Chapter 228: "You're Not Planning to Kill Me, Are You?"

Chapter 228: "You're Not Planning to Kill Me, Are You?"

However...

Chen Qiu quickly averted his gaze from the Tai Cheng Zhang Family Ancestor, merely glancing back casually as he had nothing better to do.

After about two hours...

Chen Qiu and his group finally arrived in a grand manner above "Handsome City," and then, led by Chen Qiu, they descended into the city without entering through the city gates. The guards of Handsome City were about to approach and inquire, but upon seeing the Tai Cheng Zhang Family Ancestor meekly following behind the group with his head lowered, they quickly realized the situation and retreated with their tails between their legs.

"Boss."

In an alley, a man in armor looked at the gradually departing group and whispered, "Should we symbolically stop them? After all, this group is a bit too unruly. If the City Lord blames us, it might be difficult to handle."

"A symbolic stop won't do any harm. Even if they want to force their way in, we don't have to stop them. When the time comes, the City Lord won't blame us. After all, we did try to stop them, but they just slipped past us."

"Stop what?!"

The captain of the guards smacked his subordinate's head in annoyance, "Your brain needs some maintenance. Did you see who that was? The Tai Cheng Zhang Family Ancestor, a renowned figure in this region, with early Profound Void cultivation."

"But now, he's following the group with his head down, not daring to lift it."

"Guess who's leading that group?"

"Are they someone we can afford to offend? Or rather, is it someone Handsome City can afford to offend? Moreover, the man at the front looks quite young, probably a young master from some influential family. With someone like that, do you really think they'll try to force their way in? I think it's more likely they'll turn us into ashes with a single slap!"

Chen Qiu's name had already spread across the Vast Continent through the Heavenly Path Edict.

His recent achievements had also quickly spread throughout the entire Mystic Heaven State.

However, the news about Chen Qiu's Memory Stone spread relatively slower, resulting in a situation where almost everyone had heard of Chen Qiu's name but didn't know what he looked like.

"Senior."

In the group, Chen Qiu walked at the front, leaning on the Sky Umbrella, while Fat Dragon and the others followed behind him on the left as attendants. The Heavenly Axe Sect Master trailed behind on the right as an escort, explaining things in a low voice along the way.

"This is Handsome City. When I came here, I investigated and found that the City Lord has early Profound Void cultivation and is a wandering cultivator."

"This is the territory of the Quest for Dao Sect, a small sect with a heritage of less than five hundred years. Their Sect Leader used to be an inner disciple of the Heavenly Axe Sect, so there's a connection between them. I think my words will carry some weight with him."

"Even if you leave Handsome City in the future, you don't need to worry. I'll definitely instruct him to take good care of the Liu Family."

By now, he no longer doubted the authenticity of the Mocking Heaven Token in the Liu Family's possession. For a senior like Chen Qiu to personally make a trip, and with no apparent murderous intent, the token was most likely genuine. If it were fake, the senior would have reacted differently.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu lightly nodded, not saying anything. He casually walked forward among the crowd, not asking about the location of the Liu Family or heading in their direction. This was because he found this city quite interesting.

Almost five or six out of every ten men in this city had a delicate and handsome appearance.

Most of the local male infants born in this city would grow up with this kind of look, and as they aged, their appearance wouldn't change much. Generally speaking, as men grow older, their faces tend to become more rugged.

However, the middle-aged men in this city had round, plump faces, giving them a rather amiable appearance.

If one had to choose a teammate from a Heavenly Path Secret Realm, the men from Handsome City would undoubtedly be more popular than those with rugged faces. Although their combat prowess might not be guaranteed, they didn't seem like the type to stab you in the back, which would make them more trustworthy.

". . ."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the men passing by on the streets. Before coming to Handsome City, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master had given him a general idea, but it was only upon arriving that he truly understood the city's unique charm.

Could it be that the feng shui of Handsome City was special in some way?

Did it make the male infants born here more handsome?

But why was it only the male infants? The female infants seemed perfectly normal, without any special traits.

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it. After casually strolling around for a while, he signaled the Heavenly Axe Sect Master to lead the way to the "Liu Family," which was the purpose of his visit.

After a hundred breaths...

Chen Qiu stood calmly in front of a household, and on the plaque above the gate was the name "Liu Family," clearly indicating his destination. At this moment...

The gate was wide open.

The Liu Family Patriarch had led all the Liu Family members to kneel on the ground, greeting him with reverence and loud voices, "We pay our respects to the senior expert."

