Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 314: Chapter 209: Sudden Change_2

Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, though differing greatly, aren’t absolute barriers, at least not for Xu Yang.

Although this incarnation of his Yang God had not yet mastered combat skills or battle traits, in the real world, disciples from Green Jade Mountain such as Ji Changkong and Shui Lingling possessed the ability to fight above their level from Qi Refinement against Foundation Establishment. As their master, holding many supreme cultivation methods within him, how could he be outdone by his disciples?

Sword Qi as fine as needles, pinpointed and stabbed, easily breaking the ice seal.

Yuwen Jie, unaware of the prowess of his opponent, was not only wounded but also driven into a desperate situation.

Luckily, he wasn’t fighting alone.

“Bang!!!”

Just as Xu Yang had wounded Yuwen Jie, an upheaval erupted beneath his feet. The frozen lake and the bottom of the boat exploded, and a figure shot out aiming straight for his fish basket.

It is well known that one magic artifact for storing items cannot contain another of its kind.

The person with the mysterious background and formidable strength acted unwisely by choosing to fight; the correct path was to steal the treasure.

This was the thought of the ambusher, who now tried to turn this thought into reality by attempting to snatch the fish basket from Xu Yang.

However…

Xu Yang lifted his foot and stomped down from mid-air. The terrifying force, combined with the Fighting Scroll leg technique, made his stomp like a pillar suppressing the sea. The ambusher, too slow to react, was directly crushed by the head with Xu Yang’s stomp.

With the head shattered and blood splashing onto the bottom of the boat, it soaked through the ice layer.

A cultivator, a Qi Refinement practitioner, was instantly killed.

But his sacrifice allowed Yuwen Jie to seize the opportunity. The cold Qi surged like a tide, freezing flesh and shattering the tip of the rod that had pierced through his elbow bone.

After all, it was only a mid-grade magic artifact, unable to withstand the full destruction from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

With the rod tip shattered, Xu Yang was unconcerned. He drew back the fishing rod in a backhanded motion, converting sword into whip, and struck Yuwen Jie heavily.

“Bang!”

The frost-covered silver armor shattered, and Yuwen Jie was sent flying, blood sprinkling like rain along his path.

The rod, used like a whip, struck his waist, shattering his waist and abdomen’s flesh, opening a huge wound with residual Sword Qi within.

Even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, such an injury was extremely grave, and could even worsen to become fatal.

But Yuwen Jie rolled over, his waist and abdomen flesh regenerating rapidly like thread sprouting wildly, and he promptly healed the gash. With a long howl, he soared up and rushed back into the fray.

“Hm!?”

At that moment, Xu Yang, who was entangled with Shen Hongyu and a group of cultivators, was somewhat surprised to see Yuwen Jie rally his spirits and return to the battle.

“This regenerative ability… the effect of Demonic Qi?”

“Cultivators of this world often train their bodies to reduce the consumption of Yuan Spirit’s mana and because Demonic Qi also enhances the flesh to a certain degree, significantly increasing vitality and healing ability.”

“But what is the cost, what is the price?”

“They know they are no match, yet they insist on besieging me. One reason is the strength in numbers, and the other is to attempt a costly battle to wear me down, convinced that I cannot sustain a protracted fight, or maybe… I dare not engage in one?”

Even amidst the siege, the Fisherman still had the leisure to consider other matters.

At this moment…

“Cough cough cough!”

A coughing fit interrupted, a surge of dark current bursting through the encirclement to Xu Yang’s side.

The current, black as ink, hinted at a figure within, stretching out a withered, yellowing palm, reaching straight for the Fisherman’s fish basket.

“It’s Old Ghost Mo!”

“He’s here too!”

“The old fellow is not dead yet!”

The crowd’s eyes narrowed, but they did not slow their assault. On the contrary, they intensified it.

Although Old Ghost Mo was also troublesome, they would rather the Spiritual Fish King end up in his hands than be carried off by this mysterious Fisherman.

“Hmph!”

Facing the approaching hand, Xu Yang snorted coldly and whipped back his fishing rod.

“Crack!”

With a strike of the rod, the arm was shattered, pus and blood splattering out, causing the Sprit Light of the green bamboo to flicker dimly.

The magic artifact, tainted with filth, lost much of its power, with toxic currents rushing forth.

However, Xu Yang’s expression was unchanged. The sullied rod lashed out like a sword, thrusting into the dark current.

“Puff!!!”

A muffled sound erupted, blood sprayed, the dark current receded like a tide leaving only foulness behind.

“Old Ghost Mo!”

“Truly useless!”

Seeing this, the people could only grit their teeth and encircle him again.

But Xu Yang had no desire to continue the fight.

His combat strength was formidable, but he was still just Qi Refinement; facing so many cultivators, including several at the peak of Foundation Establishment, it was impossible to kill them without paying a price.

Furthermore, their desperate siege carried a hint of delay.

What were they dragging out?

Xu Yang didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to let them get what they wanted.

So…

“Bang!”

A sword broke through the encirclement, piercing through the void.

