Rebirth of the Urban Demon Lord

Chapter 76 A Strange Chill

Chapter Seventy-Six: An Unexplained Chill

"Master, do you look down on the Lingzhou Cultivator Alliance?"

Xin Mirou was still a little awkward about being called "master," and looked at Zhuo Yang with a hesitant expression. "Now there are alliances of cultivators all over the country. If the cultivators of our Lingzhou don't stick together, they might be bullied by cultivators from other places."

Zhuo Yang glanced at her and said coldly, "Instead of organizing any alliances, you should put your energy and time into cultivation. Even just taking some time to explore the secret realms that appear is much better than forming groups."

“But there are many battles between cultivators. If you don’t have a few friends, won’t you suffer?” Xin Mirou frowned, her teenage appearance behaving like an old woman, the difference between them was so striking that it made people want to laugh.

Zhuo Yang raised the corner of his mouth but didn't laugh: "Only those incompetent guys who want to stir up trouble would waste their precious time organizing some kind of alliance!"

Xin Mirou suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Master sees things clearly. I must have been out of my mind to have gone to such lengths to become the vice president of the Cultivator Alliance."

"No, you were not in control of your own destiny," Zhuo Yang said with a faint smile.

"Why do you say that?" Xin Mirou looked at Zhuo Yang with a puzzled expression. She was not tall and had to keep her head up at all times, which seemed like a young girl looking up at a handsome man.

Zhuo Yang pointed to the distant green mountains and laughed, "That's because you've reached a bottleneck in your cultivation. With more free time, you're thinking of finding things to do."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you busy from now on, so you won't have time to think nonsense!"

He leaped into the air, using the Swift Step technique to leap forward towards the Tombstone Mountain.

Xin Mirou quickly followed, pondering the meaning behind Zhuo Yang's words while marveling at his unfathomable actions.

Before long, the two returned to the courtyard of Villa No. 101. The entire villa was bathed in the afternoon sun, quiet and peaceful.

Dongfang Jiye and the others hid in the cave. Zhuo Yang did not disturb them. With a wave of his hand, the Heavenly Thunder Locking Mist Formation was activated, and the entire mountain was enveloped in thick fog.

"This is... a maze?"

Xin Mirou's eyes widened in astonishment.

She never expected that, right under the noses of the Cultivator Alliance in the suburbs of Lingzhou, Zhuo Yang had quietly set up a maze.

After sensing it for a moment, she widened her eyes again: "Ah, the spiritual energy here is extremely rich, it's simply a blessed land!"

"Well, now that I've settled here, I naturally need to make sure my vital energy is plentiful so that it will be easier for me to cultivate." Zhuo Yang took a deep breath, feeling refreshed. Home is the best place.

Xin Mirou was also taking a deep breath when she actually felt her golden core throb slightly.

"What a wonderful place!" she exclaimed excitedly, feeling that as long as she cultivated here, she could achieve the Golden Core stage and break through the shackles that had plagued her for over thirty years without Zhuo Yang's guidance.

Just then, a surprised cry came from afar; it was a woman's voice.

"The mistress?" Xin Mirou quickly composed herself, stood expressionless a step behind Zhuo Yang, and lowered her posture.

Zhuo Yang's lips twitched instantly, almost uncontrollably.

A moment later, a pretty girl in a light blue dress emerged from the thick fog, looking bewildered. Upon seeing Zhuo Yang, she quickened her pace.

"Master, you're back! Why did you suddenly activate the maze? It startled me; I almost got lost inside." Huang Jiaxin patted her chest, causing a sudden, dazzling tremor.

Zhuo Yang chuckled a few times, touched his nose, and said, "This is Xiao Rou, my new servant. You two should get to know each other."

Huang Jiaxin had already seen Xin Mirou, but she pretended not to. She quickly put on a surprised expression and reached out her hand: "My name is Huang Jiaxin, the master's butler."

Xin Mirou also smiled and shook hands with Huang Jiaxin.

The scene was strange. They seemed intimately close, but the atmosphere was cold, as if the two women didn't get along and were just forcing a smile in a formulaic way.

Zhuo Yang felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

"Ahem." Zhuo Yang forced a laugh. "Jiaxin, go prepare dinner, and while you're at it, let Ke'er and the others come out. They're safe for now."

Huang Jiaxin nodded and left, but stopped after a few steps, squinting her eyes as she asked, "Master, where are you going?"

Zhuo Yang felt a sudden jolt in his heart, as if he were being questioned.

"Teach Xiaorou the techniques and help her break through. It's in the front yard. Tell everyone not to come and disturb her!" After saying that, Zhuo Yang took Xiaorou and disappeared into the mist.

Huang Jiaxin pouted and muttered under her breath, "You go out and bring back a little vixen, you're quite something!"

Zhuo Yang was unaware that Huang Jiaxin was talking about him behind his back. He led Xiao Rou to a grassy area and said in a deep voice, "Your cultivation has been suppressed at the Golden Core stage for too long. Once the Golden Core is solidified, it will be extremely difficult to nurture a Nascent Soul."

"Then what should we do?" Xin Mirou asked nervously, afraid that Zhuo Yang would say something even more shocking.

Her only hope now rests on Zhuo Yang. If Zhuo Yang can't help her either, then her lifespan will end in less than three years. At that time, her cultivation will dissipate, and she will surely die.

Zhuo Yang glanced at her and smiled, "Of course there is a way, and it's very simple. It just depends on whether you dare to try."

"Please give me your instructions, Master. No matter how difficult it is, I am not afraid!" Xin Mirou said resolutely, her body standing straight.

Zhuo Yang nodded and said seriously, "I want you to shatter your core. Do you dare?"

"Shattered core?" Xin Mirou looked at Zhuo Yang in astonishment, trying to discern the truth from his expression.

Judging from Zhuo Yang's expression, it didn't seem fake.

"I... dare!" she said through gritted teeth.

Zhuo Yang was very satisfied and smiled, "Very good, you have some courage, which is a quality a cultivator should have. I will teach you a technique to shatter the Golden Core, similar to the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique. Your cultivation will explode outwards."

"What you need to do is find the core energy in your cultivation, control it, keep it in your dantian, and let your mind focus on this energy..."

Next, Zhuo Yang taught Xin Mirou a technique for shattering the core and disintegrating the body. In actual combat, this technique was used to perish together with the enemy.

Xin Mirou memorized the entire cultivation technique, which consisted of several thousand words, in just one hour. Looking at Zhuo Yang, she saw that he looked somewhat nervous.

"Afraid I'll take advantage of you?" Zhuo Yang asked with a smile.

Xin Mirou shook her head and whispered, "I'm afraid I won't be able to control my violent cultivation after shattering my core."

Zhuo Yang waved his hand and said domineeringly, "Isn't there me? You are my servant, and I will help you control you. Let's begin!"

Xin Mirou smiled, her heart trembling inexplicably at Zhuo Yang's domineering manner.

She took a deep breath and began cultivating the technique for breaking the Golden Core.

A few minutes later, several muffled thuds came from inside her body. Then the air became viscous and turned into several streams of bluish, watery substances that quickly surged around her.

She opened her eyes and growled, "Break!"

In an instant, a shockwave, like an explosion, shattered the surrounding "water flow," sending it surging outwards...