Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jin Ying did not notice the expressions of the other two. Right now, her heart was set on the mass of Vital Qi. The temptation of it was too great. Once she had the Vital Qi, it would surely be as though she was reborn. Her chances of becoming immortal would be multiplied.

Rumble! Just as Jin Ying reached out to grasp the mass of Vital Qi, a beam of white light suddenly shot out from the ground under the pool. The light shot towards Jin Ying.

Jin Ying’s expression changed slightly. A sense of foreboding welled up inside her. Sensing danger, she retreated without almost any hesitation. At the same time, she flicked her wrist and a small, green shield appeared in her hand. The shield grew larger as it faced the wind, becoming a green light that enveloped her entire body.

Retreating did not help Jin Ying dodge the pillar of light. It still crashed into her, its frightening power seemingly able to tear space apart. Jin Ying was sent flying backward.

The green protective layer that the shield had become was almost instantly ripped apart, its effect next to nothing. Luckily, Jin Ying had many treasures with her. The moment the green light disappeared, a golden hoop appeared in her hand, instantly growing larger and enveloping her. However, the golden hoop also could not block the frightening power of the white light. It did not last very long, as Jin Ying was once again sent flying backward.

Even so, the power of the pillar of white light was substantially reduced. By the time it hit Jin Ying’s body, its power was but a fifth of its original.

Jin Ying’s facial expression was pale. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, dropping wretchedly to the ground.

Mo Wen and Yin Banshuang looked at each other, their eyes full of shock. This woman practically had a treasure trove on her, spiritual weapons one after another. Treasures that others dreamt of were just common items for her. If she didn’t possess all those treasures, the white light would most likely have the power to directly kill Jin Ying.

“What is that?” Jin Ying’s face was sullen. She stared at the bottom of the pool. If she had not been decisive and reacted swiftly, she would have most likely been instantly severely injured.

Mo Wen and Yin Banshuang also stared at the ground beneath the pool. They ignored Jin Ying, both looking as though they were about to face a fearsome foe.

Rumble! A dark shadow broke through the ground. It was seven to eight meters long. At first, all the three of them could see was a sharp metal rod, like a spider’s leg. Then, a second appeared, then a third… one after another, hideous metallic legs sprang out of the pool. The ground under the pool swiftly sank, and a huge steel spider slowly floated out of the ground.

It was the third Puppet Monster. This was the most powerful Puppet Monster that Yin Banshuang had told them about.

Last time, Yin Banshuang had just seen this Puppet Monster from a distance. After sensing the imminent danger, she had not dared to approach it, instead making the decision to retreat.

Coming into such close contact with it, the feeling of danger was even more intense. A sense of imminent crisis welled up inside her.

Yin Banshuang’s and Jin Ying’s expressions changed.

“So powerful!” Jin Ying drew in a cold breath. Without a doubt, this was the creature that had attacked her from underground.

Only now did she sense that this Puppet Monster was far different from the previous two. The frightening aura that emanated from its body was enough to kill all of them. Most probably, even strong practitioners at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm could not match that aura.

“What should we do?” Yin Banshuang looked at Mo Wen. She had thought that this Puppet Monster’s power would, at most, be equal to that of the later stage Golden Elixir realm. But she had never imagined that it would be this powerful, almost impossible for them to defeat.

It was the first time that the idea of retreating entered her mind. No matter how attractive the Vital Qi was, they needed to be alive to enjoy it.

Mo Wen pouted. His eyes twinkled. No one knew what he was thinking about.

The spider Puppet Monster was very strange. It did not unleash an attack on Mo Wen and the others, instead just guarding the mass of Vital Qi which law below. It seemed as though it would only attack when the mass of Vital Qi was approached.

“The two of you only need to stall it for ten breaths. Maybe I can finish it.” A sharp look flashed in Mo Wen’s eyes as he looked at Yin Banshuang and Jin Ying.

Under normal circumstances, the spider Puppet Monster would be almost impossible to defeat. Even if the three of them were tied together, they would not be able to withstand an attack from an ancient martial art practitioner at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm. However, this spider Puppet Monster was not a true pinnacle of Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioner. Without the control of its master, the Puppet Monster could only use its own instinct to battle. There were many chanced to defeat it that Mo Wen and the others would be able to take.

The Puppet Monster also had a fatal weakness, and that was its energy system. If their energy systems were destroyed, no matter how incredible the Puppet Monster, it would just be a pile of scrap metal. For normal Puppet Monsters, Mo Wen would not be able to find the exact position of their energy system. But the Puppet Monsters here had decayed over time and had completely lost their soul shielding functions, giving Mo Wen a huge advantage.

However, the difference in their power had been laid before them. They were just ancient martial art practitioners, not immortal cultivators. So, even if they knew the position of the energy system, destroying it would not be easy. The spider Puppet Monster was very different from the previous two. Its energy system was hidden deep inside. Only by breaking through its inner steel shell could they cause it any harm.

Therefore, the flying dagger spiritual weapon would be useless. The Puppet Monster’s armor was too hard; the flying dagger could not penetrate it at all. Only a stronger power could destroy the Puppet Monster’s inner structures.

Ten breaths were not long, but against a Puppet Monster comparable to the power of the pinnacle of Golden Elixir realm, both Yin Banshuang and Jin Ying felt pressured by the idea they needed to stall it. Luckily, it was a Puppet Monster and not a true pinnacle of Golden Elixir realm ancient martial art practitioner. Otherwise, it would not even be possible.

