Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

These two double hours consumed a great deal of Divine Sense, even though it wasn’t quite as much as Alchemy, it wasn’t far off.

He activated the Spell to urge the Spiritual Artifact, discovering Qthat there still remained traces of Demonic Qi. It looked like removing the Demonic Qi hidden in these two Spiritual Artifacts would require quite some time.

He then took out the Flying Sword Spiritual Artifact. Normally, this Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact was three feet six inches long and about three fingers wide, and was golden in color, with faint fish scale patterns covering the blade.

However, where the patterns connected, there were exceedingly minute black marks, remnants of the Demonic Qi.

This was a Metal Element Flying Sword, and since Zhang Le wasn’t a Sword Cultivator, he couldn’t fully unleash the power of the Spiritual Artifact when activating the Flying Sword.

Ji An just happened to be missing a sharp weapon in his hands, and he was quite fond of the Flying Sword’s shape. He planned to keep it as a backup and would use it alongside the Wuji Xinghuang Banner to present himself to others.

After playing with the Flying Sword for a while, he put away his resources and then took out a cyan Jade Bottle.

With his mind turning, the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner flew out. With the banner fluttering, an imposing dragon roar echoes, as if he were standing on the earth in spring, where grass sprouted.

Opening the Jade Bottle, Ji An activated the Spell to evenly Control the Wood Element Essence flowing out. Without the Cyan Spirit-Stealing Fiend, he’d have to make do with the Essence.

Simultaneously nurturing three Spiritual Artifacts in the Dantian was indeed a considerable drain on the Primordial Life Fire, but everything was within an acceptable range.

If he had four Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, he definitely couldn’t bear it. Fortunately, his fourth Five Elements Banner had yet to arrive.

The Cyan Dragon roar sounded endlessly, yet Ji An’s thoughts drifted elsewhere as he was contemplating his future strategies in battle.

The Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner could launch Wood Element attacks, extracting the Life Force of Spirit Plants to store and nourish the Spiritual Artifact itself.

However, the speed of Wood Element attacks wasn’t fast, making them unsuitable for high-intensity encounters, like those against Yuan Hong and his allies, where it wasn’t used. It’s still good for trench warfare.

In this way, the effectiveness of the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner was completely inferior to the other two Five Elements Banners. He must develop the role of the Wood Element Banner.

Otherwise, wasting two hundred Top-Grade Spirit Stones would be no small matter, and he’d question the significance of spending resources to create the Five Elements Banner.

A moment later, Ji An thought of his most adept Planting Techniques.

These techniques had zero Attack Power but could be used as Magic Techniques to alter Celestial Phenomena. He once used the Azure Dragon Shocking Skill in conjunction with the Zhurong Divine Fire Spell to counter Li Haoran’s Icy Cold Sword Intent.

Now he could directly utilize the Five Elements Banner to achieve this effect, with the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner at the center, creating an environment rich with Wood Element Spiritual Qi, thereby enhancing the power of the Earth-Departing Flame Banner or boosting other Fire Element Techniques.

Although it was a straightforward idea, the operation was simple and most importantly, it was practical and effective.

Once he possessed all five Spirit Banners, he could constantly generate a combat environment that was comfortable for himself and uncomfortable for his enemies.

It would be like tailoring a strategy to the opponent, always maintaining an advantageous position.

The Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner ceased to devour Essence and merged back into the owner’s body, entering the Dantian.

Like a Little Cyan Dragon, it dove into the Primordial Life Fire’s azure flame layer.

Ji An summoned the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, and a fierce phoenix call rang out, swiftly raising the temperature inside the Quiet Chamber.

He then took out a Jade Bottle containing the Spiritual Fiend to "feed" the Spiritual Artifact, enhancing its power.

He wouldn’t sell the Spiritual Fiends he harvested; they were priceless.

Spirit Stones can be earned slowly, but it’s hard to buy so many Spiritual Fiends all at once.

...

At noon the next day, Ji An finished his Cultivation and left the Grotto Mansion to have lunch at the Drunken Immortal Inn, discovering Cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall speaking to the Shopkeeper.

He immediately understood they were investigating Demon Cultivators, seeing that the massive enforcement machine of the Immortal City was now in motion.

This was good news. Having offended the Demon Cultivators, he naturally hoped for a more vigorous effort in tracking them down.

The sooner the threat is cleared, the sooner he can return to his normal life. However, he also understood this was wishful thinking, as Demon Cultivators would surely remain deeply hidden.

