98: Jin family

Wu Tie City was named for the abundance of Wu Tie Ore in the surrounding area.

Ever since someone saw that team of evil cultivators led by a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator appearing outside the city a few days ago, Wu Tie City had fallen into a state of panic.

After all, evil cultivators were synonymous with cruelty and death; every appearance meant lives were lost, let alone an evil cultivator team led by a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator.

During this time, many original residents of Wu Tie City began to flee with their families.

There were also many Cultivators coming and going from Wu Tie City, attempting to find traces of the evil cultivator team.

By the time Zhang Daobai arrived at Wu Tie City, it was already getting late, so he decided to start the search the next morning.

After putting away his spirit boat and entering Wu Tie City, Zhang Daobai quickly noticed the oppressive atmosphere in the city.

Zhang Daobai had felt this kind of atmosphere before in Purple Maple Immortal City, also because of evil cultivators.

Zhang Daobai didn't rush to find a place to stay; instead, he wandered through the major markets in Wu Tie City, asking about the situation regarding that group of evil cultivators.

Since many people had recently come to Wu Tie City to look for that evil cultivator team, this topic was being discussed in all the major markets.

After some inquiries, Zhang Daobai quickly confirmed some useful information.

First, the last time someone saw that group of evil cultivators, they appeared at the Qingshi Mountain Mine outside the city.

At that time, more than five hundred people at the mine were directly refined on the spot by a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator.

It was only because that person was relatively far away and fled immediately that he managed to escape.

Ordinarily, the space opened by the sky mirror can only be maintained for three days.

However, since that group of evil cultivators was last discovered, their figures hadn't been seen again for the past few days.

So some speculated that the group of evil cultivators might have hidden in a certain mine shaft and hadn't changed their location.

But this also created a problem: even though they guessed the evil cultivators were in a certain mine shaft, they didn't dare enter the shafts to find them.

These people wanted to find the evil cultivators, yet they were also afraid of encountering them.

There was also news from the Yinyue Mountain Range: as the battle between the evil cultivators and the Demon Slaying Alliance grew more intense, Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators had already begun to join the fight.

In particular, an Elder of the Nascent Soul Stage from the Fentian Sect had gained great fame after slaying a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator on the battlefield.

Since Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators have started to take the field, can the Soul Transformation Stage be far behind?

To this day, Zhang Daobai was still very curious about what kind of interests could make both the righteous and evil sides so persistent?

After gathering information, Zhang Daobai found a deserted corner and entered the Small World.

Early the next morning, Zhang Daobai left Wu Tie City and called Lin Luoxue out in a deserted place outside the city.

"Next, we'll split into three groups according to our previous plan. We came from the west yesterday, so today we only need to search the other three directions."

"I'll go east, You Ying will go north, and Luoxue, you go south."

Zhang Daobai quickly explained his plan, and You Ying and Lin Luoxue nodded in agreement.

Soon, Zhang Daobai handed the void realm suppressing pagoda to Lin Luoxue.

Although Lin Luoxue was not the master of the void realm suppressing pagoda, as long as Zhang Daobai agreed, it could still merge into Lin Luoxue's body.

"Remember! If you encounter any danger, don't hesitate! Enter the Small World immediately," Zhang Daobai instructed in a serious tone.

"Mhm."

Lin Luoxue raised her hand to her chest, feeling the presence of the void realm suppressing pagoda, and nodded with her beautiful eyes shimmering.

After explaining all the precautions, Zhang Daobai and the others separated and began searching in different directions.

Zhang Daobai didn't miss a single corner along the way, searching rapidly and tirelessly.

There were quite a few people searching like him, most of them flying around like headless flies.

Time passed in a flash like rushing river water, and soon a day had gone by.

To Zhang Daobai's disappointment, not only did he have no success, but You Ying and Lin Luoxue also had no clues.

However, Zhang Daobai was not discouraged; after all, he had anticipated this outcome before they started.