Especially the Liu Family Patriarch, a white-bearded, red-haired man with a robust appearance, was now kneeling on the ground with a face full of awe and panic, his voice trembling slightly.

He never expected that such a minor matter in their small family would attract the attention of Chen Qiu.

That was Chen Qiu!

The Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect, the recent rising star of the Mystic Heaven State, who had killed dozens of Profound Void cultivators upon entering the Profound Void stage. The Liu Family was just a small, insignificant family in the entire Mystic Heaven State, and they hadn't produced a Profound Void cultivator for many generations. How could they ever imagine having the opportunity to associate with such a prominent figure?

And at this moment...

A young girl in a white skirt, who had been kneeling on the ground, bit her lip and stood up. She walked up to Chen Qiu and carefully supported his arm, silently conveying her intention.

". . ."

Chen Qiu glanced at the woman beside him without paying much attention. This woman had been kneeling next to the Liu Family Patriarch, so she was likely the eldest daughter of the Liu Family.

"All of you, rise."

After casually saying this, he walked through the Liu Family's gate with the woman's support, passing through the front hall and heading straight for the rear hall.

Upon entering the Liu Family, Chen Qiu immediately noticed that the spiritual energy here was slightly denser than the outside world. This was due to the activation of a Spirit Gathering Array throughout the entire family compound, and it was constantly active. Otherwise, the water in the compound wouldn't be so clear, and the lotuses wouldn't flourish as well.

Indeed, wealth makes a difference.

Chen Qiu couldn't help but marvel inwardly, "Even a small, insignificant family on the Vast Continent has the capability to activate a Spirit Gathering Array at all times. Although the grade of this array isn't very high, and the spiritual energy isn't significantly denser than the outside, it still reflects their strength and foundation."

His Mocking Heaven Sect.

Even now, he still felt a bit reluctant to activate the Spirit Gathering Array at all times.

Lower-grade arrays were useless to him.

Higher-grade arrays were beyond his means.

It seemed that he really had to work hard. Before this seclusion, he needed to quickly visit the various powers in Mystic Heaven State. With this decision made in his heart, Chen Qiu walked ahead, supported by the eldest Miss Liu, and headed deeper into the Liu Family.

In the Liu Family's reception hall.

Chen Qiu sat in the main seat, with Fat Dragon and the Heavenly Axe Sect Master on either side. The Liu Family Patriarch and the elders stood in the middle of the hall, their faces filled with fear. As for the Liu Family disciples, they didn't have the qualifications to be present.

The eldest Miss Liu, at this moment, was quietly kneeling and sitting beside the main seat, like a little maid.

It was a bit puzzling.

If she intended to gain favor through her body, there was no explicit display or suggestive behavior. Yet, it was hard to imagine any other reason for her actions.

In the main seat, Chen Qiu casually glanced at the eldest Miss Liu. At some point, she had removed her veil, revealing her natural appearance. Her figure and looks were top-notch.

In this lifetime, he had only shared a bed with one woman, the beauty of Profound Heaven Continent, but this eldest Miss Liu surpassed her in both figure and looks.

She exuded a delicate, feminine charm.

Her petite figure and cherry-like lips, slightly pouting and upturned, made her quite appealing.

Although she wasn't a Heavenly Dao Beauty, her beauty far surpassed many of them. After all, the Heavenly Dao Beauty rankings weren't solely based on looks but seemed more like a random selection process.

Most importantly—

This woman's cultivation was quite good, having reached the early Divine Transformation stage.

Ordinary mortals, no matter how beautiful, would still appear somewhat flawed to cultivators. Things like large pores and body odor would be magnified countless times in the eyes of cultivators with sensitive divine senses.

This was why it was rare for a Divine Transformation cultivator to humiliate a mortal woman.

However, once one's cultivation broke through to the Golden Core stage, their entire demeanor would change. Especially after reaching Divine Transformation, their bodies would be free of impurities, and their pores would be invisible, making them appear as if they were naturally formed by the heavens.

It was indeed quite pleasing.

Chen Qiu turned his gaze from the eldest Miss Liu, who was kneeling beside him, and looked at the Liu Family Patriarch standing in the reception hall. With a calm voice, he asked, "Where's the token?"

The Liu Family Patriarch, standing in the middle of the hall, immediately took out a token from his bosom and was about to step forward to hand it to Chen Qiu.

But at that moment, his kneeling daughter suddenly stood up, took the token from his hand, and walked gracefully like a dancing willow, delivering the token to Chen Qiu. Then, she knelt down again.

"..."

