178: The Black and White Duo have arrived at Tianxuan!

This great migration was not a blind population influx.

Under Chen Daochu's coordination, the Changsheng Alliance of the Lower Realm was like a machine, not only transporting the Chen Family's direct Bloodline, but also consolidating and sending up the elites, Alchemists, and Artifact Refiners of the Sects attached to the Chen Family.

In just one month, the permanent population of Tianxuan City snowballed from the initial hundred or so, crazily skyrocketing to the 100,000-person mark!

One hundred thousand people, although it sounds like a lot, for the grandly planned Tianxuan City, it actually just started to have a bit of "vitality".

Among these 100,000 people, the true Chen Family Bloodline actually accounted for less than one-tenth.

The remaining nine-tenths were all retainers, vassals, and carefully selected grassroots labor of the Chen Family.

But it was these nine-tenths of the population that supported the framework of Tianxuan City.

The ten thousand acres of spiritual fields outside the city finally had people to Cultivate them, and the abandoned mines rang with the clanging sounds of mining.

Shops on both sides of the street hung up their signs.

Even the animal pens specifically responsible for raising Spirit Beasts had many busy figures.

With people, this lifeless war fortress finally came alive, starting to beat powerfully like a heart.

And for these "bumpkins" who had just come up from the Lower Realm, this month was simply like a dream.

This is the Spirit Realm, the legendary fairyland!

Even a weed on the roadside of Tianxuan City might be the main ingredient for refining a foundation establishment pill in the Lower Realm.

Even a breeze drifting casually in the air contained Spiritual Qi ten times denser than the blessed lands of the Lower Realm.

There was no need to Cultivate deliberately; just by breathing, the cultivation in their bodies was skyrocketing.

Plus the massive resources Chen Xu looted back from the Lin Family, Chen Daoxuan was unsparing in providing them.

Medicinal Pills were enough, Spirit Stones were enough, and Cultivation Techniques could be chosen at will!

Under this near-luxurious pile of resources, Tianxuan City ushered in a terrifying "collective upgrade".

Whenever night fell, beams of light from Breakthroughs would light up one after another in every corner of the city.

That scene was more spectacular than setting off fireworks during the New Year.

The Lower Realm Elders who were originally stuck at the Golden Core Stage almost all stepped into the Nascent Soul Stage this month.

And those core backbones who were originally at the Nascent Soul Stage, with the help of the fifth-order Medicinal Pills in the Lin Family's treasury, began to sprint towards the Soul Transformation Stage.

The comprehensive strength of the entire Tianxuan City was leaping qualitatively every day at a jaw-dropping speed.

But this was not enough.

As the head of the family, Chen Xu did not indulge in this false prosperity.

He knew very well that these newly broken-through Cultivators had shallow Foundations, and if they really fought, they could only serve as cannon fodder.

What could truly decide the direction of the battle still depended on the top-level combat power and that City Protection Grand Formation.

During this time, Chen Xu almost never returned to the City Lord's Mansion.

He was dressed in a green robe, wandering in the wilderness within five hundred miles of Tianxuan City all day long.

He was "sweeping the floor".

Although the strange beast tide he had sensed before did not directly attack Tianxuan City, just in case, Chen Xu decided to take the initiative.

Any Yao Beast above the fourth order entrenched around Tianxuan City was either beheaded by him with a sword to take its core, or treated as a snack by Xiao Hei, that big glutton.

After cleaning up the hidden dangers, Chen Xu started a more massive project.

He was carving a Formation.

He refined the Void Realm Materials brought back from the Starfall Secret Realm into huge Formation Flags, and according to the orientation of an ancient trap-kill Formation recorded in "Universe in the Palm", he drove them deep into the Spiritual Veins around Tianxuan City.

This was a hidden move, and it was also the second line of defense besides the City Protection light curtain.

If the original City Protection Grand Formation was a hard turtle shell, then this newly arranged Formation was the poisonous fang hidden under the turtle shell.

Once activated, even if a Void Refining Stage mighty figure broke in, they would have to shed a layer of skin if they didn't die.

On this day, Chen Xu had just driven the last Formation Flag into the ground and was preparing to go back to the city to check on his grandchildren's cultivation progress.

Suddenly, his hand, which was wiping sweat, paused abruptly.

