Chapter 95: Redyuan Journey

On the summit of Seventh Peak, Seventh Master gazed coldly towards the sea. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze.

"Come, let's continue our game of chess."

The servant assented. After setting up the chessboard, he hesitated for a moment and spoke in a low voice.

"Seventh Master, regarding the Third Highness and the boy..."

Seventh Master glanced at his servant and spoke indifferently.

"You seem quite concerned about the boy."

The servant lowered his head and remained silent.

"Being ruthless is the Third Highness's nature. He usually appears gentle, but in reality, he harbors little emotion within. This is how he distinguished himself from others below the mountain and came before me, and it's also why I favor him."

"As for the boy, whether he can discern the Third Highness's intentions and whether he can grasp some insights from this situation, depends entirely on his intellect. In this chaotic world, the foolish do not survive long."

After Seventh Master finished speaking, he looked towards the sky before dawn, where daybreak was imminent.

Beneath the sky, within Port 79, Xu Qing sat on the deck of his magic boat, deep in thought. As the first rays of the sun rose and the dawn light dispelled the darkness, the moment it touched him, Xu Qing's eyes became profound.

"One, the Grand Competition thirty years ago took place among the Merfolk. Subsequently, the Merfolk became allies, but their relationship has naturally been one of outward cooperation masking inner discord. Moreover, the Merfolk youth at the Sixth Peak stall on that day looked at the Second Highness with eyes full of fear, indicating that the Second Highness most likely engaged in extensive slaughter among the Merfolk thirty years ago."

"Two, the disciples of the Seventh Peak Master should not overtly defy their master's will. The Second Highness's attitude towards the Merfolk illustrates this. Therefore, the Third Highness killing Merfolk is not entirely incomprehensible!"

"So, why would the Third Highness invite the Merfolk to Seven Blood Eyes? To kill them upon their arrival... and in front of me?"

"The Third Highness must have another agenda. If I were the Third Highness, under what circumstances would I do this, and under what circumstances would I kill someone in front of a visitor?"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, and after a long moment, an answer formed in his mind.

"There's only one scenario: I would only do this if I wanted to leverage a weakness of the Merfolk to extort them. If there were no leverage, I would create some! And killing them in front of a visitor is because I want to maximize the value of the slaughter. While extorting the Merfolk, it's also worthwhile to gain favor with someone."

"The prerequisite is that this visitor must be valuable."

Xu Qing recalled the scene where the Captain, with a half-smile, spoke to him about Sea Lizard Island. The Captain clearly had some channels he was unaware of for gathering information.

If the Captain had them, the Third Highness might as well.

Additionally, Xu Qing remembered the day he escaped Sea Lizard Island, when a presence from the sea surface locked onto his aura. He was underwater that day and couldn't see who it was. Now, a gleam appeared in his eyes, leading to further speculation.

"And Seven Blood Eyes allowing this to happen can only mean... they're going to war with the Merfolk!"

"Regardless, I need to leave for a while!"

Xu Qing wasn't sure if his analysis was entirely correct, so he decided to leave for a period to see if there would be any further developments. If everything truly remained calm, then it wouldn't be too late for him to return.

After all, he was only one step away from becoming a tenth-layer Condensing Qi cultivator. If he then broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would qualify to ascend the mountain and gain the right to participate in Seven Blood Eyes' profit distribution.

A monthly income of at least five thousand spirit stones, which he could continuously obtain as long as Seven Blood Eyes existed, had long enticed Xu Qing. Of course, compared to that, staying alive was more important.

So Xu Qing did not hesitate, choosing to leave first and observe.

And he felt that he could use this time away to accomplish a significant task that had long been buried in his heart.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. He intended to completely remove another long-buried thorn from his heart.

That was... the Adamant Sect Patriarch.

If he didn't kill this person, Xu Qing would find it hard to sleep at night.

With this decision made, Xu Qing wasted no time. The moment dawn broke, he put away his magic boat. His body flickered, and he headed straight for the Bounty Division.

"The Adamant Sect is, after all, a sect, even if relatively weak. Their movements and migrations are difficult to conceal. To Seven Blood Eyes, every activity within their sphere of influence is no secret."

