Chapter 2605: Qingfeng Repels the Enemy (No More Today)

The demonic insect likely advanced to the sixth rank by consuming spiritual elixirs.

With numerous interconnected passages crisscrossing the area, investigating each one would be too time-consuming. Wang Mengbin gently flicked his wrist, and a golden light darted out. It was a golden squirrel with golden eyes and a short tail – a Spirit-seeking Mouse.

This particular Spirit-seeking Mouse was a descendant of the Dual-pupil Rat, many generations removed. The Dual-pupil Rat had many offspring, and the Wang family's beast tamers had crossbred its descendants with other spirit mice, hoping to cultivate superior breeds. The Spirit-seeking Mouse was one such result, possessing a keener sense of smell than the ordinary Dual-pupil Rat. Currently, only over a thousand of them had been successfully bred. This five-rank Spirit-seeking Mouse specialized in locating spirit herbs.

The Spirit-seeking Mouse sniffed a few times before scurrying into a narrow crevice ahead. Wang Mengbin blasted open the rock wall and followed.

Half an hour later, he emerged into an underground cavern about an acre in size. In one corner stood a red fruit tree, ten feet tall, bearing dozens of golden, gourd-shaped fruits.

"Golden Gourd Fruit!" Wang Mengbin realized. The Golden Gourd Fruit blooms after five thousand years, bears fruit after another five thousand, and fully matures only after an additional five thousand years. It thrives in areas abundant with fire spiritual energy.

If his guess was correct, this area had gradually developed a Golden Blazing Stone vein over a long period, causing the fire spiritual energy to become exceptionally dense. Some fire-attribute spirit beast must have brought a Golden Gourd Fruit seed here, cultivating this tree. The Thunder-Fire Centipede must have consumed the Golden Gourd Fruit, which greatly boosted its cultivation and allowed it to advance to the sixth rank.

He carefully picked all the Golden Gourd Fruits, placed them into several jade boxes, and departed with the Spirit-seeking Mouse. Not long after, he returned to the surface and reunited with Wang Zongque and others.

Wang Mengbin briefly explained the situation at the Thunder-Fire Centipede's nest. He planned to send family members to occupy the area, thoroughly investigate for other treasures, and simultaneously mine the Golden Blazing Stone vein. As for the Golden Gourd Fruit tree, high-rank spiritual plant cultivators would be sent to transplant it.

"Yixin, Yimiao, you five will stay here and ensure no one else takes the Golden Gourd Fruit tree. After we return, send more family members to occupy this place." Wang Mengbin instructed, leaving behind five cultivators at the Divine Transformation Stage before departing with the others.

The Golden Gourd Fruits were divided into four portions: Wang Mengbin, Bai Yuqi, and Wang Zongque each received one portion, with the remaining portion submitted to the family for merit points.

***

The Qinggang Mountain Range once housed a medium-sized Qinggang Stone mine. Qinggang Stone, a fifth-rank refining material, is known for its high hardness and heat resistance. It is incorporated into the core of fifth-rank puppet beasts to enhance their defensive capabilities.

This area was a stronghold of the Ning family, whose ancestor, Ning Lan, originated from the Zhenhai Palace. After leaving Zhenhai Palace, Ning Lan established his family. To acquire cultivation resources, the Ning family adopted a strategy of distant alliances and close-range attacks, expanding their territory. The Qinggang Mountain Range was one of their key strongholds.

After years of mining, the Qinggang Stone was completely depleted. However, the area remained rich in demonic beast resources, including many fifth-rank beasts, attracting numerous high-rank cultivators to hunt. The Ning family had established a successful market here.

The Su family also coveted this location. To seize it, the Su family directly attacked several Ning family strongholds. The Ning family's overall strength was inferior to the Su family's, resulting in heavy losses and forcing them to abandon this stronghold.

As the Wang family increased its investment in manpower and resources inland, Ning Lan sent representatives to contact the Wang family, hoping to leverage their strength to reclaim the lost territory. The ancestors of both families had once faced life and death together and were both subordinate families of Zhenhai Palace. Furthermore, the Ning family had developed inland for many years, cultivating extensive connections and a broad network. The Wang family also wished to utilize the Ning family's influence to expand their own power, and thus agreed to help.

***

Deep within the Qinggang Mountain Range, an open clearing. At the top of a peak, dozens of Wang family disciples gathered. Leading them were Wang Qingfeng and Dong Xueli, with Wang Gonghu and others standing behind them. Facing them were dozens of Qian family disciples, led by a beautiful woman in a white dress with picturesque features. This woman, Qian Ruyue, was at the early Void Refinement Stage, with skin like congealed fat and a graceful figure, her hair styled in an "ascending cloud" bun.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, it's settled then. If you lose, Jinyun Valley will belong to our Qian family," Qian Ruyue stated solemnly.

