Chapter 434 - 434 431 Obtaining the Treasure Subduing the
Chapter 434: Chapter 431 Obtaining the Treasure, Subduing the Death Curse Crow Chapter 434: Chapter 431 Obtaining the Treasure, Subduing the Death Curse Crow The four giant beast shadows were already covered in scars and not at their full strength. Even though the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect were able to keep their battle formation intact and continuously supply True Yuan to help the giant beasts recover to their full strength, this still required time.
However, the Demon Cultivators took advantage of this time, unleashing their full power in an explosion that scattered the four giant beast shadows.
The Elders of the Beast Taming Sect who controlled the battle formation saw that many disciples were affected by the flute playing of the Elder from the Joyful Union Sect; they no longer forced the gathering of Spiritual Beasts. Instead, they disbanded the battle formation, preparing to charge.
They had already broken through the defensive array of Ten Thousand Crows Valley. Even without the help of the giant beast shadows, they could still win.
“Screech…” A bird’s cry pierced the Nine Heavens, completely overpowering the flute sound of the Elder from the Joyful Union Sect.
The Elder of the Vermilion Bird Lineage from the Primordial Spirit Realm suddenly soared into the sky. While mid-air, he had already condensed the Vermilion Bird Dharma Form. Then he retreated backward, completely merging into the Dharma Form. With a flap of wings, he sent a torrent of raging flames toward the Elder of the Joyful Union Sect, who was then forced to abandon her flute playing to cope with his attack.
“Roar…” An earth-shaking roar resonated through heaven and earth. The Primordial Spirit Elder of the Spiritual Ape Lineage transformed into a massive ape, radiating domineering might, and opened his mouth to roar like thunder, “All disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, heed my command, level Ten Thousand Crows Valley, slaughter all the Demon Cultivators!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
Following the order of the Spiritual Ape Elder, every disciple of the Beast Taming Sect shouted ‘kill’ with a voice that shook the heavens, their hearts surging with the desire for battle. They followed behind the Elders, slowly pressing down towards Ten Thousand Crows Valley.
However, in front of them, arriving at Ten Thousand Crows Valley before them, was an even larger number of Spiritual Beasts.
This was the Beast Taming Sect’s consistent strategy; Spiritual Beasts always led the charge in a great battle!
Under the ferocious charge and roars of the myriad Spiritual Beasts, only those who survived would have the chance to engage in close-quarters battle with the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect.
“Ga ga… Ga ga…” Suddenly, countless caws echoed through the air.
Then, one saw countless Netherworld Crows with crimson eyes rising from Ten Thousand Crows Valley. They swarmed in the hundreds of thousands and charged against the multitude of Spiritual Beasts descending from the sky.
These Netherworld Crows were individually weak, the strongest among them only at the Purple Mansion Realm.
In the Cultivation World, other than the Beast Taming Sect, there were no shortage of Cultivators and Sects that knew how to raise various Spiritual Beasts and Poison Insects. Not to speak of Poison Insects—with the Five Poisons Sect as the foremost—but in terms of Spiritual Beasts, none could compare to the Beast Taming Sect.
Daoist Crow of the Netherworld Sect was an oddity. Due to some opportunities in his early years, he raised many Netherworld Crows. But to be honest, his methods of raising Spiritual Beasts were not that impressive. Any Purple Mansion Elder from the Beast Taming Sect, with just a bit more effort and resources, could raise two or three Purple Mansion Spirit Beasts, not to mention those Cultivators with higher Cultivation Realms and even more exceptional talents and innate gifts.
So, as soon as the Spiritual Beasts from both sides met, the Netherworld Crows were at a disadvantage. Countless Netherworld Crows were shattered, and many powerful Spiritual Beasts pierced through the thick space concealed by the Netherworld Crows with their spells, bringing a ray of light to the valley below.
However, the Netherworld Crows were too many in number. Even if the Spiritual Beasts of the Beast Taming Sect were stronger, it would take some time to kill all the Netherworld Crows.
Moreover, the beaks of the Netherworld Crows were sharp, and their claws were like iron hooks, extremely keen. More importantly, their beaks and claws both carried a trace of Yin Evil Qi. Even though most of them were low-level, Qi Refining Netherworld Crows, their claws could still scratch the body and peck wounds into the flesh. If a Spiritual Beast were unlucky enough to be pecked in the eyes or other vital parts by them, the injuries would be even more severe.
