Chapter 1376: Having Self-Awareness Wang Qingling

On a deserted island, inside a simple stone pavilion, several Nascent Soul cultivators, including Wang Changsheng, Li Tianyang, and Huangfu Rui, were enjoying tea and chatting.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Wang," Huangfu Rui asked casually, "do you have any news of Zhou Sihong? The intelligence from the Great Yan Imperial Family must be wrong! We haven't found any cultivators suspected of being Zhou Sihong, nor have there been any large-scale disappearances of high-level cultivators." Zhou Ningshuang, representing the Great Yan Dynasty, had announced Zhou Sihong's existence and warned them to be on high alert. Zhou Ningshuang was still in the South Sea region.

"No," Wang Changsheng offered his opinion, "it's impossible for him to show his true face. The South Sea cultivation world is so vast; it's quite difficult to find a Nascent Soul cultivator. Changing one's appearance is not difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator, so Zhou Sihong might have altered his looks. Furthermore, he might not even be in the South Sea region; he could have gone to the Northern Border or Eastern Desolation. Spatial passages aren't exclusive to the South Sea region, are they?" The Wang family had dispatched people to search for Zhou Sihong, but with their limited strength, it was naturally impossible to find him. For high-level cultivators, changing one's appearance was not difficult, and Zhou Sihong might well have altered his looks.

Li Tianyang nodded and said, "We also have no news of Zhou Sihong. Fellow Daoist Wang makes a lot of sense; Zhou Sihong might have gone to the Eastern Desolation or Northern Border. However, one thing is certain: if he takes action, he will definitely expose himself." Zhou Sihong had killed over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators in the Central Plains cultivation world. To be honest, if Zhou Sihong truly intended to hide, it would be very difficult for outsiders to find him. Even if his whereabouts were discovered, it would be quite difficult to eliminate him without five or more Nascent Soul cultivators working together. Following the strategy of "waiting for the enemy to make the first move and adapting to any changes," Li Tianyang was content to remain idle since Zhou Sihong was unwilling to reveal himself. He had people keeping an eye on the situation in various sea regions, ensuring that if Zhou Sihong caused trouble in the South Sea cultivation world, the Nine Yang Sect would receive news.

"Oh," someone exclaimed in surprise, "someone has cleared the thirty-fifth floor! I wonder if they will attempt the thirty-sixth. So far, only three people have managed to clear the thirty-fifth floor. I wonder who this person is, to have actually cleared the thirty-fifth floor." The cultivators all looked towards the thirty-fifth floor of the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda. The thirty-fifth floor of the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda lit up with a dazzling white light, which was very conspicuous. This indicated that a challenger had cleared the thirty-fifth floor.

On the thirty-fifth floor, a pile of scrap metal lay on the ground, along with over a hundred broken formation flags. Wang Qiuming lay amidst a pile of rubble, his face pale and his aura weak, clearly severely wounded. To clear the thirty-fifth floor, two of his third-tier puppet beasts had been destroyed, his natal magic treasure was damaged, and he himself was heavily injured. His actions involved a degree of risk; if something had gone wrong, he could have died. However, Wang Qiuming had no regrets.

When outsiders mentioned him, they always referred to him as the grandson of the Azure Lotus Immortals, not by his own name. Wang Qiuming's personal strength was not weak, but Wang Qingling, Wang Mengbin, and Wang Huaxi were more powerful than him. The Azure Lotus Immortals were so prominent that outsiders only knew him as their grandson. To put it bluntly, without the Azure Lotus Immortals, outsiders might not even know of his existence. He wanted to prove himself, to show others that he didn't solely rely on his grandparents and that he possessed genuine talent and knowledge. Even with a third-tier formation and third-tier puppet beasts, Wang Qiuming still paid a heavy price to defeat the illusions of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

He struggled to his feet and walked towards the golden jade table. After some deliberation, he chose three items: an Infant Soul-forming spiritual item, a fist-sized Golden Magnetic Primordial Crystal, and a section of Millennium Glazed Bamboo. The Infant Soul-forming spiritual item was self-explanatory. The Golden Magnetic Primordial Crystal could be refined into his natal magic treasure to enhance its power and allow him to use unique secret techniques. As for the Millennium Glazed Bamboo, it could be used as a material for refining flying sword magic treasures. Wang Qingshan had always asked his clansmen to keep an eye out for the whereabouts of Millennium Glazed Bamboo, and Wang Qiuming had kept this in mind.

After collecting the three materials, a brilliant multi-colored light rose from beneath Wang Qiuming, enveloping his body. As the light dispersed, Wang Qiuming disappeared.

No sooner had he left than Ye Haitang appeared, and illusions of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan also emerged. Ye Haitang's face was slightly pale, as if she had suffered considerably on the thirty-fourth floor. She flicked her sleeve, and a white light flashed as thousands of white bones of various sizes flew out. Simultaneously, a large cloud of black Yin Qi surged from her body, enveloping these bones. Soon, the thousands of white bones suddenly transformed into a giant skeleton over thirty zhang tall. It wielded two white bone swords, each over ten zhang long, and swung them towards the illusions of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Ye Haitang conjured a small, dark, glistening banner. With a gentle shake, the sound of wailing ghosts grew loud as a large expanse of black Yin Qi surged forth, faintly revealing a horde of ferocious ghostly entities. A large number of ghostly entities lunged at the illusions of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Wang Changsheng moved both fists, and a dense flurry of blue fist shadows flew out, striking towards them.

Boom! A series of rumbling sounds erupted, accompanied by constant whooshing sounds.

On the thirty-third floor, Wang Qingling stood on the ground. Her Black Sparrow lay beside her, covered in blood with many feathers missing. The Earth Dragonworm had two bowl-sized, profusely bleeding wounds on its body. Accompanied by a deafening dragon roar, Master Ming Shui plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground and creating a large crater. Before he could get up, a white light shot towards him. Just as he was about to dodge, dozens of thick yellow earth ropes emerged from the ground, entangling Master Ming Shui's feet and preventing him from breaking free. The white light struck him, and his body rapidly froze, transforming into a massive ice sculpture. The Icewind Flood Dragon descended from the sky, its huge dragon claws striking the frozen Master Ming Shui.

Boom! Master Ming Shui immediately shattered, transforming into points of spiritual light and vanishing. The Icewind Flood Dragon was covered in blood, with many scales missing. Its aura was weak, looking as if it had suffered a severe blow to its vitality.

Wang Qingling breathed a long sigh of relief. It was already quite impressive that she had managed to clear the thirty-third floor, having lost several third-tier puppet beasts in the process. As for the thirty-fourth floor, her chances of success were very low. This was mainly because the Icewind Flood Dragon, Black Sparrow, and Earth Dragonworm had all been severely wounded after multiple fierce battles, especially the Icewind Flood Dragon; an ordinary spirit beast would have died long ago.

Over a dozen golden jade tables suddenly appeared, each holding a treasure. She put away her spirit beasts and spirit insects, and walked towards the golden jade tables. The treasures included materials for artifact refining, Infant Soul-forming spiritual items, and magic treasures. Not all challengers who cleared the thirty-third floor would receive such valuable rewards; Wang Qingling had given the Artifact Spirit relatively precious items, which was why her rewards were also precious. She chose three items: an Infant Soul-forming spiritual item, a Heaven Beast Pill, and a drop of Primordial Heavy Water.

A brilliant multi-colored light lit up beneath her feet, enveloping Wang Qingling's figure.