Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 454 Welcoming Guests
Fei Tianqin clearly valued Peng Daoren's whereabouts much more than the Grand Master Kang had previously thought.

After pausing his journey back to the Cold Crow Mountains, this old bird personally led Fei Nanying and Wu Feng Shangxiu to settle in Chongming City.

In addition to Fei Bofeng, Fei Zhongyun, and Cao Xianlu leading a battalion of Yingshan troops to garrison Pingrong County, local soldiers from various counties and villages also came to help, bringing their own rations.

Pingrong County, which had just begun to show signs of peace, suddenly became a place of great tension and unease.

Generally speaking, regardless of their affinity for the Celestial Dynasty, local portals always harbor some resistance to the arrival of a large army.

It should be understood that the principle of "a thief passing by is like a comb, a soldier passing by is like a fine brush" applies not only to ordinary people.

If only some supplies and manpower were provided to protect the peace of the homes, that would be fine. However, the quality of the soldiers from various counties and villages who were ordered to come here was uneven. Many of them were even recruited by the county magistrates for convenience. This made the local families feel insecure.

Therefore, only three days after Fei Tianqin issued the edict from the Yunjiao Prefecture court, a group of ignorant soldiers from Guoxian County committed the calamity of massacring several small families in Jinxian County.

He thought he had done a good job and no one would investigate, but he was not skilled enough and failed to clean it properly, so someone reported him.

Ye Zhen, the head of the Shujian Sect who commanded the local militia of Guo County, felt ashamed. But before he could react, he heard that the offending troops had been defeated in one fell swoop by the three elders of Chongming Sect, Kang Rongquan, Duan Anle, and Ming Zhe, along with the Qingjue Guard.

The local militia from Guoxian County, who had brought calamity to the county, collapsed on the spot, suffering countless casualties. Even Heng Yimian, a newly promoted True Cultivator of the Shujian Sect, perished in the battle and did not have a complete corpse.

Logically speaking, while the actions of the local militia in Guo County were certainly wrong, they had only slaughtered some Qi Refining sects, which was quite common in the Immortal Dynasty army. After a long journey, they would have to do some entertainment, so it wasn't too outrageous.

If it were an ordinary household acting as the landlord, they might feel unhappy, but they wouldn't react as intensely as Chongmingzong.

But who is Master Kang? Since he dares to come to his own field and harvest the crops he has worked so hard to grow, he dares to cut off those hands that don't follow the rules.

This incident greatly displeased Ye Zhen, and the guest troops gathered in Pingrong County became agitated. If it weren't for the presence of the superior cultivator, they might have immediately engaged in a bloody battle with Chongming Sect.

However, despite their caution, they did not get a good result. After hearing about it, Fei Tianqin ordered the Grand Master Kang to make a list and had the Ying Shan Army bring out those who had instigated the trouble. They were then brought to the yamen one by one and severely whipped.

At that time, regardless of whether they were fake alchemists or Qi Refining clan leaders, they were all stripped of their shorts, beaten until they were covered in blood and lost face.

The old man wasn't angry because the local militia were undisciplined and causing trouble in the area, but because the gathered militia didn't show complete fear and submission.

In recent years, the David Immortal Dynasty has gradually lost its strength and could no longer suppress the major clans and families within the domain, and has had to appear somewhat weak.

However, the cruel methods passed down from the reign of Emperor Taizu have never stopped. At most, it has only been downgraded from "nobles being punished the same" to "high-ranking officials are exempt from punishment".

It is something that the imperial guards of the capital, filled with noble sons, and the private armies of powerful clans can do, but these peasants from the border states must never do. If they dare to act rashly, they will truly be courting death.

If it weren't for the fact that they needed manpower at this time, forcing the old bird Fei Tianqin to suppress his murderous intent, he would have been willing to dismantle and gather these thousands of soldiers from various counties and townships after just a change of heart.

Kill, bury, exile, or behead—the list goes on; this old fox has plenty of methods.

Fei Tianqin never listened to any of those claims about loving soldiers like his own children or loving the people like his own children.

As long as you are fierce and ruthless enough, and can lead your soldiers to victory after victory and gain benefits, they will naturally fear and submit from the bottom of their hearts. This is much more effective than doing superficial things with great effort.

Although this kind of military tactic is not found in the orthodox military texts, it is a very practical and effective way of managing subordinates. Fei Tianqin had a lot of experience with it and it was always effective.

