txolops Chapter 270 Mutual Conspiracy
Chapter 270 Mutual Conspiracy
Chapter 270, "Mutual Conspiracy," contains a surprise. Click here to unlock it now.
Of the three, Luo Ming appeared the most composed.
He deliberately maintained a somewhat "weak" aura, but his flight speed was by no means slow. This composure stemmed from his confidence in his own strength, and also from a certain degree of foresight into the future. Although his presence had changed some things, the overall situation remained largely the same.
At this moment, what he was thinking about was not how to find the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, but whether, after obtaining it, he should immediately launch an attack on Xuan Gu and completely eliminate this hidden danger.
In his view, this fiend harbored evil intentions, was too cunning, and had another old ghost's primordial spirit hidden within him. Keeping him around would only cause trouble sooner or later.
But on second thought, it seems there is some unknown deal or connection between Xuan Gu and Man Hu Zi.
If he were to make a move now, and accidentally trigger some hidden restriction left by the bearded man, or if the man sensed him, given the old demon's unpredictable and domineering nature, he might really slap him to death.
"Fine, let's see how he performs." Luo Ming sneered inwardly, temporarily suppressing his murderous intent and deciding to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
On the other side, Han Li's mind was also in turmoil. The Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng could increase the chances of forming a Nascent Soul, which was extremely tempting to him. However, Xuan Gu was a sinister and deep-seated person, and Han Li instinctively felt uneasy. If it weren't for Senior Brother Luo Ming accompanying him, he would never have agreed to come so easily.
With Brother Luo, whose strength was unfathomable and who, despite his mysterious journey, seemed to adhere to certain "rules," by his side, he felt much more at ease. He secretly resolved that once he discovered any unusual activity in Xuan Gu, he would join forces with Luo Ming to strike swiftly and decisively, ensuring that Xuan Gu would not have the opportunity to carry out his schemes.
Of the three, the most cunning and "busiest" was Xuan Gu, who was flying at the forefront leading the way. He appeared to be flying silently, but in reality, he was engaged in a fierce spiritual exchange with another primordial spirit hidden within his body.
"Brother Xiao, although Luo Ming seems to be still recovering from his injuries, his fire-attribute spirit bird is no ordinary creature. Its blazing flames are extremely effective against us ghost cultivators, making it the biggest variable in our plan! Are you confident that you can temporarily trap it when you make your move?"
"As long as I can isolate this bird for a moment, once I successfully possess that brat's body, that feathered beast will be severely injured, if not dead, and will pose no further threat!" The voice of that primordial spirit was sharp and urgent, carrying a deep fear of the Fat Sun Bird.
A glint of light flashed in Xuan Gu's eyes as he replied telepathically, "Rest assured, I have already made all the preparations. My 'Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation' was specially crafted to deal with that extreme Yin. Its power is unparalleled. When I activate it at full strength, it can even trap a Nascent Soul cultivator for a short while!"
"At that time, I will manipulate the power of the formation to forcibly separate Luo Ming and that spirit bird into different positions. You then seize the opportunity to immediately unleash the 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Souls' technique, invading his sea of consciousness and devouring his primordial spirit!"
Upon hearing this, the primordial spirit's confidence soared, and it laughed wildly, "To be honest, Brother Xiao, my 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Souls' secret technique has been perfected. Once unleashed, my primordial spirit power can surge to a level comparable to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm in a short period of time! This Luo Ming, with his mere mid-stage Core Formation cultivation, even if his divine sense is slightly stronger than others of the same level, has absolutely no chance of reaching the Nascent Soul level!"
"Very good." Xuan Gu nodded slightly, saying nothing more, but inwardly his sneer intensified.
The three of them flew for several hours in silence, each harboring their own secrets, traversing countless sacred mountains and beautiful waters. Finally, Xuan Gu's escape light faded, and he stopped in the air above a certain area.
Luo Ming and Han Li also stopped and looked down, their brows furrowing in unison.
Below was an inconspicuous little rocky hill, barren and pitifully devoid of spiritual energy, a stark contrast to the surrounding peaks shrouded in spiritual mist and teeming with life. By all accounts, this was a desolate land lacking spiritual energy, a world apart from the legendary treasure land that could nurture such rare and precious ginseng as the "Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng."
"Are you sure this is the place?" Han Li couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with obvious doubt. Luo Ming didn't speak, but his gaze was also scrutinizing as he looked at the Xuan Bone in front of him.
Xuan Gu turned around, facing the two people's questioning gazes, a mysterious smile appearing on his face, and slowly said, "Fellow Daoists, please don't be impatient. Spiritual objects naturally conceal themselves, and divine objects naturally hide themselves. The more ordinary and unremarkable a place seems, the more profound its mysteries may be. That Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng is located in an extremely secluded place beneath this stone mountain."
As soon as Xuan Gu finished speaking, before Luo and Han could ask any further questions, his aura suddenly changed, spreading out a chilling and profound aura that clashed with the surrounding spiritual energy. Even more striking was that his previously slightly cloudy eyes now glowed with two clear, blood-red lights, like two will-o'-the-wisps flickering eerily in their sockets, appearing strange and terrifying.
