Chapter 11: Countering May Fall Short of Heaven, But Special Attacks Can Truly Help You Slay Immortals |
The tremor of the fire thunders reverberated through the ground, leaving Wang Rongyuan's head buzzing from the explosions.
He didn't panic in the slightest. Huddled within the earth, he activated the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan—which was disguised as a low-grade magical artifact with three layers of restrictions—suspending it above his head. With that in place, he temporarily didn't need to worry about the fire thunders.
The Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan was a high-grade magical artifact. Crafted from the eighth-grade golden jade leaves of a sixth-grade golden jade tree, it was capable of flight, defense, and offense.
Above him lay over ten meters of soil, further reinforced by the high-grade golden jade magical artifact.
Even if a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator were to show up and dig through the earth with a mid-grade spiritual artifact, Wang Rongyuan could still withstand a couple of blows!
Ignoring the fire thunders, he silently operated his cultivation method and used his divine sense to manipulate the spirit seeds on the surface, setting up a formation array.
Cultivators with a wood spirit root often suffered in magical combat before reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, but if they used spirit seeds properly, they possessed an extremely high ceiling.
Wang Rongyuan not only possessed a wood spirit root, but he also had an earth spirit root. In his youth, he had even spent years studying formation arrays.
That teacher hadn't taught him anything truly profound, but he had at least provided him with a solid foundation.
"Big Brother, why don't we leave? We've already thrown over a dozen fire thunders. If he's a tenth-layer earth spirit root cultivator, our fire thunders are useless!"
Having thrown a pile of fire thunders to absolutely no effect, the rogue cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining was already exasperated.
"Run? Run where? You might be able to run, but can I? This is all your fucking fault!"
The rogue cultivator from Wondrous Peak Mountain was equally exasperated.
If this idiot hadn't exposed their background...
The gaze he directed at his third brother carried a hint of viciousness.
"There's no need to run. Since we've met, you can all stay behind."
The simple formation array based on the spirit seeds was ready. Wang Rongyuan no longer bothered to hide and burrowed straight out of the earth.
The rogue cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining was startled by Elder Rongyuan suddenly popping out, and he instinctively fired a Fire Shot Spell at him.
Wang Rongyuan didn't even try to dodge. He simply channeled a sliver of spiritual energy, used Absorb on the falling rain from the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator's cloud handkerchief, and conjured a fist-sized water ball.
The water ball and the Fire Shot Spell collided, canceling each other out and transforming into a puff of white steam in midair.
"Weak. You're as weak as someone in the Qi Induction realm, you know that?"
Wang Rongyuan didn't continue using the Medicine King Pestle. That artifact required coordination with others or had to be used in a sneak attack. It was too difficult to be effective on its own.
He raised his hand and activated the spirit seed formation array. The woods within a radius of a hundred or so meters instantly filled with a chilling, murderous aura.
"A formation array? Which sect are you from? Or are you a family cultivator?"
The Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator was still asking, seemingly curious, but Wang Rongyuan suddenly turned pale with fright.
He triggered the Exploding Fire Fruit at his waist, detonating it instantly. His entire body jerked violently like a torn sack, forcefully shifting a short distance through the air.
Two needle-type magical artifacts had been hidden behind the falling raindrops. They had narrowly missed piercing straight through the top of Wang Rongyuan's skull!
Realizing the opponent still posed a severe threat, Wang Rongyuan didn't dare underestimate him in the slightest. Six massive vines sprouted from the ground, converging behind his back.
The six vines acted like six legs, hoisting him up and moving him rapidly through the upper canopy of the forest.
This was also a secret technique of the Wang Clan—Chaotic Roaming Through the Woods. By relying on the formation array to restrict the enemy's movements while using the technique to maneuver himself, Wang Rongyuan could free up an immense amount of mental energy to control his magical artifacts.
He brought forth a dagger the size of a child's palm and sent it shooting into the air toward the raining cloud handkerchief. He intended to seize back control of the battlefield.
After all, he had no idea if the water dripping from the cloud handkerchief possessed any other effects.
With the simple spirit seed formation array, he seized a fraction of control over the battlefield.
By relying on the wooden vines to execute Chaotic Roaming Through the Woods, he seized a fraction of the initiative in the magical combat.