Upon realizing this, Ji An realized he had overlooked an important piece of intelligence he had failed to report to the Law Enforcement Team.

He ordered Spiritual Food, ate quickly, and then swiftly left, heading once more to the Law Enforcement Team’s location.

Zhang Dong saw him enter and immediately approached with a smile, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Ji, we meet again."

After dissecting the Demon Cultivator’s corpse yesterday, all members of the Law Enforcement Team understood that the man before them was formidable.

Ji An responded with a smile, "Such a coincidence, I have intelligence to report, concerning those ’Tribulation Cultivators’."

Zhang Dong understood the severity of the current situation and nodded, saying:

"Daoist friend, please wait a moment while I pass on your message."

He quickly left, returning a moment later and said:

"The Daoist Master invites you to come with me."

Ji An followed the other, turning several corners before arriving at a large hall.

"Daoist friend, please enter; the Daoist Master is waiting inside."

Ji An stepped into the grand hall, greeting with a salute:

"Greetings, Daoist Master."

Cold Qilin True Man smiled, "No need for ceremony, young friend. Please sit. What is the intelligence you’re referring to?"

"Senior, Yuan Hong and his associate once invited me to explore a relic. I didn’t go. Thinking back now, does this relic truly exist?"

If the relic does exist, then more than likely it’s where the Demon Cultivators hide.

Cold Qilin True Man mused, "There is such a possibility. Did they mention the approximate location of the relic?"

Ji An shook his head, "No, at that time, they were very tight-lipped, only mentioning the relic discovered in the course of Demon Hunting."

This intelligence could only confirm the relic was in remote wilderness, and held little practical value. But combined with reasoning, perhaps further discoveries could unfold.

He coughed once and said gravely:

"We could visit the Demon Hunting Cultivator community; perhaps we could identify their hunting grounds.

Additionally, we could contact stores where they frequently sell Demon Beast Materials; the types of Beast Hide they sell could also provide evidence for us."

In past lives, such methods of intelligence gathering were not uncommon.

Cold Qilin True Man nodded continuously and said:

"These remarks are worth pondering. If searching for the Demon Cultivators’ hideout proves successful, young friend shall be credited with chief merit."

Ji An hastily waved his hands, "I dare not claim credit; this is merely my speculation."

He first folded his hands in a deferential gesture, absolutely not intending to claim any accolades.

This piece of intelligence was a double-edged sword; while it might be effective, it equally could prove futile, potentially diverting the attention of the Law Enforcement Team.

,

After leaving the Law Enforcement Team, Ji An arrived at the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

Shopkeeper Zhu Hanshan was slightly surprised, as the delivery time was still a long way off.

"Senior, welcome."

Ji An nodded lightly and said:

"I have a batch of Spirit Medicines that need appraisal for their value."

While speaking, he took out the Spirit Medicines harvested from Yuan Hong and his partner, all stored in Jade Boxes.

He had no intention of selling Spirit Medicines at different shops; the source of these spoils wasn’t feared being traced, thus no need to waste time.

Zhu Hanshan inspected the quality and age of the Spirit Medicines, silently questioning their origin, as Ji An had never sold Spirit Medicines before.

However, he said nothing. Whereas Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts with untraceable origins could only be sold in black markets or through secret channels due to possible recognition.

Spirit Medicines were different; no one could definitively claim their ownership.

A moment later, Zhu Hanshan set down the last Jade Box and quickly calculated:

"Senior, these Spirit Medicines are worth three hundred and sixty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Okay, sell them all to your pavilion. As usual, exchange them for three Top-Grade Spirit Stones."

Ji An took out thirty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones to cover the shortage in the exchange cost.

Zhu Hanshan clapped his hands and instructed the attendant:

"Take the Spirit Medicines to the storage room and bring back three Top-Grade Spirit Stones."

This transaction had two margins of profit: one from the Spirit Medicines themselves, another from the exchange fee. He was more than willing to do business with Ji An.

A while later, Ji An took his Spirit Stones and departed.

Now, he needs to accumulate Top-Grade Spirit Stones as much as possible, to prepare for participating in the auction and obtaining access to the Earth Element Spirit Realm in the future.

Deep down, he’d prefer to spend Spirit Stones rather than other resources.

Zhu Hanshan warmly escorted him, lowering his voice:

"Whenever you harvest Spirit Medicines, you can sell them to our shop; the price will surely satisfy you."

Ji An smiled broadly, knowing such good fortune is rarely encountered again.