Chapter 38: Leaving the Empire
The aura of the old woman was similar to that of the Spirit Blood Sect cultivator who had died in the Fang family manor. The man seemed to have been at the fourth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. This woman seemed to be at the same level as well.
In theory, the fourth stage of the Qi Refining Realm cultivator should be about the same as a Qi Core expert in terms of strength. But reality wasn’t always so simple. The methods employed by cultivators were a lot stronger than those used by martial artists. It was possible that only warriors at the Earth Profound Stage could compete with them.
In a short amount of time, Fang Chen had already discovered the existence of two cultivators in the capital city. Could there be more? He couldn’t be so sure.
"What are you so afraid of? Fang Chen has only restored his cultivation. And he’s still only an ordinary martial artist at the Qi Core Stage. Hmph. He’ll probably never understand that there are people like us in this world." She sneered, her tone disdainful. "Deputy Minister Qin, stand with us, and a successful, thriving future is guaranteed. Don't be startled by such trivial matters. Daoist Xue has gone out to hunt Goddess Xiao down. When she dies, and news of her death reaches the ears of the Qingsong Empire, the third prince will surely be killed. Then, the Qingsong Empire will definitely muster its troops and invade Grand Xia. When that happens, we will have more than enough blood essence to give as tribute, killing two birds with one stone!"
Fang Chen’s eyes lit up. According to her, there seemed to be people with higher authority than herself. Her task was seemingly only gathering blood essence for them. Are the Spirit Blood Sect just a bunch of leeches, continuously absorbing blood essence from the empire to nourish themselves? Apart from Deputy Minister Qin, which other influential figure in the city has chosen to collude with the Spirit Blood Sect? Fang Chen stared at the old woman with a cold gaze. He would weed out every single one of them from the empire!
"These are not trivial matters I am shocked about! A few days ago, I watched with my own eyes as Fang Chen killed a Qi Manipulation expert from Qingsong in the Imperial Palace!” His voice violently trembled. "All it took was a mere second, a flash of lightning, and the expert turned into a pile of charred remains. How can that even happen?”
"So what? Those are just trifling tricks. How can mere internal qi be compared to spiritual energy?" The old woman coldly snorted, raising her hand. A surge of spiritual energy appeared on her palm, and a Fireball was conjured. The temperature in the background rose sharply.
Deputy Minister Qin was startled and quickly retreated.
"Remember that one time you saw me use my Fireball Technique? Not only can I burn people to ash, I can use the fire to melt ores and refine metals!" The old woman chuckled.
"Dao techniques?" Fang Chen's eyes lit up yet again. He could feel the terrifying power contained in that fireball. It was probably even more powerful than the Purple Lightning Talisman he made. Cultivators were indeed extraordinary.
It was a pity that what Yun He had passed down to him was only the introductory chapter of the Three Thousand Dao Techniques. It only included the cultivation method for the Qi Refining Realm and four types of talismans. There were no Dao techniques contained within.
Daoist Xue, who had died in his mansion a few days ago, seemed to have only used talismans as well. He didn’t remember seeing him use any Dao techniques. No wonder he hadn't had such manuals on his person.
"Now, tell me, Deputy Minister Qin, do you think my Fireball Technique can kill Fang Chen?" The old woman looked at Deputy Minister Qin, her eyes revealing a touch of pride.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Deputy Minister Qin nodded repeatedly. The fear in his eyes seemed to gradually fade away as he calmed down.
The old woman withdrew her Dao technique. "So, you don't need to worry about Fang Chen or whatever. We're keeping him around just to muddy the waters a bit more. Anyway, I'm going to Dragon Ridge. This trip will take about seven days. During this time, try to avoid interacting with Fang Chen."
Deputy Minister Qin hesitated for a moment. "Madam Jin Hua, we’ve been working together for eight years. When will you teach me the method for cultivation? If I had the ability to protect myself, I wouldn’t fear Fang Chen!”
