"Wu Lu, I have long known your identity. As for you, a Jin countryman who started as a beast slave and advanced in cultivation at such a rapid pace, it is mostly related to the Breaking Dawn Sect. It is because I know about this that I have taken a special interest in you. I have even covered for you when other elders inquired," Ling Songhua continued.
"Thank you for your care, Senior Ling," Yuan Ming said.
On the side, Huo Chan'er jumped onto Yuan Ming's shoulder and nuzzled his head, to which Yuan Ming gently stroked.
"Chen Cangqiong, leading the Biluo Cave, has been acting recklessly and has long since incurred the wrath of both heaven and man. Its destruction is only a matter of time. Although I do not want to help in the destruction of the Biluo Cave, I am pleased to see it happen," Ling Songhua said coldly.
Yuan Ming suddenly realized that Ling Songhua thought he was a spy sent by the Breaking Dawn Sect. She had taken care of him before, and it was all a misunderstanding.
"Do you know the reason I kept you here?" Ling Songhua asked.
"Please, Senior Ling, enlighten me," Yuan Ming dared not guess and said.
"On that day, you found the White Flame Essence for me. I have never repaid this favor. I had originally planned to craft a flying artifact for you, but now that the Breaking Dawn Sect has destroyed the Biluo Cave, the materials I stored in the Fire Refining Peak warehouse have been taken. It seems that this matter cannot be fulfilled," Ling Songhua said.
"Senior Ling, you have already done enough. I already have a flying spirit beast, so it doesn't matter if I have a flying artifact or not. As for the White Flame Essence, I obtained it by chance and did not put in much effort. Senior Ling, there is no need for you to worry about repayment," Yuan Ming declined.
"Hehe, Yuan Ming, you are unaware that Songhua's cultivation technique has strict requirements for the state of mind. The White Flame Essence you brought helped her greatly. If you do not repay this favor, it may leave hidden dangers. You should not refuse this matter any longer," a voice came, and it was Li Zhui, who had walked in.
"Senior Li," Yuan Ming stood up to greet him.
"We are friends despite the difference in age, there is no need for such formality. Please, sit," Li Zhui chuckled.
"I have two ways to repay you. One is to give you a sum of spirit stones equivalent to the market value of the White Flame Essence, and the other is to craft another type of artifact for you," Ling Songhua said.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming suddenly had a thought.
"Since Senior Ling has said so, I dare to make a request. You do not need to craft an artifact for me; just upgrade this item to a high-grade artifact," he took out the black needle artifact and said.
This needle was a medium-grade artifact with astonishing power, and the material used was extremely superior, even surpassing the Cold Star Sword. According to his estimation, it could be upgraded to a high-grade artifact.
Ling Songhua took the black needle, probed it with her divine sense, and showed a look of surprise on her face.
"This needle is made of meteorite iron! Meteorite iron can be used to craft treasures, and upgrading it to a high-grade artifact is naturally more than enough. However, do you intend to keep these two runes on the needle?" she asked.
"These two runes are perfectly matched with the black needle artifact. I want to keep them. Senior Ling, you can add a 'Swift Wind' rune," Yuan Ming said.
"Good, I will go and craft it. It will be completed in a day," Ling Songhua got up and walked out.
Yuan Ming was about to say not to rush, but Ling Songhua's figure had already disappeared outside the door, leaving only him and Li Zhui in the room.
"I have always felt that you and the Lord of the Three Caves have a deep relationship. I didn't expect you two to become Dao companions. It is truly a cause for celebration," Yuan Ming chuckled.
"I have no other thoughts now, I just want to be with Songhua," Li Zhui said slowly.
"Now that Chen Cangqiong is dead and the Biluo Cave has been destroyed, don't you plan to rebuild the Three Stars Mountain? With the two of you, both in the Foundation Establishment stage, rebuilding the Three Stars Mountain is not difficult," Yuan Ming asked.
