Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 110 High-Grade Spirit Stones (3rd Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Although for the time being, Master Guyue relied on him quite a bit and his attitude was relatively gentle, Xia Dong felt a sharp, invisible sword hanging over his heart, making him unable to relax at all.

The image of Gu Yue Zhenren in disguise, looking like a gentle and pretty girl next door, flashed through his mind.

At first, he thought it was just a makeshift skin for easy movement and changing clothes.

But now, thinking about it more deeply, could this be a disguise she made to numb herself and deliberately lower her guard?

But then he thought about it again. He realized that he was just a low-level cultivator who had just entered the Transcendent Realm and hadn't even touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment. In the eyes of someone like True Person Lonely Moon, he was no different from an ant.

Why would she go to such lengths to scheme against herself?

"That's not right either—" Xia Dong frowned, secretly rejecting the idea. "Although she has a high level of cultivation, she has suffered extremely serious injuries and the strange fire needs to be suppressed by spells from time to time."

Now is the time when she is at her weakest and needs protection the most.

"One should always be wary of others. It's perfectly understandable that she would use some gentle tactics to appease me, her only protector."

Xia Dong was torn between his thoughts and his inner demons, and the more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. He couldn't figure out what the great cultivator's true intentions were at all.

However, after struggling for a while, Xia Dong forcibly cut off these chaotic thoughts.

Whether Master Guyue's support was genuine or merely a performance, it no longer matters at this critical juncture.

Today, Lin Yuan Prefecture has completely become a meat grinder, filled with killing intent and war.

In such a terrifying and chaotic situation, if he wants to live a peaceful life and continue to develop smoothly, clinging tightly to the powerful figure of Master Guyue is currently his only and most realistic option.

Having weighed the pros and cons, Xia Dong completely abandoned the idea of ​​going into the city to contact Zhao Ting, or secretly visiting Xiao Hong in Pingyang County.

He's now in a precarious situation, barely able to save himself.

If he were to rashly reveal himself and inadvertently expose his whereabouts, whether it be the bloodthirsty Wusheng Sect demons or the Eagle Wolf Guard high-ranking members eager to turn the tide, as long as they sense even a trace of his connection to Gu Yue Zhenren, they would pounce on him like sharks smelling blood.

They would probably capture and torture him without hesitation, even going so far as to search his soul and steal his spirit, just to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the Lonely Moon Immortal and the location of the Sacred Heart Lotus Seed.

Ultimately, one must be strong oneself to succeed.

A powerful patron can crumble at any time; the only true path to victory is to quickly enhance one's own strength.

After Xia Dong had thoroughly calculated the situation in Lin Yuan Prefecture, his plan became increasingly clear.

Since the outside world is in complete chaos, with various forces fighting tooth and nail for territory and resources, the vengeful ghost that Ci Xiang transformed into after going mad in the underground palace outside the city is naturally ignored at this moment.

This was a godsend for him.

That's an excellent "medicine" for the soul, capable of refining high-level "Yin Spirit Pills" and helping his divine sense to surge.

Recalling what had happened before, when Zhao Ting was gossiping with him about Ci Xiang's tragic end, he had casually mentioned the approximate location of that underground palace.

Without further hesitation, Xia Dong immediately used his Wind Control Technique, his figure like a dark shadow, cautiously making his way towards the dilapidated ancient temple outside the city under the cover of night.

An hour later, Xia Dong arrived at his destination.

As night fell, the abandoned ancient temple appeared even more eerie and dilapidated, surrounded by overgrown weeds.

But deep within the ancient temple, a few faint spiritual lights flickered, which were the simple sealing formation hastily set up by the Eagle Wolf Guard after the incident.

Xia Dong did not approach rashly, but instead hid on a towering ancient tree a hundred paces away, using the concealment talisman of the "Netherworld Hibernation" talisman to perfectly blend his aura with the surrounding vegetation.

Then, he cautiously extended a wisp of his divine sense to observe the movements around the ancient temple.

As expected, only a few Eagle Wolf Guards were patrolling the outer perimeter of the formation.

Xia Dong patiently observed for half an hour and quickly figured out the background of these people.

These guards were all of average strength, at most just reaching the threshold of the "Inner Strength Realm" in martial arts, and they weren't even considered elites in the Thousand Households.

This is understandable. The main force of the Eagle Wolf Guard has suffered heavy casualties at the Crimson Fire Mine, and the city has been attacked by the Wusheng Sect. Their manpower is already stretched thin.

It's already quite an achievement that they were able to distinguish these few oddballs and keep an eye on the seal.

If it weren't for the concern that the Foundation Establishment level vengeful ghost in the underground palace might escape and cause further trouble while they were already besieged on all sides, the Eagle Wolf Guard's higher-ups probably wouldn't have even bothered sending these people and would have simply abandoned the mission altogether.

