27: Chapter 26 A slight furrow in his brow!

The battle at the Yunnong Mountain Range ensured that Chu Xiao's name was destined to shake the region.

However, he did not choose to return to the Tianyan Sect.

For now, it was best not to expose the secrets of the Primordial Dao Body and the primordial dao spring spirit liquid to anyone's sight.

Moreover, although the Li Family of Linyun Town had suffered heavy losses, a centipede dies but never falls down. It was still unknown whether they had an even more formidable backer behind them.

Before possessing absolute self-preservation strength, temporarily avoiding the limelight was the best strategy.

He traveled eastward, traversing tens of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.

After half a month, he finally arrived at a massive city far more magnificent and imposing than any he had ever seen — Qiankun City.

The city walls, towering like a dragon, stood a hundred zhang high, constructed entirely from an unknown type of black giant stone.

Their surfaces were engraved with intricate and ancient Formation patterns.

They emanated a heart-palpitating, majestic pressure.

The characters 'Qiankun' above the city gate were written with powerful, sweeping strokes, as if containing some divine charm of the great Dao. Just a single glance was enough to make one's mind sway.

Inside the city was another world entirely.

The broad streets were wide enough for dozens of beast-drawn carriages to travel side-by-side. The pavement, paved with blue jade stones, was as smooth and clean as a mirror.

On both sides, magnificent buildings with jade-like eaves stood row upon row, their soaring pavilions and vermilion balconies reaching straight into the clouds.

In the sky, Cultivators riding Magic Treasures or Spirit Beasts occasionally whistled past, leaving behind trails of brilliant light.

What surprised Chu Xiao was that the overall strength of the Cultivators here was far beyond that of remote places like Linyun Town.

Among the Cultivators coming and going on the streets, even the weakest seemed to be at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Occasionally, he could sense a few obscure yet powerful auras — they were unmistakably experts at the Golden Core Stage!

In this Qiankun City, Golden Core experts did not seem to be as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns.

Chu Xiao felt a chill in his heart. His cultivation at the ninth level Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm was enough to dominate everything in the Tianyan Sect's Outer Sect, but in this Qiankun City teeming with experts, it seemed somewhat inadequate.

He found a tavern in the city named 'Youjian Inn'.

He took a quiet, superior room and settled in.

Inside the room, Chu Xiao sat cross-legged, his mind calm.

He was not in a hurry to Cultivate. Instead, he began to sort out his thoughts and plan for the future.

"One month from now is the day the Feixiao Secret Realm opens."

This was information he had obtained from Yue Manjiang.

The Feixiao Secret Realm was a large Secret Realm in this region that opened only once every ten years. It was filled with treasures and countless opportunities. Every time it opened, it attracted prodigies from all over.

Such a grand event was nothing less than a sumptuous feast for Chu Xiao, who possessed the 'System'.

In his eyes, those so-called favored sons of heaven were merely mobile treasure troves.

He had already decided: he absolutely must go to this Feixiao Secret Realm!

"However, my current cultivation level is still too low."

A trace of gravity flashed in Chu Xiao's eyes.

The ninth level Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm sounded like it was only a step away from the great path of the Golden Core. But having personally slain a Golden Core expert, he deeply understood the vast, cloud-and-mud difference a single major Realm could make.

If not for him possessing the Primordial Dao Body, cultivating the Earth-Grade Cultivation Technique 'Golden Cauldron Jade Art', and having a domineering sword technique like the 'Wind and Cloud Xun Thunder Sword Technique' by his side...

...he would have had not the slightest chance of victory against an established Golden Core expert like Second Elder Li Qingcang.

And in the upcoming Feixiao Secret Realm, he would have to face far more than just one or two Golden Core experts.

Those long-famous Sect prodigies and monstrous talents from great families — who among them didn't have a few life-saving trump cards hidden up their sleeves?

He must break through to the Golden Core Stage as soon as possible!

Only then would he possess the true qualification to be a player in the upcoming storm of events.

Fortunately, the Primordial Dao Body was supremely profound, allowing him to Cultivate without any Bottlenecks whatsoever.

During this half-month journey, he had been operating the 'Golden Cauldron Jade Art' incessantly. The chaotic golden light spiritual power within his body had become increasingly pure and condensed, his Foundation solidified to an unbelievable degree.

He had a premonition that as long as he had a suitable Opportunity, he could naturally and effortlessly take that step.

Just as Chu Xiao was deep in thought, a commotion suddenly arose from the main hall downstairs.

A group of seven or eight people, dressed in identical cyan robes, entered the inn with an extraordinary bearing.

The cuffs of their robes were embroidered with a golden thread pattern of swirling mist.

