Stealing Immortal

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: The Parade

After what happened yesterday, he had to be cautious today.

Considering the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array was hanging overhead, walking up the mountain was the best option. It was also a pleasant way to travel.

The most he’d do was take strides of half a zhang, running like a dragon. After all, the fact that he had a Qi Refining Cultivation was no longer a secret.

In the Alchemy Room.

There was no sign of Liu Tao.

Chen Qingyang rested for a short while before beginning to refine the Jade Flower Spirit Dew Pill. By the time the elixir was complete, he was still the only one in the massive Alchemy Room.

Through the window, the sun was already high in the sky—it was noon.

He no longer needed Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pills, so Chen Qingyang went straight to refining the Tier Two Yang Replacement Powder. He produced another batch of three today, which, added to yesterday’s, made a total of six. ’That should fetch a good number of Spirit Stones,’ he thought.

He remembered Wu Boyou once mentioning that certain elixirs were practically essential for Outer Disciples. Once refined, the demand for them far outstripped the supply. The Yang Replacement Powder was likely one of them.

As for what Spirit Stones looked like and what they were used for, he had already seen them years ago when he was an attendant for Li Qianxue.

They were small, only about the size of an adult’s thumbnail, but contained incredibly potent Spiritual Qi. They could be used for cultivation in areas devoid of it.

Take the famous Orthodox Daoist Sect of Tai Xu, for instance. They had an array that wiped out any chance for Immortal Cultivation in the surrounding area. It operated day and night, ceaselessly drawing in Spiritual Qi from a radius of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of miles to nourish all the peaks within the Tai Xu Sect.

As a result, the area around the Tai Xu Sect was naturally a dead zone for cultivation. Even if there were Immortal Cultivation Clans or other small households, they had to depend on the Tai Xu Sect to survive. Beyond the Tai Xu Sect’s sphere of influence, other sects like the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace and the Yu Xiao Demon Sect did the same. Above them all was a tiered hierarchy, stacked layer upon layer like a pyramid, not only carving up all the Spiritual Power but also taking away all the Earth Deities.

’So... are there even any Wandering Cultivators in this world?’

Chen Qingyang mused, ’If there are, they must have to rely on Spirit Stones for their cultivation.’

As he pondered this, he finished preparing the raw materials. He then collected his thoughts and focused his attention on the Pill Furnace before him.

’Refining the Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill gave me superb Fire Control,’ he mused. ’With the Tier Two Yang Replacement Powder, the only real issue is my lack of practice. I probably won’t run into any real trouble until I try to refine Tier Three elixirs.’

By the time he stopped again, night had fallen.

After all, refining a batch of three took a bit more time.

Liu Tao finally returned. She picked up an elixir and examined it carefully. ”The heat control is a little worse than when you were making them one at a time, but at least you produced three, and their medicinal strength is still Tier Two.”

Chen Qingyang watched her. ’Her expression is a little off, and she’s only showing up now. Qi Xiuyuan’s death must have been discovered.’

’Xu Baoling was right to warn me. Liu Tao’s attitude about this is critical. She could easily find out the truth.’

”Senior Sister, I haven’t seen you all day. Where have you been?”

”Sigh!” She let out a breath, but there was a hint of relief in it. ”This whole thing really surprised me, but after thinking it over and over, I’ve decided it’s actually a good thing!”

”What good thing?”

”Junior Brother, Qi Xiuyuan is dead! He died under very strange circumstances, and they even found a token from the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace on his body. Wouldn’t you say he got what was coming to him? Now that he’s dead, I feel like I can finally breathe easy.”

She even smacked her lips as she drank her tea, savoring the sweet taste.

Chen Qingyang feigned ignorance. ”Senior Sister, could you explain a bit more clearly? I... don’t quite understand.”

