Iron-beaked Pig

The enormous Iron-beaked Pig before him had lost its sense of direction under the array's confusion. Enraged, it crashed about within the array, knocking the smaller trees in the forest every which way.

The Mist Array that remained active year-round outside Lingyuan Mountain was a mid-grade concealment array. Its main purpose was to trap intruders for a short time, giving the cultivators stationed here time to react.

The other defensive array required cultivators to use Spirit Stones to help power it, and it would only be activated when facing High-grade Demonic Beasts.

Because operating an array consumed Spirit Stones, the cost was far too great. The defensive array would not be activated unless absolutely necessary. In the half year since Song Qingming had come to Lingyuan Mountain, he had only seen Ninth Uncle, Song Changxin, activate it once, when dealing with a High-grade Three-eyed Demonic Wolf that had wandered in by mistake. Though they successfully drove the demonic wolf away in the end, they had consumed a full five Spirit Stones. Both uncle and nephew had ached over the loss afterward.

This Iron-beaked Pig was a Mid-grade Demonic Beast, three times the size of an ordinary wild boar. Its entire body was hard as iron, and its defenses were astonishing. Aside from being somewhat afraid of fire, it had no obvious weaknesses. Compared to other Mid-grade Demonic Beasts, however, the Iron-beaked Pig's offensive ability was somewhat lacking. Only the pair of sharp iron tusks in its mouth posed a major threat to enemies.

Song Qingming considered it calmly. He did not rush to notify Song Changxin, who was cultivating in seclusion. Instead, he first used a Spirit Light Technique to carefully observe the demonic beast and see whether he could drive it away using the array alone.

The Spirit Light Technique was a spell that enhanced a cultivator's eyesight. After Song Qingming cast it, the mist that shrouded the area a hundred feet away became crystal clear in his eyes.

"Eh? This fellow seems to be injured." With the Spirit Light Technique enhancing his vision, Song Qingming saw quite a few wounds on the Iron-beaked Pig's body. It seemed to have fought another demonic beast not long ago. This truly came as an unexpected delight.

Having been at Lingyuan Mountain for so long, Song Qingming knew that his primary duty here was to protect the clan mortals in the rear and the Mysterious Iron Ore Vein. Whenever demonic beasts harassed the area, they were generally driven away. In the past half year, Song Qingming had only killed one low-grade Civet Cat that had ventured too deeply inside.

He had always wanted a chance to prove the results of his recent cultivation. The wounded Iron-beaked Pig before him was a genuine Mid-grade Demonic Beast, and his hands itched to test himself.

After giving it some thought, Song Qingming still did not want to let this rare opportunity slip away. With his Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivation and a set of arrays on hand, even if he could not kill this Iron-beaked Pig as he wished, he was confident he could at least drive it away.

Song Qingming rose and quietly made his way to a patch of level ground nearby. With a wave of his hand, he set down several Array Flags, then patiently hid nearby and watched the Iron-beaked Pig's movements.

Half an hour later, the Iron-beaked Pig's wild rampaging finally brought it to the edge of the mist. Just as it was about to break free, an enormous Fireball came hurtling down from ahead and struck its massive head squarely.

Then Song Qingming, who had been hiding to the side, shouted and leaped out in front of the Iron-beaked Pig, blocking its path forward.

The Iron-beaked Pig's face had been scorched black by the sneak attack. The moment it saw Song Qingming, its eyes gradually turned red. It fixed its gaze on the human cultivator responsible for this, then arched its body backward to gather strength before charging at Song Qingming's position with the iron tusks in its mouth raised.

Seeing this, Song Qingming hurriedly cast an Earth Wall Technique, raising it before himself. He then sprang up onto a nearby tree, dodging the Iron-beaked Pig's furious strike.

With a rumbling crash, dust flew into the air. The earth wall only slightly slowed the Iron-beaked Pig's attack before it shattered beneath a single blow. But Song Qingming had already vanished from its sight. Having struck empty air, the Iron-beaked Pig turned around and continued searching for Song Qingming's trail.

Song Qingming leaped from the tree into the air and touched the Storage Bag at his waist. A Mysterious Iron Sword instantly appeared in his hand. Gripping it with both hands, he slashed down at the Iron-beaked Pig below, striking its hard iron tusks directly.

