SPMT : Chapter 161

After taming a nest of scorpions, Xiao Jingting’s strength had greatly increased.

“Where should we go next? Do you have any suggestions, Chen Shao?” Xiao Jingting asked, full of energy.

“We can go find the Starry Flowers,” Chen Xu replied without hesitation.

“What are the uses of the Starry Flowers?” Xiao Jingting could tell from Chen Xu’s expression that he had long wanted to find these flowers, indicating their importance.

“The path to the inner city requires crossing the Foggy Swamp, which is filled with miasma. The Starry Flowers can resist this miasma,” Chen Xu explained.

Xiao Jingting, stroking his chin, pondered, “So, to reach the inner city and find the Xiling grass, we must get the Starry Flowers.”

Chen Xu nodded, “Yes, with the Starry Flowers, resisting the miasma becomes much easier, and the chances of survival increase.”

“In that case, let’s move quickly,” Xiao Jingting said, feeling somewhat frustrated that the sect hadn’t mentioned any of this.

Xiao Jingting was certain that the sect knew about these things but chose not to tell them, indicating that the Qingyun Immortal Sect still didn’t trust them, or perhaps they didn’t consider them important.

The cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment brought in by Qingyun Immortal Sect surely knew many secrets. These were the sect’s real assets.

Xiao Jingting had heard that before entering the secret realm, some cultivators had been given special training by sect elders and provided with many magical tools and talismans. However, this privilege came at a cost, as there were many rare treasures in the Tianxia Secret Realm beneficial to both Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators.

Since the higher-level cultivators couldn’t enter, they sent the Foundation Establishment cultivators to search for these treasures. If they couldn’t find them, they wouldn’t be treated kindly upon returning to the sect.

“We should hurry,” Chen Xu urged. He had been eager to find the Starry Flowers for some time but had refrained from doing so alone because it was too dangerous without Xiao Jingting, who had been busy taming his Golden-Top Red-Tailed Scorpion.

Chen Xu looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “Uncle Xiao, many people have already headed out. We should hurry too.”

Xiao Jingting nodded, “Alright, but will the Starry Flowers still be there, or have they already been picked?”

Chen Xu shook his head, unconcerned, “No, the Starry Flowers are not easy to pick.”

…

Xiao Jingting and his group reached the edge of a lake, where they saw many people gathered.

“The Starry Flowers grow on a small island in the middle of the lake, which is completely surrounded by water,” Chen Xu explained.

“This lake has a restriction; flying over it is not allowed. We can only cross by boat.”

“There are very fierce crocodiles in the river. If we’re unlucky, we might get swallowed by them,” Chen Xu added.

“You know a lot, Chen Shao!” Xiao Jingting couldn’t help but exclaim. It felt like having a living encyclopedia around. Without Chen Xu, they would have been completely lost in this mysterious place.

Chen Xu smiled modestly, “Not really.”

As they arrived, the people from Wushuang Sect were also at the lakeside. Seeing Chen Xu and his group, Qiao Xiang approached and greeted them, “Chen Shidi, you’re here!”

Qiao Xiang hadn’t heard from Chen Xu for a long time and thought he might have died. To his surprise, not only was Chen Xu alive, but he also seemed to be in good condition.

Chen Xu nodded, “Yes, I’m here.”

“Your grandfather’s people are very worried about you,” Qiao Xiang mentioned.

Chen Xu nodded, his expression complicated, “I know.”

Although he knew not all of his grandfather’s people were problematic, past experiences made him cautious. Chen Xu didn’t trust blood oaths much; he had seen someone who, after being influenced by other cultivators from another continent, defected to them despite an oath.

“Senior Brother Qiao, we should set off,” a cultivator from Wushuang Sect urged.

Qiao Xiang glanced at Chen Xu and offered, “Junior Brother Chen, would you like to join us?”

Chen Xu shook his head, “I’ll stay with Uncle Xiao.”

Qiao Xiang looked at Xiao Xiaodong, “Take care then.”

As Qiao Xiang returned to his group, Luo Yuting of Wushuang Sect frowned at the interaction.

She asked Qiao Xiang, “Did Junior Brother Chen refuse to come?”

Qiao Xiang shook his head, “Yes, he refused.”

Luo Yuting remarked coolly, “Chen Xu doesn’t trust the people his grandfather arranged for him but trusts Xiao Xiaodong a lot.”

Qiao Xiang nodded, “Yes.”

Qiao Xiang felt irritated, thinking: This Chen Xu has no sense! He offered a sincere invitation, and Chen Xu foolishly refused. With so many powerful people in Wushuang Sect, how could they not be stronger than Xiao Jingting’s group of misfits?

Xiao Jingting and his wife were only mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and Xiao Xiaodong was at the early stage. Sticking with them wouldn’t lead to much success.

Qiao Xiang hadn’t noticed that Xiao Jingting had hidden his true cultivation, appearing as only mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Chen Xu watched as Qiao Xiang’s boat sailed into the river. As it reached the center, the water suddenly churned.

A huge crocodile surfaced, crashing into the boat. The creature was tens of meters long, covered in spikes, and caused the boat to shake violently.

The cultivators on board attacked the giant crocodile with their swords.

