Chapter 106: Heaven Rewards the Diligent

Before him stood a child no more than an inch tall—astonishingly, the legendary Lingzhi Being. The Lingzhi Being was not flesh and blood but a spirit born of nature itself. Legend held that when a Lingzhi mushroom absorbed the essence of sun and moon to a certain degree, it would give birth to a Lingzhi Being, transforming into a living embodiment of the mushroom’s spirit.

Composed of the purest essence of heaven and earth, the Lingzhi Being ranked fifty-third among the seventy-two rare earthly treasures. It required no alchemical refining—one could consume it directly.

“Hahaha! You truly are no good!” Suddenly, arrogant laughter rang out ahead.

Boom!

The ground exploded violently, sword qi spreading thickly in the air.

A transparent dome of energy rose skyward, and Lu Qian resembled a fly trapped beneath a translucent jade bowl.

Whoosh!

A cold, white mist descended, its light fracturing into countless rays.

Swift as lightning, it struck Lu Qian.

Fine scratches appeared across his dragon-scale armor.

“Such sharp sword qi!” Lu Qian’s pupils contracted sharply.

Scanning the surroundings, he realized he was encircled by a grand formation.

Looking down, he saw the Lingzhi Being had vanished—it was all a trap.

His Golden Moon Eyes had failed to detect their presence; these hidden foes employed techniques to conceal their forms.

“Hehe, Senior Brother Xuan Yin, our master was right—those on the path of evil are short-sighted, caring for nothing but their own gain.” Outside the sword qi formation, a spirited girl of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in fiery red, with sparkling eyes full of mischievous charm, suddenly appeared.

The Lingzhi Being from before rested on her shoulder.

“Bao’er, junior sister, don’t shout so loudly—stay composed,” a mature and steady young man appeared, his gaze towards the girl tender and indulgent.

Two or three others followed, clad in similarly styled uniforms, clearly from the same sect.

“Senior Brother Xuan Yin, this man is trapped within the North Pole Mysterious Light Formation, plus your mysterious golden sword pouch. Even immortals couldn’t break through. Don’t be so harsh with Ling’er,” said another slightly younger man.

From the patterns on their robes, they appeared to be Daoists in the Spirit Nurturing stage, a level comparable to Lu Qian’s cultivation, though their formations were indeed formidable.

“That’s right. What’s there to fear from these short-sighted villains?” Ling’er pouted defiantly.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the North Pole Mysterious Light Formation.

Lu Qian had slammed hard against the formation’s barrier, rebounding violently and crashing to the ground, his body marked with numerous bloodstains.

“Hahaha, Senior Brother Xuan Yin, look at this body-refining cultivator—how foolish!” Ling’er laughed.

“Silence!” Xuan Yin frowned deeply, his voice stern, “How many times have I told you? Even when a lion fights a rabbit, it uses full strength. Until your opponent is dead, you must remain vigilant.”

Xuan Yin’s anger silenced everyone.

“Haha, you little wanton, have you slept with your senior brothers? Is that why everyone revolves around you?” came the sneering voice of the evil cultivator within the formation.

Spoiled Ling’er was stunned, unable to bear such humiliation.

“How dare you insult Junior Sister Ling’er!” a voice roared.

“I’ll tear your mouth to shreds!”

Then, the disciples formed hand seals, and beams of white light shot skyward.

Boom!

The formation erupted with thunderous sound as countless beams of Northern Pole Mysterious Light enveloped the area.

Seeing the sword light envelop the evil cultivator, Xuan Yin’s lips curved into a slight smile.

There was no way this strike would allow the enemy to survive.

The gains were considerable—not only had they obtained the Water-Decree Golden Talisman, but they had also successfully refined the Celestial Golden Sword Pouch.

Next, once the water eye opened, they would seek the innate Celestial Water True Pulse ley line within the Nether River Secret Mansion.

If the refining succeeded, Lu Qian would become an unrivaled rising star within the Youdu Sword Pavilion.

“Don’t! Junior Sister Ling’er!” Xuan Yin shouted in alarm as he saw Ling’er, unable to bear the humiliation, leap fiercely into the formation, brandishing a translucent verdant sword, her killing intent blazing.

When the smoke cleared, only a severely injured evil cultivator remained on the ground, barely breathing.

Ling’er was fast and far from a mere ornamental figure.

Of course, Xuan Yin was quicker still; he slipped inside the formation, grabbed Ling’er’s shoulder, and tried to pull her out.

Buzz!

At that moment, a three-inch Death Piercer darted toward his forehead, a chilling coldness seizing his heart.

“Death Piercer!” Xuan Yin’s mind shook violently as he hastily retreated.

When everyone regained their senses, a flushed-faced man held the Death Piercer horizontally against Ling’er’s neck.

“Death Piercer, Spirit Nurturing early stage—are you from the Ten Thousand Generations Yin Tomb?” Xuan Yin’s face darkened, his words slow and deliberate. “I advise you to release Junior Sister Ling’er. Otherwise, no matter how far you run, I swear to tear you to pieces.”

Ling’er’s identity was no simple matter—she was the daughter of the head of the Youdu Sword Pavilion.

“Releasing her is fine, but first dismantle the formation,” Lu Qian said coldly, pressing the Death Piercer slightly, causing a bloody mark to appear on Ling’er’s neck.

