One person established a clan

Chapter 173 Spring Night at the Inn
The sword rang out, piercing the air; purple lightning flashed across the sky, bringing with it a fierce wind howl.

"Is there really something good inside this ring?"

Shi Xuan leaned lazily on Su Cheng's shoulder, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes: "I noticed that Sect Master Ling Shan looked quite surprised."

"That's absolutely true."

With a slight thought, Su Cheng conjured two ancient books from his ink ring and placed them in his palm.

[The Great Wilderness Eight Spirits Technique, Pill-Grade Cultivation Method (Perfect)] [Abandoning the Heart and Sword, Pill-Grade Mystic Art (Perfect)]

He flipped through all the ink rings and found seven books of alchemy, cultivation techniques, and profound arts, with these two being particularly rare treasures.

"The elixir is of perfect quality and has considerable reference value."

"That's a pleasant surprise," Shi Xuan said with a smile. "They really value you."

"They were just trying to recruit him."

Su Cheng casually flipped through the ancient book: "For now, we're just taking what we need; there's no need to get to know each other better."

Shi Xuan chuckled lightly, "You seem to see things quite clearly. Hmm?"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly looked into the distance: "Someone's coming."

Without Shi Xuan's prompting, Su Cheng had already sensed an unfathomable aura looming ahead.

"Why did you leave in such a hurry, young friend?"

A hoarse voice suddenly came.

An old Taoist priest with a white beard stood with his hands behind his back, a warm smile on his aged face.

"It's a rare opportunity to meet, why not keep this old man company for a chat?"

Su Cheng hovered on his sword, puzzled.

The old man possessed a powerful aura, and his imposing presence was comparable to that of Xuanqing Bailong, making him undoubtedly a Lingxuan cultivator.

But she clearly had never met him before—

"This person was also at Tianqi Mountain before."

Shi Xuan secretly transmitted his voice: "It seems they've been keeping an eye on you for a while now."

Su Cheng seemed to be deep in thought, then suddenly spoke:
"Since we don't know each other, what's there to talk about?"

"Young friend, you're being too polite."

The old Taoist priest smiled gently, his white beard swaying lightly in the wind. "Let's chat first, and we'll naturally become familiar with each other."

A glint flashed in his eyes, and his tone abruptly changed: "So, young friend, you used your ingenious technique to infiltrate the depths of the secret realm and came into contact with that ancient celestial dragon's scale?"

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow: "You came for the dragon scales?"

“Those dragon scales are extremely dangerous. I originally came down from the mountain to suppress the seal, but you have been of great help to me, young friend.”

The old Taoist's smile remained unchanged, but it held a deeper meaning: "Therefore, I would like to invite you back to Taisu Pavilion to give you a proper welcome and express my gratitude."

"I appreciate your kind offer, but please excuse the lack of hospitality."

Su Cheng narrowed his eyes: "Senior, just say what you want to say directly, why beat around the bush?"

"."

The old Taoist priest's smile faded slightly, and he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

This young man, though young, possesses a demeanor that rivals those of us old folks, and his speech carries an air of authority.

No wonder the Lingshan Sect and the royal family flocked to it.

"Young friend, you speak so frankly, it makes me seem pretentious."

The old Taoist priest sighed, "Then I'll be frank. Besides getting to know you, young friend, I also wanted to test your abilities."

At this point, he added meaningfully, "After all, this is within the territory of Baichuan Kingdom, and young friend, it seems you are not a citizen of Baichuan Kingdom."

Su Cheng nodded knowingly: "So, in the end, you want to have a friendly spar with me?"

"You could say that," the old Taoist chuckled. "Young friend, please rest assured, I will only strike when necessary, so as not to cause any trouble."

“Alright.” Su Cheng was also eager to see the methods of a Spirit Profound cultivator and see how they differed from those of a remnant dragon soul.

"Then this old man will go first—"

Before he could finish speaking, the old Taoist suddenly widened his eyes, and his raised right hand froze in mid-air.

Su Cheng frowned slightly: "What does this mean?"

"After much thought, I realize that my behavior was indeed rash and impolite."

The old Taoist suddenly looked apologetic: "I haven't seen such a peerless genius as you for many years. I was so excited to see you that I have disturbed you."

Seeing the other party's sudden change in attitude, Su Cheng's expression became even more strange.

"So, you're saying we're not fighting?"

