Chapter 137: A Misunderstanding Resolved
"What are you doing?!" Chu Liang shouted loudly, launching himself into action simultaneously.
He anticipated the opponent's move, but didn't expect the Dark King Sect's Soul Subjugator to use a shamanic technique as their first move. The Dark King Sect, a faction under the Heavenly Star Divine Cult, followed the diabolical path after a division in the cult and incorporated elements of diabolical techniques into their own skill system. Despite these changes, they did not use any shamanic techniques.
Within this Forbidden Ground, all forms of enchanted techniques were forbidden. Any divine skills and enchanted tools were rendered useless. The situation was becoming somewhat risky for Chu Liang.
However, since Chu Liang had dealt with the shamanic technique Forbidden Ground before, he quickly moved back to create some space between himself and Sixtieth. He guessed that Sixtieth likely didn't know about his physical power which was akin to the strength of ten tigers. If a physical fight broke out, he believed he still had the strength to defend himself.
Despite lacking knowledge on the true capabilities of the opponents, Chu Liang prioritized escaping the boundaries of the Forbidden Ground. He intended to inform his teacher using the tracker jade slip. Since the opponent had the audacity to use the Forbidden Ground technique, they definitely possessed formidable means.
No matter what, Chu Liang needed to make very careful choices.
Sixtieth remained ruthless and taciturn, not uttering a single word. As Chu Liang retreated, preparing to escape the boundaries of the Forbidden Ground, Sixtieth didn't just watch him slip away. With a flick of their hand, silvery lights rained down like a shower.
Hidden weapons?
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Faced with the overwhelming silver lights, Chu Liang immediately displayed his body techniques, dodging and retreating, narrowly avoiding all the silver needles.
Upon closer inspection, those silver needles that fell on the ground quickly softened, transforming into worm-like silver threads that swiftly burrowed into the soil.
Seeing this, Chu Liang's scalp tingled instantly.
Those needles were actually insects!
Curse insects!
He didn't dare to ponder the consequences of curse insects burrowing into his body, nor did he want to stay with this mysterious opponent. As he maneuvered and dodged swiftly, he was on the brink of escaping the boundaries of the Forbidden Ground.
Meanwhile, Sixtieth appeared puzzled as they muttered to themselves, "Turbulent Stream Movement Art?"
As Chu Liang was about to escape, Sixtieth didn't hesitate. They swiftly pursued with such elusive and agile movements and closed in rapidly like a ghost!
Chu Liang sprinted, nearly breaking free from the Forbidden Ground's boundaries, when another barrage of silver needles rained down. However, he twisted his body and skillfully avoided the attack once more.
Then, Sixtieth raised their hand, seemingly dispelling the Forbidden Ground.
Unlike the deceased shaman elder who died before he could dispel the technique, Sixtieth was still alive, which meant she could effortlessly deactivate the shamanic technique with a raise of their hand.
Following that, they took out a black umbrella.
Whoosh—
As the black umbrella unfolded, Sixtieth's movement paused slightly. Then, in the next second, they appeared to a spot several zhang away as though they had teleported.
Such swift movement! Chu Liang was taken aback.
As he observed Sixtieth more closely, he realized that there was a faint black humanoid shadow beneath the opened umbrella.
It seems to be a conscious soul[1]?
The ethereal being embraced Sixtieth's waist and swiftly flew forward, executing that teleportation-like technique.
Is this the Umbral Spirit Control Technique? How did Sixtieth master such a diverse array of arts and techniques?
In terms of speed, the ghost, in Chu Liang's estimation, ranked second only to Fairy Jiang's immortal art Dimension Compression.
As Sixtieth approached, Chu Liang held the tracker jade slip in his hand. With just a gentle press, he would have summoned his teacher.
At this moment, Sixtieth appeared before him and flipped their hand again, taking out this gleaming giant curved saber. The edge of the saber bore a dangerous black hue.
Poison.
This weapon confirmed a suspicion in Chu Liang's mind. He watched as Sixtieth darted towards him and was about to strike with the chilling edge of the curved saber.
However, instead of crushing the jade slip, Chu Liang shouted loudly, "You are not a Soul Subjugator; you are a disciple of the Valley of the Three Absolutes! I am from the Mount Shu Sect!"
Whoosh—
The curved saber whistled to a stop just inches above his head. Even so, Chu Liang remained unperturbed.
If Sixtieth hadn't stopped, he could activate the green leaf and wrap himself up like a zongzi and fly away to create some distance.
This brave move stemmed from his confidence.
Yet, the foundational qi and poisonous aura emanating from the saber nearly grazed his hair, sending a shiver down his spine. He broke out in a cold sweat.
"You are part of the Mount Shu Sect?"
Sixtieth questioned while lifting up their hat and revealing a delicate face.
A girl?
Chu Liang was slightly surprised.
Before him stood an attractive yet stern young woman, dressed in a black robe. Her silver-white hair fell just above her ears, a length that could be considered short for a woman. With a fair complexion, indifferent eyes, and a somewhat doll-like face, her appearance conveyed a lingering innocence that contrasted sharply with her cold demeanor.
