LRAB Chapter 203 Continuing the Escape
Chapter 203 Continuing the Escape
Chapter 203 Continuing the Escape
"Bu Er, these people are yours to deal with. Distribute them to the various mines according to the rules."
The Black Lotus Envoy waved his hand, his tone casual. As the blood-red token twirled between his fingers, the aura of the surrounding demonic cultivators subsided somewhat.
"Okay, senior sister."
Ning Bu'er nodded slightly, her dark skirt swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
She looked up at the flying boat, her gaze sweeping across the crowd like a searchlight. When it landed on Chen Yi, who appeared to be "exhausted of his magic power" in the corner, her eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
A hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, but she calmly walked towards Chen Yi, assuming a posture of personally inspecting the blood pact.
Chen Yi lay on the deck, seemingly weak, but his divine sense had already locked onto Ning Bu'er. Seeing her approach,
He quietly transmitted his voice into her ear using his inner energy:
"Fairy Ning, do you still acknowledge that debt from the past?"
Ning Bu'er brushed her fingertips across the floating blood pact before her, her voice calm and even as she replied:
"The debt of 50,000 spirit stones, including the interest over the years, will be used to offset this debt of saving your life and letting you go. From now on, we will be even."
"make a deal."
There were no pleasantries of long-awaited reunions, nor any ambiguous reminiscences of past interactions; only a swift and decisive settlement of debts.
Chen Yi thought to himself, "It's better to be straightforward like this, so as to avoid getting involved in more consequences."
Ning Bu'er didn't say anything more, but simply listed Chen Yi, Lao Hu and his wife, and Xiao Mingyue separately at the end, as a matter of business.
After the other cultivators were assigned to their respective demonic cultivation teams, she led the four of them out of the flying boat and explained to the Black Lotus Envoy:
"Senior sister, I'll keep this person for myself."
The Black Lotus Envoy raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery:
"What, you've finally seen the light? All these years you've refused to accept a cultivation vessel, but now that you see this cultivator has a decent appearance, you're finally willing to let go of your useless notions of chastity?"
As she spoke, her divine sense swept over Chen Yi like a wisp of smoke.
On the surface, Chen Yi only possessed 30% of his magical power, yet he exuded the robustness of a body-refining cultivator. He nodded slightly at the end.
"Your magical power is so-so, but your physique can withstand the backlash from your demonic arts. Take it and play with it; don't worry about breaking it. Your senior sister will find you something better later."
Ning Bu'er's expression remained aloof. He simply nodded slightly without offering any further explanation. He then beckoned to Chen Yi, leading the four of them onto a small, black flying boat.
The flying boat streaked across the black pine forest deep within the Monster Mountain Range like a black meteor. The crimson-eyed demonic wolves lurking in the rock crevices below and the green-eyed snake demons coiled in the pools of water sensed the faint demonic pressure emanating from the flying boat and retreated into their lairs, not even daring to look up and peek.
Along the way, one occasionally sees several demonic energy veins emitting a pale purple light. The veins are surrounded by solid, misty demonic energy, clearly indicating that they are cultivation areas carefully maintained by the demonic sect, several times purer than the demonic energy outside.
The flying boat finally came to a stop in front of a blue stone cave built against the mountain.
The cave was surrounded by dark array patterns that could block outsiders from prying eyes. Inside, the spiritual energy was mixed with pure demonic energy, and the concentration was even higher than that of the spiritual array in the first-class guest room of the flying boat.
Ning Bu'er left with a casual remark: "You stay here for now. When there's another opportunity to go on a mission to the northern part of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, I'll take you out and let you go. If I let you leave now, you won't be able to escape the Demon Sect's patrol area."
"it is good."
Chen Yi surveyed the layout of the cave dwelling, noticing three side rooms on the left and right, and the main cultivation room in the center. He nodded in agreement.
"By the way, in front of outsiders, you need to pretend to be my furnace."
Ning Bu'er added.
"A furnace?" Chen Yi was slightly surprised.
"What, you're trapped in the Demonic Sect, your life hanging by a thread, and you can't even bear this little bit of grievance?"
Ning Bu'er's voice was indifferent, but his tone carried a hint of reminder.
