txolops Chapter 78 Heavenly Wind
Chapter 78 Heavenly Wind
Luo Ming's figure was like a wisp of light blue smoke. He stepped on a magical artifact and silently darted out of the cave. The spiritual light rippled out from under his feet and he hovered steadily in mid-air above Lingbang Island.
Looking into the distance, where the sea meets the sky, a scene that would make any cultivator's heart tremble is slowly unfolding, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is stirred up.
A wall of dark gray energy descended from the gloomy clouds, reaching the surging sea, and with overwhelming force, it pressed down with the pressure of heaven and earth.
The seawater was whipped up by the gale into a giant wave ten feet high. Before it could fall, it was torn apart by an even more violent airflow, turning into a misty fog that dyed half the sky white.
The originally distinct spiritual energy channels between heaven and earth are now tangled and twisted like a tangled mess, and even the surrounding air is filled with a chilling disorder and restlessness.
Luo Ming stared at the wall of air approaching from the horizon and murmured, "The time for the Heavenly Wind to arrive has come again."
He had experienced these two annual windstorms many times, but he was unsure of himself the first time he encountered one. Since then, he has known how to deal with them.
The wind fox beast beside him perked up its pointed ears, its fur glowing with a pale blue light, and its little paws pawing in the air, looking eager to try.
Luo Ming glanced at it sideways, his tone teasing: "You're getting excited, haven't you forgotten how you were swept into the central area by the wind a few years ago and almost didn't make it back?"
The Wind Fox Beast let out a low growl as if it understood, flicked its fluffy tail, and revealed the aura of a level three demon beast, which was much stronger than before.
Turning his gaze away, Luo Ming watched the air wall slowly advance. He was filled with curiosity about the Heavenly Wind, which crossed the star sea twice a year. Wherever it passed, living beings avoided it. No one could explain why it was formed.
"Run! A typhoon is coming!" A hurried shout pierced the island's air, carrying a hint of barely concealed panic.
"Erniu! Forget about the cargo on the ship! Your life is more important, quickly follow me and hide in the formation!"
Another young and strong man roared in response, pulling his companion, who was still trying to turn back, towards the battle zone.
Luo Ming's gaze swept across the island beneath his feet. He saw that Lingbang Island was filled with tension as a natural disaster approached. The islanders were frantically running towards the areas covered by the array. Several Qi Refining cultivators dressed in green robes had already taken their positions at the center of the array, their expressions solemn. With their hands moving rapidly, streams of pure spiritual energy were precisely injected into the array patterns engraved on the ground.
With a muffled hum, a booming sound came from the depths of the earth, layer upon layer pressing down on the rising howling wind. A layer of shimmering white, warm jade-like spiritual light slowly rose from the edge of the island, quickly closing in like an inverted giant bowl, firmly protecting the core port and the mortal settlement.
Just then, the Wind Fox Beast darted out like the wind, its speed so fast that it was just a blur of green, instantly rushing to the outside of the formation and pulling a girl of about ten years old back into it. Luo Ming recognized this girl; she often came to the formation outside his cave and would chatter away to the Wind Fox Beast, even though he knew she couldn't understand, he still enjoyed it.
"Hmm? Wait, something's not right about this girl..."
Luo Ming flashed to the girl's side and his divine sense probed her quietly like a silk ribbon. In an instant, he figured out the reason—this girl was actually a rare wind spirit root, with extremely faint but pure innate wind spirit power surrounding her. No wonder the wind fox beast was so close to her.
The wind spirit root is a top-grade spirit root second only to the heavenly spirit root. If one has a suitable wind attribute cultivation technique, its combat power is comparable to that of the heavenly spirit root.
A glint of light flashed in Luo Ming's eyes, barely concealing his delight, and he asked gently, "What's your name?"
At this moment, he finally understood the feelings of those high-level cultivators when they encountered a peerless genius. Although he had no intention of establishing a sect and had only just broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he did not want to bury such good talent.
When Luo Ming approached and questioned her, the girl lowered her head timidly, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice barely audible: "Immortal... Immortal Master, my name is Mingyue."
"Mingyue, if you wish to embark on the path of cultivation, come to my cave to find me after this storm has passed," Luo Ming gently instructed.
Mingyue suddenly raised her head, and her eyes, which had been timidly lowered, instantly burst forth with a dazzling light.
Luo Ming never expected that such a top-grade spiritual root would be discovered on a remote island under his jurisdiction, giving him the feeling of discovering a treasure.
Just as he was about to say something, he frowned, his figure soaring into the air again. His gaze swept across the distant horizon, where he saw more than a dozen panicked figures being relentlessly pursued by the wind.
He had seen this scene many times over the years. The first time he saw it, he was puzzled as to why he didn't hide in the sea. But when he learned that the wind would last for several days, he understood. After all, it was difficult for a cultivator to keep circulating the water-avoiding spell in the deep sea for several days. If he ran out of magic power, he would become food for the sea beasts.
"Sigh, just a few more unlucky guys who don't know the auspicious day before going out," Luo Ming sighed softly, watching the figures fleeing in disarray.
Although the exact date of the arrival of the Heavenly Wind is not precise each year, it is only a few days off, and many low-level cultivators generally do not go out to sea during this period.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait! Please open the formation and allow us to temporarily avoid the calamity of the heavenly wind. We will surely repay you handsomely!" An old but powerful voice, carrying profound spiritual energy, pierced through the howling wind and clearly entered Luo Ming's ears.
The leader was an old man in a gray robe, with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level. The sleeves of his gray robe were torn in several places by the gale, and there were still some bloodstains on the torn parts. His hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead. His face was as pale as paper, and the spiritual energy around him fluctuated erratically, obviously having consumed a lot of energy during his escape.
The dozen or so people behind him were all listless, dressed in different clothes and carrying different magical artifacts. They were using all their strength to activate the flying magical artifacts under their feet and rushing towards the spiritual light barrier. The center of the gale behind them was already within reach.
Luo Ming's expression remained unchanged. He flicked his finger, and a pale blue spiritual energy precisely struck the main array eye below. A temporary gap, just wide enough for a few people to pass side by side, immediately opened on the white light shield. The edge of the gap shimmered with spiritual light, barely resisting the onslaught of the surrounding gale.
"Enter quickly." Luo Ming's voice was calm yet carried an undeniable power, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
As his gaze swept over the group of uninvited guests, he paused slightly. Apart from the group led by the gray-robed elder, one of the unfamiliar cultivators behind them gave him a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.
Having escaped death, the group filed in as if granted a pardon. Some stumbled and nearly fell, but were caught by their companions in time. As soon as the last person stepped into the formation, the gap closed instantly, completely isolating the increasingly violent gales and chaotic spiritual energy from the outside world, and the formation instantly regained a moment of peace.
The gray-robed elder steadied his churning blood and qi, quickly stepped forward, and bowed to Luo Ming. His tone was humble yet composed: "Many thanks to the Island Lord for generously providing our group with shelter from the calamity. I am Huang Song, a steward of the Sixth Hall of Kui Xing Island. I was away handling an urgent matter when I encountered a sudden storm on my return journey, and I was unable to escape far in time. The Sixth Hall will forever remember this kindness."
Luo Ming nodded slightly, his tone indifferent: "It was nothing, fellow Daoist, you don't need to worry about it."
Huang Song smiled and said, "The island lord's cultivation is profound, and he actually lives in seclusion on this Spirit Clam Island. It is we who are ignorant and have never heard of the island lord's name before."
He observed Luo Ming discreetly, becoming increasingly puzzled: a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, only one step away from Core Formation, such a person should be renowned in the surrounding region and be the object of great effort by various forces to win over.