Chapter 928: Alliance Chief, Do Not Panic
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and punched the incoming set of bells eight times. Every time he hit it, a loud ring resounded everywhere, shaking the sky and ground, scattering the clouds.
After eight punches, his purple hair dimmed somewhat. The set of bells shattered, but Gao Baiyu's figure had already vanished from sight, so Xiao Chen did not give chase.
Xiao Chen circulated the Azure Dragon Body Nourishing Art as he made hand seals. The shattered pieces of the bells turned into beams of light, which he swallowed up.
He closed his eyes to digest what he just consumed. Then, he opened his eyes and said, "It somewhat feels like that weak trace of Dragon Energy is not that indistinct anymore."
In hindsight, he had consumed two King Grade Secret Treasures, yet this Azure Dragon Body Nourishing Art had so little effect. This is really frustrating.
"Brother Ye, save me! Wuwuwu, I'm about to be chased to death. This bunch of bastards! I already said that I'm innocent!"
Xiao Chen turned his head back and saw that the warship of Xing Qingyun had been dismantled to the point where only a plank remained.
Xing Qingyun hugged that plank of wood as he fled in the air in a sorry state. All his clothes were tattered. He looked remarkably like a refugee in a miserable situation.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and said, "Alliance Chief, do not panic. Ye Chen is coming."
These cultivators were just a mob of useless troops. When Xiao Chen fought them, he naturally did not have to put in much effort. He killed most of the King Killing Alliance, other than those that he was too lazy to chase.
As Xing Qingyun organized the spatial rings that Xiao Chen handed to him, he smiled until he felt pain and snot dripped out of his nose. He could not help it. The moment his lips moved, his wounds would hurt—so badly that he wanted to die. However, he still could not help but smile constantly.
"Haha! I'm rich! After being a loose cultivator for ten-odd years, I have never felt this happy before! Ouch! This is really painful! That bunch of people did not hold back at all!"
Xing Qingyun laughed and cried as he tidied up the wealth. He suddenly gained lofty aspirations.
"With the resources I have on hand now, it will be more than enough for me to cultivate to Medial Grade Martial Sage. After I kill Xiao Chen and spread my name everywhere, everyone under the sky will know my name, the Demon Slaying Alliance's Alliance Chief Xing Qingyun."
If Xing Qingyun knew that Xiao Chen was actually beside him, what would he think?
"Alliance Chief Xing, you are really able to look on the bright side. You seem not to care about the Frost Moon Palace's kill order at all," Xiao Chen suddenly said as he fanned himself.
When Xing Qingyun heard that, his expression immediately changed. "The kill order…why is my life so bitter? After I spent so much effort to establish myself, I will end up dying young. Right! That's it!"
When Xiao Chen saw Xing Qingyun's eyes light up, he smiled and asked, "That's it? What is it?"
Xing Qingyun chuckled and said, "Young Master Ye, I thought of an idea to make the Frost Moon Palace retract the kill order. After Young Master Ye kills Xiao Chen, just lend me his head. With his head, I can definitely make the Frost Moon Palace retract the kill order."
"Sure, just a small matter!" Xiao Chen smiled faintly, appearing incredibly kindhearted.
Xing Qingyun patted Xiao Chen's shoulder and said, "In that case, I will have to bother Brother Ye to kill Xiao Chen. Only Young Master Ye can accomplish this. Hey, Young Master Ye, your hair color seems to have darkened."
Xing Qingyun raised his head and coincidentally glanced at Xiao Chen's hair, only to notice that the purple light coming from Xiao Chen's hair seemed dimmer compared to its previous purple crystalline brilliance.
Of course, Xiao Chen still looked extremely sinister. Given this air, no one would ever connect this guise with the White Robed King Xiao Chen's calm and easygoing appearance.
The reason why Xiao Chen's black hair turned purple was the accumulation of Medicinal Energy in his body from the Primal Essence Nature Pill, which had yet to disperse completely.
