Chapter 146: Shangguan Ce of the Fen Xiang Valley

Li Xiu stood in mid-air, carefully sensing the fierce and brutal power in his body that could easily destroy a small mountain with one strike, his eyebrows showing a hint of joy.

The Heavenly Emperor's Dark Stone was more like a relic, combined with the tens of thousands of years of Jianmu spiritual liquid, not only did it greatly increase his physical strength and power, but it also allowed his cultivation to steadily climb to the seventh level of the Taiqing realm.

Perhaps there were a few exotic beasts like the Black Water Mystic Snake that could rival his physical strength, but his cultivation level had made him the strongest person in the world, and even the leaders of the major righteous and demonic sects couldn't compare.

Three months later, in the North Sea Red Blood Hall of Kongsang Mountain, Li Xiu had stabilized his cultivation and perfectly controlled his physical strength. He emerged from seclusion, and Wild Dog was reporting the gains and losses of their expedition to the Dead Swamp.

Wild Dog grinned, but because of his face resembling that of a wild dog, he looked even more ugly and ferocious than usual.

"Hall Master, we lost nearly three thousand people on the expedition to the Dead Swamp, but all the disciples of the Tian Yin Pavilion and the Fen Xiang Valley in the Outer Swamp were killed, and there are only a few dozen disciples left from the He Huan Sect. But..."

Li Xiu turned his head and asked: "But what? Why didn't you mention the Ghost King Faction?"

Feeling Li Xiu's gaze, Wild Dog's body trembled and his expression stiffened with a touch of bitterness. He continued: "After the various forces brought their elite disciples into the Inner Swamp, everything was going well and we had a big advantage."

"But suddenly, the Ghost King's daughter, Bi Yao, and the Ghost King Faction's Zhu Que, along with someone called Jin Ping'er from the He Huan Sect, led a group of people and launched a surprise attack on us."

"So... we... we let them escape."

The more Wild Dog thought about the fate of those who had failed to do their job in the past, the more scared he became. Suddenly, he fell to his knees and burst into tears.

"Hall Master, Wild Dog really did his best. You must spare him! Next time, if I encounter those three women with my men, I will definitely kill them and make up for my mistake!"

It should be that when the Ghost King was ambushing the Chang Sheng Hall, he didn't give up on searching for the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury in the Dead Swamp. So he sent Bi Yao and the other two to search for it. When the Treasury appeared, the vision it produced attracted them, but they coincidentally ran into Wild Dog and his men who were still in the Outer Swamp.

Li Xiu pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "It's fine, you can get up."

This sudden response surprised Wild Dog, who looked at Li Xiu with a puzzled expression, wondering if he had misheard.

Li Xiu did not keep him in suspense and directly said in a deep voice: "During this expedition to the Dead Swamp, Elder Nian died under the Black Water Mystic Snake's poisonous breath. If I also kill you, I will have no competent person by my side for a while. So, I will spare your life for now."

"However, if there is a next time, you should know what the outcome will be!"

Li Xiu did not intend to engage in power struggles to conquer the world. He created the North Sea Red Blood Hall simply to have someone to help him with certain tasks and to provide assistance to his cultivation.

Furthermore, as Li Xiu expected that he would not be staying in this world for long, he did not have the extra energy to cultivate another capable person. While Wild Dog's abilities were lacking, he was loyal.

Wild Dog repeatedly swore and vowed that there would not be a next time, wiping the sweat from his forehead and standing up with a relieved, fawning smile.

Li Xiu sat on the large chair in the hall, contemplating his final task in this world - how to melt the Tianya Magical Sword, Sucking Soul Club, and the Zhu Xian Sword, along with the other rare and precious materials he had collected over the years, to forge an unparalleled and satisfying magic sword.

The Tianya Magical Sword and Sucking Soul Club were relatively easy to melt, but the Zhu Xian Sword was proving to be difficult. Li Xiu had attempted to use the Heavenly Fire and summoned the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon to burn the sword, but it still wouldn't melt.

