Firecracker, World Piercing Needle, Blood Spirit Venerable's Shock!

"The effect is really good." Zhao Xing nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Wu Mei's miserable state.

At the end of October, he visited Old Chen's residence and saw a new plant in the pear orchard—[Firecracker Bamboo].

At that time, only the third tier of pear orchard was visible.

That's because in the south, the growth potential of Firecracker Bamboo is lower; as the saying goes, oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges.

In reality, Firecracker Bamboo can generally grow to the fifth level.

It has very high requirements for the Earth Vein, and they must be "Fire Attribute Earth Veins".

After Firecracker Bamboo grows to the fifth level, its bamboo joints contain incredibly violent fire elemental power.

The color of the bamboo's surface also changes from green to red. After the "De-greening" process, it senses the condensed primordial energy and easily explodes.

Although Long Xiao came alone, he brought Chen Shijie one hundred sets of Fifth Level Firecracker from the Divine Might Army.

Chen Shijie also planted a lot of young bamboo himself.

At that time, Zhao Xing asked for a small number of seedlings and tried to plant them himself.

However, Old Chen felt it was too dangerous for him to grow it himself, so he only gave him one plant to try.

The items prepared in this room are all finished products after replanting, which are of the Upper Third Tier quality.

However, at Zhao Xing's insistence, Chen Shijie still gave him a [Fifth Level Firecracker].

After being cut into ten sections, Zhao Xing buried them around the fence.

Wu Mei stepped on one of those sections.

"He wasn't killed instantly, so his physique must have reached the Eighth Grade." Zhao Xing stared at Wu Mei.

For Fifth Level Firecracker to explode naturally, there is a standard: the external force required to press it down and the strength of the primordial gas.

If it's Unranked, or only of the Ninth Grade, it might not be able to detonate.

Once the concentration of vital energy contained within the body reaches the Eighth Grade, the fire element within it will be ignited, as if finding an outlet. At the same time as the explosion, it will also ignite this mass of vital energy.

Therefore, Wu Mei's legs are now in a state of severe pain and difficulty in healing.

Moreover, the more one tries to circulate one's vital energy to repair the body, the more severe the injury becomes.

Zhao Xing could also actively detonate the remaining Firecracker Bamboo. Although he did not use the Earth Palace Art, the [Earth Treasury Return to Origin] technique still enveloped the surrounding area.

There is now a Thunder Zone around the fenced yard!

"Pfft~" Wu Mei pulled out her knife and cut the flesh off the bone, while also removing the bamboo strips embedded in it.

After discovering that the treatment was ineffective, she decisively chose the most direct method.

Time is of the essence right now.

"Ahhh~" The pain was unbearable for her. How could it not hurt when you cut your own flesh and scrape your own bones?

"You little bastard! How dare you scheme against me..." Wu Mei's eyes were filled with resentment.

"Do you have anything valuable on you?" Zhao Xing's voice carried on the wind. "Do you have any magical artifacts like the World Piercing Needle, the Profound Heaven Mirror, or the Soul Protecting Garment?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Mei froze, momentarily forgetting her pain, and subconsciously replied, "No, how did you know...?"

"Didn't you bring it?"

"Then what's the point of you living?"

Whoosh~ Zhao Xing's voice came with Yin Wind, and while Wu Mei was cutting meat and scraping bones, the Yin Wind towards her body.

The Yin Wind seemed to penetrate Wu Mei's body through every pore, as if it were blowing directly into her soul.

"Hiss~"

Wu Mei shivered, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

This chilling feeling in her soul caused her to retreat even before she could recover from the aftereffects of the Firecracker Bamboo, as a fiery red aura of blood surged from her body.

The Blood Aura Protection, resisting the erosion of the Yin Wind.

"Clatter~"

Dripping Rain fell on Wu Mei's forehead.

"It's raining?"

Wu Mei raised her head, her scarlet, bewitching eyes looking up.

Suddenly, a Dark Clouds -black Dark Clouds appeared overhead, so dark that it blended completely into the night.

When did he travel through the clouds?

Why does this cloud form a black vortex?

This is...

"Pat-pat, pat-pat~"

The cold raindrops interrupted Wu Mei's train of thought.

It's cold, so cold.

If the Yin Wind represents the coldness of the soul, then the Icy Rain at this moment represents the coldness of the body.

Wu Mei was originally capable of displaying the strength of Official Eighth Rank. Whether in terms of physique or magic, she was comparable to an Official Eighth Rank in the Great Zhou.

But now, she finds herself as vulnerable as a lowly clerk! And she's getting weaker and weaker!

"Profound Heaven Blood Aura! Blood Spirit Body Protection!"

"The Divine Venerable Soul Seizure and possessed my true form!"

