Chapter 220 Aftermath

"Did you use a doppelganger?"

Xiao Chen made another palm attack as he spoke. Instantly, an overwhelming force blockaded the vicinity of the Zuoqiu family estate. Using an incantation, the enchanting woman appeared in front of the cloaked man in a flash. However, Xiao Chen's palm force was so fierce that she failed to block it. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was sent flying.

"Go to hell if you won't tell me your goal!"

Bellowing, Xiao Chen made yet another palm attack. Out of the blue, he heard a screech coming from afar. He turned his head and saw a hole being ripped into Zuoqiu Qitian's chest. It was a horrifying scene. Countless Zuoqiu family's disciples had long gone pale.

No one knew when the cloaked man went near Zuoqiu Qitian. In his hand was a bead dripping with blood. It was the Fallen Dust Bead that he obtained by ripping apart Zuoqiu Qitian, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator of the Violet Manor.

Only then did Xiao Chen understand that the cloaked man next to the enchanting woman was just a doppelganger. She protected the doppelganger to keep his attention, allowing the cloaked man to take the chance to steal the Fallen Dust Bead. The man's doppelganger technique was so impressive that not even Xiao Chen noticed it.

"The Fallen Dust Bead is ours now. Let's go before those from the Immortals' League come here," the Bloodied Mad Swordsman said while staring at the Fallen Dust Bead in the cloaked man's hand.

The cloaked man appeared to be afraid of the words "Immortals' League" and nodded. Making a claw motion, he summoned Yu Linglong. The group then turned into a mass of black mist and flew toward the horizon.

"No! I want to roam the world with the handsome Elder Brother..."

Seeing the group leave with the Fallen Dust Bead, Xiao Chen yelled, "Leave the Fallen Dust Bead behind!" He turned into a swift radiance and chased after them.

The cloaked man turned his hand over, shooting black mist at him. Then, the group disappeared without a trace.

Xiao Chen stood in midair, staring at the spot where the group vanished. His bones creaked loud and clear. He turned to look beneath him and saw nothing but destruction. There were countless casualties among the Zuoqiu family's disciples. The grieving and howling reverberated without an end. Some of them were injured because of him, some because of the aftermath of the battle earlier.

Moments later, a black figure appeared at the horizon and gradually closed in. In the end, the figure turned into an intimidating-looking old man in a cyan robe.

"I'm Ling Ruoxu! Where's Xiao Chen?!"

His voice echoed throughout the Zuoqiu family estate for a long time. Zuoqiu Ping, Zuoqiu Que, and the rest turned pale. Ling Ruoxu had ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm after a round of meditation in exile. It was them who sent Ling Ruoxu a message, asking him to rush over to aid them. But what was he doing here right now?

Xiao Chen glared at him. "You're Ruoxu of the Ling family?"

Ling Ruoxu narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself how strong Xiao Chen's aura was. In a solemn voice, he replied, "Correct. Who might you be?"

"I'm the Xiao Chen that you're looking for!"

Xiao Chen bellowed and swung his palm at him. His palm force instantly materialized into a gigantic bloodied handprint in the air and it lunged at Ling Ruoxu.

"What?!"

Ling Ruoxu turned pale with fright. He never imagined this young man to be his enemy, Xiao Chen. Earlier, the message he received said that Xiao Chen was at most a Core Forming Realm cultivator. How could he be so terrifying now?!

The bloodied handprint crashed down on Ling Ruoxu with overbearing power, making it impossible for him to block it. A loud explosion resounded as the handprint created a large pit on the ground.

Ling Ruoxu was beaten so badly that he was battered and bloodied all over. He kept coughing up blood and his face was so sheet-white. He was so frightened that his soul nearly left him.

"Go to hell!"

Xiao Chen's palm attack fell. This time, his attack was far stronger than his previous one. His force arrived like a colossal wave, with the determination to destroy Ling Ruoxu's body and soul.

Ling Ruoxu screeched. He hastily cast a spell, prompting a wisp of cyan smoke to emerge from his midbrows, and fled toward the horizon. Following a deafening explosion, smoke and dust filled the air. The entire world seemed to be shaking.

In the distance, everyone watched in utter shock and fear. To think that Xiao Chen would be able to hit a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator so hard that the latter would abandon his physical form and escape with his body!

The smoke and dust on the ground gradually dissipated moments later, revealing a pale-faced Bai Susu who was struggling to gain a firm footing. Simultaneously, Xiao Chen felt a wave of weakness and fell to the ground.

The great battle was finally over, but there didn’t seem to be a tremendous change. The only difference was the typically illustrious Zuoqiu family estate had turned into a pile of rubble. Corpses could be found everywhere, and the aftermath of the battle was visible as far as the eye could see. It was truly a disastrous scene.

