Flame Rat

Song Qingming pondered briefly, then decided to join this operation and agreed to Old Ghost Feng.

Seeing that he had agreed, Old Ghost Feng told him to wait here for a moment. Delighted, he walked out of the tent and sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman. Before long, a White-robed Man dressed in scholar's robes entered the tent.

The White-robed Man was named Jia Sixing. He was in his thirties and, like Song Qingming, had not joined the Flying Cloud Guard long ago. He and Old Ghost Feng had known each other for many years in Guiyun Marketplace, and it was only through Old Ghost Feng's introduction that he had been able to join the Flying Cloud Guard.

Seeing someone else in Old Ghost Feng's tent, Jia Sixing was somewhat surprised. After nodding to greet Song Qingming, he said to Old Ghost Feng, "I was wondering why Brother Feng had only just emerged from seclusion yet was so eager to pick that spiritual herb. So you found another helper. It seems Brother Feng is determined to succeed this time."

Old Ghost Feng smiled and nodded. "Fellow Daoist Song and I have some friendship as well. He has just agreed to act with us. With one more person, our chances of success will be greater. In any case, I only want the White Jade Flower afterward. All the materials from the slain demonic beast will go to the two of you."

Jia Sixing nodded. "Then let us make this clear in advance. I do not care about the other things, but the Flame Rat's hide must belong to me. I wish to ask someone to refine a High-grade Magic Tool, and this will be of great use to me. If Fellow Daoist Song agrees, I have no objections."

There were not many valuable parts on a demonic beast like the Flame Rat. The best was its outer hide. The fur of a high-grade Flame Rat was excellent material for refining Magic Tools, worth even more than everything else on its body combined. Jia Sixing's words clearly showed that he wanted to take a little extra advantage.

"Fine, then it is settled. You may take the Flame Rat's fur and hide. The remaining Demonic Beast Materials will be mine."

Though Song Qingming knew he would suffer a slight loss this way, he did not argue with Jia Sixing. He knew in his heart that although all three of them had the same cultivation, these two had been Sixth Layer of Qi Refining cultivators for many years. Their combat ability was likely greater than his. He had only just joined the Flying Cloud Guard, and being overly calculating might instead leave the others dissatisfied.

From Old Ghost Feng, Song Qingming had learned that the Flame Rat they were dealing with this time had, at most, the cultivation of the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Refining Stage. Though it was already a High-grade Demonic Beast, among the many high-grade demonic beasts of the Qi Refining Stage, the Flame Rat's divine abilities were ordinary. It was not considered a difficult demonic beast to handle.

Otherwise, if they had been dealing with one of those troublesome high-grade demonic beasts, then even if Old Ghost Feng could make flowers bloom from his clever tongue and offered a sky-high price, Song Qingming could only regret that he was unable to help. Spirit Stones were good, but one had to stay alive to spend them. At worst, he could return to the Marketplace and inquire about White Dragon Mountain. As long as he was willing to spend the time, there would always be a way.

There was considerable risk in taking action against a High-grade Demonic Beast this time, but as long as he obtained half the Demonic Beast Materials, he could earn twenty or thirty Spirit Stones. He could also save several Spirit Talismans, become more familiar with his two teammates, and learn about their divine abilities. No matter how he calculated it, it was a worthwhile deal for Song Qingming. Since he had come out on a training journey, this much risk was something he would have to experience sooner or later.

The place where the White Jade Flower grew was only a little over fifty li from the camp. After the three made their agreement, they left the camp one after another early the next morning.

Those above generally did not press the Flying Cloud Guard too strictly on how quickly they completed their tasks. Rewards were distributed according to the quality of each person's completed task. As long as they did not bring disaster upon the camp, Lu Yunfei could not be bothered to care where they went.

After meeting at the foot of the mountain, the three followed Old Ghost Feng and traveled for more than half an hour before arriving at a small mountain covered in jagged rocks.

