Chapter 142: Being Surrounded

Chapter 142: Besieged

More than half a month had passed since their last parting, and Chi Yu hadn't been able to see Xie Xiyi even once.

Deep down, Chi Yu had a faint premonition about this, which made him nervous about the reunion.

On this day, he landed and entered a cultivator city, only to find the entire city's cultivators restless and uneasy. After entering a tavern and listening for a while, he finally understood what was happening.

It turned out that Wanqiong Zhou was in chaos.

“That Ghost-Faced Cultivator... no, the one called Xuan Ji, was originally a disciple of the Luo Po Zen School in Zizai Zhou. He was designated by the Anuttara Buddhist School as the next Bodhisattva, but five hundred years ago, he rebelled and fled the Zen School in a great uproar. Now, five centuries later, he’s wreaking havoc across the land, no different from a demonic fiend. The great families of Wanqiong Zhou have lost dozens of Grandmasters, so they’ve dragged Zizai Zhou into this, demanding that the Anuttara Buddhist School take responsibility for their disciple.”

“This is the Anuttara Buddhist School’s responsibility. The Bodhisattva’s fall to demonhood is something they cannot shirk.”

“That’s true, but the Anuttara Buddhist School refused and declared that Zizai Zhou would not get involved, leaving Wanqiong Zhou to handle it themselves.”

“How... how irresponsible! This demonic fiend came from their own Buddhist sect. Zizai Zhou’s behavior is truly shameful.”

“Although Wanqiong Zhou usually acts high and mighty, whenever the demon realm or the Nine Netherworlds stir, they stand guard to protect all living beings, taking it as their duty. They are truly a model for our generation.”

Hearing this, Chi Yu felt his blood pressure rise.

What “protecting all living beings as their duty”? This was nothing but bleeding a family dry, and now they wouldn’t even spare Brother Xuan Ji, the one who got away!

Chi Yu couldn’t take it anymore. Wanqiong Zhou was just too perfect—they’d taken all the resources and gained all the fame, while the victim lost their entire family and their reputation, becoming Haoyuan Realm’s most notorious demonic fiend. Though he truly was a demonic fiend, Brother Xuan Ji had his reasons!!!

Chi Yu couldn’t help but take out his Jade Talisman and glance down at it.

After five hundred years of change, the Jade Communication Talisman had become widely popular. Since it was inherently inexpensive, even if it spread to Dongjing Zhou, Wangxian Zhou, or the barbaric lands, its price wouldn’t be much higher.

Chi Yu finally realized, belatedly, why all the inns had refused him entry after he destroyed half a tavern—they really did have a network.

Ah, Suoluo Qiye owed him five hundred years’ worth of dividends. I wonder if he’ll ever pay up.

Setting aside his thoughts, Chi Yu first suppressed his emotions and called out to the waiter.

His clear voice drew the attention of the cultivators present, but Chi Yu paid it no mind.

However, the sudden silence around him made him more alert. He glanced around and saw that the patrons on both floors were staring at him. No one spoke, but their expressions were strange, as if they were communicating through Spiritual Sense.

The waiter ran over with a smile. “May I ask, guest, you—”

His voice cut off abruptly, his eyes flashing with surprise.

Chi Yu immediately stood up and jumped out the window without a word.

“After him!” someone shouted, and all the cultivators swarmed after Chi Yu like bees.

Chi Yu’s reaction speed was already quite fast, but he had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, and his cultivation had an unstable foundation, like a house of cards. Against a true Nascent Soul cultivator, he stood no chance.

The city was overseen by a Grandmaster, and fighting and killing were prohibited, but this rule was broad and flexible. Coupled with the tempting bounty, many “official” personnel secretly removed their patrol uniforms and joined the pursuit.

The cultivators’ magical artifacts were endless. Chi Yu ducked into an alley and used a magical artifact to change his appearance and form, but the moment he stepped out, he was locked onto by a terrifying pressure.

“Kid, thinking you can escape by changing your appearance? That’s far too naive. Anyone who cultivates a special technique can see through your true form!” a middle-aged male cultivator chuckled darkly, raising his sword to attack Chi Yu.

Chi Yu called forth Phantom Lightning and raised his hand to block. His Nascent Soul spiritual power was abundant, but he knew few techniques. His most impressive skill was the swordsmanship taught by Xuan Ji—fierce and unyielding. Even the lack of killing intent had emerged when he killed Qing Xuan, making it seem complete and fluid.

