A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 371 Forcefully Repelling the Enemy

Author Mo Yu Jing Feng is waiting for you with "A Mortal's Start: The Spirit Beast Mountain".

"clang--!!!"

The crimson giant blade slammed fiercely into the pitch-black shield! It unleashed a deafening, earth-shattering roar! A violent shockwave, mixed with crimson and black spiritual light, swept out like a storm!

"Click..."

A chilling cracking sound could be faintly heard.

The "Flame Shield," thick with spiritual light, flickered violently and erratically under the strike of the blood-red giant blade imbued with immense power. It let out a mournful cry and was then forcefully cleaved backward by the terrifying power contained within the giant blade.

"puff--!"

Although this treasure was not his natal magic weapon, it had been refined in his dantian for hundreds of years and was his strongest defensive magic weapon. Now that it had suffered a severe injury, Yan Lie groaned and his face turned pale instantly.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the dark golden Dharma image in the distance, his gaze filled with disbelief, horror, and lingering fear.

"How is this possible? He... he just experienced the infusion of lightning and fire, his qi and blood were greatly damaged, and his realm was not stable. How could he unleash such a terrifying attack?" Yan Lie's heart was filled with shock, and his assessment of Luo Ming's strength instantly rose to a level that made him feel terrified.

When Wang Tiangu, who was far away, saw Luo Ming's earth-shattering "Blood Demon Slash" and felt the immense blood energy and sharp killing intent contained within it, his eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light!

"Such powerful demonic abilities!"

As an elder of the Ghost Spirit Sect, he himself had cultivated profound demonic arts and was extremely sensitive to blood-path supernatural powers.

He could tell at a glance that Luo Ming's "Blood Demon Slash" was no ordinary physical cultivation technique, but a terrifying killing move that incorporated the essence of a top-level demonic cultivation method, condensing blood and qi into the ultimate offensive power!

"This person... is definitely not a simple body cultivator or rogue cultivator! His lineage is probably quite extraordinary!" Wang Tiangu's evaluation of Luo Ming had unknowingly risen another level.

In the cultivation world of Tiannan, there is an unwritten consensus among Nascent Soul cultivators.

Defeating someone of the same level is easy, but to kill them completely is as difficult as ascending to heaven! Nascent Soul cultivators have endless ways to protect themselves, and once a deadly enmity is formed and the enemy escapes, the consequences will be endless.

Unless there is absolute certainty, or the conflict of interest is irreconcilable, one will not easily engage in a life-or-death struggle with a cultivator of the same level.

Thinking this through, Wang Tiangu made a decision instantly. His gentle, refined smile returned, and he bowed respectfully towards Luo Ming's dark golden dharma image, speaking sincerely:

"Fellow Daoist Luo's supernatural abilities are truly extraordinary. I, Wang, have had my eyes opened today! I admire you, I admire you! Just now, Fellow Daoist Yan was merely excited by the sight of something to hunt and wanted to exchange a few blows with you. He had no other intentions. I hope you will forgive him."

He first smoothed things over, characterizing the conflict as a "sparring match," then changed the subject and extended an olive branch:

"I wonder what Fellow Daoist Luo's plans are now that you have successfully completed your seclusion? If you have nowhere to go for the time being and wish to find a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion, the gates of my Ghost Spirit Sect will always be open to you. With your abilities, once you enter my Ghost Spirit Sect, you will surely be placed at the head of the guest elders, and you will be provided with abundant resources and support."

At this moment, Luo Ming casually reached out and took the cyan fireball, which was trapped by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Power, condensed into the size of a fist, and was still slowly burning and jumping inside, into his palm, and casually played with it.

Upon hearing Wang Tiangu's words, Luo Ming's face remained expressionless, his gaze calmly sweeping over Wang Tiangu and Yan Lie, whose face was still pale and whose breathing was unsteady. He said indifferently:

"I am used to being a free spirit and cannot stand the constraints of a sect. I am afraid I will have to disappoint Fellow Daoist Wang's good intentions."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the ruins of Qinghu Island below, where the spiritual energy and earth's veins seemed subtly different, and slowly said, "However, I, Luo, am quite fond of this place. The spiritual energy here is still acceptable, and it also has the advantage of water, making it quite tranquil. I, Luo, intend to temporarily use this Qinghu area as my place of seclusion for cultivation."

During this period of seclusion, I, Luo, will not participate in any power struggles; I only seek peace and quiet to focus on my cultivation. I wonder… if Fellow Daoists Wang and Yan could do me a favor and speak on my behalf to your sect and the Yu Ling Sect?”

