316: ending

Watching that graceful figure disappear into the distance, Chen Xuan finally relaxed slowly and let out a long sigh.

Despite it being a three-on-one situation with a Formation set up like an inescapable net beforehand, they still hadn't gained the slightest advantage in the end.

This truly made Chen Xuan lose his composure a bit.

However, Talismans were truly convenient and useful things.

With Talismans, a Cultivator's upper limit could be pushed extremely high; but once this reliance was gone, their lower limit was also alarmingly low.

Unfortunately, in his own Sect, not a single person was proficient in the Dao of Talismans.

Only Xiao Yun could barely draw a few shallow Talismans, but he only knew the basics, far from reaching a professional level.

Next time he encountered a ruthless character like Fairy Hanyan with a pile of Talismans on her, he feared he would have to crush the remaining two Body Integration Experience Cards just to barely hold his own.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but rub his temples, thinking.

When he agreed to help Fellow Daoist Chu deal with the mess of the Demon Suppressing Tower, how did it end up feeling like he had stepped onto a pirate ship?

Wait... what exactly was the reason he nodded and agreed back then?

[Name: Chen Xuan]

[Race: Human Race]

[cultivation base: Second Level of Void Refining]

[Sect Reputation Points: 1400 points]

[Items: block card x23, Body Integration Experience Card x2, instant kill card x4, teleportation talisman x8, Formation: Samsara Heavenly Dao Eye, High-Level Formation Immunity, Advanced Realm Upgrade Card, Mount: Bai Ze, Nine Luminaries God-Suppressing Formation]

[Sect Rank: Level One]

He lowered his eyes to scan the attribute panel in his mind; the experience cards, which had automatically upgraded to the Integration Realm because he had achieved a Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm, were now down to only two, making him feel even more uneasy.

Lately, the speed of his cultivation base improvement couldn't be called slow, yet he had developed a psychological complex about insufficient firepower, always feeling that he had too few trump cards.

He only hoped that things would be peaceful from now on; once the matters of the Demon Suppressing Tower were completely settled, he would take his Disciples back to the Sect, close the doors to focus on bitter cultivation, and strive for an early Breakthrough to the Integration Realm to give himself a bit more sense of security.

On the other side, Chu Haotian and Master Qing Xuan exchanged a look, both of their eyes filled with doubt.

"This matter is quite strange."

Chu Haotian was the first to speak, his gaze still fixed on the horizon where Fairy Hanyan had disappeared, his brow slightly furrowed.

"That Fairy Hanyan had such surging Battle Intent just now, wishing she could grind our bones to ashes. How could she suddenly change her mind and be willing to swear a heavenly dao oath to stop here?"

Master Qing Xuan followed his gaze, looking toward the white-clad figure standing in the air, who was currently contemplating how to achieve a Breakthrough to the Integration Realm.

He said thoughtfully, "Fellow Daoist Chen possesses such strength at such a young age, and he is exceptionally handsome with a temperament far exceeding his peers. It's not too surprising that Fairy Hanyan would act this way."

Hearing this, various words and actions of the woman before her departure flashed through Chu Haotian's mind, along with the rather intriguing look she gave Chen Xuan.

After a moment of silence, his expression gradually calmed down. "Forget it, since there's a heavenly dao oath constraining her, she will find it difficult to pose a threat to us again, and we can save some strength."

Master Qing Xuan nodded, then suddenly remembered those terrifyingly powerful High Grade Talismans Fairy Hanyan had unleashed earlier, and couldn't help but add with lingering fear:

"I didn't expect this Fairy Hanyan to hide so many trump cards; we were too careless before."

"When Cultivators travel the Jianghu, who doesn't have a few hidden life-saving means?"

Chu Haotian waved his hand calmly, his tone indifferent. "Even if the fight continued, we wouldn't necessarily have lost. There's no need to dwell on it."

Hearing this, Master Qing Xuan just stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.

Chu Haotian didn't dwell on the matter further and changed the subject, saying solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Chen and I will be responsible for clearing out those fleeing members of the Yao Race; we absolutely cannot let them escape into Jiuyou City to harm the common people. As for the remaining Yao Race inside the Demon Suppressing Tower, I'll trouble the Elder to handle them, and while you're at it, see if there's any possibility of repairing the Formations inside the tower."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them immediately set off.

Amidst the flashing of blades and swords, fierce members of the Yao Race fell one after another, their blood staining the earth red.

