Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 878-880

AST 878 – Going Against the Seven Stars, Breaking the Saber Formation

Very quickly, the 22 of them surrounded the area. Each of them was holding a five-foot purplish green battle saber in his hands. Moreover, the positions they stood at were the positions of the seven stars…

There were three people in each position, and the young man was standing in the eye of the formation with three other people…

Although Qing Shui was not trained in the art of formations, everything appeared clearly in his mind. He could sense that a formless line of Qi was being connected between them, forming a whole. More importantly, the entire body could draw out the powers it received from the individual members…

So this was how a formation was like… Qing Shui was enlightened, and a hint of change occurred in his consciousness, as if it had gained some important knowledge. However, it was a pity that he didn't have the time to observe it at the moment.

Mu Qing stood next to Qing Shui, her mind in a chaotic state. These people were well-known, but for being people that others didn’t wish to come across, especially not in a place like this.

Mu Qing had not expected to come across them. Although the Mu Clan did have quite a bit of influence in the city, it meant nothing in the Sky Penetrating Mountains. The only thing here that was important was one’s abilities. If anything were to happen, no one would be blamed. If one was to die without leaving even a corpse behind, how would others know who were the killers? They might not even know if these people were still alive.

“Miss Mu, do you still remember me?” The guy smiled and asked Mu Qing as he stood there, unmoving.

Qing Shui also smiled as he looked at the people in the surroundings, then at Mu Qing who appeared extremely unnatural. However, he was still inwardly thinking… Could the Sky Prison Sect be a sect which had relied on things similar to “formations” to become an influential faction?

“I have never met you. Why are you stopping us?” Mu Qing looked at the guy and frowned.

“Haha, I previously heard Miss Mu had said quite a bit about me, but why are you saying that you don’t know this friend? That makes me feel so sad. I do have a strong admiration for Miss Mu.” The guy looked at Mu Qing teasingly, a hint of wild glow flashing in his eyes.

Mu Qing once again frowned before saying gradually, “What on earth do you want?”

“What do I want? Haha, since you know me so well, you should know what I want. You’re the top beauty in the city, and I’ve taken a liking to you. So, what do you think I want? What do you think I should do?” The guy laughed, his unblinking gaze still fixed on Mu Qing.

“I’m sorry, I have someone I like. We’re leaving, please make way.” Mu Qing said unhappily.

“Miss Mu, this might have worked if were in the city. But it’s a pity that we’re in the Sky Penetrating Mountains and now, you only have one choice.” The man laughed, his gaze on Mu Qing like a predator looking at his prey.

“You can dream on. Things won’t go so easily for you.” Mu Qing bit her lips and said.

“Do you think that you can stop us with just the two of you? Let me tell you, you can forget about dying. If you die, all of your group dies as well. If you agree, I won't hurt any of them. You should know my means very well, and that I do have the ability to do so.” The guy spoke with confidence. He liked the feeling of exerting control over other people.

Mu Qing bit her lips so hard that they started to bleed. Qing Shui knew that he could no longer stay silent. He took a step forward and stood in front of her, saying, “You guys aren't men to be bullying a lady like this. In the future, you shouldn't smile. You smile like an idiot.”

Qing Shui’s words caused everyone to be frozen in their tracks. No one had expected him to say this. Especially after hearing his last line, the guy froze and let out two dry laughs before he glared at Qing Shui.

“Lad, you doomed yourself the moment you stood together with Miss Mu,” The guy didn’t even try to conceal the killing intent in his eyes.

Mu Qing wanted to laugh, but she found it hard to do so. While it appeared that she had two options, she really only had one. It was not to give in, but rather to fight it out with him.

However, there were over twenty opponents who were all highly skilled, especially that young-looking guy. He was in no way weaker than her. Most importantly, they were all core disciples from the Sky Prison Sect. The guy even seemed to have some special status in the sect.

She gradually drew out her Rhinoceros Spirit Deity Sword, fully prepared for a fight. She also called out her four Golden Beasts.

