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Chapter 1841: Communal bunk
"From now on, we'll pretend not to know each other even if we meet." Lei Xiao immediately told the crowd. "It doesn't matter that they know we're in a team during the previous journey. But when we get here, we'll disband, just as we were before."
"Mm." The crowd responded, knowing that this was the best way to go. So, they formed a group with a few people. All of them dispersed, some left first while some took their time leaving.
Naturally, Feng Jiu stayed with Lei Xiao and his group. There was also that Hao Junhao. It was not until noon that they went out of the forest, but before that, the man they met earlier had already sat there waiting by himself. Besides him, there was Ghost Elder as well as several Celestial cultivators and Nascent Soul devilry cultivators.
When those people saw them appear, they took a glance at the incoming group calculatingly. When Ghost Elder saw that the young man in an azure robe came out alive, he could not help looking at Feng Jiu with surprise and sized her up secretly.
The young man's face was pale, his clothes were torn, and his hair was dishevelled. He was no longer as clean and handsome as when he first saw him. After a glimpse, he looked away and kept on waiting with his eyes squinted.
They sat down in the corner, occupying their own spots without speaking to each other. More people arrived, one after another, all of whom were members of the same group before. All of them sat down with a look of exhaustion and gasped for breath.
They stayed there until the sun went down. Only then did Ghost Elder opened his eyes, swept a glance at the last remaining people, and dropped a sentence. "Bring all of them back." He left first on the flying sword.
Feng Jiu and others were taken back by several Celestial cultivators aboard the flying ship. When they returned to the square, they all stood around, not knowing what would happen next. At this moment, they were still a little nervous.
"Eat it." One of the Celestial Strong Exponent flicked his sleeve. Medicinal pills flew in front of everyone and fell into their outstretched hands.
As soon as she took a sniff at the medicinal pill, Feng Jiu knew that it was a Fasting Pill and swallowed it down. In this place, it was an unrealistic hope to be able to eat meat. So, having a Fasting Pill was already quite good.
After they swallowed the medicinal pill, they felt that their hunger had finally disappeared and there was also a sense of satiety. They could not help but exhale softly. Heaven only knows how much energy they had expended during those three short days!
"Take them away. Gather at dawn tomorrow!" That Celestial Strong Exponent gave the order. Several Nascent Soul cultivators took seventy or eighty of the men away.
Yes, that's correct. Out of the 378 people, after the three days, besides Feng Jiu's party of 50 or 60 people, only a dozen others came out. So, altogether, only 70 or 80 people passed the test.
They were taken into a room with three large communal bunks, each of which could accommodate about 30 people to sleep. After entering the room, they were given a set of black robes.
"From now on, you will all live here. When you go out of the room, there's a place for bathing on your left. Get a change of clothes now. Tomorrow, gather up after you get up tomorrow!" After giving this instruction, the Nascent Soul cultivator turned around and left.
Feng Jiu chose the seat closest to the wall to sit down and rest for a while, then took the robes. She saw that some people had begun to take off their dirty and dishevelled clothes and staggered into the communal bunk after wearing only a pair of big underpants. Seeing that, her lips twitched and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Chapter 1842: She couldn't look straight
Men. This was just how they were in essence. At this moment, she was really curious about what would be these people's reactions if they knew later on that she was a woman.
She caught a glimpse of a guy talking about the smell of something in his clothes and wanted to take off the only remaining pair of underpants after taking off his clothes, so she hurriedly stopped him.
"Hey, the Uncle over there. Wait, wait." Feng Jiu shouted. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, all twenty people in the room looked at her.
On hearing this, the bearded man who was taking off his underpants looked back at Feng Jiu. "Did you call me?" He pointed to himself.
"Yes, I called you."
As she replied to him, the bearded man stared at her with great dissatisfaction. "I just haven't shaved my beard for months. How can I afford to be called an uncle? I'm only twenty-three years old this year!"
Hearing this, Feng Jiu's lips twitched. "Alright, then! Big Brother, please don't take off your underpants. Take it off when you're taking a bath!"
Everyone just laughed. Some of them were busy with their own business, thinking that the young man must have never been in a communal bunk before, so he had no idea that the men were relatively laid-back and not so fastidious.
"What difference does it make since we're all men?" That bearded guy said with disapproval. "What I have, you also have. Are you embarrassed?" While saying this, he was still intent on taking off his underpants.
Feng Jiu was about to open her mouth when she saw the man take off his underpants nimbly. Seeing this, she sighed, glanced at the bearded man and moved her gaze away silently.
It's not that she's embarrassed, but that she felt that this person would have no face to be around her in the future...
The bunk could accommodate 30 people. There were only about 25 people here, and Feng Jiu took the farthest corner. She didn't notice who was on the bunk next to her. When she came back from her bath, she couldn't help being surprised when she saw the person in that position.
It was Bi San.
Seeing Feng Jiu came in, the others turned their gazes to examine her closely. They saw that the young man in azure had changed into the black robe. Although his appearance wasn't particularly outstanding, he still had a remarkable air about him.
After wearing the black robe, the young man's originally thin and weak-looking build no longer looked that petite, even though still incomparable to those strapping men.
Yet, he was still very dazzling, looking valiant and heroic.
"This is the waist card that those people just sent over. There's a number written on it, which is our code name during the training." Bi San handed her a card.
Feng Jiu took it and had a look. She smiled, "Nine?" What a coincidence.
"Mm hmm. After Lei Xiao and I took ours, we got one for you, too. The man over there, in the far corner, got the number one."
Bi San motioned to Feng Jiu to take a look. The other man on the communal bank sitting cross-legged and leaning on the wall was the man they met in the forest.
"Go to sleep! What are you talking about?" With a shout from the outside, all the people inside didn't speak any more. Instead, they all laid down on the bed to have a rest.
The next day, before dawn, the crowd quickly gathered in the square. When they got there, to their astonishment, a large pit was dug overnight on one side of the square and it was filled with poisonous snakes. Not far away, seventy or eighty people were brought over. They stood in front of the pit. Their faces blanched with terror at the poisonous snakes.
Chapter 1843: The snake pit
Feng Jiu took a brief look at the snake pit in front of her and then at the seventy over detained men. Some of them were pale with cold sweat on their foreheads. Some of them were staring at the snake pit in front of them with gloomy faces and pursed lips.
Feng Jiu looked away from those people. Her gaze turned towards the Celestial Strong Exponent and the Nascent Cultivators on the side and then looked down slowly.
Did they intend to push those people down the snake pit? These men had been caught from the outside and they were not heinous people. It could be seen from their ability to survive in that forest that they had some skills. Putting these men to death in this way would be too excessive.
She sighed softly in her heart as the thought crossed her mind. Would the Shadow Night Palace's people possess human consciousness? Maybe they perceived human lives as ants. By killing these people, not only would the Shadow Night Palace be able to terrify them but also show its ruthless and bloodthirsty methods.
She believed that after this first-hand experience, even those who were disloyal had to consider whether they had the skills to completely escape from their palms. Otherwise, if they fell into the Shadow Night Palace's hands, their life would be worse than death.
The crowd was silent. Ghost Elder came from behind. The alluring woman was no longer at his side. She had been killed by him when she seduced Hao Junhao in the forest.
Ghost Elder walked to the front. His gloomy and cold viper-like eyes flitted across those people in the sturdy suits. His gaze fell on Feng Jiu for a while, either intentional or unintentional, before looking away.
With a look at those men whose bodies tensed up, his cold voice came out unhurriedly. "As I said before, those who failed the examination will die, and they will die a miserable death."
As soon as he finished speaking, with a wave of his hand, two Nascent Soul cultivators escorted two deathly pale men forward.
"Don't, don't..."
