Chapter 98, Fighting Above One’s League, Qi Refining against Foundation Establishment

Translator: Raznick

 

“Damn it, that bastard got away!”

 

Over an unnamed river, a Green Lotus Monastery Daoist looked down at the frozen river below, his face twisted with exasperation. 

 

At first, they had spotted the black-clothed man fleeing into the river. In response, the white-robed woman acted swiftly, unleashing a powerful ice-based mystical art that instantly froze the river.

 

Yet even as they circled the area and used their Divine Sense to scan nearly ten miles of the river—both above and below the surface—they failed to locate any trace of the black-clothed man.

 

At this point, hearing the remarks of the Daoist from Green Lotus Monastery, the woman in the white merely shook her head and said, “The members of the Dragonized Sect have varying abilities based on the type of Flood Dragon blood they consume. After cultivating the Dragonized Sutra, their capabilities differ accordingly.”

 

“That particular fellow, being a Black Dragon Envoy, must have ingested Black Flood Dragon blood. Once he activates the secret art, he can already utilize some abilities of the Black Flood Dragon in water. It’s no surprise that we couldn’t catch up.”

 

Despite her words, the Daoist from Green Lotus Monastery remained visibly disgruntled.

 

Noticing his frustration, the woman shifted her tone and produced two confiscated artifacts, asking, “Even if this mission wasn’t a success, we still have these two artifacts. How does Fellow Daoist Wang plan to distribute them?”

 

The Daoist from Green Lotus Monastery’s attention shifted to the two artifacts in her hands.

 

After a moment’s consideration, he said, “This mission wouldn’t have been successful without the assistance of Senior Daoist He. Why don’t you choose first?”

 

The woman in the white dress smiled lightly upon hearing this: “Then Fellow Daoist Wang, there’s no need for politeness between us.”

 

She then placed the walking staff artifact into her storage bag and handed the scale shield artifact to the Green Lotus Monastery Daoist.

 

After they had finished dividing their spoils, both of them cast one last glance at a particular stretch of forest below before departing together from the spot.

 

Meanwhile, down in the woods, Zhou Chun felt his heart race as he watched the two figures leave. In this desolate and remote area, it would have been all too easy for the pair to turn their backs on him—if they were so inclined.

 

Fortunately, Green Lotus Monastery was after all a prominent sect within the sect community, with decent discipline and reputation. What Zhou Chun had feared did not come to pass.

 

Of course, it might also have been that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators simply didn’t think him worth the trouble—why risk tarnishing their pristine reputations over such a small fish?

 

In any case, Zhou Chun had managed to escape this potential disaster unscathed.

 

After watching the two Foundation Establishment cultivators depart, Zhou Chun paused for a moment before deciding not to rush his departure. Instead, he chose to remain there and meditate to restore his spiritual power.

 

He had traveled nearly a hundred miles by flight, which had depleted a significant portion of his spiritual power. Since this place had just been the site of a fierce battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was likely a safe spot for now. It would be better to fully restore his spiritual power before continuing on his journey.

 

However, no sooner had Zhou Chun begun meditating than his Silver Thunder Python cried out. Something was wrong!

 

Zhou Chun was startled and quickly stopped meditating, rising to his feet. Meanwhile, Whitey emerged from the grass, its forked tongue flicking as it indicated the direction of the approaching danger.

 

Zhou Chun glanced in that direction, which turned out to be the same spot where the black-clothed old man had fled into the river earlier. From the information transmitted through the link, Whitey had detected the danger by picking up the scent of blood.

 

From this, it was not difficult for Zhou Chun to draw a conclusion. The black-clothed old man had fled into the river but had not managed to escape far. Instead, he had used a special technique to hide his presence underwater, evading the Divine Sense scans of the Green Lotus Monastery Daoist and the woman in white.

