Chapter 50

Hmm.

Yunhe, who had taken a healing elixir, woke from his meditation.

After carefully sensing his body with his spirit sense, he revealed a smile full of helplessness.

Severe injury, an injury he had never experienced before.

Fortunately, the black-backed arrow-wing falcon's demonic power had not entered his body, so recovery was merely a matter of time.

"Good thing the defensive measures were well done."

Using the Black Scorpion Shield in actual combat for the first time, its defensive strength amazed him, and he secretly marveled at the surname Ran elder's superb forging skill.

No wonder, when the other party handed him the Black Scorpion Shield earlier, they were full of pride, even boasting that, purely in terms of defense, the Black Scorpion Shield could rival top-tier magical artifacts.

"Indeed, it did not deceive me."

However, the Black Scorpion Shield's ability to exert such effect also relates to the condition of the black-backed arrow-wing falcon.

The black-backed arrow-wing falcon was already injured, and it also took a hit from Ma Shaoyuan's talisman treasure, plus a minor injury, and the advantage of the underground terrain.

Only with all these factors combined did Yunhe achieve the feat of slaying a Second Stage beast against the odds.

Otherwise, even if he had the Black Scorpion Shield and picked up Ma Shaoyuan's talisman treasure, facing the black-backed arrow-wing falcon at its peak, he probably couldn't withstand a second strike, nor could he unleash the talisman treasure's effect.

The gap between the Qi Refining stage and the Foundation Establishment stage is evident.

"Good talisman treasure."

Yunhe loved the talisman script in his hand, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Compared to when Ma Shaoyuan just took it out, the tiny sword pattern on the talisman paper is now much more blurred.

"I don't even know how many more times it can be used."

In his mind, he recalled the information about talisman treasures that Qian Dajiang had explained to him.

Although talisman treasures are powerful, their use also comes with many limitations.

For example, the total power stored in a talisman treasure is fixed; the more spiritual power infused each time, the greater the power unleashed.

But at the same time, the more times it is used, the more power is consumed, and the talisman treasure wears out faster.

When the sealed magical artifact's power is completely exhausted, the talisman treasure becomes merely a piece of talisman paper.

Furthermore, although talisman treasures are derived from magical artifacts, because they rely on talisman paper, only a tenth or less of the power can be retained.

Finally, using a talisman treasure requires a large amount of spiritual power; with the spiritual power quality of a Qi Refining cultivator, activating it takes not a short time.

In the rapidly changing battle of spells, the time needed to activate a talisman treasure is enough for the opponent to kill the user several times, so timing must be controlled well.

But no matter what, one cannot erase the preciousness of talisman treasures, nor hide the strength of their power when activated.

"Just this one talisman treasure makes this trip not a loss. Well, I'll still take a loss later; I really don't want to go through such danger again."

He pushed himself up with his knees, wobbling as he stood.

He took two steps.

His body gradually adapted to the current state.

Fortunately, his three years of diligent body training in Hongye City meant he couldn't compare to a Second-tier Beast, but his body, comparable to mid-stage body refinement, was also one of the reasons he could withstand those waves of attacks.

He drew the azure-scaled sword and prepared to dissect the black-backed arrow-wing falcon.

"Act quickly, or else a naive beast might rush over, unafraid of the Second-tier Beast's aura."

Although this possibility is not great.

Moments later, Yunhe stuffed the black-backed arrow-wing falcon into several storage bags.

After confirming complete safety, he would then slowly dissect it.

"Good thing there are many storage bags; otherwise, we might not be able to carry it all."

After handling it.

Yunhe again used the Earth Escape Technique to return to the surface.

Moonlight poured down, cloaking the mountains and forests in a layer of silver.

He drew a deep breath; the cool night mountain wind entered his lungs, involuntarily refreshing his spirit.

"Right, there's also Ma Shaoyuan's storage bag!"

However, what disappointed Yunhe was that he could not find Ma Shaoyuan's storage bag.

"Perhaps it was burned by the demonic fire."

Actually, storage bags themselves have no special defensive capability; facing the terrifying demonic fire of a Second-tier Beast, being destroyed is inevitable.

