Chapter 46 Descending the Mountain 1: Murder and Robbery
In the southern wilderness of the human realm of the Eastern Continent, the city closest to the demon realm is called Luohu City. Luohu City belongs to Shuiyun Immortal Capital and is an important place for communication between the Immortal Capital and the demon realm. Cultivators of various races come and go, and trade is prosperous.
Due to the struggle for the Demon King, the Demon Realm is now under martial law, and all passages between it and other races are closed. No cultivators from other races are allowed to stay in the Demon Realm without the Glazed Token. As a result, many cultivators who have been driven out of the Demon Realm have settled in the border town.
Because these cultivators were a mixed bag and extremely difficult to manage, Shuiyun Xian simply turned a blind eye. As long as there were no major conflicts on the surface, they would pretend not to see the dark forces that were growing in the shadows.
Throughout history, no one can escape the pursuit of profit. Although the human race believes in the saying "those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts," they have the most trade relations with the demon race among all the races. Every day, countless people travel from afar to Luohu City to buy rare and precious materials that belong exclusively to the demon realm.
On this day, a man and a woman, who had already left the Jade Cloud Sect, strolled leisurely into the mountain road near Luohu City.
Although he had important business to attend to when he came down the mountain, the deadline given by the Sword Master Li Shuang, who, according to Senior Brother Shen Du, was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, was very lenient.
Fu Shuang gave each of them something called a "Glassy Token". Cultivators holding this token can freely enter and leave the demon realm. Xu Xing had heard about this thing during his time outside. Now, a single "Glassy Token" has been sold for an astronomical price. Fu Shuang casually took two, which was incredibly extravagant.
“There is a Mahayana cultivator in the Demon Realm who possesses the key to the Guixu Secret Realm. Soon, that key will appear in the Demon Realm. I need you to obtain the key and enter the Guixu Secret Realm.”
"How can we obtain the key from a Mahayana cultivator?"
Although Xu Xing expressed her willingness to go, she was still dumbfounded when she heard the requirement: the Great Ascension stage? How could a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator like her possibly obtain it?
Fu Shuang, who had maintained an indifferent expression, suddenly smiled. "You will definitely be able to obtain it, because... he is about to perish. He refined the key to the Guixu Secret Realm with his own body. When he dies and his Dao dissipates, the key will return to the world. At that time, there will be extraordinary phenomena in the world. After you enter the Demon Realm, you only need to wait quietly. Don't worry, there is more than one key."
After listening in silence, Chen Du finally spoke, "Sword Master, this junior does not understand. With your cultivation level, countless people would naturally be willing to serve you. Why do you need to come to us?"
One of them is at the Qi Refining stage and the other at the Golden Core stage; even combined, they are no match for each other. Since Fu Shuang knows about this, others in the Demon Realm must also know. With their combined strength, the chances of them getting the key are extremely slim.
"Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and below can enter the Returning Void Secret Realm. As for why it's you..."
Fu Shuang said calmly, "I don't think I need to explain."
Shen Du lowered his eyes. This unreasonable reason was actually quite reasonable. If a sword cultivator with such profound cultivation insisted that they do something, they really couldn't refuse.
When asked about the opening time of the secret realm, Fu Shuang only said that the secret realm would naturally open after the Great Ascension stage demon cultivators perished.
"But we don't know when that demon cultivator perished, could it be..."
Fu Shuang's voice carried a hint of coldness, "He will undoubtedly die within three years."
Hearing this, Xu Xing stared at Fu Shuang's face. Although he couldn't see her eyes, he inexplicably felt that the Mahayana stage demon cultivator must be her enemy...
Since no one knew the exact date of the demon cultivator's death, Xu Xing and Shen Du could only come to the demon realm and wait for that day to arrive.
It's said to be three years, but if that demon cultivator dies on the last day of those three years, then they'll have to wait three years, even though three years isn't much for cultivators.
Shen Du seemed somewhat concerned about going to the demon realm, but Xu Xing was carefree. After briefly saying goodbye to Wen Yao, who had just joined Chiyang Peak, and arranging things at the shop, she happily embarked on her journey with her three beast pets.
