Archean Eon Art c1-766

by I Eat Tomatoes, Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi, 我吃西红柿

  “That’s more like it,” Meng Chuan said in satisfaction. Suddenly, his eyebrows rose, and he stared into the distance.

  “What’s wrong?” Liu Qiyue was puzzled.

  “Qiyue, you head back first. I saw a friend,” said Meng Chuan. “I’ll be back later.”

  “Oh, sure. Don’t stay out too late.” Liu Qiyue nodded and left.

  Meng Chuan looked into the distance. He could sense all life aura within half a kilometer. About a quarter kilometer away, he could sense two vicious and bloody auras. These auras were stained with many lives! Meng Chuan had once scrutinized the hands of an executioner. Even the bloody aura on those hands wasn’t as thick as these two auras.

  This sort of bloody aura seemed to be filled with the screams of countless living beings. It was extremely unique in his senses, making him feel even more disgusted.

  How many people have they killed to have such bloody auras? But these two auras aren’t too strong.

  Meng Chuan strode forward.

  He soon arrived outside a brothel.

  Azure Cloud Brothel? Meng Chuan stared at the brothel in front of him. The lights inside were splendid, and there were many people inside. There was also pleasant laughter from women. Many wealthy businessmen were being led inside.

  This is my first time entering a brothel. Meng Chuan walked in.

  “Young Master, please,” the gigolo at the door said obsequiously.

  Suddenly, the old procuress’s eyes widened. “Young Master Meng?”

  “Young Master Meng?” Immediately, some of the brothel girls who were soliciting the guests turned their heads and saw Meng Chuan walking in.

  “It’s Young Master Meng Chuan?” The atmosphere in the brothel instantly boiled. The women in the brothels were all infatuated with him as they passionately approached him.

  Chapter 39

  Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon

  When he saw the women in the brothel approach, Meng Chuan couldn’t help but panic. He had never been this nervous even when facing demons.

  “Don’t disturb me.” Meng Chuan remained expressionless as he spoke.

  “You grasping girls, move aside. Don’t disturb Young Master Meng,” said the old procuress immediately. “Young Master Meng, please come upstairs. Please come upstairs.”

  The old procuress had sharp eyes. She could tell that Young Master Meng didn’t think much of these ordinary courtesans. After all, the ones in charge of solicitation were the ordinary ones. The ones that were genuinely ranked within the Azure Cloud Brothel didn’t easily show their faces.

  A scion of a Godfiend family—who had extreme talent and chances of becoming a Godfiend—would usually be surrounded by servants and maids. Without sufficient looks, they probably couldn’t attract Young Master Meng at all.

  This genius from the Meng family has never been to a brothel before. This should be his first time. If he becomes infatuated with a lady from our Azure Cloud Brothel… If news of this spreads, my Azure Cloud Brothel’s reputation will definitely increase greatly, right? The old procuress led Meng Chuan to the best room on the second floor.

  “Young Master Meng, this room is the best. You can see the performing girls the closest here,” said the old procuress with a smile.

  “Okay.” Meng Chuan nodded slightly and sat down. He was only twenty feet away from the stage below the window, and there was a direct view of the stage.

  At this moment, two young ladies came in from outside the door, holding trays of drinks, fruit, and snacks.

  “Serve Young Master Meng well,” instructed the old procuress.

  “Yes.” They were twins who had yet to develop fully. They were very delicate, and their eyes were bright. Their faces were slightly red as they looked nervously at Young Master Meng Chuan.

  The old procuress smiled and said, “Young Master Meng, these two young girls are only 16. They have always been learning the trade from their teacher, and have never served guests. Today is the first time they are serving guests.”

  Meng Chuan’s status was just too high. A pair of twins that had yet to finish their studies could only serve him as maids. If Meng Chuan were to take a liking to the twins and wanted to take them away, Azure Cloud Brothel would be very happy. No matter what kind of status Young Master Meng Chuan had, he would never dine and dash.

