Chapter 95: How Could the Immortal Cult Have a Righteous Path Undercover!

A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the audience below; though transformation magic was difficult to master, it was exceedingly common and held utterly no value as an auction piece.

Only a select few refrained from sighing, such as Lu Yang, and such as Chi Xulong.

The auctioneer continued the introduction, saying, "This book is no ordinary transformation art; it allows one to execute attacks even in the midst of transforming. If utilized during combat, I imagine it would yield an unexpected, striking effect."

Only then did the crowd display a modicum of interest, yet it remained half-hearted, for whoever heard of deploying transformation magic during the heat of battle?

The auctioneer offered another reminder, saying, "It must be noted that this spell is exceptionally difficult to cultivate. Master Yang Xuanling himself remarked that while this book appears entirely ordinary, it is in truth far from being as simple as it seems on the surface!"

Lu Yang continued to murmur to himself in a voice pitched just loud enough for Chi Xulong to overhear, "As expected, the description of this book is far too similar to the one from the legends."

Sitting nearby, Meng Jingzhou caught Lu Yang's self-muttering and spoke in a low, urgent tone, "Shut up, is this the kind of talk you blabber outside! When will you ever fix this wretched habit of talking to yourself!"

Terrified, Lu Yang hastily shut his mouth, staring unblinkingly at the transformation art displayed upon the stage.

Chi Xulong observed Lu Yang's performance out of the corner of his eye, a sense of certainty solidifying within his mind.

"Starting bid, one hundred spirit stones!"

This price was far lower than that of standard transformation magic; it seemed the chamber of commerce was also uncertain about the true worth of the Pictographic Fist.

"One hundred and ten!" Someone quickly raised the bid, as this small amount of spirit stones mattered little, serving well enough just to buy a curiosity.

"One hundred and twenty!" Chi Xulong called out languidly, as though shouting out entirely on a whim.

"One hundred and forty!"

"One hundred and eighty!"

"Two hundred!"

The price of the Pictographic Fist soared at a breathtaking pace.

"Eight hundred!" Lu Yang shouted.

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly pressed down on Lu Yang's hand, "Why are you bidding so high, are you afraid others won't notice you!"

"I—I was just afraid someone else would win the bid."

Eight hundred spirit stones was not considered a vast fortune, but that was only for cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage; a Qi Refining stage cultivator could hardly produce eight hundred spirit stones at a whim.

"One thousand!"

A voice rang out from right beside Lu Yang. Lu Yang looked at Chi Xulong in astonishment, unable to comprehend why the man would vie with him for this transformation art.

It was clearly just a spellbook that appeared to possess a bit of unique flair!

Could it be that the other man had also discerned its hidden secrets?

But how could he have seen through it?

Lu Yang inwardly cried out in dismay, wondering if his earlier self-mutterings had been overheard by the man.

Lu Yang spoke in a low voice to Chi Xulong, "Fellow Daoist, this spellbook resembles a magic art that has been lost to my clan for ages. Could you perhaps yield it to me? Once the auction concludes, there will surely be a grand reward!"

Chi Xulong let out a cold sneer; lost for ages, only a fool would believe you, there must certainly be some ancient secret concealed within this magic art!

Sitting nearby, Shen Jinyi wished to offer a word of counsel, but seeing Chi Xulong's unyielding demeanor, he refrained from saying anything further.

Seeing that pleasant words bore no fruit, Lu Yang raised the bid, "One thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Two thousand." Chi Xulong did not even lift his eyelids, guessing from Lu Yang's timid shouting that the youth had definitely not reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lu Yang staked his entire net worth, "Two thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Three thousand." Chi Xulong maintained that very same expression of utter indifference.

Lu Yang turned to Meng Jingzhou to borrow funds, "Lend me a thousand spirit stones, I will surely repay you next year!"

"Very well." Meng Jingzhou agreed readily.

"Three thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Four thousand!"

Lu Yang continued to borrow money, yet he remained perpetually unable to match the wealth and power of the ostentatious Chi Xulong.

In the end, Chi Xulong claimed the transformation art for the staggering price of eight thousand spirit stones, while Lu Yang, through tearful eyes, pocketed a net profit of eight thousand spirit stones, achieving a win-win situation where all parties rejoiced.

After the auction concluded, Lu Yang and his three companions were preparing to depart, but just as they stepped past the boundaries of the marketplace and arrived at the deserted foot of the mountain, they were intercepted by Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi.

"What—what are you planning to do!"

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Chi Xulong's mouth, "What are we doing? Boy, do not ask what you already know. No one has ever managed to deceive me!"

Chi Xulong produced the Lu Family Transformation Art and unleashed the aura of the Foundation Establishment stage, "Speak, what is the ancient secret hidden within this book!"

"If you speak it, I can spare your lives; if you dare to lie, then do not blame your grandpa here for being ruthless and cruel!"

Chi Xulong had no intention of letting the four depart; the fewer people who knew of the ancient secret, the better, and moreover, Lan Ting possessed an exquisite beauty, so he would surely toy with her before dealing the fatal blow!

In Chi Xulong's estimation, these four could not even produce a few thousand spirit stones, so they were undoubtedly all in the Qi Refining stage.

Before him, those in the Qi Refining stage possessed absolutely no chance of resistance!

