Chapter 821: Understanding This Is Fortune Is Enough

Chapter 821: Chapter 821: Understanding This Is Fortune Is Enough

Central Continent, Golden Light Gorge.

A waterfall cascaded down as though poured from the heavens themselves, its thunderous collision so loud it set the air vibrating. A thin veil of mist rose from the impact, and a great sun blazed above, scattering golden light like molten gold.

Bai Xuanling stood with her arms crossed beside the waterfall, gazing upward. Her tone carried a teasing lilt:

"Sometimes fate really is impossible to predict. Your eldest disciple’s work is genuinely astonishing. Back when Lu Xuan said your eldest disciple was blessed with heaven’s fortune, I thought he was just shamelessly flattering you. But now it seems that brat Lu Xuan may have actually picked up a thing or two from the Tianyan Divination Art."

Chu Xingchen, also in a white robe, sat on a flat stone by the bank. Hearing this, he could only smile helplessly.

After the deputy had met with Chu Xingchen, there was naturally no chance of him slipping away from the immortal sect’s surveillance. They couldn’t follow him around the clock, of course, but where he went and who he met — that was all well within their intelligence grasp.

Li Yingling, after sorting out the ’One Big Happy Family’ matters, had resumed leading Li Xingtian to handle the vacant positions, keeping herself busy in the process.

The matter Chu Xingchen was currently handling was classified at the highest tier of secrecy. Its contents were temporarily not shared with Li Yingling, yet somehow Li Yingling had managed to track down the very deputy Chu Xingchen had met — through channels he couldn’t even fathom.

The sheer inexplicability of it gave Chu Xingchen goosebumps. All his days of preparation and waiting had accomplished less than his eldest disciple’s casual snare.

If he’d just let Li Yingling handle everything, he might have caught the Black Crow Sect Master without expending any effort at all.

Still, it was fortunate they’d found a contact through the deputy. According to the intelligence, this contact was the master of Eight Directions Valley. The connection wasn’t severed — the message would at least reach the Black Crow Sect Master.

Chu Xingchen had looked into Eight Directions Valley. Its reputation was spotless, and its valley master was so aggressively charitable he was practically a living saint.

Who could have guessed he’d be connected to the Evil Spirit Sect?

How many sects in this world, one had to wonder, were like Eight Directions Valley — outwardly righteous and benevolent, yet inwardly controlled by the Evil Spirit Sect?

"My eldest disciple’s fortune goes without question," Chu Xingchen said in a languid tone. "Otherwise, how else would she have found a master like me — utterly without peer in all the world?"

Bai Xuanling raised a hand slightly, and a water dragon surged from the earth, hurtling toward Chu Xingchen:

"That face of yours is getting a bit too thick. Let me wash it for you."

Chu Xingchen pressed a hand downward, and the incoming water dragon burst into a spray of droplets. He grinned:

"My face is so delicate it bleeds at the slightest touch. A water dragon that size is a bit much."

Bai Xuanling gave a soft hum, then asked:

"Your eldest disciple captured their deputy. With the wind howling through the grass, the Black Crow’s too spooked to come. Waiting here might just end up being for nothing."

Chu Xingchen shrugged indifferently. "A few more days won’t make a difference. Might as well rest up. The injuries from my fight with Xu Linglong that day haven’t fully healed yet."

Bai Xuanling eyed him with suspicion:

"You look flushed with blood energy and your spiritual power is steady. Where are these unhealed injuries?"

Chu Xingchen was about to answer when his expression suddenly turned grave. He exchanged a glance with Bai Xuanling, and both withdrew human-face masks from their spatial rings.

A thin, soft membrane like white clay was pressed against the face, and their features transformed into two completely different people — without the slightest ripple of spiritual energy.

Illusion techniques could achieve the same effect, but illusions carried the risk of being detected.

With the two artifact masks in place, Chu Xingchen raised a hand. A wisp of blood energy drifted outward.

Moments later, a figure shrouded in a black cloak swept in from the west, landing and bowing slightly. The deep hood shadowed his face.

Chu Xingchen cast a sidelong glance. A single look told him the black cloak incorporated techniques to block spiritual probing. He studied it for a moment, then spoke in a flat tone:

"The Black Crow Sect Master?"

"That is I. Are you... the Thirsting Blood True Lord — Senior Xu Si?"

"Oh?" The corner of Chu Xingchen’s mouth curled. "You actually found out my true identity. Must have taken quite some effort on your part."

At these words, the cloaked figure straightened and revealed half his face.

Chu Xingchen studied that half-face and noticed he too wore an artifact human-face mask — though its craftsmanship was far less refined and flawless than those forged by the Eighteen Immortal Sects’ master artificers. One glance was enough to give it away.

"Didn’t cost me too much effort," the cloaked figure said respectfully. "Coming to meet you, Senior, naturally required some preparation."

Answering that it had been difficult would make his side seem weak — unable even to gather intelligence properly. But saying it was easy risked sounding dismissive.

When evil cultivators met, every word had to be chosen with utmost care.

After all, the person across from you might take your life over a single wrong remark.

Chu Xingchen stepped closer, his tone turning cold: "Since you’re so prepared, I assume I made it clear — I wanted the real you in person. Coming here today with a substitute puppet and a spiritual-probing-blocking cloak, thinking I wouldn’t recognize you?"

"Or... are you underestimating me?"

Zhao Xuan dropped all pretense, pulling the black hood from his head to reveal a youthful face:

"Never underestimating. Though this is a substitute puppet, it carries my own spiritual consciousness — there’s no difference from my being here in the flesh. Everything I agree to here, Senior, is binding."

Chu Xingchen let out a derisive snort, his gaze turning frigid:

"I’d heard the Evil Spirit Sect’s Black Crow Sect Master was a blood-energy cultivator and thought he might have some nerve. That nickname ’Black Crow Runs-a-Lot’ — I didn’t pay it much mind at first, but now I see it’s rather apt."

"What I’m planning isn’t some petty game where we can just walk away if things go south."

"If you’re not prepared to put your life on the line, then get out of my sight."

"I’ll let this substitute puppet go today — consider it an elder looking out for a junior. Now scram!"

Zhao Xuan was silent for a moment, then spoke softly:

"I have only one question for you, Senior. Why should I trust what you’re holding?"

Chu Xingchen raised a hand and withdrew a blood-red prism crystal from his spatial ring. With a slight activation, a wisp of blood energy drifted forth — so pure it made Zhao Xuan’s spine go cold.

Zhao Xuan didn’t know how to describe this aura. No impurities. No contamination. Nothing wrong with it.

It was as pure as spiritual energy itself.

As though it were born naturally, not manufactured.

Chu Xingchen quickly retracted the prism crystal, his tone carrying a note of pride:

"Understand now?"

Zhao Xuan’s puppet nodded.

This level of blood energy, as pure as spiritual energy itself — this was likely the ultimate answer for any blood-energy cultivator seeking to reach Tribulation Transcendence.

The secret technique leaked in the intelligence — it must be the method for producing this kind of blood energy!

Now that he’d seen this genuine article, as real as anything could possibly be...

Zhao Xuan hesitated no more:

"Please wait for me a moment, Senior. My true body will arrive immediately."

Chu Xingchen’s eyes narrowed, his tone icy:

"I want to see the real Black Crow Sect Master. Not another counterfeit."

Zhao Xuan’s voice was resolute:

"With fortune of this magnitude, how could I entrust it to anyone else?"

Chu Xingchen nodded, satisfied:

"Good, good, good... As long as you understand this is a great fortune — that’s all that matters!"