"This..." Wang Tiangu and Yan Lie exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and their brows furrowed simultaneously.

Although the area where Qinghu Market is located is situated at the intersection of three powerful factions and belongs to a "no man's land" gray area, the Ghost Spirit Sect, Demon Flame Sect, and Imperial Spirit Sect can still reap considerable benefits every year through market taxes, clandestine transactions, and the implicit control of some surrounding resources.

Luo Ming's words were tantamount to designating this vast area of ​​water as his "private dojo." Although he said he would not participate in the fighting, in reality, he was taking a large piece of the pie from the three sects' bowl!

Even though they were both Nascent Soul elders, such a major matter involving the redistribution of territory and interests was not something they could decide on their own. Especially since no Nascent Soul cultivators from the Spirit Control Sect were present, they were even less likely to make decisions for them.

A moment later, Luo Ming looked in the direction the two had left, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he exhaled a breath of stale air. Only then did his tense mind relax a little.

"At least things have stabilized for now..." Luo Ming muttered to himself.

Without a powerful backing, it's not easy to carve out a peaceful place for seclusion in this region where demonic forces intersect. Even with strength, one still has to be mindful of others' attitudes and spend time negotiating.

In fact, according to his original plan, after breaking through the body refinement, he should have left this place of trouble immediately and found a more secluded and absolutely safe place to cultivate in seclusion, completely refine the remaining "Xuanwu True Blood" in his dantian, and then condense his magic power nascent soul in one go!

Afterwards, he would infiltrate the Spirit Control Sect and try to "borrow" the complete method of refining and controlling the Myriad Souls Banner, thus gaining complete control over it. Finally, he would return to the Chaotic Star Sea.

However, plans can't keep up with changes.

Just now, when he activated the Earthly Fiend Qi and experienced the infusion of thunder and fire into his body, relying on the trace of Xuanwu bloodline he had refined, he had a special sensitivity to the earth veins and water elements. He vaguely sensed that there was a place where the earth veins and water veins converged beneath this Qinghu Lake!

In the past, he would probably have just thought it was a common confluence of water and soil spiritual veins, with a slightly richer concentration of water and soil spiritual energy.

However, ever since he refined that one-third of the Xuanwu True Blood, his understanding of the power of water and earth has suddenly become much deeper, much like the awakening of a demon beast's bloodline.

That place would greatly benefit his refinement of Xuanwu True Blood and his future cultivation.

Luo Ming's gaze was deep as he looked at the seemingly calm lake below. It was this unexpected discovery that made him change his mind and decide to stay temporarily, trying to take over the place.

……

On the other side, in the pitch-black escape light that had already flown hundreds of miles away.

Yan Lie finally couldn't contain his frustration and anger, and shouted angrily at Wang Tiangu, who was walking beside him, "Brother Wang! You just promised that I would hold this person back and test him from the front, while you would wait for an opportunity to strike from behind, find a weakness, and use the 'Mother and Child Yin Soul Needles' to launch a sneak attack and severely damage his soul!"

"But from beginning to end, you didn't even reveal your magic weapon! You just stood there watching the show! If I hadn't reacted quickly and summoned the 'Mysterious Ghost Shield' to defend myself, that slash would have seriously injured me, if not killed me!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiangu's gentle smile vanished, replaced by a solemn and deep expression. He glanced at the furious Yan Lie, slowly shook his head, and said in a low voice:

"Fellow Daoist Yan, it's not that I, Wang, didn't want to make a move, but rather... I simply didn't have the opportunity to do so."

"No chance? What do you mean?" Yan Lie was taken aback.

A hint of lingering fear flashed in Wang Tiangu's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "You were fighting with all your might just now, so you may not have noticed. Just as you used 'Azure Yang Demonic Fire' to envelop his Dharma form, and I was just gathering my magic power to prepare to activate 'Nine-Child Mother Yin Soul Needles,' I was already locked onto by his divine sense. If I had continued to attack, our two sects would have provoked a great enemy today."

He paused, his voice tinged with lingering fear: "Moreover, the opponent's spiritual sense is very strong... far surpassing mine! In fact, it even feels to me as powerful as those mid-Nascent Soul stage senior brothers in our sect!"

"What?!" Yan Lie's pupils constricted, his anger instantly replaced by horror, and he exclaimed, "He's already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage? This... how is this possible! He clearly just broke through to the Nascent Soul stage!"

