Chapter 78: This Thing Is Too Dangerous, You Can't Grasp It!

Gong Wansheng does not know the origin of the Nether Sacred Stone, but seeing it drift away from Mu Renjie's corpse, it carried a strange alluring power.

Xiao Zhangqing, who had been extremely cautious throughout the earlier duel and showed no slip, was stunned, as if dazed, and without any resistance let it merge with him.

Gong Wansheng could roughly guess that this strange jade stone must be the "origin" of the evil spirit! It was the chief culprit that caused Mu Renjie to fall and become an ominous thing! Now that Mu Renjie was brutally decapitated and lost its host, it set its sights on Xiao Zhangqing, seeking to tempt him.

Back when Mu Renjie was at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could not resist the evil spirit's temptation, completely lost himself, and became a puppet like a walking corpse.

How can Xiao Zhangqing, who is still in the Qi Refining Realm, resist?

This is not a matter of magical power level, but comes from the Soul Transformation! Unless he still has enough Demon‑breaking Talismans on him, he might still be able to suppress it.

But it is clear that the Demon‑breaking Talismans and Stabilizing Soul Talismans on Xiao Zhangqing were just used en masse a moment ago to eliminate Mu Renjie.

Without any Talisman Scripts, Xiao Zhangqing, the Symbol Master, becomes a toothless tiger; when he is at his most "weak", he will be taken advantage of.

"A new evil spirit must never appear again!"

Gong Wansheng saw it with his eyes and felt urgency in his heart.

He feared that the genius Symbol Master Xiao Zhangqing might not withstand the evil spirit's power and become the next "Mu Renjie", which would be a great pity; he also feared that if Xiao Zhangqing fell, the living beings of Nanshan Fang would be devastated.

Enduring intense pain at his brow, he summoned magical power, and a spiritual sword sigil appeared; disregarding the tearing wound and blood, Gong Wansheng gathered sword qi and aimed at the Nether Sacred Stone, preparing to stab it once to see if he could shatter it or awaken Xiao Zhangqing.

If neither works, he will consider cutting Xiao Zhangqing down directly!

Just as Gong Wansheng gathered sword qi, ready to strike, an incredible scene unfolded again.

Although this scene was not as spectacular and shocking as the earlier rain of talismans, to Gong Wansheng it was even more unbelievable, shattering his perception.

He saw Xiao Zhangqing, immobilized by the Nether Sacred Stone's enchantment, suddenly roar, "Get out of my way!"

In an instant, a Divine Perception wave far surpassing the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage surged from Xiao Zhangqing, overwhelmingly powerful, making even he, a late Foundation Establishment genius cultivator, feel a hint of deterrence.

At the same time, a weary yet ancient Dragon Roar resonated through the heavens and earth.

Dragon Roar Technique! Though not Xiao Zhangqing's attack target, in a daze Gong Wansheng also seemed to sense a phantom jiao dragon illusion emerging from Xiao Zhangqing's body, bearing the unique draconic pressure, roaring as it surged toward the Nether Sacred Stone.

Xiao Zhangqing actually possessed such a powerful Soul Transformation and also knew such profound Divine Perception secret technique!

It should be known that Divine Perception secret techniques are extremely rare in the Cultivation World, priceless, and even as a Core Formation seedling of the Luoxia Sect, he had never possessed one.

Among Core Formation Immortals, one must have a certain lineage and strong inheritance to wield Divine Perception techniques! Where does the tiny Nanshan Fang get such? If Gong Wansheng were at his peak and thought he could still resist such Divine Perception attack, now that he is gravely wounded, his mind and spirit feel torn; if hit by such a move, he would likely have his soul shattered. Yet besides shock, a smile of joy also appeared on Gong Wansheng's face.

Such a powerful Divine Perception secret technique can directly annihilate cultivators whose Soul Transformation is not strong enough, causing their souls to shatter. Moreover, against evil spirits, its effect surpasses that of Stabilizing Soul Talismans and Demon‑breaking Talismans! Indeed, under the Dragon Roar Technique that can slay the mid Foundation Establishment Soul Transformation, the evil spirit power contained in the Nether Sacred Stone was finally completely eradicated, falling from the sky to the ground.

The hallucinations in Xiao Zhangqing's mind also vanished at that moment.

"Huh…"

Xiao Zhangqing finally exhaled, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

What a danger; in those hallucinations he almost fell. Even after realizing they were hallucinations and that his condition was off, he could not break free to awaken.

It was like his body was bound while his soul was imprisoned in a cage.

Fortunately he did not remove the Dragon Prison Bracelet, allowing him to successfully execute the Dragon Roar Technique.

Truly a matter of timing and fate.

Because the Dragon Prison Bracelet amplified his Soul Transformation, it attracted Mu Renjie's attention, drawing him to try to devour him. Also, due to the bracelet's third equipment effect, the evil spirit power in the Nether Sacred Stone was completely eradicated, and he survived.

"I must say, the power of the Dragon Roar Technique is indeed massive! Stronger than I imagined… mid Foundation Establishment cultivators can hardly resist! It can already threaten late Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

Xiao Zhangqing silently marveled in his heart.

The minimum requirement to use the Dragon Roar Technique is that the Soul Transformation intensity reaches ten zhang, which doubles to twenty zhang after the Dragon Prison Bracelet's amplification.

And now, after nine layers of Qi Refining, Xiao Zhangqing's Divine Perception intensity has reached fifteen zhang, exceeding the minimum threshold by fifty percent.

Therefore, Xiao Zhangqing's current use of the Dragon Roar Technique also surpasses the minimum second‑tier mid‑level in spiritual attack power. "However, the consumption of Soul Transformation is indeed substantial!"

