Chapter 135: Secret Investigation

A dozen people stepped off the plane. Leading them was an elderly man with graying hair, yet he possessed a vigorous spirit and radiated the imposing authority of someone accustomed to command. This was Xu Yirong of the Xu family.

Xu Kang followed closely by his side, while the other dozen individuals all possessed piercing, sharp eyes—a clear sign that they were formidable existences.

No sooner had the group stepped off the plane than several luxury business vehicles pulled up to receive them, speeding off into the night toward M City.

...

In a secret chamber on Spirit Mountain.

Chen Xian sat cross-legged, continuously refining the Spirit Gathering Powder. He absorbed the energy from the medicinal pellets while simultaneously drawing in the spiritual energy concentrated by the Spirit Gathering Array.

With these dual methods, Chen Xian could clearly perceive the spiritual energy within his fourth spirit wheel increasing rapidly.

At this rate of cultivation, he estimated that after refining another hundred bottles or so of the Spirit Gathering Powder, he would be able to fill the space of his fourth spirit wheel, allowing him to charge toward the more powerful fifth level of the Mortal Shedding Realm—that is, awakening his fifth spirit wheel.

At this moment, the Morning Star rose into the night sky. The moon gradually descended, the stars had long since faded into the firmament, and dawn was approaching.

Chen Xian had just finished refining another pellet and was preparing to take out another one to swallow and refine.

Meow~~~

Suddenly, the Charm Cat, which had been resting, let out a crisp cry. The sausage it had been holding in its mouth dropped to the floor, and its fur bristled.

Its sapphire-like eyes reflected a strange light.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Mei?" Chen Xian looked at the cat, his tone tinged with curiosity.

The Charm Cat said in a milky, high-pitched voice, "Master, someone has trespassed onto Spirit Mountain and is heading toward the summit. I will go stop them."

Whoosh!

With that, Xiao Mei transformed into a streak of black lightning and charged outward, moving with ghostly speed.

Hearing this, Chen Xian stood up abruptly, flashed, and rushed out of the room.

As he sprinted, he made a gesture with his hand. A "Thief Child" parasite, distinguished by orange spots on its body, beat its blood-red transparent wings and flew toward him, merging into his body in the blink of an eye.

Halfway up Spirit Mountain, a figure was walking toward the summit. Each step covered at least a hundred meters, as if he were an immortal capable of shrinking the earth beneath his feet.

Meow~~~

Suddenly, a cat’s cry filled with an eerie quality echoed out.

The walking figure paused.

"Hmph, a mere mental illusion technique trying to bewitch me? How delusional!" the figure scoffed.

He leapt forward suddenly, appearing two hundred meters away, and abruptly reached out to grab at a cat.

It was a small, ink-black cat—the Charm Cat.

Meow~~~

Xiao Mei let out a sharp, terrified shriek, her fur standing on end like a black hedgehog as she displayed signs of panic.

She had not expected that this intruder would be so terrifying.

The Charm Cat now saw the figure’s face clearly: it was an old man with white hair, exuding a fearsome pressure that felt like a towering mountain standing before them.

"Meow, Master, save me!" Xiao Mei cried out in panic.

Just as the old man’s hand was about to snatch the cat, at the very last second, a hand shot out horizontally to intercept and block him.

Bang!

The old man’s claw and the arm collided, creating a loud explosion as shockwaves rippled outward.

The two separated upon contact. To be precise, the white-haired old man stumbled back several steps, while the other person remained rooted to the spot, as steady as Mount Tai.

The person who had arrived just in time was Chen Xian.

Once saved, Xiao Mei stood up on her hind legs, patted her furry chest with her small front paws, and said in her milky voice, "That scared me to death! That old man is so powerful—much stronger than that kid Tong Yin!"

Chen Xian reached out and stroked the Charm Cat’s head, saying, "With me here, no one can hurt you."

"You are Chen Xian, the developer of the 'Spirit Water'?" The old man opposite him stared at the crew-cut youth with wary, aged eyes.

Chen Xian nodded, making no attempt to deny it, and said directly, "Yes, I am Chen Xian. Who are you? A dignified master-level expert—why are you sneaking onto my Spirit Mountain?"

He had accurately judged that the white-haired man was a mid-stage master-level martial artist, or perhaps a master at the early-mid stage. He was far more powerful than Tong Yin, who had been only a hair’s breadth away from the mid-stage. Even if several Tong Yins were bound together, they would be no match for the old man before him.

The master realm was divided into five minor levels: Early (Novice), Mid (Intermediate), Late (Advanced), Peak, and Perfection.

A mid-stage master could easily sweep aside an early-stage one, and a late-stage master could do the same to a mid-stage one. The gap between these levels was as vast as heaven and earth.

"I am Xu Yirong of the Nine Cauldrons Xu family from Longdu." The old man did not hide his identity, instead issuing a blunt threat: "Although you are stronger than me, I still advise you to hand over the secret formula for the 'Spirit Water' to my Xu family. In return, the Xu family can offer you a generous reward, or perhaps even some precious medicinal herbs long extinct on the Blue Star. Otherwise, you will face total destruction!"

"Hahaha!" Chen Xian burst into unrestrained laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

Chen Xian stared at the old man and said, "Xu Yirong, I don’t know where you get your confidence from. You are clearly the one who just lost to me, yet you dare to say such things? If I were you, I would either kneel and surrender or tuck my tail and run."

"Heh, Chen Xian, do you know the saying, 'There is always a heaven beyond heaven, and people beyond people'?"

Xu Yirong answered his own question: "Although I cannot deal with you, once the ancestors of my Xu family intervene, you will surely perish. I forgot to tell you—the ancestor of my Xu family is a legendary God-realm powerhouse. Therefore, I advise you to hand over the formula; such a treasure is not something you can protect."

The man’s tone was condescending.

Chen Xian frowned slightly: The Xu family actually had a God-realm powerhouse? He truly hadn't expected that.

The Nine Cauldrons families, standing at the pinnacle of the Hualong Federation, were indeed not simple.

However, even so, he remained completely unfazed.

Since the Xu family had brought the trouble to his doorstep, Chen Xian would simply take them down.

"So what if you have a God-realm expert? Today, you are going to stay here!" Chen Xian shouted coldly.

His figure flickered as he attacked Xu Yirong.

At the same time, a streak of red light shot out from Chen Xian’s body, flying toward the old man at an even greater speed. This was the Thief Child parasite, No. 001.

Chen Xian wanted to capture this old man to extract more information from him.

However, Xu Yirong was no ordinary man. He slapped his pocket, and an object flew out. Upon closer inspection, it was a piece of animal hide the size of a palm, marked with a mysterious Bagua pattern.

Bang!

Xu Yirong struck the animal hide with both hands. It burst instantly, releasing a thick plume of smoke that obscured the old man’s form.

When Chen Xian rushed into the smoke, he passed straight through, but he could not find Xu Yirong.

The old man had already made his escape.

"Chen Xian, you will regret your actions today!" Just then, Xu Yirong’s voice came from a great distance, drifting into Chen Xian’s ears.

The voice was filled with malice.