Half an hour later, five commanders from various parts of Dragon River City gathered at the General's mansion. Each commander had a distinct appearance, some were tall and burly, and others lean as if only skin and bones.

"Why has the General suddenly called us over?"

"I don't know, but it must be something significant."

"Nonsense, there are only ten commanders in total, and the other five are out. Calling us all here definitely means it's a big deal."

"Quick, the guard is beckoning us inside."

Moments later, in the reception room. The five commanders sat respectfully below.

Ye Nantian still had his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke calmly, "The materials are prepared for you; take a look."

The five hastily flipped through the documents in front of them.

The stack was thin. But after reading it, they were inwardly unsettled for a long time.

"A thirty-meter-long aquatic creature?"

"So, it was this monster that attacked the cargo ship last time!"

"As long as this creature lives, our Linjiang military's water transport can never be smooth."

"With nearly eighty thousand troops in the Linjiang military, are we afraid we can't kill this monster?!"

"General, you summoned us here to deal with this creature, right?"

Ye Nantian nodded calmly, "This extraordinary creature must be of no less than a third level. In the water, its home field, its strength could potentially match a fourth level. Killing it will be extremely difficult, but we cannot allow it to continue disrupting the peace in Dragon River City. Your task is to frighten it, to make it fear us, to beat it until it dares not enter our Linjiang military's territory!"

The five commanders stood up solemnly, "Yes!"

...

East Lake City.

A figure soared through the air, leaving trails of cold, sinister energy behind. One moment he was stationary, and in the next, he appeared on the rooftop of a building hundreds of meters away. His movement was as swift as lightning.

With a casual grasp, a giant claw materialized and instantly crushed a telephone pole to dust! Moments later, a tall figure stood atop the spire of a signal tower.

It was Chu Xuan.

He looked exhilarated. This morning, he had achieved the second level of Foundation Establishment. Yin Evil Escape and Yin Evil Demon Claw were indeed as described in the ancient texts. Powered by Spiritual Qi, they would be considered mediocre.

But when driven by Yin Evil Qi, they were comparable to superior Foundation Establishment stage spells. Most cultivators overlooked this detail, thus underestimating their power.

Yet, Chu Xuan could leverage this to unleash astonishing speed and terrifying power, catching his opponents off-guard and slaying them unexpectedly!

"Coming to Blue Star this time brought immense growth."

Chu Xuan felt a bit sentimental. Before arriving, he was merely at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Now, however, he had advanced to the second level of Foundation Establishment, possessing his life-bound magical tool, the Evil Soul Chain, along with the Heavenly Star Flying Sword, the Golden Wood Shield, and other high-grade magical tools.

He had even learned Foundation Establishment stage spells like Yin Evil Escape and Yin Evil Demon Claw. Whether in combat or escape, he could now ensure an invincible position.

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"With such strength, even if I am targeted by a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator like Sun Shi again, I have the power to counterattack."

Chu Xuan smiled faintly.

"It's about time to return. My life-bound magical tool, the Evil Soul Chain, still lacks one final component. The living soul of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!"

Chu Xuan returned to the Haotai Hotel. This time, he arranged for Hu and Bao to guard the house, taking Long with him.

He trusted Hu completely, leaving Bao behind deliberately so Hu could discipline Bao and curb its rebellious nature. As for Long, this fellow was the strongest, inherently rebellious, and had to be kept close, never out of his sight.

With everything arranged, Chu Xuan took out the Blood Mirror from his storage bag. In an instant, he vanished as if he had evaporated from the human world.

Hu, having previous experience, was not startled.

Bao, however, was shocked.

Where is the master? Why does it feel like the connection between the master and me has become extremely weak? Could it be that I...

His eyes began to dart around slyly.

"Roar, roar! Roar roar~ roar!"

Hu snorted coldly and gave him a solid whack.

Bao whimpered a few times, not daring to entertain any more wild thoughts.

...

Mystic Azure Realm, Peace Market.

