Chapter 150

Luo Changfeng felt uneasy, and for a moment said nothing. Wei Yuzhu and Qi Chengshuang were not close, so naturally it wasn't easy to say anything. Instead, Ruan Xinli and Shi Ran chattered nonstop.

"Master, are you and Lord Qinghe discussing the search for the immortal treasure?" Shi Ran asked involuntarily.

"Hmm." Ling Xiao briefly told the three of Shen Lingyue's earlier summary of the Five Directions Immortal Treasure and the inside story of the Assist Immortal Sect, omitting the details of Shen Lingyue's grudges with the Assist Immortal Sect and only stressing that the Assist Immortal Sect could not be trusted.

Hearing that the Five Directions Immortal Treasure was so rare and that the path of the Assist Immortal Sect had been cut off, the three felt immense pressure, but their gazes grew ever more resolute.

"No matter what, we will definitely help Ranran find it!" Wei Yuzhu boldly put an arm around Shi Ran, her tone resolute.

Qi Chengshuang pondered for a moment, then said: "Senior, Master. Regarding the Five Directions Immortal Treasure, I may have a faint clue."

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him.

"When I was traveling in my youth, I once saw on a broken stele of an ancient relic a record similar to 'Western Geng Metal Soul.' The inscription was vague, only mentioning 'Its liuli lies in the Desolation Wild, its soul hidden in the Weapons Tomb.'"

"Desolation Wild? Weapons Tomb?" Ling Xiao frowned in thought. "It sounds like an ancient battlefield ruin. Would the Gold Thread Liuli be found in an ancient battlefield?"

Shen Lingyue's eyes flickered: "The West governs the killing and cutting of Geng Metal. An ancient battlefield ruin, soaked for myriad years in killing qi, could indeed give birth to a Geng Metal Soul—such curiosities as Gold Thread Liuli. Though the clue is vague, it's far better than searching for a needle in the ocean. Do you know where that relic lies?"

Qi Chengshuang nodded: "I roughly remember the direction—it lies in the Western Extremity, called the Burial Star Plains. It is an extremely dangerous ancient battlefield ruin; legend says that in antiquity gods and demons fought here, the killing qi never faded for myriad ages, space is chaotic, and strange creatures often roam."

"Western Extremity Burial Star Plains…" Shen Lingyue mused, "At the edge of the clouds this is a region that both cultivators and heavenly demons avoid, yet it is indeed a place where a Geng Metal Soul could be born. In that case, our goal is much clearer. Ling Xiao, how is your recovery?"

Ling Xiao sensed his internal spiritual power flowing smoothly again; though far from peak, he already had the strength to protect himself: "About seventy‑to‑eighty percent of my combat power, enough to handle most situations."

"Then that's good." Shen Lingyue said, "In my view, we must not delay; delay brings change. Make your preparations; we will set out in three days, heading for the Western Extremity Burial Star Plains to seek the Geng Metal Soul—Gold Thread Liuli!"

Ling Xiao nodded, his gaze falling on Shi Ran with a tenderness he himself hadn't noticed, and said: "I don't think we all need to go. Chengshuang, I'll ask you to help stabilize the seal; Xinli, stay behind to assist Lord Qinghe with a hand, and at the same time intensify your cultivation—you've been stuck at a bottleneck for some days."

Although Ruan Xinli wanted to go as well, she knew Ling Xiao's arrangement was sound, and respectfully replied: "Yes, elder."

Qi Chengshuang knew that tagging along would only be a burden, nodded and agreed: "Master, Senior Brother, you must be careful."

"As for Shi Ran…"

"Master! I must go!" Shi Ran interrupted Ling Xiao's words; she wanted to come along, this was her own affair—how could she watch others risk their lives for her? Besides, she didn't want to be a third wheel all the way; she was sick of it!

Ling Xiao had wanted to refuse, but upon seeing Shen Lingyue, as clear as the bright moon and clean breeze, he inexplicably nodded and agreed.