The middle-aged male cultivator was momentarily outmatched. After all, as a rogue cultivator, even if his cultivation level was similar to Chi Yu’s, his resources couldn’t keep up. Thus, under this exceptional swordsmanship, he fell behind.

Seizing the opportunity, Chi Yu beheaded the middle-aged male cultivator with one strike, and the flying head was utterly pulverized by his sword intent!

As soon as the middle-aged male cultivator died, Chi Yu without hesitation transformed into a beam and flew toward the city outskirts.

He knew many people were already observing their battle. Although he had rarely faced these cultivators head-on, he had read novels and knew the nature of cultivators in the cultivation world—

Sneaky ones were sneaky, ruthless ones were ruthless, cautious ones were cautious, opportunists were opportunists, murderers and plunderers were murderers and plunderers, and those who preyed on the wicked preyed on the wicked...

None were easy to deal with! None were simple to handle!

If he showed even the slightest weakness and didn’t kill the middle-aged male cultivator, what awaited him would be a swarm of pursuers, tearing him apart!

Chi Yu’s escape speed was already extremely fast, but the cultivators targeting him were like formidable hunters, each more imposing and intimidating than the last.

Chi Yu glanced back and saw countless streaks of light closely following him, just a few yards away, with several even about to overtake him.

This won't do. If this continued, he would be besieged.

Chi Yu pursed his lips, his mind racing—

The secret dimension was useful, but only the appearance of a city could attract these cultivators.

However, these cultivators’ cultivation levels were too high, and they viewed mortals as ants. If he used a city to lure the enemy, the mortals inside would also be in danger.

So, he couldn’t use the secret dimension.

Chi Yu sent his Spiritual Sense into his Spatial Ring, searching for usable magical artifacts.

He found himself wishing he had more artifacts and techniques when he needed them. Only in actual combat did Chi Yu realize how scarce his offensive methods were.

Chi Yu could only pick up speed and continue fleeing.

When his spiritual power was nearly exhausted, he took Foundation Pills—he had plenty of those.

However, he had overlooked one thing: other cultivators would also notify their friends and comrades. Thus, before long, he was surrounded.

Chi Yu stopped, and the points of light also halted, each taking human form. From their demeanor, it was clear that most were rogue cultivators. Rogue cultivators generally appeared older and more weathered because they formed their Golden Core later, naturally appearing older. Those at the Nascent Soul Stage could reshape their physical appearance, but it required a great deal of spiritual power. Advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage was already a close call, so who had extra spiritual power to reshape their appearance?

A smaller portion were Immortal Alliance cultivators, wearing the Alliance’s uniform. Some even looked somewhat familiar to Chi Yu—he had seen them before when he infiltrated the Immortal Alliance.

Before confronting Chi Yu, these cultivators went through their usual routine of issuing challenges. “Long Aotian, you are now wanted by the Immortal Alliance. Surrender now and come with us, and we might spare your life.”

Chi Yu laughed, his voice clear and bright. “Since so many of you know me, the Immortal Alliance must have posted a bounty, right? And the reward must be quite substantial—but with so many of you, how will the bounty in spirit stones be divided?”

At these words, all the cultivators couldn’t help but glance at each other. This was something they hadn’t considered.

Chi Yu said with a hint of enticement, “Most of you are rogue cultivators, right? Rogue cultivators have a particularly hard time cultivating. With so many people, even if the bounty in spirit stones is enormous, it won’t be enough to divide among everyone here. If one could claim the bounty alone, it would surely be enough to cultivate all the way to the Great Perfection Stage, wouldn’t it?”

“Kid, don’t try to sow discord! The bounty is 100 top-grade spirit stones. Even if divided equally, everyone here would get several hundred medium-grade spirit stones.”

“But if you can have it all, why share?” Chi Yu said earnestly. “To be frank, although my cultivation is at the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, my bone age is only 18. I achieved this cultivation because I received another cultivator’s cultivation transfer. Such rushed growth naturally made my realm unstable, and all I have to show for it is my swordsmanship. Why are you all treating this so seriously, as if confronting a great enemy?”

“Bone age 18?” a cultivator questioned. Soon, someone used a special technique to examine and confirmed that Chi Yu was indeed 18. “It’s true! He really is 18!”

“What? Nascent Soul Stage at 18?”

“How come we’ve never heard of any cultivation transfer method?”

“It must be a secret technique of those cultivation clans.”

Rogue cultivators have always looked down on scions of noble families, believing they merely benefited from the luck of their birth and lacked the bravery and resilience forged through battling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Upon confirming that his bones indeed showed Chi Yu was only eighteen, their scorn toward him welled up.