They went weak at the knees and their trousers were wet at the crotch due to extreme fear. They turned pale with fear as they looked at the snake pit. There were many kinds of death, but this kind of torturous death was the most unacceptable.
They were not afraid of death, but they were scared of pain and the death of the soul.
"Push them down." Ghost Elder's voice was vicious as if he didn't regard them as humans.
"No, don't. Ah, help, help....aah!"
The Nascent Soul cultivators pushed the two men into the snake pit. As soon as they fell, the poisonous snakes wrapped around them tightly. After a while, their sharp mournful screams turned faint. They were motionless and their faces turned dark purple. Their bodies were covered with bite marks from the vipers' fangs.
Feng Jiu's eyes flickered slightly. Her gaze fell on the Ghos Elder, secretly suppressing an impulse to murder.
Ghost Elder didn't notice Feng Jiu's gaze. Instead, he looked at those standing and said, "Be vipers' food and wait for death to strike while alive - I'm sure it's the feeling that you won't like very much."
Ghost Elder smiled grimly and looked at those seventy over men. "Kneel down and beg me to save you. Perhaps, I will let you off the hook and give you a chance to live."
As soon as he said this, more than thirty of them fell on their knees with a plop and kowtowed to him.
"We don't want to die, we don't want to die. Please give us another chance to live. We will be obedient, we will go through fire and water. We won't give up again..."
Chapter 1844: Taking action
Beggings for mercy spread in the square. However, Ghost Elder didn't even look at them. Instead, he gazed at those forty men who were still standing upright and asked with interest, "Are you not afraid of death?"
One of the men snorted. "I don't beg for mercy even if I'm afraid of death! Even if you want to kill or cut my flesh, you can do as you please."
"Isn't it just death? What's the big deal? " Another man also spoke without a trace of fear in his eyes.
Another man with a tough and stocky build also said loudly, "I knew I was going to die early, but I didn't expect to end up dying of these little snakes. It really irks me!"
Feng Jiu looked at these people and then looked back at Ghost Elder. Her heart moved. It seemed that these people really had a chance of survival.
Sure enough, Ghost Elder walked up to them, glanced at them one by one, and finally nodded. "Not bad. This courage is not bad. People who become the disciples of our Shadow Night Palace should not be afraid to die."
When they heard this, they looked at him with a frown on their faces as if they were puzzled.
Ghost Elder kept staring at them with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Even though you are a little weaker than those people, I like your courageous spirit and will let you live. I believe that even if you are not trained as the elites, you can also be used in the future."
After saying these words, he looked aside at the two Nascent Soul cultivators. "Bring them away and send them to Old Sun. Ask him to arrange the training for these people."
"Yes." The two Nascent Soul cultivators answered and then shouted at those 40 people. "Come here!"
After those people left, Ghost Elder glanced at the thirty over people kneeling on the ground with disgust on his face. "Push these people down. They fear snakes."
He looked down on spineless people!
"I, I will fight you!"
Those who kneel on the ground were driven into a corner. They had no choice but to revolt and pounced on Ghost Elder, thinking that they had to inflict damage to the enemy even though they would certainly die. The first person jumped up at that moment followed by the others. They threw themselves at Ghost Elder at lightning speed.
Ghost Elder squinted, his eyes were bloodthirsty and murderous. When he was about to strike, a figure in black sprang out in an instant, kicking out the man who jumped on him and blocking in front of him.
He stared with surprise at the young man in a black sturdy suit who had his back to him. His eyes flickered and said nothing.
"Kill them!"
Feng Jiu's voice rang out. Other men in sturdy suits who heard it awakened from their stupor. When they saw those people rushed up, they also swept over to the front.
"Crash!"
"Ah!"
"Ugh!"
Muffled groans and bone snapping echoed in the square. The sound of low shouts and screams spread out. The situation was chaotic. The smell of blood dispersed in the air. After a while, the whole square quietened down. There were more than thirty bodies on the ground.
After dealing with those people, the people in black stood in line according to their numbers. Although their faces were expressionless, everyone's heart was shaken and turbulent.
At this time, the Celestial cultivators on that side also returned to their senses. They glanced at the corpses on the ground and then at people who lined up into several teams with a slight spark in their eyes.
At this time, Ghost Elder stepped in front of Feng Jiu.
Chapter 1845: Why did you kill them?
"Why did you kill them?"
Ghost Elder's voice was very soft as if he were afraid of scaring her. In that voice, there was a trace of curiosity, as if he really wanted to know why she did it.
Feng Jiu trembled. She looked up at Ghost Elder and answered, "Because, because we are the Shadow Night Palace's people already. So, naturally, we can't watch them attack you. At that moment, I didn't think of anything else and just rushed up in a daze."
The more she spoke, the lower her voice. However, after hearing the answer, Ghost Elder showed a satisfied look.
"Very good, it's good to have this awareness."
Ghost Elder looked at everyone. "From the moment you put on the Shadow Night Palace's uniform, you immediately became our people. I don't want simpletons, wooden dummies who only obey orders. I want people who are flexible and open to change! Only in this way, when you go out on a mission in the future, can you better fulfil the orders issued by the top!"
"You're the Ninth?" Ghost Elder shot a glance at the card on Feng Jiu's waist.
"Yes." Feng Jiu answered with her head bowed. Her manner was so respectful so that no one could find any fault.
"Although your strength is the last among these people, your brain is quite nimble. I like it. I'll tell you what!" Ghost Elder paused a bit and glanced at the crowd. "Today I was going to pick a captain from among you, but for now, you'll be in charge!"
"Me, me?" Feng Jiu asked with a stutter. She was somewhat astonished.
"Yes, you." Ghost Elder nodded in a good mood. Obviously, he was very pleased with the sight of Feng Jiu saving him earlier.
"But, my strength...is the weakest..." She whispered.
"If you are weak, you will find a way to bring it up. There will be an assessment experience every period of time. If you are still so weak, without having anyone to take action, I will kill you first!" Ghost Elder squinted with a fierce look on his face.
"Yes!" Feng Jiu responded. She had no pressure in his heart at all. Weak? Let's have a try! If she wanted to fight, no one here would be her opponent!
Lei Xiao, Bi San and others restrained their gaze. Inwardly, they thought that if the Ninth had not killed those people, everyone would have suffered from the bite of poisonous snakes. Killing them was helping them.
But, did the Ninth mean what he said or was his actual thought was the same as theirs?
Suppressing their thoughts, they followed one of the Celestial cultivators to pass the underground tunnel to the dungeon. As soon as they entered, the smell of death came to them, and their relaxed moods turned nervous again.
"These are prisoners who are ready to be executed. On the first day today, I gave you a task to kill the people inside." The Celestial cultivator spoke in a cold voice. He opened the last stone door and let them all in.
No one asked any questions, because everyone knew that the people inside would be extraordinary. Otherwise, it didn't make any sense that all of them were allowed to come in at once. The only thing certain was that no matter how many people there were, those people's strength was absolutely above them!
"Don't we have weapons?" One of them couldn't help asking.
The Celestial cultivator glanced at him. "Only after passing this level can you be qualified to choose weapons."
Chapter 1846: The lackey
All they could do was walk on, until, when they were inside, the stone door closed with a crash behind them. The previously clear sight turned dim for a moment due to the faint lights emitted by a few lightings on the walls.
Feng Jiu and Bi San walked in front. However, all of a sudden, a person came up from behind and shoved past them, accompanied by a low curse.
"Lackey! Get lost! Don't get in my way!" A man scolded, glanced at Feng Jiu scornfully and strode forward. However, at this time, his shoulder was caught by a man behind him.
"Watch what you're saying!" Bi San clasped the man's shoulder and stared at him. "Who are you calling lackey?"
