Chapter 95 - 93 The Bizarre Scabbard l
“Comrades, please wait!”
Lu Xuan shouted joyfully at the three cultivators who were a dozen or so feet away.
After dealing with the sin bag, he had been rushing towards the outskirts of the Secret Land, moving away from the core area of the Secret Land.
Along the way, he’d been rather lucky, picking up a few spiritual medicines and even taking down a single first-grade demon beast that crossed his path.
However, he didn’t know how to leave the Secret Land. He’d been hoping to find a cultivator who was familiar with the place to guide him, and it was nearly an hour before he discovered these three cultivators.
Upon hearing Lu Xuan’s call, the three cultivators turned around. Their hands holding magic artifacts pulsated with spiritual power, their eyes filled with caution.
Lu Xuan approached them, stopping when he was about six or seven feet away. The three cultivators, two men and a woman, had cultivated up to the sixth and fifth levels of Qi cultivation. Dusty and weather-beaten, it was clear that they had spent quite some time in the Secret Land.
“Do not worry, comrades. I come with no ill intentions, but instead seek your assistance.”
Lu Xuan stood firm, stretching out his hands in a placating manner, speaking with kindness.
“Please speak, honored guest.”
The leading man, brandishing a black flying sword, spoke up.
“Originally, I was an ordinary Spirit Plant Master from Linyang Market, invited to gather some challenging spirit plants.”
“Unexpectedly, we were ambushed by the demon envoy en route and my fellow cultivators were slain one by one. I was lucky enough to escape with my life.”
“However, this is my first time in this newly developed Secret Land, and I lack any understanding of what lies within. Once I managed to escape, I had no idea how to leave the Secret Land. Could you three possibly assist me by showing me the way out? I will surely reward you with spirit stones as thanks.”
The three people looked at Lu Xuan, their spiritual sense probing him and revealing his four-level Qi cultivation status. Their gazes communicated discreetly with one another.
Years of silent agreement allowed the three to instantly understand each other’s thoughts.
“Friend Lu, your survival from such calamity suggests good fortune. We three were just about to leave the Secret Land, you can accompany us.”
The leading middle-aged cultivator responded cheerfully.
Lu Xuan expressed his thanks by clasping his hands together and following the trio.
“Friend Lu, are you wounded? How severe is it?”
Halfway through their journey, after getting to know each other a bit, the middle-aged cultivator inquired.
At this moment, Lu Xuan, who was following the trio, didn’t appear to be in the best of states. His face was pale, his steps unsteady, looking drained of energy.
“I’m alright, thank you for your concern. To throw off the demon envoy pursuers, I used a method that required the burning of my essence blood, which led to my current state. But I should recover soon.”
Lu Xuan explained. After taking a Blood Essence Pill, his own essence blood had recovered quite a bit, but on the surface he still looked somewhat weak.
“I see, I have a bottle of healing pills here. They should help to quickly restore your vitality and energy. Would you like to try them?”
The middle-aged cultivator took out a jade bottle from his storage bag, intending to throw it to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan quickly declined.
“Friend Lu, you are too formal.”
“Furthermore, I noticed that you have been maintaining a considerable distance from us three throughout our journey. Are you worried we might harm you?”
“Not at all. I just believe it’s best to maintain a safe distance. It sets both parties at ease.”
Lu Xuan explained.
“Your attitude is rather disheartening to us. Now that you’ve joined us, you should trust us, instead of remaining wary and suspicious.”
“Besides, the Secret Land is filled with demon beasts and the demon envoy appearing at all times. If you keep such a distance from us, and an accident happens, it might be too late for us to help.”
The patient lead cultivator spoke, and the other two nodded in agreement.
“Then… Should I come closer?”
Lu Xuan tentatively ventured, inching closer to the trio.
“I told you to maintain a safe distance, but you insisted on ignoring me.”
“Maintaining a safe distance was meant to protect you guys, not me!”
On the ground, three small piles of black ash were still warm. Lu Xuan threw down an Evil Banishing Talisman in the center of the triangle.
Pure aura dispersed, without causing any disturbances.
Lu Xuan was completely relieved, looking at the three storage bags in his hand.
Not long ago, the three people had lured him closer and suddenly attacked, but they were easily dealt with and incinerated into black ash by Lu Xuan, who had been prepared.
He naturally accepted the storage bags left behind by the three people with a grin.
“Narrow escape from death indeed brings good luck. Isn’t the good fortune here already?”
Lu Xuan’s mouth curled up, as he probed with his spiritual power into the storage bags.
“Bah, three paupers!”
There was not much left in the three storage bags – just over a hundred spirit stones, several elixirs and talismans, but mostly various demon beast materials, spiritual medicines, and spirit grass. However, their ranks were not high.
Altogether, they were far less valuable than the bag left by Li Jianfeng.
Deep within the Secret Land, stood a massive palace.
Over a dozen cultivators attacked the palace’s restriction crazily. The restriction was on the verge of collapse and seemed to break at any moment.
Among the group, the weakest was a high-grade Qi Practitioner. More than half were at the Completion Stage of Qi Practice, even the Wang family head, who was in the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, was among them.
The red-robed young woman, a Sect Disciple, stood in the corner. The four-eyed monster on her shoulder was staring intently into the distance with each pair of pupils, and it had two blood-colored teardrop marks on its bizarre face.
A cultivator in a black robe had several green-black little demons crawling all over him.
Next to him was a young man and woman dressed in snow-white clothing with a golden miniature sword embroidered on their cuffs. Each of them were controlling a flying sword, attacking the restriction.
After breaking through various formation restrictions, the Wang family, along with several other forces, finally succeeded in breaking into the last layer of restrictions.
Everyone speculated that the Secret Land was the cave residence left by a Late-term Foundation Establishment cultivator or even a Jindan Cultivator. Therefore, they were even more eager for the objects inside the palace.
Under the torrential attack, the restriction shattered with a bang, and several streams of light shot out from inside.
Everyone utilized their abilities to compete for the treasures contained within the light streams.
On the periphery of the Secret Land, Lu Xuan suddenly felt the Sword of Wind and Thunder Pill, which he nourished with spiritual power in his Dantian, lose control. The frequency and amplitude of its tremors increased, as if it would jump out of his Dantian at any moment.
“What’s going on?”
Lu Xuan was taken aback, this was the first time he encountered such a situation after getting the Sword of Wind and Thunder Pill.
Just then, a stream of light flew towards Lu Xuan from the horizon. Before he had time to react, the stream of light arrived swiftly, sticking to his chest.
An ancient scabbard closely adhered to his chest and was sliding down incessantly.
“There… isn’t allowed…”
Just as Lu Xuan planned to catch the scabbard that was increasingly sliding down, the scabbard automatically stopped at his Dantian.
“What is this thing?”
Lu Xuan grabbed the scabbard, and just when he was about to take a closer look, his complexion suddenly changed. Transparent threads on the surface of the Hidden Spirit Cloak he was wearing emerged and frantically wiggled about.
Lu Xuan’s figure instantly vanished from the spot.
In a blink of an eye, a sharp, mournful cry rang out from a distance. Before the sound died down, a blood cloud floated over.
The blood cloud was filled with malicious aura, which was almost substantive. A ferocious spiritual sense scanned the spot where the scabbard had disappeared.
“Huh?”
A light “Huh” came from inside the blood cloud. A blood-coloured skeleton popped out from it, looked towards the ground.
Pale flames flickered in the hollow eye sockets of the skeleton, casting an eerie light.
“Clearly sensed the presence of the scabbard here, but there’s no trace left behind. Where did it go?”
The blood-coloured skeleton returned to the blood cloud, drifting northward..