The Strange Staff

"It just can't cultivate the Dao, but it can release and store magical artifacts," Li Weiyi explained patiently.

Sikong Jingyuan swore an extremely vulgar curse, then roared, "You're asking for death!"

Li Weiyi's eyes sharpened, and he raised the Yellow Dragon Sword above his head, frantically channeling his internal energy into the sword.

"Whoosh!"

Nine Daoist runes appeared on the sword, and the tip of the sword attracted bolts of lightning.

Upon reaching the Dao Seed Realm, the Yellow Dragon Sword became even more wondrous.

The Daoist inscriptions on the sword are not scriptures, but rather the Six Jia Secret Incantations of Daoism, which emerge from within the sword itself.

"Boom!"

Li Weiyi crouched down and slashed horizontally with his sword.

With a thunderous roar, sword light and lightning shot out.

Those ghost generals who accompanied Sikong Jingyuan were like bubbles; seven or eight of them burst in an instant, and even their formation couldn't stop them.

Far away.

Second Phoenix led a swarm of Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquito, overwhelming everything in their path, and stormed into Sikong Jingyuan's Dao Heart Manifestation area, shattering the Hundred Ghosts Formation.

"Call!"

A chilling wind blew, and ghostly clouds surged.

The sound of Battle Flag echoed in the wind.

The Yin Ghost Commander, towering fifty feet tall, came running at top speed. Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao stood on its left and right shoulders respectively, one holding a sword and shield, the other with a bow and arrow.

With the troops changing hands, it was clear that Sikong Ce and Sikong Qin were in grave danger.

Faced with this perilous situation, Sikong Jingyuan felt a chill run through his body. He regained his senses, immediately withdrew his Dao Heart Manifestation and the ghost general, and used his escape technique to plunge his body into the swamp.

"Boom!"

Li Weiyi cleaved the swamp in two with a single sword strike, as if parting the sea.

The sword mark was ten feet deep.

Unfortunately, it was too late; he escaped.

Li Weiyi immediately released his Earth Nerve Technique to scan the surroundings.

The Second Phoenix followed Sikong Jingyuan's aura, flying two or three miles in a certain direction. However, the aura stopped there and vanished without a trace.

Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao also searched, but to no avail.

"Damn it, they escaped again! When I get back, I'll learn a powerful escape technique. A way to save my life is more important than anything else." Qi Xiao's chest heaved, he was furious.

Li Weiyi maintained a good attitude and laughed, "Sikong Jingyuan's cultivation far surpasses ours. If he wants to defy the odds and capture us, we will pay a terrible price. Once Tuoba reaches the Fourth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm, we will join forces to block all his escape routes and ensure he cannot escape."

Tuoba Butuo said, "A figure like Sikong Jingyuan, at the Fifth Heaven or Sixth Heaven level of the Dao Seed Realm, is not an easy task to capture or kill. Let alone us? My Brother Weiyi, what is your cultivation level? I feel that you have been on the winning side throughout your fight with him."

"It was all thanks to the combination of military force and Daoist magic that we caught him off guard. Besides, I am a peak-level three-star Mind Master with exceptional Psychic Power Attainment. Who says a Spiritual Master can't overcome adversity?"

Li Weiyi looked at her left hand, feeling excruciating pain.

Even with the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor protecting him, his palm was still injured and torn open when he retrieved the Golden Ancient Mirror.

However, the thought of acquiring a Seventh-Rank Hundred-Character Artifact, which could be sold for at least a million Spring Coin, immediately put him in a good mood.

Putting away the Yellow Dragon Sword, Li Weiyi asked, "Did those two old guys escape too?"

"One escaped, one was captured."

Tuoba Butuo, having exhausted his magical energy, felt that Sikong Jingyuan must have truly escaped far away, so he stopped activating the Ghost Flag and recalled the Yin Ghost Commander into the banner.

Open the bag and release Sikong Ce.

