Chapter 70: Mid-Grade |
“Young Master?”
Upon a white jade flying vessel, Qin Ruxue looked at the Young Master with some curiosity.
Although Fang Qing had come to provide support, his pace had not been fast.
“We’ve arrived.”
Suddenly, he halted the flying vessel. His hands formed seals, and his aura instantly became faint and indistinct: “Use talismans to conceal your aura. Act cautiously...”
Sure enough, before long, Qin Ruxue saw a mutilated corpse floating upon the sea’s surface.
“This person seems to be Hu Fan, Senior Brother Hu?”
Qin Ruxue formed a seal, and a strand of True Power lifted the corpse into midair, allowing Fang Qing to clearly see Hu Fan’s unwilling expression and hollow eyes.
The man had been severed at the waist. At the wound, there was only a shallow white mark. When touched, it strangely gave off a sensation of warmth against the hand.
Qin Ruxue was startled. “Could it be that the Zhong Family Ancestor Zhong Xuanli personally came?”
“It should not be so. Otherwise, he would not have left in such haste...He did not even have time to search this Senior Brother Hu’s storage pouch.”
Fang Qing shook his head. A storage pouch wrapped in faint blue phosphorescent light flew before him.
After opening it, inside were dozens of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, a stack of talismans, medicinal pills...and a white bone banner!
“Hmm? It’s actually a Ten Souls Banner? This has already reached the level of a mid-grade spirit artifact, hasn’t it?”
He shook open the Ten Souls Banner and, seeing the thirteen imprints of second-tier demonic beast essences upon it, could not help but smile faintly. “Many thanks, Senior Brother, for the gift...”
This item had belonged to a senior brother of the sect, so bringing it out directly would not be appropriate.
But after returning, Fang Qing intended to immediately use his own Soul Banner to devour all the essences within the opponent’s banner.
In this way, even if it were not entirely undetectable, at least it would not be easily discovered. And even if discovered, there would be room for explanation.
Continuing forward, Qin Ruxue soon encountered several corpses of Zhong Family cultivators, likewise still bearing storage pouches and spirit artifacts.
“A red dot at the brow, charred black at the edges...I recognize this wound. It should be Elder Tianxing’s Purple Thunder Needle. This needle is a top-grade complete-set spirit artifact and one of Elder Tianxing’s famed treasures.”
Qin Ruxue analyzed.
“A top-grade flying needle spirit artifact...No wonder these Zhong Family cultivators were caught off guard. But it seems this Elder Tianxing encountered a worthy opponent.”
Fang Qing sighed. That was putting it kindly.
Judging from the scene, the more likely possibility was that Elder Tianxing had fled in disarray.
“Then what about us?”
Qin Ruxue already felt the urge to retreat.
After all, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could slay one at early-stage Foundation Establishment.
And Elder Tianxing, who was at late-stage Foundation Establishment, had fled in panic! The level of danger implied was truly hair-raising.
“Continue forward.”
Fang Qing’s heart stirred. Several plum blossoms drifted down, forming a hexagram.
After glancing at it, he spoke with certainty.
The further they advanced, the more clearly they could sense two terrifying fluctuations of True Power.
“This...this is...”
Suddenly, spiritual light shimmered within Qin Ruxue’s eyes. Amidst the boundless snow and ice, she saw a snow-white spirit pearl clashing fiercely against a crimson short sword!
The spiritual force spilling from both sides was so strong that it faintly exceeded the bounds of Foundation Establishment!
“A Talisman Treasure?!”
Qin Ruxue’s complexion changed drastically.
“I didn’t expect to witness such a grand spectacle of Talisman Treasures clashing head-on...”
Fang Qing held a concealment talisman in hand, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“Haha...Old Ghost Tianxing, have you exhausted your tricks?”
Zhong Lingxiu’s white hair fluttered as he laughed wildly, like a long-standing demonic overlord.
At the start, he had casually killed several Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Azure Sea Sect and chased down Tianxing, intending to eliminate this remnant foe.
