My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 291: Chapter 20: The Gathering in the Storm

Mozhou Road.

In Yongsu Prefecture, in a dense forest where a nameless stream south of Dinghuai County Town intertwined with the Five Divine Rivers, locals would often come to gather dry firewood. But for the past two days, torrential rains had flooded the lower-lying areas, so no one came anymore.

But deep within the forest, under a gloomy sky, a faint light flickered. As one drew closer, sounds of laughter could be heard mixing with the rain, punctuated by the occasional crisp clang of colliding weapons.

Deep in the woods, there was a clearing with a packed-earth floor. In its center stood a brazier about twenty feet tall, where a great fire blazed, defying the downpour and casting a crimson glow on the surroundings.

Hundreds of people had gathered around the clearing. Dressed in all manner of attire and armed with various weapons, they all watched with excitement as two figures battled beside the massive brazier.

One combatant wielded a black iron chain tipped with a gruesome skull. A thick, corrupting aura billowed out with every swing—a common weapon for a Taiyin Evil Cultivator. His opponent brandished two longswords that glowed deep red. The intense heat from each slash was enough to scorch and warp the very air.

The clang of weapons came from their exchange. The Taiyin Evil Cultivator used his chain to control the distance, periodically launching sneak attacks with corpse-poisoned hidden weapons. But his opponent’s movement was superb, and with twin swords that shifted between powerful, yang-like strikes and soft, gentle maneuvers, he was on the verge of scouring away the Taiyin Aura on the chain.

A dozen breaths later, just as the chain in the Taiyin Cultivator’s hand seemed about to melt from the heat of the swords, he let it go completely. He formed a Spell with his left hand, and the chain twisted and lunged like a great serpent, trying to ensnare his opponent. At the same time, he slapped a storage pouch at his waist with his other hand.

Several Power Pills, wrapped in Yin Yang Vine, appeared in his hand. The crowd of spectators immediately booed, but the Taiyin Cultivator remained unfazed. Seizing an opportunity, he threw the Power Pills.

A piercing explosion erupted. Just as the blast of white, misty energy was about to engulf his opponent, the man used a teleporting Demon Soldier to shift twenty feet backward.

"Heh heh!"

The Taiyin Cultivator let out a low chuckle. The Spell in his hand shifted rapidly. The hidden weapons he had thrown earlier, which had fallen to the ground, suddenly stirred and shot forward, sealing off all of his opponent’s escape routes.

In that instant, a torrent of heat surged skyward as countless hidden weapons sliced through the rain.

"PFFT!"

The Fire Cultivator dodged most of the hidden weapons, but a single silver needle still pierced his chest, revealing the burning Spirit Vein within. He faltered for a moment. In that split second, the Taiyin Cultivator’s Spell changed again. The previously dormant chain sprang to life, wrapping itself around the Fire Cultivator. A dense Taiyin Aura surged forth, completely suppressing the newly established Spirit Vein inside his body.

In the next moment, the Fire Cultivator’s body decayed at a visible rate, transforming into a living corpse in the blink of an eye. The Taiyin Cultivator then collected it into his storage pouch.

"Feijiang, using a Mystic Sect’s tricks? Have you no shame?" someone jeered from the crowd.

"Did anyone say Power Pills were forbidden?" The Taiyin Cultivator, having collected his spoils, swallowed two Elixirs. He glanced at the sole high platform in the area before quickly retreating into the crowd.

Atop the high platform sat a young, grim-faced Cultivator. He wore red-and-black silk clothes, his hair was bound with a matching red-and-black ribbon, and he toyed with a wooden dagger in his hand.

This was Yu An, the man Xiu Yu had mentioned. From his somber expression, it was clear his sworn brother, Zi Xun, had perished.

"Power Pills are going for about eight taels of silver apiece on the black market now, right? What a rip-off. I heard they only cost two taels of silver when they come out of Qianmu Temple."

"You planning to rob a Qianmu Temple caravan?" freёwebnovel.com

"Haha!"

Amidst a wave of laughter, two more people walked up to the brazier.

Although these duels were life-threatening, the victor won all of their opponent’s possessions. For powerful Cultivators, it was undoubtedly the best way to get rich quick.

Just then, another figure appeared at the edge of the high platform, having arrived unnoticed.

"Is it confirmed?" Yu An flicked his finger, setting up a Sound Insulation Barrier around the platform.

"Confirmed. It was Bian Gen."

Yu An’s brow furrowed. "Why would this happen?"

"It’s unclear!"

"Unclear?"

"Well, it’s not hard to guess. The people from the True Yang Sect have always been arrogant. They never respected us from the start of our partnership. And Daoist Zi Xun never knew when to hold his tongue. He probably offended someone somewhere without even realizing it."

It sounded far-fetched, but the words struck a chord with Yu An. His mind involuntarily drifted to several infuriating incidents.

"Maybe we should just let it go. After all, Bian Gen’s master is..."

The newcomer pointed toward the sky.

A young man in a Blue Daoist Robe standing below the platform cupped his fist toward Yu An and said, "Master, perhaps we should consult with Eldest Martial Uncle first. This matter is no small affair. If..."

"I could figure out what your Eldest Martial Uncle would say with my eyes closed!"

Yu An’s gaze fell on his disciple. "You received plenty of favors from Daoist Zi Xun, yet now you’re cowering. If I were to face a calamity in the future, would you have this same attitude?"

"This disciple wouldn’t dare!"

"Wouldn’t dare? I’m not so sure..."

Yu An murmured, looking out at the Cultivators gathered around. He then ordered, "Go tell them that whatever they can plunder in Mozhou Road this time is up to their own luck."

With that said, he turned to the person at the edge of the platform and asked, "Any problems on Nanlin Road’s side?"

"Don’t worry. Chaos in Mozhou Road is exactly what Changqing wants to see. As long as we don’t provoke him, we’ll be fine. Besides, we have Daoist Xiu Yu to help us."

The Changqing they spoke of was, at that very moment, in his small courtyard, staring blankly at an Ice Orchid.

He was using the image of the blooming Ice Orchid to calm his mind. But at a critical moment, a young attendant came to the edge of the courtyard and reported, "Grandmaster, Daoist Lin Chen of Sanhe Temple requests an audience."

"Oh?"

Wang Ping was surprised.

It turned out Lin Chen had come to deliver a message from Daoist Wen Yang. Wen Yang had acquired a Fire Vein in the recent three-seat election and had sent it to Sanhe Temple via the gathering’s secret transport routes. A letter was sent along with it.

The letter hadn’t arrived with the goods but had been sent by express delivery. Its contents were a warning to Wang Ping: the True Yang Sect had received intelligence that ’Day One’ had suddenly become active in Mozhou Road, and at least two Third Realm Cultivators had secretly entered the area!