CH 398

During his reunion with the Lightning Bird, Shang Xia could tell that the bird was extremely close to breaking through to the fourth rank.  

When he felt both types of extermination qi in the air around him, he understood the reason behind the Lightning Bird’s choice to make a nest there. He also knew the importance of the ancient tree to it.

What surprised Shang Xia even more was that the Lightning Bird was not only absorbing the wind-attributed extermination qi in the air. He was also absorbing the lightning-attributed extermination qi! That would mean that the Lightning Bird was trying to refine both types of extermination origins in its body at once!

One had to know that Shang Xia had found refining multiple extermination origins incredulous when he looked at the process indicated on the Crimson Soul Tablet earlier.

Now, the Lightning Bird was doing exactly that!

Looking at the fat Ren Huan who was standing in front of him, Shang Xia knew that since the fatty could feel the presence of the wind-attributed extermination qi in the air, he would also be able to discover the lightning-attributed extermination qi that just appeared. 

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Ren Huan didn’t seem to be a disciple of the Tongyou Institution, but for him to be able to venture around the battlefield between the two worlds at that moment, he had to be part of the You Continent! He probably also had his network in the institution in order to get himself a slot in the expedition.

Since that was the case, Shang Xia wasn’t afraid that the presence of both types of extermination qi would be leaked by the fatty. They were all on the same side anyway. That would also mean that the Lightning Bird could cultivate in peace.

At the moment, the Lightning Bird hadn’t entered the fourth rank but he was close. With his huge family backing him up, existences in the Martial Extermination Realm or other rank four spiritual beasts wouldn’t dare to mess with him. 

As the extermination qi in the valley had to be collected slowly, it would be extremely detrimental to the Lightning Bird if the news was leaked to the four great races of the Liao Continent or the Changbai Holy Land. Luckily, the Tongyou Institution managed to gain a foothold in the battlefield between the two worlds after the lengthy battle, and with Shang Xia’s presence in the valley, the institution should be able to retain control over it.

The two of them didn’t stop moving even though thoughts were running through their minds. They forced their way through the howling winds to arrive at the foot of the cliff where the flock had nested.

Peering through the strong curtain of distorted wind, Shang Xia could vaguely make out a short tree that had sturdy branches surrounding it. He saw the leaves Ren Huan was talking about and noticed that they were close to the size of his palm. 

What piqued his interest was the location of the tree. It grew in such a way as to avoid being directly in the path of the gale that swept through the valley, but the winds that blasted against it couldn’t be considered too weak either. Even so, the leaves on the tree remained completely motionless.

When Shang Xia’s gaze turned to look at the depths of the valley once again, his expression changed drastically. 

Even though he knew that he had been venturing around the outskirts of the battlefield between the two worlds for some time now, he had never seen the edge of it! Now, it seemed to be situated right in front of him!

The space there was hazy, and there were occasional streaks of lightning flashing within. The bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, but they disappeared soon after. Deep within the hazy space seemed to house a giant hole that releases the terrifying winds and lightning that is filling the area.

Even though Shang Xia was extremely interested in the hazy space, he knew his current cultivation level was far from enough to explore the region. 

He wondered if he would be able to explore the region even after entering the Martial Extermination Realm. The only thing he knew for sure was that Martial Dipper Realm experts would be capable of entering the hazy space. Otherwise, Kou Chongxue wouldn’t be able to enter the battlefield between the two worlds as he wished.

Turning his attention back to the ancient tree, he trudged forward with Ren Huan to approach the tree.

The winds finally died down a little as they were no longer in its direct path and the two of them were finally able to speak normally.

However, Shang Xia discovered something strange before either of them could say anything. The inner qi in his body became a lot more lively now that he no longer had to withstand the strong winds.

Could the gale that was blowing through the valley be suitable for tempering one’s inner qi? 

The thought barely formed in his mind when he decided to report the location to the institution. A way to temper one’s inner qi didn’t come by often and he felt it would be appropriate for him to inform the institution about such a wonderful location.

One had to know cultivators would usually experience cultivation deviation when they lost control of their inner qi. That was one of the greatest dangers when cultivating. If cultivators were able to strengthen the inner qi in their body with the help of the strange wind in the valley, they would be able to gain better control over it.

Just that point alone would allow the strange wind to become more important than the wind and lightning attributed extermination origins.

“There are a total of 113 leaves on the ancient tree. Of them, 43 can be used to make rank three talisman paper. The others need a little more time to mature. Hehe… I guess I will have to congratulate the institution for gaining a treasure land that produces precious artifacts in the future!” Ren Huan’s voice entered Shang Xia’s ear.

He was clear that if the leaves were the only treasures present, he would be able to convince Shang Xia to hide the location. 

