Chapter 52

  It turned out that these three people had indeed met Xu Ziqing before, and it was on the sea.

  At first, Ziguang Zong's master, Ehuo Ran, wanted to capture the third-grade demon beast, Winyu, which had ancient bloodlines in the sea as a demon pet. He specially brought 12 cultivators whose cultivation was between the sixth and eighth layers of Lianqi to capture it, and even prepared a sealing array, showing great confidence.

  Unexpectedly, the winning fish was extremely ferocious and took advantage of the seawater to stir up thousands of huge waves with its innate divine power, leaving several lives behind.

  Several skilled servants did not want to serve Miss E anymore and abandoned her, fleeing for their lives. They just said "The young lady was taken away by someone else first, but I don't know why she couldn't return to the sect", pushing this matter onto those who had already died.

  Many monks thought it was good, but they misjudged the master's temperament.

  Those four or five monks who had escaped earlier returned as planned, but found the master furious. He struck them with his palms and killed them all!

  Wang Jun, Nian Hongzhi and Ruan Yuanliang had just returned to the sect when one of the gatekeepers, who had once received kindness from Wang Jun, informed them that Sect Master Lei Feng was furious. The three didn't dare return, so they quickly fled for their lives instead.

  As they are now in the same boat, they have become sworn brothers of different surnames. Yan Hongzhi is the eldest brother, Wang Jun is the second, and Ruan Yuanliang is the youngest. Wang Jun has some clever ideas in his mind, so he suggests going to join the Scattered Cultivators' Alliance. That place is extremely far from the Purple Light Sect's location. If they go there, even if they change from being sect disciples to scattered cultivators, they can still escape this disaster.

  As soon as this was said, no one had any objections, so the three of them set off day and night, rushing to Leshan.

  Because the monk's robe, storage bag and some Buddhist instruments were all distributed by the sect, in case something went wrong, the three people threw them all away on the way. After arriving at the Loose Cultivators' Alliance, because their cultivation was not bad, they all received second-class command tokens, but they became penniless, and the resources they needed before had to be collected again.

  Nian Hongzhi and others originally thought that they could live in peace, but unexpectedly met the young cultivator who had passed by at sea in the Loose Cultivators' Alliance!

  At that time, everyone abandoned Ou Jian's affairs were seen by this person. They thought he was just a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator and should have died at the hands of Ying Yu, but who would have thought that not only did he not die, but his cultivation had also advanced to another level!

  Ruan Yuanliang recognized Xu Ziqing and felt anxious in his heart: "Big brother, second brother, how can this be good?"

  Wang Jun also took a deep breath: "Absolutely cannot let him inform the sect master, otherwise our brothers' lives will be in danger!"

  Nian Hong's eyes were deep and profound, but inside, a hint of ruthlessness flashed: "Then let him keep the secret!"

  Xu Ziqing obtained three storage bags and was heading down to the next floor. Although he had seen those three people before, due to the vastness of the ocean and the fleeting nature of his impression, he hadn't recognized them clearly. The familiar feeling flashed by, and he didn't pay much attention to it, but unexpectedly, those three people had already recognized him and were secretly plotting against him.

  He had been wandering in the trading hall for so long that he already had some plans for what to do next. It was just right that he had obtained a storage bag, and next he should exchange for some cultivation resources before continuing his closed-door training.

  Time is limited, if he really wants to break through the foundation period within three years, he may still need to work hard.

  After thinking about it, Xu Ziqing directly went to the first floor of the Treasure Tower and exchanged for the corresponding contribution value.

  The spiritual grass in his hand is too good, it was previously exposed, now it's better to be more low-key. As for the beast dan, there's no problem with that.

  Even though the demon vine had been devouring a lot of demonic beast flesh and blood over the years, the quality of the beast cores it obtained were mostly only first or second grade. There were no more than twenty third-grade cores, and fourth-grade demonic beasts were equivalent to foundation stage cultivation, so with the demon vine's current power, it was extremely difficult to devour them, hence it had only managed to obtain three.

  Xu Ziqing's plan at this time was to sell a certain number of first and second grade beast dans - who could say that a loose cultivator didn't have some accumulated things on hand?

  He put his hands in his sleeves and secretly put many beast dans into two different storage bags.

  Arriving at the first floor, Xu Ziqing walked straight towards an attendant. He had previously noticed that this place was in charge of collecting various beast Dans. The names of the demon beasts written on the silk fabric, he also remembered them all.

  Just as he arrived in front of the official, a man happened to come out from the restricted area. Xu Ziqing brushed past him and walked into the restricted area, sitting cross-legged opposite the official.

  That official was an elderly man who looked kind and gentle. When he saw Xu Ziqing, he spoke up and said: "Fellow Daoist, what do you want to sell?"

