Chapter 63: Chapter 62: The Stronger, the Weaker

After a long spiel about the Jiang Clan Commerce Association’s auction house, Jiang Fang’s throat was dry. He was about to raise his cup to wet his throat.

Hearing Wu Chen’s words, his hand paused.

"Purple Mist Mountain?!"

Of course he knew of Purple Mist Mountain. It was the infamous mountain where the Blood Slaughter Sect was located.

He knew Wu Chen wouldn’t ask about it at a time like this for no reason. He must have some sort of plan, or perhaps he even intended to go to the Blood Slaughter Sect.

Combined with the fact that Xue Hongling hadn’t been seen since yesterday...

And her identity on the wanted poster.

As a businessman with a quick mind, his imagination soon concocted a secret drama of love and hate between a young, righteous hero and a female disciple of a Demon Sect.

TAP! TAP!

Wu Chen tapped the table twice, rousing Jiang Fang from his reverie.

Heaven knows, he was indeed going to Purple Mist Mountain.

But he was more curious about the Blood Road trial that Xue Hanyan had mentioned.

As for saving Xue Hongling, that was just something to do along the way.

After all, a name like the Blood Road trial just screamed "grand opportunity"!

Wu Chen felt there was no reason for him not to check it out.

If he could obtain some ancient Divine Weapon or a peerless secret manual...

With things like that in hand, wouldn’t he stand a fighting chance even against existences one or two major realms above him?

Too bad he had none of those things.

For now, all he could do was cling tightly to the small and helpless Deep Red to face this dangerous, terrifying world!

So, no matter what, he had to make a trip for this Blood Road trial.

Even if none of the things mentioned above were there, Wu Chen had other plans in mind:

’That girl, Xue Hongling, isn’t weak.’

’From what her master said, it’s incredibly dangerous even for her to participate in this Blood Road trial.’

’But the Blood Slaughter Sect has no shortage of disciples. I bet there will be plenty of Blood Evil disciples at the Jade Bone Realm entering this Blood Road trial, right?’

’In that case, there will naturally be no shortage of Jade Bone Realm Martial Arts!’

At this thought, the corners of Wu Chen’s mouth curved into a smile.

Recalling the scene of slaughtering hundreds of Blood Slaughter Sect disciples at the herb farm, it seemed a repeat performance was due soon, and he could barely suppress his grin.

’A pity my strength is still insufficient.’

’If I were strong enough, I’d just go and flatten Purple Mist Mountain while I’m at it. Rummaging through their Arsenal for Martial Arts would be so much easier!’

Wu Chen had no love for the Blood Slaughter Sect.

So, he wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse for leveling Purple Mist Mountain.

If he did...

...then he’d just have to level a few more mountains.

The tapping on the table brought Jiang Fang, whose mind was abuzz with juicy speculation, back to his senses.

Seeing the unprovoked smile on Wu Chen’s lips, he shivered for no apparent reason, a sudden chill crawling up his spine.

Recalling the earlier question, he immediately told him everything he knew:

"Younger Brother Wu, I’m a few years your senior, so I’ll take the liberty of calling you that."

Wu Chen nodded, unconcerned with what he was called.

Seeing him nod, Jiang Fang continued:

"Younger Brother Wu, do you know of Mountain Mist City?"

"I do."

Wu Chen said, "The one with a few sects outside its walls? And a place called Refining Valley?"

"Yes, that’s the city."

Jiang Fang said: "From Black Stone City, you head east for two to three hundred li until you reach Fenglin County, where you can rest. From there, it’s another three to four hundred li to Mountain Mist City."

"Once you reach Mountain Mist City, you’ll see mountain ranges rising up. If you travel through them and pay close attention, you’ll be able to spot the peaks belonging to a few righteous Sects."

"Continue east through the deep, old forests for another four to five hundred li, and you should be able to see a mountain peak shrouded in purple mist. Of course, I don’t know the exact location."

After all, he had never actually been to the Blood Slaughter Sect on Purple Mist Mountain himself; he had only heard about it from people in the Jiang Mansion.

Although many in the martial world knew of it, how many had a death wish and would dare to verify the rumors by wandering into the Blood Slaughter Sect’s territory?

Wu Chen nodded. He now had a general idea.

Jiang Fang knew that Wu Chen’s questions meant he was probably about to leave Black Stone City.

He quickly took out a smooth, crimson Jade Pendant from his robes.

In the center of the Jade Pendant were engraved two words: Jiang Fang. The back had inscriptions the size of rice grains.

