Chapter 34: Black Water Banner (Please keep reading! Please collect!)

Wind rises at the duckweed's end, waves form in the tiny ripples.

Thick dead leaves carpeted the forest floor, a figure swiftly darted through.

Yunhe moved through the shadows like a leisurely walking leopard, his steps light, his landings soundless; whenever he heard an unusual noise, he would stop and listen carefully, only continuing once the sound had faded or drifted away.

"Caught up."

After walking briskly for a stretch, Yunhe's steps gradually slowed; he stood atop a lofty treetop and gazed far into the distance.

Only to see, not far away in the woods, another figure likewise darting swiftly, equally cautious and alert to any movement around, fearing to provoke a beast attack.

Wei Qingfei!

By now they had already left River Creek Market far behind, fleeing into the boundless wilderness of mountains and forests.

As for this person, Yunhe initially held an attitude of neither seeking to befriend nor wishing to offend.

But when the other came to demand the "public funds," he had just returned from the black market, his spirit stones completely exhausted.

Afterward he also tried to call on him to apologize, to turn swords into jade and silk, but was met with a closed door.

Moreover, the other regarded him as a helpless chick to be toyed with, to show off before the crowd.

Yunhe could actually endure all of this.

After all, the other possessed a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivation base, giving him an absolute advantage in magical power.

But recently, the other was no longer satisfied with merely watching Yunhe suffer setbacks; he had already harbored murderous intent.

He did not act himself; he merely wanted Yunhe to expend his last bit of residual energy, and truly did not regard Yunhe, a novice Qi Refining spirit-bee farmer, as worth noticing.

When he returns this time after purchasing a superior-grade magical artifact, what will happen if he finds Yunhe still alive?

To be targeted by a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator wielding a superior-grade magical artifact?

Whenever he thought of this, Yunhe felt a chill in his heart, as if sitting on pins and needles.

"I just want to honestly raise my bees, cultivate immortality, and live a dull yet peaceful life—why is it so hard?"

Yunhe sighed.

This damned world forces him to kill.

But he quickly put away that pointless jest, his expression becoming focused.

"Just leaving the market's range is the time of highest vigilance; after traveling a stable stretch, vigilance inevitably declines."

He silently tailed Wei Qingfei from afar, using the Red Pattern Spirit Bee as an intermediary link; even if Wei Qingfei could sense cultivators, he could not detect him.

Time passed second by second in silent stillness.

"Almost enough, can't wait any longer."

"I don't know the exact meeting place; if I wait for him to join forces with the Lei Brothers before charging in, that would surely be suicide."

Yunhe drew a deep breath.

He drew the Gold Killing Sword from his storage bag.

After stepping forward a few dozen paces to close the distance, he tapped his toe and leapt lightly over the tree like a glide.

"Clang!!"

A slash of golden killing light arced through the air; the blade's edge vibrated the air, producing a faint humming and slight disturbance.

Wei Qingfei, head down and hurrying, felt his ear twitch, his hairs stand on end, and his heart filled with shock.

"An ambush!"

He had no time for anything else, tumbling sideways in a frantic sprawl, coming up coated in dead leaves.

"Swish!!"

The Gold Killing Sword swept past, scattering bright red specks.

Seeing this, Yunhe sighed inwardly, feeling regret.

Although his timing was good and his strike decisive,

yet a cultivator's spiritual perception is still overly keen; even without external spirit sense, that inner foreboding of danger often plays a major role at critical moments.

"Who?!"

Wei Qingfei, shocked and enraged, rolled on the ground then sprang up, slapping a "Diamond Talisman" onto himself first, golden light enveloping his body.

Only after doing that did Wei Qingfei slightly relax.

"Ding!!"

The Gold Killing Sword rebounding from behind was blocked by the golden light, emitting a crisp sound.

"Hmph!" Wei Qingfei snorted coldly, "Just an inferior-grade magical artifact!"

As he spoke, he flipped both hands, producing a azure-colored banner about seven feet long, its surface glowing with a faint blue light, embroidered with a vigorous green tree.

Immediately, with a flick and sweep of the banner, the Gold Killing Sword, which had still been humming with sword qi, was knocked away.

An inferior-grade magical artifact versus a mid-grade one is indeed at a great disadvantage.

"Azure Wood Banner?"

Seeing the extra banner in Wei Qingfei's hand, Yunhe was not surprised; he merely had an additional spirit talisman in his palm.

"Found you!"

Wei Qingfei suddenly gave a sinister laugh, and the Azure Wood Banner burst forth with a misty blue glow.

The branches beneath Yunhe's feet suddenly seemed to come alive, shooting out twigs that wrapped around his ankles.

