NOVPUB
Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Tu Yuan Blood Hand! Extreme Dao Sect Li Yun!
Luo Cheng did not know what had happened inside the tavern.
After leaving the tavern, he inquired about the location of Chengxuan Town and immediately set out.
Chengxuan Town was located four hundred miles northwest of Linguan City, near the border of the Great Chu Dynasty.
Riding his blue-maned horse, Luo Cheng caught sight of the small town in the distance after two hours.
"Hopefully this won’t be a wasted trip..."
He muttered to himself, tightened the reins, and urged the blue-maned horse toward the town.
The town wasn’t large, but its environment was quite decent. The streets were paved with large green stone slabs, and the buildings on either side were neatly maintained, bearing marks of past prosperity.
However, the town today seemed rather desolate.
Most of the shops had their doors and windows shut tight, and the streets were sparsely populated, with only a few Martial Artists strapped with sabers and swords roaming about.
Luo Cheng wasn’t surprised at this.
With the Emperor of Great Chu’s mysterious disappearance stirring chaos and strong bandits prowling the borders, it was natural for the townsfolk to be plagued with fear.
Passing by a tavern, Luo Cheng stepped inside.
"What can I get for you, customer?"
A cheerful attendant guarding the entrance greeted him enthusiastically.
Luo Cheng tossed a piece of silver to the attendant, saying, "No need for food. I need to ask you something."
The attendant’s eyes gleamed upon seeing the silver.
This piece of silver was roughly equivalent to two months of his wages!
"What would you like to know, esteemed customer? I’ll tell you everything I know, no reservations!"
Luo Cheng asked, "I heard that two days ago, some Sect Disciples were killed by horse bandits near here. Have there been any sightings of these horse bandits in the past two days?"
The attendant froze for a moment, noticing Luo Cheng’s Xuanyuan Sect Disciple robes, and exclaimed:
"Customer, have you taken up the mission to eliminate the horse bandits as well?"
Luo Cheng nodded. "That’s correct. Do you know where they are?"
The attendant hesitated for a moment and then said, "There is some news. I heard they appeared yesterday near the Ancient Crossing Ridge, a hundred miles northwest of the town..."
Before the attendant could finish speaking, a voice suddenly interrupted from the side:
"Kid, if you’re planning to deal with those horse bandits, I suggest you abandon that thought while you still can!"
Luo Cheng turned his head to see a burly, bearded man with a scruffy appearance.
Maintaining his calm, Luo Cheng replied, "Since I’ve accepted the mission, I naturally must give it a try."
The burly man sneered, "I’m trying to warn you! These horse bandits are no ordinary group. As far as I know, more than ten disciples from the Three Great Sects have already died at their hands, including Transcendence Realm Sixth Layer elites! These men are ruthless. At your current Realm, you’ll only be heading to your death!"
"Thank you, but I’ll exercise my own judgment."
Leaving behind a single sentence, Luo Cheng turned and left the tavern.
Having traveled such a vast distance, he certainly wouldn’t abandon the mission based on a few words.
"That kid is arrogant! Just a mere Fifth Layer of the Transcendence Realm, and he dares to take on such a mission!"
Seeing Luo Cheng unwavering in his resolve, the martial guests in the tavern began gossiping immediately.
Someone who recognized the bearded man joked, "Old Fei, your sincere advice has fallen on deaf ears!"
The scruffy man glared in the direction Luo Cheng had left, snorting heavily:
"Hard words can’t persuade a fool doomed to die! I’ve said all I could. If he insists on throwing his life away, no one else can be blamed!"
Luo Cheng left Chengxuan Town, steadily heading northwest on his blue-maned horse.
"With my current strength, unless I encounter a Tongxuan Realm expert, I should be able to handle anyone I face..."
Luo Cheng wasn’t overly worried about encountering a Tongxuan Realm expert.
Sect missions were graded with great care. Even with occasional deviations, a two-star task generally wouldn’t involve a Tongxuan Realm opponent.
The Sect missions were designed to temper disciples, not send them to their deaths.
"Enough thinking, let’s take a look first!"
Applying gentle force with his legs, Luo Cheng accelerated toward the Ancient Crossing Ridge.
Soon after Luo Cheng departed, four riders galloped furiously toward Chengxuan Town.
They were Cui Yuan and his companions.
