Chapter 88: All Manner of Demons and Monsters Enter the World

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: All Manner of Demons and Monsters Enter the World

Nanling County City.

The clamor from the eighth day of the twelfth month had long since faded, but the number of Cultivators carrying swords and sabers in the city had increased significantly.

It was from that auction onward that the common folk of Nanling County City had all learned of the existence of Cultivators.

Previously, most people in the mortal world of the Eastern Domain were unaware of Cultivators. Even those who knew of them spoke of the matter only in hushed, reverent tones.

After all, they were a group of people who moved through the skies, capable of killing from a distance, cleaving mountains with a single sword strike, and splitting rivers with one slash of a saber—beings akin to Immortals.

Having experienced the auction on the eighth of the twelfth month, the people had come into close contact with the world of Cultivation.

Those people were still human. They could die, too; they were just much more powerful than ordinary folk.

If an ordinary person was accepted into a Cultivation Sect from a young age and taught the ways of Cultivation, they too could become a Cultivator and fly through the heavens.

As a result, many reasonably well-off families with children began to get ideas.

Unable to find any Cultivation Sects, they went to Mr. Hong’s Auction House to make inquiries.

Since Mr. Hong’s Auction House opened, it had held an auction every ten days. Many Cultivators attended, and the bolder commoners would strike up conversations with them, asking about the requirements to join a Cultivation Sect.

Because of this, anyone walking through Nanling County City with a sword or saber in hand seemed to be a cut above the rest.

Chu Fan and Yun Xi, having altered their appearances, walked through the city. Seeing so many Cultivators, they couldn’t help but wonder, ’Have the rules and conventions established by the Six Sects and Eight Gates of the Eastern Domain been voided?

Are these Cultivators just parading around the mortal world so openly?’

Having previously spent several months in a mortal town with Ye Xiaohan and the others, Chu Fan knew that the most convenient places to gather information were ordinary teahouses and taverns.

Of course, with his current Level 22 Spiritual Power, he could simply stand anywhere in the city and hear conversations from over half of the County City.

However, listening to so many chaotic and disorganized voices and trying to pick out the information he wanted would be mentally taxing.

Besides, if he were to extend his Spiritual Power, he could easily be detected if there were any powerful experts in the city.

So, Chu Fan simply took Yun Xi into a tavern.

One reason was to gather some information; the other was to get a good meal.

It was currently Noon, and in the tavern they entered, the tables in the main hall were already mostly full.

When Chu Fan and Yun Xi walked in, they didn’t attract much attention at first. But as soon as they sat down, nearly every eye in the place turned in their direction.

No, it would be more accurate to say that everyone was staring at Yun Xi.

A few of the gazes were merely filled with awe, but many more were aggressive, and some people even gave Yun Xi a provocative wink.

Yun Xi simply shot them a cold glare before focusing all her attention back on Chu Fan.

Although the appearance Yun Xi had assumed using the Illusory Body Technique was a good thirty percent less stunning than her true face, in a mortal place like this, she was still a top-tier beauty.

After all, she hadn’t deliberately transformed into a specific person, only randomly altered her features. Her otherworldly aura remained.

The Waiter took his time coming over, his eyes also darting to Yun Xi several times before he asked, "What can I get for you, esteemed guests?"

Chu Fan waved a hand grandly. "Just bring us one of every specialty dish you have."

"Sir, our prices aren’t cheap, and we have quite a few specialty dishes. Are you sure...?"

"Waiter, just bring the food! Put their table on my tab," a burly man at the next table shouted in a booming voice.

There were five people at that table. Three sabers were propped against their stools, and two swords lay on the tabletop.

They postured as if afraid people wouldn’t know they were Martial Artists.

With just a glance, Chu Fan could discern their Realms. The one who had spoken was at the Heartbeat Realm Middle Stage, a short, chubby man with a little moustache was at the Heartbeat Early Stage, and the other three were only at the Fusion Realm.