Seeing this, Yunhe's heart tightened; fortunately he had been fully focused when he acted, so his reaction was not slow, and he leapt down from the tree.

"Is it you?!"

As he fell, his cloak fluttering in the wind, Wei Qingfei saw his appearance.

"Yunhe!"

To be honest, Wei Qingfei had considered the possibility of a sneak attack, perhaps a cultivator bandit encountered on the road, or maybe some cultivator within the market bearing a grudge against him, but he had never imagined it would be Yunhe.

That Qi Refining Early Stage spirit bee farmer, whom he completely disregarded, passively endured whatever he did, only silently bearing it, and even proactively came multiple times to apologize, hoping to ease relations.

Actually, speaking frankly, the reason Wei Qingfei targets him everywhere is somewhat related to Yunhe's 'endurance'.

That's how the cultivation world is; sometimes 'endurance' is seen by others as weakness, lowliness, something that can be trampled at will.

Qi Refining Mid-stage.

Sensing the faint spiritual power fluctuations on Yunhe's body, Wei Qingfei involuntarily restrained his contempt.

But in his heart he acknowledged it, while his mouth remained full of disdain.

Even if you break through to Qi Refining Mid-stage, so what? Do you think you can kill me with just a broken flying sword?

While his arrogance was fully displayed, spiritual power continuously poured into the Green Wood Banner.

After landing, Yunhe heard Wei Qingfei's noise, paid no attention to it, merely pinching a spirit talisman between two fingers, and with a light shake, flames rose.

On the other side, Wei Qingfei, whose tone was full of overbearing arrogance, finally halted the infusion of spiritual power, gripping the flagpole with both hands and giving it a fierce swing.

A blue bolt shot out suddenly, like a blue long snake winding swiftly toward Yunhe.

But it happened to meet the scorching flames released by Yunhe's activated talisman.

"Crimson Flame Talisman!"

Wei Qingfei gritted his teeth and spoke out the talisman Yunhe was using.

He roughly guessed that, to deal with him, Yunhe must have investigated him, knowing he had a wood spiritual root, was skilled in wood-attribute techniques, and possessed a wood-attribute magical artifact.

But a talisman is ultimately just a talisman; even a middle‑grade talisman only has the power of an ordinary mid‑stage Qi Refining cultivator's technique, yet he is at the sixth layer of Qi Refining!

He gave a scornful laugh.

He suddenly increased his Spiritual Power output.

On the Azure Wood Banner, a green light flashed, and the azure silk's power surged.

But Yunhe did not stop his movements after activating the talisman.

The fan that appeared in his hand unfolded with a puff.

Then he swung it hard again.

Wind‑Fire Fan—adding fire to wind‑fire, the flames surged!

Boom!!!

The collision between wood‑attribute Spiritual Power and fire‑attribute Spiritual Power whipped up a violent gust, scattering the dry leaves across the ground, leaving only a scorched patch.

"Well prepared."

Wei Qingfei's sharp gaze swept over the Wind‑Fire Fan in Yunhe's hand.

"One Crimson Flame Talisman alone cannot counter the Azure Wood Banner, but adding a Wind‑Fire Fan makes the outcome uncertain."

Yunhe couldn't be bothered to waste words.

"No, more accurately, he was waiting for this very moment!"

Wei Qingfei, in order to overpower him, poured a large amount of Spiritual Power into the Azure Wood Banner, inevitably causing a brief stagnation and pause in the flow of Spiritual Power within his body.

This is also the reason why, despite his sneak attack, he did not immediately unleash the bee swarm.

Because, given Wei Qingfei's alertness, he would surely be able to react.

But now, even if he reacted, it would be too late.

He formed hand seals with both hands!

"Buzz—buzz buzz buzz—"

The familiar buzzing of bees, which Wei Qingfei knew well, came from all directions.

Red Pattern Spirit Bees appeared one by one in Wei Qingfei's field of vision.

There were at least seventy or eighty of them!

Even more.

Only now did Wei Qingfei's expression finally change dramatically.

"What kind of bee is this?!"

These suddenly appearing Spirit Bees were truly beyond his expectations.

Each bee felt no inferior to a Black‑Ringed Hornet.

Especially the subtle connections and interactions among them gave off a faint formation‑like feel.

Bee swarm combined with insect formation!

The key point is, just as Yunhe had anticipated, his Spiritual Power now had a brief stagnation.

He had intended to stall for time through conversation, but he never expected Yunhe to give him no chance at all.

On the contrary, Yunhe, because he was using a talisman and a low‑grade Magical Artifact, the Wind‑Fire Fan, his Spiritual Power remained smooth.

Insect Battle Formation!

