Ch613 - The Sacred Eagle Hunting Group

Liu Mufeng’s entire family was teleported into the Heaven-Piercing Tower together. Upon entering, Liu Mufeng began to survey his surroundings.

The Heaven-Piercing Tower was a six-sided tower, and its first level was vast, resembling an empty hexagonal hall with each side measuring hundreds of meters. The hall could easily accommodate thousands of people. On the walls of this grand hall were many peculiar murals and strange inscriptions.

Cultivators who entered the hall did so for different purposes. Some stood before the walls, observing the murals and inscriptions carefully, while others found corners in which to sit and contemplate. A few cultivators even had paper and brushes with which they sketched and wrote. Despite everyone’s varied activities, all were quiet and serious, maintaining the serene atmosphere of the Heaven-Piercing Tower.

After glancing around, Liu Mufeng stood still and slowly closed his eyes, releasing his soul power to study the murals and inscriptions on the walls. Liu Mufeng recognized the ancient script, but the bizarre murals would require more careful examination.

Seeing his lover using his soul power to observe the murals, Jiang Xu also closed his eyes and began to study them with his own soul power. Yet, only a moment after he began, he felt the hand he was holding onto slip away.

Jiang Xu’s eyes flew open to see his lover’s figure blur before him. He reached out, wanting to grab Liu Mufeng, but his hand closed around nothing but air. Liu Mufeng had already disappeared.

The sight of Liu Mufeng’s disappearance earned quite a few envious glances from other cultivators. Even Xuanxuan admired his Father’s astonishing comprehension ability. It had taken only the time it took an incense stick to burn for his Father to be transported to the second floor!

Staring dumbly at the empty space beside him, Jiang Xu felt a hollow emptiness in his chest. He suddenly resented his lover’s incomparably swift understanding. After staring blankly for a while, Jiang Xu closed his eyes once more; he absolutely had to quickly decipher the murals’ secrets, that way he could find his husband again.

**********

One hundred years later…

Liu Xuan and Xiaoyue were overjoyed to see their Daddy return. The three of them sat in the small inn, chatting about this and that.

“Daddy, you’re finally back,” Liu Xuan said, smiling at his Dad.

“Xuanxuan, when were you teleported out?” Jiang Xu asked curiously, gazing at his Son.

“uI, W mLA dTYTqfidTB fUd dmTJdp pTLiA LNf. W fJYp Nfd df dIT ATaTJdQTdI SYffi gTSfiT Qd ILqqTJTB.” nQU jULJ AQNITB, STTYQJN iLdITi UJBTimITYPQJN GfPqLiTB df IQA qLiTJdA’ QJdTYYTGdULY qifmTAA.

“I was the first to be teleported out. It happened after thirty-five years, and I had only reached the fifty-third floor,” Xiaoyue said, feeling rather depressed.Ah, with four members in their family, he seemed to have the worst comprehension skills of all.

“Qn!” BfgOx Gd OMttwt, rMMvfOx gCMdOt Pnw CMMJ. “IMdC XgPnwC ngTO’P kMJw MdP jwP?”

“zf, dIQA VIQYB LJB jQLfpUT mLQd ITiT TaTip BLp, gUd mT’aT pTd df ATT IQP.” nQU jULJ AIffs IQA ITLB.

“Oh, well, he probably hasn’t come out yet.”With his level of understanding, Mufeng would definitely have gone to a high floor.

“Lgttj, bnfkn prMMC tft jMd xwP PM?” ufd GdgO gTvwt kdCfMdTrj.

“W Nfd df dIT TQNIdp-dIQiB SYffi.” XQLJN jU SifmJTB LA IT AqfsT. kLGI dQPT IT iTLGITB L JTm SYffi, IT ATLiGITB Sfi IQA qLidJTi, gUd TaTJ LSdTi NfQJN df dIT TQNIdp-dIQiB SYffi LJB AqTJBQJN L IUJBiTB pTLiA QJ dIT KTLaTJ-CQTiGQJN EfmTi, IT JTaTi ALm L diLGT fS vUSTJN.

“Eighty-three floors? Wow, Daddy, you’re so amazing.” Liu Xuan’s face lit up with admiration at this number.

“Your Father is even more amazing than that. I never saw him the whole way up. He must have gone to an even higher floor.” Jiang Xu thought for a moment and concluded that his lover must have ascended the tower too quickly for him to catch a glimpse of him.

“En, Father will definitely reach even higher floors. Maybe he can get all the way to ninety-nine and become a Supreme Immortal.” Liu Xuan laughed. His Father had always been his hero, and he hoped that his Father would reach the highest floor and achieve the title of Supreme Immortal.

“That would be ideal, but it’s not easy, as this tower has stood here for many years, and if it were simple, surely someone would have contracted it already.” Jiang Xu frowned slightly at this prospect. He naturally hoped that his beloved husband would one day become a Supreme Immortal, but he also knew that it was no easy feat.

“It wouldn’t be easy for anyone else, but it might be possible for my Father.” Liu Xuan had immense faith in his Father’s capabilities.

“I don’t think your Father will be sent over anytime soon, so why don’t you and Xiaoyue stay here and wait for him? I’ll take Pangpang and Uncle Bai and join a hunting party to go slay some immortal beasts. That way, we can earn some extra income for the household and also improve our battle prowess.” After some thought, Jiang Xu made his decision.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xuan frowned. “Daddy, I’m a ninth-level Master Alchemist; I can easily support the household. Besides, this inn is small, and the cost of lodging isn’t much either. Why do you need to go slay immortal beasts? It’s too dangerous.”

