Chapter 441 - 327: Jade Dew Spirit Water
At this moment, he pushed his concealment techniques to their absolute limit. Perched in the tree, he didn’t dare to move a muscle, terrified that the slightest motion would alert the Foundation Establishment Demon from the Mountain Demon Sect to his presence.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object had yet to appear.
The Demons were waiting, and Ma Qidong was waiting, too.
Time trickled by, and Ma Qidong’s Spiritual Power slowly depleted.
’Why hasn’t the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object appeared yet?’
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object was taking longer to appear than Ma Qidong had expected. He was growing anxious because he was still in a perilous situation and couldn’t wait much longer.
Just as this thought crossed Ma Qidong’s mind, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object at the bottom of the lake finally stirred again.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object was about to truly manifest!
Centered on the lakebed, a powerful wave of Spiritual Qi spread out in all directions.
Unlike a normal fluctuation of Spiritual Qi, this wave carried a concussive force.
When the force of the Spiritual Qi struck Ma Qidong...
He cursed inwardly.
’This is bad!’
Although the force of the Spiritual Qi didn’t break his concealment technique, anyone who sensed it would notice that the shockwave behaved differently where it hit him compared to everywhere else.
"Who’s over there?"
The early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon glanced in Ma Qidong’s direction.
Ma Qidong instantly understood that he had been discovered.
At that very moment, he didn’t hesitate for an instant. Dropping his concealment, he bolted in the opposite direction.
If he had tried to remain hidden, the approaching Foundation Establishment Demon would have found him anyway. Fleeing immediately was his only chance of survival.
"A Qi Refining Tenth Layer Spirit Refiner. What an unexpected prize."
The early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon gave a cruel smile. The hair on his legs grew thick and dense as his predatory instincts kicked in, a side effect of his Demon Beast bloodline.
He was incredibly fast, much faster than an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon.
Ma Qidong fled with all his might, slapping a Spirit Talisman on himself to cast a Light Body Technique. Even so, he could feel the early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon rapidly closing the distance between them.
When the distance between them shrank to a few dozen feet...
Ma Qidong knew he was finished.
There was no escaping the clutches of this early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon.
"Die, Spirit Refiner!"
Sharp claws burst from its feet as the early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon intended to tear the fleeing Ma Qidong in two.
Having accepted his fate, Ma Qidong knew he was about to die.
The only silver lining was that the early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon wasn’t planning to torture him but to end his life swiftly, meaning his death would be painless.
If he could have another chance, he would definitely choose to turn back.
But alas, there were no second chances.
A moment later, death did not come. Instead, the fluctuation of Demon Power vanished.
’What’s going on?’
Ma Qidong turned around to find the early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon severed in two, its life force rapidly draining away.
’It died so quickly. It probably didn’t even feel a thing.’
’Who’s here?’
"I suppose I arrived just in time."
Hearing a voice from behind, Ma Qidong turned around again.
He saw a cultivator dressed in a black robe and wearing a black mask.
Judging by his build, he was a man. Ma Qidong couldn’t sense his aura or Spiritual Power fluctuations, making it impossible to determine his identity or Cultivation.
"May I ask who you are, Senior?"
"It’s me." The black-robed cultivator removed his mask.
With his current strength, he didn’t need to go through such trouble while operating in the Demon Realm, but it had become a habit, and it didn’t consume much Spiritual Power anyway.
"Elder Fang! Thank you for saving my life, Elder!"
Seeing this, Ma Qidong exclaimed while performing the salute of a disciple greeting an Elder.
He had never met Elder Fang before, but any Inner Sect Disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect knew a thing or two about Elder Fang Yun’s features.
He hadn’t sensed Elder Fang’s attack at all. Ma Qidong felt that Elder Fang Yun shouldn’t be an Elder of the Artifact Casting Peak; he should be an Elder of their Evil Extermination Hall.
’His concealment technique is too brilliant! He’s the perfect cultivator for infiltration and reconnaissance.’
"Mm, let’s go take a look at the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object."
As he spoke, Fang Yun appeared over the distant lake in the blink of an eye.
The news that a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object was appearing here, in the territory of the Demon Spirit Sect, had been relayed to him by Yang Yingjie not long after Ma Qidong first sent the report back to the sect.
