Chapter 271: Hard to Escape Death
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Some cultivators from hundreds of miles away, upon hearing the news, began moving towards the Divine Flame Sect. Their numbers weren’t significant yet, but a trend was emerging.
The response from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was quite direct. They immediately elevated the cultivation techniques of their own sect’s cultivators to another level.
The Qilin Technique opened up eighty-five aperture points, two more than the Divine Seal Technique, essentially belonging to the same level of cultivation techniques.
The Qilin Technique was originally a part of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s inheritance, albeit a relatively weaker one. Under the pressure of the Divine Flame Sect, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had no choice but to turn this inherited technique into something that their cultivators could practice.
Furthermore, in order to attract these cultivators, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect improved the daily treatment for rogue cultivators who sought refuge with them.
Lately, they were refining various spirit herbs stored in their libraries into different elixirs, providing additional support for the daily needs of these cultivators, all within their capabilities.
After all, if they didn’t appease these rogue cultivators, who knew what kind of trouble might arise.
For the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the goal of the next twenty years was to stabilize their own territory and produce another strong cultivator at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. With such a powerhouse, all their enemies would be paper tigers.
However, if in these twenty years, they failed to produce a cultivator at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect would likely become history.
The grudge between the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the Divine Flame Sect had reached the point of no return. Given any opportunity, either side would do whatever it took to annihilate the other.
Listening to these news within the Alchemist Alliance, Chen Fei remained silent.
This scene was all too familiar, much like the money-burning battles of his previous life. In any world, as long as there were interests at stake, individuals would go all out to seize what benefited them the most.
Thus, some bystanders unexpectedly found themselves with newfound interests, such as these rogue cultivators or alchemists like Chen Fei.
However, to obtain these benefits, one’s own abilities needed to be exceptional.
Rogue cultivators needed to reach the Aperture Tempering, a realm that ordinary martial artists could only dream of reaching. Alchemists, on the other hand, had to master the pinnacle of their craft.
Not every alchemist could produce four Spirit Snow Pills in a single furnace. If they could only produce three, they would, at most, earn some hard-earned contribution points.
Moreover, alchemy itself was a mentally taxing endeavor, highly susceptible to fluctuations in one’s state of mind. Any slight misstep could lead to failure, as evidenced by the recent increase in tasks causing many alchemists to attempt but ultimately fail.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was now consuming an astonishing amount of elixirs every day. They were running short on alchemists, which is why they had to rely on the Alchemist Alliance.
For instance, the alchemists of the Primordial Sword Sect could only refine a few furnaces each month due to limited resources.
The exchange of challenges between the two sects was far from over. After significantly improving the treatment of rogue cultivators, both sides directly established a bounty board for cultivators at the Aperture Tempering realmfrom the opposing sect.
Anyone who killed a cultivator at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm from the opposing sect, with the value of the reward determined by their cultivation level, could directly claim a substantial reward.
The rewards were so tempting that even Chen Fei couldn’t help but feel enticed when he saw them.
Chen Fei was already earning a considerable amount of elemental stones every day, and this temptation would be immense for other cultivators at the Aperture Tempering realm.
However, despite being tempted, Chen Fei had no intention of taking action.
The rewards were enticing, but the risks were astonishingly high. It was acceptable for members of the two sects to undertake these tasks since they were arch-enemies.
But if cultivators from other sects accepted and completed these missions, it would bring direct trouble to their own sects. Only a sect with deep internal hatred would be willing to engage in such mutually assured destruction.
Chen Fei remained focused on his alchemy, paying no attention to the external affairs. At the same time, he diligently practiced various cultivation techniques.
Finally, his proficiency in the Soaring Heaven Technique reached the level of mastery, addressing the shortcomings in his martial arts. Compared to other cultivators at the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei’s martial skills were now exceptional.
In fact, his martial skills were even more outstanding than those of some rogue cultivators.
As time passed, the confrontations between the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the Divine Flame Sect became increasingly frequent, with real battles occurring daily.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s advantage lay in having a greater number of cultivators at the Aperture Tempering realm and Body Tempering realm compared to the Divine Flame Sect, especially in the latter category.
With such abundant resources, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s growth had been remarkable. If not for the sudden resurgence of the Divine Flame Sect, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s strength would have continued to grow.
But there were no “ifs” in this situation. The current scenario called for intense combat, and any retreat would only allow the other side to gain more ground. As a result, casualties occurred daily, with the majority being Body Tempering realm cultivators.
The other sects in Immortal Cloud City supported the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect but were cautious not to become deeply involved in the actual fighting. Even when they participated, they did so with discretion.
Surviving in such circumstances required utmost caution.
Within the Divine Flame Sect’s mountain gate…
Up to this day, over eighty percent of the sects within Immortal Cloud City are still supporting the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. It seems that our previous attempts at persuasion were too mild.”
“They must think our Divine Flame Sect is a push over!”
“Let’s make an example of a couple of them to show our strength; otherwise, they might forget how we operate!”
