Hidden Dragon Staff

He examined it carefully. The Green Jade Staff did not bear a compound restriction; it had only one, a Falling Rock Art restriction. Unlike other spells, Falling Rock Art was still called Falling Rock Art even at the intermediate and advanced levels. Its power, however, was worlds apart.

He thought to himself, If only I could take this Green Jade Staff out. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a clatter, and the Green Jade Staff fell to the ground.

Yan Chihuo's consciousness immediately left that place as well. Looking at the Green Jade Staff on the ground, he finally understood what this Jade Ring was: a storage ring cultivators used to store their treasures! The magical power blocking him had been a magical imprint left by that old man. But could the magical imprint of a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator really be this powerful? It had taken him several days of constantly wearing it down with his own magical power to remove it.

He shook his head and thought, I must have guessed wrong. There are so many treasures in here; a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator could never have owned them all. This must be a storage ring left behind by their master. It would make sense for the magical imprint of a Qi Gathering Stage cultivator to be this powerful.

He silently commanded, "Retrieve!" A flash of white light passed, and the Green Jade Staff vanished without a trace. He probed with his magical power, and the staff reappeared inside the ring, just as he expected.

He tried several more times. Once he found that he could take the Green Jade Staff in and out at will, he looked over the other things inside. The space within was fairly large, but there really wasn't much in it.

There was only a small pouch, two jade bottles, and a Jade Box. Yan Chihuo took out the pouch first and opened it. He found it was filled entirely with Jade Crystals—more than a hundred of them.

Each of the two jade bottles contained three red pills. They smelled medicinal, and although Yan Chihuo couldn't identify them, he knew they were no ordinary elixirs. The Jade Box held a bundle of incense that gave off a faint fragrance.

What was this? Yan Chihuo still couldn't identify it. He hadn't found a way to leave this place, either, and couldn't help feeling deeply disappointed. Almost absentmindedly, he turned the Jade Box over and noticed three words written on its underside: "Exorcism Incense."

He pondered for a moment. Going by the name, this incense should have some power to drive away demons. Could it disperse those crows? Since he had no other options, he took out a stick and walked to the cave entrance. Most of the crows had dispersed, and only one or two remained outside.

He didn't know whether the Exorcism Incense would work as he hoped. After all, "exorcism" could mean many things. He drew his long sword and lit the incense, and a strong fragrance immediately filled the air. The two Crow Monsters outside caught its scent, cawed twice, and flew far away.

Seeing this, Yan Chihuo felt reassured. He leapt out of the cave entrance and began climbing upward. The Exorcism Incense worked just as he'd hoped. Not a single crow demon attacked him along the way.

Several days later, Yan Chihuo presented the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's head at the Merit Pavilion of the Cloud Soaring Sect. The disciple on duty examined it closely and said, "Good. This is indeed the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. Although he could change his appearance in countless ways, our sect knows his features inside and out."

Yan Chihuo grumbled inwardly, If you know the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's features inside and out, how did you get his cultivation wrong?

The disciple said, "It's just that the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had reached the Body Tempering Middle Stage. How about this, Junior Brother Yan: you should have received ten Jade Crystals this time, but because our sect's intelligence was faulty and we got his cultivation wrong, we'll give you twenty. What do you think?"

Yan Chihuo was even more surprised. How had this Merit Pavilion disciple figured out that the man had reached the Body Tempering Middle Stage?

The disciple noticed Yan Chihuo's expression and said, "There's no need to be surprised, Junior Brother. This is a secret technique of our sect that lets us determine the cultivation of the dead. Do you think twenty Jade Crystals aren't enough? I've already done everything I can. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to report this to the sect master."

Yan Chihuo said, "What are you saying, Senior Brother? How could I be dissatisfied? The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's cultivation had advanced, so how could you have known? Thank you for the twenty Jade Crystals, Senior Brother."

The disciple let out a quiet breath, took out twenty Jade Crystals, and handed them to Yan Chihuo. If Yan Chihuo refused and the matter reached the sect master, the disciple wouldn't be punished, but the sect master would surely think he was incompetent. That was the last thing he wanted.

Yan Chihuo left the Merit Pavilion and went to Ping Qi's cave abode. The moment Ping Qi saw him, his face darkened. "You still have those dog paws of yours? The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon didn't chop them off? Two years ago, Wen Chong, Wu Yunhe's most prized disciple, was already at the Body Forging Late Stage and on the verge of advancing to the Qi Gathering Stage. He went after the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon and never returned. Only later did we learn that the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had killed him. How long have you been cultivating, and you already dared to go after him?"

Although Ping Qi gave him a thorough scolding, Yan Chihuo knew his master was worried about his safety, and felt somewhat moved. He lowered his voice. "This disciple knows he was wrong. Please calm your anger, Master."

Ping Qi's expression softened a little, but he still kept a stern face. "Now you know how powerful the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon is. So, are you giving up on this mission?"

Yan Chihuo said, "Thanks to Master's blessing, I killed the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon."

An incredulous look crossed Ping Qi's face. "Heh, I never thought you'd actually kill the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. Good! That'll give Wu Yunhe a real slap in the face." As he spoke, he actually smiled, completely disregarding how Yan Chihuo's words had also dealt him a slap in the face.

Yan Chihuo took out the Green Jade Staff Dharma Tool and said to Ping Qi, "Master, I obtained this Dharma Tool when I killed the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. It's no use to me at my current level, so I'd like to offer it to you." With that, he handed the Green Jade Staff over.

Ping Qi took the Green Jade Staff, but said, "This is a treasure you obtained yourself. How could I accept it? Still, why does this staff look so familiar to me?"

Ping Qi's eyes suddenly lit up. "It really is Wu Yunhe's Hidden Dragon Staff! He obtained this Talisman Artifact back when he was still at the Body Tempering Stage. Later, he refined it into a Dharma Tool. It was mediocre by nature, so he eventually stopped using it and passed it on to Wen Chong. But Wen Chong died at the hands of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, and this treasure was lost, too. You can't use this Dharma Tool anyway. Why don't we take it to Wu Yunhe and trade it for something you can use? Come with me."

With that, he left his cave abode, and Yan Chihuo hurried after him. After Ping Qi exited the cave, he followed the path south. They passed a small grove, and a cave abode came into view. Judging by its grandeur and the spiritual energy around it, it surpassed even Ping Qi's cave abode. This must be Wu Yunhe's residence.