Chapter 96: Be Careful After You Go Inside

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Be Careful After You Go Inside

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Liu Chen understood what was going on as soon as he heard the trial’s details. The Array Plates came from Purple Cloud Valley, but judging from the situation just now, the Spirit Stones were pooled together by all the factions.

Perhaps some families hadn’t participated yet, but after securing a spot, they would either have to sell it or provide the corresponding Spirit Stones.

This would likely give the Loose Cultivators inside Fire Dragon Valley more opportunities. The pillars of light had to be contested, and the Loose Cultivators already inside Fire Dragon Valley held a natural advantage.

In this process, they would interact with the various Noble Families and even the Inner Sects of the Three Immortal Sects. By then, a Loose Cultivator might not remain a Loose Cultivator. Liu Chen still remembered the Servant position his junior sister had wanted.

It was foreseeable that after this, some Loose Cultivators would surely become Servants to Inner Sect Disciples. If the situation allowed, Liu Chen could also make such an arrangement, having someone keep an eye out for things for him in the Marketplace.

However, that was something to worry about later. Liu Chen’s only thought now was to complete the trial properly. If he happened to run into any members of the Nangong Family, he would deal with them along the way.

If not, there was no need to force it. After entering Fire Dragon Valley, his first priority was to find a relatively stable place to break through to the next Realm.

"What’s there to thank me for? Just be careful after you go in."

Yang Haichen waved his hand. He was more concerned about Liu Chen’s safety than whether he himself could gain an advantage in Fire Dragon Valley. If something happened to Liu Chen, putting aside how great a loss it would be for Purple Cloud Valley, his life might return to how it was before he had access to Spiritual Cuisine.

Half an hour passed quietly.

"The trial officially begins!"

A powerful voice echoed throughout the outskirts of Fire Dragon Valley. Immediately after, the Array above Fire Dragon Valley began to glow, and the Token in Liu Chen’s hand lit up.

Liu Chen glanced around and saw he wasn’t an exception. Some of his fellow sect members were already enveloped in orbs of light, transforming into streaks of light that descended into Fire Dragon Valley.

’According to convention, the longer the preparation time, the farther the teleportation distance.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. In an instant, the Token in his hand shot up, carrying him on the wind straight toward Fire Dragon Valley.

After flying for some distance, Liu Chen suddenly stopped and his body plummeted downward.

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The unique specialty of Fire Dragon Valley wasn’t fire dragons, but the roaring, blazing inferno. Formidable waves of heat and flame surged from the volcano, illuminating the entire valley.

The most dangerous part of the volcano was its crater. Searing hot lava flowed rapidly within the confined space, the heat brushing against a Cultivator’s body like a merciless blade of ice, causing dizziness and disorientation.

But at the same time, it was also the best place for Cultivators to seek opportunities.

Liu Chen stood near the edge of the crater, looking down at the vast expanse of lava below. As the lava churned, it emitted heart-pounding fluctuations of Spiritual Power.

This was a small volcano, not even as large as the bamboo forest on the back mountain, and it wasn’t a safe place. Liu Chen hadn’t left because, amidst the roiling lava below, there was a crimson-red bamboo stalk.

A single stalk of crimson bamboo, emitting intense Spiritual Power fluctuations, even stronger than the specially cultivated Cyan Bamboo on Purple Bamboo Peak.

Liu Chen didn’t know what kind of bamboo it was, but since he had seen it, he certainly wouldn’t miss out on such a treasure.

However, just as Liu Chen was about to take it, his Spiritual Sense detected the arrival of a Body Tempering Late Stage Cultivator. The man wasn’t carrying a Token, so he was clearly a Loose Cultivator who had entered Fire Dragon Valley in advance.

"Junior from Purple Cloud Valley, it’s your bad luck to run into me."

Liu Chen’s heart stirred. He was about to speak when he suddenly heard a deafening, hoarse voice from behind, like sand grinding against iron.

