Chapter 97: Firecrackers, Boundary-Breaking Needle, The Shock of the Blood Spirit Venerable

“The effect is truly excellent.” Seeing Wu Mei’s miserable state, Zhao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

In late October, he had visited Old Chen’s estate and seen a new plant in the pear garden: the firecracker plant. The ones he saw in the pear garden were only Third-Grade. This was because in the south, the growth limit of firecrackers decreases, just as oranges grow differently north and south of the Huai River. In reality, firecrackers can typically grow to Fifth-Grade. They require a high demand for ley lines, specifically fire-elemental leylines.

Once firecrackers mature to Fifth-Grade, their bamboo segments contain incredibly violent fire-elemental energy. The color of the bamboo’s surface also changes from green to red. After a curing process, they easily explode upon sensing condensed Yuan Qi.

Although Long Xiao came alone, he brought Chen Shijie a hundred Fifth-Grade firecrackers from the Shenwei Army. Chen Shijie himself had also planted many young bamboos. Zhao Xing had requested a small number of seedlings to try planting them himself. However, Old Chen felt it was too dangerous for him to plant them, so he only gave him one to try. The firecrackers prepared in this house were replanted products, mostly of top-grade Third-Tier. But at Zhao Xing’s strong insistence, Chen Shijie still gave him one Fifth-Grade firecracker. After cutting it into ten segments, Zhao Xing buried them around the fence. Wu Mei stepped on one of these segments.

“Not killed instantly? Her physique must be Eighth-Grade,” Zhao Xing observed Wu Mei. Fifth-Grade firecrackers naturally detonate based on external pressure and Yuan Qi intensity. If someone was unranked or merely Ninth-Grade, they might not even trigger the explosion. However, once the Yuan Qi concentration within her body reached Eighth-Grade, the fire-elemental energy inside would ignite, as if finding an outlet, simultaneously igniting that cluster of Yuan Qi as it exploded. That is why the flesh and blood of Wu Mei’s legs struggled to heal. Furthermore, the more she channeled Yuan Qi to repair her body, the worse her injuries became.

Zhao Xing could also actively detonate the remaining firecrackers. Although he wasn't using the Dungeon Method, his Dizang Guiyuan technique enveloped the surrounding area. The small courtyard around the fence was now a minefield!

*Pfft!* Wu Mei pulled out her knife, slicing off the flesh from her bones and peeling out the bamboo splinters embedded within. Upon realizing that healing was ineffective, she decisively chose the most direct method. Time was of the essence.

“Ahhh!” The pain wracked her body. How could cutting her own flesh and scraping bone not hurt? “You little bastard! How dare you scheme against me?” Wu Mei’s eyes burned with malice.

“Do you have anything valuable on you?” Zhao Xing’s voice drifted on the wind. “Did you bring a Realm-Breaking Needle, or a Profound Heaven Mirror, a Soul-Protecting Vest, or other magic artifacts?”

Hearing this, Wu Mei was stunned, momentarily forgetting the pain, and instinctively replied, “No, how did you kno—”

“Didn’t bring them?”

“Then what’s the point of you being alive?”

*Whoosh!* Zhao Xing’s voice, carried by a chilling Yin Wind, seemed cold. While Wu Mei was busy cutting flesh and scraping bone, the Yin Wind swept towards her body. The Yin Wind seemed to seep into Wu Mei’s body through every pore, scraping directly at her soul.

*Hiss!* Wu Mei shivered, trembling uncontrollably. This soul-deep cold caused her to forcefully retreat despite not yet clearing the after-effects of the firecracker. A fiery red blood fiend energy surged around her, protecting her body and resisting the Yin Wind’s erosion.

*Plop!* A drop of rain landed on Wu Mei’s forehead.

“Rain... Is it raining?” Wu Mei looked up, her scarlet, enchanting eyes scanning the sky. Above her, a pitch-black dark cloud had appeared at some unknown time, so dark it blended perfectly with the night.

When did he summon these clouds? Why did this cloud form a black vortex? This was…

*Plop, plop!* Cold raindrops interrupted Wu Mei’s thoughts.

It was cold, too cold. If the Yin Wind brought a soul-deep cold, then the icy rain now brought a physical coldness. Wu Mei, who could normally unleash the full power of a true Eighth-Grade, whether in physique or spellcasting, was comparable to Great Zhou’s true Eighth-Grades. But now, she found herself as fragile as a low-ranking official! And she was still weakening!

“Profound Heaven Blood Fiend! Blood Spirit Protection!”

“Divine Venerable Soul Seizure, Possess My True Body!”

The blood fiend energy around Wu Mei pulsed. While resisting the Yin Wind and icy rain, her body began to exude a layer of crimson, fine blood. The blood flowed, enveloping her skin and flesh, as if something was on the verge of tearing through her body.

