Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 371 Ambush in the Market
The sky was clear and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

The market town of Xijiang County was still bustling with people. Although the war in Xijiang County was ongoing, with the Beast Taming Sect locked in a fierce battle with the Yunxuan Sect and the Murong family's allied forces, the war had not reached here. This was because the mastermind behind the market town was the Xuanyuan Sect.

Inside the magnificent and imposing shop tower, Song Xian stood in front of a counter, while a graceful woman beside him introduced the products for sale.

"This piece of meteorite-flame refined iron weighs twenty-six jin and was salvaged from a stone tower at the bottom of the sea. Ordinary meteorite-flame refined iron only weighs a few jin, so a piece of refined iron this size is very rare. It is an excellent material for both refining magic weapons and making array flags. The price is eighteen thousand spirit stones."

"Could you take it out so I can examine it carefully?" Song Xian nodded in satisfaction. He had come to participate in the market auction because he had heard that there would be black titanium gold essence for sale at the auction. However, there were only a few hours left before the auction, so he took the opportunity to visit the various markets to see if there was anything he needed.

Unexpectedly, they actually came across an item: the Meteorite Flame Refined Iron in front of them, which is one of the materials for refining a mid-grade second-tier puppet.

Such a large piece of meteorite iron is perfect for forging the main body of the puppet.

He originally participated in the auction to see if there were any materials among the auctioned items that he could use to craft high-level scrolls and mid-grade second-tier puppets.

"Of course, please take a look, senior." The woman opened the mechanism of the cabinet, took out the stone box inside, and opened it. Inside was an irregularly shaped iron block that was bluish-red.

Song Xian gently stroked the iron block with his palm. It felt a little prickly to the touch, like the small thorns on bamboo.

"Okay, this is it! Checkout."

The woman smiled sincerely, closed the stone box, and was about to pick it up when she led him to the counter.

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out: "Qingling, put this down first."

Song Xian turned his head and saw a woman who was nearly forty years old but still had a charming appearance walking gracefully towards him, followed by an old man with slightly graying temples and a thin figure.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back and his head held high. He was dressed in the attire of the Yunxing Merchant Guild and had a cultivation level of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.

"Manager Hu." The woman beside Song Xian bowed and obediently put down the stone box.

The beautiful woman walked gracefully to Song Xian, bowed, and said, "My name is Hu Meilan, and I am the manager of this shop. May I ask your esteemed name, senior?"

"My name is Song Xian. What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Hu?"

"May I ask if you wish to purchase this piece of meteorite-flame refined iron, senior?"

“That’s right. What is it?” Song Xian glanced at the old man behind him and already guessed what it was about. When he looked over, the old man was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and the old man’s gaze was unyielding. He held his head high, as if trying to overwhelm him with his aura.

The beautiful woman looked apologetic: "I'm so sorry, Senior Song. This piece of meteorite iron has already been reserved. Please look at other items."

Clearly, the person he claimed to have reserved was the old man behind him, and the so-called reservation was nothing more than a pretext.

This shop was opened by Yunxing Trading Company, and the big man was dressed in Yunxing Trading Company clothing. It was obvious that the old man needed the Meteor Flame Refined Iron, but he was a step too late, and because of his special identity, the beautiful woman stopped him.

Song Xian's face darkened: "I have never heard of any item being put on the shelves in a shop being available for pre-order. If it has been pre-ordered, why are you displaying it in your shop? Why didn't you say so when I asked earlier? Are you trying to play a trick on me?"

"Qingling is a new girl and is not familiar with worldly affairs, hence this misunderstanding. Our household will discipline her properly." After saying this, the beautiful woman frowned and scolded the woman a few more times.

The woman dared not refute, and only nodded meekly and pitifully, before leaving.

"I apologize, Senior Song, for wasting your time due to our shop's oversight. This piece of meteorite iron has already been reserved and cannot be sold to you. Please forgive us."

"I don't care what you guys are up to internally, you've already sold this to me, how can you go back on your word?"

"Alright then! Senior Song, I'll take the liberty of compensating you with one hundred spirit stones as compensation for your loss. Please forgive me."

Song Xian glanced at her coldly: "Do you think I'm after your hundred spirit stones?"

Before the beautiful woman could say anything more, the old man behind her spoke first, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Fellow Daoist Song looks unfamiliar. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

"I am Song Xian, the leader of the Hunyuan Sect."

"Hun Yuan Sect?" The old man frowned slightly, then suddenly realized and gave a cold laugh: "I remember now, Bianxi City, Tianshan Market. Is Hun Yuan Sect still around? I heard it was destroyed by Luo Yun Sect? Fellow Daoist Song's sect has been uprooted. As the sect leader, you can't protect your sect or your disciples, yet you still have the leisure to stroll through the market. How elegant."

