Chapter Twenty: Collecting Debts at the Ferry Crossing

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Moxuan was somewhat surprised. He knew that reaching the Third Earth Realm was essentially a dividing line. Within this realm, there were significant distinctions, especially between the Earth Profound Realm and the Earth Abyssal Realm. Under normal circumstances, even the peak of the Earth Profound Realm could not contend with the Earth Abyssal Realm; the difference was like that between clouds and mud—completely incomparable. Across the entire Luo River City, only the city lord possessed the Earth Abyssal Realm.

Now he understood that what was called an "upgrade" was merely the comprehension of a realm.

"Aren’t you the one who said you couldn’t upgrade?"

"Haha, just teasing you!"

"Really..."

He hadn’t expected Lan Bing to be so powerful. No wonder the trio of Netherworld Thieves, when united, could take down a formidable half-step Heaven’s Third Realm expert. It was clear they couldn’t be underestimated. For a moment, he felt a bit regretful. Had she been this strong before, he might not have saved her last time. But then again, even if he had known, would he have truly stood by and done nothing? Probably not. He sighed quietly.

Lan Bing seemed to sense something but didn’t wish to say or explain further. She knew that reaching that stage without enough time would be futile. She gazed at Moxuan with a hint of melancholy. “You… forget it. Rest early! Next time we go out, remember to bring me along. I’m not as forgiving as you think.”

With that, she stood and left.

Though she had departed, an inexplicable cold wind suddenly swept the surroundings, making one shiver uncontrollably...

After Lan Bing left, Moxuan continued his cultivation following the previous path. At first, he simply felt that this technique suited him well. But as he delved deeper, he realized the Seven Hearts Soul Technique was truly unique. Its special nature was not just its endurance, comparable to primordial chaotic spirits, but also its ability to converge energy—existing in two extremes, or rather, transforming between two states.

Endurance was like an isolated island in the vast ocean, standing firm regardless of the storm’s fury. Convergence was like a sword slicing through the sky, gathering all spiritual energy into a single point and unleashing it instantaneously. Of course, this was only a metaphor; Moxuan had not yet reached such a level.

Naturally, he also saw the flaw in this technique: once choosing convergence, if he failed to defeat the enemy in one strike, escape would be the only option.

The main issue was simply his insufficient strength.

The next night!

Under the cloak of darkness, Moxuan and Lan Bing headed towards a ferry crossing between Luo River City and Huanxi Town.

Their purpose was straightforward: to eliminate the three assassins from the Chen family. The sky was shrouded by thick layers of clouds, with only a few stars peeking through. A gentle breeze stirred the small boats anchored at the dock, making them sway.

“Are you sure this is the place?”

They watched from a concealed spot atop a hill, but having waited long without seeing anyone, Lan Bing grew anxious.

“Yes! Let’s wait a little longer. This ferry has many undercover sentries. Don’t be fooled by the lack of visible people.”

Moxuan checked the map in his hand as he spoke. Just then, Lan Bing seized the map from him when he wasn’t paying attention.

“What’s this... hey, hey, where did you get this? Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?”

“Nope,” Moxuan replied confidently.

“So sure!” Lan Bing sniffed the map. “I smell a woman’s scent. Did she give this to you?”

“Let’s focus on the mission,” Moxuan said, unable to argue. He thought she was truly impressive.

At that moment, the undercover sentries at the ferry began their shift change. A masked group of about eight people appeared below: one at the Earth Soul Realm, the rest at the Spirit Gathering Realm.

“You stay outside and keep watch. I’ll go in first,” Lan Bing said, waving her hand.

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“Be careful,” Moxuan reminded.

“Don’t worry!” Lan Bing quickly slipped inside.

Moxuan knew his own low strength made it nearly impossible for him to enter. Following would only slow her down. The best strategy was to provide support from outside.

But Moxuan wasn’t one to do nothing. About fifteen minutes later, sounds of fierce fighting erupted from inside, followed by a series of intense explosions from the courtyard near the ferry.

“Who’s there?”

“Alert! Someone’s breaking in! Everyone, assemble!”

Chaos ensued, but these people were not entirely disorganized. Despite the commotion, they maintained order. Outside, some guards remained: two held the entrance, another used teleportation to relay information.

Moxuan couldn’t let this go unchecked. Taking advantage of the confusion, he circled around to a boat at the ferry and trapped three of them in a Zero Domain. He had intended to enter himself, but suddenly another figure appeared outside. Dressed in Chen family attire, this person’s rough face was visible from afar. Moxuan’s heart sank: this man was at least Earth Soul Realm. Suddenly, he sensed trouble. “Not good!”

