Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 463 - 371 Mingyang Western Desert_1

Chapter 463: 371 Mingyang Western Desert_1

Upon seeing the Profound Yin Crutch, Zhou Hualei and his six companions harbored no further doubts, their faces revealing admiration.

"Taoist Friend Shen has profound and unfathomable abilities, finally exterminating the Profound Yin Ghost Mother. Otherwise, who knows how many more cultivators would have fallen victim."

Zhou Hualei spoke with praise, a hint of wariness flickering in his eyes.

Initially, he and Shen Tianhong had joined forces to deal with the Profound Yin Ghost Mother. Specializing in the art of concealment, they were utterly unable to pinpoint her whereabouts, which was why they failed to obliterate her. Regardless, Shen Long single-handedly put an end to the Profound Yin Ghost Mother, demonstrating the combat prowess of a Nascent Soul cultivator in the late stage.

"The Profound Yin Ghost Mother? How come I’ve never heard of her?"

Shen Long expressed his puzzlement.

"She had always been active in the Southern Border Cultivation World before and seldom made public appearances. Injured by Master Xinzhi, she fled to the Western Desert Cultivation Realm. No one knows how she cultivated to the Nascent Soul late stage and became a scourge to the region, but at last, she was rightfully executed."

Zhou Hualei explained.

"Taoist Friend Shen’s divine skills are vast, capable of eliminating the Profound Yin Ghost Mother single-handedly. I admire you deeply. Had it not been for your intervention, I would have already been a casualty."

Ye Lin expressed his gratitude.

"It was but a minor effort; you’re too kind, Taoist Friend Ye."

Shen Long replied modestly.

"Taoist Friend Shen, let’s return to the marketplace for a chat!"

Zhou Hualei suggested politely.

Previously, he had merely regarded Shen Long as a fourth-rank alchemist, but now Zhou Hualei treated him with the respect due to a great cultivator.

Shen Long put away the fourth-rank Puppet Beast and the Profound Yin Crutch and returned to the marketplace with Zhou Hualei and the others.

The news of this battle spread swiftly, and Shen Long’s name became known throughout the entire Western Desert Cultivation Realm, greatly advancing his reputation.

······

In the Northern Sea Cultivation Realm, on a desolate island hundreds of miles in size,

Lin Feng, Su Ying, and Su Sheng stood on the top of a tall peak, their expressions grave.

After a while, a golden Escape Light appeared in the distant sky. It flickered and came to a halt, revealing a golden Flying Shuttle. Song Lianyue, Liu Yuyao, and a tall, thin man in golden robes stood on it.

The man in golden robes pinched out a spell, causing the golden Flying Shuttle to descend to the ground, not far from Lin Feng and the others.

"Daoist Friend Zhao, Madam Song, you have finally arrived."

Lin Feng said aloud.

There had been numerous clashes between the forces allied with the Sun Moon Palace and the Heavenly Ghost Sect. This time was different, something seemed amiss. The affiliated forces on both sides had been decimated. At first, they suspected that the Nascent Soul Cultivators from the opposing side had taken action, and the scale of the conflict continued to swell.

After years of fighting, the combined losses of the Nascent Soul Cultivators exceeded ten individuals, mostly exterminated by unknown cultivators. This was highly abnormal, and the higher-ups of both sides agreed to meet here for negotiations.

"Taoist Friend Lin, are you trying to escalate the war by dispatching people to annihilate our allied Nascent Soul Cultivators? Do you really think we are afraid of you?"

The man in golden robes spoke with a cold face.

That was Zhao Yang, a Nascent Soul Mid-Stage cultivator, and the Palace Master of the Sun Palace of the Sun Moon Palace.

"Hmph, don’t pin everything on us. We’ve never sent anyone after your affiliated Nascent Soul Cultivators, but it’s you who have done so."

Lin Feng snorted coldly, speaking with some dissatisfaction.

"Don’t throw accusations rashly; we haven’t done any such thing."

Song Lianyue retorted.

"I dare to swear upon my Inner Demons; do you dare?"

Lin Feng said sternly, confident since he had committed no such act.

"I, too, dare to swear upon my Inner Demons that we have not dispatched Nascent Soul Cultivators to target your allied Nascent Soul Cultivators."

Song Lianyue declared solemnly.