“Transformation? Can you even transform?” Zhao Xing spread his fingers, lightning entwined around their tips, quickly forming a hand composed of pure lightning. It swiftly pressed onto the blood fiend energy covering Wu Mei’s body.

*Boom-crack!* The blood fiend energy was ripped open, revealing Wu Mei’s bleeding muscles.

*Pfft!* The purple lightning hand curved its fingers and swiftly poked Wu Mei’s abdomen. The spread of the blood fiend energy instantly stalled, like a turning gear getting jammed.

*Boom!* The lightning hand changed direction and struck again, first blasting open the protective blood fiend energy, then curving its palm and extending its fingers. It poked Wu Mei in six different locations.

“Shenting, Shenque, Shendao, Guanyuan, Shimen, Yinjiao... and where was the last one?”

“Never mind, I’ll just poke somewhere random for the last one.”

Zhao Xing couldn’t quite recall, but these six crucial acupoints were enough to disrupt her transformation.

“You...” Horror flashed across Wu Mei’s face. Realizing the situation was grim, she had immediately unleashed her full power, activating a secret technique of the Profound Heaven Sect, wanting to use her trump card to fight. But Zhao Xing’s lightning hand had forcefully interrupted her spellcasting.

Was she from the Profound Heaven Sect, or was he? How did he know so much? Wu Mei couldn't understand, but she was greatly astonished.

“Don’t poke, please don’t poke...” Wu Mei’s voice was choked with tears. “I shouldn’t die here, I was supposed to capture you and bring you back... Please don’t poke.”

“Come with me, you will definitely be valued in the Profound Heaven Sect. I never intended to kill you, I just wanted to take you away... Please don’t poke.” Wu Mei pleaded desperately. Her blood fiend energy was now as thin as a cicada’s wing, and her Blood Spirit Possession was completely disrupted. She had lain dormant for over a decade just for this operation. She never expected it to turn into a complete failure, her mission unfulfilled, and her life forfeit here. Unwilling, she was truly unwilling.

Unlike other Profound Heaven Sect members, some of whom were nearing their life limit and willingly sought death, and others who were manipulated or brainwashed and lost their self-awareness, Wu Mei’s consciousness was completely autonomous. She still possessed a strong will to survive.

“Come with me, please come with me...” Wu Mei raised her hand, and a needle tore through her flesh, aiming for Zhao Xing’s Baihui acupoint. This Realm-Breaking Needle was her last gamble.

“How devious, I knew you had one,” Zhao Xing muttered. The Realm-Breaking Needle passed through his body and embedded itself in the door behind him. The illusion vanished, leaving only a cold, shimmering bead on the ground: a Fourth-Grade East Lake Bead projection.

“You tricked me... you’re so devi—” Wu Mei saw this scene, her hand dropped, and she collapsed to the ground, her words trailing off, filled with intense unwillingness. Had it struck Zhao Xing, she could have immediately controlled him with the Realm-Breaking Needle, turning defeat into victory and making him take her away. With this last gamble failing, she knew there was no hope left. She had lived on hope for over a decade of dormancy. With that hope gone, Wu Mei completely lost her will to resist, and her soul was fragmented by the Yin Wind.

“I did trick you. Someone of your caliber would certainly carry a Realm-Breaking Needle, just a different model. I asked if you had one because I didn’t want you to retreat when things looked bad. I wanted you to think you had a chance to control my body with a Blood Spirit Needle and walk out of the courtyard yourself, giving you hope for a comeback,” Zhao Xing mused silently.

He looked at the dark red needle embedded in the door. The needle’s material was extremely unusual, seemingly metallic yet not quite, and it was wrapped in a substance resembling flesh and sinew. The Blood Spirit Needle was a type of Realm-Breaking Needle and one of the Profound Heaven Sect’s classic magic artifacts. Its effect was not on the soul, but directly on the flesh and blood.

“This needle,” Zhao Xing didn’t dare to touch it, only observing from a distance, “can bypass a person’s life-soul and directly control their physical body.”

“Once struck, it’s equivalent to losing control of one’s body. While their consciousness remains clear, their body would be controlled by the Profound Heaven Sect.” The Blood Spirit Needle was instrumental in the Profound Heaven Sect’s successful abductions. Divine temples across Great Zhou, though mostly scanning within cities, would expand their search range during monthly rituals or emergencies. Using methods that control the soul to abduct people could easily be detected by Yin Gods. But the Blood Spirit Needle controlled the physical body, leaving the three souls normal, so no abnormality would be detected.