Chen Qiu's eyebrows lifted slightly as he took the token from the eldest Miss Liu. He held it in his hand, feeling its smooth surface and the ancient aura it exuded.

If it were ten thousand years ago, this token should still carry the aura of the Mocking Heaven Sect.

But as time passed, even that trace of aura had faded away.

On the front of the token were the three characters "Mocking Heaven Sect," and on the back were the two characters "Elder," indicating that it was an elder token of the Mocking Heaven Sect.

After a while, Chen Qiu raised his head and looked at the Liu Family Patriarch, speaking softly, "The Tai City Zhang Family forcefully took your eldest daughter, right? How do you plan to handle it? Kill them all?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Zhang Family Ancestor, standing behind the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, turned pale. He immediately knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with fear as he pleaded with a trembling voice, "Liu Family Patriarch, our Zhang Family has made a mistake, but we don't deserve to be exterminated!"

"Although I have oppressed your family, there hasn't been any substantial conflict, right?"

"Please, help us plead our case."

"I truly didn't know that the Liu Family had such a relationship with the Mocking Heaven Sect. Liu Family Patriarch, you know that when you took out the Mocking Heaven Sect token, our Zhang Family members immediately retreated, didn't we?"

The Liu Family Patriarch, standing in place, didn't meet the Zhang Family Ancestor's gaze. Instead, he looked up at Chen Qiu and said with a hoarse voice, his teeth clenched, "It's all up to the senior to decide."

Chen Qiu didn't respond but turned his head towards the eldest Miss Liu, who was kneeling beside him, and casually asked, "What do you think should be done?"

The eldest Miss Liu, kneeling beside the main seat, hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Tai City Zhang Family indeed hasn't caused any substantial physical harm to the Liu Family. In my opinion, they should provide some compensation, but extermination seems a bit too severe."

"Fine."

Chen Qiu stood up and said to everyone, "Then it's settled. You can discuss the compensation among yourselves. Liu Family Patriarch, come with me, and tell me about this ancestor of yours."

Liu Family Ancestral Hall.

"Is this ancestor of yours named Liu Sanqian?"

Chen Qiu stood in the ancestral hall, looking at the nameplate on the offering table with a thoughtful expression. This name was quite familiar to him, mainly because he had heard it not long ago. Even if he wanted to forget, he couldn't have done so this quickly.

The old lady in the Virtue Golden Chamber seemed to be the wife of Liu Sanqian.

Strange.

According to the old lady, she followed Liu Sanqian thirty thousand years ago from Profound Heaven Continent to the Vast Continent. After that, the old lady broke through to the Body Fusion Stage, but Liu Sanqian remained at the late Profound Void stage, and his end of days was approaching.

But the problem lies in the origin of this heritage. Who left it behind? In other words, who is the child's parent? Was it the elder lady?

At the time, the elder lady didn't mention anything about giving birth to a child, and it seemed like she never brought it up.

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it further. He had initially thought that the Virtue Golden Chamber could take him to other State Continents, but since he couldn't break free from the Heavenly Path Shackles, he didn't pay much attention to the chamber.

"That's all?"

Chen Qiu tilted his head towards the Liu Family Patriarch, "Did your ancestor not leave anything else behind besides this Mocking Heaven Elder Token?"

"No, nothing else."

The Liu Family Patriarch shook his head firmly, "This is certain. After all, it has been passed down for so many years, and the Liu Family has already changed several cities. Even if there were other things, they would have been lost over the long years."

"Hmm." Chen Qiu nodded slightly and fell silent. He then expanded his divine sense, quickly covering the entire Handsome City, but found nothing special. With that, he had no desire to stay any longer.

He prepared to quickly return to the Heavenly Palace to cultivate.

After saying this, he left the Liu Family Patriarch alone in the ancestral hall and walked out by himself, ready to depart.

Just as he stepped out of the Liu Family Ancestral Hall and passed through a small courtyard, he saw a pond in the courtyard with lotus flowers growing in it. Next to the pond was a tree of unknown species, casting a large shadow.

But as soon as he entered the courtyard, the Liu Family's young mistress, dressed in a white skirt, approached him.

"I..."

The Liu Family's young mistress blocked Chen Qiu's path, mustering her courage and staring intently at Chen Qiu. She bit her lip and said, "I am the fourth-ranked Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty. This is my value. Although I don't know what my Heavenly Dao Beauty effect is, if you are willing, I can let you, Senior, enjoy this Heavenly Dao Beauty effect."

"Heavenly Dao Substitute Beauty?"