Although having achieved minor success in the Blood Insect Control Technique, Yunhe could control the bees freely even without forming seals, yet maintaining the hand signs somewhat strengthened the insect formation's power.

In an instant, the Red Pattern Spirit Bees, forming a sharp‑edge formation, surrounded Wei Qingfei on all sides, and a dense sound of gnawing arose.

"Not good!" Yunhe's hairs stood on end as another talisman in his hand ignited, the Diamond Talisman's protective golden light enveloping his body.

At the same time he blasted backward with his feet, a pair of iron nails, each as thick as two fingers and covered in reddish‑rust spots, suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"A one‑time Magical Artifact, a Bone‑Piercing Nail?!"

Danger sprang from his own side!

Crack!!!

The protective golden light shattered directly.

"Pfft!!"

Yunhe spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, a blossom of blood slowly blooming on his shoulder, yet he seemed oblivious, merely fixing his stare on Wei Qingfei, who was surrounded by the Red Pattern Spirit Bees.

Splash—

Just then, a gush of black water surged forth, scattering the Red Pattern Spirit Bees that surrounded him in the black water's sweep, revealing the disheveled Wei Qingfei beneath.

His body covered in wounds and pus-filled sores, he clutched a black small banner, his face full of ferocity and madness.

Seeing this, Yunhe's pupils constricted sharply, and two words involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

"Demonic cultivator!"

No! Wei Qingfei is not a demonic cultivator!

Rather, it is the small banner in his hand that is filled with a strong demonic cultivator aura.

He bared his blood-stained teeth in a grin, his voice hoarse and sharp, carrying intense hatred and suppressed anger.

"Do you think I went to buy a high-grade magical artifact? How could I possibly let the people below know about such a thing?"

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his expression becoming even more sinister.

"I originally did not want to use it."

But at this moment, Yunhe's expression turned ruthless, and he again brought his palms together.

Buzz—

The Red Pattern Spirit Bees scattered by the black water instantly became agitated, forming an encircling stance like a ferocious tiger's maw, and once again lunged at Wei Qingfei.

"Useless!"

Wei Qingfei waved the small banner in his hand, and instantly rolling black water surged again; moreover, this black water seemed to possess extremely strong corrosive and disruptive properties.

A few Red Pattern Spirit Bees merely touched the water droplets, and their bodies emitted a hissing sound.

At the same time, the connection between him and Yunhe also became intermittent.

"The black water banner is a high-grade magical artifact, capable of corroding spiritual power."

But soon, he noticed something amiss.

Within the rolling black water, each Red Pattern Spirit Bee actually clustered together, with the outer bees bearing the black water's baptism while the inner ones conserved their strength.

Originally, this should not have been able to stop the all‑penetrating black water, but the 'Insect Battle Formation' formed by the Red Pattern Spirit Bees comes from the Foundation Establishment secret technique 'Blood Insect Sacrifice Technique', allowing a brief blockage and slight delay of the corrosion.

Furthermore, since the black water banner can corrode spiritual power, logically, upon contact with the black water these bees should have lost connection with their controller.

Without the 'Insect Control Technique' supporting it, how could they still form a formation?

This is something Wei Qingfei cannot figure out.

Actually, if he observed carefully he would discover that among these clustered Red Pattern Spirit Bees, there are a few with stronger demonic power, the 'general' bees, guiding and assisting the formation.

Watching those Red Pattern Spirit Bees swept out by the black water and corroded to death, Yunhe's heart bled.

These are all the result of his painstaking, bit‑by‑bit cultivation!

High‑grade magical artifacts are indeed formidable, able to corrode the body and sever spiritual power; if a magical artifact were struck by this black water, it would likely be taken away.

But it is ultimately only a high‑grade magical artifact, not a treasure, and cannot be all‑purpose and fully functional.

Its instantaneous killing power is not that strong—this is the banner's greatest shortcoming!

No, wait!

Finally, feeling the Red Pattern Spirit Bees closing in, Wei Qingfei panicked.

Fellow Daoist Yun, I apologize! I was wrong before; I—I am willing to make compensation—spirit stones, magical artifacts, whatever you want.

The next moment.

Buzz—

The Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen led the charge out of the black water, demonic qi surging wildly.

Immediately after, the Red Pattern Spirit Bees that had suffered heavy losses also surged forth, mercilessly pouncing on Wei Qingfei, who had lost all defensive capability.

The sound of gnawing was their final requiem for their fallen companions.

No! I—I can still—" Wei Qingfei was still struggling.

Yunhe, holding a three‑foot green peak sword, swung down without hesitation.

Swish!

The corpse was severed!

No more chapter breaks—finished in one go, presenting four thousand characters~~

(End of chapter)