Chapter 384: Chapter 137: Omen of Mutation, Killing Steward Jian
But after a short while, everything returned to normal.
Li Xuan squinted his eyes watching this scene.
In a moment, the outline around his body flashed with a color similar to the golden light of incense and candles, then blended into the Incense and Candle Path, traversing the Sea Barrier Reef Realm again, zigzagging several times to reach Upper Jingyu Country, and then found another place waiting for a solitary demon.
Once he encountered it, he would appear directly from behind, grab the demon’s neck with one swift motion, and spew out a high-temperature fiery poison. The little demon he caught would melt quickly like a candle hit by a welding torch, and its demon blood would be naturally absorbed by Li Xuan.
After the deed, Li Xuan did not bother to dispose of the corpse, purposely leaving the half-melted demon carcass killed by fire poison in a dark corner.
Most of the day had passed, and Li Xuan returned the way he came, feeling abundantly rewarded.
And as he passed through the Evil Spirit Reef Realm, he felt a strange distortion in the incense path sweeping through the sea, turning the originally winding path steep like a heart rate monitor.
Returning to the deserted island, Li Xuan glanced at today’s harvest.
Today, three hundred and twelve points.
He evenly distributed them once more, and after finishing, he glanced at the panel:
[Strength: 614/630]
[Agility: 617/630]
[Constitution: 628/630]
[Spirit: 630/630]
A powerful sensation surged in, and on that "Life Spiral Staircase," Li Xuan felt he had moved a little further towards the dark ancient source of life below.
He tried to wield his flying sword, but it, harvested with many golden "immortal features," could no longer withstand his strength, let alone other items that weren’t flying swords.
This also meant that a flying sword forged primarily with "Tier Three Spirit Mines" was now incapable of harming him.
"Just one more time, and it will be maxed out."
"But reaching the max is just the beginning; afterward, strength can still be increased through breaking limits."
Li Xuan clenched his fist.
"Either find a higher tier flying sword, or... it’s better to use my fists for now."
Li Xuan suddenly glanced at the demon blood of the "Demon Bear" and then retracted his gaze, looking towards the north.
Today, his incense and candle creation was particularly strange; was something awry?
...
...
Nightfall.
On Bixiu Island, moonlight fluctuated, scattering cold, dark illuminations.
Pairs of Dao partners were engaged in various affairs within their mud huts.
After Li Xuan and Tong Jia were done, they chatted on their pillow.
"Did the Illusion Mountain Sect once confront the Evil Spirit Reef Realm?"
"Why ask about this at night?"
"What’s the matter?"
"It’s a bit creepy."
"Are you, a cultivator, afraid of ghosts?"
"What about being a cultivator, hmph."
"Be serious." Li Xuan pinched his partner in his arms and then said, "That’s where we harvest Yin Ore; I want to know more about it."
Tong Jia replied softly, "Pinch a few more times, and I’ll tell you."
After a moment, she whispered, "The old Sect Leader used to take action, and the Evil Spirit Reef Realm was once eradicated.
But the good times didn’t last long; after only a few days, the Evil Spirit Reef Realm was restored.
Not only did it not weaken after recovery, but it also became more terrifying, and the three-faced monsters appeared at that time.
Elders in the Sect say that Evil Spirit Reef Realm has terrifying power similar to those thought stones in the Ancient Land of the Rabbit Assembly."
Li Xuan squinted his eyes.
He knew that power very well—it was Spiritual Power.
Tong Jia lay in his arms, attempting to say more when suddenly a scream, a man’s scream, came from afar, sounding particularly eerie in the dead of night...
Tong Jia shivered with fright.
Li Xuan rose directly, wrapped his robe around him, and grabbed his flying sword.
Tong Jia hurriedly dressed, pulling on her boots.
The two waited behind the curtain for a while, and soon it became lively outside, with many cultivators heading out, vigilantly looking in the direction from which the scream came.
Li Xuan and Tong Jia also went out and saw Master Xulingzi and his Dao partner standing among the noisy cultivators not far away.
Master Xulingzi had somewhat recovered; though still weak, there were no significant issues now. Upon seeing Li Xuan and Tong Jia, he cupped his fists and said, "The scream came from the west; I don’t know whose it was."
Braver cultivators had already gone forward to investigate, while Li Xuan silently stood behind the crowd, following after.
Strength does not equate to recklessness.
The crowd passed through settlement after settlement, arriving at the West District.
As soon as they entered, they heard a female cultivator sobbing.
"It’s Steward Jian."
This time Tong Jia directly recognized it, looking at Li Xuan with a strange expression, saying, "Could it be that something happened to Xu Zishi?"
The crying was drawing nearer, a heart-wrenching sob.
Steward Jian was kneeling at the narrow entrance of Death Cavern, hair disheveled, crying, "He went in. I told him not to get close at night; he wouldn’t listen and insisted on going, and as a result...as a result..."
"Zishi!! Zishi!!"
Steward Jian cried with tears streaming down his face.
Many West District cultivators stepped forward to comfort Steward Jian.
Tong Jia, however, watched the scene in horror, aware of "The Curse and Resentment Scripture," knowing that "this Steward Jian had once shown kindness to Li Xuan, and Mr. Lu had specifically instructed Li Xuan not to accept it."
She nervously gripped Li Xuan’s hand.
"Zishi!"
"Zishi!"
Steward Jian wailed bitterly.
Li Xuan noticed Tong Jia’s discomfort, guessing her thoughts, and silently holding her hand, withdrew from "the crowd behind" to "the back of the crowd" before turning back to the mud hut.
When they settled on the bed, completely nestled at Li Xuan’s side, her body remained cold, her almond eyes occasionally glancing past the bedding towards the curtain.
The dry white light from the pine grass core burned quietly, casting down here, while the crying lingered, drifting in from afar. At some point, a hint of eeriness pervaded the air.
"Sleep, don’t think too much." Li Xuan pinched Tong Jia’s cheek.
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