Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 347 - 184: The Change at Seeking Plum Mountain: Xiao Chen’s Thinking Becomes Clear

He then lowered his voice. "Xiao, you don’t know yet?"

"Rumor has it that a Demon from the Demon Sect named Nijie used a Secret Technique inside the Yellow Springs Traveling Palace. The Daoists were caught off guard and fell into his trap."

"To escape, Master Yaohua self-destructed her Spiritual Artifact, the Brocade Flower Basket."

"I heard—and this is just a rumor, mind you," he said, his voice dropping even lower, "that Spiritual Artifact was not only an heirloom of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, but it was also Master Yaohua’s Lifebound Spiritual Artifact."

Liu Feng stopped there, giving Xiao Chen a knowing look.

Indeed, nothing more needed to be said.

A Lifebound Spiritual Artifact was a Cultivator’s very lifeline. If damaged, the lightest consequence was a grievous blow to one’s Vitality; the worst was the risk of one’s Cultivation Realm regressing.

For Master Yaohua to be forced to self-destruct her Spiritual Artifact, her situation must have been extremely perilous.

Still, as long as she herself was safe, it was good news.

Xiao Chen felt some relief at this news. It seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about the balance of power in Hezhou being disrupted.

The Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers had a long history; surely it possessed more than one heirloom Spiritual Artifact.

Unlike a Loose Cultivator, Master Yaohua’s combat prowess wouldn’t be drastically reduced just because she’d lost a Spiritual Artifact.

As long as she promptly took a Healing Holy Medicine, she should be able to recover her strength quickly.

Then, the three-way stalemate would remain, and it would be as if nothing had ever happened.

.

Although many Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been killed inside the Yellow Springs Traveling Palace, the overall situation wasn’t likely to change much, considering the Divine Fire Sect had also lost many of its elite.

For the current Xiao Chen, no change was the best possible situation.

Upon entering Seeking Plum Mountain, he could see at a glance numerous Cultivators sitting cross-legged in meditation, seizing the chance to rest.

A few injured Cultivators were busy tending to their wounds, working to expel the residual Magical Power left by their enemies.

Xiao Chen noticed Qiu Qichen sitting not far away in a miniature Spirit Gathering Array, regulating his Inner Breath along with the other Qiu Clan members.

Spiritual Power radiated from his body; he had clearly just endured a great battle, and his Inner Breath had not yet settled.

With his eyes closed in concentration, he was focused on bringing it back into order.

As Cultivators from a clan, they could not only use a Spirit Gathering Array but also employ large, specialized auxiliary Magical Artifacts to restore and nurture their own.

This ensured they could exert as much of their strength as possible in the next round of battle.

Most of the other Cultivators were also actively preparing for battle, too preoccupied to even speak with one another.

Only a few Cultivators with other duties moved back and forth, and only top-tier Cultivators like Liu Feng or Hei Bai Zi still had the energy to patrol the area.

This was no time to completely let their guard down.

Small groups of Demon Cultivators would often take advantage of the lull to quietly circle around to the back of the Array, or even bypass the front lines entirely to infiltrate the rear.

But this also presented a prime opportunity to hunt them down for points.

In a formal battle, you were surrounded by enemies, with the added interference of Array Flags. If you showed too much strength, you’d be ganged up on by several others, leaving little room to maneuver.

Now, on the other hand, was the perfect time to try and pick off stragglers.

After getting a rough idea of the situation, Xiao Chen and Liu Feng each chose a direction and began patrolling around the foot of the mountain.

Unfortunately, after an hour of careful searching, he hadn’t encountered a single Demon Cultivator.

Thankfully, the Divine Fire Sect soon launched a new offensive, cutting his patrol short but giving him a chance for a head-on battle.

Xiao Chen was rather cautious at first, testing the intensity of the Demon Flames.

He had to admit, they were truly formidable.

Even hiding behind a Top Grade Magic Shield, he could feel the intense heat threatening to burn right through.

But he soon discovered that these flames were, in the end, only Tier Two Demon Flames, which could also be absorbed by his Fire-Storage Treasure Gourd.

With that realization, Xiao Chen had one less thing to worry about.

He immediately grabbed his great hammer and charged into the fray, rampaging through the crowd and hammering anyone in his path.

Just as expected, Demon Cultivators immediately reacted. Three of them nearby attacked simultaneously, trying to suppress him.

However, Xiao Chen was encircled by four Top Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifacts, with the Fire-Storage Treasure Gourd hovering above his head, making him practically invulnerable to all attacks.

He simply tanked the incoming attacks from the surrounding Magical Artifacts and closed the distance to the Demon Cultivators.

He was so fast that an ordinary Demon Cultivator had no time to retreat. A golden light would flash before their eyes, and they would see a hammer the size of a wagon wheel smashing toward their face.

In the next instant, they were either killed on the spot or sent crashing to the ground by the immense force.

Immediately after, the Flowing Color Golden Light Pearl, the Lotus Jade Ruyi, or the Rejuvenating Vajra Bracelet would descend from the sky to deliver the finishing blow.

The average Demon Cultivator couldn’t withstand such an assault.

The few who had some life-saving tricks up their sleeve were then "greeted" by the golden bamboo branch hairpin, the Snakebone Spear, and the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords.

With the help of this swarm of Top Grade Magical Artifacts, Xiao Chen’s kill rate was astonishingly high.

The Demon Cultivators had no time to form an effective encirclement before they were picked off one by one.

In just a Quarter Hour, an entire squad of nine Demon Cultivators had fallen to him.

The offensive in his vicinity ground to a halt. The Demon Cultivators farther away all retreated, no longer daring to approach.

The surrounding Orthodox Cultivators stared wide-eyed in astonishment, and the sound of sharp intakes of breath was heard all around.

Watching the massive array of Top Grade Magical Artifacts dancing through the air, the corner of Liu Feng’s eye twitched.

’The power of the Fake Pill Realm... could be this terrifying?’

A look of envy flashed in Hei Bai Zi’s eyes. He was envious not only of Xiao Chen’s vast reserves of Magical Power, but also of his ability to amass so many Top Grade Magical Artifacts.

Less than two years had passed since they had first met at the Su Family’s All-Fish Banquet.

’That amount of time felt like it wouldn’t be enough even if spent entirely on Cultivation. Where on earth did he find so many Top Grade Magical Artifacts?’