160: register

Facing the Purple Sky Thunder that carried the aura of destruction, Chen Xuan remained standing where he was, not even lifting an eyelid. It wasn't until the purple lightning was less than three feet away from him that he slowly raised his right hand. A layer of pale azure spiritual energy barrier surged in his palm, appearing as thin as a cicada's wing yet exuding an unshakeable mystery.

“Boom!”

The purple lightning slammed violently into the barrier, its ear-piercing crackling instantly echoing through the world. Purple electric light roamed wildly across the barrier's surface, yet it remained unable to penetrate that thin layer of azure glow.

In just a breath's time, the violent power of the thunder was completely devoured, without even a single spark splashing onto Chen Xuan.

“This... this is impossible!”

Yu Tianxiang's pupils shrank abruptly, his face filled with a look of utter astonishment.

Seeing this, his two other subordinates didn't have time to be horrified. After exchanging a glance, they both lunged forward simultaneously. This person had just blocked a Divine Ability, so the spiritual energy in his body must be weak. If they didn't seize the moment, they would likely fall here today.

One on the left and one on the right, they simultaneously sacrificed their Lifebound Treasures: the Cultivator on the left held a Mysterious Iron Spear, while the Cultivator on the right formed hand seals to summon a ten-foot-tall earthy-yellow stone statue. Holding a giant axe, the statue carried the momentum of splitting the earth as it pincer-attacked Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan didn't even spare the two a glance. Two azure light blades suddenly condensed, slashing towards them like two bolts of lightning.

The light blades pierced through their chests, and their bodies slumped to the ground, turning into a cloud of blood mist in an instant.

In just the span of a few breaths, three Mysterious Realm Emissaries, whom even the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and various Holy Lands treated with respect, had perished.

If the people from the Ten Great Sacred Lands saw this scene, they would likely be speechless.

Only Yu Tianxiang remained in the field. He glanced at the dissipating blood mist and smelled the thick, pungent scent of blood. He only felt a chill rush from his spine straight into his brain; he hadn't expected that just coming to this Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven to collect prodigies might cost him his life.

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist... Senior, can we settle this peacefully?”

Chen Xuan said indifferently, “At this point, you must be joking.”

Seeing the man before him slowly raise his hand, he hurriedly added, “I... I am a member of the Haotian Sect. You cannot move against me! If I die here and fail to return to the Profound Realm, my Sect will certainly investigate! When that time comes... the Haotian Sect will surely vent its anger on the entire Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven, making all the mortal Sects be buried with me!”

“Do you... do you really want all the Cultivators of this world to die because of you?”

He was bluffing. The Sect would indeed investigate, but they would definitely not vent their anger on the entire Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven.

Not to mention that this Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven was shared by four major powers; even if it were exclusive to the Haotian Sect, they wouldn't go on a killing spree inside.

After all, this was an important resource for the Sect.

Chen Xuan's gaze was playful. “It's not that I want to kill you. The four of you from the Haotian Sect simply met with Spatial Turbulence within the Void Shattering Abyss and died.”

Yu Tianxiang's pupils constricted, his face turning as pale as paper. This person had actually seen through the loophole in his words at a glance.

He even knew about the Void Shattering Abyss.

“You... you also come from the Profound Realm?”

Chen Xuan did not speak, merely raising his right hand slowly.

There were no world-shaking spiritual energy fluctuations, nor any complex hand seals. Chen Xuan simply flicked his finger, lightly tracing through the air in front of him.

Wherever his fingertip passed, the air seemed to be instantly severed. A strand of azure Sword Qi, thin as a hair yet carrying a chilling killing intent, suddenly condensed. As if endowed with life, it pierced through the space before him at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye.

Yu Tianxiang lowered his head, looking at the thin line on his neck where blood was seeping out. His eyes were full of unbelievable shock, and then his head slid off his neck.

With a slight movement of Chen Xuan's finger, a surge of spiritual energy carried five storage rings of various styles into his palm.