Lu Yang sighed, recalling how Chief Chuan had once hinted that he should stir up more trouble during the Spring Welcoming Festival; could it be that Chief Chuan had already foreseen today's circumstances and was implying he should slay Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi?

Chief Chuan's calculations were truly divine!

Lu Yang removed his mask, revealing his true visage, "Chi Xulong, there is no need for things to become so strained between us."

As he spoke, he stealthily drew out a Shadow-Recording Orb.

"Lu Yang! You deserve to die!" Chi Xulong flew into a towering rage, realizing in an instant that Lu Yang had been making a fool of him.

The auction had been nothing but a grand performance staged for his benefit!

"There must be a misunderstanding between us, surely some malicious scoundrel has sowed discord. How about this, we shall go to Chief Chuan's place to clear things up; even if you do not trust me, you must surely trust Chief Chuan?"

Had he not mentioned Chief Chuan it might have been fine, but the moment Chief Chuan was named, Chi Xulong erupted in fury, "You dare mention Chief Chuan, where do you find the face!"

"Chief Chuan must have been deceived by you to appoint you as a deacon. And what malicious scoundrel? You are the scoundrel!"

"How could I be a scoundrel? You must not speak so recklessly!" Lu Yang defended himself vehemently.

Chi Xulong sneered coldly, "Do not think I am ignorant of the glorious deeds you have bloody well done!"

"Acting like a perfectly fine gentleman in front of Chief Chuan, yet ever since you joined the sect, everything you have done has been to pit against us; to my eyes, you are a mole sent by the orthodox path!"

Chi Xulong was naturally speaking out of sheer anger; if he truly believed Lu Yang to be an orthodox mole, he would have long since monitored Lu Yang in secret to unearth evidence.

Lu Yang let out a long sigh, stowed away the Shadow-Recording Orb, drew his three-foot green steel sword, and said with a touch of reluctance, "Since it has come to this, it seems a battle between us is inevitable."

A disdainful smile curled upon the lips of Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi as they drew their weapons to face the fray.

Meng Jingzhou, Man Gu, and Lan Ting did precisely the same.

The battle erupted.

……

Lu Yang brought the news of Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi's demise to Chief Chuan.

No matter how strong Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi might have been, it was impossible for them to survive at the hands of four immortal sect disciples; it had been an entirely one-sided, crushing affair, and the two had died such gruesome deaths that even Lan Ting lost her appetite upon seeing them.

While presenting the Shadow-Recording Orb, Lu Yang explained to Chief Chuan, "You are well aware of Chi Xulong's temperament, killing people at the slightest disagreement. It was precisely because I feared such an occurrence that I recorded this in advance, lest he run to you afterward to cry grievances and claim I bullied him."

"As things stand now, it seems he will not be able to come to you."

"The shadow-recording orb seems to have malfunctioned, cutting in and out, but fortunately, it captures the general situation at the time. Please, take a look."

Seated upon his jade throne, Helm Master Chu picked up the orb and watched the scene unfold.

"Chi Xulong, there is really no need for things to be so tense between us," Lu Yang said, trying his best to ease the friction with Chi Xulong.

"Lu Yang! You deserve to die!" Clearly, Chi Xulong was in no mood to be gracious.

"There must be a misunderstanding between us, surely instigated by some vile hypocrite. How about this? We go to Helm Master Chu to clear the air. Even if you do not trust me, you must surely trust Helm Master Chu."

"Helm Master Chu... what shameless gall!"

"Helm Master Chu... appointing you as Deacon... is the real villain!"

"...How could he be a villain? You mustn't speak such nonsense!" Lu Yang argued righteously, standing his ground.

"Don't think I don't know... the foul deeds... he has committed!"

"...Helm Master Chu... putting on the facade of a benevolent gentleman... yet every single thing he has done since joining the cult has been to sabotage us... If you ask me... he is a mole sent by the Righteous Sects!"

The recording cut off there, leaving Helm Master Chu gnashing his teeth in fury.

Beside him, Lu Yang was the very picture of righteous indignation. "Helm Master, you have treated me with nothing but kindness. Even we of the Demonic Path have our pride, our bursts of fury, and our sense of gratitude. Seeing Chi Xulong slander and frame you while Shen Jinyi stood by without lifting a finger to stop him, rage flared in my heart. In a fit of anger, I took Meng Jingzhou and the others and slaughtered them!"

"A battle is no place for recording, so I put the shadow-recording orb away."

Naturally, Lu Yang had no intention of letting Helm Master Chu witness their actual fighting style.

Helm Master Chu praised him loudly, his voice still vibrating with lingering fury toward Chi Xulong. "A magnificent kill! Those two beasts deserved exactly what they got!"

Helm Master Chu had always known Chi Xulong harbored grievances against him, but considering him a man of talent, he had even called him over for a few words of guidance. At the time, Chi Xulong had practically sworn his undying loyalty, claiming he would far outperform Lu Yang.

Looking at it now, Chi Xulong had been nursing a bitter grudge all along, to the point of spouting such absolute drivel as calling him a Righteous mole.

How could the Immortal Cult possibly have a mole from the Righteous Sects!

"Lu Yang, you have rid this helm of two major hidden perils. Well done! When the Inspector General arrives, I will be sure to speak highly of you in his presence!"