33: Chapter 33 Fragments of the Five Elements Ring, Soul-Searching Secret Technique

Leaving Qianji Pavilion, Qi Yang continued to stroll through the Magical Artifact stall area of the Ghost Market.

His previous black turtle shield had been destroyed when dealing with the Ice Python, and now he didn't even have a decent defensive Magical Artifact on him, making him feel a severe lack of security.

However, after browsing a large area, the more Qi Yang walked, the tighter his brows furrowed.

Magical Artifacts, just like Cultivation Techniques, also required a match with one's Spiritual Roots.

For fire-type Magical Artifacts, only fire Spiritual Root Cultivators injecting fire-type spiritual power could unleash one hundred percent of their might.

Qi Yang was a Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root and possessed all five spiritual powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; no matter what single-element Magical Artifact he used, his power would be heavily discounted, at most exerting thirty to forty percent of its might.

"Damn it, a Mixed Spiritual Root is truly useless at everything."

Qi Yang cursed inwardly.

Just as he was preparing to casually buy an earth-type shield to make do, his perception suddenly swept across a dust-covered stall in the corner.

The stall displayed a pile of scrap metal, among which a cracked circular ring made of neither metal nor wood caught his attention.

This ring faintly exuded weak spiritual light in five different colors; although completely dilapidated, its material was extremely special.

Qi Yang walked over nonchalantly, squatted down, and casually pointed at the ring.

"Boss, how much for this piece of junk?"

The stall owner was a One-Eyed Dragon at the Qi Condensation 5th Layer. Glancing at what Qi Yang pointed to, he sneered, "Fellow Daoist, this is no piece of junk; this is a fragment of a Tier 2 Upper-Grade Magical Artifact, the five elements ring!"

Tier 2 Upper-Grade!

Qi Yang's heart shook fiercely.

The Disciples in the outer Sect all used Tier 1 ones.

Tier 2 Magical Artifacts were treasures only fit for Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage!

"Since it's a Tier 2 Magical Artifact, why are you displaying it like junk?"

Qi Yang deliberately put on a disdainful expression.

The One-Eyed Dragon sighed with a look of bad luck.

"Because this thing is purely tasteless trash! It requires the simultaneous injection of five spiritual powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth to activate the defensive Formation!"

"Not to mention single Spiritual Roots, even geniuses with Dual Spiritual Roots and Three Spiritual Roots only have two or three spiritual powers in their bodies. Forcibly injecting them will only lead to the imbalance of the Five Elements, causing them to explode and die on the spot!"

"As for those trash with Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots who possess five spiritual powers, it's a struggle even for them to Cultivate to the Qi Condensation 5th Layer. How could they possibly have such massive spiritual power to drive a Tier 2 Magical Artifact?"

The One-Eyed Dragon waved his hand: "So, geniuses can't use this thing, and trash can't drive it. If it's not tasteless trash, what is it? If you want it, take it for fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

On the surface, Qi Yang was completely calm, but inside, he was already blooming with joy!

Genius can't use it? Trash can't drive it?

I am that Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer with massive Poison Wood Spiritual Power as my trump card!

The Five Elements generate and overcome one another; others couldn't control it, but for him, it was simply a top-tier defensive Magical Artifact custom-tailored for him!

"Fifty is too expensive, it's shattered like this. Thirty, if you won't sell it, I'm leaving."

Qi Yang skillfully began to bargain.

"Deal!"

Fearing that Qi Yang would go back on his word, the One-Eyed Dragon shoved the five elements ring fragment directly into Qi Yang's hands.

Qi Yang cheerfully paid the Spirit Stones, tucked the five elements ring into his chest, and turned to leave the Ghost Market.

However, just as Qi Yang stepped out of the Ghost Market's underground karst cave, his footsteps paused slightly.

His perception, having become even sharper after being tempered by the Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art, detected that a cold aura a hundred zhang behind him had firmly locked onto him.

"Targeted by someone?"

Qi Yang's gaze beneath his bamboo hat turned slightly cold.

He didn't look back, his perception quietly spreading backward.

Qi Condensation 8th Layer!

The opponent exuded a thick smell of blood, and although their spiritual power fluctuations were miscellaneous—clearly someone with Four Spiritual Roots—they were rather ferocious.

"Demonic Cultivator of the Blood Fiend Sect."

Qi Yang immediately made a judgment.

Things like killing and looting in the Ghost Market were too common; he guessed that when he took out the spirit poison pill back at Qianji Pavilion, he had flashed his wealth and been targeted by this demonic Cultivator.

Qi Condensation 8th Layer versus Qi Condensation Seventh Layer; there was a Realm suppression.

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, they would have been scared piss-less long ago and desperately fled toward the direction of the Xuantian Sect.

But who was Qi Yang? An old fox who had hid and played it safe for nearly a hundred years!

Not only did Qi Yang not walk toward the main road of the Xuantian Sect, but instead, with a turn of his toes, he dashed directly toward the desolate dense forest east of the Ghost Market that was year-round shrouded in poisonous miasma.

"Want to kill me? Today, I'll make sure not even your ashes are left!"

