The underwater cave was indeed a hidden paradise, filled with a dazzling array of spiritual herbs and low-level spirit beasts. Guardian puppets stood on either side of the entrance, though they were not activated and were at around the late stage of Qi Refining.
"Fellow Daoists, please help me stabilize this cave dwelling, otherwise we will have wasted our time."
"That's natural."
Blackbeard stepped forward and activated his top-grade magic artifact, the Five Elements Yin-Yang Mirror, which emitted a power of the Five Elements Yin and Yang, temporarily stabilizing the underground spiritual veins and water veins.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Blackbeard." Fairy Linglong looked at Blackbeard with delight as she saw that the cave dwelling had been temporarily stabilized, which made Blackbeard's old face beam with joy.
"No need to be so polite, fairy. It was just a small favor, hehe." Blackbeard said with a lewd grin.
After speaking, Fairy Linglong went into the cave to retrieve the treasure and invited Blackbeard and Lu Xuan inside.
Lu Xuan thought for a moment and declined, saying, "I appreciate the fairy's kindness, but after all, this is the cave of your Lingyin Pavilion's Foundation Establishment Ancestor, so it is inconvenient for me to go in. If Fellow Daoist Blackbeard is willing to go in, I have no objection."
"Please feel free, fellow Daoist. I'll give you those pills when I come out."
"Fairy, wait for me!" Blackbeard ran into the cave without any warning, fearing that Fairy Linglong would take his Foundation Establishment Pill.
Lu Xuan then found a flat spot outside and sat down cross-legged to meditate.
The spiritual energy here is extremely rich, emanating from this cave.
The bottleneck at the seventh level of Qi Refining has also loosened somewhat.
"It seems that breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining is not far off," Lu Xuan muttered to himself.
About a dozen breaths later, strange fighting sounds and loud noises reappeared from the underwater cave.
"Boom!"
A corner of the array's light barrier shattered, and Blackbeard, covered in blood, dragged half of his body out, the Five Elements Yin-Yang Mirror in his hand reduced to half, looking utterly pathetic.
"Fellow Daoist"
"Help me!"
Blackbeard, a dignified market owner at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, had fallen to such a state. This scene immediately put Lu Xuan on alert, and the Soul Devouring Banner in his hand was itching to be used.
Not long after, Blackbeard breathed his last and died on the spot. His serene spirit drifted out and headed towards Lu Xuan's spiritual platform.
"Possession? You're insane."
Even when Blackbeard was at his peak, it would have been extremely difficult for him to possess Lu Xuan's body. Now, he's truly going all in.
"You asked for trouble!" Lu Xuan said calmly, a sword light flew out from his hand, and the black beard's primordial spirit was easily repelled by Lu Xuan. The black beard's primordial spirit seemed to be worn away by Lu Xuan's sword light, revealing a painful expression.
"Why bother? Wouldn't it be better to just honestly reincarnate?"
No one knows what happened in the underwater cave.
Even his storage bag was stolen.
At this moment, Fairy Linglong and the heavily injured black-clad swordsman stepped out of the formation:
"Fellow Daoist Lu, quickly destroy Blackbeard's primordial spirit! He actually wants to kill us to silence us and take all of our Lingyin Pavilion's treasures for himself. Hurry up and do it, Fellow Daoist Lu. This fairy can give you a few more bottles of high-quality pills for the late stage of Qi Refining."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan revealed a mysterious smile: "I'm afraid things aren't as simple as you make them out to be!"
Although Blackbeard is ruthless and can turn his back on people without hesitation, Lu Xuan felt that it was unlikely that he would kill someone to cover up their crime.
Moreover, Fairy Linglong had mastered all the restrictive formations of the underwater cave. Blackbeard also knew that he was no match for Fairy Linglong inside the cave. Besides, Fairy Linglong also had the powerful helper, the Black-Clad Sword Slave. Blackbeard was also a seasoned veteran in the cultivation world, so how could he be foolish enough to take the initiative to attack Fairy Linglong and her companions?
