Chapter 142: Huisang of Qingzhou

Just as Xie Xin, the Four Fiends, and the others were hurrying toward the Huahan Sect, Tianming had already arrived ahead of them by flying on his sword. Although he held no favorable impression of the people in this sect, harboring a mindset of helping out wherever he could, he ultimately decided to lend them a hand.

"...It seems this token is still quite useful."

Gazing down at the magnificent and picturesque landscape of mountains and rivers below, Tianming recalled the look Luan Tianfeng had given him at the time—a mixture of astonishment and shock, but mostly unexpected surprise. Luan Tianfeng probably never imagined that a demonic cultivator would possess the power-source token belonging to Xun Tianxiao.

What a pity!

If he had used this token back then, things would not have come to such a pass. Perhaps this was truly predestined by the heavens—destined for Tianming to forget about this item at such a crucial juncture.

"Master, we have arrived at the Huahan Sect!" Xiaoling, who had been leading the way in front, suddenly stopped, waved its little paws back toward Tianming, and spoke to remind him.

"Alright, I know."

Seeing this, Tianming nodded with a satisfied smile. If not for Xiaoling's reminder, he would not have even known that the system spirit could act as a navigator for him.

He quite liked this feature. After all, the world was so vast; wandering around blindly like a headless fly would only be a waste of time.

Taking off the black robe draped over his body and storing it away in his spatial ring, Tianming revealed a head of weathered white hair. With a slight adjustment, he steered his lightning-charged precious sword, pierced through the thick layer of clouds, and plunged downward toward a massive building below.

......

Qing Prefecture, situated in the northwest of the Central Divine Continent, was a pure land true to its name. It possessed a forest ecology incomparable to any other region, with the Mulberry Wild Forest being the most expansive.

Legend had it that in the deepest parts of the forest, certain cultivators had once witnessed immortal beasts!

The destination Tianming was heading to this time was Huaisang Town, which connected directly to the Mulberry Wild Forest. Since the Huahan Sect was located in the central area of Huaisang Town, he had to enter the town first.

"Halt, traveler. This is an important area under the jurisdiction of the Huahan Sect. If you have no urgent business, leave immediately!"

As soon as he landed, the unusual commotion alerted the Huahan Sect disciples patrolling within the town. Two figures dressed in black and white Taoist robes rushed over from a distance. Upon seeing that it was merely an old man, they both let out collective sighs of relief.

"Go report to your elders and tell them that Tianming, a disciple under the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, requests an audience with the elders to discuss an important matter." Blocked abruptly by the two disciples, Tianming said with a somewhat displeased expression.

Having said that, Tianming stopped looking at the two disciples and instead began to survey his surroundings. Building after building came into view before his eyes, though the doors and windows on both the left and right sides appeared to be tightly shut at the moment.

Along the path, there were only a little over thirty people in sight, all dressed in simple, crude clothes of ordinary citizens, yet their expressions seemed exceptionally calm, and their auras were steady without leaking outward.

Presumably, these people should be the inner disciples of the Huahan Sect!

From this, it could be deduced that the elite demonic cultivators dispatched by Xie Xin had not adopted a frontal assault; they were likely sneaking toward the place where the Huahan Sect stored its treasures. However, how could those cultivators possibly know where the treasures were hidden?

"......"

While Tianming turned around to examine his surroundings, the two disciples behind him wore increasingly dark expressions, infuriated that he completely disregarded the two of them.

"You...!"

Seeing Tianming's casual and unreasonable attitude, one of them pointed firmly but could not find the words to speak. After all, he did not know whether what this man said was true, so he could only retract his hand, let out a cold snort, and change his phrasing: "Show your proof."

Hearing the inquiry from behind, Tianming turned around. Just as he was about to take out the token, he suddenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible soul aura lingering upon him.

"Proof? Why should I show it to you? Call your elders out; I want to explain things to them in person." Lowering his raised hand, Tianming smiled, blinked at the two of them, and gestured.

"What! Old man, you wish to see our elders? Could you tell us which elder you seek, or show some proof first? These are the rules, otherwise we cannot let you in."

The other disciple furrowed his brows tightly, his gaze constantly wandering over Tianming's body as if pondering something. Hearing this, he let out a startled cry and asked with extreme politeness.