"I talked about this kid, do you have a problem with it? Isn't he a lackey?" The man turned around. Since the place was confined with no one from the Shadow Night Palace to monitor them, he had the courage to point at Feng Jiu's nose and curse at her.
Feng Jiu looked at the finger pointing at her and her eyes flashed. She had the impulse to break the finger. However, in the dim light, she just licked the corner of her mouth and suppressed the impulse. She looked away quietly and paid attention to the movement inside.
"Watch your mouth!" Bi San stared at the man. Perhaps he thought that Feng Jiu was still young and had saved him, so he wanted to protect her whenever he could and naturally did not allow her to be bullied.
"What did I say? Tell me, everyone, am I not right? Didn't the boy rush forward to save Ghost Elder to ingratiate himself to those people? What is this style, if not a lackey?" That man said disdainfully while staring at Feng Jiu, thinking that she didn't talk back due to her guilt.
Lei Xiao frowned. "Don't quarrel, we are here to do a task. We don't know what danger lies ahead of us. It doesn't look good to have a quarrel between our own people here."
Lei Xiao glanced at the man and said, "Besides, I don't think it wrong for the Ninth to come forward at that time. If he didn't rush up, those people would have died more miserably."
Hearing this, the others were silent. Obviously, they had thought of this for a long time. Therefore, they didn't say much about his action at that time. However, they were still surprised by his acuity and reaction. What's more, they didn't expect that he would help those people at that moment and gave them relief.
"Hmph! Who knows what he thought at the time? Didn't he just say it himself? Didn't he consider himself the man of the Shadow Night Palace? He's just a lackey." That big man obviously despised Feng Jiu. Because she was appointed as their captain, he became more indignant, thus insulted her and called her a lackey.
"Let's go! Let's take a look at the situation ahead." Feng Jiu glanced at the man. Without paying any more attention to him, she pulled Bi San to move forward.
Seeing this, Lei Xiao did not speak any more. He walked past the man and followed Feng Jiu. The people behind him naturally followed. The guy who was in the same communal bunk as Feng Jiu also walked past this cursing man. After a brief glance at him, the man went forward.
Seeing that all the people were on the young man's side, the man felt dissatisfied and resentful. He clenched his teeth and quickly followed with a low curse.
Just wait! He wanted to see how the kid would survive at this place!
Chapter 1847: This kid
When Feng Jiu and the others entered, they found that the dungeon was as huge as the square above. However, they didn't encounter anyone along the way.
They heard clearly that inside were devilry cultivators who had committed an offence and waited for death. However, there was no one in sight. They turned vigilant. They walked in a team of two with their backs facing each other, paying attention to the movement around them.
"Hey!"
All of a sudden, a sharp shout was heard and a man in tattered clothes came out. At the next moment, dozens of people in rags, almost naked, came out and rushed toward Feng Jiu and others. Their speed and momentum were like hungry beasts, making the people scared witless.
Although both sides didn't carry weapons, the killing intent rose up and the chilly aura made the whole dungeon gloomier. The low shouts, the sounds of striking fists and palm winds rang loudly inside the dungeon.
"Ah!"
Lei Xiao reached out and twisted a devilry cultivator's neck. The cracking sound accompanied by a blood-curdling scream was mixed in the chaos.
"Crack! Ah..."
"I kill you!"
"I kill all of you!"
"Go to hell! Ah..."
In the chaotic battle, the fallen bodies were trampled upon, some tripped over them, and as they fell to the ground, another man rushed up to strike the other party's fatal points.
The sound of chest shattering was heard. The man who was hit in the sternum spurt out blood from his mouth, his body shook and breathed his last with both eyes staring out with great reluctance.
"Hiss!"
A man in a black gasped. His clothes were torn at the arms, showing bloody scratch marks on the arm. From the wound, it looked as if he had been scratched by a wild animal.
"Hiss! It hurts to death!"
The guy who was scratched was the bearded man who took off his underpants last night. He ignored the wound on his arm and swung his fist at the opponent. The punch, which contained the spirit energy breath, crashed down on the opponent's head.
"Bang!"
With a heavy thump, the man's head cocked and he fell to the ground, spurting out a gush of blood. The bearded man turned around and chopped at another man. At the same time, as he tackled the man in front, a man behind the bearded man stabbed him in the back of the head with a sharpened bone.
When kicking a devilry cultivator, Feng Jiu caught a glimpse of this scene. Seeing that the bearded man was in danger, she immediately moved her hand and shot out a silver needle.
"Ah!"
The devilry cultivator with the sharp bone in his hand let out a scream and grasped his wrist. When he was about to attack again, someone threw a devilry cultivator on him while he was caught unaware and the sharp bone in his hand pierced his own heart.
The bearded man looked back in stupefaction. He grinned at Feng Jiu. "Thank you!" While he was talking, he suddenly stared at Feng Jiu in astonishment.
The reason was the thin and frail young man turned around and struck a Golden Core cultivator flying. The man was killed in a single slap! He was dumbfounded by her nimble skill and beautiful motion.
Wasn't this kid at the Foundation Building stage? How, how did he strike a Golden Core cultivator flying with one palm?
He noticed that everyone around was fending for himself and didn't pay attention to the kid. Just as he wanted to take a closer look, a fierce attack came from his front...
Chapter 1848: I'll give you the chance to kill me
He quickly steadied his mind and attacked those devilry cultivators. As soon as the danger came, he didn't bother to pay attention to the boy.
Bi San, who was next to Feng Jiu, saw her skill and was secretly frightened. It's nowhere like Foundation Building strength. Could he be hiding his strength? However, if his real strength was hidden, how come they didn't find out?
Shocked as he was, nothing showed on his face. Neither did he ask any questions. Everyone had a secret. If Feng Jiu didn't divulge it, she naturally had no intention to let them know. However, she had previously hidden her skills, why did she expose it here? Didn't she fear that they would know?
Not only Bi San and the bearded man noticed this fact, but Lei Xiao also. They originally wanted to pay more attention to the Ninth, so that they could help him if he was in danger. They did not expect to see his fierce shot.
They had a lot of experience outside, so naturally, they could tell at a glance that the Ninth fought with confidence and he attacked the opponent's fatal points. He's definitely extraordinary.
The man with the waist card number one also swept his eyes towards Feng Jiu. When he was about to move away, he saw that the man who had scolded the Feng Jiu as a lackey used a trick while fighting with a devilry cultivator to crash into the young man who was currently battling with another devilry cultivator.
Seeing this, he frowned, stepped forward and kicked out the man who had the hidden hand.
"Bang!"
"Ugh!" The man grunted. A gush of blood sprayed out of his mouth and dripped to the ground. He stood up against the wall, his eyes aggrieved at the First who had struck him.
At the same time Feng Jiu was crashed into, her palm struck the devilry cultivator opposite her flying while whirling around. After stepping back to the ground steadily, she looked back and saw the man who struck her was kicked by the First.
She glanced at the First, then looked away and turned her gaze on the man who stood back up indignantly.
By this time, the majority of the devilry cultivators had been killed, while the remaining few had breathed their last under the siege In this battle, their side had lost one or two people, while many among them had been injured to varying degrees. At this time, everyone looked at the scene in front of them.
"What's going on?" One of the men asked, wondering why their own people had started fighting.
The First squinted, staring wordlessly at the man who got up after being kicked by him.
"He used a hidden hand, trying to kill the Ninth." Lei Xiao said with a frown. He also witnessed the scene.
Hearing this, the crowd was surprised and their gazes fell on the man. So, that's what happened. He must be dissatisfied and wanted to kill that young man.
Just as they were thinking about it, the young man in black took a step forward and came to the man. "Do you want to kill me? I'll give you a chance."
