Chapter 339: The Catastrophe Caused by a Heaven-Defying Pill |
At this moment, on the rooftop of Master Song's insect armor shop, Long Xuan anxiously gazed in the direction of the Qian Clan Auction House.
His clone had already torn Hundred Mile Talisman apart and fled. In such circumstances, there shouldn't be any Gu Kings capable of catching up with it, right?
Even so, Long Xuan felt uneasy and cast his gaze toward the outskirts of the city.
Outside the city, around sixty Gu Kings were engaged in a chaotic battle, all frantically vying for a storage ring.
From time to time, a Gu King would fall, their lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, leaving the outskirts in utter disarray.
In just a brief moment, ten Gu Kings had already perished.
Long Xuan sighed inwardly. How many Gu Kings had he indirectly killed because of this? Truly a sin.
He quickly counted the number of Gu Kings, including the corpses on the ground. He needed to determine whether any of them had gone after his clone.
Before the auction began, he had used his Eye of Heavenly Secret outside to roughly calculate the total number of Gu Kings present. Now, he needed to figure out how many were not involved in the chaotic battle.
If not for this pill, these Gu Kings would be chasing his fiery clone instead of battling each other here.
It seemed he had made the right move.
After counting the Gu Kings in the melee, Long Xuan's heart sank. Neither the Jade-Faced Rakshasa's Rakshasa Sect nor the Burial Demon Old Ghost's Ghost Sect members were present.
These two factions were precisely the ones he feared most. The Jade-Faced Rakshasa and the Burial Demon Old Ghost were individuals he absolutely needed to monitor.
Not only were these two forces absent, but even the Qian Clan Spiritual Sea Stage Gu Cultivator, who had taken the heaven-defying pill, was nowhere to be seen.
It was clear now. This person had sent a Gu King-level sacrificial pawn outside the city to draw attention, while they secretly fled from the other side.
However, this sacrificial pawn wasn’t particularly effective. Though it was an early-stage Gu King, he was instantly killed upon leaving the city. He's finger was cut off, and the storage ring taken.
The Gu King who killed it didn’t even have time to check the contents of the ring before being chased by other Gu Kings emerging from the city, sparking the current chaos.
From beginning to end, no one had the chance to verify whether the heaven-defying pill in the storage ring was real or fake.
The storage ring continued to change hands rapidly, flying through the air amidst the melee.
Little did they know, the ring only contained a fake heaven-defying pill. So many Gu Kings had died over a counterfeit pill—how ironic.
Since neither the Rakshasa Sect nor the Ghost Sect were present, Long Xuan quickly retracted his gaze and pushed his Eye of Heavenly Secret to its limit, frantically searching for these two groups. He feared that the two old demons had gone after his clone.
Before long, he spotted some anomalies in a distant forest. At the same time, he noticed a familiar movement pattern.
This pattern was identical to that of the Qian Clan Spiritual Sea Stage Gu Cultivator who had taken the heaven-defying pill.
Long Xuan’s expression turned odd. That little Gu Cultivator had somehow attracted the attention of both old demons. Could they survive this?
He silently mourned for the individual.
---
In the forest.
“Hmph! How dare you try to use stealth in front of me? Truly courting death!”
“I may not be able to see you, but did you forget how sensitive I am to the presence of blood?”
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa sneered. Sensing a blood fluctuation in a specific area, she unleashed a palm strike.
A crimson handprint flew through the air and struck a certain space. Instantly, a young man’s figure materialized.
The figure spat out blood violently. Blown away by the palm strike, he crashed heavily into a tree trunk behind him.
The Fourth Young Master crawled up from the ground in a wretched state, his face filled with shock.
He hadn’t expected to be exposed so quickly. Seeing the Jade-Faced Rakshasa closing in, panic finally set in. Fearing she would strike again, he hurriedly shouted:
“Stop! I am the Fourth Young Master of the Qian Clan Chamber of Commerce!”
“I don’t want the heaven-defying pill anymore! Spare my life!”
He realized there was no way he could escape from the Jade-Faced Rakshasa. Prioritizing survival, he decisively gave up on the treasure. No matter how valuable the heaven-defying pill was, it couldn’t compare to his life.
However, such awareness had clearly come too late.
“I’ve known all along that you’re from the Qian Clan Chamber of Commerce. But I’ve said it before—whoever takes the heaven-defying pill, I will kill them, regardless of their identity.”
“In the face of the heaven-defying pill, I wouldn’t even fear the Gu Emperor City. Why would I fear a mere Qian Clan Chamber of Commerce?”
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa stepped closer with an amused smile.
“Now you’re afraid? Too late. I always cut weeds by the roots. Why would I let you go back and retaliate against me?”
“The Rakshasa Sect cannot withstand the Qian Clan’s vengeance.”
Hearing this, the Fourth Young Master’s face turned ashen with despair. Suddenly, a hint of madness appeared in his eyes.
If he was doomed, then he would destroy the heaven-defying pill. If he couldn’t have it, no one else could either.
But how could a Spiritual Sea Stage Gu Cultivator speed compare to that of a peak-stage Gu King?
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa transformed into a streak of blood-red light. The Fourth Young Master’s hand, which bore the storage ring, was instantly severed.
Meanwhile, all the blood in his body surged out from the severed fingertips. In the blink of an eye, he was completely drained of blood, collapsing to the ground as a dried corpse.
The blood that had flown out was entirely absorbed by the red lips of the Jade-Faced Rakshasa. She licked her crimson lips and glanced at the storage ring in her hand, revealing a gleeful smile.