“Haha, this is the decision you have made? It’s useless, even if you were to call out a hundred of them. Remember, I won’t let you go even if you die.” A hint of bloodthirst flashed in the guy’s eyes.

“Assemble the formation!” The guy let out a soft bellow.

The people who had surrounded Qing Shui and Mu Qing started to move in a strange footwork pattern in a three-meter radius around them. At the same time, they also started to wave their sabers strangely.

In that instant, Qing Shui could sense that the pressure of his surroundings was escalating, and that twenty-odd people seemed to have been connected as one. Qing Shui now knew why Mu Qing was frowning. If they had no way to break through this, it would be really hard to have a fighting chance. Even if they were to call out everyone from the cave, it would probably still be useless unless they were over ten times stronger than the opponents.

What a powerful saber formation.

Earlier, Qing Shui had heard the guy shouting out for the formation to be started. It seemed that this should be a saber formation.

“This is a saber formation!” Looking at Mu Qing, Qing Shui said softly after ascertaining that it was indeed called a formation here.

“That’s right, but there’s nothing we can do against it. I don’t even know how to fight it. It seems as though no matter where we were attack it, it'd be impregnable.” Mu Qing looked at the people from the Sky Prison Sect who continued on moving inwards.

“A formation makes use of time, favorable climatic conditions, human relations, and the linking martial technique in order to amplify its power by several times. The most important thing is the positioning.” Qing Shui said, calm and collected.

“You know about formations?” Mu Qing looked at Qing Shui in astonishment, a hint of joy in her voice.

“I don’t!” Qing Shui said calmly.

Hearing Qing Shui’s reply, Mu Qing appeared to be slightly disappointed. She had thought that he had known about formations and that they might have been able to break through the opponent’s’ formation. However, it seemed like he was not a person who knew everything.

“But I’m still able to break this formation.” Qing Shui continued, his tone filled with certainty.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Qing’s expression changed from that of disappointment to that of joy. That feeling made her forget about everything else as she grabbed Qing Shui’s hand, “Really?”

Her tone was one of great surprise, or rather, that of great joy. It was a change from hell to heaven. She now seemed to trust this guy, and even liked the surprises he brought her.

Her soft touch made once again made Qing Shui’s heart skip a beat, as he lowered his head to look at her hand. The lady anxiously let go off his hand once again, her face flushed red, causing Qing Shui to lost his sense momentarily.

The guy opposite him seemed even more infuriated after seeing this. To think that this guy would let the lady from Mu Clan get so close to him. He was so angry that he immediately shouted to the others, “Kill that gigolo!”

Qing Shui quickly drew his Big Dipper Sword and used his other hand to grab Mu Qing’s wrist, urging her to call back her demonic beasts.

Mu Qing was hit by anxiety, but another feeling was growing in her heart. She quickly called back the Golden Beasts.

“Follow me. There’s no need for you to do anything.” Qing Shui said softly before grabbing Mu Qing and dashing out, going against the flow of the seven stars.

Seven Star Armored Vest!

Qing Shui’s footwork was very fast and profound. As Mu Qing followed Qing Shui, she felt that the pressure was getting increasingly weaker. The Big Dipper Sword in Qing Shui’s hand also quickly blocked the people who attacked and pushed them back.

From the start, the guy had not moved at all but just looked at Qing Shui. However, his expression of astonishment was gradually turning into that of fear.

He was standing in the supporting spot of the formation and could not move. If he did, the entire formation would be messed up. His position was very profound, and if Qing Shui were to attack him, he would naturally be stopped by the others. Basically, as long as the others were still alive, it would be very hard to attack him.

In fact, most people would think of attacking the person in this position right from the start. This was actually the most stupid idea.

However, Qing Shui was not ignorant and knew how to break the formation. Adding on to the essence of his Taichi, he could push off all the blades in his surroundings. His technique was like a fish in the water, as he headed towards an inconspicuous spot.

The three people in that position followed Qing Shui, but did not attack. They were in a position that was easily neglected by others, but that was the direction Qing Shui headed in.

