Chapter 936
The Dao Image is Perfected, Ao Peng Enters the Trap
Chapter 936 The Dao Image is Perfected, Ao Peng Enters the Trap
The next day, the sky was cloudless, the sun shone brightly, and the warm sunlight fell on the frozen earth, but was firmly blocked by the overflowing cold air thousands of feet above.
Seventeen hundred miles away from Huitong Mall, a tranquil lake stretches for dozens of miles, filled with a chilling atmosphere, its surface completely frozen.
"Crack!"
A snow-white, agile red-browed fox leaped into the air, its fluffy tail swaying behind it, piercing through the thick ice.
"Splash!"
The lake water erupted, carrying with it a chilling and malevolent aura.
"Woo~" The red-browed fox's eyes were cunning as it opened its mouth and spat out foxfire, using the scattered icy cold energy to replenish its foundation.
Not far away, a white-striped snow leopard exuding Foundation Establishment aura spat out an ice bead, shattering the thick ice layer, and a golden-threaded fire-swallowing carp was scooped up.
"Gurgle."
The white-striped snow leopard swallowed the golden-threaded fire-eating carp. The water and fire energies collided, the demonic energy circulated, and it inexplicably merged with the energy of the icy plains.
"These beasts are cunning; they knew a cold wave was coming, and by unleashing a chilling aura, they're trying to gain a strategic advantage."
"boom!"
A thick-backed ghost-headed blade whistled past, swallowing and spitting out the soul of a Yin spirit, a fire-armored tiger demon. Waves of eerie green treasures rose up, like clouds and mist, eventually transforming into leaping phosphorescent flames.
Old Monster Zheng's expression was solemn. His thick, ten fingers were exceptionally nimble, and his knuckles moved to cast a series of sinister spells to refine his natal treasure.
"Clang! Clang! Clang clang! Clang clang clang!"
The seven eerie green wheels turned, and layers of magical restrictions appeared, like ghostly shadows.
The Thick Black Demon Head Blade's aura grew increasingly fierce, intertwined with twelve magical restrictions, and the illusory image of the eighth Dharma Wheel appeared.
"Buzz!"
"Buzz!"
Old Monster Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed a pill the size of a longan. From his dantian, magical power surged forth like a sweet spring.
Time passed slowly, and the orange sun gradually set in the west.
The emerald green Dharma wheel slowly took shape, with eight Dharma wheels—seven real and one illusory—rotating continuously until the illusory Dharma wheel completely solidified.
"It's done!"
The eighth Netherworld Devouring Treasure Restriction—this cold wave is just in time!
With a wave of his wide sleeves, he summoned the thick-backed ghost-headed saber back into his dantian to nourish it. His soul was exhausted and his limbs were weak, but he could not hide the joy on his face.
The cold wave is getting stronger.
The overall spiritual energy concentration in the ice plains continues to rise, and some cultivators have already discovered that first and second-tier spiritual caves are emerging from the depths of the frozen soil.
As a stroke of luck occurs, the activities of both humans and demons become increasingly frequent.
"Isn't this a good thing?" A gray streak of light appeared from the horizon and landed on the frozen lake in an instant.
A middle-aged cultivator, clad in animal hides and toying with a precious pearl, stepped out from the beam of light and exclaimed:
"This Fire Gold Lake contains a second-order fire vein, which constantly collides with the frozen earth and cold energy, water and fire complementing each other, thus gaining a trace of the creation of heaven and earth."
Third-tier spiritual creatures are born from time to time. Water suppresses fire, and the lake surface is completely frozen by the cold energy. If it weren't for the intervention to regulate the earth's veins, this blessed land would have turned into a barren wasteland in at most a year.
"Having traversed the icy plains for two hundred years, this is the first time I have witnessed such a wondrous sight."
Tunlingzi shook his head slightly, his turbid gaze falling on Old Monster Zheng, and said with dissatisfaction:
"A great cold wave rises over the vast icy plains, containing countless opportunities, including rare spiritual objects and precious medicines, which are brought to life in spiritual caves."
Fellow Daoist is busy collecting the souls of humans and demons to refine his natal treasure, making that ghost-headed magic blade even more powerful.
His pupils narrowed, surrounded by a murderous aura, revealing a fierce and savage nature like an ancient, monstrous python.
"This opportunity is rare, and the Ice Plains are in chaos, so I cannot leave my post."
"Normally, let alone hunting Core Formation cultivators or third-tier demon kings, even hunting a few Pseudo-Core Formation cultivators would attract the intervention of major sects."
