Chapter 221 - 249: Finger Lands, Tower Crumbles! The Cowherd Boy Riding a Green Ox Backward
The bloodstained tip of the spear was less than a foot from the golden-robed youth’s forehead.
The sharp, coppery smell of blood emanated from the spearhead, filling the air.
SWISH!
The next moment, with a flick of the spear, the middle-aged Blood Thief, whose Vitality was draining away, collapsed limply to the ground, dead.
The golden-robed youth looked up.
A girl in a red robe with a single ponytail stood proudly, spear in hand.
However, he gave the girl only a brief glance before his gaze shifted past her.
In the gentle sunlight, a young man in a white robe was walking slowly toward him.
The moment he saw Su Bai, the golden-robed youth couldn’t help but frown.
His gaze grew much more profound.
His expression turned grave.
With all his strength, he was unable to see through Su Bai’s Cultivation!
And the unknown, the mysterious, often meant danger.
At the same time, he realized that the white-robed youth before him must be the one who had just severely wounded the black-robed elder.
BOOM—
The next moment, from the sprawling ruins behind him, the black-robed elder appeared, his face deathly pale as he emanated a powerful Demonic Qi.
He flashed to the golden-robed youth’s side. A mixture of black and red blood spilled from his torn lips, his expression extremely grim.
’Damn it! To think his Power of Divine Thought is so strong!’
His gaze fell upon Su Bai, his expression filled with dread.
’If I hadn’t used a special Cultivation Technique to shield my Divine Spirit at that critical moment, I might not have survived.’
In truth, this was only because Su Bai had deliberately held back most of his power. After all, the man’s Cultivation was quite decent; the benefits of imprisoning him would be far greater than from killing him outright.
"Your Highness, beware his Divine Spirit attacks!"
The black-robed elder sent a telepathic warning.
The golden-robed youth’s expression flickered slightly.
Then, the pale-faced black-robed elder quickly raised his right hand. A black light flashed in his palm.
A small, black, three-tiered tower materialized.
BOOM—
The black-robed elder frantically channeled the vast True Qi in his body, pouring it all into the small tower.
The tower expanded at an incredible speed, quickly swelling to a height of one hundred feet and hovering overhead.
"Release!"
He cackled as he unleashed a Divine Technique, and the small Black Tower instantly erupted with a dark light!
Black vortexes swirled around the tower.
Like small, inky dragons, they roared and danced around the Black Tower.
The might emanating from the Black Tower was terrifying!
A vast, oppressive aura radiated from the Black Tower, kicking up jade-green waves dozens of feet high around the ship.
The waves spread out, ring after ring.
"This is... a Sacred Artifact!"
The spear-wielding girl’s expression changed as if she had sensed something.
She felt as if a mountain had been dropped on her, pinning her in place.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Even her right hand, gripping the Silver Spear, began to tremble slightly.
The pressure from a Sacred Artifact was terrifying; a moment of carelessness was all it would take to be completely suppressed.
BOOM—
Though the massive ship was forged from special materials, it began to crumble in many places under the terrifying pressure.
But the golden-robed youth and Su Bai seemed completely unaffected.
Both remained standing in place.
"Go!!"
In the next breath, the black-robed elder let out an angry shout and swung his right hand fiercely.
He strained to command the Black Tower overhead, sending it hurtling toward Su Bai and the spear-wielding girl.
It shot through the air to crush them!
Su Bai glanced up at the approaching hundred-foot Black Tower.
Then, he extended a single finger.
In an instant, his fingertip and the Black Tower collided violently!
Streaks of terrifyingly powerful black lightning sparked from the point of contact.
Scattering in all directions!
The black-robed elder watched this scene unfold with wide eyes.
And yet, a smile touched his deathly pale face.
’I forged this Black Tower over many years, using the embryo of a Sacred Artifact, smelting countless pieces of Divine Iron and Jade Marrow, and tempering it all with a wisp of Celestial Fire.’
’It possesses a terrifying power that surpasses ordinary Sacred Artifacts!’
’And I just now used a Divine Technique to enhance its power even further.’
’For him to dare touch it with his bare hands... he’s doomed to a miserable end!’
CRACK!!
However, a piercing shriek rang in his ears.
He saw cracks begin to form on the Black Tower, right where it touched Su Bai’s fingertip!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Before he could even react, the entire Black Tower let out a despairing wail.
And shattered in an instant!
Tiny fragments of the Black Tower showered the ground.
Then, Su Bai’s right finger, its power undiminished, continued onward toward the black-robed elder!
The elder’s pupils shrank to pinpricks!
"Your Highness! Save me!!"
He had no time to react before the finger sent him flying into the sky.
Disappearing from sight!
Only a wretched scream echoed from high among the clouds.
"Sir..."
The golden-robed youth, his face grim, was just about to say something.
The next moment, his expression changed drastically!
Su Bai’s gaze landed on him. Then, he extended his right finger and aimed it his way!
"Nine Immortal Sword Techniques!"
In his haste, the golden-robed youth only had time to draw a silver longsword and execute a powerful Swordsmanship technique, trying to contend with Su Bai.
BOOM—
The golden-robed youth slashed out a brilliant Sword Aura wreathed in Immortal Qi. The mere aftershock of the attack was enough to completely disintegrate the massive ship.
At that moment, the brilliant Sword Aura seemed poised to replace the sun in the sky, exuding a heaven-shaking might.
