Chapter 79: Master Wumu and the Heavenly Cluster Sword Tomb, Luo Xue’s Troubles
“Hmm?”
The newcomer paused, turned to Luo Xue, and said gently,
“Little sister, what did you just say?”
“Nothing, nothing…”
Luo Xue’s expression was a bit uncomfortable.
Only then did she realize that the other party wasn’t squinting, but had his eyes closed.
She had been traumatized by squinty-eyed people…
“I am Wumu, a disciple of the Silent Temple, blind since birth.”
Wumu smiled gently, and the oppressive atmosphere around them eased. “I’m not… squinting at you, I hope you understand, little sister.”
Luo Xue coughed awkwardly. She had muttered those words subconsciously, not expecting to be heard, especially since the other party had just helped her.
But as soon as Wumu introduced himself, gasps arose from the surrounding crowd.
“It’s… Master Wumu of the Silent Temple!”
“The legendary master who killed a Core Formation demon at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and even comprehended the Silent Temple’s secret Buddhist technique, the Acala Scripture. His strength is astonishing!”
“Why would a prodigy of this level come to the borderlands alone…”
Faced with the surrounding chatter, Master Wumu’s expression didn’t change.
He wore a constant gentle smile, which had a calming effect.
The guard at the city gate also recognized Wumu’s identity and gasped, his attitude towards Luo Xue softening considerably.
“Little sister, since Master Wumu has paid your entrance fee, please come in.”
He stepped aside.
“Silent Temple…”
Luo Xue’s expression turned serious.
Although she didn’t know much about the prodigies of the Immortal Domain, the names of the nine major sects were like thunder to her ears.
The Silent Temple was one of the nine major sects of the Immortal Domain, and the only Buddhist sect, governing Ri Province.
Ri Province was adjacent to You Province, so the Silent Temple’s influence here wasn’t weak. As the most famous prodigy recently, Master Wumu was considered the representative of the Silent Temple’s new generation of disciples.
But…
“Shouldn’t the Silent Temple be all Buddhist cultivators? Why does Master Wumu have hair?”
Luo Xue’s gaze shifted to Master Wumu’s head. He had thick, short hair, perhaps even thicker than hers…
And Master Wumu wasn’t wearing kasaya robes, but a simple gray cloth robe, with an inconspicuous bag slung over his shoulder.
If he hadn’t revealed his identity, no one would have associated him with the famous prodigy of the Silent Temple.
Of course, Luo Xue didn’t want to stay with such a prominent figure. She just wanted to keep a low profile.
Fortunately, after Master Wumu appeared, the surrounding gazes were no longer focused on Luo Xue—with an Immortal Domain prodigy present, who would care about a slave girl with an unremarkable appearance?
Thinking of this, Luo Xue quickly bowed to Master Wumu, stuffed the spirit stones in her hand into his, and said,
“Thank you, Master. This… is for you.”
Then, she hurried into the crowd, heading towards the city gate.
Hurry, hurry, it’s best if no one notices her…
But just then, a gentle voice rang out again beside Luo Xue’s ear, but only she could hear it.
“The Peerless Summit Sect is very far from here. Their disciples rarely enter the Demon Abyss through Ghost Demon Pass, unless they want to avoid the sect’s eyes and ears… You’re Luo Xue, the one with the Calamity Poison Body, right?”
Luo Xue froze and looked back in shock.
Master Wumu smiled faintly and nodded at her, returning her bow with a Buddhist greeting.
How did he know?
Could it be that the matters of the Peerless Summit Sect…
No, that was unlikely. Even the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall wouldn’t spread this information.
Perhaps… it was leaked by a spy.
The Immortal Ascension Gate was held every twelve years, with about a hundred disciples selected.
Although the Peerless Summit Sect often caught spies, there were always some who slipped through the net. As long as they didn’t transmit information casually, the chances of exposure were much lower.
It seemed that the nine sects of the Immortal Domain weren’t as harmonious as she had imagined.
“You’re mistaken, Master. I’m not a disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect, and I don’t know anyone named Luo Xue.”
Luo Xue said in a very low voice, confident that Master Wumu could hear her.
Master Wumu just smiled noncommittally, not caring about Luo Xue’s denial.
“If you go to the Demon Abyss, you will face a deadly tribulation,” his voice echoed only in Luo Xue’s ears, “An inescapable disaster, irreversible.”
Luo Xue frowned slightly, hesitating.
She didn’t know why Master Wumu knew her, nor did she understand his words, which sounded like both a warning and a prophecy.
