Chapter 10 Please Cherish Your Life, Senior Brother, I just want you to...
Under Fu Ming's provocation, Xu Yan went all out, gritting his teeth and pulling out the immortal boat that Wan Jian Peak had kept hidden. This exquisitely crafted immortal boat, carved from a walnut, expanded upon encountering immortal energy, and suddenly rose with the wind, carrying the group of people in a grand procession towards Tai Xuan Mountain.
It was late autumn, and the forests after the frost were tinged with varying shades of red. A cool breeze blew, and the curtains fluttered. The disciples, who had not been on the immortal boat for a long time, all went to the window to admire the scenery, but only Fu Ming was alone, writing and drawing at his desk.
"Don't just sit there, draw me another one, and draw it carefully, or I'll deduct your monthly allowance."
The original map had been intercepted by Xiao Huaiyuan. Xu Yan also disliked the second-hand junk he had bought from the vendor, so he ordered Fu Ming to rush to make a new one.
He was already penniless, and if he kept skimping on his money, he wouldn't be able to survive. "Xu Yan, you just wait," Fu Ming thought, "I'm going to pry Xu Yan's spirit stones out of him." Fu Ming answered repeatedly, secretly plotting his scheme.
The shadow of the small boat swept across countless mountains and rivers, finally landing safely amidst the swirling clouds and mist.
Upon receiving the news, the Xuanluo Sect's steward came to greet them. In the blink of an eye, the immortal boat vanished without a trace. Several cultivators stepped forward one after another, their white robes fluttering, exuding extraordinary bearing—truly the grandeur of the number one sect in the world.
Elder Wan Jianfeng, needless to say, was over eight feet tall, carrying eight precious swords on his back, and possessed a majestic and imposing figure. However, the younger cultivator behind him had a more refined and elegant demeanor, and his aura seemed even stronger.
The steward looked him up and down, and having already made up his mind, he bowed and asked.
"Elder Master, what brings you here?"
"We've brought our disciples to Mount Tai Xuan for training. Let's skip this small talk and head to the spirit beast habitat."
"Elder, now that the Frost's Descent has passed, most of the birds and beasts in the mountains have gone into hibernation. Why not invite disciples from nearby sects to spar with the talents of the main sect, and then do so next spring..."
Most sword cultivators are straightforward and not good at verbal sparring; Xu Yan will definitely get caught up in it soon. Seeing that the manager, whose appearance was quite slick, was starting to play games, Fu Ming interrupted him with a smile.
"Isn't there a beast tide at the beginning of spring? Our group's cultivation levels aren't very high, so it's a good opportunity to bully some spirit beasts that can't find food—or is your Xuanluo Sect hiding some secret that you can't reveal to outsiders?"
"May I ask who this young friend is?"
“My master’s surname is Xiao, you can just call me Mingchen.”
Who else could be the elder surnamed Xiao? The Xiao family is dwindling in number; isn't there only one sect leader in this generation?
No wonder he dared to speak directly, bypassing the elders of Wanjian Peak; it turns out he's the sect leader's top disciple, who's been gaining popularity lately. The steward's back bent even deeper, his posture suddenly becoming respectful. Just as he was about to say some flattering words to make amends, he saw Fu Ming wave his sleeve as if to leave.
"There's no need for you to lead the way; we'll go on our own."
This slender young man, not yet twenty, acted so decisively that even the elders allowed him to act recklessly, shocking the steward so much that he couldn't even maintain his perfectly curved smile. Although Wanjian Peak wasn't a wealthy place, if word got out that they had neglected the guests from the main sect, they would lose face. After much deliberation, the steward decided to back down.
"Not at all, it is our honor to guide our distinguished guests. Elder Xu, young friend Ming, please follow me."
If the manager's thoughts were to reach Xu Yan's ears, they would make him so angry that his spiritual energy would become stagnant: He wasn't just going along with Xiao Huaiyuan's brat's antics; he had only opened his mouth several times before being preempted, so he had no choice but to keep quiet. He truly hated sharp-tongued people more than anything in his life!
Fifteen minutes later.
The eerie blue light of the teleportation array flickered on and off, and Fu Ming's vision was distorted by the spatial fluctuations. When he looked again, they found themselves in a mountain hollow with exposed rock. All around, dark crystals pierced through the surface soil and grew freely. Their outer layers were as clear as crystal, while their interiors contained a pool of shimmering golden dust, like amber, with flowing light and mysterious wonder.
This is black gold ore, which can be used to forge and refine magical artifacts, as well as as a catalyst for elixirs. Mount Tai Xuan has a strange and treacherous terrain, riddled with caves, with few rivers and limited resources. It is thanks to the black gold ore that the twelve sects of Tai Xuan have a foothold. It's just a pity that these mineral crystals are not pure enough to fetch a good price. The Xuanluo Sect manager put away the array plate and briefly explained to those who hadn't yet arrived.
Fu Ming listened intently, subconsciously reaching for the heavy sword tied to his waist.
"Ding-dong! One of the main quests in the Environmental Protection storyline, [Xuanluo Sect Beast Tide], is now open. The quest difficulty is three stars, please be careful!"
It's rare for the system to be so serious, but with Xu Yan, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, backing them up, could it be that there really is a Nascent Soul stage demon beast hidden in this Tai Xuan Mountain?
The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder as they approached and receded into the distance. A series of figures traversed the overgrown mountain path, struggling to move forward under the shade of towering trees. Due to the influence of the black gold mine, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here was almost nonexistent, for even cultivators had to walk like ordinary people.
Wait a minute, I have a bad feeling.
A gust of wind made Fu Ming's clothes flutter, and the entire sky suddenly darkened. Large, bronze-bell-like double pupils suddenly lit up among the intertwined branches and leaves, staring intently at Fu Ming, who had the lowest cultivation level in the crowd.
