Chapter 72: Chapter 71: Testing the Waters, Total Annihilation at Smoke Wave Pool

Cen Wushan nodded in agreement.

Indeed, for those who cultivate the Dao, everything revolves around fate.

Moreover, within the borders of the Changchun Sect, nine times out of ten one ends up joining the Changchun Sect. Let’s see in three years…

After leaving Zhou Village, the two brothers did not stop to rest.

They flew over four hundred miles in one go.

It wasn’t until the sun was about to set that the two arrived near their destination.

A marketplace town where cultivators gathered, known as Guangyuan Town.

Guangyuan Town is eight hundred miles from Changchun Sect, already near the border of Changchun Sect’s jurisdiction.

This town is not far from the mundane world yet rich in spiritual energy, attracting many loose cultivators who couldn’t join a sect due to ordinary aptitude.

Over the past century, Guangyuan Town gradually formed into scale.

“Brother, let’s rest for the night at the inn and wait until the contact arrives tomorrow.”

With the sky darkening, Cen Wushan went to the inn to book two top rooms.

Cen Wushan rested in the room, while Lin Chen, on his first trip far from home, felt a sense of novelty.

Leaving the inn, Lin Chen wandered around the marketplace.

Guangyuan Town’s marketplace is small, about half the size of Changchun Mountain’s marketplace.

The cultivators here are notably weaker than those near Changchun Mountain.

Most cultivators are in the early stages of Qi Refining; those in the late stages are rare, let alone those in Foundation Establishment.

“It seems that within Yanlai Country, in the radius of thousands of miles, the Changchun Sect is one of the top cultivation sects.”

Lin Chen gained new insight into the Cultivation Realm.

Joining the Changchun Sect, he didn’t start low.

In comparison, ordinary loose cultivators are at the bottom of the Cultivator Realm.

“Still, cultivators of the second and third layers of Qi Refining are respected as Immortal Masters in the eyes of mortals…”

Lin Chen wandered around the marketplace.

Finding Guangyuan Town’s prices slightly lower than Changchun Mountain’s.

Some pills are stable, with prices similar to those in Changchun Mountain.

But raw materials like herbs are quite cheaper.

Especially commonly found resources like spirit testing stones and cold iron stones.

In Guangyuan Town, a fist-sized cold iron stone sells for merely one Spirit Stone.

And one spirit testing stone is worth half a Spirit Stone.

“Tsk, tsk, seems like the labor from these local loose cultivators is cheap… These ores aren’t worth much!”

“If we need these resources later, this is the place to purchase.”

Lin Chen thought quietly.

Thus, Lin Chen showcased his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, and entered a few shops to purchase inexpensive resources.

Spent three to four hundred Spirit Stones, obtaining twice as much as before.

“Hmm, according to the shopkeeper, the Guangyuan Town auction will be held in three days.”

“Before that, I should complete the two sect missions first…”

Lin Chen returned to the inn to rest.

A night of cultivation.

…

Early the next morning, Lin Chen and Cen Wushan came to an alley to meet the contact.

The contact was an old fortune teller, wearing ragged dirty clothes, quite resembling a beggar.

“A plate of pig head meat?” The fortune teller said mindlessly.

“Two taels of old white spirit!” Cen Wushan whispered.

The fortune teller’s face changed slightly upon hearing this, signaling the two to follow.

Soon, the three arrived at a secluded alley.

After confirming no one was around, the fortune teller whispered:

“You two, are the disciples assigned to receive the mission?”

“Let me brief you on the mission details…”

This fortune teller is an outer sect disciple from Changchun Sect, with mediocre aptitude, reaching only the fourth layer of Qi Refining, yet he’s been lurking in this marketplace for decades.

According to him, a group of outer sect disciples were executing a mission when they were ambushed by a gang of tribulation cultivators.

The gang counts about twenty people, led by a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, based eighty miles northwest of the marketplace at Smoke Wave Pool.

Normally, they survive by robbing cultivators and wealthy traders passing by.

For such minor tribulation cultivators, Changchun Sect mostly doesn’t intervene.

Too many, can’t be managed.

But this time they murdered an outer sect disciple of Changchun Sect, which entirely changes the nature.

The sect issued a task: eliminating the tribulation cultivators yields three hundred sect contributions.

“Alright, I’ve got it…” Cen Wushan waved his hand after hearing this.

Having learned specific mission details, the brothers left the marketplace heading towards Smoke Wave Pool.

miles, merely half a two-hour journey, they arrived.

Seeing the water stockade in Smoke Wave Pool from afar, Lin Chen asked:

“Brother, do you have a plan?”

“Plan?”

Cen Wushan was taken aback by the question, scratching his head.

“For such disorderly rabble, just crush them directly… What’s the need for a plan?”

With that, Cen Wushan charged ahead towards the Water Stockade at Smoke Wave Pool.

Lin Chen was left speechless seeing this.

Well, he thought completely differently from his brother.

His idea was that even if he obtained intelligence, he should first probe the real situation of the stockade.

Confirming they’re rabble before crushing them at once.

But his brother seemed quite reckless…

“Well, can’t worry about too much!”

Lin Chen followed closely behind, but kept his guard up—what if there’s a strong figure hidden in this stockade?

However, during this cautious thought, Cen Wushan had already made three passes in and out of the stockade.

He controlled several flying swords suspended in the air, slicing through the vital points of the tribulation cultivators’ necks.

Almost every strike instantly killed a tribulation cultivator.

Cultivators in the first and second layers of Qi Refining, in the face of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, were powerless like mortals—

“This Artifact Manipulation Skill is impressive!”

Lin Chen was slightly surprised; though reckless, Cen Wushan’s long years of roaming indeed made him skilled in the way of attack.

Seeing over half of about twenty cultivators in the stockade dead, Lin Chen couldn’t help but wonder.

“Did I really overthink it?”

Thinking thus, Lin Chen acted too.

Three second-tier exotic treasures made of cold iron stone sliced through the air.

In an instant, they claimed the lives of three tribulation cultivators.

In the art of artifact control, Lin Chen was not inferior even compared to Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

“Quick, run back to the stockade and hold fast! Wait for the boss’s support when he emerges!”

The remaining seven or eight Qi Refining tribulation cultivators realized, rushing back to the stockade in panic.

Bang!

The gate of the stockade, standing a yard high, made a heavy sound before securely shutting.

Lin Chen frowned slightly at this, “Could the intelligence be wrong… Is the stockade’s leader a formidable expert?”

Just as he harbored doubt, Cen Wushan sneered.

“Veiling one’s incompetence, and yet daring to display it!”

With that, Cen Wushan took a talisman and stuck it on himself—it was a Tier One Top-Grade Giant Strength Talisman!

Then, enveloped in thick Earth Element True Essence, he charged at the stockade’s gate with great speed.

Boom!

With a loud noise, the gate of the stockade was rammed open.

Quick-witted, Cen Wushan swiftly annihilated the entire gang of tribulation cultivators in their terror-stricken eyes.

Simultaneously, a roar emerged from the depths of the stockade.

“Who’s the unseeing fool, dare defecate on grandpa’s head?”

With a noise, a sturdy figure emerged.

Jumping several yards, landing atop the stockade’s roof.

Those solid muscles, vile fierce face… with an aura of absolute arrogance…

“This person, isn’t he the stockade’s leader!”

Lin Chen’s heart tightened, first sensing this tribulation cultivator leader’s energy aura.

Then paused.

“This aura is…”

“Fourth Layer of Qi Refining?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep