Beast Talisman

Among his peers, Wu Qianqiu might have been considered rather seasoned and calculating. But in Lei Dong's eyes, his deliberate attempt to provoke him with a smiling taunt was simply too childish.

Sure enough, he still lacked composure. Hearing Lei Dong's taunt, he couldn't help turning pale with anger. He dropped the act, revealing a vicious, jealous expression. "Lei Dong, you really do have a sharp tongue. You don't deserve to be a Personal Disciple. Today, I, Wu Qian—"

Before he could finish his opening speech, Lei Dong's Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier appeared, swinging its long blade as it charged at him with a murderous look. It was swift and imposing, and after being empowered by the Bloodthirsty Art, it left a crimson streak through the air.

Wu Qianqiu hurriedly sprang backward, forming a hand seal and swiftly casting a Profound Yin Shield over himself. Almost at the same moment, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier used its momentum to slam its blade into the shield. The tremendous force sent ripples across the newly formed shield, warping it until it nearly collapsed.

Wu Qianqiu's face changed. He didn't even have time to curse Lei Dong for being despicable. He quickly circulated his true qi and tossed out a jade talisman.

The jade talisman shattered into pieces as it shot through the air, and a semi-transparent, striped tiger appeared out of nowhere before them. The instant it appeared, the tiger threw back its head and let out a fierce roar, making everyone's ears ring and their minds reel. Then it opened its jaws, and with another roar, a white-glowing orb blasted toward the Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier.

Bang! The Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier reacted with remarkable speed, raising its shield to block. A thunderous crash sent a shock wave surging in every direction, stinging their cheeks. To everyone's astonishment, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier was blasted several yards backward, its shield caved in deep.

"What kind of spell is that?" The fearsome, formidable transparent tiger left the onlooking disciples exclaiming in amazement.

A life-and-death duel required combatants to fight with their lives on the line. Even in an Evil Sect, such contests couldn't be held every day. In fact, they were fairly rare. So this time, it wasn't just disciples from the same cohort who had come to watch after hearing the news; even the more experienced disciples from the previous cohort had gathered.

"That's a Beast Talisman, one of the Spirit Talisman Sect's signature talismans." A young man from the previous cohort, who had only reached the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, exclaimed in admiration. "Judging by the fighting strength of that beast soul, it's at least on par with someone at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage. That talisman must be worth no less than three hundred spirit stones."

Three hundred spirit stones? For most ordinary disciples, that was an astronomical sum—enough to buy a fine Mid-grade Magic Artifact. Exclamations rang out one after another. Hearing them, Wu Qianqiu felt a little smug as he directed the tiger to pounce on Lei Dong.

Lei Dong's expression shifted as well. He had never even heard of a Beast Talisman. The strength of an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator was indeed troublesome. The nouveau riche certainly had a nouveau-riche's flair. Lei Dong quickly steadied himself and formed a hand seal, casting a Profound Yin Shield over his body. At the same time, he lightly tapped the ground with his foot. A faint layer of black mist shrouded him, and he drifted backward at high speed like a specter. With every movement, afterimages flickered into being, so lifelike that it was hard to tell where he had gone.

But the tiger was no weakling. Another fierce roar made Lei Dong's drifting figure falter. Seizing the opportunity, it swung a paw at him.

Boom! The Profound Yin Shield was smashed apart. As energy shot in every direction, Lei Dong was sent flying backward. Just as the tiger was about to pursue him, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier flashed over and blocked its path. It brandished its blade and shield, locking the tiger in combat.

"For three hundred spirit stones, you can buy a beast soul that fierce? I'd sell everything I own for one!" The tiger's might dazzled the onlookers, and one of them couldn't help exclaiming, "Just point it at whoever you don't like and let it swat them. What a show of power! A beast soul this fierce is a much better deal than buying an Upper Grade Magic Item!"

"You fool," the young man snapped. "That Beast Talisman can only be used once,

"and it can only last for a quarter of an hour at most. Otherwise, do you think three hundred spirit stones could buy such a powerful pet that was ready to fight at any moment? Besides, beast souls like this aren't very intelligent. They're not as clever as the Ghost Servants of our Yin Sha Sect."