"My master is the Xuan Yin Demon Lord, a descendant of ancient demonic cultivators. He is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. Senior Sister Black Lotus is currently in charge of sect affairs. If they discover anything amiss with you, I cannot save you."
Late Nascent Soul stage?!
Chen Yi was shocked. A Nascent Soul cultivator was already a powerful figure in his own right. Ning Bu'er had such a powerful backer. No wonder he was able to establish himself in the Demonic Sect.
He suppressed the shock in his heart and said calmly:
"That's alright, I'll put on a more convincing act."
Ning Bu'er said no more and turned to enter the main room to cultivate in seclusion.
Chen Yi then carefully examined the cave's environment: although the spiritual energy was pure, it was shrouded in an inescapable demonic aura. Ordinary cultivators would easily have their Dao hearts eroded by the demonic aura if they cultivated here.
Fortunately, he had a system, so he immediately activated the Devouring System to slowly devour the demonic energy swirling in the cave.
The corrosive demonic energy was stripped from the core by the system and transformed into dark black magic crystals the size of rice grains. After falling into the sea of consciousness, these crystals created subtle conflicts with the four-colored divine consciousness in the soul. Each collision was like a fine needle polishing the sea of consciousness, making the divine consciousness more and more solid.
He turned to look at Lao Hu and the other two, and saw that their faces were somewhat pale as they meditated in the side room—without the system's assistance, the demonic energy invading their meridians made it difficult for them to circulate their magic power.
Seeing this, Chen Yi could only sigh inwardly: he was barely able to protect himself, and protecting the lives of the three was already the limit. He was powerless to help any more than that, and could only let them adapt on their own.
For the next ten days, Ning Bu'er remained in seclusion in the main room, while Chen Yi was quite content to stay at ease.
After adapting to the demonic energy veins, his cultivation level actually improved significantly: the six third-tier demon cores and dozens of demon beast essences that he had previously had the treasure-hunting rat steal were devoured and refined by him one by one through the system, and his mana steadily accumulated in the early stage of the Golden Core realm, only one step away from the middle stage.
In terms of body refinement, although progress was slow after reaching the mid-stage of the third rank before the New Year, and the Azure Thunder Brew in his hands was about to run out, the system unexpectedly gave him a comprehension of "Thunder Spirit Transformation" during the process of refining the spiritual essence of the Thunder Brew.
Chen Yi already possessed a Thunder Spirit Rune Array composed of 108 Thunder Crystals within his body, led by his natal Thunder Talisman, and he was naturally gifted in Thunder Soul and Thunder Crystal Body Tempering.
Now, nourished by the spiritual energy of the thunder, he attempted to fully activate the 108 thunder crystals.
Suddenly, lightning surged around his body, and pale purple lightning patterns appeared between his bones. His entire body briefly transformed into a semi-transparent lightning spirit body!
This state can only be maintained for a breath, but it allows one to unleash a late-stage third-tier lightning escape technique, instantly escaping more than ten miles away.
What surprised him even more was that within this short time, a complete lightning crystal core could be quickly condensed in his dantian, eliminating the need to rely on the Azure Thunder Brew to assist in body refining.
"Although it's only the first glimpse into the basics, it's already a good start."
As Chen Yi sensed the changes in the lightning power within his body, a plan formed in his mind—if he could continue cultivating, he might one day be able to master prolonged lightning spirit transformation.
At that time, whether it is defense, escape speed, or offensive and cultivation efficiency, it will undergo a qualitative change, comparable to the innate five elements spiritual body of ancient true spirits.
However, he estimated that to achieve such a high level of talent, one would need to reach at least the fourth level of body refinement.
During these ten days, besides cultivating, he occasionally guided Xiaomingyue to sort out the spiritual power that had been disturbed by demonic energy, while Lao Hu steadily made progress toward the peak of Qi Refining by taking advantage of the spiritual energy in the cave. It can be said that they each gained something.
Several days later, when Old Hu found Chen Yi, he was completely different from before. His originally gray hair and beard had turned slightly black, and the wrinkles around his eyes had smoothed out considerably.
His eyes were bright and piercing, and although his blood and energy were still restrained like an ordinary person's, he exuded a refined vitality. Even his walking was more steady and light than before, showing no signs of fatigue or old age he had shown in the spiritual vein area.
