Panic spread through the crowd.
The gazes of the Tianlian Sect members towards Chen Xiao were far from those of mere saviors.
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "You all seem to fear me?"
No one answered his question, and Chen Xiao's expression turned stern.
Of course, his face was hidden within his black robe, so no one could see it.
"Bastards, what are you thinking?"
Qinglian Dao Master let out an angry roar, "I don't care what you're thinking, but first, I want you all to understand one thing: if it weren't for Chen Xiao, you would all be dead by the hands of the Tianxue Sect!"
"Thank you, Immortal Master Chen, for saving our lives. Your great kindness is something I will never forget!"
Jiaolian's beautiful eyes flickered, and she suddenly shouted loudly.
With Jiaolian Daoist leading the way, the other Daoist nuns also bowed to Chen Xiao to thank him for saving their lives.
However, people's hearts are hidden, and no one could be sure what they were truly thinking.
"Tianlian Sect disciples, heed my command! If anyone dares to spread word of today's events, I will hunt them down through the heavens and the earth to kill them, do you understand?"
Qinglian Dao Master shouted loudly.
"Understood!"
All the Daoist nuns responded.
The gloom on Chen Xiao's face gradually dissipated. In fact, he had been on the verge of killing just moments ago.
If not for Qinglian Dao Master's words, he would have already started a massacre.
This was because the expressions of those Daoist nuns clearly indicated a potential for betrayal.
Of course, Chen Xiao wasn't afraid of them reporting him. He simply felt that after he saved their lives, they would turn around and bite him, and he wouldn't tolerate such bad behavior.
Qinglian Dao Master's words, while seemingly meant to deter her disciples, were actually a plea for mercy from Chen Xiao.
For Tu Shan Che's sake, Chen Xiao granted Qinglian some leeway.
"Qinglian Dao Master, I have killed these demonic cultivators from the Tianxue Sect here. Will this cause you any trouble?"
Chen Xiao asked.
If killing the Tianxue Sect would bring trouble to Qinglian Dao Master, Chen Xiao wouldn't mind helping her resolve those worries.
"No, Immortal Master Chen!"
Having witnessed Chen Xiao's strength, Qinglian Dao Master's attitude towards him had changed significantly. She no longer treated him merely as Tu Shan Che's junior.
"Immortal Master Chen, in the Immortal Hidden Realm, the law of the jungle is even more prevalent than in the outside secular world. Whoever has the stronger fist dictates. The order of the Immortal Hidden Realm is built upon this law of the jungle."
Four words: survival of the fittest!
Whether you kill someone or destroy a sect, it won't attract repercussions from other sects.
On the contrary, if you are weak and bullied, other sects are very likely to kick you while you're down and peck away at you when you're not prepared.
"I understand. If that's the case, then which sects stand at the apex of this food chain?"
Chen Xiao asked.
Big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp... Since this place believed in the law of the jungle, there must be super sects.
"In the Immortal Hidden Realm, there are three super forces: the Heavenly Sect, the Earthly Sect, and the Human Sect. They stand in a tripartite confrontation within the Immortal Hidden Realm, being both friends and enemies to each other."
"In fact, all other sects and forces, large and small, are affiliated with these three super sects. For example, both our Tianlian Sect and the Tianxue Sect are affiliated with the Earthly Sect, simply because the Earthly Sect occupies the southern region of the Immortal Hidden Realm, and both we and the Tianxue Sect fall within its territory."
After listening to Qinglian Dao Master's explanation, Chen Xiao gained a deeper understanding of the situation in the Immortal Hidden Realm.
The Earthly Sect occupied the entire south, the Heavenly Sect occupied the northeast, and the Human Sect occupied the northwest.
Xian Zong City, however, was located in the central position of the entire Immortal Hidden Realm, serving as a buffer zone. The Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Sects all had their own forces in Xian Zong City.
"Thank you for the information, Qinglian Dao Master. I shall take my leave now. We shall meet again!"
Chen Xiao cupped his hands towards Qinglian Dao Master, intending to depart.
"Immortal Master Chen, please wait."
Saying that, Qinglian Dao Master took out a pouch and handed it to Chen Xiao. "Immortal Master Chen, you have saved the Tianlian Sect from dire straits. Your great kindness is like a rebirth. Here are two thousand spirit stones, a small token of my gratitude, though it is but a trifle."
This pouch was a storage artifact; otherwise, how could such a small pouch hold two thousand spirit stones?
"Then I shall accept your kind offer!"
Chen Xiao did not stand on ceremony and directly accepted the spirit stones.
The spirit stones contained pure spiritual energy, which would be of great benefit to Chen Xiao in breaking through to the seventh level of the Nine Revolutions Azure Wave Art.
Qinglian added, "Immortal Master Chen, in the Immortal Hidden Realm, spirit stones are not only used for cultivation but also serve as a hard currency, usable as wealth in the secular world."
Chen Xiao suddenly understood why Qinglian had put the spirit stones in a pouch.
