"Vice Dean?"
The cultivators pursuing Zheng Xiaoguang exchanged glances.
"The one Sect Master Rong and Sect Master Li have issued a kill order for? I didn't expect to run into him here!"
The cultivators' killing intent surged, and they immediately shouted, "Kill!"
Thus, everyone charged directly at Qin Si.
Various spiritual lights intertwined, making the heavens and earth lose their color and space tremble. The originally bright sky instantly dimmed, as if covered by a black curtain.
Zheng Xiaoguang never expected that calling out "Vice Dean" would actually expose his identity, causing these people to try their best to kill him.
Seeing the tip of the sword in the foremost person's hand almost touching Qin Si, Zheng Xiaoguang hurriedly shouted, "Vice Dean, be careful—"
Zheng Xiaoguang's eyes widened.
Time seemed to stand still.
A man radiating a bone-chilling aura casually raised a hand, and the sword tip, wrapped in spiritual light, shattered inch by inch. Endless ice and snow spread from the sword tip to the cultivator's body, then to the ground, and then to the other cultivators...
"Crack."
A faint cracking sound rang out. In an instant, the cultivators who had been fighting Zheng Xiaoguang into a frenzy had actually turned to ash!
"Vice... Vice Dean..." Zheng Xiaoguang glanced at the icy Qin Si, then lowered his head obediently.
His heart cried out in a storm. Would he be held accountable later? Woo woo.
Qin Si faintly released the restriction on this space, his narrow phoenix eyes sweeping over Zheng Xiaoguang.
"From Zhen Dan Peak?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I am a disciple of Elder Hong Ling from Zhen Dan Peak." Zheng Xiaoguang hurriedly bowed and cupped his fists. "Thank you for saving my life, Vice Dean. Your great kindness will never be forgotten."
"Vice Dean, are you heading to Jincheng, the capital of Jinque Kingdom? May I accompany you?"
Fearing Qin Si would misunderstand, Zheng Xiaoguang quickly explained, "Mei Shuying, carrying the medicinal formula, fled into Jincheng. The Alchemist Association's reinforcements will take some time to arrive. I need to keep an eye on him first."
Qin Si frowned. This deviated from his original plan.
However, this was his academy's student, so he nodded: "Alright, let's go."
Zheng Xiaoguang was taken aback instead.
He agreed so easily?
Who said the Vice Dean was the living king of hell in the academy? He seemed very easy to talk to!
"Why are you still standing there like a blockhead?" Qin Si's cold voice seemed to carry an inherent chill.
Zheng Xiaoguang hurried to follow. "I'm coming right away, thank you, Vice Dean!"
Zheng Xiaoguang, being sent out alone by the Alchemist Association, had decent cultivation, already in the Golden Core stage. Therefore, even with Qin Si accompanying him, it didn't take much longer, and they arrived at Jincheng that very evening.
As the capital of Jinque Kingdom, Jincheng exuded a desolate air, far from the prosperity one might imagine.
Upon entering the city gates, only scattered vendors were selling goods on the streets and alleys, and the number of pedestrians was negligible.
Zheng Xiaoguang took it upon himself to run errands and asked a stall owner in a corner in a low voice, "Uncle, did something happen in Jincheng? Why does it seem a bit off to me?"
"You're from out of town, aren't you?"
Zheng Xiaoguang nodded.
"No wonder you don't know. Jincheng is not what it used to be, young master. This old man advises you to leave quickly. Don't you see that only those who can't run are left in our city?"
Zheng Xiaoguang looked around, and his heart sank. It was indeed true.
"But isn't this the capital of Jinque Kingdom?"
"Alas!" The stall owner waved his hand and sighed, "His Majesty is preparing to move the capital. Jincheng is to be used as the core of a grand formation. We who can't run are just waiting to die..."
Zheng Xiaoguang ran around again, asking in several places, and the answers were almost all the same. He didn't hear any news about Mei Shuying, nor did he continue to inquire. Instead, he returned to where he was before.
He saw Qin Si standing there quietly with his hands behind his back, wearing a red robe. His exceptionally elegant demeanor, even with just a glance, made it impossible to look away. Yet, the people passing by seemed not to see him.
"Vice Dean, this is all I could find out. I still need to find Mei Shuying's whereabouts, so I will take my leave now." Zheng Xiaoguang said nervously.