An unmasked, and even extremely arrogant, powerful Divine Sense swept across from the southern horizon like a storm, instantly locking onto the entire Tianxuan City.

"Finally here?"

Chen Xu slowly straightened his waist, patted the dirt on his hands, and looked towards the south.

It was a bit slower than he expected.

One hundred miles north of Tianxuan City.

Two beams of escape light tore through the sky, and they were the two evil stars from the Tianyu Holy Land, the black and white ones.

After more than a month of tracking, the pointer of the tracking compass in their hands vibrated more and more violently, finally pointing firmly at the plain ahead that should have been a barren land.

However, when they really saw the scene in front of them, these two knowledgeable Holy Land Elders couldn't help but be stunned.

"This... Old Black, am I seeing things?"

White Fiend stopped his escape light and pointed forward with a look of astonishment: "Since when did such a big city appear in the depths of this wilderness?"

In their impression, the Beiming Wilderness only had poisonous insects, fierce beasts, and miasma, and only those uncivilized savage tribes.

But the city in front of them had walls a hundred feet high, with Formation patterns flowing on them, and faint spiritual light.

There were pavilions and towers in the city, and the Spiritual Qi was abundant.

Even from a long distance, they could hear the bustling human voices inside.

This scale, this style, even if placed in some prosperous areas of the Central Continent, could be counted as an important town!

"It's hell."

Black Fiend also frowned, and the bone beads in his hand stopped turning: "This place has barren Spiritual Veins; how could it possibly support such a big city?"

"And look at the population in the city; I'm afraid it's no less than 100,000, right?"

"Regardless of how it popped up."

White Fiend sneered, and the astonishment in his eyes was quickly replaced by greed: "The space fluctuation of that old thing disappeared here."

"That tai xu realm stone must be in this city!"

"And this city is built so secretly; it might be the old nest of that old guy who wiped out the Lin Family."

Black Fiend licked his lips, revealing a mouthful of grim yellow teeth: "If we can refine all the people in this city, I'm afraid our brothers' ten thousand souls banner can directly advance to a Spirit Treasure, right?"

The two looked at each other, seeing the cruelty and excitement in each other's eyes.

In their view, the city in this wilderness, no matter how solid it was, was nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs.

Since they found the main master, there was nothing to be polite about.

"Go! Let's go meet the owner of this city!"

Boom!

The two no longer held back, and the terrifying pressure of the Refining Void Mid-Stage erupted, like two big mountains, carrying rolling dark clouds, pressing straight towards Tianxuan City.

Above Tianxuan City, the originally clear sky instantly darkened.

Two terrifying auras, like the sky collapsing, pressed heavily on the light curtain of the City Protection Grand Formation, stirring up layers of violent ripples.

The 100,000 Cultivators in the city felt their chests tighten under this pressure that was like Divine Might.

Those with low cultivation even collapsed directly to the ground, shivering.

"The Black and White Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall of Tianyu Holy Land are here! The person in charge of the city, why don't you get out and welcome us!"

A sharp, ear-piercing shout, like the cry of a night owl, instantly spread to every corner of the city.

The sound waves rolled, shaking the tiles of many houses with a clattering sound.

On the city wall, Badao, who was patrolling, changed his face.

His palm subconsciously gripped the hilt of his blade.

"Void Refining Stage! And there are two of them!"

Although his current cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Stage Late Phase, but in front of such true old-school Refining Void experts, he was simply not enough.

In the City Lord's Mansion, Chen Xu was standing in front of the window, looking through the light curtain of the Formation at the two arrogant figures in the sky.

"Tianyu Holy Land... sure enough, they are haunting."

Chen Xu's Divine Sense probed out silently and swept over the two.

Two Refining Void Mid-Stage.

If it was a hard collision, with his current Early Void Refining Stage cultivation, plus a full set of divine equipment and Xiao Hei's assistance, although he could win, I'm afraid he would have to pay a considerable price.

He might even smash half of the newly built Tianxuan City.

That was the worst policy.

Chen Xu touched his chin, his eyes rolled: "Since you are here, don't leave."

His heart moved, and the "Eternal Azure Cloud Art" in his body instantly operated to the extreme.

This Cultivation Technique could not only improve cultivation but was also a top-notch technique for concealment and disguise.