In addition, there were quite a few formidable Netherworld Crows at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Realm whose combat prowess was not weak amongst their peers and were even more ferocious and bloodthirsty. As such, they posed some hindrance to the Spiritual Beasts of the Beast Taming Sect.
This provided the Demon Dao Cultivators with a buffer of time, allowing them to face the imminent charge of the Spiritual Beasts relatively calmly.
Daoist Crow, watching the bodies of Netherworld Crows fall from the sky, was heartbroken.
These were treasures he had carefully raised over many years. The reason he was able to rise from the lower ranks in the early years was thanks to these Netherworld Crows.
Even now that he had cultivated to the peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm, he didn’t abandon these Netherworld Crows. Instead, he tried every means possible and expended great spiritual effort in their nurturing.
Especially in recent years, with the outbreak of war, because he was located in a remote area, he not only remained unaffected but also had many Demon Cultivators come to join him. This provided him with the opportunity to enlist the help of everyone to refine a top-level Spiritual Treasure, the Ten Thousand Crows Pot.
Not only was this a Space Spirit Treasure that was especially suited for the Netherworld Crows to live in, but it was also a Lifebound Treasure that he regarded as his hope for proving the Dao.
As long as he could successfully refine it, he could collect all the Netherworld Crows inside, then gather resources to focus on their nurturing. There was a great possibility of cultivating a Netherworld Crow Demon King.
Once the Netherworld Crow Demon King advanced successfully, he could use the power of the Demon King to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, achieve Longevity, and greatly increase his strength.
For several years, he kept inviting Demon Cultivators at or above the Purple Mansion Realm to his Cave Mansion to help him refine his treasure and never ventured out to find trouble with the Righteous Path Cultivators.
He first needed to refine his own Spiritual Treasure and then planned to start a large-scale killing of Righteous Path Cultivators. He even prepared to lead Demon Cultivators to slaughter several large families or bigger markets, collecting the corpses of slain Cultivators to feed the Netherworld Crows. In this way, he could raise the Netherworld Crows in the Ten Thousand Crows Pot as rapidly as possible.
But now, just when he was about to succeed in refining it, the Beast Taming Sect had come knocking, causing countless casualties among his carefully raised Netherworld Crows. This pained him deeply.
Otherwise, once his plan succeeds, the power of these Netherworld Crows will greatly increase, and they will no longer be easily killed as they are now.
However, just as he was bracing himself for the battle, he suddenly sensed a change in his Cave Mansion and his face involuntarily shifted in color.
In the underground space, in front of Daoist Crow’s Cultivation Room.
A figure shrouded in a black robe, whose face was indiscernible, silently appeared.
This was not Yao Qing, who had previously hidden in the Cave Mansion, nor was it another Demon Cultivator, but rather Qin Feng.
He tightened the black robe around his body, glanced left and right, and saw that no one was around. He then quickly stepped forward, took out a token, and placed it on the Stone Gate, emitting a Spirit Light.
The Spirit Light flickered, and the Prohibition on the door of the Seclusion Room slowly opened.
Qin Feng’s eyes brightened; he hadn’t expected to succeed just by trying, especially considering that Daoist Crow, in his haste to leave earlier, had not activated several layers of Prohibition, allowing even a disciple’s token to open the outer Prohibition of the Cultivation Room.
Qin Feng chuckled, pushed open the large door of the stone room, and entered.
He didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the things in the Cultivation Room but directly aimed for a small Copper Pot that was floating three feet above the ground in the center.
The Copper Pot appeared no larger than a fist, with a bizarre shape and a cyan hue, and was currently gulping in the Yin Evil Qi that was ascending from beneath the ground.
Daoist Crow had drilled through the earth vein beneath his mansion, drawing up a stream of profound Yin Evil from three thousand zhang deep underground to nourish the Ten Thousand Crows Pot.
This Spiritual Treasure was nearly complete, lacking only the full absorption of the evil qi. It would be quickly nurtured with the large True Yuan of the elders of other Demon Sects and then have the last Prohibitions sealed within, awakening its Spiritual Nature, signifying its success.
After a few glances, Qin Feng extended his Divine Sense into it. Once he was certain that the Magical Treasure had taken form, he simply extended his hand, summoned the Ten Thousand Crows Pot into his grip.
With Daoist Crow absent, this was the perfect opportunity for him to steal the treasure.