Feng Jiu at this moment had an indifferent expression on her face. Her usual honest and simple look was gone. The whole person looked different. She was filled with a dangerous breath, so that everyone couldn't help but be astonished.
The man's eyes were blinded with hatred. When he saw that the young man was not afraid of death, he lunged forward. With a low howl, he swung his fists with all the strength of a Golden Core cultivator. The fierce blade intent's terrifying force struck at an extreme speed, as if to kill the opponent with a single blow.
Seeing this scene, Bi San was worried. When he was just about to take a step, somebody stopped him.
Chapter 1849: There's nothing suspicious
"Let him solve it on his own." Lei Xiao clasped his hand on Bi San's shoulder and shook his head at him.
Bi San stepped back and stood there watching. The next moment, Feng Jiu caught the man's fist and twisted it back.
"Snap!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
As the bone snapped, Feng Jiu kicked the man's back knee until he knelt down and screamed.
"The last thing I like is to be backstabbed."
Her gentle voice was chilling. Everyone saw the young man reach out and grab the big man's throat, twisted his neck, and watched the man's face turn red to pallor. When he was finally thrown to the ground, they could not help but swallow and look at the young man with a trace of horror.
Was he a Foundation Building or a Golden Core cultivator?
He easily diffused the man's Golden Core full strength. She used a force as light as feather to kill that person. Was it possible that his true strength was above Golden Core cultivation?
When this thought crossed their minds, everyone's heart was stirred. Every one of them pushed this idea to the bottom of their minds.
If his cultivation was not merely Golden Core, why was he here? Why did he get caught? And Ghost Elder, did he actually not find out?
Was, perhaps, his strength greater than Ghost Elder?
"Why are you looking at me?"
The young man smiled with an honest and innocent look. If it were not for what they had seen with their own eyes, they could not believe that the young man's fierce look was very terrifying.
"Ahem! Let's go!" Lei Xiao coughed softly, steadied his mind, and left with everyone.
The First took a look at Feng Jiu, but he said nothing. The bearded man came up to Feng Jiu and looked at him from time to time, but he also didn't ask.
As the crowd continued to move on, outside, several Celestial cultivators sat around Ghost Elder and discussed something.
"There was no sign of anyone suspicious, except those who were dead. We kept watching in the woods for two days without seeing anyone. We wondered if the person had ran away after being spotted by our men upon infiltrating the place." One of the Celestial cultivators told Ghost Elder.
"If that's the case, I'm just worried about whether there's someone lurking among us." Ghost Elder squinted and thought things over inwardly, considering each individual in his mind, but still did not sense anyone suspicious.
After all, it was not easy to escape under their watchful eyes or walk around under their inspection. What's more, those captured were mostly casual cultivators who were not really capable. If they were really capable, it's impossible for them to be caught.
"I don't think there's anything suspicious about the remaining people. How dare that man stay here when he killed so many of our Nascent Soul cultivators?" Another man also spoke, thinking that the man who had killed them should have left.
Ghost Elder pondered for a while. "Instruct everyone to strengthen their vigilance. If such a thing happens again, you'll have to take the consequences!"
"Yes, we understand." Several of them answered and then withdrew from the place.
He thought that the woman he had sent into the forest was dead, and now that there was no one to relieve his boredom, his face darkened again.
Chapter 1850: Picking weapons
"Someone!" He gave a shout.
"Ghost Elder." A devilry cultivator came in and saluted respectfully.
"Go and get me a woman." He said in a gloomy voice.
The devilry cultivator's eyes flashed. "Ghost Elder, we caught several women from the Silk Tree sect. Those women are all first-class in appearance and figure. Why don't I bring them over?"
"Silk Tree Sect?" Ghost Elder squinted and waved away. "What are you still doing? Go quickly!"
"Yes, yes." The devilry cultivator replied and went out immediately.
Not long after, the devilry cultivator brought two enchantingly beautiful women over. Perhaps, he had told those two, so there was no trace of dissatisfaction on their faces. When they came inside, they saluted ceremoniously.
"Ghost Elder."
The two women bent their knees in greeting. Their thin muslin clothes couldn't cover up their spectacular sexy figures. Especially, when they lowered their heads, their charming and enchanting look made Ghost Elder's eyes lit up with a satisfied smile.
"Come here." He beckoned. His gaze roamed over nakedly at those two women.
The two women replied charmingly, then stepped forward and leaned into Ghost Elder's arms.
That devilry cultivator retreated from the room, only to hear while walking out, the sound of ecstasy inside...
When Feng Jiu and the others came out, it was noon the next day.
When he saw the people who went in and found out that so many of them were still alive, Ghost Elder and his aides were secretly astonished. After all, those held on death row were all ferocious people. Not to mention their strength, they originally thought that there would be only a little more than a dozen people alive in the end. It's truly unexpected...
Unexpectedly, only about four or five people lost their lives this time. And these standing in front of them, although each with varying degrees of injuries, it was undeniable that they survived through the hurdle.
"The Ninth." Ghost Elder's eyes swept over the crowd and landed at the young man.
"Present." Feng Jiu stepped forward without hesitation.
Ghost Elder stared at the young man in front of him. He saw that he had indeed matured. At least, his eyebrows had lost the previous timidity and fear and his body showed a faint ferocity.
He was very satisfied with this.
"Tell me, why did you guys go in and only lose a few men? There are even Nascent Soul cultivators in it. How did you survive?"
"To answer Ghost Elder, Subordinate used to fend for himself. But, as soon as we went in, two people died and many were covered with injuries. At that time, Subordinate saw that we could not fight with the strength of one person. In order to survive, we join hands and keep alive by chance."
Hearing the young man's words, Ghost Elder narrowed his eyes. His gaze swept over the people, and then he waved away. "Bring out the weapons for them to choose and prepare to enter the next stage of training."
"Yes." The devilry cultivators at the back assented. Not long after, they brought many weapons.
"Let's pick! One for each of you. You will use it in this period of training, and when you fully pass, you will become a Shadow Disciple and you will have more weapons for your self-defence." The devilry cultivator said, staring at the crowd.
So, after a glimpse at each other, they stepped forward. Some picked up the long sword, some picked up the broadsword...
Chapter 1851: More Disadvantageous
Feng Jiu looked at all the different weapons, finally, she picked up a dagger. When the dagger shone with a cold glint when she looked at it, she kept the dagger and stepped back.
The Ghost Elder looked on at the side. To them, the most suitable weapon would be knives or swords. Short weapons such as axes, daggers and scimitars were not suitable for them. After all, if there was a fight, the person holding the long weapon would naturally be more advantageous.
Almost everyone had chosen longswords or knives, only the boy they called number nine had picked a dagger. He couldn't help but ask: "Everyone else had picked swords or knives, why did you pick a dagger? Don't you know that when faced against your enemy, a dagger would be more disadvantageous?"
When Feng Jiu heard this, she looked at the Ghost Elder and replied: "Because subordinate's wrists are thinner and compared to the others, I have less strength. Subordinate feels that a dagger is more suitable than longswords and big knives. Also, it can also be hidden on my body when I am sleeping, so it's safer."
The Ghost Elder nodded his head secretly, satisfied at what he had heard. This young lad was indeed the smallest and his physique was unlike the others, his wrist also didn't seem to have much strength. If he had picked a longsword it may not have been as good a choice as a dagger, after all, a dagger was good at responding to fast attacks.
Nonetheless, after he had heard the words spoken behind him, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. He glanced at the boy with a somber look then looked away and motioned for him to retreat.
He felt that the young boy had said some pleasant words to begin with, but what he really wanted to say was the last two sentences. It seemed that the young boy was quite afraid of death, he even thought about sleeping with a hidden dagger just in case.
After they heard Feng Jiu's words, number one, Lei Xiao and the others lowered their eyes one by one and concealed the looks in their eyes.
