Xi Yunqing was furious.
Everyone in the Chongxuan Sect knew one thing well, during a battle, Xi Yunqing preferred to win through his own strength. Trying to provoke him with petty tricks was a terribly unwise move. He would immediately show you exactly what it meant to be plagued by misfortune.
As his emotions surged, the vast and radiant aura surrounding him, usually filled with warmth and righteousness, shifted instantly, twisting into a cold, oppressive killing intent.
His heavy sword trembled in his hand, humming loudly. Layers of sword shadows appeared along the blade, forming a sword formation that spiraled around him. His attacks grew increasingly relentless, heedless of energy consumption. Even though his opponent might be struck down at any moment by some mysterious stroke of misfortune, Xi Yunqing remained cautious.
He carried a potent antidote pill on him, but even the slightest distraction now could mean defeat or death. The effects of the poisonous smoke were already kicking in. His true essence began to slow, and waves of searing pain rolled through his internal organs.
The sword formation besieging the Nascent Soul cultivator began to slow, revealing clear gaps. The cultivator, pleased that the poisonous smoke was working, felt a rush of triumph. He had killed many unfortunate opponents with this smoke before. Not thinking twice, he charged straight through the opening.
Both combatants were capable of floating techniques, and their battle had long since shifted from over Chen Xiao's courtyard to the skies above a different, distant residence. This residence was also a small courtyard, home to a solitary alchemist currently in closed-door cultivation. Focused on his pill refining, he had taken no notice of the chaos erupting across Hanshan City. Even the series of loud noises from earlier were subconsciously ignored.
At that moment, the alchemist was working on a new, experimental pill. Since the formula was still unstable and the reactions unpredictable, he had to remain extremely alert. Just as he opened the lid of the furnace to add another herb, he noticed something amiss inside. His expression changed, and he rushed out of the room.
BOOM!
With a deafening bang, the furnace exploded. The heavy lid blasted into the air, and slammed directly into the Nascent Soul cultivator's face.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the lid was accompanied by a foul, indescribable stench. The moment the cultivator inhaled it, his vision blurred and his head spun.
So it was that the Nascent Soul cultivator, struck by the misfortune known as "a sudden calamity" met his end within Xi Yunqing's sword formation, with no room for resistance.
When it came to luck, Xi Yunqing had never lost. From childhood to now, while his bad luck often rubbed off on those around him, his own fortune had always been unnervingly good.
He landed lightly on the ground and popped an antidote pill into his mouth. The alchemist, still lying prone from dodging the blast, caught a whiff of the pill's scent and instinctively raised his head. Xi Yunqing shot him a cold glance and said, "The Zhong family is stirring up civil unrest in Hanshan City. If you don't want to get caught in the crossfire, leave the city for a while."
Still dazed, the alchemist took a moment before murmuring his thanks.
Once the poison's effects had been neutralized, Xi Yunqing leapt back into the air and followed the road in search of Chen Xiao and the others.
Following the straight path up the mountain, he saw no sign of them. Considering the direction of the earlier sounds, it was unlikely they'd gone farther. So he doubled back, circling around, and finally spotted three figures near a dead-end alley at the foot of the mountain.
Tong Nuonuo was lying flat on his back. His injuries were the worst, severe burns that were extremely difficult to treat. Chen Xiao and Du Rong were carefully moving him to a clean spot, taking care not to touch his wounds.
Xi Yunqing arrived just then. He and Chen Xiao exchanged glances both were relatively unscathed, a silent sign that things had gone smoothly.
Chen Xiao didn't waste time with questions and simply said, "Nuonuo took the brunt of a spell from a Golden Core cultivator. His injuries are serious." He looked worried. Burn wounds of this severity, could they really be fully healed in the cultivation world? What if Tong Nuonuo's face ended up scarred?
"I have medicine," Xi Yunqing replied. "It works quickly. Let's treat him now, and we'll focus on longer-term healing later."
Being a dual-spirit root cultivator, metal and fire, Xi Yunqing had always been attuned to fire-related injuries. He kept a stock of pills specifically for regenerating flesh and healing wounds.
He first gave Tong Nuonuo the medicine to ingest, then applied it externally as well. The boy, who had endured the pain in silence without crying out once, finally relaxed.
Though they had managed initial treatment, Nuonuo needed a safe place to recover immediately. But right now, the entire city was embroiled in violent spell duels, there wasn't a single truly safe haven to be found.
After some thought, Xi Yunqing took the three of them to the City Lord's Mansion.
Thanks to pre-arranged covert deployments, the manor was the first to suppress the fighting. Chief Steward Han had put the most effort into preparing this place. Combined with the manor's inherent defenses, the Zhong family's assault force was routed in just a few skirmishes. Over a hundred bodies littered the ground, and the elite Zhong disciples fled in panic.
When Xi Yunqing arrived with his men, the traces of battle hadn't even been cleaned up yet. The corpses had only been moved out of sight, but bloodstains, scraps of clothing, broken weapons, and shattered magical tools still littered the ground. Inside the City Lord's residence, people were rushing back and forth, delivering reports to Chief Steward Han.
