The old man eyed Ye Qin from a distance, a deep reluctance stirring in his heart about tailing a customer.
He was, after all, an appraiser of some standing. As long as he remained steadily at his appraisal post within the Grand Artifact Refining Workshop of Xian Yuan City, he secured a handsome income of several to over a dozen spirit stones monthly, enough for his daily expenses and cultivation—hardly necessary for such shady dealings.
More gravely, should the customer discover he was being followed, his reputation would be utterly ruined, perhaps even tainting the name of the Grand Artifact Refining Workshop. Its proprietor was a leader in the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, known for strict governance, and would not easily forgive such a violation of established conduct.
Yet, though his inner reluctance was profound, he had no choice but to proceed.
Master Kong was one of the scant dozen Foundation Establishment stage artifact refiners in the workshop, his cultivation and status far surpassing the old man’s. Three days prior, Master Kong had subtly implied that he absolutely needed to ascertain if the Wing Spirit Artifact carried any attached spells. While Master Kong hadn't explicitly stated this meaning, the intense implication was clearly discernible from his gaze and tone.
Did he dare disobey? A few sharp words from Master Kong could easily make his position in the workshop untenable.
Moreover, this was not the first time Master Kong had openly flouted the rules of the Grand Artifact Refining Workshop by coveting customer goods behind the scenes. On several occasions, Master Kong had learned through the old man that a customer's spirit artifact possessed truly excellent accompanying spells, and would stop at nothing to acquire it. Naturally, if it turned out the artifact only carried ordinary spells, Master Kong wouldn't bother exerting himself.
Thus, Old Man Ma had initially planned to persuade the customer to test the Wing Spirit Artifact within the workshop’s cultivation chambers, providing him a way to report back to Master Kong.
But this brat refused, simply taking the artifact and leaving, putting the old man in a bind. If Master Kong questioned him, he lacked the courage to lie under those sharp, scrutinizing eyes.
Seeing Ye Qin depart the Grand Artifact Refining Workshop, Old Man Ma steeled himself, followed him out of the pavilion, and trailed him from afar. He watched as Ye Qin wandered the city for a while before heading outside Xian Yuan City, passing through the North Gate, and then accelerating northward using the Wind Riding Art.
Old Man Ma inwardly cursed and immediately gave chase. The roads near Xian Yuan City were frequented by many cultivators; staying too far behind risked losing sight, while staying too close courted discovery. This troubled him greatly. Old Man Ma slapped an Aura Concealment Talisman upon himself, capable of masking his magical aura, to avoid detection. The talisman seemed remarkably effective; the young man ahead hadn't noticed a thing, which rather pleased the old man as he quickened his pace slightly.
About thirty to forty li from Xian Yuan City, Ye Qin abruptly stopped on a desolate stretch of Gobi desert where no one else was around. He glanced at the empty surroundings, secretly satisfied that this was the perfect spot to test the Wing Spirit Artifact, and perhaps even indulge in some activities like murder and arson.
Ye Qin retrieved the Bat King Wings from his storage pouch and clapped them.
A pair of enormous snow-white wings materialized on his back, merely attached to his body.
Ye Qin slowly channeled his spiritual power from his back into the Bat King Wings, directing it along the main spars, into the secondary supports, and finally into every fine bone structure of the wings. The massive twin wings slowly unfurled, each spanning a full zhang in length. As spiritual power flowed in, he could clearly feel his own divine sense extending into the snow-white wings, melding into a single entity with the Bat King Wings.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Ye Qin suddenly lifted into the air, soaring over ten zhang above the ground. Initially, his figure swayed precariously, struggling to stabilize himself mid-air, even momentarily plunging downward before he finally managed to control his balance.
The Bat King Wings smoothly accepted all his spiritual power, encountering no resistance or areas inaccessible to his energy.
He rejoiced inwardly.
A spirit artifact that hadn't been touched by any other cultivator’s aura truly integrated well with one’s own essence. The bone structure of these Bat King Wings now felt like an extension of his own back, allowing for flexible control.
Ye Qin silently savored the sensation of soaring, circling at low altitude, performing various gliding maneuvers. He started with the simplest actions: flying left, right, forward, backward, up, and down, then moved to more complex maneuvers like circling and gliding, followed by even more intricate actions—sharp circular turns, instantaneous hovering, rapid shifts in flying speed, and agile changes in trajectory.
He discovered that the volume of spiritual power injected into the artifact, and the force and amplitude of the wing beats, directly determined his flying speed and agility. Flying with the Wing Spirit Artifact itself did not consume an excessive amount of spiritual power.
How fast could he go at his maximum speed once the artifact was fully charged?
With this thought, Ye Qin urged his spiritual power, pouring it wildly into the twin wings until every part of the entire wing structure was filled and saturated, only then stopping. This amount constituted barely one-twentieth of his total spiritual power.
Next, the wings spread wide, and he struck down fiercely.
Pffft!
In the blink of an eye, Ye Qin vanished from his original spot, instantly reappearing fifty zhang away.
The spiritual power within the Bat King Wings was nearly depleted.
Ye Qin’s body shook, and he almost fell to the ground; fortunately, he timely poured spiritual power back into the Bat King Wings, which helped him regain stability. A look of profound shock appeared in his eyes. This wind-attribute spell, once executed by the Demon Bat King, could indeed be cast using these bat wings sliced from its body.
Ye Qin paused in astonishment.
He then retrieved the Bat King Thorns from his storage pouch, intending to test their efficacy as piercing weapons.
