Spirit Control Tower

Shen Long activated the Soundproofing Array and took out the foot-tall small tower.

The small tower felt heavy in his hand, its surface carved with mysterious patterns.

He poured mana into the small tower. It lit up with dazzling blue light and grew larger.

When the tower had grown taller than a person, Shen Long stopped channeling mana, and the Blue Small Tower ceased expanding.

A plaque hung above the tower door, bearing three mysterious characters. Shen Long had no idea what they meant.

"Barbarian script?"

Shen Long asked in confusion.

The Barbarian Race was a powerful race in the East Hua Cultivation World and the mortal enemy of the Human Race. The Barbarian Race had its own civilization, writing system, and cultivation methods.

If it was a Dharma Artifact, he would be able to use it after refining it.

Shen Long sat down cross-legged and began refining the small tower.

After completing the refinement, he formed a hand seal, but the small tower showed no reaction.

Shen Long frowned. "Could it be a Dharma Treasure?"

Dharma Treasures were more advanced than Dharma Artifacts. Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above could wield them.

At that thought, Shen Long's breathing grew heavy. If it truly was a Dharma Treasure, he had struck it rich.

He calmed down and carefully recalled how he had obtained the small tower. Dharma Treasures were weapons used by High-Level Cultivators. How could one have been inside a first rank middle stage Spirit-Devouring Rat?

Unable to figure it out, he stopped dwelling on it. Perhaps Dharma Treasures had special methods of activation, unlike Dharma Artifacts.

Shen Long was merely a Qi Refining Cultivator. Foundation Establishment Cultivators were already lofty figures to him, while Golden Core Cultivators were legends.

With his current cultivation, he had no way to learn the activation methods for Dharma Treasures, so he could only give up.

"The shopkeeper once said that a Dharma Treasure needs blood to recognize its master."

A look of recollection appeared on Shen Long's face as he muttered to himself.

Sun Huowang had access to Foundation Establishment Cultivators and possessed broad knowledge. He had once said that Dharma Treasures could only be used after recognizing their master through blood.

Shen Long bit open his right index finger and dripped three drops of Essence Blood onto the small tower. The small tower quickly absorbed all three drops.

He tried pouring mana into the small tower. It immediately blazed with blue light, and a powerful suction force surged forth from nowhere, pulling Shen Long uncontrollably toward the tower door.

His vision blurred, and he appeared in a vast, brightly lit hall. At the center of the hall was a pool over a hundred zhang wide, while the stone walls were carved with images of Monster Beasts.

"Dragon, phoenix, Qilin, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird..."

Shen Long recognized the origins of some of the Monster Beasts. He had only seen written descriptions of them in ancient records and had never laid eyes on living ones.

These Monster Beast images closely resembled the powerful Monster Beasts recorded in the ancient texts, such as dragons, phoenixes, and Qilins. He recognized only some of them; many more were unfamiliar to him.

"Could this be a treasure of the Spirit Control Sect?"

A bold speculation surfaced in Shen Long's mind.

The Spirit Control Sect was one of the Five Great Powers of the Qin Kingdom. It had a long heritage, with Nascent Soul Cultivators overseeing it, and it excelled at controlling insects and taming beasts.

He walked to the side of the pool, only to find it completely empty.

He circled the hall once but discovered nothing.

"Wait, isn't the area of this space far too large? A spatial treasure?"

Shen Long froze slightly. The stone house he lived in was not large, yet the hall before him vastly surpassed it in size.

Whether it was the Monster Beast carvings on the walls or the size of the hall, both lay beyond Shen Long's understanding. This small tower was definitely no ordinary treasure.

He walked toward the tower door, placed both hands on it, and pushed hard. A powerful suction force appeared out of nowhere and thrust him outside.

Shen Long reappeared in the stone house, and the small tower returned to its original size.

After testing it several times, Shen Long grasped how to use the small tower. As long as he poured mana into it, a powerful suction force would draw him into the tower. Pushing open the tower door would allow him to leave.

"I'll call it the Spirit Control Tower!"