Now, Wang Rongyuan was simultaneously manipulating three magical artifacts: two low-grade magical artifact Donkey Mane Sachets with five layers of restrictions, and one mid-grade magical artifact dagger with twelve layers of restrictions.
Those who didn't understand would mistakenly believe his mental energy was exhausted and that he had reached his limits of control.
"Break those two trash magical artifacts of his first!"
The Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator clearly didn't understand the Wang Clan's extravagance. They treated Donkey Mane Sachets as consumable items!
Donkey breeders were just that overbearing!
While instructing his third brother to deal with the Donkey Mane Sachets, he manipulated the cloud handkerchief to dodge the blue dagger.
At the same time, he controlled the two needle-type magical artifacts to pursue Wang Rongyuan, who was moving swiftly through the trees.
Seeing his opponent once again baited into making a wrong decision, Wang Rongyuan felt a surge of confidence.
As the midair blue dagger brushed past the cloud handkerchief, it vibrated violently, unleashing a ball of flames that shot straight for the fabric!
The Fire Ox Horn Dagger was crafted from the horn of a Qi Refining stage fire ox. Built upon the foundation of a high-grade magical artifact, it had been refined with only twelve layers of restrictions simply to make it easier to manipulate!
It was painted blue to fool idiots!
The fire-attribute Fire Ox Horn Dagger naturally countered fabric-type magical artifacts. It came inherently with the fire ox's innate Fire Shot Spell. If it missed, it could fire off another Fire Shot Spell!
In a flash of lightning, one of Wang Rongyuan's Donkey Mane Sachets and the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator's cloud handkerchief were destroyed at the same time.
Seeing that the Fire Ox Horn Dagger had succeeded, Wang Rongyuan directly relinquished control over it, completely ignoring his other Donkey Mane Sachet.
The cyan-red Medicine King Pestle was brought out once more, hurtling straight toward the rogue cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
A brute force kill!
The needle-type magical artifacts were still chasing Wang Rongyuan, but he didn't panic in the slightest.
He focused the majority of his mental energy on manipulating the Medicine King Pestle. The remaining fraction was enough to guard against sneak attacks.
"The cloud handkerchief! My cloud handkerchief! You dare, you brat!"
The Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator screamed, but his third brother was already on the verge of death!
"Big Brother, save me!"
The rogue cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining activated his defensive magical artifact. However, his defensive artifact was merely low-grade. In the face of the Medicine King Pestle with its twenty-one layers of restrictions, it shattered upon impact.
Like a massive boulder flattening a mountain peak, the Medicine King Pestle simply swiped across. A puff of pink and white mist exploded, and the rogue cultivator's headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
Even in death, his big brother never came to save him!
"You're the only one left."
Wang Rongyuan finally spoke, but the Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator chose to turn and flee.
However, even a simple formation array was still a formation array. The simple array formed by the spirit seeds thoroughly extinguished his hopes of escape.
"Fellow Daoist, I am willing to acknowledge you as my master and become your servant! I beg you, Fellow Daoist, spare my life!"
Trapped within the formation array, the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator spun around in a panic. He was filled with endless regret.
He should have just run away earlier!
Wang Rongyuan had no intention of paying him any mind. He simply continued mobilizing the Fire Ox Horn Dagger to pursue him.
He refrained from using the Medicine King Pestle to manage his spiritual energy consumption. If any accidents occurred, he would still have enough spiritual energy to escape.
The two clashed for several rounds. Fearing that something unexpected might happen, Wang Rongyuan frowned and brought out his hidden trump card—a treasure that looked like a round hat.
The Sound Shell Cymbal. It was a mid-grade magical artifact with ten layers of restrictions. Forged from the shell of a sound shell, its defense was average and its attack power was zero, but it possessed a special attack.
In the magical combat between cultivators, countering might fall short of heaven, but special attacks could still help a combatant slay immortals.
However, the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator had been waiting precisely for the moment Wang Rongyuan took another risk!
'Earlier, you only ever manipulated one mid-grade or high-grade magical artifact at a time, leaving me with no opportunities.'
'But now, the dagger and the new hat-shaped artifact are both mid-grade. My chance has finally come!'
A needle-type magical artifact he had kept hidden in reserve suddenly shot out from the shadows, hurtling straight toward Wang Rongyuan.