So the truth is that Fairy Linglong had just planned to lure him into her cave and capture him all at once.
Fortunately, Lu Xuan had been careful.
"Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. Fellow Daoist Lu, it seems you'll end up like Blackbeard!"
"That's not necessarily true."
Seeing that Fairy Linglong had revealed her true colors, Lu Xuan had no choice but to temporarily retrieve the black-bearded man's primordial spirit and inquire about him via telepathy.
Blackbeard managed to transmit his voice at this moment, revealing the truth:
"Fairy Linglong suddenly activated the formation and, together with the black-clad sword slave, severely injured me. Moreover, there were no Foundation Establishment Pills, top-grade magic weapons, or pills in the underwater cave. This was a conspiracy by Fairy Linglong and her group. Their real aim was a key inside—the key to the Heavenly Capital Secret Realm!"
"The Heavenly Capital Secret Realm, what kind of place is that?" Lu Xuan asked Blackbeard telepathically.
"The Heavenly Capital Secret Realm is a great opportunity within the Yunmeng Mountains. Every few decades, the entrance to the Heavenly Capital Secret Realm will appear within the Yunmeng Mountains. Inside, there are spiritual herbs for refining precious pills such as Foundation Establishment Pills and Transcending Realm Pills. To enter, you need the key to open the Heavenly Capital Secret Realm, the Heavenly Capital Spirit Jade!"
Blackbeard continued, "The Heavenly Jade inside has already been obtained by Fairy Linglong. To keep the secret, she wants to wipe us all out. Fortunately, you didn't fall for it, fellow Daoist. Run! I have a secret escape technique, the Blood Light Escape, which I can teach you. I hope you can escape, expose the true face of this beastly Fairy Linglong, and avenge me, Blackbeard!"
Then Blackbeard taught Lu Xuan a few secret techniques. After he finished speaking, Blackbeard's primordial spirit dissipated, his body and soul vanished, and his cultivation level of the eleventh level of Qi Refining also turned into nothingness.
Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality, in the end it all came to nothing.
Lu Xuan sighed deeply.
Seeing that Fairy Linglong and the black-clad swordsman were launching their magical weapons to attack.
Lu Xuan was too lazy to fight, so he directly summoned his natal flying sword magic weapon, which instantly transformed into a streak of light. Its speed was comparable to that of a cultivator at the great perfection of the twelfth level of Qi Refining. Soon, it escaped from the lake and disappeared into the horizon.
"He ran really fast." Fairy Linglong and the black-clad swordsman jumped out of the lake and looked in the direction where Lu Xuan disappeared, saying unwillingly.
"Should I go to Red Leaf Market and take care of this person?" the black-clad swordsman asked.
Upon hearing this, Fairy Linglong pondered for a moment and then shook her head: "Forget it, you may not be his match... and I cannot openly confront him, otherwise I will not be able to enter the Heavenly Capital Secret Realm controlled by the Righteous Alliance in the future. The future of our Lingyin Pavilion rests on my shoulders, and I cannot take any risks."
"Okay, what if he goes back and talks nonsense?" Jiannu asked worriedly.
"What's there to be afraid of? The demonic cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect should already be in Red Leaf Market. Going back would only be suicide for him..."
"Your wisdom is truly divine, Fairy!"
...
Several hours later, with Lu Xuan's speed, he had already approached Red Leaf Market, with less than a hundred miles left.
Although he was almost tricked by Fairy Linglong on this trip, he didn't suffer any real loss. For the sake of that high-grade defensive magic artifact, Lu Xuan felt that the trip was worthwhile.
Just then, thick smoke billowed from the Red Leaf Market ahead, and above the market, huge wisps of demonic energy surged like an endless sea of clouds.
"Demonic cultivators, demonic cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect. No wonder Fairy Linglong didn't chase after us. It seems they already knew what was about to happen to Red Leaf Market."
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