Chapter 2659: Rear Guard

The void rippled, and another red bird claw emerged from thin air, reaching again for Wang Zongyun's skull.

A golden light shot forth, blocking the red bird claw, allowing Wang Zongyun to seize the moment and dodge.

Wang Xiao flew over and asked nervously, "Are you alright?"

Wang Zongyun took a Verdant Marrow Pill, shook his head, and replied, "I'm fine, thank you."

If Wang Xiao hadn't intervened, he would have lost his life.

"Oh no, Blazing Fire Vultures!"

Wang Yingjie frowned. The Savage Lands were rife with high-tier demonic birds; it was truly like escaping one danger only to encounter another.

"I'll stop them! You all retreat first!"

Wang Qingxiao volunteered. With a flick of his incantation hand seal, a dragon's roar echoed through heaven and earth. A white phantom of a five-clawed true dragon appeared high in the sky, exuding an aura that disdained all directions.

Large amounts of white snowflakes drifted down from high above, accompanied by gusts of cold wind.

"I'll stay and hold them off. You lead them to retreat."

Wang Yingjie said solemnly.

"My physical body is strong; they won't find it easy to kill me. Don't dither, go quickly. You are my sister's most outstanding descendant; nothing must happen to you. I'll rendezvous with you later at the cave where the Blazing Sun Ginseng was found. If you don't hear from me after a long while, go back first."

Wang Qingxiao's tone was anxious. He flicked his incantation hand seal, and the true dragon phantom opened its gaping maw, exhaling a swirling white gale. Large amounts of white snowflakes transformed into white ice cones, shooting directly towards the two Blazing Fire Vultures.

"Take this Rank 6 puppet beast!"

Wang Yingjie flicked his sleeve, and a golden shimmering orb flew out, soaring towards Wang Qingxiao.

They had brought two Rank 6 puppet beasts, which now came in handy.

Wang Yingjie put away the Four Directions Beast Carriage and flew towards the ground with Wang Xiao and Wang Zongyun.

The Blazing Fire Vultures split. The high-grade Rank 6 Blazing Fire Vulture attacked Wang Qingxiao, while the mid-grade Rank 6 Blazing Fire Vulture pursued Wang Yingjie and the other two.

Wang Yingjie took a deep breath and let out a loud roar; it was the Soul Suppressing Roar.

The Blazing Fire Vulture's body trembled slightly. The void rippled, and a massive golden bird claw appeared from thin air, swatting at the Blazing Fire Vulture.

The Blazing Fire Vulture was struck by the golden bird claw and plummeted from high above, losing a large number of its feathers.

A white light shot forth, but the Blazing Fire Vulture reacted quickly. With a slight flap of its wings, it dodged the white light.

The white light struck a peak, and the peak instantly froze over.

Wang Yingjie landed on the ground and immediately summoned an armadillo puppet. There might be high-tier demonic beasts underground too, but he couldn't worry about that now.

He cast an incantation hand seal, and the armadillo puppet beast's abdomen slid open, revealing an opening. The three of them successively entered.

The armadillo puppet beast glowed with a brilliant yellow light and submerged into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Wang Qingxiao activated his Dharma Idol to attack the two Blazing Fire Vultures. The two Blazing Fire Vultures feared the true dragon phantom and dared not approach Wang Qingxiao, merely releasing spells from a distance to attack him, but they could do him no harm.

The Blazing Fire Vultures were also very quick to react, making it difficult for Wang Qingxiao's attacks to injure them.

Rumbling explosions resounded, and waves of energy rolled forth.

More than half a year later, in a hidden cave, Wang Yingjie, Wang Xiao, and Wang Zongyun were gathered, their brows deeply furrowed.

Wang Qingxiao still hadn't returned, and they wondered if something had happened to him.

"Take the Kun Earth Stones back with you," Wang Yingjie instructed, "I'll go back and look for Ancestor Qingxiao." They had already waited for more than half a year.

