Chapter 186 – Clan Extermination
Although the experts had died, those qi layer disciples were still alive. Seeing that the events were far from encouraging, each and every one of them began to flee. Unfortunately, under the spiritual awareness imprint of the old tree demon, they hadn’t even run a few miles before they were captured by Yang Chen and his group, who were flying on flying swords. Within less than half a day, all seven of them were lying down in front of Yang Chen and other two.
Yang Chen didn’t have to use any tricks to deal with these people, just looking at the corpses of the three JieDan stage experts had already scared them stiff. Each and every one of them started talking about all of the different matters in their clan for the last few years, to save their lives. As for the location of the clan, obtaining it was as easy as pie.
“Surprisingly, some mysterious person also knew that master sealed her cultivation and is training in a water attributed cultivation method!”
After obtaining their confessions and confirming it, Yang Chen snorted:
“It seems that there is still someone inside the Pure Yang Palace who wants something to happen to us!”
Gao Yue wrinkled her brows, forming a knot. Surprisingly this matter also involved someone from the Pure Yang Palace. It was not just a simple matter about the sect’s reputation, instead it was a great problem inside of the sect.
“Should we notify the Palace Master?”
Gongsun Ling looked from Yang Chen to Gao Yue and could not help but ask.
“Don’t be so hasty!”
Yang Chen easily sealed the five senses of the qi layer clansmen whom they had apprehended and put them into the Medicine Garden. Then he clapped his hands:
“We will arrest those clansmen and their chief and then deliver them to the Palace Master to make the decision.”
This was a rather good way. Nobody could say then that Yang Chen had massacred them for nothing. In any case, since they knew the location of the clan, the rest was simple.
The Clan Chief and some elders who had remained behind to take care of things were waiting expectantly for the dispatched clansmen to return triumphantly. Despite knowing that the pill recipe in Yang Chen’s hand certainly didn’t belong to their ancestor, if they could gain that pill recipe, it would greatly increase the status of their clan among other cultivators.
In those days, it was indeed a great expert who used to refine the Heaven Seizing Pill, but the pill recipe could only be understood by a Da Cheng stage pill concocting expert, with whom these later generations of the clan basically did not have any connection. Moreover, it was almost impossible to rise to the Da Cheng stage by just relying on pills. This was also one of the reasons of the decline of the clan.
The clan currently required a kind of pill which could give a great boost to spirit power at the JieDan stage or even the Foundation stage, which the children of the clan could use and Yang Chen had appeared at the perfect time, giving the clan chief the opportunity he was looking for.
Initially, they hadn’t thought that they had any connection with this matter, but when He LianYun dropped in and made his almost reasonable analysis, it gave rise to hope among the clansmen. If such a matter succeeded, they could gain such a pill recipe together with the Heaven Seizing Pill and the clan would also gain in reputation.
The most important fact was that, even if they lost, based on the fact that Pure Yang Palace had always been treating people mercifully, the worst that could happen was that they would have to apologise, but would not have to suffer any substantial damage. Who wouldn’t take such a very beneficial gamble with such enticing benefits and negligible consequences?
Opportunity always comes without notice. Yang Chen, Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling, a JieDan stage cultivator who had sealed her cultivation together with two initial Foundation stage cultivators; facing three JieDan stage cultivators and three Foundation stage cultivators, the outcome was clear as crystal.
Once he thought of the glory and honor the clan would accomplish under him after getting the pill recipe, the clan chief couldn’t help but feel very complacent.
“Second Elder, what do you say, if we get hold of the pill recipe, what should be the first thing we do?”
The clan chief whose heart was filled with longing, asked the second elder, who was restlessly sitting to the side. Nobody sitting there had anything to do, so this topic of discussion gave everyone something to do.
“The first thing to do is to wash your necks!”
Before the second elder could reply, a towering voice suddenly came from outside.
“Who?”
The elders and the clan chief within the room jumped like rabbits being chased by an arrow. Someone was so close, but nobody was able to discover him? What kind of expert had come?
Naturally it was none other than Yang Chen, Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling. Gongsun Ling was using the spell flag arranged in accordance with the illusion spell of the senior in the valley extremely cleverly. Although it didn’t have any offensive power, it was incomparable in the field of hiding people. Even a YuanYing stage expert couldn’t discover the existence of the spell flag if he didn’t come within three meters of the spell.
