215: Chapter 214 Hundred Herbs Pavilion

Chen Zilong was not faring well either. Forcing the activation of two violent powers felt like having his meridians sliced by knives and hacked by axes. His injuries instantly worsened, and his vision flickered with darkness.

But, seizing the brief opening created by his two desperate counterattacks, he finally burst out of the stairwell and reached the upper deck!

The deck was even more of a mess.

The defensive barrier was shattered, the hull was damaged in multiple places and belching black smoke. In the night sky, three black flying boats were locked in fierce combat with the cloud boat's Guard cultivators and some brave passengers. Spiritual light flashed chaotically, and cries of agony rang out incessantly. The fierce gale, now unobstructed, swept across the deck, making it hard for anyone to stand firm.

The Old Man in Black Robe and Su Wan chased out right behind him. Seeing the chaotic scene on the deck, they frowned slightly, but their killing intent grew even stronger.

"Brat, you can't escape!" The Old Man in Black Robe formed hand seals. Yin energy surged around him, vaguely forming the phantom of a massive ghostly head as he prepared to unleash an even more formidable spell.

However, at this critical moment—

Another sudden change occurred!

A sword light, cold as ice yet grand and righteous, descended without warning from the cloud boat's highest viewing platform!

The sword light poured down like a reversed Milky Way, pure and dazzling, carrying an awe-inspiring Daoist intent to cleanse evil and sever falsehoods. It was not aimed at Chen Zilong, but directly at—the Old Man in Black Robe and Su Wan!

This sword strike came too fast, too suddenly! The timing was exquisite, striking precisely when the Old Man in Black Robe's power was not yet fully gathered and Su Wan's mind was still unsettled!

The Old Man in Black Robe's face changed drastically. Abandoning his attack on Chen Zilong, he let out a fierce shout. The ghostly head phantom above him roared as it met the brilliant sword light! Su Wan also hurriedly swung her damaged bone whip, coiling layers of yin energy to shield herself.

"BOOM—!!!"

The sword light collided with the ghostly head phantom, erupting in a deafening explosion. The seemingly terrifying phantom actually melted away like snow and ice under the pure sword light, rapidly disintegrating!

The remaining force of the sword light, undiminished, sliced through the yin energy and struck heavily on a black bone shield the Old Man in Black Robe had summoned.

"CRACK!"

A crack appeared on the bone shield. The Old Man in Black Robe staggered back seven or eight steps, a trickle of black blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His gaze towards the viewing platform was filled with shock, fury, and apprehension.

Su Wan fared even worse. Her protective yin energy was grazed by the sword light's residual force. With a cry of pain, she was sent flying backward, landing on the deck. Her clothes were torn, revealing a soft armor shimmering with a dim light underneath. She was clearly seriously injured as well.

Chen Zilong was also stunned, abruptly looking up towards the viewing platform.

Under the interwoven moonlight and the chaotic spiritual lights, a figure as straight and tall as a pine tree stood quietly at the edge of the viewing platform. The man wore simple blue robes, had an ordinary face, appeared to be around thirty years old, and held an unremarkable-looking three-foot-long blue sword in his hand.

Yet, just by standing there, he seemed like a peerless sharp sword drawn from its sheath. Though its edge was restrained, it brought a sudden stillness to the entire chaotic battlefield!

"How dare the vile creatures of the Xuan Yin Sect run wild on a Tiangong Pavilion cloud boat?" The blue-robed swordsman spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an indisputable authority. "Luo Qingfeng, of Lingxiao City's 'Listening to Rain Tower'."

Listening to Rain Tower!

Luo Qingfeng!

Chen Zilong's heart jolted.

Lingxiao City's Listening to Rain Tower was one of the top-tier powers, second only to Tiangong Pavilion. They were renowned for their swordsmen, walked the line between righteousness and evil, but operated by their own rules.

He seemed to vaguely recall Luo Qingfeng's name as well—a famous sword prodigy among the younger generation of Listening to Rain Tower, with unfathomable cultivation.

Why would he be here?

And why did he intervene to help?

Friend or foe?

Or...

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

The plot had twisted again, making the situation even more unpredictable.

Chen Zilong had just escaped the Xuan Yin Sect's deadly pursuit, only to fall into the sights of an even more powerful and mysterious 'observer' in the blink of an eye.

The Old Man in Black Robe wiped the blood from his mouth, glaring fixedly at Luo Qingfeng, and rasped:

"Luo Qingfeng! Does Listening to Rain Tower also wish to meddle in my Xuan Yin Sect's affairs? This brat has a deep-seated grudge with our sect, he is a target we must capture! Do you, sir, wish to incite a war between our two sects?"

Luo Qingfeng's expression remained indifferent. His gaze swept over Chen Zilong before settling back on the Old Man in Black Robe:

"Personal grudges, Luo has no interest in meddling. But you colluded with bandits, attacked the cloud boat, disrupted the flight route, endangered numerous innocent passengers, and, more importantly, slapped the face of my Tiangong Pavilion's ally. Since Luo has encountered this matter, I cannot stand idly by." He paused slightly, the tip of his sword lifting slightly to point at the Old Man in Black Robe. "I give you two choices: One, leave immediately with your people, and those black boats outside. Two, Luo's sword will invite you to your death."