Seeing this, those quick-witted minor demons didn't dare to flee anymore, and they all obediently turned around and scurried back into the Demon Suppressing Tower, hoping only to trade for a chance at survival.

Amidst the wind and sand, Li Pingan gave a loud shout and threw a punch, directly piercing through the chest of a member of the Yao Race.

He was covered in blood, his robes torn to shreds, but between his brows, there was a fierce and powerful aura that showed he was unafraid of death.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Fairy Hanyan had long since flown out of the battlefield's range. She found a secluded valley to land in, then sat cross-legged and began to take stock of her assets.

Her choice to retreat was indeed because of Chen Xuan, but it was absolutely not the romantic attachment Master Qing Xuan imagined; rather, it stemmed from a sense of wariness.

Both Chu Haotian and Master Qing Xuan were Peak Masters of the Tianque Sect in the Rain God Continent; they knew each other's backgrounds well, and though they were strong, their abilities followed predictable patterns.

But Chen Xuan was different. He came from another continent and was full of tricks despite his young age. She would never believe that such a person didn't have a great Sect backing him or some connection to a secluded Heavenly Venerate.

After a brief thought, Fairy Hanyan decisively chose to avoid his sharp edge, even going as far as to swear a heavenly dao oath just to stay on good terms with him.

After all, this matter of the Demon Suppressing Tower was merely a side task for her; it wasn't some grand Opportunity from a Secret Realm competition, nor was there enough benefit to make it worth exhausting her precious Talismans to fight to the bitter end.

The arrival of Chu Haotian and the others merely caused her to leave the Rain God Continent a few days early.

A moment later, as the last Soul Emergence Stage great demon let out a shrill wail and crashed to the ground, the Yao Race around the Demon Suppressing Tower were finally all suppressed.

It was also fortunate that this Demon Suppressing Tower belonged to the Chusheng Sect, and fifty to sixty percent of the Yao Race inside had already been refined into Materials for demon transformation pills; otherwise, Chen Xuan and the others would likely have had to expend much more effort.

Chu Haotian raised his hand to take out two bottles of drunken flowing sunset from his storage ring, tossing them to Chen Xuan as he said loudly:

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for your help this time."

Chen Xuan reached out to catch the jade bottle, but his gaze fell on Li Pingan not far away.

At this moment, Li Pingan had already changed out of his blood-stained clothes; although his face carried some fatigue, he looked much better than the gaunt appearance he had when they first met.

The bravery he showed while slaughtering the Yao Race just now added a bit of youthful spirit to him.

Chen Xuan smiled and tossed one of the wine flasks over, calling out:

"Pingan, have a taste!"

"As the saying goes, one is not truly young without being unrestrained. For a martial artist, only when paired with fine wine can one be called elegant and free!"

Li Pingan caught the wine flask in a flurry, feeling that his Revered Master's words must be right. He immediately pulled out the cork and took a large, fierce gulp.

The spicy liquor entered his throat, making him cough violently. His face turned bright red, and the fierce aura of a blood-soaked Asura from moments ago vanished instantly; he looked disheveled and comical, a completely different person from before.

Watching this scene, Chu Haotian couldn't help but smile, then he pulled back his smile and said seriously:

"Master Qing Xuan is currently inside the Demon Suppressing Tower arranging the reinforcement for Yaoshi City. Currently, within the Rain God Continent, there are still six Demon Suppressing Towers remaining, with a total of seven guarding Cultivators."

"The closest one to here is the ninth Demon Suppressing Tower located in the territory of the Five Elders Gate. The Tower Revered Master, Daoist Chisong, is at the eighth level of the Void Refining Realm, and the Vice Tower Master is also a Cultivator at the seventh level of the Void Refining Realm."

He paused, his tone growing a bit more serious.

Chen Xuan looked up at him, his fingertips stroking the warm wine flask, and asked softly, "Could it be that Daoist Chisong is also a Talisman Cultivator?"

Hearing this, Chu Haotian couldn't help but laugh involuntarily and waved his hand. "Fellow Daoist need not worry; Daoist Chisong is proficient in the Dao of the Sword but knows nothing at all about the Dao of Talismans."

"It's just..."

"During the great War Between Humans and Demons fifty years ago, the Xuanxu Tower Master personally captured a great demon, which is imprisoned in that Demon Suppressing Tower."

Chu Haotian looked at Chen Xuan with an earnest gaze and added:

"Since the traitors on that roster have already defected to the Yao Race, I fear this trip will be a fierce battle. When the time comes, I will have to trouble Fellow Daoist to lend a hand."