"Indeed, only chaos can be the stepping stone for us cultivators of the Tribulation and those of the unorthodox path to advance."
Tunlingzi took a deep breath, as if he could smell the air of war in the cold wind.
He licked the corner of his lips with his long, bright red tongue, his face showing infatuation, as if a demon had appeared in the world.
After a short while, he suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind.
"Speak!"
Old Master Zheng, why did you hastily send me this message using the Nether Wind Transmission Talisman?
If you don't give me an explanation, don't blame me for turning hostile!
"The Crimson Bone Corpse King is still missing; let's wait a moment." Old Monster Zheng thought of the benefits promised by Ao Xun, and his heart burned with excitement.
He thought to himself, 'The Ao family has squeezed every last drop of blood from me; it seems they hate Fang Yi to the core…'
Fifteen minutes later.
A gray, deathly aura permeated the air, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, with a scarlet coffin appearing and disappearing in the distance.
"Buzz!"
Outlined by dark gray corpse energy and flowing incense, a black lotus flower with seven petals blooms on the increasingly cold frozen lake, with a blood-red coffin floating on the lotus platform.
"What does Old Monster Zheng want, calling me from a thousand miles away?" Chi Yin's childish voice came from the coffin.
Old Monster Zheng's eyes showed apprehension. He had joined forces with the Crimson Bone Corpse King to hunt down demon cultivators nearly seventeen times, and had never seen the Crimson Bone Corpse King leave the blood coffin.
His fierce aura subsided, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"The Ao family has offered a hefty price to have the three of us help them in besieging and killing Qingyangzi Fang Yi, the sect leader of Xuanyang Mountain."
"Surround and kill Fang Yi?!" The Crimson Yin Eyes in the Blood Spring Coffin were fierce, and the murderous aura overflowed from the coffin, transforming into a ferocious beast.
"How dare you!"
With the backing of the Crimson Eyebrow True Lord of Xuanyang Mountain, Fang Yi's failed ambush was to be forgiven.
If success
Who can deal with the enraged Nascent Soul True Monarch?!
As Tunlingzi scanned the Blood Spring Coffin, he kept wondering what the mysterious and unpredictable background of this Corpse King of the Great True Person level was.
'Which old monster from the Yin Shi Huai family is it?'
Or is it a Blood Fiend Sect master in disguise, or perhaps an old corpse from a hidden Yin vein somewhere in the Great Yu Dynasty emerging from its grave?
Hearing Chi Yin's fierce words, he slightly closed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Fellow Daoist Chigu is right. Old Ghost Zheng, you should give me an answer."
"Hahaha, don't worry!" Old Ghost Zheng's scars running across his face writhed, his aura fierce.
"Behind the Ao family is Luo Yuzhou of the Zoroastrian Cult, and the Crimson Eyebrow True Lord of Xuanyang Mountain is restrained by the Crimson Flame True Lord."
Seeing that neither Mo Lian nor Tun Lingzi were moved by the coffin, he cursed inwardly.
They're all the type who won't act until they see the benefits.
Hey, luckily I'm fully prepared.
Old Gui Zheng patted his storage bag, and a gray, precious light lifted the two brocade boxes into the air.
He pointed to the jewel in the brocade box that exuded a mystical aura, and said confidently:
"The Yin Blood Pearl, a top-grade, third-tier corpse-path treasure, is best at nourishing the origin of Yin and Netherworld beings."
This is a deposit from Ao Jiayu to Fellow Daoist Chigu. After the matter is completed, a generous gift will be presented.
"Good stuff!" The dark eyes of the red-eyed creature in the Blood Spring Coffin gleamed slightly, and its tender five fingers reached out to take the Yin Blood Bead into its palm.
"I have agreed to hunt down Fang Yi."
"Regardless of the outcome, I will accompany you to the very end within three months."
"Good!" Old Gui Zheng was overjoyed. He had long been in sync with Tunling and Chigu, who were doing business together in the black market.
Now that Chigu has been bribed, even Tunlingzi's resolve wavers.
Although the vast icy plains were immense, the combined might of these three seasoned warriors, who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, meant that no one could take their lives.
Making a mistake won't necessarily add another enemy to your list; it's not a big deal.
really.
A few breaths later, Tunlingzi used his magical power to draw the brocade box surrounded by purple aura into his palm.
"I agree to this matter."
But the Ao family will only be given three months. If the time runs out, the matter will be dropped.