Originally, there were six of them, but two had been severely injured by Luo Cheng in Linguan City and were no longer able to travel. Only four remained.
"Tang junior brother, go into town and gather some information."
Cui Yuan slowed his steed, instructing Tang Man who rode alongside.
"Alright!"
Tang Man nodded and entered the town.
Moments later, Tang Man emerged on horseback, and the four riders immediately raced northwest, kicking up scattered blades of grass along the way.
Ancient Crossing Ridge.
It was a barren mountain range.
The mountains were sparsely vegetated, dotted with exposed rocks stretching for hundreds of miles.
On a stony path in the desolate mountains, around ten individuals had stationed themselves.
All ten wore black clothing. Each exuded vigor and tiger-like strength—temples bulging tall, all proficient Martial Artists in the Transcendence Realm. Their eyes gleamed with a Killing Aura, and their postures were upright and disciplined!
Standing on a massive rock wall nearby was a tall, stern youth.
The youth appeared around fourteen or fifteen years old. His piercing gaze resembled flashes of lightning, faint traces of Blood Light flickering in the depths of his eyes. Despite his frail-looking frame, he emitted a presence more terrifying than a Demon Beast.
"Break!"
Suddenly, the youth barked coldly, pressing his palm against the rock wall ahead.
Buzz!
A Blood Light manifested over his pale palm.
In the next instant, the solid rock wall yielded as though it were mere tofu, crumbling into fine powder and scattering with the wind.
Beside him, another black-clad youth exclaimed in excitement, "Senior Brother Li, your Tu Yuan Blood Hand has improved again!"
"Heh heh, after extracting the Essence Blood of a few more Martial Artists of the same tier, my Tu Yuan Blood Hand will be perfected! Once I then break through to Tongxuan Realm, no Martial Artist of the same tier will be able to withstand even a single strike from me!"
Staring at the blood-red handprint on the rock wall, the stern youth chuckled to himself with deep anticipation in his eyes.
At that moment, a burly black-clad figure climbed onto the rock wall and addressed the stern youth, "Young Master Li Yun, we should leave this place promptly."
Li Yun adjusted his attire and replied nonchalantly, "We will camp here for the night."
The burly black-clad man furrowed his brows, urging, "Young Master Li Yun, your prior village massacre and successive killings of Sect Disciples from the Great Yue Dynasty have caused quite the stir. Neither the Great Yue Dynasty nor the Three Great Sects will let this slide. Staying here will only invite greater danger."
"Danger?"
Li Yun smirked indifferently, "With the Empress missing and power struggles brewing, the Great Yue Dynasty is too busy to concern itself with me. As for the disciples of the Three Great Sects, they’re just garbage. Unless Tongxuan Realm Martial Artists arrive, any Transcendence Realm Martial Artist who shows up will merely provide me with practice material for my Tu Yuan Blood Hand!"
The burly black-clad man’s brows tightened further.
He knew that disciples of the Extreme Dao Sect were indeed arrogant, but Li Yun’s arrogance was beyond belief.
Taking a deep breath, the burly man spoke in a firm tone:
"Young Master Li Yun, don’t forget. Our purpose in entering the Great Yue Dynasty is to locate the Empress’s bloodline! If this matter falls awry, not even you, as a prodigy of the Extreme Dao Sect, will be able to take responsibility."
Li Yun’s brows furrowed, his voice cooling, "Are you threatening me?"
The black-clad youth nearby noticed Li Yun’s displeasure and immediately called out angrily:
"Lu, who do you think you are? Just a borderland captain! If Senior Brother tells you to camp here, then we camp here—stop spouting nonsense!"
The burly black-clad man suppressed his fury and responded coldly, "I am merely reminding you. Don’t forget the mission at hand!"
"Enough, I know exactly what I’m doing. Once my Tu Yuan Blood Hand reaches mastery, we’ll leave. Hmm... It seems the fish have taken the bait!"
Li Yun’s expression suddenly shifted mid-sentence. He flicked his fingers with a smile, directing his gaze toward a pile of chaotic rocks below the wall, and shouted loudly:
"Since you’ve come, why keep hiding? Show yourself immediately!"
Behind a massive stone.
Luo Cheng’s heart trembled.
Despite activating the Primordial Breath Technique to conceal his aura, he hadn’t expected to be detected by the opponent!
