It seemed the Painted Skin Demon was well aware of the power of the Solar True Fire and had devised a specific countermeasure. Lu Xuan had long noticed that the Solar True Fire could spread and burn everything related to the opponent's spiritual energy along the links of spiritual energy. However, the Painted Skin Demon's Split Body technique completely separated the physical body from the spiritual body. The Solar True Fire succeeded repeatedly, burning away nearly half of the black mud. But the other half still escaped the range of the flames.
Lu Xuan snorted coldly. With the Thunder Spear in hand, he slammed it into the ground. Violent lightning expanded and spread in a spherical shape, covering the entire courtyard.
A scream echoed through the lightning, then vanished completely. However, Lu Xuan's expression didn't improve. He sensed that he hadn't killed the painted-skin ghost. The creature had prepared various countermeasures against the True Sun Fire. While none could truly counter it, it had successfully escaped the True Sun Fire's lethal effect.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan's subsequent lightning attack was forcibly withstood by the opponent. That thing's cultivation was far higher than expected. It refrained from attacking Lu Xuan due to its concern for the True Fire of the Sun. However, that level of lightning technique was still insufficient to completely annihilate it.
Once the smoke cleared, Lu Xuan organized his observations and all the clues he had gathered. He basically understood what had happened.
First, there's the zombie he killed in Lu Family Village seven years ago, and the people behind it. They're all in cahoots with the Painted Skin Ghost before him. He doesn't know how many of them there are, but they're definitely more terrifying than he imagines. They all belong to a single, unified entity. If Lu Xuan isn't mistaken, it's probably the centipede demon who has now usurped the position of Grand Preceptor of the Great Jin Dynasty.
The mastermind behind it all, seven years ago, didn't die. He reported Lu Xuan's possession of the Solar True Fire. Afterward, Lu Xuan's information circulated within the organization. Those high-level cultivators even prepared escape strategies specifically targeting Lu Xuan's Solar True Fire. This sent chills down Lu Xuan's spine.
A vast underground organization is targeting and studying him. Although they haven't yet found a way to counter the Solar True Fire, at least some people have successfully escaped from Lu Xuan's clutches.
Seven years ago, when Lu Xuan first encountered them, that zombie was probably cultivated and advanced by them using the Blood Refinement Method. Thinking back to the two zombie cultivators he met at his grandmother's place, this secretive cultivation force must have deployed countless methods similar to Lu Family Village throughout the world.
Lu Xuan happened to be nearby that time and saved Lu Family Village. However, most of those remote villages simply had no chance of resistance. Those two fully conscious zombie Taoists must have been fed countless amounts of blood and gourds. The crucial question is, how many more zombie Taoists like that exist is unknown.
Now it seems that the Painted Skin Ghost is probably not an ordinary ghost, but some kind of special cultivator. Considering the Painted Skin Ghost's special abilities, Lu Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
In all his previous worlds, Lu Xuan had one advantage: his martial prowess was overwhelming. However, in this world, he no longer possessed that absolute advantage. Moreover, aside from a few main storylines, he was largely unaware of the world's overall plot. This created an unprecedented pressure for Lu Xuan. Sometimes he even considered returning to the mountains to cultivate in seclusion for several hundred years and simply end this life.
However, cultivation is not something that can be achieved simply by withdrawing from the world. Especially for someone like Lu Xuan, who has spent several lifetimes immersed in the mortal realm. Asking him to withdraw from the world to cultivate is one thing, but to spend his entire life in seclusion is pure nonsense.
In remote areas, they are constantly cultivating high-level zombies, recruiting renowned demons, and now, with the addition of the eerie "Painted Skin Ghost," they have infiltrated an important city like Taiyuan. The organization behind the scenes is planning something bigger and bigger. And there's a very clear feeling that they are employing a tactic of encircling the cities from the countryside, gradually infiltrating from the periphery to the core.
The Painted Skin Ghost vanished without a trace. Lu Xuan also turned and left the courtyard. Things were becoming increasingly complicated, and while Lu Xuan felt it was tricky, he also began to feel a faint sense of excitement.
For several worlds, Lu Xuan had mostly enjoyed overwhelming dominance. Only in this world did he begin to feel a challenge. Unlike his previous experiences of accumulating power and conquering the world, this time, Lu Xuan would be facing a diverse group of cultivators.
"interesting!"
...
Back at the inn, Lu Xuan briefly recounted what had happened to Xiahou and the two female ghosts.
"The problem now is that I'm tracking them, and they're watching me at the same time. It's hard to say who's the hunter and who's the prey in this game. Do you have any opinions?"
"Xiahou is willing to follow you to the death, young master!" Xiahou was a smart man. After following Lu Xuan for this period of time, he increasingly felt that Lu Xuan's Taoist magic was far stronger than he had imagined. Many times, Lu Xuan's unintentional little actions made him sigh, "Is this what immortals are like?"
