197: Chapter 197 Devouring the Primordial Spirit

This was the first time Ye Jing had seen a Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body, and he immediately lashed out with his long whip.

But the fire whip passed directly through the spirit body; the spirit body was like a mist, suffering no damage at all.

Are ordinary attacks ineffective against spirit bodies?

"Hahaha! Old man, I'll remember this grudge! One day, I will return it a hundredfold!"

The spirit body clamored, but before it could fly away, it felt an intense stinging pain, and the entire spirit body came to a sudden halt.

Hei Feng stepped forward, the horn on his head emitting subtle sound waves that directly captured the escaping spirit body.

Ye Jing was somewhat surprised, but then he remembered that Hei Feng's ability, Soul-Extinguishing Deterrence, could even attack the soul bodies of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The spirit body that had just been so arrogant was now bound as if by an invisible net, twisting and turning amidst the vibrations of the sound waves, becoming increasingly illusory.

Its originally cloudy, mist-like form gradually thinned, and its screams turned from arrogant to shrill wails.

"No! What kind of sorcery is this! Let me go! My Family head is a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator; if you kill me, the Family head will not let you off!"

Ye Jing saw Hei Feng salivating, seemingly craving this spirit body and eager to swallow it into his stomach.

He took a step forward and said, "Hei Feng, leave him some life. I want to ask if the Li Family sent a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to capture me purely for revenge against the Ye Family."

After the command was given, Hei Feng gradually restrained the sound waves targeting the spirit body. The spirit body managed to catch its breath and looked at Ye Jing, trembling with fear.

"Speak! Why did Patriarch Li Xiuhe send so many Cultivators to kill me?!"

The spirit body trembled all over, its cloudy form fading further, its voice filled with extreme terror: "It's... the Family head wants the secret technique for cultivating Spiritual Plants in your hands, and... if you are captured alive, he intends to use the Soul Searching Technique to interrogate you."

A cold light flashed in Ye Jing's eyes. It was just as he had guessed; the Li Family had an ulterior motive. The Soul Searching Technique sounded like a form of severe torture for interrogation.

Seeing the shifting emotions in Ye Jing's eyes, the soul body asked cautiously, "Senior, I've told you everything I know. Can you spare my life?"

Ye Jing looked at him coldly and waved his hand. The spirit body thought it had escaped death.

But then, the demon dog let out an excited low growl. The horn on its head suddenly erupted with intense sound waves, and invisible ripples struck the spirit body one after another.

The spirit body, already on the verge of dissipating, was instantly torn apart by the sound waves, turning into countless tiny specks of light that vanished into the air, leaving only an extremely shrill wail that quickly faded.

Hei Feng opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing all the dissipating light specks from the spirit body into his stomach, then wagged his tail with satisfaction.

He nudged Ye Jing with his head, his eyes full of the look of someone seeking a reward.

Ye Jing stroked his head. Seeing that Hei Feng suffered no side effects from eating the Foundation Establishment Cultivator's spirit body, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He then looked at the bodies of the deceased Foundation Establishment Cultivator and the other Cultivators, reaching out to take all their Storage Pouches.

Seeing there was nothing else to take from them, he summoned Xiao Chi to destroy the evidence with fire.

He did a rough inventory of the items in the Storage Pouches. Besides some Spirit Stones, there were several Cultivation Techniques and a Formation.

The name of the Formation was simply the Mist Array, the same one they had used to trap him earlier.

Ye Jing recalled how those Cultivators had worked together to trap him in the mist, making it impossible for him to find his way.

This Formation was a good thing; he could study it later. As for the meteor hammer used by the Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Ye Jing unceremoniously placed it into the Immortal Willow for nourishment.

Now that he had killed so many Li Family Cultivators, including a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Li Family should probably behave themselves for a while.

Thinking of this, Ye Jing's desire to break through to Foundation Establishment reached its Peak.

After finding a safe place and sending a message of safety to Ye Tianhui, he sought out a remote spot by himself.

He took out the Mist Array Jade Slip obtained from the Li Family Cultivator's Storage Pouch, sat cross-legged, and began to study it carefully.

The Jade Slip felt warm and smooth in his hand. As he probed it with a strand of Divine Sense, the Formation's operating principles, rune arrangements, and activation methods were clearly presented in his mind.

Although this Mist Array wasn't high-level, it was quite practical. It didn't require many Spirit Stones to activate, only the cooperation of several people.

It could lay down a mist covering dozens of meters, hiding figures and confusing the senses. If improved, it could even trap a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

The more Ye Jing read, the more shocked he became. The Li Family was just an ordinary cultivation Family, yet they possessed such a Formation Legacy; it was clear their background was much deeper than he had imagined.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator he had killed earlier was likely just a pawn on the surface for the Li Family.

"It seems the Li Family won't just let this matter rest." Ye Jing put away the Jade Slip, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The spirit body had said the Head of the Li Family was a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He was currently only at the Peak of Qi Refining. Even with the help of Hei Feng and Xiao Chi, facing a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be certain death.

He had to break through as soon as possible, the sooner the better.

Subsequently, Ye Jing opened the Storage Pouches again to take a full inventory of the contents.

There were about three hundred Spirit Stones and three Cultivation Techniques, all of which were basic Qi Refining stage techniques. They were even inferior to the techniques he already had, and he no longer needed such Qi Refining techniques.

Nevertheless, Ye Jing kept them for his descendants.

There was only one book, the "Thunderbolt Flame Art," which was the fire-attribute external technique practiced by that Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Its Moves were fierce and powerful, suitable for use with a Magical Artifact.

Besides that, there were some healing Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Plant seeds; though not rare, they were better than nothing.

The gains this time were not small. Ye Jing thought that since the Li Family had Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they likely had a way to obtain foundation establishment pills.

With this in mind, Ye Jing decided to get the Family business running first. When it came to Foundation Establishment, everything was empty talk without a foundation establishment pill.

Within the Tiangong Market.

News of Ye Jing defeating the Li Family's Foundation Establishment Cultivator quickly spread through the market. This signaled that the Ye Family had the capital to deal with the Li Family. To avoid too much trouble...

Even if Patriarch Li Xiuhe had shot himself in the foot, he no longer appeared in person to target the Ye Family.

Thus, this "Hongmen Banquet" merchant assembly allowed Ye Jing to turn a misfortune into a blessing. He easily secured the leases for several shops from Bai Qian and further expanded his business.

Ye Tianhao, whose cultivation had completely stabilized, even brought several of his fellow disciples to support him, showing the people in the market the Ye Family's confidence and completely ending any thoughts of those who wanted to cause trouble for the Ye Family amidst the chaos.

In just half a day, Ye Tianhao rushed over with five of his fellow disciples.

They were all at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, dressed in matching green martial outfits. Their posture was upright, and their aura was steady—clearly not comparable to ordinary Loose Cultivators.

Ye Tianhao was even at the Foundation Establishment stage, with condensed Spiritual Qi surrounding him. When he walked to Ye Jing's side, he bowed respectfully: "Grandfather, your grandson has brought his fellow disciples."

The five disciples behind him also cupped their hands and bowed, shouting in unison: "Greetings, Senior Ye!"

Their voices were loud and clear, with strong penetration, instantly attracting the gaze of the passing Cultivators in the market.

The Cultivators who were whispering and observing in secret saw this scene, and their expressions changed one after another. The testing and greed in their eyes were instantly replaced by wariness.

Ye Jing nodded slightly and patted Ye Tianhao's shoulder, his tone gentle but carrying an indisputable power: "Good, good. Haoer has done well! You've made this old man proud!"