Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 407: Chapter 407: Unreasonable?

The trio hesitated no longer and advanced along the shadows of the city wall.

Every few hundred feet, they could see the heads of Cultivators embedded in the wall, some still baring their teeth as they wailed and cursed.

These were all disciples of the Primordial Sect who had tried to defect. After undergoing Soul Extraction and Refinement, they were turned into "World-Alerting Steles."

As the Primordial Demon Sect, it was perfectly normal to have disciples who tried to defect, but getting caught meant being flayed alive.

As Xu Yunfan passed by one of the heads, it suddenly opened its eyes and shrieked, "Master Hua..."

Before it could finish, a Silver Needle flicked from Hua Ling’s finger pierced its Celestial Spirit.

"So noisy."

The young woman muttered as she pulled out the Silver Needle. A glowing Soul Bead was perched on its tip.

She casually tossed it to Li Ergou. "A reward for you."

Li Ergou hastily caught the Soul Bead, but unable to withstand the resentful aura within, his palm was instantly covered in purple-black corpse spots.

He grit his teeth and swallowed the Soul Bead, a beast-like gurgle emanating from his throat.

When he looked up again, his pupils had become reptilian slits. It took a long moment for them to return to normal.

’That thing is potent. Refining it certainly won’t be easy.’

Xu Yunfan watched with a cold gaze. ’That Soul Bead is no good thing. Though it can increase one’s spiritual energy, the resentful aura within it will accumulate. Once it reaches a certain point, the user will surely go mad.’

After they traveled for a while longer, Li Ergou stared at the black fog in the distance.

"The Two Realms Stele is just ahead," he said. "Once we cross, we can’t use Communication Jade Scrolls. The Profound Talisman Sect’s Demon-Revealing Mirror can track the qi fluctuations of us Primordial Sect disciples."

The broken half of a stone stele was faintly visible within the black fog.

The characters for "Primordial" were carved on the left side, their strokes like chops from a blade or an axe.

In contrast, the inscription on the right, "Ten Thousand Chariots Profound Talisman," was elegant and stately.

Two completely different wills clashed at the border of the inscriptions, and the sputtering sparks burned honeycomb-like holes into the surrounding rock.

Xu Yunfan’s brow twitched slightly at the sight.

’Interesting. I wonder what kind of agreement the Wansheng Sword Sect and the Primordial Sect reached to end up carving their names on the same border stele.’

Hua Ling suddenly grabbed Xu Yunfan’s sleeve. "Xu Yunfan... I’m a little scared."

Xu Yunfan’s eyes darted for a moment before he took Hua Ling’s hand in his. He comforted her softly, "Don’t be afraid, Hua Ling. I’ll protect you."

Sensing Xu Yunfan’s action, Hua Ling froze for a second. Then, a smile broke through her tears, her face tinged with a bashful shyness.

"I’m so lucky to have you, Xu Yunfan!"

Li Ergou, at the side: "..."

Just as Hua Ling was about to speak, Li Ergou’s whole body tensed. "It’s a patrol from the Profound Talisman Sect!"

A hundred feet away, the black fog suddenly dispersed, and five streaks of sword light shot through the air toward them.

The leader stood atop a Green Jade Flying Sword, a standard-issue Profound Talisman Sect Jade Pendant hanging from his waist.

Xu Yunfan’s gaze swept over them.

’One at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, and four with Early-Stage Qi Cultivation.’

"Breath-Concealing Talismans!" Hua Ling hissed.

The three of them activated their Talismans at the same time. A layer of clear light immediately covered their skin. Within Xu Yunfan’s body, his True Essence circulated. Under his robes and beneath his Dragon Scale Armor, the faint aura of a turtle and snake rose from his skin, making his own presence even fainter.

"Who goes there?"

The Profound Talisman Sect Cultivator formed a hand seal and shouted, seven phantasmal Light Sabers appearing behind him. "The Qingfeng Ancient Dao is sealed! Retreat at once!"

Hua Ling suddenly staggered forward. The silken skirt under the clear light had somehow turned into coarse hemp clothes. "Immortal Master, help me!"

A Profound Talisman Sect Outer Disciple Token slid from her sleeve. "We were gathering herbs when we ran into a Snow Demon..."

Xu Yunfan praised her silently. ’Such acting... that heart-wrenchingly pitiable look... In my past life, she could have won an Oscar with no effort at all.’