"What a pity."

He formed a seal, ignited a flame, and tossed it onto Ma Shaoyuan's corpse.

Ma Shaoyuan's identity is special; the Ma Family might later send people to investigate, so it's better to burn the corpse to avoid leaving signs that it had been searched.

After doing these, he turned his gaze to the blood-stained beast egg on the other side.

If this beast egg still has vitality, its value would be enormous.

Many beast-taming cultivators prefer to raise spirit beasts from the egg, because only then can they forge a stronger bond, and it also reduces the chance of the beast betraying them to the lowest.

An egg of a Second-tier Beast like the black-backed arrow-wing falcon, if properly cultivated, might eventually yield a Second-tier Beast.

You should know that a beast's lifespan can far exceed that of a cultivator; such a Second-tier Beast can completely serve as a family inheritance, capable of protecting a Foundation Establishment family for hundreds of years, and there's no need to worry about the family declining due to a lack of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, a dead egg that has lost its vitality sees its value greatly reduced.

"Still, it retains some value."

Consoling himself, he also put this egg into the storage bag.

He checked the surroundings again, trying to erase his traces as much as possible while also checking for any omissions.

After finishing these, he then dragged his fatigued, heavily wounded body away slowly.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, that vicious beast won't come back again, will it? We ought to leave as soon as possible."

Yunhe, hiding in a sheltered spot and regulating his breath, suddenly heard the sound coming from there.

No! I must confirm whether Shaoyuan is still alive; otherwise I cannot report to the Ancestor when I return.

Ma Boyuan's weak voice also came.

However, that ferocious beast hasn't appeared for so long; it must have either left or found a place to rest and recuperate. If we act quickly, we shouldn't encounter it again.

That voice turned out to be the fat Daoist Qian Dajiang.

Yunhe gently pushed aside the dense branches in front of him and looked toward the sound.

Indeed, he saw five cultivators, with Ma Boyuan as the leader and Qian Dajiang plus four other mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Ma Boyuan's condition was not good; his face was pale and his steps were a bit unsteady.

The other four cultivators also looked quite disheveled.

Qian Dajiang's horsetail whisk had been burned down to a mere stick, and I don't know why he still clung to it.

After a brief consideration, Yunhe decided to go out.

There were several reasons.

First, he only knew the general direction of Qingshan City, but not how to get there.

Although the straight-line distance between Hongye City and Qingshan City is five to six hundred li, traveling between them is not a straight line.

One must know that between the two major cities lie mountains and forests teeming with demonic beasts, many places occupied by powerful demonic beasts; recklessly entering the territory of even a single or a group of powerful demonic beasts is extremely dangerous.

Thus, although the distance seems short, due to the need to detour and avoid, the route more than doubles!

Moreover, occasional encounters with demonic beasts causing obstruction and delay will increase the time, which is also why the treasure ship travels slowly.

Second point.

With multiple cultivators traveling together, they can look out for each other on the road, and five or six people do not make a big target.

Even if one were to encounter an extremely dangerous demonic beast like the Red-backed Arrow-Winged Vulture, having other cultivators divert its attention would make Yunhe feel safer given his escape abilities.

As for the talisman treasure, the more he openly interacted with Ma Boyuan, the less likely he would arouse suspicion; whereas sneaking into Qingshan City and being discovered would bring many unnecessary troubles.

Furthermore, no matter how precious the talisman treasure is, one needs to be alive to use it.

At a moment of life and death, who would still care whether one has a talisman treasure or not?

Who?!

Indeed, after Yunhe released a wisp of Spiritual Power fluctuation, Ma Boyuan immediately became highly alert and sensed it.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, it's me." Yunhe came out with a bitter expression.

"Yunhe!"

Before Ma Boyuan could speak, seeing Yunhe, Qian Dajiang's face lit up with excitement as he wobbled over, his over-two-hundred-pound body swaying.

"Where have you been running off to? This poor Daoist has searched for a long time and still couldn't find you!"

Yunhe twitched the corner of his mouth and patted Qian Dajiang's shoulder.