That boy's wrist was slim? He didn't have much strength? Only he could have said something like. Did he not even stop to think that when they were inside, who had been the one who had lifted a devilry cultivator with one hand and smashed him onto the ground with such force it had killed him?
On the other side, Murong Yixuan had sent someone to inquire as after Feng Jiu had left, he hadn't heard of any news about her. He couldn't help but pondered: Where would she have gone?
"Has there been no news recently?" He asked the man in black who had knelt in front of him.
"Young Master, no we haven't." The man in black replied.
"Has Nalan Mo Chen returned?" Murong Yixuan asked.
"Subordinate has sent men to stand guard near the Nalan residence, but no one has seen Young Master Nalan return. However, the men were discovered by the Nalan family so subordinate has had to order them to return."
"Just send men to keep an eye on the city gate. If Nalan Mo Chen returns, he will definitely pass through the city gate." Feng Jiu will most definitely make a trip to the Nalan residence, after all, her subordinates had come over with Nalan Mo Chen.
"Yes." The man responded and then retreated.
On the other side, after Mo Chen and the others had left, Xuanyuan Mo Ze began arranging his affairs. However, his father had yet to come out of seclusion, therefore, even though he wanted to leave, he was unable to leave. He could only stay and guard him until he came out of seclusion, then make plans afterwards.
There was a portrait for Feng Jiu in front of him as he sat in the palace. She was in a red dress, there was an aura of wanton and self-confidence between her eyebrows, her devilish charm free and easy, and came alive in the portrait.
As he was unable to see her in person, he stared at her portrait and muttered softly: "What are you doing now?"
Chapter 1852: Heart-Scattering Pill
At this moment, he would never have thought that Feng Jiu had infiltrated the place where the Shadow Night Palace trained Shadow Disciples.
"Master." Gray Wolf had walked in from outside and looked at Xuanyuan Mo Ze sitting in the palace.
Xuanyuan Mo Ze glanced up briefly then put away the portrait on the table. A low voice came out of his mouth: "Speak."
"A piece of news has come back from the men that we had sent out. It seems that the reason the Shadow Night Palace wants to deal with the Phoenix Empire and Xuan Yuan Empire is because of one person." Gray Wolf took a letter out and handed it forward, saying: "The details are in here."
Xuanyuan Mo Ze removed the mark on the letter and looked at it. His gaze narrowed: "Send someone to get more information on this person and find out why they are against us. In addition to that, tell the men who have been stationed in secret by the Shadow Night Palace to stand down and wait for the opportune moment."
"Rest assured Master, as soon as I learned the news I already sent people to start an investigation. The men who have been stationed have also not made a move. But Master, what else did the letter say?" Gray Wolf asked curiously.
He only knew some of the news, but he didn't know what was in the letter.
Xuanyuan Mo Ze glanced at him and then handed him the letter for him to read himself.
When Gray Wolf had taken the letter and read it, he couldn't help but gasped: "These Shadow Night Palace people are so wicked, they actually secretly kidnapped casual cultivators and planned to train them into Shadow Disciples to enter the Four Great Immortal Sects? However, these casual cultivators haven't trained with them since childhood, can they be trained to become one of their people?"
"The Shadow Night Palace must have their own methods. If they didn't have the confidence that they could do it, they wouldn't have kidnapped the casual cultivators for training."
Xuanyuan Mo Ze stood up and walked down with his hand behind his back as he spoke: "As far as I know, the Shadow Night Palace has a poison called the Heart-Scattering pill. When first taken, the pill acts like a recurring poison and you have to take a suppressive antidote regularly. However, after a period of time, this kind of poison can make people lose their minds and emotions, becoming a killer who obeys commands without question."
"Those casual cultivators who have been kidnapped would have been forced to take the Heart-Scattering Pill. I reckon, when they become elite killers, they would also become killers who have lost all their emotions and feelings. They don't have to worry about betrayal using these kinds of killers to break into the Four Great Immortal Sects if they get discovered."
Xuanyuan Mo Ze's eyes narrowed and he looked up at the sky outside his palace as he spoke.
"It's that powerful?" Gray Wolf was in disbelief.
"Not only that, the people who have been trained by the Shadow Night Palace won't be inferior to our men." Xuanyuan Mo Ze said. He turned back and looked at Gray Wolf: "The power of our Hell's Palace has not reached the upper reaches of the mainland yet. I won't go over yet, but I want you to pick a few elite men from our Hell's Palace and bring them over."
Gray Wolf was startled and asked hurriedly: "Does Master mean that he wants subordinate to bring a few men over to set things up first? Then on Master's side here..."
"There is nothing serious going on here now. Once you arrive over there, inquire about news of Feng Jiu. I need to know she is safe." He ordered in a deep voice.
Upon hearing the orders, Gray Wolf responded immediately: "Yes, rest assured Master. Subordinate will go and prepare at once." Saying that, he retreated after saluting.
There were many Nascent Soul level and higher level cultivators in Hell's Palace, even Celestial Strong Exponent cultivators. Since they were going to the upper reaches, then naturally they had to bring cultivators with at least Nascent Soul level strengths.
"Shadow One." Xuanyuan Mo Ze called out.
Shadow One walked out from the shadows: "Master."
He turned his head and looked at Shadow One asking: "Have you got the information of the few people I asked you to look into last time?"
Chapter 1853: Who is the Phoenix Star?
Shadow One stepped forward and said: "Subordinate was just about to report to Master. We have the information of those few people. Originally, they had each entered a sect on this side. However, later on, during the sects' big selection, they were chosen by the Four Sects of the upper reaches to become their disciples due to their outstanding performances."
"Oh?" Xuanyuan Mo Ze was slightly surprised: "All four of them have been chosen by those Four Sects?"
"Yes, Luo Fei, Ning Lang, as well as Song Ming and Duan Ye were all picked. However, I don't know the whereabouts of Bai Xiao, the one who is good at taming beasts. There has been no news of him." Shadow One said respectfully.
"Since they are at the upper reaches of the mainland, sooner or later, they will meet Feng Jiu. They were trained by her personally, with them in each of the Four Sects, it will be easier for her to take any action in the future." Xuanyuan Mo Ze said. He paused for a while, then said: "Take this news to Gray Wolf. Tell him that once they have news of Feng Jiu, they are to give her the news of the four of them."
"Yes." Shadow One responded and retreated into the shadows once again.
On the other side, at Jade Cloud Immortal Sect, one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, on a mountain peak, two children, one older and one younger, were practising sword techniques with wooden swords. Stood not too far away were two elders. One of the elders was stroking his beard, nodding his head with a look of satisfaction on his face.
If Feng Jiu and the others were here, they would have definitely recognised the two children. The older one was Sunny and the younger one was Feng Ye. After the two of them had been rescued, they were taken to Jade Cloud Immortal Sect and taken as disciples by Xuwu Immortal Lord.
"These two children have only been learning this sword technique for a few months and they have picked it up very well. You have good foresight Senior Brother."
"Come to think of it, we have Old Man Tianji to thank for this. The last time I visited his place he had only pointed me in a direction. After searching for so long, I finally found them." The elder's eyes narrowed as he smiled, his face filled with relief: "After we have cultivated these two young children to become talents, I will finally have a successor."
"These two children have extraordinary characters, especially the younger one, his appearance is even more outstanding. I'm afraid that they are most probably not children from an ordinary family?" The elder at the side asked as his gaze fell on Feng Ye, who was in front of him.
"I saved them on the road, I don't know whose family they belong to. However, these two children are fated to be my disciples and their fate with their family is weak. If they remain by their family's side, I'm afraid that it would be difficult for them to survive. It's better for them to develop their talents before they go down the mountain to look for their relatives."