It was the second Eye in the entire saber formation. It was also the best way out in the event that one couldn't directly wipe out the entire saber formation.

Mighty Elephant Stomp!

Qing Shui’s foot landed strongly on the ground, and a huge impact wave was unleashed. At the same time, two Frosted Iron Balls also shot out rapidly.

Ding ding!

For the first time, Qing Shui’s hidden weapons and Might Elephant Stomp were blocked easily.

The saber formation was really formidable…

Although his Mighty Elephant Stomp was at the strength of ten stars, twenty of them shared the burden. Moreover, this formation could also help divert away part of the strength of the attacks they received. Like what the other party had said, it would be useless even if they blindly attacked with even more people.

The power of this saber formation was that it could block off many of the attacks from weapons with essences incorporated into them. It could even block off poison weapons.

Formations were really good stuff!

Sword of Sixth Wave!

Qing Shui’s sword impacts landed on the sword of one of the three in the position. This was the weakest spot in the entire saber formation!

He then quickly retreated!

Qing Shui grabbed onto Mu Qing. With each round, he would use the Sword of Sixth Wave to attack that same spot, and on the third attempt, he killed one of them!

This was like the seventh inch of a snake’s body¹, or a person’s throat. The entire saber formation crumbled, losing its formidable effect.

Without their saber formation, these people became like dragons who had been demoted to snakes. Qing Shui’s hands didn’t stop and he slashed out his Big Dipper Sword towards their throats like a venomous snake, as he unleashed another Mighty Elephant Stomp as well.

He would not give them time to set up the formation once again. Who knew if they had an even more powerful formation? It was safer to just kill them off.

Mu Qing’s Mystical Connection Divine Sword was not to be outdone either!

¹ An old Chinese saying was that a snake’s heart was at the seventh inch from its head, and one would be able to kill the snake instantly when it was struck at this critical position. Nowadays, it’s used as an idiom to describe the critical or weakest points of events.

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AST 879 – Falling into Hell and then Soaring to Heaven, Fire Bird's metamorphosis

When the weakest supporting positions of the saber formation were destroyed, Qing Shui and Mu Qing immediately killed off a few of their opponents in a few seconds. Meanwhile, with well-coordinated movements, the remaining opponents crowded around the young-looking man.

Without their saber formation, the average strength of their opponents was about one to three stars. Only a few had strength above three stars. The only exception was that young man. What Qing Shui was uncertain about was that young man's capabilities. That man gave off a dangerous aura, just like a poisonous snake. Most importantly, that man was a core member of the Sky Prison Sect.

Since things had escalated to this point, Qing Shui couldn't spare anyone, thus he simply rushed forward.

Petal Rain Under the Skies!

Fearing that the situation might turn sour if he didn't end things quickly, Qing Shui decisively used his strongest Hidden Weapon Technique. He was confident in this technique and did not forget to additionally imbue the attack with poison. These opponents were not inferior to strong demonic beasts, especially because they were backed by Sky Prison Sect.

After they had casually killed off four of their opponents, there were still 18 people left. As these people were clumped together, Qing Shui's Petal Rain Under the Skies managed to efficiently kill off 12 more enemies. In the blink of an eye the tables were turned and there were only 6 opponents left.

Qing Shui's flash-like massacre stunned his remaining opponents. Before they could react, Qing Shui swiftly summoned his Thunderous Beast. A thunderbolt mercilessly struck one of his opponents, killing him instantly. Following this, Qing Shui's Thunderous Beast unleashed a Violet Lightning Strike at the young-looking man, who had finally started to react.

Unfortunately for him, the Violet Lightning Strike had a 100% chance of paralyzing the target, the man did not even have the time to dodge.

In that instant, Qing Shui rushed in front of the man. As the man stood paralyzed by the effect of the Violet Lightning Strike, Qing Shui unhesitantly slashed open his throat. Even though the remaining men managed to land their attacks on Qing Shui, he was unfazed as he had his Seven Star Armored Vest.

