Above the azure sky, it seemed like a crack had formed from which torrents of rain cascaded through the clouds, splattering into countless water droplets upon hitting the puddles below.
A faint blue light tore through the curtain of rain and crashed into the heart of Emerald Light City, like a meteorite plunging straight into a courtyard.
In the blink of an eye, courtyard walls collapsed and rainwater surged into ponds, forming little streams.
The pitter-patter of the rain became increasingly dense, shattering the silence.
Miao Luan struggled to prop herself up, taking in the familiar surroundings of the courtyard with a slight ease of spirit. Her head began to feel involuntarily dizzy, and the wound on her abdomen continued to ooze blood.
The poisoned dagger in the hands of that female cultivator was lethal. The fact that Miao Luan had managed to make it this far was no small feat. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
An overwhelming drowsiness surged over her, and just before losing consciousness, Miao Luan faintly discerned a blurry figure approaching.
Chu Zheng slightly furrowed his brows as he watched Miao Luan, who had fallen from the sky before him, and then looked upwards.
Four figures stood in mid-air not too far from there, displaying expressions of panic upon seeing Chu Zheng.
Chu Zheng's reputation was at its peak, and even among these four people, two had once received spirit pills from Chu Zheng and had guarded his door for a while.
Just as the group was about to defend themselves, their expressions suddenly turned quite strange.
Chu Zheng had just made a breakthrough not long ago, his aura fluctuating and hard to disguise, especially noticeable to a crowd of great cultivators of the Soul Condensation Realm. As such, his early-stage cultivation of the Dao Entry Realm was laid bare for all to see.
Upon recognizing the fluctuations in Chu Zheng's cultivation, all four displayed interesting reactions, as no one had anticipated that a grandmaster with such profound expertise in the Alchemy Dao was merely an early-stage Dao Entry Realm cultivator.
Seeing this, Chu Zheng's eyebrows knit slightly, letting out a soft sigh. Once his cultivation level was exposed, he knew he couldn't stay here any longer.
For a Dao Entry Realm cultivator, these sect's loose cultivators wouldn't have as many scruples in their actions, and were very likely to force him into compliance.
Chu Zheng gave them a glance and then looked towards Miao Luan who was not far away, his expression shifting:
"Did you few accept a bounty from Taixuan Holy Land?"
"Reporting to the master, that is indeed the case,"
One of the Soul Condensing Monks who had once received a spirit pill from Chu Zheng stepped forward, his speech lacking the previous respect and not even offering a salute.
With the cultivation of the Entry Dao Realm, even if one's alchemy skills are strong, they are significantly limited, and such cultivation isn't enough to command high-grade Divine Fire.
"Master, please move aside and let us take this woman's head first, and then we will invite the master over to our residence for a chat,"
Obviously, they intended to coerce Chu Zheng into leaving with them by force.
Miao Luan, after all, was a true disciple of the Holy Land, and besides them, no others were allowed to know of this incident; otherwise, if Tai Xu Holy Land were to take action in retaliation, they would all suffer the consequences.
Chu Zheng remained silent for a while, then revealed his true nature.
"You are Chu Zheng?!"
The Soul Condensing Monks all displayed expressions of shock, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Today, Chu Zheng's portrait had already spread throughout the Southern Region, and any cultivator slightly keen on current affairs would have seen it.
"Since you all have accepted a bounty from Taixuan, we are essentially on the same path,"
Chu Zheng spoke calmly: "There's no need to spoil our rapport."
After all, he had no enmity with these Soul Condensation Realm cultivators and saw no need for violence.
Moreover, Chu Zheng didn't want to openly conflict with Taixuan Holy Land. Join the adventure on m-vl-e-mpyr
No matter what, Song Lingxue was currently in Taixuan Holy Land, and he was, after all, the Chief Disciple under the direct lineage of Taixuan.
No one responded to him, and the gazes of the Soul Condensation Realm cultivators simultaneously turned towards a middle-aged man standing among them.