Since those evil cultivators could evade the Demon Slaying Alliance's searches so many times, they were obviously not that easy to find.

For the next three days, Zhang Daobai and the others searched without stopping, but they found nothing.

Finally, on the fourth day, Zhang Daobai heard the latest news regarding that group of evil cultivators.

Just yesterday afternoon, that Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator had acted to refine a medium-sized city.

The entire city had now become a dead land, filled with a soaring resentment that was daunting to behold.

That city was located within the sphere of influence of the Lingyun Sect, a neighbor of the Fentian Sect.

As for Zhang Daobai, it happened to be in the direction of his search.

So, through the Spirit Taming Contract, Zhang Daobai sent a voice transmission to You Ying and Lin Luoxue to have them meet him.

A few hours later, You Ying and Lin Luoxue arrived at Zhang Daobai's location one after another.

After learning the latest situation, they headed toward Luoyun City together.

When Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue reached Luoyun City, they were immediately stunned by the scene before them.

Above the city in the distance, a layer of gray clouds hung, exuding a very oppressive aura.

Luoyun City beneath the dark clouds looked deathly silent, as if it belonged to a different world from its surroundings, appearing very out of place.

Looking at that deathly silent city, Zhang Daobai couldn't help but feel very oppressed, as if a heavy object were pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Beside him, Lin Luoxue's brow was also tightly furrowed. She possessed Golden Thunder Sword Intent and was inherently sensitive to evil energy.

The soaring resentment in Luoyun City made her very uncomfortable, and the Sword Intent within her body almost began to surge uncontrollably.

At the same time, many people who had heard the news also rushed to the vicinity of Luoyun City, but upon seeing the deathly silent city, they all stopped and fell silent.

They had always heard about the tragic scenes of evil cultivators refining cities; although they hadn't witnessed it, they could imagine it to some extent.

However, when they actually saw the dead city after the evil cultivators had refined it, they couldn't help but feel that their previous imaginations had been too conservative.

"Let's go, it's time to continue the search,"

Zhang Daobai said softly and expressionlessly after a long while.

Soon, Zhang Daobai and the others split into three groups again to search in different directions.

This time, the evil cultivators had appeared not long ago; Zhang Daobai believed they shouldn't have fled too far.

Many people had the same idea as Zhang Daobai and rushed here to search.

In the time that followed, Zhang Daobai carefully sensed the surrounding spatial fluctuations, not missing any abnormalities.

Half a day later, Zhang Daobai suddenly received a voice transmission from Lin Luoxue. His spirits lifted, and he flew rapidly toward her location.

At the same time, Zhang Daobai also notified You Ying to meet him there.

Along the way, many people saw Zhang Daobai's hurried figure, but they didn't care.

After all, they had seen many cases like Zhang Daobai's during this time.

Deep in a large mountain, above a mountain crack only a meter wide, Lin Luoxue stood in the air on her flying sword, her gaze occasionally scanning the crack below.

Just now, when Lin Luoxue flew over this area, Long Li suddenly sent her a voice transmission, saying there was an abnormal spatial fluctuation within this crack.

Although she hadn't observed it closely, Long Li was eighty percent certain that it should be the spatial fluctuation leaked from the sky mirror.

So Lin Luoxue quickly used the Spirit Taming Contract to send a voice transmission to Zhang Daobai explaining the situation and waited for him there.

Just then, an unfamiliar aura suddenly flew in from a distance, and Lin Luoxue couldn't help but tighten her grip on her spiritual sword.

A young man dressed in fiery red brocade clothes flew over from a distance, stepping on a flying Magical Artifact that looked like a giant golden eagle.

This young man did not restrain his aura; his Realm was the same as Lin Luoxue's, both at the Late Purple Mansion Stage.

Upon seeing Lin Luoxue waiting there alone, the young man's eyes lit up, and he flew to a spot not far from her.

"Has this Fairy encountered some trouble?"

the young man asked enthusiastically with a smile, his gaze hungrily sizing up Lin Luoxue.

