Chapter 274
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Chapter 274: City of Loose Cultivators (Part One)
As night descended, the desolate village and its ancient shrine lay shrouded in silence.
Inside the house, a bonfire crackled brightly, casting its glow over the shrine that had been abandoned for countless years.
A kettle hung over the flames, bubbling as steam rose, filling the air with a lightly fragrant aroma of tea.
Wang Chen formed a spell with his hands, deftly drawing a swirl of boiling water from the kettle.
In an instant, the water divided into two streams, each pouring gracefully into a teacup.
The tea leaves swirled within the cups, and the liquid swiftly transformed from clear to green, not a single drop spilling.
The old Daoist seated across from Wang Chen lifted his teacup, took a sip, and exclaimed, “This is truly excellent tea!”
He gave Wang Chen an approving nod, adding, “Your technique is even more impressive, fellow traveler!”
Though Wang Chen’s actions appeared simple, only someone who had mastered Object Manipulation to perfection could perform them with such ease.
In truth, the way Wang Chen divided the water and brewed the tea carried a subtle hint of Dao rhythm!
What struck the old Daoist most was Wang Chen’s youth.
Youth like his was rare indeed!
“Senior, you are too kind,” Wang Chen replied with a smile, raising his cup. “Thank you for clearing my doubts. I offer this cup to you in gratitude!”
The old Daoist, exuding an aura of immortal grace, was a cultivator Wang Chen had met earlier that day.
Since their destinations aligned, they had decided to travel together and now rested for the night in the desolate village.
The old Daoist, surnamed Jia, was at the eighth level of Qi Training and claimed to be an inner sect disciple of Yaowang Valley, on a quest for longevity herbs.
Yaowang Valley was one of the immortal sects within the Tianyun Mountain range.
Though not large or particularly powerful, its disciples were renowned for their expertise in alchemy and medicine. They avoided conflict whenever possible, earning them a sterling reputation and widespread respect.
Even thief cultivators hesitated to harm Yaowang Valley disciples traveling abroad.
Moreover, those who dared to venture alone from Yaowang Valley often possessed extraordinary skills and were not to be underestimated!
Daoist Jia was well-traveled and spoke with wit and charm. From him, Wang Chen learned many fascinating tales of the Mountain-Sea Realm.
Offering a cup of spiritual tea was the least he could do.
“Indeed, indeed,”
Daoist Jia smiled warmly and drained his teacup in one go.
As he set the cup down, Wang Chen spoke, “Now that we’ve shared tea and conversation, I shall see you on your way, senior.”
Daoist Jia’s spirit jolted; his once-dull eyes suddenly gleamed with sharp intensity.
His hair and beard bristled as he roared, “What do you mean by that, fellow traveler?”
As he spoke, the old Daoist’s thin fingers elongated into sharp talons, and dark shadows surged from beneath his gray robe.
Like venomous snakes, the shadows lunged toward Wang Chen with lightning speed, leaving him no time to react!
Inside the once tranquil shrine, a sudden surge of murderous intent filled the air.
At that very moment, a large net materialized out of nowhere, descending upon Daoist Jia.
Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil!
Though his reflexes were sharp, Wang Chen’s movements were just as swift.
The two were so close that Daoist Jia had no chance to evade, and he was completely ensnared by the net!
“Ah—”
A piercing scream escaped his lips as his body convulsed violently, his eyes about to burst with rage.
The dark shadows that extended from beneath his robe melted away like snow under the scorching sun, leaving no trace behind.
Simultaneously, tendrils of gray-black smoke were forcibly drawn out from within Daoist Jia’s body, absorbed by the Exorcising Net.
Wang Chen rose to his full height, gazing down at Daoist Jia, who writhed on the ground in his death throes. “A respected disciple of Yaowang Valley should not be enslaved by Evil Spirits. Do you have any final words?”
Daoist Jia’s identity as a disciple of Yaowang Valley was likely genuine.
But his fall into evil was undeniable!
In fact, the moment Wang Chen first laid eyes on Daoist Jia, he had sensed something amiss in his aura.
This keen intuition stemmed from his powerful soul and the experience he had gained from slaying countless Evil Spirits!
No matter how well Daoist Jia had disguised himself, it was all in vain.
Wang Chen had held back from acting immediately, waiting for the perfect moment to strike—just as Daoist Jia had intended to “devour” him!
The Evil Spirit lurking within Daoist Jia was undoubtedly cunning, but before the Exorcising Net, it was powerless—there was no escape.
“I… want… you… dead!”
Daoist Jia curled into a ball, straining to lift his head; his face was twisted into a grotesque mask of fury.
“Wrong answer.”
Wang Chen tightened his grip on the Exorcising Net, unleashing its destructive power in full force.
The rate at which it extracted dark forces increased tenfold!
“Ah!”
Daoist Jia could endure no longer; his skin cracked and split, and with a final, agonized scream, he crumbled into ashes.
Wang Chen did not retract the Exorcising Net at the last moment, as he had done in the past, nor did he use a flying sword to deliver the final blow to gain Virtue.
He was uncertain of what hidden tricks Daoist Jia might have possessed; thus, using the Exorcising Net to eliminate him directly was the safest choice.
Previously, Wang Chen had nearly suffered a loss, so now he exercised extreme caution when dealing with those who had succumbed to evil.
In the end, aside from the spiritual energy absorbed and transformed by the Exorcising Net, he gained nothing else.
But Wang Chen was unbothered.
Throughout his journey, he had encountered numerous Evil Spirits and more than a few evil cultivators.
Daoist Jia was merely one among them.
After retracting the Exorcising Net, Wang Chen sat back down, pouring himself a cup of tea to savor slowly.
In truth, Daoist Jia had been quite intriguing; their conversation had been enjoyable.
But alas, having fallen to evil, he was no longer human.
The long, dark night stretched on, and Wang Chen had no one to keep him company.
The next morning, he departed from the desolate village where he had camped.
He continued on his journey.
Wang Chen’s next destination was the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators.
He traveled by day and rested at night, taking three days to complete the final leg of his journey and arrive at the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators.
Though Wang Chen’s storage bag contained over a dozen flying artifacts, as a mere Qi Training cultivator venturing through the wilds of the outer realm, using such artifacts would be inviting disaster.
Many Demonic Birds were fiercely territorial, and the moment an “intruder” entered their airspace, they would attack without hesitation, either driving them away or killing them outright.
Unless the intruder’s strength far surpassed theirs.
Against such Demonic Birds, the combat prowess of a Qi Training cultivator was negligible.
The cautious use of flying artifacts was a hard-earned lesson from the countless cultivators who had ventured into the outer realm!
In such circumstances, Wang Chen often found himself literally running for his life.
Using Shadowless Divine Movement!
Though exhausting, it was far safer.
Throughout his journey, Wang Chen had encountered no real dangers, a testament to his careful and cautious nature.
Ahead of him loomed a majestic city—the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators!
The City of Ten Thousand Cultivators was renowned throughout Wang Chen’s Cangzhou, especially among loose cultivators; this immortal city held a special place in their hearts.
It was said that if one had never visited the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators, they could not truly call themselves a loose cultivator!
The City of Ten Thousand Cultivators lay a full thirty thousand miles from Yunyang; Wang Chen had never been here before, and this time, he intended to explore this legendary city of loose cultivators thoroughly.