 

Now that the two were gone for good, the black-clothed old man dared to emerge again. However, the aftereffects of the Dragonized Sutra had begun to manifest, leaving him with injuries he could no longer suppress. This was why his own scent had escaped containment and been picked up by Whitey.

 

“If it’s like this…,” Zhou Chun thought.

 

Recalling how the two items of artifact had been divided between the Green Lotus Monastery Daoist and the woman in white, a bold idea suddenly occurred to Zhou Chun.

 

He unconsciously touched his wrists with his hands, feeling the restrained Supreme White Gold Energy within, making it increasingly difficult to suppress the thought.

 

This journey had been so long, and it seemed like all he had wasted was a single second-grade talisman, specifically the Wind Travel Talisman. Other than that, he hadn’t returned with any physical gains at all.

 

This was completely different from his usual pattern of always returning with something tangible.

 

Now, this opportunity was nothing short of a divine gift. If he missed it, chances of encountering such an opportunity again would be nearly impossible.

 

[Alright, let’s do it!]

 

Zhou Chun’s mind raced with various thoughts as he firmly clapped his hands together and made up his mind.

 

He formed hand seals and unleashed the Elemental Armor Art, casting protective barriers around himself. He also held onto the Golden Scale Shield and a superior first-grade talisman known as the Golden Armor Talisman. Then, he instructed Whitey to lead the way.

 

Together, they sped through the forest, swiftly reaching the riverbank.

 

The black-clothed old man, who was meditating and recovering from injuries by the riverside grass, immediately darkened upon sensing an unwelcome guest. His Divine Sense, which had been cast outward as a protective barrier, had already detected the intruder.

 

Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Divine Sense could cover a few miles in radius, which was precisely why Zhou Chun hadn’t attempted to approach stealthily; he knew it would be futile to try and ambush someone of this level.

 

As the black-clothed elder swept his Divine Sense over Zhou Chun, a faint sense of familiarity washed over him, as if he had seen this person before.

 

The moment Zhou Chun stood up and saw Zhou Chun racing towards him, he instantly realized where that sense of familiarity came from.

 

“How?” the black-clothed old man exclaimed, filled with both surprise and anger. “It’s you!”

 

He had recognized Zhou Chun as the very Qi Refining cultivator who had been sought after by Xu Kaishan for extermination at the elder’s request.

 

Ever since rumors about Dragonized Sect began circulating around Flying Horse Mountain, the black-clothed elder had suspected that it was someone spreading these falsehoods.

 

But at that time, there were simply too many cultivators around Flying Horse Mountain, including a mix of both ordinary and dangerous individuals, many of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivator and even some Violet Palace cultivator.

 

To avoid exposing the whereabouts of the two Protectors before their time, they restrained themselves despite their intense desire to tear Zhou Chun apart. They couldn’t afford to make a big scene searching for him then. This was something that burned deep in the black-robed old man’s heart, and he even feared potential repercussions from the Red Dragon Guardian afterwards.

 

But what he never imagined was that the person who had been eluding his search for so long—someone who had spoiled their plans—would now come directly to him. This unexpected turn left him conflicted: Should he be happy or angry?

 

With his years of experience, he could easily tell that Zhou Chun dared to appear before him with such confidence, there must have been a hidden agenda.

 

As Zhou Chun drew closer, the man’s anger erupted uncontainably across his face. He glared coldly at Zhou Chun and barked, “Punk, you’re really arrogant, aren’t you? To challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator with just your measly Qi Refining cultivation?”

 

Zhou Chun heard this and stopped a few dozen feet away. He smiled faintly: “Isn’t it you who gave me this confidence?”

 

He then added jokingly: “I wonder how much strength you can still maintain in your current state?”

 

“You have the nerve to attack me when I am seriously injured?”

 

The old man in black stared at Zhou Chun with cold eyes and said coldly: “Even if I only have 10% of my strength left, I can kill ten Qi Refining juniors like you!”

 

“Hahaha, show me then!”

