Chapter 82: Acquiring an Earth-Attribute Foundation-Building Spirit Herb

Chapter 82: Acquiring an Earth-Attribute Foundation-Building Spirit Herb

The Xuan Clan Patriarch, feeling his spiritual energy rapidly draining away, stood utterly stunned.

He hadn’t expected the opponent to strike first despite being outnumbered three to one.

Even less had he anticipated that, as fellow cultivators at the Great Perfection stage, Xiao Chen would seize control of the entire Xuan Clan Estate in a single move, leaving him no chance to activate the clan’s protective magic artifact.

Now completely drained of energy, he’d become helpless as a fish on a chopping block.

Were disciples from the Lihuo Sect truly this formidable?

If he’d known this would happen, he’d never have been tempted by those two demonic cultivators.

No matter how many spirit stones or rare Spirit Herbs they offered, he’d have refused outright.

Regret gnawed at the Xuan Clan Patriarch’s heart, but with thorned brambles gagging him, he couldn’t even beg for mercy.

The Lihuo Sect’s disciples were equally stunned, frozen in place, unsure what to do.

Chen Zixuan and Chen Zirui had always considered themselves exceptional among their peers at the sub-academy.

But witnessing Xiao Chen’s display, they finally understood the gap between them.

They’d seen many Great Perfection cultivators before—Chen Clan had no shortage of them.

But none had been this powerful.

With a casual move, he’d subdued five cultivators at the same stage and simultaneously suppressed ten Late Lian Qi stage disciples.

Only one disciple from Lihuo Peak remained calm.

He’d been to the Yan Chi Secret Realm and followed Song Zhongwen into its inner layers, seeing Xiao Chen’s strength firsthand.

As his stunned seniors gaped, he smirked inwardly: This is just Xiao Senior’s warm-up. I’ve seen him wipe out the Double-Headed Lion Group before.

Compared to those five Lian Qi stage cultivators, this was barely worth taking seriously.

Without hesitation, he became the first to retrieve ropes to bind the captives.

Snapping out of their shock, the others hurried to join, eager to claim credit for the capture.

The two solitary cultivators pretending to be bystanders could no longer keep up the act.

One suddenly exclaimed, “Xiao Chen, thank heavens! We’ve wanted to report the Xuan Clan’s collusion with demonic cultivators, but they threatened us into silence!”

The other quickly added, “Exactly! We were tricked into coming here. The Xuan Clan’s power left us no choice!”

Xiao Chen waved them off. “Save the excuses. Give me one reason to let you go.”

The first pleaded, “I know many people—I can spread the truth about their crimes!”

“Thankfully, the Lihuo Sect’s young heroes arrived to rescue me from this hell!”

The Lihuo Sect, after all, needed to maintain its orthodox reputation.

Xiao Chen nodded. “Fine. Leave.”

The second gritted his teeth. “I’ll expose them! The Xuan Clan has a secret room in their back alley—I saw a servant delivering food there yesterday!”

“Oh?”

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up. He instructed his juniors, “I’ll check it out. Search the estate first.”

Then he strode out. “Lead the way.”

Behind the estate, a shed disguised as a grass hut concealed a hidden passage underground.

After dismissing the solitary cultivator, Xiao Chen donned his Golden Armor and retrieved his green gourd, summoning the Green Wood Spirit General to scout ahead.

Inside, laughter echoed through the tunnels.

Turning a narrow corner, they entered a grand underground hall, its walls glittering with gold and jade.

Facing them stood two massive beds, six to seven feet apart, surrounded by wine jars.

Bloodstains and scattered bones littered the floor.

Two demonic cultivators at the Late Lian Qi stage lounged on the beds, each clutching half of a servant girl’s corpse, toasting each other.

Their reactions were lightning-fast.

Spotting the intruders, they snatched Flying Swords from the bedsides. “Who dares?!”

Xiao Chen had no intention of speaking to such beasts.

Thorned brambles erupted from his fingertips, lashing toward them.

But a wall of earth surged upward, blocking his attack!

Xiao Chen charged forward, shattering the wall with his body.

Boom!

The wall crumbled, but the two had already vanished around another corner.

“Damn! Another exit!”

He activated Zongdi Jinguang, pursuing relentlessly.

One of the demonic cultivators wielded a Wind Release Technique, his speed already blinding.

As Xiao Chen closed in, they chanted an incantation, activating the Blood Escape Secret Technique.

A crimson glow enveloped them, boosting their speed by another thirty percent.

Within ten breaths, they burst out of Heyang County, fleeing along the riverbank.

But soon, panic struck.

Once clear of the county’s maze-like terrain, Xiao Chen’s speed increased dramatically.

A golden streak flashed ahead, cutting off their escape.

Flame Mirror in hand, he unleashed a blazing fire dragon from its surface.

The demonic cultivators halted. One slammed his palms onto the ground, raising another earth wall to block the attack.

Then, from thin air, he unfurled a crimson banner.

The flag billowed, expanding to three zhang tall.

Clutching the pole, the cultivator roared, “Divine Flame Descends, Purify the World!”

With a shake, nine fireballs dropped from the banner, transforming into eight-foot-tall fire soldiers wielding blazing cleavers.

He pointed at Xiao Chen. “Attack!”

Xiao Chen deployed Green Thorn Technique again, but the fire soldiers’ flames burned through his brambles effortlessly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as cleavers struck Golden Armor, leaving no mark.

Scanning the area, Xiao Chen summoned his Fire Raven. “Xuanyang Bing Fire!”

But before the inferno descended, the other demonic cultivator erected layers of earth walls to shield them.

Boom!

The explosion shattered the walls, but fresh ones instantly replaced them.

Hiss!

This was supposed to be a routine mission to assist the Chen siblings.

Why were these demonic cultivators so tough?

While commanding the Fire Raven to harass them, Xiao Chen endured the fire soldiers’ assault, preparing his Scarlet Flame Bombs.

To crack this turtle shell, only the Scarlet Flame Dispelling Technique would suffice.

Though Xiao Chen found the situation tricky, the two demonic cultivators were in far worse shape.

They had no idea if Xiao Chen had reinforcements.

Attempts to flee via the Blood Escape Secret Technique had failed utterly.

Counterattacks with Golden Armor and fire soldiers had stalled completely.

Summoning another nine fire soldiers did nothing to shift the tide.

After a stalemate, one shouted, “Deal! Let’s make a deal! We’ll give you a high-grade magic artifact to let us go!”

Xiao Chen remained silent, methodically finalizing his 36 Scarlet Flame Bombs.

The cultivator pleaded twice more, receiving no response.

In desperation, he hurled over a dozen talismans.

Protected by Golden Armor, Xiao Chen ignored them, finally completing his technique.

“Scarlet Flame, Exorcise Evil!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The 36 bombs detonated in unison, shattering half the earth walls.

“Xuanyang Bing Fire!”

This time, the cultivators couldn’t rebuild their defenses. The inferno reduced them to ashes.

With their masters dead, the crimson banner shrank, dropping to the ground.

The remaining earth walls crumbled, revealing a one-foot-square brown earthen block.

“Oh? So it’s not just magic arts—it’s a magic artifact too?”

Curious, Xiao Chen picked it up. “Wait… this is Wuji Spirit Soil!”

A rare spirit earth, this artifact could be classified as an earth-attribute foundation-building Spirit Herb!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end