It took the two of them nearly two months to travel from the Eastern Jade Cloud Sect. It wasn't entirely because the journey was too long, but because everything was new and exciting as they traveled slowly. They even went into several forests to pick a few high-quality spiritual herbs, and when they passed through a mortal town, they also made a detour to visit Zuo Qiuxu.
To avoid attracting attention, Shen Du accepted several medicine-finding missions near the Southern Wilderness from the Myriad Manifestations Ranking. Zuo Qiu Xu, who was with his family, learned that they had accepted missions and gone down the mountain for training. He insisted on going with them. After much persuasion, the two of them secretly slipped away overnight and finally arrived in the Southern Wilderness.
Xu Xing stood halfway up the mountain and looked down. She could already see the silhouette of the city. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Senior brother, let's rest for a while."
It's lunchtime.
Shen Du knew that she had a habit of eating three meals a day on time. Upon hearing this, he drew a large circle on the ground with his sword, intending to go into the forest to hunt some monsters. "Wait for me here and don't move."
Xu Xing, who was setting up the pot, replied without hesitation, "Are you going to buy oranges?"
“There shouldn’t be any vendors here,” Chen Du said, startled. “If you want some, I’ll go look for some.”
"..."
Seeing that he had already drawn his sword and entered the woods, Xu Xing, realizing what had happened, immediately punched himself, yelling, "Serves you right for being so quick-tongued! Where would you find oranges this time of year...?"
Along the way, although Chen Du could abstain from grains, Xu Xing was not used to having him watch him eat, so he would always ask him to join him when preparing meals. Now the two of them are quite used to eating at the same table.
Xu Xing tasted Shen Du's cooking a few more times and could only say that most of the dishes her senior brother made were just edible, but far inferior to what she could make herself. So she did most of the cooking, with Shen Du assisting her.
We're almost at Luohu City. We'll go to a restaurant in the city for dinner tonight. Let's keep it simple. When traveling, barbecue is the most convenient option.
With the two of them and their three pet beasts, they consumed quite a lot of food every day. Most of the monster meat they had eaten during this period was captured on the way to the crossing, but none of it tasted as good as the Shuoyue Rabbit meat. Thinking that they could have a big meal that night, Xu Xing took out the last few pieces of Shuoyue Rabbit meat and put them on the fire to roast.
To avoid attracting attention, Xu Xing took turns letting his three pet beasts out. Today it was Tuanzi's turn to come out for a stroll. Xu Xing released it from the spirit beast token, and the Iron-Eating Beast, which had been holding back for a long time, immediately snuggled up to her leg and whimpered.
After feeding him a Beast Spirit Pill to soothe him, Xu Xing smiled and said, "Bear with it a little longer, we'll eat meat later."
The rabbit meat on the shelf sizzled, and the aroma gradually spread. Just as Xu Xing was about to add the seasoning, he suddenly noticed light footsteps in the woods behind him. He thought it was Shen Du, but when he turned around, he saw two unfamiliar male cultivators.
"I wondered how such an enticing aroma could come from the middle of nowhere, that someone was actually grilling meat here."
One of the male cultivators darted around, looking Xu Xing up and down, then glancing at the Iron-Eating Beast. Seeing that neither the man nor the beast possessed high cultivation levels, his gaze became somewhat suspicious.
Xu Xing thought he didn't seem like a decent person, so he ignored him.
"Hey! How much is this meat? My brother and I are starving."
Xu Xing's voice was indifferent, "Sorry, we're eating it ourselves, we don't have any extra to sell."
"A Foundation Establishment stage disciple, and he's already got a high-ranking position?!"
One of the male cultivators immediately changed his expression and raised his hand to sweep a burst of spiritual energy over, but it was blasted away by the sword energy left on the circle drawn by Shen Du.
Xu Xing, who had only been in the Foundation Establishment stage for two months, looked them up and down with the same gaze as the two people from before, and said in a puzzled tone, "I see that you two are only in the Foundation Establishment stage, but you talk so confidently. I thought you were in the Golden Core stage."
Another male cultivator, who had been silent until now and had a gloomy expression, raised his face and said in a somber tone, "Do you think you can look down on others just because you have this sword energy protecting you?"
With a wave of his hand, dense demonic energy surged forth, beginning to devour the sword energy in the circle.
This is actually a demonic cultivator...