As Wu Mei's blood essence surged and gushed, resisting the Yin Wind and Icy Rain, a layer of fine, crimson blood began to emerge from her body.

Blood flowed, sweeping across her skin and flesh, as if something wanted to burst forth from her body.

"Transform? Have you transformed?"

Zhao Xing spread his five fingers, and lightning Entanglement his fingertips, quickly forming a palm made of lightning, which was then swiftly imprinted on the blood demon on Wu Mei's body.

"Boom!"

The blood demon was torn open, revealing Wu Mei's blood-soaked muscles.

"Puff!"

The purple hand, with its fingers curled, swiftly jabbed into Wu Mei's abdomen.

The speed at which the bloodlust spread suddenly stopped, as if the turning gears had been jammed.

"Boom!"

Thunder Palm struck again from a different direction, first blasting away the protective blood aura, then bending its palm and extending its fingers.

They poked Wu Mei in six different spots on her body.

"Divine Court, Spirit Gate, Divine Path, Guan Yuan, Stone Gate, Yin Intersection... Where is the last one again?"

"Never mind, just poke the last one randomly."

Zhao Xing couldn't remember clearly, but these six key locations were enough to interrupt the opponent's transformation.

"You..." Wu Mei's face showed shock.

Seeing that the situation was not good, she immediately unleashed her full power, using a secret technique of the Profound Heaven Sect, wanting to use her trump card to gamble.

However, Zhao Xing's thunderous palm abruptly interrupted her spellcasting.

Am I from the Profound Heaven Sect, or is he from the Profound Heaven Sect?

How could he know so much?

Wu Mei couldn't understand it, but she was greatly shocked.

"Please stop poking me, please stop poking me..." Wu Mei's voice was trembling with tears.

"I shouldn't have died here, I should have taken you back... Stop poking me."

"Come with me. You'll definitely be valued in the Profound Heaven Sect. I never intended to kill you; I just want to take you away... Don't poke me."

Wu Mei pleaded desperately.

The blood aura on her body was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the Blood Spirit Possession was completely interrupted.

They had been lying low for over a decade, all for this operation.

Unexpectedly, it all came to naught; the mission was not completed, and the person ended up dead here.

She was unwilling to accept it; she was truly unwilling to accept it.

Unlike other members of the Profound Heaven Sect, some were nearing their end and willingly faced death, while others were manipulated and brainwashed, losing their self-awareness.

But Wu Mei's consciousness is completely autonomous.

She also has a strong will to survive.

"Come with me, come with me..." Wu Mei raised her hand, and a needle pierced through her flesh.

They aimed at Zhao Xing's Heavenly Spirit Acupoint.

The World Piercing Needle —this was her last gamble.

"That's really insidious. I knew you brought it," Zhao Xing muttered.

The World Piercing Needle through his body and embedded itself in the door panel behind him.

Buzz~

The phantom vanished, leaving only a gleaming bead on the ground.

The fourth-order projection of the East Lake Pearl.

"You lied to me, you're so cunning..." Wu Mei saw this scene, her hand fell limply, and before she could finish speaking, she collapsed to the ground with intense resentment.

If she hits Zhao Xing with the World Piercing Needle, she can immediately control Zhao Xing and turn the tide of battle, letting Zhao Xing take her away.

This last gamble failed, and she knew there was no hope left.

He lay low for over a decade, surviving on nothing but hope.

With her hopes dashed, Wu Mei completely lost her ability to resist, and her soul was shattered by the Yin Wind.

"I was indeed lying to you. Someone of your level must have brought World Piercing Needle. It's just a different style. I asked you if you brought it because I didn't want you to retreat when things went wrong. I wanted you to think that you had a chance to control my body through the Blood Spirit Needle and walk out of the courtyard on your own, giving you hope of turning the tables," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He looked at the dark red nail nailed to the door panel.

The nails are made of a very special material, resembling gold but not quite, and they are also Entanglement a substance that looks like tendons.

The Blood Spirit Needle is a type of World Piercing Needle and one of the classic magical treasures of the Profound Heaven Sect.

Its effect is not on the soul but on the flesh.

"This nail," Zhao Xing dared not touch, only watching it from afar, "Can bypass a person's Fate Soul and directly control their physical body."

"Once you are shot, it is equivalent to losing control of your body. Although you are conscious, your body is controlled by the Profound Heaven Sect."

The Blood Spirit Needle played a crucial role in the Profound Heaven Sect's success in abducting people.

Although the temples throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty mostly only scan the city, the search area will be expanded during monthly festivals or in case of emergencies.

Using methods that control the soul to take someone away is easily detected by the Yin Spirit.

However, the Blood Spirit Needle controls the physical body, while the Three Souls remain normal, so no abnormality can be detected.

