Chapter 289 - Mystic Domains

The furor simmered down, albeit with great difficulty. Everyone, especially the Elders of the League, was still very much anxious at the trio’s safe return and they needed to hear from them what had actually happened that day.

But it was an interrogation that needed to be done in private. The Elders mentioned nothing about the anomaly that caused their disappearance, speaking to them only about the next stage of the tournament. The anomaly had unsettled the public and it was imperative to avoid an all-out panic.

To compensate Xiao Chen and the other two their lost time, the Elders agreed to allow them to enter any level of the Violet Illusory Land of their choosing.

This was done with the acquiescence of contestants from other schools and sects, for they too acknowledged that Xiao Chen, Xiaoyue, and Huangfu Xin’er had been the top leaders in the race of the Forest of Illusory Moon and they were hence qualified to enter the highest strata of the Illusory Land.

It was a piece of news that Xiao Chen welcomed greatly. The offer of training for a month in the highest strata of the Illusory Land would see him catching up to Zuoqiu Yang and the rest. In fact, this offer opened another option for him; one so bold and daring, at such later stages of the Core Forming Realm: the Wisdom-forsaking Technique taught to him by Bai Ying.

A boyish youngster came to him suddenly. “Greetings, Senior Brother Xiao. My name is He Feng, a student of the Taiji Seminary at the Northern Continent.”

Xiao Chen looked at him. The benign smile He Feng was wearing indicated no hostilities, Xiao Chen observed and smiled in return. “How can I help you, brother?”

“Well, I’d hardly dare to address myself as a senior to you, Master Xiao. But I have long admired your skills and I thank the stars for being able to meet you today. I would like a duel with you. Just a little contest to test my skills and perhaps learn something from you.”

Xiao Chen’s eyes narrowed as he studied the young man. He could sense that the young man possessed powers on par, or even slightly higher than that of his, nearing the Ninth Tier of the Core Forming Realm. He had never once seen him before, even during the test of the Forest of Illusory Moon, but he was willing to agree to the duel, deeming him different from Zuoqiu Yang and others who harbored only ill will towards him.

“A duel it is then, although I’d doubt I have anything that you should admire me about,” he replied, grinning as he nodded.

“So, I’ll take that as a yes, no?”

He Feng was trembling with excitement. He had been a common cultivator of humble beginnings, growing up with tales of Xiao Chen’s heroics until he finally witnessed with his own eyes Xiao Chen’s greatness in battle in the Forest of Illusory Moon. Since then, he had but only one wish: to duel against Xiao Chen to see how far had he came.

He never had the courage before, due to his lacking of power which was miles behind Xiao Chen. But this time, it was different: he was sure his powers had not only caught up to his idol, and he was also confident he now possessed powers greater than him.

“Indeed,” Xiao Chen smiled, nodding his head again.

The mob of onlookers and students from other schools and sects of magic immediately retreated to give them a wide berth, anxious to see the fight themselves.

“Here I come, Senior Brother Xiao!” He Feng exclaimed, exuberant with enthusiasm. He leaped thirty feet backward and channeled his powers. He felt his magic force churning in his Dantian point and released them like a burst of fire that immediately materialized into seven spirit swords, gleaming brilliantly in gold.

He Feng muttered a quick spell and the seven swords shot into the air, blazing like fiery comets as they raced for Xiao Chen. Everyone in the square held their breaths as they watched the scene unfolding. No one had expected a simple and quiet youngster like him could wield his spirit swords which he had shaped with his own True Energy with such skill and fluidity as if they were limbs of his own!

But just before the tips of the golden blades could graze Xiao Chen, he vanished! Instead, he retook form just in front of He Feng in the blink of a second and delivered a powerful blow into the latter’s chest.

There was huge bang that sounded like cannonfire and He Feng, still barely comprehending what had happened, was sent careening backward for forty to fifty feet before he crashed to the ground in a plume of dust. The crowd erupted. With just one stroke, Xiao Chen had ended the duel and more than half of them actually understood what had happened.

Up upon the dais at the center of the square, the Elders gulped in silence. “Despite being missing for two months, the boy still never ceases to amaze. Would that he had not been missing for the past two months, he could have easily vied for the title of the Strongest Youth in all of the Five Continents!” They looked at each other, exchanging weak, wordless smiles. “If only their own grandchildren were as talented as him…”

He Feng got to his feet and dusted himself. “It seems that I’m still nowhere nearer to your great strength, Master Xiao,” he breathed with a weak grin and said.

“You’re being modest, Brother He,” Xiao Chen remarked politely. From the corners of his eyes, he saw a seething Zuoqiu Yang, who was the reason he accepted the duel, retreating away from the crowd.

“A true contender to the title of the Strongest,” animated talks and whispers began stirring from the crowd, “Even with the loss of time, he remains the unconquered and undefeated champion.”

But there were many who had yet to hear Xiao Chen’s name. They looked aghast and shocked. “How is this outcome even possible? When the powers these two youngsters wield were almost on par?”

With more business to attend to, Xiao Chen withdrew quickly away from the busy square to return to his lodgings. He found Zhiluan enjoying a great time with Xian’er and watched them with apparent amusement. “What odd companions, a girl and a cat, yet what good friends they have become.”

Murong Xian’er sprang to her feet and scampered to him when she saw him. She tugged at his sleeve, saying, “The greedy cat is too naughty! He slipped into the kitchens just now and stole some food before he came back.”

