Chapter 64: The Great Demon
Chapter 64: The Great Demon
Desolate, dilapidated...
What used to be Qinglinfang City now lies in ruins.
"Where is the protective formation of Qingxuanzong?"
As he stared at the surveillance screen, Fang Xing suddenly thought of a problem.
Qinglinfang City was protected by a grand formation! Once fully activated, it would envelop the entire city like a giant bowl, safeguarding it securely.
But now...there was not a trace of the mist and spiritual light of that grand formation, revealing the peak of Qingxuan, rarely seen under normal circumstances.
Not only that, but there were also some low-level demons loitering around the city, occasionally venturing into it to hunt cultivators, treating this place as their hunting ground!
"There are too many demons..."
"Could it be another beast tide? Has Qinglinfang City fallen?"
Fang Xing was stunned, having never expected such a drastic change in Qinglinfang City while he was distracted by his exams.
"The key is...where is that Golden Core cultivator from Qingxuanzong?"
Fang Xing stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It seems...I need to find a cultivator and ask around."
...
Qinglinfang City, outskirts.
Yu Xia, a demon catcher, was hiding behind an ancient tree, his heart filled with regret. "I must be crazy to come out at a time like this..."
"But my supply of spirit rice and Elixir of Abstinence is running out. What other choice do I have but to risk it if I don't want to starve to death?"
In the time that had passed, this once robust demon catcher had become haggard, indicating that life had not been treating him well lately.
"Ow-oo!"
Just then, a pack of 'Qingfeng Wolves' howled as they rushed past him.
After a long while, Yu Xia stepped out, holding a jade bottle. "This bottle of scent-masking powder is almost gone too...I should use it sparingly."
The powder was a secret formula passed down in his demon-catching lineage, capable of masking one's scent and evading the noses of most demons.
Demon catchers daring to venture out at this time often had a trick or two up their sleeves.
Just as Yu Xia was about to leave, spiritual energy in the grass rustled, and several green-colored wind blades shot towards him.
"Not good!"
Yu Xia quickly activated a golden light barrier talisman, and a layer of golden light appeared, barely blocking one of the wind blades.
But then came the second, the third...
The wind blades seemed endless, accompanied by wolf howls!
"Ow-oo!"
From the depths of the dense forest, over a dozen pairs of eyes, some blue and some green, shone with bloodlust.
"Damn...it's that wolf pack again. That alpha wolf is truly cunning!"
Yu Xia's mind was filled with despair, and then he heard a ripping sound as the golden light on his body exploded into fragments.
As the gust of wind hit him, he rolled on the ground in a miserable state, barely avoiding most of the wind blades, but his body was already covered in blood, and an arm was severed...
"I never thought that my life journey would end here..."
Yu Xia's face was full of despair as he calmly accepted the reality of his impending death by the wolf pack.
Such was the life of a solitary cultivator in the city—as fragile as the grass by the road, one never knew when they would wither away in the wind.
Woo-woo!
Suddenly, the howls in the dense forest changed.
The excitement of the hunt turned into fear...
"Is there another powerful demon approaching? I wonder which demon will be the one to end me. I just hope it's not a 'Kaoshanzhu' (a type of demon pig), that thing stinks..."
Yu Xia's consciousness was fading.
After a moment, a figure appeared before him, and a talisman was torn open, releasing a flood of emerald green light that turned into a gentle rain.
—Sweet Rain Talisman!
"Thank you, fellow cultivator, for saving me!"
Feeling his wounds slowly stop bleeding, Yu Xia crawled up shakily and thanked him, but his wariness did not fade.
What solitary cultivators feared most was not demons, but other solitary cultivators!
Even if this person had saved him, it did not mean they had good intentions.
But when he saw the man's face, his expression froze.
With a rugged build, a face full of flesh, and a fierce-looking face, this person seemed naturally intimidating.
Yu Xia's instincts screamed danger, and he forced a smile.
"Stop wasting time!"
Fang Xing, holding the corpse of the wolf king, was clearly impatient. "I was hunting demons outside and accidentally ventured deep into the Great Wasteland, which delayed my return. How did the city end up like this?"
"You don't know, fellow cultivator? Sigh..."
When it came to this, Yu Xia's eyes filled with bitterness. "It's all the fault of that damned Qingxuanzong! They don't know what they stirred up in that secret realm, attracting a Tier 3 demon! That old hag of a Golden Core cultivator just left with her disciples, leaving us here with no way out!"
"A Tier 3 demon?"
Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat. Such a demon was comparable to a Golden Core cultivator. Moreover, once a demon reached Tier 3, they could condense a demon core, cultivate innate divine abilities, and experience a surge in strength!
'Perhaps it's not just an ordinary Tier 3 demon. Otherwise, the Golden Core cultivator from Qingxuanzong might not have left...or maybe there's more than one?'
Fang Xing's heart raced. "What do you know about that secret realm? Are there still people in the city who buy demon materials and sell pills?"
