Chapter 534 - 228: Evil Qi
PFFT!
A burst of True Astral Spear Force shattered the Stone Lion’s throat bones in an instant.
Its massive body crashed to the ground. After a brief struggle, it fell silent.
Chen Qing skillfully cut open the Stone Lion’s abdomen and retrieved a fist-sized piece of Meteorite Iron that glinted with a metallic luster.
Now that his strength had greatly increased and the Diancang Spear in his hand was sharper, dealing with a Stone Lion was quite easy for him.
’Three hundred Contribution Points, just like that.’
Chen Qing stored the Meteorite Iron and thought to himself, ’It seems that as long as you’re strong enough and dare to venture out, earning Contribution Points isn’t as hard as I imagined.’
For the next three days, Chen Qing operated in the outer region of Luoxing Slope.
With the Golden Feathered Eagle keeping watch and scouting from the sky, he saved a great deal of time searching for prey, allowing him to focus his energy on tracking and hunting.
In those three days, he successfully hunted five Stone Lions, earning him 1,500 Contribution Points.
During this time, he also encountered a few groups of experts hunting in the same area. They all maintained a wary distance from one another, leaving each other undisturbed.
Some of these individuals were quite powerful and headed directly for the deeper, core area of Luoxing Slope, which was suffused with Evil Qi.
Chen Qing had also cautiously approached the edge of the core area to observe.
The air there carried a strange, mixed scent of scorching heat and decay. The Evil Qi, visible to the naked eye, swirled like a thin mist. It was said to have been formed when a Meteor struck the Earth Fire, and it could corrode one’s meridians, making it extremely troublesome.
According to the Sect’s records, the core region not only contained more powerful Stone Lions but also possibly other Exotic Beasts that had mutated due to the Evil Qi. However, it also nurtured many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.
The Crimson Refining Fire Copper that Chen Qing had obtained from Fu Chunsheng, worth 1,500 Contribution Points, had come from this core area.
As one of the six great forbidden lands, the core section of Luoxing Slope was quite renowned.
There were many rumors Within the Sect about a certain Inner Sect Disciple who had ventured deep inside, luckily found a rare treasure, and exchanged it for a huge sum of Contribution Points upon returning. He became rich overnight, and his Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds thereafter.
But there were also frequent reports of tragedy. Some disciples would venture into the core region and never be heard from again. Others would barely escape, only to have their Cultivation plummet due to the invasion of Evil Qi, their foundation damaged, and their futures ruined.
’...Once I’m better prepared, perhaps I can try to explore the edges of the core area.’
As Chen Qing was pondering this, a tyrannical and savage aura suddenly approached at high speed from behind him without any warning!
The hair on Chen Qing’s neck stood on end!
The sheer power of this aura far surpassed that of an ordinary Late-stage Astral Force cultivator, carrying an almost tangible sense of pressure!
’Astral Force Perfection? Or... something more?!’
He had no time to think. He instinctively pushed the Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique to its limit, his figure flickering like a wisp of smoke into the shadow of a nearby fissure. At the same time, he fully activated the Gui Cang Concealment Technique, suppressing his own aura until it was almost nonexistent.
The very next second after he hid, a blood-red figure swept past the spot where he had just been standing like a gale!
The person was moving extremely fast, seemingly just passing through without stopping. But the violent energy radiating from them sent a tremor of fear through Chen Qing, who was hidden in the crevice.
’What a terrifying aura... This person is definitely no saint. Are they chasing something, or being chased?’
Chen Qing held his breath, his mind racing.
’To think I’d run into an expert of this caliber in the outer area of Luoxing Slope!?’
Just as the aura completely faded into the distance, disappearing toward the Evil Qi-shrouded core region, Chen Qing prepared to leave this troublesome place.
Suddenly—
SKREEE—!
A cry filled with terror and pain echoed from high above. It was the voice of his Golden Feathered Eagle!
"Hm!?"
Chen Qing’s expression changed drastically, and his heart sank.
The Golden Feathered Eagle had already gained sentience. It would never let out such a piercing shriek unless it was under attack or in extreme danger.
He could no longer be bothered with hiding. His figure shot out of the crevice like a bolt of lightning, and he sped toward the source of the cry at his maximum speed!
Moving like lightning, Chen Qing crossed a grove of strange, dead trees in just a few leaps.
The scene before him filled him with a surge of fury.
His carefully raised Golden Feathered Eagle, its feathers just beginning to fill out, was now lying miserably on the ground. A large patch of its once-brilliant golden plumage was stained red with blood and in disarray. A sharp arrow was embedded deep in the base of its left wing.
It let out wave after wave of sorrowful, indignant cries. Its sharp eagle eyes were bloodshot with pain, yet it still struggled to flap its uninjured right wing, kicking up dust in an attempt to drive back the enemies surrounding it.
The attack was led by three people.
Two were men. One wielded a sword, his blade flashing nimbly as he specifically targeted the Golden Feathered Eagle’s eyes and joints. The other held a broad-bladed long saber, his Saber Momentum heavy and powerful. Every chop whistled through the air, clearly intended to exhaust the eagle’s stamina, or even severely injure it.
There was also a woman, dressed in a lavish, fiery-red silk robe. Her expression was one of imperious arrogance, and she was surrounded by four or five people with formidable auras who were clearly dressed as guards, standing outside the battle.
The red-robed woman was shouting in a delicate voice, "Brother Zhao, Brother Qian, be careful! This feathered beast’s plumage is so shiny, and it looks quite magnificent. I want it alive! Don’t you dare kill it for me. It won’t be pretty if its feathers are damaged! I want to capture it and tame it!"
Upon hearing this, the disciple named Zhao, who used the sword, dodged a fierce peck from the Golden Feathered Eagle and said with a fawning smile, "Don’t worry, Miss Wang. It’s just a juvenile Golden Feathered Eagle. Can it really cause that much trouble? Junior Brother Qian and I know what we’re doing. We’ll definitely capture it unharmed and present it to you for your amusement!"
The disciple with the saber, Qian, also laughed heartily. He forced the Golden Feathered Eagle back with a slash and said in a relaxed tone, "Exactly! To think we’d find a Golden Feathered Eagle of such quality in the outer area of Luoxing Slope. It must be fate that it should belong to Miss Wang! Once we’ve exhausted its strength, we’ll use a special Beast Trapping Rope on it. I guarantee it’ll be completely docile!"
In their conversation, they showed no sign of considering that the Golden Feathered Eagle might have an owner. It was as if the bird was already in their grasp, and they were merely discussing how to capture it.
......