Chapter 79

"Both of us have completed our mission. We have confirmed that there are no Condensation Phase cultivators among these Savage Ghost Sect disciples. The rest will naturally be the matter of Elder Xing Er and the others. However, their flying devices are quite mysterious, they might have the effect of concealing their tracks. I wonder if Elder Xing Er will lose them," the child finally spoke, his voice surprisingly old, like that of an old man.

"Rest assured. I had already planted a Ten Thousand Mile Fragrance on one of the Savage Ghost Sect disciples in the market earlier. Even if they are a thousand miles away, Elder Xing San can accurately find them," the woman in the pink robe said with a sinister look on her face.

"Very good. In that case, with Elder Xing San and the others all being late-stage Spirit Disciples, capturing these Savage Ghost Sect disciples will be no problem. Alright, let's leave as well. After this, we can no longer stay in the Great Xuan Kingdom; we need to find another place," the child nodded in satisfaction.

"Heh heh, want to leave? Do you think I'll agree to that!"

Suddenly, a cold voice came from the air.

This startled the woman and the child, and they both looked up.

They saw that an imposing old man, dressed in a brocade robe and a jade belt, had appeared in the high sky, his hands behind his back, staring coldly at the two of them.

"Bad, it's Old Monster Mu. Quick, run!" The woman in the pink robe, upon seeing the old man's face clearly, immediately turned pale and cried out in alarm.

The child beside her didn't say a word, raised his hand, and a white mist surged out, instantly engulfing an area of several dozen feet. Then, his body twisted, and he burrowed into the ground.

With a muffled thud, the child's feet had only entered the ground by half a foot when the surrounding soil suddenly became as hard as steel, making him unable to move at all.

A flash of blood!

The child's head rolled off, and then a ripple appeared beside him, revealing another tall, thin man in a blood-red robe, holding a long, blood-dripping blade in his hand.

The moment this man appeared, he shook the blood-stained blade, and the child's headless body was instantly cut into dozens of pieces in a flash of blood, the essence soul inside screaming in agony as it turned into green smoke in the bloodlight.

"What kind of Immortal Child, not even worth mentioning. A mere late-stage Spirit Disciple dares to call himself such," the man in the blood-red robe said coldly.

"You are Blood Crow of the Blood River Hall!"

The woman in the pink robe, upon seeing the man in the blood-red robe, turned even paler. But after quietly retreating two steps, a green light flashed on her body, and she suddenly transformed into a green light and fled into the distance.

The man in the blood-red robe, seeing this, merely sneered and did not chase after her.

The old man in the brocade robe, however, without a word, flicked his sleeve, and a crimson feather fan suddenly appeared in his hand. He waved it remotely.

With a "pu" sound.

The woman, who had already fled several dozen feet, felt the air around her suddenly heat up, and her entire body turned into a ball of fire, burning fiercely.

A moment later, the alluring female cultivator disappeared without a trace in the air.

"Hmph, Old Monster Mu, I didn't expect your Yin Fire technique to be so refined that you could plant a Yin Fire seed in a late-stage Spirit Disciple without them noticing," the man in the blood-red robe said, watching the scene.

"How can my petty skills compare to the Blood Blade of my fellow Daoist?" the old man in the brocade robe said, his gaze shifting to a pool of blood near the man in the blood-red robe, his eyes filled with caution.

That pool of blood was where the child's remains had been.

"But it's a bit strange. Isn't the leader of these bandits, the Immortal Child, supposed to be a Spirit Master? How is he just a late-stage Spirit Disciple? If not, why would both of us be here?" the old man in the brocade robe asked, a hint of doubt in his voice after a moment of thought.

"Since it's just a rumor, it might not be true. It's likely that people outside have exaggerated the abilities of these evil cultivators. Besides, although these bandits have a good reputation, they haven't really faced anyone in a direct confrontation. Those they've raided are all Spirit Disciples, not Spirit Masters. Their reputation is mainly due to their ruthless and cunning actions. This time, we received the information in advance and set a trap, with the intention of wiping them out. Now that we've easily dealt with the leader, I think it's normal," the man in the blood-red robe said calmly.

"Perhaps that's true. Now that we've dealt with the two leaders, I suppose Fellow Daoist Zhang will also take action soon," the old man in the brocade robe nodded after a moment of thought.

"Heh heh, the bait this time is a disciple of Fellow Daoist Zhang's sect, so he naturally has to go personally to be at ease. But if these disciples can't even handle bandits of the same level, they deserve to die. What's the point of pitying them?" the man in the blood-red robe said with a cold laugh.