The remaining four men still hadn't come to terms with their situation. With the death of that young man, they were startled again. With Qing Shui impeccable coordination with his Thunderous Beast, the four men were quickly eliminated.

The whole battle ended very quickly. Apart from the time Qing Shui used to disrupt the formation, it only took a few minutes to totally clean up the remaining trash.

Mu Qing fell into a daze as if she had not recovered from the shock of how the situation had unfolded. When she came back to her senses, her surroundings were already quiet.

Qing Shui looked behind and said to Mu Qing, "We should leave, it isn't safe to stay here."

They left the corpses on the ground. Wild demonic beasts would quickly solve that problem for them, it could even be considered a sky burial!

Qing Shui had always wondered what he should do if was unable to see through a particular formation.

What should he do if he didn't understand the Five Elements Orientation or Eight Trigrams Orientation? If he was not able to break this formation, what method would he have used to deal with it?

Would he still be able to overcome it?

Formations were like mysteries wrapped within mysteries. He wondered if his Nine Continent Boots could help him escape a formation since there was a rumor that the Star Chasing Moon Stepping Boots could actually do that…

Today, he had finally witnessed the formidable potential of formations. Qing Shui decided that he needed to learn more about formations in the future. Even if he could not set up a formation, it would be good enough if he knew how to deal with enemies who used formations.

"Are there many people who know how to use formations?" Qing Shui asked Mu Qing.

"Not many. But there is a community of them. Just like Talismans Masters, Demon Refiners, Alchemists, and Beast Tamers, they belong to a specialized branch of techniques. Their numbers are small but they are very powerful," Mu Qing replied cheerfully.

She was overjoyed. Despite everything, this outcome came as a great surprise to her. She had already prepared herself for the worst case scenario but she had never expected that her fortune would turn for the better.

Falling into Hell and then soaring to Heaven!

After they returned to the cave, they quickly checked their surroundings to ensure that nobody was following them. After all, it would take some time for the people from Sky Prison Sect to begin to look for them. Once they return to the capital city, nobody could prove anything, especially if they insisted that they did not kill those people. In a place like Sky Penetrating Mountains, where even a powerful clan like the Cheng Clan could be wiped out, what more could be said for that group of people? Even though the power of formations could be very impressive, there was still a limit to their effectiveness. For example, formations could be limited by the maximum number of people it could employ, the strength of the individual members in each position, the level of synergy that could be achieved and the maximum strength that it possessed. Facing an opponent whose strength far exceeds their combined strength would only result in their formation being destroyed with a single blow.

When one faced absolute power, everything else became illusory.

However, legends told of formations like Thousand Kills Formation, Big Dipper Formation, Nine Palace Death Formation, Tiangang Formation, Seven Stars Eight Trigrams Formation, and Five Elements Great Formation. These legendary formations could have up to ten thousand positions or even more.

Qing Shui felt slightly uneasy when he compared the saber formation to those heaven-defying formations. There were really many extraordinary talents in the World of the Nine Continent. Qing Shui wondered how many experts a powerful formation master could defeat…

There were countless paths to reach the Heavenly Dao, and the path of formations was indeed a viable path to the top.

After they returned to the cave, both of them had a mutual understanding to remain silent. They both knew the seriousness of this matter so they did not want to risk it by letting anyone else know. Besides, no one would even suspect that Mu Qing had the ability to eliminate that 'Flower Crusher' and his gang.

This was quite a good cover since it was very common for people to go missing or die when they venture into Sky Penetrating Mountains. In the end, the disappearance of that group of people would be blamed on demonic beasts.

Originally, Qing Shui only wanted to survey the area himself, he had not expected that such a thing would happen. Those people had been followed Qing Shui and Mu Qing for a long time, waiting for both of them to walk deep into the Sky Penetrating Mountains before they took action. However, that group hadn't foreseen that they would be ones to die in the mountains.