Sure enough, after these naked chickens tasted blood, the restless spirits within the soldiers of various counties and townships were forcibly suppressed.

Master Kang breathed a slight sigh of relief, but Fei Tianqin didn't take it to heart. He was preoccupied with urging the Yingshan Army to lead the soldiers from various counties and villages to search for the whereabouts of Taoist Peng.

Besides sending the Qingjue Guard and the local militia of Pingjin County to serve the Yingshan Army, Chongmingzong did not forget about doing business.

Having learned a lesson from Heng Yimei's head, these local militia not only dared not act arrogantly anymore, but even those who refused to give spirit stones when buying things were few and far between.

With nearly ten thousand guests who wanted to buy everything, what a huge business that must have been! To put it bluntly, the business was so big that the girls at the Yuanyang Tower in Pingrong County were so exhausted they wanted to sew their private parts shut.

Chongming Market was, after all, the business of the two Sima, so naturally they made a fortune. Chongming Xiaolou, the largest shop there, also got a share of the profits, as did the various families of Chongming Alliance and the households of Hanya Mountain.

However, although Kang Dabao had managed to earn the spirit stones with his disciples and vassals, he still hadn't found Peng Daoren's whereabouts, which inevitably made him feel a little frustrated.

Neither Fei Tianqin nor Fei Nanying seemed particularly concerned, turning a blind eye to the feeding of the thousands of people and horses.

Speaking of which, among the three cultivators who came to Chongming City this time, it seems that only Wu Feng was busy all day long and didn't really care much about finding out about Peng Daoren.

I wonder if he lost his natal magic weapon and wanted to make up for it by taking from a severely injured peer.

That day, Master Kang took a break from his busy schedule and returned to Qinghan Courtyard. After confirming with Granny Sun that Fei Shuhe had not yet emerged from seclusion, he rode his Cloud Steed back to Chongming City.

Unexpectedly, just as they arrived at the city gate, before the rogue cultivator Ning Daoren, who had been demoted from a city gate official to a lowly gatekeeper, could even come up to offer his obsequiousness, Master Kang's eyes narrowed and he sensed something amiss from him.

"Such pure corpse energy?!"

"Master Ning, just now..." Kang Dabao realized halfway through his sentence that he couldn't possibly get any information from this insignificant cultivator. He immediately shook his head and sighed, taking the corpse energy from the bewildered Master Ning and turning to leave.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Peng Daoren has now completely transformed into Shang Baijiang's appearance, and to outsiders, he is no different from an ordinary person. Only after venturing far from Chongming City did he dare to look back with a bit of courage.

"What a pity. I didn't expect that old bird to get the news so quickly, and actually brought his true form to this humble little town to oversee things. If I could have some time to collect the blood essence, I could..."

He's been hiding away these days, afraid that the old bird will discover his secret.

Perhaps it was heaven's mercy, but in all this time, only one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators came to investigate, but they could not see through the corpse puppet he had created, nor could they see through the illusion he had set up.

However, the old man knew that the longer he stayed in Chongming City, the more dangerous it would be, so he risked leaving the city as soon as his injuries had slightly improved.

"We can't delay. The entire Shang family has been turned into corpse puppets by me. Next time, with no one to cover it up, it will definitely not escape the eyes of those state government lackeys stationed in the city."

After figuring out the connections, Master Peng then fled for his life.

Despite being an elder of the Liangyi Sect, Peng Daoren did not intend to send a message to Xiabo Mountain for help at such a critical moment. He did not trust his so-called fellow disciples and still planned to go to another mansion first, find supplies, and recover most of his cultivation before making any further plans.

Before he could even feel the exhilaration of a fish leaping freely in the vast sea, Peng Daoren encountered an acquaintance ahead.

Fei Enhua, accompanied by Kang Changxi and He Chang, walked towards him. Peng Daoren felt a chill and couldn't help but scold himself inwardly for not changing his face after leaving the city.

However, after cursing, Master Peng realized that panicking was useless at this critical moment.

However, neither fleeing nor turning away was feasible. Although the junior opposite him had a somewhat weak foundation, he was a genuine late-stage cultivator, and Peng Daoren was currently no match for him. If he wanted to escape from him, he didn't know what price he would have to pay. Since escape was impossible, he had no choice but to pretend.

Peng Daoren lowered his head slightly, covered his hands behind his back and made a series of hand seals. In a short while, he changed his appearance to a lewd face with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks.