"Fellow Daoist Blood Crow, do you think the Savage Ghost Sect is like your Blood River Hall, where all the disciples cultivate the path of slaughter and have ample combat experience? Besides, the Savage Ghost Sect has been accepting fewer and fewer Spirit Opening disciples in recent years. They wouldn't easily give up on them. Besides, there's a top-ten core disciple among them," the old man in the brocade robe smiled slightly.

"Core disciple, you mean Qian girl? She does have good potential. If she was part of the bait, it's no wonder Fellow Daoist Zhang is so concerned. By the way, do you know about the incident a few months ago where Senior Yan of the Savage Ghost Sect and Senior Lingyu of the Nine Apertures Mountain both went out and returned injured?" the man in the blood-red robe suddenly asked.

"Are you talking about the Spirit-Communicating Crimson Dragon?" the old man in the brocade robe paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Indeed, your Wind Fire Sect has also received the news. It's been years since a Crystal Formation beast appeared in the Great Xuan Kingdom. I'm sure Senior Chiyang of your sect will have to take action," the man in the blood-red robe sighed.

"Of course. Even ordinary Crystal Formation beasts are treasures, let alone a dragon. Although the Savage Ghost Sect and the Nine Apertures Mountain were the first to discover it, since they didn't capture it in one go, they can't keep the news a secret. Not just our sect, but also the Crystal Formation seniors of your hall and the Heavenly Moon Sect won't be able to sit still," the old man in the brocade robe said without hiding it.

"If that's the case, the Crimson Dragon, no matter how powerful, has no chance of survival. Although it repelled Senior Lingyu and the others, it must have been injured as well," the man in the blood-red robe said thoughtfully.

"Fellow Daoist Blood Crow, you're mistaken. According to the latest information, the Crimson Dragon, though injured, has fled far from the Dragon Subduing Island and is hiding somewhere to recover. Even with the boundless power of Crystal Formation seniors, finding it won't be easy. And with such a terrifying beast lurking in our kingdom, we'll have to be more careful when we go out alone. Otherwise, if we encounter it, heh heh... I'm sure you'll receive a warning from your hall in a few days," the old man in the brocade robe chuckled at the end.

"It can't be that bad. The Spirit-Communicating Crimson Dragon might have already fled the Great Xuan Kingdom!" the man in the blood-red robe's face changed slightly.

"I hope so, but the information I received suggests that the dragon is severely injured and unlikely to escape the kingdom in the short term. And we, as late-stage Spirit Disciples, are the best nourishment for its recovery," the old man in the brocade robe shook his head and then lowered his voice.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you mean?" the man in the blood-red robe shivered at these words.

"Since we can use our sect's Spirit Disciples as bait, why can't the Crystal Formation greats use us to lure out the Crimson Dragon? Don't forget, in the entire Great Xuan Kingdom, the most late-stage Spirit Disciples are in the three major markets we guard," the old man in the brocade robe said in an even lower voice.

"Haha, Brother Mu is overthinking it!" The man in the blood-red robe's face changed several times before he forced a laugh.

"Indeed, I might be overthinking it. But if we really have to leave the market in the near future, why don't we travel together?" the old man in the brocade robe smiled and asked.

"Alright, I've encountered some issues in my cultivation recently and was planning to seek Brother Mu's guidance," the man in the blood-red robe agreed after a moment's thought.

Then, the two changed the topic and discussed other matters.

At the same time, a thousand miles away in the high sky, the fog boat had stopped flying.

A hundred feet behind it, there was another gray wooden boat, about a dozen feet long, with over a dozen cultivators in various attire standing on it, all looking fierce but trembling in fear, not daring to move.

They were in this state because of the dozen wolf-shaped puppets floating around the wooden boat and the shredded corpses on the ground below.

Above the wooden boat, a middle-aged woman and a man dressed as a monk were talking, seemingly indifferent to what was happening below.

Meanwhile, on the fog boat, Liu Ming and the others gathered around, respectfully bowing to a smiling middle-aged Daoist, led by Senior Sister Qian.

"Stand up. This time, although I didn't inform you of the true situation beforehand, you did take some risks by luring out these bandits. Here's what I'll do: I'll send a message to the Hall of Deacons, and everyone will receive an additional hundred contribution points," the middle-aged Daoist said kindly.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"

Everyone was delighted and thanked him in unison.

After a few more encouraging words, the middle-aged Daoist was about to leave.

At that moment, Liu Ming suddenly heard a long, sharp, and piercing cry in his ear.

It seemed to start from a great distance but quickly grew closer.

The middle-aged Daoist and the woman and monk on the wooden boat all changed expressions at the same time.

Liu Ming, upon hearing this familiar cry, was initially stunned, but as he quickly recalled its origin, his face turned pale.