“No, you don’t understand. Even though I haven’t yet been promoted to Immortal Emperor, my cultivation is already perfect, and I can vaguely sense the barrier. That’s why I need to kill immortal beasts—to hone my battle prowess, to temper my body and mind—to break through the barrier to Immortal Emperor even faster.”

One must admit that the Heaven-Piercing Tower was an excellent training ground. Although Jiang Xu hadn’t reached the ninety-ninth level, he had gained enlightenment of the power of the stars within the tower, and his command of Star Power had significantly improved. At the same time, his understanding of the laws of heaven and earth had loosened the constraints of the Immortal Emperor’s threshold. Therefore, Jiang Xu felt that this was the best time to temper himself, to cultivate his abilities.

He had a premonition that by the time Mufeng emerged from seclusion, he would either be an Immortal Emperor or a Supreme Immortal. Thus, Jiang Xu needed to advance his rank as quickly as possible—to ascend before his beloved did. That way, he would be strong enough to protect his love when the time came for Mufeng to advance.

Recalling the time when Mufeng was promoted to Immortal King and was subsequently besieged by the Ouyang Clan, Jiang Xu’s heart was still filled with fear. He often wondered whether, had he been an Immortal King at the time, the Ouyang Clan would have dared to touch a hair on Mufeng’s head. The answer was undoubtedly no. Thus, if he wanted to protect his beloved person, he himself had to become stronger first.

“Oh, so that’s how it is, then, uh…you should be careful.” Liu Xuan looked at his Daddy, clearly worried.

“Rest assured, my dear Son, Daddy will be careful. Besides, Uncle Bai and Pangpang will help me. If any danger arises, Uncle Bai can instantly teleport me back home. His control over space after becoming an Immortal King has become even more refined. Even after multiple long-distance teleports, he wouldn’t be fazed in the slightest. With him by my side, what’s there to worry about?”

“Oh, okay. This Child wishes Daddy a swift promotion to Immortal Emperor.” Liu Xuan nodded, though he still seemed slightly apprehensive.

“Take care of yourself.” Jiang Xu gently admonished his Son, gazing at him.

“Daddy, don’t worry. Heaven-Piercing City has laws against murder, and the city enforces these laws strictly. Besides, the human cities have a law protecting alchemists, so no one will kill an alchemist here.” Liu Xuan smiled.

“XiaoXu, don’t worry, I’ll protect our Xuanxuan. Be careful yourself, okay? If you ever feel like you’re in danger, teleport back home immediately. Don’t try to be a hero with your friends. If Pangpang comes back, we’ll let you know.” Xiaoyue gazed at Jiang Xu.

“All right, I’m leaving Xuanxuan to you, Xiaoyue!” With a nod, Jiang Xu left the inn.

Heaven-Piercing City was a large city with many hunting parties. The larger parties were led by Immortal Emperor cultivators, with the main forces being Immortal Kings and Void Immortals, as no one below the level of Void Immortal would be accepted into the group. The smaller parties, on the other hand, were usually led by Immortal Kings, with the main forces being Void Immortals, level 8 cultivators, and a few level 7 cultivators.

Jiang Xu thought it best to join one of the larger hunting parties for safety reasons. The captain of this party was in the late stage of Immortal Emperor. While there were many Immortal King cultivators in the group, Void Immortals were few. There were no level 8 cultivators, but the overall strength of the team was formidable.

Jiang Xu’s cultivation was at the peak of Immortal King, and his strength made him very suited to join the Sacred Eagle Hunting Group without any issues. The day after Jiang Xu joined, the hunting party departed Heaven-Piercing City for a mountain nearby.

The Sacred Eagle Hunting Group consisted of 45 individuals, with one Immortal Emperor, 30 Immortal Kings, and 14 Void Immortals. It was one of the top-tier groups in Heaven-Piercing City, and its members’ strength was among the best.

Jiang Xu walked at the very back of the group, donning a silver mask. To be honest, he didn’t quite enjoy working in teams. However, with Mufeng not around, there were many things about the Upper Heavenly Domain that Jiang Xu didn’t understand, and many places he couldn’t find on his own. Going out alone to gain experience was therefore not a feasible option, so he had no choice but to join the hunting party.

Leading the group was the captain of the Sacred Eagle Hunting Group. Next to him was his Younger Brother Wang Meng, an Immortal King in the early stage of cultivation.

“Dage, this new recruit Liu Xu is quite peculiar and doesn’t seem to fit in. Do you think he might be a spy from another hunting party?” Wang Meng asked his Brother discreetly as they walked.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hui, the captain, glanced at his Brother. “Don’t worry, I’ve askedXiaoJiu to keep an eye on him.”

Wang Meng nodded at his Brother’s response, and didn’t say anything further.

As they walked, a cultivator next to Jiang Xu smiled. “Senior Liu Xu, you’re truly incredible. To think you became an Immortal King at only three thousand years of age. What an outstanding cultivation aptitude.”

Jiang Xu glanced at the man but didn’t respond. This fellow was already fifty thousand years old and had a cultivation level of mid-stage Void Immortal. By the standards of the Cultivation World, someone with such an age and cultivation level would definitely be considered a talent with excellent cultivation aptitude. However, within the realm of Immortals, especially in the Upper Heavenly Domain, such a level of ability at this age could not be considered particularly remarkable.

“Senior Liu, I’m He Jiu, but everyone calls meXiaoJiu. I’ve been a member of the Sacred Eagle Hunting Group for a hundred and fifty years. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”XiaoJiu grinned at Jiang Xu.

“All right.” Jiang Xu gave him a brief nod as acknowledgement.