 

Zhou Chun laughed loudly, then stretched out his hand and slapped the storage bag and spirit beast pouch on his waist continuously, summoning both the artifact and the spirit pet.

 

“You must be tired of living!”

 

The old man in black was furious. He raised his hand and made a seal with his finger. A black water snake about ten feet long pounced on Zhou Chun like lightning.

 

Superior first-grade mystical art Water Serpent in his hand required absolutely no preparation time; it was almost instantaneous.

 

However, since it was only a first-grade mystical art, even though his Foundation Establishment Stage spiritual power could enhance its potency to some extent, there was still a limit to how much it could be improved.

 

Zhou Chun summoned the Shooting Moon Edge and collided with the Water Serpent head-on, dissipating most of its power in the process. Shortly after, the Water Serpent was obliterated by the Rockfall cast by Rock Turtle.

 

Zhou Chun couldn’t help but chuckle and remarked, “Is that all a Foundation Establishment cultivator can do? It’s pathetic!”

 

The black-clothed old man, despite knowing this was taunt meant to provoke him, still felt his anger rise.

 

After all, as a mid Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, he was accustomed to effortlessly dispatching late Qi Refining cultivators like Zhou Chun with ease.

 

It was unheard of for someone at the Qi Refining Stage to dare challenge him in such a manner.

 

“Upstart, since you’re so eager to die, I shall grant you your wish!”

 

He bellowed in fury, forming hand signs with his arts and preparing to unleash a second-grade mystical art to instantly dispatch Zhou Chun.

 

But at that moment, Zhou Chun merely flicked a thought, prompting the Rock Turtle to activate Chained Earth Spike. Simultaneously, he spurred the Shooting Moon Edge toward the black-robed old man in an explosive slash.

 

The sheer force of this assault left the black-robed old man struggling to focus on casting spells, forcing him to raise his hand and conjure a Water Shield and Water Wall around himself for protection.

 

Once one reaches the Foundation Establishment Stage, these first-grade mystical arts become nearly instantaneous, requiring no significant casting time at all. This is another critical reason why Qi Refining cultivators struggle against Foundation Establishment cultivators.

 

Fortunately, the black-robed old man’s spiritual power was severely diminished, and without a suitable artifact in hand, Zhou Chun might not have been able to hold out much longer. However, the black-robed old man, as a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator, quickly realized that fighting on the ground with Zhou Chun was pointless.

 

So, he lifted himself into the air, soaring above the river’s surface.

 

The Rock Turtle was useless for attack unless it could perform Rockfall. All other forms of attack using mystical art were rendered ineffective.

 

After casting several defensive mystical arts on himself, Zhou Chun began preparing a second-grade mystical art.

 

At this point, Zhou Chun concluded that the black-clothed old man no longer had any usable artifact at his disposal. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pinned all his hopes on a second-grade mystical art.

 

Thus, Zhou Chun quickly changed his tactics.

 

He raised his hand and struck his waist storage bag, summoning the Thousand Hills Seal into play.

 

The black-clothed old man initially paid no attention to this, as he could see that the Thousand Hills Seal was merely a superior first-grade artifact. It posed no threat to him.

 

However, as Zhou Chun channeled his spiritual power into it, the palm-sized seal gradually expanded until it became the size of a carriage.

 

The old man realized that his prepared second-grade mystical art was about to take shape. If he were to disperse the mystical art now, he would not only suffer its backlash but also waste a significant portion of his spiritual power. Thus, he tightened his jaw and continued to endure the strain as he performed the spell.

 

Just then, as the massive seal was launched toward him, Zhou Chun finally unleashed his mystical art.

 

The black-clothed old man thrust both hands forward, releasing a dragon-shaped water pillar that surged upward to meet the descending seal. Instantly, a flash of spiritual light illuminated the sky as the seal was blasted away, shrinking before plummeting toward the ground. Meanwhile, the dragon-shaped water pillar retained some residual power and, under the old man’s control, continued its advance toward Zhou Chun.

