Devour

Cheng Bai felt something was wrong and asked curiously, "Can the essence of the secret technique be so aggressive?"

"It's not the essence of the esoteric art, it's an esoteric art trap, and a pretty powerful one at that. If you're not careful when opening the cluster crystal, you'll die." Zhuang Tailai revealed the secret. The things sealed in the cluster crystal are not as simple as they seem, and may be full of murderous intent.

The Seven Killers is not a number but an evil star, representing obstacles, difficulties and disasters. The secret art with this name is endowed with music, like autumn wind sweeping leaves, killing decisively, and the surrounding aftermath can hardly experience the true destructive power of the secret art.

Fang Wanzhan suffered a head-on attack, his shirt was torn into pieces and he was in a miserable state. He took seven steps back before he stood firm and withstood the killing sound waves. The person who left this secret trap was stronger than him, but the gap was not too big.

"Senior Brother Zhang has held on." Zhuang Tailai breathed a sigh of relief.

After releasing a wave of Seven Killing Heavenly Sound attacks, the runes dissipated, the crystal pillars shattered, and nothing was gained.

"It's unlucky to come up with something like this."

Fang Wanzhan wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, adjusted his breathing, and recovered his breath. His body, which had been transformed into gold and stone, gradually recovered to its full state without any damage to the root.

Zhuang Tailai was so angry that he said thankfully, "If it were me, I would be seriously injured if not dead. The requirements for the Seven Treasures Golden Body are too high, and even I can't get started."

Cheng Bai has been in the Weapon Sect for a long time and knows the power of this sect's magical skill.

The Vajra Indestructible Body based on it is not an ordinary martial art and requires the attainment of the physical realm before it can be practiced.

The requirements for the Seven Treasures Golden Body are even higher, and one must be in the Yi Shen realm to practice. After mastering it, not only will the skin be as hard as a copper wall and iron wall, the internal organs will be as solid as gold, and one will also have excellent resistance to the three disasters of thunder, blazing flames, and dark wind. But there is one bad thing, to practice this technique, one must be a boy who has preserved his Yuan Yang and has not damaged his True Yin, and cannot get married, otherwise it is easy to lose his power, so most people are not destined to practice it.

It was Cheng Bai's turn to choose the cluster of crystals in front of him. He chose a translucent crystal column that could allow him to identify the approximate objects inside.

The spiritual eyes can see through illusions without anyone noticing, look directly at the truth, discern the smallest details, and observe details more clearly than others, treating the crystal shell as nothing. It is not just a matter of luck.

What was sealed was a batch of block-shaped star gold ingots, there was no doubt about it, at least 200 kilograms were preserved.

In addition, this light golden cluster crystal, which seems to be no different from other crystals, has a huge poisonous crystal insect of the same color as the crystal sleeping inside. Ordinary people cannot see it, and if they open the crystal column rashly, they will face a battle.

Cheng Bai doesn't care. If he wants to gain something, why would he be afraid of trouble?

The palm blade directly split the crystal, and a cold breath blew in the face. The awakened poisonous crystal insect rushed towards the invader, but it chose the wrong opponent.

Cheng Bai swung his palm and slashed it across like a flash of light, immediately killing the monster insect, opening its belly and taking out the crystal core.

“This is a great opening, and the harvest is rich.”

"Dabai is lucky, lucky star, and he got lucky."

Fang Wanzhan and Zhuang Tailai chatted and laughed calmly while examining the star gold and the huge crystal core. These treasures naturally belonged to the sect and were considered as already in their pocket.

Cheng Bai didn't care. This was how the sect's organization activities were supposed to be. With his strength and contributions, he would definitely get good things afterwards.

Fang Wanzhan reminded him again, "You can only open five more cluster crystals today. Nine is the maximum number here. Don't be greedy. Otherwise, it will trigger a terrible tide of poison crystal cave insects. It looks like the poison crystal insect in the crystal core is already in the early stage of Guangfa realm. If they swarm out, we won't be able to deal with it."

Zhuang Tailai rubbed his hands and said, "Let's continue to select the appropriate cluster crystals."