Liu Chen’s Spiritual Sense perceived scorching crimson Spiritual Power rising from the man’s withered palm, faintly outlining a ferocious dragon’s claw. It surged closer like a tsunami, aimed straight for his vitals.

’A traitor to Purple Cloud Valley, huh? Then there’s no burden in killing you.’

Liu Chen’s starry eyes narrowed slightly. A cold glint flashed as a streak of cyan light shot out from his Storage Ring. The sword hummed, clear as a Dragon’s Roar, and the three-foot-long cyan blade, like a crescent moon tearing through the sky, landed steadily in his palm.

The mountain wind swept across the stone platform. As his wide sleeves billowed, Liu Chen abruptly spun around. The sword’s edge moved like a swimming dragon emerging from the sea, blooming a line of cinnabar across the traitor’s throat.

The traitor’s eyes flew wide as if to burst. Before his purplish lips could even twitch, his head was already spinning into the air, carrying with it a torrent of resentment. It tumbled into the crimson lava with a SIZZLE, sending up a plume of acrid, black smoke.

The fuller of the blade was unstained by even a speck of dust. Liu Chen slung the Cyan Steel Sword directly onto his back.

Liu Chen’s hand seals changed. He instantly cast the Soul Crossing Technique, purifying the traitor’s newly formed Ghost Soul. Then, he used the Artifact Manipulation Technique to strip the man’s clothes and belongings from his body.

Liu Chen put the traitor’s Storage Ring on his own hand, then kicked the corpse into the lava.

Several streaks of cyan Sword Qi sliced through the lava, severing the roots of the crimson bamboo within. Liu Chen then used the Artifact Manipulation Technique to guide the Red Bamboo to his side. He used the Recovery Technique to mend the wounds caused by the Sword Qi, and the Solid Spirit Technique to prevent the Red Bamboo’s Spiritual Power from dissipating.

After completing these preparations, Liu Chen placed the Red Bamboo into a brocade box and put it into his Storage Ring.

Liu Chen left with a leisurely stride. He found a deserted spot and used the Purification Technique to wash the traitor’s clothes, then hung them up to dry.

He put the Cyan Steel Sword into his Storage Ring and took out the Snowflake Sword he had bought from the Black Market. Once the clothes were dry, Liu Chen changed into the ill-fitting outfit and set off into the distance.

He hadn’t gone far when he saw a man-made cave-dwelling. To be more precise, it looked less like it was carved and more like a hole had been forcibly punched into the volcano’s rock wall.

Liu Chen drew the Snowflake Sword from his back and slowly walked into the cave. After rounding two bends, he saw five meditation cushions. Besides those, the cave contained some ordinary utensils and some Spirit Beast pelts.

’Five people?’

Liu Chen sheathed the Snowflake Sword. He was certain that the people living here were not Cultivators of the Meridian Passage Realm. Throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, those in the Meridian Passage Realm held a relatively high status, and Fire Dragon Valley would be no exception.

Not to mention, the Three Immortal Sects would surely make preparations before the trial. This meant the status of Meridian Passage Realm Cultivators within Fire Dragon Valley would be even higher; they would never live in a place like this.

Liu Chen pushed the five cushions aside and took out the Jade Sea Pearl. This Body Protection Magical Artifact, which he had traded from an Inner Sect Disciple for Spiritual Cuisine, was even stronger than the one he’d gotten from a True Disciple. Other Magical Artifacts had to be actively triggered, but the Jade Sea Pearl also had a passive defense capability, provided it had enough Spiritual Power.

Liu Chen poured out a hundred Spirit Stones and fed them all into the Jade Sea Pearl. An azure curtain of Spiritual Power enveloped the area where he sat.

With the safe zone established, Liu Chen sat down on the spot and began cultivating the Meridian Passage Technique, preparing to officially step into the Meridian Passage Realm.

At the crater where Liu Chen had killed the Purple Cloud Valley traitor, four figures stared silently at the empty lava below.

"Third Brother is probably dead. I hope it wasn’t an Inner Sect Disciple from Purple Cloud Valley who did it."