Unfortunately, the Lightning Bird’s existence and the usefulness of the wind in the valley were also discovered by him. Reporting the location to the institution would gain them a terrifying amount of benefits!

Shang Xia chuckled in response. “Of course we have to report this to the institution. However, those leaves will belong to us. Moreover, the institution will definitely reward us after they take over this region. I’m a rank three talisman master. Some of the leaves here will probably be allocated to me and when that happens, I’ll have to trouble Brother Ren to turn them into talisman paper. Of course, Brother Ren, you won’t have to work for free…”

A trace of joy flashed through the fatty’s eyes when he heard what Shang Xia said and he slapped his chest happily. “Of course! You can count on me!” 

Very quickly, the two of them came to an agreement. Shang Xia also found his source of talisman papers outside the institution. As for Ren Huan, he managed to find another avenue of profit. With the leaves Shang Xia promised to provide, he would be able to raise the mastery of his skills too.

With a wide smile on his face, he reached out to harvest the mature leaves on the trees. From what Shang Xia could see, the leaves couldn’t be harvested randomly. One needed to pluck the leaves without damaging the source energy of the tree. That would also ensure that the leaves retrieved would be able to contain the maximum amount of heaven and earth qi. 

Obviously, Shang Xia had no idea how to do so. He could only watch as Ren Huan made himself busy around the tree.

With the fatty dealing with the troublesome matter, Shang Xia turned to observe the area around the ancient tree. He discovered a fallen branch not too far away and he picked it up while swinging it around. He quickly discovered the strength of the branch while messing around with it.

When Ren Huan saw Shang Xia waving the stick around, he couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Shang, what are you doing?” 

“Huh?” Chuckling in embarrassment that his childish actions had been seen by someone, he continued, “Oh. I was wondering if I could turn the branch of the tree into a bow.” 

Ren Huan’s expression darkened the moment he heard what Shang Xia said. The branch in his hand had dropped from the tree, and even if it couldn’t be considered a rank four treasure, it was definitely at the peak of a rank three treasure. However, Shang Xia would have to obtain a longer and sturdier branch from the tree if he wanted to turn it into a proper bow. When that happened, he would definitely injure the tree. The number of leaves that could be obtained would definitely decrease too.

Realizing that his intentions were getting inappropriate, Shang Xia chuckled awkwardly. “Brother Ren, don’t take what I said too seriously. I was just playing around to see how strong the wood is!” 

With his expression loosening up slightly, Ren Huan sighed, “It’s difficult for this tree to grow and in the future, it might even produce some leaves capable of being made into rank four talisman paper! Brother Shang is a genius to be able to enter the rank three talisman master realm at such a young age. After breaking through to the Martial Extermination Realm in the future, you should be able to become a rank four talisman master too. Brother Shang, I’m sure you don’t wish to harm a treasure that can produce rank four talisman paper, do you?” 

Shang Xia’s expression turned serious and he nodded. “Of course. Brother Ren, you can rest assured that I won’t let my intrusive thoughts win…” 

Nodding slightly, Ren Huan went back to collecting the leaves.

A trace of regret appeared in Shang Xia’s heart after that conversation. He had a low-grade bow in his inventory, and due to his practice in the past, his bow skills had improved greatly. With his current strength and inner qi, the low-grade bow wouldn’t allow him to show off his true skills. The moment he stepped into the Martial Extermination Realm, he was afraid that the bow would shatter before he could fire off a single arrow. Obtaining a high-grade bow had always been on his mind.

Of course, creating graded weapons wasn't easy, much less a high-grade bow! Just the material required to craft a high-grade bow would be terrifyingly hard to locate!

As random thoughts filled his head, Shang Xia roamed about the area slightly and heard a loud chirp coming from the skies. The Lightning Bird dove straight onto his shoulder and pushed a ball of fur into his face.

“This… Is this Mutated Swallow Fur?!” Ren Huan’s voice rang through the air and Shang Xia could see the look of envy on the fatty’s face when he turned to look.

“Brother Ren, do you recognize this treasure?” Shang Xia smiled in response.

Glancing at Shang Xia, the fatty started to ramble on. “This… This is the main ingredient used in crafting spatial pouches! Even the most elementary of spatial pouches possess ten cubic feet of space within! To make one, we’ll probably need three taels of Swallow Fur! Brother Shang, the ball of fur in your hand is close to a tael or maybe slightly more… It’s not enough…” 

Chuckling in response, Shang Xia kept the ball of fur carefully. 

Ren Huan had no idea that Shang Xia already had three taels of Swallow Fur. He had more than enough to make a spatial pouch.

When the birds nested on the Pinxin Peak, the institution managed to gather a portion of Swallow Fur. It might not be much, but due to their schemes, they had to chase the birds away and thus ended their avenue of collection.

The ball of fur in his hand was what the Lightning bird managed to gather after they made their new nest in the area!