Shen Hongyu’s eyes narrowed, blocking with her body.

But the enemy’s Sword Qi was like a rainbow, sharp and unstoppable, shredding her red palace attire and staining the beauty’s jade body with shocking blood.

The sword light broke through, flashed for an instant, and then disappeared into the vast snowstorm.

“This…”

“Damn it!”

Upon seeing this, everyone felt helpless, and both Yuwen Jie and Shen Hongyu’s expressions were as dark as water.

After a moment of silence, everyone left wordlessly, each retreating on their own.

Yuwen Jie and Shen Hongyu also rose into the air and flew back to the boat to speak to each other.

“Who exactly is this person to dare to steal the Spiritual Objects from our Great Xing Mountain!”

“Perhaps it’s someone from another sect…”

“Observing his cultivation just now, it was nothing more than Perfect Qi Refining.”

“Facing us Foundation Establishment cultivators, he managed to fight against many, without falling behind at all.”

“Now that the Fish King is lost, we must find another Spiritual Object, or else when we face our ancestors…”

“Spiritual Objects aren’t so easy to find. This Wuzhe Fish King only appears once every few hundred years. Other Spiritual Objects are even more out of the question.”

“If worse comes to worst, we’ll have to take drastic measures…”

“Let’s return to the state prefecture first.”

A moment later, the dragon emblem boat set sail, turning toward the dock.

“They’ve let go, haven’t they?”

“Boring, how boring!”

On the Le Family’s boat, Taoist Zhu Yang shook his head repeatedly upon witnessing this scene.

Li Suhong, who was beside him, replied calmly and firmly, “With that person’s formidable strength, whether he escapes thousands of miles away or continues to hide in the lake, it will be difficult for them to find him, so naturally they can only give up.”

“Well said,” Taoist Zhu Yang chuckled. “They’ve left; let’s head back too.”

Li Suhong frowned slightly, “What about the remaining Spirit Fish…”

“With the Fish King gone, the Spirit Fish will scatter. At most, they will completely disappear within three days,” Taoist Zhu Yang said with a light laugh. “For the last three days, we shall order a bounty—catch as many as we can.”

Upon the small island, Escape Light descended, revealing Xu Yang’s figure by the pool’s edge.

Then, with a surge of mana, he tossed the fish basket into the air, releasing a great amount of Sprit Light.

A storing Spiritual Treasure?

Of course not, not to mention the current lack of materials needed for forging a Spiritual Treasure, even if there were, Xu Yang would not use it to hold fish, as he wanted live fish, not dead ones. Lower-tier storage magic artifacts cannot contain living creatures.

This fish basket he used was a Beast Taming magic artifact, composed of more than a dozen Beast Controlling Bags, and only thus could it accommodate thousands of Spirit Fish.

Separating the Spirit Fish, what remained were the Fish King and various Demonized Monster Fish.

Demonized Monster Fish could only be used for consumption and didn’t need to be released.

As for the Fish King, although it was a Spirit Beast, controlling it would require some methods and time.

However, Xu Yang didn’t have the time now. He needed to turn around and break those bastards one by one, putting an end to this farcical revelry.

Three days?

What a joke, you won’t survive tonight’s midnight!

Xu Yang secured the fish basket and returned to the room, arriving at a crude Mana Altar.

Indeed it was crude, with just a table for offerings, an incense burner, a few cinnabar Yellow Talismans, and that was all.

But the luxurious have their ways, the poor have their methods, and achieving the goal is what matters most.

“Divine soldiers, hurry forth as if following an imperial edict, five ghosts of the five directions, enter the altar!”

With a point of his sword finger and release of a Talisman, a surge of Yin Qi erupted from all directions, with shades coalescing and descending before the altar, their mouths devouring the incense qi.

In just a moment, a troop of Underworld Soldiers and a Ghost General, with paper men and paper horses, appeared before the altar.

In three months’ time, aside from cultivating, Xu Yang also sought wandering spirits and ghouls in his spare time. He barely managed to train a troop of Five Chaotic Generals and Soldiers, consisting of five generals and ten soldiers, known as the “Patrolling the River and Lake’s Five Ghosts.”

This newly formed troop wasn’t ready for major engagements, but it was sufficient for cleaning up Wuzhe Lake and slaying the minions of various forces.

The significant issues needed resolution, and the minor ones required handling too. After tidying up Wuzhe Lake, he would gauge the background reactions of the various forces. If no powerful individuals came to suppress him, he would then develop his strength on the spot. Otherwise, he would either bide his time in hiding or escape thousands of miles away to start anew elsewhere.

With plans for every possibility, he could advance or retreat at will.

Xu Yang didn’t waste any time and directly ordered the Five Ghosts to mobilize the troops.

However…

“Hm!?”

Before the command was issued and the troops moved, a stream of mist appeared in the void, and the filthy Demonic Qi instantly boiled up.

“What is this…”

Xu Yang looked up, turning his gaze towards it, his expression revealing a heavy mix of shock and confusion.