Xianxia: Big Brother of Tianyong City

Chapter 48: Found! He’s Here!

As the first rays of dawn painted the horizon, Xiao Yu parted ways with the Iron Pillar Temple’s abbot and continued flying eastward on his flying sword. After covering approximately eight hundred miles, he descended onto a verdant mountain.

“This place is brimming with spiritual energy,” Xiao Yu remarked, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

A site rich in spiritual energy was an invaluable aid to cultivation.

Ding!

“Host has arrived at Xianghun Mountain, meeting the conditions for a system checkpoint. Would you like to proceed with the checkpoint?”

“Activate checkpoint!” Xiao Yu responded without hesitation.

Ding! 

“Host has successfully activated the checkpoint at Xianghun Mountain and has received the reward: Soul-Calming Pearl!”

[Zhenhun Zhu (镇魂珠): A precious soul-refining artifact. Upon forming a blood bond, it merges with the host’s body to provide a protective barrier around the soul, shielding against spiritual attacks. It also nourishes the host’s soul, strengthening it over time. Once the host reaches the Nascent Soul stage, their divine sense will surpass that of others at the same level].

“This treasure is incredible,” Xiao Yu murmured, nodding in approval.

He retrieved the small, black pearl, barely the size of a lotus seed, and formed a blood bond with it. As a single drop of blood was absorbed into its surface, the Zhenhun Zhu fused seamlessly into Xiao Yu’s soul, forming a faint black barrier around it.

Simultaneously, the pearl radiated a warm glow, soothing and nourishing his soul.

After securing this powerful artefact, Xiao Yu set to work constructing a temporary dwelling.

A swift gesture brought over a hundred flying swords from his storage pouch. Like chisels against soft clay, the swords carved through the mountain wall, creating a spacious cave in mere moments.

“This mountain’s spiritual energy will serve my cultivation well,” Xiao Yu declared as he entered the newly formed cave.

He unfurled a diagram of the Minor Five Elements Sword Array (Xiao Wuxing Jian Zhen (小五行剑阵) and activated it with a wave of his hand. The array enveloped the entire cave, ensuring privacy by isolating external noise and preventing disruptions. Additionally, it provided critical protection, offering Xiao Yu valuable time to prepare should any enemy attack.

With his dwelling secured, Xiao Yu settled onto a meditation cushion. He activated the Supreme Clarity Sky Gang Art  (Taiqing Tiangang Jue), the core cultivation technique of Tianyong City.

[Taiqing Tiangang Jue (太清天罡决): A powerful cultivation technique emphasizing balance and purification, unique to Tianyong City.]

Spiritual energy from the mountain churned like a tidal wave, rushing toward the cave and into Xiao Yu’s body. The Taiqing Tiangang Jue refined the energy, discarding impurities and storing the purified essence within his Golden Core.

Unbeknownst to Xiao Yu, his actions had not gone unnoticed.

Three hundred miles away, high above the clouds, the Nascent Soul elder Shangguan Ce hovered, holding a tracking compass.

“Got him,” Shangguan Ce muttered with a sinister grin as the compass pinpointed Xiao Yu’s location.

Unleashing his full speed, Shangguan Ce traversed the distance in an instant, arriving above Xianghun Mountain in the blink of an eye.

“There he is,” he declared coldly, his divine sense spreading over the mountain like a shadow.

The Nascent Soul-level divine sense penetrated every nook and cranny of the mountain. Each blade of grass, each stone, and, most crucially, the meditating Xiao Yu within the cave, came under his scrutiny.

“Xiao Yu, prepare to die!”

Without further ado, Shangguan Ce launched a devastating Divine Sense Blade (神识利刃). The invisible attack bypassed the Minor Five Elements Sword Array, targeting Xiao Yu’s soul directly.

Inside the cave, Xiao Yu’s figure remained unmoving, seated in serene meditation.

“What? He’s unscathed?” Shangguan Ce frowned.

Dismissing the possibility of an error, he intensified his efforts, sending another Divine Sense Blade. This time, he observed carefully as the blade approached Xiao Yu’s soul.

To his astonishment, a faint black barrier appeared around Xiao Yu’s soul, blocking the attack entirely.

“The Zhenhun Zhu!”

Through his probing divine sense, Shangguan Ce identified the source of the barrier—a black pearl nestled within Xiao Yu’s soul.