Chapter 756: The Other Half of the Crystal

After the man leaped off the mountain peak, he looked at Thousand Willow Monastery. Then, he no longer lingered and disappeared from sight.

Since its connection was severed by Yu Shangrong’s sword, Zhong Diao wailed. Its heart-wrenching cry resounded in the Thousand Willow Monastery.

To get rid of Zhong Diao as quickly as possible, Yu Shangrong did not hold back as he unleashed the powerful Traceless Sword.

Yu Shangrong’s golden avatar brandished an energy sword and coordinated its movements with Yu Shangrong’s movements. The avatar wielded the energy sword and took advantage of the brief pause as it stabbed forward mercilessly.

Zhong Diao was impaled in midair.

Yu Shangrong continued his attacks. It was truly a sight to behold.

Although Zhong Diao was huge, it was much smaller compared to the manman or Tian Gou.

Yu Shangrong did not hold back as he unleashed his sword path. He moved like the wind and struck like a relentless storm. His afterimages seemed to fill the sky.

When Yu Shangrong was still an Eight-and-a-half-leaf cultivator, Xia Changqiu had experienced Yu Shangrong’s skills firsthand. He could not defeat Yu Shangrong at all at that time. Now that Yu Shangrong was at the Nine-leaf stage, it would be impossible for him to defeat Yu Shangrong.

After raising his power, an outstanding sword path elite would be able to familiarize himself with the sword path in a short time. His skills with the sword would improve greatly. Currently, Yu Shangrong seemed like a Nine-leaf cultivator; he did not look like he had just broken through the Nine-leaf stage recently.

Yu Shangrong’s energy swords struck precisely at several of Zhong Diao’s vital spots.

Return and Enter Three Souls.

Yu Shangrong understood the essence of this technique. Rather than destroying the body, it was more effective to destroy the heart. Even a huge beast such as Zhong Diao was fearful faced with such a powerful human. It tried to escape, but alas, it was too used to relying on its master’s orders that it had lost some of its survival instincts.

After Zhong Diao’s cries subsided, the Thousand Willow Monastery was quiet once again.

Meanwhile, the ordinary flying beasts above the Thousand Willow Monastery were chased away by the elders as well. After they were done, they returned and hovered behind Xia Changqiu. When they saw the energy swords in the sky, they were shocked and could not look away.

One of the elders spread his hands and said, “He’s amazing!”

“You’re making a fuss over nothing.” Tian Buji turned and shot them a glare.

“Elder Tian, aren’t you shocked?”

Tian Buji said tonelessly, “You’re shocked because you didn’t go to the Ninth Temple with me.”

The others were puzzled; they did not understand Tian Buji’s words.

Tian Buji did not have any nefarious motive when he said those words. It was just that once one had gotten used to seeing great wind and waves, one would no longer be impressed by small wind and waves.

When the energy swords faded away, Zhong Diao fell from the sky.

“Ding! Killed Zhong Diao. Reward: 3,000 merit points.”

Lu Zhou turned to look at Yu Shangrong. He merely stroked his beard and nodded in acknowledgment. His second disciple was proud and aloof, causing him to worry. However, it had to be said that his second disciple had never failed a task that had been given to him up until now.

Xia Changqiu and the others landed.

The disciples of Thousand Willow Monastery gathered around Zhong Diao.

Yu Shangrong retracted his avatar and looked down at Zhong Diao. He said, “Does this beast have a life heart?”

Xia Changqiu shook his head and said, “Huge beasts like this one don’t have life hearts.”

“How can you tell?” Yu Shangrong was curious.

“The beasts that can crystallize vitality into a core are usually those who can absorb Primal Qi. When they attack, they’ll show signs of using Primal Qi. Although some livestock have intelligence, they’re a far cry from humans. Most of the beasts don’t know how to hide,” Xia Changqiu said.

Yu Shangrong nodded before he asked, “What are you planning to do with it?”

Since this beast did not have a life heart, what good would it do?

Xia Changqiu said, “The bones and fur of the beasts can be traded for money...” All of a sudden, he recalled the beast was killed by Yu Shangronrg. Hence, he hastily added, “You won’t mind, right?”

“Help yourselves.” Yu Shangrong was not interested in material things.

The Thousand Willow Monastery was unlike the Evil Sky Pavilion. If they did not have any income, they would not be able to sustain the monastery and feed its members.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhenghai’s golden lotus began to lower its spinning speed.

Xia Changqiu and the others were intrigued.

“Take care of Zhong Diao.” Xia Changqiu and Tian Buji flew over after giving the order.

When they saw Yu Zhenghai’s golden lotus that was spinning slowly now and felt the powerful vitality, they were shocked. “Is it that difficult to reach the Nine-leaf stage for a golden lotus cultivator?”

If it had been a red lotus cultivator, they would have sprouted several leaves by now.

“Shh.” Little Yuan’er turned to shush them.

The others no longer dared to speak.

After the beasts were dealt with, it was quiet now. Yu Zhenghai could finally focus on his golden lotus.

