"Master, is the beast tide coming?"
Standing atop the mountain peak, Zhuang Yuechan gazed out at the endless stretch of mountains, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
Ever since she was adopted by Mu Guibai, she had lived in Luoxia City for over twenty years. During that time, she had witnessed two small-scale beast tides.
Although both had been repelled by Luoxia City, each came at a steep price. Death lingered around everyone, whether it was a low-level Qi Refining cultivator or a high-level Purple Mansion expert; no one was safe from being swallowed by death at any moment.
She had once personally seen several senior brothers she grew up with torn to pieces by demonic beasts, leaving no remains behind.
She had only been twelve that year and suffered nightmares for several nights. Even now, the memory still filled her with fear and anger.
A beast tide... was a disaster capable of destroying all of Luoxia City!
Mu Guibai's expression remained calm as he said, "It's too early to conclude. Let's wait until your Martial Uncle returns. In the meantime, don't leave the city again. I'll have Shang'er gather supplies for battle readiness to assist him."
"Yes, Master." Zhuang Yuechan bowed respectfully.
After leaving Tianyin Mountain, she didn't go looking for Yin Shang right away, but instead headed toward an inn.
"Fairy, are you here for food or lodging?"
As soon as she stepped in, a sharp-eyed inn attendant spotted her and enthusiastically came forward.
"I'm here to see someone. He's in Room Di-3."
"Got it. Please follow me." Hearing she was here to meet someone, the attendant remained just as courteous and led her upstairs respectfully.
"Fairy, this is the room."
"Thank you."
She took out a spirit stone and handed it to the attendant to dismiss him, then knocked on the door twice loudly and once softly. It was a prearranged signal.
After a moment, a one-armed man dressed in white with an imposing air opened the door. His face was a bit pale. After letting Zhuang Yuechan in, he asked in a low voice, "You weren't followed, right?"
Zhuang Yuechan shook her head. "No. Fellow Daoist Xu, what happened?"
"It's a long story."
Xu Yunhe sighed and sat beside her, saying, "Some time ago, I was training deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains. While chasing a Purple Cloud Swallow, I unintentionally went in too far.
It was then that I noticed strange movements among the beasts, so I decided to return and report it to the City Lord's Mansion.
But on my way back, I encountered someone, or more accurately, a living dead man!"
"A living dead man?" Zhuang Yuechan frowned slightly. The phrase was contradictory, but in the cultivation world, all sorts of mysterious methods existed. Such a situation wasn't exactly unheard of.
Zombies, for example, aren't they also considered living dead?
But knowing Xu Yunhe, she was sure he had his reasons. At the very least, he was certain that what he encountered wasn't a zombie; it was something else.
"That's right. The man's name was Wu Luochuan. When the auction house in Luoxia City was attacked, he tried to take advantage of the chaos to strike at Fellow Daoist Song.
In the end, he was killed by a puppet that Song had just acquired through the auction. I saw it with my own eyes. His heart was crushed, and his corpse was carried off by the puppet.
Later, the City Lord's Mansion issued a bounty on that puppet. Song and I tracked it to the Ten Thousand Mountains and eventually destroyed it.
But I never expected that on my way back this time, I would encounter Wu Luochuan again, even though he was already dead. He looked no different from a living person.
He recognized me and attacked without warning. He was much stronger than before and had several puppets with him. We fought, and although I managed to get away, he escaped too.
I didn't see him enter the city, but I have a feeling he won't let this go. I invited you here today because I need your help to investigate this Wu Luochuan." A cold glint flashed in Xu Yunhe's eyes. He wasn't the kind to sit and wait for death.
Zhuang Yuechan had heard of puppets turning on their masters before, but never of a case with this much intrigue.
"You're certain that Wu Luochuan isn't just a puppet or someone in disguise? That he's alive?" She found it hard to believe having one's heart crushed and still coming back. Even Purple Mansion cultivators couldn't do that.
Xu Yunhe nodded firmly. "I'm sure it was him. But I can't figure out how it's possible. Something's wrong here."
"Alright. I'll help you investigate. Oh, and be sure not to leave the city for now. If the beast tide is confirmed, Luoxia City could go into lockdown at any time," she instructed.
"Thank you. By the way, do you have any news of Fellow Daoist Song? I heard Lingzhou is unstable lately."
Zhuang Yuechan shook her head slightly. "No, I haven't heard anything."
