novelraw Chapter 192 - 190: Soul Anchor
Chapter 192 - 190: Soul Anchor
Emergency communications were reserved for major incidents.
Combined with their earlier discovery that the measures they had placed on their disciples had been activated, a bad feeling bloomed in both their hearts.
Shi Xiao didn’t even spare Lei Bao a thought.
He answered the call at once.
A few minutes later.
The two of them ended the call, their faces so dark they looked like they could drip water.
They had clearly received news of the deaths of Changzhu and Wu Yu.
They were shocked, but also bewildered.
Within their respective Schools, Changzhu and Wu Yu were both considered absolute prodigies. Furthermore, they possessed the trump cards the two Grandmasters had given them.
Even if they had run into a Food Master, it should have been impossible for both of them to perish.
...
Countless stars dotted the inky blackness of the night sky.
A crimson streak cut across the sky.
It flew directly over Anshan City before landing on the rooftop of the Zhu Xi Building.
The night wind was cool.
Hu Qi gazed down.
Below, lights were scattered like stars, and the streets resembled a web of luminous ribbons.
Everything was normal, just as it had always been.
’Compared to the Inner Earth World, the humans living on the surface are much happier. Unfortunately, there’s no telling how long these peaceful days will last.’
After returning to the Zhu Xi Building, Hu Qi wasted no time, heading straight for a specially constructed prison in the basement.
When he saw the number of Black Blood Species and Secret Martial Artists imprisoned there, Hu Qi’s brow furrowed slightly.
He glanced at a young man standing to the side.
"Only this much in half a month?"
The young man’s name was Gu Feng, a Secret Martial Artist at the Qi Blood Third Transformation.
He looked to be in his twenties but was actually over thirty. His youthful appearance was due to his vigorous Qi and Blood as a Secret Martial Artist, coupled with a baby face.
Upon hearing this, a smile quickly spread across his face.
"Sect Leader, it’s like this. Under your leadership, the number of Black Blood Species in Donglin Province has been drastically reduced..."
As the man explained, Hu Qi began to understand the situation.
Lately, due to the frenzied capture operations carried out by Zhu Xi’s members, the population of Black Blood Species within Donglin Province had plummeted.
Once word got out, other Black Blood Species no longer dared to set foot in Donglin Province.
Even the few Black Blood Species that remained had all gone into hiding, no longer daring to hunt humans as they once had.
To feed, they only dared use animals as substitutes, terrified of being captured by Zhu Xi’s Secret Martial Artists.
They lived like rats in the sewer, never daring to see the light of day.
The same was true for rogue Secret Martial Artists. Faced with the Shexin Sect’s iron-fisted methods, the once-rampant lawbreakers had all vanished without a trace.
After all, the fates of those who came before them served as a clear warning.
Everyone knew that once captured, no one ever walked out alive.
Even disciples from Lower- and Middle-tier Schools with powerful backers became remarkably well-behaved and law-abiding upon entering Donglin Province.
The Shexin Sect was overseen by two Qi Dao Grandmasters. Although one was seriously injured and in seclusion, as long as he wasn’t dead, his return was only a matter of time.
Anyone who wanted to oppose the Shexin Sect had to first consider whether they had the strength to do so.
It wasn’t unheard of for a Middle-tier School to have two Qi Dao Grandmasters, but such cases were rare. Besides, none of them wanted to antagonize the Shexin Sect, so they did their best to restrain their members.
This was why the number of Black Blood Species and Secret Martial Artists captured over the past half-month couldn’t even compare to a single week’s haul from before.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Unless they went to other provinces to hunt Black Blood Species.
But that was completely unrealistic.
They could do as they pleased in Donglin Province, but other regions were not under the Shexin Sect’s jurisdiction at all.
For one, every province had its own resident Secret Martial Arts School, and they absolutely would not permit outsiders to interfere in their affairs.
Even if it were possible, the Shexin Sect’s recent domineering actions had already offended several other Schools.
Getting help from the local Federation authorities would be completely out of the question.
Therefore, capturing Black Blood Species from other provinces was currently impossible.
As for why other Schools didn’t follow the Shexin Sect’s example and carry out a similar purge of Black Blood Species within their own jurisdictions...
It wasn’t that they were incapable of it.
It would certainly be difficult for a Lower-tier School.
But for Middle- and Upper-tier Schools, it wouldn’t be hard at all.
It was just that such actions were of little real benefit to a School. It was a superficial solution that didn’t address the root cause.
Furthermore, the costs were immense, whether in terms of disciples or various Treasure Medicines. It offered no benefit to the School’s long-term development.
It was also an easy way to make enemies, even offending disciples from other Schools.
If they kept it up for long, no matter how deep a School’s foundations were, its resources would eventually be depleted.
Maintaining the status quo was the most sensible choice.
Only someone like Hu Qi, who did it all to collect Modification Points, would act this way.
Understanding all this, Hu Qi waved his hand, dismissing the man.
Gu Feng bowed his head and complied.
A few seconds later.
Hu Qi emerged from the room where the Black Blood Species and Secret Martial Artists were held.
There wasn’t a single mark on him, only the faint scent of blood.
This time, the haul consisted of ordinary Blood Slaves and Secret Martial Artists in the Qi Blood Realm.
