Seeing Ye Xuan’s shocked expression, the storyteller spoke again. "You don’t believe me, do you? But whether you believe it or not is up to you. I only tell the truth in my stories, without bias. Little boy, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"Sir, apart from Gongsun Xin, did anyone else escape alive?"
"Yes, Gongsun Qi and Gongsun Han. But those two weren’t so lucky. Monk Yuanmie completely shattered their Dantians."
"Is that Monk Yuanmie really that powerful? To think he could shatter the Dantians of two Elders!"
Ye Xuan was deeply astonished. A person’s Dantian was incredibly stable. A Cultivator would need to be at least two major realms higher than their opponent to shatter it. Although the monk was strong, he couldn’t be quite that powerful.
The storyteller explained, "Monk Yuanmie wields a treasure from the Great Buddha Temple called the Demon-Breaking Pestle. This pestle was forged by an Artifact Refining Master. When the Master created this item, he never expected it to contain such a terrifying power. There is a five percent chance for this power to erupt. If it does, it can shatter a Dantian. Because of this unexpected power, the Demon-Breaking Pestle is also known as a Cultivator’s Nightmare. It is a Buddhist Forbidden Artifact, personally sealed away by the Great Buddha Temple."
Nearby, Hua’s pupils constantly contracted upon hearing the name of the Great Buddha Temple. Sure enough, that monk came from the Great Buddha Temple. But why would someone from the Great Buddha Temple come to the Moyue Kingdom?
"A Cultivator’s Nightmare... that name is very fitting. But is it really such a coincidence that both Elders had their Dantians shattered at the same time?" Ye Xuan asked.
The storyteller shook his head. "It wasn’t a coincidence. It was intentional."
What! Ye Xuan clenched his fists. That Monk Yuanmie was too ruthless. He had intentionally spared the two Elders! He knew that for Cultivators, the cruelest fate was having their Dantians destroyed. If he couldn’t destroy it on the first try, he would try ten times, a hundred times... Gongsun Qi and Gongsun Han hadn’t actually fought their way out; Yuanmie had deliberately let them go.
Once a Dantian was destroyed, no one could save the victim. The only exception would be finding unparalleled Exotic Treasures capable of bringing the dead back to life and regenerating flesh on bare bones to reconstruct the body. However, such Exotic Treasures existed only in legends.
"Sir, may I ask where Gongsun Qi and Gongsun Han are now?"
"Unable to accept reality, Gongsun Qi threw himself off a cliff and committed suicide. Gongsun Han should currently be in a small town a thousand miles away. Although his cultivation is gone, his physical body still retains the strength of the Frenzy Spirit Realm, so he can still survive."
Gongsun Han had originally been an expert in the Earth Spirit Realm. However, without Spiritual Qi circulating through his body, his physical toughness was only at the Frenzy Spirit Realm. This was exactly why Cultivators feared the depletion of Spiritual Qi. Once their Spiritual Qi dried up, they became incredibly weak. Exactly how weak was impossible to calculate, as different people practiced different Cultivation Techniques, resulting in varying degrees of physical toughness.
"Which town is he in?" Ye Xuan asked again, his voice heavy.
"Taiping Town, to the north."
Ye Xuan grew increasingly surprised. "Sir, I can’t believe you know such precise details."
The storyteller replied calmly, "To tell a story, a storyteller must understand it from many different angles. Even if this person’s story doesn’t ultimately make it into a performance, it is still an essential piece of source material. Little boy, do you have anything else to ask?"
"No, sir. Thank you."
"You’re welcome. Consider it my thanks for you smoothing things over for me earlier. Well then, I’ll be taking my leave."
As soon as his voice fell, the old man’s body vanished. The main doors hadn’t opened or closed. Only the nearby window shifted slightly. Ye Xuan hurriedly stood up and rushed to the window. He was just in time to see the old man’s figure blend into the crowd before disappearing completely.
"So strong!" Ye Xuan looked stunned.
The old man hadn’t used Instant Movement just now, but it was practically the same thing. This could only mean one thing—his speed was simply too fast. He was a peerless expert. No wonder he dared to ignore the words of the Sun Family; he hadn’t taken them seriously at all. The only reason he had been willing to tell Ye Xuan all of this was simply because Ye Xuan had spoken up for him earlier.
The more mysterious and powerful the old man was, the higher the credibility of his words. An expert of that caliber had no need to fabricate stories. This meant his Uncle Xin was indeed alive, though his meridians had been severed and he was locked in a dungeon.
Fortunately, Ye Xuan could heal severed meridians. He still had quite a few Vessel Continuation Pills left on him. Even if he didn’t have enough, he could always refine more.
His Uncle Xin’s meridians had only been severed, not his Dantian shattered. This likely wasn’t out of the Sun Family’s mercy, but rather because that one-eyed monk had already left by then.
"Young Master, are you going to rescue him?" Hua’s voice suddenly rang out. She could read him like a book.
Ye Xuan nodded, but then shook his head. "I really do want to save him, but what qualifications do I have to do so right now? I’m still too weak and lack resources. I just hope this Two-Star Secret Realm can boost my cultivation by a few levels. I’m just worried that Uncle Xin won’t be able to withstand the shock and torture, and will die in the dungeon."
"Young Master... what if we let the Blood Princess go save him?"
"The Blood Princess..." A light flickered in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
Hua nodded. "The Blood Princess might not be a match for the Sun Family. But if she is only going to rescue someone, it shouldn’t be a problem."
Ye Xuan thought for a moment before finally shaking his head. It was too risky! The Blood Princess’s Instant Movement was indeed an incredible Divine Power. However, the demonic aura on her body was too heavy. The moment she entered the Sun Family estate, she would likely be sensed. She wouldn’t even get the chance to enter the dungeon.
"No, the demonic aura on the Blood Princess is very heavy. Something could go wrong."
"Demonic aura? You’re right, I overlooked the demonic aura on the Blood Princess. But don’t worry, Young Master. Since your Uncle Xin is still alive now, it means he doesn’t want to die. Besides, the Sun Family definitely has their reasons for not killing him, which means Gongsun Xin shouldn’t be in any immediate danger."
"Let’s hope so."
"By the way, Young Master, are you going to tell the Gongsun Family about Gongsun Xin?"
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment before replying, "No. I’m worried that Po and the others, or even my mother, won’t be able to hold themselves back from coming to the Sun Family to attempt a rescue. Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Come on, let’s go out and buy you an outfit that can change your body shape. I’m worried Sun Hang and the others might recognize you."
One day later.
Ye Xuan and Hua left the inn and headed toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Hua’s figure looked entirely different from yesterday, appearing somewhat plump. This was all due to the Airbag Leather Clothing that Ye Xuan had specifically given her. This type of Beast Hide Clothing was designed specifically to alter a person’s body shape. Now, even if Sun Hang were to stand right in front of Hua, there was a high probability he wouldn’t recognize her.
Half an hour later, the two arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. The battle that day had destroyed most of the mansion. Yet, in just a short month, the City Lord’s Mansion had been mostly restored. Cultivators indeed built houses at an incredibly fast pace.
By the time Ye Xuan arrived, a large crowd had already gathered around the main entrance. These people all hailed from various Three-Star Main Towns. Each main town was allowed to send three representatives. Ye Xuan took a rough look at the number of people present. There were about nine hundred of them.
This meant that a single city commanded three hundred Three-Star Main Towns.
That scope was simply massive.