Chapter 153: A New Plan

Meanwhile, a large black harrier eagle flew out from the inner gates of Black Wind Cliff, carrying a pale-faced man whose eyes gleamed with an eerie light.

"Brother, I will definitely catch the killer and avenge you!"

"Qin Chuan, you're dead!"

This person was Shang Xuanyue. Having recuperated in Black Wind Cliff for nearly half a year, he had just regained his full strength when he received the news of his younger brother's murder.

Shang Xuanyue, who had been cooped up and itching for action, had long wanted to go to the front lines to wash away his past humiliation. Now, upon hearing that Shang Xuanyuan had been killed, he was driven almost mad with rage and hurriedly commanded the black harrier eagle to leave Black Wind Cliff.

This black harrier eagle was only at level 46, because Shang Xuanyue could only control spiritual creatures up to 10 levels higher than his own.

The black harrier eagle was the signature mount of Black Wind Cliff, renowned for its extreme speed and ferocity. Only someone with the status of a young cliff master like Shang Xuanyue could easily mobilize one.

Shang Xuanyue was much more pragmatic than Shang Xuanyuan; he usually kept a low profile and dedicated himself entirely to cultivation. He was also deeply valued by Shang Guihong, which was a major factor that had initially triggered the war between Black Wind Cliff and Purple Spirit Mansion.

...

After harvesting two thousand heads, Qin Chuan still did not stop, proceeding directly to sweep through the remaining five outer sect sub-branches.

At this moment, his level had risen to 38.

These ten sub-branches formed the outer sect foundation of Black Wind Cliff. Having been completely uprooted by Qin Chuan in one fell swoop, the losses were astronomical. Moreover, all the confinement arrays had been destroyed, making them extremely difficult to set up again anytime soon. This was equivalent to chopping off one of Black Wind Cliff's arms.

Qin Chuan studied the map. Ahead lay a small patch of desert; once crossed, it would lead directly to the sprawling domain of Black Wind Cliff's inner sect.

"Master, why don't we just kill our way through and turn Black Wind Cliff upside down!"

After absorbing a massive amount of dragon Qi, Long Ao's strength had increased significantly, and his desire for battle made him utterly fearless. Up to this point, Long Ao hadn't made a move yet, so he was feeling somewhat pent-up.

"Well, as long as we don't run into opponents of too high a level, there are still profits to be made."

Qin Chuan also appeared somewhat eager to try. Having stayed in Black Wind Cliff's territory for over a month, his harvest had been quite substantial.

"Ding! Five-Element Poisonous Dragon discovered, unique quality, level 31."

At that moment, Qin Chuan heard the system prompt and couldn't help being greatly surprised, wondering how his little brother had gotten here.

Sure enough, the Sleepy Bug drilled out from the sandy ground, having transformed into a miniature version of a poisonous dragon.

"It seems this fellow has reaped quite a few benefits in Purple Spirit Mansion."

Upon seeing Qin Chuan, excitement flashed through the Sleepy Bug's adorable eyes, and it hurriedly said, "Big Brother, I've finally found you."

Qin Chuan asked curiously, "Little brother, aren't you in Purple Spirit Mansion? Why are you here?"

"Big Brother, something has happened. Sister Zizi wants you to find her within a month, no matter what."

"What could be so urgent?"

"Sister Zizi didn't say, but she looked extremely anxious, unable to eat or sleep. I asked her several times, but she wouldn't tell me."

Qin Chuan frowned slightly and asked again, "How long have you been out?"

The Sleepy Bug recalled for a moment and said, "About half a month."

"It seems I'll have to temporarily abandon the plan to raid Black Wind Cliff's treasury."

"Big Brother, you were going to raid Black Wind Cliff's treasury?! That... that's way too bold!"

The Sleepy Bug was startled on the spot. Having spent some time in Purple Spirit Mansion, it knew very well how formidable Black Wind Cliff was. Yet Qin Chuan was actually plotting to rob Black Wind Cliff's treasury—such a feat was simply too terrifying.

