Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Chance Encounter with Ambush

The arrangements for heading to the spiritual mine were complete. Before his departure, Zhou Luo summoned Lin Jin Xuan and Bai Zhi Yan again.

Over twenty years had passed. After dedicated practice, both women had reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. Aided by the beauty potion, they showed absolutely no signs of aging, remaining youthful and beautiful.

Zhou Luo called them to send them to Jiang City to help his son, Zhou Chang Ping, continue expanding his business ventures.

After all, Zhou Chang Ping was merely an ordinary man, incapable of cultivating. His intelligence notwithstanding, he still could not intervene effectively when real challenges arose.

Dispatching Lin Jin Xuan and Bai Zhi Yan served dual purposes: they could provide solid backing for Zhou Chang Ping while simultaneously confusing Lin Xin’s perspective, preventing her from discerning his true intentions.

Neither woman refused the task.

Afterwards, Zhou Luo informed Lin Xi about his impending journey, entrusting her with the management of Zhou Garden during his absence.

Lin Xi assured him she could handle it, though she expressed concern for the children’s safety.

This would be the first time Chang Le and the others ventured outside the safety of home for combat.

Zhou Luo told her not to worry; he would help them.

In the following days, he remained on the third floor of the main building, dedicating himself to preparing life-preserving means for Chang Le, Lin Jin Xuan, and the others.

These preparations included potions, talismans, and so forth—all top-grade, even peak quality—to ensure their safety.

Ten days later, Xu Changsheng departed with Zhou Chang Le and his group. Concurrently, Lin Jin Xuan and Bai Zhi Yan were already en route to Jiang City.

Zhou Luo stayed home for a few additional days before finally taking Little White and setting off towards the Immortal City, seeking Foundation Establishment materials.

Little White remained as lazily inclined as ever. Though deceptively placid in appearance, its strength had reached that of a mid-stage Second Level creature, even showing faint signs of advancing towards the late stage.

Having this little companion with him meant he no longer needed to worry about direct confrontation from Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The distance between Qinyuan Immortal City and Maple Leaf City wasn’t particularly vast.

Last time, traveling by flying boat, they had arrived in less than a day.

But no flying boat was available to Zhou Luo now. He resorted to riding a spiritual steed towards the Immortal City.

While this method consumed more time, it conserved mana and spiritual energy expenditure, better preparing him for any unforeseen events.

Two days later.

Arriving at a high point within a mountain range, Zhou Luo saw the enormous city sprawled across the land in the distance.

Enshrouded in radiant light, the colossal metropolis resembled a paradise on earth, emitting an immense, awe-inspiring presence.

He rode his spiritual steed slowly towards it. Along the route, he encountered numerous cultivators steeped in malevolent aura.

Gazes ferocious and hostile, these individuals were clearly veterans of lethal conflicts. They eyed Zhou Luo with periodic scrutiny.

Whether deterred by the palpable power radiating from Zhou Luo, at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, they refrained from immediately attacking.

Despite the renowned safety and stability within Qinyuan Immortal City itself, the wilderness beyond its walls harbored countless bandits who preyed upon travelers unnoticed.

Progressing further, Zhou Luo abruptly sensed a violent surge of spiritual energy disturbance ahead.

He cautiously closed the distance.

In the valley between several hills, he saw several cultivators locked in deadly combat. A resilient barrier array was also active, effectively suppressing the energy emanations from the conflict.

Without his formidable mental strength, Zhou Luo doubted he would have easily detected the concealed skirmish.

He released his mental strength, easily piercing through that defensive formation to observe within.

Three bandits surrounded a beautiful, delicately-featured woman in a yellow robe.

She clutched an unknown black item, her delicate face furious as she glared at the three before her, while various poisonous insects crawled out from her surroundings.

"Little beauty, stop resisting," the lead bandit leered, gripping his broadsword with a grin. "Come back with us brothers, and I promise you’ll experience ecstasy beyond imagination."

He radiated terrifying Qi Refinement seventh-level cultivation. The bandits flanking him—one plump, one thin—both possessed sixth-level cultivation.

The woman herself was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. Relying on her poisonous insects, she had barely held them off so far.

"You Hehuan Sect beasts deserve only death!" the woman raged angrily.

Assaulted repeatedly, she’d faced deadly peril multiple times. Without hidden cards up her sleeve, she wouldn’t have lasted this long.

"Hehuan Sect?"

Zhou Luo approached, catching their words.

So, these Hehuan Sect disciples sought to capture this woman for their Yin-Stealing, Yang-Enhancing technique.

His eyes flickered thoughtfully.

On the field, the battle resumed. The woman was clearly outmatched by the trio, especially the one wielding the broadsword in the center, who utterly suppressed her.

This couldn’t continue; she would surely die.

Zhou Luo’s right hand subtly shifted, and the Shuo Feng magic sword materialized in his grasp.

He typically avoided meddling in others’ affairs, but this time, he couldn’t stand aside.

It was a matter of inherent nature.

Just like when he’d saved Bai Zhi Yan. Acting within his capabilities to help—that aligned with his core values.

Moreover, their opponents were evil cultivators from the Hehuan Sect.

"Perfect subjects for testing my blade," Zhou Luo murmured.

Twenty years in Closed-Door Training had passed without drawing his sword. Now, he would gauge the true extent of his strength.

The words barely left his lips when swirling winds surged around him, a sharp whistle rising from beneath his feet.