"After being hit by the Blood Spirit Needle, the next step is to change the movement of flesh, bones, and muscles, achieving the effect of easily changing shape."

"You wouldn't be able to tell even if they were standing right in front of you."

This can be considered an item beyond the original version, a treasure that could only be crafted in the era of ancient sects.

The Outer Sects rely on ancient traditions to harass the behemoth that is the Great Zhou.

"Meow~" The Mountain Cat was also looking at the needle.

"You can't eat it. Do you want to become a dead cat?" Zhao Xing glared at the Mountain Cat.

The Mountain Cat immediately shrank its head and took a half step back.

Then I won't eat it, I'm not very hungry.

Outside the ruined factory, on a high hillside.

At this time, officials from the Agricultural Supervisorate, including Chen Shijie, Tang Wanchun, Xue Wenzhong, Pang Yuan, and Gao Linong, had been surrounded.

"Lord Chen." Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun, having broken free from the Dreaming of Yin Souls, looked at Chen Shijie upon seeing this scene. "Wasn't the demon invasion assessment over? Why are we still here? What's going on?"

"Oh, it's alright, they're not fake, they're real," Chen Shijie laughed. "Everyone, it's time to cash in on our achievements. These are all genuine Profound Heaven Demon Dao."

"???" Upon hearing this, the Assistant Official Agricultural Supervisorate were completely dumbfounded.

Do we look like we're capable of fighting?

You're the Military Sima Nong, but we aren't!

"I knew following that bastard Chen Shijie would end badly." Gao Linong felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of this scene. "He caused me a lot of trouble here a few years ago, and now he's attracted Profound Heaven Sect cultists."

"Lord Chen, you and the magistrate must have discussed this, right?" Tang Wanchun's voice trembled slightly. "Is there a large army lying in ambush outside?"

"No." Chen Shijie looked at the approaching encirclement.

"... Chen Shijie, you bastard!" Gao Linong couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing. In his mind, he cursed Chen Shijie's ancestors for eight generations. He felt that he was doomed in this round, so he didn't care about superiors or inferiors anymore.

Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun also harbored resentment, but they remained skeptical, believing that Chen Shijie would not easily put them in danger.

Xue Wenzhong remained calm; he had become quite open-minded about everything.

A thundercloud immediately appeared in his palm, and with a gentle flick, the thundercloud swirled around his body.

One, two, five, ten...

There were a total of thirty-two thunderclouds, which not only protected themselves but also surrounded their colleagues.

"Those who eat the emperor's food and share his burdens, as for those Outer Sects, everyone has the right to kill them," Xue Wenzhong said in a deep voice.

"So be it, it's just death." Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan both moved Cloudcalling, each using their own magic to block the enemy.

The Four Seasonal Arts and the Earthly Advantage Spells instantly filled the entire hillside.

Although their rank was one level lower than the Eighth Grade expert brought by Hunting Falcon, the Profound Heaven Sect moved extremely slowly when they were casting spells with all their might. Their mobility dropped significantly after they rushed within a hundred meters.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect my Earth-Separating Art to be so powerful. Take another lightning strike from me!" Gao Linong Guiding Thunder to strike one of the dark figures.

The lightning did indeed strike the opponent, freezing him in place. Not only that, it even emitted a burst of fiery red light.

"I sensed something wrong, it's not Eighth Grade?" Tang Wanchun's eyes lit up when she saw how easily the other party was defeated.

"Lord Gao, you're overthinking it. It's not that you're powerful, it's that they've become weaker." Xue Wenzhong looked at the ground beneath his feet, then at Chen Shijie. "What a magnificent Earth Palace."

"Old Master Xue has a keen eye." Chen Shijie smiled slightly, then stopped pretending.

The outer perimeter of the entire hillside suddenly split open, forming an encirclement.

Then a line of fire ignited, and bright flames erupted from the ground, reaching a height of four meters, forming a wall of fire.

"What? Fire Attribute Earth Splitting Art, and this gathering power, is it the Earth Palace Art?!" The Falcon Protector was shocked to feel the heavy pressure on his body. The other Eighth Grade guards also found it difficult to move an inch, each step was extremely heavy, as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs.

And they had just stepped into the 100-meter range.

Suddenly, the ground arched up.

"Bang!"

A massive burst of fire energy erupted instantly!

One of the men in black stepped on Firecracker Bamboo and was instantly blown away!

"What? Halt!" The Falcon Protector looked at his subordinate, whose legs had been blown off and half of his body was gone; he was clearly not going to live.

"Profound Heaven True Art, Big Dipper Ascending Dragon!" The Falcon Protector shouted in a low voice upon seeing this.

The man in black next to him immediately began to mutter incantations.

"Profound Claw!" A man in black made a grasping motion with one hand, and a cyan battle blade appeared in his hand.