Some clever individuals recognized that Chi Yu was trying to stir up trouble, but cultivation resources mean everything to these rogue cultivators. If they can keep it all for themselves, why share with others?

Thus, tempers flared, and with just a few provocative words from Chi Yu, the rogue cultivators started fighting among themselves.

The disciples of the Immortal Alliance were stunned. They tried to calm the situation but got stabbed at for their trouble. Unable to tolerate this, the Alliance disciples also drew their weapons and jumped into the mix.

Even so, a few still attempted to take Chi Yu out.

Sensing the killing intent from behind, Chi Yu immediately raised Phantom Lightning to block—

His reaction was lightning-fast, but the ambusher cleverly changed up his attacks. Chi Yu couldn't respond quickly enough, and a sword aura shot straight toward his heart.

At that moment, the forbidden curse activated instantly. Black runes surged out like a tide, neutralizing the attack and even copying the same technique to pierce the ambusher's heart.

Yet Chi Yu did not relax. One major reason he had been fighting so hard was his certainty that once the forbidden curse was triggered, Xie Xiyi would sense it.

And they would eventually meet.

His premonition was so strong—this time, it would undoubtedly be his Brother Xuan Ji.

Chi Yu's heart hammered, and his ears filled with noise like static from a television screen. The Phantom Lightning in his hand hummed softly, as if picking up on something.

He tightened his grip on the sword. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and a black mist appeared in his golden pupils—

The mist materialized out of nowhere, unusually dense, like storm clouds brewing over the sea, sinister and bone-chilling.

The surrounding sounds of fighting faded unnoticed as everyone's attention was locked on to the black mist. Some, sensing what was to come, showed fear and panic in their eyes.

Thanks to the jade talismans, almost all of Jiuzhou had heard of the Ghost-Faced Cultivator's notorious name, and his signature weapon was this unpredictable black mist.

Yet some remained skeptical. According to reliable sources, the Ghost-Faced Cultivator had recently been hunted by prominent families and scattered immortal sects—how could he suddenly appear here?

The rogue cultivators were in the dark, and their understanding of forbidden curses was minimal. So even as some began to flee, many others stayed.

Xie Xiyi's figure emerged. Still masked, he drifted like a ghost toward Chi Yu. In a slightly hoarse voice, Chi Yu put on a casual smile and called out, "Brother Xuan Ji."

Xie Xiyi did not respond but instead slipped an arm around Chi Yu's waist. The black mist instantly engulfed them, swirling violently like a vortex before vanishing into the air.

"They... they got away!"

"This Long Aotian has deep ties with the Ghost-Faced Cultivator! The Immortal Alliance concealed this—what a rip-off!"

Everyone exchanged glances, but no one dared to pursue.

*

When Chi Yu opened his eyes again, they had arrived in a beautiful sea of flowers.

"Brother Xuan Ji..." Chi Yu's gaze searched for Xie Xiyi, only to find a figure shrouded in black mist.

The figure lay in the flower field, flattening a whole bunch of blossoms and grass. A black ooze seeped out from the mist, corroding the flowers and even spreading to Chi Yu's feet.

Chi Yu's boots dissolved instantly. He felt a chill, wet feeling, followed by a burning pain. It took him a few seconds to realize what the black liquid was—

It was Xie Xiyi's blood.

Chi Yu was shocked. In his mind, the seemingly invincible villain Xie Xiyi could actually be injured?

But then he remembered the previous black giant egg—well, it wasn't the first time.

Next, Chi Yu witnessed the formation of the black giant egg.

The black mist wove threadlike patterns like a spider, gradually enveloping Xie Xiyi's body.

Soon, a giant egg took shape.

Using True Sight, Chi Yu saw countless lines bursting forth from within the egg.

Xie Xiyi's body was immersed in an amniotic fluid-like black mist. Starting from his hand, extra fingers pushed out from beneath the skin of his existing ones—one after another, until a complete new hand grew from his wrist.

Chi Yu: "..."

Chi Yu deactivated True Sight and wiped nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that the sight was somewhat sanity-draining.

After calming himself, he couldn't resist turning True Sight back on. The world through his golden eyes darkened again, and the countless lines within the egg reappeared.

Chi Yu approached, his fingers catching a strand drifting toward him—a thread from Xie Xiyi's consciousness. The information it carried was thin but looping over and over.

"Chi Yu, Chi Yu, Chi Yu..."

Chi Yu: "..."

Hahahaha, this is a bit creepy, Brother Xuan Ji.

Author's Note:

little puppy fish: Is this a stalker scene?

11: ...