Summer and winter are like a patient old hunter, quietly lying on the tree trunk, waiting for the best time to strike.

In the latter half of the night, the Eagle Wolf Guards finally got their shift changed.

The two newly appointed guards yawned, complaining about their nerve-wracking job, and sat down on a stone bench next to the sealing formation, lowering their guard to a minimum.

Just after they had finished the handover and were quite relaxed, Xia Dong made his move.

He leaped down from the treetop, like a weightless leaf, gliding silently on the night breeze.

During his stay at Tiger Hill Cave these past few days, although Master Guyue didn't say much, his occasional guidance on cultivation and the use of magical power greatly benefited Xia Dong.

His control over the Xuan Yin magic power is now completely different from what it used to be, no longer as crude and straightforward as before.

He knew perfectly well that if he used pure brute force to strike such a low-level martial artist, it would not only easily cause the opponent's blood and qi to rebound and cause a disturbance, but it might also leave obvious scars.

The fastest and quietest method is to directly use magical power to sever the martial artist's vital energy flow.

Xia Dong approached the two guards from behind like a ghost.

His hands blurred into afterimages, his fingertips gathering two wisps of Xuan Yin magic power, thin as silk yet extremely cold.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

There was no dull thud, only two extremely faint whistling sounds of energy.

Xia Dong's fingertips precisely touched the "Dazhui" acupoints on the back of the necks of the two guards.

The chilling magical power was like two invisible ice needles, instantly piercing into their bodies, directly freezing and severing their surging martial arts energy.

The two Eagle Wolf Guards didn't even have time to utter a groan before their eyes rolled back and their bodies slumped down like mud.

Xia Dong's movements were extremely skillful. With a swift movement of both hands, he steadily supported their bodies as they were about to fall, gently placing them on the ground. The entire process was smooth and effortless, without making the slightest unnecessary sound.

Looking at the unconscious guard on the ground, Xia Dong nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he turned around and turned his gaze to the sealing formation in front of him that was shimmering with a faint spiritual light, a hint of undisguised fervor flashing in his eyes.

To penetrate the depths of the underground palace, one must first break through the array in front of them.

But he knew very well that the guards outside whose life force had been cut off would wake up at any time, and if too much time was wasted, the next patrol of the Eagle Wolf Guards could arrive at any moment.

He had very limited time, so every second counted.

If one were to use conventional array techniques to slowly and painstakingly refine it, it would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but would also easily trigger fluctuations in spiritual energy.

After weighing the options carefully, a resolute glint flashed in Xia Dong's eyes, and he decided to use his trump card, which he had kept hidden all along—"Innate Power".

The greatest innate quality is the ability to "return all kinds of magical and spiritual power in the world to their source," forcibly transforming them into the most primordial and purest primordial energy. However, Xia Dong would never dare to reveal even a trace of this heaven-defying power unless it was a matter of life and death or a last resort.

He knew all too well that if high-level cultivators outside discovered this thing, he would be in deep trouble and die without a burial place.

However, the current situation is urgent, and a swift resolution is the only option.

Xia Dong closed his eyes and silently circulated the "Ling Nong Gong".

With the aid of this extraordinary skill that specializes in sensing the earth's veins and the flow of qi, his powerful divine sense spread out like ripples on water, carefully probing the formation's structure.

Fortunately, this sealing formation was hastily set up by the Eagle Wolf Guard as an emergency measure and was not particularly sophisticated.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Xia Dong accurately located the hub where the spiritual energy of the formation was converging.

He took a deep breath and forced out a wisp of colorless and formless "Primordial Essence" from his fingertips, silently heading towards that pivotal point.

"laugh!"

Just as he expected, in the face of this power that went straight to the source, the originally solid spiritual energy at the hub was like the snow under the scorching sun, instantly disintegrated and melted, turning back into ownerless primordial energy that dissipated into the air.

With the hub destroyed, the entire sealing formation immediately showed signs of loosening and cracking, with a gap more than a meter high appearing on the light screen.

Without hesitation, Xia Dong darted into the underground palace like an eel.

Upon entering the underground palace, Xia Dong immediately activated an "Invisibility Talisman" and simultaneously activated the "Breath Concealment Talisman" on his chest and the "Divine Treasure Chapter" to minimize his presence.

What came into view was a terrifying scene, like a hellish inferno.

The scattered limbs and flesh, the dried and blackened bloodstains on the walls, and the strong stench and putrid smell in the air all spoke of the madness Ci Xiang experienced when he went mad during his lifetime.

However, to Xia Dong's great alarm, he looked around but could not find the Foundation Establishment stage vengeful ghost formed from the resentment of Ci Xiang after his death.

Xia Dong dared not be careless in the slightest. He carefully groped his way in the shadows while using his spiritual sense to keep watch over his surroundings.