Xuwu Immortal Lord stroked his beard as he spoke. He glanced at the two children and said: "By the way, haven't the Four Great Immortal Sects sent men to search for the Phoenix Star? Why have I heard news that there has been some development in the search?"
"The news refers to a woman in the Heavenly Sun Sect. It is said that when this woman was born, there were meteors raining down from the Heavens. Be it natural talents or disposition, she is said to be a phoenix amongst people. She is also said to be very beautiful. In addition to this, it is said that this woman has a phoenix shaped birthmark on her body, therefore, it was predicted that she is the Phoenix Star. At present, she is an important person and is under the protection of the Heavenly Sun Sect."
"Oh?"
Xuwu Immortal Lord replied thoughtfully: "However, as far as I know, hasn't Old Man Tianji's disciple Mo Chen been given orders to go and protect the Phoenix Star? Is he by the woman's side?"
"I've not heard anything about that. As far as I know, Nalan Mo Chen's whereabouts are erratic, and even his own family have difficulty locating him. Right now, no one knows where he has gone."
Chapter 1854: Jade Cloud Immortal Sect's Duan Ye
"That is strange, if that woman is indeed the Phoenix Star, then why is Nalan Mo Chen nowhere to be found?" Xuwu Immortal Lord pondered, then asked: "Has Old Man Tianji revealed any news?"
"Hahaha, don't you already know Senior Brother, that unless Old Man Tianji wishes to reveal any news, his lips remain sealed and it's useless to ask him? The Heavenly Sun Sect had sent men all the way to the Sky Mountain to enquire. In the end, he still never revealed anything."
The elder chuckled and shook his head: "I think that this matter would be best to go with the flow, and when the time comes, maybe we don't have to look and the Phoenix Star will appear."
The voices of the two men gradually became softer until Feng Ye, who had been practicing his sword techniques, couldn't hear them anymore. His sharp eyes turned and when he saw that the two men had gone quite far away, he stopped practising.
"Sunny...Sunny, Master has left." Feng Ye said clingingly in a low voice with excitement.
Sunny stopped and glanced at the spot where the two men had been standing originally, then he looked at Feng Ye and said methodically: "We still have to practice sword techniques."
Ever since they had met with danger, he knew that he had to practice hard in order to be able to protect the people he wanted to protect. Therefore, during his days here, whatever his Master had taught him, he had learnt and was never once lazy.
"But Sunny, I miss Father and Mother."
The little guy's mouth pouted and his bright eyes became teary all of a sudden, like a pitiful puppy: "It's been so long since Father and Mother have seen me, they must miss me very much. I miss them a lot too, I really miss them a lot."
Sunny looked at him and pondered, then he said: "Master said that when we are older and can protect ourselves we can leave the mountain."
"Then how old do we have to be for us to be older? Do I have to wait till I am as tall as my Elder Brother?" The little guy stretched his hands out and gestured as he raised one hand high up, trying to describe Feng Xiao's height. Because of his short stature, he was only able to make gestures.
"In addition to growing up, you also have to be formidable. If you can be as formidable as Elder Sister Feng Jiu, then you can leave the mountain before you even grow up." Sunny replied, as he thought of the most formidable person he knew, Feng Jiu.
In his opinion, no one was as formidable as her.
"Do you mean the girl I have to call my niece, Little Jiu Jiu?" Little Feng Ye's attention shifted suddenly. He was most curious about this niece whom he didn't know, she was older than him and yet a generation younger than him. Unfortunately, he didn't even know what she looked like.
"Well, Elder Sister Feng Jiu is very powerful." Sunny nodded his head. Whenever he spoke of Feng Jiu, the expression on his face was different, his eyes glimmered with respect and awe.
"Sunny, why don't you tell me more about Little Jiu Jiu! I want to know." He pulled on Sunny's sleeves, his clingy voice full of curiosity.
"First, we practice our sword techniques. After that, I will tell you all about her." Sunny said and stepped back into stance.
Upon seeing this, Little Feng Ye could only respond and continued practicing with his wooden sword. He had made up his mind secretly that he would practice hard so that he could go down the mountain as soon as possible to look for his father and mother.
At the same time, on another mountain peak of Jade Cloud Immortal Sect, Duan Ye, who had been in seclusion, had just walked out of his cave dwelling when a man in black appeared in front of him.
"Master, this is news from the other side."
Duan Ye took the letter and looked at it, his expression changed slightly and there was a trace of shock in his voice: "So much has happened during this time?"
Chapter 1855: Heavenly Sun Immortal Sect's Song Ming
After Feng Jiu's departure, they had entered the Sects of the Eight Supreme Empires under the arrangements of their families. Not long after that, during the selection tournament, they were chosen to enter the Four Great Immortal Sects of the upper reaches of the mainland. After they had been accepted into the Sects, they were ordered to go into seclusion to cultivate. They were oblivious to everything that had been happening on the outside, but he hadn't expected to receive this news today when he had just come out of seclusion.
He looked at the thick stack of letters in his hand and walked over to the stone table outside his cave dwelling and sat down. He read each letter one by one, and from his initial shock at reading the first letter to the strong exhalation at the last letter, his heart raced and finally, he put down the stack of letters.
Even though the Phoenix Empire had been destroyed, as long as Feng Jiu was fine, everything else didn't matter. She would be able to rebuild the Phoenix Empire easily with her strength.
However, judging from the news he had just read, the major families had abolished the empire system after the destruction of the Phoenix Empire. That wasn't a bad thing, after all, it would have been impossible for someone with her abilities to stay in such a small empire forever.
If he had received this news, he was sure that Luo Fei and the others would have received the news too. Originally, their strength was comparable with each other. However, since they have each entered the Four Great Immortal Sects separately, he wondered what strength the others were at now.
"Investigate further, I want to know her current whereabouts." Duan Ye kept the letters and dismissed the black robed young boy.
"Yes." The black robed young boy responded and retreated.
Three months later.
A thunderous sound rang suddenly through the skies of the Heavenly Sun Immortal Sect, one of the Four Great Immortal Sects. Immediately afterwards, three strikes of lightning fell from the sky to a mountain below. Each lightning tribulation brought with it a powerful shock and attracted everyone in the Heavenly Sun Immortal Sect to come out to watch.
"Look, it's coming from Green Bamboo Peak, someone is advancing!"
"Ordinary advancing won't attract the lightning tribulation, it must be at least a Golden Core cultivator advancing to the Nascent Soul stage."
"The three lightning tribulations have passed, look at the clouds on Green Bamboo Peak!"
A seven coloured rainbow could be seen among the mountain peaks. The clouds were like a five-coloured clothes floating on the mountain peak, there seemed to be celestial music coming from there faintly...
"I heard that in the past few months, Jade Cloud Immortal Sect and the other two sects have had disciples go into seclusion, and they have entered the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, the skies were also filled with colour and it was truly eye-catching. It is said that the disciple that had advanced was selected from one of the sects of the Eight Supreme Empires."
"Could it be Senior Brother Song who has the chance of advancing in Green Bamboo Peak?"
"It should be, Senior Brother Song has won the praises of even the Sect Master. Although he is seldom seen, however, he has already been called a rare genius in our sect and his future is boundless."
As the discussion amongst the people continued, the people within the Green Bamboo Peak were also elated, especially the Green Bamboo Peak Master who nodded in relief after he had seen the clouds in the sky.
He knew that his prized disciple was not just a fish in the pond, and in time, he would no doubt become the pillar of their sect.
The clouds in the sky dispersed after about an hour. And after the clouds had dissipated, the door to one of the cave dwellings in Green Bamboo Peak opened. When Song Ming walked out wearing the sect's robes, he saw his Master standing outside the cave dwelling.
"Disciple greets Master." He stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Disciple has lived up to Master's expectations and already entered the middle-stage of Nascent Soul."