"Hahaha... I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to bring it. But you two little brothers can just go report it, and I will bear all losses. How about that?" Shaking his head awkwardly, Tianming replied with a smile.

Tianming was very familiar with this aura. Because he had already reached the first rank of the Spirit Silence Realm, he easily distinguished that the aura came from Prefecture Lord Li.

Therefore, he naturally could not expose himself so easily!

"Old man, I'm sorry. If you have no proof, please return the way you came. This is truly not a place where you should be."

"I see. Little brother, I understand you both very well. Can we talk somewhere else? It's not very convenient here!" Nodding and then shaking his head, Tianming spoke in an extremely low voice.

......

"Damn it! Xu Wenhao, why are you wasting words with him?"

Glaring fiercely at the man beside him, a burgher man with a rougher build cast a cold gaze forward. "Old man, you have no proof, yet you dare to casually impersonate the name of Sect Master Xiao's disciple. I think you're tired of living, get lost!"

"......"

Seeing this, Xu Wenhao shook his head somewhat gloomily, though he did not speak up again. After all, the rules were indeed as such, and what his senior martial brother did was not entirely unreasonable, just a bit crude.

"Little brother, are you telling me to get lost?" Startled slightly by the sudden words, Tianming asked in disbelief.

"Damn it, who the hell is your brother? I'm talking to you, old man. Still winking?"

"Take a good look around. Is there anyone else here besides you? Get moving now, and let me tell you, don't even think about forcing your way in. This place is packed with elite disciples of the Huahan Sect, and if you die a miserable death here, don't blame us for not warning you."

Clenching his fists until they popped and crackled, the burgher man pointed a finger, his face full of sneering contempt. Ordinarily, he might have been courteous, but now that he was acting under the sect master's orders, he couldn't be blamed for venting some pent-up frustration.

"......Can I take these words of yours as a provocation?" Crossing his arms, Tianming's expression froze. A murderous intent welled up within his heart, ready to burst forth, but it quickly subsided.

What a bunch of truly unpleasant fellows!

Shaking his head inwardly, Tianming felt somewhat disappointed; they were all utterly stubborn and impervious to reason. Yet, thinking of what Gongzhong Ruixin was like, he had no choice but to suppress the unpleasant emotions in his heart for the time being.

"Hmph! So what if it is? Old man, don't think that just because you have the cultivation of the Voiding Realm you can act lawlessly. As long as you dare to make a move, dozens of pairs of eyes are watching right here."

"Do you dare?!"

It seemed the burgher man had been thoroughly provoked. He stepped back a short distance, pointed at dozens of figures on a distant street, and issued a fierce threat.

"......Stupid." Sneering coldly, Tianming didn't even bother looking at those people, because even without looking, he could sense the energy contained within their bodies—every single one of them was a Voiding Realm expert.

Yet they truly were birds of a feather flocking together, none of them any good!

Watching this person's arrogant and condescending demeanor, Tianming's emotions were not entirely without fluctuation. After all, he was human too; was such a sect truly worth risking his life to protect? Just as he struggled to make a decision—

"Ren Dongqiang! The inner sect is weak on defenses right now, do you want to cause trouble for the sect? Why aren't you apologizing to this old gentleman immediately?!" Xu Wenhao stepped forward with a dark expression, turned to face him, and shouted a stern rebuke.

At that exact moment, those dozens of people dressed in ordinary attire also arrived behind Xu Wenhao while he was speaking, all of them glaring at Ren Dongqiang with murderous intent.

"No way...!" Seeing the massive crowd of dozens of people arriving one after another, Xu Haoming quickly shook his head.

"You guys......"

Staring into the boundless pressure and murderous gazes, Ren Dongqiang collapsed directly onto the ground. In his dull, lifeless eyes, he could not comprehend how these people could treat him this way over a complete stranger.

After all, he was the personal disciple of Gongzhong Hehua, the Third Elder of the Huahan Sect!

"Tsk tsk... That's more like it. I'm not boasting, but even if your sect master came in person, he would still have to treat me with utmost courtesy. You disciples shouldn't be unconvinced—hurry up and let me in."