It's one thing for a body cultivator who has just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage to have a powerful physical body, but how can their divine sense also be so abnormal? This is completely illogical!

Wang Tiangu nodded with a grim expression: "Although it's hard to believe, it's the truth. Moreover, that divine sense also faintly contained a trace of... an extremely uncomfortable, scorching power. This person is stronger than we imagined."

He took a deep breath, looked at Yan Lie, and slowly said, "Fellow Daoist Yan, this person... is not someone we can easily control. Rather than becoming enemies, it's better to remain calm for now and plan for the long term. As for this Qinghu land... if he wants it, then give it to him for now. As long as he abides by the rules and doesn't harm our actual interests, that's fine."

Yan Lie opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but recalling Luo Ming's terrifying slash, the way he easily imprisoned and returned his demonic fire, and combined with Wang Tiangu's description of the powerful divine sense...

He had a vague feeling that his greed might cause a lot of trouble later, and he needed to return to the Demon Flame Sect immediately to discuss the matter with the sect.

Today, Qinghufang Market is a scene of devastation, almost completely razed to the ground.

The once bustling buildings and shops are now reduced to scattered remnants of wood, emitting wisps of smoke, and the air is filled with the distinctive burnt smell of thunder and lightning.

However, instead of feeling annoyed, Luo Ming showed a faint, satisfied smile.

"Although this place has been destroyed because of Luo, rebuilding the market will require some effort..."

"But every cloud has a silver lining. Through this ordeal, the spiritual energy of this place has become much richer and purer."

When a cultivator breaks through a major realm, especially the Nascent Soul stage, they have the effect of forcibly gathering and purifying the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.

Luo Ming's breakthrough this time was so significant, and the scale of the spiritual energy and earthly evil energy it attracted far exceeded that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

A massive amount of pure spiritual energy and special earthly evil energy were forcibly extracted and condensed here. After being tempered by thunder and fire, some of it dissipated and settled down, combining with the local earth vein water element, which significantly and permanently improved the concentration and quality of spiritual energy in this area.

More importantly, during the breakthrough, he activated a special water and soil spiritual vein deep underground that seemed to resonate with the "True Blood of Xuanwu," causing it to reveal a trace of its original aura and form a closer connection with the spiritual energy on the surface.

This special spiritual energy, originating from the depths of the earth, has a natural effect on gathering and nourishing the spiritual energy of water and soil.

It is foreseeable that the spiritual energy concentration in the Qinghu area in the future will far exceed that of the past, comparable to or even surpassing the spiritual vein settlements carefully managed by some small and medium-sized sects!

Just then, a slightly hesitant crimson streak of light cautiously flew over from a distance and landed ten feet away from Luo Ming. The light faded, revealing Lu Xuan's figure.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and stepped forward. Holding a seemingly ordinary gray storage bag with both hands, yet faintly emanating a restraining aura, he presented it with utmost respect, bowing deeply.

"Senior, I have successfully completed the task of collecting the pills and materials you instructed me to gather last time. Most of them are in this storage bag. There are still some that are quite rare, and I am currently intensifying my efforts to find them."

Luo Ming's gaze fell on the storage bag. He nodded slightly and reached out to take it. He probed into it with his divine sense, quickly scanning it.

"Geng Jing?"

A look of surprise suddenly flashed in Luo Ming's eyes. He hadn't expected that Lu Xuan would actually get his hands on a piece. Although it wasn't large, it was enough to extract a trace of Geng essence.

Seeing the obvious joy on Luo Ming's face, Lu Xuan felt a sense of relief, and a strong sense of accomplishment and excitement of "making a contribution" welled up in his heart.

He was preparing to strike while the iron was hot and give Luo Ming a detailed account of how he had fiercely bid for the Geng Essence at an underground auction, how he had been targeted and chased by several treacherous Core Formation cultivators, and how he had only narrowly escaped. He wanted to use this opportunity to claim credit, complain about his hardships, and perhaps even receive some reward...

"Whoosh!"

A white streak of light appeared gracefully from another direction, moving at a steady pace. In the blink of an eye, it landed not far from Luo Ming and Lu Xuan. It was none other than Duan Chen, the "Ice Profound Master," who had been watching from a distance without leaving.

After landing, Duan Chen glanced at Luo Ming with a complex expression, then quickly averted his gaze, gave Luo Ming a deep bow with a respectful smile, and said in a clear voice:

"Duan Chen of the Yuling Sect congratulates Senior on achieving great success in your divine skills, attaining an eternally solidified golden body, and foreseeing the path to the Great Dao!"