Chen Yi was slightly surprised by this scene. Although the demonic energy in the headquarters of the Demonic Sect was pure, it was also chilling and bone-deep. Ordinary cultivators would have their Dao hearts disturbed if they stayed there for too long. Yet Old Hu was able to live more and more energetically in such an environment.
He understood that the demonic energy here had not affected Old Hu, but instead had allowed him, like himself, to use the demonic energy to hone his divine sense, thus cultivating such a full spirit and vitality.
"Senior Chen, this place is truly a den of dragons and tigers. I have observed that although the Demonic Sect appears calm on the surface recently, a storm seems to be brewing underneath. In my opinion, we should make plans as soon as possible and leave as soon as possible."
After Old Hu sat down, he spoke with a solemn expression, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cuffs, a habitual gesture he made when anxious, something he only did when facing life-or-death crises.
"Oh? Old Hu, have you noticed something unusual?"
Chen Yi picked up the teacup, a wisp of wood-elemental spiritual power condensing at his fingertips, quietly purifying the demonic energy in the tea, and asked in a calm tone.
Old Hu lowered his voice, his tone tinged with urgency:
"Firstly, my cultivation has recently become loose, and I'm afraid it won't be long before I have to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."
As you know, in this demonic territory, ordinary cultivators need to draw upon demonic energy to establish their foundation. However, my magical power is not affected by demonic energy. If I make a big fuss during my foundation-building process, or if my foundation-building level exceeds the ordinary level, it will inevitably attract the attention of the higher-ups of the demonic sect.
They even scheme against a direct descendant like Fairy Ning. If they discover that I, an "anomaly" who can normally establish my foundation without cultivating demonic arts, am someone they'll likely capture and dissect for research. At that point, we won't even be able to leave."
Chen Yi nodded silently upon hearing this. This was indeed a thorny issue. The Demonic Sect was far more vigilant against "abnormal" cultivators than the righteous sects. If Old Hu's special case were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He put down his teacup and pressed on:
"Anything else?"
"Secondly, I recently had a fortuitous encounter with a wisp of innate spiritual energy, which awakened a faint ability to foresee good and bad fortune."
These past few days, whenever I use my divine sense to probe my surroundings, I can sense a hidden, malevolent aura spreading, and I have a vague feeling that something terrible is about to happen here!
Old Hu spoke with exceptional seriousness, his eyes filled with unwavering certainty.
Although these words were mysterious and profound, Chen Yi did not take them lightly in the slightest.
It should be noted that from the Li family's entry into the sea lake demon disaster and the outbreak of the secret realm, to their later departure from Qi Kingdom to evade the Dong family's investigation, over the years, Lao Hu's judgment has always coincided with his own, and every choice he made avoided a fatal crisis.
Now that Lao Hu has "come back to life," his spiritual sense is several times sharper than before, so his prediction of "great misfortune" is most likely not unfounded.
"I understand. You go back and keep things calm. I'll think about it and come up with a safe excuse. We'll take advantage of the situation and run away in the next few days."
Chen Yi nodded in agreement, already planning in his mind that the safest way to leave the Demonic Sect headquarters was to use Ning Bu'er's name. If he could get her to take the initiative to leave, he could avoid the demonic cultivators' pursuit.
Old Hu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, clasped his hands in greeting, and quietly left.
Chen Yi remained alone in the room, thinking to himself: Although he had a past relationship with Ning Bu'er, this place was, after all, the lair of the Demonic Sect. Xuan Yin Demon Lord was in seclusion, breaking through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and the Black Lotus Envoy was eyeing him covetously. If something really happened, Ning Bu'er might not be able to protect him.
Moreover, after fifteen years apart, Ning Bu'er now holds a high position in the Demonic Sect, and her mind is no longer as simple as it was when she was in the Foundation Establishment stage. Chen Yi still can't figure out her true attitude towards him.
However, Ning Bu'er has been in seclusion cultivating these days, and Chen Yi hasn't even had a chance to talk to her.
Just as she was worrying, a maid announced from outside the door that Ning Bu'er's senior sister, the Black Lotus Envoy, had arrived.
With a thought, Chen Yi got up and headed to Ning Bu'er's outer cultivation room.