Hearing his barbed and undisguised sarcasm, Song Xian's anger flared, and he retorted without a friendly expression: "What happens to my sect is none of your business, fellow Daoist. You should mind your own business first. I want this piece of Meteor Flame Refined Iron first; you can look for it elsewhere!"

"Do you know which shop owns this? I'm determined to have this. Meilan, take this."

"Yes," the beautiful woman replied, and went to retrieve the stone box.

With a wave of his hand, Song Xian caught the beautiful woman off guard. She cried out in surprise and staggered to the ground as she was struck by the spiritual energy.

"How dare you lay a hand on me!" The old man roared angrily, his eyes wide with fury.

Song Xian had been feeling depressed lately, and now that he had finally obtained the Meteor Flame Refined Iron, some inexplicable person had appeared to compete for it and even spoke rudely. Even a clay figure like him would be furious.

"Fellow Daoist, would you like to offer your guidance? I am happy to oblige."

"You scoundrel! A stray dog, how dare you be so rampant! I, Dong, will see what you're made of!" The old man's anger flared, but he remained rational and did not launch a full-scale attack. Instead, he struck Song Xian with a palm strike. Judging from his bright red palm, it looked quite powerful.

"Please don't act rashly, you two."

Song Xian dodged the palm strike with a swift movement.

At this moment, a deep voice rang out, and a burly man appeared at the top of the stairs. This was the VIP area on the second floor of the attic, where there were not many people.

However, the commotion between the two had already attracted the attention of others, including other female cultivators in the shop. As early as the beginning of his argument with the beautiful woman, some clever female cultivators in the shop had secretly informed the shop manager.

When the old man saw him arrive, he immediately withdrew his hand.

"Senior Brother Dong, why are you so angry?" The burly man stepped between the two.

"Hmph! This man has shown contempt for our sect and actually injured one of our disciples." The old man snorted coldly.

The burly man glanced at Hu Meilan and said, "My name is Cheng Lin. May I ask your name, and why you have attacked me?"

"Look where she's injured," Song Xian said coldly without offering any explanation.

The burly man frowned and looked at the beautiful woman: "What's going on?"

The beautiful woman then recounted the whole story, which was of course just for show. In reality, the burly man already knew about it, because it was he who ordered the beautiful woman to bring the old man. He never expected that such a dispute would arise.

"Fellow Daoist Song, this was our shop's oversight, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. However, this item was indeed pre-ordered by Senior Brother Dong long ago, and we cannot sell it to you. Please understand."

"Is this how your shop does business? So dishonest, you have no reputation whatsoever." Song Xian snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Although he felt a bit aggrieved, there was nothing he could do. It belonged to someone else, and if they weren't selling it, he couldn't just take it by force.

He can only blame himself for being insignificant and powerless. If he had a powerful sect to back him up, or if his cultivation level were high enough, no one would dare to treat him like this. That's how realistic the cultivation world is; strength is everything.

"Letting him go like this is too good for him. If it weren't for the fact that this is our sect's shop, I would have hacked him to pieces. What a piece of trash, a stray dog, yet he acts all high and mighty." The old man continued to mutter as he watched Song Xian walk away.

.........

As night fell, with a bright moon and few stars, Song Xian left the market after attending the auction. His escape light rose, and he headed towards Huangyu Mountain.

As he was walking, his expression suddenly changed, and he sensed that someone was chasing him from behind.

His heart sank, and his mind raced.

He didn't know if the people behind him were coming for him, nor did he know their identities.

He had no enemies in Xijiang County. If those people behind him were really after him, it couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment decision; they must have been watching him for a long time.

Could it be someone from Yunxing Trading Company? The thought flashed through Song Xian's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Although he had just had a dispute with the old man from Yunxing Trading Company, no one would send several Foundation Establishment cultivators to hunt him down over such a small quarrel.

Who could it be? Could it be the Falling Cloud Sect?
Song Xian's divine sense spread out, scanning the people chasing behind him. One of them was a Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator. Besides him, there were two other Foundation Establishment cultivators, one at Foundation Establishment Level 5 and the other at Foundation Establishment Level 3.

“It seems we’ve been discovered.” A deep voice echoed in the empty air.

"Then let's get started!" a slightly hoarse voice rang out.

As soon as he finished speaking, three figures slowly appeared in mid-air. The one in the lead had slightly graying temples, a tall and thin build, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes. He had the appearance of a Muhe Grassland person and was the Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator.

The other two were of medium build, one with a bulbous nose, the appearance of a Mukh grassland person, and a Foundation Establishment Level 3 cultivator.

He has triangular eyes, the appearance of a Qin person, and the cultivation level of the fifth stage of Foundation Establishment.

The three of them had been concealing themselves, but when they sensed Song Xian's divine sense sweeping over them, they realized they had been exposed. So they stopped hiding and revealed themselves, flying at full speed to chase after him.

