Chapter 145 Master Cui
"Alright, Mr. Chen!" Hei Hu snapped back to his senses and quickly nodded.
At this moment, Chen Xuan had entered the wooden house and began refining the Spirit Replenishing Pill.
The Spirit Replenishing Pill, while not a rare elixir, was extremely difficult to refine and required a seamless execution; otherwise, all efforts would be in vain.
In this world where medicinal ingredients were scarce, this furnace of pills appeared even more precious.
As seconds ticked by, a faint medicinal aroma began to waft from the wooden house.
...
At this time, a gray-robed elder, accompanied by a young man in tight-fitting attire and several followers, was slowly approaching.
This gray-robed elder was a master of sorcery from the southwest, Master Cui. Due to his extreme cruelty and countless murders, he had become a fugitive. To survive, he joined the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild. Not long ago, he received orders from his superiors to assassinate Chen Xuan.
The young man in tight-fitting attire was Master Cui's disciple.
Beside them was a middle-aged man, the liaison for the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild in Jiangzhou.
"Not only does this Chen Xuan possess the strength of an inner energy master, but he also has miraculous alchemy skills. No wonder Elder Wu was defeated by such a person. However, it's a pity he cannot be utilized by our Azure Dragon Merchant Guild. Since that is the case, he must be destroyed!" A cruel smile spread across Master Cui's ferocious face.
"Master, Chen Xuan became an inner energy master at such a young age. His body must be quite alluring and could be used to refine puppets. I beg Master to bestow this body upon me later!" the young man in tight-fitting attire said with a sly grin, licking his lips.
"Your taste is good. Excellent!" the gray-robed elder praised.
Recently, the most frequently heard rumors were about Chen Xuan defeating Gu Feng. Yet, here they were, chatting and laughing. The middle-aged man, a hint of worry crossing his face, couldn't help but ask, "Master Cui, this kid is an inner energy master. Won't there be any accidents?"
"Heh, merely an inner energy master. Before sorcery, he is nothing. Today, I shall show you the marvels of sorcery!" Master Cui smiled mysteriously.
The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise, "Sorcery? I heard that a washed-up big star sought Master Cui to change her luck, and afterward, she truly soared to become a major star in the film industry. Could it be true?"
"That is absolutely true. That big star was truly beautiful, her figure... tsk tsk..." the disciple of Master Cui displayed a greedy expression.
The middle-aged man showed a flicker of astonishment; he hadn't expected this to be true.
At this moment, Master Cui took out a palm-sized black pottery jar from his robe. Strange and complex talismans were pasted on the jar, exuding a sinister aura.
As soon as the jar appeared, a small tree near Master Cui instantly withered.
"Damn, old man, you've been hoarding! What treasure is this? How have I never seen it..." the young man in tight-fitting attire exclaimed in shock.
Master Cui smiled mysteriously and explained, "This is the Spirit Devouring Gu. It can harness the life force of heaven and earth for my use."
"Go, bury the Spirit Devouring Gu from this black pottery jar within a three-mile radius, at the positions of Xiu Men, Si Men, and Sheng Men. Remember, dig at least one foot deep. Otherwise, that meager power will not be enough for me," Master Cui said, tossing the black pottery jar to the young man in tight-fitting attire.
"Yes, Master!"
The young man in tight-fitting attire, along with his men, turned and left.
The mountain path was difficult, and precise positioning was required. The young man in tight-fitting attire followed Master Cui's instructions and spent an entire night burying the Spirit Devouring Gu.
The next day at dawn, Master Cui performed another ritual, causing a great formation to appear within a three-mile radius, enveloping the dense forest. Chen Xuan's wooden house was also included.
Finally, he took out several Spirit Devouring Gu from a white pottery jar, sacrificed them with his blood, and placed these Gu worms on his chest, allowing them to devour his flesh and blood.
At this moment, Master Cui was drenched in sweat, and his spirit was extremely depleted.
"Hoo... finally, it's done!"
Finally, at dawn, Master Cui slowly exhaled.
Unlike at dawn, Master Cui's greying temples had turned black, and he was invigorated, looking over a dozen years younger!
The middle-aged man frowned as he surveyed the dense forest, scratching his head in doubt, "Master Cui, has anything changed?"