'Crack!'
The Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan clenched in Wang Rongyuan's hand blocked the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator's final counterattack. Wang Rongyuan had already overestimated his opponent, yet he still hadn't expected the man to possess a third needle-type magical artifact!
Looking at the pinhole on the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan, Wang Rongyuan thought to himself how close that had been. It was a good thing he had learned of the man's background in advance.
A high-grade magical artifact with nineteen layers of restrictions could only be considered average, but the beauty of the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan lay in its invincible defense within the Qi Refining realm—it could even block offensive low-grade spiritual artifacts.
However, it could only block once. After a single hit, the defensive power at the fan's point of impact would vanish, and its overall defensive capabilities would rapidly plummet.
"What? How are you simultaneously manipulating three mid-to-high-grade magical artifacts?"
Seeing that his strongest strike had failed to achieve anything, the Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator's Dao heart was on the verge of collapsing.
'Clang!'
The Sound Shell Cymbal emitted a unique sonic attack that shot straight toward the leader of the rogue cultivators, slightly disrupting his movement as he dodged the Fire Ox Horn Dagger.
It was only a momentary disruption, lasting barely a quarter of a breath.
But that was enough.
The Fire Ox Horn Dagger pierced cleanly through the rogue cultivator's heart. Wang Rongyuan immediately canceled his Chaotic Roaming Through the Woods and landed steadily on the ground—he couldn't afford to waste spiritual energy.
You might ask how he could manipulate three mid-to-high-grade magical artifacts at the same time?
It was actually a simple math problem.
The twelve-layer restricted Fire Ox Horn Dagger plus the ten-layer restricted Sound Shell Cymbal plus the nineteen-layer restricted Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan equaled forty-one layers of restrictions.
Although it was somewhat difficult to manipulate, the Sound Shell Cymbal was a special attack-type magical artifact that could be released from control the moment it was activated.
The success or failure of magical combat determined life and death. He couldn't afford to be careless!
Raising his hand, he controlled the spirit seeds to drain the flesh and blood nutrients from the rogue cultivators, then used the vines sprouted from the seeds to gather the spoils of war scattered across the battlefield.
Soon, Wang Rongyuan used Absorb to retrieve the spirit seeds and stuffed everything into his storage bag.
Touching the pinhole on the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan and confirming that it could be repaired using the Earth Nurturing Method, Wang Rongyuan's mind finally settled completely.
"A neat profit of twelve hundred pieces. That's enough to feed Yulou for over a decade, hahahaha."
What bad intentions could Uncle Rongyuan possibly have? He simply wanted to earn a little extra food money for the kid.
The Fire Ox Horn Dagger was crafted from the horn of a Qi Refining stage fire ox! Built upon the foundation of a high-grade magical artifact, it was refined with only twelve layers of restrictions simply to make it easier to control!
Painting it blue was just to trick idiots!
As a fire-attribute weapon, the Fire Ox Horn Dagger inherently countered woven fabric magical artifacts. It contained the fire ox's innate Fire Shot Spell, and if the first strike missed, it could fire another as a follow-up!
In a flash of lightning and sparks, one of Wang Rongyuan's Donkey Mane Sachets and the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator's cloud handkerchief were destroyed simultaneously.
Seeing that the Fire Ox Horn Dagger had served its purpose, Wang Rongyuan completely abandoned his control over it, ignoring his other Donkey Mane Sachet as well.
The blue-red Medicine King Pestle was brought out once more, hurtling straight toward the eighth layer of Qi Refining rogue cultivator.
A brute-force kill!
The needle-type magical artifacts were still chasing Wang Rongyuan, but he wasn't panicked in the slightest.
The majority of his mental energy was focused on controlling the Medicine King Pestle, while the remaining fraction was enough to guard against sneak attacks.
"My cloud handkerchief! You scoundrel, how dare you!"
The Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator shrieked, but his third brother was already on the verge of death!
"Big Brother, save me!"
The eighth layer of Qi Refining rogue cultivator desperately activated his defensive magical artifact, but it was only a low-grade magical artifact. In the face of the twenty-one-restriction Medicine King Pestle, it shattered upon impact.
The Medicine King Pestle swung past with the force of a boulder shearing off a mountain peak. The pinkish-white cloud burst open, and the rogue cultivator's headless corpse plummeted to the ground.