If they were quick, they would reach 100 thousand li into Sky Penetrating Mountains after slightly more than one month, but Qing Shui wanted to leave the group as he wanted to travel even more quickly to look for the Sky Penetrating Grass.

When they returned, night had not fallen but they spent the afternoon in the cave. Mu Qing continuously checked for movements outside and her Lightning Bees stayed outside to monitor the situation. She had to make sure that no one knew that they were here because if anyone spotted the corpses of those Sky Prison Sect members and found them here, they would definitely be suspicious since one of the dead was that 'Flower Crusher'.

Once Qing Shui returned to his tent, he delved into his sea of consciousness. When he was trying to break the formation, he had felt a mysterious change within his sea of consciousness. It was as if there was something there. Previously, he couldn't find a chance to investigate but now that he had the time, he wanted to see what had happened.

Within his sea of consciousness, there was a new image but it was gray and the description was also blurred. He could only see two words: Formation Destroyer!

Qing Shui was stunned, was this the result of his enlightenment about formations? Why couldn't he use it?

Qing Shui quickly figured out the issue. The techniques he had gotten through his enlightenment could only be used when their images were lit up. Since this image was still unlit, it meant that he had not met the requirements to learn that skill. It should have appeared at a later time but it was triggered much earlier, so he could not use it….

Qing Shui stared blankly at the gray image and thought, "This Formation Destroyer could most likely only be used when I breakthrough the 7th Heavenly Layer but isn't there any way to learn it before that?"

Since Qing Shui had discovered the power of formations, he grew very interested in it. Somehow, he found out that it was possible that he would learn a relevant technique in the future.

The techniques that appeared in his sea of consciousness were all powerful, this was definitely not an exception. However, Qing Shui was sure that it would not be easy, but learning one or two of these formations would definitely be a pretty good killer move.

Besides, learning about formations would help him see through other formations more easily if he was stuck in the same situation. Perhaps he would even be capable of destroying them immediately.

Unfortunately, this was not the right time. He could foresee that he should be able to pick it up quite quickly since he understood the principles of Eight Trigrams and the like. It would definitely become a great asset to him in the near future.

At night, Qing Shui returned to his tent and entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal after dinner. He even looked forward to it.

Once he entered the realm, he took out his Berserk Dragon King Origin Essence Soul Pearl and sensed the essence of the violent nature inside of it. Initially, he had wanted to feed it to his Diamond Gigantic Elephant but then he realized that the Five Elements of his Diamond Gigantic Elephant was not really suitable for this pearl. Thus, he called the Fire Bird over, as the pearl should be most effective on it.

Even though a particular medicine or enhancer might not be suitable, it didn't mean that it could not be consumed, it only meant that the effects would be greatly reduced. But that didn't pose a problem to Qing Shui since the Fire Bird was the right demonic beast which could consume that pearl.

He threw the pearl directly at the Fire Bird's head. It swallowed the pearl and let out a clarion bird call. Qing Shui could sense the Fire Bird's clear joy.

Thereafter, the Fire Bird circled the sky continuously. Flashes of fiery glow appeared on its back and its call grew louder and louder.

Suddenly, the Fire Bird paused in the middle of its flight, as if it was frozen in place. Its large wings spread open as its body maintained its 60o incline. Its head faced the sky.

A magnificent fiery glow enveloped its body, while a bright call rang out in the air. Its call vaguely resembled the call of a phoenix.

"It's a breakthrough! What a powerful aura!" At this point, Qing Shui felt very emotional.

The strength of his flying mount was very important to him. Not only was the Fire Bird his mount and a demonic beast that he used in battle, it was also his closest companion and his most loyal battling companion.

The fiery glow continued. Midway, there were even flashes of golden light. Its strength continued to surge upwards. Since the Berserk Dragon King's Five Elements matched the Fire Bird, the effects were even more profound.

"Kawwwww!"

The Fire Bird continued its birdsong and its calls became increasingly melodious. This time, it did not cry out in pain as it evolved. The strength it had gained this round was immense.

