Western Ox Continent, Endless Sea.
Thousands of spirit stones floated above the sea, with moonlight crystals threading among them.
Soft light shimmered, drifting down gracefully.
The waters of the Endless Sea surged, drawing in these spiritual forces and the power of moonlight, along with Xu Jin, who was still bleeding into the sea.
According to Chu Xingchen, this deeply hidden ritual array likely also required a supply of blood-qi as a catalyst.
His, Chu Xingchen's, cultivation was weak, and his blood-qi even weaker. Naturally, he could not compare to Xu Jin, the carefully cultivated, flawlessly sealed current core disciple of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect.
Xu Jin simply tossed these flattering words aside, went up into the air, and began letting blood.
When Chu Xingchen flattered people, his face was perfectly sincere, and his words were indeed pleasant to hear. But that was all there was to it.
For major matters, Chu Xingchen was indeed reliable. But once the matter became small, it was truly... hard to describe in a word.
But fortunately, it was only letting a little blood. Xu Jin had already taken a blade-strike from Chu Xingchen anyway; he only had to keep the wound from healing.
As time passed, the surging of the Endless Sea grew ever more intense.
"You've already been to Huangliang City, haven't you? Is Litchi still alive?"
Looking at the heavy, condensed mass of spiritual power below, Xu Jin remembered something and pressed Chu Xingchen at his side.
"Brother Xu rarely entrusts me with a matter. Naturally, I must see it done properly."
Chu Xingchen raised his hand and pressed down on the spirit stones. "That's about enough."
"This array ritual is somewhat sinister. I fear it's no proper grave mound."
Xu Jin looked at him in confusion: "Grave mound?"
"Why pretend? Aren't so-called secret realms just grave mounds?" Chu Xingchen slightly lifted his eyes.
"This thing probably self-activates once every century or so. I don't think anyone's grave mound would be so generous as to invite people in for tea."
Xu Jin could not help but press further: "Then it has nothing to do with the demon beasts of the Western Ox Continent going mad?"
"Likely it does." Chu Xingchen lifted his eyes. Below, the seawater suddenly parted to the sides, and a column of spiritual power shot up from the seabed, straight into the clouds.
Xu Jin sensed something, and his gaze shifted.
To the west, some dozen-odd auras were flying toward them.
Chu Xingchen called up Wan Ban, its flow circulating around him as he said:
"Whatever the case, let's go in and have a look first."
"I'll stay behind to cover your rear." Xu Jin raised his sword, his gaze calm as he faced west.
"Heh... With such a great commotion in the Western Ox Continent, those who truly threaten us wouldn't come find trouble with us here at this moment."
Chu Xingchen raised his hand. The spiritual power he had been controlling in the spirit stones was fully extracted, and the stones scattered as ordinary rubble.
The seawater surged, and the secret realm below tore open, revealing its form.
The dozen-odd auras from the west also arrived at extreme speed.
Chu Xingchen's divine sense reached out. His gaze went to the leader, and a smile appeared on his face.
Xu Jin's expression, however, was grave.
"Just an annoying fly."
The leader wore a gauze veil, and spoke in a soft, alluring tone. But Chu Xingchen knew this voice — it was Xu Linglong.
"The Central Continent won't let me go, and the Western Ox Continent won't let me play either."
Xu Linglong reached out, and a crimson short dagger appeared in her hand:
"Two little ones, and with this level of cultivation, you wish to come explore? Today, elder sister will teach you a lesson. Best remember it well in your next life."
Chu Xingchen's expression was calm and composed. He asked with a curious look:
"What lesson?"
"Dangerous things — wait until your cultivation is sufficient before you come."
As Xu Linglong's words fell, her form shot forward. The short blade slashed straight at Chu Xingchen.
Xu Jin reacted. From his chest, an ancient Dao rhyme rolled out, protecting Chu Xingchen.
But Chu Xingchen had not moved at all. A single cold gleam of sword qi swept across, going straight for Xu Linglong with a single stroke.
Xu Linglong's source power wrapped around her, blocking the sword light. Her form swiftly retreated a hundred zhang, her gaze going in the direction the sword light had come from.
