Two Stories

Outside the Treasure Repository, Ye Jingcheng emerged with a pained expression.

This time, he had exchanged for another pill formula—a first-rank high-grade formula, the Ice Clarity Pill.

The Ice Clarity Pill was considered one of the easiest first-rank high-grade spirit pills to refine. Its main effect was to counter certain illusion techniques.

Ye Jingcheng had exchanged for this formula simply because he lacked confidence in that mysterious pill formula. He would first use the simple, easy-to-refine Ice Clarity Pill to improve his alchemy skills.

Once he was steady enough, he would refine the spirit pill recorded in the ancient book.

Even so, the formula had cost a full two hundred and thirty contribution points. Nearly all the contribution points Ye Jingcheng had earned through tireless days and nights in the market had gone into it.

Besides the pill formula, Ye Jingcheng exchanged for more spirit beast meat.

It was food for the Crimson Flame Fox.

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Ye Jingcheng headed straight down the mountain. He had delayed at Soaring Cloud Peak for nearly a month, and now he needed to hurry to the market.

Otherwise, no matter how poorly those spirit pills sold, they would eventually run out of stock.

Unlike before, when Ye Jingcheng had needed to travel to the market alone on his own.

This time, when he went to the Treasure Pavilion, the family had also provided Ye Jingcheng with a first-rank mid-grade spirit boat.

It could only be considered a rental, however. Once his market assignment was complete, Ye Jingcheng would still have to return it.

Even so, Ye Jingcheng was rather pleased.

At the very least, it was far better than flying there on his sword. Both its safety and speed were greatly improved.

The spirit boat he had rented this time was a standard model, about the same size as Ye Jingyu's, so he was not unfamiliar with it. With a pinch of his fingers to form a hand seal, spiritual light flashed, and the boat expanded to three or four zhang in length.

Ye Jingcheng leaped onto the spirit boat and released both the Crimson Flame Fox and the Jade Ring Rat.

He placed a Qi Recovery Pill in his mouth and slowly flew toward the market.

Ye Jingcheng still took the familiar route, except he was far more cautious this time.

Even the Jade Ring Rat received as much spiritual light as possible, ensuring that its pair of plump jade ears could stretch to their fullest.

He flew by day and continued to rest at night in some of the cave dwellings the Ye Family had previously opened up.

The first two days passed without incident. It was not until the evening of the third day, when he was already extremely close to the market.

As Ye Jingcheng cultivated that night, the Jade Ring Rat's large ears suddenly began flapping again.

It began letting out rapid, short squeaks. The Crimson Flame Fox sprang to its feet at once, its body curving into a bow as it leaped outside!

Ye Jingcheng did not dare slack off. He had no defensive array disk and had only set up a simple concealment technique. At that moment, the sound of wind splitting the air arrived, and a cultivator in a gray Daoist robe rushed in.

The gray-robed cultivator was not very old. His face seemed frequently tanned by the sun, leaving it slightly dark, and his expression was now filled with urgency.

"Fellow Daoist, hurry and run! There are two bandit cultivators behind me, specifically hunting lone cultivators like us!" The gray-robed cultivator did not slow down in the slightest.

"Screech!" The Crimson Flame Fox bared its teeth, and a Fireball Technique blasted fiercely toward the man!

The man instantly retreated several dozen zhang.

"Fellow Daoist, are you in league with those bandits as well?" the gray-robed cultivator immediately asked.

"No, I'm not in league with them. You're the one in league with those bandits!" Ye Jingcheng shook his head. The Ironwood Plaque in his hand had already been fully activated.

Countless vines surged from beneath the ground, winding toward the gray-robed cultivator in an instant!

But the man had clearly been prepared. He sprang upward, and the cave dwelling was high enough that the Ironwood Vines wrapped around empty air.

"Fellow Daoist, this is a misunderstanding! The two people behind me really are bandits!"

"I have a treasure map. If Fellow Daoist can join me in killing those two bandits behind me, I'll take out the treasure map and share it with you!"

"It's the cave dwelling of a Foundation Establishment cultivator who died in meditation. There are even several third-rank magic artifacts inside!"

"Fellow Daoist really knows how to tell stories. You told two in one breath!" Ye Jingcheng did not believe him.

The cultivator actually took out a treasure map.

"Fellow Daoist, look?"

"This truly is a misunderstanding!"

"If it truly is, then please surrender without resistance, Fellow Daoist. I'll deal with the two bandits!"

"I am a cultivator of the Buqing Li Family. My reputation is absolutely impeccable!" Ye Jingcheng replied, not believing a word the gray-robed cultivator said.

In times like these, someone who charged into a cave dwelling was not someone fleeing for his life. This man had clearly come inside intending to coordinate with the cultivators outside, striking from within and without.

Otherwise, with the world so vast, he could have fled in any direction. Entering a cave dwelling was walking into a dead end.

Ye Jingcheng continued urging the gray-robed cultivator to put down his magic artifact, but his hands never stopped. He kept using the Ironwood Plaque to send vines winding toward him.

He even mixed in several talismans.

At the same time, the Crimson Flame Fox unleashed another triple Fireball Technique!

The results of Ye Jingcheng's countless prior training sessions finally showed themselves.

The gray-robed cultivator dodged the Ironwood Vines, only to be blasted into a charred corpse beneath the three fireballs.

Even the treasure map was sent flying far away.

At that moment, two more black-clad cultivators entered the cave. Seeing that the gray-robed cultivator had already fallen, they flew into a furious rage!

"Good death!"

As they spoke, each of them sent a flying sword slashing toward him. One was a late-stage Qi Refinement Level Seven cultivator, while the other was at Qi Refinement Level Six. Their momentum was fierce!

But within this sort of cave dwelling, the Crimson Flame Fox fired another three fireballs in rapid succession.

Both flying swords were blasted away.

The surging flames seemed ready to swallow everything whole.

"A late-stage first-rank demonic beast!" The two men immediately hesitated.

They hurriedly retreated outside the cave.

Ye Jingcheng did not pursue them as they withdrew. The cave dwelling was his advantage, and so was the Ironwood Plaque.

What made him hesitate now was whether they had more people outside, and what kind of magical artifact that Qi Refinement Level Seven cultivator possessed!

Yet just then, the two cultivators began smashing apart the cave dwelling, intending to bury Ye Jingcheng alive beneath it!

Ye Jingcheng hurriedly took out an Earth Escape Talisman from his storage pouch. The Ye Family had always lived in such cave dwellings, so they had naturally anticipated such a situation.

Ye Jingcheng stored the two spirit beasts in his spirit beast pouch. Countless spiritual lights poured from the Earth Escape Talisman, and he instantly passed through the dirt and rocks, shooting outside.

The moment he landed on the ground, the two cultivators moved to slash at Ye Jingcheng again. He hastily took out a wooden shield artifact.

He activated it to its utmost limit!

Boom!

His wooden shield was sent flying in an instant, but he finally seized the chance to leap aside and release the Crimson Flame Fox and the Jade Ring Rat!

Ye Jingcheng then took out the Silver Snow Needles and the Heaven-Trapping Bell artifact. Just as he was preparing to defeat them one by one, the pair directly mounted a spirit boat and fled.

Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng also breathed a sigh of relief. Although neither he nor the Crimson Flame Fox had gone all out, he might not necessarily have been able to win a complete victory against them. Their retreat was no small piece of good news for him.

Nor did he dare linger here any longer. He immediately took out his spirit boat and flew through the night toward the market town.

Afraid that the two men might pursue him, Ye Jingcheng swallowed Qi Recovery Pills and flew at full speed!