Leading them was a young man with a face like carved jade and eyes like stars. A long sword hung at his waist, his steps steady, his entire body exuding a sharp and confident aura. He was unmistakably at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And the several people behind him were also experts at the mid to Late Stages of Foundation Establishment.

The appearance of this group caused the originally somewhat noisy main hall to quiet down considerably.

Many Cultivators, upon seeing the mist pattern on their clothing, showed expressions of wariness, lowering their heads and not daring to meet their gaze.

"Innkeeper, bring your best wine and dishes, and open a few superior rooms for us."

The leading young man paid no attention to the looks from others. He simply found an empty table and sat down casually, his voice clear and resonant, carrying an air of command.

"Right away! Please wait a moment, honored guests!"

The waiter scurried over, bowing and scraping, full of enthusiasm.

After several rounds of food and drink, one of the Disciples, who seemed a bit impatient by nature, couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Ye, is the target of our mission, the Thousand-Mile Smoke-Extinguisher Zhou Han, really hiding in this Qiankun City? This place is a mixed bag, teeming with powerful experts. Finding one person here is no different from fishing for a needle in the sea."

The leading young man addressed as Senior Brother Ye was none other than Ye Lingyun.

He took a sip of wine, a confident smile on his face, and said calmly, "The Sect's intelligence is never wrong. That Zhou Han is severely injured. Qiankun City is the only place where he could possibly hide to recover."

"The most dangerous place is often also the safest."

Another Disciple chimed in, "But Senior Brother, I heard that the guys from the Jiuyou Sect and the Divine Weapon Sect also got the news and are rushing towards Qiankun City. If they get there first, won't our trip be in vain?"

"Hmph, the demoness of the Jiuyou Sect, the brutes of the Divine Weapon Sect... a bunch of clowns."

A flicker of disdain passed through Ye Lingyun's eyes. "They think we're chasing Zhou Han for that paltry bounty of fifty thousand Spirit Stones? How laughable."

He lowered his voice, but the arrogance in his tone was unmistakable. His words clearly reached the ears of every Cultivator present, naturally including Chu Xiao upstairs.

"Do you know why Zhou Han is called the 'Thousand-Mile Smoke-Extinguisher'? In his early years, he was nothing but a lowly Loose Cultivator. By chance, he obtained an incomplete Secret Manual from an ancient Immortal Cave."

"It was precisely by relying on this manual that he managed to rise from the Qi Refining Realm all the way to the Peak of Foundation Establishment in just ten short years, his hands stained with the blood of over a hundred Cultivators of the same rank."

"An incomplete Cultivation Technique has such power?" Upon hearing this, all the Disciples gasped in shock.

A brilliant light burst from Ye Lingyun's eyes as he slowly said, "That Cultivation Technique is called the 'Great Tablet-Shattering Formula'. Although its grade is only Low Grade Profound, its power is enough to rival ordinary Medium Grade Profound techniques! It is domineering and peerless, capable of shattering anything!"

Low Grade Profound, rivaling Medium Grade Profound!

As these words fell, the entire main hall fell into dead silence. Countless gazes filled with greed and shock focused on Ye Lingyun.

Ye Lingyun thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention. He raised his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and declared with an air of unquestionable authority, "Our mission is to find Zhou Han before the people from the Jiuyou Sect and the Divine Weapon Sect arrive, and seize the 'Great Tablet-Shattering Formula' from him! Such a divine art is only worthy of being possessed by our Yunhai Sect!"

Yunhai Sect!

Upstairs, Chu Xiao's brow raised slightly. He had heard of this Yunhai Sect. Like his own Tianyan Sect, it was one of the four great Sects of this region, with formidable strength. If their Foundations were compared, the Tianyan Sect was actually slightly inferior. He hadn't expected to encounter Disciples of such a Sect so soon after arriving in Qiankun City.

What interested him even more was that 'Great Tablet-Shattering Formula'.

Although his 'Demon-Subduing Fist' had reached Perfection, its grade was ultimately only Medium Grade Yellow. As his cultivation improved, it was gradually becoming inadequate.

If he could obtain this Profound-Grade technique, his close-combat strength would undoubtedly undergo another qualitative leap.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiao's heart stirred.

He silently made his way downstairs, his gaze falling on the spirited leading Disciple of the Yunhai Sect, Ye Lingyun.

"System, Insight into the Heavenly Secrets!" he silently recited in his heart.

In an instant, the System's light screen popped up once more.

When he clearly saw the lines of shimmering text displayed on the screen, even with Chu Xiao's current steady Heart-Nature and firm Dao Heart, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow!