Volume 1, Chapter 130 – The Journey

“Clack”

A sheet of thin golden paper flicked out from the young man’s hand and nailed itself into the wooden board before Yuan Shan. A line of vigorous, forceful characters leapt on the paper: Exterminate the entire Yuan Clan of Lingfeng City!

“You?!”

Yuan Shan’s expression changed drastically. True qi roared inside him and burst from his body; in an instant he was about to strike and kill the young man before him.

Before he could raise his palms, several streams of astral qi streaked past like brilliant shooting stars and tore him to pieces.

“Whoever’s interested, take a trip. Whatever you gain is yours.”

Having said that, the young man sat back down on the lounge chair, drew his dagger once more, and studied it carefully.

A black-robed figure walked up to the golden paper, lifted a hand to draw it into his grasp, and then strode slowly out of the tavern.

The faint stench drifting in made the young man on the chair frown. Slightly displeased, he said, “Clean it up.”

A flash of scorching flame swept past, burning all filth to ash and blowing it out of the tavern.

The young man ran his fingers over the dagger twice, then let out a long breath. Soul-Reaping Tower could afford to provoke Sky Thunder Hall, but it could not afford to provoke the Demon-Suppressing Army.

If he hadn’t been the one manning the counter here today, this commission would probably have been accepted.

Whether Yuan Shan knew about Shi Lan’s identity as a member of the Demon-Suppressing Army was still unknown, but since he’d come here, they might as well assume he did. The outcome would be the same anyway.

“Scree—”

The tavern’s somewhat shabby door swung shut again, sealing the tavern off from the outside world as if they were two different worlds.

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……

Ancient Phoenix City was growing ever more restless. Streaks of light often flashed across the sky, and the City Lord’s Manor was as crowded as a marketplace. Earth Fiend Realm martial artists who were rarely seen on ordinary days were coming and going in droves.

Shi Lan and the others’ identities as members of the Demon-Suppressing Army were also gradually spreading.

Gu Rentong had intended from the very beginning to stand on the same side as Shi Lan. Later, with Wu Lingkong revealing his Demon-Suppressing Army identity as backing, he was even more confident.

Even so, wave after wave of visitors still had him run ragged and somewhat mentally exhausted.

After restoring her condition to its peak, Shi Lan left the stone chamber, found Wu Lingkong, and prepared to discuss when they would depart.

They could not stay in Ancient Phoenix City forever. Although this place was already not far from the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect’s sphere of influence, there was still a distance to go in the end.

……

After seeing off yet another Heavenly Astral Realm martial artist, Gu Rentong sat down. He had just taken a sip of water when Gu Deyuan rushed in, eyes slightly red, ecstatic as he cried, “Father, Qingcang is awake!”

“Clack”

Gu Rentong said not a word, tossed aside his teacup, and with a single step shot toward the rear courtyard.

On the way to the room, he happened to run into Shi Lan and Wu Lingkong, who were just about to come looking for him.

After a brief explanation, the four of them hurried together to Gu Qingcang’s room.

……

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When the four of them stepped into the room, Gu Qingcang had already gotten out of bed and was pacing about inside.

“Qingcang…”

Gu Rentong looked uneasy as he tentatively called out once.

Gu Qingcang stared at Gu Rentong for a long while, then said haltingly,

“Grand… pa.”

Gu Rentong’s eyes instantly reddened and he pulled Gu Qingcang into a tight embrace.

“Good… good! Our efforts weren’t wasted!”

With that, Gu Rentong looked toward Shi Lan and said gratefully, “Young lady, this time my Gu family owes you a great debt.”

“City Lord Gu, you flatter me.”

Shi Lan shook her head slightly, feeling a bit ill at ease. She did not feel she had done the Gu family any great favor. Taking money to handle a job was only proper.

“You came looking for me just now, was there something you wished to discuss?”

After calming his emotions a bit, Gu Rentong released Gu Qingcang and asked.

“That’s right.”

Shi Lan exchanged a glance with Wu Lingkong, then said, “We will be leaving Ancient Phoenix City in two days.”

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At that, Gu Rentong asked in some puzzlement, “Why? Given how things are outside now…”

Halfway through his words, Gu Rentong thought of some rumors that had suddenly spread and his expression changed. “Is it because of… the demonic beasts?”

“Correct. If it’s convenient, City Lord Gu, it would be best if you also made arrangements early,” Shi Lan said with a nod.

“Has the situation really gotten to that point?” Gu Rentong felt a faint sense of unease.

“The current situation is far from optimistic,” Wu Lingkong replied from the side.

Gu Rentong slowly nodded, his tone heavy. “This old man understands. My thanks to you both for telling me.”

Shi Lan did not stay long. After discussing some details with Wu Lingkong, she returned to the stone chamber and used ten crystal tokens to set up a spirit-gathering formation.

She wanted to use these two days to attempt a breakthrough to the Earth Fiend Realm. If she succeeded, she would have more confidence in the journey ahead.

While arranging the formation, Shi Lan couldn’t help feeling as if she were throwing money around. A single crystal token was equivalent to ten thousand low-grade spirit crystals, which meant it was equal to…

Just thinking about it made her feel it was far too extravagant.

Although it felt somewhat wasteful, this was not the time to be frugal. Time was more precious.

Once everything was ready, Shi Lan took a deep breath, opened up the Black Domain once more, and reached toward the blood pool.

If conditions allowed, Shi Lan truly would have liked to stay here until she had completely refined all of the phoenix blood. By then, her strength would definitely have increased to a terrifying level.

The familiar searing pain swept over her. Shi Lan clenched her teeth. The phoenix blood did indeed boost her strength quickly, but the pain that came with it was just as hard to endure. Before long, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead.

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Scorching currents flowed through her body, drawing in the dense spiritual qi all around and pushing the growth of Shi Lan’s Innate true qi.

She did not know how much time had passed when a series of loud booms suddenly sounded by her ears, and a layer of dust fell from the ceiling of the stone chamber.

Shi Lan instantly withdrew her power, got to her feet, and rushed up to the surface.

By now it was already night, yet the surroundings were bright with lantern light. Gu Rentong was standing in midair, the slender silver scimitar in his hand shining with dazzling radiance.

“What just happened?” Shi Lan found Wu Lingkong and asked.

“Nothing much. Two Earth Fiend Realm martial artists came to probe around at night and were driven off by Gu Rentong,” Wu Lingkong said with a shake of his head, then asked, “Are you confident you can break through to the Earth Fiend Realm? If you’re not, don’t force it, lest you damage your foundation.”

“It’s worth a try. Right now I’m not far from the peak of the ninth stage of the Innate Realm. One day is enough for me to attempt it,” Shi Lan said with a slight nod.

“So fast?” Wu Lingkong was momentarily stunned. Shi Lan had only just stepped into the ninth stage of the Innate Realm not long ago. This speed was a bit too frightening.

“The phoenix blood’s effect is remarkable. It’s just a pity you can’t withstand it.”

Shi Lan felt it was a bit of a shame. With how domineering the phoenix blood was, even she could only rely on her innate divine ability to steal a trace to refine, and during refinement she had to endure pain like her organs were burning.

Even with her body tempered to the seventh stage of the Jade Tempering Art, it was still like this. Wu Lingkong and the others simply could not bear it.

“With my limited talent, that’s only natural. There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Wu Lingkong shook his head slightly, looking very open-minded, and waved his hand.

“Hurry and go cultivate. If you can step into the Earth Fiend Realm, the road ahead will be much smoother.”