84: Chapter 84 The Nine Nether Sect's Deceitful Acts

Chu Xiao withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to that loser who could no longer stir up any trouble.

He looked back at his actions today, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

In the original script, Yao Qianxue would have developed a favorable impression of Jiang Bai's unyielding spirit in the face of adversity.

Lin Ruyuan would have become the first experience pack for Jiang Bai to counter-kill and seize treasures.

But now, looking at Jiang Bai's crazed appearance, Yao Qianxue felt nothing but disgust and revulsion.

As for Lin Ruyuan, he at least managed to keep his small life.

The feeling of personally turning the wheel of fate and watching the script go in a completely different direction...

...made him very satisfied.

...

Jiang Bai's farce was just a minor interlude.

After he was dragged out, the auction continued.

The beautiful woman auctioneer on the high platform quickly adjusted her emotions.

With an even more enthusiastic voice, she introduced the next auction item.

“Everyone! The next treasure is one of the grand finale treasures of this auction! High Grade defensive spiritual armor, the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Armor!”

A maid presented a jade tray, upon which lay an inner armor that was jet-black all over and shimmered with a metallic luster.

Mysterious Formation patterns were engraved upon the armor plates.

They faintly formed a lifelike phantom of a Black Tortoise, and a heavy, solid aura rushed towards the audience.

“This armor is refined from Thousand-Year Profound Iron Essence, supplemented by the shell of a Deep-Sea Black Tortoise. It can withstand a full-strength strike from a Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator! The starting price is one million Low-Grade Spirit Stones!”

This price caused another stir.

But this time, no one thought it was outrageous.

A life-saving High Grade defensive Spiritual Artifact was definitely worth this price.

“One million one hundred thousand!”

“One million two hundred thousand!”

Bidding voices rose one after another, quickly pushing the price up to 1.5 million.

Just then, a voice rang out from the VIP seats.

“One million eight hundred thousand!”

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice; it was none other than Lin Ruyuan of the Lin family!

Once this price was announced, it indeed made many competitors back down.

Ultimately, with no one else competing, he won the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Armor for the price of 1.8 million Spirit Stones.

The auction finally neared its end, and amidst the noise, the crowd began to leave one after another.

Chu Xiao led Xu Linger out of the private room as well.

...

Outside Tianyuan City, at a remote mass grave.

Jiang Bai was thrown here like trash. He struggled to crawl up from the ground.

His entire body emitted a nauseating, sour stench.

“Pfft!”

He could no longer suppress it and spat out another mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.

The scenes from the auction replayed in his mind like a nightmare.

Chu Xiao's indifference, the crowd's mockery, Lin Ruyuan's humiliation.

And finally, the ignominy of being dragged out.

“Aaaah! Chu Xiao! I, Jiang Bai, will not rest until you are dead!”

He looked like a madman, roaring at the sky, his voice filled with endless malice and killing intent.

“Kid, calm down! Now is not the time to go crazy!”

Inside the ring, Master Dog's voice rang out just in time, pulling him back from the brink of collapse: “I told you a long time ago that someone was following us!”

Jiang Bai was startled, the madness in his eyes instantly replaced by killing intent.

He looked around and saw several entrances to the mass grave.

Four sneaky figures were slowly surrounding him.

Leading them was the very same One-Eyed Dragon who had bid against him for the Bronze Fragment at the auction.

“Hehehe, kid, hand over everything valuable you have on you!”

One-Eyed Dragon grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his eyes filled with greed: “Especially those two Medium Grade Spiritual Artifacts and that decent long spear of yours! Hand them over voluntarily, and I might just leave you an intact corpse!”

The other three Loose Cultivators also had cruel smiles, blocking all of Jiang Bai's paths of retreat.

Among the four of them, the lowest cultivation was at the third level of the Golden Core.

And One-Eyed Dragon was an expert at the sixth level of the Golden Core.

In their eyes, the youth before them, whose Dao Heart had collapsed and who was severely injured...

...was already fish on the chopping block, at their mercy.

Looking at them, the fury in Jiang Bai's heart finally found an outlet.

Instead of being afraid, he revealed a ferocious smile.

“You want my things?”

He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice cold, “Then trade your lives for them!”

Before his voice could fade, the long spear in his hand...