I saw the bones on Chen Xu's body crackling, his originally straight posture slightly hunched, and his face also added a bit of vicissitudes and philistinism.

Even that sharp Refining Void Stage aura was forcibly suppressed by him.

In just a few breaths, he went from a domineering head of the family to a middle-aged fat man who looked like he only had Nascent Soul Stage Late Phase cultivation.

This appearance, let alone The Black and White Elders, even if his own son Chen Daochu stood in front of him, he probably wouldn't dare to recognize him.

As for the image of the "mysterious black-robed old man" who wiped out the Lin Family before, he had long thrown it to the nine heavens.

After doing all this, Chen Xu tidied up his robes, piled a look of fear and trepidation on his face, and soared into the sky.

"Oh! Two Seniors from the Upper Sect have arrived, this Junior failed to welcome you from afar, death crime, death crime!"

Chen Xu shouted exaggeratedly while flying, his voice full of humility and flattery.

He didn't directly open the Formation but hovered inside the light curtain of the Formation, bowing repeatedly to the two people in the air through the thin barrier.

The Black and White Elders in mid-air saw this, looked at each other, and the contempt in their eyes became even stronger.

"Nascent Soul Stage Late Phase?"

Black Fiend's Divine Sense swept over Chen Xu several times, confirming that the other party's aura was floating and the Foundation was not very stable.

Apparently, he was a local tycoon who relied on drugs to pile up, and he immediately let go of the last trace of vigilance in his heart.

"You are the City Lord of this broken city?"

White Fiend looked down at Chen Xu and asked coldly.

"Yes, yes, yes, this Junior is Chen... Chen Dahai, adding to the position of City Lord of this Tianxuan City."

Chen Xu nodded and bowed, with a flattering face: "I don't know why the two Seniors came from afar, do you have any instructions? As long as this Junior can do it, I will never refuse!"

"Hmph, you are sensible."

Black Fiend turned the bone beads in his hand and said impatiently: "Open this turtle shell and let us in! Speaking outside like this, what does it look like?"

Chen Xu heard this, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face, rubbing his hands and saying: "This... Seniors don't know, this wilderness has not been peaceful recently, the beast tide is fierce, so this Junior opened the Formation. If it is opened, in case..."

"What nonsense!"

A fierce glint flashed in White Fiend's eyes. He swung his mourning stick violently, sending a grey-white blast of Qi against the light barrier, shaking the City Protection Grand Formation: "With the two of us here, a mere beast tide is nothing but a fart!"

"If you dare to nag again, do you believe I will tear down your broken Formation right now and slaughter your entire city?!"

"No, no, no! Senior, please calm your anger! This Junior will open it right now, opening it right now!"

Chen Xu seemed to have been scared out of his wits; his face turned pale, and he hurriedly fished out a token from his bosom.

He cast several hand seals in a flustered hurry.

Hum— The light barrier of the City Protection Grand Formation slowly split open, revealing an opening large enough for several people to pass through.

"That's more like it."

Seeing Chen Xu being so "sensible," The Black and White Elders snorted coldly. Without the slightest suspicion, they rode their escape lights and swaggered through the opening.

In their eyes, an ant at the Nascent Soul Stage Late Phase wouldn't dare to play tricks in front of two experts at the Refining Void Mid-Stage, even if he were given a hundred times the courage.

It was like two ferocious tigers walking into a sheep pen; there was simply no need to guard against anything.

The three landed and arrived at the spacious square of the City Lord's Mansion.

Chen Xu maintained his cowering, subservient demeanor and led the two toward the main hall: "Please, two Seniors, this Junior will have someone prepare fine wine and food..."

"No need."

White Fiend waved a hand, directly cutting off Chen Xu's obsequiousness. He stood in the center of the square, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

His Divine Sense covered the entire City Lord's Mansion without any restraint.

He did not detect the aura of any high-level Cultivator, only a few ants at the Nascent Soul Stage peeking around.

After confirming it was safe, White Fiend turned his head and stared fixedly at Chen Xu, asking in a sinister tone:

"Chen Dahai, right? I ask you, in this recent period, have you seen an old man wearing tattered Daoist robes and accompanied by a large black dog appearing in your vicinity?"