"After experiencing the bustling world and witnessing the vicissitudes of life, I have overlooked the world and fallen into the mortal world. What is an immortal? What is it to be an immortal? Although I am an immortal, I have no intention of seeking immortality. The past is like a prison of blue smoke, gone forever. I only hope for a carefree life with no attachments," Li Zhui leaned back in his chair, with a look of relief in his eyes.
"What a carefree life! Although I have recently entered the path of immortality, I have never felt that immortals are much happier than ordinary people. There is so much scheming, the warmth and coldness of human relationships, and running around all day for a bit of resources and treasures. It is not as carefree and happy as a wandering hero in the mortal world!" Yuan Ming said with a sense of realization.
"Haha, if you, Yuan, can understand this, and achieve a single-minded and carefree state, your state of mind is already beyond that of an ordinary cultivator. The so-called immortals, in the near term, cultivate the self, and in the long term, cultivate the heart. Immortals come from the mortal world, seeking immortality, and returning to their true selves. The great Dao is within reach," Li Zhui laughed heartily.
"From now on, the world will have one less immortal, Li Zhui, and one more idle man, Fisherman Li," Yuan Ming also laughed.
The two of them got along well and didn't disperse until late at night.
Yuan Ming did not find another place to stay and rested in the side hall of the thatched cottage for the night.
Early the next morning, Ling Songhua, with a hint of weariness, came to the thatched cottage.
"It's done. Take a look and see if you are satisfied,"
Yuan Ming opened his eyes and saw a black shadow flash before him, and the black needle appeared in front of him out of thin air.
With his current divine sense, he couldn't even see the trajectory of the needle's movement.
"Thank you, Senior Ling!"
Yuan Ming was pleasantly surprised and, after thanking her, took a closer look.
The appearance of the needle had not changed much; it still looked like a black, slender needle. However, he could sense a surge in the spiritual power contained within it.
The more runes engraved, the more it could stimulate the spiritual power of the material itself.
After the black needle was upgraded to a high-grade artifact, its power was incomparable to before.
He infused his mana into the black needle, and the three runes inside the needle were activated, disappearing with a "swoosh" and reappearing a dozen yards away in the next moment.
His divine sense could barely keep up, and the black needle only stabilized after a slight shake."The small size and swift nature of this black needle are further enhanced by the inscription of the gale runes, increasing its speed. However, this makes it somewhat difficult to control. It would be best to wait until you've advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, when your spiritual consciousness is strong enough, before using this magical instrument. Otherwise, a mishandling could easily harm others," Ling Songhua cautioned.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Ling. I'll keep that in mind," Yuan Ming responded, his heart bursting with joy.
In terms of magical power, he still had a significant gap compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, with the strength of his soul force after breaking through the third layer of the Death Moon method, he was confident that he could match any Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Having finished his business, Yuan Ming took his leave.
Ling Songhua and Fisherman Li Zhui did not insist on him staying and personally saw him out of the valley.
To Yuan Ming's surprise, the disciples of the Fire Refinement Hall, who had been in the valley just the day before, were now nowhere to be seen. The valley was empty and quiet, as if it had returned to its former state.
"Where is Brother Fang Ge and the others?" Yuan Ming inquired.
"Li Zhui and I have no intention of rebuilding the Three Stars Mountain. Fang Ge and the others have been sent away. They have their own paths to follow. The world is vast; they should not spend their lives confined to this valley," Fisherman Li Zhui said with a smile.
Yuan Ming deeply agreed with this sentiment.
"Yuan Ming, if you encounter Fang Ge and the others in the future, please take care of them," Ling Songhua said.
Yuan Ming readily agreed, took out the beast-controlling talisman stone, and held it in his hand. He then lightly patted the white spirit beast bag at his waist, and a blue-necked, white-winged spirit crane flew out.
"Yuan bids farewell for now. I hope to visit you both again if there's a chance in the future, and by then, I hope the two seniors will have worthy successors!" He leaped onto the Azure Cloud Crane, laughing and bidding farewell.
Fisherman Li Zhui maintained his cheerful demeanor, while Ling Songhua's pretty face blushed red, and she waved her hand dismissively: "Get lost, you have no filter, asking for a beating!"
Yuan Ming laughed heartily, controlling the Azure Cloud Crane to take flight, dodging Ling Songhua's palm wind. He waved to the two of them and quickly left the valley behind.
The Azure Cloud Crane was swift in flight, and it wasn't long before the gates of the Bi Luo Cave were left behind.
The fire glutton on the rooftop squeaked in the direction of Yuan Ming's departure, as if it knew he was embarking on a long journey and was bidding him farewell.
Yuan Ming sat cross-legged against the wind on the back of the white crane, looking down at the vast mountains below. The answers from the three cave masters had dispelled his last doubts, and he felt a sense of relief he hadn't experienced in a long time.
He took a deep breath, took out the black needle magical instrument again, and channeled a robust spiritual consciousness into the needle.
The black needle magical instrument emitted a dense black light and slowly levitated, speeding up as it circled around.
At this moment, Yuan Ming's soul force was sufficient to control the black needle magical instrument without any strain. The speed increased steadily, and it remained perfectly stable.
A slender black shadow flickered and darted through the nearby void, looking like four or five flying needles at a glance.
Yuan Ming's gaze shifted, and he raised his hand to stop the black needle.
Although the black needle was now as fast as lightning, he could sense that its full potential had not been activated; the soul force he had infused was still insufficient.
Yuan Ming silently operated the Death Moon method, and a soul crow shot out from his brow, entering the black magical instrument.
The black needle magical instrument immediately shone with a dense black light, and the needle body completely merged into it.
Yuan Ming's eyes showed surprise, and with a gesture, he pointed out.
The black needle magical instrument vanished in a flash, and almost at the same time, a piercing scream came from the jungle below.
A half-human-tall black boar beast ran out, with a slender needle hole right in the middle of its forehead, from which blood slowly seeped.
The black boar beast only managed a few steps before its body began to wobble and then it collapsed with a thud. The black needle magical instrument hovered behind the fallen beast, its needle body as clean and shiny as new, without a trace of blood.
Yuan Ming's smile grew even brighter as he gestured, and the black needle magical instrument disappeared with a flash.
A few breaths later, a green wolf beast howled miserably from a distance and likewise fell over.
Yuan Ming was delighted, raising his hand to beckon.
A black shadow flashed in his palm, and the black needle magical instrument reappeared.
The direct control of the soul crow within the black needle magical instrument had exceeded his expectations.
The soul force of the soul crow was both abundant and refined, making it exceptionally suitable for activating a high-grade magical instrument like the black needle, which was inscribed with numerous runes.
Moreover, this was Yuan Ming's first time using the soul crow to control a magical instrument, and he made an unexpected discovery: the attack range of the black needle magical instrument had greatly expanded.
The attack range of a magical instrument is constrained by both spiritual consciousness and magical power.
Magical power can be embedded within the magical instrument, closely linking the two, allowing it to travel a considerable distance without dissipating. However, spiritual consciousness cannot merge with the magical instrument, and if it exceeds the coverage range, it will dissipate.
Generally speaking, the farther a cultivator's spiritual consciousness can spread, the larger the attack range of the magical instrument.
For ordinary cultivators, even those at the Foundation Establishment stage, the range of spiritual consciousness is only about a hundred meters, but the soul crow's roaming range reaches a terrifying thirty li.
For Yuan Ming, the attack range of the black needle magical instrument was no longer limited by his spiritual consciousness but by the extent of his magical power attachment.
The material of meteoric iron was special, closely integrating with his magical power, and within a range of three hundred meters, it would not dissipate. Therefore, the attack range of the black needle magical instrument reached an astonishing three hundred meters!
Attacking from three hundred meters away, with the concealment effect of the black needle magical instrument, even Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to evade it.
Thinking of this, Yuan Ming felt a surge of excitement and controlled the Azure Cloud Crane to fly deeper into the vast Ten Thousand Mountains.