”Hehe!” Liu Tao’s smile was radiant. ”Oh, right, I forgot you’re an old stick-in-the-mud who doesn’t get out much. The Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace is a Demon Sect. That means Qi Xiuyuan died at the hands of the Demon Sect, so from now on... we can rest easy.”

Her eyes curved into two crescents, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth deepened. She really did look like a sly fox when she smiled.

This was the one thing that made hanging out with Liu Tao so easy.

’I thought there’d be an interrogation, that I’d have to use some white lies.’ All the excuses he had painstakingly prepared were now useless. ”You put it perfectly, Senior Sister! He brought it on himself. Qi Xiuyuan... is better off dead!”

Liu Tao leaned in close. ”Hehe, see? You’re not nearly as happy as I am. You have no idea how much trouble he was, you silly boy!”

Chen Qingyang tried to get her to tone it down. ”Senior Sister, he was from the same sect as us, after all. Isn’t it a bit too brazen to be this happy? I’ve heard that Senior Sister Leng Yueru is incredibly sharp. If she notices anything, I think we’ll be in deep trouble!”

”You killjoy!” she huffed, playfully punching Chen Qingyang in the chest. ”Can’t your Senior Sister even be happy in her own home? People used to say I looked old, but you, you’re the one who’s actually an old man on the inside! Hmph!”

Chen Qingyang didn’t dare provoke her further and just nodded. ”Yes, yes, you’re right... By the way, Senior Sister, what was your master, Master Yun Ci’s, reaction?”

At this, Liu Tao’s smile vanished, replaced by a look of lingering fear. ”Sigh, Master was furious. She summoned all disciples of the Eighth Realm and above today and chewed us out from morning until now. She’s still only half-calmed down. They even specially summoned Senior Sister Leng from the Law Enforcement Hall. I was so anxious at first, I nearly died of fright!”

”And... what happened then?”

Liu Tao continued, ”Master mentioned a Foundation Establishment Master by name. She even hinted that if anyone on Four Golden Peaks dared to collude with the Demon Sect, she would bypass the Law Enforcement Hall and kill them herself.”

’How brazen!’

’Threatening to kill another Foundation Establishment Master in defiance of the Sect’s laws...’

More importantly, it seemed the Masters already had their own ideas about who was colluding with the Demon Sect. If the two sides really started fighting, it would prove that Hu Kai’s scheme had been a good one.

”May I ask, Senior Sister, what is this Foundation Establishment Master’s name?”

Liu Tao shushed him. ”This is a serious matter. If I tell you, you must not breathe a word of it to anyone else, or your life will be in danger.”

”Senior Sister, I’m just curious. I understand the stakes.”

Liu Tao said, ”The Master’s name is Yin Xuanguai, also known as Master Xuan Gui. He was once my master’s own master. They couldn’t stand each other even back then. Later, when my master broke through and became a Foundation Establishment Master, they became equals, and the formal master-disciple relationship ended.”

’That name sounds so familiar!’

’Didn’t Lin Qingxuan say that Senior Brother Zhang was from Master Xuan Gui’s lineage? What a coincidence. I wonder how this will affect her. Sigh!’

”Master Yun Ci is truly... righteous enough to turn against her own family, a true paragon of virtue! To make an enemy of her former master for the good of the Sect.”

Liu Tao laughed. ”What did you expect? My master has always cherished her reputation. She’s strict with others, and even stricter with herself.”

”Right, right, right!” Chen Qingyang said, not wanting to get bogged down in the topic. ”Senior Sister, how did things end, then? Master Yun Ci didn’t just propose killing Master Xuan Gui and you all went along with it, did you?”

”It was Senior Sister Leng who saw the bigger picture. Her personality is a lot like Master’s—self-reliant and intelligent—but she’s a bit more gentle. Speaking as a member of the Law Enforcement Hall, she reminded Master that killing a Foundation Establishment Master is a major crime that must be decided by the Sect. There was no need for Master to risk her disciples’ lives. Instead, it would be better to let her find concrete evidence and hand the matter over to the Sect for judgment.”