He watched for a moment, then carefully selected a silver translucent crystal column, from which he could vaguely see neatly stacked metal ingots.

"There must be treasure in this piece. Even if it's not star gold, it must be a precious metal. If there are poisonous crystal insects hiding in it, can't I deal with it?"

Zhuang Tailai had made up his mind. He wielded his sharp sword, measured the strength, and used a move called "Swallow Waves" to cut through the crystal column, leaving some room to deal with the poisonous crystal insects that suddenly pounced out.

The cluster crystal broke and the metal ingot fell to the ground with a loud thud. Fortunately, no poisonous crystal insects appeared.

"Today I have returned with a load of gold." Zhuang Tailai was very happy and felt very proud of himself.

Cheng Bai saw it clearly and reminded him, "The silver ingots opened by Master Zhuang are of excellent quality. Your fortune will be in good hands."

Zhuang Tailai was stunned when he heard this, then he came to his senses and looked carefully. It was the silver ingots all over the floor. He took it in his hand and weighed it. It was of very good purity. No wonder it sounded dull. He estimated that it was about two thousand taels.

Silver is also the currency circulated among the people in Qiongqi Continent, but it is not valued by cultivators. It is considered a fortune, but is far less precious than star gold.

Zhuang Tailai laughed dryly, put away the silver ingot and said, "This is not a loss, it's a profit. Please excuse my laughter."

Fang Wanzhan picked and chose repeatedly, passing through many crystal pillars, and ignored the seemingly messy clusters of crystals along the way.

He had a certain obsession with the beauty of clarity, and he chose a light golden crystal column that looked like fine gold and jade. The texture was crystal clear, pure and spotless, and a strange light could be seen faintly from inside.

Watch it for a while with the Six Virtues Technique, stroke and rub the surface with your fingers, you can feel the hidden beauty and appreciate its warmth, fineness, simplicity and mystery.

This is it. He used the Broken Jade Sword Technique and released a little force. The crystal column cracked and emitted a faint glow.

Fang Wanzhan quickly stepped back a few steps and used his Seven Treasures Golden Body to guard against the sudden attack, but he saw a faint light appearing in the broken crystal column, and many ancient characters appeared in the air.

Zhuang Tailai was overjoyed and asked, "Could it be a martial arts secret book left behind by some ancient tradition?"

Unfortunately, the two were unable to identify the ancient characters from an unknown era.

Fang Wanzhan weighed the pros and cons and said hesitantly, "If we send this crystal column to the Hunter Academy, Dean Si Bao may be able to translate it."

"Master, let me try."

Cheng Bai came forward and saw the secret art of communication taking effect. He was secretly shocked and said bluntly: "This is not a martial arts secret book or a secret art rune, but a ranking list of martial arts duels between aristocratic families on the continent from ancient times."

"What martial arts ranking?"

Everyone has a curious mind, and Fang Wanzhan and Zhuang Tailai are certainly interested.

"At that time, there were seven great families on the Qiongqi Continent, each with its own origins. None of the family heads wanted to submit to the other, so they held a public meeting to compete and fight, and the results led to a ranking."

Cheng Bai explained in detail, slowly telling the story.

"The last one on the list is the Yin family. Their sect's magic skill is the Black Water Magic Skill, and they use the Moonlight Sword Skill."

"The sixth is the Li family. They have their own unique cold iron Yin Gong and are good at the Glacier Divine Sword Technique."

"The fifth is the Ji family. Their unique martial arts is the Multi-Leaf Divine Art, and the Eight Immortals Tour is a unique skill that catches the enemy off guard and achieves victory by surprise."

"The fourth is the Gu family. Their inherited magical skill is the Seven Treasures Golden Body, and their Purple Cloud Divine Sword Technique is rarely matched."

"The third is the Mo family. Their inherited Fire Qi is well-known across the continent, and their Gold-Melting Hand is said to be indestructible."

"The second is the Li family. The family's unique Tianchi magic skill is tolerant and the Xiaoyao Spiritual Sword Technique is superb."