 

Zhou Chun’s face paled, but he showed no hesitation in rolling clumsily to the ground, positioning himself beneath a Rock Turtle’s belly as it bore the brunt of the remaining water column.

 

It couldn’t be denied: a second-grade mystical art was indeed a second-grade mystical art.

 

Even though he was down to less than three tenths of his strength, the quality gap still instantly shattered several layers of defense on Rock Turtle, landing directly on its shell. Fortunately, Rock Turtle’s current shell was its strongest defense. This attack finally managed to withstand with just a minor injury! The black-robed old man saw this and his face darkened sharply. He looked at Zhou Chun, who had just crawled out from under Rock Turtle’s belly, and coldly said,

“Is this why you challenge me? The confidence to stay alive by crawling under an animal’s legs?”

 

Zhou Chun was not the least bit embarrassed or annoyed by this ridicule. Instead, he smiled and said, “Even you, Senior, admitted it was for self-preservation. Compared to life itself, what does a little face-saving amount to?”

 

Zhou Chun thought to himself, [Why should I feel ashamed? Even Lord Han Xin of Huaiyin could crawl into the pants of a rascal or street thug. Why should I be embarrassed by using his own spirit pet as a shield? That’s just making reasonable use of available resources!]

 

“I’ll see how many times you can do it!”

 

The black-robed old man spoke those words as he began forming hand seals to cast another second-grade mystical art.

 

Zhou Chun activated the Thousand Hills Seal on the ground, infusing it with spiritual power.

 

However, midway through enlarging the artifact, the black-robed old man suddenly stopped casting and raised his hand coldly.

 

Instantly, a mass of dark green thorns erupted from Zhou Chun’s feet, binding him and his protective barrier together, like a living cage.

 

The thorns couldn’t harm Zhou Chun, but they completely restricted his movement.

 

Before the Rock Turtle could rush to protect its master, a white ice orb struck it directly, freezing it in place.

 

With both Zhou Chun and the Rock Turtle trapped, the black-robed old man swiftly flew toward Zhou Chun.

 

Zhou Chun found himself forced to abandon the Thousand Hills Seal that he had only partially activated, opting instead to harness the Shooting Moon Edge to slice towards the black-clothed old man in an attempt to prevent him from advancing. At the same time, he slapped his storage bag and retrieved a single average first-grade talisman—specifically, a Firebird Talisman—which he promptly ignited to set ablaze the thorny undergrowth.

 

With a thunderous boom, an explosion erupted in the mountainside, billowing waves of intense flames erupting around Zhou Chun. While the sheer force of the detonation left him momentarily dazzled, it succeeded in obliterated the majority of the brambles. Yet as this transpired, the black-clothed old man had pressed forward, resiliently enduring the onslaught from the Shooting Moon Edge, and now hovered above Zhou Chun, his face twisted into a monstrous grin as his right hand transformed into a claw, diving towards him with murderous intent.

 

Now was his chance! Observing the black-clothed old man’s ferocious charge, Zhou Chun felt not an iota of fear but rather an influx of excitement and astonishment.

 

He intended to wait until he depleted the black-clothed old man’s substantial spiritual power before finding an opportunity to get close and apply the Hard Gold Sword Energy to decide the outcome. Unfortunately, the black-clothed old man, eager for victory, handed him a better opportunity. Without any hesitation at that moment, he raised both hands together, like holding dual guns, activating and releasing the Supreme White Gold Energy stored in his Taiguan lung meridians.

 

Two feet-long streams of white-golden sword energy suddenly burst forth from Zhou Chun’s fingertips, like bullets leaving the barrel, striking the black-clothed old man who was diving down to attack.

 

By the time the black-clothed old man noticed, it was too late. The exceedingly sharp two streams of sword energy effortlessly penetrated and tore apart the protective mystical arts on his body. One pierced through his chest, the other struck his face; they created two fist-sized blood holes.