245: Chapter 27: A Ship Full of Villains 245: Chapter 27: A Ship Full of Villains A disciple of the Heavenly Puppet Sect dared to participate in the Northern Hunt and board the same ship!
Things began to take an interesting turn…
Xie Xuanyi could never have imagined that Yuan Jimo of the Imperial City would arrange such a “surprise” for him.
So,
are all the others on this ship also from the South Border?
After confirming Wu Qiong’s identity, Xie Xuanyi scanned the area with his Divine Thought.
This time,
he did not care about these people’s “dignity” and directly scoured the entire ship with his Divine Thought, like a wrecking ball.
Apart from himself, there were twenty-three people.
At the very least, they were all in the Qi-controlling Realm.
There were a total of fourteen people in the Cave Heaven stage, a number that might sound frightening at first, but in reality, they were all pseudo-Cave Heavens who had advanced in rank forcibly with the help of “elixirs.” Only the Evil Sect of the South Border would be willing to spend such meaningless capital.
“Hum hum hum!”
The Divine Thought swept across.
Above the Jiageng Cloud Ship, a chorus of treasure weapon roars and incredible gasps ensued.
“???”
These evil cultivators, one by one, showed shocked expressions as they stared bewilderedly at the young man before them.
This Mr.
Xie, to what realm has his Divine Soul cultivated?
The treasure bestowed by the honored ones in the sect, specifically meant for concealing one’s realm aura, was punctured in an instant!
“In this world…
indeed, there are no coincidences without a reason.”
After scanning with his Divine Thought, Xie Xuanyi expressed his feelings.
Aboard the Jiageng, the few who had boarded before him were also evil cultivators.
It seems,
this so-called “lot drawing” was completely a setup targeted at him.
Yuan Jimo wanted him to taste the “hunting” method even before the Northern Hunt had officially started.
Unfortunately,
Yuan Jimo picked the wrong person.
“Were you planning to make your move after the Cloud Ship leaves the Da Chu borders?”
Xie Xuanyi spoke softly, “Are these people enough?”
“…”
These words plunged the Cloud Ship into dead silence.
Wu Qiong, with his hands behind his back, smiled and said, “Mr.
Xie, what are you talking about?
I quite don’t understand.”
“Rest assured.”
Xie Xuanyi calmly said, “I don’t care about your identities, nor will I seek help from the ‘ship examiner’…
If possible, I hope by now, the Cloud Ship has already moved beyond the Da Chu borders.”
“???”
Upon hearing this, Wu Qiong squinted his eyes, his expression flickering uncertainly, staring intently at the young man beneath the mast.
Upon observation, he appeared to be only at the Early Cave Heaven stage.
It was said that Xie Zhen was cultivating two Sword Daos simultaneously, possessing both a Golden Body and a Sword Qi Cave Heaven.
But even at Perfect Cave Heaven, wouldn’t one dare to make such bold statements?
“Two more days.”
Xie Xuanyi spoke softly, “Gentlemen, if there’s nothing else, please do not disturb me any further.”
…
…
“Do you know…
according to Da Chu laws, these evil cultivators should not be participating in the Northern Hunt?!”
Above the sea of clouds, a large Cloud Ship was located not far from the Jiageng.
This Cloud Ship also had a building,
and the top floor was off-limits to outsiders, serving as the “rest area” for the ship examiner.
At this moment, inside the building, the ship examiner who had previously revealed his Divine Thought, sat cross-legged, his gaze falling on the heavily armored man opposite.
“According to Da Chu law, I too should not have boarded this ship.”
Qing Sun’s voice was hoarse, tinged with a smile, “Laws…
are written by humans.
The Great Chu Imperial City has already accepted gifts from the Mo Taoist and White Ghost.
In this context, sending these evil cultivators to participate in the Northern Hunt amounts to what?”
“The issue is, are they here to participate in the demon hunt?”
The ship examiner responded expressionless, “Yuan Jimo arranged for all these people to be on Xie Zhen’s ship, what’s his intention?
Does he really think I’m a fool, unable to see through it?”
“You Yuan, you and I both crawled out from the abyss of the dead,”
Qing Sun softly said, “You should be aware of how difficult the days under the Imperial City were.
Now, being able to stand under the sun, becoming a Martial Sect Guest Elder, and serving as the ‘Northern Hunt ship examiner,’ is not because you are truly powerful, but because you were lucky…”
You Yuan fell silent.
Many years ago,
he, like Qing Sun, was a shadow walking beneath the Imperial City.
If nothing had gone wrong, he too would have become a special envoy for the Imperial City…
but then he was fortunate, noticed by Lord Relegated Immortal, and brought into the Martial Sect, becoming an Inner Sect Envoy.
Without Lord Relegated Immortal’s favor,
there wouldn’t be a today for him.
“The Martial Sect has its grievances with Xie Zhen too.
Helping me is helping Lord Relegated Immortal, and even more so, helping yourself.”
Qing Sun earnestly said, “Turning a blind eye does not breach Da Chu law.”
“…”
You Yuan fell silent once more.
After a long time, he frowned and asked hoarsely, “Do you want this band of evil cultivators to kill Xie Zhen?”
“This band of evil cultivators can’t kill Xie Zhen,”
Qing Sun chuckled dryly, “This young man is far more villainous than the evil cultivators.
He defeated Xie Sheng in the Xuanshui Cave Heaven without even using his trump card.”
You Yuan looked puzzled at Qing Sun.
“You don’t understand…
I lost a piece of memory.
A very important piece.”
Qing Sun slightly lowered his gaze and clenched his fists tightly.
He chuckled self-derisively and said seriously, “Rather than killing Xie Zhen, what’s more important is retrieving that memory…
I must take care of him myself, but before that, I want to see what exactly this young man’s ‘trump card’ is.”
