183: Xuanhe Zhenren, late Xuanxiang

After leaving the inn, Xie Weilou walked towards an open-air wine stall where several Xuanhuang Realm cultivators were gathered, drinking and chatting.

"Fellow Daoists, I am Fan Wujiu. May I have a drink with you all?"

Xie Weilou stepped forward, cupped his fists slightly towards the group, and revealed a trace of his Xuanhuang Realm aura.

Seeing this, the cultivators smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course, Fellow Daoist Fan, please have a seat."

"Thank you all."

Xie Weilou smiled and sat down beside them.

"I am Huang Sheng. Fellow Daoist Fan, your name is quite unique!"

One of the cultivators said jokingly.

Xie Weilou chuckled, not minding the topic. He began, "Fan happened to pass through Zhao Family City this time, and this Zhao Family City is truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside."

Huang Sheng said with a solemn expression, "Zhao Family City is naturally not simple. The Zhao family is a cultivating family. I heard that Zhao Heng, the Zhao family head, is a strong practitioner at the Tuojiang Realm Peak, but he is not the most terrifying. The most terrifying is the Zhao family's Old Ancestor, Zhao Hai, who is a powerful practitioner at the Dao Repository Realm Peak."

"Dao Repository Realm Peak?"

Xie Weilou feigned surprise.

Another cultivator whispered, "My background is a bit special, and I know a bit about the Zhao family. Actually, behind the Zhao family is Hengyuan Sect, the number one cultivation sect in Heng Province. I heard that the Zhao family also has an even more mysterious and unfathomable Old Ancestor serving as an elder in Hengyuan Sect, which is why the Zhao family can be so powerful."

"An even more mysterious and unfathomable Old Ancestor? Could it be a Profound Manifestation Realm cultivator?"

Xie Weilou was a bit surprised.

The cultivator nodded slightly: "Eight or nine times out of ten. Very few people know about this, but I happen to know."

Xie Weilou looked at this cultivator and asked curiously, "May I ask which great sect this Fellow Daoist comes from?"

The cultivator smiled and cupped his fists, saying, "I am Ke Jiu from the Mist Hidden Gate of Heng Province! This time, I'm accompanying my elder here to handle some matters, and some information I've heard also came from my elder."

Mist Hidden Gate is the second largest cultivation sect in Heng Province and has always been in competition with Hengyuan Sect, so it naturally understands Hengyuan Sect's situation very well.

That Old Ancestor of the Zhao family was very well hidden, but he couldn't hide from the Mist Hidden Gate.

Xie Weilou quickly cupped his fists and said, "So it's a Fellow Daoist from the Mist Hidden Gate, a pleasure to meet you."

Ke Jiu pondered, "Brother Fan, meeting is fate, so I must give you a tip. Recently, Zhao Family City has been very strange, with cultivators mysteriously disappearing. If you are just passing through, it's better to leave early. We are here to handle matters, but we won't stay long; we will leave in three days."

"In three days? Is there something special happening?"

Xie Weilou asked.

Ke Jiu nodded slightly: "The Zhao family plans to hold a Profound Pill Conference in three days. I heard that powerful alchemists will appear, and powerful elixirs will be brought out. We came here with our elders to see if we can obtain those elixirs."

In recent years, the cultivation of the Zhao family members has surged, definitely due to consuming powerful elixirs. Now that they are holding a Profound Pill Conference, it naturally makes many cultivators eager.

Of course, the people from Mist Hidden Gate came here for other reasons as well. Some time ago, a prodigy from Mist Hidden Gate mysteriously disappeared, and this incident is suspected to be the work of the Zhao family.

Xie Weilou cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for the reminder! Fan will leave very soon."

"Mm!"

Ke Jiu smiled and nodded.

Half an hour passed.

Everyone had drunk quite a bit.

Xie Weilou put down the silver coins and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, this round of drinks is on Fan. Farewell!"

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Fan."

The few people nodded slightly.

Xie Weilou turned and left, Lin Qinghuang should have also investigated quite a bit of information by now.

