Chapter 143 - 140: The Might of the Profound Flame, Making the Best of a Mistake
Chapter 143: Chapter 140: The Might of the Profound Flame, Making the Best of a Mistake
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.
His expression was solemn as he braced for the fight.
He recalled his Upper Grade Flying Shuttle Spiritual Artifact, replacing it with a Middle Grade, Masterpiece umbrella-shaped Magical Artifact. It shot open above his head, casting a protective barrier of light from its canopy.
Next, he took out a Middle Grade Defense Talisman and activated it on himself, forming a Water Curtain as a second layer of protection.
Only after quickly setting up his defenses did he once again draw a Middle Grade Flying Sword and charge forward!
"WHOOSH!"
But this Fire Bomb was clearly different. It suddenly swelled, the blazing flame instantly expanding to the size of a millstone. As the tongues of fire flickered, they emanated an unexpected sense of righteous majesty!
"Something’s wrong!"
The tall Male Cultivator had no way to dodge. He quickly took a Life-Saving Jade Pendant in his hand, ready to activate it at any moment. Only with three layers of defense would he feel a shred of security!
"BOOM—"
The moment the Flame collided and exploded, the entire valley entrance was dyed dark gold. The Male Cultivator’s three layers of protection disintegrated one by one as if they were made of paper.
The first layer, the light barrier from the Masterpiece Umbrella-shaped Magical Artifact, let out a SIZZLING sound upon contact with the Flame and then exploded violently. The Magical Artifact itself let out a mournful whine as it fell to the ground.
The second layer, the Water Curtain Talisman, shattered with a CRACK, unable to stop the raging fire in the slightest.
Violent sparks even landed on the Male Cultivator’s right arm, carbonizing it instantly. His charred black fingers were still frozen in the posture of forming a hand seal.
"No... This is impossible!"
As pain shot through him, he roared hysterically. He had just crushed his last-resort Life-Saving Jade Pendant, but the Cyan Light Barrier it formed twisted and warped in the Flame. The barrier’s surface didn’t reflect the Flame, but rather what seemed to be a scorching sun—
’What kind of Fire Bomb Skill is this? No Fire Bomb Skill should be this powerful!’
The Cyan Light Barrier shattered, the Flame descended, and the stench of death arrived.
In his despair, a flash of venomous hatred crossed the tall Male Cultivator’s eyes. He performed some sort of Blood Burning Secret Technique, empowering his Middle Grade Flying Sword. With a SHIING, the Flying Sword’s speed skyrocketed, transforming into a streak of light as it shot forward!
"CLANG!"
With a dull thud, the Flying Sword, filled with the tall Male Cultivator’s hateful killing intent, broke through the Magical Power Shield that had formed around Lin Changheng and finally struck his body.
There was no sound of tearing flesh. Instead, it was as if the sword had struck a piece of incredibly hard ironwood!
It couldn’t advance a single inch!
His defense held!
Lin Changheng was calm and composed, completely unharmed.
Where his clothes had been torn, a shimmering cyan light was visible.
"Hiss— You’re not him?"
The tall Male Cultivator’s pupils contracted violently. A deep sense of powerlessness, but even more so, astonishment, appeared in the depths of his eyes!
That was the last thing he ever saw. The whistling Dark Gold Flame engulfed him, turning his entire body to charcoal.
’Mistaken identity?’
Lin Changheng’s hearing was sharp, and he caught the man’s final "last words," leaving him stunned as well.
Apparently, these people hadn’t set this ambush to kill him, but someone else.
But he had been "lucky" enough to stumble right into it and get mistaken for their target.
’What kind of mess is this?’
’I guess I’ll just have to see this mistake through.’
Lin Changheng thought helplessly, but it didn’t stop him from gleefully running around, deftly collecting the three Storage Bags and several now-ownerless Magical Artifacts.
But he had also gained a great deal. Besides the material gains of Storage Bags and Magical Artifacts, once he was sure his life wasn’t in danger, he had specifically used the two men as a whetstone.
He tested the defensive capabilities of his Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood and the combat effectiveness of his Tier Two Flame, the Red Sky Profound Flame.
In that final blow, Lin Changheng had infused the True Intent of his Fire Manipulation Divine Abilities mid-attack, directly tearing through the three layers of defense to kill the Ninth Layer Qi Cultivation Male Cultivator.
Even the Middle Grade Masterpiece magic tool and that clearly extraordinary Life-Saving Jade Pendant couldn’t block it in the slightest!
The results were impressive, basically meeting his expectations!
Just then, a thought suddenly struck Lin Changheng. Since this was a premeditated ambush, didn’t that mean both the intended target and the ambushers’ reinforcements could be arriving soon?
’This is bad, I have to go!’
If he ran into them, that would be real trouble.
With a flash, Lin Changheng darted over to the Cyan Flood Dragon Horse, which was still circling in the distance instead of fleeing on its own. He patted its head and smiled with relief. "Good fellow. You didn’t abandon me. You’re truly loyal. I didn’t save you for nothing!"