"Younger Brother Wu."

He handed the Jade Pendant over. "This is my personal Jade Pendant."

"With this Jade Pendant, you’ll receive a ten percent discount when buying goods at any Jiang Clan Commerce Association branch. If you’re selling, we’ll take ten percent less in commission."

"It’s one of the few perks I get from being part of the Jiang family."

Wu Chen didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it openly.

Over the next few days, Wu Chen didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, he carried out a final purge of the remaining gang remnants in the city.

The authorities were also very responsible.

Every morning, they had the coroners bring their carts out on schedule to collect the bodies from all over Black Stone City. The cartloads were then taken outside the city to be burned.

There were simply too many bodies; digging graves to bury them all would have taken forever.

Although the two sides never met face-to-face, their coordination was perfectly in sync.

「Three days later.」

When the dust settled, Black Stone City had been slaughtered into a state of tranquility.

Only then did Wu Chen mount the date-red steed prepared by Jiang Fang and head toward Fenglin County.

He ambled along the road for a day.

Although it was Wu Chen’s first time riding a horse, the ’Horsemanship’ skill, long since enhanced by Deep Red, gave him what could be called a perfect mastery of the animal.

Besides, the road to Fenglin County wasn’t difficult to travel. It was just that some overgrown bushes and weeds had covered parts of the path.

Perhaps due to the quarry business, the dirt road still bore the marks of wagon ruts, so it wasn’t completely impassable.

On horseback, Wu Chen calculated the time. It would take about three to five days to casually ride to Fenglin County.

’Anyway, there’s still a long time before the Blood Road trial begins in three months. I might as well wander around Fenglin County for a bit.’

’I just wonder if there’s a way to get my hands on some Meridian Passage Realm Martial Arts in Fenglin County.’

After clashing with an Organ Refining Realm expert like Xue Hanyan, Wu Chen’s martial heart had grown even more resolute, and his craving for more power had intensified.

This experience also made him understand that powerful people wouldn’t just stay in one place, waiting for him to grow strong enough to "harvest" them.

They, too, would wander to every corner of the world, seeking opportunities and ruthlessly crushing the weak.

Even if he hadn’t met Xue Hongling and her master on this trip to Black Stone City, some other, more powerful demonic practitioner might have appeared and casually struck him down, or forced him to flee in disgrace.

"Heh, the path of Martial Arts is to plunder all things to nourish oneself."

"And here I’ve been acting rather benevolent."

Wu Chen took a few deep breaths, suppressing the unpleasant feeling in his heart.

However, he also discovered he seemed to be trapped in a strange loop.

The stronger he became, the stronger the enemies he faced. The stronger his enemies, the weaker he seemed in comparison.

So, the stronger I get equals... the weaker I get?

"..."

Wu Chen sighed, letting the horse wander as it pleased. He emptied his mind and began to ponder the path ahead:

’Should I become a constable in the Demon Suppression Bureau, an institution under the imperial court? Or enlist as a soldier in the Black-Armored Army? Or maybe start as a menial disciple in a prestigious, righteous sect?’

’Although all three options mean working for someone else, they’re bound to have an Arsenal with thousands of accumulated Martial Arts. Ultimately, they’re the most suitable places for me.’

Wu Chen thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head.

Under normal circumstances, any of those three options would have been excellent.

But with the Blood Road trial—which only opened at long, unknown intervals—right around the corner, three months, which should have been plenty of time, now seemed incredibly rushed.

In that amount of time, it would be impossible to get access to the core Martial Arts of any of those factions, nor would it be enough for him to achieve a breakthrough in his realm.

’In any case, I absolutely cannot miss the Blood Road trial.’

’It will be dangerous, but the opportunities that come with it are surely immense.’

Wu Chen made up his mind. No matter what his plans were, he had to go to the Blood Road trial.

This meant that the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Black-Armored Army would have to be put on hold for now. He would have to find another way to increase his strength within the next three months.

As he was lost in thought, a series of CREAKS and SQUEAKS from up ahead interrupted his train of thought.

Wu Chen looked up and saw a caravan of four or five horse-drawn wagons loaded with goods, heading his way.

The people in the caravan all had long faces and were covered in dust, looking as if their goods had been stolen.

Wu Chen pulled on the reins, moving his horse to the side to let the caravan pass.

"Young man, don’t go any further."

As the caravan passed by Wu Chen, the elderly man leading it waved at him and called out a warning:

"There’s a vicious beast blocking the road ahead. If you’re going to Fenglin County, you’d better take a detour."

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