168: Huilongyang Town

【Liu Ruyan took the beast skin, turned to you, and said, “Help him detoxify.”】

【You respectfully stepped forward, raised your hand, and pressed it on the Fu Family Ancestor's shoulder, slowly drawing the toxins from his body through his Meridians.】

【The Spirit Erosion Palm's toxins were meticulously refined by you, and since he wasn't deeply poisoned and it hadn't invaded his bone marrow, this method was perfect for neutralizing it.】

【The Fu Family Ancestor immediately felt his strength return and joyfully cupped his hands to you: “Thank you, Fellow Daoist. It's true that one gets to know each other through a fight.”】

【You nodded without saying much and respectfully retreated behind Liu Ruyan.】

【The Fu Family Ancestor smiled awkwardly at you, then cupped his hands to Liu Ruyan and asked, “Is there anything else Young Miss Ru Yan needs my service for?”】

【“No, you may leave.” Liu Ruyan waved her hand indifferently, appearing displeased.】

【The Fu Family Ancestor, sensing the mood, left with Fu Hong.】

【In the third year, you and Liu Ruyan traveled through all the towns and villages of the Great Yan Dynasty, but found nothing.】

【In the fourth year, you again traveled through all the towns and villages of the Great Jin Dynasty, still without any harvest.】

【In the sixteenth year,】

【You and Liu Ruyan arrived at Tiangang City, the imperial capital of the Chu Dynasty.】

【Sitting in a private room on the second floor of the “Dream Realization Tower” in Tiangang City, your face was filled with worry—】

【After searching for more than ten years, you had traveled through over two thousand towns and villages across the Tianhuang Continent, yet still found no trace of the artifact spirit.】

【Every time you arrived at a new place, you would immediately spread your Divine Sense to investigate, but each time you returned empty-handed.】

【Although you were mentally prepared, the difficulty was truly like finding a needle in a haystack, making you a bit frustrated.】

【Although you didn't find the artifact spirit, you encountered many fascinating anecdotes along the way.】

【In particular, you discovered that there were indeed many Cultivators on the Tianhuang Continent—among thousands of towns, there were actually over ten thousand Cultivators.】

【However, most of these individuals had Foundation Establishment Cultivation, with only a dozen or so reaching the Golden Core Stage.】

【These Cultivators mingled among the populace; some disguised themselves as merchants, some became princes, some secretly controlled forces in the imperial court, and others traveled leisurely...】

【Of course, some Cultivators also seemed to be searching for something.】

【About eighty percent of these Cultivators were related to the Liu Clan, as they held identification jade pendants bestowed by the Liu Clan to enter.】

【The other twenty percent also had identification jade pendants, but they might have been purchased through the Tianshu City black market.】

【Perhaps because the cost of living in Tianshu City was too high, some people chose to come to the Tianhuang Continent to enjoy life.】

【Some had even completely integrated here, marrying and having children, with many descendants, living peaceful lives.】

【The more prosperous the city, the more Cultivators there were.】

【For example, this imperial capital of the Chu Dynasty had nearly ten Cultivators.】

【Looking at the “Dream Realization Tower,” you suddenly remembered Chen Yuanyuan, the number one beauty of the Chu Dynasty.】

【You called out to the shopkeeper: “Shopkeeper!”】

【An old man hurried over, bowed, and asked, “What can this esteemed guest command?”】

【“The owner of this Dream Realization Tower is Chen Yuanyuan, right? I remember she used to come every day, why haven't I seen her recently?” you asked curiously.】

【The shopkeeper sighed: “Esteemed guest, you must be new to the imperial capital, right? Our poor Young Miss...”】

【As he spoke, his voice choked, and he wiped away tears: “She was murdered not long ago, and...”】

【At this point, he was overcome with emotion and couldn't speak.】

【“I don't know which damned fellow, coveting our Young Miss's beauty...”】

【Suddenly, at that very moment—】

【An invisible sharp blade shot towards the shopkeeper.】

【You and Liu Ruyan immediately noticed—this was a Divine Sense blade from a Golden Core Cultivator, capable of killing invisibly.】

【But in front of your Nascent Soul Divine Sense, this was as obvious as drawing a sword directly.】

【Anger flashed in your eyes, and a faint golden light appeared in your pupils; a Nascent Soul Divine Sense instantly shot out.】