In the next instant, his sword shattered the crude defensive formation, his figure appearing abruptly before the combatants.

The fighting three paled in terror.

They sensed an overwhelmingly dreadful aura radiating from the newcomer.

"Run!" Without a moment’s hesitation, all three bolted backward.

Zhou Luo swung his sword. Crimson spiritual energy abruptly ignited along the blade.

Blazing Flames Burning the Sky!

The fourth skill of the Five Elements Sword Technique.

Accompanying the unleashed sword energy, a torrent of blazing fire surged forth, vast as a mighty river, its fury inexhaustible.

A terrifying pressure engulfed them. They froze rigidly, backs aflame with searing heat. Gritting their teeth, they spun around to defend.

But facing Zhou Luo at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, their defense was utterly futile—like an ant trying to shake a mighty tree.

Searing flames fell from the sky, accompanied by terrifying explosions.

Zhou Luo shot up from the ground, his form as light as a falling leaf as he drifted lightly downward, sending several arcs of sword light flashing out.

The sword light was fierce, infused with immense power.

The three evil cultivators tried to resist, but to no avail. Instantly, their heads were severed, blood spraying out.

Not far away, the woman’s beautiful eyes gleamed, reflecting shock after shock.

After dealing with the three evil cultivators, Zhou Luo collected their storage bags and prepared to leave.

"Hold on!" the woman in yellow quickly called out to him.

She sensed this man possessed extraordinary strength. While she couldn’t discern his exact cultivation level, he was definitely above the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

If they could travel together, they could support each other if they encountered such trouble again.

Zhou Luo halted, his deep eyes turning towards her.

Upon using his divine sense to probe, he realized this woman actually possessed Third Grade, upper tier spiritual roots. This was quite an unexpected discovery.

He wondered if she was planning to offer her hand in marriage as repayment.

The woman in yellow approached him, a look of delight on her delicate, fair face. "Thank you for your help, friend. Are you heading to the Immortal City?"

Zhou Luo nodded without denying it.

"Why not journey together?" The yellow-robed woman extended an invitation.

She was determined to secure this traveling companion to ensure her own safety.

Zhou Luo considered for a moment. The Immortal City wasn’t far now, so he might as well agree.

"My name is Yao Wu. And yours?" the woman asked with a bright smile. The man before her seemed so young but was remarkably strong, leading her to guess he might be an Immortal Sect disciple.

"Zhou Luo." Zhou Luo walked straight to the spiritual steed and swung himself onto its back.

Seeing this, Yao Wu’s smile faltered. "Then what about me?" she asked helplessly.

Zhou Luo raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I only have the one spiritual steed."

Yao Wu’s beautiful eyes flashed. Her toes lightly tapped the ground, spiritual energy swirling around her like faint points of light. With a twirl, she alighted gracefully onto the steed behind him.

"This will do just fine."

Her soft voice murmured near Zhou Luo’s ear.

Inner calm remained unbroken within Zhou Luo.

He had weathered his share of storms. While Third Grade spiritual roots were remarkable, they weren’t reason enough for him to rush and curry favor.

Without further comment, he grasped the reins, flicked them sharply, and the spiritual steed beneath them surged forward.

"What brings you to the Immortal City? Perhaps I can help," Yao Wu said, her face breaking into a sweet smile against the wind.

She held a certain fondness for this savior in front of her, though admittedly, it was just that – fondness. It hardly qualified for a real offer of marriage as repayment.

"Buying some materials for an elder in my family. By the way, those poisonous insects earlier… were they yours?" Zhou Luo gave a noncommittal reply before steering the topic elsewhere. As an expert in poison making, he naturally recognized the extraordinary nature of those insects; they were unlike any he knew.

"Correct. Those were Gu insects," Yao Wu stated plainly, making no attempt to hide it.

Hearing this, Zhou Luo’s eyebrow lifted again.

Gu insects?

So the woman riding behind him was actually a Gu Master?

Gu techniques, one of the hundred skills of cultivation, bore intricate links to poison making but were vastly more mysterious and exceptional.

A powerful Gu Master could not only fight using their Gu insects, but also practice cultivation through them, even implanting them into others to achieve control.

A Fourth Level Gu Master had once appeared in Qingyuan Domain. Using only his Gu insects, he controlled an entire city, shaking the Huoyun Country royal court to its core.

Such brazenly evil behavior naturally provoked the royal court’s displeasure, leading to suppression.

The Fourth Level Gu Master abandoned the city and vanished, never to be heard from again.

Naturally, Gu techniques weren’t inherently evil—it all depended on the practitioner.

A skilled Gu Master could even be life-saving.

However, this art demanded immensely high requirements of the cultivator, so Gu Masters were rarely encountered.

Rumor held that in Jin Yun Domain at the center, existed an Immortal Sect composed entirely of Gu Masters, known as the Wan Gu Sect.

Zhou Luo had actually learned this while studying the Biquan True Sect earlier.

Could this woman be from Jin Yun Domain?

Thinking this, Zhou Luo subtly probed for more information.

From Yao Wu, he learned that she had been brought to the Immortal City by her Master five years prior and had resided there ever since.

As for what level her so-called Master was, she herself couldn’t quite grasp it.

Zhou Luo filed this away in his mind’s eye. If she truly hailed from the Wan Gu Sect, forming a connection with her could prove useful.

Not even half a day later, the two finally arrived before the looming walls of the Immortal City.