Chapter 274 City of Loose Cultivators (Part 1)
At nightfall, the desolate village ancient temple.
Inside the house, a bonfire was blazing, the firewood burning fiercely, illuminating the temple hall that had been abandoned for who knows how many years.
The kettle hanging over the bonfire was "gurgling" with steam, and a faint scent of tea wafted through the air.
Wang Chen, his hands forming a spell, drew a cluster of boiling water from the kettle.
The next moment, this cluster of water divided into two parts, falling into two teacups respectively.
The tea leaves in the cups swirled, and the tea turned from clear to green in an instant, without spilling a single drop.
The old Taoist sitting opposite Wang Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip, praising, "What wonderful tea!"
He gave Wang Chen a thumbs-up, "Friend, your technique is even more exquisite!"
What Wang Chen had done seemed ordinary, but without having perfected the Object-Controlling Technique, it would be impossible to handle it with such ease.
Truth be told, the tea-dividing process that Wang Chen had just performed subtly contained an essence of the Dao!
What impressed the old Taoist the most was Wang Chen's youth.
Because he was young, it was all the more remarkable!
"Senior overpraises."
Wang Chen smiled and raised his cup, "Thank you for enlightening me, senior. This cup of tea, I offer to you!"
This Taoist with an aura of immortality was a cultivator Wang Chen had met on his journey that day.
Since they had the same destination, they decided to travel together.
They spent the night in the desolate village.
The old Taoist, surnamed Jia, was a practitioner of the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation; he claimed to be an Inner Sect Disciple of Medicine King Valley, out seeking an elixir of life.
Medicine King Valley was also a sect of Immortal Cultivation within the region of Heaven Cloud Mountain.
Although not grand in scale or particularly strong in power, the disciples of Medicine King Valley specialized in the arts of pill crafting and medicine, and they were non-confrontational, thus they had a very good reputation and were highly respected.
When a disciple of Medicine King Valley was wandering outside, even Thief Cultivators would not easily harm them.
Moreover, those from Medicine King Valley who dared to travel alone in the Outer Domain often had unique skills, not to be underestimated!
Taoist Jia was well-informed and witty, from whom Wang Chen heard many strange tales about the Mountain and Sea Realm.
Offering a cup of Spiritual Tea was the least he could do.
"Well said, well said."
Taoist Jia drained the tea in his cup with a beaming smile.
No sooner had he put down the cup did Wang Chen speak, "Now that the tea is drunk and our talk has ended, let me send senior on his way!"
Taoist Jia's spirit was jolted, and his originally cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with sharpness.
His hair and beard bristled, and he shouted angrily, "What is this all about, friend?"
As he questioned, the gaunt hands of the old Taoist suddenly turned sharp like eagle claws, and shadows burst from beneath his gray robe.
Like venomous snakes, they lunged at Wang Chen with the speed of lightning!
Suddenly, within the peaceful and serene temple, murderous intent surged.
Yet at that moment, a large net appeared out of nowhere, falling onto Taoist Jia.
Heaven-Ensnaring Punisher Net!
His reaction was swift, but Wang Chen's move was equally quick.
The two were so close that Taoist Jia had no time to dodge, and the net wrapped around him securely!
"Ahhh~"
He let out a piercing scream, convulsing with eyes about to split open.
The shadows extending from under his robe melted away quickly like snow under the blazing sun, leaving no trace.
At the same time, wisps of gray-black smoke were forcibly extracted from Taoist Jia's body, absorbed by the Demon-Slaying Net.
Wang Chen stood up tall, looking down upon the dying Taoist Jia who was struggling on the ground, "A cultivator of Medicine King Valley should not be enslaved by an Evil Wraith. Do you have any last words?"
The other's identity as a Medicine King Valley disciple was likely true.
Yet his corruption by evil was beyond doubt!
In fact, from the very first glance at Taoist Jia, Wang Chen had sensed something was wrong with the aura he exuded.
This keen intuition came not only from his powerful Divine Soul, but also from the experience of having slain countless Evil Wraiths!
Taoist Jia's disguise was futile.
The reason Wang Chen did not strike and resolve him immediately was solely to seek the best timing for his move.
Just as the other intended to "consume" him!
The Evil Wraith hidden within Taoist Jia was undoubtedly very cunning, but in front of the Demon-Slaying Net, no matter how many tricks it had, it was all in vain; it couldn't escape.
"I, want, you, dead!"
Taoist Jia curled up his body, trying hard to raise his head, his entire face twisted grotesquely, looking extraordinarily ferocious.
"Wrong answer."
Wang Chen held tightly onto the Demon-Slaying Net, and the miraculous abilities of the artifact suddenly erupted.
The speed at which the Evil Power was extracted increased by at least tenfold!
"Ah!"
Taoist Jia could no longer bear it, his skin cracking and peeling as he screamed and turned to ashes.
Wang Chen did not, as he had in the past, withdraw the Demon-Slaying Net at the last moment to strike down his foe with the Flying Sword,
to obtain Human Virtue.
Because he was not sure what kind of trump cards Taoist Jia possessed, using the Demon-Slaying Net to directly eliminate him was the most correct choice without absolute certainty.
Wang Chen had nearly suffered a setback previously, so now he was extra cautious when dealing with Cultivators who had turned to evil.
In the end, aside from the Spiritual Power absorbed and transformed by the Demon-Slaying Net, he had no other gains.
But Wang Chen didn't mind.
On his journey so far, he had encountered many Evil Wraiths and more than a couple of Evil Cultivators.
Taoist Jia was just one of them.
After stowing away the Demon-Slaying Net, Wang Chen sat back down and slowly savored a cup of tea he poured for himself.
Actually, Taoist Jia was quite interesting, and the interaction with him felt quite good.
Nonetheless, having turned to evil, he was no longer human.
The long night stretched on, with no one to accompany Wang Chen.
Early the next day, he left the abandoned village where he had camped.
He continued on his journey.
The next stop for Wang Chen was Ten Thousand Cultivators City.
Traveling by night and day, it took him three days to cover the last stretch of the road and finally arrive at Ten Thousand Cultivators City.
Although Wang Chen's Storage Bag contained more than a dozen Flying Artifacts,
for a small Qi Cultivator like himself to commandeer Flying Artifacts for travel in the wastelands of the Outer Domain was to invite disaster.
Many Monster Animals possess a strong territorial instinct, and the moment an "intruder" appears in their airspace, they often attack immediately, seeking to drive off or kill the invader.
Unless the invader's power far surpasses theirs.
Against such Monster Animals, the fighting strength of a Qi Cultivator is negligible.
Using Flying Artifacts with caution is a precious lesson accumulated by countless Cultivators through their perilous adventures in the Outer Domain!
Under these circumstances, Wang Chen mostly traveled in the truest sense of the word.
Running with the Shadowless Divine Traverse!
It was toilsome, but comparatively much safer.
Throughout his journey, Wang Chen had not encountered real danger, which was directly linked to his prudence and caution.
And before him now, a majestic city loomed into view.
Ten Thousand Cultivators City!
Ten Thousand Cultivators City was quite famous in Wang Chen's homeland of Cangzhou, especially among Loose Cultivators, as this Immortal City held a special status.
It is said that one is not considered a true Loose Cultivator without having been to Ten Thousand Cultivators City!
Ten Thousand Cultivators City was a whole thirty thousand li from Cloud Sun Old Land; Wang Chen had never been there before, and this time he intended to take a good look at this legendary city of Loose Cultivators.
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The first update is here.