Volume 1

Chapter 14: Sha Crystal Body Refining, Shadow Descends Again

Black Wind Ridge ruins, left wing area.

Sun Miao directed the group, using the stone room where the "earth-fire sha crystal" and "three-leaf soul-clearing grass" were discovered as the center, radiating outward to explore.

Although the harvest was not as rich as the first time, they still found several scattered ancient minerals and a few auxiliary Spiritual Plants of shallow age.

For a Sect like the Yunni Sect, these resources, when accumulated, also represented significant wealth.

Lin Xuan, with Sun Miao's tacit approval, spent most of his time at the edge of the area where Evil Qi was relatively dense, seemingly on guard, but actually circulating the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique" to guide pure Earth Vein Evil Qi to temper his Physical Body.

This tempering was different from the gentle nourishment of the "Basic Martial Dao Spirit-Transformation Art"; it was more overbearing and direct, akin to polishing steel with rough sand.

Threads of cold, bone-piercing yet hiddenly scorching Evil Qi were forcibly incorporated into his Meridians by the Cultivation Technique, scouring his bones, fascia, and internal organs.

Severe pain accompanied a strange numbness spreading through his whole body; if it were an ordinary Cultivator, their Meridians would have already been damaged, with Evil Qi entering the body, leading to cultivation regression or even Qi Deviation.

But Lin Xuan's Physical Body Foundation was simply too solid.

The physique forged by the Martial Dao extreme Realm had unimaginable tolerance for energy impact.

Coupled with [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] harmonizing and repairing in the center, this Evil Qi, which others viewed as poison, became an excellent catalyst for Body Refining for him.

He could clearly feel that under the repeated scouring of Evil Qi, the density of his bones was slowly increasing, showing an imperceptible pale gold luster; muscle fibers became tougher, as if containing a trace of metallic texture; even his internal organs were revitalized with stronger vitality under this stimulation.

The Cultivation progress of the basic chapter of the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique" was moving forward at a steady speed.

"It truly is a method for ancient Body Cultivators to specifically temper the martial body... In this Evil Qi environment, the efficiency is at least three times higher than outside." Lin Xuan thought to himself.

He estimated that if he could continue Cultivating here for over a month, relying solely on Physical Body strength, he could likely shake off an ordinary Low Grade Spiritual Artifact without damage.

After half a day of exploration and rest, Sun Miao decided to make one last exploration towards the suspected "earth vein node" area in the deeper parts, then return to join the middle and right wing teams.

"The Evil Qi ahead is heavier, and there may be naturally formed Evil Qi traps, or more powerful Sha demons gathered. Everyone follow closely, do not disperse." Sun Miao warned with a grave expression.

The team moved forward again.

Indeed, as they went further, the dark red Evil Qi in the air was almost as thick as fog, with visibility less than five zhang.

The ground underfoot became damp and soft, occasionally bubbling with "gurgling" Evil Qi mud pits, emitting an aura of decay and danger.

Divine Sense was greatly suppressed here, and even Sun Miao's detection compass needle started spinning wildly.

"Stop!" Chen Feng, who was walking at the very front, suddenly raised his hand to signal, and said in a low voice, "There is a situation ahead!"

The group looked intently, only to see a relatively open depression deep in the thick fog.

In the center of the depression, it was not an Evil Qi mud pit, but a "pit" with a diameter of about three zhang, like a magma pool!

Inside the pit was not real magma, but rolling, viscous dark red liquid Evil Qi!

The extremely dense Evil Qi rose from the pit, forming a visible dark red column of gas, which was the source of the Evil Qi in this area!

Even more heart-wrenching was that around the pit, there were no less than twenty dark red figures standing in the shadows!

They were more solid than the Sha demons encountered before, their outlines were closer to human form, and they even vaguely held phantom weapons like blades, spears, swords, and halberds condensed from Evil Qi.

They quietly surrounded the pit, as if guarding it, or perhaps absorbing the power within it.

The fluctuations emitted by some of the figures had actually reached the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining, and even vaguely touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment!