...let out a resonant metallic cry!

Upon the crimson spear shaft, a bloody light flared brilliantly!

A violent aura erupted boisterously!

“Courting death!”

One-Eyed Dragon's face darkened; he hadn't expected this kid to dare resist even when death was imminent.

He shouted, and a Ghost-headed Great Saber appeared in his hand out of thin air, slashing down toward Jiang Bai!

The other three also summoned their Magic Treasures, attacking Jiang Bai from three directions!

However, at this moment, Jiang Bai was already blinded by rage.

There was only one thought in his mind: kill!

Kill everyone in front of him!

“Burning Heaven Spear Art!”

He poured all the meager Qi remaining in his body into the long spear!

The spear struck like a dragon!

Crimson spear shadows, carrying scorching air waves...

...instantly filled the entire space!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Three muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

Those three Loose Cultivators at the Early Stage of the Golden Core didn't even have time to let out a scream.

Their protective spiritual lights were instantly pierced by the spear shadows.

Their bodies were torn to shreds by the violent spear Qi!

“What?!”

Before One-Eyed Dragon's Ghost-headed Great Saber could even descend, he saw his three companions die instantly!

He was terrified beyond measure, only then realizing that he had kicked a steel plate!

This youth was not some lamb to be slaughtered, but a Vicious Beast!

Without a second thought, he turned to flee!

“Thinking of leaving now? Too late!”

Jiang Bai's voice rang out behind him.

A blood-colored spear beam, fast as lightning, instantly caught up to One-Eyed Dragon.

It pierced straight through the center of his back!

“Ugh...”

One-Eyed Dragon lowered his head, looking at the bowl-sized bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of bloody foam as his body crashed to the ground, his life force extinguished.

At the mass grave, the smell of blood permeated the air.

Jiang Bai leaned on his long spear, gasping for breath, his face even paler.

That battle just now had nearly exhausted all of his Qi.

He looked at the four corpses on the ground, but there was no sense of satisfaction in his eyes.

Only an even denser malice.

He stepped forward and skillfully collected the Storage Pouches of the four men.

Sweeping through them with his Divine Thought, there were only a few hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones in total...

...along with some low-grade Medicinal Pills and Magic Treasures.

“Not enough... nowhere near enough!”

“Chu Xiao! Lin Ruyuan! Tianbao Pavilion! Just you wait! Today's humiliation, I, Jiang Bai, will return it a hundredfold!”

He roared frantically in his heart, and his figure soon disappeared into the night.

...

Moon-Gazing Pavilion, the top-tier restaurant in Tianyuan City.

Inside the 'Heaven' rank private room on the top floor, Lin Ruyuan was full of smiles.

He kept serving dishes to Chu Xiao and Xu Linger.

Ever since the two left the auction house, Lin Ruyuan had followed them!

He insisted on playing the host!

He was no fool!

After all, Chu Xiao's reputation was there!

If he could form a connection, it would naturally be of great benefit!

The entire table of dishes consisted of expensive spiritual food, and the wine was spiritual wine over a hundred years old.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food...

...Lin Ruyuan saw that the atmosphere was right and took a brocade box from his Storage Pouch, respectfully handing it to Chu Xiao.

“Immortal Master Chu, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it!”

Chu Xiao opened the brocade box. Lying quietly inside was none other than the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Armor.

“The Immortal Master's Divine Might is unparalleled; such an ordinary item naturally won't catch your Dharma Eye. But I truly do not know how else to express my respect, so I can only offer this to show my sincerity!”

Lin Ruyuan kept his posture extremely low.

Chu Xiao glanced at the spiritual armor, casually closed the box, and said indifferently: “You are thoughtful.”

Seeing Chu Xiao accept it, Lin Ruyuan was overjoyed, feeling that he had firmly secured this powerful connection.

Chu Xiao picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then seemed to remember something.

He also took something out of his Storage Pouch and casually tossed it onto the table.

It was that rusty Bronze Fragment.

“I see that you have some fate with this object, so I shall gift it to you.”

Chu Xiao's tone was as if he were dismissing a servant.

Lin Ruyuan looked at the scrap of copper that Chu Xiao had spent 300,000 Spirit Stones on, and for which Jiang Bai had fought desperately, and he was completely stunned.

