Chapter 419 - 268: Golden Spear Talisman Treasure, and Picking the Peach
Chapter 419: Chapter 268: Golden Spear Talisman Treasure, and Picking the Peach
Two Black Robe Cultivators were attacking Cheng Suling.
One, a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, commanded a Flaming Flying Fork whose flames turned every vine in its path to charcoal.
The other controlled three pitch-black, bone-chilling shuttle-shaped Spiritual Artifacts that specialized in breaking through Protective Spiritual Lights and Shield Shields. They moved like lightning—insidious, vicious, and impossible to defend against. He was actually at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!
Spiritual Artifacts clashed as they each unleashed their techniques.
Cheng Suling was hard-pressed to defend herself. Specks of blood already dotted her dress, a clear sign of internal injury.
’It’s him!’
Lin Changheng recognized the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He was none other than the man who had hastily arrived in a beam of Escape Light during Yan Mingyi’s Foundation Establishment Celebration.
He was the Luo Cultivator, who had explored alongside Xu Maoling and Cheng Suling. At the time, he had seemed to be in a great hurry.
Yet now, his face was filled with killing intent. He had turned on his former partner and was attacking with even more ferocity than the other cultivator.
And the look Cheng Suling gave him was filled with anger and resentment.
This only confirmed Lin Changheng’s suspicions; the man’s betrayal had caused this whole disaster.
A rough picture of the grudges and grievances involved began to form in his mind.
This man might have even played a key role in the swift fall of Floating Star Island.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Changheng continued to observe the Magical Combat, not wanting to make a rash move. He decided to plan before acting.
He quickly discovered that although Cheng Suling’s cultivation was only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, she had managed to hold out against a Middle Stage and a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a long time. While her Magical Power was profound and she had many techniques at her disposal, the crucial factor was her application of [Geomancy].
The Geomancy Skill was not just for observation; it could also be used for action.
She was mobilizing and controlling the Earth Veins and the qi of the surrounding plants and trees to both attack and defend.
The Divine Light in Lin Changheng’s eyes allowed him to observe in minute detail; the flow of Spiritual Power and the surge of Spiritual Qi were completely exposed to his sight. When Cheng Suling manipulated these energies, her Magical Power consumption was remarkably low. This was because she was playing a role of... Guiding, or rather, skillfully directing the existing momentum.
It was far more efficient with Magical Power than directly casting Magic or Magic Techniques, which helped her compensate for a significant part of the gap in their strength.
Furthermore, the compass-like Spiritual Artifact in her hand, shimmering with the light of the Five Elements, was clearly the instrument she relied on to perform her ’Geomancy Technique’.
’So it has such an effect.’
Lin Changheng was quite taken aback.
No wonder Xu Maoling had so often marveled at how mysterious and extraordinary ’Geomancy’ was. Only now, having seen it with his own eyes, did Lin Changheng finally understand.
...
「Back on the battlefield.」
Though Cheng Suling was at a disadvantage—her face pale, her dress stained with blood—her gaze remained as calm and cold as ice.
Her enemies, however, were certain of victory, believing her to be a spent force.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
With a savage sneer, the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Black Robe Cultivator sent his three black Bone Shuttles forward in a triangular formation. With a piercing shriek, they instantly tore through the last pale-yellow barrier of light in front of Cheng Suling, aiming for three of her vital points: between her brows, her throat, and her heart!
"Water of Kan, shift your place! Mountain of Gen, be my shield!"
Cheng Suling rallied her spirit, her fingertips tapping rapidly on the ancient compass floating before her as she let out a low cry.
Instantly, the broken ground around her rippled. Seemingly ordinary soil and rock surged upward, forming a thick, small mound of earth that perfectly blocked the path of the three treacherously aimed black Bone Shuttles!
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The sharp Bone Shuttles instantly pierced through the earthen mound, but their speed and force were reduced by more than half.
A surge of Wood Qi lifted Cheng Suling’s form. Like a willow catkin in the wind, she rode the momentum and drifted back, avoiding the fatal blow by a hair’s breadth.
"Hmph, petty tricks! Let’s see how many times you can block me!"
The Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator snorted coldly. His Hand Technique changed, and the three Bone Shuttles, persistent as a cancer, carved strange arcs through the air and came at her again, sealing off all avenues of escape.
Simultaneously, the Luo Cultivator, a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, commanded his Flaming Flying Fork to transform into a Fire Python, which came roaring at her from the flank! Fire overcomes Wood, making it the perfect counter to the plant and earth qi she relied upon!
Assailed from two sides, she was in peril once more!
Cheng Suling gritted her teeth. A ray of emerald light shot from the center of the compass and into the ground at her feet.
"Wooden Flood Dragon’s Coil!"
RUMBLE!
The ground cracked open and several "Wooden Flood Dragons," formed from thick, twisting Spirit Vines, burst forth. One charged fearlessly at the Fire Python. Although it was burned to a sizzling, blackened crisp, it managed to temporarily stall the flames.
The others thrashed about wildly, trying to ensnare the three elusive Bone Shuttles. Though the shuttles’ light continually sliced them apart, the vines still managed to greatly interfere with their trajectories.
"Oh? This girl’s control over the Earth Veins and Wood Qi is actually so refined?" A flash of surprise crossed the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s eyes, quickly followed by an even stronger killing intent. "A pity the gap in our cultivation is too great! Break for me!"
He abruptly increased his Spiritual Power output. The black light from the three Bone Shuttles intensified, instantly shredding the entangling vines to dust and continuing onward with even greater speed!
PFFT!
In the end, Cheng Suling failed to dodge completely. A Bone Shuttle grazed her shoulder, sending a spray of blood into the air. She grunted in pain and staggered, and the glow from her compass dimmed.
"Fairy Cheng!" Lin Changheng, who was hidden nearby, felt his gaze harden. He was just about to make a move.
But then he saw a flash of grim resolve in Cheng Suling’s eyes!
"You forced my hand!"
As her Magical Power surged, she retreated at extreme speed to put distance between herself and the two men. At the same time, she slapped her Storage Bag. A golden light flew out, revealing a long, rectangular yellow Talisman. It looked ancient but radiated a heart-stopping undulation of power!
The Talisman was made of neither paper nor silk; its material resembled gold and jade. Inscribed on its surface was a lifelike "small golden spear," and a peerlessly sharp, murderous aura immediately began to radiate from it!
"A Talisman Treasure?!"
The two attacking cultivators cried out in shock at the same time, their faces showing unconcealed horror for the first time, as if they had seen a ghost!
The face of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator twisted in shock. "Impossible! You’re just a mere Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator! How could you possibly possess a Talisman Treasure?!"