Sikong Ce's skin was charred black by the Duling Cold Fire, and he was seriously injured and knocked unconscious. Sikong Qin was already injured when he used his escape technique, so he could only flee alone.

Although the Yin Ghost Commander is powerful, his attack methods are limited. A martial artist at the Fourth Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm cannot be stopped from escaping.

Li Weiyi took all the valuables from Sikong Ce: "Capturing one person is already quite good! A master at the Fourth Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm is very valuable. Tuoba, he's yours for now!"

"Clear."

Tuoba Butuo chuckled maliciously and broke Sikong Ce's limbs one by one.

This is the safest method for dealing with martial arts masters as prisoners.

"We've actually managed to capture a martial artist at the Fourth Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm! Our Qi Family's top expert is only one realm higher than him," Qi Xiao laughed.

Li Weiyi quickly replenished his magical energy through Breathing and Exhaling and asked, "How long have we been inside the Nether Flower Black Swamp?"

"About four days!" Qi Xiao said.

Li Weiyi silently calculated in his mind, then asked, "How was the harvest?"

"We've collected three Meditation Flower, but haven't found Spiritual Platform Blazing Star Stone Fragment yet," Qi Xiao said.

"I have gathered three Meditation Flower and a Thousand-Year Elixir."

Tuoba Butuo took out a palm-sized, jet-black medicinal herb, resembling a short, chubby child, emitting a strong Medicinal Fragrance and a rich life force. He handed this Thousand-Year Elixir to Li Weiyi, knowing that raising Seven Mysterious Insects consumed a great deal of resources.

Then, he took out the rusty spear. "I don't quite understand this thing, but it shouldn't be an ordinary object."

After Qi Xiao took it, he almost sank into the swamp; it was too heavy, weighing over 30,000 jin (approximately 15,000 kg).

It is indeed no ordinary object.

Using magical energy to activate it, there was no response.

"Can't read!"

He shook his head and handed it to Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi was prepared. The magical energy beneath his feet condensed into clouds, supporting and carrying his body. He grasped the rusty spear and also channeled his magical energy into it. But it was like a dead iron; the magical energy couldn't penetrate it.

Tuoba Butuo said, "This spear and the Thousand-Year Elixir were both found underground, three hundred miles deep in the Nether Flower Black Swamp. That area is very strange..."

Qi Xiao said, "It should just be a spear forged from Dense Metal."

"This spear was forged with great care; its length is exactly one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), not an inch more or less, and its weight is 33,333 jin (approximately 11,500 kg)."

As Mind Master, Li Weiyi is very sensitive to length and weight.

When setting up an array, a formation master cannot add or subtract even a fraction of an inch. Similarly, when refining pills, an alchemist cannot use the wrong ingredients, not even a fraction of an inch more or less.

Li Weiyi looked at the spearhead, which was exactly one foot long, very sharp, and had two ears like human ears.

Wiping away the rust with my hand revealed some blurry star trails underneath, which seemed familiar.

Then he looked at the spear's tail...

The spearhead is hollow, tubular, and irregular.

I don't know if this was a deliberate design choice or if something else was placed inside.

Li Weiyi's heart stirred, and he mobilized his mental power, using the Golden Crow Flame to try and melt the spear.

"Sizzle!"

The Golden Crow Flame enveloped the spear.

A strange thing happened: the rusty spear was rapidly absorbing Li Weiyi's mental energy.

Li Weiyi was surprised and channeled all his mental energy into it.

Gradually, the foot-long spearhead brightened, and the star trails became clearer. The same star trails appeared above the heads of the three people, covering a large area.

"Could this be a magic staff of a mind mage?" Qi Xiao exclaimed in surprise.

The magical artifacts used by martial arts practitioners are incredibly diverse and varied.

However, the artifacts of a mage are extremely rare, and each one is very precious.

Talismans and array flags cannot be considered magical artifacts for mind cultivators, as martial arts practitioners can also activate and use them.

