A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 275 Nascent Soul Battle

Seeing Han Li and Luo Ming's escape lights speeding away, the Extreme Yin Ancestor was extremely anxious. Although his primary target was Han Li, since Luo Ming was also here, he didn't mind taking care of him as well.

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to why this vine was there, he didn't have time to pay attention to him.

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly, and the demonic clouds beneath his feet rolled as he tried to bypass the wooden vines blocking his way and chase after them.

However, Mu Tengzi had already made up his mind to stop him. He mistakenly thought that Ji Yin was specifically targeting Luo Ming, so how could he let him succeed? Seeing that Ji Yin was about to leave, he didn't say a word, and gently raised the seemingly ordinary wooden-handled palm-leaf fan in his hand - the "Hidden Dust Fan" - and waved it forward as if casually.

"call--!"

In an instant, a fierce wind arose! This wind was no ordinary airflow; it contained pure and powerful wood-attribute spiritual energy. Wherever it passed, vegetation grew wildly and twisted, transforming into countless incredibly tough, enormous wooden spikes and vines, like wooden cages that came to life in an instant. These densely packed structures stretched in front of the Extreme Yin Ancestor's escape light, and countless sharp, knife-like wind blades were hidden within them, cutting through the void and emitting a piercing shriek!

Although these wildly growing plants are formed from spiritual energy, their power in the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator should not be underestimated.

Caught off guard, the Yin Ancestor nearly crashed into the barrier of wooden spikes and wind blades. He hastily stopped his escape, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water. His demonic energy surged, forcing back the oncoming wind blades and wooden spikes. He abruptly turned, staring intently at the wooden vine, his eyes filled with murderous intent:

"Wood! Vine! Child! Do you intend to become my enemy today? Do you want to start a war between the righteous and the demonic paths here?" He was shocked, angry, and full of doubt.

This Wood Vine Child doesn't have much time left to live. Logically, he should be focusing all his energy on finding longevity-extending artifacts. Why is he here, and why is he so protective of those two juniors? Could it be... that he also knows about the Blood Jade Spider?

Thinking of this, the Old Ancestor of Extreme Yin felt a surge of anxiety.

Seeing his exasperation, Mu Tengzi's inward sneer deepened, becoming even more certain that the other man was after Luo Ming's "secret." Holding the Hidden Dust Fan, he stood leisurely in mid-air, his tattered straw hat remaining perfectly still in the gale, his tone laced with mockery:

"You old ghost of extreme yin, you've lived to such an old age, yet you're still so tasteless, only enjoying bullying the younger generation and stealing their treasures. Today, I merely couldn't stand by and watch injustice prevail. What, you, of extreme yin, are allowed to act recklessly, but others aren't allowed to meddle?"

"You...!" The Extreme Yin Ancestor was so angry at his nonchalant yet unreasonable words that his chest tightened and his anger surged to the top of his head.

He had roamed the chaotic starry sea for many years, and had never suffered such humiliation. Especially being publicly humiliated and having his good deeds thwarted by an old rival who also had little lifespan left and with whom he usually kept to himself.

"Very well!" The Extreme Yin Ancestor laughed in anger, saying "very well" three times in a row. His voice was icy cold. "It seems that some people have forgotten my methods since I haven't made a move in a long time. Today, I will let you see the power of the Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire."

Before he finished speaking, he slowly raised a withered, claw-like hand and clenched his fist in the air.

"Sizzle—!"

Amidst a chilling, eerie sound, a ball of flame, the size of a human head, pitch black, twisting and pulsating, radiating endless cold and destructive aura, appeared out of thin air in his palm. At the center of the flame, countless distorted, agonizing ghostly faces seemed to wail silently; just a glance was enough to freeze and suck in one's very soul!

"Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire!" The composure on Mu Tengzi's face vanished instantly, her eyes under the straw hat narrowed sharply, and she exclaimed in alarm, her tone filled with apprehension.

This fire is one of the most powerful demonic techniques hidden by the Yin Ancestor. It is made by collecting Yin Fire from the Earth's core and mixing it with countless vengeful spirits and malevolent souls. It is extremely insidious and poisonous, specifically designed to corrupt the spiritual light of magical treasures, corrode bones and destroy souls, and is extremely difficult to deal with.

A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Extreme Yin Ancestor, and he thrust his palm forward with a sudden movement!

With a whoosh, the jet-black fireball transformed into a black lightning bolt, accompanied by a piercing, ghostly howl, hurtling towards Mu Tengzi at an astonishing speed! The fireball rapidly expanded in the air, growing several times its original size in the blink of an eye.

Mu Tengzi dared not be negligent, knowing the power of this fire. He retreated quickly, while simultaneously fanning himself with his Hidden Dust Fan. Several layers of solid blue wind walls and thick, tough blue vines intertwined to form a barrier in front of him, attempting to block the terrifying black fireball.

However, just as he was fully focused on dealing with the seemingly all-out attack of "Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire", the corner of the Extreme Yin Ancestor's mouth curled up in a sinister arc.

The terrifying black fireball, just before it was about to collide with the defensive barrier set up by the wooden vine, paused slightly inexplicably, then exploded, turning into a sky full of black fire clouds that enveloped the wooden vine.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the moment when Mu Tengzi's attention was drawn, the Extreme Yin Ancestor himself transformed into a dim black light that almost blended into the background. With an incredible angle and speed, he suddenly bypassed Mu Tengzi's interception from the side and chased after Luo Ming and Han Li's disappearing light without looking back!

Their true objective has always been clear: to first confirm whether Han Li possesses the Blood Jade Spider!

"Oh no! We've been tricked!" Kitoko realized instantly, feeling both shocked and furious.