…
After seeing Zhuang Yuechan off, Xu Yunhe's face darkened. He took off his robe to reveal a gruesome wound on his arm several inches long, oozing strange black blood.
"No matter whether you're human or something else, if you've messed with me, I will make you pay!"
...
"So this is a minor divine ability? What incredible power... No wonder the gap between Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion cultivators is so vast."
Looking at the faintly translucent seal in his hand, Song Changsheng felt a surge of excitement.
In this world, there was a huge gap between each major and minor cultivation realm. For instance, a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily wipe out a dozen Qi Refinement cultivators at the peak of their realm.
However, that gap wasn't entirely unbridgeable. With the aid of talismans, spiritual tools, formations, or other external methods, even Qi Refinement cultivators could slay those in the Foundation Establishment realm. Still, those were ultimately external aids.
Yet there would always be some geniuses in the world, those capable of fighting across realms without relying on any external support.
To defeat an opponent while crossing one or even several minor realms could earn someone the title of genius.
But among these geniuses, there existed a rare group, the true monsters. They could slay Foundation Establishment cultivators while still in the Qi Refinement stage and without relying on any external aid.
Take Song Qingxing, for example. He had such potential. The sword techniques he had created, First Sword and Second Sword, were incredibly refined. Once his cultivation advanced further, killing Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't be out of reach.
By comparison, Song Changsheng fell a bit short. While he had once slain a Tier-2 demonic beast, he had relied heavily on external support, Tier-2 talismans, and the [Lu Wu Bell].
Geniuses like Song Qingxing were rare, but given the massive population of the human race, they weren't unheard of.
That said, even among these monstrous talents, there had never been a case of a Foundation Establishment cultivator slaying a Purple Mansion cultivator without the aid of treasures at the third-tier level or above.
The gap between Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion was simply too enormous a chasm that seemed insurmountable.
Their very level of existence was on different planes.
After breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage, spiritual energy would transform into true mana, allowing cultivators to wield powerful techniques and minor divine abilities freely, something Foundation Establishment cultivators could never hope to match.
Everyone knew this truth.
But knowing was one thing; only by personally mastering such power could one truly grasp just how terrifying it was.
The illusory seal in Song Changsheng's hand was exactly that of a minor divine ability called [Mountain-Flipping Seal]. Although he had only just begun to grasp it, it already rendered all his previous spells completely obsolete.
"What I have now isn't a true divine ability. Strictly speaking, it's a pseudo-divine ability. I'm using the [Primordial Qi] as a medium, with spiritual energy as fuel. Its power is far inferior to when fueled by true mana.
Even so, at my current cultivation level, it's more than enough. I now stand a fighting chance against anyone below Purple Mansion."
Song Changsheng was quite satisfied.
Just as he was about to get up and supervise Song Qingxi's cultivation
Boom!
Something struck the rear of the flying vessel, triggering a massive explosion. The entire ship shuddered violently, and Song Changsheng, who had just risen to his feet, stumbled from the sudden jolt.
"An ambush? You two stay here and don't move."
His expression shifted. After transmitting a voice message to Song Qingxi and Song Qingxing, he flashed several times and appeared at the rear of the ship.
With one glance, his expression darkened. The ship's propulsion system was billowing thick black smoke, flames still licking the hull.
"Damn it, who's there?!"
Song Changsheng swept his sleeve, extinguishing the flames, then shouted angrily into the void.
No response, only two enormous fireballs came hurtling toward him.
"Impudent!"
His eyes turned icy. He stomped down, and black-and-white energy surged forth, forming a Taiji diagram that enveloped both himself and the ship.
The fireballs slammed into the diagram, causing a fierce explosion and making the ship tremble once again.
"Found you!"
Although the attacker remained unseen, Song Changsheng had already pinpointed their location based on the direction of the attacks.
Spreading his arms, he drew all the surrounding water element energy toward him. Countless water arrows formed around him, then shot forth toward the hidden assailant.
Over the years, his mastery of [Water-Fire Control Arts] had reached perfection. Even casually conjured water arrows now carried formidable power.
Under the wide-range, indiscriminate assault of the water arrows, the attacker hiding among the clouds was finally forced into view, a red-robed elder with striking crimson hair.
"Who are you?" Song Changsheng demanded.
Though the enemy had revealed himself, Song didn't act rashly. After all, aside from him, there were two juniors aboard. If this were a feint to lure him away, it could be disastrous.