Xiahou wasn't inherently bad; he was simply deeply obsessed. In the original story, when he first met Ning Caichen, he saw that Ning Caichen had nothing to eat and even gave him a steamed bun. After following Lu Xuan and witnessing a higher level of power, that former obsession in his heart had long since vanished.
What about the world's number one swordsman? This young master can fly through the air and disappear into the earth, and with a wave of his hand, he can burn a monster the size of a small mountain to ashes. That's true power.
Xiao Lan and Xiao Qian naturally pledged their loyalty immediately. They actually had no other choice. Having followed their grandmother for so long, they were used to all sorts of ruthless cultivators. Lu Xuan, so gentle, was the first one they'd encountered. He was highly skilled and had a good temperament. If they didn't cling to such a powerful figure, they would have wasted all these years—no, they should say, wasted all these years of their lives.
As for the last two demons, the Green Snake was sleeping in and too lazy to answer the question. The little fox, on the other hand, pretended to try and show his loyalty, but Lu Xuan casually shoved him to the ground.
“Very good, it seems you have made your decision. From today onwards, we must devote ourselves fully to our cultivation. No matter how secretive or powerful the enemy is, our first priority is to make ourselves stronger.”
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Chapter 361 Righteousness Manor
Inside the carriage, Xiaoqian was lying on her side, her long legs languidly resting on Lu Xuan's lap. On the other side, Xiaolan was half-lying on Lu Xuan in a similar position.
"Young master, where are we going this time?" Xiaoqian asked in a soft voice.
"We're going to the capital."
"The capital? Didn't you say before that you wouldn't be going to the capital for the time being?"
"Yes, but after thinking about it, I think I should still go and take a look. They haven't gained much power yet, so this is the perfect time for them to enter the capital. If we wait any longer, the capital will probably become a den of dragons and tigers."
"Young Master, do you think there's any hope for the Great Jin Dynasty?" Xiaoqian got up, snuggled into Lu Xuan's arms, and fed him a grape.
"This is no longer just a problem for the Great Jin Dynasty. The entire world is waiting for the Great Jin Dynasty to collapse. Humans, demons, ghosts, and cultivators are all waiting to share in the feast of this dynasty's collapse. Even the people of the Great Jin Dynasty themselves hope that their dynasty will perish. Tell me, how can this dynasty continue to exist?"
Xiaoqian fell silent. She came from a family of officials, and her father was a high-ranking official in the court. Therefore, she had been concerned about these matters. However, after listening to Lu Xuan's words, she began to understand that the current situation was no longer a simple matter of dynastic change.
When Xiaolan saw Xiaoqian run into Lu Xuan's arms without her noticing, a look of displeasure flashed across her face. Then she squeezed in as well, making room for herself, and nestled into Lu Xuan's arms as well.
"My lord, what do you think those demons are up to?"
"It's not clear yet, I have a vague guess. But we'll need to get to the capital to make a further judgment."
Lu Xuan reached out and pulled Xiao Lan into his arms. This little girl was incredibly jealous; she had a feeling that Lu Xuan seemed to like Xiao Qian a little more. So she desperately tried to seduce Lu Xuan. Every night, after Yuehua finished her morning routine, she would come to his door, displaying all her dancing skills to please him. Sometimes, when Lu Xuan was dancing with Xiao Qian, she would even interrupt and cause trouble…
The distance between Taiyuan and the capital is quite long. Moreover, the group was traveling at a leisurely pace, like a tourist. This was mainly because Lu Xuan needed to stop frequently to test his various ideas for thunder magic.
It is unknown how many days passed before Xiahou came to report.
"Young master, it's getting late, and it's likely to rain tonight. There's a place called Righteousness Manor ahead; shall we go in and take shelter?"
Even though Xiahou could now use his true energy to form a defense against the rain, the group wasn't afraid of the rain. However, Lu Xuan still maintained a common-sense approach: resting at night and seeking shelter from the rain.
However, the name "Zhengqi Manor" made him smile.
“Go, make a fire, we’ll spend the night there.”
"Yes, young master."
The manor was extremely dilapidated. How dilapidated? Xiahou pushed open the door, and it collapsed. This left Xiahou utterly embarrassed. Inside the manor, he saw a cluster of buildings so crumbling they were practically on the verge of collapse.
One can vaguely discern that this manor was once quite wealthy and magnificent. There were over a dozen rooms surrounding the courtyard, along with attics, gardens, and other amenities. It was undoubtedly the residence of a wealthy family. But now, the entire manor has completely fallen into ruin.
Pushing open the doors to the main hall, the first thing that catches the eye is eight coffins arranged in neat rows.