Finally, in a corner of the dilapidated altar, he found Ci Xiang's horribly mutilated corpse, almost unrecognizable from its own life force.

Suppressing the nausea churning in his stomach, Xia Dong squatted down and rummaged through the pool of blood and bits of flesh, quickly tearing a blood-stained storage bag from the corpse's waist.

It seems the Eagle Wolf Guards were also frightened. They quickly glanced at the scene, fearing they would be targeted by the vengeful ghost, and immediately set up a seal outside the underground palace, so they didn't touch the corpse.

They probably know that if they take the storage bag now, the Red Lotus Temple might come knocking on their door in the future.

Some things cannot be taken away by those below.

But now, the officials of the thousand households have no time to care about such things.

This is perfect for Xia Dong.

Seeing the "Crimson Lotus Restriction" flowing on the storage bag, Xia Dong had an idea. Since he had already used "Innate Power" once when breaking the formation, he might as well go all the way and use it again.

The restrictions imposed by the Red Lotus Temple are quite troublesome. If we try to break them using conventional methods, it would take an unknown amount of time, and there is no guarantee of success.

He skillfully drew out the innate power once again, directly covering the restriction on the storage bag.

As expected, the innate Qi once again performed a miraculous feat. The insidious and fierce Crimson Lotus Restriction, upon contact with the innate Qi, was disintegrated like ice and snow melting under its continuous output.

With a soft "click," the restriction was broken.

Xia Dong was overjoyed and quickly untied the bag, dumping its contents onto the clean stone slab in front of him.

Splash!

Among a jumble of pill bottles, jade slips, and fragments of magical artifacts, two crystal-clear stones, radiating an intensely rich and pure spiritual light, instantly captivated Xia Dong's gaze.

"A top-grade spirit stone!"

Xia Dong couldn't help but feel excited.

You should know that he has always been eager to combine the Wind Control Technique and the Profound Yin Divine Water to break through the limits and deduce a higher-level "Heavenly Gang Technique".

However, they have been unable to take action due to the lack of extremely rare high-grade spirit stones as a medium.

Now, the key to breaking this deadlock has been laid out before us so naturally!

Xia Dong suppressed his excitement.

Just as he reached out, preparing to pocket the two high-grade spirit stones...

A ghostly howl was heard.

This mournful howl was not a simple sound, but rather a manifestation of the boundless resentment and venom of a Foundation Establishment stage vengeful ghost, along with the materialized soul impact of a violent and malevolent aura.

Normally, if a Qi Refining cultivator were to face such a terrifying ghostly howl, their soul would be almost completely shattered in an instant, and their consciousness would fall into a deathly blank.

Forget about retaliating, they couldn't even instinctively dodge or raise their hands; they could only stand there, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

However, Xia Dong's sea of ​​consciousness was no ordinary place.

There, a mysterious ancient bronze bell floats in the air.

The scene of riding the ancient bronze bell last time was recreated.

The Xuan Yin power that was originally abundant in Xia Dong's dantian was completely drained away in an instant by the bronze ancient bell in his sea of ​​consciousness, like a flood bursting its banks. Not a trace of it remained!

The depletion of magical power was just the beginning; "innate essence" was also being extracted in large quantities.

Having already experienced summer and winter once, she wasn't flustered at all.

At the same time, the wonderful feeling of "driving" the ancient bronze bell arises again.

He turned around, sitting cross-legged, and saw the gloomy ghostly aura in front of him rippling with fine waves.

In the boundless shadows of the underground palace, a tall, ghostly figure silently stepped out.

The ghostly figure was none other than the monk Cixiang in his previous life, except that at this moment his face was twisted and ferocious, his eyes were like two burning eerie green flames, and his whole body was surrounded by a tangible black resentment.

From its high vantage point, a withered, veiny ghostly hand suddenly rose, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, and slammed down on Xia Dong's skull like a collapsing mountain.

A chilling wind swept over us, and a murderous intent pierced our bones.

This deadly palm strike, determined to succeed, carried the terrifying pressure of a Foundation Establishment stage ghost, vowing to instantly pulverize Xia Dong, bones and all, into a pile of minced meat.

However, at this very moment...

A bronze bell phantom, much larger than the ghostly figure, quietly appeared.

The illusory image of this ancient bell is elusive, existing between illusion and reality. Its surface lacks any elaborate or ornate lighting, but exudes a sense of desolation and weightiness etched by the passage of time, both ancient and mysterious.

clang!

The phantom of the ancient bell trembled slightly, and a clear and ancient bell chime rang out in the dark ice cave.

As if ignoring the distance of space and the passage of time, it carried the vast power to suppress all evil spirits in heaven and earth, and completely and firmly locked onto the arrogant and tall ghostly figure in front of it.

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