He discovered that the Bat King Wings also came equipped with two sheaths for the Bat King Thorns, allowing them to be slotted in for convenient access. Heh, the artifact refiners of the Great Luo Sect really think considerately about their customers.
“Void Rend Flash!”
Hidden behind a massive boulder half a li away on the Gobi, Old Man Ma nearly cried out in shock. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, daring not to make the slightest sound lest he alert Ye Qin in the distance.
He was utterly stunned, his eyes filled with sheer amazement.
“A wind-attribute spell refined to its highest tier might only allow the casting of ‘Void Rend Flash,’ such a terrifying spell that directly rips through the void for instantaneous travel. Earth Evasion Technique, Wood Evasion Technique—these are still merely burrowing through earth or wood, requiring time, not true teleportation.
This Bat King Wing Spirit Artifact actually carries a high-tier spell, and it’s the rarest of wind-attribute spirit artifacts, already surpassing the level of a top-tier high-grade spirit artifact; it could truly be called a ‘Quasi-Magical Tool,’ its power lying between a high-grade spirit artifact and a low-grade magical tool. If this item were openly displayed in the Xian Yuan City market, it would surely incite frantic competition among countless Qi Refining cultivators, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators would attempt to seize it.”
Old Man Ma marveled internally, deeply regretting the lost opportunity. Such a Wing Spirit Artifact was priceless. Never mind Master Kong being tempted; even he now felt the urge to snatch it. However, he didn't have the guts to act. That brat’s cultivation level was already higher than his, and now, possessing a Quasi-Magical Tool, a direct confrontation was unwinnable.
He would have to rely on Master Kong to act personally. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator to deal with a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator would be effortless. As for himself, Master Kong, upon acquiring such a supreme spirit artifact, would surely share some benefits out of happiness—at least several dozen low-grade spirit stones would be guaranteed.
Excitedly, he took out a golden Ten-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman, infused it with spiritual power, spoke a few sentences, and was about to toss the talisman when he suddenly froze. He heard a strange sound from the sky and instinctively looked up.
Whoosh, whoosh!
In the mid-air, a massive shadow flew directly over his head.
In just that short interval, Ye Qin had used Void Rend Flash twice, immediately appearing directly above Old Man Ma.
Ye Qin’s icy eyes stared down coldly at the old man.
“You’ve been following me ever since you left the Grand Artifact Workshop. You’ve watched long enough. Are you planning to rob me of this spirit artifact? Or commit murder for loot? If you had maintained your concealed aura, it would have been genuinely difficult for me to find you. However, pulling out that transmission talisman—who were you trying to contact?”
Seeing he could no longer hide, Old Man Ma was forced out from under the cover of the massive boulder and yelled fiercely, “I am from the Grand Artifact Refining Workshop! Our proprietor is a leader in the Rogue Cultivator Alliance! If you dare touch me, the Rogue Cultivator Alliance will hunt you to the ends of the earth! If you intend to stay in Xian Yuan City, you’d best not offend someone connected to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance!”
“Sorry, I really don’t plan on staying in Xian Yuan City.”
Ye Qin gave a cold smile, summoning several Flame Thorn Seeds in his hand, which transformed into several sharp streaks of light and shot fiercely toward Old Man Ma, who was hastily turning to flee.
Old Man Ma was utterly horrified. He drew a Cold Light Saber and frantically slapped a Protective Talisman onto himself, erupting in a flash of golden light that formed a protective barrier around him. He managed to slice one seed away, but the remaining few struck him, swiftly binding him completely until he tumbled onto the ground.
The golden talisman in Old Man Ma’s hand slipped free and sped rapidly towards the north. “Don’t kill me, I’ll talk, I’ll say everything! I’ll tell you who ordered me to do this, please don’t kill me!” Old Man Ma thrashed about, wailing.
“No need. Who was the mastermind is irrelevant. Haven’t you always wanted to know the effects of my two spirit artifacts? Since there are no demon beasts nearby, I might as well use you to test the power of these two thorns. I’m very curious what my Bat King Thorns actually do.”
Ye Qin casually drew the two Bat King Thorns, folded his twin wings, and landed softly. The Bat King Thorns in his hand stabbed fiercely into Old Man Ma’s protective barrier.
In an instant, the spiritual power within the barrier surged wildly toward the Bat King Thorns. The power absorbed into the thorns was rapidly drained away through the intricate symbols carved on the handle, dissipating into the air.
Ye Qin then understood the function of these complex symbols.
Within a few short breaths, all of Old Man Ma’s spiritual power was sucked dry. The protective barrier, lacking power support, automatically collapsed. Old Man Ma was thoroughly entangled by the Flame Thorns.
Ye Qin promptly recalled the Bat King Thorns and stared in surprise at the pair in his hand. These two thorns didn't absorb blood—they absorbed spiritual power!
A wave of chilling fear washed over him.
If he hadn't used a vast net woven from Flame Thorns in the Bat Cave to avoid close-quarters contact with the Demon Bat King, a single bite from that beast might have instantly drained all his spiritual power.
Ye Qin lightly flapped his wings, flew to a low altitude, and glanced toward the golden transmission talisman rapidly heading toward Xian Yuan City. “Xian Yuan City is likely sending a distress signal to the Grand Artifact Workshop, or perhaps to that cultivator named Kong. This place is not safe to linger!”
Whoosh!
He turned south and executed a Void Rend Flash.
Ye Qin vanished. (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log on to wwwidiancomm for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)