At this moment, Ning Bu'er was leaning against a soft couch covered with black fox fur. Her dark skirt hung down casually, revealing two long and straight legs. Her calves had smooth and powerful lines, and her bare feet were as white as jade, with her toes slightly curled, exuding a sense of languor.
Chen Yi then pretended to be a docile male concubine, kneeling by the couch and massaging her calf muscles with just the right amount of pressure with his fingertips. Occasionally, he would pick up a crystal-clear purple grape, peel off the skin, and offer it to her lips. His movements were natural and skillful, showing no sign of anything amiss.
"Junior sister, it's only been a few days, but you've managed to train your little male concubine to be even more obedient."
The Black Lotus Envoy lifted the curtain and entered. His gaze swept over the scene, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. His dark red patterned black robe swayed slightly with his steps, and a demonic aura lingered like a wisp of smoke, even turning the spiritual energy in the air into a dark purple.
Her divine sense swept over Chen Yi like a fine net, and her previously casual gaze suddenly sharpened, eliciting a soft exclamation:
"Huh? Your little male concubine is quite precious. After being used for so long, he still has a rosy complexion and his magical power has not declined at all?"
Junior sister, if you're reluctant to use it, why don't you lend it to me for a month?
I just drained the life out of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator a few days ago. I promise that when I return this to you, I'll leave him with half his life.
Ning Bu'er slightly raised her eyelids, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable refusal:
"I plan to train this person to be my personal bodyguard, so I will use him sparingly on a daily basis and it will be inconvenient to lend him out."
"Oh? Train him to be a bodyguard?"
The Black Lotus Envoy raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
"The guards won't be of any use; they're just tools anyway. I'll need them next month when I'm dealing with mine affairs, and I'll come and collect them then. It's settled then."
After she finished speaking, she gave Ning Bu'er no chance to refuse and sat down directly in the armchair opposite her.
A barely perceptible hint of panic flashed in Ning Bu'er's eyes. She quietly glanced at Chen Yi, only to see him still with his eyes lowered, his expression calm as if he hadn't heard anything, as if the "tool" mentioned by the Black Lotus Envoy wasn't him at all. Only then did Ning Bu'er secretly breathe a sigh of relief and suppress the anxiety in her heart.
Seeing that she no longer objected, the Black Lotus Envoy changed the subject, his tone instantly turning cold:
"Junior sister, I have two things to ask you about."
Firstly, there is a major problem with the Beast Taming Hall Master. Some time ago, the demon beasts betrayed them, injuring many beast tamers. Now, there are differing opinions within the temple on how to deal with the demon beasts, and some people have already gone to ask their master to come out of seclusion and take charge of the overall situation.
Our master didn't want to get involved in these matters, and only told us to deal with the pressure from the demon beasts ourselves.
Therefore, you don't have much time left to go into seclusion and break through to the late stage of Core Formation. In a few days, you will need to come out of seclusion to guard the western mines.
If those demon kings really force our master out, our lineage's situation will likely become even more turbulent.
Ning Bu'er's expression turned serious upon hearing this.
The Black Lotus Envoy continued:
"Secondly, I just received news that the team sent from Zhongzhou to suppress the demon cave has crossed the monster mountain range. The team leader is a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and there are several other Nascent Soul cultivators accompanying them."
Although their official mission is to suppress the leak of the demonic realm's secrets in Qi Kingdom, given what our Holy Temple did back then, no one can say for sure whether they might suddenly attack us as they pass by. You must be careful about this.”
Ning Bu'er remained silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the Black Lotus Envoy, his tone hesitant:
"Senior sister, I've heard that there's a Thunder-Attracting Peak 250,000 miles to the north, where rare Thunder Spirit Ore has recently been discovered. My cultivation technique requires the power of Thunder Spirit to refine my demonic flames, so I'd like to apply to be stationed there. This would make it easier to mine Thunder Spirit Ore and also help me avoid disputes over the mines."
The Black Lotus Envoy frowned upon hearing this, a hint of suspicion in his eyes:
"You? Thunder Peak is prone to thunderstorms year-round, and there are rumors that a late-stage Tier 3 Thunder-Patterned Tiger dwells near the mine. Although you are at the mid-stage of Core Formation, I'm afraid you would have difficulty dealing with such a powerful demon, wouldn't you?"
