Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting

Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting

However, Xiao Liang's Flame Dragon had bought them quite a bit of time.

Seeing these strange female ghosts continuing to appear without end, even a fool knew there had to be something more to it.

If they did not figure out the trick, they probably would not pass this trial even after exhausting all their spiritual power!

While there was still time, Xiao Liang asked curiously.

"Qin Long, it seemed you weren't pulled into the illusion just now?"

Pandora's methods of sensing her surroundings differed from those of humans. As an unusual Zombie, she was naturally immune to the female ghosts' illusions, but why had the female swordswoman been unaffected as well?

In the end, he alone had been unlucky enough to nearly get soloed by a female ghost.

"These undead female ghosts can cast illusions too?"

Qin Long froze, seemingly having felt nothing at all. Then her expression grew solemn as she felt the threat posed by these weak female ghosts rise another level.

"Heh heh heh, little girl, you possess a special constitution. You aren't some mediocre brat at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining. Why fear mere Cha Ghosts?"

"The Mystic Sword Heavenly Note Body is naturally close to the sword path. The principles of swordsmanship become clear without instruction, and an invisible Formless Sword Tone protects both body and soul, slaying external evils. Even that Golden Core of the old ancestor's was briefly restrained that day..."

Hundred Tribulations Daoist stared at Qin Long with drool practically flowing from his mouth, his green-flamed pupils filled with greed and regret.

"You regret not successfully dressing up as a woman, don't you, old ghost!"

Xiao Liang's face darkened. It seemed he had been too lenient with this old ghost lately and had not squeezed him hard enough, letting him forget who was boss and dare to mock him.

Having roamed the cultivation world for centuries, Hundred Tribulations Daoist was naturally a shrewd old fox. Though he had carelessly revealed his true thoughts for a moment, he immediately put on a fake smile and tried to salvage the situation.

"Heh heh, brat Xiao Liang, you're a devilspawn capable of making this old ancestor suffer setbacks. You must be blessed with tremendous fortune. How could you possibly be something trapped in a pond?"

"A supreme figure of the demonic path once said, what does aptitude matter? Have you not heard that Heaven never seals off every path?"

"Only a king who emerges from adversity can set the world right!"

"Now that this old ancestor is accompanying and assisting you, tsk tsk, in this old ancestor's view, you're merely a hidden dragon lurking in the depths. I'm afraid you'll achieve a great demonic hegemony in the future!"

As Qin Long listened to the old thing grow more and more outrageous, she found it amusing, and even her suppressed mood eased considerably.

But seeing the female ghosts drawing ever closer, she still called out.

"Xiao Liang, since the old fellow identified these female ghosts as Cha Ghosts, he must have a way to defeat them."

Xiao Liang nodded and looked at the old ghost.

Hundred Tribulations Daoist smacked his lips and secretly let out a sigh of relief. After all, for a dignified Golden Core old ancestor to shower flattery on a Qi Refining junior—cough, cough—it was still rather embarrassing.

"If this old ancestor's guess is correct, these Cha Ghosts are transformed from a rare Extreme-Grade Spirit Artifact of the demonic path, known as the Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting."

"The Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting? An Extreme-Grade Spirit Artifact of the demonic path..."

Xiao Liang gave a soft cry of surprise, for Hundred Tribulations Daoist had once been an immensely honored Tier-Three Artifact Refiner.

Though he had not formally followed him in refining artifacts these past days, he had absorbed a great deal through exposure and learned many related terms. He was no longer as ignorant as before.

Cultivators had divisions of realms, and naturally, the artifacts they used had divisions of rank as well.

From low to high, they were Pseudo-Spirit Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, Magical Treasures, Dao Artifacts, and Immortal Artifacts, which were said to possess power comparable to immortals!

Each rank was further divided into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade.

Most artifacts used by ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivators were no more than Pseudo-Spirit Artifacts.

"My Fire Chi Pearl and Qin Long's Luoshui Sword are only mid-grade Spirit Artifacts, yet this Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting you mentioned is apparently an Extreme-Grade Spirit Artifact. Why have I never heard you say that artifacts had such a rank before?"