Even unto death, his big brother had not saved him!
"You're the only one left."
Wang Rongyuan finally spoke, but the Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator opted to flee for his life.
However, a simple formation array was still a formation array. The rudimentary array formed by the spirit seeds extinguished his hopes of escape.
"Fellow Daoist, I am willing to acknowledge you as my master and become your servant! I beg Fellow Daoist to spare my life!"
Trapped within the formation array, the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator spun around in a panic, overwhelmed with regret.
'I should have just run right away!'
Wang Rongyuan had absolutely no intention of paying him any heed, continuously commanding the Fire Ox Horn Dagger to hunt him down.
He didn't use the Medicine King Pestle because he needed to manage his spiritual energy consumption. In case of unexpected variables, he still needed enough spiritual energy to retreat.
After clashing for a few rounds, Wang Rongyuan, fearing complications, frowned and brought out his trump card—a treasure that resembled a round hat.
The Sound Shell Cymbal was a ten-restriction mid-grade magical artifact forged from a sound shell. Its defense was mediocre, and its attack power was zero, but it possessed a special attack.
In magical combat between immortal cultivators, direct counters had their limits, but special attacks could truly slay immortals.
However, what the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator was waiting for was precisely the moment Wang Rongyuan took another risk!
'Just now, you were only manipulating one mid-to-high-grade magical artifact at a time, so I had no opening.'
'Now, the dagger and the new hat-shaped magical artifact are both around the mid-grade level. My chance has arrived!'
A needle-type magical artifact that he had kept hidden in the shadows abruptly shot out, speeding straight toward Wang Rongyuan.
"Crack!"
The Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan clenched in Wang Rongyuan's hand blocked the Wondrous Peak Mountain cultivator's final counterattack. Wang Rongyuan had already overestimated his opponent significantly, yet he never expected the man to have a third needle-type magical artifact!
Looking at the pinhole on the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan, Wang Rongyuan thought to himself how close that had been. Luckily, he had figured out the man's background in advance.
A nineteen-restriction high-grade magical artifact could only be considered average, but the great thing about the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan was its invincible defense during the Qi Refining stage—it could even block offensive low-grade spiritual artifacts.
However, it could only block once. After one hit, the defensive power at the point of impact would vanish, and the jade fan's overall defensive capabilities would plummet rapidly.
"What? How are you able to manipulate three mid-to-high-grade magical artifacts simultaneously?"
Seeing that his strongest strike had failed to land, the Wondrous Peak Mountain rogue cultivator's Dao heart was on the verge of collapse.
"Clang!"
The Sound Shell Cymbal unleashed a specialized sonic attack that flew straight toward the rogue cultivator boss, slightly disrupting his movements as he tried to dodge the Fire Ox Horn Dagger.
It was just a slight disruption, lasting less than a quarter of a breath.
But that was enough.
The Fire Ox Horn Dagger pierced through the rogue cultivator's heart. Wang Rongyuan immediately canceled Chaotic Roaming Through the Woods and landed steadily on the ground—he couldn't afford to waste any spiritual energy.
As for how he was able to manipulate three mid-to-high-grade magical artifacts at the same time?
It was actually a simple math problem.
The twelve-restriction Fire Ox Horn Dagger + the ten-restriction Sound Shell Cymbal + the nineteen-restriction Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan = forty-one restrictions.
Although forty-one restrictions were somewhat difficult to control, the Sound Shell Cymbal was a special attack-type magical artifact that could be left alone after a single activation.
The success or failure of magical combat was a matter of life and death; one couldn't afford not to be meticulous!
He raised his hand, directing the spirit seeds to drain the physical nutrients from the rogue cultivators' corpses, and then used the sprouted vines to gather the spoils of war scattered across the battlefield.
Soon, Wang Rongyuan retracted the spirit seeds and stuffed everything into his storage bag.
After rubbing the pinhole on the Golden Branch Jade Leaf Fan and confirming it could be repaired using the Earth Nurturing Method, Wang Rongyuan finally felt completely at ease.
"A small profit of one thousand two hundred coins. That's enough to feed Yulou for over a decade, hahahaha."
What sinister intentions could Uncle Rongyuan possibly have? He simply wanted to earn a bit more grocery money for the child.
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