He wasn't particularly interested in the secret realm for cultivators.
But the ability to purchase subsequent pills was crucial, as it determined whether his cultivation could continue to progress by leaps and bounds.
"Secret realm? I don't know much about it, only that it's located within the Five Scorpion Valley and contains opportunities for building a foundation..."
Yu Xia let out a bitter laugh. "It seems that the disciples of Qingxuanzong might know more..."
Fang Xing asked a few more questions and learned that the members of Qingxuanzong had left in a hurry, almost fleeing in panic. There were even rumors that a third-tier flying avian demon had attacked, smashing several flying boats.
As a result, many Qingxuanzong disciples were left stranded and unable to leave.
Because of this, these stranded disciples were seen as fallen prey, and with their wealthy backgrounds, they became targets of greed for the scattered cultivators in the entire market. They often hid their identities and disguised themselves as other scattered cultivators, making them difficult to find.
Fang Xing was not surprised by this at all. Despite the humble demeanor scattered cultivators usually displayed toward geniuses from sects, when it came to life-or-death situations, they would dare to kill even true disciples! Not to mention that these Qingxuanzong disciples were all wealthy, possibly carrying sect manuals, spiritual pills, and other treasures—they were the perfect prey!
'Although sect disciples generally have higher cultivation levels, if they lack actual combat experience, they might not necessarily defeat scattered cultivators who are a few realms lower. Not to mention that these thieves would definitely gang up, set traps, and use all sorts of despicable means.'
Fang Xing silently mourned for the disciples of Qingxuanzong in his heart, and then asked, "Where's the trading place?"
"Most of the original market has turned into ruins... Only during the early morning mist, there are occasionally scattered cultivators setting up stalls, what they call a 'ghost market'..."
Yu Xia replied, "In addition, every three days, in the underground cave in the southeast of the market, there's a black market that sells items that are often better than those in the ghost market, but it's also more dangerous..."
"I see."
Fang Xing nodded and walked away.
Yu Xia watched Fang Xing's departing figure and licked his lips before immediately disappearing into the dense forest...
...
Qinglinfang City.
Walking among the ruins, Fang Xing sighed, "What a bustling market this used to be, and now it's come to this... This place has really been through a lot... Hmm? It seems the opening of the secret realm is somehow related to me? Never mind, it's over now..."
"But now that I think about it, Shen Yuh Xin and Meng Zi, who left with Hua Feiyue early in the morning, made the best choice. Hua Feiyue really lacked some backbone... I wonder if that girl is still alive?"
He didn't bother to find out what happened to her; he could only say that if he happened to come across her, he would help her out.
If he didn't... then it was just bad luck for her.
"Meow!"
From a beam in the ruins, a cat's meow suddenly sounded.
Fang Xing looked over and saw a two-tailed cat demon beast, resembling a small leopard, with greenish eyes staring at him. Its claws glowed with a faint, dark light.
"Hmph!"
He coldly hmphed, and a terrifying aura burst forth.
The two-tailed cat jumped as if its tail had been stepped on, its fur standing on end. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the depths of the ruins...
"The spiritual veins in this market are probably not high-grade, unable to attract third-tier demon beasts... That's why many cultivators are still lingering in the ruins because the outside world is even more dangerous!"
As for leaving the market and heading to the actual Qingxuanzong headquarters?
That distance was not only extremely far, but the journey was also filled with difficulties and dangers. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators shouldn't even think about it.
"It's a bit similar to the black market on Eagle Nebula..."
'As it turns out, any order is better than no order at all...'
Fang Xing, carrying the wolf corpse, deliberately walked past the wooden house he had lived in before, only to find that the place had become a deep pit, with charred remains all around. He had no idea what had happened there.
He walked past expressionlessly, as if he had never known the place.
Along the way, he encountered almost no one, but Fang Xing was sharp-eyed and keen-eared, and his spiritual sense had become even more acute after reaching the Jade-like State. He could feel the gazes coming from all directions.
This made him sigh, "Humans are truly resilient weeds, able to survive anywhere..."
Fang Xing ventured further in and found Qingdanfang, but unfortunately, it was already in ruins and had been searched countless times...
Obviously, this was the handiwork of other scattered cultivators when the market was in chaos.
"All they left are these worthless pills... At least they can't take away the spiritual energy."
Fang Xing came to a small courtyard in the upper-class cave abode area of the market, where even Martial Artists could feel the fresh and vibrant aura in the void.
He casually chose a courtyard that looked relatively intact, pushed open the door, and walked in.
"Who dares to trespass in my cave abode?"
A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator rushed out, brandishing a flying sword. He glared at Fang Xing, his expression visibly relaxing as he asked, "A Martial Artist?"
He immediately looked around, afraid that Fang Xing was a decoy for a group of thieves.
"Is this your cave abode? Show me your spiritual contract."
Upon seeing this, a smile appeared on Fang Xing's lips.
(End of Chapter)
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