  “Young Master.” The two girls sat down next to Meng Chuan and helped him pour wine.

  “Young Master Meng, if there’s anything you need, just instruct them.” With that said, the procuress left the private room with a smile and closed the door silently.

  …

  At this moment, in another private room on the second floor of Azure Cloud Brothel.

  Only the fat man and the bearded man were drinking in this room. Neither of them wanted anyone to serve them.

  “With that Young Master Meng Chuan coming, all the women below went crazy.” Inside the private room, the fat man scoffed. “We wanted to use the most central private room, but Azure Cloud Brothel wouldn’t allow us to enter! Once this Young Master Meng came, they immediately gave him the best room. Also, look at that pair of twins. Tsk, tsk… they are truly excellent. I’ve been having fun the past two days, but I’ve never seen these twins before. It looks like Azure Cloud Brothel has hidden some good stuff. It’s just not for us.”

  “I’ve heard of Meng Chuan before.” The bearded man leisurely sat there. “He is a genius of one of the five great Godfiend clans, the Meng family. He reached the Unity realm at fifteen. He is a famous figure in the entire Eastcalm Prefecture. You have to behave yourself and not provoke him.”

  “I understand. You said that we should keep a low profile in Eastcalm Prefecture and not cause trouble.” The fat man chuckled. “Actually, a soft-skinned person like Meng Chuan will be quite a pleasure.”

  “Shut up.” The bearded man frowned.

  The fat man shut his mouth and only smiled.

  “It seems we won’t be able to sell the item,” the bearded man said calmly. “Let’s have two more days of fun before leaving Eastcalm Prefecture.”

  “Back to the mountains again? It’s so boring there,” the fat man muttered. “I’m going to have fun tonight.”

  …

  Meng Chuan drank as he watched the performance below.

  On the stage below, a blue-dressed woman was wearing a thin face veil. She carried a lute in her arms. The sound of the lute could be heard flowing through the brothel. The surrounding wealthy merchants and distinguished guests’ voices were soft.

  Although Meng Chuan seemed to be listening to the lute, he was actually using his hundred-foot perception to observe the other private room on the second floor.

  Within this domain, everything was extremely clear.

  He could even “hear” the sound of mosquitoes, not to mention the conversation between the bearded man and the fat man. Although they had lowered their voices and the private room had soundproofing, Meng Chuan could still “hear” them.

  Leave Eastcalm Prefecture and enter the mountains? Meng Chuan fell deep in thought. Are they bandits?

  “Sister Guan’s lute performance is one of the best in our Azure Cloud Brothel.” One of the girls who was serving Meng Chuan spoke in a clear voice. “Her teacher is Old Mister Wang of our Eastcalm Prefecture.”

  “Okay.” Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

  Just like artists, there weren’t many people who were focused on music in this era. A few years ago, Meng Chuan had become the number one expert in painting. Not to mention how People Resonance had elevated his skill to a whole new level.

  There were slightly more people who learned the lute and other musical instruments, but they were only used for entertainment. In this era, cultivation was ultimately ranked first, while entertainment enjoyed a very limited status.

  “The two of us study the zither. We also learned it from a master,” said the other girl with a softer voice.

  “The zither is not bad.” Meng Chuan casually commented as
he continued observing the two men.

  Bearded man, fat man…

  He could see the bristles on an ant’s leg within a hundred feet, so he could naturally observe the two very carefully. Every single strand of facial hair was extremely clear.

  Oh? Meng Chuan noticed that the fat man didn’t disguise himself, but the bearded man had disguised himself.

  Fake beard? A wig? Artificial skin is plastered across his face? Without the hair and beard, he would look like… Meng Chuan’s heart stirred. As a member of a Godfiend family clan, he was familiar with the wanted fugitives in Eastcalm Prefecture.

  He immediately thought of someone. Blood Hand Zhao Can.

  The bald, skinny savage man had a black mole on his left cheek. However, the fake skin covered the black mole.