In truth, given Qin Chuan's current situation, if he continued to linger in Black Wind Cliff's territory, he would likely end up surrounded and wiped out. After all, Black Wind Cliff had ruled this region for countless years, and its inner sect possessed countless powerful experts.

Achieving the same results as he did in the outer sect would not only be extremely difficult for Qin Chuan, but also perilous.

However, Qin Chuan had always been one to forge ahead against the current; if not for the Sleepy Bug's sudden arrival, he really would have planned to fight his way all the way through.

"Forget it, we'll talk about it later. Let's head to Purple Spirit Mansion."

Qin Chuan looked ahead with a trace of reluctance, as if he still had unfinished business. He vowed fiercely in his heart: "Next time, I will definitely rob Black Wind Cliff's treasury!"

Suddenly, a small black dot flew in from the distant sky, accompanied by a resounding eagle cry.

"Who goes there below? State your names at once! Trespassing in the territory of Black Wind Cliff is a capital offense!"

Before long, Qin Chuan saw a black harrier eagle hovering mid-air, carrying a man who glared down with a fierce expression and shouted sternly.

"Oh, this fellow looks somewhat familiar!"

At this moment, the two parties were fifty meters apart, and Qin Chuan could not see him very clearly.

Seeing that Qin Chuan showed no reaction whatsoever, Shang Xuanyue stood up directly on the eagle's back, looking extremely imposing. He pointed at Qin Chuan and roared angrily, "State your names immediately, or face execution without exception!"

"So noisy!"

Unexpectedly, Qin Chuan let out a cold snort. The dragon pattern flickered, and at that instant, the Sleepy Bug felt as though it had witnessed a falling meteor.

Shang Xuanyue, who had just been acting so majestic, suddenly felt as if the ground beneath him had vanished. With a sharp slap, he plummeted straight out of the air, crashing down in a dizzying heap.

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

"This... what on earth is going on?!"

"Why did I suddenly fall?!"

Shang Xuanyue swallowed a mouthful of sand, his eyes filled with sheer disbelief and shock.

The black harrier eagle thrashed about on the sandy ground, spreading its wings only to find that it couldn't fly no matter what, terrifying it out of its wits.

"I've never encountered such a situation before. It feels as if an invisible pressure is suppressing me."

"Master, I can't fly anymore!"

In the end, the black harrier eagle could only report to Shang Xuanyue with trembling fear.

Watching this scene, the Sleepy Bug was also dumbfounded, muttering, "Big... Big Brother, you just shouted and he fell right out of the sky? Isn't that a bit too miraculous?"

Qin Chuan smiled without a word and walked over slowly, quickly recognizing his old acquaintance.

"So it's you, Shang Xuanyue."

Shang Xuanyue was deeply shocked, wearing a bewildered expression as he demanded, "Who on earth are you? How do you know me?!"

The corners of Qin Chuan's mouth curled into a charming arc as he said indifferently, "My name is Qin Chuan. You must be here to avenge Shang Xuanyuan, right?"

"Qin Chuan! So you are Qin Chuan! I'm going to kill you!"

"Wait! Weren't you only at level 30? How are you... how are you at level 38 now?!"

Shang Xuanyue was shocked beyond measure, to the point where his speech became incoherent.

In fact, Qin Chuan hadn't used any miraculous skill just now; this was simply the passive ability provided by Long Ao: Flight Suppression.

Flight Suppression (Passive): Within a range of one hundred meters, forces targets below level 48 to be unable to fly.

As the king of the skies, it was no surprise that Long Ao possessed this passive ability. However, to Shang Xuanyue and the Sleepy Bug, it felt utterly miraculous, as no such passive skill existed in the Spirit Realm.

The real reason was that Long Ao's possession of Qin Chuan's sword body had caused a mutation. Consequently, his abilities could only manifest according to the rules of the Spirit Realm. Thus, this unprecedented passive ability of Flight Suppression was born—which could well be considered a miracle within the Spirit Realm.

Ironically, back when Qin Chuan was in the Wind Spirit Valley, he could only flee in panic upon encountering Shang Xuanyue. Now, mere months later, the balance of power between them had undergone a heaven-defying transformation.