Now Song Xian was completely certain that the other party was after him, and his spiritual power surged wildly as he tried to shake off the three people chasing him.

However, the two sides were not far apart, only two or three hundred feet apart, otherwise Song Xian's divine sense would not have detected them.

Seeing that the other party was getting closer and closer, Song Xian was anxious but had no way to do anything.

The moment the other party appeared, his divine sense had already completely locked onto him.

The Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator took the lead, leaving the two behind him behind, and was now less than a hundred feet away.

Song Xian was still running for his life. Although he didn't know why the other party had targeted him, he still hoped to avoid a fierce battle.

However, the other party kept pursuing him relentlessly, especially the eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator who was in charge. The distance between the two was getting closer and closer. He clasped his hands together, and a black giant claw condensed in mid-air, grabbing towards him.

Song Xian sensed the surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He turned around and saw that the opponent's magic had already been formed. He retreated while putting his hands together and casting a fire shield to protect himself.

The majestic black dragon claw suddenly lashed out, like an eagle spreading its wings to catch a small bird.

Without any sound of clash, the fire shield only trembled slightly under the blow of the black giant claw.

Upon seeing this, the Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator's eyes narrowed. He was using a high-level second-grade technique, Dragon Capture Hand, which he had already mastered to the Great Perfection stage. It was one of the strongest techniques he had ever used.

Unexpectedly, the flame barrier remained completely unmoved by this attack.

He was knowledgeable and recognized the technique as a mid-level second-grade fire-type technique called Fire Stream Shield.

A second-tier mid-grade spell shouldn't be this resilient. Under normal circumstances, his attack should have at least torn a hole in the flame barrier, if not shattered completely. It shouldn't be as immovable as it is now.

It seems the intelligence was correct. This person is incredibly strong, far surpassing ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, he is extremely skilled in fire-attribute techniques, likely having cultivated advanced fire-attribute cultivation methods that enhance the power of his fire-attribute spells.

Fortunately, he found two helpers; otherwise, he might not have been able to capture this person.

The most urgent task is to resolve this quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications.

The man controlled the giant black claw, constantly attacking the fire shield. Although the claw's attacks could not break through the defense, they forced Song Xian to be distracted. Seeing that the Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivator behind him was getting closer and closer, Song Xian knew that a tough battle was inevitable, so he simply stopped.

“I have no grudge against the three of you, nor do I remember ever seeing you. Why are you pursuing me so relentlessly? Are you determined to kill me?”

"Hand over your storage bag, and I'll spare your life," said the Foundation Establishment level eight cultivator from the Muhe Grassland, his hands still moving, his giant claws striking the flame barrier repeatedly.

In the time it took to say those two sentences, the Qin man with triangular eyes who was at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment had also arrived. Without saying a word, he launched an attack on Song Xian. He clasped his hands together, and fire snakes condensed and surged toward Song Xian.

This is a mid-grade second-tier spell, Flame Serpent Giant Flame.

Song Xian recognized this technique, but he hadn't practiced it because he had already fully mastered Yang Explosion, Fire Stream Shield, and Blazing City Siege. All three of these were mid-level second-grade techniques.

Fire Stream Shield is primarily for defense, Sunburst is primarily for offense, and Blazing Encirclement is both offensive and defensive, and can also trap enemies.

Among the second-grade mid-level spells, these three are sufficient; there's no need to spend extra effort studying other spells.

This is also the choice of the vast majority of people. In the cultivation world, few people spend a lot of time studying different techniques. Mastering just one type of technique is enough.

Even if you master ten thousand techniques, it's not as good as being proficient in one technique and cultivating it to perfection.

Under Song Xianzhen's keen observation, all the data of the three people appeared in his mind.

That Foundation Establishment level 8 cultivator from the Muhe Grassland was a cultivator with three spiritual roots, possessing the attributes of metal, wood, and earth, and his spiritual power reached 2352 points.

The Qin man at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment was also a cultivator with three spiritual roots, possessing the attributes of fire, wood, and earth, and his spiritual power reached 1427 points.

The Flaming Serpent Giant Flame Technique he used condensed ten fire serpents, each one or two zhang in size, with an attack power of 25 points, for a total of 250 attack power.

This indicates that the main cultivation technique he practiced did not have any fire attribute power bonus.

This is because most advanced level 2 mid-grade spells have a power of 250 points, with only a very few, such as metal-attribute level 2 mid-grade spells, having a slightly stronger attack power.

The wind and lightning attributes are even stronger.

In addition, there is another situation, like Song Xian, where the cultivation method has attribute power bonuses.

Another cultivator from the Muhe Grassland with a bulbous nose, who was at the third level of Foundation Establishment, caught up at this time. He also had three attribute spiritual roots, possessing the three attributes of metal, wood, and water, and his spiritual power reached 946 points.

(End of this chapter)