Hidden Dragon Staff

He carefully examined it and realized this Green Jade Staff did not possess a complex array of restrictions; it held only a single, simple restriction: the Falling Rock Art. Unlike other spells, the Falling Rock Art is referred to by the same name whether it is a mid-tier or high-tier spell, yet the disparity in their power is as vast as heaven and earth.

He thought to himself, If only I could take this Green Jade Staff out. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a clatter echoed, and the Green Jade Staff fell onto the ground.

Yan Chihuo's consciousness immediately withdrew from that space. Looking at the Green Jade Staff on the ground, he finally understood what this jade ring was: a storage ring used by cultivators to keep their treasures! That barrier of mana was a seal left behind by the old man, but could the mana seal of a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator truly be this strong? It would require him to spend several days of constant effort to wear it down before it could be removed.

He shook his head, secretly thinking, I fear I was mistaken. There are so many treasures here; this could never belong to a mere Body Forging Late Stage cultivator. This must be a storage ring left behind by their master. It makes sense for the mana seal of a Qi Gathering Stage cultivator to be this powerful.

He whispered in his heart, "Store!" A flash of white light streaked by, and the Green Jade Staff vanished without a trace. He probed with his mana and found that the staff had indeed reappeared inside the ring.

He tested it a few more times and, finding that he could retrieve the staff at will, he turned his attention to the other items inside. Although the space was not small, there were not many things within.

There was only a small pouch, two jade bottles, and a jade box. Yan Chihuo first took out the small pouch and opened it to find it filled with Jade Crystals—there were over a hundred of them.

The two jade bottles each contained three red medicinal pills that emitted a fragrant scent. Though Yan Chihuo did not recognize them, he knew these spiritual pills were extraordinary. Inside the jade box lay a bundle of incense, which gave off a faint, lingering aroma.

What was this? Yan Chihuo still did not know, and he felt a deep sense of disappointment at not finding a way to leave this place. Subconsciously, he flipped the jade box over and discovered three characters inscribed on the bottom: "Exorcism Incense."

He pondered for a moment, thinking, As the name implies, this incense should have the effect of driving away demons. Could it be that this incense can disperse those crows? With no other options, he took out a stick, walked to the cave entrance, and saw that most of the crows had already scattered, with only one or two remaining outside.

He did not know if the Exorcism Incense would work as he hoped, as the term "exorcism" was ambiguous. He drew his long sword, lit the incense, and a thick, pungent aroma immediately wafted out. Upon smelling this scent, the two Crow Monsters outside let out a few caws and flew far away.

Seeing this, Yan Chihuo felt a surge of relief. He leaped out of the cave entrance and began to climb upward. The Exorcism Incense was indeed effective; throughout the journey, not a single crow demon came to harass him.

Several days later, at the Merit Pavilion of the Cloud Soaring Sect, Yan Chihuo presented the head of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. The disciple at the pavilion examined it carefully and said, "Correct, this is indeed the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. Although he is adept at changing his appearance, our sect knows his physical characteristics like the back of our hand."

Yan Chihuo secretly scoffed; if they knew his appearance so well, how could they have been so wrong about his cultivation level?

The disciple continued, "However, this Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's cultivation had actually reached the Body Tempering Middle Stage. How about this, Junior Brother Yan? You were originally entitled to ten Jade Crystals, but due to our sect's intelligence error regarding his cultivation, I will give you twenty. What do you think?"

Yan Chihuo was even more surprised. How did this disciple at the Merit Pavilion discern that the man had been at the Body Tempering Middle Stage?

The disciple noticed Yan Chihuo's expression and said, "Junior Brother, do not be surprised. This is a secret technique of our sect that can detect the cultivation level of the deceased. Are twenty Jade Crystals not enough? I have already done my absolute best. If you are not satisfied, I will have no choice but to report this to the Sect Master."

Yan Chihuo replied, "Brother, what are you saying? How could I be dissatisfied? How could you have known that the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had broken through? Twenty Jade Crystals—thank you, Brother."

The disciple let out a soft sigh of relief and handed the twenty Jade Crystals to Yan Chihuo. If Yan Chihuo had refused and taken the matter to the Sect Master, while he might not have been punished, it would certainly have left the Sect Master with the impression that he was incompetent, which was something he did not want to happen.

Yan Chihuo left the Merit Pavilion and went to Ping Qi's cave dwelling. As soon as Ping Qi saw him, his face darkened, and he said, "Your pair of dog paws weren't chopped off by the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon? Two years ago, Wen Chong, the prized disciple of Wu Yunhe, was already at the Body Tempering Late Stage and on the verge of advancing to the Qi Gathering Stage. He went to find trouble with the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon and never returned; we only later learned he died at the demon's hands. How long have you been cultivating, and you dared to go looking for trouble with the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon?"

Although Yan Chihuo was scolded severely by Ping Qi, he knew Ping Qi was worried about his safety and felt a touch of warmth in his heart. He said softly, "Disciple knows he was wrong. Please, Master, calm your anger."

Ping Qi's expression softened slightly, but he still kept a stern face. "Now that you know how formidable the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon is, have you given up on this task?"

Yan Chihuo replied, "Thanks to your blessing, Master, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon has been slain by me."

An look of disbelief appeared on Ping Qi's face as he said, "Heh, I never expected you to actually kill the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. Very good. This time, you have truly slapped Wu Yunhe in the face." After saying this, a smile actually appeared on his face, completely ignoring the fact that what Yan Chihuo had done was also a slap to his own face.

Yan Chihuo then took out the Green Jade Staff Dharma Tool and said to Ping Qi, "Master, I obtained this Dharma Tool after killing the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. It is of no use to me right now, so I wish to offer it to you." With that, he handed the staff over.

Ping Qi reached out and took the Green Jade Staff, saying, "This is a treasure you obtained; how could I accept it? But why does this staff look so familiar to me?"

Ping Qi's eyes lit up, and he said, "It really is Wu Yunhe's Hidden Dragon Staff! This was a Talisman Artifact he obtained back when he was still in the Body Tempering Stage. Later, he refined it into a Dharma Tool, but because its essence was mediocre, he eventually discarded it and passed it to Wen Chong. Unexpectedly, Wen Chong died at the hands of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, and this treasure was lost. Since you have no use for this Dharma Tool, why don't we take it to Wu Yunhe and trade it for something you can use? Follow me."

With that, he left the cave dwelling, and Yan Chihuo hurriedly followed. After exiting the cave, Ping Qi walked south along the path, and after passing through a small grove, a cave dwelling appeared before them. Judging by the grandeur and spiritual energy of this dwelling, it surpassed even Ping Qi's, so it was likely the residence of Wu Yunhe.