42: Chapter 42 Conflict

"Chiyan Sect?"

Although Shen Xiuru was somewhat reluctant to reveal her School, since Brother Fan had already spoken, she would not let him be embarrassed.

She took out the Red Fire Token she carried with her; this was the token of the Chiyan Sect.

City Lord Guan Lin was shocked. He had started as a Loose Cultivator, having suffered countless hardships in his early years, and had managed to carve out his own path with great difficulty.

Despite being the City Lord now, without entering the Innate Realm, he would always be a pawn.

The greatest difficulty for a Loose Cultivator was the lack of a Xiantian Technique.

In this world, Xiantian Techniques were monopolized by major Schools or large families. Of course, some lucky Loose Cultivators might stumble upon them, but he, City Lord Guan Lin, did not have that kind of luck.

He had been stuck at the First Grade Realm for twenty years. Originally, he had wanted to use Su Jiuchuan to scheme against Xuande Temple, hoping to gain some benefits, only to discover that Su Jiuchuan had no background in any School.

Now, seeing King Yu so close to someone from the Chiyan Sect, he felt some envy and jealousy.

Of course, Shen Xiuru's low Realm was not worth mentioning in his eyes. She was someone from a School, so she must have a Xiantian Technique. He wondered if there was a way to get it from this young girl.

City Lord Guan Lin calculated in his heart, but his face remained expressionless.

In the distance, Su Jiuchuan had thought that the two groups would definitely fight when they met. He hadn't expected them to show signs of making peace after just a few words. How was he supposed to fish in troubled waters like this?

Anxious, he suddenly pinched his nose and shouted: "General Guo, didn't you say that the Treasure Trove of that Xiantian Martial Artist Senior was in this valley? Why haven't the brothers found it after searching for so long?!"

"Who?!"

Guo Fan glared fiercely at the people scattered throughout the valley, cursing inwardly: "Which bastard is this, unable to accomplish anything but good at ruining things?"

However, in this pitch-black valley, with at least hundreds of people searching everywhere, he couldn't find the person who had just spoken.

"A Xiantian Martial Artist's Treasure Trove?"

City Lord Guan Lin was stunned, then filled with wild joy. He said with a tremble: "Nephew Guo, what... what is going on?"

"What... what is going on?" Guo Fan's face darkened, and he said viciously: "I don't know which death-seeking thief was talking nonsense just now. What kind of Treasure Trove could there be in this desolate wilderness?"

Seeing his expression, City Lord Guan Lin felt even more suspicious and said loudly: "Surround the valley entrance! Don't let a single person get past me!"

As for the Chiyan Sect?

To hell with them. Once I get the Xiantian Technique and enter the Innate Realm, let's see what they can do to me!

Becoming a Xiantian Martial Artist meant becoming someone superior in this world, someone very difficult to kill.

Seeing such a massive Martial Arts Opportunity right before his eyes, City Lord Guan Lin didn't care about anything else anymore.

"City Lord Guan, what is the meaning of this?" Guo Fan panicked slightly and said: "Do you not even respect the Chiyan Sect?"

"I don't know anything about the Chiyan Sect. I only know that you are a rebel, and those with you are rebels too. If the Chiyan Sect has any objections, let them take it up with the Imperial Court."

Strictly speaking, the Imperial Court was the largest School of all, but Xiantian Techniques were not passed down to local officials; they only circulated among members of the royal Family.

"Kill anyone who does not surrender!"

Following City Lord Guan Lin's stern shout, the officials in the back row held their spears and blocked the valley entrance.

Most of the people in the valley were just mountain bandits and refugees. They might look tough on ordinary days, but they were actually most afraid of government troops. Seeing that the entrance was blocked, many were scared out of their wits; some even threw down their weapons and torches and fled in all directions.

Su Jiuchuan knew that if these bandits acted like this, they would soon be controlled by the government troops. He pinched his nose and continued shouting: "The government troops consider everyone here a rebel! If you're caught, you'll be beheaded! Fight them!"

After saying this, he bent over, grabbed Zheng Xinyue, and ran toward a place in his memory.

Guo Fan hadn't spoken just now because he was focusing all his efforts on finding the person who was talking in the crowd.

Although Su Jiuchuan had spoken very discreetly, Guo Fan was a Second-grade Martial Artist, and since he had been paying attention, he had actually discovered the hiding Su Jiuchuan and his companion.

Seeing him run toward a pool in the valley after shouting, Guo Fan remembered that he had searched everywhere else except this spot. His heart stirred, and he wanted to give chase.

Unexpectedly, City Lord Guan Lin had been watching him all along. Seeing Guo Fan trying to run, he didn't care about the soldiers in front, pushed two of them aside, and charged down with his sword in hand.

In this way, Guo Fan couldn't get away and had to deal with him with all his might.

Although City Lord Guan Lin was also a First-grade Martial Artist, it wasn't easy to capture his opponent alive right now.

Setting aside the chaotic scene, Zheng Xinyue was being dragged along, feeling puzzled. Su Jiuchuan seemed very familiar with the environment here; had he been here before?

Su Jiuchuan didn't care about all that. He dragged Zheng Xinyue to the edge of the pool and suddenly hugged her tightly.

Zheng Xinyue was stunned. Weren't they running for their lives? Why the sudden move? She hadn't been prepared for this at all.

Feeling herself held so tightly that she couldn't move, she eventually resigned herself to it, though her face was burning red.

Just as she was lost in her wild thoughts, she felt a sudden chill all over her body; the two had already rolled into the pool water.

Once in the water, Su Jiuchuan let her go, simply signaling for her to follow, and swam forward, feeling along the edge as he swam.

Just when Zheng Xinyue was about to run out of breath, Su Jiuchuan gave her a hard pull and leaped to the side. The two entered a cave and walked upward for a long time before finally emerging from the water.

The entrance to this cave was near the bottom of the pool and was extremely hard to find. If it weren't for Su Jiuchuan's memories from the life simulation, it would likely have taken Guo Fan and his men several days to discover this place.

Su Jiuchuan took an oil-paper wrapped bundle from his chest, which contained some clothes and flint. Because he knew the terrain here, he had made some preparations before coming.

It was already November, and the valley was cold to begin with. Now that she was soaked through, Zheng Xinyue's lips were turning purple from the cold. Although she was a 7th Grade Martial Artist, in this environment, she wasn't much better off than an ordinary person.

Although there was no light, with Su Jiuchuan's night vision, he could see her clothes clinging to her body, revealing her graceful figure. He quickly said: "I prepared some clothes; you should change."

He turned his head and circulated his Qi for a while; white mist rose from his body, and his clothes dried quickly.

When Su Jiuchuan came back to his senses, he heard rustling sounds from behind him. He could smell the fragrance from her hair and the unique scent of a young girl, which made him feel a bit distracted.

However, he quickly cast aside these distracting thoughts. This time they were running for their lives; he should think less about these irrelevant things.