He... he's giving this kind of divine object to me?

After a brief moment of daze, an indescribable wild joy instantly rushed to his head!

Trembling, he held the Bronze Fragment in his hands.

He was so excited he was incoherent: “Thank... thank you for the reward, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!”

In his view, Chu Xiao's action was undoubtedly a form of recognition!

He could already see himself using this divine object to greatly advance his cultivation, rising rapidly from then on to become a man above men!

Chu Xiao looked at his ecstatic appearance, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly!

Through his eyes of Luck, he could clearly see...

...that Lin Ruyuan's Luck, which had turned dark because he offended Jiang Bai, had stabilized after receiving this divine object, and there was even a faint sign of turning danger into safety.

It seemed that abandoning the original Son of Heavens Destiny and turning to side with a great villain like himself...

...had inadvertently allowed him to avoid a fatal calamity.

This fate was truly interesting.

The meal ended amidst Lin Ruyuan's constant flattery and Chu Xiao's indifference.

Leaving the Moon-Gazing Pavilion, they walked along the cold street.

Xu Linger followed beside Chu Xiao, several times looking like she wanted to speak but stopping.

“What do you want to say?”

Chu Xiao suddenly spoke.

Xu Linger was startled, her pretty face turning slightly red as she whispered: “Junior Brother Chu, that Lin Ruyuan is not a good person, you...”

“I know.”

Chu Xiao interrupted her: “He's just a dog that knows how to wag its tail for pity. Keeping him might be useful later.”

Xu Linger nodded as if she partially understood, asking no more.

Chu Xiao suddenly stopped.

He handed the brocade box containing the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Armor to her.

“Take it.”

“Ah?”

Xu Linger was stunned. “Junior Brother, this is what Lin Ruyuan gave to you...”

“It's just a Spiritual Artifact; it's useless to me.”

“You need this for protection. Your safety is more important than anything.”

Xu Linger's heart trembled violently.

She looked up, meeting Chu Xiao's eyes!

“But... this is too precious...”

She was still declining, but her voice grew smaller and smaller.

Chu Xiao didn't say anything more; he simply took a step forward and reached out...

...gently pulling her into his embrace.

Xu Linger's delicate body suddenly stiffened, and her mind went completely blank!

"Be good."

Chu Xiao's voice rang in her ear.

Xu Linger felt a wave of heat spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

She gave up all resistance.

She buried her head gently against Chu Xiao's chest and nodded vigorously.

"Mm..."

The night was like water, and the moonlight was bright and clear.

Chu Xiao lowered his head, looking at the beautiful face in his arms that was as red as the sunset clouds, and slowly leaned in for a kiss.

The night was like water, and the moonlight was bright and clear.

The moment Chu Xiao lowered his head to kiss her, Xu Linger's body stiffened and her mind went blank.

Her initial panic and shyness were soon overwhelmed by a surging tide of sweetness and happiness.

A long time passed...

Xu Linger's face was so red it looked like it could bleed. She buried her head deep into Chu Xiao's chest.

She didn't dare look into his eyes, feeling her entire body burning up.

"Let's head back."

Chu Xiao's voice sounded in her ear, incredibly gentle.

"Mm..."

Xu Linger's voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a heavy nasal tone.

Chu Xiao said nothing more, simply taking her hand.

Under the moonlight, they walked slowly toward the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.

Xu Linger let him lead her, keeping her head down as she watched their elongated shadows under the moon.

Chu Xiao's heart was equally calm.

Establishing a relationship with Xu Linger was, for him, not just a natural progression of emotions, but also an important Move on the chessboard.

Xu Linger possessed the Profound Yin Cold Body and was designated as one of the Sect's future cores, a treasure in the eyes of countless Elders.

What the Sect feared most was a Prodigy like her...

...being lured away by the sweet talk of some lowlife from another Sect.

As for himself, the most dazzling Prodigy in the history of the Tianyan Sect, becoming her Dao Companion would only be seen as a welcome development by the Sect's upper echelons, and they might even provide great support.

Back at the Moon-Gazing Pavilion, after seeing the still-blushing Xu Linger back to her room...

Chu Xiao returned to his own Heaven-grade room.

He closed the door and set up several soundproofing and defensive Formations, instantly isolating the room from the outside world.