Shen Lingyue then looked at Ling Xiao and Luo Changfeng: "This journey is perilous; remember two points: one, Ling Xiao must never again act rashly; everything should focus on consolidating the foundation and nurturing the source; two, when faced with matters, be cautious—preserving life comes first, treasures second."

He paused, then tossed Ling Xiao a jade slip and a small jade bottle: "The slip contains my compiled ancient records about the Burial Star Plains and possible dangers, which may be useful. The bottle holds three 'Ice Heart Protective Spirit Pills,' which can ward off some of the killing qi's erosion of the soul and spirit; at a critical moment they might save a life."

Ling Xiao accepted them, a warm current surging in his heart: "Thank you, Brother Shen."

Three days later, all preparations were complete.

At the entrance of the Blue Wave River, the sea of clouds remained as before. Ling Xiao and Luo Changfeng stood shoulder to shoulder, already changed into neat travel attire. Wei Yuzhu and Shi Ran stood gracefully behind them—one like a fiery red cedar, the other like a pale pink peach; handsome man and beautiful woman, a striking sight.

Ruan Xinli and Qi Chengshuang stood behind Shen Lingyue, their eyes full of worry and admonition.

"Go." Shen Lingyue said calmly, looking at Ling Xiao: "Find the thing and come back alive."

Ling Xiao nodded, exchanged a glance with Luo Changfeng, said no more, and the four turned into two streaks of light, breaking through the clouds over the Blue Wave River and racing toward the distant Western Extremity.

The streaks of light sped west, covering a thousand li in an instant.

The westward road was long and tedious; beneath the sea of clouds, mountains and rivers shifted, cities changed, population grew sparse, and spiritual energy became thin and restless. The farther west they went, the more the heavens and earth were suffused with a desolate and austere killing intent.

Ling Xiao closed his eyes and focused, trying to minimize spiritual power consumption as per Shen Lingyue's instruction, giving priority to consolidating the foundation and nurturing the origin. He held the warm, moist jade slip in his hand, sank his divine sense into it, and repeatedly studied Shen Lingyue's compiled records on the Burial Star Plains. The more he understood, the tighter his brow furrowed.

"Killing qi never fades for myriad ages, condenses without dispersing, erodes soul and flesh… spatial rifts are everywhere, lawless; touching them invites being torn apart or banished by spatial force… remnants of the ancient battlefield and killing intent intertwine, occasionally taking shape as formless, quality‑less evil spirits that specialize in devouring living souls… plus there are ancient broken formations and shattered divine‑demon weapon fragments, all possessing unfathomable menace." Ling Xiao muttered this to himself, secretly astonished. The Burial Star Plains truly was an utterly dangerous place—no wonder even heavenly demons and cultivators shy away from it.

Luo Changfeng piloted his flying artifact, his expression steady yet his eyes deep with gravity. He not only had to control direction but also constantly allocate divine sense to sense ahead, avoiding the invisible spatial fluctuations and energy turbulence hard to discern with the naked eye. Wei Yuzhu and Shi Ran were initially a bit curious, but after several days of facing this barren, dead‑still landscape and the ever‑thickening, palpably oppressive pressure in the air, they too fell silent, each sitting in meditation to regulate their breath, striving to adapt to the environment.

"Master, the killing qi ahead is growing denser, and the flow of spiritual power has become sluggish." Luo Changfeng called out, his voice clear even amidst the howling wind.

Ling Xiao opened his eyes and gazed into the distance. At the horizon, heaven and earth seemed veiled in a thin layer of dark red gauze; even sunlight could not fully pierce it, giving a feeling of gloomy oppression. The land showed a strange dark‑brown hue, as if soaked for countless ages in dried blood, with not a trace of vitality.

"It seems we are nearing the outskirts of the Burial Star Plains." Ling Xiao said in a low voice, "Slow down, proceed with caution. Yuzhu, Ranran, circulate your energy to protect your hearts and minds; do not let the killing qi invade."