This continued for fifteen minutes before the Fire Bird gradually calmed down. However, Qing Shui was shocked! Its usual fiery red feathers had become a slightly duller shade, as if it had been covered by a layer of black ash. This gave Qing Shui a rather strange feeling.

Was this something to do with the Berserk Dragon King Origin Essence Soul Pearl?

But it did not seem that way to Qing Shui. Regardless, Qing Shui now felt that this color gave his Firebird a more tyrannical presence compared to the bright red. Since he did not find this color unsuitable, he was relieved.

Qing Shui measured the Fire Bird's strength and found that its base strength had already reached one and a half star. This was a huge increase!

Under the effects of its Phoenix Dance, which was a zero energy consumption passive skill, its strength would increase by one fold. With its Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens mode and the support of the Spirit Gathering Lamp, the strength of the Fire Bird could reach a terrifying 12 stars.

12 stars! Qing Shui was startled for a moment. He was extremely satisfied with this. The Fire Bird's increased strength also led to a massive breakthrough in its speed!

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AST 880 – Fire Bird's Powerful Battle Technique, Qing Shui's Depression

The Fire Bird had now achieved the strength of one and a half stars. Although it only had half the strength of the Thunderous Beast, it could attack just as effectively as the Thunderous Beast.

Qing Shui activated his Fiery Golden Eyes to see the changes in the Fire Bird's battle techniques. Its powerful battle techniques was why the Fire Bird could now attack as effectively as the Thunderous Beast.

Superior Flight: A flying ability exclusive to the Fire Bird. Incomparable endurance and speed that is top-notch amongst flying beasts. Enables high-speed flight over an extended period of time.

Qing Shui took a glance and noticed that the flying skill had an additional word to it – Superior. There were no changes to the description at the back. However, Qing Shui felt there must be some changes to it. Nonetheless, Qing Shui didn't bother to study it any further as was good news.

Hell's Inferno: The Fire Bird activates a powerful flame attack. This pitch black flame is capable of burning everything down and possesses a fearful destructive ability. This is the legendary Black Phoenix's powerful battle technique.

"It has changed. It has all changed….." Qing Shui looked at the Hell Inferno's description, which had an additional 'the legendary Black Phoenix's battle technique' description appended at the end of it.

Qing Shui suddenly recalled the changes in the Fire Bird's feather. This change seemed to resonate with this new description. Could it be that the Fire Bird possessed the bloodline of the Black Phoenix and had started to awaken?

Black Phoenix, also known as Hell's Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, Black Ember Phoenix, was a more evil type of Phoenix.They were formidable and known for their powerful Hell's Inferno skill. They could defeat their opponents just by using that skill.

Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens: When the Fire Bird uses Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens, its flame damage will be doubled and the effects will last for half an hour. This technique can be used twice a day. During this period of time, damage taken will be reduced by many folds.

"They have all leveled up!" Qing Shui felt as if he had struck gold. No. In fact, to him this felt way better than that. Half an hour's time was sufficient to end a normal battle. Moreover, this skill could be used twice. This meant that it could last in actual combat for an hour at once.

Qing Shui continued reading on with excitement.

Phoenix Dance: Passive battle skill with zero consumption. Tempered from Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens during the bloodline awakening. Strength is permanently increased by a fold and the consumption of all battle techniques is halved.

This was great as he no longer needed to worry about prolonged battles. Besides, he still had the Vital Essence Pill, although there was a limit in consuming the pills. Whether it was a human or a beast, one should not overdose on it as it could overwork the physical body. It would be fine when an appropriate amount is consumed because overexerting the body occasionally could be beneficial.

Phoenix Paradise: When the Fire Bird suffers a fatal injury, there will be a 30% chance of it being resurrected from the flames. A successful resurrection is as good as a transformation, as its strength will be increased by a fold.

Although Phoenix Paradise was extremely powerful, Qing Shui hoped that the Fire Bird would never be forced to use it. Although a 30% chance was not little, it was still extremely risky. Even if strength could be increased by a fold after the resurrection, Qing Shui would rather avoid the chance. He wasn't going to let Fire Bird risk it.