Hearing this, Chen Xu chuckled inwardly, but his face revealed an expression of sudden realization.

"An old man in Daoist robes? And with a dog?"

He slapped his thigh suddenly: "I have seen him! Of course I have! That old man even came into my city!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, The Black and White Elders were instantly invigorated. Black Fiend stepped right in front of Chen Xu, grabbed his collar, and asked excitedly: "Where is that old thing now?! Speak quickly!!"

All this searching and it was right under our noses! Who would have thought this fat sheep would actually show his face here!

Chen Xu was lifted off his feet by his collar by Black Fiend, but his face showed not the slightest hint of fear.

On the contrary, the humble and fawning smile on his face was disappearing bit by bit.

In its place was a look of mockery.

"Are the two Seniors so eager to find him?"

Chen Xu's voice suddenly became steady and deep, no longer having a trace of tremor.

Black Fiend froze, instinctively sensing that something was wrong.

This fat man's eyes... why did they change?

Before he could react, he heard the "Chen Dahai" in front of him say slowly:

"Actually, there is no need to look anymore."

Chen Xu smiled slightly: "Because... that old man is me."

The moment the words fell.

Boom—!!!

An aura of the Void Refining Stage, even more terrifying than that of The Black and White Elders combined, erupted from Chen Xu's body without any warning!

Where was this the aura of a Nascent Soul Stage Late Phase Cultivator?

This was clearly the Void Refining Stage!

And it was a Void Refining Stage filled with monstrous Evil Qi!

"Not good! It's a trap!!"

Black Fiend's complexion changed drastically. He gave a strange cry and prepared to let go and retreat.

But, it was too late.

"Activate the Formation!"

Chen Xu gave a cold shout and stomped his foot violently on the ground.

The seemingly ordinary square ground instantly lit up with countless Formation patterns.

Pillars of light shot into the sky, interweaving into a huge net of light in the air, tightly trapping the entire square, along with The Black and White Elders, inside!

"Close the doors and beat the dog!"

At this moment, the heavens and earth changed color.

The City Lord's Mansion square, which had appeared ordinary to The Black and White Elders, now looked like a bloodthirsty maw that had suddenly opened wide.

The pillars of light rising around them were not ordinary Spiritual Qi barriers, but carried a heart-palpitating sense of spatial cutting. Those Formation patterns moved wildly within the Void Realm, instantly sealing off the space within a radius of a thousand zhang.

"Damn it! What kind of Formation is this?!"

Black Fiend let out a strange cry; the sense of crisis of being hunted made the hair all over his body stand up. He retreated violently by instinct, attempting to rush out before the Formation fully closed.

White Fiend beside him was not slow to react, swinging the mourning stick in his hand violently.

"Open for me!"

A shrill ghostly howl resounded through the sky. A thick, grey-white Death Qi surged from the mourning stick, transforming into a ferocious bone python. It slammed fiercely into the light barrier that did not look thick.

"Bang—!!" A loud noise. The seemingly thin-as-cicada-wing light barrier merely rippled slightly. The dark blue runes flowing on it shone brightly, actually directly rebounding the imposing bone python.

The massive rebounding force transmitted back along the mourning stick, making White Fiend's tiger's mouth numb. He retreated dozens of zhang in the air before barely stabilizing his figure.

"Spatial Law?! This Formation actually contains a complete Spatial Law!"

White Fiend's complexion instantly became extremely ugly. He stared fixedly at the flowing light barrier, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Ordinary trapping Formations, even if they were Tier 6 grand Formations, could be forcibly broken open by them working together with their cultivation at the Refining Void Mid-Stage. But this Formation was different; it was as if it had forcibly cut this piece of space out from the original world, forming its own Realm. Unless one could surpass the Formation setter in spatial attainments, it was impossible to break it by brute force.

"Chen Dahai! You have a lot of nerve!"

Seeing that breaking out was futile, Black Fiend turned around. From beneath that smiling mask came a sinister roar: "Do you know who we are? We are Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Tianyu Holy Land!"

"You, a tiny border City Lord, actually dare to set a trap to ambush envoys from the upper Sect! This is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!"