Currently, he planned to go to the Fen Xiang Valley to study the Eight Evil Profound Fire Formation, which would help him summon the truly pure Heavenly Fire that would form the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon. He believed that with this, he could finally accomplish his task.

For cultivators, a few months is not a long time, but in the past few months, the Fen Xiang Valley has been filled with anxiety and dread. The Valley Master Yun Yilan took most of the disciples to explore the Death Swamp for treasure and has not returned. Rumors have spread that during the battle for treasure, everyone from the Tian Yin Pavilion and Fen Xiang Valley perished without a single survivor. It is suspected that this was the work of the Red Demon of the North Sea Red Blood Hall.

The Fen Xiang Valley has not yet sent anyone to verify these rumors, but it seems that they have already attracted unwanted attention as someone has come knocking on their door.

In the midst of a beautiful deep valley, the Thousand-Year Old Righteous Sect, the Fen Xiang Valley, stood with its layers of halls and buildings that combined the beauty of the southern regions and the central plains. The style was both unrestrained and graceful, making it a place where the disciples of the Fen Xiang Valley often sought solace from the monotony of cultivation.

However, today, none of the Fen Xiang Valley disciples had the heart to appreciate the beauty around them. The eaves of the halls and buildings were crowded with gray-clothed people exuding a palpable sense of hostility, coldly staring down at them.

Li Xun, the only disciple of Yun Yilan, who had been left to oversee the valley during his master's trip to the Death Swamp, was now drenched in cold sweat, his face tense and fearful.

The leader of the gray-clothed group, Wild Dog, slowly surveyed the Fen Xiang Valley disciples present, all of whom showed varying degrees of fear on their faces. Feeling triumphant, he grinned and spoke in a chillingly threatening tone.

"Today, our master wishes to pay a visit to your Fen Xiang Valley's Profound Fire Altar. Those who know what's good for them will immediately pack up and leave, otherwise, every single one of you will perish here!"

Li Xun looked up at the figure of Li Xiu standing in the air, his eyes showing a hint of anger, but he managed to hold back and remained silent until another person arrived.

The disciples of the Fen Xiang Valley parted as a thin, elderly man in a simple grey robe walked out from the depths of the valley. His demeanor was calm and unremarkable, but even the arrogant Li Xun displayed great respect for this elderly man and behaved with utmost deference.

"Master Shangguan, the master of the North Sea Red Blood Hall of the demonic path, wishes to enter the Profound Fire Altar for a visit and wants us to move out of the valley. We don't know how to decide."

Shangguan Ce is a highly skilled Daoist and the second most powerful figure in the Fen Xiang Valley, wielding significant influence in the valley. Only Yun Yilan outranked him, and Shangguan Ce's duty was to guard the Profound Fire Altar, which meant he seldom left the area.

Now that the valley master Yun Yilan was likely already dead, and none of the other elders who went with him had returned, Li Xun had no choice but to rely on Shangguan Ce to make decisions.

Shangguan Ce looked up and saw a man in black robes standing in mid-air, looking down at him with a calm expression. Despite the man's seemingly unremarkable demeanor, Shangguan Ce could sense an extremely dangerous aura emanating from him, one that the man was not even intentionally projecting.

Shangguan Ce couldn't help but turn pale with fear, realizing that there were still people in the world with such incredible strength. This man was definitely not someone he could contend with, and even his senior brother, who was only slightly more powerful than him, might have died at his hands.

After a moment of thought, a strange smile appeared on Shangguan Ce's face, and he cleared his throat before speaking loudly.

"Hall Master Red Demon, you are a rare talent in the world of cultivation. If you wish to take over the entire Fen Xiang Valley, there is no reason why we cannot make it happen. Let us move out of the valley."

As soon as Shangguan Ce spoke, not only were the disciples of Fen Xiang Valley in an uproar, even Wild Dog was surprised and puzzled...