Chapter 503
This Corpse Banner is an acquired spiritual treasure. Although it suffered some damage in the battle, it still has great power. Nangong Wan looked at the Corpse Banner, with both fear of its power and desire for its value in her eyes. She cast a purification spell, trying to remove the evil aura on the Corpse Banner. She formed seals with her hands and chanted something, and white purifying light enveloped the Corpse Banner. As the purifying light continued to flicker, the black corpse gas on the Corpse Banner gradually dissipated, revealing its original appearance. The banner of this Corpse Banner is made of a material called Phantom Silk, which is extremely precious and hard to find on the market. Nangong Wan showed a surprised expression on her face, and she whispered, "This Phantom Silk is really a rare treasure." Then she carefully put away the Corpse Banner, preparing to take it back for further research and repair.
Elder Yan was looking around to see if there were any missing materials. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, not missing any corner. He found some corpse puppet scales scattered on the ground. Although these scales were not large, each one contained a strong defensive power. Elder Yan squatted down, collected the scales with his spiritual power, and put them into a special cloth bag. This cloth bag was made of a material called Lingyin cloth, which could prevent the spiritual power on the scales from leaking out. He stood up, patted the dust off his body, and said, "These scales are also good things, they can't be wasted."
After collecting the corpse puppet materials, Fu Shaoping and his companions carefully checked the surroundings to ensure that nothing valuable was left out. They knew that these materials were hard to come by, and they also knew that these materials would play a vital role in their future cultivation and magic weapon refining.
Deep in the mysterious and dangerous ancient ruins, Fu Shaoping and his companions moved forward cautiously. A thick haze filled the air, a dead silence that seemed to freeze the soul of a person. On the ancient walls, green phosphorescent lights flickered, jumping from time to time, like eyes hidden in the dark spying on intruders. The ground under their feet was rugged and covered with all kinds of strange patterns, which seemed to have some mysterious power. Every step they took, they could feel a weak resistance, as if the ruins were resisting their arrival.
Fu Shaoping walked in front, his eyes showing vigilance and curiosity. In his hand, he held a sword emitting spiritual light, which was like a bright lamp in the darkness, but it seemed so weak. Nangong Wan followed closely behind him, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, and the magic weapon in her hand was ready to attack at any time. Elder Yan was the last, his expression was serious, and he was experienced and knew that this area was full of unknown dangers.
"Everyone be careful, the atmosphere here is very wrong." Fu Shaoping said in a low voice with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Well, I always feel like something is watching us." Nangong Wan responded softly, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Suddenly, a slight buzzing sound reached everyone's ears. The sound was like countless insects flapping their wings, or like some evil whisper, which made people shudder. Fu Shaoping immediately stopped and took a defensive posture, and others followed suit.
As the sound grew louder, they discovered a huge hole in front of them. The hole was covered with black slime and emitted a pungent stench of decay. A cold wind blew out of the hole, mixed with the smell of decay and death.
"This... this couldn't be the lair of the corpse puppets, right?" Nangong Wan's voice trembled a little.
"It's very likely." Fu Shaoping took a deep breath, "But now that we're here, we have no reason to retreat."
Elder Yan nodded and said, "That's right, but after we go in, everyone must cooperate closely and don't be reckless."
Everyone mustered up their courage and slowly walked towards the cave entrance. After entering the cave entrance, it was a dark space, illuminated only by the faint light from the magic tools and spiritual power in their hands. The walls were covered with strange symbols and patterns, which seemed to be telling an ancient and terrifying story. There were some bones scattered on the ground, some of which were still emitting a faint black aura.
As they continued to go deeper, they suddenly heard a low roar. Then, several corpses rushed out from the darkness. These corpses were tall, exuding a foul smell, and their eyes flashed with a faint green light. Fu Shaoping shouted and rushed forward first. He swung his sword and a spiritual sword wave slashed at the corpses. Nangong Wan also quickly cast a spell, and spiritual light shot at the corpses. Elder Yan was looking for the corpses' weaknesses and preparing to give them a fatal blow.
