Chapter Forty-One: Who the Hell Is Framing Me?
The change came too swiftly, leaving all the cultivators in utter shock. Qian Jiangfan laughed wildly, recalling his three giant axes and immediately giving chase, determined to end his target’s life by any means necessary.
Cheng Changsheng’s face was filled with terror. He dared not look back, activating every life-saving escape technique he possessed. His movements became ghostly, but he still could not shake off the trio of axes pursuing him.
“Hah... hahahah…” The weapon spirits of the axes regarded him as nothing more than prey, thirsting for his blood.
Just as Cheng Changsheng’s methods were nearly exhausted and the crisis reached its peak, a terrifying and boundless power surged from afar, engulfing the whole city of Qu Nan. The weaker demon cultivators were immediately oppressed by this force, coughing blood and their auras thrown into chaos.
Qian Jiangfan’s expression shifted slightly. He withdrew his axes at once, turning toward the treasury whose grand gate had been obliterated.
Chi Yushu returned from the east. Seeing this, he didn’t hesitate for an instant, and rushed after him. He could not allow this fiend to seize the city’s treasury!
Cheng Changsheng, barely catching his breath, turned to thank the ancestor but suddenly spun around and fled toward the treasury of Qu Nan City.
At this moment, Qian Jiangfan was already near the gate, about to enter the treasury and uncover its secrets.
Chi Yushu, his cultivation insufficient, fell behind but still approached the treasury’s inner perimeter.
Cheng Changsheng’s eyes widened. He flung a ring of azure smoke, wrapping Chi Yushu and dragging him away from the treasury.
“You are the hope of the Celestial Derivation Sect—you must not risk your life!”
Without waiting for Chi Yushu’s response, Cheng Changsheng hurriedly produced several fourth-grade Heavenly Thunder Talismans and hurled them deep into the treasury.
“Damn you, Qian Jiangfan! I would rather destroy the Qu Nan City treasury than let your Sacred Saint Sect gain a single advantage!”
Such righteous resolve from Cheng Changsheng—undaunted by life and death—once again drew the admiration of all orthodox cultivators present.
Chi Yushu, cast aside, frowned deeply.
The expected explosion of talismans did not occur as quickly as anticipated.
When Qian Jiangfan flew out of the treasury, his face black with rage, a cascade of explosions finally erupted.
“Cheng Changsheng, you treacherous dog! Damn this treasury, you’ve cleaned it out completely! You truly are the most cunning thief in Qu Nan City—stealing everything from your own house, and even scheming to blow me up!”
“You really are a master of deception, pretending for so long just to perform for these foolish orthodox cultivators! Daring to pin the blame for thievery on me—just wait, you’ll pay for this!”
“Hear me, Sacred Saint Sect now issues an unlimited pursuit order—anyone who captures Cheng Changsheng alive will be rewarded with a million mid-grade spirit stones and three stalks of ten-thousand-year spirit grass!”
Qian Jiangfan’s curses resounded, but amidst the thunderous blasts, only the last few sentences could be heard clearly.
---
A flash of terror crossed Cheng Changsheng’s face, but he quickly composed himself. With the ancestor present, Qian Jiangfan could not kill him.
“Qian Jiangfan, you scoundrel, surrender at once! The ancestor of the Celestial Derivation Sect is merciful—he’ll allow your soul to reincarnate!”
“Shameless wretch, keep dreaming! The disgrace of the Qu Nan City treasury—I will never forget it! Cheng Changsheng, you’ll never sit securely as city lord for the rest of your life!”
Qian Jiangfan’s face was dark as night. A dense blood mist flashed, and he vanished completely.
Cheng Changsheng feigned pursuit, but a deep and aged voice rang out.
“Let him be. Secure the city first.”
Cheng Changsheng immediately grew solemn. “Yes!”
With Qian Jiangfan gone, his demon cultivators couldn’t hold their ground. Countless black-robed figures halted their fighting and fled in panic.
The morale of the orthodox cultivators soared. They wielded magical tools, unleashed various spells, and countless flashes of spiritual light filled the air. The demon cultivators wailed, and the tide of battle shifted decisively.
...
Qu Yiqiu shattered a Ten-Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman to flee the Qu Nan City treasury, only to be blocked by a pale golden barrier.
Looking up at the dome overhead, she realized she had not escaped Qu Nan City at all.
“What kind of talisman did the king just use? She managed to flee to the city’s edge so quickly!” Yao Zhimei looked at Qu Yiqiu with curiosity.
The longer Yao Zhimei spent with her, the more she marveled at Qu Yiqiu’s myriad techniques and wisdom.
Qu Yiqiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
A seventh-grade Ten-Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman, and yet she’d barely moved at all—hardly impressive. It was a waste of a precious talisman.
She picked up the talisman in her palm. “Hmm? The talisman’s power isn’t fully used up!”
The corner she had torn off suddenly sealed itself, leaving a faint seam, and the rich spiritual energy within was barely diminished by a third.
Yao Zhimei leaned in for a closer look, her pupils dilating in astonishment.
Damn, the king really was wealthy! She had never seen a seventh-grade escape talisman, nor even many fourth-grade talismans after all her years as a ghost cultivator!
Qu Yiqiu rubbed her forehead in resignation.
With a barrier that even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t break, escaping now was pure fantasy.
“Who’s over there?” a rough male voice called out.
---
Yao Zhimei instantly transformed into a wisp of white mist, slipping into Qu Yiqiu’s sleeve.
Qu Yiqiu turned to see a male cultivator wearing the same Celestial Derivation Sect robes as herself.
She immediately produced her waist token. “I am a disciple of the second squad of Celestial Derivation Sect, assigned to guard the Qu Nan City treasury, but I fell behind due to a relapse of a hidden illness.”
The male cultivator scanned her token with his spiritual sense, and after confirming its authenticity, said, “Come with me. This battlefield has just ended—we need to support the medium-sized mineral veins elsewhere.”
Qu Yiqiu was momentarily stunned. Weren’t assignments supposed to be by squad? Why was he ordering her around so freely?
She pondered silently. Having just left the treasury, she knew nothing of the situation outside. Perhaps things had changed; it would be best to follow for now and see.
The male cultivator leading her belonged to the fifth squad, originally guarding a micro-scale red copper mine—precisely where Qu Yiqiu had teleported.
Suddenly, a massive assault by demon cultivators caught them off guard. The nearby mines with richer ore drew more demon cultivators, while their red copper mine had few, quickly subdued.
The squad leaders exchanged information and soon realized some areas were swarmed with demons and others nearly empty.
The thirteen leaders, seeking to defend their territories and earn merit by slaying demons, agreed without dispute to support each other.
No matter where the demons were slain, the merit belonged to the slayer. Any cultivator wearing Celestial Derivation Sect robes and unoccupied was obliged to obey orders unconditionally.
Thus, Qu Yiqiu found herself led, half-dazed, to a medium-sized mineral vein.
The chaos of battle raged on, with spells of all colors streaking across the sky.
The male cultivator leading her grew furious at the sight of black-robed demon cultivators. He drew his sword and rushed at a group of them to his left.
Before Qu Yiqiu could react, his arm was severed by a demon cultivator, blood arcing through the air in a perfect curve, some drops splashing onto her sleeve.
Yao Zhimei, catching the scent of fresh blood, immediately expanded her spiritual sense.
Sweeping the area, she found few cultivators at the Golden Core stage.
This meant no one here posed a threat to her.
Qu Yiqiu was about to rescue the wounded male cultivator when three black-robed demon cultivators suddenly emerged, unleashing spells in unison to trap her at the center.