’Besides, the Token in her hand wasn’t a fake. Hua Ling had actually managed to infiltrate the Profound Talisman Sect’s Outer Sect before.’

He played along, supporting the staggering Li Ergou. The young man’s face was now ashen pale, and he had even faked the dilated pupils of an injured person.

The Cultivator carefully examined the Token in Hua Ling’s hand, then looked at her pitiful state. After a moment’s hesitation, his heart softened. He finally waved his hand and dismissed the Light Sabers. "Leave quickly! The Demon Cultivators have been rampant lately. If you go any further north..."

His words stopped abruptly. He whipped his head around to look at Xu Yunfan. "Why is your aura so weak?"

Xu Yunfan was taken aback. ’Is having a weak aura a crime now?’

’How unreasonable.’

Hua Ling’s Silver Bell vibrated silently.

Xu Yunfan knew this was the signal to attack, but he tried to explain anyway. "I... I killed a Snow Wolf the day before yesterday..."

"Lies!" the Cultivator shouted. He formed a Sword Pointing gesture, and the seven Light Sabers howled forward. "Die, Demon Cultivator!"

Xu Yunfan sighed silently and pushed his right palm out horizontally.

In an instant, the clear light on his body turned a dark gold. True Martial Demon Suppression True Essence surged like a Furious Tide, and a phantasmal image of a Turtle and Snake Coiled appeared around the edge of his palm.

"Break!"

With a soft cry, the Cultivator’s Protective Clear Light shattered inch by inch like colored glass.

What was more terrifying was that the Yin Evil True Essence Hua Ling had secretly left inside the Cultivator’s body was now being forcibly activated by Xu Yunfan using the True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture.

"AHH!"

The Cultivator suddenly screamed, staring in horror at the black patterns spreading from his chest.

The patterns writhed like living things, covering his entire body in the blink of an eye.

He tried to form a hand seal to dispel them, but discovered two completely different types of True Essence battling within his meridians.

One, a righteous and formidable Demon Suppression True Essence, was firmly suppressing his own Primordial Qi. The other, a sinister and bone-corroding Hundred Desires True Essence, was madly devouring his Vitality.

Hua Ling’s expression changed drastically.

She hadn’t expected Xu Yunfan to be able to turn her True Essence against its host. She was even more shocked that he was so familiar with the Cultivation Techniques of Hundred Desires Peak that he had even detected the wisp of True Fiend she had planted.

Though shaken, she didn’t dare hesitate for a second. With a rapid shake of her Silver Bell, the four remaining Profound Talisman Sect disciples suddenly clutched their heads and screamed in agony.

"Go!"

She yanked Li Ergou to his feet and charged deeper into the ancient dao.

Xu Yunfan followed close behind, the muffled sound of the Cultivator’s body exploding echoing from behind them.

The trio ran for several miles before stopping.

Hua Ling’s breathing was perfectly steady, and her skirt wasn’t even touched by a speck of dust.

She tilted her head, sizing up Xu Yunfan. "That ’Shifting Flower and Grafting Wood’ technique you just used... doesn’t seem like something someone at the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation can pull off."

Xu Yunfan smiled without answering, simply saying, "Your methods are quite something, Hua Ling. Even my skin was crawling."

Hua Ling said pitifully, "In the Saint Sect, if you don’t use a few tricks, you won’t survive."

’What she said is true,’ Xu Yunfan thought, not bothering to reply.

At dusk, following the map they had redeemed from the Primordial Sect, the trio finally spotted the silhouette of a city wall in the distance.

In the twilight glow, the mortal city looked like a colossal beast prostrating itself. The torches stuck in the blue-brick walls formed a winding fire dragon.

"Frost Leaf City."

Li Ergou said, "The northernmost mortal settlement in the Profound Talisman Sect’s territory."

In a market town outside the city, the Silver Bell on Hua Ling’s fingertip trembled lightly. A hunchbacked old man immediately emerged from the shadows of an alley.

The old man, his hand covered in age spots, opened his palm. Three Bronze Talismans glowed faintly in it. "Immortal Masters, I have prepared the travel permits."

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but glance at Hua Ling. ’This woman... she really has connections everywhere.’

He subconsciously swept his Martial Arts Celestial Eye over the Talismans and discovered that they actually had the living souls of people sealed inside.

Noticing his slight frown, Hua Ling’s expression faltered. She understood that Xu Yunfan had sensed something. Covering her mouth with her hand, she chuckled softly. "Don’t worry, Xu Yunfan. They were all from death row."

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