After a fierce battle, they finally got rid of these corpse puppets. Fu Shaoping wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "The corpse puppets here are more powerful than those outside. Everyone should be more careful."
The group continued to move forward, and deep in the lair, they found a huge stone platform. On the stone platform was a bead emitting a strange light, which was colorful and exuded a mysterious power.
"This... is this the legendary sixth-level Hun Tianzhu?" Fu Shaoping widened his eyes, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief.
"It looks very similar. The power fluctuation is very strong." Elder Yan also showed an excited expression.
Nangong Wan walked forward and observed the Hun Tianzhu carefully. "If it is really a sixth-level Hun Tianzhu, then we have really discovered an incredible treasure this time."
However, just as they were immersed in the joy of discovering the Hun Tianzhu, the air around them suddenly became colder, and a strong evil aura surged from all directions.
"Oh no, we may have triggered some mechanism or awakened a more powerful being." Fu Shaoping said vigilantly.
"No matter what, let's get the Hun Tianzhu first." Elder Yan said.
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the stone platform. When his hand was about to touch the Hun Tianzhu, a black barrier suddenly appeared and bounced him back.
"What's going on?" Fu Shaoping said, covering his hand which was numb from the shock.
"It seems that this Hun Tianzhu has a protection mechanism. We have to find a way to break this barrier." Nangong Wan said with a frown.
Elder Yan observed the barrier carefully, "There are some runes on this barrier. I think I need some time to study it."
Fu Shaoping stood aside to be on guard, and Nangong Wan also arranged some defensive spells around to prevent other corpse puppets from attacking. As time passed, beads of sweat gradually appeared on Elder Yan's forehead, and his expression became more and more solemn.
"This rune is very complicated. I can only try to decipher it." Elder Yan said.
Suddenly, there was another huge noise around them. More corpses rushed towards them, and these corpses looked more ferocious than before. "I'll stop them, you guys break the barrier as soon as possible." Fu Shaoping clenched his sword and rushed towards the corpses.
Nangong Wan also joined the battle, casting a powerful spell to try to stop the corpse puppets from approaching. Elder Yan concentrated on breaking the barrier, his hands kept making seals, he kept muttering something, and his eyes were fixed on the runes on the barrier.
Fu Shaoping fought hard among the corpses, swinging his sword non-stop, killing one with each strike, but there were too many corpses, and he gradually became exhausted. Nangong Wan also felt the pressure doubled, and her spiritual power was consumed quickly.
"Elder Yan, how long will it take?" Nangong Wan shouted.
"It's almost there, just hold on a little longer." Elder Yan's voice was a little hoarse.
Just when Fu Shaoping was about to be unable to resist, Elder Yan suddenly shouted: "It's done!"
The black barrier disappeared, and Fu Shaoping took the opportunity to rush forward and grabbed the Hun Tianzhu. The moment he held the Hun Tianzhu, a powerful force surged into his body, and he felt that his spiritual power seemed to have been greatly improved.
"Hurry up, we have got the Hun Tian Pearl." Fu Shaoping shouted.
Everyone quickly evacuated towards the cave entrance, with the corpse puppets chasing closely behind them. They fought and fled at the same time. During the escape, Fu Shaoping discovered that the Hun Tianzhu seemed to have other functions. He tried to use his spiritual power to drive the Hun Tianzhu, and a powerful light shot out from the Hun Tianzhu, repelling some corpse puppets.
"This Hun Tianzhu is indeed magical." Fu Shaoping said in surprise.
After a difficult escape, they finally escaped from the lair of the corpse puppets. The moment they stepped out of the lair, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was really thrilling this time." Nangong Wan said with lingering fear.
"But the gains are also huge. This sixth-level Hun Tian Pearl will bring us tremendous changes." Fu Shaoping looked at the Hun Tian Pearl in his hand, his eyes full of longing.
Elder Yan nodded, "But we have to be careful, this Chaos Bead may attract other coveters."
