Chapter 106, Seeking Death and Supreme Elder’s Reward

Translator: Raznick

 

A flurry of bidding concluded, and the final price for the Heaven Spirit Order settled at five thousand five hundred spirit coins.

 

It was scarcely the price of a single Foundation Establishment Pill.

 

With the transaction completed, the underground auction ended.

 

The host then cupped his hands toward the crowd below. “The auction has now concluded. Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for gracing us with your presence. Please proceed as arranged and depart.”

 

As his words faded, one of the other three cultivators, who had remained silent throughout the auction, rose to speak. “Those of you who successfully bid on treasures, please follow me.”

 

Zhou Jiarui quickly pulled Zhou Chun along.

 

“We are together.”

 

When he noticed the hooded, masked cultivator’s gaze toward Zhou Chun filled with scrutiny, Zhou Jiarui explained solemnly.

 

The thirty-plus cultivators who had successfully bid on treasures departed the underground cavern.

 

Upon exiting the cavern, the black galleon was still waiting.

 

They boarded the boat, which carried them away from the auction site.

 

However, this time, the black galleon did not transport everyone to Primal Treasure Peak or another designated meeting point.

 

They paused every sixty breaths along the journey, allowing one person from the ship to disembark.

 

This allowed them to disperse the people aboard in just half an hour.

 

Yes, disperse them.

 

When Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiarui stepped out of the cabin together, they found themselves suspended high above the ground.

 

Before they could properly survey the scene below, a cold voice echoed in their ears, urging them to quickly leave the ship.

 

Therefore, Zhou Jiarui could only grab Zhou Chun and leap from the ship.

 

After they jumped from the flying boat, Zhou Jiarui first used his cultivation to fly, carrying Zhou Chun downwards.

 

At the same time, the two looked up and saw that the flying boat, after they disembarked, instantly pulled away, disappearing like a supersonic airplane from Zhou Chun’s previous life.

 

That meant they were already roughly eighteen to twenty miles away from the last person to leave the ship.

 

The cultivator who would leave the ship afterward should also land roughly eighteen to twenty miles away.

 

“Let’s not rush to fly away; let’s explore this forest first. We should figure out where we are.”

 

Within the forest, after they landed, Zhou Jiarui quietly expressed his intentions.

 

He led in this trip so Zhou Chun certainly wouldn’t object.

 

He immediately replied, “I will do as Eleventh Uncle directs.”

 

Thus, the two used the Cicada Forest Blending Breath to conceal their aura, quickly traversing the forest together.

 

They hadn’t traveled three miles when a piercing whooshing sound from afar reached their ears.

 

“Something’s wrong!”

 

The uncle and nephew’s expressions changed instantly, and they hastily stopped, pressing their hands against their storage bag to ensure they could quickly retrieve an artifact to respond to the situation.

 

A little while later, Zhou Jiarui said with a displeased look, “They’re targeting us.”

 

He then reached out to the spirit beast pouch at his waist, retrieving it and summoning a dark green wooden staff artifact to float before him.

 

Seeing this, Zhou Chun also quickly retrieved the Golden Scale Shield to prepare his defenses, and simultaneously performed the Elemental Armor Art to add another layer of protection for himself.

 

However, he knew in his heart that if someone was after them, they would certainly be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his defenses were just a comforting measure.

 

As if on cue, not long after he finished preparing his defenses, a cultivator wearing a monkey-faced mask flew towards them on a flying sword artifact.

 

After stopping above them at a height of about two three hundred meters, the cultivator looked down at them and said, “Hand over the Elevating Spirit Fruits, and I’ll spare your lives!”

 

It was him!

 

Seeing this monkey-faced mask cultivator, Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiarui instantly recognized him as the cultivator they had competed with for the Elevating Spirit Fruits previously.

 

They hadn’t expected him to find them so quickly.

 

[I remember that first inferior second-grade implement was also purchased by him!]

 

Zhou Chun suddenly recalled something, instantly understanding how this cultivator had managed to find them so quickly.

 

At this moment, seeing that the pair had not responded, the cultivator seemed to lack patience and immediately said coldly, “Since you aren’t feeling like it, I’ll just have to take them myself!”

 

However, just then, Zhou Jiarui suddenly shook his spirit beast pouch, releasing the spirit beast within.

 

A flash of fire revealed a majestic, fire-red jackal appearing on the ground.

 

“Fire Spirit Jackal, kill him!”