The middle-aged man had a sturdy build, his features sharply defined, dressed in a black robe with red patterns, exuding an extraordinary presence.
The cultivator's cultivation was the highest among the four, already in the mid stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, and it was clear that the others regarded him as the leader.
"Chu Zheng..."
The middle-aged man glanced at Chu Zheng, withdrew his gaze, looked at the other three, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Kill them together, and I'll take Chu Zheng's head to claim the reward later, you take Miao Luan's head to Taixuan."
In an instant, the void was filled with murderous intent, and the cold rain was like knives, chilling to the bone.
The middle-aged man's action was nothing if not bold, taking on two bounties at the same time, which was undoubtedly the best choice for the four of them.
They would get spirit stones and magic treasures, and could present themselves to both Holy Lands at the same time, ensuring at least one way out, no matter which Holy Land ultimately benefited.
Chu Zheng stood below, quietly listening, with not a hint of surprise in his expression. If it were him, standing in their position, he would likely make the same choice.
An Entry Dao Realm cultivator, for four Soul Condensation Realm cultivators, was as easy to kill as cutting Miao Luan's head off, not even taking much more effort.
"Since I came to Emerald Light City, today is the first time it has rained..."
Raising his head and looking at the tumbling thunder above the clouds, Chu Zheng sighed lightly:
"It seems... it is your fate to face this calamity."
Once the thunder was born, even if the heavens and earth were unwilling to lend their power, it was already too late.
Hum——
Chu Zheng's figure disappeared on the spot, the rain falling in the courtyard came to a standstill, then was swept up by a powerful gust, reversing its course, rolling back up into the canopy of the sky.
The next instant, his figure had already appeared amidst the layers of thunderclouds, with blinding thunder light surging in his palm, the might of heaven permeating.
This was different from Chu Zheng himself using the Thunder Method to invoke the divine thunder of the nine heavens; with thunderclouds backing him, even a Soul Condensation Realm cultivator at Great Perfection would only meet death.
The terrifying aura tumulted through the void, and the four Soul Condensation Realm cultivators standing in mid-air all changed their expressions dramatically, their body hair standing on end as they sensed the imminent threat of death.
Without the slightest hesitation, they turned and fled in different directions.
Chu Zheng had no intention of giving them that chance. He poured all his mana into the Condensing Space Bracelet and activated the Space Condensing Art.
Even though his cultivation was only at the early stage of the Entry Dao Realm, and his Five Elements Foundation was not yet perfected, Chu Zheng's mana was still many times more vigorous than that of cultivators of the same realm.
Exerting all his strength to activate the Space Condensing Art, even the great cultivators of the Soul Condensation Realm were significantly affected, their movements as if mired in mud, drastically slowing down, making it difficult for them to escape in time.
Rumble——
Blinding thunder light filled the firmament, and the thunder within the clouds was emptied by Chu Zheng in an instant. For that moment, he seemed like a true god wielding the power to punish from the heavens.
Boom! Boom!
Several explosions sounded one after another, and the Soul Condensation Realm cultivators stood no chance of resistance. Not even their corpses were preserved, and along with their vestment robes, they turned to ash in an instant. Their storage bags were reduced to flying ash, leaving not a trace behind.
Chu Zheng swept a glance with slight regret, then returned to the courtyard, landing beside Miao Luan.
[Miao Luan (Third Order): A true disciple of the Tai Xu Holy Land, severely poisoned, the Dantian seriously damaged, nearly dying, can be repaired (0/20)]
Looking at the information provided on the panel. Chu Zheng pondered for a while, estimated Miao Luan's injuries, and used the repair function twice to barely bring back Miao Luan's consciousness.
After all, she was a true disciple, and perhaps there was more valuable information to be uncovered.
Chu Zheng bent down, pulled out the Town Immortal Mace, and pressed it against Miao Luan's cheek.
Just as Miao Luan regained consciousness, she suddenly felt a chill on her cheek, and heard a question beside her ear:
"Do you have something valuable to save your life?"