"The first is the Shi family. The Six Paths of Supreme Power and the Six Paths of Bliss Fist complement each other. They are unrivaled and invincible."

Fang Wanzhan and Zhuang Tailai looked at each other in silence.

Seeing this, Cheng Bai asked, "Is there any problem with the ranking?"

Fang Wanzhan said truthfully: "These seven families have great origins. They were blessed by the late emperor and ruled the Qiongqi Continent. They are the ancestors of the three clans and seven halls. At that time, there was no such thing as a holy temple. The history and culture of ancient times have been passed down to this day. Only the Shi family and the Li family have some descendants left on the continent. Over time, things have changed and some martial arts have been lost, while others have been passed down to others."

Zhuang Tailai sighed and said, "The Gu family's unique skills have been passed down in an orderly manner. They were passed down to the Weapon Sect, which obtained the Seven Treasures Golden Body, and the Sword Sect, which obtained the Purple Cloud Divine Sword Technique. It is said that the current Sword Sect leader, Gai Xun, has not yet mastered it."

Fang Wanzhan sighed, "It is difficult to carry forward the legacy of the Seven Treasures Golden Body. Apart from the first generation Gu Canxing, no one has truly mastered it. The mere third level of skill is probably not worth mentioning in that era."

Zhuang Tailai was getting excited and continued, "It is a pity that the Qi Sect failed to pass on the Purple Cloud Divine Sword Technique. The successive sect masters spent a lot of effort to research a new sword technique, hoping to be comparable to it. It was not until Senior Brother Zhangzong succeeded that the perfect Broken Jade Sword Technique was accomplished, and it is not inferior to the Purple Cloud Divine Sword Technique."

Fang Wanzhan smiled and said, "Previous sect leaders have always hoped to push the realm of swordsmanship to a level above the Five Mysterious Realms, but their own skills were not up to par, so they stagnated. It was only when I came to him that I realized that realm is not something that must be pursued, and practicality is the most important thing. The Broken Jade Sword Art was perfected, and it will not be much inferior when it reaches a higher realm."

Zhuang Tailai said, "That's going too far. Besides the ranking of martial arts, what else does the ancient text say?"

Cheng Bai recited the script: "It is said that the heads of the seven great families were all arrogant and conceited. Only after the face-to-face competition did they realize the huge gap in their knowledge and were convinced by the ranking list."

Zhuang Tailai disagreed and said, "The ranking of martial arts skills is closely related to personal cultivation. If one reaches a mysterious state and has great magical powers, one can turn decay into magic. If Senior Brother Fang cultivates the Seven Treasures Golden Body to the perfect state of the Jade Body, he may not lose to the first and second place, and the ranking will definitely be re-established."

Cheng Bai did not comment. The depth of cultivation is crucial, but the quality of martial arts and whether the practitioner is compatible are also important.

In short, ancient characters seem to be of no use.

Fang Wanzhan sneered and said, "What's the point of keeping this thing for so long?"

Zhuang Tailai said with a smile: "People today feel useless, but they must have been extremely glorious at that time, just like the rankings in our martial arts hunting competition."

The three of them discussed for a long time. The ancient text in the crystal column showed that it was aging, gradually fading and finally disappearing.

Fang Wanzhan was a little disappointed, and said, "Another useless thing. Let me look for it carefully. There will always be a chance."

Cheng Bai looked closely at the silver cluster crystal selected in front of him. The inside of the column was even cleaner and more transparent than the one selected by Fang Wanzhan, and its luster was restrained, as if it imprisoned the empty purity.

Fang Wanzhan had just walked past this crystal pillar without any interest because he did not feel any touch or prompt. The purity he pursued was spirituality rather than emptiness.

Cheng Bai's spiritual eyes saw through the mystery and felt something unusual. The emptiness on the surface was an illusion, and the hallucination ability interfered with the vision of peeking at this cluster of crystals.

There is a powerful creature hidden inside, which is cunning by nature. It deceives the sight of outsiders and misleads the judgment of the naked eye in order to protect itself and keep itself safe.

