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A burst of wild laughter echoed through the air. The surrounding chill surged violently, and Jiao Zicheng's eyes shone with a crimson radiance.
As the coldness settled for a moment, two shadowy figures materialized beside Jiao Zicheng. One was dressed in elegant robes and exuded an extraordinary presence, while the other mirrored Jiao Zicheng, appearing as if it were his shadow.
The shadowy figure spoke in a harsh tone, "If a mere mortal dares to oppose me, I will reduce you both to ashes."
"Hahaha..." The elegantly dressed figure laughed maniacally. "If you had the courage, you would have dissipated with us long ago. Why endure our oppression now and play the third wheel?"
Jiao Zicheng replied coldly, "This plan is not only for us but also for you. We three are intertwined; we cannot be separated. If the Soul Nurturing Pearl does not enter the Sea of Consciousness, this Remnant Soul will eventually dissipate. Do I need to enlighten you on what truly matters?"
The shadow fell silent for a moment, still unwilling to concede. "I could call my two junior brothers to lure other Foundation Stage Cultivators here; there’s no need to harm my junior brother."
Jiao Zicheng retorted coldly, "Outside the Chaotic Valley, there are only a handful of Foundation Stage Cultivators, and they are all vassals of the two major Sects. Refining our bodies is an urgent matter. We do not have time to wait, nor can we attract the attention of other Sects and invite disaster upon ourselves. Friend Jiao should focus on reality. There is no such thing as a perfect solution in this world; do not harbor such illusions."
With an angry roar, the shadow lunged at Jiao Zicheng with outstretched arms. However, as soon as this Yin Qi figure made contact with Jiao Zicheng, it scattered into dark Yin Qi, and the figure vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the elegantly dressed man mocked, "Even at this stage, you still dare to show off before us? Are you not just seeking humiliation?" With that, his figure flickered and disappeared.
Jiao Zicheng ignored him and began to meditate, forming hand seals.
Xunuo was completely unaware of the bizarre scene unfolding in the depths of the Three Sacred Mountains. Upon returning to his residence, he pondered deeply over Lin Jianfeng's words.
The more Xunuo thought about it, the more he felt anxious about his situation. Many Cultivators had been invited by the Valley Master to the Three Sacred Mountains, yet none had entered that deep valley according to the Valley Master’s envoy. Lin Jianfeng had summoned Xunuo into Mountain Valley and even handed him the complete formula for the Great Pill. It seemed he valued Xunuo highly but also hinted from another perspective that leaving Chaotic Valley in this lifetime was out of the question.
It was as if Lin Jianfeng sensed Xunuo's wavering resolve. This time felt like a warning directed at him. Xunuo didn’t even dare to approach Cao Ziji to inquire about the refining process of the Against the Wind Boat.
After glancing at the Great Pill's formula just once, Xunuo concluded that he could never refine it himself. The formula contained over a hundred medicinal ingredients. Just in terms of purification and fusion alone, Xunuo found himself incapable of completing it. With assistance from others working together, it seemed possible to enhance Divine Sense and achieve success in alchemy. However, Xunuo understood that each step in purification and fusion was intricately linked and allowed for no mistakes whatsoever. Even if one person managed it alone, there was little confidence in success. If two people collaborated without any errors during that time frame, it would already be exceedingly difficult.
Lin Jianfeng's insistence on combining the efforts of three individuals to refine the Great Pill seemed utterly impossible to Xunuo. Thus, he felt no enthusiasm for cooperating with the other two Alchemists. After all, this matter would be arranged by the Valley Master’s envoy; he merely needed to wait for those two Alchemists to arrive and handle things accordingly.
Xunuo knew that the only thing to do now was to find a way to acquire the Against the Wind Boat, which would give him a chance to escape when the opportunity arose. He could not go to Cao Ziji; doing so would surely alert Lin Jianfeng. Xunuo did not want to face the wrath of a Foundation Stage Cultivator.
Since he could not go himself, he decided to ask someone else to gather information. Thus, under the pretense of a gathering after his recent breakthrough, Xunuo invited friends for a few days of feasting. Taking advantage of this, he entrusted a Refiner to investigate matters at Cao Ziji regarding the crafting of Flying Artifacts.
The Refiner had yet to return with news for Xunuo. Meanwhile, two Alchemists, having received instructions from the Valley Master Envoy, came to collaborate with Xunuo on merging their Divine Senses and working together on Alchemy. Both Alchemists were Grand Cultivators of Eleven Layers, far surpassing Xunuo in both magical power and Divine Sense.
However, there was one advantage: among Alchemists, the focus was on Alchemical skills rather than magical power levels. They did not look down on him simply because his Realm was lower. Therefore, the two were not arrogant and did not create difficulties for Xunuo despite him taking the lead in this Alchemical endeavor.
Yet, merging their Divine Senses proved to be an impossible task. After more than twenty days of collaboration, all three were exhausted with little progress made.
Just as they took a moment to rest and discuss ways to improve their efforts, a significant event occurred in Chaotic Valley. Over ten days, ten Eleventh Layer Grandmasters had gone missing. This caused widespread panic among the inhabitants of Chaotic Valley.