Master Cui let out a cold snort, and with a movement, he reappeared twenty meters away.
Simultaneously, three nearby large trees instantly withered.
"My heavens! Is this teleportation?"
This display even made the middle-aged man exclaim in wonder, while others were stunned into silence.
The young man in tight-fitting attire seemed to recall something, slapped his thigh, and quickly said, "Oh! I know, this is the Spirit Devouring Formation! With the mother and child Spirit Devouring Gu as the core, it devours the power of heaven and earth, using blood as a medium for my master's use. Within this small expanse, my master is like a deity!"
"It's just that I heard once this Spirit Devouring Formation is activated, the area around the formation will become barren, and plants will never grow again."
At this moment, Master Cui had arrived near the wooden house.
"Who?"
Hei Hu had not closed his eyes all night, diligently standing guard for Chen Xuan. Hearing the commotion, he immediately turned his head.
As soon as Hei Hu saw Master Cui, he was about to speak, but before the words could escape his lips, Master Cui waved his sleeve, and Hei Hu was sent flying as if struck by a truck!
"That's amazing!"
The people from the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild watched in dumbfounded amazement.
With a wave of his sleeve, he could send a brute flying. What divine power was this?
The young man in tight-fitting attire said with pride, "I told you, within this Spirit Devouring Formation, my master is supreme!"
"Who are you? This is Jiangzhou! Do you know who you are standing in front of?" Hei Hu struggled to get up and shouted.
"Rest assured, I, Master Cui, differentiate between grievances and favors. Today, I am here to cause trouble for Chen Xuan. As long as you obediently leave, I won't do anything to an ant," Master Cui said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Hei Hu's brows furrowed, sensing that these people were not to be trifled with.
"Stop playing dumb with me. Chen Xuan killed our Azure Dragon Merchant Guild members, and we are here on orders to take his life. If you know what's good for you, get lost!" the young man in tight-fitting attire scoffed.
"Azure Dragon Merchant Guild?"
Hei Hu's heart skipped a beat.
Damn it, those two people were indeed killed by Mr. Chen!
"The Yanhuang Iron Brigade is paying attention to this matter. You had better be careful!" Hei Hu, no longer able to rely on his title as the underground emperor of Jiangzhou, had to invoke the Yanhuang Iron Brigade to intimidate the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild.
"Yanhuang Iron Brigade? Heh, in the wilderness, if I kill him here, how will the Yanhuang Iron Brigade know it was me?" the young man in tight-fitting attire said dismissively.
Hei Hu's face turned pale. The young man in tight-fitting attire had a point.
"If you don't want to die, get lost quickly, otherwise my master might change his mind."
"Get, get, get out of here! I'm leaving!" Hei Hu said through gritted teeth, lowering his head.
"Tch, so he's a coward. I thought he was some kind of hero," the young man in tight-fitting attire shook his head, a look of disdain on his face.
"In the face of life and death, even the strongest bonds are but paper," Master Cui's expression was unperturbed.
He seemed to have witnessed such things many times.
As he spoke, Master Cui approached the wooden house.
He saw Chen Xuan controlling a mass of purplish-blue flames, coiling around the entire alchemy furnace. His technique was incredibly skillful, as if an immortal had descended.
"Excellent technique! This is true alchemy!" Master Cui exclaimed in admiration.
"Such miraculous techniques, this kid must have a powerful backer. Will killing him bring trouble?" the young man in tight-fitting attire showed some apprehension.
"What are you afraid of? The Azure Dragon Merchant Guild can protect us after we've killed so many people. Why be afraid? Besides, it's not certain anyone will know we did it," Master Cui said with a smile.
"Master is right," the young man in tight-fitting attire nodded.
"Your talent is good, but unfortunately, you have offended those you shouldn't have. Live with more wisdom in your next life!"
Master Cui stared coldly at Chen Xuan and suddenly raised his palm, striking down towards the crown of Chen Xuan's head!
"How dare you touch Mr. Chen, you're asking for death!"
At the critical moment, Hei Hu picked up a wooden stick and struck Master Cui's neck. The wooden splinter tore through Master Cui's flesh, drawing blood.