This was an extremely useful tool for scouting and obtaining information. Moreover, it could also greatly assist in saving one’s life at a most crucial point. Since top grade spirit stones were used at the spell core to provide spirit power, there was also no need to worry about the spirit power depleting.
After killing those clansmen, Yang Chen didn’t take those two spirit stones back, and instead just gifted them to Gongsun Ling for future use. Currently she didn’t have any reliable magic weapons, only those two spell formations. One purely for attacking and the other one to conceal a person. Perfect as her last resort.
As for Yang Chen’s generosity, after trying to decline a few times, she accepted it without saying anything. In fact, from the time at the Heavenly Stairs, Yang Chen had been showing great consideration for her, Gongsun Ling knew this within her heart. Cultivators had long lives and they had enough time in future. Gongsun Ling firmly believed that one day she would be able to return Yang Chen’s kind intentions.
Before the clan chief and the elders in the room had the opportunity to discover the face behind the voice, they were trapped inside of a huge netting of vine. They couldn’t even say anything and immediately lost consciousness.
Yang Chen, Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling didn’t have any impressive method to capture and deliver these people to the Palace Master. Capturing them alive could not be compared with killing them. Yang Chen could kill them easily, but instead of capturing them himself, asking the old tree demon would simplify things a lot.
Because of the possibility of someone from the Pure Yang Palace colluding with these people, Yang Chen didn’t want one unwise move to gain him the reputation of killing people to silence them. In any case, Palace Master Zhong Jiao also found these people intolerable, so there was no need to discuss the death of these people, it was just a question of time. But before facing death, if these people could help in uncovering a spy within the Pure Yang Palace, it would still be good.
The base of the clan was hidden extremely well, perhaps they thought it was absolutely safe, so all clansmen were present there. The old tree demon only had to attack once and all the clansmen were like sitting ducks. Nobody was able to escape. In other words, the entire clan was already on the path of extermination.
Yang Chen, Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling once again appeared on the path of the spirit beast market at Yang Liang Market. On the entire journey, they were very relaxed, as if on a scenic tour, slowly approaching their destination.
This time, the journey took an entire two months before it was completed. Whenever they would near a human habitation on their journey, Yang Chen would take both women for a stroll.
Both women were also enjoying this experience very much. On one hand, experiencing all kinds of people, while on the other hand, confirming what they had learned. The experience in the mortal world was nothing more than this.
“We have arrived at the spirit beast market, what kind of spirit beast do you want to purchase?”
When they reached the spirit beast market, Gongsun Ling curiously asked. As for Gao Yue, she never asked reason for Yang Chen’s actions, apparently she firmly believed that Yang Chen had his reasons.
“Purchase a spirit beast?”
Yang Chen slowly shook his head, although he had experience worth thousands of years as a Great Principal Golden Immortal, he didn’t remember the mortal world having very strong spirit beasts, worthy of his attention. There was another reason for coming here, which could not be said publicly, so after shaking his head, he said:
“If you find a suitable spirit beast, there is no harm in buying it.”
Yang Chen’s words didn’t match his expression, which Gongsun Ling clearly understood. In any case, there were more than enough secrets on Yang Chen. Gongsun Ling didn’t find it anything strange, but one thing she believed firmly was that Yang Chen would not harm her in any case.
“You are a sword cultivator, moreover you also are a highly proficient pill concocting expert, you should not waste too much energy on other things, so as to avoid distractions.”
Seeing that Gao Yue didn’t have any intention to stop Yang Chen, she couldn’t help but warn him.
“Many thanks senior apprentice sister, I will remember it!”
Yang Chen smiled and nodded his head. Afterwards he immediately turned towards the spirit beast market gate’s avenue and walked two steps and, as if remembering something, he turned around and warned seriously:
“Regardless of what I say or do, you should not be baffled. I have my own reasons!”
Gongsun Ling and Gao Yue glanced at each other and, having no alternative, forced a bitter laugh, shaking their heads in tacit understanding, following after Yang Chen into the spirit beast market.
The spirit beast market was located within a huge valley, covering an area of several hundred hectares. As the name implied, the spirit beast market was an area for dealing with spirit beasts, which was the main commodity of this region. There were several hundred stores in this region, all of them engaging in spirit beast trade.
Yang Liang mountain was the territory of the Beast Taming Sect. The Beast Taming Sect was the most powerful sect in the field of controlling troublesome spirit beasts and taming them into pets. So the spirit beast market being here was not that strange.