Upon hearing this, the Green Bamboo Peak Master was startled, and laughed loudly.
Chapter 1856: Whereabouts Unknown
"Not bad, not bad at all." He patted Song Ming's shoulder with satisfaction: "Since you've already entered the Nascent Soul middle-stage, then you can take it easy over for a while."
He was very happy to see that his own disciple had such talent. He had already reached this cultivation stage at such a young age, no doubt that in a few years' time, his cultivation and strength would increase even more.
Song Ming smiled and pondered darkly, how were Duan Ye and the others doing now?
After he had seen his Master and the people who had come to congratulate him out of his cave dwelling, he called his dark guard.
"Master." A black robed man appeared beside him.
Song Ming glanced at the man and asked: "Has anything happened during this time?"
The dark guard handed him a pile of information: "This is the information on the matters that Master asked subordinate to keep an eye on."
As Song Ming perused the information, he frowned slightly. After he had finished reading all the information, he put them away: "Inform me immediately the moment there is news of Feng Jiu."
"Yes." The dark guard replied and retreated.
Song Ming stood with his hand behind his back and looked up at the sky as he murmured: "I didn't expect so much to have happened. However, if this was her, she would have treated this as a training experience! What I didn't expect was that Duan Ye and the others have also entered the Nascent Soul stage."
When he thought of this, the corners of his lips curled upwards and a smile appeared on his face. Amongst the information, there was also news about the Phoenix Star. From knowing of Feng Jiu, to being acquainted with her, obviously he knew who the Phoenix Star was referring to.
What he hadn't expected was that the Heavenly Sun Immortal Sect had mistaken one of their female disciples to be the Phoenix Star. It was fine, at least this way, the dark forces wouldn't target Feng Jiu and she would be safer.
However, they haven't seen each other for such a long time, he wondered, where was she now?
As he thought of that woman whom people admired and respected, the smile on his face deepened a little bit more. There would always be a chance for them to meet again.
In a blink of an eye, another month had passed. At this point in time, in the Xuan Yuan Empire, Xuanyuan Moze's father had already come out of seclusion and Xuanyuan Moze left for the upper reaches with some of his men...
During these three months, Mo Chen had been waiting for Feng Jiu in the Nalan Residence. However, as each day passed, he had still yet to hear from her.
Even Leng Shuang and Leng Hua who had settled down with the help of Mo Chen and developed their forces in secret here, had inquired about the whereabouts of their Master but still did not have any news.
"Why hasn't Master contacted us?" Luo Yu asked Du Fan and the others worriedly. When he saw that they were busy with their own jobs, he asked: "Do you think Master....has met with an accident?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was met with the stern glares of the others.
"What are you talking about? Who do you think Master is? How can Master meet with an accident?"
"I think Master must have met with an obstacle and is unable to contact us."
"That's right."
"We will do our best with our tasks and wait for Master to return. When Master wants to reveal herself, she will find us."
When he heard this, Du Fan smiled and nodded: "Well, I think so too. Master doesn't need us to worry about her, I'm sure that she must be busy with something or perhaps she has been unable to contact us. Her safety shouldn't be a problem. Don't forget, she has a few contract beasts with her too."
Du Fan paused as he looked at the others, and he continued: "By the way, I've just received news. Hell's Lord has set out to come here."
Chapter 1857: Lend A Helping Hand
When the others heard this, they couldn't help but smile. Hell's Lord was on his way here. This was good news for them, but at the moment, they didn't know anything of their Master's whereabouts.
At the same time, the Feng Jiu who was in their minds was with the group of casual cultivators taking part in their last experience.
In the Black Mist Poison Forest lay the field where they were to take part in their last experience. After the Ghost Elder and the others had brought them to this Black Mist Poison Forest, they had left without worrying that they would be able to escape. This was because the Heart-Scattering Pill that they had taken had taken full effect, and right now they had already changed into people that would obey commands.
However, while the Ghost Elder and the others were awaiting their return from their experience, they didn't know that within the Black Mist Poison Forest that the Shadow Night Palace people were unable to control, one hundred and twenty three Shadow Disciples who wore black robes and held black masks in their hands, were sitting down together.
Feng Jiu's group originally had seventy or eighty people. However, later on, thirty or forty more people had been spared their lives after their outstanding performance and were assigned to Feng Jiu's group. They had to go through the experience together. It was precisely because of this that there were now one hundred and twenty three people.
At this time, those people who in the eyes of the Ghost Elder and the Shadow Night Palace had lost their emotions and only obeyed commands. However, they were looking at the young boy in the black who was standing in the middle, in admiration.
Every single one of those people would never forget that it was because of this young boy that they hadn't been reduced to a puppet who killed under commands. It was because of him that the poison in their body had been dispelled. It was because of him that they had a right to choose another path.
"With the use of the Black Mist Poison Forest, the poison in your body has been dispelled. The time to go through the experience has come, if any of you wish to leave, you can take this opportunity to leave right now. The people from the Shadow Night Palace won't be able to track you down."
Feng Jiu spoke unhurriedly as her eyes flicked across everyone and memorised each and everyone of their faces.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and finally, they said unanimously: "Captain, we want to follow you, wherever you go, we will go!"
After they had experienced the life and death situations together in the past few months, they had already made up their minds that if they were to survive, they would definitely stay by their Captain's side! Not only was he their Captain, but he had also saved them and given them a new life!
Every one of them here were men of righteousness and naturally, they wouldn't leave.
Upon hearing this, Feng Jiu's eyes moved slightly: "My next step is to deal with Shadow Night Palace. Do you want to follow me and become an enemy of the Shadow Night Palace as well?"
Everyone's hearts were slightly shaken when they heard this as they hadn't expected their Captain actually wanted to attack the Shadow Night Palace. However, they weren't afraid of death, hence, when they heard this, every one of them stood up immediately.
"We will take commands from Captain! We will climb a mountain of swords and plunge into a sea of flames without any hesitation!"
Their voices filled with determination rang through the forest clearly and echoed back to their ears.
"Very well, although training has been brought forward and it's only been three months, but none of you have let me down and are willing to follow me. In that case, I will give you a helping hand."
They were startled when they heard this and a little puzzled as they didn't know what this meant. It was only until they watched him turn over his palm and took out the pill bottle that they understood...
Chapter 1858: Collective Advancement
When they saw the pill bottle, everyone was taken aback and stared at the pill bottle in her hand. They had been taking pills recently and their strengths have improved because the Shadow Night Palace people had given them advancement pills.
They were a little surprised at this moment when they saw their Captain taking out the pill bottle. The pills the Shadow Night Palace had given them were finished, so where did he get these pills from?
With a wave of Feng Jiu's hand, the pills flew out and stopped in front of each person: "After eating them your current strength can be increased even further. However, after taking this pill, don't take anymore advancement pills for at least another year or two."
Everyone took the pill without hesitation after they heard that. Right after they had swallowed the pills, their spiritual energy aura surged from their bodies. After their momentary shock, everyone quickly sat down cross-legged on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Feng Jiu smiled slightly and walked a little distance away to protect them.
During this period of cultivation, most of them had already advanced to Nascent Soul middle-stage, there were only a handful who were at Nascent Soul early-stage. After they had taken Feng Jiu's pill, those cultivators who were at Nascent Soul early-stage had advanced to Nascent Soul peak-stage, and those who were at Nascent Soul middle-stage had entered the Celestial Strong Exponent stage.
Amongst them, Lei Xiao and the others had entered the Celestial Strong Exponent middle-stage while the remainder of them had entered the Celestial Strong Exponent early-stage. As a result of their advancement, the skies thundered continuously with lightning tribulations and had attracted the attention of the Shadow Night Palace people who couldn't help but be surprised.