"So many Sha Spirits!" A Disciple gasped.

Sha Spirits were higher-level existences than Sha demons, with slightly higher intelligence, stronger power, and often possessed some simple combat instincts and combined attack techniques.

Sun Miao's expression was ugly.

This force was by no means something their left-wing squad, which focused on exploration, could easily deal with.

Forcing a battle would inevitably lead to heavy casualties.

"This place is not suitable for staying long, quietly retreat..." He made a prompt decision to prepare for retreat.

However, just at this moment, an unexpected change occurred!

From a seemingly ordinary shadow at the edge of the depression, three rays of cold, ghostly blue light shot out, like a viper spitting its tongue, aiming directly at Chen Feng, Sun Miao, and... Lin Xuan at the very front of the team!

An ambush!

And the timing was extremely precise, it was the moment when everyone's attention was attracted by the Sha Spirits and the Earth Vein Evil Qi pit!

"Careful!" Sun Miao shouted sharply, the light on his gray robe erupted, and a small earth-yellow tortoise shell shield flew out instantly, blocking in front of him.

With two "poof" sounds, two cold lights were blocked by the small shield, but they left two deep dents on its surface, and the spiritual light flickered violently.

The ones attacking Sun Miao and Chen Feng were actually two poison-tipped Spirit-Breaking crossbow bolts!

And the cold light shot towards Lin Xuan was a flying knife as thin as a cicada's wing and completely pitch black!

The flying knife did not shoot straight, but drew a strange arc in the air, bypassing Lin Xuan's potential frontal block, and attacked his vital rib area in a tricky way!

The spiritual power attached to the flying knife was chilling to the bone, carrying intense killing intent, clearly from an expert, and the Cultivation was at least above the ninth level of Qi Refining!

This ambush was more than ten times more sophisticated than the assassin in the courtyard last night!

At the moment the cold light appeared, all the hairs on Lin Xuan's body stood up, and a cold sense of crisis rushed to the top of his head.

He didn't have time to think, relying on the instincts forged by a hundred years of Martial Dao fighting, his body leaned backward at an incredible angle, and at the same time, his left hand reached out like lightning, a dark golden light flashed and disappeared between his index and middle fingers, precisely clamping the end of the hilt of that strange flying knife!

"Ding!"

With a light sound, the flying knife was clamped by his two fingers, the blade vibrated violently, making a buzzing sound, and the cold spiritual power attached to it tried to drill into his fingers like a viper.

Lin Xuan snorted coldly, his two fingers exerted force, and [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] surged out!

"Crack!" The steel-forged flying knife was actually snapped by his two fingers!

The broken blade fell into the dust, and the cold spiritual power attached to it was instantly dissipated by the extremely yang and fierce [Source Martial Spiritual Energy].

But the ambush was not over!

From the shadows, three figures in tight black clothes that almost blended into the surrounding environment sprang out like ghosts!

Two of them held poison-tipped short swords and pounced like leopards towards Chen Feng and another executive Disciple who had just blocked the crossbow bolts and were unsteady on their feet.

The other person held a long, narrow black thin sword, his movement was as drifting as smoke, and he went straight for Lin Xuan!

This person's aura was obscure, but his speed was extremely fast, and the tip of the sword was spitting out cold, ghostly blue light, which was also at the Peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, and he was proficient in assassination sword techniques!

Their goal was clear: create chaos, restrain Sun Miao and others, and focus on assassinating Lin Xuan!

"How dare you, you rats!" Sun Miao was furious, the Spiritual Pressure of the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment erupted, a scorching fire ring expanded with him as the center, temporarily forcing back the two black-clad assassins pouncing on Chen Feng.

But the assassin holding the thin sword flickered, slipping past the edge of the fire ring like a loach, and the sword light, like a viper, had already pierced three inches in front of Lin Xuan's throat!

This sword was fast, ruthless, and accurate, carrying a resolute killing intent of going forward, clearly a unique skill honed in life-and-death combat!

Lin Xuan's pupils shrank slightly.

This assassin's strength and assassination skills were far superior to last night.