 

A low shout came from Zhou Jiarui’s mouth, and the newly released fire jackal immediately charged toward the person in the air.

 

The sudden change stunned the person in the air.

 

Then, he yelled with a tone full of shock and anger: “A third-grade demon beast Fire Spirit Jackal! You people are from the Spirit Beast Zhou Clan!”

 

From his tone, he clearly knew the Zhou Clan and recognized the Fire Spirit Jackal, the third-grade demon beast that had already made a public appearance.

 

But at this point, it was too late.

 

Even if he revealed his identity and claimed it was a misunderstanding, Zhou Jiarui would not relent.

 

The Fire Spirit Jackal was enveloped in blazing Searing Fire, not employing any powerful mystical art, but simply relentlessly attacking the person.

 

Yet, even so, the person with late Foundation Establishment cultivation was forced to retreat, quickly pleading for mercy.

 

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, spare my life! I know I was wrong, and I am willing to hand over all my possessions to Fellow Daoist as compensation. I beg Fellow Daoist to show mercy and spare me!”

 

But before he could finish speaking, Zhou Jiarui had not responded, and the Fire Spirit Jackal had already grown bored, finding him too noisy.

 

It opened its mouth and spat out a crimson Fireball, which exploded in front of him.

 

The attack instantly blasted him back, leaving him severely wounded.

 

Thus, before he could react, a wolf claw wreathed in flames struck his head, shattering it into a pulpy mess!

 

After easily killing a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Fire Spirit Jackal in the sky shifted its form and returned to Zhou Jiarui’s side.

 

Seeing this, Zhou Jiarui forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and cupped hands towards it, saying, “Thank you.”

 

Then, he opened his spirit beast pouch and stowed it inside.

 

After securing the Fire Spirit Jackal, he led Zhou Chun to the fallen corpse on the ground and thoroughly scavenged all the belongings from it.

 

Because the other person’s head had been completely shattered by the Fire Spirit Jackal, he could not immediately discern what they looked like.

 

However, with their personal artifact and storage bag in his possession, it would not be difficult to ascertain their true identity later.

 

And because the commotion from the previous battle was not small, in order to avoid further incidents, Zhou Jiarui quickly led Zhou Chun away from the spot after setting the corpse ablaze.

 

The two didn’t meet with another cultivator even as they left the forest.

 

When they exited the mountain forest and inquired at a nearby town populated by mortals, the two of them learned that the place they were in was less than one hundred and fifty miles from Nine Peaks.

 

Therefore, Zhou Jiarui no longer lingered and directly led Zhou Chun to fly back to Nine Peaks.

 

Upon returning to the clan, the two of them naturally went straight to Pagoda Peak to report their experience of this outing to the Clan Leader, Zhou Daoyi.

 

“So that’s how it is, I am now aware of the situation.

 

“Jiarui, your choice at the time was correct. Compared to a Foundation Establishment Pill, five Elevating Spirit Fruits undoubtedly have greater value for the clan. Eleven thousand eight hundred spirit coins is not particularly expensive and are considered a good invesment.”

 

When it was discovered that he had not purchased a Foundation Establishment Pill but had instead bought five Elevating Spirit Fruit, Zhou Daoyi did not reproach Zhou Jiarui’s actions as expected.

 

But after hearing about the attack on the two, his expression grew serious.

“Bring the items to me, and let me see who dares to be so bold!”

 

His expression darkened, and he immediately took the storage bag from Zhou Jiarui, quickly erasing the Divine Sense mark left by the previous owner to inspect its contents.

 

After a short while, he retrieved several books from within, among which appeared to be a cultivate manual.

 

After glancing at the books, he closed them and turned to Zhou Chun and the other person, saying, “Let this matter rest here. Consider it as if it never happened.”

 

Seeing his attitude, Zhou Chun immediately realized that the cultivator who died beneath the Fire Spirit Jackal’s claws likely came from a distinguished background.

 

Zhou Jiarui hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, “The Fire Spirit Jackal made a significant commotion when it attacked. It’s possible someone discovered it. This matter might not be able to be kept secret.”

 

“It doesn’t matter. Although the other party has influence, my clan is not weak. We won’t be pushed around by anyone.”

 

Zhou Daoyi said, “Furthermore, they were at fault to begin with. If they dare to retaliate against our Zhou Clan, they’ll face our full wrath!”

