The Second Method of Refining Scrolls

Chapter 12: 12. The Second Method of Refining Talismans

Swish!

Ning Xuan sheathed his saber.

The massive black bear's corpse landed heavily on the ground.

Swish!

Ning Xuan drew his saber again, stabbing it into the black bear's body.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

His expression was blank as he repeatedly delivered finishing blows until the black bear was thoroughly mangled. Only then did he sheathe his saber.

He recalled Master Zhang's words.

Although Master Zhang was merely a martial artist, his words held wisdom.

Under equal conditions, techniques were extremely important. The power unleashed by the exquisite "Flying Swallow Mountain Collapse" when wielded with a saber was far superior to the crude "Bear Prowess Mountain Collapse."

He glanced again at the bear's body, which, aside from its fur, revealed no hidden objects. He stopped paying attention and instead gazed toward a distant cave.

In front of the cave, several Bear Demons stood, exuding an intimidating presence.

Suddenly, many of the bears let out "howls," their meaning incomprehensible to Ning Xuan.

He narrowed his eyes, observing for a moment. Seeing many young bear demons fleeing frantically toward the cave behind them, he suddenly crouched, dragging his Beast Slaying Saber as he ran, sprinting madly through the wild forest.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

He ran swiftly, his steps heavy.

But he avoided trees and rocks as much as possible, so as not to let these Bear Demons discover his "Bear Prowess Mountain Collapse."

Techniques must be hidden; only hidden techniques are lethal.

If the Mountain Crashing Bear demon he just fought had known he could use "Bear Prowess Mountain Collapse" with his saber, it certainly wouldn't have fought in the same way. In that case, even if he could win, he definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat the enemy in one move.

Now, although he hadn't used "Bear Prowess Mountain Collapse," his presence was still awe-inspiring. Coupled with the killing aura from defeating the leader in one move, many of the Bear Demons who had initially stood their ground were now terrified. They wailed and retreated into the cave.

Ning Xuan understood at once.

There was a leader inside the cave.

Otherwise, these subordinate Bear Demons wouldn't be running into the cave; they would be fleeing out.

It was precisely because there was still a backbone that they ran back.

A little intimidation had yielded intelligence.

He stopped running, conserving his energy, and twisted his neck, sensing his own condition.

Almost intact.

He scanned his surroundings, his fingers slightly unfurling before gripping the hilt of his Beast Slaying Saber again. Then, he slowly approached the cave step by step.

As he drew closer, he advanced, and the bolder Bear Demons still lingering outside the cave retreated.

He advanced again.

The Bear Demons retreated again.

When they could retreat no further, the Bear Demons were practically crammed together.

It was as if the one approaching wasn't a single person, but an army of thousands, or a terrifying monster.

When he was still about thirty feet from the cave entrance, Ning Xuan suddenly stopped, let out a roar, and the bears pressed against the entrance, startled, began to howl and all ran back into the cave.

Ning Xuan did not enter the cave. He casually grabbed a tree in front of the cave and shook it. Then, with his arms crossed, he exerted force.

The tree was uprooted with a whoosh.

Ning Xuan broke the tree into pieces with his hands in a few movements and took out a fire starter from his waist.

He had often been in the forest these past few days. Sometimes, when hungry, he would still catch and cook fish for himself. Although his physique could handle raw fish, cooked was definitely tastier.

Over time, the fire starter had become a personal item.

His idea was simple.

Start a fire to create smoke and force the bears out of the cave.

But.

He tried to light the fire starter several times, and each time the flame died out.

The small fire starter couldn't ignite a freshly broken tree.

Just then, he heard a faint sound from the direction of the cave. Something was coming out, faster and faster. By the time he noticed, a massive red shadow had already burst out of the cave.