He even felt a trace of focus and sharpness close to "Dao" from the opponent's sword momentum.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xuan did not retreat, nor did he block.

The moment the sword tip was about to touch his skin, his body seemed to lose all weight, slightly leaning to one side in the direction of the sword momentum, and his neck missed the fatal sword tip by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, his right hand curled into a claw, dark golden luster covered the entire palm, carrying a heavy-as-a-mountain yet lightning-fast Concept, grabbing towards the assassin's wrist holding the sword!

This grab, seemingly simple, vaguely carried a trace of true meaning from the "Mountain Crushing" remnant of "Three Mountain-Shaking Forms" he had been studying — if you don't move, fine, but once you move, it's like a mountain collapsing and the earth cracking, sealing off all retreat!

For the first time, a look of shock appeared in the assassin's eyes.

His "Shadow Stab" sword had never missed, and even if the opponent's Cultivation was higher than his, they would often be injured by his strange speed and angle.

However, Lin Xuan's reaction and response method completely exceeded his expectations.

That seemingly understated lean to the side just happened to be stuck at the node where his sword momentum was hardest to change; the subsequent grab made him feel as if his wrist had voluntarily offered itself to be crushed by a mountain!

"Withdraw!" The alarm bell in the assassin's heart rang loudly, he did not hesitate, forcefully withdrawing his sword momentum, his feet crossed repeatedly, trying to drift backward.

But would Lin Xuan let him have his way?

The grab missed, his footwork followed like a shadow, instantly closing in, his left hand joined fingers like a sword, dark golden light condensed at his fingertips, pointing at the assassin's chest Tanzhong acupoint!

Before the fingertips arrived, a scorching, needle-like condensed force had already made the assassin's protective spiritual light ripple incessantly!

The assassin was terrified, hurriedly holding the thin sword horizontally in front of his chest to block.

"Ding!"

The finger and sword intersected, actually making a sound of metal!

The assassin only felt a scorching, overbearing, and strangely vibrating force pass through the sword body, shaking his wrist numb, his blood and Qi churning, and he retreated three steps before barely unloading the force, looking at Lin Xuan with eyes full of fear.

On the other side, Sun Miao had completely suppressed the other two assassins, and Chen Feng and several Disciples also reacted, coordinating to encircle and suppress.

The two assassins saw that the situation was not good, looked at each other, and without hesitation bit something in their mouths, their bodies were instantly shrouded in black smoke, and their auras dissipated rapidly.

"It's 'Shadow Escape Smoke'! They are going to run!" Chen Feng said urgently.

Sun Miao snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, a green light shot out and instantly submerged into the black smoke.

A muffled groan came from the black smoke, and then two staggering figures broke through the thick fog, fleeing madly towards the depths of the ruins and the direction of the depression where the Sha Spirits gathered without looking back!

They actually wanted to use the Sha Spirits and the complex environment to escape!

And the assassin holding the sword who fought with Lin Xuan, seeing his companions flee, also did not hesitate, his figure flickered, turning into several afterimages that were hard to distinguish between true and false, and at the same time darted in different directions, which was a sophisticated dazzling escape technique!

"Want to run?" Lin Xuan's eyes turned cold.

These assassins were ruthless, had clear goals, and were well-trained, they must not be allowed to return to the mountains, especially the one with the sword, who was the greatest threat.

He locked onto one of the afterimages whose aura was the most solid and was fleeing towards the Sha Qi pit, eight hundred wisps of [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] in his body boiled instantly, and he exerted force under his feet!

"Boom!"

A shallow pit was stepped out on the ground, and his whole person shot out like an arrow from a bow, his speed so fast that he left faint afterimages in place!

The Physical Body tempered by "Ancient God Body Refining Technique", combined with the explosion of the [Spiritual Power Like Tide] Realm, brought his speed to a terrifying level, instantly closing the distance with the assassin!

The assassin sensed the evil wind attacking from behind, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, backhandedly throwing several poisonous caltrops, while desperately urging his escape technique.

