The Purgatory Calamity-Chapter 78 - 65 The Poor Ghost Group of Seven_1
Chapter 78: Chapter 65: The Poor Ghost Group of Seven_1
Chapter 78 -65: The Poor Ghost Group of Seven_1
Han Duping squinted his eyes, a vigilant expression on his face as he observed the tiny stars embellishing the robes of the newcomers.
“Zhou, they must be planning to plunder the newcomers, just like the two from Blood Moon and Raging Sun Sect,” Han Duping said with a sneer, guessing their intentions from the careful posture of the seven men, “It’s only because those two died so miserably that they didn’t dare to make a move.”
Zhou Qingchen grinned, “It seems so.”
Pang Jian, stopped by the two men, frowned as he looked at the storage bag on a piece of broken bone picked up by Luo Hongyan.
Knowing the marvels of this object, he desired to possess it for himself.
Suddenly, the appearance of seven people from the Star River Alliance made him worry about the ultimate fate of the item.
“Fortunately, they’re all older, so these people in the Star River Alliance are probably just mediocre,” he thought.
Han Duping, who had been sizing up the newcomers, noticed that the one leading them had a fair and clean face, giving off the demeanor of a refined gentleman.
However, the man appeared to be in his thirties.
The six behind him, both men and women, were all in their twenties, wearing the robes of the Star River Alliance, without any valuable accessories adorning them.
“A bunch of down-and-outers,” Han Duping commented dismissively, his expression relaxing considerably as he explained to Pang Jian with a chuckle, “In the Third Realm, if a cultivator is older, there’s no need to worry too much.”
“Their presence in Bagua City suggests that their realm and cultivation are much like ours, at most they could be at Zhou’s Marrow Cleansing Realm.”
He shook his head disdainfully, “Such rabble wouldn’t stand out in the Third Realm, certainly lacking any powerful weapons.”
Indeed.
Upon discovering that apart from Han Duping, the rest were only about fifteen or sixteen years old, one younger than the other, the newcomers from the Star River Alliance seemed even more cautious.
The leader, from a distance, introduced himself with a warm smile, “Fellow cultivators, my name is Jian Yaoyang, from the Star River Alliance in the Third Realm. We stumbled upon a temporary Mirror Tunnel while searching for Heaven Phoenix remains in a Forbidden Land and thus arrived in this city.”
“We mean no offense…”
He kept his hands in his sleeves, holding something unknown, and stopped to stare at Luo Hongyan.
“Star River Alliance…”
Luo Hongyan coldly chuckled in her heart. The original owner of this body was also destined to cultivate at the Star River Alliance.
From the Fourth Realm, the Ning Family and He Family would send their talented clansmen to the Star River Alliance.
After contemplating, Luo Hongyan’s beautiful face bore an indifferent expression as she coolly said, “Fourth Realm, Ning Family, my name is Ning Yao.”
“Ning Yao, I’ve heard of you!”
Behind Jian Yaoyang, Qiu Li, who was also not young, suddenly exclaimed, “My Shifu is Han Huiying, she was intending to take you as a Direct Disciple once you arrived at the alliance.”
The plain-looking Qiu Li had obvious envy in her eyes as she mentioned this.
“Fourth Realm? Ning Family?”
“You scared me; I thought you were like that lunatic who came down from the Upper Realm.”
“All’s well.”
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The seven individuals let out a sigh of relief, no longer tense, and their approach quickened.
“So, it’s Ning,” Jian Yaoyang said with a genial smile, hastening his step, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the pool of blood, “We’re all from the Star River Alliance, and you’ll join us for cultivation sooner or later; we’re all one family.”
Looking at Luo Hongyan’s graceful figure, far surpassing Qiu Li in beauty, the smile at the corner of his eye deepened, “Ning, this city exudes eeriness; it’s best that we stick together.”
“Oh, and this man?”