【“Buzz!”】

【That Divine Sense was instantly shattered by your Nascent Soul Divine Sense.】

【You immediately locked onto a pale-faced, elegant Young Master in a distant private room.】

【He was clearly suffering from the backlash of your Divine Sense counterattack.】

【He clearly sensed your strength, immediately stood up, walked over quickly, bowed, and saluted: “Senior, Junior did not mean to offend, please forgive me.”】

【You glanced at him indifferently: “Did you kill Chen Yuanyuan?”】

【He didn't answer directly but straightened his body and said: “Senior, Junior Ji Kun, from the Ji Family of Tianshu City, may I ask Senior...”】

【Hearing the Ji Family of Tianshu City, you swept your gaze over him indifferently: “What is Ji Yunfeng to you?”】

【Upon hearing Ji Yunfeng's name, his eyes immediately lit up: “That is Junior's grandfather.”】

【“Answer my question, did you kill Chen Yuanyuan?” Your tone was calm.】

【“Senior, that Chen Yuanyuan didn't know what was good for her. Junior merely wanted to befriend her, but I didn't expect her to be so headstrong, so Junior...” Ji Kun's tone was relaxed, as if it were a matter of course.】

【It turned out that Ji Kun was a notorious dandy from Tianshu City. After just breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, he heard that the Tianhuang Continent was full of beauties, so he came here.】

【This was actually quite normal—those banished by the Liu Clan Immortal Family to the Tianhuang Secret Realm had extraordinary ancestors, so their descendants naturally possessed outstanding looks and temperament.】

【So, after some inquiries, Ji Kun came to Tiangang City, the most prosperous imperial capital of the Chu Dynasty.】

【He also happened to hear about the reputation of Chen Yuanyuan, the number one beauty of the Chu Dynasty, and thus wanted to force her to be his Cauldron.】

【But Chen Yuanyuan would rather die than submit.】

【So he began to pressure Chen Yuanyuan.】

【As a result, Chen Yuanyuan committed suicide.】

【In a fit of rage, he left Chen Yuanyuan's corpse exposed in the street...】

【After learning of Chen Yuanyuan's fate, you sighed deeply—indeed, if one's reputation doesn't match their strength, it will surely invite disaster.】

【You glanced at Ji Kun, an uncontrollable disgust welling up in your heart.】

【Before Ji Kun could react, you waved your hand, and a vast Nascent Soul Power instantly suppressed him, simultaneously invading his body and immobilizing his cultivation.】

【He suddenly fell to his knees, shouting in panic: “Senior, my grandfather is a person of the Liu Clan Immortal Family's Grand Elder. If you dare to touch me, the Liu Clan will not let you off...”】

【Before he could finish, you waved your hand, a cold light flashed, and his head rolled to the ground.】

【You looked at his wide-eyed head and said indifferently: “A mere roadside worm dares to threaten this Venerable One!”】

【The shopkeeper beside you was already in tears. He plopped to his knees: “Young Miss, you died so tragically, Waaaaah...”】

【The shopkeeper suddenly remembered something and looked at you: “This villain is called Ji Kun? But we've never heard of the Ji Family in Tiangang City?”】

【You looked at the shopkeeper and sighed softly: “The Ji Family is not someone you can provoke. Forget about this matter, otherwise, it might bring about the extermination of your clan.”】

【After speaking, you raised your hand and flicked two flames from your fingertips, igniting Ji Kun's corpse.】

【Seeing your methods, the shopkeeper was greatly astonished—he mistakenly thought you were in the Heavenly Human Realm, because the legendary Heavenly Human Realm had mysterious methods he had never seen before.】

【He hurriedly kowtowed to you: “Senior, rest assured, I will report this truthfully to my master.”】

【You nodded, exchanged a look with Liu Ruyan, and tacitly ascended into the air, transforming into two streams of light flying towards Longyang Town.】

【Chen Yuanyuan's death just now reminded you of your sister, Qin Yu—she would suddenly disappear this year.】

【Moreover, Qin Yu once told you—someone taught her cultivation in her dreams.】

【Your sister also had a reputation; what was the reason for her sudden disappearance?】

【Was she murdered by Cultivators, or was there another hidden reason?】

【You felt an uneasy premonition in your heart.】