Although this Spiritual Treasure was still lacking a bit and missing a few Prohibitions, lacking the cultivation of Spiritual Nature, and thus could only be considered a Top Level Magical Treasure instead of a Spiritual Treasure,
that was fine with him. He wasn’t concerned about the missing Prohibitions, nor did he particularly value the Spiritual Nature.
Could there be a better place than the Demon Refining Pot to cultivate Spiritual Beasts?
This so-called Ten Thousand Crows Pot was merely a Spiritual Treasure that Daoist Crow had come up with on his own. Compared to the Demon Refining Pot, it fell short by far more than a hundred thousand li.
Qin Feng held the Ten Thousand Crows Pot in his hand and looked at it twice, not daring to linger for fear Daoist Crow had placed traps on it. He immediately stored the Magical Treasure inside the fourth layer of the Demon Refining Pot, using it as the core space of that layer.
Even if Daoist Crow had left a Divine Sense imprint on the Ten Thousand Crows Pot, the powerful Refining Power of the Demon Refining Pot would obliterate Daoist Crow’s Divine Sense.
Outside, Daoist Crow, who was preparing for combat with the cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect, suddenly sensed that his Seclusion Room had been disturbed. Judging by the sensation, it seemed as if his youngest disciple had used his identity token to open the Prohibition at the entrance.
He frowned, and before he could extend his Divine Thought into his Cave Mansion, he suddenly sensed that his Ten Thousand Crows Pot—which he had been meticulously refining for years with the help of the power of the Demon Sect elders and was on the verge of completion—suddenly vanished without a trace.
Daoist Crow nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood and was raging with anger, “Traitor Ling Feng, how dare you betray your master and steal my treasure, your sin deserves death!
You wretch, wretch, are you not afraid that your master will extract your soul, create a Soul Lamp, and burn it for a thousand years, making you suffer endlessly?”
While he was seething with fury, a bewildered voice not far away said, “Master, what wrong has your disciple committed, to incite such anger from you?”
“Eh?”
Daoist Crow suddenly turned around and looked at his youngest disciple, not far away; he was taken aback, “You… how are you here? That’s not right, then who is in the Cave Mansion?”
He sized up his youngest disciple several times and quickly ascertained that it was indeed his disciple and not someone else in disguise.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he asked, “Where is your identity token?”
“This?”
Ling Feng’s complexion changed, and he said, “Reporting to Master, when I came out earlier, the crowd was too dense, and I don’t know which fellow practitioner tore off your disciple’s token from my waist. Master, has something happened?”
“Useless!”
Daoist Crow was so angry he nearly slapped him to death.
However, considering the ongoing struggle against the Beast Taming Sect, it was not suitable to punish his own disciple right now, lest it demoralize others. So he forcibly suppressed his anger, “You go to my Seclusion Room and find that audacious wretch for me. How dare they tamper with my Spiritual Treasure! If it were not for the fact that this elder cannot leave at this moment, I would surely tear that thief to pieces!”
“…Your disciple obeys.”
Ling Feng finally understood why his master was furious; it turned out someone had used his token to sneak into his master’s Cultivation Room and steal a treasure.
Quite the audacity.
Ling Feng turned and flew towards the Cave Mansion, while his mind began to entertain some other thoughts.
Now that the Beast Taming Sect was knocking at the door, their chances of victory were slim. As the most powerful figure in the Ten Thousand Crows Valley, Master Yao Qing would surely be tightly watched by the Great Cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect. If Master Yao Qing didn’t have any special tricks up his sleeve, he might not be able to escape with his life.
So, should he prepare an escape route for himself in advance?
There were still many treasures in Master Yao Qing’s Cultivation Room, some of which were considered top-level Cultivation Resources for him. If he seized the chance to take them, he could make progress in the future even if pursued by Righteous Path Cultivators.
And then there was the secret technique for taming Netherworld Crows.
Although Daoist Crow could only train the Netherworld Crows up to the Purple Mansion Realm, making them of little use to him now, for a Demon Cultivator like him at the Golden Core Realm, it remained an extremely formidable asset.
What’s more, Daoist Crow had now refined a Spiritual Treasure capable of nurturing a Netherworld Crow Demon King, the Ten Thousand Crows Pot.
With the secret technique and the Ten Thousand Crows Pot in hand, he could find a hidden place to cultivate on his own. If one day he could rely on the Ten Thousand Crows Pot to achieve Longevity, it would be far better than lingering under Yao Qing’s thumb.
