Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

All of this reached its climax when the base of the second-tier superior mountain-protecting array was forcibly taken away shortly afterward.

When the formation collapsed, the spiritual energy that had been bound to the various nodes immediately burst forth.

The rising concentration of spiritual energy in the environment, and the fluctuations of magical power spreading all around.

In such an environment, the reverence that many sect disciples held for the rules of the lower courtyard began to crumble.

Although not many people will dare to kill in the short term, various conflicts are already unavoidable...

Sitting cross-legged in an unnamed cave at the foot of the mountain, watching the gradually bustling Baiyun Mountain, Wang Xuan finally felt relieved.

Just as he had predicted, when the core of the sect was swept away by unimaginable power, the system built on the strong protection of the top cultivators also collapsed.

The building was already showing signs of collapse, so in order to avoid being crushed by falling rocks, everyone was running around as fast as they could.

"...Now that the great formation has been broken, it's time for me to leave."

"We just need to wait a little longer and let these Foundation Establishment cultivators go first."

There are only a few roads around Baiyun Mountain, and it would be bad if we ran into a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a sect.

So he waited silently until the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators who had looted the lower courtyard left one after another, before Wang Xuan finally reached out and beckoned.

"Xiao Qing!"

"Chirp—"

With a flash of green, the Green Shadow Sparrow disappeared into the sleeve.

Wang Xuan concealed his aura, changed into an indistinguishable robe, and left directly along the path he had chosen earlier.

He wasn't worried about encountering any tribulations, because news travels in the cultivation world is both incredibly fast and incredibly slow.

Major sects and powerful forces have probably already received the news and may have even begun to take action.

But their attention would never be on a group of outer disciples in the Qi Refining stage.

Even if they wanted to take advantage of the chaos and plunder resources.

Their targets are also the true disciples who bear the responsibility of passing on the legacy, as well as those Foundation Establishment cultivators who become rich overnight.

As for the ordinary rogue cultivators who would even look at their paltry sums... by the time they realize what's happening, it'll be too late.

……

More than half an hour later.

Having completely left the area of ​​Baiyun Mountain's main peak, Wang Xuan looked southeast.

That was the place he planned to go next, a medium-sized cultivation market near Wanze Immortal City that he had previously learned about.

Approaching the Immortal City would help in gathering information and inquiring about subsequent changes in the situation of the Chen Kingdom.

Unlike the Immortal City itself, it doesn't have Core Formation cultivators who frequently come and go or stay there, and it's quite expensive.

After all, Wang Xuan is indeed quite wealthy now, but most of his possessions are magical artifacts and inheritances that he dares not easily sell.

With his current alchemy skills, he is not yet qualified to establish himself in a celestial city.

So let's go there and stay for a while until the situation stabilizes a bit.

Depending on the circumstances, Wang Xuan will then decide on his future path.

"Um?"

Keeping its head down, the Azure Shadow Sparrow is not a mount-type demon beast; at its first rank, it cannot carry people in flight.

However, they hadn't gone far when a beam of light heading straight for Baiyun Mountain seemed to have spotted the figures on the ground.

"Who are you? You are a disciple of my lower academy, why are you not wearing the sect's robes!"

A beam of light descended, revealing the figure of a middle-aged man dressed in black.

The newcomer was dressed in the robes of a law enforcement disciple of the Nanhua Sect, revealing his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation.

"Disciple of law enforcement?"

Startled, Wang Xuan never expected to run into a sect enforcer returning from an outing.

Although the lower courtyard is not as prestigious as the main gate, the level of law enforcement here is not high.

However, among the lower academy disciples whose highest level was no more than the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the opponent's cultivation was already intimidating enough.

But seeing that Wang Xuan remained silent, the black-clad cultivator frowned slightly and asked sternly:

"Let's put aside the matter of clothing for now. What happened on White Cloud Mountain? Why did the great formation suddenly stop?"

"And why are you here?"

"...Senior Brother Rong Bing,"

A slight glint in his eyes, Wang Xuan bowed respectfully:

"Junior brother is indeed a disciple of the lower academy, and comes from the Han family of Xiaozeshan."

"This trip is only to ask for leave to return to my hometown and celebrate my elders' birthday."

"As for what happened on Baiyun Mountain, I really don't know. I hope you will investigate thoroughly, senior brother."

"The Han family of Ozawayama?"

Slightly taken aback upon hearing this, the black-clad cultivator pondered for a moment before finally managing to recall the Foundation Establishment family that had been established just a few years prior, drawn from the depths of his memory.

A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes, and the black-clad cultivator said coldly:

"Hmph... Nouveau riche are nouveau riche, they don't even know the basic rules."

"I wondered which big family scion came from, but it turns out to be the Han family... Alright, with such a big event happening in the sect, why are you going back to celebrate your birthday?"

"Once the second-tier formation is closed, to prevent anyone from taking this opportunity to steal the sect's inheritance, no disciple is allowed to enter or leave without permission. Don't you know that?"

"Now that you've joined the sect, you should prioritize the sect, instead of worrying about your own family every day."

"You stay here for now, and come back to the Enforcement Hall with me in a while."

He gave the order in a cold voice, then flicked his sleeve. The black-clad cultivator turned and stepped forward, showing no concern that Wang Xuan would take this opportunity to escape.

After all, whether it's a breakthrough in cultivation or simply passing the required age, disciples from the lower courtyard will eventually be promoted to the main gate.

He's only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, what does he dare to do here...?

"...Xiao Qing."

brush--

Without any warning, a thought flashed in Wang Xuan's mind, and three streaks of light flew away from his sleeve as a flash of blue light appeared beside him.

Sensing the abnormal fluctuations of spiritual energy behind him, the black-clad cultivator's expression changed drastically.

Although the incident happened suddenly, the black-clad cultivator, as a disciple enforcing the sect's rules, still managed to respond.

A black round shield suddenly flew out of the storage bag and blocked his back.

A layer of light curtain opened, and the round shield itself blocked the most powerful of the three streams of light.

The other two beams of azure light, though they pierced through the light shield erected by the magical artifact, were ultimately blocked by the black-clad cultivator's black dagger, which he had used during his flight, preventing them from getting close to his body.

Cold sweat soaked his back, followed by a burst of furious anger at surviving the ordeal.

The black-clad monk suddenly turned around, his expression ferocious.

"Boy, you dare to defy the sect! No matter who you are, I will—"

boom--

His expression was frozen on his face, a bloody hole piercing through his brain from behind.

With his hands clenched tightly, Wang Xuan's heart pounded as he watched the black-clad cultivator collapse to the ground.

This was the first time he had fought someone since he began cultivating in this world, and his enemy was a disciple of a sect who was at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Given the opponent's reaction speed when faced with an attack, without a natal spirit beast, I, with no combat experience, would probably be no match for them.

Fortunately, there are no "what ifs" in reality, and the fighting instincts of monsters are even more powerful.

From the very beginning, the three beams of light were all illusory bodies created by Qingque's bloodline talent, "Shadow Splitting".

Its main body, however, activated the power of 'lightness' and silently circled around to the other side.

When hidden, it is silent; when it moves, it is deadly.

At this moment, Wang Xuan could only sigh, "As expected of a superior bloodline comparable to human prodigies in the Qi Refining Realm."

He ambushed and killed a cultivator of the same realm in no more than a single exchange.