"A gentleman's word is his bond," Wang Qingfeng agreed. The Qian family had two Void Refinement cultivators, and their ancestor came from the Five Saints Sect. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Five-Poison True Lord rendered great service during a racial war, and the Xuanqing Sect rewarded him with territory to establish his sect. Unfortunately, the Five-Poison True Lord perished under a great heavenly tribulation, and the Five Saints Sect had not produced an Integration Stage cultivator since. However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; though the Five Saints Sect currently lacked an Integration Stage cultivator, it possessed no fewer than ten Void Refinement cultivators, making it a formidable power.

The Wang family wasn't helping for free. If they won, the Qinggang Mountain Range would belong to the Wang family. If they lost, the Ning family would cede another territory to the Qian family. Regardless of the outcome, the Wang family would not suffer any loss. If they won, the Ning family would also recover a significant amount of territory.

"Very well, I'd like to experience Fellow Daoist Wang's divine abilities myself." Qian Ruyue agreed, then soared into the air, floating high above.

White light erupted from her body, a beam of it shooting skyward, transforming into a massive female phantom. The phantom's head glowed brightly, appearing almost solid. Her dharma idol was ten percent condensed, which was already quite impressive.

Wang Qingfeng flew up, formed a hand seal, and a red light surged skyward, forming a vast, hazy giant blade phantom. His dharma idol was twenty percent condensed, significantly more refined than Qian Ruyue's.

Qian Ruyue frowned, formed a hand seal, and the female phantom opened its mouth, spitting out a beam of white light that flew high into the sky, forming a white cloud hundreds of miles wide. After the white cloud churned violently, numerous white ice cones shot out, heading straight for Wang Qingfeng. Large quantities of white snowflakes fluttered down, then blurred, transforming into white ice blades several feet long that slashed towards Wang Qingfeng.

Qian Ruyue conjured a continuously flashing white command flag, infused it with a spell, and the white flag spun, emitting a bright white light that transformed into a white ice python over a thousand feet long, lunging towards its opponent. This was Mana Transformation! She had been in the Void Refinement Stage for over four thousand years, possessing deep mana. Activating a dharma idol consumed a vast amount of mana, and cultivators in the early Void Refinement Stage could not sustain dharma idol combat for long.

Wang Qingfeng understood this. He flicked his sleeve, and five golden, flashing long blades flew out. These were Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures refined from Golden Blazing Stone. He formed a hand seal, and the five golden blades glowed intensely, merging into a single continuously flashing golden giant blade.

"Go!" Wang Qingfeng lightly pointed, and the golden giant blade transformed into a golden rainbow, shooting straight towards its opponent. Simultaneously, the giant blade phantom above his head slashed through the void. Rushing sounds filled the air as thousands of hazy red blade qi swept out, like a torrent of crimson, powerfully striking their opponent.

A thunderous roar! The white ice cones and white ice blades shattered like paper under the crimson torrent. The white ice python was reverted to its original form, a white command flag, in a single encounter with the golden rainbow. The golden rainbow deflected the white command flag and flew straight for Qian Ruyue.

Qian Ruyue opened her mouth and spat out a small white mirror, flashing with white light. The white mirror emitted a beam of white light that enveloped the golden rainbow, causing it to halt and transform into a white ice blade, encased in several feet of ice.

Wang Qingfeng formed a hand seal, and white smoke rose from the white ice blade. The ice dissipated, and the golden giant blade, now wreathed in golden flames, exuded terrifying heat as it shot towards Qian Ruyue. Simultaneously, the crimson torrent also reached Qian Ruyue.

Qian Ruyue was startled. While activating her dharma idol to unleash a blast of white mist to freeze the crimson torrent, she also conjured a white shield to block in front of her. The golden giant blade suddenly changed direction, slashing towards the female phantom. The female phantom opened its mouth and spat out a surge of white mist, which was instantly cut in half by the golden giant blade. With a loud crash, the female phantom was split in two by the golden giant blade. Qian Ruyue spat out a large mouthful of blood, her face turning pale.

The golden giant blade slashed down, seemingly intent on cleaving Qian Ruyue in half.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, stop! I concede!" Qian Ruyue quickly shouted. White light erupted from her body, transforming into a cloud of white mist that vanished. The golden giant blade struck the ground, tearing it open to reveal a fissure ten thousand feet long and over a hundred feet wide, and the ground caught fire.

A hundred miles away, a white light flashed in the void, and Qian Ruyue reappeared, her eyes filled with terror. Wang Qingfeng actually possessed a five-piece set of Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures; she truly could not compete.

"Thank you for the concession, Madam Qian. I hope you will uphold your agreement, otherwise, my blade will not strike the ground next time," Wang Qingfeng said coldly.

Qian Ruyue sighed, then left with her family. "Let's go! We should head back too!" Wang Qingfeng put away his treasures, dismissed his dharma idol, and left with his family members.

A month later, this duel quickly spread, greatly increasing Wang Qingfeng's renown. He earned the title "Heavenly Blade True Lord."