Like the descending wrath of the Immortal Gods!
But Su Bai was completely unfazed, his finger crushing forward!
In an instant, his finger tore through the Sword Aura and shattered the golden-robed youth’s physical body.
CRACK!
Along with it, the silver longsword in his hand also shattered into countless fragments.
In that moment, a rain of blood fell.
"Senior, I am a disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect! Please, Senior..."
The golden-robed youth whispered through the intense pain, his face stained with blood.
He hoped the name of the Immortal Sword Sect would be enough to make the man hesitate.
HUM!
However, before he could finish speaking, Su Bai reached out with his right palm and directly suppressed him into the Dharma Tripod Prison.
The black-robed elder he had sent flying earlier had also been imprisoned inside.
The entire exchange had taken no more than three or four breaths of time.
The spear-wielding girl, still rooted to the spot, blinked dazedly at the now-empty scene.
"It’s... it’s over already?"
Her eyes widened, clearly in disbelief.
She couldn’t help but look at Su Bai beside her and blinked again.
’Two such terrifying enemies, suppressed in an instant with a single finger!’
’He really is a reclusive master!’
At that moment, Su Bai had already turned his attention to his Purification Tripod.
He checked the information on the golden-robed youth.
[Criminal: Zhou Xiao]
[Sin Level: Eight-Star]
[Power: Nine Tribulations Realm Second Layer]
[Status: Severely Injured (Imprisoned)]
[Suppression Involvement: 90%]
[Reward: 1.4 million Experience Points/hour]
’His Cultivation is at the Nine Tribulations Realm Second Layer. The Experience Points reward isn’t bad.’
’The black-robed elder’s Cultivation was weaker, only the Ninth Level of the Dragon Mansion Realm. The reward is just so-so.’
With the two strongest cultivators suppressed, the rest of the Blood Thieves aboard the massive, ink-black ship were either killed or captured.
They were all handed over to the soldiers of Da Yu Ling County, who had arrived after hearing the commotion.
Su Bai and his companion boarded their boat once more, continuing toward Canglan City.
On the small boat.
The spear-wielding girl tiptoed a little closer.
Then, she looked up at Su Bai and asked in a low voice.
"Senior, are you also going to Canglan City?"
"Yes."
"This must be your first time going to Canglan City, Senior?"
"That’s right."
Hearing this, the spear-wielding girl blinked and suggested.
"Then why don’t you let me be your guide, Senior? It would be a perfect way to repay you for saving my life just now!"
If Su Bai hadn’t acted, she likely would have been crushed by that Black Tower.
Needless to say what the outcome would have been.
"Very well."
Su Bai glanced at her and didn’t refuse.
Not long after, the small boat arrived at a ferry crossing.
This was the final stop.
To get to Canglan City from here, they would have to travel on foot through several small towns.
They paid the fare and went ashore.
Along the way, the spear-wielding girl was like a songbird.
Chirping away, she told Su Bai all about Canglan City, from basic facts to interesting bits of gossip.
During their conversation, Su Bai also learned the girl’s name.
Xu Ningxiu.
Just as she had said before, she had inherited an old master’s legacy in a mysterious cave and become a disciple of the Celestial Spear Sect.
Under the glow of the morning sun.
The two of them had just started down a path through a dense forest,
when they suddenly heard the sound of a flute.
The sound was serene and melodious, an ethereal tune drifting from the mountains and forests before them.
Though it was just the sound of a flute, listening to it made one imagine a secluded valley of bamboo and a babbling brook, carrying the morning dew and the fragrance of flowers and grass.
It brought with it the chill of the early morning, setting the Heart Spirit at ease.
After listening for a while, the flute’s sound grew closer.
The two rounded a bend and saw a young boy in his teens, wearing brown hemp clothes and a tattered straw hat, sitting backwards on an old ox’s back.
One leg was curled up under him, the other dangled leisurely, and on his back was a bamboo basket containing a few medicinal herbs.
The bamboo flute in his hand, presumably a treasured possession, even had a tassel tied to it with a silvery-white Spirit Grass.
On both sides of the road, flowers and grass swayed in the breeze, the dew not yet dry, sparkling and clear—like this untainted shepherd boy, and like the melodious flute song, untouched by worldly dust.
The shepherd boy riding the ox was like a scene from a painting.
The old ox ambled along slowly.
When the shepherd boy saw Su Bai and his companion, he suddenly went silent.
Then, he leaped off the ox’s back and bowed to Su Bai.
"Greetings, Senior!"
"You know me?"
Su Bai was curious.
"Senior, the Ancestor invites you. He hopes that you will meet with him in the city."
The shepherd boy spoke respectfully.
"Lead the way."
Su Bai said casually after a brief thought.
He was rather curious to see who this "Ancestor" the shepherd boy spoke of was.
"Please follow me, Senior."
The shepherd boy smiled, jumped back onto the ox’s back, and led Su Bai and his companion toward the small city whose silhouette was visible in the distance.
The cool morning breeze blew against their faces,
blowing away all fatigue and refreshing the spirit.
WHOOSH!
...
WHOOSH!
「Canglan City. The Sun and Moon Sect.」
Inside a secret attic, countless Soul Lamps were burning brightly.
But suddenly, a golden Soul Lamp placed in the center flickered as if hit by a cold wind.
In an instant, it was extinguished!