Fu Shaoping held the Hun Tianzhu tightly, "Anyway, let's find a safe place to study the use of this Hun Tianzhu first."
So, they took the Hun Tianzhu and walked towards the distance, and the corpse puppet's nest behind them was gradually swallowed by darkness.
After successfully escaping from the lair of the corpse puppets, Fu Shaoping and his companions moved forward cautiously and finally found a very hidden valley as a temporary foothold. This valley seemed like an isolated fairyland, surrounded by dense and almost primitive forests. The tall trees blocked out the sun, and the sun could only shine through the gaps between the layers of branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadows. The forest was filled with a fresh and humid smell, which was a mixture of rotten leaves and morning dew. The valley was shrouded in clouds and mist, like a veil, sometimes floating slowly, sometimes still, adding a bit of mystery to the valley.
Fu Shaoping carefully placed the Hun Tianzhu on a flat boulder. The three of them sat together, staring at the Hun Tianzhu with curiosity and expectation in their eyes. The Hun Tianzhu lay quietly on the boulder, with colorful lights flickering in the mist, as if it had its own life.
"Elder Yan, you are well-informed. Do you think this Hun Tianzhu can improve one's cultivation by one small realm in a short period of time? Are there any limitations or hidden dangers?" Fu Shaoping was the first to break the silence, with a hint of worry in his voice. After all, this kind of treasure is too magical, and he is worried that there will be unknown dangers. He moved his eyes away from the Hun Tianzhu and looked at Elder Yan, his eyes full of trust and dependence.
Elder Yan stroked his beard, his eyes deep and solemn. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Most treasures in the world have two sides. This Hun Tianzhu can have such magical effects. Maybe it will cause spiritual power backlash after use, or have some impact on subsequent cultivation. After all, the improvement of cultivation should be a gradual process. This kind of forced improvement in a short period of time is like forcing the growth of seedlings, which may destroy the balance of one's own spiritual power. However, this is just my speculation." Elder Yan's voice was steady and slow, and every word seemed to be carefully considered.
Nangong Wan's eyes lit up and she said, "Anyway, we can do some tests first. I suggest starting with low-level spell tests to see if the power and fluency of the spells will change after using the Hun Tian Pearl to improve our cultivation." There was a hint of excitement on Nangong Wan's face, her eyes fixed on the Hun Tian Pearl, as if she had already seen the scene of a successful test.
Fu Shaoping nodded, "This is a good idea. Let me try it first." After that, he took a deep breath, slowly stretched out his hand, and injected spiritual power into the Hun Tianzhu. The Hun Tianzhu instantly shone brightly, and the colorful light enveloped Fu Shaoping. The light was like a substance, slowly rotating, and each ray of light seemed to contain endless power. Fu Shaoping felt a powerful force pouring into his body along his arm, and that force was like a surging tide, rushing in. His meridians seemed to be washed by a warm spring, which was very comfortable, and every pore seemed to be cheering. He could clearly feel that his cultivation was rising rapidly. The realm barrier that had been stagnant was easily broken through like a fragile paper, and his cultivation successfully improved to a small realm.
Fu Shaoping slowly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with excitement. He stood up and cast a low-level attack spell that he often used. A beam of spiritual light shot out from his hand. Originally, the power of this spell could only leave a shallow mark on the boulder in front of him, but now, this beam of light directly blasted a deep pit on the boulder, and gravel flew everywhere. The stones on the edge of the deep pit were scorched black by the high temperature, and the surrounding air also fluctuated due to the strong impact.
"The power has increased by at least three times!" Fu Shaoping said in surprise. His voice was full of excitement. Looking at the deep pit blasted by the spell in front of him, he was full of amazement at the magical effect of the Hun Tianzhu.
Nangong Wan also showed an expression of amazement, "It seems that the effect of this Hun Tianzhu is indeed magical. However, we still have to see what changes will happen later." Although there was amazement in Nangong Wan's eyes, there was also a hint of caution.
(End of this chapter)