Once his Qi Sea was full again, Chen Shuangbai put the precious banner away with great satisfaction.
"Although its power is unparalleled, it is still Spirit Artifact. While my current Law Power reserves far exceed those of my peers, this consumption is simply outrageous."
Especially when using [ Flowing Frost Freezes Stars ], Chen Shuangbai felt as if the Law Power within her body was flowing into the [ Clear Waves Reflecting the Moon Banner ], like a dam releasing a flood.
"I wonder if I need to reach the Foundation Establishment stage before I can unleash the full power of this Spirit Artifact."
He sighed softly and said no more.
Chen Shuangbai's spiritual senses were suddenly jolted. She looked at the stone door of the cave abode and realized that the mark she had left outside the cave abode had been touched. At the same time, the cave abode's restrictions also sensed that someone had come to the door.
The stone gate slowly rose, Chen Shuangbai walked outside. There he saw a Daoist priest wearing a robe with the pattern of the Expenditure Hall standing in front of the gate, followed by two mortal servants, each holding a wooden tray with several wooden boxes on it.
Upon seeing Chen Shuangbai, the Daoist priest's eyes lit up, and he announced loudly, "Yu Shao Expenditure Hall, in accordance with the sect's rules, has brought the rewards for this Martial Edge Trial to Senior Brother Chen's residence."
This Daoist priest looked much older than Chen Shuangbai; logically, Chen Shuangbai should be calling him "senior brother."
However, the cultivation world has always revered strength.
From the moment Chen Shuangbai won the championship, he was already an inner disciple.
When outer disciples encounter inner disciple, regardless of age, they should address each other as "Senior Brother" out of respect for cultivation.
Chen Shuangbai was momentarily taken aback and said, "Didn't you say we were to go to the Expenditure Hall and collect it ourselves?"
The Daoist priest had a strange expression on his face and said, "Senior brother... it has been five days since you won the championship."
Chen Shuangbai then remembered.
He was so engrossed in studying the precious banner inside his cave abode that he completely forgot about the time.
"My sins!"
Seeing that Chen Shuangbai was so easy to talk to, the Daoist priest's restraint lessened considerably. He then saw Chen Shuangbai raise her hand to open the cave abode's protective barrier, allowing them to enter and place the rewards cave abode.
Chen Shuangbai sighed softly and said, "You've worked hard."
The Daoist priest, mistaking him for someone speaking to him, sat up and looked at Chen Shuangbai, replying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. This is what my Expenditure Hall should do..."
What kind of eyes were those?
It was as dark as the night sky, yet it shimmered with starlight, its reflection mirroring the Daoist's figure.
Chen Shuangbai sighed softly again, Spirit-Appraising Pupil, seeing the Daoist's deeply hidden wisp of Blood Qi floating around him, exceptionally dazzling.
"That's decisive of them, taking advantage of my momentary lapse in vigilance to carry out this open scheme."
The Daoist's expression changed drastically. He patted his Storage Bag, and six streams of Evil Bone Baleful Fire flew out, heading straight for Chen Shuangbai's face. At the same time, the two mortal servants he brought with him had strange patterns appear on their bodies, their eyes were bloodshot, and they rushed straight towards Chen Shuangbai without caring about anything else.
Judging from the faint glow of blood emanating from their bodies, they were about to commit suicide.
But it was at this moment...
Chen Shuangbai, unhurried and calm, softly commanded, "Open!"
A bluish-white spiritual light floated, and a precious banner slowly unfurled. On the banner surface appeared an image of a surging river, a bright moon shining in the sky, and utter silence. Ripples of spiritual energy rippled throughout the entire cave abode, and as the ripples collided with each other, they created even more ripples.
Layer upon layer, like a thousand waves, ten thousand flowers.
Neither the Daoist's attack nor the movements of the two self-destructing demonic puppets slowed down under the illumination of the precious banner's spiritual light, eventually freezing completely like insects sealed in amber.
The Daoist priest stared wide-eyed at the precious banner in disbelief.
What kind of Law Artifact is this?
How come it's not within my intelligence?!
Chen Shuangbai walked up to the Daoist priest, raised her hand and tapped his forehead. A dark blue Sword Qi shot into his body and entered his dantian. A sound like something being pierced was heard, and the Daoist priest's aura plummeted, his cultivation completely destroyed.
But that wasn't enough. Chen Shuangbai took out several more talismans and sealed his physical body and sea of consciousness respectively. Only then did he activate the power of the [ Clear Waves Reflecting the Moon Banner ] to send the two self-destructing demon puppets out of the cave abode and into the sky.
Two loud explosions rang out, startling many birds around Lesser Yang Peak into flying away.
In the final moment before the darkness fell upon the Daoist priest, he finally gained the right to speak.
He asked incredulously, "How... how did you figure that out?"
The gleam in Chen Shuangbai gradually faded, and she smiled, "I have dealt with one of the young lords of your Evil Bone Lineage before."
It wasn't really any interaction; he died at the hands of Chen Shuangbai.
But that was also a lie to him.
When he first came in, his dark and unsettling aura was like a patch of darkness in broad daylight, making it hard for him to go unnoticed.
Chen Shuangbai didn't even bother to sense this person's emotions, but he could still be certain... this person could not possibly be a member of the Expenditure Hall, or even a disciple of the Jade Spring Sect.
The reason she lied to him was to hide her ability to sense other people's emotions.
The commotion on Lesser Yang Peak startled many cultivators in their cave abode on the spiritual peak, who discussed it amongst themselves, wondering what had happened.
The sound of wind came from outside the cave abode.
Then a magnificent white crane flew in and landed on the peak, emanating an extremely powerful aura.
Chen Shuangbai recognized White Jade Crane and stepped forward to greet him. She then recounted everything that had happened inside the cave abode.
Upon hearing this, White Jade Crane was greatly alarmed.
These spies from outside... they've actually infiltrated! They're even plotting to assassinate the champion of this Martial Edge Trial —this is blatant provocation!
Bai He thought to himself, "Luckily, Chen Shuangbai is quick-witted enough to notice something amiss with this traitor."
Not long after.
Several more figures flew in from a distance and landed in front of Chen Shuangbai, claiming to be from the Jade Guarding Hall.
After the two sides checked the Law Power patterns on the Jade Begets Sweet Spring, they confirmed each other's identities. The Daoist priest in the lead, wearing a tall hat and wide belt, looked at the sealed spy and felt quite relieved.
"To be honest, this is the third assassination attempt on my sect's prodigy today."
Chen Shuangbai was also somewhat surprised.
The Daoist gritted his teeth and said, "These Heart-Eroding demons have been lurking within my sect for many years. Now that they see my sect is about to wage war against them, they have decisively used these traitors to try and wipe out you young talents in your infancy."
"Thank goodness, you are all highly skilled individuals who prevented these demonic beasts from succeeding!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuangbai's heart skipped a beat.