“After being hit by a Blood Spirit Needle, one can even alter the movement of flesh, sinew, and bones, achieving the effect of easy transformation and disguise.”

“You wouldn’t even recognize them standing right in front of you.” This could be considered a vastly superior artifact, a treasure that could only be forged in the ancient sect era. Outsider sects were able to harass the giant beast that was Great Zhou thanks to these ancient inheritances.

“Meow.” The mountain cat was also looking at the needle.

“You can’t eat that. Do you want to become a dead cat?” Zhao Xing glared at the mountain cat. The mountain cat immediately drew back its head, retreating half a step. Fine, then it wouldn't eat. It wasn't that hungry anyway.

***

Outside the ruined factory building, on a high hillside, Chen Shijie, Tang Wanchun, Xue Wenzhong, Pang Yuan, Gao Linong, and other officials from the Department of Agriculture were surrounded.

“Lord Chen!” Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun, who had gradually broken free from the Yin Soul dream-entering spell, woke up and saw this scene, looking at Chen Shijie. “The demon invasion—wasn’t the assessment over? Why are they still here? What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. They aren’t fake; they’re real,” Chen Shijie said with a smile. “Everyone, it’s time to earn some political merit. These are genuine Profound Heaven demon cultists.”

The officials of the Department of Agriculture were utterly bewildered. *Do we look like we can fight, looking like this? You’re a Military Agricultural Officer, but we’re not!*

“I knew following that bastard Chen Shijie meant trouble,” Gao Linong muttered, his scalp tingling as he saw the formation. “A few years ago, he put me through hell here, and now he’s attracted so many Profound Heaven Sect demon cultists.”

“Lord Chen, you and the county magistrate must have discussed this, right?” Tang Wanchun’s voice trembled slightly. “Is there a large army ambushing outside?”

“No,” Chen Shijie replied, looking at the approaching encirclement.

“...Chen Shijie, you bastard!” Gao Linong couldn’t help but start swearing. In his heart, he instantly cursed Chen Shijie’s ancestors eight generations back. He felt certain he would die this time, so why bother respecting his superiors? Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun also felt resentment, but they were still half-believing, half-doubting, thinking Chen Shijie couldn’t easily put himself in such danger.

Xue Wenzhong, however, was very calm; he was now accepting of anything. A thunder cloud immediately appeared in his palm, and with a gentle flick, the thunder cloud began to move around his body. One, two, five, ten... A total of thirty-two thunder clouds not only protected him but also encircled his colleagues.

“Those who consume the king’s salary should share the king’s worries. As for outsider sects, everyone has the right to eliminate them,” Xue Wenzhong said solemnly.

“Fine, it’s just death.” Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan each summoned clouds and cast their respective spells to fend off the enemies. Heavenly Time Four Spells and Earth Advantage Spells instantly filled the entire hillside. Although their grades were a realm lower than the Eighth-Grade masters brought by Hunter Eagle, under their desperate spellcasting, the Profound Heaven Sect members moved extremely slowly. Upon entering the hundred-meter range, their mobility significantly decreased.

“Hahaha, I didn’t expect my Earth-Partitioning Spell to be so powerful! Take another bolt of lightning from me!” Gao Linong channeled lightning towards one of the black figures. The lightning actually struck the opponent, causing him to freeze in place. Not only that, but he even emitted a fiery red glow.

“Misjudged? Not Eighth-Grade?” Tang Wanchun’s eyes lit up when she saw the opponent so vulnerable.

“Lord Gao, you’re overthinking it. It’s not you; they’ve weakened,” Xue Wenzhong glanced at his feet, then at Chen Shijie. “What a Dungeon Method.”

“Elder Xue has a discerning eye,” Chen Shijie smiled faintly, then stopped pretending. The outer perimeter of the entire hillside suddenly cracked open, forming an encirclement. Then a line of fire ignited, bright flames erupting from underground, reaching four meters high and forming a wall of fire.

“What?! Fire-Elemental Earth-Cracking Spell, and such restraining force—is it the Dungeon Method?!” Hunter Eagle Protector perceived the immense pressure on his body and was astonished. The other Eighth-Grades also struggled to move an inch, each step incredibly heavy, as if carrying a mountain on their backs.

And just as they stepped into the hundred-meter range, the ground beneath them suddenly heaved.

*Bang!* A massive surge of fire-elemental energy immediately exploded! One of the black-clad figures stepped on a firecracker and was instantly blasted away!

“What?! Halt!” Hunter Eagle Protector watched as his subordinate lost his legs, with half his body gone, clearly wouldn't survive.

“Profound Heaven Orthodox Law, Big Dipper Ascending Dragon!” Hunter Eagle Protector roared. The black-clad figures nearby also chanted incantations.