  This was considered an impressive disguise technique. Even from a close distance, one couldn’t tell that it was fake skin. Only with Meng Chuan’s 'senses” could he clearly identify the wig and fake skin. Under his perception, he could see the damage and flaws of what appeared to be a smooth strand of hair to the naked eye. This made him a natural enemy of disguise techniques.

  It’s him? The killing intent in his heart soared.

  Blood Hand Zhao Can.

  He was from Eastcalm Prefecture’s Qin County. To cultivate the Blood Fiend Hand, he had killed over three hundred people in a few years, causing everyone in Qin County to panic. Later on, he successfully escaped when this was made known. After being placed on the wanted list by the imperial government, he joined the infamous Blood Cloud Bandits. The weakest of the Blood Cloud Bandits was said to be at the Mortal Shedding realm.

  Their numbers weren’t high, but they were all considered powerful bandits. They were crafty and intelligent. They hid in the mountains at the border of three prefectures, making it difficult for them to capture them.

  Blood Hand Zhao Can. Meng Chuan narrowed his eyes and stood up.

  “Young Master Meng?” The two girls stood up in puzzlement.

  “Something cropped up.” As he spoke, he took out a banknote worth a hundred taels of silver and placed it on the table. Although he had never been to this place before, he had heard of it before. Such a famous brothel would cost at least twenty taels of silver for a private room. This was the best private room, and they had arranged for two girls to serve him… Of course, with him only sitting there for a while, leaving behind a hundred taels of silver was definitely to Azure Cloud Brothel’s benefit.

  “This…” The two girls looked at each other in dismay. To be able to accompany this scion of the Meng family, whose name was known throughout Eastcalm Prefecture made them extremely happy. In fact, they even had a bit of hope—they hoped that Young Master Meng would be able to redeem them.

  They didn’t expect him to leave so quickly.

  Meng Chuan exited the private room.

  He headed straight for the private room where the two great bandits were in. Ignoring the sins of the Blood Cloud Bandits, just the 300 lives claimed in the Eastcalm Prefecture’s Qin County alone made Meng Chuan unable to suppress his killing intent. He had witnessed the slaughter committed by demons and how people in despair were killed. After experiencing that, his killing intent for wanted criminals whose hands were stained with blood was no less than that for demons.

  Or rather, these serious offenses made them demons in human form.

  Both of them deserve to die. He had already reached the entrance of the private room when he pushed open the door.

  The two bandits—who were drinking and enjoying the performance in the private room—turned their heads in anger. When they saw the scion walk in, they were somewhat shocked.

  Chapter 40

  Meng Chuan walked into the private room calmly, his gaze landing on the two bandits.

  The fat man and the bearded man stood up. They were somewhat wary, but they still welcomed him with a smile on their faces. They didn’t wish to cause any trouble in Eastcalm Prefecture. The bearded man cupped his hands and said with a smile, “Greetings, Young Master Meng. For you to come to our room, I wonder if you have any instructions for these brothers?”

  “I’m here to kill!” When the calm voice rang out, a saber beam lit up.

  This strike was too fast!

  Now that he was already at the late-stage of the Mortal Shedding realm and had a robust Godfiend foundation, his Godfiend Body was no weaker than an ordinary Seamless realm cultivator. Furthermore, having already figured out Saber Force, even if he didn’t use it, the fusion of body, mind, and technique was enough for him to unleash even greater amounts of his body’s potential. Being most adept at speed, that single slash caused the two bandits in the room to instantly feel their hearts chill.

  Not good. Both of them knew that something was amiss, but the slightly weaker fat man failed to react in time as the saber beam sliced through his throat.

  Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! The fat man clasped his throat, but the blood kept spewing out. His face became awash with terror and despair as he felt his life slipping away rapidly.

  “What?” The bearded man was a Seamless realm expert. His reaction was much faster, having leaped out of the window the moment Meng Chuan struck out with his saber. He knew very well that exchanging blows with Meng Chuan was meaningless. He needed to flee as fast as he could once his identity was exposed in Eastcalm Prefecture.

