Chapter 312 - 269: Traveling the Red Dust, Meeting Mo Li Again

Chapter 312: Chapter 269: Traveling the Red Dust, Meeting Mo Li Again

He soared contentedly through the vast expanse of stars!

Exhilarating!

...

One day, Xu Chang’an was passing by an ordinary mountain peak.

Hm!?

Although Xu Chang’an hadn’t deliberately released his Demon Sense, he still caught a trace of hostility.

"Suspicious Cultivator spotted!"

A Divine Sense transmission shot through the air, which Xu Chang’an intercepted with ease.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Figures shot toward him at high speed.

In a mere moment, they had him surrounded.

There were nine figures in total.

Three Core Formation Zhenren and six Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

Xu Chang’an sized up the Cultivators before him, a look of surprise on his face.

After the Human Race Cultivators surrounded Xu Chang’an, they exchanged mocking glances, as if they had just caught a Demonic Cultivator on the run.

"Fellow Daoist Xu!?"

A voice suddenly cut through the air, startlingly abrupt.

An Early-stage Core Formation Cultivator was staring at Xu Chang’an, his expression a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

"Master Mo!"

Xu Chang’an gave a faint smile.

The man was none other than Mo Li.

He was an Elder of the Cyan Yang Immortal Sect and had known Xu Chang’an for many years back in Qingyang Immortal City.

"Elder Mo, you know him?"

An old man in a black, mystic-patterned robe asked, his brows furrowed.

This elder made no effort to conceal his Cultivation, his powerful aura radiating outward unrestrained.

He was a Mid-stage Core Formation Zhenren.

Mo Li looked at the elder in the black, mystic-patterned robe, his tone slightly deferential.

"Elder Cao, I have known Fellow Daoist Xu for many years. I can guarantee that he is absolutely not a Demonic Cultivator! Could we please let him leave?"

"Oh!?"

The black-robed elder, addressed as Elder Cao, sneered.

"Elder Mo, if this Fellow Daoist Xu has been your acquaintance for so many years, I wonder, what is his Cultivation level?"

Mo Li looked at the youthful boy before him. A hundred years had passed since they last met, yet his face was unchanged. Mo Li hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Early-stage Core Formation!"

"Elder Mo, let me remind you! Over a hundred years ago, after the upheaval in the Cyan Yang Secret Realm, the Sect rallied Cultivators from all corners to suppress the Netherworld Mountain Range and strike at the Demon Race! Our Human Race won a great victory! But while we fought, our home front was left vulnerable, and the Demonic Sects exploited it. Since then, Demonic Cultivators have run rampant, severely undermining the Sect’s foundations! Surely, you are aware of this!?"

Elder Cao’s voice suddenly rose, his tone sharp and accusatory.

"Elder Mo! If he is truly a Core Formation Zhenren, why would he conceal his Cultivation and disguise himself as a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator? Who would believe he isn’t hiding a guilty conscience? Even if he isn’t a Demonic Cultivator himself, he must be connected to them!"

Elder Cao’s tone was malicious, instantly branding Xu Chang’an.

Hearing this, Mo Li forced a smile as he faced Elder Cao.

"Elder Cao, Fellow Daoist Xu used to conduct his Alchemy business on Cyan Lotus Mountain, just outside the Immortal City! He is a decent, law-abiding man. I can vouch for his character! He would never get involved with Demonic Sects."

"Elder Mo! You may know his face, but you can’t know his heart. Perhaps he was law-abiding then, but that may not be true now! A hundred years ago, when did the Demonic Cultivators ever dare to run so rampant? And look at us today! Are we not here, rushing about, precisely because of this Demon Dao menace?"

Elder Cao was growing impatient.

Mo Li opened his mouth but was left speechless.

It was now obvious that Elder Cao was desperate for merit and was determined to pin the label of Demonic Cultivator on Xu Chang’an, no matter what.

With Demonic Cultivators running rampant, any capture, big or small, counted as a meritorious achievement for the Sect.

Capturing an Early-stage Core Formation Demonic Cultivator would be a significant contribution indeed!

The other Early-stage Core Formation Cultivator and the remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators all remained silent.

They clearly had the same idea!

They had been out hunting Demonic Cultivators for a long time but had only managed to capture a few at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment realm. It was hardly a great haul.

The day to report back to the Sect and switch shifts was fast approaching. If they didn’t make any significant progress, it wouldn’t just be an issue of lacking merit.

Returning empty-handed like this would be a complete loss of face!

So, when an unknown Independent Practitioner with no background appeared out of nowhere, how could they possibly let him go?

Killing the innocent to claim false merit wasn’t something that only happened in the mortal world!

"Do it!"

Seeing that Mo Li remained silent, Elder Cao barked the order.

The Cultivators on the scene immediately summoned their Magical Artifacts and Magical Treasures!

A brilliant assortment of Magical Artifacts and Magical Treasures, shimmering with Spiritual Light, were all aimed directly at Xu Chang’an.