For ancient martial art practitioners at the Golden Elixir realm, the difference between each stage was too large. A pinnacle Golden Elixir realm against a beginning stage Golden Elixir realm was like an Embryonic Breathing realm ancient martial art practitioner against one at the Sea of Qi realm. The difference was huge.

“How confident are you?” Yin Banshuang looked at Mo Wen with a stern expression. If Mo Wen could not deal with the Puppet Monster within ten breaths, they would be in danger.

It was possible that in less than ten breaths, she could be killed by this terrifying fellow. If it wasn’t that she couldn’t resist the temptation of the Vital Qi, she would not have taken this risk at all.

“Fifty percent,” Mo Wen said plainly.

Yin Banshuang frowned. A fifty percent success rate meant that their gamble only had half a chance of succeeding.

“Screw it, why are you even bothering asking such questions? Even immortal cultivators hardly ever find things like the Vital Qi. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. If I miss it, I will probably regret it forever.” Jin Ying stomped her feet furiously. Her body released a fierce aura, like a tigress that was preparing to fight to the death.

“I hope you don’t disappoint us.” Yin Banshuang took a deep breath and nodded her head as she bit down on her teeth. She was not an indecisive person.

“When I tell you to attack, attack.” Mo Wen nodded his head. His sleeves shook slightly and items like plumes of flames suddenly flew out of his sleeves. They circled around him, then clashed together with the crisp sound of metal being struck.

After the plumes of flames combined, a longsword blazing with fire appeared in Mo Wen’s hand. It was the Sacred Fire Sword.

Yin Banshuang and Jin Ying instantly both shifted their gazes to the Sacred Fire Sword, their eyes full of astonishment.

Yin Banshuang felt that the seven plumes of flames were somewhat familiar. It was as though she had seen them somewhere before. She contemplated when and where she might have seen them but could not recall anything.

Jin Ying could instinctively tell that the Sacred Fire Sword was extremely complex. A strange feeling welled up inside her. It was as though her Golden Dragon Dual Dancing Whips and Mo Wen’s Green Primordial Mirror were far inferior to this strange longsword.

The Golden Dragon Dual Dancing Whips and Green Primordial Mirror were both top grade spiritual weapons. Even among spiritual weapons, they were top tier existences. Could it be that this ancient longsword was a profound level weapon?

Jin Ying gave Mo Wen a somewhat complicated gaze. A profound level weapon was very precious and would usually be found only among immortal cultivators. It was impossible for her to have one. Where did this youth come from for him to have such a thing?

Mo Wen did not believe that the Sacred Fire Sword in his hand was a profound level weapon. It was most probably a treasured level weapon of legend. It was just that this Sacred Fire Sword had most likely been sealed by a mysterious power, meaning it did not have the might or appearance of a treasured level weapon. However, the might of the Sacred Fire Sword should mean it would not lose to a profound level weapon.

Before this, he had just treated the Sacred Fire Sword as a normal weapon when using it. He had never infused spiritual power to stimulate the Sacred Fire Sword’s true power. It was because the conditions did not allow for it. Now that he had enough spiritual stones though, he wanted to try out the might of the Sacred Fire Sword.

Mo Wen flicked his wrist and took out five spiritual stones from the inside of his sleeve. In no time at all the five spiritual stones disappeared. They had been converted to spiritual power, gushing into Mo Wen’s body. Then, he took out another five spiritual stones. Not long after, those five spiritual stones disappeared as well.

Yin Banshuang and Jin Ying exchanged a glance. Both drew in a cold breath. There was fear in their eyes. The stared at Mo Wen as if he were an aberration. An ancient martial art practitioner being able to convert spiritual power at such a terrifying speed was impossible even for the ancient martial art practitioners at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm!

Furthermore, how was it possible for Mo Wen’s body to hold so much spiritual power? If he was any other ancient martial art practitioner, after receiving so much spiritual power, he would most likely have exploded and died, unless he was a legendary Martial Arts Grandmaster. Something which they had believed to be impossible had just occurred before their very eyes.

“Don’t stand there stunned! Quickly attack!” Mo Wen took a deep breath, brimming with the swelling feeling he felt in his body. This time, he had absorbed too much spiritual power. Even though he had practiced immortal cultivation techniques before, he still felt like it was too much for him to bear right now. If he didn’t use the energy as soon as possible, he might explode right away.

The ability of the spider Puppet Monster meant it was too difficult for Mo Wen to go near to the source of the energy system alone. It was likely that if he attempted to, he would immediately be sent flying before he could get anywhere close to it. Therefore, he needed the other two to divert the Puppet Monster’s attention, increasing his chances of success.

The opportunity would come only once. If he used his spiritual energy elsewhere, he might not be able to break open the spider Puppet Monster’s shell.

Both Yin Banshuang and Jin Ying suppressed their shock; after all, whether they could obtain the Vital Qi depended on them defeating the spider Puppet Monster. Right now, they couldn’t afford to be distracted. A glimmer of confidence also welled up in their hearts. Since Mo Wen had absorbed so much spiritual power, how terrifying his punch would be! It would be highly possible for him to be able to defeat the frightening Puppet Monster.