He had not expected the latter to immediately produce a “Fire-Origin Sword” Talisman Treasure in retaliation, startling him greatly.
Clearly, Elder Tianxing also possessed a Talisman Treasure but had restrained himself, watching as he slaughtered Azure Sea Sect disciples, all to strike unexpectedly and severely injure him!
Yet Zhong Lingxiu was a prodigy in combat.
In the split second available, he had blocked the sneak attack of the Fire-Origin Sword, sustaining only light injuries.
Now both sides were controlling their respective Talisman Treasures in fierce collision, already reaching the end of their strength!
“Talisman Treasure? Could the earlier indication of benefit in the southwest have referred to this?”
Fang Qing’s eyes lit up, though inwardly he grew more vigilant. His own hexagram could not predict everything. When truly encountering such situations, one still had to act cautiously.
Otherwise, sooner or later, he would be ruined by his own divinations!
After surveying the battlefield and grasping the situation, he cast Qin Ruxue a look. She immediately drew out several second-tier talismans. Tearing them apart, streaks of lightning manifested and struck toward Zhong Lingxiu.
At the same time as the second-tier talismans were unleashed, Fang Qing pressed at his brow.
The divine sense secret art of the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle erupted violently, charging into Zhong Lingxiu’s sea of consciousness.
Zhong Lingxiu let out a muffled grunt. The ice armor around his body burst forth with a blinding white radiance, dissolving the lightning.
Crash!
Distracted on this side, the Ice-Soul Pearl’s offensive inevitably slowed. The Fire-Origin Sword exploded with ferocity, layers of blazing flames surging forth.
A strand of heavenly fire abruptly broke through the defense of Ice-Soul Profound Light, causing the tips of his white hair to curl slightly.
“Tch...So there are reinforcements?”
Zhong Lingxiu cast a regretful glance at Tianxing, then raised a hand in summoning.
The Ice-Soul Pearl, transformed from the Talisman Treasure, descended above his head and escorted him away in drifting flight.
“No need to pursue.”
Elder Tianxing sighed and raised a hand to recall his own Fire-Origin Sword Talisman Treasure.
But once the crimson talisman returned to his hand, it flashed with light and abruptly turned to ashes.
At this sight, a trace of regret surfaced in Elder Tianxing’s eyes.
“Senior Brother Tianxing.”
Fang Qing removed his concealment and stepped forward with Qin Ruxue. “We happened to be nearby hunting demonic beasts and received the rescue jade talisman, so we came to provide assistance...This is?”
“Sigh...A pity. We failed to keep Zhong Lingxiu this time. This child will surely become a great enemy of our sect in the future!”
Elder Tianxing sighed.
“You are late-stage Foundation Establishment and even possessed a Talisman Treasure, yet you still could not subdue him?” Qin Ruxue asked in astonishment.
“My ‘Fire-Origin Sword’ was a fire-aspected Talisman Treasure, incompatible with the thunder-aspected technique I cultivate. Moreover, it had been used many times already, its power nearly exhausted… The Ice-Soul Pearl Talisman Treasure in Zhong Lingxiu’s hand was refined by that Old Ghost Zhong at the cost of damaging his own natal magic treasure. Their cultivation techniques share the same origin, and it was a brand-new Talisman Treasure...Though I am reluctant to admit it, had the stalemate continued just now, once my Talisman Treasure’s power was depleted, I would likely have faced grave peril...”
Elder Tianxing sighed. “Very well. Let us head to the spirit ship at once, gather the other disciples, and return to the sect.”
A short while later.
Upon the damaged spirit ship.
Fang Qing swept his gaze and saw that several Foundation Establishment cultivators and some Qi Refining disciples still remained.
Among them, there was one he was rather familiar with.
“Senior Brother Cui.”
“Junior Brother Fang...”
Cui Zhe’s complexion was dark greenish-black, and even as he spoke, cold breath escaped his mouth. Clearly, he had been gravely injured.
“I have here a second-tier Yang Profound Pill. Please accept it, Senior Brother.”