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly, hearing this term for the first time. It piqued his curiosity, and he asked, "How did you know that you are the fourth-ranked Heavenly Dao Beauty?"

Although he was hearing this for the first time,

He could guess the situation.

The Heavenly Dao Beauty Rankings were fixed, and when someone on the rankings died, a random person would emerge as the new Heavenly Dao Beauty. In any case, the rankings were always full, and there would never be a vacancy.

However, he hadn't known that these substitute Heavenly Dao Beauties were already predetermined and had numbers assigned to them. The fourth rank meant that this young mistress of the Liu Family was the fourth candidate on the list.

If four people on the rankings died, she would take their place.

"I have my own ways," the young mistress of the Liu Family shook her head, not elaborating further. Instead, she looked intently at Chen Qiu, "But I know one thing. If I become an official Heavenly Dao Beauty in the future..."

"It will definitely bring a lot of trouble to the Liu Family."

"Even if you, from the Mocking Heaven Sect, protect me, there will still be many people causing trouble in secret."

"So I want to be with you. This way, you can enjoy the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect in the future, Senior. In return, you only need to leave an opportunity for my father to break through to the Refinement Void Stage."

"I know what you're worried about, Senior. I understand that the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect can only be enjoyed by someone who truly loves another. Senior, rest assured, I will strive to love you sincerely."

". . ."

Chen Qiu looked calmly at the woman in white before him. He now understood what she was trying to say, but...

"No need."

He pushed the woman aside and continued walking through the courtyard, saying nonchalantly, "I'm not fond of such transactions. If we're talking about love, I don't have feelings for you. If we're talking about price, you've set the bar too high."

"As for the Heavenly Dao Beauty..."

"I'm not that desperate for it. To me, it's more of a burden."

After saying this, Chen Qiu didn't hesitate. He walked through the courtyard and headed to the front hall to meet with Fat Dragon and the others before preparing to depart.

No matter how good the Heavenly Dao Beauty effect was, he wouldn't want it. Because to obtain such an effect often meant gaining a woman's sincere love, which would make him feel tied down.

And it would bring a lot of additional trouble.

Compared to these extra troubles, he didn't think a Heavenly Dao Beauty effect was that important. Moreover, back in Grand Xia Kingdom, he hadn't been interested in those five Heavenly Dao Beauties who enhanced the abilities of spell cultivators. If he had been, he would have arranged things so that they were all under his control, and that guy from the Qu Family wouldn't have had a chance.

"Let's go!"

Chen Qiu and his group boarded the flying boat for their return journey.

Standing on the deck of the flying boat, Chen Qiu gazed into the distance, lost in thought. In truth, this flying boat was quite slow, even though it was already at full speed. Its speed was only comparable to that of a mid-stage Refinement Void cultivator.

If the Heaven Cleaver Sect Master's golden light carried them, their speed would be faster.

But that... would be embarrassing.

After all, Chen Qiu was a renowned figure across the four seas, the Sect Master of the Mocking Heaven Sect. If he followed behind someone else, what would that make him? No different from a child being carried in someone's arms.

He wished he could fly on his own, but his cultivation level was limited, and he wasn't proficient in movement techniques, so he couldn't match the Heaven Cleaver Sect Master's speed.

Although he had once obtained a yellow Entry, "Movement Supremacy," which increased his speed based on the amount of spiritual energy stored in his dantian, it didn't directly enhance his movement techniques but rather his regular projectile speed.

But after reaching the Refinement Void Stage,

The speed difference between different cultivation levels and movement techniques couldn't be compensated for by this Entry.

For these reasons, they had no choice but to use this flying boat, which, while not exactly slow, wasn't particularly fast either. It was a rather helpless decision.

I need to get a higher-grade, faster flying ship!

After silently making up his mind, Chen Qiu arrived above Blooming City after two hours. He released the Master of Heavenly Axe Sect and, as he left Blooming City, he subconsciously looked towards the "Virtue Golden Chamber" floating above the city.

However, as he glanced at it, he suddenly froze in place. The Virtue Golden Chamber, suspended high in the sky, was parallel to their flying ship, and its wooden door was inexplicably open.

The old lady who had spoken to him was now hanging from a rope on the roof.

Her feet naturally dangled, and her body swayed with the wind.

Her eyes, filled with red blood vessels, stared straight at the wooden house outside, meeting his gaze. She looked completely lifeless, undoubtedly dead.

".

Chen Qiu felt a chill down his spine. He hadn't expected the old lady to suddenly die in his Virtue Golden Chamber. After all, during their conversation, the old lady had used her means to establish these Eighty-One Virtue Golden Chambers, ensuring her immortality.

