Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-182

The burning Sun was shedding down warm lights.

Despite this, everyone at the scene could only feel bone-piercing coldness, like they were in the middle of winter.

Corpses filled the street in a disordered manner, and all that could be seen were blood and dead bodies. This hellish view made everyone tremble with fear.

These were 21 foundational cultivators’ dead bodies!

To the regular folks, this was an unimaginable turn of events. Even to those foundational cultivators, who followed them here from the auction ground, were full of fear and angst.

Foundational cultivators were not like meditational cultivators who were considered insignificant. Though there were a great number of foundational cultivators in any city, they were still considered fully deserving of being called heroic and dominant!

Yet, right before their eyes, more than 20 foundational cultivators died in this one battle. On top of that, they were all killed by the same person. This made everyone here feel surreal, and it was hard for them to believe this was real life.

After a considerable amount of time, people started to accept the facts and began to boil with shock. The boisterous exclaims were like a tsunami that resounded and echoed throughout the entire street.

"What’s this man’s background? He is so strong to have fought an entire battle alone! This is unbelievable!"

"He must be a carefully bred and raised Heaven’s Favorite, or he cannot be this powerful!"

"Ay… I thought I was above average in the foundational stage. It seems like I was simply a frog sitting in a well."

Everyone’s gaze concentrated on Ling Xian. There was shock, jealousy, and fear. Without exception, however, everyone shared one feeling.

Reverence.

Reverence that was normally only devoted to Gods.

Right now, Ling Xian was still wearing the golden armor and holding onto the halberd. His face was attractive and his stance was handsome. He was like a recently descended Immortal who was exceptionally celestial, but at the same time, he was like a long-lived devil, he was incomparably frightful.

The two contrasting poise combined into one, somehow harmoniously coexisting in this terrifying youth.

The silhouette of a God, and the shadow of a Devil!

"I assume you now know my identity. That’s right. The target of the Wanted Warrant the Third Prince issued was me. Does anyone want to try and capture me in exchange for the reward?"

Ling Xian glanced at his surroundings. When he began his fight with the guards, he felt a few different murderous intents from a select few in the crowd. Therefore, he made this chilling statement in front of everyone.

Nobody answered.

Or rather, nobody had the guts to answer.

After personally witnessing Ling Xian slashing 21 cultivators into bits, who dared to challenge him?

Many people’s faces turned green from fear after Ling Xian spoke those words. Those who were originally planning on killing Ling Xian were shaking all over from uneasiness and all their desires of battling against him diminished.

"Good. If someone wants to trade in my head for the generous reward offered, I will acknowledge you. However, I must warn you all. Before you make a move, know your limits," Ling Xian declared in a soft voice. He then strolled before a guard dressed in black and took his storage pouch.

All of those people were in the foundational stage and therefore, they were all wealthy. Though Ling Xian was already wealthier than this nation, money was still money regardless of how little. There may be unexpected treasures in those pouches.

Just then, a skinny silhouette suddenly emerged from the crowd and walked towards Ling Xian with difficulty.

It was a young girl, around the age 13 to 14. She wore uneven clothes, had messy hair, and her sallow little face was filled with both fear and determination. She stumbled over bit by bit as if every single step took all of her strength.

Half of all this stumbling as due to her hunger, the other due to fear.

After all, Ling Xian gave off a horrifying demeanor. The street they were standing on was also not at all peaceful. For a 13-year-old girl to courageously go to him was already admirable. Nobody knew from where this little beggar was getting all this boldness.

"Hmm?"

Surprise flashed across Ling Xian’s eyes. "Don’t tell me you are here to kill me."

"No no no, I… I don’t dare." The little beggar wielded her tiny arm. Her dirty and muddy face was full of fear.

Seeing the fearful beggar who’s feet never stopped moving forward, Ling Xian’s heart softened. It was as if he had seen his old self. When he was terrified of the future but kept moving forward, unwilling to give up his beliefs. He stayed silent for a while and asked, "To achieve anything courageous requires the support of faith. Tell me, what is your faith or desire?"

"I… I need spiritual stones," the beggar whispered. The way her big eyes gazed at the storage pouches of the corpses were full of yearning.

"You do all this for spiritual stones?"

Ling Xian frowned, though he didn’t feel very annoyed. He understood how difficult life was for those at the bottom of the societal food chain. This raggedly dressed girl was obviously the child of a beggar.

This simple frown of his made the little beggar tremble. Subconsciously, she stopped her steps. However, before long, she gritted her teeth and continued to march forward again. Though her steps were slower, her determination grew.

"Interesting. Tell me your reasons for wanting to take my belongings even though you can still smell the fresh blood on my hands. There would be no need to do this if you simply wanted to trade spiritual stones for a good meal." The corners of Ling Xian’s lips curved up. He was curious about the end goal of this kid.

"My mother is about to die, I need to get spiritual stones to save her!"

The little beggar was more than afraid, even her voice was shivering. Despite that, it wasn’t difficult to spot the conviction in her voice.

"I see."

Ling Xian softly sighed and unveiled an amiable smile. As if an iceberg has defrosted and flowers bloomed, the apprehension the beggar felt evaporated. All she could feel was how warm the smile was and how this person wasn’t nearly as scary as she originally thought. She looked at Ling Xian with hope and anticipation as she whispered, "Can… can you let me take their storage pouches?"

"Sure, but you can only take one." Ling Xian grinned.

"Thank you… thank you."

The beggar appeared joyous. To her, one storage pouch was enough. Because this pouch belonged to a foundational cultivator, a fraction of what he owned would be enough to save her mother.

"Then, take your pick," Ling Xian looked at the beggar meaningfully, wanting to see which pouch she would end up taking.

The young beggar nodded and shifted her gaze to the person closest to her, the commander.

No doubt, as the commander of the city, he must be wealthy. One could conclude that within everyone that had died, he has the most spiritual stones.

The beggar hesitated as she remembered a lesson her mother taught her once. She didn’t end up choosing the commander’s pouch but decided on the pouch of a random man in black. She tightly held onto the delicate pouch and her sallow face revealed a bright beam.

"You have good characteristics. Not greedy," Ling Xian complimented as he walked to her and rubbed her long greasy hair. He did not mind it at all.

"Thank you."

The young beggar blushed. Growing up, only her mother touched her head, now, there’s one more.

"No need to thank me."

Ling Xian’s lips curved up. His smile was tender and friendly like a gentle gush of spring wind. The little beggar, feeling his affection, smiled as well.

"Tell me, what is your name?" Ling Xian kneeled down and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. Looking at the dirty little kid, he felt strangely intimate with her.

Intimate?

Ling Xian frowned lightly. Why would he feel this way? Could it be that the little girl before him reminded him of himself?

"My name is Yu Xun Zhen*," the girl’s cheeks were flushed.

"Yu Xun Zhen?"

Ling Xian was a little agitated but quickly turned it into a smile. "Us cultivators seek laws of the universe and pursue immortality. You have a good name."

Within the cultivation community, cultivators seek laws of the universe and pursue immortality. Yet the ultimate universal law states that simplicity is the most important aspect of life and that to achieve true immortality, one must return to one’s original state. Therefore, seeking immortality was considered to be returning to the most simple state of one’s existence.

This was why Ling Xian found the words Xun and Zhen to be extremely meaningful.

"I don’t know what it means. My mother said it’s a name my father gave me, but I never met him." Her eyes darkened.

"When you grow up, you’ll know what it means." Ling Xian sighed.

"Can you tell me your name? My mother told me once that every drop of kindness should be returned with streams of generous acts. I will return the favor you did for me today in the future." Yu Xun Zhen awaited for an answer as she gawked at Ling Xian’s face. It was as if she was working really hard to memorize every feature of this face, so she will not forget.

In her life time, this was the second person to treat her with such kindness.

"My name is Ling Xian. Simply remembering it is good enough, I do not need you to repay me anything." Ling Xian beamed and rubbed her little head once more. "Remember, to have been born in this world means you must cultivate. Only when you’re capable yourself, can you protect those you care about. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand!"

Yu Xun Zhen nodded repetitively, her face bright red. Though it was smeared with dirt, it could not hide her delicate features. It wasn’t hard to imagine how great of a beauty she would be if she cleaned and brushed up.

"Just remember that until the last moment of your life. Do not give up hope. The dark times will pass." Ling Xian smiled. "It’s time for me to go. You should be on your way to save your mother too."

"I will forever remember what happened today. When the day comes, I will definitely reciprocate what you did for me." Yu Xun Zhen’s face was uncompromising. After looking at Ling Xian meaningfully for the last time, she turned and headed East.

Watching her skinny silhouette disappear, Ling Xian sighed to himself and glanced around warningly. "I advise you to not even think about taking things from that little girl. You know what will happen to you if you cross me."

The moment he finished this statement, frightening energy poured out of him like waves.

A few people with greed in their eyes instantly shuddered and their thoughts of following Yu Xun Zhen vanished.

"Hmmph, trash."

Ling Xian sneered. Waving around his sleeve, he swept up the rest of the storage pouches and walked towards Lin Qing Yi, planning to enter the spatial transporter with her and leave the City of Yun Xiao.

However, just as he arrived beside her, a cold voice rang from afar, jolting this quiet place like an imploded grenade.

"You killed my son, and you intend to run away? Leave me your life!"

A grim and mighty vigor quickly scattered and circulated the entire area. Just like a celestial being with martial prowess, the energy was indestructible and incomparable!

Under the threat of this dreadful energy, everyone began to shake. Only two words formed in their heads as they fought off their bodies’ impulse to immediately kneel down.

Completion level!

*Yu Xun Zhen's literal meaning is: Fish, Seek, Truth