Li Weiyi swung his spear, but the brilliance on the spearhead and the star trails above it instantly dissipated, releasing no power.

"It should be a staff... to be precise, a combination of a spear and a staff, but it seems to be missing a section, making it unable to unleash its full power."

Li Weiyi sensed the extraordinary nature of the spear and asked, "Tuoba, where did you find it? If you can find another section, I'll trade you my Ghost Flag for it."

Next, he must use his identity as Mind Master to conceal his martial arts skills as much as possible.

Fighting Sikong Jingyuan, there's no need to worry about revealing anything; you can intimidate him. However, if Longevity Realm Giants is watching, the vast difference in martial arts realm and combat strength will definitely cause considerable trouble.

A handy staff would greatly enhance his combat power as Mind Master, enabling him to truly overcome adversity.

Tuoba Butuo laughed and said, "There's no need to exchange it. Brother Weiyi, just take it. If it really is a magic staff, I can't use it! Besides... do you think I can handle a treasure like the Ghost Flag? I think Brother Weiyi, can't handle it."

Only after activating the Ghost Flag did I realize how extraordinary it truly was.

With his cultivation at the Third Heaven of the Dao Seed Realm, Tuoba Butuo's Yin Ghost Commander was already powerful enough to rival a weaker expert at the Fifth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm.

Moreover, one can fight alongside them.

However, it consumes a great deal of magical energy.

Tuoba Butuo said Li Weiyi couldn't handle it because, to this day, no one knows the upper limit of the Ghost Flag's power. How could Hall Master An and Venerable Yao not have considered using it?

On the bright side, the reason they haven't spoken yet is twofold: firstly, the arrogance of the strong, and secondly, they haven't yet encountered a crisis they can't handle.

If you think about the worst, the possibilities become even greater.

Tuoba Butuo said, "Brother Weiyi, there's no need for pretension. Just for the sake of saving your life, you can accept this item without any guilt. Besides, if we can't find the other piece, it's just an inanimate object, worthless."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony! I'll make it up to you elsewhere later."

Li Weiyi sheathed his spear and said, "Let's go, let's search that strange area you mentioned again! I want to see just how strange it is."

Qi Xiao was somewhat worried. "Sikong Jingyuan has escaped, he will definitely return to the Ku Rong Hall to ask for powerful help. Wouldn't it be too dangerous for us to stay in the Nether Flower Black Swamp?"

Tuoba Butuo nodded. "If we return to the main altar first, we'll be in the right. If we let Sikong Jingyuan go back first, he'll definitely distort the truth and make a big fuss about Sikong Ce."

Li Weiyi said, "Your concerns are not without merit. But have you considered that Sikong Jingyuan probably also thinks we will return to the main altar immediately? He left first, and we can't catch up. If we rush back to the main altar now, it will probably be more dangerous."

Li Weiyi had many ways to protect himself, so he wasn't too afraid. He added, "There's another possibility! Sikong Jingyuan is a divine son, and a divine son whose cultivation is higher than ours."

"He wouldn't slink back like that, not only suffering a crushing defeat but also having his precious mirror stolen by me—it's too humiliating! If I were him, and unharmed, I would definitely hide in the shadows and make a comeback."

"His concealment skills and escape techniques are quite remarkable."

Tuoba Butuo nodded slightly. "If it were me, I would do the same. Moreover, he and Sikong Yanlun are brothers of the Rice People, and they have a mysterious spiritual connection. If we summon Sikong Yanlun, he will surely be full of confidence and attack us again."

"Let's go. With our current strength, even if those brothers join forces, we don't necessarily have much of a chance of winning."

After exchanging blows with Sikong Jingyuan, Li Weiyi gained even more confidence and began to dispel the illusions surrounding martial cultivators at the Fourth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm.

Those who have condensed the Dao Lotus were previously beyond his reach, like towering mountains pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. But now, it seems they are nothing special.