During his time in Seven Blood Eyes, as a member of the Bounty Division, he had the right to review the division's archives. He knew that a significant portion of them recorded changes within Seven Blood Eyes' territory.

Although not as detailed as the Intelligence Division, it was easier for Xu Qing to investigate there than to go to the Intelligence Division.

So, quickly, after arriving at the Bounty Division, he headed straight for the archives.

His reputation within the Bounty Division was greater than outside. This was not only due to his emergence during the Night Raven operation, but more so from the bounty heads of one wanted criminal after another.

Therefore, the disciples at the archives were very polite towards his arrival, allowing Xu Qing to search through them alone. Before long, Xu Qing finally found the clues he wanted among some disorganized information not highly valued by Seven Blood Eyes.

"They joined the Heretic Cult?"

Xu Qing looked at the archives in front of him, his eyes slowly narrowing. The members of the Heretic Cult were all fanatics. Other forces viewed the Heretic Cult with both disgust and apprehension, often keeping their distance and avoiding excessive contact.

"Their migration shouldn't be because of me. Instead, it's because the compensation demanded by the Second Highness was too severe back then, leaving the Adamant Sect greatly weakened and terrified after paying it. Therefore, they no longer dared to remain within Seven Blood Eyes' sphere of influence."

Xu Qing stroked his chin, remembering the movements of the Adamant Sect as noted in the archives, then left the Bounty Division.

Walking through the streets of the port district, Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then visited several shops. He sold the miscellaneous items and some sea lizard skins he had acquired on Sea Lizard Island, and bought various necessities for his journey, even purchasing a large quantity of poisonous herbs.

Finally, he stood outside a shop specializing in talismans, and after a moment's thought, he suppressed his reluctance to spend spirit stones and stepped inside.

A moment later, when he emerged, he possessed a special talisman. This talisman could alter a person's aura and appearance. Although not entirely perfect, it was sufficient for Xu Qing's current purpose.

It was noon. Although winter had arrived, Seven Blood Eyes' geographical location meant that winters here were mostly mild. The sunlight was still quite strong at this time, slightly dazzling.

So, under this sunlight, Xu Qing's figure vanished into a narrow alleyway. When he re-emerged from the other end, his appearance had changed. He was no longer fair and handsome, but had become a sallow-faced, long-faced young man. His daoist robe had also been replaced by an ordinary long gown.

His cultivation aura had also changed. It was no longer at the ninth layer of Condensing Qi, but appeared to be at the third layer.

He clearly understood the outside world: cultivators at the ninth layer of Condensing Qi were mostly individuals of status, very conspicuous. Only scavengers at the third layer of Condensing Qi possessed a certain deterrent effect while remaining inconspicuous.

After sensing the transformative power of the talisman, Xu Qing remained inwardly vigilant of his surroundings, but his face remained expressionless as he walked towards the teleportation array.

He did not pay with his identity token, but instead paid with spirit stones. Soon, Xu Qing stood within the teleportation array, cautiously surveying his surroundings. As the array's light shone brightly, his figure was enveloped by a sea of light and vanished.

In the eastern part of Southern Phoenix Continent, tens of thousands of miles away from the former Adamant Sect mountain gate, lay a vast and sparsely populated area.

The wilderness here was named the Crimson Plains because of a type of red, serrated grass that grew there.

From a distance, the entire land appeared to be stained with blood, a shocking sight. At the same time, the alien substance permeating it was somewhat denser than in other wilderness areas of Southern Phoenix Continent, making the fierce beasts here even more ferocious.

In this comparatively harsher environment, cities were naturally few. One would often only see a city every few hundred miles, and their architecture and style were mostly primitive and crude. Moreover, the slums here were largely composed of scavengers.

Whether in terms of terrain or population, the Crimson Plains was a rather harsh place. Thus, the various families of Purple Earth had no interest in it, and Seven Blood Eyes paid even less attention to it. Only the Heretic Cult, due to its doctrines, preferred to develop its followers in such grim areas.

Consequently, the Crimson Plains became the Heretic Cult's sphere of influence.

