Chapter 128: Chapter 126: Xiao Chan, Soul-Calling Banner

If it were an ordinary Loose Cultivator, Chen Che naturally wouldn’t have paid him any mind.

But this Evil Cultivator was young and possessed an Evil Artifact; he was no ordinary character. Furthermore, he had performed a deep bow in public, equivalent to casting aside all his pride and Heart Qi. It was like someone who had suffered a great disaster and came kneeling at your door to borrow money.

Lend it, and it becomes a kindness.

Refuse, and it becomes a grudge.

But that was about borrowing money; this was about begging for his life.

’Alchemist Chen is truly righteous...’

The young man’s eyes flickered, clearly not having expected this. He took two steps back and gave Chen Che another deep bow, only rising after a full three breaths.

"I will come for the Pill in seven days."

"This kindness... I will never forget it as long as I live!"

With that said,

he stepped into the curtain of rain and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Although Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou were surprised, Chen Che had made the decision, so they wouldn’t object.

"That man doesn’t seem like an ordinary Cultivator. He’s more like a scion of a great family."

Meng Qingxuan spoke slowly as she watched him leave.

"Oh? How could you tell?"

Chen Che asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye while holding the Pill Formula.

"His bearing, speech, and clothing are all markedly different. An ordinary Loose Cultivator wouldn’t carry himself like that. But, speaking of scions from great families, you give me that feeling too. You don’t look like you came from a common farming family."

As Meng Qingxuan was speaking, she suddenly realized something and slammed her hand on the table.

"I remember! When you were doing Alchemy for me, you weren’t nearly this agreeable. Why did you make an exception and promise to help him today?"

’A scion of a great family?’

’A student from Xianmen High School is roughly equivalent to a Divinity Transformation Disciple.’

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched.

But she had barely said two sentences before she started bringing up old scores again. With his eyes half-closed, he put away the Pill Formula and started walking out of the shop.

"Chen Che, you’re leaving again?"

"Don’t go! I’ll give you five Spirit Stones to talk for half an incense stick’s time... Ten stones!"

She shouted at Chen Che’s back a few times, but seeing that he didn’t slow down at all—instead disappearing into the curtain of rain in an instant—Meng Qingxuan could only stomp her foot in frustration.

Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou exchanged a look, clicking their tongues in silent amazement.

’The boss really doesn’t give this young lady any face at all...’

Just as they were thinking this, they saw Meng Qingxuan turn to look at them. They quickly lowered their heads and busied themselves with their tasks, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.

Back at his Cave Mansion, Chen Che took out the Pill Formula and began to analyze it.

At the same time, he recalled Meng Qingxuan’s earlier words.

’Of course, I know he’s not an ordinary Loose Cultivator! And that item he’s carrying... it’s at least a Tier Two High Grade Evil Artifact.’

What was an Evil Artifact?

In truth, like Evil Techniques, they were items not forged through conventional means. They might even be refined using living beings, flesh and blood, or even Cultivators. Although immensely powerful, using them came at an equally great price.

It was just like that Evil Sword he had seen before, which required its host to feed it with their own Qi and Blood to be wielded.

Its previous Soldier Masters had all died from the decay of their Qi and Blood.

’A big reputation isn’t necessarily a good thing. All sorts of clients will come knocking.’

After studying the Pill Formula for a while, Chen Che let out a sigh of relief. The formula itself was normal.

He took out the Storage Pouch and checked the Materials again. They were also normal—Medicinal Herbs, Spirit Fruits... not the gory, bloody mess he had imagined.

’I’ll just treat it as expanding my knowledge for the competition!’

He reined in his thoughts.

He slapped the Pill Furnace. The Chixia Tripod opened, and the Spirit Grass and Medicinal Fruit flew inside.

Instantly, the Spiritual Fire flared to life.

...

PATTER, PATTER, PATTER!

The rain kept falling, showing no signs of stopping.

In the mountains.

The dilapidated temple—half of it collapsed, its dome torn off, its clay Divine Statue long gone—still offered some meager shelter from the rain.

The young man from before was leaning against a corner, feigning sleep.

Suddenly, the bonfire before him flickered rhythmically, dimming and brightening as if it were breathing.