Typically, it was not unusual for a few Cultivators to go missing or even die in Chaotic Valley. However, this time, all those who disappeared were high-level Grand Cultivators—top-tier combatants within the Three Forces of Chaotic Valley. This situation made all three factions uneasy because it affected them all equally; it ruled out any single faction secretly eliminating rivals.
The Three Forces discreetly contacted each other and convened to discuss the matter. Those capable of leading and controlling this unruly group of Loose Cultivators were undoubtedly skilled and intelligent individuals. The missing Grandmasters had been involved in robberies at Desert Sea and some had vanished within Chaotic Valley itself, showing almost no signs of resistance.
To silently abduct or eliminate Eleventh Layer Grandmasters in such a densely populated area as Chaotic Valley was beyond the means of Foundation Stage Practitioners. Even if several Cultivators of equal rank attacked one person simultaneously, it would be impossible for that individual to be killed or controlled without putting up any fight. A major confrontation was inevitable.
In fact, Chaotic Valley had been experiencing unusual occurrences in recent years. Particularly over the last decade, only Lin Jianfeng, the Valley Master, occasionally made an appearance while the other two Valley Masters had long since gone into hiding. The recent mysterious disappearance of Black Wind Old Monster had already raised suspicions among the Three Forces since no one believed that Black Wind Old Monster could have fallen at the hands of Foundation Stage Practitioners.
However, this was still considered an isolated incident. Moreover, Black Wind Old Monster had many enemies outside Chaotic Valley; it was possible he had gone out seeking revenge. Thus, this matter did not attract much attention from the Three Forces.
In a secret chamber within the headquarters of the Black Dragon Society, over ten Cultivators sat together. Leading them were Xi Dao Jing, Ruan Jingtian, and Qin Xiaofeng. The Three Forces had generally confirmed that this disappearance of high-level Cultivators must be due to an internal purge within Chaotic Valley. Speculations about the reasons behind it varied widely.
However, one point gained considerable agreement: currently in Chaotic Valley, there was likely only Lin Jianfeng remaining as a Valley Master. If that were true, then his motive for eliminating some high-end combatants within Chaotic Valley to consolidate his power seemed quite reasonable. After all, the formidable figures within Chaotic Valley were not easy to deal with.
In earlier times when three Valley Masters were present, these Cultivators would think twice before coveting their power. But if there was only one Foundation Establishment Stage Valley Master left, he would certainly worry that these Cultivators' strength might pose a threat to him.
Qin Xiaofeng cast a gloomy glance at Xi Dao Jing and Ruan Jingtian and said, "Given how things stand now, we have only two options: either we gamble everything and confront Lin Jianfeng head-on or we flee immediately."
Ruan Jingtian frowned and said, "If it's Chaotic Valley, then only Lin Jianfeng remains as the Valley Master at the Foundation Establishment Stage. We can naturally fight him to the death. If not, we would be seeking our own demise."
Xi Dao Jing slowly replied, "At least Chen Gu Master won't be in the valley. Moreover, I estimate that the chances of Chen Gu Master having passed away are quite high. If Chen Gu Master were present, the last time a Foundation Stage Cultivator intruded upon the Three Sacred Mountains, he would have been killed long ago. How could he have been forced to search Chaotic Valley?"
Qin Xiaotian coldly smiled and said, "Exactly, I think the same way. The one we fear the most is Chen Gu Master; the other two can be dealt with in battle. Our Black Dragon Society has already united in determination to fight Lin Jianfeng to the death. I wonder what your plans are, my friends?"
Ruan Jingtian looked uncertainly at Xi Dao Jing, who remained calm and nodded without speaking. In fact, Black Dragon Society's stance had long been anticipated by Xi Dao Jing.
Most of the Cultivators in Black Dragon Society were ruthless individuals. Even before entering Chaotic Valley, they had many enemies in the outside world. Once they joined Black Dragon Society, their actions of plundering and killing only intensified, offending nearly all nearby Loose Cultivators. It could be said that a Cultivator from Black Dragon Society would only meet a swift end if they left Chaotic Valley. Thus, they preferred to fight for a slim chance of survival here rather than go out and seek death.
Xi Dao Jing noticed the urgent glances from Qin Xiaotian and Ruan Jingtian directed at him. He then spoke slowly, "We have worked hard for decades in Chaotic Valley and now have a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough. If we go out elsewhere, everything will likely start over from scratch. We won't be able to secure the resources and opportunities we have now. If we can seize the Three Sacred Mountains and cultivate on its Spiritual Veins, our chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage will greatly increase. Therefore, today’s battle is imperative; retreat would only lead to death."
After saying this, he looked up at Ruan Jingtian.
Ruan Jingtian naturally understood the stakes involved. Most Cultivators who came to Chaotic Valley did so because they couldn't survive outside; they had offended formidable foes. To ask him to give up this place was equivalent to abandoning his path of cultivation.
Seeing that Qin Xiaotian and Xi Dao Jing were resolute in their determination to fight to the death, Ruan Jingtian calculated that among the Three Forces alone, there were nearly forty large Cultivators at Eleven Layers. If they were supported by over a hundred Basic Skill Method Cultivators at ten layers each, there was hope of killing a Foundation Stage Cultivator.
Thus, Ruan Jingtian solemnly said, "Since both of you have such confidence, how could I stand by idly? The idea of fleeing is absolutely unacceptable."
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