Was this a death sentence from the Heavenly Dao?

Impossible. If it were for revealing heavenly secrets, the Heavenly Dao wouldn't bother with such a complicated method as hanging.

Suicide?

Not very likely. There was no apparent reason, and before he left, the old lady seemed perfectly normal, showing no signs of suicidal tendencies.

Most importantly, there was no reason at all.

Since she could establish these Eighty-One Virtue Golden Chambers to achieve longevity and wait for her husband's resurrection after a million years, and with two hundred thousand years having passed, it was unlikely that she would commit suicide unless she had a sudden mental breakdown.

If the first two possibilities were ruled out, only one remained.

Murder.

Only those with nearly a trillion virtue points could see this "Virtue Golden Chamber," and in the vast continent, only two people met this condition—himself and the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect.

If it wasn't him, then it could only be the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect.

It was simple logic, something even a three-year-old could understand.

The logic was sound, but how was it possible?

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought, gazing at the corpse of the old lady hanging from the ceiling of the Virtue Golden Chamber. He remained silent, considering that the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect had a low cultivation base, not even reaching the Divine Transformation stage, only at the Nascent Soul stage.

This Virtue Golden Chamber was created by a powerful Body Fusion cultivator, so how could it have no defensive measures? Moreover, the old lady could travel back and forth through the Virtue Golden Chamber.

Why would the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect want to kill the old lady when there was no grudge between them? Clearly, the Holy Maiden wasn't as simple as she appeared and must have some special means. Strangely, Chen Qiu hadn't noticed any special abilities or traits in the Holy Maiden, and since obtaining the "True Sight Eye" ability, which allowed him to see through others, he had checked the traits of everyone who came close to him.

There were only two possibilities—either the Holy Maiden had even more extraordinary means, or she possessed the ability to conceal her traits from others.

".

After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the corpse of the old lady hanging from the ceiling and turned to Fat Dragon, who was piloting the flying ship. "Return to the Heavenly Palace," he said softly.

He didn't know exactly what had happened, and he didn't want to get involved.

However, he had a feeling that there was some love, hate, and grudge between the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect, the old lady, and Liu Sanqian. For the Holy Maiden to be connected to two figures from thirty thousand years ago, she must be more than she seemed.

Chen Qiu hadn't interacted much with the Holy Maiden and didn't know much about her.

He only knew that a hundred years ago, she had established a great merit in the Profound Heaven Continent, earning nearly a trillion virtue points. She then chose to go to the Vast Continent and joined the Heavenly Hall.

That was about all he knew.

He had a good habit of not meddling in other people's business. This matter had nothing to do with him, and he wasn't close enough to the old lady to seek revenge for her death. It was best to let this matter pass.

The old lady was dead, and that was that.

He could focus on his cultivation.

Just as the flying ship disappeared into the horizon, the open door of the Virtue Golden Chamber creaked in the air. A girl holding a dagger emerged from behind the door, her face calm.

She stood at the entrance of the Virtue Golden Chamber, gazing in the direction where the flying ship had vanished.

This girl was the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect, and the dagger in her hand was dripping thick blood, its rhythm slow.

Perhaps even Xuan Tian Sect didn't realize that their Holy Maiden wasn't as saintly as they thought, only living up to her gender.

At that moment—

Dark clouds suddenly enveloped the sky above the Virtue Golden Chamber, and a gale and thunderstorm swept across the land. Before the Holy Maiden of Xuan Tian Sect could react, she saw Chen Qiu standing at the entrance of the Virtue Golden Chamber, holding the Heavenly Clue Umbrella, staring directly at her.

"I forgot to tell you something earlier," Chen Qiu said, standing in the storm with the umbrella open, his robe fluttering in the wind. His expression was serious as he looked at the Holy Maiden holding the dagger.

"The Liu family of Handsome City is under the protection of Mock Heaven Sect. I hope you don't have any ideas about them."

"Otherwise, if you openly slap me in the face like this, no matter what story exists between the three of you—"

"At least, there will be a new story between us."

"I'm a man who values face. If others find out that someone under the protection of Mock Heaven Sect was slaughtered right after, it would make me lose face."

"And—"

Chen Qiu lowered his gaze slightly, resting it on the dagger in the Holy Maiden's hand, which was dripping fresh blood. After a moment, he said calmly, "Hiding behind the door of the Virtue Golden Chamber with a small dagger, you're not planning to kill me, are you?"

"Little bitch?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end