"Something is amiss with the lightning tribulations, let's go in and take a look!" One of the Celestial Strong Exponents said to the other two men beside him. The three of them walked into the Black Mist Poison Forest together.
No one had followed those cultivators into the forest for their experience, they had only stationed a few men outside the forest to keep an eye on anything out of the ordinary. When they heard the rumbles of thunder that shot down from the sky continuously, they knew that something was not right.
They followed the direction of the sounds of thunder, and the closer they got, the more frightened they became. After one lightning tribulation had shot down, another one followed. The lightning tribulations spread out on the ground and formed ripples of air current that could be seen by the naked eye. The powerful pressure and breath shocked them.
"Sss!"
The Celestial Strong Exponent in the lead took a breath as he looked at the powerful pressure and breath that swayed through the entire forest. He exclaimed: "How can it be so powerful? I'm afraid that this airflow indicates not just one or two Celestial Strong Exponents..."
They picked up their speed and moved forward. The closer they got, the more shocked they were, until they saw a figure clothed in black standing by a tree. He was playing with the mask in his hand, and about one hundred metres behind him were the other black robed cultivators sitting cross-legged on the ground advancing.
Upon seeing this, they stepped forward immediately and said to the black robed youth "What is going on? Why are they still advancing?"
Feng Jiu raised her gaze and looked at the cultivator who stood wide-eyed in front of her as he stared in shock at the scene behind her and questioned her in a surprised voice. Her eyes flickered and she paused before she replied: "They are advancing."
"Of course I know that they are advancing, but how are they advancing collectively? And at this time?" They had definitely finished the advancement pills that were given to them, so how could this happen?
Chapter 1859: Strong Team
"Because they've just taken pills." Feng Jiu replied as her eyes swept across the three men.
"What do you mean?" The Celestial Strong Exponent's eyebrows twisted in confusion. At the next moment, the youth's lips curled up in a wicked smile and a cold voice followed from his mouth.
"I mean it exactly as I've said it." As soon as Feng Jiu had spoken, a cold light flashed as her sleeve swept across immediately, and a sharp dagger moved towards the Celestial Strong Exponent at lightning speed.
That Celestial Strong Exponent was startled and he leaned back to avoid the dagger that swept past his throat. He took a few steps backwards in shock as he watched the black robed youth turn the dagger in his hand and swept past the other two Nascent Soul cultivators who hadn't had a chance to react.
"Um!"
Before they had a chance to react, muffled hums could be heard as the two cultivators fell to the ground with their eyes wide open.
When he saw the black robed youth had killed the two Nascent Soul cultivators, the Celestial Strong Exponent took a step back defensively: "Number nine, what are you doing? Do you want to rebel?"
Feng Jiu's lips curled up but she didn't respond and only stared at him closely. In the next moment, her black figure dashed out again. Her body moved extremely quickly and each move she made was so sharp and fierce that it took the Celestial Strong Exponent by surprise. Just as he was about to fight back, his face turned pale and he made a whistling sound.
A strong powerful coercion struck out, the kind that stiffened his body from the shock. It was as if whole body was being controlled by someone else, he was unable to move or shout even though he wanted to.
"Sss!"
The sharp blade slid across the air and the Celestial Strong Exponent groaned, his eyes opened wide in disbelief as his body stiffened and he fell to the ground.
"Boom!"
As he fell to the ground, his eyes were fixed on Feng Jiu as if asking why this had happened.
Feng Jiu glanced at the three corpses on the ground, then proceeded to take their cosmos sacks. After which, flames condensed in her palm and she burned the three corpses with it.
One day later, after everyone had finished their advancement, they stood in front of Feng Jiu with unconcealed excitement on their faces. There were many things that they wanted to ask but didn't, they just looked at her with immense excitement in their eyes.
After spending so much time together, they had known for a long time that their Captain was someone extraordinary. But to what extent were his abilities? They hadn't even been able to figure out who he was. Now that he had made such a move, it had rendered them speechless.
The quality of the advancement pills the Night Shadow Palace had given them weren't even as high as the one that their Captain had given them yesterday. The quality of the pill was good, and their Captain hadn't even so much as blinked and given out so many pills. What was even more impressive was that out of the one hundred and twenty three of them, only a few of them were at the Nascent Soul peak stage and the others had already become Celestial Strong Exponents.
Although it was just a difference of a level, their strength was quite different. Now, when they walked out, even the Shadow Night Palace people would be wary of them. Even amongst the families on the outside, none of them had that many Celestial Strong Exponents within them.
Feng Jiu glanced across at everyone and nodded in satisfaction at their current strength and cultivation. She smiled: "Very good. Next, I will tell you what the arrangements will be after we go back."
"Yes!" Everyone responded in a deep voice as they looked at him faithfully.
Chapter 1860: Command
"After we get out of here, the most important thing is to make sure you don't let anyone notice that you're different. After we have figured out what their plans are, we will end them and leave without hesitation."
She paused and looked at them: " Remember, I hope that every one of you can leave here alive."
Everyone's hearts filled with warmth and they nodded: "Yes Captain, we will definitely leave alive!"
"Let's go! After we get back, if there is anything out of the ordinary, just wait for my command." After she had spoken, she led them out of the forest...
Two days later, when Feng Jiu and the others stood in the square wearing their masks, the Ghost Elder couldn't help but be stunned as he looked incredulously at the hundred odd people in front of him.
"Remove your masks!"
The Ghost Elder shouted as he stared at the hundred odd people who removed their masks from their faces mechanically. When their faces were revealed, the Ghost Elder eyes widened involuntarily and his heart trembled slightly.
How was this possible? How were these people able to become Celestial Strong Exponents in just three months with only a handful of them at the Nascent Soul stage? Could their advancement level really have been so big after taking the advancement pill?
"Ghost, Ghost Elder, they, how did they advance so quickly?" A Celestial Strong Exponent and Nascent Soul cultivator beside him stared wide-eyed in shock as if they had just seen a ghost.
How did they attain such immense strength in such a short time? If they weren't standing right in front of them, they wouldn't have believed it.
"Out of one hundred and twenty three, only a few are Nascent Soul cultivators, it's incredible....! Simply unimaginable..." The Ghost Elder stared at the crowd and his eyes paused at Feng Jiu. Even this number nine youth had become a Nascent Soul cultivator in such a short time, it was remarkable.
When he thought about how those people were cultivated by him and that they only listened to his commands, his heart started to beat excitedly. There were over a hundred of them, even the Shadow Night Palace headquarters didn't have such strength and wouldn't have that many Celestial Strong Exponents. If they took another advancement pill, would their strength increase again and advance to the next level?
To prevent the men behind him from realising that his heart was a little flustered, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. As he looked at the hundred odd people in front of him, he had secretly made a decision.
He wanted to take this powerful team and make them his! He wanted to take these men under his own command! Not for them to be under the command of the Night Shadow Palace!
Although they had taken the advancement pill and attained a strong cultivation base, he wondered, what were their combat skills like?
His hawk-eye gaze swept past the crowd and he shouted suddenly: "Number one, number nine, number thirteen, number forty five, number seventy eight, fall out!"
As soon as he had spoken, five people walked out to the front. Without the masks on their faces, it was clear that their expressions were cold and devoid of emotions as they looked at each other with cold eyes.
The Ghost Elder looked at the five people who walked out with satisfaction and nodded slightly. Suddenly, he pointed at the group of Celestial Strong Exponents and Nascent Soul devilry cultivators and shouted in a cold voice.
"Kill them!"
The group of Celestial Strong Exponents and Nascent Soul devilry cultivators were dumbfounded by the Ghost Elder's command, and Feng Jiu and her team launched their attack on them immediately after he had spoken...
*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*