Chapter Eighty-Eight: It Might Be Good to Visit the Li Family First!

Chen Xiang walked up to the edge of this darkness and reached out to touch it, but was immediately repelled by a fierce restrictive force. All he could do now was smile wryly, for his status as an Earth Spirit Array Master had long expired; at best, he was now a Yellow Spirit Array Master. This Heaven Spirit Array was not something he could break through in his current state.

If he were to try brute force, that would be even more impossible. This was a formation capable of resisting a Nascent Soul cultivator at the seventh level. Although his strength had recently soared, he was still far from being able to contend with someone at the Nascent Soul stage.

After pondering for a while, he realized there was only one thing that could help him escape.

“Well, so be it. Although this item is expensive, it’s still available for purchase, and I should be able to get it from the Nascent Soul Growth Package, right?” Chen Xiang muttered to himself.

He retrieved the only mid-grade Void Escape Talisman from his system space and crushed it decisively. His figure vanished from the spot instantly.

Dozens of miles away, the space rippled, and Chen Xiang squeezed his way out of the void.

But before his feet even touched the ground, a sharp voice rang out, “Who are you, shameless scoundrel? How dare you commit such disgraceful acts here?”

Chen Xiang turned and saw a coldly beautiful woman glaring at him, her face flushed with both embarrassment and anger. Behind her stood several others, all watching him warily.

Even with his thick skin, Chen Xiang couldn’t help but blush. He forced a laugh and said, “Haha, don’t misunderstand, beautiful lady. My clothes were accidentally destroyed, and I just escaped from somewhere dangerous, so I haven’t had a chance to put anything on yet.”

The woman was unmoved by his explanation. She turned away, refusing to look at him, and said coldly, “Hurry up and put on some clothes!”

Oh, come on—my perfect physique is a loss to anyone who glimpses it, yet you act as if you’re the one who’s suffered a grievance seeing my whole body?

Not wanting to be taken advantage of, Chen Xiang quickly donned a magical robe. After all, the extreme southern lands were bitterly cold.

Though the woman didn’t look directly at him, her spiritual sense never left him. Sensing that he had dressed, she finally turned back around.

Chen Xiang’s current constitution rendered him immune to the cold, so he didn’t bother retrieving his artifact-level northeastern greatcoat. Instead, he changed into a versatile magical robe that restored his former chivalrous appearance.

Curiously, the beautiful woman was herself dressed in nothing but a fiery red gown, a sight that was strikingly alluring.

Suppressing her earlier embarrassment and anger, the woman steadied herself and asked, “Fellow cultivator, where were you trapped? Apart from the ice and snow, there aren’t many dangerous places in the extreme south.”

Chen Xiang was well aware that all his body hair had been reduced to ashes. Though the cold wind didn’t bother him, he felt a distinct chill on his bare scalp. He quickly exchanged for a bottle of powerful hair growth solution from the system store and sprayed it on his head.

In moments, his hair grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, soon becoming a lustrous mane that fell to his waist. His eyebrows, however, would have to grow back naturally.

Catching the woman’s question, he flipped his shiny hair and flashed a dazzling smile. “Sorry, beautiful, what did you say? I didn’t quite catch that. Shall we discuss it in greater depth?”

Chen Xiang wasn’t bad-looking, but the lack of eyebrows made him look rather odd.

The woman’s expression turned frigid. Never had anyone spoken to her in such a flirtatious manner. This man had appeared out of nowhere, and she had seen things she shouldn’t have—though, admittedly, they were impressive. Still, she felt her eyes had been sullied!

“Are you trying to insult me, fellow cultivator?” she said icily.

The four men behind her glared at Chen Xiang, as if ready to attack at any moment.

Chen Xiang’s expression remained indifferent. He had already discerned their cultivation levels: the four men were all between the second and third levels of the Nascent Soul stage, while the coldly beautiful woman herself was at the seventh level. It was clear she was their leader.

Their hostility didn’t concern him in the slightest. Not only had his strength surged to Nascent Soul level three, but even before, at the peak of the Core Formation stage, he could have dispatched these five with ease.

“Don’t think I’m insulting you, beautiful,” Chen Xiang said with a faint smile. “And even if I am, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“What did you say?”

“Young man, apologize to our lady at once!”

“Apologize now, or don’t blame us for being rude!”

The four Nascent Soul men’s faces darkened as they barked their threats, forming hand seals and preparing to strike.

The coldly beautiful woman’s face was icy, but she didn’t lose her composure. From the start, she had seen through Chen Xiang’s cultivation—Nascent Soul level three, the same or lower than her men. Yet he dared speak so arrogantly. He must have something to rely on.

“Fellow cultivator, I misspoke earlier,” the woman said, doing her best to keep her tone even. “But I would like to ask you a question. After that, we need not cross paths again.”

Now was not the time to pick fights with strangers. They had been searching the extreme south for nearly half a month, yet hadn’t even glimpsed their lady. There was no news from Morshade City, either.

The extreme south was vast, and they had only managed to search the snowfields because of a token containing a sliver of their lady’s spiritual sense. Ten days ago, that connection had been lost, and with it, their means of locating her. However, before the link broke, their lady had lingered in one place for a long while; it was likely she had entered some place protected by a powerful restriction, severing their connection. They could still determine a general direction.

“Oh? What do you want to ask?” Chen Xiang replied casually.

His straightforward response softened the woman’s expression.

“Have you seen a man and a woman, both at the Core Formation stage? The woman should be at least seventh level, possibly veiled or with a large red birthmark on her face?” she inquired.

“Hm?” Chen Xiang’s eyes flashed with sharp light at her words.

Those were Li Qiner’s exact features. The man she spoke of must be me. Who are these people, searching for us?

“Have you seen them?” the woman pressed, her tone growing serious as she saw his reaction.

Chen Xiang nodded slowly. “I have. The man was strikingly handsome, and though the woman was veiled, her figure was unforgettable. What business do you have with them?”

A flicker of delight crossed the woman’s heart, but she kept her composure. “It’s not an enmity. That woman is our young lady. She’s playful by nature and slipped away from our family in secret. That man was likely a stranger she met on her journey. We’re only searching for her out of concern for her safety.”

Understanding dawned on Chen Xiang. “Ah, I see.”

Inwardly, he sneered. So the Li family hasn’t given up yet. Now that I’ve found their trail, perhaps it’s time to pay them a visit.

To be continued…