With the sound of rustle, the branches began to shake, and three figures, all of whom were at the peak of the Foundation Building Realm, appeared in front of Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue. The next second, a smirking voice sounded. "Junior Brother Han, it surprised me that you found me. It seems that your cultivation has increased greatly recently."
The man who spoke was no other than Qi Yan, who was clad in red. Xiao Chen turned around and smiled slightly, saying, "If I even couldn't find a Core Forming Realm cultivator like you, following behind me, wouldn't I be a joke?"
Qi Yan narrowed his eyes. "Why did he just look like a different person in just two hours? Shouldn't he be scared when he saw me at these barren mountains?" he thought to himself.
"Junior Brother Han, let's get it straight. Hand over the Grudge Cauldron, and I will send it to Tai Yin Cavity for you." When Qi Yan spoke, there was a cold flash in his eyes. Apparently, he was pla
Shen Qing cast a long look down the hall, beholding the view of everyone peering up at him. In a cool voice, he intoned, "It's fine. Please take a seat, all of you. There will be people coming for the Grudge Cauldrons." Everyone sank back into their chairs. But the merry mood was all but stifled with only the palpable angst of tension hanging over the hall like an apparition. But their attentions were diverted when four men, all cloaked in dark, entered the hall. Two of them began counting through the number of Rancorous Qi in the Cauldrons and the two others were holding brush pens and bamboo slips to record their colleagues' tally. There was a total of a hundred and thirty year's worth of Rancorous Qi when the count was finished. A century and thirty years' worth of malice and grudge that they could inject into any Corpse Puppet to enhance its strength, although this would be an attempt that no one could be ensured of its success. In most
Xiao Chen's staggering presence swept through the floors of the plaza with the force of an unstoppable tide and the four sentries were as pale as Death. The Chamber of Chills presided by Elder Song was merely one of the lowest in the hierarchy of the Internal Sect while the Hall of Plenitude was the abode of the high chieftain, Ye Wuxin. The knees of the four sentries were threatening to buckle with fear. Xiao Chen's astounding aura that dwarfed even the Nascent Soul aura of Elder Song's indicated to them that these people could be somebody with high stature and standing in the order. But never did they expected to hear that these two people were direct subordinates to the high chieftain himself. This alone made them greater than Elder Song. They had their breaths held firmly like a nocked arrow ready to be loosed. In a shivering voice, the leader of the four bowed and saluted. "Elder Song is not at the Chamber of Chills right now. Please come with me, si
"I'll have the bed. You, the floor." Su Lianyue pronounced curtly. Without waiting for an answer, she moved to the bed, removed her socks and laid down. She turned herself around to face Xiao Chen. "I'm warning you. If you would dare to come any closer, I'll scream. I'll make sure I'm bringing you down with me if I drown." "AH!?" Xiao Chen gasped, looking bewildered. "Actually... The bed's wide enough for the both of us..." He observed. "Don't even think about it!" Su Lianyue glowered and pulled her blanket over her head, stifling another shiver. "Er... How about a blanket, at least?" Hearing this only made Su Lianyue's grip on her sheets tightened. "I'm afraid of the cold," She grumbled from inside of the cocoon, "You have the pure aura of the Yang element. You'd never be cold. Hmph." Xiao Chen never expected to see this side of her. He stared at her dreamily, Even she has a dainty and adorable side
The emerald-green flint gleamed in Xiao Chen's grasp as he twirled it between his fingers. There was something else in his finger. A map that contained perfunctory information about the Ridge of the Fallen Drake. He had no idea how Su Lianyue managed to procure this vital piece of information. Only that she had left him this during the night they hatched the plan for this heist. She had said little during then, but Xiao Chen knew enough to guess that there was more to this than just a simple flint for starting a fire. He studied it that night and found the map embedded inside. But the map was hardly the only thing hidden in the flint when Xiao Chen pried it open; there was also a tiny little pill. Xiao Chen made himself a small light with the flint and studied the map, following it as he made his way to the Chamber of Teeming Woes, the abode of Elder Long, the guardian of this waycastle. On his way, he managed to slip by unnoticed by a few patrolling squa
"Are you looking for her?" A mellow voice resounded through the foggy woods, sending a jolt of shudder through Xiao Chen. The first name that came to mind was Ye Wuxin. With hardly any hesitation, he swung the Unsullied with all his weight behind it. But the blade stopped before it reached within inches of the man; Su Lianyue had been taken hostage! Looking almost in his late twenties and a face as pale as milk, looking more dead than alive especially with the white robes he wore, the man looked conspicuously extrinsic in the dark shadows of the forest. His left hand clutched at Su Lianyue's throat as an amused expression could be seen between the locks of snowy-white hair hanging down his face like a set of curtains. In his right hand, he was holding a white folding fan. But it scarcely seemed like the usual instruments used to provide comfort, but rather a dangerous weapon with all thirteen slates of the fan made of dark-meteoric iron, all of them glint
"Oh, Gods in Heaven?! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Err... But I'm afraid I still can't let you go." Xiao Chen cleared his throat, his face blushing to full red as he moved his hand away from her chest to the shoulder, making full sure that he got it right this time. Her face grew red with anger as she blurted, "HOW DARE YOU! Do you even know who I am!?" "Of course not," Xiao Chen replied, "I'm not a member of this bloody order." His head swiveled to face the Black and White Supremes. "And what are you waiting for?! Let her go! Or are you waiting only for a corpse to collect?" That made the Black and White Supremes shudder. They knew how terrible and excruciating a punishment would be in store for them if anything were to happen to this woman who clearly held a special position in the Sect. A frown formed on Mo Ran's face. "Please be calm, my friend. We'll do the exchange. Then we'll decide if we'll have to fight..." "AS IF I WA
The shrill cry from the guards startled Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue. A shade of white wiped across her face as she immediately reactivated her Voodoo Curse. The woman was about to scream "Intruder! Alert the High Chieftain!" but fortunately, the influence of the curse quickly took over her senses and instead, she said to the guards who saw her, "It's me. Rest easy." The intruders braced at their wicked stroke of luck. They were nearly inches away from the brink of their doom. The guards at the cave entrance saw the woman in red and bowed their heads low. "The hour is late, my lady," said their captain politely, "Is there anything we can help you with?" Even under the influence of Su Lianyue's enchantment, the woman in red remained the aloof and indifferent self she reserved especially for her inferiors. "I wish to speak to the previous High Chieftain," she pronounced frostily just as Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue formed up beside her. "These are..."
"What did you just say?" "The Sect has no such thing as a Divine Corpse!?" Whatever things Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue expected to hear, this was definitely not it. No Divine Corpse exists here at the Corpse Refinery Sect? Then why is the Sect amassing the malignant auras of grudge and hatred? A frown wrinkled on Su Lianyue's face. "Can you be more clear, Senior? What is the Sect doing then, if there is no Divine Corpse?" "Who can tell? Some devilish errand for some sinister folk, I guess! The Sect has nothing as remotely close to what you all call the ancient Divine Corpse, nevermind the remains of an Immortal King. The whole thing is nothing but a millennia-long farce. Whatever that thing is called... it's only the corpse of a simple girl. But one thing boggles me – how could a woman of the common folk has so strong a grudge that all the anger of the entire world put together would still pale in comparison?" "Hold it right there