Xu Xing did encounter several demon cultivators along the way, but this was the first time he had met a demonic cultivator. He had heard that cultivators of various races were mixed together in Luohu City, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.
Seeing that the sword energy was about to be completely devoured, Xu Xing wiped his hands and instead of letting the second-tier Tuanzi go into battle, he summoned the Wind Spirit Deer and said, "Yin Xue, I'm counting on you."
"You actually possess a fourth-tier Wind Spirit Deer?!" Upon seeing the white spirit deer appear, the two male cultivators' eyes were instantly filled with greed. Kill this woman, and the Wind Spirit Deer would be theirs!
The strength of a fourth-tier spirit beast is equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and it should have been dealt with quickly. However, the demonic cultivator seemed to have a powerful magic weapon on him. He was entangled with the Wind Spirit Deer and did not fall behind for a time, while the other person rushed towards Xu Xing!
Xu Xing's Foundation Establishment stage was raised by Fu Shuang. She had never fought against a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator before. Seeing that the other party had murderous intent, she was quite helpless and raised her hand to take out the Spirit Shield Bead.
Under the white spiritual light, the male cultivator attacked dozens of times and finally broke through one layer. But the next moment, the spiritual light flashed and a new spiritual shield was generated.
"These beads..."
The male cultivator's gaze was filled with surprise and doubt. He had never seen a spirit shield bead that could be used repeatedly. Just who was this woman? How could she have so many good things in her possession!
In that case, we absolutely cannot let her live!
Xu Xing slowly roasted meat inside the spirit shield, while outside, one person struggled against the Wind Spirit Deer, and another laboriously cleaved through the spirit shield.
Seeing that the other party had suddenly stopped, and wondering what other tricks they had up their sleeve, Xu Xing thought for a moment and took out five spirit shield beads. Just as he was about to use them all, a sword light flashed swiftly from the depths of the forest.
Shen Du, who was looking for oranges, noticed the commotion and rushed back.
At that moment, the demonic cultivator's magical artifact was also shattered by the wind blade of the Wind Spirit Deer. In an instant, the situation reversed, and the two who had just intended to kill and seize the treasure became dead souls under the sword.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone so far."
Seeing Shen Du's serious expression, Xu Xing quickly said, "How can you blame yourself? Besides, I have magical artifacts protecting me. Even if they fight until tomorrow, they won't be able to break through these spiritual shields."
Xu Xing may not have many other things, but he has so many defensive magical artifacts that he can't even count them all, which is why he has the confidence to retort to these two cultivators.
"This is the fourth time, isn't it? Things are really not peaceful outside..."
Over the past two months, she has encountered several attempts to kill and steal treasure. At first, Xu Xing felt uncomfortable seeing corpses, but now she can naturally search for storage bags on them.
Xu Xing removed the spirit shield, squatted down in front of the two corpses, and examined the demonic cultivator's unseeing face. He looked a bit gloomy, but his appearance was no different from that of a human cultivator.
However, she was very sensitive to smells and could detect a faint bloody odor on the demonic cultivator, suggesting that he must have harmed many people.
"Huh? This demonic cultivator actually has a pretty good sword. Senior brother, why don't you take it and use it for now?"
Xu Xing picked out a third-tier spirit sword. This sword was clearly made by a human; he wondered where the demonic cultivator had obtained it. The Xuan Yue Sword was not yet fully repaired, and Chen Du had been using a second-tier spirit sword for some time.
"No need, you can keep it."
Shen Du reminded him, "The sword techniques that Sword Master Li Shuang passed on to you and me are extremely exquisite. You can use this sword to learn them."
"..."
Before leaving the Jade Cloud Sect, Fu Shuang not only raised Xu Xing's cultivation from the eighth level of Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment stage, but also taught them a set of sword moves and several magical artifacts.
Although the other party remained cold and indifferent, implying that they shouldn't come back until the mission was completed, they actually gave Xu Xing many benefits, making him feel strangely that doing things for her was a pretense, and that giving her gifts was just an excuse.
"You rely too much on magical artifacts. If you go to a place where you can't use them, you'll be limited in every way. You still need to become stronger on your own."
During the two months of travel, while Xu Xing was sleeping, Shen Du was always practicing his sword. Xu Xing was embarrassed to always slack off, so he would occasionally practice with him, but he only practiced sporadically. Shen Du never said anything, but today he looked unusually serious.
