Before Jing Xingzhi could even grasp the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, he let out a pained cry and was flung backward.
Upon the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, the flames had already returned to their original state, burning steadily and fiercely.
"Fellow Daoist Jing?"
Jing Xingzhi sat half-upright on the ground, looking down at his hand, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
The hand he had used to grab the bow was now charred black.
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance, somewhat horrified. When a cultivator formed their Nascent Soul, their body was also remolded. The body of a Nascent Soul cultivator was far more robust than that of a Core Formation cultivator; ordinary Magical Treasures found it difficult to injure them. Jing Xingzhi was a sword cultivator, and sword cultivators often practiced body-refining arts as well, making their flesh naturally more resilient than that of the average Nascent Soul cultivator.
Yet, this Bow of the Vermilion Bird, relying solely on the flames upon it, had severely injured Jing Xingzhi. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, the two of them would hardly have believed it.
"Such formidable power," Jing Xingzhi finally said after a long moment, coming back to his senses. He swallowed a pill, cast a simple healing spell on his wound, and stood up again.
Gazing at the Bow of the Vermilion Bird on the altar, the fervor in his eyes diminished slightly. He turned to Qin Xi and said, "It seems Perfected One Qingwei was correct. This treasure's power is astonishing, far exceeding our realm. Without special means, it's simply impossible to take."
Qin Xi naturally believed what Mo Tiange had said, and Jing Xingzhi's experience was right before their eyes. However, as he looked at the Bow of the Vermilion Bird before him, he pondered for a moment and still stepped forward.
"Senior Brother!" Mo Tiange called out.
He turned back, seeing her worried expression, and offered a reassuring smile. "I'm just going to try. If it doesn't work, I won't force it."
Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Be extremely careful."
She knew that although Qin Xi, like her, was a cultivator with a firm Dao heart, they were different in certain aspects. Her own growth had involved too much loss; after the trial of the Core Formation inner demon, she viewed everything in the world with extreme detachment, valuing inner state over external objects. Qin Xi, however, like most male cultivators, pursued the immortal path while also pursuing power. He never relaxed in refining his Three Yang True Fire Sword, tirelessly explored secret arts to make himself stronger.
Perhaps this was also a point of difference between men and women. Female cultivators with firm Dao hearts rarely enjoyed slaughter, instead focusing wholeheartedly on the Dao. Male cultivators, for the most part, could not avoid the craving for power. This wasn't absolute, but it was mostly the case.
For any cultivator who pursued power, to have an ancient Spirit-Connecting Treasure, rare even in antiquity, placed before them and to give up without even trying would be a lifelong regret.
Qin Xi took a deep breath, stepped forward to stand before the altar, and reached out his hand. Blue flames surged from his arm—it was his secret art, the Extreme Yang True Fire.
True Fires in the cultivation world were divided into external and internal fires. External fires referred to the Three Great True Fires, while internal fires were the cultivator's Dantian True Fire. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, even a cultivator who didn't specialize in fire techniques would possess a powerful Nascent Soul True Fire, let alone Qin Xi, who had specialized in fire-attribute spells since Qi Refining. His Extreme Yang True Fire was second only to the legendary Samadhi True Fire and the Dantian True Fire of a God Transformation cultivator.
Yet, despite this, as soon as he approached the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, his Extreme Yang True Fire began to flicker unsteadily, as if terrified to the extreme!
Mo Tiange's expression darkened, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on his movements.
Qin Xi controlled his Extreme Yang True Fire with all his might, enveloping his arm as he slowly approached the Bow of the Vermilion Bird.
One foot, half a foot, three inches, one inch... Just as his hand was about to grasp the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, the flames burning on the bowstring erupted once more with a roar, sending out a shockwave.
Qin Xi retreated swiftly, his other hand swinging out as his Three Yang True Fire Sword materialized before him.
At the same time, Mo Tiange threw out her White Silk Kerchief, transforming it into layers of mist in an attempt to block the shockwave.