Although Black Fiend cursed fiercely, the two bone beads in his hands had already begun to spin frantically. The Spiritual Qi within his body was raised to the limit; he was clearly prepared to fight to the death. He was not a fool. The other party dared to make a move, and the moment they did, it was a trapping and killing Formation of this level; clearly, it was premeditated. They were not afraid of the reputation of the Tianyu Holy Land at all.

"Extermination of nine generations?"

Standing in the center of the square, "Chen Dahai" brushed off the collar that had been crumpled by Black Fiend. The image of that humble, mercenary fat man was rapidly fading. He slowly raised his head, and those eyes that had originally been murky were now surging with mockery and coldness.

"Do you people from the Tianyu Holy Land know any other fresh words besides using the Sect to suppress others?"

Chen Xu's voice was no longer the high-pitched fawning from before, but had become deep and heavy, carrying a majesty unique to someone in a high position.

As his words fell, his body began to make crackling sounds of bones. The originally bloated, fat body rapidly grew taller and straightened, the loose skin becoming tight. That face full of grease also dissipated like a phantom, revealing the chiseled face beneath. A cyan robe fluttered loudly in the wind. The terrifying pressure of the Void Refining Stage was no longer concealed, sweeping across the entire scene like a tsunami.

"Let's reintroduce ourselves."

Chen Xu stood with his hands behind his back, a faint sneer hanging on his face: "Chen Xu, the very same one you traveled thousands of miles to find... that ant from the Lower Realm."

...

Seeing this scene, The Black and White Elders were struck as if by lightning, their entire bodies freezing in mid-air.

That face... even if it turned to ash, they would recognize this face!

It was the owner of this face who had erupted in violence in the mine, taking a group of lowly trash from the Lower Realm and escaping the mining field. At that time, that wanted poster had been plastered all over every city under the jurisdiction of the Tianyu Holy Land.

"It's you?! That Lower Realm mine slave who led the riot?!"

White Fiend shrieked, his voice distorted by shock: "How is this possible?! Before, you were clearly only at the Early Stage of Soul Transformation, and your Realm wasn't even stable!"

Black Fiend's eyes widened even further; the bone beads in his hands almost slipped: "Void Refining Stage... you are actually already at the Void Refining Stage?! This is absolutely impossible!"

"Even the Daoist Child of the Holy Land could not possibly have this speed of Cultivation!"

At this moment, their worldview was hit by an unprecedented shock. In the Cultivation World, the higher one goes, the more each small Realm improvement requires decades or centuries of accumulation. Not to mention crossing a major Realm.

Half a year, jumping from the Early Stage of Soul Transformation to the Early Void Refining Stage? This is simply telling a ghost story!

"Could it be... that tai xu realm stone?!"

A flash of inspiration struck White Fiend's mind, and he stared fixedly at Chen Xu: "It must be that you used that tai xu realm stone to steal the Origin of space, forcibly raising your cultivation! It must be like that!"

Besides this explanation, they really couldn't think of any other reason that could explain this absurd phenomenon.

"Only realized it now? Too late."

Chen Xu had no interest in explaining what a System was to two people about to die. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he stomped one foot violently on the Void Realm.

"Since you have come, leave your lives behind; consider it collecting some interest!"

Before the words fell, the Void Realm behind Chen Xu suddenly twisted violently. A purple-gold giant phantom, hundreds of zhang tall, emerged with a boom. This giant's face was blurred, yet it emitted a vast and ancient aura from the primordial wilderness. It was as if a god or demon born when heaven and earth first opened. The Grandmist Dharmic Image!

As Chen Xu's cultivation stabilized at the Early Void Refining Stage, this Dharmic Image also became increasingly solid. The phenomenon of the sun, moon, and stars rotating even faintly appeared on its body.

"Not good! Attack!"

Black Fiend felt the terrifying pressure emitted from that Dharmic Image. He knew that if they didn't act now, there would really be no chance left.

"Yin and Yang reversal, dual fiends as one!"

The two shouted almost simultaneously; years of tacit understanding allowed them to complete their coordination in an instant. Black Fiend's whole body rolled with black Qi, transforming into a ghostly Domain as pitch-black as ink. Inside, ten thousand ghosts wailed, and sinister winds blew in gusts. White Fiend, on the other hand, was pale all over; as he waved the mourning stick, a pale, dead silence Domain unfolded. It was as if it could freeze a person's Divine Soul.