CHAPTER 423: CHAPTER 423, THE CAVE

As they spoke, the two quickly left the Saint Tribe. Both Chu Ming and Liu Xuan moved with incredible speed, covering the two hundred miles north of the Saint Tribe in just a few minutes.

It had been three or four days since Chu Ming last visited, and the bloodstains on the ground had long disappeared without a trace. Liu Xuan didn’t notice anything unusual and appeared quite relaxed during their conversation. With their Guiyuan Realm Fifth Heaven strength, killing a hundred Five-tailed Black Cat Demons was indeed an extremely easy task.

"Actually, taking on this mission isn’t too bad. There are plenty of Five-tailed Black Cat Demons, and even if we kill a dozen more, the Saint won’t blame us."

Liu Xuan cast a meaningful glance at Chu Ming.

"Mm."

Chu Ming nodded slightly but found it amusing in his heart. Killing these Black Cat Demons to obtain Blood Pearls was completely normal. Did they really need the Saint’s permission? It seemed that the Saint’s prestige was deeply ingrained in Liu Xuan’s mind, indeed very hard to dispel.

"What’s going on? Why haven’t we encountered a single Black Cat Demon yet?"

Walking through the forest, the Mist Mountain Range was shrouded in fog, the sunlight piercing through it leaving only subtle traces of light on the ground, dimly glittering.

Not encountering a Black Cat Demon along the way made Liu Xuan quite puzzled.

Chu Ming wondered if it was because he had killed too many Black Cat Demons three days ago, scaring them all away?

But as soon as this thought appeared in his mind, Chu Ming dismissed it. The Holy Alliance needed to hunt a hundred Black Cat Demons each month, and he had only killed a little over fifty three days ago, barely reaching half the quota. The possibility of scaring them off was slim.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

For a while, Liu Xuan stopped talking. Confident in their abilities, they kept advancing deeper. Liu Xuan looked around, searching for traces of the Black Cat Demons.

Meanwhile, Chu Ming quietly expanded his Spiritual Sense, which quickly radiated within a hundred meters around him.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several black shadows swiftly flew past from the dense forest beside Liu Xuan. Liu Xuan’s eyes lit up, and without saying a word to Chu Ming, he moved like the wind, chasing after them.

Chu Ming didn’t say much, darting after him. Liu Xuan was a Body Refining Martial Artist, his mobility on par with Qin Tian. Within a few breaths, he caught up to Liu Xuan, who was now engaged in a fierce battle with over a dozen Five-tailed Black Cat Demons.

Liu Xuan practiced the Earth Level Low Tier Fist Technique "Red Fire Fist." When he punched, it was as if flames were burning, the air quickly evaporating, the temperature rising by three or four degrees out of thin air. Combined with his Guiyuan Realm Fifth Layer Body Refining Power, his fists moved with such density that the Black Cat Demons didn’t dare to approach.

Swish, swish, swish...

In a matter of ten moves, Liu Xuan dispatched over a dozen Five-tailed Black Cat Demons. The Black Cat Demons he killed all turned into dry bones, their blood completely evaporated.

"Hahaha, Brother Chu, after searching for half an hour, we’ve finally made some gains!"

Liu Xuan extracted the Blood Pearls from the Black Cat Demons’ corpses, placed them in a black sack, and smiled at Chu Ming.

Most martial artists in the Saint Tribe were Body Refining Martial Artists, with only a few practicing Spiritual Power. After all, the presence of Black Cat Demons in the Mist Mountain Range was their unique advantage.

Therefore, Liu Xuan didn’t have a Storage Ring, only a black bag at his waist to hold the Blood Pearls, which he intended to hand over to the Saint upon returning.

"Let’s move on. I just saw a few shadows fly by; they should be nearby."

Liu Xuan suggested to Chu Ming.

The two walked side-by-side through the forest, Chu Ming constantly observing their surroundings with his Spiritual Sense. Liu Xuan appeared carefree, but Chu Ming couldn’t shake a sense of unease in his heart.

His intuition was usually very accurate, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source of his unease.

Whoosh!

His ears twitched, and Chu Ming stamped his right foot on the ground, his body moving like a leopard. He punched through the dense forest on the right, a bright blue arc of lightning emanating from his fist.

Crack!

A Five-tailed Black Cat Demon was instantly killed by Chu Ming, its blood spraying out. Squatting down, Chu Ming rummaged through the demon’s body and soon took out a Blood Pearl.

"Brother Chu, I didn’t expect your alertness to be so sharp. I hadn’t even noticed that Black Cat Demon before you killed it."

Liu Xuan walked out from the forest, his face showing admiration as he looked at Chu Ming.

"Here."

Chu Ming handed the Blood Pearl to Liu Xuan, but Liu Xuan didn’t take it. He said, "You killed it, so you should keep it. We just need to hand over this black sack later."

Chu Ming didn’t decline, attaching the Blood Pearl to his waist. The Storage Ring was too conspicuous, so he kept it hidden.

They continued to intermittently hunt over fifty more Five-tailed Black Cat Demons. The black sack was about to be filled, but Liu Xuan remained calm, and Chu Ming wasn’t in a hurry either.

"By the way, do you know when the Holy Alliance was founded?"

Subconsciously, Chu Ming asked Liu Xuan.

"The Holy Alliance was established about fifty years ago. At that time, a large number of Black Cat Demons attacked the village. To resist their onslaught, the Saint founded the Holy Alliance. In the blink of an eye, fifty years have passed. It’s like living in yesterday. Even the young ones back then have grown old, hahahaha."

Liu Xuan didn’t suspect anything. He explained openly, his face showing a trace of nostalgia.

"It’s strange, though. While we’ve all been aging slowly, the Saint still looks the same as he did back then. He must have cultivated some special technique."

Liu Xuan added.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ming sneered inwardly. The Saint hadn’t cultivated some special technique. He was also an outsider, and with his Guiyuan Realm Sixth Heaven cultivation, his lifespan was over three hundred years. Fifty years would naturally leave no marks on him.

After ten more minutes of walking, both Chu Ming and Liu Xuan started to feel a bit bored. Just then, a black shadow flew past Chu Ming’s side. He instinctively chased after it, and Liu Xuan wasn’t willing to fall behind.

Bang!

Chu Ming clenched his right hand tightly, blue lightning bolts dancing across it. He punched toward the black shadow ahead, lightning swirling, his Fist Force surging, dust flying everywhere.

Crack!

The Black Cat Demon ahead was instantly killed by Chu Ming’s punch. After extracting the Blood Pearl from its body, Chu Ming furrowed his brow, noticing a dark cave in front of him.

"Brother Chu, what are you looking at?"

Liu Xuan caught up, glanced at the corpse on the ground, then followed Chu Ming’s gaze to the nearby cave.