The newcomer seemed to have some business here. Just as he arrived, the loud disturbance erupted. He was about to leave but called out to the three guards trapped in illusion: “One of you come with me…”

No response came. The man immediately sensed something wrong, spreading his divine sense to scan the surroundings. He soon detected Moxuan’s position. “There’s a little rat outside, hmph.”

He snorted coldly and formed a glowing orb in his palm. Tossing it toward Moxuan’s direction, a loud explosion shattered a boat at the ferry. The previously calm water rippled with waves.

“Amazing!” Moxuan quickly dodged. “Fortunately, it hit a different boat.”

Just in case, Moxuan had scattered spiritual energy illusions on another boat, which ended up being useful.

At first, Moxuan was puzzled, but now everything was clear: the Chen family’s hidden network ran deep, secretly cultivating such a force.

He had never heard of an Earth Abyssal Realm expert within Luo River City before.

It seemed that Luo River City had only one Earth Soul Realm cultivator—the city lord. Other clans had never been known to possess Earth Abyssal Realm practitioners, at most Earth Profound Realm level eleven.

Moxuan continued to hide his movements. The man, seeing no response, thought he might have been paranoid and decided to investigate deeper. At that moment, Moxuan seized the opportunity.

“Zero Domain, activate!”

This time, Moxuan unleashed the Zero Domain at full power. His eyes darkened, and the ferry was swiftly enveloped in illusion.

Yet, initially, the Earth Abyssal cultivator was completely unaware of the change.

This was the power of the Zero Domain: a fusion of illusion and reality. Even if lacking the strength to imprison an opponent, it could delay their advance by subtly drawing them into the illusion, making everything feel natural and calm.

Pfft!

Moxuan spat a mouthful of fresh blood. He had underestimated the gap between Earth Abyssal and Earth Profound. In less than a minute, his energy waned. At this rate, he wouldn’t last two minutes.

He knew that if this man reached Lan Bing, she’d be in danger. So he aimed to buy as much time as possible.

He decided to change tactics, slowly weakening the Zero Domain’s power and flying straight toward the battle.

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Ahead, amidst the ruins, a fiery red figure stood atop a broken beam. Her gaze was chilling, like ice in fire—hot yet cold.

Moxuan was stunned. This wasn’t the Lan Bing he knew. She seemed more mature and alluring.

Surrounding her were her guards, yet none dared to advance, seemingly intimidated by her presence.

The Earth Soul Realm Chen family cultivator was now thoroughly enraged, gathering all his strength to charge toward Moxuan.

“Ah!” Moxuan’s focus faltered.

Lan Bing’s expression suddenly changed. She leapt beside Moxuan. “Crimson Blood Blades!”

Twin double-edged swords flashed toward the rushing attacker, cutting through the air in three fiery slashes. The blazing crimson blades clashed with the force, erupting with tremendous impact and carving a foot-deep trench in the center.

Then, Lan Bing seized Moxuan and fled swiftly.

“This is ridiculous! You’re really only Earth Profound Realm?”

“Enough nonsense!” Lan Bing snapped.

At the ferry, the Chen family cultivator couldn’t keep up with Lan Bing’s speed. Coupled with Moxuan’s Zero Domain, he could only rage impotently.

This time, the Chen family lost a level eleven Earth Profound cultivator and many carefully trained assassins. It seemed they had deeply angered the Chen family. However, there was no recourse. Such assassination groups, even if eliminated, couldn’t be openly targeted without drawing attention from other clans.

Such losses had to be swallowed silently.

Yet matters were not so simple. Their residence appeared to have been monitored. Hidden in a dark alley outside their courtyard, someone was secretly observing.

Lan Bing had returned to her usual form. At the door, sensing something amiss, she swiftly moved to the alley and grabbed at a figure, only to find it was a mere illusion.

“What’s wrong?” Moxuan hurried over to ask.

“This person’s concealment skills are extraordinary. They even use remote surveillance illusions…” Lan Bing sighed. “Even at full strength, I couldn’t pinpoint their exact location. We’re being watched.”

Since the last assassination attempt at the Rainbow Abyss Pavilion, Moxuan had relocated, but they were still discovered. Huanxi Town was no longer safe.

Moxuan thought: since they found this place, they’d soon know it was us. We’ve gone too far this time.

One thing was certain: the enemy would never expose this issue openly. After all, Earth Soul Realm cultivators had only been the city lord in Luo River City. The sudden appearance of another—or more—would surely panic the other four clans.

“Aren’t you even a bit worried?” Lan Bing asked.

“No, they might use some covert tactics at most. Besides, with you around, Ice Sister, nothing will happen,” Moxuan said casually.

“I’m not your bodyguard!” Lan Bing snorted proudly and went to rest.