Chapter 122: Zixiao Is About to Gain Another Earthly Branch Elder

Everyone’s eyes were fixed intently on He Ming’s figure, and then they witnessed a scene that left them stunned.

He Ming plunged headlong into the yellow mist. The next moment, he was seen falling as if thrown from an airplane—head down, feet up. He flailed his arms and legs, seemingly trying to regain control of his body, but it was useless; the spiritual energy he usually commanded with ease was completely inaccessible.

Xie Liuyun hurriedly leapt up and caught him in mid-air. Once they landed and Xie let go, He Ming stumbled about like a drunkard, his footing unsteady.

Zi Wei, eyes gleaming, asked, "How does it feel?"

While struggling to steady himself, He Ming replied with difficulty, "The sky... is spinning... the earth is turning..."

Distracted by the effort to answer, he lost his balance entirely and collapsed to the ground. Zhang Ziying, holding the bottle of Yellow Immortal Pills, was about to step forward to give him one, but was stopped by Zi Wei.

"No rush. Let’s see how long he stays dizzy."

A smile tugged at the corner of Zi Wei’s mouth as he spoke. With this Yellow Wind Gourd, the situation in the ancient battlefield of Changping was secure.

It took a full ten seconds for He Ming to recover. He scrambled to his feet and asked Zhou Ming to cast a Cleansing Spell on him.

"It is truly formidable. This yellow mist bypasses even protective spiritual energy. Once touched, one’s mind goes blank, followed by a sensation of the world turning upside down. I tried to use a magic treasure to steady myself, but I couldn't even focus my divine sense. I tried to manifest protective spiritual energy to avoid injury, but my intentions were in chaos, and my energy refused to obey."

After describing his experience, He Ming looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at the yellow mist, which had already expanded to cover an area of over a hundred yards. "With this treasure, we can wipe out those Ghost Commanders in a single encounter. If it proves effective against Golden Core cultivators as well—even if it doesn't stun them for long—the slightest interference would be enough for you and the Daoist to join forces and swiftly scatter Zhao Kuo’s soul to the winds."

The surrounding crowd was overjoyed upon hearing this. He Ming smiled at Zi Wei and said, "Since this kid has made such a massive contribution the moment he arrived, you’d better think carefully about how to reward him."

Zi Wei looked toward the sky and smiled. "Let's wait and see. Let’s watch how he fares against the Daoist. If nothing goes wrong, our Zixiao sect will soon have another Earthly Branch Elder."

The others were taken aback for a moment, then realized the truth. Although Daoist Yuling had only been defending and had not yet even brought out his magic treasure, the fact that Li Yunfei could force him into repeated evasions showed that his combat power was not to be underestimated. At the very least, if any of them were to spar with Daoist Yuling, they wouldn't even have the qualifications to make him move an inch.

Although it relied on the advantage of a magic treasure, the treasure itself was part of a cultivator's strength. The rule for appointing members to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in Zixiao was that one must either reach the peak of the Yin Spirit stage or possess overall combat power equivalent to that level. Li Yunfei was at the late Yin Spirit stage—only a step away from the peak—but his overall combat capability already far exceeded it. With the Yellow Wind Gourd in hand, he could take out a whole group of peak Yin Spirit cultivators if they were caught off guard.

Hearing Zi Wei’s words, a look of profound joy appeared in Zhang Ziying’s eyes. Li Yunfei receiving the recognition and trust of the Zixiao leadership made her happier than if the honor had been bestowed upon herself.

"Huh? Master has brought out the 'Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Talisman Ruler'," Yang Lianzhen, who had been focused on the sky, suddenly exclaimed in excitement.

The crowd was surprised and looked up. Honghong leaned over to Yang Lianzhen and asked curiously, "Sister Yang, is this Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Talisman Ruler very powerful?"

Yang Lianzhen replied, "Of course. This treasure is refined from extremely rare ten-thousand-year spiritual jade found in mineral deposits; it is inherently powerful just as a weapon. When Master and the seniors of the Xuan Group refined it, they inscribed the 'Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Talisman' onto it. This talisman is a super-enhanced version of the Exorcism Talisman and can serve as a carrier for all other spells. Whatever incantation is recited, the divine talisman manifests the effect of that spell. However, only those at the Golden Core stage can truly control it. Using the ruler, spells below the Golden Core stage require no incantation—they manifest the moment a thought arises. But for spells that require Golden Core power, one must recite the incantation."

"Since Brother Li is only at the late Yin Spirit stage, he likely cannot withstand the power of Golden Core spells. If Master only uses Yin Spirit level spells, he can set up a talisman formation in an instant. This spar will likely end soon."

Honghong curled her lip at this, whispering, "My brother hasn't even used his full strength yet! If he goes all out, who knows who will win."

Hearing her mutter, the crowd cast surprised glances at her. He was already fighting the Daoist to this extent, yet he still hadn't used his full strength? What other methods could he be hiding? The crowd watched with great anticipation.

Li Yunfei was indeed not using his full strength. After all, as a legendary Daoist (in his own mind), his greatest asset was not himself, but his summons. A Daoist without summons has no soul. If he were to summon all eighteen of his super skeleton warriors, each holding a Yellow Wind Gourd, and surround Daoist Yuling to blast him from all six directions, how would he dodge? If the yellow wind could make him even slightly sluggish, a barrage of Purple Gold Hammers would follow—who could withstand that?

Although the gap between the Yin Spirit and Golden Core stages is vast, when a magic treasure is too powerful and one has plenty of them, such gaps can be bridged. Li Yunfei’s most potent strategy was not his own cultivation, but "pay-to-win." Others would consider themselves lucky to have one treasure like the Yellow Wind Gourd or the Purple Gold Hammer, but he had as many as he wanted.

High above, when Daoist Yuling felt the power of the Purple Gold Hammers growing more intense and the yellow wind from the gourd blowing more fiercely, he knew Li Yunfei had truly begun to exert himself. Realizing that pure spiritual cultivation and mid-air talisman drawing were no longer enough to resist, he decisively brought out his own treasure.

It was a white jade ruler, a foot long, two fingers wide, and half an inch thick. Both sides were engraved with golden talisman patterns that pulsed with light—this was his Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Talisman Ruler. Once activated, the ruler glowed with intense golden light, and a whirlwind began to spin around him. Although spells below the Golden Core stage could not create a true tornado, this whirlwind was enough to keep the encroaching yellow mist at bay, forcing it to swirl more than a yard away from him.

"Buzz... hum..."

The ruler was both offensive and defensive. After isolating the yellow mist, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot from the glowing ruler, heading straight for Li Yunfei.

Li Yunfei did not dare to be careless. With a thought, his Qi Armor covered his body, and he poured out his spiritual energy without reservation, enveloping himself in a thick layer of protective aura.

*Boom!*

Li Yunfei took the hit. He wasn't seriously injured, but the force of the blast sent him flying backward. He used his Blood-Thirst Flying Sword to stabilize his position and then dashed toward the side of Daoist Yuling, ignoring the lightning bolts that struck him like laser cannons. Although the Heavenly Thunder Talisman formation was draining his energy at an alarming rate, he had already found a way to deal with Daoist Yuling. Once this method took effect, it would end the spar immediately, even if it meant exhausting all his spiritual power.