He hadn't expected that the old ghost Ji Yin would be so cunning, using "Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire" as a feint, actually to get rid of his entanglement! Seeing that Ji Yin's escape light was about to bypass him, Mu Tengzi also became anxious, disregarding the still raging black flame.

He activated the Hidden Dust Fan in his hand with all his might, his figure merging into a raging blue gale, pursuing and intercepting with a speed no slower than that of Ji Yin! He absolutely could not let Luo Ming fall into the hands of Ji Yin!

Wu Chou, standing behind, stared in disbelief as his ancestor and Mu Tengzi, a righteous Nascent Soul cultivator, engaged in a fierce battle, one resorting to trickery and the other fighting desperately, all in pursuit of two junior Core Formation cultivators.

They chased and intercepted each other, disappearing in an instant, leaving only the terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations remaining in the air and the black Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire that was still slowly burning and exuding a dangerous aura.

"This... Has Mu Tengzi gone mad? Or does he also know about the Blood Jade Spider...?" Wu Chou was bewildered and extremely anxious. He was worried that his ancestor would be entangled by Mu Tengzi and miss the important task of capturing Han Li and seizing the spirit beast, but he dared not chase after him alone.

Wu Chou had clearly witnessed Luo Ming and Han Li's astonishing speed; he himself might not be able to catch up. More importantly, the thought of Luo Ming's strange and powerful spirit bird and demon banner, as well as Han Li's set of magical flying swords that made his heart tremble, filled Wu Chou with fear. He knew he could hardly handle either of them, let alone the two of them together. If he chased after them now, he would probably just be offering himself up as food.

Left with no other choice, he could only stay where he was, carefully avoiding the aftershocks of the battle between Ji Yin and Mu Tengzi, while anxiously waiting for the ancestor to get rid of Mu Tengzi's entanglement as soon as possible.

Further away, behind a group of boulders slightly cracked by the aftershocks of the battle, a figure in a yellow robe appeared out of nowhere – it was none other than the Hermit of Qingyi.

At this moment, he withdrew his probing divine sense, his face full of doubt and impatience.

"What is this extremely yin old ghost up to? Instead of searching for the crucial 'Longevity Fruit,' he's come to this desolate place and is fighting fiercely with the wooden vine that also desperately needs to prolong its life?" Qingyi Jushi shook his head, finding it incomprehensible and a waste of his precious time.

"Forget it, why bother with them? The Longevity Fruit is more important."

He stopped paying attention to the inexplicable fight, and with a flash of light, he disappeared silently as if blending into the wind, hoping to find the Longevity Fruit in his last moments.

As for the feud between Ji Yin and Mu Tengzi, and those two seemingly "troublesome" junior Core Formation cultivators, he had no interest in delving into it for the time being.

Luo Ming and Han Li pushed their escape speed to the limit, like two streaks of light piercing the sky, flying at full speed towards the entrance of the second level, the Ice and Fire Path. In the distance behind them, the two powerful auras belonging to the Nascent Soul stage old monsters occasionally collided, erupting with astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations. Even though they were far apart, they could still be clearly sensed, showing how fierce the battle was.

As Han Li flew away, he couldn't help but transmit his voice to Luo Ming, saying, "Brother Luo, that Senior Mu Tengzi... actually fought so fiercely to stop Ancestor Ji Yin? This is really illogical. Nascent Soul cultivators are all cunning and shrewd, and they won't do anything without a profit, especially Mu Tengzi. I heard that he doesn't have much lifespan left, so he should cherish his magical power and avoid unnecessary fighting. The fact that he's so desperately trying to stop me suggests that he has something big up his sleeve. Brother Luo, after the Void Heaven Palace closes, you must be very careful of this person. It would be best to find a secluded place to lay low for a while."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming smiled calmly and replied telepathically, "Junior Brother Han, rest assured, I have already made plans for this matter. If I am not mistaken, after the Void Heaven Palace closes, the entire Chaotic Star Sea will be plunged into an unprecedented upheaval. At that time, these old monsters will probably be too busy taking care of themselves to bother looking for me."

"A major upheaval?" Han Li was taken aback and looked at Luo Ming with a puzzled expression.

"That's right." Luo Ming nodded, his tone certain. "According to a demonic cultivator I captured, the righteous and demonic paths have long been secretly colluding, intending to launch a rebellion under the banner of 'overthrowing the Star Palace and restoring freedom to the Star Sea' after the Void Heaven Palace opens. They plan to gather all cultivators in the sea who are dissatisfied with the Star Palace's rule and besiege Tianxing City! Perhaps at this moment, the flames of war have already been ignited in some parts of the Inner Sea."

He casually fabricated a plausible source from the "history" he knew. This news was so shocking that even Han Li, with his calm demeanor, couldn't help but gasp and his expression changed several times after hearing it.

The Star Palace is at war with both the righteous and demonic factions? This is a momentous event that could overturn the entire chaotic star sea!

"If that's the case... then the inner sea will indeed fall into chaos after the Void Heaven Palace closes." Han Li quickly calmed down and began to analyze the pros and cons. "For us, it's both a crisis and an opportunity. Only in troubled waters can one fish in troubled waters. Perhaps this is the perfect time to escape the attention of all parties and retreat into seclusion for cultivation."

"That makes perfect sense." Luo Ming glanced at Han Li approvingly. "At that time, we can simply flee to the depths of the outer sea and find a remote island to cultivate in seclusion. The outer sea is vast and boundless, teeming with demonic beasts and rarely visited by humans. Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, finding two people precisely in it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Han Li nodded, feeling somewhat relieved, and his opinion of Luo Ming's planning abilities rose even higher. Then, remembering something else, he asked, "Brother Luo, although we've obtained the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, it seems we still need a special formula to refine the legendary 'Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng Pill,' which is said to aid in Nascent Soul formation. I imagine this formula is still in Xuan Gu's possession."