He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat and began to take stock of tonight's gains.

Returning Void Realm Cultivation General Outline - Fragmentary Chapter.

God-Suppressing Prison Finger!

This was his greatest harvest.

The two opportunities he had intercepted had been returned through the System.

Their value had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

"The Son of Heavens Destiny truly is a walking treasure vault."

Chu Xiao sighed emotionally in his heart.

Just one Jiang Bai had brought him such a bountiful return.

This made him feel even more...

...

...anticipation for the Liyang Cave Heaven, which would be opened jointly by all the major Sects in over a month.

That Liyang Cave Heaven was the stage where Jiang Bai would truly rise.

Within that Secret Realm lay his greatest Opportunity.

"Liyang Cave Heaven, eh... When the time comes, I'll crush this ant into ashes once and for all."

Thinking of this, Chu Xiao stopped thinking about Jiang Bai, who had already been reduced to a stray dog.

His mind sank into the two rewards.

First, he looked at the Heaven Rank Divine Ability called 'God-Suppressing Prison Finger'.

Countless profound characters flowed through his Sea of Consciousness.

Eventually, they converged into an abstruse and obscure formula.

This Divine Ability had already transcended the scope of ordinary Cultivation Techniques; it was a direct application of the Law of Suppression.

With one finger, he could mobilize the power of heaven and earth, transforming it into an invisible divine prison to suppress all things and extinguish life.

Its power far exceeded any immortal art he currently mastered.

However, such a Divine Ability was also extremely difficult to Cultivate.

It was not the work of a single day.

Chu Xiao temporarily committed it to memory, planning to find a quiet place to Cultivate diligently after returning to the Sect.

Then, his gaze turned toward the 'Returning Void Realm Cultivation General Outline - Fragmentary Chapter'.

Unlike the God-Suppressing Prison Finger, this general outline was not a specific Divine Ability or technique.

Rather, it was an exposition on the Immortal Dao.

It was the crystallization of a Returning Void Realm powerhouse's lifelong insights into cultivation.

"Absorb."

With a thought from Chu Xiao...

Boom!

In an instant, a torrent of information erupted, surging into his Sea of Consciousness!

It was a vast ocean of cultivation!

Countless Profound Truths of the Immortal Dao evolved within it.

Every trajectory contained the rhythm of the Dao. Every collision sparked the flames of Law.

Chu Xiao's mind seemed to transform into a small boat.

Drifting with the waves in this ocean.

He saw a saber slash out, reversing the galaxy and dimming the sun and moon.

He saw a spear thrust out, shattering the void and causing all Laws to wither.

He saw a punch thrown, making heaven and earth resonate and gods and demons bow their heads.

...

These insights were too majestic and too profound.

With Chu Xiao's current Realm, he could only barely glimpse a corner of it.

But even this corner was enough to cause a complete transformation in him.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Xiao slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes remained calm.

Yet they were deeper than before, as if they contained a starry sky that one could not see the bottom of.

His temperament had also undergone a subtle change.

If the previous Chu Xiao was a peerless divine weapon hidden in its sheath!

Then the current him was more like a deep, ancient well.

Unruffled, yet unfathomable.

As those insights integrated, his understanding of Immortal Dao Moves also surged at this moment!

Buzz!

Chu Xiao held his fingers like a sword and made a casual swipe forward.

In the air, a sword mark invisible to the naked eye flashed and vanished, yet its presence lingered for a long time.

The space around that sword mark rippled slightly.

As if it had been severed by this strike.

"Sword Intent."

Chu Xiao murmured to himself.

Not just Sword Intent, he could clearly feel that his True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch had also increased!

In the Immortal Dao Concept, every ten percent is a different world.

Any slight improvement!

The gap created cannot be measured by logic.

Now, he could feel that even a casual punch or kick could unleash power...

...several times stronger than before!

"The insights of a Returning Void Realm Cultivator are indeed extraordinary."

Chu Xiao slowly stood up, feeling the surging power within his body, feeling very satisfied.

This night's harvest was comparable to decades of bitter cultivation for an ordinary Cultivator.

...

The next day, the Fighting Arena in Tianyuan City was bustling with people.

The second round of the True Disciple Competition was about to begin.