“Profound Claw!” One black-clad figure made a grasping motion, and an azure battle blade appeared in his hand.

“Profound Horn!” A golden ramming horn appeared in front of the second black-clad figure.

“Extreme Wing!” An armored iron fist condensed above the third black-clad figure’s head.

“Profound Yin!” A bright moon appeared around the fourth black-clad figure.

“Primal Female!” The fifth black-clad figure clasped his hands together, and a bead appeared.

“Flying Dragon!” The sixth black-clad figure’s body swelled dramatically, and a ferocious dragon head enveloped his entire body.

Hunter Eagle Protector immediately cast the Profound Heaven Sect’s Big Dipper Ascending Dragon formation. The seven individuals, including Hunter Eagle, moved like a flying dragon descending to the ground, chasing the sun and moon. The surrounding fire wall was immediately suppressed to two meters, and the buried firecrackers no longer detonated when stepped on, greatly diminishing their restraints. Their mobility immediately increased.

“Chen Shijie, I never expected someone of your talent to cultivate to Spirit Bridge Completion in your thirties. However, my Profound Sect desperately needs talent like yours!” Hunter Eagle Protector growled. “Attack quickly!”

“Lord Chen!” Tang Wanchun, seeing these demon cultists instantly become full of vigor and vitality, asked with eyes blazing red, “Do the county magistrate and the Eastern Lake Army truly not know about this?”

“They’re not here,” Chen Shijie said calmly. “But I have a sword cultivator.”

“A sword cultivator? What sword cultivator?” Pang Yuan was baffled.

Chen Shijie extended a finger. The ground split open, revealing a two-meter square deep pit, bottomlessly dark. Just as they wondered, a streak of sword light whistled out from the pit.

“Damn it, I was suffocating! Don’t bury me so deep next time!” A gruff voice echoed from underground. Then, the golden sword, like a fish, swam through the air. After emerging from the pit, the golden sword immediately shot towards the Profound Heaven demon cultists down the hillside.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!*

The golden sword’s reflection filled the eyes of all Profound Heaven Sect members. Hunter Eagle Protector’s pupils dilated; he desperately tried to resist, aware of the danger, but his limbs couldn’t keep up.

*Pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft!*

The golden sword pierced his head, and bloodied holes appeared in the heads of the others simultaneously.

*Thud!* In an instant, all seven fell to the ground!

*Clang!* The golden sword sliced through a perfect arc and landed in Long Xiao’s raised hand.

“This...” Tang Wanchun and the others were astonished by the sight. “Is this a martial artist?” In their impression, crude martial artists weren't this powerful or cool.

“As everyone knows, martial artists are martial artists, and sword cultivators are sword cultivators,” Long Xiao coolly sheathed his sword, then his expression changed. “Who was just cursing my brother?”

*Swish swish!* Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan simultaneously pointed at Gao Linong, decisively selling out their teammate.

“I...” Gao Linong immediately broke out in a sweat.

“He merely spoke carelessly; don’t mind it too much,” Chen Shijie said, looking ahead. “There are bigger fish. Quickly follow my wind to find them.”

“Understood.” Long Xiao dropped his intimidating demeanor and swiftly leapt down the hillside.

***

Anping Town, Maple Leaf Manor, at the blood pool altar beneath the rockery. A purple-robed phantom floated above the blood pool. From time to time, red glows flew back from outside, merging into the phantom’s body; these were soul fragments returning to the main body after invading others.

“Failed.” The purple-robed phantom sensed the commotion above. “A large number of officials returned. This operation has completely failed.” In his perception, Li Wenzheng, leading a large contingent of the Eastern Lake Army, had formed an even larger encirclement, closing in from the distance. It was clear this operation had been premeditated.

“Willing to risk themselves, using themselves and numerous officials as bait—ruthless and decisive.” The purple-robed phantom knew it was time to abandon this clone. However, he was waiting for all soul fragments to return. Failure wasn’t frightening; he needed to retrieve them, perceive everything that had happened, and summarize the detailed process of this failure.

“Such unwavering will! Ten years in the army, and not once has he invoked a deity?” The Blood Spirit Venerable, after retrieving one red glow, also learned of his conversation with Chen Shijie in the dream. “Pity, I couldn’t take him.”

*Whoosh!* Another red glow flew back, but this time it was much weaker, as if too depleted, almost ephemeral, barely half the size of the previous light cluster.

“Hm? Why is the depletion so great?” The Blood Spirit Venerable opened his maw in confusion and swallowed the red glow in one gulp. Then, in his mind, he saw a fenced courtyard, and within it, a disheveled young man: Zhao Xing.

“What?! That bastard!” The Blood Spirit Venerable’s blood pressure immediately rose halfway through his perception.