Small crocodiles also started jumping onto the boat.

The giant crocodile was fierce, and the small ones, swarming the boat, were also terrifying.

Xiao Jingting saw one cultivator get bitten in half by a crocodile and remarked, “That’s really dangerous!”

Chen Xu nodded, “Yes, demon crocodiles are bloodthirsty. For them, the flesh and blood of cultivators are great supplements. When crossing, it’s best to go with many people to distract the crocodiles and avoid being targeted.”

Xiao Jingting nodded, “I see.”

Xiao Xiaodong watched Qiao Xiang’s boat sail away. It had over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators on board, including several at the late stage. With their combined effort, they managed without major issues.

…

While Xiao Jingting was contemplating how to cross the water, a firework exploded in the sky, drawing their attention.

“It’s a distress signal from Qingyun Immortal Sect,” Xu Mu’an observed.

Each sect had distinct distress signals. According to the rules, seeing a distress signal from one’s sect, nearby members should rush to help.

Xu Mu’an asked Xiao Jingting, “Should we go?”

Xiao Jingting nodded, “Let’s check it out.” With so many people around, especially many Yunzhou cultivators, it would be inappropriate not to respond.

Xiao Jingting, Xu Mu’an, and their group leisurely made their way to the battle site.

“It’s people from the Wanshi Sect,” Chen Xu identified.

The Wanshi Sect was known for refining corpses. The cultivators from Wanshi Sect were controlling corpses in a battle against Qingyun Immortal Sect members, who were clearly at a disadvantage.

Wanshi Sect cultivators each had a corpse of similar cultivation to their own. Although refined corpses were less flexible than the cultivators themselves, they were fearless and resistant to poisons and narcotics.

The number of Wanshi Sect and Qingyun Immortal Sect members was roughly the same, but the refined corpses gave the former an upper hand.

Xiao Jingting summoned a spirit sword and joined the fight. However, it wasn’t his set of millennia-old spirit swords but three older swords, as he didn’t want to draw attention from the Yin Gui Sect after causing too much commotion earlier.

Xiao Jingting’s soul power was immense, effortlessly controlling five spirit swords, let alone three.

With improved spiritual power and insight, Xiao Jingting easily handled a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Xiao Xiaodong and Chen Xu teamed up against a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although their cultivation wasn’t strong, they aggressively used talismans.

With the addition of these four, the pressure on Qingyun Immortal Sect decreased, and Wanshi Sect retreated.

“Are you Brother Xiao? Nice to meet you,” greeted Liu Jinrong, the leader of Qingyun Immortal Sect, after the danger passed.

Xiao Jingting smiled, “Brother Liu, I’ve heard much about you.” Liu Jinrong, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, was one of the top cultivators Qingyun Immortal Sect had sent.

“Thanks to you, Brother Xiao, for helping us out. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble,” Liu Jinrong said with lingering fear.

Xiao Jingting humbly replied, “Brother Liu, you’re too kind. Even without my help, with your strong capabilities, you would have surely protected everyone.”

Liu Jinrong laughed, “You’re too modest.”

“Why did you end up fighting with the Wanshi Sect?” Xiao Jingting asked.

“We and the Wanshi Sect both found some Dragon Boat Flowers. After dividing them, the Wanshi Sect started targeting us. We fought them off at first, but they came back with reinforcements,” Liu Jinrong explained, clearly frustrated.

“These demonic sects are truly overbearing,” Xiao Jingting couldn’t help but remark.

Liu Jinrong nodded, “Indeed. Brother Xiao, your weapon is a set of spirit swords! You can skillfully control three at once; your soul and spiritual power are impressive!”

“Brother Liu flatters me,” Xiao Jingting waved his hand modestly.

“Still, one must be cautious. I heard there’s a fierce person in this secret realm using a set of five millennia-old spirit swords. They have killed many and are quite formidable. Although you are strong, there’s still a gap between you and that person. Of course, with effort, you might also become as renowned as them one day.”

Xiao Jingting: “…” Renowned like them? What does that mean?

“Do you know what happened to that fierce person?” Xiao Xiaodong asked innocently.

Liu Jinrong shook his head, “I don’t know. Although they are powerful, offending the Yin Gui Sect is troublesome. They might be hiding now.”

Xiao Jingting: “…”

“Brother Liu, how strong is that fierce person?” Xiao Xiaodong asked, feigning curiosity.

Before Liu Jinrong could answer, a talkative male cultivator beside him eagerly began, “That person is extremely formidable. It’s said they are notorious for killing and robbing, specializing in setting traps.”

“Supposedly, they’ve killed nearly a hundred cultivators. All the victims’ spatial rings are in their possession, making them incredibly wealthy. Whoever gets hold of their spatial ring would be rich.”

“It’s also said they have a powerful weapon, a thunder-fire attribute magical tool that even peak Foundation Establishment cultivators avoid.”

“This person also seems to have endless magical tools, talismans, and poisons. Their background must be extraordinary.”

…

Xiao Jingting was speechless, watching the talkative cultivator’s admiring expression. He thought, I’ve only killed around ten cultivators, certainly not a hundred! But maybe they were including those killed by Xu Mu’an and Xiao Xiaodong as well. Even then, it’s nowhere near that many!

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