"No need! I'm back," a somewhat weak male voice rang out.

Just as the voice faded, Wang Qingxiao walked in. His body was covered in bloodstains, his aura was weak, and there was a dreadful bloody hole in his left shoulder.

He fought desperately to break through the encirclement and encountered multiple Rank 6 demonic beasts during his escape. Fortunately, with the assistance of a Rank 6 puppet beast and his treasures, he managed to turn the danger into safety.

"Quickly take a Verdant Marrow Pill to heal!" Wang Yingjie urged. "We'll guard you!"

Wang Yingjie took out a green porcelain bottle and handed it to Wang Qingxiao.

Wang Qingxiao nodded, took the green porcelain bottle, and walked towards a simple stone chamber.

He sat down cross-legged, took a Verdant Marrow Pill, and circulated his spiritual energy to heal his injuries.

Wang Yingjie breathed a sigh of relief. Once Wang Qingxiao's injuries improved, they would then leave the Savage Lands.

Mystic Spirit City was one of the border cities where the human race had gathered a large number of masters, including several Integration-stage cultivators. It was bustling with merchants and travelers, and commerce flourished.

In an underground cavern spanning several acres, over a thousand cultivators were gathered. Most of them wore ghost-face masks.

At the center of the cavern was a circular elevated platform. A corpulent old man in a golden robe stood on the platform, holding a small, earthy-yellow bell. The bell emitted terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations, clearly indicating it was a mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure.

"One hundred and fifty million," the old man announced. "Are there any higher bids? This Soul-Vibrating Bell is a mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, extremely rare and hard to come by."

No one spoke again, and the Soul-Vibrating Bell was purchased by a tall, thin young man in a yellow robe.

"This auction has concluded," the old man announced loudly. "Everyone may leave gradually, no need to rush. You may come forward to display and exchange treasures, but we only provide the venue; we are not responsible for any misjudgments." The cultivators gradually departed.

The tall, thin young man in the yellow robe left the venue with a slender woman in a red dress. They arrived at a private secret chamber, which contained a random teleportation array capable of teleporting them anywhere within Mystic Spirit City.

They removed their masks, revealing the faces of Wang Qingcheng and Sun Yuejiao.

They stepped onto the teleportation array, cast an incantation hand seal, and a dazzling spiritual light flared, enveloping their figures.

After a blur before their eyes, they appeared on a bustling street, where pedestrians paid them no mind.

The two circled the street, found nothing unusual, and then entered a spacious courtyard.

Within the courtyard stood a three-story blue pavilion and a blue stone gazebo. Wang Qingcheng and Sun Yuejiao walked into the gazebo and sat down.

"It's a pity we couldn't exchange for that defensive mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure!"

Wang Qingcheng sighed. Over the years, they had been inquiring everywhere about defensive mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures or Rank 7 refining materials, hoping Wang Changsheng could use them when facing the Seven-Nine Thunder Tribulation.

They frequently attended large-scale auctions, celebrations, gatherings, underground auctions, and so on, greatly broadening their horizons. However, few items were truly useful to Wang Changsheng.

They received news that mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures occasionally appeared in Mystic Spirit City, so they specifically rushed there, attended several auctions, and purchased many refining materials, including five types of Rank 7 refining materials.

Not long ago, they heard that a defensive mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure might appear at an underground auction, and they specifically attended it. Unfortunately, the owner wanted elixirs to aid in breaking through to the Integration stage as an exchange, which they couldn't provide. Fortunately, they managed to bid on the Soul-Vibrating Bell, a mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, so it wasn't a wasted trip.

"Do our best and let fate decide," Sun Yuejiao comforted him. "There are many good items in Mystic Spirit City. Let's spend more time here and collect more Rank 7 materials. That would be good too."

They also wanted to do their part. Though they had traveled extensively over the years, their gains hadn't been substantial.