As an Elder of the Evil Extermination Hall, Yang Yingjie received such information almost instantly, essentially getting it firsthand.
The reason Yang Yingjie had passed the message directly to him was because, in Yang Yingjie’s opinion, his concealment techniques were so brilliant that no other Elder was more suited for the mission.
This was also a sign of Yang Yingjie’s trust in him.
When the news arrived, he happened to be in the middle of his cultivation, not performing alchemy or artifact refining.
Having made his decision quickly, he first used the Magical Treasure-grade Light Silk Boots to travel through the sect’s territory at a speed far exceeding that of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, then switched to the Half-Hidden Spirit Boots upon reaching the Demon Spirit Sect’s territory.
It was a good thing he had used the Light Silk Boots to rush through the sect’s territory; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to save this disciple.
"This Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object is... Jade Dew Spirit Water!"
Fang Yun was overjoyed upon identifying the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object that had appeared here.
Among Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects, Jade Dew Spirit Water was a type that could rapidly increase a cultivator’s Cultivation.
The quality of Jade Dew Spirit Water varied. Judging from the fluctuations of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, this batch was at least suitable for raising the Cultivation of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, though it could also be used by Core Formation Stage cultivators.
The surface of the lake parted under the push of Fang Yun’s Spiritual Power.
While retrieving the Jade Dew Spirit Water from the lakebed, Fang Yun used the most primitive method to preserve it—the same method he had once used to store the Burning Spirit Clear Flame.
"The quantity is rather small."
Fang Yun gazed at the small, translucent, light-blue orb of liquid in his hand.
It might be a small amount, but if he consumed it, it could greatly accelerate the time it would take for him to reach the true peak of Foundation Establishment.
At the very least, it would allow him to reach the true peak of Foundation Establishment ten years faster than he had previously estimated.
This Jade Dew Spirit Water was naturally for his own use. After returning, he would go through the sect’s procedures and pay the corresponding Sect Contribution Points to officially obtain it.
Since he had come specifically to acquire the Jade Dew Spirit Water, there was an associated reward in Sect Contribution Points. When he went through the process to exchange for it, the reward would be deducted first before he paid the rest with his own Contribution Points, significantly reducing the cost.
After securing the Jade Dew Spirit Water, Fang Yun put it away and looked at Ma Qidong, who had come to the lakeside.
"What’s your name?"
"Me?" Ma Qidong subconsciously pointed to himself.
As he stood by the lake watching Fang Yun work, it suddenly occurred to him: wasn’t Elder Fang’s arrival speed a bit too fast?
He calculated the time since he had sent the message back to the sect, and it hadn’t been very long at all.
For Elder Fang to arrive so quickly, his speed seemed to have already surpassed the limits of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The rumors said Elder Fang was very powerful, but from what Ma Qidong was seeing now, those rumors had actually understated his strength.
His speed alone was enough to prove that Elder Fang’s power was even greater than imagined.
As Ma Qidong was thinking this, he heard Fang Yun speak to him.
Snapping out of it, Ma Qidong lowered his pointing finger and immediately replied.
"To answer the Elder, my name is Ma Qidong."
"Ma Qidong, when you return, you will receive the standard reward for discovering a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object. I will also give you a personal reward..."
Ma Qidong grew excited upon hearing this.
An extra reward from Elder Fang—the very thought was thrilling.
"Once you have gathered five thousand Sect Contribution Points, you can come to me to exchange them for a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill." Fang Yun announced his personal reward.
"A Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for only five thousand Sect Contribution Points!"
Ma Qidong’s eyes widened. At this moment, he was overcome with excitement.
A disciple like him, with no background, would normally never have the chance to use a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Moreover, Elder Fang was offering a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for only five thousand Contribution Points, which was even cheaper than the price to exchange for a Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
"Th-th-thank you, Elder!"
Ma Qidong was so excited he had begun to stutter.
The fact that Elder Fang was giving him such a huge benefit was enough to show that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object he had acquired was of great use to the Elder.
If the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object had been of no use to Elder Fang, the only reward he could have hoped for was the standard one from the sect for providing information.