura, like a hawk. But his strength surpasses that of the Shepherd, and this shuttle-shaped flying artifact belongs to him.
Even ordinary masters might not possess a flying artifact. Yet Hawkeye has one, and it's no ordinary one.
With this flying artifact, speed can be greatly increased, providing a significant advantage in combat and even allowing one to escape from the clutches of powerful experts. His high ranking is not without reason.
Note that even among near-master level experts, there are varying degrees of skill. Factors such as magical artifacts, cultivation techniques, combat experience, favorable timing and location, demonic vines, and physical strength can all influence the outcome of a battle.
For example, some martial arts techniques are mutually restraining.
Wood, Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal are the five most common elemental attributes in martial arts techniques. There are also some special attributes.
One point that must be mentioned is that when a near-master breaks through the level 50 bottleneck, they will comprehend a basic law-based divine ability, which is closely related to the corresponding attributes of the cultivation technique.
For example, those who practice wood-attribute techniques are more likely to comprehend basic wood-attribute supernatural abilities, while those who practice earth-attribute techniques are more likely to comprehend basic earth-attribute supernatural abilities, and so on.
Possessing even one basic divine ability is the hallmark of a true master. To acquire a second or more law-based divine abilities is even more difficult. True masters compete based on their cultivation level and divine abilities!
It's worth mentioning that back in the Southwest City, the various martial arts masters displayed their unique abilities, most of which were skills they had mastered upon breaking through to the Fifth Level. These weren't particularly powerful abilities, but Zhang Guodong's blade-shaped attack ability was coveted by all the martial arts masters. This shows just how important it is to obtain additional magical abilities!
Unfortunately, most masters of magic do not have a second supernatural power; they only have one!
After the shepherd finished speaking, Eagle Eye coldly said, "So what if he deceived everyone? He's just a newly promoted near-Grand Master. Only Han Feng is shameful. He actually let this person kill so many people and seriously injure him. He's a piece of trash!"
Han Feng didn't mention that he was ambushed while breaking through his bottleneck, so many people consider this battle a disgrace to him. To be suppressed like this by a newly minted near-Grandmaster!
"Brother Eagle, it's best not to be careless! Although Han Feng is not as good as you or me, ranking only sixth, he is warlike and has a lot of combat experience. How could he have suffered such a great loss?" Mu Ren said calmly. "I am quite curious about the owner of this Wanxian Restaurant!"
The owner of Wanxian Restaurant—that's intriguing. Is it really true? A restaurant owner? Daring to challenge the Lei family and openly become their enemy?
In fact, Lei Tai really intended to shut down Wanxian Restaurant as a warning to Zhang Guodong.
However, Wanxian Restaurant is located in the southwest of the city, so even if Lei Tai is angry and wants to cause trouble for Wanxian Restaurant, he cannot do so immediately.
With five top experts from the Southwest Imitation City in command, their strength is considerable.
Emperor Mu is level 75, Emperor Feng is level 69, Duanmu Qingyun is level 65, Chixiao is level 61, and Youlan Fu is level 59.
In Blackrock City, Elder Zong is level 76, Elder Qing is level 72, Lei Tai is level 60, and Hong is level 58. Comparatively, the strength of the two sides is at least balanced.
This also made Lei Tai hesitant to act rashly, leaving him helpless against Wanxian Restaurant.
“Alright, this person will be yours in a moment! Lord Hong marked the Golden Body Talisman, just in case someone sneaked in. Unexpectedly, someone actually did sneak in and stole this precious Golden Body Talisman! Among the ten of us, some of us haven’t obtained a Golden Body Talisman. Lord Lei said that the two of us can use this Golden Body Talisman! Of course, I already have one, so having more is useless. I might consider giving it to you!” Hawkeye said.
The shepherd's eyes suddenly opened and brightened.
"Haha, thank you so much, Brother Xie Ying! I have a Golden Essence Stone here, which is perfect for perfecting your metal-attribute cultivation technique. Please accept it!" The shepherd flipped his hand, revealing a golden, flowing stone the size of a thumbnail. This stone could promote the perfection of his metal-attribute cultivation technique, and upon breaking through to level fifty, the metal-attribute laws would be imbued with even more power. His supernatural abilities would correspondingly become more powerful, making it extremely precious!