A figure in white — Bai Xuanling — stood somewhere in the high sky, a light smile on her face.
"Let me also teach you a lesson." Chu Xingchen chuckled.
"A peerless genius like me, when going out, generally has a top-tier expert as escort. Going out alone is so dangerous."
"Now here's the question."
"How do you think you should run, so that you might actually get away?"
A smile rose on Xu Linglong's face, but she did not answer.
Bai Xuanling's form pressed down, her long sword lightly falling.
White light flashed, flattening the waves of the sea.
The seawater flew up, falling back as a fine, close rain.
"A mere clone trick. The one who came was not her true self."
Bai Xuanling returned the long sword to her spatial ring. The dozen-odd figures were completely annihilated, leaving only the seawater rushing back to fill the void.
Seeing this, Xu Jin gently pursed his lips.
He naturally also had means of escape. The Xuanqing Heavenly Sect's sect-suppressing treasure was now upon his person, and he carried many escape treasures, as well as talismans for emergency reinforcement.
But he truly had never experienced having a Tribulation Crossing expert at his side as a protector.
He was a Body Integration cultivator. If he were to seek a qualified protector, it should be a Great Vehicle cultivator.
But a Xu Jin who possessed the sect-suppressing treasure, should he encounter something he could not handle, would be in serious trouble even if a Great Vehicle cultivator came.
As for Tribulation Crossing...
The Xuanqing Heavenly Sect was not so extravagant as to assign a personal Tribulation Crossing expert to escort its current core disciple.
Bai Xuanling first gave a light nod to Xu Jin, then looked at Chu Xingchen:
"I told you — this fishing method of yours won't catch any big fish. You have to respect the intelligence of the other side as well."
Chu Xingchen answered with a face full of smiles:
"One has to try. Didn't I just casually reel in over a dozen small fish? It's not a total empty catch."
"Xu Linglong's attitude was strange. She didn't seem to mind that this place was discovered. Let's quickly investigate the situation clearly, lest we really get surrounded wholesale."
Bai Xuanling did not respond to this, but slightly lifted her eyes.
Chu Xingchen naturally understood the meaning of this Tribulation expert.
Initially, Chu Xingchen had not actually planned to call Bai Xuanling to escort him. At first, he hadn't even wanted Bai Xuanling to go to the Western Ox Continent at all.
Bai Xuanling's situation seemed stable. But once she encountered something, this expert would very likely truly blow up at the other side.
And so even the matter of blocking people at Pu Du River had been handed over to the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect's grand elder, Huang Miao.
But Bai Xuanling, without a single word, simply picked up a long sword and came.
Chu Xingchen had tried to counsel her once or twice. Clearly, he had failed. But not entirely in vain — at least he had also taken several punches from Bai Xuanling.
Lu Xuan had also tried to counsel Bai Xuanling.
Perhaps because this sect master had recently and truly helped Bai Xuanling with something,
Bai Xuanling did not feed this sect master a "Ten-Complete Great Tonic Pill" or the fists she did not much enjoy.
She had only said one thing: "When I can still lift a sword, naturally I should go and see, should do the things I wish to do. Should I wait until going out is difficult, and only then act?"
With that one sentence, she had settled Lu Xuan, and had Chu Xingchen bring along this never-yielding Bai Xuanling.
It was precisely because of this that Bai Xuanling had such bearing.
To prevent Bai Xuanling from taking the initiative to strike out everywhere, Chu Xingchen could only arrange her as his final trump card, keeping her at his side.
"We owe much to you this time. If not for your presence, Brother Xu and I would truly have taken a heavy loss."
Chu Xingchen hurriedly laughed, and at the same time gave Xu Jin a hard clap at his side:
"Hurry and thank your Uncle Master Bai!"
Xu Jin had no idea at what point he was suddenly supposed to express gratitude. But with things at this point, he could only put on a smile along with Chu Xingchen and prepare to offer thanks.
"Spare the formalities." Bai Xuanling waved her hand.
"I'll go down and see the situation below myself. You two, with your low cultivation, had best not come down with me and divide my attention."
Hearing this, Xu Jin gently pursed his lips.
He had never imagined that one day, the words "low cultivation" could be associated with him.
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