Chapter 739

Chapter 739: Journey to Qingqiu (Part Two)

"The younger generation nowadays is truly remarkable!"

The old man who appeared before Wang Chen had a hunched body, appearing frail and weak, yet his eyes gleamed with a sharp clarity, untouched by the haze of age, as if they could pierce through one’s very soul.

Wang Chen’s expression turned grave. "May I ask for your esteemed name, senior?"

This old man gave him an extraordinarily peculiar feeling.

Though the man stood merely a few dozen steps away, Wang Chen perceived his presence as elusive, almost like a phantom, impossible to pin down with divine sense.

As for his cultivation level, it was utterly unfathomable.

At the very least, he was a Golden Core cultivator, possibly even a high-ranking master or a Yuan Ying!

Wang Chen silently gathered his magical energy, encasing the external elixir within his Qi Sea, bracing himself for a potential confrontation.

If the old man harbored any ill intent, Wang Chen would have no choice but to detonate the external elixir.

That might offer him a slim chance of survival!

In all his travels, Wang Chen had only encountered two or three individuals of such caliber!

To be honest, he felt a twinge of regret; had he known he would provoke such a formidable presence, he wouldn’t have acted so rashly and taken a life earlier.

The white-haired elder chuckled, "You come seeking me, yet you don’t know my name?"

Wang Chen was momentarily stunned, then suddenly it dawned on him. "So it’s Senior Hu!"

The reason Wang Chen had journeyed all the way to Changsheng Immortal City was that Hu Jiao Jiao had informed him through a letter symbol to seek out a Fox Clan elder named Hu Fei here, who would then guide him to Qingqiu.

Otherwise, even if Wang Chen had a lifetime, he wouldn’t be able to get close to Qingqiu!

The frustrating part was that Hu Jiao Jiao hadn’t provided any details about Hu Fei in the letter symbol.

As a result, he failed to recognize the true master upon meeting him!

But that was of little consequence; what mattered was that the elder was not an enemy.

Wang Chen exhaled deeply in relief and respectfully bowed, "I am Wang Chen, seeking to journey to Qingqiu. I humbly request your assistance, and I would be eternally grateful!"

Hu Fei stroked his long white beard, his eyes narrowing into a smile. "You’ve got some nerve, kid. You just entered the city and already took a life. Do you truly believe there’s no Yuan Ying in Changsheng?"

Wang Chen smiled wryly. "I was left with no choice, not wanting to be bullied by scoundrels."

Before this, Wang Chen had little to fear.

He had altered his appearance before entering the city and used the power of the external elixir to masquerade as a true master, intimidating onlookers before swiftly departing.

He had planned to return later with a different guise, making it impossible for others to recognize him.

Thankfully, Hu Fei bore no malice toward him.

Wang Chen couldn’t help but ask, "Senior, how did you know I was looking for you?"

This was the part Wang Chen found most perplexing.

"Hand it over."

Hu Fei’s figure shifted, and in an instant, he stood before Wang Chen, extending his right hand.

Wang Chen was momentarily taken aback before quickly understanding. He promptly retrieved a pearl from his pocket and placed it in the elder’s hand.

The grayish-white pearl was formed after the letter symbol left by Hu Jiao Jiao spontaneously combusted.

Hu Jiao Jiao had instructed him to carry it to Changsheng Immortal City.

Hu Fei obviously sensed the pearl’s presence and sought out Wang Chen!

"It seems you’ve understood."

Hu Fei pocketed the pearl, his gaze on Wang Chen holding a strange expression. "You really are impressive, managing to have Jiao Jiao speak on your behalf. If she hadn’t pleaded with me, I wouldn’t have brought a human cultivator into the ancestral land."

Wang Chen chuckled awkwardly, "Senior overpraises me."

Was that a compliment?

No, it was an implication!

But Wang Chen could only pretend he didn’t understand.

"People’s hearts are not what they used to be."

Hu Fei shook his head, appearing wise beyond his years, and then said, "Come back here in three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind swept up the fallen leaves from the ground, howling as it dove into the depths of the forest.

Hu Fei vanished without a trace.

At the same time, Wang Chen heard his voice again in his ear: "Kid, stop showing off that external elixir of yours. The guy you killed had a background."

Wang Chen jolted in surprise.

For someone of this Fox Clan elder’s caliber to warn him like that was undoubtedly unusual. Wang Chen had never expected a thug-like character would have such a background.

But he had already killed him, so Wang Chen felt no regret.

He even turned back to Changsheng Immortal City.

The most dangerous place is often the safest place. This saying might sound like nonsense to others, but Wang Chen could ignore the predictions of the Heavenly Merit technique and use the Thousand Transformations as a disguise, truly applying this principle of hiding in plain sight.

On the short journey back, he changed into a different robe, adjusting his height and appearance to be quite different from before, and suppressed his cultivation level to the initial Purple Palace stage.

Then Wang Chen paid an entrance fee again and re-entered Changsheng Immortal City.

The process went very smoothly.

No matter how much background Old Biao had, his death would take some time to create an impact.

Moreover, Wang Chen felt vaguely that things were not as serious as Hu Fei had said. Perhaps this Fox Clan elder was merely cautioning him to avoid using such opportunistic methods.

In any case, Wang Chen, on his second visit to Changsheng, did not encounter any troubles.

Changsheng Immortal City at night was even more lively than during the day, with thousands of Obsidian Lamps hanging under the eaves casting bright light, illuminating the main street in exquisite detail.

People surged like a tide, brushing shoulders and bustling loudly.

Interestingly, many street stalls had popped up that weren’t there during the day, selling all sorts of peculiar items. Many things Wang Chen had never seen and could not fathom their purpose.

There were also numerous food stalls, serving-up fried and roasted meats, kebabs, and various snacks, and the business was quite booming.

Wang Chen bought a few skewers; they tasted pretty good.

Most importantly, the food prices here were much more reasonable compared to Qianxing Immortal City.

“Ancient sealed jade!”

At that moment, a loud shout suddenly rang out, attracting quite a bit of attention around: “Just unearthed a batch of ancient sealed jade a few days ago! Limited quantity, those who want to try their luck, hurry up!”

Ancient sealed jade?

Hearing this name made Wang Chen momentarily dazed.

Back when he was in the Mountain-Sea Realm, he had played a similar "blind box" game.

The Life Creation Cauldron was obtained from opening sealed jade!

To his surprise, the Haotian Realm had the same kind of game.

Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Wang Chen approached the stall.

At that moment, many cultivators had already gathered around the stall, all evidently seeking to try their luck.

In simple terms, ancient sealed jade was gambling, but it was relatively fair, as it was hard to cheat with ancient sealed jade.

However, the odds were low for winning; the house always made money.

Everyone understood this, but greed is a part of human nature. Unless everyone abandons desire, such games will never disappear.

The stallholder selling the ancient sealed jade was a young cultivator. Once he saw the crowd had gathered, he smiled and said, “Everyone, pay attention! Limited quantity, the highest bidder wins!”