At this thought, Ling Feng’s heart surged with ambition.
However, as good as his plan was, when he arrived at the entrance of Daoist Crow’s Cultivation Room at breakneck speed and walked in through the wide-open door, his hopes were thoroughly dashed.
The entire Cultivation Room was completely empty; not to mention treasures and Cultivation Resources, there wasn’t even a single Spirit Stone left behind, including the Jade Scrolls and Daoist Books of inherited Cultivation Techniques.
This not only foiled his plans but also quashed any hope he had of obtaining the technique for taming Netherworld Crows.
However, he didn’t have the opportunity to dwell on his disappointment.
Suddenly, from the shadows in a corner, a beam of Golden Light shot out. It only flashed a few times before taking advantage of his shock to cut him down on the spot.
With a thud, Ling Feng met his end.
Qin Feng emerged from the shadows, casting a dispassionate glance at the unfortunate soul before turning and walking away.
He had cleaned out all the items in Daoist Crow’s Cultivation Room, leaving untouched the other Cultivation Resources.
After all, it was his own Sect besieging the Demon Cultivators, not some alliance with other Sects, so there was no need to take too much advantage. Better to leave something for the Disciples who would storm in later.
Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
That was to subdue the Little Nether Crow.
To Qin Feng, that was the priority.
He was unwilling to arrive late and have the Sect Cultivators who invaded later mistake the special Little Nether Crow for an ordinary one and kill it.
Although the creature had special abilities, its strength was limited by its Realm, so in the chaos of battle, no one would take the time to examine its abilities, let alone with so many formidable Spiritual Beasts around—just one powerful Divine Power strike could inadvertently kill the little thing.
Qin Feng flew rapidly as a shadow, paying no mind even to the shifty-looking Demon Cultivators along the way who clearly had their own crooked schemes, until he finally stopped at the exit to survey the battle outside.
The two sides had already engaged in a fierce melee, numerous Spiritual Beasts breaking through the Nether Crow’s defenses to fight the Demon Dao Cultivators below.
The Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect were also steadily advancing, releasing Magic Divine Power after another, utilizing their numerical advantage to secure the upper hand.
And those Demon Cultivators at or above the Purple Mansion Realm, each facing two or three Beast Taming Sect Elders, would face an even larger attack if they joined forces.
Daoist Crow was the highest Cultivator among all the Demon Cultivators present.
Even though the Beast Taming Sect hadn’t deployed many Primordial Spirit Realm Great Cultivators, they had a sure win with three against one, even without the aid of Spiritual Beasts.
Although these Demon Cultivators had bizarre techniques, each with unique abilities, absolute numerical supremacy left them with no chance of victory.
So the lower-level Demon Cultivators were now trying to break out and flee Ten Thousand Crows Valley, evading pursuit from the Beast Taming Sect Cultivators.
However, those Demon Cultivators above the Purple Mansion Realm, including Daoist Crow who was surrounded by three Primordial Spirit Great Cultivators, though they looked distressed, did not show any signs of fleeing. It was as if they were ready to fight the Beast Taming Sect Cultivators to death, making one wonder where their confidence came from.
Perhaps they had other trump cards not yet played, believing there was still a chance to turn the tide.
Qin Feng did not join the battle.
Nor did he emerge from the shadows, still using the Shadow Transformation Divine Power to conceal himself in darkness, skirting along the edge of the battlefield towards the depths of the valley.
At the very depths of the valley, within the Crow Nest built of piled white bones, a tiny Netherworld Crow about a foot long blinked its crimson eyes, attentively watching the sky above.
Nearby, another crow nest contained a restless Purple Mansion Realm Netherworld Crow.
This Purple Mansion Realm Netherworld Crow had been left by Daoist Crow to guard the Little Nether Crow.
Should the battle prove unwinnable, it would take the Little Nether Crow and flee.
This Little Nether Crow was the sole mutant among hundreds of thousands of Netherworld Crows. Even while still in its egg, it had appeared remarkably different. Indeed, the Netherworld Crow that had laid the egg had exhausted its energy bringing it into the world and had died soon after.
No other Netherworld Crow dared approach that egg afterward. Daoist Crow, upon discovering the egg, had arranged for several Netherworld Crows to help incubate it, but each one met a grisly end within three days due to mysterious circumstances.