——

In an alley.

Lin Qinghuang wore a black robe; although her face had changed, her figure was excellent, still making people incredibly moved.

At this moment, four Shackle Realm (Peak) cultivators from the Zhao family surrounded her.

Not far away, a woman in a pink dress with an arrogant face was holding a treasure-hunting spirit mouse. She gently stroked the treasure-hunting mouse's head and sneered, "This person has a treasure on her, which makes the treasure-hunting mouse so excited. This situation is rare. Kill her for me!"

Her name is Zhao Qian, the eldest young lady of the Zhao family, with a cultivation at the Late Stage of the Shackles Realm.

In this Zhao Family City, the people of the Zhao family are the masters.

She always carried a treasure-hunting mouse with her. As long as a cultivator entered the City, if they had any special treasures, she would intercept and seize the treasures.

"As you command!"

The four cultivators sneered and instantly attacked Lin Qinghuang. They had clearly done this many times and were extremely skilled.

"......"

Lin Qinghuang glanced at the few people with an indifferent expression. She took a step forward, and her finger moved.

Tear!

Before the four cultivators could react, their necks instantly snapped, blood gushed out, and they died tragically.

"What?"

Zhao Qian's expression was startled. These four cultivators were all at the Shackle Realm (Peak), yet they were killed instantly?

Lin Qinghuang instantly appeared in front of Zhao Qian, grabbing her by the neck and directly immobilizing her.

Zhao Qian's body trembled. She tried to resist, but found that all the power in her body was suppressed and difficult to mobilize, which caused a hint of fear to arise in her heart.

She said sharply, "I am Zhao Qian, the eldest young lady of the Zhao family. If you dare to touch me, there will be no place for you in the entire Heng Province..."

"Noisy!"

Lin Qinghuang's expression was indifferent. She squeezed hard.

Boom!

Zhao Qian was instantly crushed into a bloody mist.

Chirp chirp!

The treasure-hunting mouse fell to the ground and quickly fled for its life.

Lin Qinghuang waved her hand casually. Before the treasure-hunting mouse could escape far, she put it into a peculiar storage bag.

Xie Weilou walked over and said with a faint smile, "Qinghuang is truly a ruthless woman. She just arrived in Zhao Family City and already killed the eldest young lady. Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by the Zhao family?"

"......"

Lin Qinghuang gave Xie Weilou a speechless look.

Xie Weilou came to Lin Qinghuang's side and asked, "How is the investigation going?"

Lin Qinghuang pondered, "The Tianquan Division's secret agent was killed and didn't transmit much information, but tonight I found out some things. That Mystic Crane True Person is a Profound Appearance Realm Late Stage cultivator and comes from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect."

"Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?"

Xie Weilou had read so many novels that he was not unfamiliar with such sects, which were generally based on beast-taming.

It's just that this Mystic Crane True Person is a demon, so what is his identity in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?

Lin Qinghuang said, "The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is a cultivation sect in Great Xia. Cultivators of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect like to control beasts in combat, which is quite extraordinary. What's interesting is that in the northern demon kingdom, there is also a sect called the Ten Thousand Demons Gate. This Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has some connection with the Ten Thousand Demons Gate, so I suspect that Mystic Crane True Person actually comes from the Ten Thousand Demons Gate and is just lurking in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect."

She continued, "In three days, the Zhao family will hold a Profound Pill Conference, inviting many cultivators to attend. The true purpose is to refine the Myriad Spirit Blood Pill..."

"Myriad Spirit Blood Pill?"

Xie Weilou's eyes narrowed.

The Myriad Spirit Blood Pill is a fifth-grade elixir. Refining this elixir goes against the will of heaven. This elixir requires refining with the flesh, blood, and power of living beings. After consuming it, one's cultivation can rapidly increase, with heaven-defying effects.

However, to refine one Myriad Spirit Blood Pill, at least ten thousand people must be sacrificed.

There are not ten thousand cultivators in the City, so many common people would have to be refined as well.

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, there is indeed no reason, only strength.