Xiao Zhangqing felt his mind "empty as void", utterly fatigued, longing to collapse and sleep at once, aware that this was the side effect of the Dragon Roar Technique, his Soul Transformation being weak.

However, Xiao Zhangqing dared not show any sign, instead his eyes keenly fixed on a mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator not far ahead, who was manipulating Qi Refining and ready to strike.

Logically, this Foundation Establishment cultivator should be considered in the same camp as him, both aiming to kill Mu Renjie.

The massive clash that initially shook half of Nanshan Fang was the great battle between him and Mu Renjie.

Moreover, Xiao Zhangqing could vaguely guess the opponent's identity and background.

Yet Xiao Zhangqing still dared not lower his guard; after a deep breath to forcefully suppress his fatigue, he swiftly pulled another Second‑rank Attack Talisman Script from his storage bag.

Now his stock of Second‑rank Talisman Scripts is truly running low!

Fortunately, after the evil spirit's energy was completely annihilated by the Divine Perception attack, Gong Wansheng quickly dispersed the ready sword qi, and the sword‑shaped sigil on his brow vanished swiftly.

And he did not hide his weakness, moving slowly like a frost‑hit eggplant into Xiao Zhangqing's courtyard. First he sized up Xiao Zhangqing, looked at the Second‑rank Attack Talisman Script in Xiao's hand, then glanced at the Nether Sacred Stone on the ground, and resumed his usual teasing tone: "Dao Companion, no need to be nervous, I mean no harm. Let me introduce myself: I am Gong Wansheng from the Luoxia Sect. Thank you, Dao Companion, for eliminating Mu Renjie; this deed yields boundless merit, essentially rescuing countless cultivators of Nanshan Fang, and also removing a great hidden threat for my Luoxia Sect…"

This unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator truly was a master from the Luoxia Sect!

During the past few days at Lingfu Pavilion, Xiao Zhangqing had sensed that Zhou Changkong's condition was off, looking as if a "leader" had come down to inspect work.

Now looking, it truly was not false.

However, this Luoxia Sect "leader" seemed to have come to Nanshan Fang not to inspect Zhou Changkong's work, but for Mu Renjie.

At this moment, the Lin sisters who had been hiding inside earlier, now dressed, came out, standing on his left and right beside Xiao Zhangqing, each holding a Talisman Script, cautiously eyeing Gong Wansheng.

When Mu Renjie descended earlier, the two sisters were also quite frightened; with their cultivation level, they were not even an ant in such a clash, even if they wanted to help they were powerless, going out would only cause trouble, so they obediently stayed hidden as Xiao Zhangqing instructed.

At this moment the battle ended, the courtyard seemed quiet, and the two hurried out to check the situation.

Gong Wansheng glanced at the Lin sisters, clearly severely wounded with throbbing heads, yet it didn't stop him from teasing: "Symbol Master Xiao, what good fortune, embraced on both sides, the blessing of a harmonious family. I don't know which is the elder sister and which the younger, but I've been quite fond of the Forget‑Worry wine from Guangju Building these past days…"

This Gong Wansheng is not very serious, huh.

Is this the time to discuss family blessings and spirit wine?

Xiao Zhangqing gave no reply, silently sheathing the Second‑rank Talisman Script in his hand, and also signaling the Lin sisters to lower their guard, letting them return.

Then he bowed his hands and respectfully said, "May I ask, Senior Gong…"

In the Cultivation World, strength determines respect; if not of the same clan or sect, the one with higher cultivation is the senior.

A Qi Refining cultivator facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator must address them as senior.

"Hm?" Upon hearing the address, Gong Wansheng quickly waved his hand, as if his butt were on fire, and laughed dumbfounded, "I dare not accept the title of senior. Symbol Master Xiao should have already been promoted to a Second‑rank Talisman Master, and with such overwhelming strength, slaying Mu Renjie and eliminating the evil spirit, we are peers; just call me Dao Companion…"

"Well…" Xiao Zhangqing changed his address, "May I ask, Dao Companion Gong, what exactly happened today? And this Mu Renjie, what's the situation?"

Gong Wansheng did not hold back, and told Xiao Zhangqing everything he had learned from his investigation, as well as some conjectures in his mind.

The owner of Lai Feng Lou was secretly eliminated by Mu Renjie half a year ago, Zhou Changkong met disaster tonight, Mu Renjie is not an Evil Cultivator infiltrator, but most likely, out of greed, fell into an Evil Cultivator's plot, unknowingly beguiled by malevolent spirits, and gradually fell…

A series of reports left Xiao Zhangqing deeply shocked.

"So the root of everything is this jade stone?"

Xiao Zhangqing lowered his head to look at the jade stone on the ground; he had been observing it for a while, confirming that its evil nature had been completely removed and it posed no threat, before preparing to encase it with his power and slowly lift it.

Then the question arose.

This 'treasure' that can grant a cultivator, in a short time, strength comparable to the Core Formation realm—can it be counted as equipment? "Xiao Symbol Master, hold on!"

Gong Wansheng quickly shouted, stopping him: "This jade stone is too ominous. Even though you used the Demon-breaking Talisman and the Stabilizing Soul Talisman to extinguish its evil qi, and you dispersed its primordial power with your Soul Awareness technique, no one can be sure it won't reignite or hide some hidden danger! Xiao Symbol Master, even though your Soul Transformation is strong, you still only have Refining Qi cultivation and have not yet entered Foundation Establishment; this thing is too dangerous and hard to control! Better hand it to me, let me take it back to the sect and find out exactly what kind of ghostly thing this is!"

(End of chapter)