Cradling the packages of herbs, Xiao Chen retreated to a small cabin where he instructed a pair of maids to help him prepare a furnace. He busied himself in his work and returned four hours later, coming back to Ye Mulian's room with a bowl of medicine.
Just as he walked in, the smell from the medicine filled the room with a pungent but naturally sweet-smelling aroma. Everyone gaped with silence, especially Gongsun Tai who eyed him with disbelief.
"I can't believe that brewing medicine would take you so long," Zhiluan grumbled disdainfully, "What a shame."
Xiao Chen merely smiled. He walked to the bed and placed the bowl down. "Come on, Leopard Cat Spirit," he said suddenly, "This bowl of medicine still needs something."
"Ah? What else do you still lack..." Zhiluan muttered at first, before he noticed the knowing stare from Xiao Chen and a wicked smile curling on the edges of his lips. A sense of dread dawned upon him when he f
Huangfu Xin'er stood at the gate outside the yard, looking in her best since she got injured. Xiao Chen got up and brushed the soot off his hands. He walked over to her and said, "It's cold out here. You should be resting indoors." "I'm leaving." Her voice sent a chill down all that heard her as if her voice, like a glacier that never melts, was colder than the harsh frost around them, that the two young men were stunned beyond words. Xiao Chen's forehead curdled into a frown as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's not easy to return to Tianyuan City from here, Xin'er. How about resting for a few more days until you feel back, hmmm?" Huangfu Xin'er let out a cold and cynical smirk. Her eyes drifted to the herbs strewn across the cobbled ground of the yard before they shifted to the pestle lying idly on the ground and the mortal still containing half-grounded herbs. Derisively, she mocked, "The Young Lady must be a gorgeo
The seven dark-cloaked assassins had been waiting for them! The students of Elder Plum were startled to see themselves ambushed, "YOU! Who are..." Two magic bolts flayed at them before they could finish, but Xiao Chen reappeared out of nowhere to parry the magic bolts. He looked coldly at the seven assassins pursuing them. "You've come for me. Spare the others." He sent a jolt of True Energy into the Flying-cloud Stone, giving it a nosedive down to earth. With a deafening crash, it landed on the ground. "We'll be able to get to Tianyuan City from here. Leave everything else to me and go back!" With that, Xiao Chen lunged at the seven men. Elder Plum's students immediately steered their stone conveyance up into the sky and bolted back in the direction from whence they came. Huangfu Xin'er threw herself into the fray to assist Xiao Chen. With most of her powers returned, she turned into a deep scarlet mist that enveloped the seve
"The Pond of Gods and Devils? What is it?" Xiao Chen felt confused, although he could not shake off the strange sense of deja vu. He had heard Yi Tong mentioning this place once during the battle at the residence of Clan Zuoqiu, but that was all to it. Zhiluan burst suddenly, after being forced to remain quiet for so long, "I'm sure you know nothing of this, boy! In the calamitous war in the previous epoch, all six domains nearly collapsed. Only they didn't. But this does not mean that all was fine in the end. Breaches began to emerge between the domains, such as the places called the Deep Hatred Sky where Heaven meets the Mortal Realm, the Sea of Painful Sorrows where one can reach the realm of twilight, and the Pond of Gods and Devils where the link between here and the Domain of Evil exists...." Zhiluan continued proudly, seeing as everyone was staring wondrously at it while feeling immensely pleased with itself, "Suffice it to say that i
The furor simmered down, albeit with great difficulty. Everyone, especially the Elders of the League, was still very much anxious at the trio's safe return and they needed to hear from them what had actually happened that day. But it was an interrogation that needed to be done in private. The Elders mentioned nothing about the anomaly that caused their disappearance, speaking to them only about the next stage of the tournament. The anomaly had unsettled the public and it was imperative to avoid an all-out panic. To compensate Xiao Chen and the other two their lost time, the Elders agreed to allow them to enter any level of the Violet Illusory Land of their choosing. This was done with the acquiescence of contestants from other schools and sects, for they too acknowledged that Xiao Chen, Xiaoyue, and Huangfu Xin'er had been the top leaders in the race of the Forest of Illusory Moon and they were hence qualified to enter the highest strata of
The following day, Xiao Chen, Huangfu Xin'er, and Xiaoyue were led into the upper level of the Violet Illusory Lands. Just as he stepped into the mystic domain, Xiao Chen could immediately feel the richness of the robust Spiritual Qi swirling around him. He was no longer in a dark cavern from which he had come from, but in an open field of a beautiful paradise. The glorious expanse of grasses that stretched far out of view, bedecked with lush trees and red blossoms while the rolling mountains and hills hemmed in the horizons took every breath out of Xiao Chen. A mystic domain of such size could only be possible with no expense spared, all thanks to the power and time contributed by countless conjurers in the past. The rich Spiritual Qi could only come from an Earth Spiritual Meridian; one that undoubtedly belonged to Tianyuan City. But to ensure that the spiritual energies from the Spiritual Meridian were not drained beyond capacity, the Violet Illusory L
"What do you mean?" The two youngsters were startled to be stopped by Xiao Chen. For a second, they stared at him wordlessly before one of them said to the other, as if woken up from a dream, "Let's go, Senior. This man's most likely mad." But before they could leave, Xiao Chen's face darkened. "I repeat once more," he growled, "Where is this Spirited Lingzhi you've spoken of!" "What Lingzhi? You must have heard us wrongly." His face now blackened with rage, Xiao Chen hissed like a snake boring down on its prey, "So I'll need to wring the truth out of you, I see..." The pair of apprentices felt themselves trembling as Xiao Chen's dark persona slowly took over. There was no way they would win against him in a fight. "YOU! WHO ARE YOU! ARE YOU INSANE!?" One of the boys screamed with fright. But the commotion attracted some people who crowded around them. Realizing this, the other boy yelled at the top
The captain of the Constables cast a scathing look at Xiao Chen and hissed venomously, "You'd do well to remember that you are still on probation, Xiao Chen. Any infriction now would see your qualifications to join the Sword Assembly revoked!" A devilish sneer curled at Zhu Danfeng's lips. "This man intrudes upon the peace of my estate, took the Immortal Lingzhi that was mine, and wounded my students! What say you, a captain of the Constables of the League?" The captain turned his head to look around and studied the students of the Order of the Divine Fire still writhing in pain and moaning on the ground. He threw a salute to Zhu Danfeng and said, "We'll provide a satisfactory resolution for your benefit, Master Zhu. But we'll need you to come with us for a statement." With that, he thrust a finger at Xiao Chen, barking to his men, "Arrest this man!" Tens of Constables immediately enclosed around Xiao Chen, who swung his saber before jabbing
Qingluan and Ziyun'er had returned. Xiao Chen walked to them. Word of the massacre had reached his ears, although the scale of news had grown faster than what he had imagined. "I'll be taking the Leopard Cat Spirit with me into the Violet Illusory Lands. So be careful out here for the next few days." The night's breeze brushed gently that night as he sat beside the unconscious Zhiluan. A sudden rustle came from outside, and Xiao Chen's Divine Sense throbbed. He sprang up, booming loudly, "WHO GOES THERE!" The door creaked open slowly. Basking in the placid glow of the moonlight was a gentle-looking little girl in a red dress. Her hands were held behind her back as she giggled, "I'm relieved to find you well, Handsome. I was so worried for you when I heard you went missing..." Xiao Chen's forehead creased as he recognized Yu Linglong, the young woman who was one of the Devil's Practice whom he last met at Canglan City. "Why are you here?" he