They didn’t yield any increase in Modification Points, but by absorbing their Light of the Soul, he had slightly deepened his own soul’s foundation.
Soon, he returned to his room on the top floor of the Zhu Xi Building.
After announcing that he needed to enter seclusion and should not be disturbed, Hu Qi felt the mottled memories that had appeared in his mind from absorbing all that Light of the Soul.
He picked up a cup, filled it with hot water, and dropped in a leaf of Spirit-Nurturing Tea.
He waited for the water to turn a vibrant green before downing it in one gulp.
Feeling a soothing sensation wash over his body, mind, and soul, Hu Qi let out a long breath.
For him, the Spirit-Nurturing Tea not only enhanced his Soul Power, but also eliminated the side effects of absorbing too much Light of the Soul.
’It saves me from spending unnecessary Modification Points. Truly killing two birds with one stone.’
He tossed the paper cup into the trash can, glanced around, and vanished with a flicker.
He had left the room.
Although this was Shexin Sect territory, it wasn’t safe. Hu Qi didn’t trust anyone, especially not after killing two disciples from Upper-tier Schools. A breakthrough to the Refining God realm was a momentous event; it was better to find a secure location that no one else knew about.
...
「A dozen or so minutes later, roughly a hundred nautical miles from Anshan City.」
The moon was bright and the stars were few. An isolated island, covering an area the size of thirty or forty football fields, sat upon the pitch-black surface of the sea.
Hu Qi’s figure appeared in the sky above the island.
Though embellished by the moon and stars, the night was still dim, especially on this isolated island.
However, for Hu Qi, it was no different from broad daylight and had no effect on him whatsoever.
His gaze swept downward. The island was covered in rugged, strangely shaped rocks, with a few small, jutting peaks and lush vegetation.
He could faintly make out the tracks and figures of colorful snakes and other small animals.
Beyond that, the place was extremely secluded, with no signs of human habitation.
Hu Qi was very satisfied with this situation.
He landed on one of the peaks. With a wave of his hand, the jagged summit seemed to have been struck by an invisible giant axe.
Shattered rock flew everywhere. The originally jutting peak was sliced clean off, leaving behind a flat stone surface.
Hu Qi sat down cross-legged upon it.
Just then, a small, unidentified black snake from below was drawn by the commotion and slithered up the rock face.
Judging by its triangular head and visible fangs, it was clearly a venomous snake.
It also seemed to have noticed the figure sitting cross-legged on the rock above.
Twisting its body, it tried to approach without a sound.
However, just as it was about to come within two meters...
It seemed to sense a terrifying aura.
Its eyes flew wide, the pupils instantly contracting into thin slits, revealing extreme terror and alarm.
Its body went taut in an instant, like a coiled spring.
It coiled and then launched itself backward.
WHOOSH! It fled into the distance, disappearing into a dark patch of forest in the blink of an eye.
It wasn’t the only one. Within a hundred-meter radius, every living creature fled the area.
Everything from snakes and crabs down to insects and ants fled as if some terrifying entity resided there.
The cause of all this was simply that Hu Qi had let slip a trace of the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent’s aura.
Hu Qi paid it no mind.
He summoned his panel.
[Host: Hu Qi]
[Status: Abnormal △]
[Age: 22]
[Bloodline: Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent (69%) △]
[Talent: Spirit Devouring, Twisted Light]
[Skill: Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map (Qi Veins Chapter Ninth Layer) △ Traits: Wolf Transformation, Tiger Intent, Rhino Armor, Flash Jump, Infrasound, Frenzy...]
[Taiqing Immortal Slaying Sword Technique (Energy Storage: None) △]
[Extreme Falling Cold Moon Sword Scripture (Entry-Level) △]
[Cloud-Flipping Tai E Divine Record (Entry-Level) △]
...
[Modification Points: 923 (9%)]
But as soon as he saw the panel, Hu Qi’s brow furrowed, his eyes instantly locking onto the status line.
It actually read ’Abnormal.’
’But how is that possible?’
’I already drank the Spirit Tea. Logically, my status should have returned to normal by now.’
As he thought this, a new line of information appeared before his eyes.
[Two Soul Anchor Marks remain. Can be eliminated by consuming Modification Points.]
’Two Soul Anchor Marks?’
Hu Qi’s eyes narrowed.
He instantly thought of Wu Yu and Changzhu, the two he had killed.
’This must have come from them.’
’...But just from the name alone, a Soul Anchor Mark can’t be anything good. It must be some kind of tracking mark.’
At this thought, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.
"Crimson, modify! Eliminate the Soul Anchor Marks on my body!"
The next moment, his Modification Points decreased by twenty.
An invisible ripple flowed through him, spreading throughout his entire body.
Immediately after, two translucent, hair-sized specks drifted out of Hu Qi’s body. The moment they reached the open air, they instantly disintegrated.
Watching this scene, Hu Qi’s expression flickered, and a sense of lingering fear washed over him.
’I didn’t even notice a thing,’ he thought. ’The methods of a Refining God Venerable are truly beyond comprehension.’
’If it weren’t for the Crimson panel, I might have been exposed. The consequences would have been unimaginable.’