His illusion was cast hastily and not yet fully developed, so it was probably not even five-tenths as effective as usual. He was naturally uneasy, but he dared not show it at all. Instead, he stood by the roadside and greeted the elders of noble families as a rogue cultivator would.

When Fei Enhua arrived, he only saw an ugly-looking Qi Refining cultivator standing by the roadside, bowing respectfully with a fawning expression on his face. He immediately felt annoyed and turned to say something to Kang Changxi, but noticed that the latter's gaze towards the Qi Refining cultivator was somewhat strange.

"Uncle, look at that person, he's quite interesting. Is he using some secret method to conceal his true appearance?"

"Secret technique? True appearance?"

Even Fei Enhua, a true member of the Fei family, knew that his son-in-law's pupil technique was quite good. Even within the Fei family of Yingzhou, he still held considerable prestige.

Kang Changxi was fortunate enough to be able to cultivate alongside them; it was truly a stroke of luck. Moreover, Fei Enhua knew that this child was never one to act without purpose, which piqued his interest in this rogue cultivator.

In these turbulent times, it's always good to take a closer look at those whose behavior is unusual.

Without a second thought, Fei Enhua casually waved his hand, and a large hand captured the lewd rogue cultivator that Peng Daoren had transformed into. The latter looked terrified and stammered, "Senior, what disrespectful act has this junior committed?"

Feinhua smiled but did not answer, and asked in a soft voice, "Xi-ge'er, take a look at his true face."

The rogue cultivator's eyes widened instantly. He struggled against the large hand of spiritual energy formed by Fei Enhua, kicking his legs wildly as he cried out in alarm, "Your true form?! Senior, please understand! I've always looked like this, hated by everyone and even dogs, unloved by my parents, never..."

Kang Changxi activated his Dharma Eyes, and a sliver of golden light appeared in his pupils. However, his cultivation was still shallow, and even though he had no shortage of resources, his Golden Eyes of Illusion were only at the "rough" level.

After scanning the ugly man in Fei Enhua's hand from head to toe, Kang Changxi shook his head and said, "Uncle, please forgive me. I couldn't see his true face. Perhaps I was mistaken just now."

"Did I see wrong?" Feinhua asked in surprise, his face falling as he felt utterly bored. Just as everyone present, including Peng Daoren, thought Feinhua was about to withdraw his magic and let the former go, the large hand suspended in mid-air suddenly clenched and tightened, about to crush the rogue cultivator into mincemeat.

He Chang, standing next to Kang Changxi, looked on in astonishment, seemingly never expecting that this usually amiable senior could be so brutal. He secretly swallowed, as if he could already foresee the scene of blood splattering soon.

"Senior, please spare my life! How could I have offended you in any way?"

"Heh, you're quite the actor!" Feinhua grinned, completely unaffected by the pitiful look on the rogue cultivator's face. After a quick pinch, a loud bang rang out.

Instead of the bloody carnage that He Chang had imagined, Fei Enhua's powerful spiritual hand was suddenly blasted apart, and an old man in black robes stood in mid-air with a sinister expression on his face.

"How did you see through me, you little brat?" Peng Daoren chuckled halfway through his sentence. If he had asked that question out loud, how childish it would have been.

He was just a fake rogue cultivator. Fei Enhua could kill him as easily as picking up a needle. Even if he killed the wrong person, he wouldn't have to worry about the consequences. So why not take a gamble?

"It's the old man who was lying quietly inside the boat's awning that day!!"

The two gasped in surprise. He Chang was so frightened that he was covered in sweat. "I've already settled him in Chongming City!!"

"Haha, today I deserve to earn this great merit!!" Fei Enhua thought for a moment and knew that there was at least a 90% chance that the person his ancestor had been searching for was this person. He immediately summoned his Water and Fire Twin Blades and swung them fiercely. The two blade energies were extremely sharp and rushed towards Peng Daoren!
Peng Daoren remained completely calm. With a light flick of his fingers, countless streams of blood energy seeped from his pores, instantly enveloping the entire body.

The seemingly fierce blade energy struck the blood mist surrounding Peng Daoren, but made no progress. What surprised Fei Enhua even more was yet to come. After receiving the blade energy, Peng Daoren did not stop, but opened his mouth and exhaled, causing a surge of hot steam.