"Okay, okay, I understand..."
Xu Xing muttered under his breath, "If we can't use magical artifacts, we still have you..."
Although the voice was soft, Shen Du heard it clearly. He didn't say anything more, after all, he had promised Xu Xing to protect her, and he would naturally keep his word.
After Xu Xing finished checking the storage bags of the two male cultivators, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, "This demonic cultivator's wealth is quite substantial..."
This Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivator alone has nearly a thousand mid-grade spirit stones, but unfortunately most of his magical artifacts are tainted with blood and demonic energy, making them unusable by human cultivators.
Xu Xing turned her gaze and remembered the storage ring that had not yet been given away. She directly put the spirit stones and several defensive magic artifacts she had obtained from this counterattack into the storage ring.
"Senior brother, look what I found!"
Shen Du glanced down at it and said with certainty, "You made this."
Xu Xing was somewhat surprised, "How did you figure that out?"
She thought Shen Du would assume that these were items belonging to the two male cultivators.
"I can smell your scent."
Shen Du shook his head. How could he not recognize her aura?
Xu Xing chuckled, "This was specially crafted by me. I added a wisp of my senior brother's sword energy. Unlike other storage rings, it is difficult for others to open after it recognizes its owner, and its location can be sensed within a certain range, so you don't have to worry about losing it in the future."
Xu Xing looked at him expectantly, "Please put it on, senior brother."
Shen Du paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Thank you."
He took the thin black ring and was about to put it on his left ring finger when Xu Xing hurriedly stopped him.
"etc!"
Xu Xing looked somewhat awkward. Although there was no such tradition in this world, it still felt strange to wear a ring on the ring finger.
"Senior brother, let me put it on you!" With that, Xu Xing snatched the storage ring and slipped it onto Shen Du's left index finger without saying a word. Then, he turned around and casually dealt with the fruit that Shen Du had brought back.
Shen Du glanced at her back, spread his five fingers, and stared at the black ring. A strange feeling flashed through his mind, but before he could grasp it, it disappeared.
...
As dusk fell, the two finally stepped into the city gate of Luohu. Almost every household in the city was a merchant, and the market was full of shops. Cultivators came and went in an endless stream. In addition to human cultivators, Xu Xing also saw a lot of demon cultivators and evil cultivators.
Besides the shops, there were also vendors setting up stalls on both sides of the street. Some rare medicinal herbs were casually placed on a cloth-covered ground. Xu Xing looked left and right, and his two eyes couldn't take it all in.
"Senior brother, this is the last place we'll stay before entering the demon realm. Why don't we stay here a little longer to be on the safe side?"
As Xu Xing spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the medicinal herbs on the ground.
Seeing her curious expression, Chen Du smiled slightly and softly hummed in agreement.
In his eyes, Xu Xing was a girl who knew how to enjoy life. When she was in the Jade Cloud Sect, nothing seemed to affect her. He only saw her looking down on the day of the graduation assessment. On the way after leaving the Jade Cloud Sect, he traveled slowly and stopped frequently. Seeing her so happy, Chen Du deliberately slowed down and never urged her.
Seeing that Shen Du agreed, Xu Xing immediately began to stroll around the streets, his eyes scanning the various stalls one after another. The items were all of good quality, but the prices were just...
After inquiring about the price, Xu Xing was delighted. The third-grade spiritual herbs here were at least 20% cheaper than those at the Jade Cloud Sect!
purchase!
If you don't buy now, when will you?
Xu Xing mentally calculated her savings. Excluding the first few months, her shop's monthly turnover averaged about three thousand mid-grade spirit stones. After deducting the cost of materials and the salaries of Aunt Lian and others, Xu Xing still had more than a thousand spirit stones in hand. Her main expenses were food and drink, unlike other cultivators who spent all their spirit stones on pills and magic tools. Therefore, she had saved up more than twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones in two years!
Looking at the several storage bags in his backpack, Xu Xing was quite satisfied. Fortunately, he hadn't been slacking off in alchemy these past two years, and now it was time to enjoy the pleasure of spending money!
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Author's Note: Thank you, Shin-chan no longer has crayons and Xixi's nutrient solution~ =3=
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