As he absorbed the Medicinal Energy, his hair would turn back to black sooner or later. At that time, it would be rather difficult for him to impersonate Ye Chen.
In at most ten days and at least three, Xiao Chen would finish absorbing all the Medicinal Energy. By then, his cultivation should reach peak Medial Grade Martial Sage. He might even break through to Superior Grade Martial Sage.
By then, he would no longer have to worry about the Demonic Brilliant Two Elders or need to impersonate anyone.
However, at present, Xiao Chen still had to do so. He also needed Xing Qingyun to coordinate with him in order to maintain the identity of the Bloody Young Master Ye Chen in public.
Xiao Chen used the folding fan to rap Xing Qingyun and said, "You are too nosy. Go quickly and find the treasure that Yun Tianhe, Gao Baiyu, and the others were guarding."
After searching for a while, the two found it.
Purple jade bamboos of various heights grew on a hill ahead, a luxuriant stand covering the top. A clump of thunderclouds floated in the sky.
In the stand of bamboo, one stalk stood out. It had a total of one thousand segments and was one hundred meters tall. Clearly, it was special.
"Thunder Bamboo with one thousand segments, this is heaven-defying!" Xing Qingyun exclaimed.
Thunder Bamboo was a naturally occurring divine material. With a bit of carving, one could refine it into a Thunder Bamboo Sword, something equal to a high-quality Sage Grade Secret Treasure. If one used it for refinement, it could improve the quality of a Secret Treasure significantly. Since time immemorial, it had always been a treasure that had a price but was never in stock.
Every year, Thunder Bamboo would have to undergo a Lightning Tribulation. Once it failed, it would vanish.
Xiao Chen grabbed Xing Qingyun, who was set to rush forward. "Don't send yourself to die. Don't you see that that thousand-year-old Thunder Bamboo is about to undergo another tribulation?"
Xing Qingyun looked up and, indeed, thunderclouds gathered continuously overhead. The atmosphere was extremely heavy; the sky seemed like it would fall.
Given the thousand-year Thunder Bamboo's Lightning Tribulation, if Xing Qingyun charged over recklessly, he would get blasted to ashes immediately. Just thinking about it would give one the willies. No wonder Yun Tianhe and his group just wandered the place and did not make a move. They probably feared the tribulation of the Thunder Bamboo.
"These two little friends, are you having thoughts about this Thunder Bamboo? I advise you to stop."
Just at this moment, a gray-robed, shifty-eyed, short, old man arrived behind the two.
When Xing Qingyun saw this old man pop up from nowhere without any warning, he cursed, "Where did this old thing come from?! Even after seeing our Demon Slaying Alliance here, you still dare to mess around in this place? Scram!"
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "Alliance Chief Xing, your temper seems to be getting out of hand recently. You don't even seem to care about grandmaster-level Martial Sages."
This remark startled Xing Qingyun. Then, his complexion slowly recovered back to normal as he said with a smile, "Senior, Lord Senior, I was just joking earlier. Don't take it seriously, really."
The shifty-eyed old man stared at Xiao Chen and said, "Brat, your eyes are pretty good. Even though this Lord Jiu hid so well, I still could not escape your eyes."
The old man before the two was not human. Xiao Chen could feel the aura of the Fiend Race.
Earlier, Xiao Chen's Spiritual Sense detected the old man coming out from the ground. Based on his aura, he should have transformed from a mouse-type Spirit Beast.
Revealing a playful expression in his eyes, Xiao Chen said softly, "I am the Northern Sea Alliance's Bloody Young Master, Ye Chen. How should I address you, old sir? Why didn't you take the Thunder Bamboo?"
"If you respect me, just address me as Lord Jiu. A natural treasure such as Thunder Bamboo can never survive more than a thousand years. This is the law of the Heavenly Dao. It is like how a fish cannot leave the water. After a thousand years pass, it has to die.