"Danhuo?! Your cultivation has fully recovered?!" Fei Enhua panicked, remembering that Fei Tianqin had said that this old man was quite strong. He felt his hands, which were holding the knife, suddenly become weak. He had no ability to fight against a Golden Core cultivator, and even someone like Wu Feng Shangxiu would not have the slightest chance of winning! After throwing out a signal talisman to warn others, he turned around and pulled Kang and He away.

Surprisingly, at this critical moment, Kang Changxi, who was only thirteen years old, was the most calm and composed of the three.

"Uncle, look behind you first!!"

Feinhua paused, mustered his courage, and turned around to look. He then spat out a curse: "You treacherous old dog! You tricked me!"

But Peng Daoren turned and fled into the distance without looking back. Fei Enhua cursed inwardly and turned back to chase after him.

Unexpectedly, just as Fei Enhua was about to get close to Peng Daoren, the latter stopped and opened his mouth to call out again.

"How could I be the same person twice?!" Feinhua's sneer deepened in his heart. Flames burst forth from the crimson blade in his left hand, while the indigo blade in his right hand exuded a chilling aura. Without dodging, he slashed forward in a cross pattern.

This time, however, both top-grade spiritual artifacts suffered a great loss!
A burst of intense heat clung to him, and in just a few breaths, it turned the magical artifact he was using glowing red. His artifact was damaged, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but disbelief still lingered in his eyes: "There really is a pill fire?!"

Peng Daoren did not answer. He had not yet collected enough blood essence using his evil methods, so he was no match for a true cultivator in the later stages. Even this source of pill fire was obtained by force through secret techniques at the cost of his body and path, and it would not last long.

Therefore, the best course of action now is to get out of here as soon as possible!

Fei Enhua was unaware of Peng Daoren's background and felt a sense of apprehension. Just as he was about to hesitate, Kang Changxi reached into his storage bag and Xiao Qi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, landed steadily in the field and rushed over.

Kang Changxi's "Brother Turtle" is now a mid-stage second-tier spirit beast, and it is not particularly afraid of all of Peng Daoren's offensive methods except for the Dan Fire.

With Xiao Qi providing cover for Fei Enhua, the latter no longer needed to back down and could hold his own against the Qi Tuo. As the battle raged fiercely, Sect Leader Kang, following the trail of the corpse energy, also glimpsed the battle.

The moment he enters the arena, the delicate balance in the game will be shattered!
Kang Dabao was overjoyed and was about to make a move when he heard a stern, aged voice admonishing him: "Don't move!"

"Ancestor Tianqin?!"

"it's me,"

"Ancestor, that Taoist Peng is down below. If we go up, then..."

"Why would you need to tell me?! The day after I entered your Chongming City, I found that scoundrel's whereabouts!" Fei Tianqin paused, "If it weren't for my easygoing nature, how could that scoundrel have left Chongming City?!"

Before Master Kang could ask any questions, Fei Tianqin explained, "Originally, I wanted to capture him on the spot, but I was afraid that if he were locked up in Xuanwei City, the Liangyi Sect would not dare to come to his rescue. In that case, I, the old ancestor, would probably only get a half-dead Golden Core. What would be the point? So after trying to lure him out of the city many times, I finally set the trap today."

"What does the ancestor mean?" Kang Dabao's expression changed, and he asked in a doubtful voice.

"Several months have passed, and those Golden Core cultivators of the Two Elements Sect should know that Daoist Peng is hiding nearby. It's just that his family is located in the southern part of the mountain, which is really an eyesore! I, the patriarch, have long had the idea of ​​taking this opportunity to deal with them."

But those brats from the Liangyi Sect are all cowards and cowards, and they dare not come out to fight against the Ancestor. Moreover, the people of their families with enough status always avoid me, the Ancestor. For example, I don't think I've ever seen their eldest elder before!

This Taoist Peng is undoubtedly extremely important to the Liangyi Sect. This time, I, the patriarch, want to see if they'll still show their faces after they've got this Taoist Peng in their grasp.

No sooner had Fei Tianqin finished speaking than Peng Daocai, who was in grave danger, received the Crimson Blade and the Indigo Blade in a very disheveled state. The clouds behind him were then shattered by the ramming horn of a third-tier flying boat, blocking out a large patch of sunlight above Fei Enhua's head.

Hidden in the void, Fei Tianqin remained unfazed, his expression unchanged. He simply said to Fei Nanying and Wu Fengshangxiu, "It's time to welcome our guests."

(End of this chapter)