Thud! Thud! Both of them were simultaneously sent tumbling to the ground.
"Tiange!" Protected by his Extreme Yang True Fire and having retreated in time, Qin Xi only felt the spiritual energy within him churn briefly; he wasn't injured. Seeing Mo Tiange had been flung quite far, he hurried forward to help her up.
"Cough! Cough!" Mo Tiange's face was pale, her internal spiritual breath in disarray.
Seeing this, Qin Xi immediately took out a Nine Revolutions Return Yang Pill for her to swallow, frowning as he said, "Your cultivation is inferior; why did you overreach? Even Jing Xingzhi couldn't withstand that power. Wasn't this just asking for trouble?"
Before she could reply, Jing Xingzhi muttered from the side, "Just say what you have to say; why bring me into it..." Seeing that Qin Xi also couldn't take the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, his feelings were complex—both pleased and somewhat frustrated. He was pleased because if such a Spirit-Connecting Treasure was something he couldn't take, wouldn't it be even more upsetting if someone else took it right before his eyes? He was frustrated because Qin Xi cultivated fire-attribute techniques and had higher cultivation than him, yet he also couldn't take the bow. Did that mean they, like the Five Sages, could only enter a treasure trove empty-handed?
After swallowing the pill, Mo Tiange's complexion improved somewhat. She smiled weakly. "I didn't think it through..."
Qin Xi wanted to chide her, but seeing her like this, he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he said, "Rest for a moment first."
Just as Mo Tiange was about to agree, she suddenly saw the expressions of both men change.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's coming!" Qin Xi said.
"Three people. The other side has already detected us!" Jing Xingzhi's expression turned grave. Ignoring the injury on his hand, he shook his arm, and the sharp sword on his back unsheathed, transforming into sword radiance to protect his surroundings.
"Two Late-Nascent Soul Cultivators," Qin Xi said in a low voice. "I'm afraid it's them..."
Mo Tiange's face changed. A Late-Nascent Soul Cultivator—could it be someone from the Jiuyan Sect? Three people, with one not having come... Was Ling Yunhe left above, or was it Ling Shiyu?
Before the three of them could figure it out, the auras outside drew closer and closer. Soon, three people barged into the hall.
Within this Vermilion Bird Temple, the leakage of Origin Demonic Qi was severe, which also meant spiritual sense couldn't be used effectively. By the time they sensed someone approaching, it was already too late to avoid them.
"So it is you!" the newcomer growled in a low voice.
It was True Person Yuan Mu, Perfected One Iron-Face, and Ling Yunhe.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu, we meet again just a few hours after parting." After the initial shock, Qin Xi's expression calmed, and he greeted him placidly.
True Person Yuan Mu's gaze was sharp, sweeping back and forth between the three of them before finally settling on the altar.
"The Bow of the Vermilion Bird! It truly is the Bow of the Vermilion Bird!" A fanatical look surfaced on his face, his eyes fixed tightly on the Bow of the Vermilion Bird before the Vermilion Bird statue.
Mo Tiange felt a great sense of foreboding. She wasn't surprised that the Jiuyan Sect knew about the Bow of the Vermilion Bird. When the Five Sages descended into the Underground Palace together back then, how could they not know? However, she hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly. Fuyaozi had told her that the secret passage in the treasury was unknown to the other four sages; back then, they had entered through another entrance. The reason Fuyaozi knew so much was that he had taken many secret records concerning this sect from the library of insights and chronicles in the Scripture Pavilion. When the Five Sages obtained the God Transformation cultivator's spatial ring, he had specifically requested such jade slips.
Thoughts raced through her mind. She recalled True Person Yuan Mu's abnormal reaction before the treasury, willingly giving up a token just to enter the treasury quickly to take refuge—could it be that he was preserving strength and buying time to descend into the Underground Palace? If so, did that mean the Jiuyan Sect's goal from the start was the Bow of the Vermilion Bird within the Vermilion Bird Temple?