  Xu Ziqing smiled warmly: "I have accumulated wealth for many years, but it is not being used properly, I want to clear it out here."

  The old man nodded: "Fellow Taoist, just take it out, and I'll make sure to contribute in return."

  Xu Ziqing heard this and placed two storage bags in front of him.

  The old man handled things very carefully, he first took out a storage bag, closed his eyes and searched inside, a glimmer of light flashed across his eyes: "Are they all first-class beast pellets?"

  Xu Ziqing smiled and said: "Exactly, there are one hundred and three beads."

  The old man responded with a nod, closed his eyes and then opened them again to examine the second storage bag: "Second-tier beast dan, there are fifty-two pellets."

  Xu Ziqing also nodded: "Indeed, it is this number."

  Two men conversed, and later some monks also came forward, very curious about why this transaction was so secretive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, the old man did not show the contents of his storage bag, nor could they pry into it.

  Xu Ziqing rather liked the old man's move and smiled kindly: "Please name your price, senior."

  The old man thought for a moment: "The price here has been set, let's calculate it. One first-class beast dan is worth 50 contributions per grain, and you have three grains which are urgently needed, so the value doubles... Two second-class beast dans are worth 500 contributions each, totaling 31,300 contributions."

  Xu Ziqing had already calculated it and was about to hand over the token.

  The old man raised two fingers, and the tip of his finger flashed with a silver light, leaving a string of numbers on the token: "Fellow Taoist, take good care of it, and use this object to exchange for contributions at our temple."

  Xu Ziqing smiled and retrieved the items, then picked up two empty storage bags before standing up. These beast pellets had indeed earned him a considerable amount of contribution points, which should be enough for him to exchange for cultivation resources.

  Because of his clear purpose, Xu Zi Qing didn't spend much time on the second layer. He had already thought it through and decided that apart from the Bie Gu Dan, he wouldn't exchange for any other elixirs. After all, there were some impurities in the elixirs, and as a single spirit root, his cultivation speed was already quite fast. If he relied on taking elixirs to improve his cultivation, it would be counterproductive.

  So the main thing is to exchange some seeds, spirit pearls and a few wood-based skills. Although his spiritual power has advanced rapidly now, after all, his attack methods are limited, and the techniques he has learned are also extremely limited, really need to make up for it.

  With sufficient contributions in hand, Xu Ziqing's trip went very smoothly.

  First, he exchanged some common spiritual wood and vines with special uses for seeds. Later, he obtained more than a hundred spiritual pearls and some wooden techniques, but the cost was also very high, using up three million contributions to gather these resources. After that, he just took the Bu Gu Dan and could cultivate in the quiet room with peace of mind.

  Xu Ziqing made a decision and was determined. He walked out of the seven-story tower and headed to Gao Keju's residence.

  Just a few steps away, suddenly a figure appeared in front of him, with a sense of urgency.

  Xu Ziqing recognized him, this stunningly handsome young man, wasn't he Su Xuan?!

  But they had just parted ways, how did he come looking for him again?

  Su Xun saw Xu Ziqing and was slightly out of breath, with a smile on his face: "Brother Ziqing, I've finally found you!"

  Xu Ziqing slightly surprised: "Ah Xian younger brother why so hasty?"

  Su Xun was familiar with him and was very close, came over and grabbed his sleeve, saying: "I will hand over the Blood Demon's physical body to Master, Master wants to see you."

  Xu Ziqing was dazed. Although he didn't want to have too much contact with this alliance leader, as a master who cared about his disciple, wanting to see him once was also reasonable.

  He smiled and said: "Having received many favors from the alliance while I was here, it's just right to go and pay respects to the leader of the alliance to express my gratitude."

  Su Xuan was also delighted: "Then follow me, I've been looking for you for some time, and Master has been waiting anxiously."

  Xu Ziqing smiled slightly and let him drag her away. She felt that Su Xuan's distinction between good and evil was clear, and she really loved it.

  Su Xing's heart was urgent, he pulled Xu Zi Qing and jumped onto the flying sword. The two of them sped through the air, heading straight for the Inner Alliance.

  The two of them walked quickly away, and Xu Ziqing didn't notice that someone had already seen this scene.

  Just now, the three brothers of different surnames had some plans for Xu Ziqing and soon followed Xu Ziqing secretly as if nothing was wrong. Xu Ziqing had not encountered many deceitful things after all, and with a single heart searching for resources, he did not discover it.

  Now Xun brought Xu Ziqing along, and his behavior towards him was so enthusiastic that it made the three of them feel uneasy.

  Ruan Yuanliang was the youngest in age and his thoughts were also the most shallow, his anxious heart fully exposed on his face: "Big brother, second brother, isn't that person the Young Alliance Master?"

  Nian Hongzhi and Wang Jun both looked ugly, Nian Hongzhi said: "It was indeed him."