The two women complied, and a faint glow of spiritual power rose over their bodies.

After flying for about another half day, the four finally reached the edge of that dark‑red region. A thick, unmeltable stench of blood and killing qi assailed them, mixed with countless fragments of resentment, anger, and unwillingness—negative emotions that frenziedly struck the four's seas of divine sense. Wei Yuzhu and Shi Ran's faces instantly turned pale, their delicate frames trembling.

Ling Xiao immediately divided the Ice Heart Protective Spirit Pills given by Shen Lingyue between the two: "Place them under the tongue; they can keep the spirit platform clear." He himself took one, and a cool sensation instantly rose from his dantian, shooting straight to the crown of his head, blocking those chaotic negative emotions outside; his divine sense cleared at once. Luo Changfeng also took a pill, then guided his artifact to descend slowly onto the dark‑brown earth.

With feet on solid ground, a bleak, deathly stillness rose from beneath their feet. The ground was hard as iron, covered in all kinds of strange cracks and pits; scattered everywhere were broken weapon fragments and the white bones of unknown giant beasts. These remains, having endured myriad ages, had not fully weathered, still gleaming with a cold light, recounting the former carnage.

"Is this the Burial Star Plains? It feels awful." Shi Ran's little face went pale, and she instinctively moved closer to Ling Xiao. The spiritual energy within her body was being restrained by the red silk, making its circulation sluggish.

Hmm, this is merely the outermost area. Ling Xiao scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes. "The shattered stele that Cheng Shuang mentioned reads: 'The Desolate Wilds, the Burial Ground of Weapons.' That seems correct. We must quickly locate the exact site of the Burial Ground of Weapons; the Gold-threaded Liuli is most likely to gestate there."

But here divine sense is heavily suppressed; it fades before it can spread far, worn away by the killing qi. Luo Changfeng gave it a try, frowned, and said, "Besides, this place is vast and boundless—how are we to search?"

According to Brother Shen's jade slip and the usual reasoning from ancient battlefields, the place where killing intent is strongest, ancient war spirits' obsessions deepest, and divine weapon remnants most abundant is most likely the Burial Ground of Weapons. Ling Xiao analyzed, "We will follow the direction of the killing qi and energy flow; the deeper the core, the greater the pressure will surely be."

After a brief adjustment, the four cautiously ventured deeper into the Burial Star Plains. They dared not fly high, for that would make them targets of potential spatial rifts and killing spirits; they could only skim low over the ground, their speed greatly reduced and their mental strain increased.

Along the way, the sight grew ever more horrifying. Gigantic bones lay like mountain ranges, some still pierced by broken giant spears; shattered war chariots and banners lay scattered everywhere, long devoid of spiritual light yet still exuding a chilling pressure; from fissures in the ground, dark‑red killing qi would at times surge forth, accompanied by shrill, howling phantom sounds.

"Watch out!" Ling Xiao suddenly barked, grabbing Shi Ran beside him, and at the same time a sharp sword qi shot from his fingertips, slashing toward a silent gray mass lunging from the front‑side.

The gray mass was struck by the sword qi, emitting a piercing, soul‑penetrating shriek before scattering, but it quickly re‑condensed nearby, its form shifting, only two scarlet points of light flickering within, full of resentment and bloodlust.

"It's a killing spirit!" Wei Yuzhu exclaimed, the pill in her hand already brandished, her scarlet spiritual power lashing out like a spirit serpent toward the killing spirit.

However, as the long sword swept past, the killing spirit merely swayed slightly, suffering no substantive harm. It seemed enraged, suddenly expanding into a gray net that descended to envelop the four; the icy sensation of devouring vitality made Shi Ran and Wei Yuzhu feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Such attacks have little effect; we need pure yang or thunderous power, or a powerful divine‑sense strike! Ling Xiao reminded, but recalling Shen Lingyue's admonition, he did not go all out, merely pointing out several more sword qi to delay the killing spirit's assault.

