Chapter 110: I’ve Never Worried About This

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: I’ve Never Worried About This

Liu Chen didn’t believe the Three Immortal Sects would fail to identify who had claimed the pillar of light. Thus, he needed some insurance. His identity as both a Purple Cloud Valley disciple and a Second Grade Spirit Chef was certainly enough to bargain with a Meridian Passage Realm cultivator.

Although the Second Prince definitely had to die, who knew what special communication methods the Black Feather Dynasty possessed? Besides, to kill Yu Haoxi, he would have to make use of this half-dead guard anyway.

Liu Chen didn’t know if the Purification Technique could dispel the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark, so he needed to experiment. Based on his previous observation, only the person who dealt the final blow to a Prince would be marked. That made this half-dead Personal Guard the perfect test subject.

"That’s certainly hard to refuse."

Yu Haoxi fell silent. Second Grade Spirit Chefs were on their kill list. Anyone who killed a Second Grade Spirit Chef would receive a massive amount of resources and be sent to a distant place to cultivate in peace.

If someone killed a Second Grade Spirit Chef without exposing themselves, it could only be the Crown Prince of the Black Feather Dynasty.

Unfortunately, no one had yet discovered the whereabouts of a Second Grade Spirit Chef. He himself had heard rumors of one, but that person was supposedly at death’s door.

"Kill me, and you might get an extra serving of Spiritual Cuisine, Senior."

Yu Haoxi reached out, and the Spirit Sword on the ground flew back into his hand. His eyes were filled with resolve. If he died, this Meridian Passage Early Stage cultivator would be targeted by the Black Feather Dynasty. Trading his life at the Body Tempering Peak for that of a Meridian Passage Early Stage expert—he certainly wouldn’t be losing out.

"That’s what I was thinking, too."

Liu Chen nodded. Using the Divine Movement Technique, he instantly appeared behind Yu Haoxi and struck his lumbar spine with a palm infused with Spiritual Power.

Yu Haoxi’s lower body abruptly exploded into a bloody mist, while his upper half was sent flying toward the half-dead Personal Guard.

"Senior, you may be planning to have my guard kill me to avoid the mark of Cyan Eagle Crying Blood, but it can be triggered before death!"

Lying wretchedly on the ground, Yu Haoxi had a smile on his face. The bloody mist from his exploded body began to gather, slowly forming a Cyan Eagle within the tent. As this happened, Yu Haoxi’s complexion grew weaker and weaker. A Prince could also form the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark at the cost of their own life force.

Even in death, he would ensure this Senior, who could have reached a much higher Realm, would be hunted by the Black Feather Dynasty until his dying day.

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. ’This is unexpected. Still, this has been a valuable lesson. It would be a real problem if I ran into this situation with another, more prepared Prince.’

Seeing the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark about to form, Liu Chen strode forward, slamming the dying guard’s severed torso onto the mark before vanishing into the shadows.

Witnessing this, Yu Haoxi closed his eyes in indignation. As the last shred of his life force vanished, the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark was complete.

The wailing Cyan Eagle hovered in the tent. The Personal Guard who had made contact with the mark was not branded, yet the Cyan Eagle Crying Blood didn’t pursue Liu Chen into the shadows.

This continued for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Then, just before dissipating, the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark settled onto the only living Personal Guard in the area.

From the shadows, Liu Chen witnessed the entire event. He still waited for a short while longer before reappearing in the tent.

Once he was certain the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark wouldn’t target him again, Liu Chen left the tent and began to clean up the area. The Black Feather Dynasty’s reputation was a powerful deterrent, and Liu Chen planned to use the Second Prince’s presumed presence to cultivate here openly.

There was little wind and sand inside the rift valley, and there was even a hot spring behind it. It would be difficult to find such a suitable place for seclusion in Fire Dragon Valley.

After burying all the remains in a deep pit, Liu Chen dismantled the other tent and cleaned this one with the Purification Technique, completing his disguise.

Back inside the tent, Liu Chen began to study the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark. After finding the mark on the dying Personal Guard’s right hand, Liu Chen attempted to strip it away using the Purification Technique.

A few breaths later, a Cyan Eagle Blood Mark appeared before Liu Chen. Compared to before, this mark looked miniature, and the Spiritual Power remaining within it was gradually depleting. However, based on Liu Chen’s earlier observation, the mark would absorb a portion of a Cultivator’s Spiritual Power to ensure its own longevity while inside a body.

Liu Chen crushed a Spirit Stone, letting the Spiritual Qi it released flow into the mark. Then, he took out a sheet of white paper and used the Solid Spirit Technique to brand the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark—which was essentially made of blood and Spiritual Power—onto the paper.

’Maybe I should find Nangong Ye and give him this Cyan Eagle Blood Mark?’

Having confirmed that the Cyan Eagle Blood Mark was now preserved, Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. ’Come to think of it, I don’t really have any true enemies in this trial. The Nangong Family isn’t fundamentally an enemy of mine.’

’My master’s wife’s task regarding the Soul Slave refined by Nangong Mu should be considered complete. There’s no need to target Nangong Ye any further.’

After disposing of the Personal Guard’s body, Liu Chen spent the time it takes an incense stick to burn to move the tent near the hot spring.

After finishing all this, Liu Chen studied the pillar of light before him. After some thought, he decided against activating it immediately.

’Since everyone seems to like activating their pillars of light at night, I might as well go with the flow.’

「Nightfall」

In the middle of his cultivation, Liu Chen slowly opened his eyes. He shot his Token directly into the pillar of light at the center of the hot spring, then resumed cultivating.

In the night, pillars of light rose one after another, heralding that Fire Dragon Valley was destined for a turbulent night.

「Outside Fire Dragon Valley, aboard a Flying Ship.」

Mo Xuan and the Sect Leader of Purple Cloud Valley sat facing each other. Liu Chen’s name had just appeared on the Array Plate between them.

"You can rest easy now. Your disciple is alive and well."

The Sect Leader breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Liu Chen’s name again. If this Second Grade Spirit Chef had died just like that, the loss to Purple Cloud Valley would have been too great.

"I was never worried about that."

Mo Xuan had indeed breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t want to show it in front of the Sect Leader.

"Fair enough. But there’s something you should know. The Soul Lamps for all the youths from the Nangong Family who entered the trial have gone out. That disciple of yours from the Ye Family is now completely free."

The Sect Leader rolled his eyes at Mo Xuan. ’If you weren’t worried, why are you here staring at the trial instead of accompanying your Daoist partner? I never see you put this much effort into handling the affairs of Purple Bamboo Peak on a normal day.’

"The engagement was called off long ago. She was already free."

Mo Xuan nodded, though he was still shaken by the news. He didn’t know exactly why it had happened, but he recalled the task his Daoist partner had given Liu Chen. ’This incident almost certainly has something to do with him.’

"Setting that aside, according to our liaisons from the Black Feather Dynasty’s Royal Family, the Second Prince was confirmed dead a short while ago. Only three Princes are still active in Fire Dragon Valley."

The Sect Leader gazed toward Fire Dragon Valley. It was no secret among the higher-ups that the Black Feather Dynasty’s Royal Family would participate in this trial, but this information was not disclosed to the disciples taking part.

The hostility was real, but so was the cooperation. This was the fundamental reason why there had been no large-scale conflict between the two sides.