But before Luo Xue could ask, the crowd surged around her.
People were crowding to enter the city, and Master Wumu’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Luo Xue could only suppress her doubts and enter Ghost Demon Pass with the crowd.
…
Inside Ghost Demon Pass, in an unnamed tea house.
“Hehe, even Wumu, that not-yet-bald-donkey, has come. It seems the Nine Sects of the Immortal Domain can’t sit still after all…”
A handsome man in white robes chuckled, lifting his teacup, a faint, gentle smile on his lips.
He leaned back casually in his chair, the dim sunlight streaming in from the window, adding a touch of holiness to his profile.
Anyone seeing this scene would be captivated by this refined and elegant young master.
“The Heavenly Cluster Sword Tomb is about to open. That’s a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for a Heaven-grade pill. If one seeks the Great Dao, how can they be satisfied with a mere Earth-grade pill.”
“The Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle in the Ghost Demon Pass auction is a good fourth-grade artifact for him.”
The woman sitting beside him spoke in a cold voice, a touch of alluring crimson between her brows, and one of her eyes was even scarlet.
Looking closely, one could see a hidden depth within that scarlet eye.
—Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan, prodigies of the Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City, both at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Like Master Wumu, they were also here for the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle.
As the name suggested, this artifact was a perfect fit for Sima Ye, Shangguan Lengyan, and Master Wumu.
It was rumored that this artifact was originally a seventh-grade artifact of the Silent Temple, the “Vajra Subduing Pestle,” which could only be used by Nascent Soul cultivators and above.
But in the previous Immortal-Demon War, it was contaminated by a powerful demonic cultivator of the Demonic Ghost City, becoming the current fourth-grade artifact, the “Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle,” and was lost on the battlefield.
Now that it had reappeared, it naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially from the Silent Temple and the Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City.
Even after being contaminated, the Buddhist cultivators of the Silent Temple could still wield its power, but so could the Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City.
Moreover, because it was a degraded seventh-grade artifact, the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle possessed many functions that ordinary fourth-grade artifacts couldn’t achieve. Its power was close to that of a fifth-grade artifact, but still within the range of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Therefore, Sima Ye and Shangguan Lengyan wouldn’t let this artifact go.
“I wonder if Liu Qingyu of the Everspring Pavilion is currently in Ghost Demon Pass. Her poison is quite troublesome.” Sima Ye examined his teacup, his eyes narrowed slightly. “If she’s not here, let that bald donkey take the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle. We’ll just snatch it from him.”
“It’s hard to say,” Shangguan Lengyan’s expression was serious, or rather, her expression had always been the same. “Wumu is skilled in divination. He wouldn’t take this risk without being certain.”
“Moreover, his Acala Scripture has already reached the sixth level, Immovable as a Mountain. Even if we join forces, it would be difficult to snatch something from him.”
“No matter how difficult, we must try.” A sharp glint flashed through Sima Ye’s eyes, and the teacup in his hand silently turned to dust. “That little girl who recently arrived at the Temple of the Nether Spirit… will definitely be our greatest enemy in the Heavenly Cluster Sword Tomb!”
“You and I, for the sake of forming a Heaven-grade pill, have suppressed our cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment for many years, yet we are still no match for her.”
“Only by obtaining the Evil Ghost Subduing Pestle can we have a chance.”
The shadow cast by the Holy Maiden of the Temple of the Nether Spirit loomed not only over the younger generation of the Immortal Domain’s nine sects but also over the prodigies of the Demon Abyss’s four domains.
Because Su Yiyao knew that Ah Chou’s physique was that of a demonic cultivator, if she reincarnated, she would most likely be a demonic cultivator. Therefore, she had made more moves in the Demon Abyss, and it could be said that this generation of prodigies in the Demon Abyss had a deeper understanding of her.
The image of Ah Chou that she conjured in others’ eyes wasn’t just a picture, but also carried the aura of the Xuanyin Phoenix Transformation Scripture.
As long as someone had come into contact with a Xuanyin Phoenix Transformation Scripture cultivator other than her, there would be a reaction.
But so far, she had found nothing.
“By the way, what about the little girl Wumu helped at the city gate?” Shangguan Lengyan’s scarlet eyes flickered with a hidden light. “I heard that Wumu is known for his compassion. If we can take that little girl hostage, perhaps…”
“You’re counting on that? Don’t tell me you really think those bald donkeys of the Silent Temple are like the Buddhist monks of the mortal world?” Sima Ye sneered. “Especially that little bald donkey Wumu, his hypocrisy is no less than mine.”