”Master thought for a moment and then agreed, telling Senior Sister Leng that she had one month to give her a satisfactory resolution...”

Liu Tao’s description was so earnest that even though Chen Qingyang hadn’t been there, he felt he understood the situation completely.

’It sounds like a long-standing conflict has finally found its moment to erupt.’

Chen Qingyang smiled. ”Now that you’re in the Inner Sect, Senior Sister, didn’t you, as one of Master Yun Ci’s valued disciples, say a word or two?”

WHAP! The slap she gave him was a solid one. ”What was I supposed to say? My status is the lowest of all thirteen Inner Sect disciples. Whenever Master gets angry, the only ones who dare to step forward are Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Leng.”

Chen Qingyang nodded meaningfully. ”Ah, that makes sense.”

”Also, even though Qi Xiuyuan is dead, you’d better not do anything reckless. I’m leaving the Warm Jade Scroll with you for self-defense. Don’t use it unless you have absolutely no other choice.”

As long as she didn’t ask to see the Warm Jade Scroll, Chen Qingyang wasn’t worried.

”Understood.”

...

When Liu Tao used the Wind Control Skill, it felt completely different.

She swept Chen Qingyang along with her, dancing through the air.

The rocks, cliffs, palaces, and halls below flashed past in a blur. In the dark night, the two of them cut a fiery streak through the sky.

His Black Wind Cloak billowed and snapped around him. Liu Tao was in the lead, using her qi to pull Chen Qingyang along behind her. His body was nearly pressed against hers, and he could smell a faint, elusive fragrance.

His Void Step Introduction was now only a hair’s breadth from a breakthrough. He wondered if, once he broke through, he could soar a thousand feet into the air and travel hundreds of miles in a single day.

”Senior Sister, what kind of Wind Control Skill is this?”

Liu Tao glanced back, her cheek bumping into Chen Qingyang’s chest. With a SWISH, she whipped her head back around. ”I... You... Ugh, this is called the Yang Yao Step. There’s a corresponding Yin Yao Step. They’re both equally powerful; the only difference lies in their Yin and Yang nature.”

Behind her, Chen Qingyang didn’t dare move an inch, afraid he might bump into something else.

Liu Tao cultivated the Yang Yao Step, while Qi Xiuyuan used the Yin Yao Step for his Wind Control Skill. The two of them really were as incompatible as fire and water.

”Has Senior Sister ever heard of the Void Step Introduction?”

When Chen Qingyang asked this, Liu Tao grew curious about where he had heard of it. ”Who told you about that?”

”Who else? The stewards in the Outer Sect!”

”That skill excels in speed, and its wind control is excellent if you master it, but it’s not suitable for me. You have to understand: wind and fire. Wind fans the flames, making them burn out faster. It’s not sustainable!”

”That makes sense.”

After that, they spoke no more.

Chen Qingyang relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. In moments, they had left Four Golden Peaks and arrived at a nameless valley.

From a distance, he could see firelight.

It was a stockade made of wood, built against the side of the mountain. Flames burned at intervals of a hundred paces, but the fire was a golden-yellow, clearly the result of some kind of Magical Artifact or Array.

The stockade wasn’t huge, maybe half a mile long. From above, they could see people bustling about, just like in a mortal night market. It had a lively, worldly atmosphere.

The Tai Xu Sect had tens of thousands of Outer Disciples, and there was always a need to trade Magical Treasures or purchase Elixirs and Spirit Stones. While the Sect provided some of these things, there were others it could not.

Liu Tao brought Chen Qingyang down to the ground. The stockade’s gate was right in front of them, flanked by two words: *Qingfeng* on one side, and *Xulai* on the other.

”I’ve been cultivating for so many years, and I never knew a place like this existed. Tell me, Junior Brother, am I a little boring?”

Chen Qingyang, of course, said what she wanted to hear. ”Not at all. Senior Sister is very interesting.”