Ning Xuan casually tossed aside the fire starter, gripped his saber with both hands, and used the practiced "Swallow Return Step." He retreated and then advanced, circling the Beast Slaying Saber like a spiral, instantly accelerating. Then, holding the saber with one hand, his body unfurled, and with a "Skillful Swallow Returning to Roost," he concealed "Flying Swallow Mountain Collapse" and thrust upward diagonally, unleashing an incredibly sharp and deadly hidden cold light.

The moment he thrust forward, he also saw a massive red shadow lunging at him.

He narrowed his eyes.

It was a bear again, a Mountain Crashing Bear, enormous in size. Though it looked a little smaller than the previous one, the difference wasn't significant.

The reason it was red was because this Mountain Crashing Bear was actually wearing a blood-red Brocade Kasaya.

It happened in an instant.

Although Ning Xuan found it strange that the Mountain Crashing Bear was wearing a kasaya and it conjured distant associations like "a certain bear stole a kasaya" in his mind, his Beast Slaying Saber was not slow at all.

He actually wanted to dodge the kasaya.

But in the flash of lightning, it was impossible to do so. Besides, the kasaya was huge, and avoiding it wasn't easy.

The next instant.

The tip of his saber touched the Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon.

The moment it made contact, Ning Xuan channeled his strength, silently thinking, "Collapse!!"

Swish!

The blood-red kasaya seemed to be suddenly caught by a strong wind, billowing backward.

Ning Xuan felt his power vanish as if it had fallen into the sea.

Bang!

He was sent flying backward, tumbling twice before landing. He held his long saber defensively, ready for another Swallow Return Step.

The Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon also staggered back several steps, its hind claws digging into a rock protruding from the ground before it finally stopped.

Crack!

The rock, unable to withstand the residual force, instantly shattered.

Ning Xuan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the blood-red kasaya, then squinted to observe every subtle movement of the bear demon.

His true nature was that of a dandy, a young master who enjoyed indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. However, that hellish nightmare of a life-and-death cycle, along with some experiences before his transmigration, had given him a temporary disposition.

A disposition that existed solely to kill the opponent.

When this disposition took over his body, he transformed into a killing machine.

He actually disliked this disposition.

But there was no other way.

At this moment, Ning Xuan wasn't thinking about where the blood-red kasaya came from or why it had such miraculous effects. He was only contemplating the reason for his recent failure.

Almost instantly, he keenly sensed that his previous strike had been directly diffused by the blood-red kasaya. The power had spread from a concentrated "point" to a "surface," naturally weakening it considerably.

His gaze slowly drifted upward again, fixing on the throat of the Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon.

The latter also sensed his gaze.

He didn't ask any questions.

The Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon didn't ask any questions either.

Who the hell would get distracted by asking questions in the middle of a life-or-death battle?

The Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon suddenly bared its fangs and grinned, wildly swinging its claws, turning the kasaya into two massive blood-red shields. Then, it transformed into a bloody gale and charged at him again, reaching within seven steps in an instant.

Ning Xuan took a step with his Swallow Return Step, simultaneously drawing his saber swiftly.

Man and demon clashed.

For a time, the saber was like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, the robe like a bloody ocean surging, you wished to soar and break through the sea, but the angry tide pressed down from the heavens.

As they crossed paths, shadows flickered, the sound of impact tore at people's eardrums, and the force of the impact stirred up violent air currents.

Ning Xuan's moves were superior, but unfortunately, the blood-red Brocade Kasaya provided immense coverage, leaving him little room to attack. And any slash he landed on the kasaya would be evenly dispersed by it.

As for the kasaya, it was made of some unknown material; no matter how Ning Xuan slashed or stabbed, he couldn't damage it in the slightest.

Bang!

With another collision, man and demon separated.

Ning Xuan stared at the bear demon, slowly adopting the starting stance for Swallow Return Three Sabers.

He had an idea.

He would give it a try.

If this attempt still failed, he would retreat.

The air fell silent for a moment.

The Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon's eyes glowed dimly, lost in thought. It suddenly erupted and pounced at Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan's body moved like a swallow, his saber faster than his body, striking out with Flying Swallow Chasing Wind to intercept.

The Blood Red Brocade Kasaya Bear Demon flipped its sleeve to block.

Ning Xuan pressed forward, changing his grip from one hand to two, and the swift Flying Swallow Chasing Wind was followed by the powerful Swallow Piercing Raging Waves.

Whoosh!

Splash, splash, splash!!

The Brocade Kasaya sank inward slightly, but it quickly distributed his strength.

Ning Xuan twisted his body, intending to use the kasaya to slide upward and slit the Bear Demon's throat.

The blood-colored kasaya-clad Bear Demon reacted quickly. Its dark, bulky arm suddenly flipped, pressing its elbow against Ning Xuan's blade. Then, with a surge of strength, it slammed down heavily on the blade.

It wanted to destroy its opponent's weapon.

Crack!

The blade snapped.

However, the blood-colored kasaya-clad Bear Demon's strength missed its target.

Its heavy blow missed.

But the blade still broke.

It wanted to break the blade.

It seized the opportunity and forcefully broke the blade.

Then the blade broke.

But, strangely, the blade wasn't broken by its crushing force.

The powerful press caused its body to sink slightly.

Ning Xuan broke his own blade, then, holding the broken blade, his momentum undiminished, he stepped forward, increasing his speed, and swung a Flying Swallow Mountain Collapse directly towards the bear's neck.

At that moment, it truly felt like a mutual approach.

The bear was descending, and the blade was ascending.

The bear's pupils widened, but even with its quick reactions, it could do nothing now.

Whoosh!

The broken blade sliced through the bear's neck, severing half of it.

Ning Xuan raised his hand, slapped the bear's head, flipped over, and rotated the blade, pulling it viciously from behind.

Bang!

A massive bear head landed on the ground.

It rolled into the dirt.

Ning Xuan scanned his surroundings, then quickly bent down to pick up the blood-colored Brocade Kasaya.

Just then, in the air where he clearly confirmed no one was present, a whistling sound suddenly came from right behind him.

The air seemed to boil, coming from behind him.

Ning Xuan tensed his entire body. Unable to dodge, he stomped his feet wildly, charging forward instead of retreating, towards the whistling wind.

But because it happened so suddenly, he didn't exert much strength in this move.

Bang!

He only felt a burning pain on his back and waist.

And the air he collided with revealed a strange white ape. This ape was entirely white, its fur about three inches long, its eyes flickering with an indescribable evil and lust. It held a metal staff in its hand.

Puff!

The white ape spat out blood. Clearly, its body wasn't as strong as the bear's. Even though Ning Xuan hadn't used his full strength to unleash Bear Prowess Mountain Collapse, it still wasn't feeling good.

This strange white ape stared quietly at Ning Xuan, then suddenly began to retreat.

Ning Xuan seized this opportunity, quickly scooped up the blood-colored Brocade Kasaya, and put it on.

In an instant, the blood-colored Brocade Kasaya dissolved into a mist with the scent of incense and scattered.

Ning Xuan was stunned.

The white ape's eyes lit up, and it let out a few "Heh heh" cackles, saying, "I thought you demons were preying on each other, but I didn't expect you wouldn't even know this. It seems you're just a local. Goodbye!!"

With that, its form flickered in mid-air, and it vanished completely.

Ning Xuan took two steps forward and looked at the pool of white ape blood on the ground.

Suddenly, a line of information appeared before his eyes:

[Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey]

[Heavenly Demon Clan Monkey Class Ordinary Branch Ghost Shadow Species (Physique): 3.5]

[Heavenly Demon Scroll: Observe the arrival of the Heavenly Demon, follow its vital essence, observe the root of its life, forcibly refine the scroll. Failure results in death and dissipation, success transforms it for your own use.]

[Refine Scroll?]

'No.'