Chapter 113: Chapter 95: Divine Infant Retreats from the World_2

Cheng Xuan was completely unguarded, when suddenly, his mind went blank.

Song Lingqing was only an arm's length away from him, within reach. As her wrist flipped over, a long sword appeared in her palm, radiating a bone-chilling killing intent.

Whiz—

The sword whistled past Cheng Xuan's neck, sending his head soaring through the air with blood spurting, eventually rolling to one side.

In a brief moment of distraction, by the time Cheng Xuan regained his senses, his vision had turned upside down, a world of red. Not far stood a headless corpse.

Taking the head directly had become Song Lingqing's habit, simply because she had previously suffered in that regard.

Not all cultivators have their hearts in vulnerable spots; some, with their peculiar methods, can still fight back even with a damaged heart. She had learned this the hard way, enduring injuries for half a month before she could move freely again.

Gulp—

Only when the head hit the ground did Wu Taiyun finally react. His expression changed drastically, and without hesitation, he leaped into the river.

His cultivation was only at the Early Spirit Spring Realm, far below Song Lingqing. To face her head-on, alone, would only lead to death.

Once in the river, his figure vanished instantly like a drop of water.

Song Lingqing soared across the sky on her sword, her senses sharp. She quickly detected a trace of rapidly moving energy underwater.

Ordinary cultivators mostly need to enter the Dao Realm to manifest Divine Sense, but practicing the Phantom Spirit Technique, one could vaguely develop a semblance of Divine Sense even in the Spirit Spring Realm.

Song Lingqing's eyes narrowed. She raised her hand and slashed out a sword qi, splitting the water and waves, rushing down to the river surface, and slashed again.

Boom—

The water churned with a hundred layers of muddy waves, beneath which a hint of red bloomed, yet no corpse surfaced.

Wu Taiyun had dived into deeper waters, disappearing from Song Lingqing's perception.

The difference in combat power between loose cultivators and major sect disciples is immense, whether in the purity and strength of mana or in the difference in martial arts and secret techniques—like heaven and earth.

But in one aspect, that of survival tactics, sect disciples are often inferior.

Song Lingqing did not pursue. The situation underwater was unclear, and with numerous water demons present, delving too deep could easily capsize the situation in a dangerous environment. It was unnecessary to risk her life.

After looking around, Song Lingqing returned to her small boat, collected Cheng Xuan's long box and storage bag, then sank the body into the river. She used the flowing river water to wash the blood from her hands.

This was the advantage of Giant Marsh. Bodies thrown into the water disappeared within moments, consumed by water demons, saving the trouble of destroying the body and erasing traces.

As she watched the body gradually disappear in the water, Song Lingqing's brows slightly furrowed.

She was somewhat concerned about the current predicament of Chu Zheng; even these ordinary loose cultivators had obtained his portrait, not to mention the various major sects.

Fearfully, Chu Zheng was now besieged on all sides.

However, if Wu Taiyun escaped with his life, she herself might also face trouble.

Autumn Water Island, where she had just passed last month.

It is a black market belonging to loose cultivators, filled with all kinds of dealings including assassinations, deceptions, thievery, laundering, slave trading, and the only place with 'Locking Immortal Pavilion' in the entire Giant Marsh.

Every transaction that shunned the light could essentially be found there.

The influence of Locking Immortal Pavilion spans hundreds of countries, obscure in power, comparable to the worldly brothels but with one difference—those entertaining with their charms inside are cultivators.

Within the Locking Immortal Pavilion, there are both male and female cultivators, each with different backgrounds, including disciples from destroyed sects, wandering loose cultivators, and nobility from fallen powerful families.

Locking Immortal Pavilion avoids offending others, never participating in power struggles.

Those who are sold into the Locking Immortal Pavilion, no matter how talented or gifted with high-quality Immortal Bones, never get the chance to turn their fate around, constantly watched by the outside world.

Their ultimate fate, to be drained of their essence until nothing but a dry husk remains.

Harvesting yang from females and harvesting yin from males, an age-old widespread path in the cultivation world, albeit one rarely admitted to openly.

Many cultivators secretly practice this path as, compared to other paths, it's significantly easier to follow.

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Song Lingqing regained her senses, smashed the small boat, and without using her sword, walked directly on the waves.

After covering several hundred li, taking advantage of the perfect position of the sun, she changed her clothes on a small island, procured another small boat, and continued downriver in search of news.