The next morning, Qing Shui woke up and did his morning practice a short distance from the cave. As for the corpses from yesterday, they should be gone by now since the Sky Penetrating Mountains had demonic beasts. It was impossible for the corpses to linger around there for more than fifteen minutes. Although those corpses were poisonous, they still couldn't escape the fate of being scavenged by those poison beasts and poisonous insects.

Soon enough, people started to come out one after another. A few elderly men were out for their morning practices too. Although Mu Qing came out as well, Qing Shui had his eyes shut and didn't react. Instead, he slowly practiced his Taichi Fists.

Qing Shui gave others the impression of being slow and casual, yet his movements were indescribably harmonious, very striking and impressive. It was as if he could blend into nature.

Way of Nature!

After breakfast, everyone pressed on with their journey once again. But this time, they took a detour to avoid the area where they fought the day before. There was no need to pass by there.

The deeper they went, the more dangerous it would be. This in turn caused their speed to decrease relatively tremendously. Luckily, the woman had Lightning Bees which saved the others from a lot of trouble.

Everyone was anxious and always on their toes. Before they realized it, twenty days had already passed. They were now 80,000 li inside, and almost reaching 90,000 li.

Twenty days had passed and Qing Shui felt that they had spent quite some time there. In these twenty days, the group had gained a handful amount of items, but it was Mu Qing and the others that had gained a lot. On the other hand, he basically gained nothing.

Although the woman insisted on sharing a portion with Qing Shui, he firmly stood his ground, declining the offer. Nothing was more important than obtaining a Sky Penetrating Grass, let alone Raging Blow, Sunstone and the Portrait of Beauty. Therefore, Qing Shui would never accept anything else again from that woman no matter what.

In these twenty days, they had encountered quite a large number of demonic beasts. They would basically kill a group of demonic beasts once every two days. Fortunately, Qing Shui's Soulshake Bell was very effective in the current situation.

He wondered how the woman had survived in the past. From their recent experiences, he realized that this didn't seem easy for them. Nonetheless, it was just a daunting experience without any mishap. Even without the Soulshake Bell, they could still make it through.

Perhaps, they had barely made it through before. She had the Lightning Bee, which allowed her to maximise the geographical advantage and to prepare ahead of time. Moreover, the woman had also scattered some medicine powder once.

The demonic beast that was covered in this powder would instantly become frenzied, flee, or even become unable to get up. He had only just realized that this was the 'Bone Powder' that could occasionally be obtained from refining demons. Not only that, it had to be a high-leveled demonic beasts and only their bones were refined. It was a very precious item.

This was also the reason why Qing Shui had never obtained the 'Bone Powder'. It was the essence that could be found in the bones of powerful demonic beasts. The violent power in these bones could cause madness to the lower level beasts and it could only work on beasts with a lower rank.

Although Qing Shui was very remarkable in refining demons, he had very little knowledge on the matter. His meeting with Mu Qing had allowed him to learn a lot from her. He would ask her some questions from time to time and Mu Qing would always provide him with a detailed explanation.

It was the same situation regarding the 'Bone Powder', if he hadn't met Mu Qing, it would probably take him forever to find out about it.

Other than that, the Fire Bird had performed powerfully in battle. Those raging flames of the Hell's Inferno made Qing Shui feel extremely pleasant. Even though it attained the might of of 12 stars under the effect of the Spirit Gathering Lamp, the Hell's Inferno's terrifying battle strength had already exceeded 12 stars.

Everyone, including Mu Qing, watched the Fire Bird with admiration. Its performance was very powerful and very incisive. It was able to kill instantly and slaughter at an astonishing speed.

Before Qing Shui's eyes stood a mighty mountain; majestically tall and straight. It was way taller than the surrounding mountains. In addition, it was fully covered in forests that were mostly made up of ancient towering trees.