When Chu Xiao and Xu Linger walked into the venue side by side, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Xu Linger walked beside Chu Xiao, her face reddening slightly as she felt the complex gazes around her.

But her heart was filled with peace.

She stole a glance at Chu Xiao beside her, and her heart skipped a beat.

She discovered that after not seeing him for just one night, Junior Brother Chu seemed a bit different again.

He was still as calm and indifferent as ever.

But that unfathomable aura about him had become even more pronounced.

Standing beside him, Xu Linger could even feel an inexplicable pressure.

It made her involuntarily feel small.

This change startled her, but it also made her love and admiration grow even deeper.

On the high platform, Immortal Master Ling Yun, the leading Elder of the Tianyan Sect...

...also noticed the change in Chu Xiao, a flash of surprise crossing his cloudy eyes.

"This kid's aura seems to have improved quite a bit again... Truly a monster."

Soon, the drawing of lots began.

After the first round of eliminations, those who remained were basically the elite Disciples of the various Sects; there were no more mediocre ones.

"First match: Tianyan Sect, Xu Linger, versus Divine Sword Sect, Zhao Feng!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Linger nodded to Chu Xiao, her figure moving as she landed gracefully on the Fighting Arena.

Her opponent was the third-ranked True Disciple of Divine Sword Peak.

With a Golden Core eighth-layer cultivation, his strength was decent.

But before Xu Linger, who possessed the Profound Yin Cold Body, he was still not enough.

In just a dozen rounds...

...that Zhao Feng was defeated by Xu Linger's sword and left the stage in a sorry state.

In the next few matches, the top-ranked True Disciples of the major Sects, such as the top Genius of the Wanfa Sect, all displayed crushing strength, easily defeating their respective opponents and successfully advancing.

The atmosphere also grew increasingly heated with each brilliant duel.

"Next match! Tianyan Sect, Chu Xiao! Versus! Jiuyou Sect, Zhou Sen!"

When the referee loudly announced the match list, the entire Fighting Arena first fell into an eerie silence.

Then, a mountain-shaking wave of discussion erupted.

"Chu Xiao! It's finally his turn to take the stage!"

"His opponent is Zhou Sen of the Jiuyou Sect? I remember he's the second True Disciple of the Jiuyou Sect, with a Peak Golden Core ninth-layer cultivation, extremely strong!"

"So what if he's strong? Didn't the first True Disciple of the Jiuyou Sect also die at Chu Xiao's hands? I bet this Zhou Sen will either surrender directly or just go through the motions. He wouldn't dare gamble with his life, would he?"

In the spectator stands, almost no one favored Zhou Sen.

In their eyes, Chu Xiao now had a fearsome reputation; having slain two great geniuses, he was already an existence that the younger generation could not afford to provoke.

Although this Zhou Sen was also a Genius, compared to Chu Xiao, he was ultimately more than a notch below.

However, at the Jiuyou Sect's seating area, the atmosphere was one of deathly silence and coldness.

Elder Xing Tu, the leader of the group, had an old face covered in gloom that was now so dark it looked like it could drip water.

His triangular eyes were locked onto Chu Xiao.

The killing of their first True Disciple was a humiliating disgrace for the Jiuyou Sect and an even greater loss.

This debt must be washed away with Chu Xiao's blood!

A cold thought, transformed into a divine sense transmission, drilled into the ear of Zhou Sen beside him.

"Sen'er, in this battle, kill him at any cost!"

Zhou Sen, who was resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes.

"Rest assured, Elder, I understand."

"I'm not asking you to just 'understand'!"

Xing Tu's voice carried an unquestionable tone: "I want you to use the Jiuyou Heavenly Demon Secret Art! On the stage, forcibly break through your Realm and kill him on the spot with Nascent Soul power! Make his soul perish and never be reborn!"

Zhou Sen's pupils shrank suddenly, and a flash of hesitation appeared on his face.

The Jiuyou Heavenly Demon Secret Art was a forbidden technique of the Sect, using the burning of blood essence and Lifespan as a price to forcibly raise one's cultivation by a whole major Realm.

This technique was infinitely powerful, but its side effects were also extremely terrifying.

At best, one's cultivation would regress; at worst, one's Foundation would be completely destroyed, with no further progress for the rest of one's life.