“What if it backfires and pushes them further towards the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect?” someone furrowed their brows and questioned.
Is there much of a difference from the current situation? Some people are just naturally stubborn. Without a little pressure, they won’t see the reality!”
“Alright! Haven’t we recently gained many rogue cultivators? Let’s assign these tasks to them!”
“Start with the smaller sects, eliminate those with only one cultivator at the Aperture Tempering realm directly!”
“Very well!”
A cruel and ruthless aura permeated the surroundings. Rogue cultivators, driven solely by self-interest, loved these kinds of opportunities. Destroying sects presented enormous benefits, and these rogue cultivators were more than eager to participate.
As a storm approached, many were filled with anxiety, but Chen Fei remained immersed in his alchemy, consuming elixirs, and practicing his techniques, leading a simple life.
*Buzz!*
Chen Fei’s body trembled slightly, and ripples of energy emanated from his surroundings. After a moment, the energy returned to calm, and Chen Fei slowly opened his eyes.
Sensing the newly opened third aperture point in his body, a faint smile appeared on Chen Fei’s face.
Less than two months had passed since he opened the second aperture point.
This speed exceeded that of most individuals in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect who were fervently consuming spirit pills.
This was partly because Chen Fei didn’t have the same vital energy limitations and had ample control over his aperture points, thanks to his core soul energy. Another reason was his physical resilience.
Due to the Dragon Suppressing Elephant, Chen Fei didn’t feel any burden from the quantity of elixirs he consumed. He practically consumed all the Spirit Snow Pills he obtained each day.
Some days he took five or six pills, while on others, it might be just one or two.
There was no noticeable accumulation or discomfort in his body over this extended period.
Now, the only limitation was the number of Spirit Snow Pills he could acquire. Otherwise, Chen Fei was curious to see how many Spirit Snow Pills he could consume in a day with the combined effects of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant and the Spirit Suppression part.
“At this rate, I might be able to open more than ten aperture points in a year.”
Chen Fei stood up, gazing at the distant sky, his mind filled with various thoughts.
“Perhaps even faster. The number of tasks may decrease slightly, but with the refinement of the Spirit Snow Pill formula almost complete, the quantity of pills produced per furnace might change!”
A glint of excitement flashed in Chen Fei’s eyes. His figure flickered, and he headed towards Immortal Cloud City.
Today, in addition to advancing his cultivation, Chen Fei had come back to collect his custom-made scabbard.
With the Qianyuan Sword now transformed into a Spirit Sword, Chen Fei had specially ordered a scabbard for it from the Treasure Depository. A good scabbard would better nurture the sword’s spirituality.
In the wilderness, Chen Fei moved nimbly, sensing his surroundings with his core soul energy, maintaining a vigilant stance.
The area outside the city was more dangerous than before, with skirmishes occurring frequently. Especially in recent times, some smaller sects had been directly annihilated, sending shivers down many people’s spines.
Most believed that the Divine Flame Sect was responsible for these actions, as the sects being destroyed were openly supporting the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. However, some thought that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect might be behind it, attempting to frame the Divine Flame Sect and gain more support from other sects.
Their purpose was to frame the Divine Flame Sect and further solidify support for the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect among other sects.
Despite most sects currently expressing support for the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, this support often lacked wholehearted commitment.
As a result, no one truly understood the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s true intentions.
“Hmm?”
Chen Fei’s sprinting figure suddenly came to a halt, his brows furrowing as he sensed something amiss ahead. He took a step back, about to retreat in another direction, when he felt an unsettling presence behind him as well.
“Such a sensitive core soul energy. You truly live up to being the most outstanding disciple of the Primordial Sword Sect in decades!”
A figure seemed to materialize out of thin air in front of Chen Fei, locking onto him with an unhidden killing intent that pierced through his mental defenses.
Not only the person in front of him, but two others had also appeared behind him, effectively surrounding Chen Fei.
The combined pressure from the three individuals spread throughout the surroundings as if a massive mountain were pressing down on Chen Fei, making him shiver in fear.
Chen Fei’s expression turned serious. These three were all at the Aperture Tempering realm, with the one in front of him only a step away from the mid-stage. Their combined strength was the greatest threat he had faced so far.
“I have no grudges with any of you. We’ve never met before. Why must it come to this?” Chen Fei said in a deep voice.
“Blame it on your outstanding abilities. By killing you, the Primordial Sword Sect will feel the pain, and maybe they will make the right choice. Doesn’t that sound about right?” Dong Xiuzhi gazed at Chen Fei with a mocking smile, treating him as if he were already a dead man.
With three cultivators at the Aperture Tempering realm and Dong Xiuzhi himself on the brink of mid-stage, they had the upper hand in numbers and cultivation. They believed it would be a straightforward task to surround and eliminate someone who had only recently broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm.
Even if Dong Xiuzhi alone could handle the situation, they had decided to act together to ensure there was no room for escape. This way, even if Chen Fei had any hidden abilities, he would find it nearly impossible to evade death..