Shangguan Lengyan’s brow twitched slightly. Senior Brother Sima, you don’t have to insult yourself when insulting others…
“Speaking of which, for that bald donkey to reveal his identity and help that slave girl seems deliberate, as if he’s trying to convey some message.” Sima Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. “Of course… we can ask her ourselves.”
Shangguan Lengyan nodded, about to capture Luo Xue.
But Sima Ye raised his hand and stopped her.
“Wait, we can’t do it ourselves. That bald donkey is skilled in divination. I’m worried he might have set a trap.”
Shangguan Lengyan looked at Sima Ye.
“What if our inaction is also within his divination?”
“…”
Sima Ye froze.
This line of thinking seemed to have reached a dead end…
“Moreover, the Evil Ghost lineage of the Demonic Ghost City has no foundation in Ghost Demon Pass. Even we are concealing our identities.” Shangguan Lengyan said. “That girl’s cultivation is at most early Innate Realm, most likely a cauldron whose cultivation was boosted by pills. Do we really need to be so cautious?”
“No, no, Junior Sister, what I mean is, we don’t have to do it ourselves. We can have someone else do it.” A smile appeared on Sima Ye’s lips. “This is Ghost Demon Pass. With money, you can have anything you want…”
“Do you think five Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills is too much for a little Innate Realm brat?”
…
“It can be exchanged for twenty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills.”
The alchemist glanced at the spirit stones on the table, piled together in various sizes, emitting a soft glow, their faint spiritual energy refreshing.
“But, these spirit stones of mine should be worth fifty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills…” Luo Xue said weakly.
After this period of understanding, Luo Xue finally realized that within Ghost Demon Pass, they didn’t recognize spirit stones, only Qi Condensation Pills.
She couldn’t spend the spirit stones she had.
And along the way, Luo Xue had already noticed many greedy gazes secretly watching her, even when she took out a few spirit stones worth less than a hundred basic Qi Condensation Pills.
“If these people knew about the storage ring on my hand and the things inside, they would go crazy…”
For a time, Luo Xue became like Li Guijiao, paranoid and suspicious, feeling like everyone wanted to harm her.
Li Guijiao’s symptoms were indeed contagious…
This couldn’t continue. Everything in Ghost Demon Pass required Qi Condensation Pills. Without them, she couldn’t even find out how to get to the Demon Abyss.
Therefore, Luo Xue found an alchemy shop that offered Qi Condensation Pill exchange services, intending to exchange her spirit stones.
But the alchemist in the shop, seeing Luo Xue’s pathetic appearance, decided to take advantage of her, directly reducing the value of her spirit stones by 60%.
Luo Xue had already calculated that even after deducting the consumption and the alchemist’s fee, she should at least receive fifty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills.
If the alchemist wanted a higher fee and offered forty pills, Luo Xue could still accept it, after all, less trouble was better.
But now, directly reducing it to twenty…
“Heh, where did you learn to calculate? This is Ghost Demon Pass,” the alchemist said arrogantly, not hiding his disdain for Luo Xue. “In Ghost Demon Pass, we follow the rules of Ghost Demon Pass!”
“I say twenty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills, it’s twenty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills!”
Luo Xue hesitated slightly and reached out to take back her spirit stones.
“Then I won’t exchange them!”
“Hmm? You think you can just back out? Do you think this alchemy shop is your home?”
The alchemist swatted Luo Xue’s hand away and put the spirit stones into his pouch.
Then he took out twenty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills and tossed them at Luo Xue. The pills scattered on the ground, attracting many greedy gazes.
“Hahaha, pick them up quickly, and take a good look. You won’t see them again once you leave!” The alchemist’s face was filled with mockery and disdain. “You should be grateful for the rules of the alchemy shop. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to leave!”
He assumed Luo Xue was just an escaped slave, without any background or backing.
Even if she exchanged them for fifty Yellow-rank Qi Condensation Pills, she would be robbed after leaving the alchemy shop.
Rather than having them all stolen, it was better to… take a portion for himself.
Luo Xue rubbed her numb hands, her expression darkening.
She hadn’t expected that her deliberate disguise, instead of concealing her, had attracted the attention of predators.
Everyone wanted to take advantage of her.
Was this the true world of cultivation…
Luo Xue’s mind lingered on the Foundation Establishment talismans in her storage ring, wondering if it would be worth it to cause a huge explosion here.
Just then, the door of the alchemy shop was kicked open, followed by a series of hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha… This is a robbery! Nobody move!”
Leave a Reply