Chapter 523 - 460: Journey to the Southwest
Chapter 523: Chapter 460: Journey to the Southwest
Faced with the food, Li Feng didn’t hold back. He pounced on it and began to eat ravenously.
Liang Song looked on with envy. "In terms of Mana alone, Demon Beasts and demonic insects are not inferior to cultivators of the same tier. The reason they’re often at a disadvantage in a fight is mostly due to their lack of intelligence."
"This Red Queen Bee has the soul of a cultivator. Once it’s fully grown, its strength will be a force to be reckoned with."
The days passed. Li Feng’s appetite was enormous, and his body grew at an incredible rate, changing almost daily.
A month later, Li Feng’s torso had grown to over half a foot long, and his head was double its previous size.
His body had darkened from bright red to deep crimson. Combined with his sharp mouthparts and thick, long stinger, his appearance was quite ferocious.
Li Feng had fully adapted to his new body and began to practice his Magic.
It wasn’t convenient to practice Magic in the market, so Zhao Lin brought him to the seashore.
The Red Queen Bee possessed two innate magical abilities: the Wing Flapping Skill and the Fire Needle.
The Wing Flapping Skill was a movement-type Magic. By vibrating his wings at high speed, he could instantly move over a hundred feet, allowing for rapid attacks or evasions.
The Fire Needle involved shooting fiery arrows from his stinger, with a maximum of seven shots in succession.
"Li Feng, try out your Fire Needle Skill."
Zhao Lin formed a suit of rock armor around himself, then added a Spiritual Energy Shield on the outside.
"Alright."
Li Feng flapped his wings and flew high into the air. With a flick of his stinger, he shot out a slender, fiery arrow.
A demonic insect’s Magic was innate; it could be cast without hand seals or incantations.
The first fiery arrow struck the Spiritual Energy Shield, causing it to ripple.
Immediately after, the second and third fiery arrows hit the same spot, tearing an opening in the Spiritual Energy Shield.
The fourth fiery arrow passed through the shield and struck the rock armor within.
Zhao Lin nodded to himself. ’Though the Spiritual Energy Shield’s defense isn’t the sturdiest, it can usually withstand a few attacks from a magical treasure. The Fire Needle Skill broke through it with just three needles. That’s quite impressive.’
Demon Beasts possess innate Magic, but they rarely practice it consciously, making it difficult for their proficiency to improve.
Li Yuanyou had once been a human cultivator. With deliberate practice, he would definitely be stronger than a wild Red Queen Bee.
Next, Zhao Lin tested Li Feng’s Wing Flapping Skill. He waved his hand, condensed an ice blade, and slashed it forward fiercely.
SWISH!
Li Feng vibrated his wings rapidly, leaving an afterimage in the air as he shifted several dozen feet to the side.
’So fast!’
Zhao Lin commanded the ice blade to accelerate and pursue him.
After nine consecutive slashes, Li Feng finally failed to dodge in time. The ice blade struck his body, making him break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Zhao Lin’s control over the ice blade had reached a state of perfection; he stopped it the instant it made contact.
...
"Hooo..."
The one hundred and eight Spiritual Acupoints in his body were all connected, forming a single, integrated whole.
With every move he made, Spiritual Qi flowed like a great river, surging ceaselessly without any sense of obstruction.
Zhao Lin opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He had finally broken through the last Spiritual Acupoint. His Qi Refining Ninth Layer was complete, and he had reached the peak.
Just three days ago, he had also perfected the third revolution of his Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill, and his Divine Sense now extended to two hundred and ten zhang.
It was a double blessing.
Zhao Lin pushed open the stone door and walked out of the Spirit Cultivation Pavilion.
"It’s time to carry out the mission to kill He Shanfeng."
...
Xizhu State was located in the southwest of the Chenghua Sect’s territory. It was a vast region, occupying one-sixth of the sect’s domain, but because its Spirit Veins were scattered, it was relatively sparsely populated.
Wulin County was the capital of Xizhu State. It possessed an extremely high-quality Tier Three Spirit Vein, and half of the state’s cultivators gathered there.
