Chapter 372: Chapter 341: Enemies on a Narrow Road _1
It’s you. What a small world we inhabit!
Xu Mu quickly remembered the identity of the woman in white, although it had been a while, the impression was still imprinted in his mind, too deep to forget.
On his return from Pursuing Wind City, he had met this woman in white. She tried to force him against his will after a few words, luckily, her master sister intervened and he was spared.
The mark of Butian Pavilion in the middle of her eyebrows, that was not easy to forget either.
Xiao Yi, Mu Yunwan, Mu Yuchan!
And the token of Butian, the spatial channel, the secret skill of Yin and Yang Harmony!
He had unknowingly become entangled with the Butian Pavilion.
Meeting the woman in white in this place, however, was unexpected.
Her presence here was not accidental. It was likely related to the Spatial Rift, as this area was not under the jurisdiction of Butian Pavilion. It couldn’t have just been a coincidental encounter.
Not to mention, she had emerged from the island where the Spatial Rift was located.
Xu Mu was certain that Butian Pavilion had discovered the location of the Spatial Channel, he was just unsure whether the Nascent Soul Stage was being guarded.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” Bai Xiaoxiao stared down and asked.
“I, I am a Loose Cultivator living nearby. I was just, just passing by!” Xu Mu stammered in reply.
“Passing by?”
Bai Xiaoxiao examined Xu Mu up and down with Divine Intent, suspicion filling her eyes. In an instant, her gaze flared and she spoke coldly, “How dare you lie to me. You must have hidden motives!”
“I…,”
As Xu Mu was trying to explain, Bai Xiaoxiao did not give him a chance. She performed a spell. In a split second, Xu Mu was ensnared and rendered motionless.
“Come with me, I will know how to deal with you!”
Excitement flashed in Bai Xiaoxiao’s eyes. She grabbed Xu Mu and transformed into an Escape Light, heading towards the island.
During her inspection of Xu Mu with her Divine Intent just now, Bai Xiaoxiao had discovered that Xu Mu’s vitality was not only vigorous, but also very pure—a fine material for crucible cultivation. His cultivation level was just too low.
If it were normal times, she might not have considered Xu Mu. But things were different now. She had been posted to guard the Spatial Channel and would not be able to leave for any trivial reasons.
The Spiritual Energy in this area was thin and sparse. Other than Mortals passing by, there were only cultivators from the same sect.
Mortals didn’t gain her attention, while she couldn’t lay hands on the cultivators in the same sect. It had been a long time since she last cultivated utilizing a crucible.
How could she possibly miss out on a prey like Xu Mu that happened to pass by?
Just as the Escape Light was nearing the island, a layer of Array light appeared. Bai Xiaoxiao squeezed a spell through her finger Jue to open a gap and flew in.
Xu Mu observed his surroundings and found that the island he once saw had undergone drastic changes. Pavilions, terraced buildings, small bridges over flowing rivers, and the rich Spiritual Energy filled the atmosphere. It looked like a paradise isolated from the world.
With such elaborate setups, it looked like the people of Butian Pavilion planned to stay here for a long time!
Xu Mu inevitably felt a headache.
This Spatial Channel was a treasure land for him. Not only could he travel between two territories, but he could also sell resources for a huge profit.
But now that it was occupied by Butian Pavilion, it was almost impossible for him to take it back.
“I just don’t know what the other side is like. Has Butian Pavilion established contact with them?”
The other side of the Spatial Channel is Tongyou Sect’s trump card. Unlike when Xu Mu first discovered the Spatial Channel, the Tongyou Sect is now in full swing. In the Cang Ming Ocean Territory, apart from the mysterious Cluster Stars Sect, there should be no forces that could stand against them.
Now that Butian Pavilion has discovered the Spatial Channel and stationed people here, it is very likely that there will be conflicts with the Tongyou Sect.
It is uncertain whether Butian Pavilion will leverage the Spatial Channel to amass a great fortune, or will it end up being squeezed dry by the Tongyou Sect.
However, it appears peaceful here right now, unlike a battlefield where conflict with Tongyou Sect is taking place.
So, Xu Mu really didn’t know what the situation was.
Is it that Butian Pavilion has not yet sent men into the Southern Domain?
Or has the Tongyou Sect not detected the Spatial Channel?
He also didn’t know if there was a Nascent Soul Stage stationed here.
While Xu Mu was lost in his thoughts, Bai Xiaoxiao had already landed at her courtyard.
A handsome young man greeted them with respect.
“Take him away, give him the pill, and convert his cultivation as soon as possible!”
Bai Xiaoxiao threw Xu Mu to the handsome man and ordered.
The ways cultivators of Butian Pavilion seize cultivation are twofold. One is to use it as soon as the catch is caught. This method is simple, and quick to advance in cultivation, but it renders the spiritual power impure. Although fine for small level breakthroughs, it can easily stall at major realms.
The other way is like what Bai Xiaoxiao was doing, giving special pills, practicing special Martial Methods to transform the captive’s cultivation into a type similar to theirs. This way is more time-consuming, but it does not leave residual issues and doesn’t affect major breakthroughs much.
Only the cultivators trained in this method can be called crucibles, they are very popular inside Butian Pavilion, they can be freely traded.
“Yes, Palace Master!”
The handsome young man did not dare to object, obediently agreeing and then hauling Xu Mu away.
Bai Xiaoxiao returned to her quarters and continued her closed-door cultivation. She occasionally woke up to examine her surroundings with Divine Intent, catching a glimpse of what was happening under the ground to avoid revealing this place.
After bringing Xu Mu to a special room, the formerly respectful and silent young man, now showed a face full of hostility.
“Where did this rat come from that he would catch the eye of the Palace Master!”
He threw Xu Mu heavily onto the floor and raised his foot to stomp on Xu Mu’s face, clearly intending to teach Xu Mu a harsh lesson and vent his resentment.
Swish!
A silver lightning bolt sprang forth from Xu Mu’s fingertip, instantly striking the handsome young man.
The young man, hit by the thunderbolt, froze in place, his gaze turned muddled.
Xu Mu easily broke free from his restraints, stood up from the ground, and stretched his body.
He had noticed before that there was no Nascent Soul Stage guarding here. Despite the placement of numerous high-tier arrays, they were like empty shells to him, the Array Master.
Concerning the handsome young man, he was merely under the influence of an illusory thunderbolt.
While Xu Mu retrieved his clone, he simultaneously collected all the bloodlines on the clone, of course including the bloodline of the Illusion Thunder Shark.
The Illusion Thunder Shark’s powered Divine Skills were quite useful for Xu Mu. At times, they worked better than paralysis skills.
The young man currently was trapped in an illusion, probably torturing Xu Mu in various ways in his dreams.
Xu Mu didn’t bother with him, his body transformed into the void, and he disappeared on the spot.
Shortly, he arrived at the underground of the island. After many years, he once again saw the stone house that hid the Spatial Channel.
No one was guarding here, only an Alert Array was set. Any living thing approaching would immediately trigger an alarm.
“It’s not time to open yet!”
After a glance, Xu Mu returned to the room above.
Due to his prolonged absence, he no longer had a way to calculate the opening time. So, he planned to wait for a period. After all, no one here posed a threat to him.
Time passed quickly, more than half a month had flown by.
The Spatial Rift had opened, but Xu Mu did not go to see it. Because someone from the Nascent Soul Stage of the Butian Pavilion had arrived.