"Deal!" Hawkeye narrowed his eyes and put it away. With this Golden Essence Stone, he could at least guarantee that when he broke through to the level of a great master in the future, the basic metal-attribute divine ability he comprehended on his own would be among the top-tier lower-level divine abilities.
With the deal finalized, the shepherd's spirits rose considerably.
"I can't wait any longer!" "Don't worry, with this compass, even if they escape to the ends of the earth, we can catch them! It points east from here, so maybe these people are planning to go overseas? We must inform Lord Lei about this! Once they escape overseas, the vast ocean is far more dangerous than the land!" Hawkeye suddenly frowned, looking at the compass, and said.
"Indeed!" The shepherd paused for a moment, then immediately nodded in agreement.
Overseas makes cultivators feel very insecure. It's not as good as being on land.
Just as Blackrock City sent two near-master level experts, stronger than Han Feng, to follow them, Zhang Guodong and Xuan Qingban both realized that things were not going well.
Xuan Qinghui took out the golden talisman, but she couldn't find anything special about it. Helpless, she handed the talisman to Zhang Guodong, hoping he might discover something.
Zhang Guodong didn't hold back either, his magical power precisely controlled. When he tried to penetrate the golden talisman, an extremely powerful force rebounded from within, several times stronger than Zhang Guodong's own!
"Good heavens, this magic power is indeed the work of several top experts working together; there are even several different types of magic power!" Zhang Guodong exclaimed as he withdrew. "There's a wood element among them. Could it be the work of the Wood Emperor?"
If so, then the real problem lies not inside, but outside.
Zhang Guodong was genuinely skeptical that Lei Tai could have tampered with the power within the Golden Body Talisman under the influence of the Wood Emperor.
The golden talisman shone with golden light, breaking through the darkness in a radius of several meters.
Zhang Guodong carefully used his magical power to sense the anomaly within the golden talisman's radiance, but found nothing.
"How could there be no problem?"
"I really don't believe it!"
Using both magical power and divine sense simultaneously was the only method Zhang Guodong could think of. In terms of the sophistication of magical power, Zhang Guodong couldn't compare to Lei Tai, who had been wielding magical power for decades or even centuries. However, he had his trump card: his divine sense was incredibly powerful.
"How is it?" Xuan Qinghui asked hurriedly. Now they could only hope that Zhang Guodong could successfully find the problem, otherwise carrying this golden talisman was too dangerous, as it could lead the other side astray at any time.
There are storage bags, which belong to a secondary dimension, but sometimes this secondary dimension is not stable enough, so it can't be relied upon too much. Some things can't even be suppressed by storage bags! Special methods are needed to isolate and suppress them!
Zhang Guodong wasn't sure if the nine-story pagoda could completely block all outside observation, but he wasn't considering that right now. If he could find the tampered part and remove it, the problem would be solved completely.
"Wait a little longer!"
Time passed second by second, and Zhang Guodong's magical power and divine sense did not miss any minute detail.
To break through that golden radiance, one must first discern its anomalies; it is indeed not easy. After a long while, Zhang Guodong's forehead was covered in sweat. Xuan Qinghui hesitated for a moment, intending to wipe it off for Zhang Guodong, but ultimately did not continue.
When this person is serious, he's not that annoying!
"Found it! ***Lei Tai, I've been looking for anomalies with lightning attributes, but I couldn't find any. This guy actually made a metal attribute mark on it! It's extremely difficult to spot amidst the golden magical fluctuations! But now that I've found it, things will be much easier. I'll wipe it off." Zhang Guodong suddenly shouted, excitedly. But he also swore.
Xuan Qingbai was initially delighted. Then she frowned. She didn't like people being so rude!
However, Zhang Guodong disregarded everything else and used all his magical power to remove the metallic mark on the abnormal spot.
"boom".
Unexpectedly, the mark contained immense power. It struck Zhang Guodong's magic power, and in a single exchange, Zhang Guodong's magic power was dispersed!