Qin Chuan drew the Dragon-Pattern Cold Crystal Sword, its faint red glow appearing dazzlingly bright. He said calmly, "Last month, I was indeed only at level 30."

At that moment, Shang Xuanyue was struck utterly dumb: "Wh... what? Rising eight levels in a month? This... how is that possible!"

Gaining eight levels in a month was something even the most peerless prodigies could not achieve. Shang Xuanyue immediately categorized Qin Chuan as non-human.

On this point, Shang Xuanyue's judgment was actually quite accurate: Qin Chuan truly was non-human.

"A red spiritual weapon, it really is a red spiritual weapon!"

At this moment, even the bone sword in Shang Xuanyue's hand let out a shrill cry, its blade trembling uncontrollably.

Thinking that Qin Chuan was only at level 30, Shang Xuanyue had harbored intentions of seizing his spiritual weapon, which was why he had been so impatient. As for whether he truly wanted to avenge Shang Xuanyuan, only he himself knew.

Yet the current reality completely defied his imagination; Qin Chuan's formidable power frightened him to the core.

"Pleasantries are done. I'll send you on your way."

The corners of Qin Chuan's mouth curved into a flawless arc—a smile that made Shang Xuanyue's hair stand on end and his soul nearly scatter in terror.

Shang Xuanyue let out a piercing scream and, completely abandoning all principles, chose to turn and flee. His retreat was countless times more wretched than Qin Chuan's had been back then. At least when Qin Chuan had fought Shang Xuanyue previously, though he couldn't break his defenses, he had shown commendable courage. But right now, Shang Xuanyue didn't even have the will to resist, utterly humiliating the dignity of Black Wind Cliff.

Facing such a situation, Qin Chuan naturally showed no mercy. A single Flowing Strike finished off Shang Xuanyue and incidentally cleaved the bone sword in two.

A purple spiritual weapon was something Qin Chuan truly looked down upon now; keeping it would just waste spatial storage.

"Well, a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. This feels rather good."

Qin Chuan felt quite refreshed, never expecting that he would be able to execute Shang Xuanyue right before leaving.

The black harrier eagle suffered a backlash, let out a miserable shriek, and promptly passed out.

"Big Brother, this black harrier eagle is just right for riding. It's Black Wind Cliff's signature mount; ordinary people don't have one."

The Sleepy Bug scampered around it and shouted excitedly, having heard of the black harrier eagle's reputation back in Purple Spirit Mansion.

Qin Chuan collected the spoils of war, then walked over slowly and said with a smile, "Little brother, I suddenly have a new plan."

"What plan?"

"To rob Black Wind Cliff's treasury."

"Ah? No way! Big Brother, are you really that bold?"

At that moment, the Sleepy Bug was completely dumbfounded. Qin Chuan still hadn't given up—this could only be described as incorrigible malice.

A moment later, Qin Chuan drove the black harrier eagle and carried the Sleepy Bug high up into the clouds.

Looking down from high above, he realized that the region controlled by the inner sect was even larger than the outer sect, with Black Wind Cliff located right in the center of this territory.

Black Wind Cliff was shrouded in heavy black fog year-round, with only the tip of a black peak jutting out from the top. Viewed from afar, it looked eerie and terrifying, resembling a black giant standing tall upon the earth.

At this point, Qin Chuan asked, "Little Black, do you know how to get in?"

"Big Boss, don't you worry, I know the way like the back of my hand!"

Little Black was the black harrier eagle. Since Qin Chuan did not know the Soul Restriction Art, he hadn't actually placed any control over it. Instead, this made the black harrier eagle deeply grateful, shamelessly acknowledging the Sleepy Bug as Big Brother and Qin Chuan as Big Boss.

To be honest, Qin Chuan looked down slightly on this black harrier eagle because its strength was too weak. However, for the sake of his upcoming plan, Qin Chuan accepted this little subordinate; with the black harrier eagle around, he could save a considerable amount of time.

After a short while, the black harrier eagle spread its wings and, like a tiny black dot, flew straight into the thick black fog.