While Jian Yaoyang was still exchanging pleasantries, Pang Jian came over with the Dragon Pattern Spear, unabashedly taking the fish skin bag hoisted on a bone by Luo Hongyan as well as a blood-stained booklet from the ground.
Uncertain about Pang Jian’s identity, Jian Yaoyang and the seven behind him realized what had happened only after Pang Jian had succeeded.
“He’s with us,” Zhou Qingchen quickly followed, standing beside Pang Jian, looking at everyone with a crooked smile, “My name is Zhou Qingchen, from the Zhou Family of the Fourth Realm, known in the rankings over at Red Mountain.”
“Zhou Qingchen from the Lower Realm!”
The seven showed surprise, with many recognizing the name.
Zhou Qingchen, arrogant in demeanor, said, “What, were you scared off by the little sheep earlier, not daring to make a move on the way here?”
Jian Yaoyang, feigning surprise with a puzzled expression, replied, “Little sheep? We seven spread out to search for valuable materials in the buildings on both sides and didn’t notice anyone passing by.”
“Is that so?”
Zhou Qingchen let out a strange laugh.
Jian Yaoyang’s expression remained unchanged, while the other six were somewhat embarrassed, guiltily avoiding his gaze.
“Alright, we’re not interested in joining you, so let’s go our separate ways,” Zhou Qingchen said impatiently, not keen on pretending, and asked, “Ning Yao, will you go with them or with us?”
Luo Hongyan replied indifferently, “I will only go with Pang Jian.”
“Haha, then we are on the same path,” Zhou Qingchen laughed, ignoring the surprised looks of the seven, “Bagua City has eight angles, with eight paths leading to the city center; this is just one of them. You seven, if you don’t want to share a path with us, are free to choose another.”
With that, he pulled Pang Jian along.
As soon as they moved, Luo Hongyan and the others also didn’t linger any longer, one by one passing the group of seven and heading towards the center of Bagua City.
After Pang Jian and the others had gone far away, the seven members of the Star River Alliance, standing amidst a pile of severed limbs and flesh, began to sift through the blood and gore.
“Jian, there’s nothing to be gained here.”
“All the valuables from the two bodies have been snatched up by Ning, who got here first. We arrived too late.”
Everyone quickly expressed their dejection.
“Let’s find a place first; don’t stay on the street for too long.”
Jian Yaoyang’s expression remained unchanged, and he quickly found an empty tavern that had been previously explored.
After entering, Lin Quanshan, with his gaunt cheekbones and somewhat sinister face, said sternly, “Jian, what should we do?”
The still amiable Jian Yaoyang replied, somewhat helplessly, “I’ve been observing, and only Zhou Qingchen has advanced to the Marrow Cleaning Realm. The rest are still in the Meridians Channeling Realm.”
“But, have you ever considered the consequences?”
The six of them were silent.
“Zhou Qingchen is not like us; he is a core figure favored by Red Mountain. If we make a move against them and fail, we’ll have a tough time encountering him in the Third Realm.”
“What’s more important is that Ning Yao is also a member of our Star River Alliance. How could this be right?”
Jian Yaoyang rubbed his temples with a headache.
“Jian, you and I were both born in ordinary families in the Third Realm, unlike Ning Yao. Although she’s in the Lower Realm, the Ning Family’s past generations have already accumulated a foundation in the Star River Alliance.” Qiu Li, with her head lowered and speaking softly, said, “She has better talent than me, and my Shifu is already preparing a meeting gift for her. As soon as she comes to the Star River Alliance, they’ll perform the Bone Severing Marrow Washing on her.”
Qiu Li’s face was filled with bitterness and helplessness: “I’ve been in the Meridians Channeling Realm for nine whole years now, and my Shifu has never indicated that he’d prepare the Spiritual Material needed for Marrow Cleaning for me. He told me to gather it myself, but after so many years, I’ve still not managed to collect everything!”
The other five also showed faces stricken with sadness.
Apart from Jian Yaoyang, the rest were all in the Meridians Channeling Realm, with none having stepped into the Marrow Cleaning Realm.
This journey to Bagua City was seen by them as their only chance, an opportunity to venture and accumulate enough wealth to exchange for Marrow Cleaning Spiritual Material once they got out.
Lin Quanshan, seeing him still hesitating, said, “Jian, Ning Yao has not yet officially joined, so she’s not really a part of our Star River Alliance. Besides, it was her choice to go with Zhou Qingchen instead of joining us.”
Jian Yaoyang still shook his head, indecisive.
“Jian, your master has died, and you have no patrons or pillars of support in the Star River Alliance anymore. Opportunities like this one, to pass through the Mirror Tunnel and enter a secret land, how many times can we encounter them in a lifetime? If we don’t seize this opportunity, then this is as good as our lives will ever get.”
Qiu Li refused to give up persuading, but Jian Yaoyang sighed heavily, unable to make a decision.
As the elder brother of everyone present and the only one in the Marrow Cleaning Realm, if he couldn’t make up his mind, no one dared to make a rash move.
“Brother, I know you like young girls, and Ning Yao fits all of your requirements, and she’s also the young mistress of the Ning Family. How about, before she dies… letting you ‘enjoy’ her for a while?”
One of the youngest female disciples, who had a somewhat appealing appearance, said with clenched teeth in a low voice.
At these words, the rest remained silent, not daring to look at Jian Yaoyang’s expression.
They knew in their hearts that the youngest sister-disciple had the chance to join the team only by using her body to please Jian Yaoyang.
Jian Yaoyang gave her a cold glance, a murderous look in his eyes, and snorted coldly, “You forced my hand! If word of this gets out and any of them survive, we’ll have no place in the Third Realm, and we’ll have to mingle with the Dark Ghosts in the Lower Realm.”
“We understand!”
Their intent to kill was unmistakable.
…
Up ahead on the street.
“The group of seven paupers thinks they can team up with us,” Han Duping shook his head and sneered, showing no regard for the seven, “They’re nearly thirty years old and still only have the cultivation of the Meridians Channeling Realm. The one leading them looks even older than me but has only reached… the Marrow Cleaning Realm!”
He suddenly cursed in annoyance, “Zhou, when are you going to prepare the materials for my Bone Severing Marrow Washing?”
“It’ll be soon, really soon,” Zhou Qingchen said evasively, immediately promising, “Don’t worry; once I get to Red Mountain, I’ll make sure everything is ready for you as soon as possible. You know how difficult it is to get the right materials for Bone Severing Marrow Washing in the Fourth Realm.”
“I’m already past thirty; I can’t wait that long,” Han Duping said with a resigned tone.
“Old Han, you can count on me! You have my word!” Zhou Qingchen assured him, patting his chest.
At that moment, Pang Jian stopped in his tracks.
He saw a water trough under the eaves of a stone building by the broad street, still containing some clean water.
He took out a small fish-skin bag, about the size of a palm and similar to the material of Dong Tianze’s Ghost Howling hilt; he used the clean water to wash it, then reached inside.
Surprise flashed across his eyes.
Indeed, as Luo Hongyan had said, the small storage bag might look only palm-sized outwardly, but the space inside was much larger than he expected—equal to about four of his bamboo baskets.
It was simple to wear: it could be hung from the waist or tucked inside the flap of a garment, making it infinitely more convenient than a bamboo basket.
He curiously felt inside and pulled out about a dozen pieces of Spirit Jade, some clothing for changing, various small bottles and jars, and many strange, dark red stones.
There were more of these hot-to-the-touch stones at the very bottom of the bag, which, unlike the translucent Spirit Jade, contained hazy, fire-like cloud clusters inside them.
Pang Jian, not knowing what these special stones were, dampened the clothes from the bag with water and wiped the blood off the small booklet until clean.
Listening to Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping’s conversation, he wiped the bloodstains repeatedly until they were gone before looking at the contents of the booklet.
“Ground Flame Spell.”
…