Qing Shui felt that the Spiritual Qi on this mountain was much more abundant than anywhere else. There was a saying that 'The higher the mountain, the more abundant the Spiritual Qi. The deeper the water, the more abundant the Spiritual Qi was.' Hence, he decided to roam around the mountain to search for treasures. It would be great if he could find the Sky Penetrating Grass that he needed. If he did manage to find it, he could leave this depressing place immediately. Otherwise, he planned on parting ways with Mu Qing and the rest on this mountain.

From time to time, Mu Qing would survey the surroundings and Qing Shui would expand his spiritual sense. Although 'Lightning Bee' had a good vision, its vision was slightly weaker when looking at longer distances. If enemies were hidden, they might go undetected. Lightning Bee was only as good as a pair of eyes, it could still be fooled by hidden opponents.

In comparison, spiritual sense was generally stronger than its vision as it detects consciousness. But of course, that didn't mean spiritual sense would definitely be able to detect everything. The strong could hide from it. But for those weaker in strength, it was basically hopeless to hide from it even if they tried to physically conceal themselves.

Of course, if one had a mysterious cultivation, perhaps they might be able to avoid being detected by some else's spiritual sense. But there was a limit to it, the disparity between the individual's strengths could not be too great. Moreover, there was always an exception to everything, and nothing was definite.

The Treasure Hunting Pig traveled back and forth around the compound, squeaking occasionally. It didn't sound like a pig at all.

The bright sun was up, yet the surrounding was very quiet. The silence was somewhat disturbing. Every now and then, the beasts would roar. Their roars echoed through the sky like the sound of muffled thunder.

This made everyone stressed and tense. It was so deep in the mountains, even a warrior would be terrified.

Within the deepest part of the mountains was the terrifying Sky Penetrating Mountains. The surroundings were covered with ancient forest. It was incomparable to the old forests found in the deep mountains in his previous world. The old forests in his previous world were already indescribably terrifying, let alone the forests here.

The skillful ones were indeed brave!

Rather, it was because of their cultivation. Only cultivation could make a person daring and fearless. This was true for Qing Shui too, as he still had many more demonic beasts, as well as magical treasures and powerful techniques in his possession. These were the things that gave Qing Shui the mettle to travel deeper into the mountains alone to search for the Sky Penetrating Grass.

There were a lot of natural treasures in this mountain. The Treasure Hunting Pig's occasional squeaks brought joy to the group, staving their nervousness.

Humans die in pursuit of wealth, birds die in pursuit of food!

Ironically, this was a very normal sense of worth. Every person, more or less, had the same mindset. Humans actually have the spirits to take risks. It was precisely due to uncertainty that humans would take risks out of desperation.

They had come across quite a number of beasts as they were slowly approaching the top of the mountain. However, they were not in a flock. These beasts were quite powerful but unfortunately for them, they could only flee when they came face to face with Qing Shui's group.

Squeak Squeak…..

Once again, the familiar sound of the Treasure Hunting Pig rang out, which made everyone gather around. Everyone, including Qing Shui, were stunned when they saw the treasure that came into their view. It was the Sky Penetrating Grass.

Furthermore, there were ten of them…..

It was a shame that they were a little too small. According to Qing Shui's knowledge of medicinal herbs, they were only approximately three hundred to five hundred years old. This made Qing Shui's heart sank. If it required another 3,000 years, that would mean he'd still had to wait another 11 to 12 years even with the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal's passage of time.

Although he was very disappointed, Qing Shui still approached them and moved the whole patch of land. Under everyone's surprised gaze, he put the patch of land into the Realm of Violet Jade Immortal.

Up until now, Qing Shui's interspatial item was still a mystery to them. It was known that no living creature, including plants, could be stashed into the Interspatial Silk Sachet.

Everyone actually knew that what Qing Shui owned was not an Interspatial Silk Sachet, as interspatial items would not be able to contain living beings. Therefore, even if Qing Shui had only temporarily put it in there for the time being, it was evident that his interspatial item was extremely powerful.

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Chapter end