"No. You may leave,"

Lin Luoxue dismissed him coldly.

She didn't want to fight because they were very close to the space opened by the sky mirror.

If a fight broke out and alerted the evil cultivators inside, regardless of whether they fled or not, she would definitely have to run, and she might not even be able to escape.

"Fairy, don't be so cold. I am Jin Guangyao, the Young Clan Chief of the Jin Family from Jinyang Valley. May I know your name?"

Jin Guangyao did not back down; instead, he became increasingly interested in flirting with Lin Luoxue.

This time, Lin Luoxue didn't reply again. Instead, she turned her head and stared coldly at Jin Guangyao, with a trace of Killing Intent hidden in her eyes.

Facing Lin Luoxue's death stare, Jin Guangyao suddenly felt a chill down his spine and subconsciously backed away.

But he quickly regained his composure and clenched his fists in annoyance.

He felt that being startled by a woman was truly a loss of face. Usually, the women he met, though not all would flatter him, at least gave him plenty of respect.

Yet from Lin Luoxue, he felt only disgust and Killing Intent, without a shred of respect. This contrast made him rather irritated.

Just then, Jin Guangyao suddenly realized that they were deep in the mountains where no one else was around.

Even if he did something, as long as he acted quickly enough, no one would find out.

At this thought, malice grew in Jin Guangyao's heart, and his anger quickly turned into burning desire.

The gaze he directed at Lin Luoxue gradually became unfriendly.

Noticing the change in Jin Guangyao's gaze, how could Lin Luoxue not know what he was thinking?

After all, Yun Changqing had previously had the same idea.

"Elder Long, come out,"

Jin Guangyao suddenly said, as if talking to himself.

The next second, an old man with white hair and a youthful face, wearing a golden robe, flew out from the distant mountain forest.

"What are your orders, Young Master?"

Elder Long bowed slightly and asked in a respectful tone.

A Golden Core Stage Cultivator!

Lin Luoxue, who was standing to the side, frowned at the sight and immediately prepared to enter the Small World at any moment.

Although she had killed a Golden Core Stage Evil Cultivator before, that was due to her elemental advantage.

Faced with a Golden Core Stage Cultivator who practiced a normal Cultivation Technique, she wasn't entirely confident she could win.

Moreover, the commotion of fighting a Golden Core Stage Cultivator would surely attract the attention of the evil cultivators below.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, she didn't want to fight this Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

At the same time, she also informed Zhang Daobai of the current situation.

After receiving the transmission, Zhang Daobai told her to hide in the Small World directly to ensure her safety first.

"Elder Long, capture her!"

Jin Guangyao pointed at Lin Luoxue with an arrogant and smug look, giving orders to the old man beside him.

Hearing this, Elder Long turned to look at Lin Luoxue carefully and couldn't help but frown.

Although he didn't see any Family or Sect emblems on her, Lin Luoxue's calm and composed attitude made him a bit uncertain.

This kind of attitude meant either Lin Luoxue had some trump card and was confident she could escape from him,

Or she had some background and was certain he wouldn't dare to act.

Seeing Elder Long's hesitation, a flash of anger crossed Jin Guangyao's eyes, but he didn't let it out.

"Elder Long?" Jin Guangyao spoke up to remind him.

"Young Master, there's no rush. We don't know her identity yet," Elder Long explained via transmission after snapping back to his senses.

Hearing this, Jin Guangyao nodded with a solemn gaze.

He had been a bit blinded by lust just now, but he wasn't truly stupid; he naturally understood Elder Long's concerns.

"Little girl! Where do you come from?"

Elder Long unleashed his pressure, bearing down on Lin Luoxue as he questioned her in a serious tone.

Facing the oppressive pressure, Lin Luoxue's gaze sharpened, and a sharp Sword Intent erupted from her body, instantly slicing through Elder Long's pressure.