  The more time passed, the more powerful experts would arrive. His chances of survival would become slim.

  Meng Chuan killed the fat man with a single slash. His figure phased away as he dashed out of the window in pursuit of Blood Hand Zhao Can. These two bandits could forget about escaping today!

  “What happened?”

  Many guests and women in Azure Cloud Brothel’s main hall watched as a figure flew out from a private room on the second floor. A faster figure soon followed the first. A saber beam streaked across the air, heading towards the first figure..

  Before he landed, Blood Hand Zhao Can had worn a black glove. His hands suddenly grew in size as though they were fans. With palms that were twice the size of a normal person’s, he struck out with a mystical move and blocked the strike.

  Clang!

  Zhao Can felt a powerful force pass through his arm into his body. His body involuntarily slammed onto the floor of Azure Cloud Brothel, causing a huge crater to form on the wooden floor. He sent splinters flying into the air.

  The other guests had already quickly retreated. Cultivation was a very common thing. It was very common for people to engage in brawls in places like brothels. Battles normally happened because of jealousy, meaning physical injuries the worst outcome. However, it seemed like this battle was different.

  “It’s Young Master Meng.” The guests and courtesans watched from afar as they saw the scion land on the ground.

  The usually modest young scion was now filled with killing intent. The killing intent in his eyes caused everybody to tremble in fear.

  “Young Master Meng, don’t go too far. If you push me into a corner, I’ll make sure you die with me,” said Zhao Can with a ferocious expression as he stood up.

  “You want me to die with you?” Meng Chuan walked over. “Do you think you have what it takes?”

  “Humph.” Zhao Can charged towards the crowd to capture hostages.

  Whoosh.

  Meng Chuan turned into a phantom the moment his Lightning Divine Body erupted. He became much faster than Zhao Can. Before the latter could hold someone hostage, another slash came cleaving right at him.

  Pfft. Zhao Can blocked with both fan-like hands. A perfect defense that continued for Meng Chuan’s next two strikes.

  But following that was the third strike.

  He seems to be a bit stronger than me? I can’t be held back by him. I have to think of a way to escape. It’s night time now… as long as I can escape from him in the darkness, I’ll have a chance to escape from Eastcalm Prefecture.

  Whoosh.

  The third strike remained as fast as before.<
br />
  Just as Zhao Can was about to block the attack, he realized that the saber beam had turned faint. His combat instincts honed over the years made him instinctively retreat, but the faint saber beam slashed him horizontally! It almost sliced across his neck.

  Pfft!

  One of his arms flew up.

  My arm. Zhao Can’s eyes turned red. Although he had managed to dodge the terrifying saber strike, Meng Chuan had still managed to slice off his arm.

  Escape! Escape! Escape! Zhao Can suppressed his hatred. At this moment, he didn’t hesitate to unleash a forbidden Godfiend technique. Instantly, his skin reddened, and he began to release his Quintessential Energy to his limits. Instantly, his speed and strength increased by a great deal, but the longer this state persisted, the more danger he would be in. The damage ranged from injuries to his meridians that would take a year or so to recover to heavily damaging his organs and dantian. Such injuries might cripple him.

  However, if he didn’t use a forbidden Godfiend technique, certain death awaited him.

  Boom! He completely unleashed the forbidden technique. Zhao Can frantically slammed into the nearest wall. Tables and chairs along the path shattered, and a huge hole opened up in the thick wooden wall. He immediately charged outside.

  In order to survive, he didn’t even have time to go through the door or the windows. Instead, he charged into the wall.

  “Humph!” Unstained by any blood, the saber-wielding Meng Chuan moved, transforming into a blur as he pursued Zhao Can through the gaping hole.

  Many of the customers in Azure Cloud Brothel heaved sighs of relief and looked outside through the windows. Many of them stared at the gloved arm on the ground in amazement.

  “The person who was being pursued earlier on seems to have the strength at the Seamless realm.”

  “Yet, his strength is still inferior to Young Master Meng Chuan.”