That made Xiao Chen surprised. “This is not the Burg of the Feral Phoenix, you d*mn cat,” he thought at first. He looked at Zhiluan solemnly. “You’d better watch yourself, you scaredy-cat, lest someone should catch you and chop you up for medicine.”

Zhiluan gave him a harsh snort and turned its head away indignantly. “You’d best worry about yourself! Voices are whispering about your ruin in the streets! And before I forget, where are the tonic and elixirs you’ve promised me?”

Xiao Chen shook his head and buried his face in his hand, exasperated. Zhiluan had never stopped buggering him about this and he would never let him go, he realized. Later that afternoon, he went out to make purchases of herbs and spices. Fortunately, Tianyuan City was a larger and busier city than the Burg of the Feral Phoenix and he was able to procure everything he needed to brew more Lark’s Serum.

He went back to his lodgings right before dark and found Zi Mo waiting for him. Also present were Perfected Immortal Qing Chen and Perfected Immortal Tai Yi of the Order of the Countless Blades, along with a few Elders of the League, including the Warden of the Immortal’s League who had last presided over his hearing at the citadel.

Their faces were obscured in the veil of darkness, but that did little to hinder Xiao Chen from noticing the troubled looks on their faces. “What is going on?”

“D*mned boy, where have you been!” Zi Mo growled and yanked at his arm, dragging him into the yard.

But he was stopped halfway by a fuming Murong Xian’er who pulled hard at his beard. “BAD OLD MAN! How could you bully Big Brother!”

“Argh! That hurts! Let go, girl!”

“NO! You let go of Big Brother Xiao Chen!”

Xiao Chen adjusted his clothes, smiling bleakly before he turned to the others, bowing low to them, “How can I help you, Seniors?”

A frowning Perfected Immortal Qing Chen was the first to speak, “Xiao Chen. Is it true that you’ve seen a ravine filled with an aura so dangerous and diabolical during your stay at the Burg of the Feral Phoenix?”

The Warden followed immediately before Xiao Chen could utter a word, “Have you gone down there to investigate? Did you see anything?”

“I see, so this is the purpose of their visit,” Xiao Chen realized. “It’s true,” he replied, “But the deadly aura was too thick and strong that I could not go down there.”

The newcomers traded dark looks again. “Tell me about the place in detail,” Perfected Immortal Tai Yi said.

Xiao Chen recounted to them of everything he saw and felt there, leaving out only the part about Su Xiaomei’s warning for him to leave and the attack by the seven assassins until the Three Friends of Winter came to help.

The information of the evil aura spanning hundreds of miles left everyone shocked and aghast. “Heavens… It is as we’ve been dreading…” The Warden of the Immortal’s League stammered.

That was followed by several mournful sighs from the others. Although he was still confused and oblivious to the source of their angst and anxiety, their worried looks were enough to convey the gravity of the situation. “I’ve given my word to the Governor of the Burg that I would implore for help from the League. So here I am, beseeching you, and the rest of the League, to send them the help as soon as possible.”

The Warden nodded grimly. “You’ve done well. Rest assured, we will not sit and watch while the commons of the Burg suffers from danger. Just concentrate on the tournament and leave this to us.”

“Understood. I’ll thank you all for looking into this matter, Seniors,” Xiao Chen noted gratefully, relieved that he had finally made good of his promise to Ye Lingfeng, the Three Friends of Winter and everyone whom he had met during his stay there.

Everyone shuffled out of the yard and left. Just when the footsteps of the last person padded out of the door, Zhiluan’s head popped out of the window. “Meow! And here I was, thinking that trouble has come seeking…”

“Serves you right! That should teach you not to steal food again!” Murong Xian’er chirped cheerfully.

Xiao Chen chuckled. But his buoyancy died quickly. But he dismissed any worries readily, diving into his work of brewing some pills and elixirs for Zhiluan and concocting a Lark’s Serum for the scar on Qingluan’s face.

She was beyond words when presented with the potion. Beside her, Ziyun’er was equally taken aback. “So you were chasing the scared cat, all for the want of concocting a cure for Sister…”

“Th-thank you, Master,” Qingluan breathed softly and said.

“All right,” Xiao Chen smiled and said, “To the Violet Illusory Land we go now.”

The entrance to the Illusory Lands was in a cave at the far slopes of the back mountain trails. But the Violet Illusory Lands were by no means illusory, in fact, they were very much real.

It was similar in kind to the true Kunlun Sect. Most common folks believed that the stronghold of the Kunlun Sect was built upon the jagged spires of the icy precipices of Mount Kunlun, when the actual location of the sanctuary of one of the most respected and ancient school of magic in the world was hidden deep in the Kunlun Mystic Lands.

Many of the great and powerful houses of the lands owned mystic domains of their own, although admission into these hallowed lands was often only by permission by the masters of the clans and some of the more lowly-birthed clansmen might not even realize that their family had control of such domains.

That was because mystic domains were often the final bastion of hope for any households in the time of war. Hence, unless needed to, domains like these were mostly well-guarded secrets after being created by the collective powers of conjurers of the Grand Completion Realm. Creating such pocket dimensions would be a task so arduous and harrowing that it would take decades before the conjurers’ work finally reach the fullest fruition.

But Xiao Chen knew that there were countless of pocket domains and mystic realms in the world. Most of them became exhausted due to disrepair and neglect with no one discovering their entrances, while some were occupied by some of the most secretive and enigmatic factions of the magical community of the Violet Manor.

And he was quite certain that one of them, was the Fallen Immortals Sect, a school which he suspected had long remained hidden in their own mystic domains.