Chapter 295 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (46)
(Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)
(Castmere Beach)
The sun had long disappeared and only the soft moonlight illuminated the waves that crashed against the shore.
Xu Lu sat down under the shade of a leafy palm tree and enjoyed the cold wind that brushed softly against her body.
After spending weeks in the desert, she was just glad to not have to experience that kind of oppressive heat.
A few days had passed since she began her journey back to Mount Xilean and so far... not to jinx things but it had been quite uneventful.
The only exciting event that occurred was seeing a large flightless bird performing a strange dance to attract mates.
And honestly... he had some moves!
The saintess hummed softly as she waved her palm and used strands of her qi to pick up dry sticks and loose rocks nearby.
She created a nice and cozy fire-pit, and it was only missing one element. Xu Lu snapped her fingers and performed a simple heating technique.
A small flame erupted from her fingertips and shot towards the dry sticks that were stacked up closely together.
Soon a roaring fire provided a source of warm and comforting heat that made the cold ocean breeze more bearable.
This was the life.
Xu Lu had always enjoyed spending time in nature. There was something peaceful about living in the wild.
Maybe it was the lack of pollution or signs of civilisation. A reminder that without humans, the land would flourish.
The saintess reached into the pocket of her robe and lightly touched the top of her little mouse' head.
It was fast asleep.
A gentle smile flashed beneath the mask covering Xu Lu's face as she stared upwards at the sky that was filled with an infinite number of stars.
Maybe one day she would be able to visit a mission plane where technology was incredibly advanced.
A world where humans could freely travel amongst the stars to bold new locations and explore different planets.
Crack! Crack!
Xu Lu immediately froze and reached for the sword that was securely attached to her hip. She could sense movement coming from nearby.
The sounds became louder and louder. It sounded almost like... footsteps.
The saintess slowly got up from the ground and prepared to confront the intruders.
They may be innocent passerby so Xu Lu was not going to ambush them.
The seconds that passed felt like hours as every muscle in her body was alert and ready to move at a moment's notice.
Finally she saw the ones responsible for the sounds. A large group of around twenty young men and women came out from the forest near the beach.
They wore brilliant colourful robes and had a variety of weapons attached to long leather belts that were wrapped around their waists.
Xu Lu noticed swords, daggers, spears and even one girl who had a chain attached to a large sickle whose edge gleamed under the moonlight.
The group was led by an elderly man in long blue robes. The man had an arrogant sneer on his face as he walked up to Xu Lu.
"Who are you?" the man demanded in a rough tone.
He probably assumed that she was a lone cultivator with no backing or powers behind her.
He could not be more wrong.
Xu Lu held her ground and reached into her storage bag for a pendant. She lifted the pendant out of the bag and showed the markings on its wooden surface.
"I am the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect," Xu Lu spoke calmly but the pressure radiating off her body was enough to make the elderly man take a few steps backwards.
"Now... reveal your identities."
In that moment their roles were instantly swapped.
Despite having the superior numbers, beads of sweat ran down the elderly man's brows.
He did not know if the pendant was legitimate but what he did know was that the masked woman in front of him had a higher cultivation level.
You see... numbers did not matter in the cultivation world.
A qi spirit cultivator could easily defeat ten cultivators in the qi body stage and from the qi tide stage going upwards... those high-level cultivators would never lose.
Unless they faced off against an opponent with equal or higher cultivation prowess.
Xu Lu could hear shocked whispers and gasps coming from the large group behind the elderly man.
They probably did not expect to bump into the saintess of one of the biggest cultivation sects on the continent.
"My apologies," the elderly man's tone immediately shifted and he became a lot more pleasant and respectful.
"My name is Lai Wei, and I am an elder of the Soaring Tiger Sect. I am on a scouting mission with outer disciples to help them gain experience."
"Well then... you can go," Xu Lu arrogantly spoke as she sat back down and leaned against the trunk of the palm tree.
She waved her hand dismissively and expressions of rage flashed across the faces of some of the outer disciples.
The elder leading the group struggled to keep his emotions under control and eventually formed a twisted grimace that vaguely resembled a smile.
"Of course... sorry to bother you..." the elder calmly spoke with his fingers clenched into a tight fist.
Xu Lu did not pay the man any more attention and stared off into the distance. She was still alert and prepared for any sudden moves but nothing happened.
The elder simply told his disciples that they would be travelling to another rest point and then the group left the beach.
Xu Lu let out a sigh of relief under her breath and waited until the footsteps faded off into the distance before she snuffed out the fire.
She needed to act the way a saintess was expected to act. Saints and saintess were chosen as the future heads of cultivation clans.
They were the proud sons and daughters of heaven and as such many of them believed themselves to be untouchable gods.
Xu Lu hated that sort of arrogant and stuck up attitude but it was the role that she needed to play in order to convince the elder she was who she claimed to be.
The saintess kicked some sand over the still smoldering fire and her surroundings was plunged into darkness.
Even though the group of cultivators had left... Xu Lu was taking no chances.
She got up from the ground and headed towards the opposite direction.
Cultivators did not need to eat, drink or rest but Xu Lu still liked to relax when night fell.
It was a shame that she wouldn't be able to enjoy lying down along the shore of the beach tonight.
Suddenly a loud scream pierced through the air. Xu Lu immediately turned in the direction of the sound and then froze in place.
She could see a heavy plume of smoke rising upwards towards the sky. It was a clear sign that something was burning.
Wait... wasn't that where the group of disciples were heading?
"ARGHHH!!!! NO!!! PLEASEE!"
Another horrific scream joined the first one. It was a bloodcurdling cry that sent shivers down Xu Lu's spine.