"I am the Crimson Flame Ancestor. Your ship's propulsion system has already been destroyed. There's no escape. Leave your ransom money, and I might let you live."
The red-haired elder, surrounded by three floating fireballs, spoke arrogantly and with disdain.
"These days, every mangy cat and dog dares call themselves 'Ancestor.' You could've done anything with your life, but you chose banditry. Pathetic. Die!"
Song Changsheng had no interest in further chatter. He raised his right hand and clenched his fingers. The next instant, a spear formed entirely of pure water energy materialized in his grasp and was hurled at the elder.
The seven-foot-long water spear split into two midair, then four within moments, and the red-robed elder's entire vision was filled with incoming spears.
The elder's face twitched slightly as he cursed under his breath, "Those bastards... I told them this one was going to be trouble!"
Though he was grumbling inwardly, his movements were swift and decisive. With a wave of his hand, a crimson battle flag appeared, and as he gently swept it through the air, blazing flames surged forth, instantly incinerating the barrage of water spears.
He then lunged forward, and countless fireballs surged from the battle flag in his hand toward the flying vessel.
"Late Foundation Establishment stage, a mid-grade spiritual weapon... could he be the infamous Redfire Old Ghost?"
With the intelligence network of the Wind Whisper Hall now fully established, any cultivator with even a shred of notoriety in the Great Qi cultivation world had been recorded. Song Changsheng had already memorized all of them and instantly matched him to the records.
"Hmph, just as I suspected!" Song Changsheng sneered inwardly.
The Redfire Old Ghost was a core member of a rogue cultivator group known as the "Gluttonous Fiend Monster Hunting Squad." Though they called themselves monster hunters, in truth, they were little more than brutal and lawless, frequently wreaking havoc across the northern regions of Great Qi. He hadn't expected them to show up here in Yangzhou.
Since this man was here, the rest of the group was surely lying in ambush nearby.
Faced with the oncoming sea of fire, Song Changsheng didn't even flinch. With a wave of his sleeve, all the flames instantly reversed direction and surged back.
The art of Water and Fire Manipulation wasn't just limited to controlling water!
The Redfire Old Ghost's face twisted in shock. He immediately swung his flag again, wrapping himself in its fabric. The reversed flames were absorbed entirely into the flag.
"Stop waiting around! This one's tough attack together!" he shouted, sticking his head out briefly before unleashing another blast of scorching flames.
In the next moment, two figures appeared on either side of the flying vessel, and a third materialized directly above it. All three launched coordinated attacks toward Song Changsheng, who was standing atop the vessel.
"One at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and two at the early stage... looks like the whole Gluttonous Fiend squad's come out of the woodwork." Song Changsheng remained calm. This was exactly the situation he had anticipated.
"Let's see what you're capable of."
With a flick of his sleeve, Lu Wu Bell enveloped and protected Song Qingxi and Song Qingxing inside the ship's cabin.
He then activated Flickering Shadows, and his figure vanished from the stern of the ship. The next moment, he reappeared right in front of one of the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Ah, how did you!"
The man was terrified. He hadn't even seen how Song Changsheng had gotten there.
"Die!"
With Heaven Measuring Ruler in hand, Song Changsheng brought it down with devastating force.
Crack!
The enemy tried to block with his longsword, but with a sharp snap, his second-grade low-tier cold-iron sword was split in two.
The iron ruler struck his head, splitting it open in an instant. His brain burst out, and he plummeted down, his life hanging by a thread if not gone entirely.
In a single exchange, one of the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen. Redfire Old Ghost and the others froze in fear and quickly regrouped beside their peak-stage ally, no longer daring to fight alone.
"Perfect, let's use you as a test subject."
Song Changsheng's eyes were icy. With a few flickers of movement, he suddenly appeared high above them.
Aside from the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, none of the others could even register how Song Changsheng had disappeared and reappeared again.
From above, he looked down on them coldly and calmly extended his right hand.
A thread of power stored in his dantian was stirred, and a gray vortex gathered in his palm, gradually forming an illusory seal radiating a suffocating pressure.
"Minor Divine Ability: Mountain-Flipping Seal."
Before the others could react, their vision blurred, and an enormous seal carved with the images of mountains and rivers materialized in the sky and came crashing down directly on top of them.
At that moment, their hearts nearly stopped.
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