Facing the roaring flames spewed by the Flame Dragon Beast, Ye Lingyun dared not let his guard down. He pushed Breeze Phantom Steps to its limit, his figure flitting like a phantom as he weaved through the flames. Searing fire swept past the hem of his clothes and instantly ignited the surrounding trees. Thick smoke billowed, and flames surged toward the sky.
When its attack missed, the Flame Dragon Beast roared, drove its enormous claws against the ground, and charged at Ye Lingyun. He timed his move precisely, sidestepping the instant the beast drew close while thrusting his sword viciously at its leg. Yet a layer of hard scales covered the beast's body. His sword struck them and scraped out a trail of sparks without inflicting any real damage.
Stung by the blow, the Flame Dragon Beast angrily lashed its tail at Ye Lingyun like a thick steel whip. Unable to dodge in time, he took the sweeping blow and flew through the air like a kite with its string cut. He crashed heavily to the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
But Ye Lingyun refused to give up. He quickly climbed to his feet and circulated his spiritual power to repair his damaged meridians. He knew that defeating the Flame Dragon Beast meant finding its weakness. The beast attacked again, this time gathering an enormous ball of blazing light in its mouth and launching it at him. Wherever the fireball passed, the air seemed to ignite with a sizzling hiss.
Ye Lingyun focused all his attention on the fireball's trajectory. Just as it was about to strike him, he unleashed Spirit Shadow Evasion Technique, vanishing from the spot in an instant. The Flame Dragon Beast's fireball hit a large tree and blasted it to pieces, sending splinters flying.
Taking advantage of the lull between the Flame Dragon Beast's attacks, Ye Lingyun closed in again. He nimbly dodged its blows while carefully examining its body, searching for a weakness. At last, he noticed that its eyes were relatively vulnerable. Though scales protected the surrounding area, their defenses were weaker than those of its other body parts.
Ye Lingyun decided to take a risk. He deliberately left an opening to lure the Flame Dragon Beast into attacking. Sure enough, it took the bait and opened its massive jaws to bite him. Seizing the moment, he darted aside to evade the attack, then thrust his sword at its eye like a bolt of lightning. The beast sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but his sword was too fast. It pierced its left eye.
"Aaargh!" The Flame Dragon Beast let out an agonized howl, blood streaming from its left eye. Its fury reached a boiling point, and the flames enveloping its body swelled as it attacked Ye Lingyun wildly. Relying on Breeze Phantom Steps and Spirit Shadow Evasion Technique, he barely managed to evade its onslaught. By now, his spiritual power was severely depleted, and his strength was beginning to fail. Yet only one conviction remained in his heart: he had to defeat the Flame Dragon Beast and obtain the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass.
The Flame Dragon Beast seemed to sense Ye Lingyun's weakness, and its attacks grew fiercer. Its claws lashed out repeatedly, sending blades of flame flying toward him. He dodged left and right, but several fiery blades still cut wounds across his body. Just as despair began to set in, he suddenly remembered the spiritual lure he had prepared to bewilder demonic beasts.
He quickly took the lure from his Storage Ring and threw it into the distance. After landing, it released a strange fragrance that held an irresistible attraction for demonic beasts. The moment the Flame Dragon Beast caught the scent, its attention shifted. It temporarily stopped attacking Ye Lingyun and walked toward the lure.
Ye Lingyun seized the chance to recover some spiritual power. He knew this was a rare opportunity and that he had to end the fight quickly. Gathering all his remaining spiritual power into his sword, he unleashed Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique, incorporating the spiritual power transformation methods of the Nine-Turn Spirit Illusion Art. His sword blazed with light, and a dazzling streak of sword energy shot toward the Flame Dragon Beast.
Sensing danger, the Flame Dragon Beast tried to turn and defend itself, but it was already too late. The sword energy struck its neck precisely, hitting one of the weaker areas of its body. With a furious roar, it suffered a deep gash across its neck, and blood gushed out like a spring.
Gravely wounded, the Flame Dragon Beast swayed on the verge of collapse. Ye Lingyun dared not lower his guard and continued attacking it with his sword techniques. Under his relentless assault, the beast finally gave out and crashed to the ground.
Ye Lingyun let out a breath of relief and slumped to the ground. After a fierce battle, he had successfully defeated the Flame Dragon Beast, but he had paid a heavy price. His spiritual power was nearly exhausted, and wounds covered his body. Only after resting for a long while did he slowly rise and walk toward the strange red glow in the valley.
In a secluded corner of the valley, he finally found the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass. It stood about a foot tall, blood-red from top to bottom, and radiated intense fluctuations of spiritual power. A crystalline gleam shone at its tip, like a ruby. Ye Lingyun carefully picked the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass and placed it in a specially made jade box.
With the mission complete, Ye Lingyun returned to the Myriad Treasures Merchant Guild in Lingfeng City, bringing the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass with him. Surprise flickered in the guild steward's eyes when he saw the herb in Ye Lingyun's hands. He had never expected Ye Lingyun to actually complete such a dangerous mission.
The steward accepted the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass and examined it carefully. Once he confirmed that everything was in order, he smiled at Ye Lingyun and said, "Young Master Ye, you truly are extraordinary. You actually found the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass. Here is your mission reward. Please check it."
With that, the steward handed Ye Lingyun a storage pouch. Ye Lingyun accepted it and extended his spiritual sense inside, finding it filled with mid-grade spirit crystals that gave off a soft glow. There was also a spirit crystal fragment radiating a mysterious aura, along with an exquisitely carved Ten-Thousand Treasures Merchant Association VIP Token.
Ye Lingyun was delighted. This adventure had yielded a rich harvest. With these resources, his strength would improve further. After leaving the guild, he returned to his lodgings and eagerly began studying how to use his rewards.
First, he took out the spirit crystal fragment that could improve the quality of his martial soul and examined it closely. Strange patterns marked its surface, and a mysterious power lay within. Ye Lingyun circulated his spiritual power, carefully guiding the fragment's power into his martial soul. As that power merged with it, his martial soul blazed with light. He could feel its quality gradually improving as a powerful force surged through his body.
After considerable effort, Ye Lingyun successfully used the spirit crystal fragment to improve his martial soul's quality. He could clearly feel that his control over spiritual power had become more effortless, and his martial techniques had grown much more powerful.
Next, Ye Lingyun began counting the mid-grade spirit crystals. He planned to use them to purchase high-tier cultivation resources and further improve his strength. At the same time, he considered how to use the Ten-Thousand Treasures Merchant Association VIP Token to obtain more information and resources beneficial to his cultivation.
During his time in Lingfeng City, Ye Lingyun had gained a profound sense of this world's vastness and danger. Yet through his own wisdom and courage, he continued overcoming difficulties and advancing toward higher realms...
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