Daoist Crow then discovered that the egg could absorb Death Qi. He placed it amidst a pile of bones with an array set up to gather the aura of the undead, and after absorbing a significant amount of Death Qi, it barely hatched.
Naturally carrying an ominous aura, the Little Nether Crow was shunned by all the others.
Upon careful investigation, Daoist Crow found that this Netherworld Crow was a mutant, capable of absorbing vast amounts of Death Qi for cultivation, and its potential was far greater than ordinary Netherworld Crows. Most importantly, it possessed a very special power – an innate Curse Divine Power.
It was the birth of this Death Curse Crow that finally solidified his determination to spend years’ worth of accumulated treasures to create the Ten Thousand Crows Pot.
Qin Feng moved underneath the White Bone Crow Nest, scrutinizing the Little Crow with fervent eyes.
Perhaps it was because he was too close, or perhaps it was the intensity of Qin Feng’s gaze on the Death Curse Crow, but the Little Crow suddenly stood up, let out a “caw,” and fixed its small eyes on Qin Feng, hiding in the shadow, full of wariness.
“Hmm?”
Qin Feng blinked in surprise.
Could this little thing have discovered him?
Before he could figure out what was going on, he faintly felt an ominous aura wash over him.
He instantly realized why the Little Crow could detect him – the fluctuating aura around the bird was too unique; any living being that approached would be affected.
Previously, when Qin Feng had followed the cultivator tasked with feeding these Netherworld Crows, that Demon Cultivator always kept his distance. He had thought the Demon Cultivator was avoiding the Purple Mansion Realm Netherworld Crows, but now it seemed more likely that he was avoiding this Death Curse Crow.
Qin Feng had just realized this when, from another White Bone Nest nearby, the Purple Mansion Realm Netherworld Crow suddenly let out a shrill cry, its wings beating, and two streams of Netherworld Death Qi attacked the shadowy area where Qin Feng was hiding.
Simultaneously, its figure soared, and its talons, as if forged from hardened steel, reached towards Qin Feng.
Qin Feng shifted his position to dodge the Death Qi, revealing his location.
As the Purple Mansion Netherworld Crow’s talons were about to grab him, Qin Feng let out a cold snort, “Back off!”
With that, not only did the power of his Divine Sense imbued with Dragon Power shock the Netherworld Crow, but his fingers also came together to form a sword. A streak of Golden Light flashed, and under the power of the Gold Element Principle, his Golden Hole Finger pointed straight towards the Netherworld Crow’s talon.
Even though the Netherworld Crow was of the Purple Mansion Realm, and had advanced in cultivation for over a thousand years, qualifying as an old Purple Mansion Demon Beast, it snapped out of the stun from Qin Feng’s Divine Sense in a moment.
Seeing Qin Feng’s finger pointing towards its talon, the Netherworld Crow flashed a look of disdain.
Was this mere Golden Core Realm Small Cultivator actually trying to compete with it to see whose claws were harder?
Hence, instead of backing away, it increased its power and met Qin Feng’s attack head-on.
It wanted to crush the arm of the Small Cultivator in front of it in one swoop, then break his skull, eat his Golden Core, and consume his flesh and blood.
However, before this thought could fully form, intense pain erupted from its talon.
With a “puff,” Qin Feng’s Golden Hole Finger had pierced through the hard bones of the talon, instantly sapping its strength.
The Netherworld Crow let out a shriek of alarm and tried to flap its wings to escape, but saw Qin Feng’s palm suddenly swell in size, each finger growing to be about three feet long, tightly seizing the Netherworld Crow’s talon and violently smacking it down to the ground.
A series of punches and kicks followed, Qin Feng’s robust physical power left the overly confident and now disadvantaged Netherworld Crow in a pitiful state.
In the White Bone Crow Nest, the Death Curse Crow witnessed the Purple Mansion Realm Netherworld Crow that was supposed to protect it being defeated so easily, and its small eyes widened. Without a second thought, it flapped its wings to fly away.
“Trying to leave?”
Qin Feng chuckled lightly, “Come down to me.”
With that, he extended his arm by about a zhang, a large hand shooting out to catch the Little Crow.
The Death Curse Crow let out a piercing cry, a sound tinged with ill omen. It flapped its wings desperately as a pitch-black feather fell and spontaneously caught fire with flames from nowhere.
The palm that Qin Feng had placed on the bird withered instantly, becoming shriveled and wrinkled, like that of a hundred-year-old man, even with age spots appearing on it – a terrifying and chilling sight.