Hearing the man’s words, how could the Waiter refuse? He called out a loud "Right away!" and headed to the back.

Just then, the burly man stood up, walked over, and sat right next to Yun Xi. He turned to stare at her profile and said, "Miss, I can see that you have a rare bone structure, truly a superior constitution for Cultivation. Though you might be a bit old for Foundation Establishment, if you join my Sect and practice our Sect’s Cultivation Technique, it’s not too late."

The moment he sat down, Yun Xi had been about to strike, but after hearing his words, she fell silent instead.

’Does this guy not have a brain?’ Chu Fan found it rather amusing.

What Chu Fan and Yun Xi didn’t know was that a martial craze had recently swept through Nanling County City. The scene was a chaotic mix of the good and the bad, and many half-baked Cultivators had successfully swindled people using such low-level tricks.

Some had ruined young women’s chastity, while others had simply cheated people out of their money.

There were even families who, in order to send their young son off for Cultivation, had personally delivered their unwed daughters to a swindler’s bed.

"What’s your Sect called?" Chu Fan asked.

The man shot Chu Fan a disdainful look. "Your aptitude is too poor, and you have a hidden illness. I’m afraid you don’t have much time left. Even if you got on your knees and begged me, I wouldn’t accept you into the Sect. However, if this young lady is willing to join my Sect with me, I could ask my master to intervene. He might be able to let you live a couple more years."

"So what is your Sect actually called?" This time, it was Yun Xi who asked.

"Since you’re asking, Miss, I naturally won’t hide it. Our Sect is called the Chaixian Sect. Have you heard of the Six Sects and Eight Gates of the Eastern Domain? Our Chaixian Sect is one of the Six Sects."

Upon hearing this, Yun Xi couldn’t help but let out a "pfft" of laughter.

That laugh made the man sitting beside her’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. In all his decades of life, he had probably never seen such a beautiful woman, let alone one who seemed so easily within his grasp.

Yun Xi began counting on her fingers. "The Six Sects of the Six Sects and Eight Gates of the Eastern Domain are: the Profound Celestial Sect, the Xuanming Sect, the Celestial Derivation Sect, the Celestial Sword Sect, the Mixed Element Sect, and the Lingyun Sect. How come I’ve never heard of a Chaixian Sect?"

The man’s expression didn’t show the slightest hint of embarrassment. "You probably don’t know," he said. "On the eighth of the twelfth month last year, the Lingyun Sect was ambushed by the Red Blood Mansion. Their Sect Leader was gravely injured, an Elder died, and on top of that, their Supreme Elder’s entire line was wiped out. The Lingyun Sect’s glory days are over."

Hearing this, Chu Fan and Yun Xi both frowned. They hadn’t known the first part of that news.

And what was that about the Supreme Elder’s entire line being wiped out? To Chu Fan, those words were a piercing insult.

Just then, a man several tables away shouted to Yun Xi, "Miss, don’t listen to his nonsense! The Lingyun Sect may have declined, but it’s not the Chaixian Sect’s turn to rise. If you really want to practice Cultivation, you’d be better off joining our Wangyun Sect!"

The burly man immediately flew into a rage. He turned and bellowed, "Li the Third, have you no sense of decency? I saw this girl first!"

The Waiter, holding a tray of dishes, watched from a distance, unsure if he should bring the food over.

Chu Fan finally spoke up. "I don’t care what Sect you’re from. Get away from me now, and don’t ruin our appetites."

"Well, well, look at you! You’ve got some nerve, kid. You know I’m a Cultivator and you still dare to talk to me like that? The fact that I’m even letting you sit here is a blessing for you, you know that?" The man glared, his eyes wide like a wrathful deity, as he stared at Chu Fan.

Chu Fan just shook his head and smiled. He then turned to Yun Xi and said, "My dear wife, this oaf has been sitting next to you for far too long, and your husband is getting a little displeased. You know what to do."