311: What does it mean?

Seeing this, Chen Xuan's lips curled into a faint smile, and he said indifferently:

"It seems there's no need for me to take action."

"Eh?"

Zhao Jingchen and the other were dumbstruck, clearly unable to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of the battle. They could only stare with wide eyes, dazed by this clash that could be described as a battle between immortals.

On the other side, Daoist Fu Nian had just forcefully withstood Chu Haotian's thunderous lion claws. Before he could catch his breath, he saw Master Qing Xuan's runes soaring through the air with a sharp radiance.

His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly dodged to the side. Unexpectedly, the runes seemed to have eyes of their own, turning nimbly in the air and remaining locked onto his vital points.

In desperation, Daoist Fu Nian could only hastily circulate his spiritual power, condensing a thick shield of spiritual energy in front of him.

*Crack!*

The golden runes slammed into the shield. After a crisp sound, the seemingly solid shield was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks and then shattered.

Master Qing Xuan didn't pause for a moment. His fingers formed another seal, and another rune, carrying immense spiritual power, slammed heavily into Daoist Fu Nian's chest.

"Gah—"

Daoist Fu Nian let out a pained groan and spat out a large mouthful of blood. His body staggered backward several yards, and a glaring rune mark was left on his chest.

How could Chu Haotian let such a perfect Opportunity slip by?

He gave a low shout, and the Golden Lion Shadow suddenly accelerated, pouncing toward Daoist Fu Nian like a golden bolt of lightning. Its mouth opened wide, its sharp fangs aiming straight for his throat.

Daoist Fu Nian exhausted his last bit of strength to raise his hand in defense, but the rune mark on his chest suddenly burst with brilliant light. The spiritual power in his body instantly stagnated, making it impossible to mobilize even a shred of it.

*Puchi!*

The Golden Lion Shadow swallowed him whole. The blazing spiritual power surged into his Meridians like a raging tide, ruthlessly crushing his pathways to pieces.

A muffled groan escaped Daoist Fu Nian's throat. The spiritual power in his Dantian dissipated like smoke, and he could no longer muster any strength.

His body, like a kite with a broken string, slowly fell toward the churning sea of clouds below.

A thrilling and fierce battle had come to an end in just an instant.

Chu Haotian raised his hand to retract the lion shadow. His gaze turned toward a figure standing at the window of the tenth floor of the Demon Suppressing Tower, his voice as heavy as iron:

"I leave the cleanup here to you. Immediately gather the remaining personnel in the tower and reinforce Yaoshi City through the night."

He paused and added solemnly, "Remember, you must leave people to guard this tower. No mistakes are allowed!"

Upon hearing this, the Vice Tower Master immediately cupped his fists and accepted the order, his voice booming like a bell:

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Once everything was settled, Chu Haotian turned and descended to Chen Xuan's side along with Master Qing Xuan.

"It seems the records in that booklet were indeed true. Daoist Fu Nian's path has ended in death," Chu Haotian said deeply.

"There's no time to lose. Let's head to the next Demon Suppressing Tower immediately."

Master Qing Xuan nodded and sighed. "The Five Elders Gate has been too exclusionary of the Sect's geniuses over the years, only caring about their own small territory. Their vision is too narrow."

"The matter of the Xuanxu Tower Master back then likely chilled the hearts of many within the Sect."

Listening to their conversation, Chen Xuan's expression remained calm as he asked, "Is the next one the fifteenth Demon Suppressing Tower?"

Chu Haotian's face darkened slightly, and he nodded solemnly. "Correct. Let's go quickly."

Thoughts raced through Chu Haotian's mind!

It was now known that Daoist Zhenyue had defected to the Yao Race because he couldn't stand the actions of his own Old Ancestor and the Chusheng Sect.

Daoist Yunche and Daoist Fu Nian had both gone astray due to their dissatisfaction with the hegemony of the five surnames of the Five Elders Gate.

But why did the Demon Suppressing Towers belonging to the Tianque Sect also choose to side with the Yao Race and betray their Sect?

The group traveled through the air, and over two hours passed in a flash.