"I need a hundred thousand drops of blood essence to refine a single Blood Spirit Pill. The higher-ups need me to contribute ten. When we are done with this mission, it will be time for rewards and promotions. Be patient. When the time comes, someone will grant you the cultivation method, and you will be able to become just like me." The old woman turned away from him to leave, chuckling.
"A hundred thousand drops of blood essence for one Blood Spirit Pill. In the battle at Three World Mountain, six were collected. We need four more," Qin Dong muttered under his breath.
Unbeknownst to him, the face of the floating soul overhead had turned incredibly ugly.
Fang Chen had realized from their conversation that there seemed to have been a massive scheme behind what had happened at the battle at Three World Mountain. The death of his six hundred thousand soldiers hadn't just been a matter of him being conceited, had it now?
This Spirit Blood Sect seemed to have been a major hand in this entire play. And he, the fool, was completely kept in the dark.
If he hadn’t seen that fairy in the midst of the blazing sun, he wouldn’t have gained the ability to project his soul. If he hadn’t met Yun He, he would’ve never walked the path of cultivation. And most importantly, if none of those were to have ever happened, he would have still been clueless about the entire situation! The consequences would’ve been unimaginable!
“The enemy is the one acting in broad daylight whilst we are still hiding in the shadows. What they know is that my cultivation has recovered, but they don't know that I have stepped onto the path of immortality. Neither are they aware of the existence of the Purple Lightning Talisman. They don’t even know that Daoist Xue was killed. They think he’s still hunting Goddess Xiao down,” Fang Chen whispered to himself.
This was an advantage.
But the question was: How should he use this advantage to its fullest potential? Now that would require further consideration.
Dragon Ridge; That might be the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Fang Chen's soul remained in the skies above as he followed the old woman. Seeing as she had approached the eastern capital gate, he eventually returned to his body.
Not long after, an inconspicuous carriage left the Fang Manor.
“Head east.” Fang Chen’s voice emanated from inside the carriage. Tie Ma—who was the coachman this time around—nodded slightly. He might not know where Fang Chen was headed, but all he had to do was follow his instructions.
“Ol’ Huang, this carriage is a little small, but you’ll have to bear with it for now.” Fang Chen chuckled, turning to Huang Sihai, whose massive physique prompted him to bend his back and hunch excessively in order to fit into the carriage. He ate up nearly the entire space. He was squeezed and huddled, but he didn’t seem to be bothered.
Ol' Huang laughed heartily. “Haha! It’s fine, my lord! It’s great to be out and about anyway. And you’re here with me too!”
Fang Chen nodded and closed his eyes. “Hmm. Remember the Strength, Divine Movement, and Vajra Talismans I gave you? Don’t hesitate to use them if you run into trouble. Just use your internal qi to activate them.” After Fang Chen was done speaking, his soul left his body.
Ten miles away from the carriage, the old lady was speeding across the land. She was running east. The characteristic frailty of an old woman was nowhere to be seen. She was running with such speed that she could certainly cross 1600 miles in a single day!
Someone at the Qi Core Stage could probably do the same, but they wouldn’t be able to do it as easily as her. Perhaps that was the difference between spiritual energy and internal qi. They were fundamentally different, and clearly, spiritual energy was superior.
"Head southwest."
"Take the left road ahead."
"Cross the river."
Every once in a while, Fang Chen would open his eyes and instruct Tie Ma.
Before they knew it, three days had passed.
"Stop the carriage," Fang Chen ordered.
Tie Ma let the carriage slowly come to a stop. They were somewhere in the wilderness where there was nothing around.
Tie Ma looked around, his eyes alert. "My lord, we’ve crossed out of the fiefdom of the empire.”
"I know." Fang Chen leaned out of the carriage and threw a mask over to Tie Ma. Pointing in a direction, he instructed. "Put this on, then drive over there. When you arrive, hand this over to the guard.” He tossed a spirit stone over to Tie Ma.
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel