Chapter Fifty-Five: Half-Step Dao Treasury

In the sky, a bird with crimson feathers and multicolored wingtips was screaming at Chen Xuan.

"Stop, stop!"

It looked terrified. Seven or eight birds had exploded one after another nearby, and blood had splashed onto its body.

"Huh?"

Chen Xuan was puzzled. This was actually a sparrow-turned-ghoul that could speak human words and claimed to be the little fox's friend.

Seeing him stop his attack, the multicolored sparrow quickly descended to the ground.

Remaining vigilant, Chen Xuan held his horn bow with the arrow pointing straight at the multicolored sparrow, and asked coldly, "Why are you spying on me!"

The multicolored sparrow quickly replied, "The little fox asked me to help the benefactor show the way. I was just up in the sky observing the movements of the pursuers everywhere. I hadn't had time to report to you yet when you attacked!"

The multicolored sparrow lamented that this was truly not a job meant for a bird! Because the arrows Chen Xuan shot were so fast that one of them had even grazed right past its belly. If it hadn't been a ghoul with quick reflexes, its belly would have been split open and its entrails spilled, costing it its life!

Chen Xuan asked, "How old are you!"

The multicolored sparrow answered immediately, "Two years old, little sparrow is two years old!"

"..."

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment. He caught a horse beast covered in black-red scales, mounted it, and as he drove the horse away, he turned his head and said:

"I don't need you to show me the way, and you are not to follow me. It's too dangerous here. Go back and find your ghost and monster friends."

Running on the ground, once he escaped the first wave of encirclement and interception, the world would be his to roam like fish in the sea and birds in the sky.

However, sparrows flew in the sky and were easily spotted, which would instead anchor his position and bring endless trouble.

The multicolored sparrow understood this as well, so it quickly told Chen Xuan what it had observed.

There were two major forces pursuing Chen Xuan, one of which was the Cui family of Qinghe.

Both major forces had more than a dozen people, mostly consisting of middle-aged and elderly individuals who were all Tier 3 ascension cultivators that had slowly ground their way up through time.

"Two of the old men among them are not ordinary Tier 3 ascension cultivators. The little sparrow only glanced at them from afar in the sky, and it felt its whole body turn cold, almost falling down."

The multicolored sparrow spoke quickly, and then added, "As for the other pursuers, to the little fox's benefactor, they are just chickens and dogs not worth mentioning; you don't need to pay them any mind."

It had just witnessed Chen Xuan's battle and knew that his strength far surpassed those of his own realm. The other teams led by one or two Tier 3 ascension realm experts posed no threat to Chen Xuan at all.

"Little sparrow is flying away now, to find Tiger Boss and the others!"

The multicolored sparrow informed Chen Xuan of the positions of these two teams and immediately distanced itself, because the sabertooth tiger demon and the little fox had also received gifts from the destiny-bearers and were being pursued by some people lying in wait.

Looking in the direction where the sparrow had left, Chen Xuan muttered to himself, "Not an ordinary Tier 3 ascension realm? Then what are they?"

Have they studied true scriptures and possessed special immortal qi?

Or are they about to reach the Dao Storehouse realm?

Chen Xuan shook his head and continued on his journey. He had already broken through the first layer of the encirclement at the foot of the mountain, and all the spying eyes in the sky had been completely cleared out.

As for the remaining pursuers behind him, in terms of physical strength and speed alone, who could compare to him?

There was no reason for those two pursuit teams to be able to catch up.

...

...

"Quick, quick, quick!"

On the ground, more than a dozen black-robed figures rose and fell, continuously springing forward like cannonballs. A single leap would send them nearly ten meters high and over twenty meters far, a terrifying sight indeed.

"Cui Xiaohao, you've botched this matter completely. You're finished!" someone complained coldly.

"Blowing the clan's plan this time, your future is lost, and you still delusionally hope to marry the princess of the Jiang family? You have no chance left!" someone mocked.

The phoenix-eyed youth named Cui Hao had an ugly expression. He opened his mouth as if to scold them, but these were all elders of the same clan with high seniority, so he could not throw a tantrum at will.

Cui Hao thought to himself: That guy was simply a reckless brute who didn't say a word and started fighting right away; who could guard against that? He didn't care about the reputation of the Qinghe Cui clan at all. You old fossils who aren't even qualified to step through the village gates are really talking big without feeling any pain!

"Do not say discouraging words that harm the clan's unity. This is an accident, and no one could have foreseen it."

The middle-aged man at the very front with upright facial features spoke up. Around forty years old, he carried a great deal of majesty. As he spoke, the voices of blame instantly vanished.

Cui Hao felt a warmth in his heart and hurriedly pleaded, "Seventh Uncle, please help your nephew! Help your nephew this time!"

Although they were all Tier 3 ascension cultivators, Chen Xuan was too, and chasing him blindly clearly wouldn't work.

Cui Seventh Uncle glanced sideways at him and frowned slightly.

Cui Hao felt anxious, his voice laced with tears as he said, "Seventh Uncle, please help your nephew. Only you can catch that reckless brute... The original plan was that once nephew failed, you would lead everyone to charge into the village together and forcefully seize the ancient immortals' relics."

A year ago, Cui Seventh Uncle had already mastered the second volume of the Luan Bird True Scripture, having one foot across the threshold of the Dao Storehouse realm.

If not for the clan's grand plan this time, which forced him to suppress himself and refrain from condensing his human Dao Storehouse, leaving him just half a step short, he should have long been a Dao Storehouse grand cultivator whose majesty suppressed the red-qi cultivators of the entire world.

"Fine, I shall go ahead first."

Cui Seventh Uncle let out a faint sigh. Then, pressing two fingers to the center of his brow, he slowly drew out a strand of black-and-red immortal qi. Instantly, an aura reminiscent of the primordial primeval era spread out, causing everyone to feel a deep sense of palpitation.

Luan Bird Qi!

The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: There is a divine bird named Luan... its shape resembles a magpie, red and black with two heads and four feet, and it can ward off fire!

"Hoo!"

On the horizon, a mountain-like black-feathered magpie rose into the sky, its wings scattering black flames of ten-thousand-degree heat. Its two luxurious and majestic magpie heads let out a long howl toward the heavens, shaking the entire sky.

A massive shadow swept across the ground at extreme speed.

At this moment, nearly all qi practitioners and ghosts on the ground looked up in a daze, watching this ancient divine bird drag a trail of black fire across the firmament, its legs trembling involuntarily.

In another direction, a dozen Tier 3 ascension realm pursuers couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement, and someone cried out:

"Goodness, the one who came from the Cui family is Old Seven Cui, and he is unleashing his power. Could it be that he is going to disregard the consequences and ascend to the Dao Storehouse realm right here?"

"I'm scared, I'm scared. We, the Lu family of Fanyang... should we yield this time?"

"...We cannot yield."

An aged voice sounded.

A second primordial giant beast aura surged upward.

...

...

"Luan Bird? Is that a special immortal qi?"

On the ground, Chen Xuan looked back toward the sky and was forced to halt his steps because the aura of the classic mountain and sea beast was far too oppressive, causing the horse beast beneath him to tremble so badly its legs went weak and it knelt directly on the ground.

"Is it coming for me?"

Chen Xuan felt a shock in his heart, because the black magpie, which spanned forty to fifty meters wide with its wings spread, hovered in the air for a moment and then flew toward his direction at extreme speed.

"Is this the power a Tier 3 ascension realm ought to possess? Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

Chen Xuan found it unimaginable. The little firebird he summoned looked like a miniature version compared to this.

Moreover, the immortal qi required to summon a giant beast of this size was far beyond what a Tier 3 ascension realm cultivator could provide. He even suspected that this black Luan Bird was not a mere illusion, but possessed a current of life force within its body, resembling a truly existing mountain and sea giant beast.

There was no hesitation; he would escape first and talk later.

Chen Xuan slightly altered his forward trajectory, approaching a stream of water.

"Boom!"

Soon, Old Seven Cui stepped onto the back of the black Luan Bird and closed in, his sonorous voice descending from the high sky: "Young man, hand over the ancient immortals' relics, and the Cui family might spare your life."

"Snap!"

Chen Xuan made no reply, but he threw a wooden box onto the ground and then continued to sprint forward wildly.

"Huh?"

Old Seven Cui was stunned. The other party actually handed the item over just like that? He deeply suspected that the wooden box must be empty and the item was still on Chen Xuan's person.

Hesitating for a moment, a strand of black Luan Bird Qi flew from his fingertips and landed on the wooden box, which instantly turned into a pile of ashes.

Old Seven Cui's gaze narrowed, and he was about to open his mouth to question him when Chen Xuan suddenly turned his head and shouted preemptively:

"You're done for! The ancient immortals' relics were burned by you, the Cui family won't let you off!"

"I..."

Old Seven Cui was momentarily choked for words. The ancient immortals' relics were just burned by him like that? No, the [Shangyang Immortal] was already a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering immortal before the Peach Blossom Spring appeared; things he had used had already undergone a transformation and sublimation back in ancient times!

This young man was toying with him!

"Hum!"

Taking advantage of his momentary astonishment, Chen Xuan fiercely hurled a refined iron harpoon toward the sky. Cyan-golden immortal qi permeated it, outlining the harpoon like an unstoppable divine weapon that tore through the firmament and headed straight for Old Seven Cui's chest.

Yellow Millet Qi!

"Ha!"

For a split second, Old Seven Cui's eyes grew hazy and lost their luster, as if he had fallen into a deep slumber. He completely ignored the incoming harpoon, losing all defense.

"Bang!"

The next instant, two crimson arms forcefully squeezed out from within Old Seven Cui's body, grasping the harpoon, and the shockwave of the air current shredded his robes into fragments.

"Clang!"

The harpoon rebounded and landed askew on the ground, the sound of metal clanging ringing through the sky like a giant bronze bell.

"!!!"

Chen Xuan felt a jolt in his heart. What had happened? Old Seven Cui was clearly affected by the Yellow Millet Qi, his soul and will trapped in past memories, yet his fatal strike had still been blocked!

"Clack!"

Old Seven Cui's head tilted sideways, his body hanging limply with a vacant expression, like a marionette on strings.

Countless brilliant flame veins, glowing with ethereal light, rapidly spread across Old Seven Cui's entire body along the crimson arms that had burst through his skin.

Cinnabar-surfaced fire pupils, crimson hair cascading like a waterfall.

A bizarre and gorgeous human figure was rapidly outlined.

"Dao Storehouse?"

Chen Xuan stared at the miraculous appearance displayed by Old Seven Cui, the image of Wang Yangming, the Dao Storehouse realm expert of Crimson Crow City, instantly flashing through his mind. Was this a Dao Storehouse cultivated from the Luan Bird True Scripture?

He sniffed a trace of crisis in the air, and his intuition told him not to stay here any longer, as something terrifying was about to happen.

"Plop!"

Chen Xuan pulled the harpoon out of the ground and leaped into the river, preparing to escape via the waterway, but the next moment, the river water churned turbulently, and he was lifted from the surface of the water into mid-air.

"Splash!"

Black scales emitting a metallic luster, each the size of a cattail fan—Chen Xuan stepped upon the writhing, massive body as the freezing stream poured down beneath his feet.

Looking up, his scalp tingled.

"Hiss!"

A giant snake head the size of a house hung dozens of meters high in the air, its pair of cold, vertical pupils as green as a deep pool.

Singing Snake!

The Classic of the Central Mountains states: The Singing Snake, its shape resembles a snake with four wings, its sound like a chime, and its appearance heralds a great drought in the town.

Atop the giant snake's head, an old man with crane-like hair and a youthful complexion, wearing a benevolent expression, looked down at Chen Xuan and smiled gently:

"Young man, hand the items over. You cannot hold onto them; let our Fanyang Lu family take them instead."

Chen Xuan's heart sank to the bottom, but these shocking scenes were not enough to cow his spirit. He gripped the harpoon tightly with both hands and said coldly:

"Let's see if I don't poke you full of holes!"