At this moment, on the edge of the Crimson Plains, in the center of a rudimentary city, the Crimson Plains' only teleportation array, jointly established by Purple Earth and Seven Blood Eyes, shone brightly.

A middle-aged cultivator, dressed in a black long gown with a sallow complexion, appeared within the teleportation array.

He was precisely Xu Qing, whose appearance had been altered by the disguise talisman.

The moment he arrived, even before stepping out of the teleportation array, a stench of decay and foulness wafted towards him from all directions. Had it been someone who hadn't experienced much hardship, they would have found the smell quite unpleasant.

But for Xu Qing, these were commonplace in the places he had once lived. The only difference was that the stench of decay here was even stronger.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm. Under the indifferent gazes of a few lazy guards nearby, he stepped out of the teleportation array.

The city that met his eyes had all its buildings in a greyish-black hue, full of dilapidation. The ground was covered with various types of rubbish, mostly excrement.

There were few people in the city, and most were highly vigilant, fiercely repelling one another.

Moreover, women were rare; even if present, they wore expressions full of menace. Meanwhile, in some alley corners, hidden children could be seen, their eyes devoid of innocence, filled only with desolation and indifference.

Occasionally, screams and curses could be heard emanating from within the city.

"More like a scavenger camp."

Xu Qing's gaze swept across his surroundings, and he calmly walked forward.

Along the way, Xu Qing ignored the cautious and fawning glances directed at him. He did not linger in the city. After leaving the city, his body's speed suddenly erupted, and he sped towards the wilderness.

The Adamant Sect had relocated to these Crimson Plains, though it was some distance from the city Xu Qing had just teleported to.

Upon his arrival, Xu Qing had consulted a map of the area in the Bounty Division. Now, with a direction fixed in his mind, he ran through the wilderness.

His speed was swift. The wind blowing towards him carried a biting chill, and a few snowflakes seemed to be mixed within it. Even on some distant hillocks, sparse white snow could occasionally be seen covering them.

What was a mild winter for Seven Blood Eyes, was a gradually approaching severe cold here.

This coldness awakened many past memories in Xu Qing's mind. Especially as he traveled through this wilderness, he saw many fierce beasts and human bones.

"A chaotic world." Xu Qing's gaze was calm, and his speed increased.

Time passed like this. Deep night arrived. As the night's chill permeated the air, the wind grew stronger, and the snow became sharper. Xu Qing, having left the city for some distance and having fully entered the Crimson Plains, suddenly paused and looked up into the distance.

The wind blew from that direction, carrying a hint of sinister laughter and blood.

Faintly visible in the distant wind and snow were bodies scattered across the ground. Among them were commoners and guards, along with scattered goods and a shattered carriage nearby.

This was clearly a caravan heading towards the city.

And at this moment, beside these corpses, were over ten desperadoes, dressed in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair, grim expressions, and cruel, bloodthirsty eyes. Most of them exhibited cultivation fluctuations at the second or third layer of Condensing Qi.

Some were delivering finishing blows, some were rummaging through items, others were dragging corpses away, while a few more were sprawled over naked female corpses, unleashing their bestial urges.

Further away, a faint firelight was visible, as if someone was cooking. Some residual warmth and steam also drifted on the wind.

Clearly, this caravan had encountered such a group of desperadoes here, and all had met a tragic end at this very spot.

Xu Qing's arrival immediately drew the attention of these desperadoes. They all looked up, their eyes full of hostility as they stared at Xu Qing.

After sensing Xu Qing's third-layer Condensing Qi cultivation, these desperadoes began to grin sinisterly, their malevolence erupting. Without a word, they charged directly at Xu Qing.

They believed Xu Qing could also become their prey.

Xu Qing gazed coldly at the charging desperadoes. To him, the sight of slaughter before his eyes was something he had witnessed far too many times since childhood.

And his experience as a scavenger taught him that so-called wilderness caravans, if they dared to travel through the wilderness, were rarely benevolent themselves. When encountering the weak, they could mostly transform into ruthless predators at any moment.

This was the nature of a chaotic world. Thus, killing and being killed were commonplace. He didn't possess an overabundance of sympathy to investigate who was good or evil.

But... if these people intended to attack him, then it was a different matter entirely.