"Good grief! I refuse to believe it! I'll keep applying it!"
Zhang Guodong repeatedly clashed with the mark, but it remained extremely stubborn. However, he discovered that the mark would weaken slightly after each rebound, and only through continuous impact would it eventually collapse!
However, this will take time!
Xuan Qinghui gracefully climbed the tree, no longer wanting to play along with Zhang Guodong's nonsense; his vulgar words were quite jarring.
A cool breeze was blowing, and the night was full of hidden vitality. Xuan Qingban was immediately engrossed.
After what seemed like an eternity, a low cheer erupted from below. Zhang Guodong exclaimed, "Finally, it's broken! Ugh, I'm exhausted! Here we go!"
The golden talisman flew towards Xuan Qinghui like a golden light. Xuan Qingban immediately caught it and put it into his storage bag!
"Junior Brother Zhang, I have something to say to you!" Xuan Qingban's gaze hardened considerably, a departure from his previous absent-mindedness.
Zhang Guodong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Qingxia, please speak your mind!"
“I can grant your request and be your companion,” Xuan Qingji said, surprisingly calmly.
Zhang Guodong was suddenly overjoyed. Did this mean he agreed?
"However, I have two conditions. Of course, you can refuse them!"
Zhang Guodong's excitement was dampened, and he frowned, asking, "What are the conditions?"
"First. I have become your partner, so you must join the Qingxuan Sect and protect its interests!" Xuan Qingban said softly.
"No! I object to this. For your sake, I can protect the interests of the Qingxuan Sect, but I won't join it. Of course, I have no intention of joining any other force or sect. Joining a sect would be a huge constraint for me; I don't like being suppressed and controlled!" Zhang Guodong shook his head and said. He objected to the first point! How could he accept losing his freedom and being ordered around?
Xuan Qingsuo was slightly annoyed. But then he thought that Zhang Guodong's request was reasonable, so he immediately backed down and said, "Then you can become an honorary elder of the Qingxuan Sect! You are free to come and go, but you can protect the sect when it is convenient for you!"
"Honorary Elder? Alright! What's the second condition?"
"Secondly, our union must be presided over by the Grand Elder! Before he presides, you must not overstep the bounds of propriety."
"What?!" Zhang Guodong immediately became angry. "Seeing something but not being able to have it is torture!"
"Isn't this going too far? If the Grand Elder doesn't leave the Plant Cultivation Realm, won't I be a bachelor for life?" Zhang Guodong said with dissatisfaction.
Xuan Qing's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. He cursed inwardly, "You're so shameless and lewd! You have so many women. And you're still single?"
But then I thought about what Zhang Guodong said, and it wasn't impossible. The Grand Elder holds the most precious inheritance that determines the fate of the entire Plant Cultivation World, so whether he can leave the Plant Cultivation World is also unknown.
"We'll hold the ceremony on the very day the new Qingxuan Sect base is established!" Zhang Guodong added.
"No, we have to wait until we come out of the Demon-Fighting Battlefield at least." Xuan Qingban said anxiously.
Two years?
That seems to have been quite a while!
"Okay, two years it is, but if you can endure it during that time, then I'll keep my word, hehe," Zhang Guodong said.
"Shameless!" Xuan Qingban's face flushed red instantly. He was furious.
"Haha, anyway, whether I agree or not, you're mine. Besides, I've already agreed, and these conditions are good enough. Holding hands and touching legs regularly can be considered cultivating feelings. Green Spot, how about we start cultivating feelings now?" Zhang Guodong grinned slyly and swiped up the tree where Green Spot was.
Xuan Qingbai felt a strong masculine aura emanating from her, and she immediately panicked.
In the chaos, her delicate hand was grasped by a man for the first time. Instinctively, the Heavenly Vine suddenly appeared and attacked Zhang Guodong.
But Zhang Guodong easily defused the attack.
Shh, someone's coming.
Bi: Two chapters are here, the third will be coming soon. Today's update is also 10,000 words! For more chapters, please log in to BiBa. Support the author. Support genuine reading!
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