She had indeed faked her height. After she lifted her hat, her stature appeared slightly shorter and her voice took on a higher-pitched yet emotionless tone.
This petite girl gripped a huge curved saber with an expression suggesting a reserved and ruthless demeanor. The scene seemed somewhat peculiar.
"Yes," Chu Liang, perceiving her sincerity, lifted his own hat and revealed a harmless smiling face. "Chu Liang, a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect."
He concluded that she wasn't a disciple of the Dark King Sect, not only based on his initial suspicion but also from the array of techniques she displayed earlier.
Shamanic arts, the art of curse insects, the art of poison...
It wasn't strange for someone to know any one of the three. However, mastering all three would be very odd.
In addition, the expertise in the Umbral Spirit Control Technique and the use of the curved saber from the Chijiang of the Southern Regions were entirely unique skills of the Valley of the Three Absolutes. She hadn't executed the Heavenly Star Unusual Art or Soul Techniques commonly used by the Soul Subjugator from the Dark King Sect.
And so, he was confident that Sixtieth was a disciple of the Valley of the Three Absolutes. With this realization, all the earlier peculiar behavior suddenly made sense.
"Hmm..." the girl with the curved saber pondered for a while before she nodded and said, "I believe you..."
Chu Liang smiled. As expected, whenever he would show his righteous-looking features, he could gain the trust of the other party.
But then, the girl said, "Soul Subjugators of the Dark King Sect must at least be at the Golden Core Realm. You, being a cultivator at the third realm, must be an impostor."
"..."
So my lower cultivation level has earned me trust?
"I'm Luo Yao." The girl sheathed her curved saber and stated her name in a cold tone.
"Huh?" Chu Liang, upon hearing this name, felt a sense of familiarity. He remembered reading about a ruthless and talented female disciple from the Valley of the Three Absolutes in the Seven Stars Gazette. She had single-handedly slaughtered numerous evil shamans and members of diabolical sects.
This girl was the one?
Upon reflection, Chu Liang realized that he had narrowly evaded her relentless pursuit earlier. If she had persisted in chasing him, he would have been compelled to summon his teacher and escape with the use of the green leaf, as he lacked any means to fight back.
With her cultivation level, which was likely as powerful as Jiang Yuebai, as well as the various bizarre and sinister methods she had used, Luo Yao was indeed quite a terrifying opponent.
Initially, Luo Yao had mistaken him for a diabolical cultivator of the Dark King Sect at the Golden Core Realm, hence why she first activated the Forbidden Ground technique.
However, Chu Liang managed to escape using the Turbulent Stream Movement Art. If she had known at the start that he was a cultivator at the Spiritual Awareness Realm, she would have probably attacked with a more lethal force, giving him no chance to fight back.
"So, you are Miss Luo. I've heard of your name," Chu Liang said with a smile.
"Why are you here?" Luo Yao didn't bother with pleasantries and asked directly.
"I learned about the Dark King Sect's actions through the Soul Subjugator Token and came here to eliminate diabolical cultivators," Chu Liang replied, then inquired, "Miss Luo, how did you get to use the Soul Subjugator Token?"
Previously, the Soul Subjugator trapped his intact soul into the Netherworld Codex, which then provided Chu Liang access to the domain within the Soul Subjugator Token. It was a fortunate twist of fate.
Such coincidences should not be common.
"I captured a wicked Soul Subjugator. I was going to extract his soul and refine it for some shamanic material. Surprisingly, I found out later that I could use his Soul Subjugator Token," said Luo Yao. "I thought I was the only one who knew how to hack into this token. I had intended to kill a few more diabolical cultivators of the Dark King Sect and seize all their Soul Subjugator Tokens. I didn't expect you to discover this method too."
"It was just a coincidence." Chu Liang chuckled.
I was not as ruthless as you.
The Soul Subjugator that Chu Liang met back then seemed so fierce and ruthless when he was extracting a conscious soul. Yet, to the girl here, a Soul Subjugator was just a toy to be manipulated. A Soul Subjugator wouldn't even have the power to fight back and resist death.
"Sigh. What a pity." Luo Yao sighed.
"A pity for?" Chu Liang asked.
"The elders of my sect are waiting outside now. I promised them that I would extract a few conscious souls and give them access to the Soul Subjugator Tokens. This way, we can all infiltrate the Dark King Sect together." Luo Yao said, "This method can only be used once. Once we are exposed, it won't work again. And so, they are all hoping for a chance to experience this."
Great. Are you all treating this like it is some sort of recreational activity?
Chu Liang could only reply, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. We can work together to deal with Fifty-Ninth and the Fiend."
Luo Yao casually said, "I can handle that Soul Subjugator myself. As for the Fiend... he's at the fifth realm and he won't be an easy opponent. I need to come up with another method."
1. Previously fresh soul. Now conscious soul, as in a soul that still has their consciousness and rationality. ☜
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