A quarter of an hour? Lei Dong had already directed his three Ghost Soldiers into position to encircle the tiger. Just as he was about to use the Netherflame Ghost Claw, his sharp ears caught that the beast soul could only last a quarter of an hour. After also hearing its weakness explained, a cold smile curled his lips. He ordered the Shadow Ghost Soldier to attack it from behind, just once, to see if it could provoke the tiger.

Meanwhile, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Soldier and the other Ghost Soldier wheeled around in midair and went straight for Wu Qianqiu. Wu Qianqiu had been gloating over his beast soul's ferocity, but he hadn't expected someone to expose its weakness. He shot a resentful look at the talkative young man. But facing the two Ghost Soldiers closing in on him, he had no choice but to summon a shield wreathed in swirling red light. At the same time, a Flying Sword of the same style and color rose up and shot straight toward Lei Dong.

Clang! A piercing metallic clash rang out. Right before Lei Dong, a shield wreathed in spiritual mist appeared, its form seeming almost unreal. It met the red Flying Sword's fierce strike head-on. Ripples sliced through the air, billowing the hem of Lei Dong's black robe backward, yet his expression remained utterly calm.

Time itself seemed to stop. Even the disciples from the previous cohort were dumbfounded. Upper Grade Magic Items—one after another, all Upper Grade Magic Items.

After the red Flying Sword and the misty shield clashed, both seemed to have taken some damage, their lights dimming. Still, the red Flying Sword continued circling Lei Dong, searching for an opening and a chance to attack. But the misty shield was also an Upper Grade Magic Item. Under Lei Dong's control, it constantly sealed off the Flying Sword's lines of attack, as though the sword could only harm its master after breaking through the shield.

The situation on Wu Qianqiu's side was much the same. Two Ghost Soldiers, both nearing the peak of the sixth level, kept attacking him with a long blade and a bow. Wu Qianqiu dodged whenever he could. When he couldn't, his red Upper Grade Law Shield protected him. After all, an Upper Grade Law Shield had astonishing defensive power; the two Ghost Soldiers weren't going to break through it in just one or two blows.

Wu Qianqiu no longer had the spare concentration or attention to micromanage the beast soul. All he could do was occasionally order it to attack Lei Dong. Yet each time the tiger pounced toward Lei Dong, the Shadow Ghost Soldier provoked it, and it switched its target to the Shadow Ghost Soldier instead.

The young man had been right. The beast soul was far less nimble and clever than a Ghost Servant. In a sense, all it retained was a trace of a Monster Beast's instinct, driving its actions.

Lei Dong wondered to himself: Wu Qianqiu had dared to challenge him to a life-and-death duel, so surely he had more tricks up his sleeve. Though Lei Dong appeared relaxed, he grew especially cautious. He also began using Ghost Shadow Escape, making his figure hazy and elusive as he tried his best to dodge the Flying Sword rather than relying entirely on the misty shield. With the help of his Cloud Ascending Boots, he could use Ghost Shadow Escape with exceptional speed.

At the same time, he flicked his hand. A deep, inky green streak, tinged with a shade of green that made one's soul shudder, pierced the air and shot toward Wu Qianqiu.

"The Ghost Fire Sword—is that another Upper Grade Magic Item?" The young man from the previous cohort couldn't help groaning. What kind of monsters were in this cohort? They were all at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, so why did they have one Upper Grade Magic Item after another? He had spent seventeen or eighteen years scraping together only two Mid-grade Magic Artifacts. Still, he was quite knowledgeable; he could tell a Magic Tool's quality at a glance.

Of course, Wu Qianqiu had an Upper Grade Law Shield protecting him, so the Ghost Fire Sword couldn't kill him. But its fierce strike still carved a crack into his Upper Grade Law Shield. Wu Qianqiu jolted in alarm, his expression turning especially grim. He had wanted to bully Lei Dong a little, thinking that at most, Lei Dong would have one Upper Grade Magic Item and two Ghost Soldiers. A year ago, during the Small Competition, Lei Dong had only used Mid-grade Magic Artifacts—not a single Upper Grade one.

But now Wu Qianqiu knew he had kicked a thick iron plate.