"Since you’re here, you might as well show yourselves!"

The young man slowly opened his eyes.

"Xiao Chan, you betrayed your master and sect, killed your mother and brother, and harmed your fellow disciples. How dare you hide in a temple? Don’t you know that the gods are always watching?"

A voice pierced through the curtain of rain.

At the same time, a Cultivator in white robes, holding a paper umbrella, was seen approaching through the downpour.

"What master? What sect? What mother? What brother? They were nothing but a pair of despicable adulterers who murdered her own husband, and the beast they spawned. I was merely avenging my father, killing those who deserved to die!"

Hearing this, the young man named Xiao Chan replied, his voice devoid of any emotion:

"As for the gods—if they are blind, I will kill them too!"

"You could have just reported it to the Sect..."

Upon hearing this, the umbrella-wielding Cultivator’s body trembled slightly, and his voice dropped a few notches.

"Haha, you wanted me to report it to the Sect? Senior Brother, you are too naive. Did you really think I would have received justice if I had reported this to the Sect?"

Xiao Chan, who had been calm just a moment ago, suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice drowning out the sound of the rain.

"Junior Brother, don’t waste your breath on him. This fiend has already fallen to the Evil Dao. He is merely trying to bewitch you with his words."

As his voice fell, another umbrella-wielding Cultivator, this one in black robes, stepped out from the downpour. Behind him followed more than a dozen Sword Cultivators. His gaze was icy as he said, "On the verge of death, and he’s still slandering our master and insulting our Sect."

"Take him back to the Sect! We will use his blood to pay tribute to our master’s spirit in heaven!"

As the black-robed Cultivator finished speaking,

WHOOSH!

the dozen or so figures behind him shot out from the rain. In an instant, they were like Flood Dragons in the water—fierce, unstoppable, and pouncing on Xiao Chan all at once.

"Hahaha, come at me!"

Seeing this, Xiao Chan, amidst his wild laughter, suddenly reached back and gripped the object on his back.

CRACK!

A clap of thunder exploded.

With a flick of his arm, a large, black banner unfurled against the wind. For that one moment, the wind and rain in the mountains seemed to freeze.

The moment they saw the banner,

everyone’s face changed drastically as they cried out in shock:

"The Soul-Calling Banner?"

...

...

The rain continued to fall without cease, as if someone had punched a hole in the sky.

「Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.」

"Hoo..."

Chen Che let out a long, turbid breath as the True Essence in his body rapidly recovered.

"It’s finally done!"

A faint smile played on his lips as he looked at the rosy glow rising from the Chixia Tripod.

This was the first time he had taken an unknown Pill Formula and completed the refining process entirely on his own, without asking his teacher for help. According to Ding Dawei, being able to do this meant he was already qualified to test for a Tier Two Alchemist certificate.

The certificate would be quite useful.

Even though everyone on Earth Element Star practiced Cultivation, some information still required a certain clearance level and access rights to read.

’I’ve learned to make another type of Pill. A pity there aren’t any spare Materials for me to practice and get more proficient.’

Chen Che smiled as he placed the refined Pills into a Jade Bottle.

After finishing his daily Cultivation, he went to the Market.

However,

to his surprise, the young Evil Cultivator had not appeared, even by the time the Market closed.

’Doesn’t he want these Pills anymore?’

Chen Che wondered, looking at the medicine bottle on the counter.

From what he’d seen of the man, he didn’t seem like the type to be unpunctual.

"Tributor Chen, how does it feel to have worked for nothing?"

Meng Qingxuan seized the opportunity to mock him.

"I heard someone say that the Demon Beast was spotted on the Black Water River, ninety li away. You could go take a look..."

Chen Che rolled his eyes at her and bluffed casually.

"Really?"

Meng Qingxuan actually believed him. "I’ll go over once the rain stops."

「The next day.」

Early in the morning, when Chen Che stepped into the Market, he found it in a state of panic.

Numerous Jinyun Valley disciples were rushing out.

While he was still wondering what was going on, Hu Yao rushed into the Pill Shop. Before Chen Che could ask, Hu Yao said with extreme anxiety:

"Brother, something terrible has happened! An Evil Cultivator has killed someone...!"

"Where?"

"At the ruined temple outside the mountains!"