"This place is dangerous. Let’s go, quickly!"
Then, with a squeeze of his heels, the man and his horse galloped away, leaving clouds of dust in their wake.
Half an hour later, just as Lin Changheng had predicted, a gaunt Cultivator arrived from a distance on a Dharma Ship and found the location of the Array.
After inspecting the area inside and out several times, his face darkened. He glanced in the direction of Floating Immortal City, then reluctantly dismantled the Array, erased all traces of it, reboarded his Dharma Ship, and sped off toward the Border Desolate Mountain Range.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
...
After galloping all day, just before evening, Lin Changheng finally saw a gigantic city appear on the horizon.
Floating Immortal City!
Lin Changheng reined in his horse and stopped, gazing from afar. The city’s silhouette was like a colossal beast crouched upon the earth, exuding an immense, oppressive aura. Its scale far surpassed any Marketplace Lin Che had ever seen or stayed in, larger by hundreds of times!
The towering city walls were built entirely of Blue Nether Stone, rising over thirty zhang high and shimmering with a faint blue light, seeming to merge with the sky.
Atop the walls, a tall, straight watchtower stood every hundred zhang. These towers served as the "Array Flags," connecting with the "Array Plate"—Fusheng Lake in the center of the city—to envelop the entire Immortal City in an extremely faint yet awe-inspiring curtain of light.
This had to be a Tier Three Array, at the very least!
On the ground, a constant stream of Cultivators and merchant caravans flowed back and forth, while numerous Dharma Ships and Magical Artifacts whistled overhead.
In just a short time, Lin Changheng saw three Escape Lights streak across the sky high above.
Those were at least three Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
He had stayed with the Xu Family for over thirty years and had never seen so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
It wasn’t until later, at Zhao Li’s banquet, that he finally saw quite a few.
This just went to show the importance of having the right platform.
However, all these Escape Lights, Dharma Ships, and Magical Artifacts shared one characteristic: upon coming within a hundred zhang of the city gate, they would all involuntarily dip downwards, as if some force were pressing down on them.
Then, Lin Changheng saw that without exception, the Cultivators aboard them all landed and proceeded toward the city gate on foot.
’So this is the No-Fly Array?’
By this point, Lin Changheng had already ridden his horse closer.
Four long lines of people were queued up at the city gate, waiting to enter.
They were mostly Qi Cultivation Cultivators, with a few mortals who had no Spiritual Qi queuing up as well.
As for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they had their own separate, more convenient entrance and didn’t need to wait in line.
"One Lower Grade Spirit Stone for a single entry, or thirty for a one-year residence permit."
The Immortal City was highly efficient, and it was soon Lin Changheng’s turn. A desk had been set up inside the gate tunnel for handling entry procedures.
Faced with the choice, Lin Changheng had originally planned to choose the latter and pay thirty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
But then he considered his own cautious nature and figured he probably wouldn’t be leaving the city very often, so he silently chose the former.
After paying one Lower Grade Spirit Stone, he had to register his personal information as required. He then had to leave a trace of his Magical Power Mark on both a Token and the Immortal City’s official register; a drop of blood was also an option.
Floating Immortal City was very far from the Black Water River and Cyan Spirit District where Lin Changheng usually stayed. Furthermore, he was a newcomer, unfamiliar with the place and its people, and knew almost no one.
Coupled with the fact that he was generally amicable and had no enemies, he decided to use his real identity.
As for whether to leave a Magical Power Mark or a drop of blood, Lin Changheng, who was rather particular about his blood, chose the former.
And just like that, Lin Changheng took his Token and entered the city without a hitch.
His first impression was of a surging tide of people.
His second was one of incomparable prosperity.
His third impression—
Was that it had everything imaginable.
The streets were lined with shop after shop, encompassing Elixirs, Artifact Refining, Arrays, Talismans, Magic Robes, Spiritual Materials, Medicinal Materials, Demon Beast Materials... it was all-encompassing.
There was even a dedicated marketplace for Loose Cultivators, with many of them setting up stalls and hawking their wares.
A thought immediately rose in Lin Changheng’s mind:
’If I can’t find a Foundation Establishment Pill or a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object here, then it’s likely no Loose Cultivator in the world can.’
He looked up at the sky; it was already getting late. Although Floating Immortal City had no curfew and the crowds never thinned, Lin Changheng decided to first find an Immortal Inn to rest and wash away the fatigue of his long journey.
At the same time, he needed to take stock of and organize his recent gains.
If the three "gifted" Storage Bags had any hidden traps or tracking marks on them, it would be best to deal with them sooner rather than later.
As for renting a long-term residence, that could wait until tomorrow.
With that in mind, it wasn’t long before Lin Changheng had checked into an inn.
He activated the Isolation Array that came with the Immortal Inn, but Lin Changheng still didn’t feel secure. He proceeded to set up his own Upper Grade Defense Array and a Middle Grade Illusion Array around the room before he was finally satisfied.
Then, he laid out the three Storage Bags and all the Magical Artifacts in a neat row on the table.