"Ah, this is a long story."

Upon seeing familiar cultivators, Ma Boyuan and the others relaxed.

Afterward, Yunhe briefly recounted his experience of being chased by the Red-backed Arrow-Winged Vulture and his narrow escape from death.

Half true, half false in his account, making it all the more believable.

He still chose to present himself as having a sixth-layer Qi Refining Cultivation Base.

This reduces many unnecessary suspicions, such as whether deliberately concealing one's Cultivation Base is for some reason, or whether having a late-stage Qi Refining Cultivation Base could possibly allow one to snatch a talisman treasure amidst the chaos, and so on.

Having a mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivation Base puts people more at ease.

Nevertheless, Ma Boyuan still thought highly of Yunhe by a few degrees.

"Fellow Daoist Yunhe, surviving against the odds truly shows deep blessings."

He had faced a Second Stage Red-backed Arrow-Winged Vulture head-on and knew its danger well; Yunhe's ability to survive with a mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivation Base was not merely luck—his temperament and ability certainly had strengths.

"Luck, just luck." Yunhe wore a humble expression.

Anyway, no matter what, attributing everything to "luck" leaves others with nothing to say.

"If so, Fellow Daoist Yunhe, shall we go together?"

"Excellent."

Yunhe readily agreed.

Afterward, everyone followed Ma Boyuan to the site where Ma Shaoyuan collided with the Red-backed Arrow-Winged Vulture.

The ground was littered with debris and terrifying battle marks, leaving everyone speechless and filled with dread.

However, Ma Boyuan searched for a moment but could not find Ma Shaoyuan's corpse nor the talisman treasure, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

Due to everyone's repeated urging to leave quickly, he had no choice but to reluctantly give up.

He summoned an iron-leaf boat, carrying everyone away from the place with caution.

Just that.

Yunhe, silently observing from the side, felt that.

"Ma Boyuan's disappointment and helplessness are genuine, but he doesn't seem overly sad?"

Only after the golden crow rose in the east, having drifted tens of li away from the treasure ship's wreckage, did Ma Boyuan find a relatively secluded and safe spot to lower the iron-leaf boat.

Last night's ordeal left all the cultivators in terrible mental and physical condition; continuing the journey like this would be too dangerous, so they needed to rest and adjust.

However, during the rest, Yunhe's Spiritual Power became unusually active, drawing many sideways glances.

Is this a breakthrough?

Yunhe also timely showed an expression of excitement and joy, bowing his hands to the crowd and saying:

"Please, everyone, help me look after things for a bit."

Having said that, he performed the Earth Escape Technique and sank into the ground.

Immediately afterward, underground Spiritual Power fluctuated continuously.

This, too, was a play Yunhe, after much deliberation, felt he must perform.

The remaining route to Qingshan City is not short; they might well encounter demon beast attacks along the way.

Then, if he acts, it might reveal his Cultivation Base.

Hiding his late‑stage Cultivation Base will surely arouse Ma Boyuan's suspicion.

It would be better for him to feign that, after undergoing a life‑and‑death peril, his state of mind was stirred, thereby bringing about a Cultivation Base breakthrough.

After all, cultivators train the body, but even more so the mind.

Ma Shaoyuan's reason for insisting on slaying the Second Stage Red-backed Arrow-winged Falcon is none other than to cut away his inner hesitation and anxiety.

After Wang Jinglan's trek through the mountains and forests facing demon beasts, his change of state of mind likewise brought progress in his Cultivation Base.

Even the plump Daoist Qian Dajiang, who follows his master's orders to wander the mortal world, is doing so to cultivate the mind.

Such occurrences, where a shift in state of mind triggers a Cultivation Base breakthrough, are not rare in the cultivation world; besides astonishment, people feel mostly envy.

But they still earnestly helped Yunhe guard his Dharma.

Now they are together in the vast mountains and forests where demon beasts roam—truly like grasshoppers on the same boat—and having an additional late‑stage cultivator in their party is absolutely more advantageous than disadvantageous.

And Yunhe's 'breakthrough' also proceeded quite smoothly.

(End of chapter)