Chapter 518: Pursuit

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

In this alliance, Zhao Tianxuan and Yu Shoucheng did not come together.

As for the spiritual resonance in the spiritual treasures, Zhao Tianxuan and Yu Shoucheng naturally coveted them, or rather, for treasures like these, very few in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm could remain indifferent.

However, after much consideration, Zhao Tianxuan and Yu Shoucheng ultimately gave up this opportunity.

The reason was quite simple, it was the danger.

The appearance of broken spiritual treasures in this region, followed by the scattering of spiritual resonance, had long been known throughout the Thousand Feathers Alliance. At this moment, the number of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in this area was quite astonishing.

And a month later, when the spiritual resonance scatters, the gathering of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators would reach its peak.

If it were only in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Zhao Tianxuan and Yu Shoucheng would naturally have nothing to say and would definitely follow along, as opportunities like these were extremely rare.

However, the reality was that during the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm phase, they might be the lowest in cultivation, facing those in the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm, even the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and the peak of Combined Aperture Tempering realm, they would have no means to resist.

It was highly likely that they would be killed by those strong cultivators before they even got their hands on the spiritual resonance.

Zhao Tianxuan might have a bit of a gambling streak and a tendency to seek small advantages in his daily life. However, when faced with such uncertain situations, he ultimately chose to act wisely and preserve himself.

Yu Shoucheng’s personality was somewhat similar to Zhao Tianxuan’s, but he was even more cautious.

As they say, the older one gets in the martial world, the less courage one has.

Initially, Yu Shoucheng retreated to Immortal Cloud City after discovering the passage, all because of some events. It was only when the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect became their ally that he was willing to return to the Boundless Sea.

Back then, no matter what promises Tong Zhongqiu made, trying to persuade Yu Shoucheng to join in killing Jian Jinsheng, he didn’t agree.

Compared to taking sides, even though he knew he could gain greater benefits by leaning toward one faction, Yu Shoucheng ultimately didn’t make a choice.

From these actions, one could see Yu Shoucheng’s disposition, which was about maintaining the status quo. He didn’t seek glory; he just aimed not to make mistakes.

While the spiritual resonance was appealing, one must have the fate to obtain it.

Yu Shoucheng still had several decades before reaching his life’s limit, so he was in no hurry at all.

On the contrary, it was surprising that Qin Haishan was willing to come, which caught Chen Fei off guard.

Qin Haishan didn’t usually talk or smile much. It was only because the development in the Sea Peak City had been exceptionally smooth recently that a smile unconsciously appeared on Qin Haishan’s face, especially when facing Chen Fei.

When Qin Haishan heard that Chen Fei and Tong Zhongqiu were coming to compete for the spiritual resonance, he didn’t hesitate at all and decided to join them.

In the realm of martial arts, Qin Haishan’s goal was quite straightforward. He simply hoped to obtain a piece of spiritual resonance to break through his bottleneck and advance to the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

In this regard, Qin Haishan was quite similar to Chen Fei. The only difference lay in their ultimate goals: Qin Haishan aimed for the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm, while Chen Fei had his sights on the mysterious Mountain Sea Realm.

As for Tong Zhongqiu, he was interested in the spiritual resonance to see if it could help someone break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Some time ago, someone from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect attempted to break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm but failed. Now, within the sect, only the Sect Master Gong Guanzhi remains at the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

If Gong Guanzhi were to fail as well, there would be no one left in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect to attempt another breakthrough in the near future.

While there was an elixir for extending life within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, obtaining it was not guaranteed and required some luck. Whether Tong Zhongqiu could wait for this opportunity is uncertain.

If the spiritual resonance could indeed help someone break through, that would be excellent. If not, Tong Zhongqiu could still use it to extend his own lifespan.

At the same time, Tong Zhongqiu also wanted to take the opportunity to come back and see how Immortal Cloud City, as well as the original gate of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, has fared.

Compared to Chen Fei, who was just a passing visitor, Tong Zhongqiu had lived in the vicinity of Immortal Cloud City for over two hundred years, which was nearly three times the lifespan of ordinary long-lived individuals.

It was easy to imagine how deep his emotional attachment was to this land.

Despite the appeal of the Boundless Sea and the thriving Sea Peak City, Tong Zhongqiu still couldn’t let go of Immortal Cloud City and the original gate of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

This had nothing to do with rationality; it was purely an emotional connection.

Compared to Chen Fei and Qin Haishan, Tong Zhongqiu’s reasons for returning were more complex. Indeed, from another perspective, they were also more profound.

Chen Fei looked in the direction of Immortal Cloud City in the distance, then glanced at Tong Zhongqiu, who shook his head.

Tong Zhongqiu had no intention of going to Immortal Cloud City right now. Going there could easily lead to an encounter with Jian Jinsheng. The current Divine Flame Sect must have taken over the original gate of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, and Immortal Cloud City was very close to that area.

Of course, even if they were to encounter Jian Jinsheng, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to any trouble at this point.

Jian Jinsheng had not yet broken through to the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm. This was the accurate information obtained by the spy sent by Tong Zhongqiu.

In Immortal Cloud City, there had always been hidden assassins left behind by the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. These assassins didn’t need to do anything in their daily lives; their sole task was to observe the current gate of the Divine Flame Sect and monitor the changes in the world’s spiritual energy.