"Sword Intent!" ×2

At the sight, both Elder Long and Jin Guangyao's pupils constricted, and they cried out in unison.

At Lin Luoxue's age, anyone who could comprehend Sword Intent was undoubtedly a Prodigy of the younger generation.

Such a Genius could basically only be nurtured by a major power.

Thinking of this, Elder Long's mind raced, trying to figure out which power Lin Luoxue most likely belonged to.

While a flash of wariness crossed Jin Guangyao's eyes, his heart couldn't help but be filled with jealousy.

He was also a Sword Cultivator who practiced Sword Techniques, but even with a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor teaching him personally, he hadn't been able to comprehend Sword Intent.

Yet Lin Luoxue, at her age, had comprehended the Sword Intent he dreamed of, which truly filled him with envy and hatred.

After thinking for a long time, Elder Long still couldn't think of any power that had nurtured such a Genius.

"Could she be a hidden Prodigy from some major power?" Elder Long speculated inwardly, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

"Elder Long, do you think if we let her go, she will retaliate against us in the future, or even against the Jin Family?"

Just as Elder Long was hesitating, Jin Guangyao spoke in a low, cold tone.

Hearing this, Elder Long's heart was instantly torn.

He was now afraid that Lin Luoxue had a significant background, or even a Dao Protector in the You Yings, so he didn't dare to act against her.

But he was also afraid that if he let Lin Luoxue go now, she would retaliate later and even implicate the Jin Family.

After some thought, Elder Long decided to test her once more to see which power Lin Luoxue actually came from.

Thus, Elder Long flickered and charged toward Lin Luoxue, his right hand reaching for her neck like a claw.

But the moment Elder Long moved, Lin Luoxue vanished from the air in an instant.

There was no sign, no abnormal Spiritual Qi activity; it was as if she had never been there at all.

Seeing this, Elder Long stopped in shock. One had to know that even using a Minor Teleportation Talisman would cause Spatial Power to appear.

Yet Lin Luoxue had vanished instantly without a trace. This scene was completely beyond their comprehension.

"Where is she!?"

Jin Guangyao quickly looked around, roaring in frustration.

Elder Long arrived at the spot where Lin Luoxue had been and observed carefully for a while, but found nothing.

"Elder Long, I told you to act earlier, but you didn't. Now she's gone!" Jin Guangyao complained to Elder Long, exasperated.

Elder Long frowned upon hearing this and was about to explain when his eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Young Master, be car—"

*Puchi!*

In an instant, the expression of the furious Jin Guangyao froze.

His Dantian area was pierced through by a spiritual sword, and the Spiritual Qi stored within began to leak out rapidly.

Behind Jin Guangyao, Zhang Daobai tilted his head and looked at Elder Long with a sneer.

It was as if he were mocking him for not even being able to protect a single person.

"Ah!!!"

Witnessing this, Elder Long's eyes turned blood-red as he let out a roar, then prepared to charge at Zhang Daobai to fight for his life.

But in the next second, a pitch-black claw instantly pierced through his Dantian from behind and grabbed his Golden Core.

Before he could react, his Golden Core was forcibly ripped out, completely severing his connection to it.

*Pfft!*

With his Dantian shattered and his Golden Core stolen, Elder Long spat out a mouthful of blood due to the severity of his injuries.

However, the blood he spat out didn't scatter; it was all collected by Zhang Daobai's spiritual power.

This blood was rich with Elder Long's aura, and Zhang Daobai didn't want the Jin Family to be able to trace it back to him later.

After confirming that the two had lost their ability to resist, Zhang Daobai took them and You Ying into the Small World.

As soon as he entered, Zhang Daobai saw Lin Luoxue standing to the side.

"Are you alright?"

Zhang Daobai withdrew his spiritual sword, threw Jin Guangyao onto the ground, and asked in a concerned tone.

Lin Luoxue glanced at Elder Long and Jin Guangyao on the ground, then shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Let's go, time to fertilize the spiritual fields."