"Enough, enough." The old Taoist waved his hand repeatedly and said with a wry smile, "I will wait until another day when fate allows, and then I will personally visit you to offer my congratulations."

Su Cheng said noncommittally, "Since you have no intention of sparring, then farewell." With that, the purple lightning of his spiritual sword surged beneath his feet, instantly transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the distance.

"."

The old Taoist stood silently in the void, watching the figure disappear into the horizon, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

He is skilled in divination, and his mastery of the Destiny Star Divine Power 'Instant Foresight' allows him to anticipate the enemy's moves and control the situation in battle.

These supernatural abilities allowed him to stand tall and unyielding in the Hundred Rivers Kingdom for decades.

However, just as he began to circulate his energy...
An unprecedented chill rose from the bottom of my heart.

Although they had expected the opponent to be powerful enough to fight Ling Xuan, they never expected it to be so bizarre.

Just as the two were about to make their move, the figure seemed to be swallowed by endless darkness, and the purple lightning runes instantly covered hundreds of feet.

Countless demonic shadows rose from the ground like mountains, as if one were in a demonic abyss.
This horrifying sight even startled him.

"This person's aura is indeed not that of a Spirit Profound Realm cultivator; he is merely a Core Profound Realm cultivator."

The old Taoist's eyes flickered uncertainly: "But the depth of the foundation hidden behind it is probably even stronger than that of an ordinary Spirit Profound Realm cultivator!"

"That old Taoist's supernatural powers are quite mysterious."

Shi Xuan's cool voice rang softly in my ear: "He seems to have sensed a bit of your tricks, which is why he stopped temporarily."

"This is the first time I've ever witnessed such supernatural power."

Su Cheng smiled slightly: "The world is indeed full of wonders."

As he spoke, he quickly clasped his hands together in a mudra, and spiritual energy quietly surged around him.

Shi Xuan let out a soft "Eh?": "What are you going to do?"

"Now, there may be more than just one person eyeing me."

A flash of spiritual light appeared at Su Cheng's fingertips, and the Purple Thunder Array Pattern slowly unfolded in the void.

"Instead of being bothered on the road, it's better to go straight back to Dongchen, which will save a lot of trouble."

A burst of mysterious light suddenly appeared, enveloping both of them and the sword.

As the array patterns flickered, the figure vanished without a trace, leaving only a few wisps of purple lightning to wander and dissipate.

"."

The scene before him changed in an instant, and Su Cheng found himself in a simple and elegant guest room.

It was thanks to the teleportation arrays set up along the way that we were able to arrive here in an instant.

"This teleportation array is indeed quite ingenious."

With a sigh, Shi Xuan appeared and looked out the window: "We are now on the border of Dongchen Kingdom, still thousands of miles from the imperial city. We need to set up another formation."

"There's no rush yet."

Su Cheng dispersed the surrounding array: "Now that no one is around to disturb us, we might as well refine the spiritual marrow first, and then return to Dongchen."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went downstairs to find the innkeeper to explain the accommodation arrangements.

"."

Only Shi Xuan remained standing there, stunned. After a moment of silence, her pretty face gradually flushed with embarrassment.

Are you going to refine spiritual essence here?

She glanced at the puppet standing quietly to the side, lightly tucking her legs under her skirt, her face flushing and her heart pounding even more.

"That scoundrel! He treated that little girl so well just the other day, and now he's trying to torment me."

crunch--

Before long, Su Cheng returned to his room carrying a copper basin filled with well water.

Shi Xuan gently gathered her gauze skirt with her slender hands, her body trembling slightly with each footstep, her cheeks flushed like the sunset.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the bed railing, feigning indifference.

Why are you bringing water?

"To avoid you overreacting and making a mess of this place, which would require a lot of cleaning up afterwards."

Su Cheng placed the basin of water beside the bed, and while setting up the formation, he also tidied up the bed.

Shi Xuan, watching from the side, was at a loss for what to do and mumbled softly, "It's still broad daylight."

"Refining and implanting spiritual marrow requires consideration of the time and weather?"

Su Cheng turned his head and looked over, quickly revealing a playful smile, and approached step by step.

Shi Xuan's usually cool demeanor gradually softened with shyness as he turned away from her intense gaze.

Before she could speak, her slender waist was gently embraced, and Su Cheng's deep voice sounded in her ear:
"I've ignored you for a few days, and now you want it?"

"I didn't... Waaah~"

(End of this chapter)