Zuoqiu Ping, Zuoqiu Que, as well as numerous of their family's disciples had rushed over by now to examine their Great Ancestor's injuries.

Zuoqiu Qitian was forced to open his Nascent Soul of the Violet Manor. Even though his soul was intact, his vital Qi was still badly harmed. It was likely he would have to wait about three to five years to fully recover.

Several figures came into view. The ladies from the Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under the Moon who went to rescue Gui Xian earlier had returned. Naturally, their rescue mission was a success. Gui Xian, however, looked dispirited. Clearly, he had undergone great torture before.

Xiao Chen hastily walked over to him and propped him up. "Senior, how are you doing?"

Gui Xian looked up and saw that it was Xiao Chen. He also noticed None-flower Dust who was rushing over. He shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm already dead to begin with and yet I caused you all to… Sigh!"

"Even if it wasn't for you, this battle was inevitable," Bai Susu said, glancing at the direction in which the cloaked man disappeared. It seemed that a deep grudge was brewing inside her.

Gui Xian was still wearing a pained smile. Suddenly, he glimpsed the nearby Zuoqiu Ping and an unconcealable hatred flashed in his pupils. He slowly made his way over and sneered. "Remember me, Zuoqiu Ping?"

Zuoqiu Ping looked up with a steely gaze. He asked solemnly, "Who are you?"

"Hehe! You're telling me you don't remember me when you killed all thirteen members of my family back then?"

Zuoqiu Ping's expression changed drastically. "It's you!"

"Hehe! Justice is here at last. I didn't think such a fate would befall the Zuoqiu family one day. This is karma!"

Zuoqiu Ping gnashed his teeth in resentment. His plan this time was to steal Xiao Chen's soul. Little did he expect that this incident to draw the attention of those from the Devil Clan. Putting aside the great damage that his family incurred, they even had their Fallen Dust Bead stolen. How could they bear the consequences of such a crime?

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. He placed all blame on Xiao Chen.

"Xiao Chen! I won't just turn a blind eye to you killing so many of my family members today! I'll definitely pursue this all the way to the Immortal's League! You also played an irrefutable part in the stealing of the Fallen Dust Bead!"

Xiao Chen chortled. "What a joke. How dare you put the blame on me when you failed in your duty. Oh well, do whatever you want. I don't care if you want to pursue this all the way to Heaven King…"

He still had more to say, but Fengxi hastily walked over and stopped him. "That's enough talking. Let's go."

Judging from Fengxi's expression and tone, he seemed to be pretty afraid of the Immortals' League. Xiao Chen stopped talking and followed them outside. Bai Susu said, "Young Master Xiao, I'm taking my leave. Take care of yourself. In the future, if you…"

She seemed like she had more to say, but ultimately shook her head and sighed. She didn't finish her sentence.

It was all thanks to her that Xiao Chen survived. He immediately saluted her and said, "Thank you for your help today, Sister Bai. I…" Before he could finish, he saw Bai Susu turn into a yellow talisman that soon burned into ashes.

"What?!" Everyone who saw this was shocked. Xiao Chen was no exception.

Yi Tong shook his head with a wry smile. "So it's Sister Bai's puppet doppelganger. She has been controlling it with telekinesis."

"Puppet doppelganger…"

Xiao Chen was still astonished. If her puppet doppelganger was this strong, just how high was the real Bai Susu's cultivation?

"Well, Brother Xiao, I'm leaving too. Take care," Yi Tong said. He turned to None-flower Dust. "Brother None-flower, thank you for coming to our aid today. I'll treat you wine next time."

None-flower Dust shrugged. "I don't think I helped out much." He then shot Gui Xian a glance. "Old man, let's take our leave too. Don't die anymore this time."

"See you again!"

They saluted and bade each other farewell before leaving. Xiao Chen looked at the twelve ladies behind him and said, "Aren't you leaving with them?"

The twelve ladies replied in unison, "We'll listen to your orders, Master! We're willing to serve you!"

Xiao Chen shook his head. This was truly strange and inexplicable, but upon second thought, this wasn't such a bad deal. Even though these ladies were only in the Core Forming Realm, they could deal with a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator when they work together. He would make even more enemies in the future, so it would be comforting to have them around.

Fengxi stared at the direction in which None-flower Dust and the others left and sighed. "It's nice to be young. You can throw tantrums if you want to and you can just leave after you do. There are no misgivings to be had. Sigh…" He turned to look at Xiao Chen and said, "Kid, you’re in deep trouble this time. Return to the Xianyong Sect with me. You should stay put for the time being."