Lin Xuan did not dodge or evade, his protective blood and Qi (appearance) erupted, shaking the poisonous caltrops away.

Seeing the opponent was about to rush into the edge of the depression where the Sha Spirits gathered, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, his right hand clenched into a fist, the power and will in his body instantly highly condensed, and the incomplete Concept of "Mountain Crushing" from "Three Mountain-Shaking Forms" flowed in his mind.

"Stay!"

With a low shout, Lin Xuan punched out through the air!

This punch had no dazzling spiritual light, only an invisible fist force that was condensed to the extreme and incomparably heavy, breaking through the air!

Where the fist force passed, the thick Evil Qi was forcibly pushed aside, forming a short hollow channel!

The assassin only felt as if he was hit by a mountain from behind, his protective spiritual light shattered like paper, he spat out a large mouthful of blood with a "poof", his internal organs seemed to be displaced, his forward momentum stopped abruptly, and he fell forward to the ground like a broken rag doll, struggling twice before moving no more.

Lin Xuan landed and walked to the assassin's side.

The person's mask had been shaken off, revealing a pale, ordinary, but resolute middle-aged face, already dead.

Lin Xuan's remote "Mountain Crushing" Fist Intent, although not fully formed, the vibrating power contained within it was enough to shatter his heart pulses.

He quickly searched his body, finding only a few ordinary poisonous hidden weapons, some Spirit Stones, and a black iron plate with twisted patterns, of unknown use, and nothing else that could indicate his identity.

Clearly, they were all diehard agents.

Sun Miao also arrived at this time, looking at the corpse on the ground, his face gloomy as water: "Another assassin! And much stronger than last night's! Is it Zhao Long? Or... the news of the ruins leaked, attracting the covetousness of other forces?"

He looked at Lin Xuan, "Little Friend Lin, are you okay?"

"It's fine." Lin Xuan shook his head and handed the black iron plate to Sun Miao, "Does Elder Sun recognize this item?"

Sun Miao took it, examined it carefully, his brows locked: "This pattern... it looks familiar, it seems to be the mark of 'Shadow Sha', a killer organization that operates in the Northern Territory underground and does things for money. But I can't be sure. If it really is 'Shadow Sha', the price is not cheap. Zhao Long is really willing to spend money to deal with you."

He paused, his tone grave, "This place is not suitable for staying long. The movement just now has probably alarmed those Sha Spirits, and there may be ambushes in the dark. We must evacuate immediately and join Senior Brother Han and the others!"

As if to verify his words, in the center of the depression, the twenty or so Sha Spirit figures surrounding the Evil Qi pit turned their "heads" in unison, and their scarlet "gaze" locked onto their direction!

A violent, chaotic collective will pressed over like a tide!

"Go!" Sun Miao made a prompt decision, taking everyone, protecting the injured Disciples (one Disciple was grazed by a stray arrow), and quickly retreated along the way they came.

Behind them, the low roars of Sha Spirits and the sound of the ground shaking could be faintly heard, obviously they had been alarmed and started to pursue.

The left-wing squad, carrying the newly harvested resources, an assassin's corpse, and deeper vigilance and a sense of crisis, retreated in a sorry state and quickly from this area filled with Evil Qi.

Shortly after they left, at the edge of the depression where the Evil Qi surged, a shadow wiggled slightly, and a blurry figure that completely blended into the environment and had almost no aura fluctuations slowly emerged.

He looked at the direction Lin Xuan and the others left, and then looked at the assassin's corpse on the ground and the restless group of Sha Spirits in the distance, and whispered to himself, his voice hoarse and strange:

"Target... strength evaluation revised... far exceeding expectations... suspected of obtaining the core Legacy of an ancient Body Cultivator... 'Shadow Sha' secondary squad failed... need to re-formulate the elimination plan... report to the master..."

The figure slowly sank into the shadows and disappeared completely, as if it had never appeared.

Deep in the ruins, the undercurrents were even more turbulent.

Lin Xuan's emergence, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, the ripples it stirred up, were attracting more and more dangerous gazes from above and below the water.

(Volume 1 Chapter 14 End)