Fang Qing had not refined so many pills in vain. He casually produced a fine-quality Yang Profound Pill.
This pill existed in both first-tier and second-tier grades. It had likewise been part of a task Fang Qing had accepted; he had secretly withheld a few for personal use, and now one happened to come in handy.
“Many thanks...”
Cui Zhe glanced at the pill, expressed his thanks, and swallowed it directly.
Elder Tianxing remained silent as he operated the spirit ship and did not inquire about the storage pouches of those Zhong Family cultivators.
It was unknown whether he assumed Zhong Lingxiu had taken them or simply disdained such spoils.
Several days later.
On Small White Island, inside the Cave Dwelling.
Driving Zhong Lingxiu away this time had involved quite a bit of luck… If I had encountered him face-to-face while hunting demonic beasts, I might not have been able to defeat him… I might even have had to flee for my life all the way.
‘Talisman Treasures...they truly are good things.’
Fang Qing sat cross-legged, thoughts drifting.
Soon after, he calmed his mind and took out Hu Fan’s Ten Souls Banner spirit artifact, forming one hand seal after another.
Crack!
A fissure suddenly appeared upon the spirit artifact. Large amounts of black qi poured out, within which an essence soul of a Profound Water Turtle roared toward the sky.
——
“Go!”
Fang Qing formed a seal, and a talisman sealed over the fissure. Then he took out his own Soul Banner spirit artifact.
Strands of black chains extended outward, binding the Profound Water Turtle essence soul heavily.
The essences of the Sea-Splitting Petrel and the Giant-Bone Fish manifested, beginning to suppress the Profound Water Turtle...
After completely subduing this Profound Water Turtle, he proceeded in the same manner...
Several days later, Hu Fan’s mid-grade spirit artifact had completely lost its luster, turning into a heap of rotten bone fragments.
Meanwhile, the Soul Banner in Fang Qing’s hand had become white and crystalline like jade, radiating the True Power fluctuations of a mid-grade spirit artifact.
“Not bad, not bad...”
Fang Qing put away the upgraded Ten Souls Banner and walked out of the seclusion chamber.
Inside the Cave Dwelling, Qin Ruxue was refining a set of array flags. Seeing Fang Qing, her eyes lit up. “Young Master… The sect has already issued the merit rewards for this rescue mission. Two great merits have been recorded!”
Such merit was not comparable to Contribution Points but rather a form of authority that could be exchanged for more treasures suited to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
For example, pills to break through bottlenecks...
“Not bad. Comparable to the gains from hunting several second-tier demonic beasts.”
Fang Qing habitually evaluated the matter and nodded slightly.
In truth, he had acted only to upgrade his own Soul Banner. Saving Tianxing had merely been incidental, though outsiders did not know this.
“Oh, right. Senior Brother Cui came to visit once before and left a gift box.”
When mentioning Cui Zhe, Qin Ruxue’s expression grew somewhat strange. Clearly, she had not expected this sword cultivator, known for his simple temperament, to give gifts!
“He should be expressing gratitude for saving his life. Such sword cultivators dislike owing favors the most.”
Fang Qing took the gift box. Upon opening it, he was momentarily stunned.
Inside lay pieces of broken, peculiar constructs, covered in intricate patterns, with faint fluctuations of soul within.
“This seems to be...the core remains of a second-tier puppet?”
Qin Ruxue was startled, then recognized it. “The Heavenly Heart Linked Islands excel in puppet-making. For a second-tier puppet to operate smoothly and even autonomously complete commands, it must also have a second-tier demon soul refined into it… During the war that destroyed the Heavenly Heart Linked Islands, Senior Brother Cui should have gained quite a few… They can conveniently be refined into the Soul Banner to enhance its power.”
“This gift is rather thoughtful.”
Fang Qing nodded, fairly satisfied. “If the Heavenly Heart Linked Islands were like this, then on the Zhong Family’s side, after hunting sea beasts, they certainly would not waste essence souls either...It seems the progress of my ‘Hundred Souls Banner’ can be accelerated further...”