“Force the golden lotus’s power back,” Lu Zhou said.

At the same time, Yu Shangrong moved as though he was as light as a feather in the air. He smiled as though he had expected this.

Yu Zhenghai trusted his master unconditionally. Therefore, he immediately forced the energy back into the golden lotus.

The radiant ring changed its course.

A lotus leaf sprouted and grew one size larger. It was shining with a dazzling golden light.

Upon seeing this, Lu Zhou nodded and said, “Don’t let your guard down. The golden lotus will leak out vitality soon.”

Yu Zhenghai nodded.

Xia Changqiu was stunned by this. Usually, the leaf-sprouting process was done by the cultivator gathering power into the lotus. The lotus would sprout a leaf when the energy was enough. Why was it the opposite for the golden lotus? Was this a new way of cultivation? They were somehow convinced that it was and vowed to try it in the future.

“Congratulations, Brother Yu!”

“Congratulations, senior.”

“Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother.”

Yu Zhenghai nodded happily. He could feel the surging power in his dantian. Feeling slightly proud of himself, he looked at Yu Shangrong who was hovering in the sky and said, “So?”

Yu Shangrong seemed slightly disapproving, but he smiled faintly. He flipped his right palm and pushed down.

Nine leaves shining with golden light stabbed into the ground immediately.

Then, he flipped his right hand again.

The nine leaves returned to him and disappeared. After that, without saying anything, he left with movements as light as a willow.

The others were speechless.

On the other hand, Conch, who was rather innocent, applauded and said, “That’s amazing, Second Senior Brother!”

Little Yuan’er was much more tactful than before. She hastily added, “Eldest Senior Brother is amazing as well.”

Xia Changqiu were older than them. If he could not read the situation, he might as well be blind. Therefore, he chimed in, “You’re both amazing.”

Now that Yu Zhenghai was a Nine-leaf cultivator, he no longer needed someone to watch over him for the remaining process. Therefore, Lu Zhou did not linger. He returned to his room and continued to meditate on the Heavenly Writing scrolls.

As for the karmic fire, that was up to Yu Zhenghai’s luck. Lu Zhou was not sure if Yu Zhenghai could master the karmic fire as well.

Now that he had found Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong, he wondered inwardly, ‘Should we return to the golden lotus domain on the Sky Chariot?’ He was still worried about the golden lotus domain’s current state.

They did not have means of long-range communication such as the modern times. Moreover, with the distance between them, such tools might not even work. The Sky Chariot had flown rather quickly, therefore, he did not have an accurate guess of how vast the Endless Ocean was.

He felt it was a shame to return just like that as well. There were still many things that had not been dealt with.

been flying quickly. Hence, the distance over the Endless Ocean which they crossed was something that was beyond his imaginations. He had yet to locate the remaining half of the memory crystal. He was somehow certain that it was with the Flying Star House. A major sect that the Ninth Temple was wary of could not possibly be weak.

“Ye Zhen...” Lu Zhou uttered the name in his memory. ‘Could the crystal be with him?’

...

The Flying Star House on Lofty Steep Mountain in Jiangdong Circuit.

The mountain towered into the clouds. Its sides were straight and steep. There were no mountain paths.

It was deemed the highest place in Great Tang. Therefore, weaklings had no right to set foot on the Flying Star House grounds. They could only cultivate painstakingly at the foot of Lofty Steep Mountain.

Every year, there would be new Brahman Eight Meridians cultivators who would try to fly up to the sect and fall to their deaths in the process.

At this moment, an elder, Meng Changdong, bowed. “Congratulations on your full recovery, Elder Ye, and for obtaining the luan’s heart.”

The person standing in front of Meng Changdong was the Nine-leaf expert, Ye Zhen, who was currently like the sun in high noon. He looked graceful, and he was dressed simply in scholarly clothes. All in all, he looked elegant and dignified.

Ye Zhen had a slender build. His robes hung loosely on his boy. He was born with the looks of a scholar as well. He was not as old or as aloof as rumored. Instead, he seemed courteous and amiable.

“Elder Meng, there’s no need for such formalities. Please take a seat,” Ye Zhen said as he sat down with his legs crossed. After that, he added, “Elder Meng, you’re not one to visit a temple without a cause. Moreover, you look happy. Let me guess... The matter of the crystal has been dealt with?”

Meng Changdong said with a sigh, “The half crystal that Jiang Wenxu sent to us is strange. Astronomy, geography, divination, physiognomy, I’ve tried it all, and yet, I couldn’t decipher it!”

Ye Zhen waved his hand slightly.

The teapot on the table flew up and poured tea into the cup.

After that, Ye Zhen said, “I believe in your skills, Elder Meng. You’ll be able to solve it someday.”

“Elder Ye, there’s something that I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“Jiang Wenxu is a traitor of the Flying Star House. He stayed in the golden lotus domain for several centuries and hid its existence from us. From what the Sky Martial Court discovered, the golden lotus domain isn’t powerful. Why are you so interested in this crystal?”