“Rest assured, I understand the rules.”
“Once the Cloud Ship lands, the Northern Hunt Snow Mountain awaits.”
Qing Sun raised his head and said word by word, “The reason I’m traveling with you is to avoid causing you trouble.
You despise Evil Cultivators, so once we land, you can kill all the Evil Cultivators on the Jiageng.”
“Will they even wait for me to kill them?”
You Yuan gave a light laugh.
Given the current situation.
In two days, these Evil Cultivators are likely to make a move on the Jiageng…
Only one between them and Xie Zhen could survive.
In any case.
Xie Zhen would suffer greatly in strength, and might even be severely injured.
He suddenly realized what Qing Sun was really planning…
Now, with enemies everywhere, more fearsome than these Evil Cultivators were any of the major powers involved in the Northern Hunt, all of whom took an interest in him.
Martial Sect, Qin Family, Xie Clan, Taoist sect, Qiantian Palace…
If Xie Zhen remained in his prime and landed on the Snow Mountain,
then these major forces might still have some “reservations”.
After all, this Northern Hunt was the first battle for fortune in the coming great era, and all parties had to consider the bigger picture!
No one wanted to weaken themselves significantly because of Xie Zhen.
But what if Xie Zhen got injured?
The so-called wall falls and everyone pushes.
This was always a wall everyone would push over.
“How long can you live?”
You Yuan looked at the man before him with sympathy.
Despite being clad in heavy Fire Qilin Armor, he could still tell that Qing Sun didn’t have much time left.
This man once celebrated as a talent in fire paths, with an Innate Separation Fire Saint Body.
Now, half of his body had turned into charred charcoal, and the scent of decayed, burnt vitality could be sensed even through the armor.
“Maybe ten days, maybe twenty days.”
Qing Sun’s voice carried a hint of irony, “Or perhaps, tomorrow when you open your eyes, I will have turned into a pile of ashes, silently dying on the way to the Northern Hunt.”
“Why not live properly?”
You Yuan was about to speak, but then he held back his words.
Why not eat minced meat.
He knew that Qing Sun wanted to live more than anyone else.
But with the Separation Fire backlash and Sword Qi invading his body, such injuries were almost impossible to survive for a month unless a great figure from the Yang God Realm intervened to prolong his life.
“I could have lived a bit longer.”
Qing Sun saw what You Yuan wanted to say, and asked with a smile, “I could lie in a decrepit temple in the remote outskirts of the Imperial City, relying on talismans, armor, and array patterns to extend my life for several more months or even a hundred days, but what would be the point?”
Not long ago.
He completed the mission in the South Border, still a limb of the Holy Empress’s trust.
Yet in just a dozen days, he had become a discarded pawn.
If he wanted to live, he could only struggle to stand and risk everything to prove his worth to the Holy Empress once again.
“…”
You Yuan fell completely silent.
He looked at the man under the heavy armor, feeling that he had no right to pity or sympathize with Qing Sun.
Essentially, he was just “luckier.”
“The favor you did for me this time, if I survive, I will repay it tenfold or a hundredfold,” Qing Sun grinned and said, “If I die…
of course, there will be nothing left.
Having served the Imperial Family for so many years, I’ve not kept anything valuable.
This set of Fire Qilin Armor, I’ll give it to you.”
“What use would I have for this thing?”
You Yuan said helplessly, “Let’s not talk about this, the rules of the Imperial City dictate that when outside, we should always speak of auspicious things.”
“I am no longer a person of the Imperial City…”
Qing Sun said calmly, “Moreover, I know I am unlikely to survive.”
The tone of his last sentence sounded somewhat sad.
“Maybe I can kill Xie Zhen.”
“Maybe I can retrieve that lost memory.”
“Or maybe, I can live and return before the Holy Empress, and have her save me.”
“But after accomplishing all this, can I live?”
Qing Sun slightly tilted his head, looking earnestly at You Yuan and asked, “As long as I remain a pawn, even if I prove my worth, what would it matter?”
You Yuan didn’t know what to say.
He could only continue to be silent.
“I have an unseemly request.”
Qing Sun suddenly smiled, “If I die on the Snow Mountain, once you return to the Imperial City, keep investigating the ‘Chi Lin’ case for me…
I know this request is presumptuous, but back when we were cultivating underground at the Imperial City, Chi Lin saved both you and me.
She shouldn’t just silently fade away.
You are much luckier than I am; if you have the protection of that great figure from the Martial Sect, perhaps you could get closer to the truth?”
Ten years ago.
The Imperial City was in chaos, Yuan Jimo ascended to the chief position of the Imperial City and executed a host of traitors.
The special envoy of the Imperial City, Chi Lin, was among those who were executed.
“Why are you so fixated on this case?”
You Yuan did not agree but simply asked the question that had been in his heart for a long time.
He knew that Qing Sun became a special envoy of the Imperial City precisely to, one day, clear up this case.
He also knew.
Qing Sun and Chi Lin shared a friendship that was unimaginably profound.
But, were these reasons alone enough to drive a man to do so much?
“If it was ten years ago…
I would have confidently answered you that it’s because I was very angry.”
“But now, I don’t know the answer.”
Qing Sun thought for a long time, then said earnestly, “Initially, I simply refused to believe, I couldn’t believe that my best friend would kill another best friend for fame and gain.
Later, this incident became routine for me, I’ve actually forgotten my anger and sadness when Chi Lin died, I only remember that I have to accomplish this task at all costs, with all my strength.”
Over time, many things become numb.
Now, even if he wanted to feel angry,
The fury in his chest couldn’t ignite anymore.
“If I were to die immediately,”
Qing Sun murmured, “My life…
perhaps would only have this one regret.
Perhaps that’s why I cling to it so?”