  Wang Jun's eyes sank: "Could it be that this person was originally a member of the Scattered Cultivation Alliance? Otherwise, why would he be so close to the Young Master of the Alliance?"

  Just as the two brothers said these few words, Ruan Yuanliang's face turned pale: "What...what can be done? Can it be that we easily escaped from the sect, only to deliver ourselves into the wolf's mouth?"

  Nian Hongzhi raised his hand to press down on Ruan Yuanliang's two shoulders: "Third brother, don't be impatient, it's just our guess. It's just that now my three brothers are slightly settled and must not make any rash moves, lest..."

  Ruan Yuanliang was comforted and slightly calmed down, repeatedly saying: "I'll listen to big brother."

  Wang Jun's heart was also slightly panicked: "If Xu Ziqing really has such a powerful backer, we..."

  Nian Hongzhi was the one who had cultivated for the longest time and was also the most calm. He immediately said in a stern voice, "Don't mess up your formation!" Seeing that his two younger brothers were slightly calmer, he continued in a gentle tone, "Xu Zi is young and has excellent qualifications. Last time, his cultivation was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, but now he has already broken through. It can be seen that he is not easy to deal with. We are inferior to him in terms of cultivation, so if we want to take action, we cannot delay for too long."

  Seeing the elder brother speaking with great reason, Wang Jun's nature was slightly stronger, and he could also say some doorways: "What the big brother said is extremely right. Xu Zi Qing and the young alliance master are on good terms, we can't act rashly, if we want to get rid of him, we need to find a suitable opportunity."

  "What timing?"

  Wang Jun's mind flashed with an idea, and he thought to himself: "Earlier when we interacted with Xu Ziqing, he let go so easily, it can be seen that his temperament is gentle and kind, and he has not been deeply involved in the world..."

  Nian Hongzhi's stomach was bright and clear, and he also smiled: "But this kind of person is the easiest to deceive, his ears are soft, we just need to get close to him, then take the opportunity to invite him to go out on a mission together, he will definitely fall for it."

  Ruan Yuanliang understood and laughed along with his two brothers.

  They had two encounters with Xu Ziqing, enough to glimpse his temperament. However, even if it is clear that Xu Ziqing is not a talkative person, how can one be certain that he will never change in the future?

  After all, dead people have no risk at all.

  Moreover, Su Xun brought Xu Ziqing, and the imperial flying sword followed the winding stone steps upwards, stopping in front of a mountain peak before long.

  This mountain is extremely majestic, with strange rocks standing tall on the mountain, flying waterfalls hanging upside down, and a strong spiritual atmosphere, full of infinite vitality.

  Xu Ziqing had just arrived at this place, and he felt a surge of refreshing air rushing towards him. In an instant, his mind was clear and his spirit was refreshed, as if his entire body and mind had been cleansed, becoming crystal clear and pure.

  There must be a spiritual vein in this mountain!

  Su Xuan hooked his lips into a smile: "Zi Qing brother, what do you think of this mountain?"

  Xu Ziqing lost his smile and said, "Excellent."

  Su Xun was even more pleased, pulled his sleeve, and floated back and forth with him to the left and right, pointing out all the wonderful places in the mountains for him to see. He won Xu Ziqing's praise and was overjoyed.

  Xu Ziqing treated him like this, and his eyes also softened a bit. The more he interacted with Su Xuan, the more he felt that his temperament was pure and straightforward, making people very fond of him.

  The two of them strolled around for a while, and they seemed reluctant to leave.

  Suddenly a cold hum came from the mountain, and then a voice came: "Young man, you were asked to invite guests, but you are lazy!"

  That voice was clear but not loud, yet it pierced through my ears.

  Su Xun's mouth let out a "Ah" and his whole body stumbled, the long sword under his feet also fell down. He was busy waving his hands, hastily casting a spell to stabilize the flying sword, and only then did he stand up straight, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly: "Hua Changlao! What are you doing scaring me like this!"

  That man was full of energy: "You lazy little brat, it's a pity that the flying sword didn't scare you away! Hurry up and roll in!"

  Su Xun shouted: "What good words can come out of your mouth? What are you rushing for? Come in now!"

  Xu Ziqing listened to the two arguing, found it quite interesting, so he stood on the flying sword, letting them speak their minds. Suddenly someone coughed, and the two immediately stopped talking.

  Su Xun was taken aback for a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed: "Brother Zi Qing, I've made a fool of myself in front of you."

  Xu Ziqing shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter, Ah Xian's brotherly love with the elder is truly enviable."

  Su Xun pouted: "What's there to envy? That old man is very stubborn and has a bad temper!" However, he didn't know that in the eyes of others, he himself was also a "bad-tempered" person.