Despite Yang Chen’s reputation in the outer world, nobody recognized him here. Who would pay attention to a Foundation stage youngster? Let alone the Foundation stage, people here wouldn’t even pay much attention to JieDan stage cultivators. After all, JieDan stage cultivators there were always one or two of them here.
Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling however were still attracting the gazes of many people. The beauty of both women could be considered as among the finest among cultivators. Beautiful people always attracted attention wherever they went, cultivators were no exception. Who would not watch a beautiful woman?
Because of his relationship with the two women, Yang Chen was also a target of some attention. Actually, their ranks were also a little strange, Yang Chen was walking in the front, with a JieDan and a Foundation stage cultivator walking behind him. This was the opposite of the expected order, with Gao Yue in front and Yang Chen and Gongsun Ling following behind.
But Yang Chen didn’t pay any attention to the weird looks cultivators were casting their way. He went inside the first shop he saw in the spirit beast market and then went into another one and then continued the same, observing the spirit beasts inside.
In every shop he entered, Yang Chen only asked one question:
“Do you have any spirit beast pets of the ox family?”
The ox family demon beasts were either quite rare or were very strong like the Fullmoon Rhinoceros. If someone had such a demon beast, then who would be willing to part with it? After hearing Yang Chen’s question, all shop owners just shook their heads, forcing a bitter laugh.
Yang Chen wasn’t discouraged in the least and continued going through shops. Although each time was in vain, he didn’t give up. His strange actions quickly caught people’s curiosity.
He didn’t conceal the mark of the Pure Yang Palace, so any experienced person would know that those three belonged to the Pure Yang Palace. But the Pure Yang Palace was a sect comprised of cultivators. Why would they send people to buy spirit beast pets? Moreover, why such a rare spirit beast? The most baffling thing was that they had sent out a Foundation stage disciple for it.
“Why is the Pure Yang Palace purchasing spirit beasts?”
After those three had visited more than a dozen stores, some untimely voice suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears.
Cultivators purchasing spirit beasts was not something to make a fuss about, but the majority of people who bought them were either from sects like the Beast Taming Sect, which relied mainly on taming beasts, some rogue cultivators or disciples of some small sect, but the disciples of a big sect like the Pure Yang Palace rarely came to purchase them.
Spirit Beasts require a lot of energy to breed. To cultivate a formidable spirit beast, not only were all kinds of high grade elixirs required, but also a large amount of time and the use of its owner’s spirit power for nourishment.
Disciples of big sects were all proficient in the cultivation of one or two things, like sword cultivators, pill concocting masters, tool refining masters or spell formations among others. Once in a while, there were some cultivators proficient in taming beasts, but they were as rare as the feathers of a phoenix. Especially after the great calamity of the devil cultivation, the upper echelons of all big sects were restraining their disciples even more, not allowing them to research such messy things, thus, these people being so baffled was quite normal.
Following this sound, the three people turned to look. They saw an extremely handsome youth standing in the direction of the voice, his entire body was covered with white clothes, untainted by even a speck of dust. On his waist was a purple spirit beast pouch, looking towards them with his eyes shining brightly. That voice a moment ago was definitely his.
“Can disciples of the Pure Yang Palace not buy spirit beasts?”
Yang Chen coldly glanced at him and retorted. Although the other person was looking at them, his gaze was concentrated on Gao Yue and Gongsun Ling, trying to show off that he was cultured and elegant in front of them, but he was not very good at making sarcastic remarks.
“Of course you can!”
The white clothed youth smiled and advanced towards them. When he smiled, it made people feel as if they were bathing in the spring wind, as his eyes were shining brilliantly.
“My name is Su Mosheng, the disciple of Windflower Pavilion, nice to meet you fellow daoists!”
Stopping some distance away from the three people, Su Mosheng cupped his hands towards Yang Chen and his group:
“If fellow daoists really intend to purchase some spirit beasts, then this lowly me can provide a little help.”
“We don’t dare to trouble you, we can find it by ourselves!”
Yang Chen didn’t have a favorable opinion of people who took such opportunities to hit on someone, so he cupped his hands and returned the salutations, immediately declining.
“Myself is very familiar with the surroundings, if you require anything, this lowly me can lead the way.”
Su Mosheng didn’t show the slightest unhappiness and was still beaming with a smile like before, but his gaze was passionately concentrated on Gongsun Ling.