"Not only that, the thousand-year Lightning Tribulation will involve the other Thunder Bamboo. This entire grove of Thunder Bamboo will be ruined. You will just be wasting your time here."
Xiao Chen showed an expression of understanding. He smiled and said, "In that case, we will take our leave first. Thank you, Lord Jiu."
"Just a small matter, there is no need to thank me," Lord Jiu said generously as he waved off Xiao Chen's gratitude.
After the two went far away, it was indeed as Lord Jiu said. The thousand-year Thunder Bamboo failed its tribulation, and the entire bamboo grove perished.
"These two fools, for this thousand-year Thunder Bamboo to stand out so much—much higher than the other Thunder Bamboos—its roots must be connected to a pure Thunder Origin. Looks like this Lord Jiu is going to get to benefit."
The shifty-eyed old man kicked up a cloud of dust and arrived above the stumps of the Thunder Bamboo grove in the blink of an eye.
"Whoosh!"
Just as the old man was about to dig out the roots, two figures descended from the sky. Xiao Chen fanned himself with the folding fan as he smiled at the old man.
Their arrival startled the old man. He looked around frantically as he mumbled under his breath, "Why are the two fools back?"
When the old man said that, he felt that something was wrong. He immediately put on a smile and said, "These two young heroes, why did you rush back? This place is a desolate land with nothing to see."
Xiao Chen sized up the old man and smiled. "This Young Master admired your righteousness and your extraordinary strength, as well as your heart filled with love. So I thought about returning to invite Senior to join our Demon Slaying Alliance. Unexpectedly, we heard something that we should not have heard."
Lord Jiu felt very depressed. Apparently, he had fallen for their trick. The other party had not believed him in the first place.
Xing Qingyun smiled as he scolded, "You think a birdbrain like you can cheat someone else, especially with your eyes moving around so frantically?"
Lord Jiu's expression changed, and he unleashed the aura of a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. He said in a frosty voice, "Just two juniors, get out of here, fast! Otherwise, this Lord Jiu will start killing!"
Xiao Chen shook his head and smiled. "Senior, stop pretending. Your legs are even shaking. Why try to pretend to be some expert? Your race should be extremely sensitive to danger. You should know very clearly how strong I am."
Xiao Chen gently moved his feet, taking three steps forward. The old man was frightened to the point of trembling. How could he dare to put on the air of an expert? He immediately turned around to dive into the ground.
Mice were always fearful of death. The saying "as timid as a mouse" had some truth to it.
The old man before the two was actually pretty strong. However, it was hard to change his nature. The timid nature revealed itself at the crucial moment.
The old man felt danger radiating from Xiao Chen for no reason. He was certain that he was no match for Xiao Chen. If they fought, he would be the one dying.
The old man wanted to pretend to be an expert to trick the two into leaving. Who knew that his acting skills were not up to par and would be seen through with one look?
Xiao Chen made a move at lightning speed, grabbing the old man's ankle and raising it into the air. His Law Energy turned into sharp energy that poured into the old man's body.
The old man hurt so badly that he immediately cried out. Then, Xiao Chen tossed him to the ground and smiled. "Senior, don't run. Quickly dig up that Thunder Origin. Otherwise, there will be more pain to come."
The old man landed on the ground and looked at Xiao Chen with some fear.
The lightning-attributed energy had an unparalleled sharpness. The old man used nearly ten times the Law Energy before managing to neutralize it. Now, he knew for sure he had run into someone incredible.
The old man no longer dared to entertain thoughts of double-dealing. All he wanted to do now was dig up the Thunder Origin and leave this demon without further delay.
After finding the withered roots of the thousand-year-old Thunder Bamboo, he quickly moved his hands and scraped out layers of dirt.
A ten-meter-deep hole appeared in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was a hundred meters deep. Xing Qingyun felt shocked at the sight of this.
"Damn, this old man really is a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. I could not tell at all."
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "It's simple. Like you, he is timid. If you were a grandmaster-level Martial Sage too, you would be similar."