Chapter 191: Chapter 145: Fellow Daoist, You Don’t Need to Be Afraid (Part 2)

So he handed the case files over to Chen Zhixuan and retreated back to Cuiwei Valley to cultivate.

After this period of cultivation, he had already faintly touched the threshold of the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

However, a small bottleneck existed between the Middle and Late Stages of Foundation Establishment.

Furthermore, because he possessed a low-grade Wood Spirit Root, he could feel an additional invisible barrier obstructing his cultivation.

’Thankfully, my Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment spares me from the limitations of such minor bottlenecks.’

Xiao Chen completed a Grand Circulation, and feeling the faint progress he’d made, he couldn’t help but feel grateful.

In truth, many cultivators with far better aptitude than him had experienced all sorts of bottlenecks long ago.

This, however, was his first time encountering one.

Furthermore, based on his current progress, he estimated that by slowly grinding away with the help of his Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment, he would only need another month or two to successfully overcome the bottleneck.

However, on the fourth night after Chen Zhixuan’s arrival, a new massacre took place.

Xiao Chen followed the messenger disciple to the Demon Extermination Hall. Even from a distance, he could hear the sounds of weeping.

As he drew closer, he saw two children, about ten years old, at the hall’s entrance, along with several female disciples who were comforting them.

Stepping into the hall, his eyes immediately fell upon the Sun Family Patriarch, whose face was streaked with tears.

And next to him stood Chen Zhixuan, his expression grim.

Xiao Chen had a vague memory of the Sun Family Patriarch. During the night of the Lantern Festival, when he had gone to Zhu County to raid the Zhu Family, the Patriarch had been the most cooperative among the local leaders.

’Seeing him like this... did something happen in Zhu County?’

.

"They’re all dead. All of them are dead."

"There was blood everywhere, from the sky to the ground. There was nowhere to hide."

"There was also an exceptionally powerful crimson light—not even the Defense Array could stop it."

Perhaps it was from anger or sorrow, or maybe he was just deeply frightened. Whatever the reason, the Sun Family Patriarch’s voice trembled as he spoke.

"Then how did you escape?"

Xiao Chen asked curiously.

The man was an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the kind who gets stuck at the minor bottleneck of the third level for more than a decade, his potential all but exhausted.

The other three families in Zhu County were in much the same situation. Having one’s cultivation stalled by a bottleneck was the norm in the world of cultivators.

But it sounded like the other three families had not managed to escape.

The Sun Family Patriarch hesitated, stammering, clearly reluctant to speak.

Chen Zhixuan pressed him directly. "If you don’t want to talk, then you can leave."

Hearing this, the Sun Family Patriarch’s expression changed instantly.

He hesitated for a long while, finally gritted his teeth, and revealed his secret. "Years ago, I followed a group to mine Fire Crystals in a cluster of volcanoes."

"At that time..."

Chen Zhixuan raised a hand, cutting off his lengthy explanation. "Don’t talk about anyone else. Just get to the point."

The Sun Family Patriarch pursed his lips. "The point is, I once stumbled into an Earth Abyssal Rift and was fortunate enough to find an extremely small Lianyun Flying Boat inside."

Chen Zhixuan was startled upon hearing this. "What did you say?"

If this was true, it meant there might be other secrets hidden there—a matter of great importance.

He quickly pressed, "Why didn’t you report it sooner? Where is this rift?"

There was a desk in the Demon Extermination Hall, fully equipped with paper and brushes.

The Sun Family Patriarch picked up a brush and drew a map of the route.

At the same time, he took a small, palm-sized flying boat from his robes. "I am willing to hand over this Lianyun Flying Boat. I only ask that the sect take in my two grandchildren."

The Lianyun Flying Boat he took out was actually an extremely special Top Grade Magical Artifact.

According to the Sun Family Patriarch’s own description, the Flying Boat was small and could carry three people at most.

However, it had a special quality: its speed was incredibly fast, several times faster than an ordinary cultivator’s Sword Control.

Moreover, the fewer people it carried, the faster it went. With only one person aboard, it could go fifty percent faster still.

The situation had been critical. To escape with his life, he only had time to grab his two most talented grandchildren and flee to the Li Huo Sect using the Flying Boat.

Chen Zhixuan reacted quickly.

He glanced at Xiao Chen and gave him a meaningful look.

Then he asked, "You just said you were willing to hand over the Flying Boat to the Demon Extermination Hall, correct?"

The Sun Family Patriarch looked up hesitantly, wondering why it had to be handed over to the Demon Extermination Hall.

But he looked at the silent Xiao Chen, then nodded. "Yes, I am willing to hand over the Flying Boat..."

"You offered this voluntarily."

Chen Zhixuan tapped the table. "Since that’s the case, write a formal statement to prevent any idle gossip later."

"As for your two grandchildren, rest assured they can stay in the sect. I will speak with Instructor Wu."

"Once they break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, they will join the Second Division. In the future, whether they choose the path of Alchemy or Artifact Refining will be up to them."

After settling the three members of the Sun Family, the next step was to deal with the Demon Cultivators in Zhu County. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Unfortunately, the intelligence provided by the Sun Family Patriarch was far too vague.

He hadn’t even clearly seen how many people had come, only knowing that there was definitely more than one.

Xiao Chen said, "Zhu County isn’t far. If we rush over now, we might still be in time to save someone."

Chen Zhixuan shook his head. "That’s not wise. A crimson light that can cover an entire county town... there’s no telling how many Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators are there."

"Visibility is poor at night, and Divine Sense can easily be obscured by Secret Techniques."

"It would be safest to wait until morning and go together with a few of our seniors."

The Sun Family Patriarch also said, "It’s too late. When I left, the only sounds left in the city were from the ancestral halls of the other three families."

"If we rush over now, it will definitely be too late."

He felt utterly exhausted now and had no desire to travel back through the night.

Xiao Chen thought for a moment. "How about this? I’ll go take a look from a distance. I might be able to discover a clue."