"The Flame Rat is in the mountain cave ahead. This demonic beast has an exceptionally keen nose. As long as anyone approaches the cave, they will immediately be attacked by the beast. Even an Invisibility Talisman is useless."

Old Ghost Feng pointed at a small rocky cave several dozen zhang ahead of them and spoke to Jia Sixing and Song Qingming at his side.

"We will follow the plan we agreed on during the journey. Brother Feng will first use the puppet to lure the demonic beast out. Once it emerges, Fellow Daoist Song will cut off its retreat and prevent it from returning to the cave."

Jia Sixing repeated the plan the three had worked out the day before.

Old Ghost Feng then slapped the Storage Bag at his waist, releasing a white Puppet Beast only three inches tall. Golden light flashed from the Puppet Beast, and it swiftly transformed into a White Tiger seven chi in size. Spiritual light shimmered across its body, making it look majestic and imposing.

Old Ghost Feng formed a restriction seal with both hands. Spiritual light flashed across the giant white tiger puppet, and white light lit up in its eyes as it charged rapidly toward the cave where the Flame Rat was hiding.

When it was still four or five zhang from the Cave Entrance, the White Tiger Puppet opened its jaws and instantly spat out a bolt of lightning. After a thunderous boom, shattered rocks flew through the air, and the Cave Entrance, more than half a man's height tall, was nearly completely buried beneath the blasted rubble.

Song Qingming's eyes lit up as he looked at the White Tiger Puppet. Old Ghost Feng's mid-grade White Tiger Puppet was actually a relatively rare Puppet Beast capable of using Lightning-element Spells.

First-rank Puppet Beasts were not particularly rare. Many large sects possessed such inheritances, and quite a few cultivators in Wei State's Carefree Sect could refine first-rank Puppet Beasts. However, Puppet Beasts of the second rank and above, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm, were exceedingly rare. No one in all of Wei State could refine them. Even if one gathered all the Golden Core Cultivators in Wei State together, they probably would not possess more than a few.

Among spells of all attributes, Lightning-element Spells had always possessed the most formidable offensive power. If used properly, Old Ghost Feng's White Tiger Puppet Beast could match a Fifth Level of Qi Refining cultivator.

Puppet Beasts generally possessed only about half the power of cultivators or demonic beasts of the same rank. An ordinary cultivator could usually control at most one or two puppets of the same rank. Any more, and they would be unable to bring out the puppets' full strength.

Only cultivators who practiced special techniques and possessed comparatively powerful divine sense could control more Puppet Beasts.

In the west of the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent lay the Purple Gold Kingdom, a country several times larger than Wei State. Within the Purple Gold Kingdom was a large sect that specialized in puppet arts, called the Golden Puppet Sect.

The Golden Puppet Sect possessed a secret technique dedicated to cultivating a cultivator's divine sense. It could make the divine sense of those who practiced it several times stronger than that of cultivators at the same rank. There had even been powerful cultivators within the Golden Puppet Sect who could control more than a dozen puppets at once.

With numerous Puppet Beasts to aid them, disciples of the Golden Puppet Sect often gained the upper hand in Cultivator Combat against opponents of the same rank. For this reason, whenever Golden Puppet Sect cultivators traveled outside, cultivators from other sects always feared them threefold.

Although the Golden Puppet Sect had only three Nascent Soul Cultivators, it had dominated the Purple Gold Kingdom's Cultivation World for thousands of years through several Nascent Soul-level puppets passed down from generation to generation within the sect. The other major Nascent Soul Sects of the Purple Gold Kingdom had risen and fallen, but the Golden Puppet Sect had remained standing through the ages, relying on the art of puppetry.

Old Ghost Feng was controlling the White Tiger Puppet and preparing to attack again when a rumbling sound suddenly came from the rubble at the Cave Entrance. With a strange, shrill squeak, a crimson demonic rat three chi long darted out from the pile of stones.