Ning Bu'er didn't say much, he simply raised his hand and waved it.
A ball of pitch-black flame instantly rose from his fingertip, with fine silver-blue lightning patterns swirling within it. As the lightning patterns intertwined with the flame, they emitted a faint crackling sound. The surrounding air seemed to be distorted by the heat, and even the light of the candles in the distance was dimmed by this power.
That was the form of the Nine Yin Demon Flame and Thunder Spirit Technique she had cultivated. The coldness of the flames and the ferocity of the lightning were perfectly matched. Although it had not fully erupted, it already exuded a pressure comparable to the full-force attack of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.
The Black Lotus Envoy's pupils contracted slightly, and genuine surprise appeared on his face:
"You actually succeeded in fusing the Thunder Spirit Technique with the Nine Yin Demon Flame? This power is probably no weaker than a low-level divine ability!"
No wonder you had the confidence to lure Leifeng. With this method, you're more than capable of dealing with late-stage third-tier demons.
"Alright, you can set off once you're ready. I'll have someone register your mining rights for the Thunder Spirit Mine."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Chen Yi again, her tone carrying a hint of teasing:
"By the way, if you don't plan to take this little gigolo with you, why don't you lend him to me, your senior sister? Don't worry, I'll keep him safe for you. When you return from Thunder Peak, I guarantee he'll still be alive."
Chen Yi hung his head, speechless. This Black Lotus Envoy was really persistent. He probably thought of him as a "blood and qi cauldron" that could be used at will, and was determined to drain him dry.
"Senior sister, although this person's cultivation level is not high, he is quite nimble and can lend a hand with some hard and tiring work such as moving and transferring. I plan to keep him by my side."
Ning Bu'er spoke up in time, his tone calm but with an unyielding attitude, which completely extinguished the Black Lotus Envoy's thoughts.
Seeing this, the Black Lotus Envoy stopped insisting and waved his hand, "Fine, they're your own people, you decide. But remember, if you need support regarding the western mines, send me a message anytime."
After saying that, she transformed into a streak of black light, flew straight out of the cave, and disappeared into the demonic mist.
After the Black Lotus Envoy left, Ning Bu'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to leave the Demonic Sect headquarters, but Chen Yi had repeatedly urged her to find an opportunity to leave as soon as possible, so she had to bite the bullet and ask the Black Lotus Envoy to let her stay at the Thunder-Guiding Peak.
Yinlei Peak is 250,000 miles away from the Demonic Sect headquarters, located on the northern edge of the Monster Beast Mountain Range. The Demonic Sect's control over that area is weak, and high-level monsters often appear there. Although it is called a garrison, it is no different from fighting alone.
More importantly, it is less than 300,000 miles away from the border of Zhongzhou after crossing the Monster Mountain Range, so it is convenient to evacuate at any time if there are any changes later.
Urged by Chen Yi, Ning Bu'er prepared his luggage the next day and set off in a black flying boat.
The flying boat, its light as dark as ink, silently swept past the defensive array of the Demonic Sect headquarters and sped towards Thunder-Guiding Peak.
Chen Yi, along with Lao Hu and his family of three, disguised themselves as Ning Bu'er's attendants and hid in the storage compartment of the flying boat. They used the flying boat's demonic barrier to conceal their presence and followed along.
Unbeknownst to them, just as the flying boat had traveled 100,000 miles from the Demonic Sect headquarters and arrived above the central part of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range...
Suddenly, a powerful pressure emanated from the Five Elements Heavenly Layer overhead, and a fleet of dozens of giant flying ships, each hundreds of feet long, slowly passed by. The surfaces of the flying ships were engraved with intricate golden array patterns.
It emitted a suffocating spiritual energy fluctuation, and wherever it passed, not a single fourth-tier demon king hiding in the mountains below dared to show its face, and even the roars of the demon beasts instantly fell silent.
When the fleet reached the airspace above the Demonic Sect headquarters, the leading airship suddenly stopped. A divine sense containing the pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator swept over the Demonic Sect headquarters like a tide, lingering for a long time.
The entire headquarters of the Demonic Temple immediately felt a terrifying pressure.
(End of this chapter)