Murderous intent overflowed in Qi Yang's eyes.

In the miasma forest, grey poisonous fog rolled, and even the moonlight couldn't pierce through.

Qi Yang stopped his footsteps in a clearing, turned around, and quietly watched behind him.

Whoosh!

A blood-red figure rushed out from the poisonous fog and landed ten paces away from Qi Yang.

This was a bald, burly man wearing the attire of the Blood Fiend Sect, full of fierce flesh on his face, holding a blood-dripping ghost-headed saber in his hand.

"Run? Why aren't you running anymore?"

The bald demonic Cultivator sneered, releasing the coercion of the Qi Condensation 8th Layer, pressing down fiercely toward Qi Yang.

"A Loose Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer dares to flash wealth at Qianji Pavilion? Hand over the Storage Pouch on you and that spirit poison pill, and I'll give you a quick death!"

Qi Yang looked at him as if looking at a dead man.

"So much nonsense."

Qi Yang spat out four words in a hoarse voice.

"Courting death!"

The bald demonic Cultivator flew into a rage, his internal spiritual power running frantically.

What he cultivated was the blood-path Cultivation Technique of the Blood Fiend Sect; although his Spiritual Root was bad, this Cultivation Technique was incomparably overbearing!

Boom!

A layer of dense blood-red shield emerged on his body surface. The bald demonic Cultivator gripped the saber with both hands, and a blood-red blade radiance three zhang long directly tore through the surrounding poisonous miasma, hacking straight down toward Qi Yang's head!

This strike was enough to split any Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer into two halves!

But Qi Yang did not dodge or evade; he suddenly pulled the newly bought five elements ring fragment from his chest.

"Five Poisons Nourish Spirit, open for me!"

Qi Yang let out a roar in his heart. That overbearing and matchless dark green Poison Wood Spiritual Power deep within his Dantian erupted with a boom, splitting directly into five paths, transforming into spiritual powers of the five attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, surging crazily into the five elements ring!

Hum!

The dilapidated five elements ring erupted with brilliant five-colored poisonous light!

The Five Elements generate each other, endless and unceasing!

Originally just a Tier 2 Upper-Grade fragment, driven by Qi Yang's Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root and Poison Wood Spiritual Power, it actually erupted with terrifying might comparable to a Tier 2 peerless Magical Artifact!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The blood-red blade radiance fiercely hacked onto the five-colored poisonous light barrier, producing a deafening roar.

The violent air wave uprooted the surrounding trees!

The ferocious smile on the bald demonic Cultivator's face froze.

His blood-path blade radiance couldn't even break through Qi Yang's defense, and instead was shattered into pieces by the five-colored poisonous light!

"This is impossible! How could a Qi Condensation Seventh Layer like you block my Blood Fiend Saber!"

The bald demonic Cultivator was terrified to the extreme.

"There are many things you don't know!"

Murderous intent flashed wildly in Qi Yang's eyes. Taking advantage of the moment when the bald demonic Cultivator's blood and Qi surged from the rebound force, his right sleeve suddenly shook!

Whoosh!

A black short arrow quenched with the defective version of Frost Absolute Shadow was like a poisonous snake coming out of its hole, shooting toward the bald demonic Cultivator's face at an incomparably tricky angle!

After all, the bald demonic Cultivator was at the Qi Condensation 8th Layer with rich combat experience. At the juncture of life and death, he abruptly turned his head, narrowly avoiding the fatal spot.

Puchi!

The poisonous arrow flew past his cheek, kicking up a string of blood splatters.

"Hahahaha! You want to kill me with just this little hidden weapon trick?"

The bald demonic Cultivator laughed wildly.

But he only laughed for one sound, and his voice came to an abrupt stop.

He discovered in horror that the wound on his cheek was not bleeding, but instead had formed a layer of ice-blue frost!

This icy coldness, mixed with terrifying virulent poison, drilled into his Meridians along with his blood, crazily freezing his Blood Fiend spiritual power!

"Poison! You poisoned me!"

Scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, the bald demonic Cultivator turned around and wanted to run.

"Too late!"

Qi Yang closed in, and the poisonous light on the five elements ring transformed into a long whip, fiercely lashing onto the bald demonic Cultivator's back.

Bang!

The bald demonic Cultivator let out a miserable scream, slamming heavily onto the ground, his whole body twitching.

Although the defective version of Frost Absolute Shadow was not as Heaven-Defying as the original, it was still enough to cause a Qi Condensation 8th Layer to lose combat effectiveness.

Qi Yang walked up to him, directly reached out, and ripped the bald demonic Cultivator's Storage Pouch off.

Clatter!

A pile of junk poured out: a few hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a few bottles of healing medicine, and a Jade Slip emitting blood-red light.

Qi Yang picked up the Jade Slip, his perception probing into it.

"Soul-Searching Hand"!

Demonic Path Soul-searching secret art!

This thing was an absolute taboo in Righteous Path Sects.

Executing the Soul-Searching Hand could forcibly read the memories of low-tier Cultivators, but the backlash was immense.

If the Soul was not tough enough, or the Spiritual Root did not match, the caster could easily become an idiot.