On this day, a tall and burly young cultivator with a recurve battle saber hanging from his waist arrived at the mountain gate of Wulin County.
Zhao Lin had accepted the mission to kill He Shanfeng at the Merit Hall and traveled thousands of miles from Dongfu County to get here.
The mission had a limited number of spots. It required a selection round, after which participants would be disguised as merchants and escorted by the sect into a minor realm.
Zhao Lin entered Wulin County and went straight to the Merit Hall to state his purpose.
"The mission starts at the beginning of next month. Please stay at the relay station for now, fellow Daoist."
After the manager checked his Body Stone, he had someone lead Zhao Lin to a private courtyard in the mountains to stay.
The estate contained many smaller courtyards with uniquely styled houses and an elegant environment.
After moving in, Zhao Lin discovered that over a dozen cultivators were already living in the estate. Besides Magic Cultivators, there was also one Body Cultivator and one Sword Cultivator.
The Body Cultivator was at the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, while all the others were at the Peak of Qi Refining.
Zhao Lin guessed these people were here for the same mission as him.
A few days passed in a flash, and another cultivator arrived at the estate.
This cultivator was powerfully built and carried a Gold-Slaying Saber. It was none other than Du Zhen, who had once undertaken a mission with Zhao Lin on Red Tail Island.
Du Zhen’s cultivation was also at the Peak of Qi Refining. Zhao Lin had even had him lead a five-person team back then.
"Brother Zhao, I didn’t expect to see you here!"
A look of delight flashed in Du Zhen’s eyes. He sized Zhao Lin up for a moment and said in amazement, "It’s only been two years, and you’ve already reached the Peak of Qi Refining, Brother Zhao. That’s incredible!"
He gave a thumbs-up and lowered his voice. "You earned so many merit points last time. What are you doing here?"
Zhao Lin spread his hands. "My cultivation consumes a lot of resources. I don’t have enough merit points, so I came here."
Du Zhen clicked his tongue in astonishment. "Are you planning to prepare two Foundation Establishment Pills at once?"
Zhao Lin didn’t deny it and asked in return, "Brother Du, are you also here for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Du Zhen nodded slowly and looked at Zhao Lin seriously. "Brother Zhao, how old do you think I am?"
Zhao Lin glanced at him and chuckled. "Why ask that? I’d guess you’re around forty."
He didn’t know the man’s actual age and had intentionally guessed a few years younger, following the principle of erring on the side of youth.
"You really know what to say, Brother Zhao."
Du Zhen grinned, then pushed back the hair at his temples, revealing a few strands of white. "To be honest with you, I’m already fifty-three."
Zhao Lin hadn’t expected him to be that old and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Du Zhen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I’ve already taken one Foundation Establishment Pill, but I failed to break through. This mission may be dangerous, but I can’t wait any longer!"
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Brother Zhao, how about we form a team and do this mission together? I’m not asking for much. Just give me five thousand merit points after we succeed."
Zhao Lin was taken aback. "Is teaming up required for this mission?"
Du Zhen shook his head. "It’s not required, but having someone to watch your back is always better than rushing in there alone."
"To be honest, Brother Zhao, I accepted this mission last year and have been to the Bajiang Realm once before. Although I didn’t find He Shanfeng, I got a good sense of the situation inside. I can definitely be a great help to you!"
Zhao Lin remained silent, his eyes lowered in thought.
The mission details included a description of the Bajiang Realm, but hearing about it a hundred times isn’t as good as seeing it once. Since Du Zhen had been inside, he would definitely be more familiar with the conditions there.
From their last trip out to sea, Zhao Lin could tell that Du Zhen was straightforward and wouldn’t shrink back in the face of trouble. His character was trustworthy.
He Shanfeng was a Body Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering. Zhao Lin wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take the man down easily. With an extra helper, his chances of completing the mission would increase.
Thinking of this, Zhao Lin gave a slight nod.
"Alright. With your help, Brother Du, this trip is sure to be a success!"