His tone was flat, yet it contained unparalleled confidence and decisive lethality!

The Old Man in Black Robe's face shifted uncertainly, clearly extremely wary of Luo Qingfeng. The attacks from the black flying boats outside also seemed to pause momentarily due to Luo Qingfeng's appearance.

He glanced at the injured Su Wan, then at Chen Zilong—severely wounded but still with a fierce, stubborn glint in his eyes—and finally at Luo Qingfeng, standing sword in hand, his aura firmly locked onto him...

Finally, he stamped his foot hard, grinding out a few words through clenched teeth:

"Fine! Luo Qingfeng, the Xuan Yin Sect will remember today's events! We're leaving!"

He grabbed Su Wan, transforming into a plume of black smoke. He actually shot directly over the edge of the deck, heading towards the nearest black flying boat.

After the black flying boat took him aboard, it immediately sent a signal. The three flying boats simultaneously ceased their attacks, turned around, and as abruptly as they had arrived, swiftly vanished into the vast night sky and fierce gales.

They came fast, and left just as fast.

All that remained was the scarred cloud boat and its shaken survivors.

Luo Qingfeng did not give chase. He merely watched quietly as the black boats disappeared, then slowly sheathed his sword.

His gaze turned to Chen Zilong, who stood swaying on the deck, barely managing to remain upright.

Their eyes met.

Alarm bells screamed in Chen Zilong's mind. He secretly gathered his remaining strength within.

This Listening to Rain Tower swordsman had saved him, but he had also witnessed his conflict with the Xuan Yin Sect and heard keywords like 'that thing,' 'spirit purifying soul calming powder,' and 'soul source.'

What was his purpose?

Luo Qingfeng observed him for a moment before suddenly speaking:

"Your injuries are severe, your primordial spirit is damaged." His tone was matter-of-fact.

Chen Zilong remained silent, offering no reply.

Luo Qingfeng didn't seem to mind and continued:

"The Xuan Yin Sect's 'Nine Nether Soul Chasing Seal' is very troublesome. It's how they kept finding you. If you want to shake them off completely, or heal your primordial spirit injury, Pill City's 'spirit purifying soul calming powder' is one path. But the pill formula is incomplete, the main ingredients are hard to find, and the 'soul source' is even more elusive."

Chen Zilong's pupils constricted.

The other party knew more than he had imagined!

He even knew about the 'Nine Nether Soul Chasing Seal'?

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Chen Zilong asked, his voice hoarse.

The corner of Luo Qingfeng's mouth seemed to quirk up almost imperceptibly, vanishing in an instant:

"I'm saying your luck isn't bad. I happen to know that Old Man Wu at Pill City's 'Hundred Herbs Pavilion' has recently been researching something similar, and... he seems quite interested in some of the Xuan Yin Sect's soul-path secret arts. Perhaps you could obtain some unexpected 'assistance' from him."

Having said that, he no longer looked at Chen Zilong. He turned, his blue robes fluttering, and in a few steps, his figure disappeared into the shadows of the viewing platform as if he had never been there.

He left Chen Zilong standing alone on the shattered deck, facing the biting gale, his heart roiling with towering waves.

Hundred Herbs Pavilion...

Old Man Wu...

Su Wan had mentioned that place too.

Coincidence?

Or had Luo Qingfeng also noticed Su Wan's abnormality and deliberately pointed it out?

Were his words well-intentioned guidance?

Or another, more subtle form of manipulation or probing?

The Xuan Yin Sect's pursuit had temporarily retreated, but Luo Qingfeng's sudden intervention from Listening to Rain Tower had pushed him to the edge of a new, more complex vortex.

Under the strenuous efforts of the attendants and Guards, the cloud boat began to stabilize its hull, arduously navigating towards Pill City. Temporary repair formations flickered over the damaged areas.

Pill City lay ahead.

But Chen Zilong knew that what awaited him would definitely not be a simple matter of seeking medical treatment.

A clue to completing the pill formula seemed to have appeared, yet it was entangled with behemoths like the Xuan Yin Sect and Listening to Rain Tower.

That mysterious 'soul source,' Old Man Wu's research, Luo Qingfeng's hints...

Everything pointed to the possibility that beneath Pill City lay deeper secrets and more violent storms.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked towards the distant horizon, where the first faint light of dawn was beginning to show.

A new day, and the start of a new game.

And he, this piece who originally thought he was merely a fugitive forced to flee, seemed to be unknowingly pushed towards a more critical position on the board.

"'spirit purifying soul calming powder'... 'soul source'... Xuan Yin Sect... Listening to Rain Tower..."

He repeated these words softly, a spark of unyielding fire igniting deep within the exhaustion in his eyes. "Then... let them all come."