Chapter 257 - 193: Secrets of the Cultivation Technique, Profound Flame Divine Ability
Chapter 257: Chapter 193: Secrets of the Cultivation Technique, Profound Flame Divine Ability
The next moment, the tough, gray cloth—two or three times the size of a door panel—let out a mournful cry. A small, finger-sized hole had been pierced through this Tier Two Lower Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact. The edges of the hole were scorched black, and a faint smell of something burning hung in the air.
The blinding golden Talismanic Light Shield was pierced through like glass, shattering like paper and dissipating.
A hole appeared in the third layer, the Magical Power Shield.
A deep hole appeared on the forehead of the Black Robe Cultivator it was protecting, directly piercing through his skull!
It went clean through.
The Flame burned within his brain, sputtering and sizzling.
"Ah—"
The Black Robe Cultivator only had time to let out half a scream before his life was extinguished, and he died on the spot.
The fact that he had pursued them to rob and kill meant he likely had other powerful techniques, but in the end, he never got the chance to use them.
Had he been trying to kill anyone else, with his three layers of defense, he would have certainly had a chance to fight back. But of all people, he had to go after Lin Changheng.
Lin Changheng, who possessed the True Intent of the Fire Manipulation Divine Abilities and the Tier Two Upper Grade Red Sky Profound Flame!
He was crushed and killed instantly!
The new corpse and the now-shrunken, wailing cloth Spiritual Artifact fell from the sky together.
’Only by going all out in a confrontation can I feel at ease.’
Lin Changheng stepped onto his Dharma Ship, which whistled past, and drew them both into his grasp.
He put away the damaged cloth Spiritual Artifact. The damage wasn’t extensive, so it could probably be repaired.
Even if it cost a thousand or so Spirit Stones to repair, it would still be a profitable venture. Or he could just keep it for himself.
At the same time, he took the Storage Bag from the Black Robe Cultivator’s waist. The spark of Flame he had left in the corpse’s brain, which he had deliberately suppressed to avoid damaging the Storage Bag, flared up again. It engulfed the body in fire, and he then casually tossed it off the Dharma Ship.
The flame-engulfed corpse had only fallen halfway before it turned to nothingness, and the Flame itself dissipated in mid-air.
SWOOSH!
Without lingering, Lin Changheng rode his Dharma Ship, streaking across the sky and soon vanishing without a trace.
The mountains fell silent. Not a trace remained, as if no one had ever been there.
...
「Three days later.」
Within a mountain range, Lin Changheng found a beast’s cave to rest in for a while.
He also took out the Storage Bag he’d gotten from killing the Black Robe Cultivator and began to inspect its contents.
’This feels just like opening a blind box in my past life.’
First, he identified all the miscellaneous daily necessities and other items useless to him.
One by one, he summoned a Flame and burned them to ash.
’A full bottle of Tier Two Lower Grade Elixirs, four Tier Two Talismans, two bottles of Tier Two Poison...’
There weren’t many bottles and jars, but they were still worth around three thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators generally don’t hoard too many Elixirs; they just buy more when they run out.
Of course, Pill Masters like Lin Changheng were the exception. Running into one meant hitting the jackpot!
Killing one was worth five others, at least!
...
There were also three Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifacts, probably backups, and one Tier Two Lower Grade Attacking Spiritual Artifact.
It was a Small Cyan Ruler. Its Spiritual Light was quite strong and its quality was good; it was probably not far from being a Masterpiece.
He could gladly make it his own.
This item from a Tribulation Cultivator didn’t seem to have any significant origin. As long as he used it sparingly and didn’t "show it off in public," there shouldn’t be a problem.
He planned to sell the three Tier One Upper Grade Magical Artifacts. They were worth about 1,800 Spirit Stones, though the price would be lower selling them as stolen goods.
...
In the Storage Bag, there were about three thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones in total.
As for other Spiritual Materials, Spiritual Ore, and Spirit Medicine, the Black Robe Cultivator had collected some of those as well.
Most of it was ordinary, not worth a second glance from Lin Changheng.
However, one plant stored in a Cold Jade Box caught his attention.
After a brief inspection and identification, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
It was actually a supplementary ingredient for the Youthful Appearance Pill.
It was also quite rare and hard to find on the market.
He was one step closer to collecting all the Medicinal Materials needed for refining the Youthful Appearance Pill.
He happily put it away. That same night, Lin Changheng also refined the Small Cyan Ruler.
After a night of Cultivation holding a Middle Grade Spirit Stone, he once again took to the sky and flew off.
...
The next month or so passed in a flash.
Lin Changheng did not conceal his Foundation Establishment aura, and no one dared to intercept or bother him.
The journey was uneventful.
Finally, the Black Water River from his memories once again appeared before him.
Ten years had passed since he was last here. Time truly was fleeting and difficult to grasp.
This time, Lin Changheng had no intention of taking a ferry. He directly unleashed his full Foundation Establishment aura, his Spiritual Pressure blanketing the area.
Since he had already revealed his Cultivation at the Huang Family’s estate, the secret of his hidden Cultivation was basically full of holes like a sieve. It was bound to get out, so there was no longer any need to hide it.
Soon, the Foundation Establishment aura outside the Xu Family’s residence attracted the attention of the Xu Family Cultivators.
Before long, two streaks of Escape Light shot out from deep within the clan’s territory.
It was none other than Tantai Feiyue and Xu Xujun.
"Brother Lin!"
The two, who had been on high alert, instantly switched from solemnity to joy as Tantai Feiyue recognized Lin Changheng high in the sky.
The Commandery Princess called out in pleasant surprise and rode her streak of Escape Light closer, her eyes filled with longing.
"Feiyue."
Right in front of Xu Xujun and the crowd of curious onlookers below, Lin Changheng strode forward through the air, gently pulled Tantai Feiyue into his arms, and patted her on the shoulder.
Breathing in the familiar, faint fragrance of the Female Cultivator in his arms, Lin Changheng felt a mix of complex emotions. ’Ten years...’
Ten years is no small amount of time, even for a Cultivator.
But the Immortal Dao is like sailing against the current; if you don’t advance, you fall back. Their current situation did not allow them to stop and be with each other.
Lin Changheng’s Dao Heart was firm; everything had to give way to the Great Dao!
Tantai Feiyue’s gaze grew hazy. The strong arms she leaned against gave her an immense sense of security, allowing her to momentarily cast aside all stray thoughts and enjoy this long-awaited warmth.
The two didn’t embrace for long before separating. By then, Xu Xujun had drawn closer. With a broad smile, he clasped his hands towards Lin Changheng and said in a clear voice, "Welcome back to the clan, Alchemist Lin."
His voice, laced with Magical Power, boomed out and echoed endlessly across the residence below like a divine pronouncement.
This prompted the countless clan members who had come out to gaze up at them to also cheer and shout their welcome.
They looked at Elder Lin as if he were a god.
The mere sight of him pulling Chief Tantai—who was both a Tier Two Talisman Master and a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—into his arms was enough to leave them shocked and dumbfounded.
From this, one could also see just how high Tantai Feiyue’s reputation and prestige were within the Xu Clan.