Huitong Mall, West District, with Qing Shi Avenue running through the cave dwellings such as Ziyuan Academy, Chidan Pavilion, and Changqing Mansion.
Changqing Mansion, Quiet Room.
After swallowing a pill the size of a longan, Fang Yi sat cross-legged on the altar, with an ancient scroll depicting the four seasons unfolding behind him.
Spring brings forth life, summer fosters growth, and autumn brings harvest.
"Buzz!" The desolate white snow revealed a scene where life was hidden, and the Daoist energy of winter was unstable, seemingly about to collapse.
"Edict!"
The wisps of medicinal energy rose from the dantian, merging with the elixir's energy, causing the pill, which was the size of a longan, to visibly shrink.
Daoist rhymes such as 【Frozen】, 【Ice】, and 【Cold】 flowed back, causing the withered and flourishing golden elixir to spin rapidly, refining the Daoist rhymes and outlining the scene of winter hibernation.
"The cycle of life and death continues, like the changing of the four seasons!"
Fang Yi let out a soft sigh, and behind him, four Daoist auras of blue, red, yellow, and white swirled, representing the cycle of spring's birth, summer's growth, autumn's harvest, and winter's storage.
The seasons change, and the cycle continues.
This cycle repeats itself, and after three cycles of the four seasons, the Daoist essence of winter's dormancy dims and loses its luster.
On the altar.
Fang Yi exhaled a breath of turbid air, gradually gathering his surging magical power back into the Withered Glory Golden Core, and his aura became even more mellow.
"The Cold Jade Marrow Heart truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier treasure in the market. Refining the Ice Rhyme Elixir with it will greatly replenish the Daoist essence needed for winter cultivation."
Looking at the empty elixir bottle on the bluestone slab, he showed regret.
"It's a pity that the Cold Jade Marrow Heart is so rare. Even after exhausting all my efforts in the ancient city of Huitong, and with the help of the Soul Devourer, Yan Wuwo, and the Miao Barbarians, I could only get this one portion."
If the Green Serpent were to obtain another piece of Cold Jade Marrow Heart, it could use it to open its furnace, thus making up for the foundational deficiencies caused by the incomplete cultivation method.
Then comes the painstaking process of accumulating the energy of the four seasons and the changing seasons, until one reaches the seventh level of the Core Formation stage.
"Buzz!" A cute, silvery-white little beast passed through the magical barrier and landed below the altar.
Seven Precepts spat out the gray feather communication talisman from his mouth and solemnly said, "Master, there is a Red Yin communication talisman."
"Red Yin?" Fang Yi had a vague premonition.
Although Ao Peng set up formations and restrictions to try his best to conceal it, he could not hide it from him because he cultivated the Scripture of Life, Death and Prosperity and was extremely good at sensing the energy.
Fang Yi probed the communication talisman with his divine sense. Three breaths later, he looked at the empty pill bottle, which was completely empty except for a trace of pill energy.
A smile played at the corners of his lips as he murmured softly:
"They want my life? Has the Ao family really come after Chiyin?"
interesting!
The bait has been taken! How interesting!
The prize is a top-grade third-tier treasure, the Yin Blood Pearl. The Ao family has only been established for a little over two hundred years. Even with the abundant opportunities in the Ice Plains, the Ao family has at most five or six such spiritual items.
"Even if he uses all his resources, he still wants my life. Ao Peng, what a grand scheme!"
"A three-month timeframe?"
With a wave of his sleeve, Fang Yi rang out a melodious crane cry, and a jade talisman transformed into a blue-feathered communication crane, which flapped its wings and flew outwards.
Seven Precepts sniffed lightly, his dark eyes darting around with a cunning glint in them.
"Gurgle."
"The master isn't eating alone." It muttered to itself as it slowly retreated from the quiet room.
Changqing Mansion, Bishui Palace.
The aroma of medicine wafted through the air, and a three-legged, two-eared wooden furnace hung high, with a wisp of magical power flowing around it, harmonizing the spiritual liquid within.
"The medicinal properties of Purple Dharani are enigmatic. When combined with Thick Earth Ganoderma and Golden Marrow Stone, its medicinal properties reverse. It can be used to refine Mysterious Ganoderma Nourishing Soul Water to nourish the spirit."
Qin Yu stood tall and straight, wearing a black lotus-patterned robe, instructing his eldest disciple Zhuang Mu on how to refine spiritual medicine.
"Ok?"
Gazing at the blue-feathered white crane, he flicked his slender fingertip, and a jade talisman fell to the ground.
"Master's telepathic message?!"