"So that means someone is fanning the flames, hoping that we will both suffer and they can reap the benefits of the fishermen!"

Cold light flashed in Lin Feng’s eyes.

If Sun Moon Palace and Heavenly Ghost Sect were both badly hurt from fighting, their enemy factions would benefit.

"That’s what I suspect, no matter how you look at it, we should stop fighting! Continuing the battle benefits neither of us."

Daoist Friend Zhao suggested.

What started as minor skirmishes turned into significant losses due to someone fanning the flames.

"I have no objections, keep your people in line. If I find any Nascent Soul Cultivators from your Sun Moon Palace taking action, don’t blame me for being unkind."

Lin Feng’s face was filled with killing intent.

"The same goes for us, that’s also what we wanted to say."

Song Lianyue said with a cold face.

"Let’s leave it at that, I’ll take my leave."

With a gesture of a spell, Zhao Yang’s golden flying shuttle lit up with a dazzling golden light and flew towards the high sky, soon disappearing from sight.

"Let’s go back as well! If I find out who was behind this, I will make sure to extract their soul and refine their spirit."

Lin Feng’s tone was ice-cold.

Su Ying summoned a flying boat flashing with black light, taking the three of them away from the place.

Not long after, Sun Moon Palace and Heavenly Ghost Sect’s affiliated forces ceased fighting, and both sides restrained their respective cultivators.

······

In the Western Desert Cultivation Realm, Qinglian Marketplace, within a quiet manor, Shen Long, Mu Xue, Shen Tianhong, Ye Lin, and over twenty other Nascent Soul Cultivators gathered in a cyan stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

After a net-style search, high-level ghost creatures were executed, and the entrance to the Myriad Ghost Tomb was sealed. The Western Desert Cultivation Realm returned to normal, and high-level cultivators like Shen Long were free to move about.

Shen Long had single-handedly slain the Profound Yin Ghost Mother, greatly increasing his renown, becoming well-known in the Western Desert, and many Nascent Soul Cultivators came to make his acquaintance, attracted by his fame.

"Taoist Friend Shen, if I may be so bold to ask, how did you manage to lock onto the Profound Yin Ghost Mother’s whereabouts? I had fought with her and couldn’t pinpoint her location, which allowed her to escape."

Shen Tianhong inquired curiously.

"Fortunately, I have a Spiritual Treasure on me that can lock onto her whereabouts, which is how I knew her location to eliminate her."

Shen Long made up an excuse.

In reality, it was the Nine-Headed Ghost Pigeon that sensed the location of the Profound Yin Ghost Mother and informed Shen Long.

"Even if one could lock onto the Profound Yin Ghost Mother’s location, with her notable divine skills and a Spiritual Treasure in her possession, the fact that Taoist Friend Shen was able to kill the Profound Yin Ghost Mother shows an extraordinary strength. Truly a role model for cultivators like us."

Ye Lin praised.

"Indeed! Taoist Friend Shen, so young yet advanced to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul. Perhaps many years later, when we meet again, we may have to address you as Senior Shen."

Mu Xue chimed in.

"You all flatter me too much. Divinity Transformation is still too far off for me, I will think about it once I reach Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul."

Shen Long responded modestly.

After chatting idly for half an hour, the cultivators started leaving one by one.

Back at his accommodation, Shen Long entered a secret room and with a flick of his sleeve, a large assortment of items appeared on the ground.

For killing the Profound Yin Ghost Mother, Shen Long obtained two Spiritual Treasures, namely the Profound Yin Crutch and the Profound Yin Lock. The Profound Yin Crutch was an offensive artifact, while the Profound Yin Lock could weaken sound-based attacks.

The Profound Yin Ghost Mother had slain many Nascent Soul Cultivators, and several of them possessed Spiritual Treasures. Unfortunately, they were destroyed in the battles. Besides the two Spiritual Treasures, there were valuables worth tens of millions, including thirty-five materials for artifact refining, numerous Tier 4 artifact refining materials, over a hundred Tier 4 Demon Cores, and not less than a hundred thousand-year-old Spiritual Medicines. Most of these items came from the Thousand Puppet Sect.

Shen Long organized and stored the items on the ground. He planned to return to the Donghua Cultivation Realm to seclude himself for a while and polish his mana.

Upon leaving the marketplace, Shen Long turned into a beam of escape light that tore through the sky, departing the area.