Luo Changfeng stepped forward, his sword Break‑Cloud Clear Chant in hand, pure violet lightning crackling along the blade: "Master, this time I'll take the lead!"

He drew his sword art, and a dazzling bolt of violet lightning surged from the tip, striking precisely at the killing spirit's core.

Squeak—

The killing spirit let out an even more wailing shriek; where the lightning passed, the gray mist dissipated like melting snow, and the two scarlet points faded away.

The lightning faded, and the surroundings fell into a temporary silence. Wei Yuzhu and Shi Ran both exhaled in relief, their hearts still pounding.

"Senior Brother is incredibly powerful!" Shi Ran exclaimed in admiration.

Luo Changfeng sheathed his sword, his expression unsmiling: "Even an outer‑rim killing spirit is this troublesome; the depths must be far stronger. Master, how is your condition?"

"It's fine." Ling Xiao shook his head. "Conserve your spiritual power and press on. Changfeng, you take the lead; I'll support you."

The deeper they went, the thicker the killing qi grew, almost condensing into substance, pressing harder and making the four's spiritual power increasingly difficult to circulate. The efficacy of the Ice‑Heart Spirit‑Guard Pill was steadily draining. Along the way they encountered several waves of killing spirits—some in swarms, some individually powerful, even able to conjure vague weapon shapes to attack. Fortunately, Luo Changfeng's thunder arts were indeed effective against these yin‑evil entities, and with Ling Xiao's pointers from the side, they managed to get through unscathed.

But the frequent battles consumed huge amounts of energy; Luo Changfeng's forehead already showed beads of sweat. Wei Yuzhu and Shi Ran also exerted themselves, though their cultivation attributes were not as effective as Thunder Law against evil spirits, they could still play a distracting role.

Near a small hill formed by piles of countless broken weapons, the four temporarily stopped to rest and recover their spiritual power.

"If we keep going like this, we'll exhaust our strength before finding the Tomb of Arms." Wei Yuzhu wiped her sweat, gazing at the endless death and desolation around her, her tone somewhat anxious.

Shi Ran pressed her lips, the red thread on her wrist burning like fire; gradually she noticed a pattern. Suddenly she pointed deep into the weapon hill: "Master, Senior Brother, Senior Sister Wei, look over there! The flow of evil Qi there seems a bit different."

Following her gaze, they saw that the evil Qi in that area was not chaotic but faintly formed a weak vortex, continually drawing in the surrounding battle Qi; at the vortex's center a trace of pale golden light flickered and vanished.

"That is..." Lingxiao focused his senses, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "An evil Qi vortex must have a core! The object at its core capable of drawing such a range of evil Qi is certainly not ordinary; it is very likely the entrance or marker of the Tomb of Arms we seek."

Hope rekindled, the four refreshed themselves, carefully avoiding the scattered broken blades and halberds on the ground, and approached the vortex's center.

The closer they got, the greater the pressure. The battle sounds in their ears almost solidified into substance, countless chaotic battlefield scenes assaulting their minds; without the Ice Heart Protective Spirit Pill, they would have already lost their composure. The weapon fragments underfoot also grew denser, their grade seemingly higher, some even retaining a faint trace of spiritual fluctuation.

Finally, they broke through the densest pile of weapons, and the scene before them opened up.

It was a huge pit, as if smashed out by some tremendous force. At the bottom of the pit lay a severely damaged yet still towering dark-golden halberd! The halberd retained only half its shaft and a small part of the crescent blade, yet it still exuded overwhelming battle Qi and sharpness; the evil Qi vortex surrounding the pit was precisely formed with this broken halberd as its center.

At the broken point of the halberd's blade, faint strands of extremely fine golden light could be seen slowly wandering and condensing, emanating an exceptionally pure Geng-metal Qi that both merged with and repelled the surrounding battle evil Qi.