Mo Li hovered in mid-air, a pained expression on his face, but he didn’t make a move.

Elder Cao shot him a glance but paid him no mind.

Between them, they had one Mid-stage Core Formation, one Early-stage Core Formation, and six Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As members of a proper Sect, their combat prowess was far beyond that of their peers. They were more than enough to deal with a single Early-stage Core Formation Loose Cultivator.

It didn’t matter whether Mo Li participated or not!

"Surrender now and we won’t kill you! We’ll escort you back to the Sect, where you might have a chance to atone for your crimes and start anew! Otherwise... once we start fighting, Magical Treasures have no eyes! Whether you live or die will be out of our hands!"

Elder Cao barked coldly at Xu Chang’an.

Mo Li looked at the young boy in the distance, who had remained utterly serene from start to finish, and felt a sense of relief.

’If Fellow Daoist Xu surrenders and is escorted back to the Sect, then with his Alchemy Skills, plus a little maneuvering on my part, he should be able to get through this safely!’

"Master Mo, thank you for speaking up for me!"

Xu Chang’an said with a smile, giving Mo Li a cupped-fist salute.

Elder Cao and the other Cultivators all assumed Xu Chang’an was finally giving in.

After all, he hadn’t summoned a Magical Treasure. It was a clear sign of surrender.

Given the circumstances, he had no choice but to yield!

Unless he had a death wish!

Seeing this, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the scene collectively relaxed.

They had the absolute advantage, but they were still facing a Core Formation Zhenren.

If a battle broke out and he launched a desperate, last-ditch counterattack, they couldn’t be certain they would all escape unharmed.

"I wonder what the rest of you fellow daoists think?"

Xu Chang’an asked with a calm, unhurried smile.

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the faces of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators and the other Core Formation Zhenren.

Among the group, only one Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a man in a white robe, glanced at Mo Li, looking as though he wanted to speak but held his tongue.

None of the others replied, but the Magical Artifacts and Magical Treasures shimmering with Spiritual Treasure Light in the air were answer enough.

"Cut the crap! One more word out of you and we’ll kill you where you stand!"

Elder Cao had run out of patience.

"Alright, I understand now."

Xu Chang’an broke into a brilliant smile.

He slowly extended a single finger and gently pressed it down.

BOOM!

With the exception of Mo Li, every other Cultivator present felt a colossal, irresistible force crash down upon their bodies.

It crushed not only their physical forms but also their Divine Sense.

"Farewell."

Xu Chang’an’s outstretched finger curled slightly, and then...

POP!

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator exploded into a mist of blood.

POP! POP! POP!...

Elder Cao felt an unimaginable power erupt from within him, and then his consciousness faded to black.

"I..."

His thoughts froze at that single word. There was no time for any further reflection.

In an instant, of the nine Cultivators who had been there, only two remained alive.

One was Mo Li, and the other was the white-robed Cultivator.

"Xu..."

Mo Li’s pupils contracted, his face a mask of shock and terror. He couldn’t stop himself from staggering backward.

The white-robed Cultivator’s reaction was even more pronounced than Mo Li’s.

The scene before them was so surreal they couldn’t process it.

"In light of your hesitation just now, I will spare your life today."

Xu Chang’an’s gaze swept indifferently over the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the white robe.

SWISH!

With a slight lift of his hand, Xu Chang’an collected the spoils of the battlefield.

"Master Mo, we’ll meet again if fate wills it!"

Xu Chang’an smiled and nodded at Mo Li, then turned into an Escape Light and flew off at a leisurely pace.

A Jade Pendant, shimmering with a faint light, was left hovering in mid-air.

Long after watching Xu Chang’an depart, Mo Li and the white-robed Cultivator remained frozen, not daring to move.

After a long time, Mo Li finally stirred and took the Jade Pendant.

When he probed it with his Divine Sense, he felt an indescribably immense power contained within!

He had never encountered such power before.

"Elder Mo... what do we do now!?"

Breathing in the thick stench of blood, the white-robed Cultivator looked at Mo Li, his face a picture of profound relief.

If he hadn’t hesitated a moment ago out of respect for Elder Mo, he would have undoubtedly shared the others’ fate, reduced to a mist of blood.

"We return to the Sect and report exactly what happened."

Mo Li gazed in the direction Xu Chang’an had departed.

"Master Xu, the Immortal City’s Demon Hunting Festival is in a few months. How about it? Are you interested in participating?"

"Master Mo, I specialize in the matter of Alchemy. My combat prowess is negligible, so I’m afraid I won’t be participating in this Demon Hunting Festival."

The memory from all those years ago resurfaced in his mind as if it were only yesterday.

His heart filled with unspeakable shock and lingering fear, and... profound relief!

If not for his chance encounter with Xu Chang’an all those years ago, he would likely have shared Elder Cao’s fate today.

Was he a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, or...

...a Divinity Transformation old monster amusing himself in the mortal realm!