Based on their interactions over the past few days, although Yan Qi had not revealed his cultivation level, Chen Shuangbai could roughly sense from his flight and the surge of his Law Power that his cultivation was around the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining or Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.
Cultivators possess a wide variety of Law Treasure, with the most common being swords, spears, and halberds. However, Chen Shuangbai never expected that her senior brother's Law Treasure would be a chain sword.
This Law Treasure can be long or short, soft or hard, but it severely tests a cultivator's control over their own Law Power.
Yan Qi, however, used it as if it were his own arm.
Then I saw it.
Under Yan Qi's control, the azure chain sword seemed to be an extension of his limbs, as if it had come to life of its own.
Like a deep blue water whip, with a slight tremor of Yan Qi's wrist, it drew strange arcs, accompanied by whistling sounds, tearing the earth apart and creating deep ravines.
The demonized locust tree monster let out a series of mournful howls, as most of the attacks landed on it, and in the blink of an eye, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, all the branches on its body were cut off, leaving only a bald head.
The locust monster let out a painful groan, but Yan Qi showed no pity whatsoever.
If the tree still possessed any spirit, he might have spared its life, but since it had been completely infected and corrupted by this evil poison, there was no reason for him to hold back.
Yan Qi snorted coldly, his hand suddenly sinking as a surge of azure Law Power erupted from his body and poured into the sword.
The chain sword clattered and retracted, transforming back into its normal sword shape. At the tip of the sword, a ball of azure light, like a grain of rice, suddenly appeared, expanding in the blink of an eye and condensing into a fist-sized, constantly rotating, deep blue sphere of light.
"Go!"
Yan Qi let out a low roar, and the ball of light suddenly exploded, turning into dozens of azure rays that pierced through the locust monster's body, and a layer of frost gradually spread over the wounds.
Splash!
A moment later, several holes appeared on the surface of the locust tree monster, and its entire body was covered in a layer of frost. Under Chen Shuangbai's gaze, it disintegrated with a bang.
Chen Shuangbai, however, did not focus much attention on the dead locust monster, but rather on Yan Qi, and couldn't help but slowly say, "Senior Brother Yan, you are truly amazing."
Yan Qi smiled, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes before disappearing.
"That mere locust tree monster is nothing but a stupid creature without any intelligence. How could it possibly be a match for the disciples of Jade Spring?"
He was being modest when he said that.
Although Chen Shuangbai did not make a move, his Spirit-Appraising Pupil revealed that this locust monster possessed the combat strength of a cultivator at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer. Coupled with its immense strength and the poisonous aura surrounding its every move, it was a creature that made people extremely hesitant to harm it.
However, Yan Qi eliminated him in just a few moves, demonstrating his formidable fighting skills.
"As expected, the disciples who can enter the Evil Hunting Hall are all experts in combat."
Chen Shuangbai thought to herself.
After eliminating this locust tree monster, there will be no more threats in this area.
Yan Qi was about to lead Chen Shuangbai into the ancestral hall, but Chen Shuangbai paused slightly and looked at the corpse of the dead locust monster.
Under the Spirit-Appraising Pupil, one could see a faint green light flickering somewhere within the corpse of the locust monster.
"Senior brother, please wait a moment."
After a brief moment's thought, Chen Shuangbai summoned the Cold Spring Sword, its blade gleaming coldly, and used it to dig the tree out from its trunk.
"Oh, I didn't expect that Mu Xin would still be here?"
Yan Qi glanced at it and said this.
Chen Shuangbai carefully recalled the knowledge he had learned from the Book Spirit, and combined it with some stories from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Immortal Tales he had read, and roughly guessed that this should be something similar to a tree heart.
However, this thing cannot replace seeds; it can only be considered a special spiritual material produced by the spirit tree.
"Since you recognize it, then please accept it. I mainly cultivate water magic and secondarily earth magic, so I don't have any need for this item," Yan Qi said.
But after looking at the wooden heart again, he added with concern, "Although this item has been preserved, it is still contaminated by evil poison. If you want to use it, you must remove the evil poison first."
Chen Shuangbai nodded and accepted it.
This thing actually worked really well for him.
He was worried about finding another wooden flying sword needed for his cultivation of the " Spring Rain and Flowering Wood Sword Instruction," as he hadn't yet found the main material.
Yan Qi waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind swept in, blowing open the ancestral hall's main gate. The two slowly entered and saw a huge underground cave in the central open space. Standing beside it, they could faintly hear the sound of water.
Yan Qi said, "This is where the underground water veins of this place are located. The sect has given me a precious medicine to purify the water veins. Please wait a moment, junior brother, I will be right back."
Chen Shuangbai stopped Yan Qi.
"Senior brother, please wait."
What are your thoughts, junior brother?
Chen Shuangbai said, "The situation down below is unclear. It's not safe for Senior Brother to go down alone. It would be better if the two of you went together so you can look after each other."
Yan Qi didn't think for long before making a decision, saying, "It's alright. Our sect's upper cultivators are protecting this place. If anything were to threaten the disciples of Jade Spring, it would have already fled."
What he meant was that this place was within the range of the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Jade Spring level, and the hidden tricks left behind by those demonic sect beasts were not enough to threaten the Jade Spring disciples here.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuangbai felt much more at ease.
"In that case, Senior Brother, please go ahead. Be sure to call me if you need anything."
Yan Qi fell into the underground cave, and after about a quarter of an hour, he came out.
When they came out, they dragged out the carcass of a large snake.
This snake looked much thicker than the ordinary mountain python, and was obviously also a demonic beast from the Heart-Eroding Stronghold Valley, kept in the underground water veins in an attempt to ambush the Jade Spring disciples who came here. Judging from its appearance, it was probably a demonic snake of the same kind.
Unfortunately, it encountered Yan Qi, who came from the Evil Hunting Hall.
Yan Qi retrieved the chain sword that had been plunged into the snake's vital spot, and instead summoned a servant from the Expenditure Hall. On the spot, the servant cut open the snake's chest and abdomen, and removed a series of useful parts, including the snake's gall bladder, heart, and bones.
This serpent didn't appear to have fully become a demon; it was a low-level Demon Beast and therefore of little value.
However, the Expenditure Hall will collect them, and after returning to the sect and tallying up the gains, they will be classified as Merit Points and distributed to the two of them.
Chen Shuangbai glanced at the demonic snake that had been dissected in the blink of an eye, then turned to ask Yan Qi.
"Senior brother, is it possible to resolve the poison in the water veins here?"
"Nature."
Yan Qi smiled, "The elixir has been added, and the Pure Water from the source continues to flow in. In about a month, this place will surely be restored to its original state. Furthermore, our hall's patrol routes will be adjusted to pass through this area, ensuring that mortals here can be reborn."
"Our clan's handling of the aftermath has always been very thorough."