The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World

Chapter 229: Ximen Changqing’s invitation

Ximen Changqing turned to Chu Xuan. "However, isn't fellow daoist He from Mystic Azure Star?"

"The fifth-level sect on Mystic Azure Star is the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace... and the upper sect have been quite dissatisfied with them recently..." he added.

Chu Xuan nodded slightly.

While Ximen Changqing did not make his point explicitly clear, Chu Xuan could discern the implications. An urgent missive issued by the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace might not be acknowledged by the Reincarnation Divine Sect.

And as for seeking out a ludicrously rare spiritual item like the Turbid World Blue Lotus—it was far too absurd. Thus, his only remaining option was to accumulate enough contributions to leave the battlefield.

"Thank you, fellow daoist Ximen," Chu Xuan bowed.

Ximen Changqing smiled, "I hear fellow daoist He is from the Heavenly Seal Sect, merely a fourth-level sect."

"Would fellow daoist He consider joining the Majestic Sword Sect?" he offered.

Chu Xuan gave a wry smile. A direct refusal might offend Ximen Changqing. Yet, he genuinely had no interest in aligning with any factions. After a pause, he shook his head, "I'm truly sorry, I have no intentions of joining any side at the moment."

Ximen Changqing was not upset but simply nodded with a smile, "No matter, it's merely routine recruitment on behalf of my sect. If fellow daoist He is not interested, then let it be. The monthly salary the sect gives me isn't enough to make me hold a grudge over such matters."

Chu Xuan was taken aback.

The two exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter.

...

At the main gate of the city lord's mansion.

"Fellow daoist He, I have arranged for you a fourth-tier cave dwelling rich in spiritual qi, ready for you whenever you wish to move in," Ximen Changqing smiled. "But, as usual, I must mention..."

He cleared his throat, "...the grand gates of the Majestic Sword Sect are always open to you!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chu Xuan laughed heartily, "Thank you, fellow daoist Ximen."

He waved his hand and turned to leave. After Chu Xuan's figure had vanished, Wu Shang and Xun Zhao approached Ximen Changqing with respectful expressions.

Wu Shang spoke in a grave tone, "It has been confirmed that the Heavenly Seal Sect of Mystic Azure Star indeed existed but was destroyed long ago. Master, this man's identity is false."

Ximen Changqing chuckled, "I know it's false."

Wu Shang was startled, "Then why did you converse so amicably with him?"

Ximen Changqing's laughter grew even broader, "What does it matter if his identity is false? Back in the day, I navigated among various sects to preserve my own life, and I did the same thing."

Wu Shang fell silent.

Ximen Changqing casually remarked, "About that Lu Wen under your command—he's not a good sort, how do you plan to deal with him?"

Wu Shang appeared troubled, "Lu Wen has been with me for a long time, and though he may not have distinguished himself, he has endured much..."

Ximen Changqing stated indifferently, "Kill him, destroy his soul and scatter his ashes. Keeping someone around who is adept at stirring up trouble will only lead to deadly consequences in the future."

Wu Shang's fingers trembled, but eventually, he nodded firmly, "Disciple understands." He bowed and immediately departed.

Xun Zhao stepped forward, asking in a low voice, "Master, there has still been no word from my Dao companion. Could you please help me—"

Ximen Changqing interrupted sharply, "She has now become a disciple of True Master Tiancang. Do you think she would still regard you? A mere woman, if you wish, there are plenty of female cultivators for you to choose from."

Xun Zhao's expression was downcast, "I understand, Master..."

As he watched his disciples leave, Ximen Changqing shook his head repeatedly. The tasks assigned by True Master Tiancang were not to be questioned, just obeyed. Why couldn't Xun Zhao be wiser and refrain from inquiring further about Zhao Qian?

As for the newly advanced Nascent Soul, He Liang, Ximen Changqing's thoughts were simple: as long as he posed no threat to himself, what harm was there in a false identity?

...

At the Pill Pavilion.

When Chu Xuan returned, he found the shop still crowded with cultivators. The place was bustling.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Senior He is here!"

The crowd dispersed with a rustle, parting to make way with awe-stricken faces. To many Golden Core cultivators, reaching the Nascent Soul stage was a realm they could never dream of achieving in their lifetimes. Thus, they held Chu Xuan in high esteem, respecting this senior who dared to risk his life to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Chu Xuan waved his hand, "Disperse, everyone."

The cultivators then left.

He Ze, his face glowing, approached Chu Xuan, "Senior He!"

Chu Xuan smiled slightly, "Continue to stay by my side in the future."

"Yes!" He Ze responded respectfully, "After Master went to the city lord's mansion, many cultivators brought me gifts. I've kept track of all of them, right here. They did not give me these gifts because of who I am, but because of Master He. I cannot accept these things."

Chu Xuan laughed heartily, "I don't care for these items; they are yours now."

With Chu Xuan's words, He Ze finally nodded. Now he could accept the gifts without any guilt, otherwise, he would have never dared to take them.

...

In the following days, Chu Xuan spent his days clearing ancient beast carcasses and his nights concocting pills in his cave dwelling. The pill making was not for the sake of spirit stones but to improve his own mastery of alchemy and to study the pill recipes he could access for free.

Now that he had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he was qualified to concoct Nascent Soul-level medicinal pills. Prominent Nascent Soul cultivators, including Ximen Changqing of Heavenly Sword City and Duan Xiu of Righteous Dao City, sought his services. Naturally, he could not miss such opportunities and thus memorized many pill recipes that might prove useful in the future.

A month later, Chu Xuan had nearly gathered enough contributions to leave, amounting to about eighty to ninety percent of the required total. In just five or six more days, he would have enough to leave the extraterritorial battlefield and return to Mystic Azure Star. However, he still hoped to obtain a suitable Nascent Soul-level cultivation technique before returning.

Meanwhile, during his expeditions to clear the ancient beast carcasses, Chu Xuan noticed some anomalies in the battlefield. The frequency of spatial rifts had increased significantly.

Cultivators often gathered in groups discussing how some areas, previously rift-free, now suffered from an abundance of them. The ground was also marred by deep, canyon-like rifts. Some speculated that creatures like the Nether Crocodiles might be surging from the underground en masse.

Others whimsically suggested that perhaps the battlefield itself was on the verge of collapse. Though Chu Xuan knew nothing specific, an unexplainable worry began to gnaw at him.

...

On a plain within the extraterritorial battlefield, a figure in black furrowed his brow, "The disappearance of Shangguan Hao remains unclear... What exactly happened? Could it be that he was discovered by True Master Tiancang and taken to the Reincarnation Tower? Or is he hidden somewhere? Or perhaps someone intercepted him along the way?"

After much deliberation, the man in black retrieved an array disc, which was linked to the formation embedded in a blood jade pendant. This was a backdoor he had prepared in advance—subtle and nearly undetectable, yet capable of remote connection.

It was intended to control Shangguan Hao in critical moments to prevent him from betraying the Reincarnation Divine Sect a second time and then betraying the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect.

By activating it, he could break the formation on the pendant from afar, allowing him to track down Shangguan Hao's whereabouts. He was reluctant to resort to this measure, but with Shangguan Hao missing for four years and his whereabouts still unknown, he had no choice but to implement this last resort.

The man in black executed a series of complex hand signs, and the formation was instantly disrupted. Stirred by an intuition, he looked towards the giant city shrouded in the night, surprised.

"Hmm? Inside Heavenly Sword City?"