“Do as I say. From now on, for every useless word you speak, I will sink the Death Piercer an inch deeper. Hurry up!”

“You...” Xuan Yin’s words were cut off as Lu Qian’s hand moved.

Ling’er cried out in pain, while the surrounding disciples dared not speak, angered but silent.

“Fine! I hope you keep your promise and release Junior Sister,” Xuan Yin gritted his teeth as the formation slowly dissipated.

After all, this man’s body was already wounded—he couldn’t escape far.

Moreover, a Spirit Nurturing early stage cultivator stood no chance against a mid-stage Condensed Fiend like Xuan Yin.

“By the way, put down your weapons,” Lu Qian said with a smile.

“Don’t push your luck!” a junior brother behind protested.

“Senior Brother, don’t mind me—kill this despicable man,” Ling’er said regretfully, regretting that she had dragged her senior brothers into danger.

“Didn’t your master teach you? Those on the path of evil are truly vile,” Lu Qian said softly.

Clatter, clatter, clatter...

Swords and blades fell to the ground.

At the same time, everyone stepped aside, clearing a path.

“Satisfied now?” Xuan Yin said expressionlessly, though his heart burned with murderous intent. Once he caught this man, he would torture him mercilessly.

“Of course. Catch me if you can!”

Whoosh!

Lu Qian hurled Ling’er into the depths of a dense forest, heading straight for the center of the gloomy green miasma.

Ling’er’s true qi was sealed; if she fell into the miasma, death would be certain.

Lu Qian did not leave but leisurely flew toward his physical body.

He was giving them a choice: kill him now and Ling’er dies; or save Ling’er first.

“Ling’er!” Xuan Yin cried out, rushing with his junior brothers to rescue her.

Elsewhere, the others reacted quickly, raising their magical weapons to encircle Lu Qian.

Whoosh!

The wind shifted suddenly.

Black mist spread, darkening the sky.

Chilling winds blew, ghostly fog thickened.

Within the hazy mist, faint human shapes appeared.

“What is this?” the crowd gasped in terror.

Through the fog emerged over two hundred paper soul soldiers, their skin tinged red, cheeks stained with blood, faces twisted into eerie smiles.

“Ah!!!”

Screams echoed from within the Shape-Refining Banner’s ghostly realm.

“No! I will kill you!”

On the other side, Xuan Yin and his junior brothers held Ling’er, turning to witness the scene, their eyes reddening with tears.

This evil cultivator was so shameless and malicious.

They were comrades who had shared countless days and nights, bonded deeply.

Today, all lay buried here—how could he face his master?

“Take care of yourself first!” Lu Qian sneered coldly.

Five azure lights glowed around Ling’er—she had somehow concealed five Yin Talisman swords on her.

At the same time, a pale demonic blade shot from her neck.

“Not good!” Alarmed, Xuan Yin finally realized the danger.

Boom!

The five Seven-Kill Yin Talisman swords exploded.

A sea of Yin fire and tainted blood light enveloped the two.

As the smoke cleared, a faint Yin spirit slipped out stealthily.

Hiss!

The Death Piercer, humming, passed through.

The Yin spirit dissipated without a trace.

“You truly are a naive bunch,” Lu Qian smiled faintly.

These righteous cultivators were united and resourceful, strong enough to ensnare even him.

But their fatal flaw was innocence and sentimentality.

Threatened through their comrades, their formation faltered instantly.

If it were Lu Qian, no one could threaten him; if rescue was impossible, he would kill them all.

“The thread of fate, between life and death, depends on who seizes the chance first,” Lu Qian mused.

In a one-on-one battle against a formidable Condensed Fiend like Xuan Yin, he might fare poorly.

But this was a fight for survival; this man’s endless hesitation and compassion had handed the advantage to Lu Qian.

It was not luck—it was a deserved defeat.

Approaching Xuan Yin’s remains, only body fragments and a radiant golden silk pouch remained.

As soon as he touched it, sharp golden energy surged forth, stinging his forehead painfully.

His divine sense sensed a vast space within, like a house.

Above floated colorful, sharp golden energies, seemingly uncontrolled, drifting like clouds.

Beneath lay medicinal herbs and ores, as well as several corpses; evidently, this was not the first time this had been done.

Next came the looting.

Inside a box, he found a jade booklet inscribed with the Celestial Golden Refining Treasure Manual, detailing how to absorb the energy of the five metals of the heavens to refine the sword pouch.

Among the corpses, he found a precious scroll hidden in a secret spot, alongside a box.

Seeing the dense characters on the scroll and the golden orb inside the box, Lu Qian raised an eyebrow and laughed aloud, “Ha! Searching high and low, only to find it effortlessly.”

The golden orb must be the Water-Decree Jade Talisman; the scroll bore a bold title: “Yin Fiend Refining Soul Pacification Technique.”

Below was a map and a first-person narrative.

It recounted the cultivator’s lifelong journey: entering Spirit Nurturing yet unable to find a suitable technique for fiendish energy.

Finally obtaining it, but gravely wounded and near soul extinction, he reluctantly left behind this legacy.

Judging by the handwriting, it was several centuries old.

This man had likely obtained the map, gone searching for treasure, only to be slain by Xuan Yin along the way.

This technique of soul pacification was worthless to Xuan Yin.

But to Lu Qian, who lacked any subsequent cultivation method, it was like rain in a drought—an unexpected blessing.