Zhang Daobai carried one person in each hand and strode toward the nearby spiritual fields.

Lin Luoxue naturally understood what Zhang Daobai meant by 'fertilizing'.

She looked down at the spiritual sword in her hand, thought for a moment, and decided to switch to a spare spiritual sword.

Upon reaching the edge of the spiritual fields, Zhang Daobai tossed the two onto the ridge and skillfully stripped them of all their valuables.

Although Elder Long and Jin Guangyao's Dantians were ruined, they hadn't lost consciousness.

It wasn't that they didn't want to say anything, but rather that their mouths had been sealed by Zhang Daobai long ago.

After stripping them clean, Zhang Daobai undid the Seal on their mouths.

"I am the Young Clan Chief of the Jin Family from Jinyang Valley! If you kill me, you will surely be hunted down by my Jin Family with all their might!"

Instead of begging for mercy, Jin Guangyao believed more in the deterrent power of his Family to make Zhang Daobai stop.

Zhang Daobai had indeed heard of the Jinyang Valley's Jin Family; they were one of the three major families under the Fentian Sect.

The Jin Family's Grand Elder was a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator and also an Elder of the Fentian Sect, holding a very high status within the Sect.

"Jinyang Valley's Jin Family? The one with the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor?"

Zhang Daobai feigned a thoughtful look, rubbing his chin as he muttered to himself.

"Yes! My Family's Old Ancestor is also an Elder of the Fentian Sect!"

Seeing that Zhang Daobai knew of the Jin Family's strength, Jin Guangyao was overjoyed and quickly added.

"Then I definitely can't let you go!"

Zhang Daobai's tone suddenly shifted as he looked at Jin Guangyao with a sneer, speaking with murderous intent.

"Huh?" Jin Guangyao was stunned, not quite reacting.

What does he mean he 'definitely can't let me go'?

Do you have a grudge against my Family's Old Ancestor?

Jin Guangyao looked at Zhang Daobai in disbelief, feeling for the first time that the background he was so proud of had actually become his death warrant.

Elder Long, on the other hand, hadn't spoken from the beginning. When he saw that Zhang Daobai hadn't masked his face and had even brought them here,

He knew very well in his heart that it was impossible for Zhang Daobai to let them go.

"He's all yours."

Zhang Daobai stood up and stepped away from Jin Guangyao, speaking to Lin Luoxue.

Lin Luoxue gave Zhang Daobai a gentle smile, but when she turned to look at Jin Guangyao, her face instantly became cold and heartless.

"I have a Blood Soul Seal on me! If you kill me, you won't be able to escape in the end!"

Seeing Lin Luoxue's bone-chilling gaze, Jin Guangyao quickly continued to threaten.

Blood Soul Seal?

Hearing this, both Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue couldn't help but stop.

The Blood Soul Seal was a special secret technique. When the host died, the Blood Soul Seal within their body would automatically fly into the person who killed them.

The effect of the Blood Soul Seal was that it allowed the host's blood relatives to sense the mark.

Once a blood relative sensed the presence of the Blood Soul Seal on an outsider, they would know that the person had killed their clansman.

Moreover, the most unique thing about the Blood Soul Seal was that it was imprinted directly onto the Soul.

Unless one had a Heaven And Earth Treasure that could cleanse abnormal Soul states, it was very difficult to remove the Blood Soul Seal.

However, as annoying as the Blood Soul Seal was, there were many ways to avoid it.

To be honest, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue were actually somewhat grateful to Jin Guangyao for taking the initiative to reveal this secret.

Otherwise, if Lin Luoxue had really killed him, Zhang Daobai would probably have had to spend a lot of effort to help her clear it.

"Idiot!"

Elder Long, who was nearby, remained silent for a moment before spitting out two words while looking at Jin Guangyao with eyes full of disappointment.

Hearing Elder Long's curse, Jin Guangyao also realized he had done another stupid thing.

If he hadn't spoken up, there might have been a chance for revenge, but now...