With a thunderous bang, Song Qingming staggered back several steps, both hands going numb from the impact. The Iron-beaked Pig was also left dazed and dizzy, while large amounts of blood seeped from its wounds, which had only just begun to recover.

This fellow really is thick-skinned and tough. If it weren't injured, I truly wouldn't have much of a way to deal with it head-on.

Song Qingming did not continue the entanglement. He turned and ran toward the rear. Seeing the cultivator who had enraged it trying to flee, the Iron-beaked Pig angrily gave chase.

Song Qingming glanced back at the Iron-beaked Pig rapidly pursuing him. He hurriedly took out a Swiftness Talisman and stuck it to his foot, speeding up to widen the gap. After racing several hundred paces and darting into an open clearing, Song Qingming finally stopped. Seeing that the four Array Flags he had planted earlier still stood safely in place, he took a slight breath and turned to face the charging Iron-beaked Pig.

The moment the Iron-beaked Pig entered the array, Song Qingming immediately cast two more Earth Wall Techniques, trapping it between earthen walls. By the time it had just broken free, Song Qingming had successfully activated the array he had set up.

Five Array Flags on the ground emitted a burst of dazzling yellow light. In an instant, the ground shook violently, and the area several yards wide beneath the Iron-beaked Pig rapidly sank, forming a massive pit several yards across. It was the Earth Marsh Array.

Sensing that things were amiss, the Iron-beaked Pig hurriedly smashed through the earth wall before it, intending to leap out of the pit. Yet the soil beneath it had already become as soft as a marsh, leaving it unable to find any foothold. Half its body instead sank into the mire. Before long, green vines rapidly grew from the walls at the four corners of the pit and wound toward the Iron-beaked Pig within the array, instantly binding it fast.

Trapped in its predicament, the Iron-beaked Pig continuously thrashed its body with all its strength, trying to break free of what bound it. But the green vines were extraordinarily tough. As Song Qingming steadily poured spiritual power into them, more vines continuously sprouted from around the array. It had only broken a few when even more coiled around it. Not only could it not escape, but the bindings only grew tighter and tighter.

This Iron-beaked Pig had already been injured, and it had caused a great uproar in the Mist Array, leaving it with little strength to spare. At this point, it likely could not even display half the strength it had before being wounded. Otherwise, there was no way the Earth Marsh Array, activated by Song Qingming alone, could have trapped it so easily.

Time slowly passed, and the Iron-beaked Pig's struggles within the array grew weaker and weaker. Its injuries had already been severe, and its violent struggle had exhausted all its strength. Slowly, unwillingly, it lowered its ferocious head. Its breath only came out and did not go in, and it was plainly on the verge of death.

Seeing this, Song Qingming slowly withdrew the spiritual power in his hands. He summoned the Mysterious Iron Sword once more, leaped high into the air, and severed the Iron-beaked Pig's enormous head with a single stroke.

Looking at the massive Iron-beaked Pig corpse, Song Qingming revealed a satisfied smile. Though this battle had been somewhat dangerous, the gains had been substantial.

The pair of iron tusks in the Iron-beaked Pig's mouth were excellent materials for Artifact Refining, while its tough Pig Skin could be made into Dharma Robes. After gathering the valuable materials, Song Qingming called over several young mortals from the village and had them carry the remaining pork back together.

The flesh and blood of demonic beasts were great tonics for both cultivators and mortals. Song Qingming stored part of the pork in his Storage Bag and distributed all the rest to the village. It was enough to feed them for quite some time.

The mortals of Lingyuan Mountain rarely had the chance to eat a demonic beast. They were deeply grateful for Song Qingming's generosity, and they held even greater respect in their hearts for this young immortal master before them.

Having finally obtained some valuable Demonic Beast Materials, Song Qingming began planning a trip back to Funiu Mountain. He intended to exchange them at the clan's Treasury Pavilion for a mid-grade magical artifact. He had now gathered enough Spirit Stones ahead of time. With a mid-grade magical artifact in hand, Song Qingming's combat strength against enemies would rise considerably.

An ordinary mid-grade magical artifact cost around twenty Spirit Stones. The Iron-beaked Pig's pair of iron tusks could fetch seven or eight Spirit Stones at the Marketplace. With these materials and some additional Spirit Stones of his own, exchanging them for a mid-grade flying sword should not be a problem.