She watched True Person Yuan Mu and his companions warily. If that were the case, with such a heavy treasure before them, would they show any tolerance?
True Person Yuan Mu snapped out of his fanaticism, his gaze dark and fixed on the three of them. "So the reason you fellow Daoists mysteriously disappeared was that you descended into the Underground Palace early. It seems your goal is also this Bow of the Vermilion Bird?"
Hearing True Person Yuan Mu's hostile question, none of the three spoke.
The current situation was very unfavorable for them. Both sides had three people. Excluding the Core Formation stage Mo Tiange and Ling Yunhe, the other side had two Late-Nascent Soul Cultivators, while they had one mid-stage Nascent Soul and one early-stage Nascent Soul. Jing Xingzhi was a sword cultivator; an early-stage Nascent Soul sword cultivator could match a mid-stage one, and Qin Xi was also stronger than the average mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, this still wasn't enough to close the gap between the two sides, even if True Person Yuan Mu and Perfected One Iron-Face had sustained some injuries above.
Of course, they weren't without the power to fight. Both Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi excelled in combat, their strength surpassing cultivators of the same realm! Even if they couldn't match the two Great Late-Nascent Soul Cultivators, they wouldn't be as helpless as ordinary cultivators. But if a real fight broke out, paying a heavy price was inevitable.
"Junior Brother Yuan Mu," Perfected One Iron-Face stepped forward, his murderous gaze sweeping over the three of them through his iron mask. "Is there any need to say more?"
Amidst the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere, Mo Tiange suddenly let out a light laugh. She stood up, looked at them, and said, "Seniors, since your goal is the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, then please proceed. We won't keep you company." Having said that, she stepped toward the temple door.
"Wait!" True Person Yuan Mu's gaze lingered on her for a good while before a faint smile appeared on his face. "Little Friend Mo, if you didn't already have a master, this old man would truly like to take you as a disciple. What a pity, what a pity!" Despite his words, the pressure he released grew heavier and heavier.
"The Jiuyan Sect is full of talent, with Fellow Daoist Ling to inherit the Dao tradition. Why would Senior Yuan Mu feel pity?" Mo Tiange forced out the words under True Person Yuan Mu's pressure. Although she had the Soul Refining Art to protect her, how powerful was the pressure of a Late-Nascent Soul Cultivator? For True Person Yuan Mu to suddenly offer praise at such a critical moment was truly not a good sign.
"What this old man pities is that you juniors are all young, with exceptional cultivation, surely possessing remarkable talent, yet you are about to perish here." As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp, murderous intent erupted from True Person Yuan Mu's body!
Clang! The moment the murderous intent appeared, Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi simultaneously released their sword qi.
With several Magical Treasures in hand, Mo Tiange on the contrary became calmer in the critical moment. She smiled faintly and said, "Senior, perhaps you should save those words for after you've obtained the Bow of the Vermilion Bird. It's a bit early to say them now!"
"Hahaha!" True Person Yuan Mu laughed heartily, looking at the three of them, his laughter continuing. "It seems you've already tried just now and couldn't take the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, is that right?"
Seeing True Person Yuan Mu's confident, knowing expression, the hearts of Mo Tiange and her companions sank. Could it be...? "The Jiuyan Sect's legacy spans over a hundred thousand years. This secret has been passed down for over a hundred generations. Since we came for the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, how could we be completely unprepared?"
Hearing this, Qin Xi stepped forward. "So, you had already prepared a method to retrieve the Bow of the Vermilion Bird before entering the Immortal Palace?"
True Person Yuan Mu nodded with a smile. "Correct. With such a heavy treasure before us, this old man truly cannot believe you would remain indifferent. Therefore, I can only trouble you." Though he said 'trouble,' there wasn't a trace of shame on his face. Amidst his smiling demeanor, murderous intent radiated fiercely!