Chapter 173: Demonic Territory!
It was widely known that the Tianxuan Domain was divided into two, with the righteous faction controlling one half and the demonic faction ruling the other.
The Jade Pure Sect was situated along the border separating the two territories. As a result, it had borne the brunt of the war for many years.
Although there were no top-tier demonic sects stationed directly across from it, the countless smaller factions, along with the experts dispatched by the major demonic powers, had brought more than enough trouble to the Jade Pure Sect.
Naturally, the demonic territory had not remained untouched either. A war of this scale was never one-sided. The righteous faction had launched countless offensives of its own, leaving cities in ruins and countless cultivators buried beneath the earth.
Both territories had suffered almost equally.
And the moment Chen Xuan stepped into demonic territory, he immediately sensed the difference.
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The scent of blood lingered in the air.
Unlike the calm and relatively orderly atmosphere of the righteous territory, the lands ruled by the demonic faction were steeped in savagery.
Violence seemed to permeate the very air, as though every gust of wind carried with it the smell of slaughter.
Evidence of this appeared almost immediately.
Not long after Chen Xuan crossed the border, several blurry figures burst out from the surrounding hills and forests, surrounding him from every direction.
As they landed, their appearances became clear.
Clad in black robes that concealed their bodies and masks that hid their faces, none of their identities could be discerned.
Even so, despite his current condition, Chen Xuan’s years of experience allowed him to judge them at a glance.
Demonic cultivators. Twelve people. All at the Qi Refining realm.
The moment they surrounded him, they didn’t waste a single word.
Several spells erupted simultaneously, streaking through the air as they converged upon Chen Xuan from every direction, threatening to drown him beneath a sea of spells.
Chen Xuan found himself speechless.
He had only just entered the demonic territory, yet he had already become someone else’s prey.
Even more absurd was that the people attempting to rob him were merely a group of Qi Refining cultivators.
It had been nearly a century since anyone at this level had dared attack him.
Of course, while inwardly speechless, Chen Xuan showed no mercy.
With a mere thought, a wisp of Spiritual Energy left his body and transformed into several spells that shot toward his attackers with astonishing speed.
Agonized screams immediately echoed through the wilderness.
Only moments later, the twelve figures had vanished completely, leaving nothing behind except several spatial storages scattered across the ground.
Chen Xuan calmly collected the spoils before continuing onward as though nothing had happened.
As expected, life within the demonic territory was far harsher than under the righteous faction.
This held true for both cultivators and ordinary mortals alike.
It took Chen Xuan only a few hours to arrive at this conclusion.
During that short journey alone, he had already been ambushed several more times by rogue cultivators. Some wished to rob him of his possessions, while others simply viewed lone travelers as prey.
Killing for treasures appeared to be as commonplace as eating or sleeping.
Fortunately, Chen Xuan’s combat experience was extraordinary.
Although his cultivation had fallen to the Qi Refining realm, those ordinary rogue cultivators stood no chance against someone who had once battled Late Stage Nascent Soul experts.
Had it been an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator in his place, however, the outcome would have been completely different.
’Life for cultivators is much harsher in this part of the Tianxuan Domain.’
’To survive here requires far more than talent. Luck, background, decisiveness... and above all, caution.’
These encounters gave Chen Xuan a deeper understanding of the demonic path.
At the same time, he also understood why demonic cultivators were often more troublesome opponents than righteous ones.
Anyone capable of surviving in such an environment had already been tempered through countless life-and-death struggles.
Compared to them, inexperienced cultivators like Su Ying were quite immature and far less threatening.
Even if two cultivators possessed identical cultivation and talent, the one raised amidst constant bloodshed would usually prove more ruthless in an actual battle.
Chen Xuan shook his head. He continued his journey through the lands, following the route stored within his memories.
In the past, he had crossed these lands at full speed, flying through the skies without paying attention to the scenery below.
Only now, traveling no faster than an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, did he truly witness what everyday life here looked like.
These sights broadened his understanding of the demonic faction and deepened his comprehension of the cultivation world itself.
Eventually, however, every journey reached its destination.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xuan gradually came to a stop.
Not because he had run out of energy or something, but because he had finally reached his destination.
He slowly raised his head.
Before him stood a towering mountain as black as ink, rising high into the heavens as though it sought to pierce the sky itself.
Dense white mist covered its slopes, refusing to disperse even under the bright daylight.
Although Chen Xuan remained several miles away, mournful ghostly wails continuously echoed within his ears.
Mixed among them were the sounds of dragging footsteps and low growls, as though countless corpses wandered endlessly within the mountain.
The surrounding area was devoid of outside cultivators, as though everyone was instinctively afraid of it.
Even amidst the ongoing war between the righteous and demonic factions, this place had remained untouched.
The reason was simple.
This was one of the oldest and strongest powers in the entire Tianxuan Domain.
Older than the Jade Pure Sect, more mysterious than the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and even more unfathomable than the Sword Forging Sect, it stood at the very peak of the demonic path.
The Myriad Souls Sect.
The only place where the Myriad Souls Chrysanthemum Chen Xuan sought could be found.
Perhaps more importantly, however, it was also home to the person he least wanted to meet at the moment.
Luan Yi.
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