Obviously, there was a distinction between their identities and private assets.

Chen Xuan smiled slightly. “Let's see what good things are hidden in the storage rings of these Profound Realm Cultivators.”

His Divine Thought probed inside, and the items in the storage rings were instantly and clearly presented in his mind. Various Cultivation Technique Jade Slips and Divine Ability Secret Manuals were piled up for more than half the space, but Chen Xuan only spared them a glance before automatically ignoring them.

The Dao Seeking Sect lacked these two things the least.

However, a few bottles of pills in the Medicinal Pill compartment caught his attention: five bottles of Seventh Grade 'Soul Condensing Pills'. They were quite beneficial for Out-of-Body Stage Cultivators to stabilize their Primordial Spirits, so they could be kept for his Disciples.

There was also an Eighth Grade 'Body Tempering Pill' stored in a jade box. Its color was lustrous and its spiritual energy was dense; it could be considered a rare treasure, suitable for Li Pingan's use.

Just as he was about to put away the storage rings, a small dark-gold booklet suddenly caught his attention.

The booklet's cover had no text, but upon opening it, he saw that it recorded dozens of names, with the Realm noted next to each name.

“What is the purpose of this register?” Chen Xuan's brow furrowed slightly.

He suddenly felt a bit of regret for striking too hard just now. He should have left a wisp of Yu Tianxiang's soul to interrogate. Now, he could only temporarily put the register away and wait for a future opportunity to investigate.

Continuing the inventory, the number of Spirit Stones in the storage rings made Chen Xuan nod slightly: there were as many as five hundred and sixty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, along with a small amount of High-Grade Spirit Stones.

Finally, Chen Xuan also discovered a beautifully styled jade hairpin.

The jade hairpin was warm red throughout, with a blooming fire lotus carved on the head. Tiny sparks lingered around the edges of the petals, and upon closer inspection, one could feel a scorching yet not dry spiritual energy. It was actually an Eighth Grade defensive Magic Treasure, and its spiritual energy attribute was perfectly compatible with Fire Spiritual Root Cultivators.

“That girl Lingxian practices fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques; this Fire Lotus Hairpin is just right for her.” Chen Xuan took out the jade hairpin, and the spiritual energy lingering on his fingertips lightly brushed over the body of the pin, erasing the excess residual aura.

He turned and tossed the jade hairpin over, his voice gentle:

“Lingxian, take this hairpin. Its fire-attribute spiritual energy is compatible with your technique. It can both protect you and assist you in stabilizing your spiritual energy.”

“Thank you, Revered Master!” Xiao Lingxian took the jade hairpin with both hands and bowed respectfully.

Mu Wanqing blinked her eyes. “Revered Master, Revered Master, is there any Magic Treasure suitable for me? My cultivation base is currently the lowest, and I want a few defensive Magic Treasures.”

Chen Xuan scolded with a stern face, “Qi Yue, for the next three days, supervise Wanqing's cultivation well for me.”

“When I return, if you haven't broken through to the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, you'll be in for it.”

Mu Wanqing puffed out her cheeks. “Revered Master, your Disciple has really been working very hard on her cultivation.”

After tossing the Body Tempering Pill to Li Pingan, Chen Xuan thought for a moment, then turned to Qi Yue and said, “Clean up the traces here. After returning, inform Qin Tianxing of today's events so he knows the 'accidental' end of this Haotian Sect.”

“Yes, Sect Master!” Qi Yue bowed and accepted the order.

With all instructions given, Chen Xuan then rushed towards the Sea of Dead Silence by riding the wind.

After flying for only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a snowy white scene appeared before him. Chen Xuan hadn't expected to run into this soul devouring mist again.

Within this soul devouring mist, the range of vision was greatly reduced, and one could only rely on Divine Sense to perceive the surroundings.

Fortunately, with Chen Xuan's current cultivation base, the soul devouring mist had absolutely no effect on his Divine Soul.