He ignored the two, his gaze sweeping like a hawk over the unremarkable little rocky hill below, as if carefully discerning something. After a moment, he spoke with renewed composure and certainty, "That's right, it's still there. The 'pure spiritual energy' it left behind when it was active is useless against ordinary spiritual objects; it can't escape my senses."
"Pure spiritual energy?" Upon hearing this, Han Li glanced at Xuan Gu with a puzzled expression, then channeled his magic power into his eyes and used a secret technique to carefully examine the stone mountain below.
With a slight thought, Luo Ming quietly activated the "Qianyang Fire Eye," and a faint phantom of crimson-gold flame flickered deep within his eyes.
In his field of vision at this moment, the seemingly barren and desolate surface of the rocky mountain below suddenly changed! Faint yet incredibly clear silver-white "footprint"-like marks, like spots of light left by a lamp in the dark night, dotted the surface of the rocky mountain and even the crevices of some rocks!
These "footprints" are extremely small, yet arranged in a very regular pattern, exuding an extremely pure and spiritual aura, completely different from the lifeless earthy atmosphere of the rocky mountain itself.
"This is the so-called 'residual purifying energy'? Truly profound!" Luo Ming was secretly delighted, quite satisfied with the insightful power of the Qianyang Fire Eye. Traces that were difficult for ordinary divine sense to detect were as clear as lines on the palm of his hand under this Fire Eye.
Just as he was secretly observing, Xuan Gu seemed to have completed its investigation as well, its blood-red light receding and returning to its normal appearance.
He turned around and saw Luo Ming and Han Li still intently investigating. A subtle, slightly smug smile appeared on his lips as he spoke:
"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to waste your energy. This pure spiritual energy is unique to the spiritual objects of heaven and earth, extremely subtle and mysterious, and difficult to detect without a certain level of divine sense. Although your divine senses far surpass those of others of the same level, they are still somewhat lacking compared to the true divine senses of the Nascent Soul stage. Ordinary methods of detection will not be able to detect it."
Having said that, he stopped explaining, and with a flash of light, an object appeared in each of his palms.
In the palm of his left hand was a round ball the size of an egg, made of golden silk threads. Countless fine gold threads were interwoven, and it contained spiritual light. It was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object.
Above his right palm floated four small, earth-yellow triangular flags. The flags moved without wind, faintly emanating a heavy and stable aura. Their energy was connected, clearly indicating that they were a set.
"To capture the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, we must first lure its spirit form out of its hiding place, and then trap it with a special magic weapon."
Xuan Gu displayed the two items to the two, his tone calm yet unquestionable, "These are the array flags for the 'Golden Thread Net' and the 'Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation.' The Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng is best at blending into earth and wood to hide itself, and it is also highly sensitive, fleeing to another place at the slightest disturbance."
At that time, one person will need to hold this golden net and, the instant the creature is lured into the formation, cover it, using this pure metal-attribute magical artifact to trap it within the net. Another person will need to set up the Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation around it to prevent escape and to prevent interference from external objects.
He turned his gaze to Luo Ming and Han Li: "Fellow Daoists, you may choose one of yourselves. Later, we will set up our operations centered around this place. As for the arduous task of finding the spirit ginseng's true form, leave that to me."
Luo Ming's gaze swept over the two items, and almost without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the sphere wrapped in gold thread. "I'm rather interested in this net, so I'll choose it."
He held the golden sphere in his palm, feeling its slight weight. The threads were neither gold nor jade, but exceptionally supple. Probing it with his divine sense, he could sense a peculiar binding force within, specifically targeting spirits and wood-type creatures. "Brother Xuan Gu, is this the magic weapon specifically used to capture the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng?" he asked as he played with it.
Seeing Luo Ming take the golden silk ball, Xuan Gu's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible blood-red light. He was secretly pleased, but on his face, he showed an approving smile: "Brother Luo has good taste. This net is made from the natal silk of the 'Millennial Golden Silkworm' and refined with a variety of rare spiritual materials."
Not only is it incredibly tough, impervious to ordinary magical treasures, but it also possesses a powerful restraining effect on wood-type spirits and creatures transformed from spiritual plants. When that creature transformed from the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng enters the formation, Brother Luo only needs to unleash this net, and it will surely be captured with ease; no matter how slippery it is, it will have no chance of escape!
Luo Ming nodded noncommittally, weighed the golden sphere in his hand, sensed it briefly with his divine sense, and then casually put it into his storage bag, as if it were just an ordinary item. Han Li, on the other side, silently put away the four earthen-yellow array flags as well.
Seeing that the two had no objections and did not show excessive vigilance, Xuan Gu felt somewhat relieved. He cupped his hands in greeting to the two, his face showing a sincere expression of "working hard for official business": "Then I will trouble you two fellow Daoists to familiarize yourselves with the magic treasures and set up the formations here first. I will go over there to investigate more carefully and make sure to determine the exact hiding place of the spirit ginseng, so as not to alert the enemy and ruin everything."
Without waiting for their response, he flashed with a ghostly light and transformed into an inconspicuous gray shadow, flying towards a more desolate rocky slope adjacent to the stone mountain. In a few flashes, his figure disappeared behind a patch of jagged rocks.