It resembles a chicken, with crimson tail feathers, and its cultivation level is around the late Golden Core stage. It should be a mutated demon beast with the bloodline of the Chongming Bird that has reverted to its ancestral form.
"Elder, my cultivation is insufficient, I'm afraid I must take my leave. If you wish to return, simply crush this fragment of the array plate to return to the Xuanluo Sect."
The steward at the front pressed some mechanism, and the array plate instantly disintegrated, its fragments quickly being stuffed into the hands of everyone. He shouted loudly, then personally demonstrated the use of the array plate—the Chongming bird, following the sound, stretched its neck to peck, only to find nothing; the steward had already vanished without a trace.
...Running so fast, the Wan Jian Peak disciples, who had been quiet the whole way, finally couldn't help but complain.
"You guys, stop looking over there, come and save me first!"
Enraged at being tricked by humans, the Chongming bird turned around and tried to peck at Fuming. Poor Fuming, a weak and helpless Foundation Establishment cultivator, had no power to fight back and could only jump up and down among the dry branches.
Xu Yan stood by with his arms crossed, showing no intention of helping. He was still resentful that Fu Ming had stolen his words twice. It was time to teach this arrogant brat a lesson!
The disciples of Wanjian Peak were much kinder than their elders. They rushed forward with all sorts of sword techniques, such as Qingfeng Sword Technique and Lingyun Sword Technique. Unfortunately, most sword cultivators fight alone. Their sword energy flying around was neutralized before it could even scratch the Chongming Bird.
"Listen to my instructions. This won't kill the Chongming Bird. Do you know the Nine Heavens Sword Formation? Stand in the positions of the southeast, northwest, and south and punch the bird in the eyes."
As he shouted, another section of Fu Ming's long hair was cut off by the sword energy of his own side. His hair ornament had fallen off in the rush to dodge, and now his black hair was disheveled, dancing wildly in the wind. Calculating the moment when the distance between him and the Chongming Bird was infinitely close to zero, he leaped towards the newly formed array eye.
The Nine Heavens Sword Formation is derived from the image of a meteor falling from the sky, describing how the sword intent descends in an instant, with only a hair's breadth separating the gates of death and life.
Fu Ming descended rapidly, facing the Chongming Bird with his back to the earth, like a withered leaf in a hurricane. The giant bird with a wingspan of a hundred feet rushed down in front of him, but was cut through by thousands of sharp sword energies, and several particularly sharp ones pierced straight into its eyes. It couldn't help but raise its head and cry out in pain, its mournful cry shaking the heavens.
When he was only a foot away from the soil, Fu Ming cast a levitation spell on himself and then smoothly moved to the side to make room for the Chongming Bird that was about to fall to the ground.
The female disciple with the highest cultivation level besides the elders, who was in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, went to check the battle situation. The bird's chest was still heaving and it was still breathing, but the color of its blood had faded a lot, and it seemed to be much weaker than a normal late-stage Golden Core demon beast.
At this point, Xu Yan became restless.
"Who taught you to treat life so recklessly?"
Before he could finish questioning Fu Ming, the Golden Core female cultivator interrupted him.
"Elder, look, something's not right. There seems to be some demonic energy in the eyes of the Chongming Bird."
Indeed, the Chongming Bird is an ancient auspicious beast with a gentle nature. Even if this bird only possesses one-tenth of the bloodline, it is still far too ferocious.
A group of people formed a circle around the bird, carefully observing the black energy seeping from the wound around its eyes. Fu Ming also craned his neck to join in the excitement. The demonic energy in the demon realm is similar to the spiritual energy, colorless, odorless, and formless. However, in the immortal realm, the demonic energy turns into scattered black particles when it encounters sunlight. At first glance, it seems to have some similarity to the texture of black gold ore.
Upon realizing this, Fu Ming suddenly felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This unfounded association sent a shiver down his spine, not out of fear, but out of excitement.
His intuition has always been very accurate.
A vulture with a white membrane covering its beak stood for a long time on a distant branch, slowly blinking in the shadows unnoticed by them.
After landing at the teleportation array, the Xuanluo Sect leader was so busy that he released seven or eight carrier pigeons to send messages deep into the mine.
"Xu Yan of Wanjian Peak, Ming Chen, the sect leader's first disciple, and four Golden Core stage disciples of Wanjian Peak have entered the eastern mine. They can delay the situation for about ten hours. We must clean up the traces as soon as possible."
The mine was cramped and stuffy, and Chen Chong, whose cultivation was not yet proficient, was drenched in sweat. He had now changed his appearance and had been tricked into working at the Xuanluo Sect, where he was either doing hard labor or being whipped. His life was more than just bitter.
After receiving the letter, Chen Chong read it several times in disbelief, before his surprise turned to joy.
"Ming Chen? What's he doing here? He's just in time."
On the other end.
In front of Xiao Huaiyuan were neatly arranged the complete set of materials for making the Soul Lamp: the blood and hair of the person being tracked, his recently used personal items, his own heart's blood, and a glass lamp.
According to the rules of the Tianyan Sect, only powerful beings above the elder level can be equipped with soul lamps. Not to mention that making a soul lamp requires ten drops of the heart's blood of a Nascent Soul cultivator, if the person tracking it encounters misfortune, the owner of the soul lamp will also suffer a backlash.
He threw the map, which symbolized something close to him, into the fire. The fire burned brighter and brighter, and was eventually chosen by Xiao Huaiyuan to be the wick of the soul lamp.
The purple soul fire danced in his dark pupils. The pain of having his heart's blood taken was no less than that of splitting his soul, but Xiao Huaiyuan remained unmoved, only stroking the lamp wall in a daze.
"Senior brother, I just want you to cherish your life a little more."
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