Moreover, two thousand spirit stones must be a considerable fortune, which could be seen from the pained expressions of the other Tianlian Sect disciples.
"By the way, Immortal Master Chen, I previously advised you to be cautious because I was not fully aware of your strength. If you are a cultivator in the Dao Integration realm, then ordinary major sects would not dare to trouble you easily. You only need to be wary of those three super sects."
"I understand, thank you, Qinglian Dao Master."
Chen Xiao also felt that Qinglian Dao Master's attitude towards him had clearly changed from before.
But it was understandable. After all, their previous goodwill was based on Tu Shan Che's face.
Now, their goodwill was based on reverence for strength.
There was naturally a difference between the two. 138 Reading Network
Since he didn't need to worry about ordinary medium to large sects, Chen Xiao directly summoned his Yitian Sword and flew north.
Flying north, Chen Xiao rode the wind, with green mountains like ink paintings below him.
The scenery of the Immortal Hidden Realm was like the ancient Kyushu before being invaded by industrial society: green mountains, clear waters, and a pleasant environment.
Furthermore, the Immortal Hidden Realm was sparsely populated. Chen Xiao flew for several hundred kilometers without seeing any signs of human habitation.
It wasn't until he had flown about a thousand kilometers that he discovered a city in a plain surrounded by mountains.
Since he had come all this way, Chen Xiao naturally wanted to experience the local customs and traditions, so he planned to enter the city to explore and experience it.
To avoid attracting attention, he steered the Yitian Sword and landed in a desolate area outside the city. He put away the Yitian Sword and then walked towards the city.
Zhenwu Town!
On the high city wall, three large characters were inscribed in ancient script.
There were no soldiers guarding the city gate. It was likely that there were no soldiers or the like in such a place.
The area on both sides of the city gate was sparsely populated, and no one was entering or leaving the city. After walking a few hundred meters inside, Chen Xiao found the surroundings becoming more lively.
Shops lined both sides of the street, there were street vendors calling out their wares, and pedestrians were as numerous as weaving threads, resembling scenes from ancient costume dramas.
However, one thing surprised Chen Xiao, as a large portion of the people he encountered on the street were ordinary people.
That's right, ordinary people with no cultivation.
The street vendors calling out their wares were all like this.
Occasionally, he would encounter cultivators, but they were only those who had just entered the Dao. Yet, even these low-level cultivators were all arrogant.
Chen Xiao was truly surprised that there were so many ordinary people in this Immortal Hidden Realm.
The buildings in the city were naturally all in ancient style, including the shop assistants, who were also dressed in ancient costumes.
Chen Xiao found a grand restaurant and walked in. He went up to the second floor and found a street-facing table to sit down.
"Guest, what would you like to eat?"
The waiter, with a towel draped over his shoulder, asked solicitously.
Chen Xiao casually ordered a few small dishes and a pot of old wine.
In a short while, the wine and dishes were served, and Chen Xiao began to pour and drink by himself.
He had intended to ask about the ordinary people in the city, but doing so would be tantamount to revealing his identity.
Just then, a commotion erupted from outside the window. Chen Xiao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of men in black brocade robes chasing and intercepting a disheveled young beggar.
Chen Xiao's gaze deepened. He had finally seen a few figures worth noticing.
Those men in black brocade robes all possessed Golden Core stage strength, and the middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader had already cultivated a Nascent Soul.
The disheveled young beggar also had the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage.
Now that was more like it!
Chen Xiao had initially thought that cultivators in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages would be everywhere in the Immortal Hidden Realm, but reality was slightly different from his imagination.
"Stop right there, you little thief! When I catch you, I'll flay you alive!"
The leader of the black-clothed men, holding a mace, shouted at the young beggar.
The mace was clearly no ordinary item. Spiritual energy flowed around it, making it obvious that it was a magical artifact.
Although the young beggar seemed to be at his wit's end, he repeatedly escaped from the black-clothed men thanks to his agility. After escaping, he even made faces at the middle-aged man.
"Come on, if you can catch me today, I'll take your surname!"
"You little thief, when I catch you, I'll skin you alive!"
The middle-aged man was so enraged that veins bulged on his forehead. He suddenly threw the mace in his hand, and the mace, as if it had eyes, flew straight towards the young beggar, relentlessly pursuing him.
The young beggar dodged, and it followed suit!
With a bang, in the end, the young beggar could not escape the pursuit of a magical artifact. He was struck on the back of the head by a blow and knocked unconscious on the spot.
"Damn it, let's see where you run now!"
"You little brat, you've tired this grandpa out!"
The black-clothed men cursed as they approached, taking out ropes and chains to tie up the young beggar.
These ropes and chains also carried some spiritual energy, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary ropes and chains.
The middle-aged man raised his hand, and the mace flew back into his hand.
He snorted coldly and said angrily, "Hmph, this little brat is tired of living, daring to steal things from our Li Manor! Let's see if I don't kill you today!"
He used the mace to nudge the unconscious young beggar.
The young beggar rolled over, and his dark eyes suddenly opened, filled with a strange cunning...