"Profound Horn!" A golden horn appeared in front of the second man in black.

"Extreme Wing!" An armored iron fist materialized above the head of the third man in black.

"Profound Yin!" A bright moon appeared around the fourth man in black.

"Primordial Female!" The fifth man in black clasped his arms, and a bead appeared.

"Flying Dragon!" The sixth man in black suddenly grew larger, and a ferocious dragon head enveloped his entire body.

The Falcon Protector immediately unleashed the Big Dipper Ascending Dragon Formation of the Profound Heaven Sect. Together with the Hunting Falcon, the seven of them resembled a Flying Dragon descending to the ground, chasing the sun and moon.

The surrounding fire wall was immediately reduced to two meters, and the Firecracker Bamboo buried in the ground stopped exploding after being stepped on. With the restrictions greatly reduced, the group's mobility increased significantly.

"Chen Shijie, I never expected someone with your talent to reach the Spirit Bridge Completion in their thirties. However, my Xuan Sect needs talents like you!" Falcon Protector roared, "Attack now!"

"Lord Chen!" Tang Wanchun, her eyes red, as she saw these demons suddenly become energetic. "The county magistrate and the East Lake Army, truly unaware?"

"They're not here," Chen Shijie said calmly. "But I have sword cultivators."

"Sword cultivator? What sword cultivator?" Pang Yuan was completely baffled.

Chen Shijie pointed.

A two-meter square pit cracked open in the ground, and the pit was so dark that the bottom could not be seen.

Just as they were wondering, a sword light shot out from the pit.

"Damn it, I almost suffocated! Don't bury me too deep next time!"

A rough voice came from underground.

Then the golden sword seemed to swim in the air like a fish.

After emerging from the cave, the golden sword immediately shot towards the Profound Heaven Demon below the hillside.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

The golden sword was reflected in the eyes of everyone in the Profound Heaven Sect. The Falcon Protector's pupils dilated as he desperately tried to resist, but he realized the danger and his hands and feet couldn't keep up.

"Puff puff puff puff puff puff!"

The golden sword pierced his head, and at the same time, bloody holes appeared in the heads of the others.

"Thump!"

In an instant, all seven people collapsed to the ground!

"Clang!"

The golden sword drew a perfect arc and landed in Long Xiao's raised hand.

"This..." Tang Wanchun and the others were stunned by what they saw. "This is a martial artist?"

My impression of a crude and uncouth Martial Man is that he is so fierce and handsome?

"As everyone knows, a martial artist is a martial artist, and a swordsman is a swordsman." Long Xiao coolly sheathed his sword, then his expression changed. "Who was it that just insulted my brother?"

"Swish swish~" Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan both looked at Gao Linong and decisively sold out their teammate.

"I..." Gao Linong was immediately drenched in sweat.

"He was just speaking recklessly, don't worry about it." Chen Shijie looked ahead, "There's still a big fish, quickly follow my wind to find it."

"Alright." Long Xiao dropped his intimidating demeanor and quickly leaped down the hillside.

Anping Town, Maple Leaf Manor, Blood Pool Altar beneath the artificial hill.

At this moment, a purple-robed phantom floated above the blood pool. Every now and then, a ball of red light flew back and entered the phantom's body. This was the return of the divided soul after its invasion to its original body.

"It's a failure." The purple-robed phantom sensed the movement above. "A large number of officials have returned. This operation has been a complete failure."

In his perception, Li Wenzheng, leading a large number of the East Lake Army, had formed an even larger encirclement and was counter-encircling from a distance.

It is conceivable that this operation was premeditated.

"To risk one's life, to use oneself and many officials as bait, that's ruthless and decisive." The purple-robed phantom knew it was time to abandon this clone.

However, he was waiting for all the divided souls to return. Failure was not terrible; he wanted to retrieve the divided souls, perceive everything that had happened, and summarize the detailed process of this failure.

"Such unwavering will. Ten years in the army, and not once did he consult a deity?" After withdrawing a beam of red light, the Blood Spirit Venerable also realized the conversation he had with Chen Shijie in the dream. "It's a pity I can't take him with me."

Whoosh~ Another red light flew back, but this time the red light was much weaker, as if it had consumed too much energy and was exhausted, less than half the strength of the previous light.

"Hmm? How come it consumes so much energy?" Blood Spirit Venerable opened his mouth in confusion and swallowed the red light in one gulp.

Then he saw a fenced courtyard in his mind, and inside the courtyard was a disheveled young man, Zhao Xing.

"What? This bastard!" Blood Spirit Venerable's blood pressure spiked halfway through the reading.

Sorry, my sleep schedule is a bit off, so I'm late. I'll correct any typos later. I've reached 3000 monthly votes, so I'll add an extra chapter this month.