After a few breaths, his expression changed slightly, and he murmured softly, "Has it begun?"
"Xiao Mu, your master has prepared ten portions of spiritual medicine for refining Xuanzhi Nourishing Soul Water."
While you are refining the spiritual formula, I have other important business to attend to and will be right back.
You need to maintain a 30% success rate with this elixir.
If that doesn't work, then don't bother studying poison techniques.
"Abandoning the path of a well-established lineage of spiritual medicine to devote yourself entirely to spiritual poisons, only the patriarch would indulge you like this."
The lingering sound faded away, a wisp of blue light streaked across the sky, and Qin Yu had vanished without a trace.
"Take care, Master."
Zhuang Mu gazed at the empty hall, a strand of azure hair condensed at his fingertips, and he tossed the Purple Dharani, Thick Earth Ganoderma, and Golden Marrow Stone Spirit Medicine into the green wood one by one.
As he watched the emerald liquid at the bottom of the furnace ripple and the fragrance of medicine waft through the air, an idea suddenly struck him.
"If the medicinal properties of Zi Tuo Luo are not harmonized with Thick Earth Ganoderma and Golden Marrow Stone, and instead with Water-walking Moss and Yin Corpse Moss to stimulate the sense of bewilderment."
This gives them a 30% chance of refining a higher-grade spiritual poison.
"Give it a try?"
Zhuang Mu was itching to get rid of it. With a flick of his finger, a piece of brown corpse moss flew out of his storage bag and drifted down toward the green wood furnace.
"Pfft!"
Grayish corpse energy spread from the azure liquid, the medicinal fragrance in the furnace changed, and a fishy stench wafted out.
Zhuang Mu's eyes were filled with fascination, and a hint of excitement could be seen on his face.
"It's done!"
He summoned a bowl, a magical implement, from which runes flowed, drawing in all the foul-smelling poison.
"Such toxicity."
A thin wisp of poison gas entered his nasal cavity, and he murmured softly.
"If the Corpse Moss were of a higher grade, and with the addition of Bewitching Leaves as an auxiliary ingredient, this spiritual poison has a good chance of advancing further and reaching the upper-grade second tier."
One month later.
In Ziyuan Courtyard, two or three green bamboos gather together, and a gentle breeze blows by, making the bamboo leaves rustle.
Holding the purple flame lamp in his hand, Ao Peng concealed his aura and looked at the Ao family master outside the waterside pavilion with dissatisfaction.
His relaxed brows furrowed, and a lump rose between his eyebrows.
"You mean Fang Yi went into seclusion to cultivate, and the Core Formation cultivators who settled in the ancient city of Xuanyang Mountain also returned to Changqing Prefecture to go into seclusion one by one?"
Qin Yu, Li Heng, Shen Che, Xie Qingtang, and all the True Immortals belonging to Xuan Yang Mountain are not out of the ancient city; they've gone to the icy plains to hunt demonic beasts?!
“That’s how it is.” Master Ao was thin, holding a golden bell in his hand, with a helpless expression on his face.
"Clan leader, ever since you gave the order, I have been sending clan disciples to keep an eye on the disciples of Xuan Yang Mountain."
Qin Yu, Li Heng, and other True Immortals possessed profound cultivation and keen senses. They even expended spiritual resources and personal connections to ask True Immortals in the city who were skilled in concealing their presence and tracking others to intervene.
Every cultivator skilled in surveillance was a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, but the result was truly disappointing.
Ao Peng paced back and forth, a sense of worry rising in his heart.
Zheng Laogui, Tunlingzi, and Chigu Shiwang accepted the deposit and gave three months as a timeframe.
If Fang Yi doesn't show up, the Ao family can't afford to delay any longer.
The thin Ao family master, with his back slightly hunched, said cautiously, "Clan leader, despite the great cost, we have not gained nothing."
As far as I know, Qin Yu and Li Heng are protecting Fang Yi in his seclusion, seemingly collecting third-grade high-quality [Cold Jade Marrow Heart].
Shen Che and Xie Qingtang, on the other hand, were exchanging for the Ice Soul Seed.
"Ice Soul Child?"
Cold Jade Marrow Heart?
This kind of spiritual object contains the essence of ice and soul, and is among the most top-tier spiritual objects in the third-tier high-grade category.
Ao Peng pinched the bridge of his nose.
"The Ice Soul Seed is one thing, but the Cold Jade Marrow Heart is not easy to find."
"Ao Su, continue to send cultivators to keep an eye on Changqing Prefecture."
(End of this chapter)