Cheng Bai reminded them, "Master Fang, Uncle Zhuang, this cluster crystal is very valuable. You should pay attention."

Fang Wanzhan and Zhuang Tailai came over to watch upon hearing what happened, standing at a distance, fully alert.

Cheng Bai's palm knife slashed across, and the crystal pillar opened with a sound, and the cold murderous aura pounced towards him as fast as lightning.

A platinum-colored insect king that was obviously larger and more transparent than ordinary poisonous crystal insects moved silently, with six blade-like legs and sickle-like jaws. Its speed and strength were incomparable to anything seen before.

It is secretive, cunning, shrewd and its true colors will be revealed once its intentions are fully realized.

Zhuang Tailai's eyes twitched when he saw this. If he were to open this crystal column, it would be difficult to avoid it even if he knew there were poisonous crystal insects inside.

Cheng Bai dodged the attack easily, and his palm knife chased the wind and lightning without any exaggeration. He shifted the blame and dealt a fatal blow to the Poison Crystal Insect King, which immediately fell into his hands and could be slaughtered, becoming a fish on the chopping board obediently.

The extracted Insect King crystal core was almost forming an inner elixir, showing a platinum luster, and was more perfect and round than the corpse demon crystal cores that had been seen before.

Fang Wanzhan couldn't help but praise: "Well done, it's an easy win."

"What a treasure! This crystal core alone is worth tens of thousands of taels of gold. The insect corpse is also priceless." Zhuang Tailai's face was full of envy, but this can only be obtained with strength.

"Not only that, the Insect King is hiding deep inside, using the secret technique of illusion to deceive the outside world, in order to protect this treasure." After Cheng Bai finished speaking, he reached out and took something out of the crystal column.

It was as big as a fist, emitting a faint silver-white light. The temperature around it dropped suddenly, as if opening a freezer in the hot summer and the cold air hit one's face.

Zhuang Tailai was dumbfounded.

Fang Wanzhan was stunned for a moment before he said, "Hey... Taiyin Stone."

Taiyin Stone and Sui Yang Stone are the source of Yin and Yang Qi, rare treasures for refining tools, and can only be found by chance. Spirit tools and even soul tools must be tempered with Taiyin Stone and Sui Yang Stone at the same time to gather into tool spirits, transcending ordinary magic tools.

"I've made a fortune. This is much more valuable than the crystal core of the poisonous crystal worm king. Hahaha." Zhuang Tailai came back to his senses and was overjoyed.

Cheng Bai sighed and said, "The Insect King wanted to rely on this Taiyin Stone to cultivate into a true demon king. He would have succeeded in a few years. It was fate that we discovered him early."

"Try harder while you're lucky."

Zhuang Tailai had a sudden inspiration, but unfortunately his performance was mediocre, so he couldn't help feeling depressed. He stared at a particularly thick golden cluster crystal column with reluctance.

This crystal is so thick that it can be hugged by several people. It is particularly rare in the cave. It is slightly transparent and you can vaguely see a huge object inside.

"Open a big one, maybe you can make money once and for all."

Zhuang Tailai's heart was pounding. He walked around the crystal pillar a few times, made up his mind, swung his sword and cut it open. When he looked closely, he was immediately disappointed.

The truth of what was going on inside came to light. A tall and burly deity, who was at least 5 meters tall, with fluttering clothes and golden armor, walked out. He had broad shoulders and a big waist, a fat body, and held a mountain-splitting spear in his hand, looking very majestic.

"Oh no, it's the Yellow Turban strongman. Let's join forces to deal with it." Fang Wanzhan was calm and still commanded with confidence.

Cheng Bai had also heard in the Weapon Sect that the Yellow Turban Warriors were humanoid war puppets that were a secret tradition from ancient times, a high-level product of weapon refining techniques. Their powers varied, and the worst one could be compared to a strong man in the late Heavenly Man Realm.

As soon as the Yellow Turban strongman appeared, he rushed over wielding a mountain-splitting spear. The weapon was longer than a spear, and the blade was like a broadsword. He charged forward bravely with ferocious moves.