Chief Steward Han hadn't closed his eyes all night. Even with his Out-of-Body stage cultivation, weariness was visible on his face, and bloodshot veins had appeared in his eyes. Seeing Xi Yunqing approach, he came forward of his own accord and asked, "Fellow Daoist Xi, have you found your companions?" Then, with an apologetic tone, he added, "There's been chaos everywhere, and matters are piling up endlessly. If I'd remembered to check earlier, we wouldn't have lost track of them."
Xi Yunqing replied, "We found them without issue. However, we were attacked by subordinates of the Zhong family just now, and one of our comrades was seriously injured. With unrest spreading throughout the city, I was wondering if they could be temporarily placed under your protection here in the residence?"
Chief Steward Han smiled. "Of course." With that, he instructed someone nearby to escort Chen Xiao and the other three, who were waiting outside, to be settled in. Then, he drew Xi Yunqing aside to speak in private. His expression turned grave. "The Zhong family is coming at us fiercely this time. The commotion in the commercial district is just a diversion to tie up the city guards. Their real targets are here, the City Lord's residence, the Zhishi Hall, and the teleportation checkpoint."
Xi Yunqing thought for a moment and said, "Attacking the residence leaves the City Lord's faction without leadership. Seizing the Zhishi Hall would grant them endless resources and equipment, and cutting off the teleportation gate would prevent Lord Han Yuanchun and Steward Han Yuan from returning."
Chief Steward Han nodded approvingly. "Exactly. When their assault on the City Lord's residence failed, the Zhong family threw all their resources into taking the Zhishi Hall instead. They intend to prolong this internal strife. But the Zhishi Hall isn't just contested by the Han and Zhong families, several other noble clans are involved as well. Some remain neutral, others side with the City Lord, and only a few have turned to the Zhong family."
Xi Yunqing said, "The Zhong family head is short-sighted, he only sees the resources and magical tools. If they truly wanted to drag the Han family into a long, drawn-out conflict, they should've concentrated their forces on the teleportation gate to block the City Lord's return."
Chief Steward Han nodded again. "Precisely. That's why I have a favor to ask of you."
Though he was a senior cultivator at the Out-of-Body stage, Xi Yunqing respectfully said, "Please, speak freely."
Chief Steward Han said, "Though the teleportation gate is more crucial, we can't let the Zhong family plunder the Zhishi Hall's equipment and tools either. I've already swapped in our best fighters among the city guards using loyal retainers, but we only have enough manpower to defend one location."
Xi Yunqing understood. "You'd like me to reinforce the teleportation gate."
Chief Steward Han gave a slight nod. "Only you, Fellow Daoist Xi, can lend the Han family such timely aid. If you're willing to support us in this critical moment, the Han family will surely reward you generously afterward."
Xi Yunqing took a moment to consider. He knew Chief Steward Han wasn't appealing to him personally, he was leveraging Xi Yunqing's connection to the Chongxuan Sect. Representing the sect was well within his means, but Xi Yunqing needed to weigh the pros and cons carefully.
If the Chongxuan Sect openly supported the City Lord's faction, the entire conflict would shift. At the very least, those neutral noble clans would no longer sit on the fence.
And this wasn't without benefit to the Chongxuan Sect either. If Hanzhan City, which oversaw the Gengsheng Minor Heavenly Realm, aligned clearly with them, it would become another valuable training ground for the sect's lower-ranking disciples. More importantly, near Hanzhan City lay a remote mountain village that consistently produced over twenty cultivators with top-grade spiritual roots in each generation, and once in every century or so, someone with exceptional innate talent. The Chongxuan Sect couldn't afford to ignore this.
This was the perfect opportunity to intervene. Even if the request came from Chief Steward Han and things changed after the City Lord returned, having established an initial alliance would make further negotiations easier.
Xi Yunqing agreed without hesitation.
Chief Steward Han was overjoyed. He immediately sent word to the checkpoint, instructing the defenders there to follow Xi Yunqing's command.
At first, just as Xi Yunqing had surmised, the chief steward had only wanted to use his name to pull out the banner of the Chongxuan Sect, intimidate the Zhong family and pressure the neutral clans into making a decision.
But unexpectedly, Xi Yunqing didn't reveal his identity right away. Instead, he flew straight to the recently captured checkpoint, hovered silently in the sky, and faced the teleportation gate without a word.
After standing there for a quarter of an hour, he quietly withdrew and instructed a mixed force of Han family elites and loyal retainers to mount the assault. Though puzzled, the Han forces obeyed and advanced on the checkpoint.
What followed was baffling.
It was as if the enemy had fallen under some sort of spell. The checkpoint's defenses, long neglected and overstrained, suddenly failed. As the Han forces stormed in, the Zhong family's defenders made a series of inexplicable mistakes, allowing the Han troops to quickly seize the advantage.
Only then did Xi Yunqing reveal his identity as a representative of the Chongxuan Sect and command the Zhong family to surrender immediately.
They hesitated for just a moment. But with their combat power greatly reduced and no reinforcements in sight, they quickly laid down their arms. What Chief Steward Han had expected to be a prolonged battle lasting at least an hour or two was over in less than half an hour.
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