 

He had already said too much, and Zhou Jiarui, although unaware of the source of his confidence, said no more.

 

He left the spirit beast pouch containing the Fire Spirit Jackal and walked away.

 

After Zhou Jiarui left, Zhou Daoyi returned the Fire Spirit Jackal to the Grand Elder Zhou Mingde and reported the Zhou Clan’s gains from this underground auction.

 

Upon returning from Zhou Mingde, he saw that Zhou Chun was still waiting in the Central Palace, and he realized that Zhou Chun likely had something to ask.

 

But he did not rush to ask Zhou Chun what was on his mind, but instead looked at Zhou Chun and said, “Zhengchun, since you are here, the Grand Elder has learned that you spent your own money to buy Elevating Spirit Fruits for the clan, and is very pleased. He has decided to reward you with a treasure as compensation.”

 

He then snapped his fingers and took out a brocade box from his storage bag, handing it to Zhou Chun.

 

Zhou Chun looked at the brocade box, which hadn’t even had its box changed, and instantly recognized it as the brocade box that contained the winged implement.

 

When he opened the lid of the box, he saw that it really did contain the folded wing implement.

 

At that time, he was very excited about this item, but in the end, he could only watch as someone else auctioned it off for a whopping one thousand eight hundred spirit coins.

 

Unexpectedly, this item still fell into his hands.

 

This way, even if he canceled out the thousand spirit coins he had lent to Zhou Jiarui, he would still have made a profit.

 

“The art of implements is not understood by many in the cultivation world, and it is difficult to find them on the market. Although this implement is not considered rare, it is just right for a cultivator of your cultivation.”

 

“Zhengchun, make sure you don’t forget Grand Elder’s kind intention.”

 

Zhou Daoyi also saw Zhou Chun’s fondness for this winged implement, and immediately gave him another lecture.

 

“I will definitely cherish Grand Elder’s kindness.”

 

Zhou Chun put the brocade box away with a joyful expression on his face and nodded heavily in response.

 

It was only at this point that Zhou Daoyi looked at him and waved his hand, “Alright, now ask your question.”

 

Seeing this, Zhou Chun immediately asked, “Can Leader, what is implement art? It’s the first time I heard of this art and seen an implement for the first time at the auction.”

 

“The implement art, just like its name, is a brand new skill that combines talisman making and tool refining.

 

“As you know, talismans and artifact, each has its own good points, but also flaws.

 

“The talisman wins in the ease and simplicity of use, the cultivation requirements for the cultivator’s own spiritual power is also low high, and even low-ranked cultivators can use high-ranked talismans.

 

“And artifacts need not be elaborated upon. Compared to a talisman that can be used only once, an artifact, though demanding of a cultivator’s spiritual power and Divine Sense, can be used repeatedly as long as it is not ruined.

 

“Therefore, long ago, senior cultivators thought of combining the two, creating a sort of implement that possessed the advantages of both.

 

“The result is like what you see now: the implement crafted with implement art does indeed lower the cultivation requirements for the user, but still cannot completely compensate for the talisman’s deficiencies; it has a limited number of uses, and once those uses are exhausted, it will fall apart.

 

“Also implement arts aren’t fully developed yet; they can produce implement of at most instrument level!”

 

Zhou Daoyi continued to educate Zhou Chun, “Besides implement arts, the cultivation world also has implement array arts, which similarly combine talisman making skill and array skill to create implement arrays that can coordinate with talismans.

 

“However, compared to implement arts, implement array arts are even rarer; I have only heard that they exist in the cultivation world, but have never seen one in person!

 

“Furthermore, there is something else in the cultivation world called an instrumental implement, crafted by Golden Core cultivators utilizing special talisman making skill, sealing the power of an instrument within a talisman-like artifact. This can also be used repeatedly, and its power is considerably stronger than a superior third-grade artifact!

 

“However, using an instrumental implement demands a significant amount of spiritual power from the cultivator; at minimum, one must be at the Foundation Establishment Stage to activate it, and its power also depends on the cultivator’s cultivation and spiritual power!”

 

Implement, implement array, and instrumental implement!

 

After listening to Zhou Daoyi’s explanation, Zhou Chun gained a wealth of experience.

 

He nodded and said, “I understand. Thank you, Clan Leader, for your time.”

 

Then he continued to ask, “I have another question,  Clan Leader. Does Clan Leader know what the Heaven Spirit Trial is?”