Xiao Liang shot Hundred Tribulations Daoist a suspicious look. Had this old thing found some loophole in his oath and been keeping secrets from him?

The latter immediately felt wronged and explained helplessly.

"This is advanced knowledge you haven't encountered yet. Some special artifacts aren't refined by conventional methods. They often possess immense power and even the potential to advance in rank. Only treasures like those can be called extreme-grade within their rank."

Then Hundred Tribulations Daoist briefly described the refining process of this treasure.

It turned out that the materials used to create this Spirit Artifact's rough form were exceedingly rare and difficult to find. Even an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator could not gather them all.

Even after the rough form had been forged, the process was only half complete.

Beautiful virgins still had to be sacrificed, their primordial yin drained, while their souls were tortured through special soul-refining techniques.

This soul-refining process was exceedingly cruel. Of the souls subjected to it, often fewer than one in ten endured. In the end, their memories from life were erased, their resentment soared to the heavens, and they became Cha Ghosts.

Only after gathering a full hundred Cha Ghosts could this Spirit Artifact be considered complete.

Once completed, as long as the artifact itself remained intact, the Cha Ghosts would not perish.

However, this treasure was incredibly vicious and evil. Each time it was used, mortals had to be sacrificed to condense a blood mist.

Within the blood mist, the Cha Ghosts' strength greatly increased. They gained the effects of seduction, illusion, and fear, making them extraordinarily powerful and difficult to deal with.

"The Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting is an extreme-grade demonic Spirit Artifact like this. I never expected to encounter one in such a mere mortal kingdom. It seems the person behind this estate is no insignificant nobody!"

As expected of an elder of the demonic path, Hundred Tribulations Daoist's way of thinking could no longer be measured by common sense.

At this moment, he was actually watching the increasing number of Cha Ghosts with appreciation, thinking Yan Wuxu was promising material for the demonic path.

But Qin Long fell completely silent, her gaze fixed on the Cha Ghosts slowly closing in.

They looked identical at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the heights and builds of the different Cha Ghosts indeed varied slightly.

Had she not encountered other opportunities, she might have become one of these many Cha Ghosts herself.

"Old ghost, how do we break it?"

Xiao Liang, too, was alarmed by the treasure's cruel refining process and the terrifying power it possessed after completion.

"Heh heh, this Charming Maiden Hundred Beauties Painting is indeed a guaranteed kill against Qi Refining Stage cultivators, because their spiritual sense has too limited a range. The Spirit Artifact hides behind the scenes while endlessly releasing Cha Ghosts to wear them down."

"Many cultivators don't even know where these Cha Ghosts come from, and they die in confusion."

Hundred Tribulations Daoist focused his senses for a moment, then immediately pointed in a direction—the depths of the corridor—indicating that the Spirit Artifact's true body was over there.

"We need to deal with the artifact itself, right? This time, let me do it!"

A faint smile appeared on Qin Long's face, but her eyes were as cold as a frigid pool. Intense spiritual power fluctuations radiated from her entire body.

Clang!

As she took a step forward, a clear sword cry unexpectedly rang out from within her body, and an invisible aura began to swirl around her.

Enough Cha Ghosts had gathered along the narrow corridor, and at that very moment, they launched their charge.

Over a hundred Cha Ghosts clustered together like a dark cloud. From above and below, they reached out with their claws, their hideous, chilling faces full of hatred for the living.

"Be gone. I will remember your grievances as well!"

The sound of air tearing rang out around Qin Long. A Formless Sword Tone automatically darted through the air to meet the enemy, and every Cha Ghost it struck shrieked as its body scattered apart.

She pressed a hand against the Luoshui Sword at her waist, gathering sword momentum as she stepped forward one pace at a time. Dozens of Cha Ghosts perished beneath that Formless Sword Tone like moths flying into a flame.

Xiao Liang stared blankly. Was this Qin Long's true strength? Before she had even truly drawn her sword, those Cha Ghosts had already been unable to do anything against the innate Formless Sword Tone she possessed.

(End of Chapter)