Breaking through from the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm to the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm could trigger fluctuations in the world’s spiritual energy. For this reason, the assassins possessed a unique treasure that allowed them to accurately sense these energy changes.

Over the past few years, these assassins hadn’t observed any abnormal fluctuations in the world’s spiritual energy.

Of course, it’s possible that Jian Jinsheng deliberately chose not to be at the sect when he broke through. However, the likelihood of this happening is somewhat low, as breaking through can also be a vulnerable moment.

Choosing to break through outside the protective formation of the sect instead of within it would seem unwise.

Moreover, with the appearance of spiritual treasures in the imperial city, Jian Jinsheng did visit there specifically. Despite this, the assassins have not heard any news of Jian Jinsheng’s breakthrough through other channels.

If Jian Jinsheng had indeed broken through, it would likely cause a sensation within this dynasty.

After all, in this region, it had been a long time since anyone had cultivated to the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm, despite the fact that various strong individuals at or above the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm were easily found in the imperial city.

Certainly, in the minds of the people in this region, all of those individuals were considered outsiders. If someone from this land were to break through to the mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm, it would have definitely brought a different state of mind.

Immortal Cloud City and the original gate of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect weren’t going anywhere, and they could be visited at any time. The most important reason for this return was still the spiritual resonance; other matters could be postponed.

Chen Fei smiled faintly, identified the direction, and flew towards the imperial city, with Qin Haishan and the others following behind.

Among the three, Chen Fei had quietly become the leader, purely because his current strength was the strongest. Just as when they initially formed the alliance, Qin Haishan was considered the leader because of his strength at that time.

In this world, strength was revered, and it had been that way from ancient times to the present, with little prospect of change in the future.

Swift as the wind, the three of them streaked across the sky at incredible speed.

Although there was still a month until the Elemental Tide, it was still essential to arrive there first and gather information about the situation.

As they sped along, less than an hour later, Chen Fei suddenly came to a halt in mid-air and looked down below.

The dark brown soil exuded a chilly aura, and even from several miles away, Chen Fei could clearly sense it.

This place was Shangwu City, where Master Xi Lian had transformed into a human fiend, devouring the city’s inhabitants to complete his cultivation. Later, he even seduced another mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator and willingly transformed them into human fiends, forming a partnership.

With the help of a damaged top-grade magical treasure, he repelled several mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators who joined forces, firmly establishing his presence.

Before heading to the Boundless Sea, Chen Fei had yet to resolve the matter of Shangwu City, allowing it to continue to grow.

This time, Chen Fei deliberately chose this route, passing by Shangwu City to see how Master Xi Lian, this human fiend, was faring now.

If there were no spiritual treasures in the imperial city, then Master Xi Lian probably wouldn’t have any issues. The mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in this region still found it challenging to deal with him.

But just when everything seemed stable, the imperial city experienced this unexpected event, resulting in a surge of mid-Combined Aperture Tempering realm powerhouses in this region. Master Xi Lian’s cultivation was on the brink of upheaval if he didn’t pay careful attention.

Life was full of surprises, and Master Xi Lian had thought he could finally cultivate peacefully, plotting to gradually subjugate countless beings and revel in their fresh blood and flesh in this region.

However, this unexpected turn of events shattered everything.

At this moment, in Chen Fei’s view, the location where Shangwu City used to be was nothing but a vast expanse of exposed dark brown soil, with no trace of the city left.

Chen Fei turned to look at Tong Zhongqiu, and in terms of information, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, which had been rooted in this region for so many years, was still very formidable.

Many channels were not completely severed, but rather there were numerous hidden information networks that lay dormant and were activated at critical times.

“I received information that Master Xi Lian is currently being pursued by powerful individuals from the Shadow Abyss Sect, and his fate is uncertain,” Tong Zhongqiu whispered.

“Shadow Abyss Sect?” Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly, and he nodded slightly.

The name of the Shadow Abyss Sect might sound like a dark and sinister sect, but in reality, it was a reputable and legitimate martial sect. The members of the Shadow Abyss Sect, aside from having somewhat aloof personalities, didn’t engage in practices such as blood cultivation.

In fact, when it came to capturing anomalies, the Shadow Abyss Sect was known for being extremely enthusiastic.

Within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, almost any moderately well-known powerful anomaly was hunted down by the Shadow Abyss Sect’s experts.

Chen Fei had encountered an anomaly on the way to the Sea Peak City with the disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect in the past. That anomaly had an extremely exaggerated speed, and even with Chen Fei’s current agility, he couldn’t necessarily catch up to it.

This was purely forced out by the Shadow Abyss Sect; within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, any anomalies with slightly slower speeds had all fallen into the hands of the Shadow Abyss Sect.

“But Master Xi Lian hasn’t died yet!”

Chen Fei moved his right hand, and a strand of aura floated up from below, held in Chen Fei’s grasp. Chen Fei’s eyes flickered slightly as he gazed at the aura in his hand.

Judgment Eye!

It was a secret technique Chen Fei had obtained from Du Muxiao and extremely difficult to cultivate. It allowed him to deduce and supplement information based on certain cues..