However, before she had time to inspect the Heaven-Defying Pill inside, her expression suddenly changed. She quickly looked up in a specific direction.
In an instant, a group of black shadows approached her, their arrival heralded by a familiar, booming laugh from afar. "Hahaha... Arriving early doesn’t beat arriving at the right moment."
“So, the Heaven-Defying Pill is indeed on this kid. Hand it over and let me take a look—I’ll help you verify if it’s real.”
Upon seeing the approaching figure, the Jade-Faced Rakshasa’s smile vanished, and her face grew grim.
“Burial Demon Old Ghost, why is it that you’re everywhere? How did you see through this invisible person?” she asked with evident annoyance.
“Heh, do I need to see through it?”
“I didn’t uncover this invisible person. But when I saw you didn’t chase the Gu King who left the city with the Heaven-Defying Pill, I figured that Gu King must have been carrying a fake Heaven-Defying Pill.”
“And the person you pursued must have the real one.”
“I trust your judgment—it’s never wrong!” the Burial Demon Old Ghost sneered.
“Is that so? Then I should thank you for your faith,” the Jade-Faced Rakshasa said coldly, her tone turning sharp. “I told you, this Heaven-Defying Pill is of utmost importance to me. Whoever dares to covet it, I will kill.”
“If you still value our years of camaraderie, then leave immediately. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
The Burial Demon Old Ghost dropped his smile, his greedy intent no longer hidden. He glared at her menacingly.
“Camaraderie? What camaraderie? Among us Four Evils, there has only ever been mutual suspicion and wariness. Where would camaraderie come from? People like us are incapable of such things!”
“I need the Heaven-Defying Pill to achieve divine-grade aptitude. Anyone who stands in my way will die, no matter who they are!”
“If you’re unwilling to hand over the pill, then I’ll take it from your corpse!”
The Burial Demon Old Ghost tore open his Ghost Taming Bag, unleashing all of his fearsome ghosts, launching a merciless attack on the Jade-Faced Rakshasa.
“Courting death! Do you think I’m afraid of you? Today, only one of us will leave here alive!”
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa slipped the storage ring onto the middle finger of her left hand and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, charging at her foe.
The clash between the two peak Gu Kings erupted in an instant, causing tremendous chaos. Dust clouds rose high, and swaths of trees were felled as their battle tore through the forest.
At the same time, the forces accompanying both sides began a brutal melee. The sound of killing reverberated through the forest.
Corpses quickly littered the ground—black-clad ghost cultivators from the Ghost Gate and red-clad Gu cultivators from the Rakshasa Sect.
Ultimately, the Rakshasa Sect held the advantage. Their preparations were more thorough, and their numbers greater. Thus, their Gu cultivators gained the upper hand, with more Ghost Sect corpses piling up on the ground.
The battle grew increasingly brutal, with neither side showing any intention of retreat. Their eyes were filled with bloodlust.
From a distance, Long Xuan, who had been watching, was stunned. The Ghost Sect and Rakshasa Sect had turned on each other—how many lives would be lost over a single Heaven-Defying Pill?
Soon, he noticed chaos breaking out at the Qian Auction House as well. Large groups of Qian Clan Gu cultivators rushed outside in panic, clearly realizing that something had happened to the young master.
At this moment, the City of Sin was on the brink of upheaval.
Long Xuan's eyes flickered, and he stopped observing the two battles outside the city. He dashed out of the city at top speed.
He was now certain that none of the Gu Kings were pursuing his clone. Without delay, he prepared to reunite with it.
The chaotic battle dragged on for a long time. At the city gates, half of the Gu Kings perished. Eventually, the storage ring was accidentally destroyed, and when the remaining Gu Kings discovered that the Heaven-Defying Pill inside was fake, they reluctantly ended the fight and withdrew in frustration.
Meanwhile, the battle in the forest left both the Ghost Sect and the Rakshasa Sect severely wounded. Over half their forces were dead or injured. When the Qian Clan Gu cultivators arrived, both sides ceased fighting.
However, neither the Ghost Sect’s leader, Burial Demon Old Ghost, nor the Rakshasa Sect’s leader, Jade-Faced Rakshasa, could be found after the battle. Whether they were dead or alive remained a mystery.
---
Two days later, in a certain cave.
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground.
Her body was drenched in blood, with no uninjured part visible. She was gravely wounded.
Her left hand was missing four fingers, along with the storage ring she had placed on her middle finger.
Trembling, she took out half of a seven-colored pill with her right hand, her face darkened with rage.
Her eyes burned with fury as she gritted her silver teeth. There was no trace of joy in obtaining the Heaven-Defying Pill.
Her strength was evenly matched with the Burial Demon Old Ghost. Their fierce struggle left them both critically wounded, and neither emerged victorious.
During their battle, the Heaven-Defying Pill was accidentally shattered into two halves. One half was in her possession, while the other was with the Burial Demon Old Ghost.
How much potency remained in this fragmented Heaven-Defying Pill was unknown.
The Jade-Faced Rakshasa clenched her fists, her expression stormy.
Only obtaining half the Heaven-Defying Pill was far from satisfactory. But as she watched its medicinal power gradually dissipate, she gritted her teeth and swallowed the half-pill.
She decided to refine the Heaven-Defying Pill immediately.
Even though she was gravely injured and should have prioritized healing her wounds, she could no longer afford to wait. She prepared to refine the pill as quickly as possible, unwilling to risk further complications.