He felt a bit like a scumbag who uses someone and then runs away.
Qin Si, unaware of Zheng Xiaoguang's chaotic thoughts, pointed to the east of Jincheng: "Mei Shuying is over there."
Zheng Xiaoguang's spirits lifted, and he was about to move when he heard Qin Si speak again.
"He has three Nascent Soul cultivators and six Golden Core cultivators with him. Are you sure you want to go and court death?"
Zheng Xiaoguang's spirits deflated again.
Qin Si intended to guide him, "Haven't you ever thought about why Mei Shuying came to Jincheng?"
Zheng Xiaoguang pondered for a moment and then said, "Is it because of this grand formation that Jinque Kingdom is setting up?"
"Recently, there have been many more Nascent Soul cultivators on the continent. Within the academy, there are also rumors that the curse of 'Golden Core peak' has been broken. However, any student familiar with the outer continent can discover that those Nascent Soul cultivators are not from our Shenqi Continent."
He was not the leading figure of his generation in the academy, and he wasn't even qualified to compete for this opportunity. Therefore, he didn't know much, and his words were just guesses.
"Are these people going to be detrimental to the academy and the continent?"
No one answered.
Zheng Xiaoguang looked up and found that Qin Si, who was just there, had disappeared. He then looked again and saw that Qin Si had already ascended into the sky above Jincheng, meticulously inspecting something.
Faint black threads seemed to flash in mid-air, but when Zheng Xiaoguang looked closely, there was nothing.
Howling winds roared and raged, followed by a torrential downpour. In an instant, raindrops splashed like surging waves, as if trying to drown the entire Jincheng.
The weather had changed.
At this time, twenty miles away from Sanghai Secret Realm, to the east of Jincheng.
Mei Shuying, whom Zheng Xiaogogu was thinking about, was as thin as a dried husk, but his pair of gloomy eyes shone with astonishing brilliance.
His hands did not stop, and he muttered, "The 107th one, almost finished refining."
"Good! Well done!"
Beside Mei Shuying stood a cultivator in black, whose late Nascent Soul aura was very obvious. He laughed heartily and patted Mei Shuying's shoulder.
"Alchemist Mei is indeed the most outstanding alchemist in the continent of the forsaken. In just five days, you've refined so many Spirit Root Cleansing Pills. Rest assured, when the time comes, the Lord will certainly not forget your contributions!"
Mei Shuying wiped the sweat from his forehead. The last pill was successfully refined, and he obsequiously presented it to the black-clothed cultivator.
"I don't ask for much. As long as the Lord helps me kill Bai Shengyi, I am willing to go through fire and water for the Lord!"
"You don't need to say it; our Lord will not let Bai Shengyi off." The black-clothed cultivator chuckled. "Rest assured, even if she is within Sanghai Secret Realm, she cannot escape. Perhaps after midnight tonight, you will hear news of Bai Shengyi's death."
Mei Shuying's gloomy gaze was tinged with a hint of joy. "Thank you, sir!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome. Let's hurry and feed these Spirit Root Cleansing Pills to those children. They are truly fortunate. I haven't even tasted such pills myself."
"If Your Excellency desires them, I can refine more for you."
"Hmm, you are thoughtful, young man." The black-clothed cultivator was pleased with his understanding. He then said, "Accompany me. I will credit you for this."
Mei Shuying's face showed surprise. Had his painstaking efforts for so long finally allowed him to participate in such an important matter?
Mei Shuying carefully followed behind the black-clothed cultivator.
The place they were in was underground, with various caves crisscrossing and intertwined, setting up countless traps, hidden weapons, and formations. Any misstep would trigger all the hidden weapons. To ensure safety, there was also a natural defensive formation on the ground that most people couldn't detect.
After passing through several checkpoints, they saw the 108 children who had not been able to cultivate due to inferior spiritual roots. These children ranged from five to fourteen years old. Among them, the most eye-catching was a young girl squatting in a corner, on the verge of death.
"Attempted suicide again?" the black-clothed cultivator asked the person guarding outside.
The person replied, "Yes. So unlucky. This girl is too disobedient. If her fate wasn't the most suitable, and we had limited people to find, we'd really wish she would just die."
The girl kept her eyes tightly closed, as if she hadn't heard their words at all.
"Mei Shuying, go and feed her the pills." The black-clothed cultivator frowned deeply and ordered.