Chu Xuan arrived here once again. This time, he appeared as a bald, fierce-looking man.

Just by looking at him, one could tell he was incredibly menacing, deterring anyone from approaching.

Upon arriving at Taiping Market, he immediately sensed a significant change in its atmosphere.

A little inquiry revealed that the Wu family, which controlled Taiping Market, had been raided by the Divine Star Sect.

Someone had reported that the Wu family was hiding remnants of the Infinite Sect. Divine Star Sect sent cultivators to investigate, and it turned out to be true.

The entire Wu family, consisting of thousands, were condemned for colluding with demonic cultivators and were all executed.

Only the Wu family's patriarch, Wu Teng, and some Infinite Sect demonic cultivators escaped with their lives.

Chu Xuan sighed. His guess had been correct.

A large group attracts attention. The Wu family estate was bound to encounter trouble eventually.

Fortunately, he hadn't stayed with Liu Zhenxiong and the others. Otherwise, he would have become a target of Divine Star Sect's pursuit too.

Once again, he would have to live a life where everyone wanted him dead.

Chu Xuan displayed little emotion, sitting quietly by the window in the teahouse, sipping his tea as he had always done.

Now that he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, he could overhear most cultivators' conversations without the need for the eavesdropping worm.

As he expected, only a month had passed on the Mystic Azure Realm.

Ouyang Hao's disappearance was still a popular topic among many rogue cultivators. Additionally, another major event caught Chu Xuan's attention.

The Golden Core cultivator of the Infinite Sect, Wan Wuying, had been surrounded by three Golden Core patriarchs from the Divine Star Sect and Golden Dragon Temple and had ultimately perished in battle.

The fall of a Golden Core cultivator was a monumental event throughout the Nine Provinces of Yu Kingdom, naturally sparking heated discussions among many cultivators.

"When the Infinite Sect was destroyed, only two Golden Core patriarchs escaped. Now, there's one less."

Chu Xuan took a sip of tea, feeling somewhat sentimental. The alliance between the Divine Star Sect and Golden Dragon Temple, however, surprised him.

Among the Five Righteous Sects of the Yu Kingdom, the Divine Star Sect held the dominant position, followed by the Golden Dragon Temple, Mystical Sound Palace, Imperial Spirit Mountain, and Heavenly Seal Sect. The relationship between the top two sects was fraught with friction.

Yet, to deal with Wan Wuying, the three cultivators from the Divine Star Sect and Golden Dragon Temple had managed to cooperate.

However, the entanglements and grudges among the Five Righteous Sects were too distant from him to warrant much thought.

"I wonder where there might be large-scale conflicts so I can fish in troubled waters and extract a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's living soul for my Evil Soul Chain."

Chu Xuan lightly tapped the table, listening intently.

However, after a long listen, he couldn't gather any useful information. These Qi Refining stage cultivators hardly said anything of value.

Without lingering, Chu Xuan left a small spiritual stone to pay the bill and departed. He did not go to the Wu family estate. Who knew if there would be an ambush waiting for him there?

Chu Xuan took out the Heavenly Star Flying Sword and headed south.

After being refined by him, the appearance of the Heavenly Star Flying Sword changed significantly. Unless it was the person who crafted the Heavenly Star Flying Sword, it was impossible to easily identify it as Ouyang Hao's former weapon.

"If I can't find a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's living soul, I'll have to settle for a Foundation Establishment stage demonic beast's soul for the Evil Soul Chain."

Chu Xuan headed south, passing numerous villages and towns without stopping. A day later, he saw a vast mountain range stretching across the land.

Shrouded in mist, it resembled a celestial realm.

This mountain range, called the Cloud Mist Mountains, marked the boundary between Tong Province and Wu Province in Yu Kingdom.

The Green River Prefecture, where Chu Xuan had previously been, was one of the eight prefectures of Tong Province.

The Misty Mountains were known for their frequent demonic beast activity. Naturally, there was no shortage of Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts.