So, after deciding to visit the nearby immortal cultivation sect's market town, she set her direction and flew towards it, riding her Azurewood Boat.
Six days later, realizing she was not far from the Imperial Spirit Sect's market town, Luo Xue put away her Azurewood Boat and switched to sword riding. After all, her Azurewood Boat was a valuable item that could easily attract covetous eyes and cause trouble.
Just then, a middle-aged cultivator in black suddenly fell from the sky, landing right in front of Luo Xue. He appeared to be heavily injured and on the verge of death. He seemed to notice Luo Xue inadvertently and suddenly became agitated, shouting, "Fellow Daoist, save me..." Before he could finish, he passed out on the spot.
Luo Xue's expression remained calm. She probed with her spirit sense and detected a faint trace of spiritual energy emanating from the male cultivator's tightly clenched right hand. She couldn't help but scoff at his crude acting. He looked to be around thirty or forty years old, with dark skin and an ordinary appearance. His cultivation level was likely at the early Foundation Establishment Stage. His weathered look suggested he was probably a rogue cultivator.
Luo Xue pouted, a look of disdain on her face, and walked around him to continue on her way. In her previous life, when she was a rogue cultivator, she had seen all sorts of people. Seeing his ill intentions, and his poor disguise, Luo Xue couldn't be bothered to expose him. Killing him wouldn't yield anything and would just be bad luck!
Meanwhile, the rogue cultivator lying on the ground couldn't help but curse inwardly. This young, seemingly naive cultivator was surprisingly vigilant. Normally, faced with a collapsed cultivator, wouldn't one choose between offering aid or seizing treasures? Instead, she just turned and left. The middle-aged male cultivator suddenly felt insulted. He was indeed seriously injured, having fought his way out of a horde of demonic beasts near the market town and fled to this location, having used up almost all his spiritual energy, magical artifacts, and pills. He had happened to spot a young cultivator ahead and felt overjoyed, thinking he had found a fat sheep to recoup his losses. He had hastily faked exhaustion and fallen, only to encounter this... Since Luo Xue didn't approach him, he couldn't make a move against her, and with his depleted spiritual energy, he could only watch as Luo Xue drifted away...
One day later, as Luo Xue was flying at full speed, she suddenly saw a figure flying from a distance, with several demonic beasts in pursuit. Luo Xue felt a little annoyed by the sight. Her mind stirred, and the Illusionary Face Mask on her face emitted a slight warmth. A middle-aged cultivator's face with a weathered look quietly formed. Simultaneously, her Ice Silkworm Treasure Robe emitted a faint spiritual glow, transforming into a common black long gown similar in style to the previous middle-aged male cultivator's, with her cultivation level remaining steady at the early Foundation Establishment Stage.
Luo Xue had pondered for a long time before deciding to transform into an ordinary, burly middle-aged man. It couldn't be helped. Along the way, Luo Xue had already encountered several waves of ill-intentioned cultivators. For some reason, the appearance of a fair-faced young boy always gave people a sense of inexperience, easily attracting attention. Although she hadn't suffered any losses due to her concealed cultivation, it had been extremely troublesome. Now that she encountered another cultivator, she had no choice but to change her appearance.
Just as Luo Xue finished her transformation, the figure also spotted Luo Xue ahead and immediately flew towards her. Seeing this, Luo Xue sighed helplessly, "Not again! When will this end..." The market town was just ahead, so why were so many cultivators heading in the opposite direction? Something felt wrong.
"Fellow Daoist, save me! If you can help me stop these demonic beasts, Wáng Míng will reward you handsomely." The person was a short, stout old man. Before he even got close, his face was full of panic as he loudly pleaded for help.
Luo Xue's expression remained unchanged. After the old man flew closer, she casually cast a Lightning Drawing Technique, and immediately six bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking the six demonic beasts.
The old man's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran closer to Luo Xue, seizing the opportunity to recover his spiritual energy. Luo Xue scanned him with her spirit sense and knew that the old man's cultivation had reached the early Foundation Establishment Stage, which explained how he managed to escape alive under the siege of so many second-tier demonic beasts (second-tier demonic beasts were equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage).
Luo Xue then made a gesture and cast another Lightning Binding Technique, restraining the movement of the demonic beasts. She was not in a hurry to kill them directly, lest she expose her cultivation. After all, her lightning-element Heavenly Spiritual Root was the most powerful spiritual root for attack, usually allowing her to fight above her level. Dealing with a group of early second-tier demonic beasts was effortlessly within her capabilities.
Perhaps seeing that Luo Xue was not finishing them off quickly, the old man, having recovered some spiritual energy, gritted his teeth and suddenly shouted, "Fellow Daoist, move aside!" He then reached into his Storage Bag and pulled out a golden spirit talisman, which he flung towards the demonic beasts. Luo Xue immediately flew to the side. The golden spirit talisman transformed into a streak of golden light, which arrived in an instant, piercing through all the demonic beasts.
Seeing this, the old man let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist. Are you also heading to the Imperial Spirit Sect's market town?" The old man had now realized that although Luo Xue was also at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, her strength was clearly superior to his. He then stepped forward respectfully, smiling as he asked.
"Yes, I intend to go to the market town to purchase some cultivation resources," Luo Xue replied slowly.
"Then you might be making a wasted trip, Fellow Daoist," the old man said with a wry smile.
"Why?" Luo Xue's mind stirred as she connected the anomalies she had encountered along the way.Five days ago, the Imperial Spirit Sect's sect's guardian spirit beast suddenly woke up.
For some unknown reason, it caused a widespread commotion among all the demonic beasts in the sect, leading them to charge out of the Imperial Spirit Sect collectively. The market town at the foot of the mountain then became a place trampled by demonic beasts. The Imperial Spirit Sect is famous for its beast taming, and has many demonic beasts within the sect of all ranks. This has caused great hardship for us. Faced with so many demonic beasts, the cultivators in the market town fled, and for some reason, the Imperial Spirit Sect did not send anyone out to apprehend the demonic beasts. Instead, they directly activated their sect-protecting formation. I was forced to flee here after killing some of the demonic beasts and being pursued by a few second-tier demonic beasts. I happened to encounter you, Fellow Daoist, and I am grateful for your assistance."
"If that's the case, didn't I come all this way for nothing?" Luo Xue's mood soured, and she appeared somewhat agitated.
"Well... if you trust me, Fellow Daoist, it wouldn't be a completely wasted trip. I can take you to another market town. It caters to Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stage cultivators, where you can better acquire cultivation resources for the Foundation Establishment Stage. However, this place is quite hidden, and you cannot find it unless you are guided by someone familiar with the area. If you wish to go, I can lead the way as repayment for saving my life."
"Oh? There's such a market town? How long would it take to get there from here?" Luo Xue asked with interest.
"Starting from here, if we travel nonstop, it would take about two days to reach it," Wáng Míng replied directly.
"Alright, then please lead the way, Fellow Daoist." Luo Xue stopped asking questions and simply agreed. She figured the news about the Imperial Spirit Sect's market town was likely true. Since she couldn't go there, she couldn't afford to make a completely futile trip. Changing to another market town would be the same. Anyway, she had plenty of trump cards to ensure her safety.