  He said two sentences, and Su Xun knew that the people of the inner alliance had been waiting for a long time, so he didn't stay any longer. The imperial envoy flew his sword straight into the mountain.

  In the mountains there is a large temple, quite solemn and dignified. On the front of the temple are written three big characters "Long Lao Temple", iron painting silver hook, with an air that rushes to the sky.

  What a wonderful scene! What a magnificent view!

  Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly, but his face didn't show it.

  The flying sword landed in front of the hall, and Su Xun pulled Xu Ziqing with him as they jumped down together. Then he led the way forward, bringing people to the entrance of the hall. There were several monks meditating at the door, who saw Su Xun coming and raised their eyelids to take a look before letting them in.

  In the hall, a giant statue was carved, neither gold nor jade, but of unknown material. However, an extremely intimidating aura emanated from this sculpture, pressing down relentlessly and refusing to dissipate for a long time.

  Xu Ziqing recognized that the statue was the ancestor of the Loose Cultivation Alliance, but the momentum of this statue was a hundred times stronger than the portrait in the Knowing Pavilion.

  Su Xun stopped in his tracks and bowed deeply before the giant statue.

  Xu Ziqing also did the same, and as soon as he stood up, he saw Su Xun smiling at him with a very happy expression. He also smiled and followed Su Xun to the side door.

  Behind the main hall is an inner chamber, although it's called an inner chamber, in fact it's also a quiet room, only bigger and can hold more people.

  Su Xun walked to the door, adjusted his Taoist robe, and composed himself. Xu Ziqing saw this and similarly smoothed out his clothes. The two then exchanged a smile, and Xu Ziqing felt at ease, following him in.

  As soon as he entered the hall, more than a dozen overwhelming pressures came surging forth, like mighty waves crashing against the shore, covering the entire sky.

  Xu Ziqing was like a small boat in the waves, unable to control his own fate, and if he wasn't careful, he would be capsized by the waves and buried at the bottom of the sea!

  This was the pressure of a high-ranking cultivator, they were intimidating him - no, or perhaps testing him!

  Xu Ziqing couldn't even steal a glance at Su Xuan's situation, he only managed to release his full spiritual power in time, barely avoiding being crushed by this overwhelming pressure!

  Taking a deep breath, Xu Ziqing knew that there was an air mass in his dantian that was constantly rotating, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy from outside and then converting it into spiritual power before releasing it to resist.

  After an unknown period of time, Xu Zi Qing only felt that every inch of his muscles were emitting painful moans, his skin seemed to be torn apart by the pressure, and his meridians were about to burst... The speed of his spiritual energy circulation was getting faster and faster, as if it was going to turn into a flying wheel, and had already approached his limit!

  Gradually, the feeling of fatigue and pain swept through his entire body, making time increasingly unbearable. However, those oppressive forces still hung above his head like more than ten high mountains, majestic and imposing, and like a tide, they densely invaded his limbs, bones, and senses.

  The limit was like a steel wire, and then like a hair, the more it was pulled, the finer it became... Xu Ziqing felt that his whole body had broken out in cold sweat, and the beads of sweat on his forehead seemed to have merged into a stream of water, rushing down!

  I'm going to collapse!

  The dry, thirsty feeling in his throat grew heavier, breathing became difficult, and the sharp pain in his internal organs reached a fever pitch, almost boiling over. Xu Ziqing had never seen it before, but at this moment, his eyes were also filled with bloodshot veins.

  His mind was a complete blank, and he couldn't think of anything else.

  Suddenly, the pressure was relieved.

  Xu Ziqing's body suddenly relaxed, his legs went limp, and he almost collapsed. However, the next moment, a hard wooden stick appeared abruptly in his palm, which was pressed against the ground, supporting his body!

  Bang!

  The sound of steel and wood crashing against stone slabs was like a huge bell, heavily pounding into everyone's ears.

  Xu Ziqing slowly adjusted his breath, and the rotation of the air flow in his dantian also gradually slowed down.

  The wood energy flowed like a gentle stream, spreading throughout his body in an instant, soothing the internal injuries caused by his strong resistance to pressure. Soon, vitality returned, and the small world inside his body quickly recovered to normal.

  Xu Ziqing only then heard the sound from outside.

  Su Xun anxiously called out beside his ear: "Zi Qing brother, Zi Qing brother? Are you alright?"

  Xu Ziqing breathed softly and stood up straightening his back: "Ah Xian younger brother, nothing is wrong with me."

  Author has something to say: Today I still want to thank STH girl for the rocket artillery she sent over, it's so overwhelming that I'm embarrassed... Hug and kiss with force mua~

  By the way... cough, yesterday I was so caught up in wondering if you all still love me or not that I forgot to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Not sure if it's too late now haha... belated Merry Christmas haha... [late as usual]