In a few days, if she still couldn't locate her family, she would consider heading towards the Great Zhou to search.

And Chu Zheng, she had no idea where he was now.

...

...

As twilight approached, the harbor of Wild Goose Wing Island quieted down, gradually sinking into silence.

Song Residence's back courtyard.

Within a secluded courtyard, Chu Zheng met Song Yun.

Meeting Chu Zheng, Song Yun's first reaction was that Chu Zheng had changed once again.

This change was not merely superficial, but also involved deeper elements.

He opened his mouth to speak, but after a long pause of silence, he bowed respectfully:

"Son-in-law."

He was born in the Song Family, grew up in the Song Family, and as long as he lived, he would always belong to the Song Family. Chu Zheng's current identity was now different, and there were certain etiquettes he naturally observed.

This had nothing to do with strength or weakness, it was about protocol.

Moreover, Chu Zheng was a great benefactor to the entire Song Family, having saved the young miss from life-threatening dangers several times. This kindness was something he could never fully repay even with several deaths.

Chu Zheng glanced at Song Yun, having traversed hundreds of thousands of miles with a mere mortal body. The hardship involved was not something to be spoken lightly to outsiders.

He did not ask how much hardship Song Yun had endured during this period but asked directly:

"Song Yun, are you willing to come with me?"

Chu Zheng planned to leave the Song Family overnight, but did not intend to take Song Tonghai with him; his current situation was very dangerous, and there was no certainty that he would survive.

Taking Song Tonghai with him could potentially endanger his life instead.

As for Song Yun, Chu Zheng wanted to give him a hand; he needed someone from the Martial Path to help verify the martial arts of this world.

Song Yun's talent was much stronger than ordinary people, he was about the same age as Song Lingxue, only slightly inferior in martial arts.

Under normal circumstances, he definitely had a chance to step into the Grandmaster realm before the age of thirty.

Chu Zheng needed this talent; otherwise, even if that Xuan Tian Martial Barrier were repaired, there would be no one to verify it in the short term.

"If the son-in-law needs me to go, then I will go," Song Yun said without any hesitation.

Originally, he had said that he would bind himself with a grass ring to repay Chu Zheng's great kindness; his life was no longer his own.

Chu Zheng did not hide the dangers involved and said bluntly, "You and I are very likely to die."

"Being born is leading to death; everyone eventually faces it."

Song Yun's demeanor remained unchanged; he had never feared death, dying for the Song Family was a worthy death.

"Then let's go."

Chu Zheng's face showed a smile, and turning around, he said, "We'll first look for Ling Qing."

...

...

Midnight.

Chu Zheng bade farewell to Song Tonghai.

Song Tonghai naturally agreed with Chu Zheng's decision to leave him behind; he did not wish to be a burden forever.

Song Tonghai did not say much, only advising Chu Zheng to be very careful. Chu Zheng was like his child now, inevitably worrying him.

For safety, Chu Zheng also took a drop of Song Tonghai's essence blood.

In case of any unforeseen events causing them to get separated again, he could locate Song Tonghai through Heavenly Divination Technique.

Before leaving, Chu Zheng left Song Lingfeng and his sister Song Lingping two second-order magic treasures each, and several bottles of second-order Spirit Pills, to be delivered by Song Tongxuan as a token of gratitude.

The magic treasures were one offensive and one defensive, coming from the remnants of that ancient battlefield, enough for the two of them to use until they reached Entry Dao Realm Perfection.

...

...

As Chu Zheng left the Song Residence, the outside world was already in turmoil.

Together with the spread of Chu Zheng's portrait, there was also an order issued jointly by several Holy Lands.

All cultivators above the Divine Infant Realm, unless approved by a Holy Land, were forbidden from taking action; any violations would result in punishment extending to their entire sect.

This joint decree by the Holy Lands was unprecedented in tens of thousands of years, showing the level of their concern.

People began to probe the reasons behind this, and those with extensive connections quickly learned the inside story.

The fall of Tai Xu Pseudo-Immortal, the Five Saints' meeting, and the Immortal Alliance's intervention – these pieces of news spread in the shadows, stirring up a storm throughout the Southern Region.

Sects were as silent as cicadas in winter, becoming much more restrained, and occasionally observable Divine Infant Great Abilities began to go into hiding.