The setting sun had long been swallowed by the sea of clouds. Twilight slowly rose from all directions, dyeing the horizon a deep ink-black.

The spiritual power in Chen Xuan's Dantian, which had been mostly depleted, was now about seventy to eighty percent full.

Before long, the silhouette of a majestic city entered their sight; it was Jiuyou City.

Their destination—the Demon Suppressing Tower—was among the mountains over a hundred miles north of Jiuyou City.

That Demon Suppressing Tower had mysterious Kui Dragon patterns carved on its body. Although its design details differed slightly from the previous one, the overall feeling was much the same.

Chu Haotian's gaze sharpened, and he said deeply, "We'll proceed according to the previous plan. Make it quick and avoid unnecessary complications."

Just as he finished speaking, Master Qing Xuan suddenly raised his hand and spoke up, his brow slightly furrowed.

"No rush!"

"The Vice Tower Master of this Demon Suppressing Tower, Fairy Hanyan, is most skilled in the path of Talisman. If we really come to blows, it won't be as easy as dealing with Daoist Fu Nian."

Master Qing Xuan said solemnly, "If she happens to escape and sends word to the Yao Race, our plan will fall through!"

Hearing this, Chu Haotian muttered, "Talisman Cultivators are indeed very troublesome."

Master Qing Xuan chuckled and flicked his sleeve. A brush as white as jade suddenly emerged and landed steadily in his palm.

"Allow me to make some arrangements first. You won't need to worry."

Having said that, Master Qing Xuan lowered his eyes and formed a seal. A faint light flickered at his fingertips, and the jade brush tip suddenly glowed with shifting colors. He stood suspended in the air, his brush moving like a dancing dragon and snake, as mysterious runes took shape one after another in the Void Realm.

Chen Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced at the jade brush and asked with interest, "I was curious earlier. Is that White Jade Brush of yours a heaven-rank magic treasure?"

Hearing this, Chu Haotian shook his head slightly and explained, "It's not actually a true heaven-rank magic treasure. It's just a top-grade Earth Rank Spiritual Artifact that is infinitely close to Heaven Rank."

He glanced at Master Qing Xuan, who was focused on drawing runes. "This treasure was something this guy obtained by chance in an Ancient Secret Realm a while ago."

Obtained from a Secret Realm?

Chen Xuan's eyes darkened slightly, and his thoughts raced: Since Master Qing Xuan went to a Secret Realm recently, could this Fellow Daoist Chu... have gone with him?

He composed himself and praised with a smile:

"I see!"

"Even if it's a top-grade Earth Rank, it's still an extremely rare treasure. The Tianque Sect is indeed worthy of being one of the three great Sects of the Rain God Continent; its foundation is truly unfathomable."

Chu Haotian's eyelid twitched, and he gave him a grumpy look:

"You can casually bring out a Heaven-rank Divine Ability for trade, Fellow Daoist. Why does hearing you say that feel like you're insulting us?"

Chen Xuan laughed heartily and waved his hand:

"I'm just putting on a brave face. I've already made the promise to my Disciple, and as his Revered Master, I can't go back on my word, can I?"

Chu Haotian stood with his arms crossed, his face clearly saying, "Keep talking, let's see how much I believe you."

Seeing this, Chen Xuan could only helplessly change the subject, his expression turning serious. "I have a question. I wonder if Fellow Daoist could enlighten me?"

"Hmm?" Chu Haotian looked over.

Chen Xuan spoke slowly, "The ones imprisoned in the Demon Suppressing Tower are all remnants of the Yao Race. Why not just slay them all to eliminate future troubles instead of spending effort to imprison them? Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jingchen and Lin Xiuqin also fell into deep thought, clearly just as curious about this question.

Li Pingan scratched his head, thinking hard about the scenes he had seen when visiting the Demon Suppressing Tower before.

Chu Haotian was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Chen Xuan to ask this question out of the blue.

He pondered for a moment before looking up at Chen Xuan and saying deeply, "Fellow Daoist, have you ever considered what an entire Demon Suppressing Tower actually means to a Cultivator?"