Shen Long gave the small tower a name. He could not recognize the words on the plaque above its door, but considering the Monster Beast images inside and the Spirit Control Sect, he named it the Spirit Control Tower.

He put away the Spirit Control Tower, ate a jar of Golden Pearl Spirit Rice, and began cultivating.

Ten hours later, Shen Long emerged from the stone house and headed toward the Martial Practice Garden on the mountain to practice his spells.

Two days later, Shen Long was practicing spells in a secret chamber within the Martial Practice Garden. He stood before a sandpit.

Cyan light blazed from his right hand. He pointed at the sandpit, and a streak of cyan light shot out and sank into the sand.

Half an hour later, Shen Long walked out of the Stone Chamber. More than a dozen White Ice Spikes were embedded in the sandpit.

He headed down the mountain and encountered Qin Qing along the way.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, I knew you would be here. Daoist Xu has something to discuss with us."

Qin Qing spoke with a grave expression.

Shen Long nodded and followed Qin Qing to the Green Bamboo Courtyard.

Xu Lei, Sun Yang, and Liu Xin sat within a stone pavilion. Liu Xin looked haggard.

When they saw that Shen Long was safe and sound, they nodded.

"What happened, Daoist Xu?"

Shen Long asked.

"Daoist Chen has fallen. We don't have enough manpower, so we need to find new companions before entering the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts again."

Xu Lei said.

They had fled rather quickly, but Chen Qiang and Liu Xin had been attacked by dozens of Fire Crows. Chen Qiang stayed behind to cover Liu Xin's retreat and was killed by the Fire Crows.

That left them with only five people, and they needed to replenish their manpower.

"I have no objections, but the newcomers must be trustworthy, and their strength cannot be too weak."

Shen Long said.

"Indeed. This old man fully agrees with Fellow Daoist Shen."

Qin Qing expressed his wholehearted agreement.

Sun Yang and Liu Xin had no objections either. Xu Lei nodded and said, "Mrs. Liu, the dead cannot return to life. Rest well. We will find new companions as soon as possible, then enter the mountains again to hunt Monster Beasts."

After chatting for a few moments, Shen Long and the other three left one after another.

After leaving the Green Bamboo Courtyard, Shen Long headed down the mountain.

When he arrived at the Bluestone Square where Rogue Cultivators set up stalls, Shen Long wandered around, looking at the goods.

"An exotic insect from the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking? Is that real?"

"True gold fears no fire. How could it be fake? If you don't believe me, find someone knowledgeable to inspect it."

"The vitality of these Insect Eggs is weak. Whether they can even hatch is another matter entirely."

"Spirit Control Sect! Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking!"

Shen Long became interested and hurried forward.

Before long, he arrived at a small stall. The owner was a green-robed elder over sixty years old. Many items lay on the stall—ores, spirit herbs, Spirit Wood, Monster Beast Materials—and a Cyan Jade Box caught Shen Long's attention.

Inside the Cyan Jade Box were dozens of white Insect Eggs, each emitting faint fluctuations of vitality.

Huang Xiuyun stood before the stall, curiously examining the Insect Eggs in the jade box.

"Who can tell what kind of Insect Eggs they are just by looking at them? Lower the price, and I'll buy them."

Huang Xiuyun bargained.

"These are Snow Crystal Spider eggs. Fifty Spirit Stones per egg, and the price is nonnegotiable."

The green-robed elder refused to budge.

"Fifty Spirit Stones for one Insect Egg? That's far too expensive."

Huang Xiuyun said with a frown.

"These aren't the eggs of ordinary Spirit Insects. If you can't recognize quality goods, then forget it. Go somewhere else if you want to take advantage of someone."

The old man in green robes replied impatiently.

"If they truly are Snow Crystal Spider eggs, then fifty Spirit Stones per egg isn't expensive."

A loud male voice rang out.

As soon as the words fell, a plump golden-robed youth walked over. The golden-robed youth had fair, clean features, and a Cyan Spirit Beast Bag hung from his waist.