Chapter 99
Many flying immortal swords soared and returned to the Sect Leader’s grasp. The Sect Leader gathered the flying immortal swords that had fallen during the Elemental Magnetic Storm using her divine consciousness. Now, she needed to infuse them with spiritual energy to regain control over these flying immortal swords.
In reality, handling this snake didn’t necessarily require a complex formation. When it triggered the Elemental Magnetic Storm, they could simply retreat in advance. Even if they lost some treasures, they could come back later to retrieve them. The Elemental Magnetic Storm it unleashed couldn’t last indefinitely. The second time they used it, it was noticeably weaker. They probably wouldn’t be able to use it many times in a short period.
However, the Sect Leader and the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Moon were surprised because they were unaware of this snake’s ability. The Sect Leader’s secret technique hadn’t been employed yet. If they didn’t utilize the Grand Extensive Sword Formation, the battle would become riskier and more strenuous, with additional variables to consider.
Besides the Elemental Magnetic Storm, this creature was only slightly physically tougher and more agile. Given its exceptional defense, this was expected as creatures focusing on physical enhancement typically possessed fewer other abilities.
The Holy Maiden of the Hidden Moon’s restrictions had been reinstated. She didn’t need to pay any price to break these restrictions forcefully. Li Su collected all the bells she had dropped.
“These bells of yours, are they high-quality spiritual weapons?” Li Su inquired. “I see you have quite a few materials in your storage pouch. Are you planning to use them to enhance these bells?”
“Yes, but I can’t find a skilled artisan,” the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Moon admitted.
Artisans, especially those capable of crafting top-tier spiritual weapons, were rare. Lifespan was a significant concern. The path of crafting also demanded time for research and learning. The artisans of the Flying Immortal Sect were nearly two hundred years old and could only craft a type of low-grade spiritual weapon – the Flying Immortal Sword.
Asking them to craft anything else was out of the question. They wouldn’t meet the standards of a low-grade spiritual weapon. Cultivators utilized low-grade spiritual weapons in the early to middle stages of the Golden Core realm. Crafting a mid-grade spiritual weapon required at least one to two hundred years of experience.
Crafting high-grade spiritual weapons would necessitate even more experience – top-tier spiritual weapons were even more challenging and might take a craftsman thousands of years to master. However, most peak Golden Core cultivators didn’t have such a long lifespan. The question remained: what would it take for a Golden Core cultivator to become a skilled artisan?
If they focused solely on advancing their cultivation, they wouldn’t have the time to learn the art of crafting, creating a contradiction. Typically, talented individuals with excellent spiritual roots in cultivation wouldn’t choose to become artisans. They wholeheartedly pursued cultivation because their cultivation surpassed everything else. Many artisans lacked remarkable spiritual roots, making truly exceptional artisans exceedingly rare. Given her status as a witch, even if such artisans existed, the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Moon might not be able to locate or persuade them to help.
“Once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I’ll assist you in upgrading some of your bells and magic needles to top-tier spiritual weapons. However, you’ll need to wait until I’ve had a few more children for you to use them,” Li Su quipped.
Li Su replied, “What else would I do? How do you think I acquired these top-tier spiritual weapons?” Having been outmaneuvered, the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Moon couldn’t help but feel that way. She scrutinized Li Su’s face, experiencing the sensation of being overshadowed by him, just as the Sect Leader had before. Not only had Li Su’s strength grown rapidly, but his mastery of formations was also remarkable.
If they were not cautious, the killing formations he set up would ensnare a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. His alchemy skills were also outstanding, and now he mentioned his crafting abilities. She couldn’t quite comprehend it. How had Li Su expanded his harem, spent so much time toying with her, and become so powerful in such a brief period? Was he a master of time management?
The battle continued, with the Sect Leader rejoining the fray and the disciples of the Flying Immortal Sect re-establishing their defenses. Li Su occasionally lent a hand, and for the time being, no more fourth-rank beasts appeared. Two fourth-rank beasts had already been conquered this time, but the serpent remained exceedingly formidable. Its immense combat power and the Elemental Magnetic Storm made it challenging to handle, even for a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. It was already at the mid-fourth rank, evident from the nature of its demonic core. However, it was injured.
“It appears to have sustained an injury while attempting to absorb more Elemental Magnetic energy. Elemental Magnetic energy is not to be underestimated, and it managed to form an Elemental Magnetic Core inside its body, which is quite rare,” the Sect Leader surmised. Perhaps due to its injury, it had triggered the beast tide, seeking the flesh and blood of cultivators in the three major immortal sect regions to recover more quickly. It was also possible that it harbored ambitions of eradicating all humans in the three major immortal sect regions to establish a world ruled by beasts.
The beast tide finally waned after an unceasing battle lasting about half a day. As expected, after another half day had passed, no more beasts emerged, signaling the end of the beast tide.
This particular wave of the beast tide had endured for over a day, resulting in some losses for the disciples of the three major immortal sects. While there were injuries, deaths were relatively few. Only a handful of low-level cultivators who had inadvertently encountered powerful beasts had perished, and their numbers were limited.
Witnessing the conclusion of the beast tide, everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, this wave of the beast tide had been quite difficult. Two fourth-rank beasts had appeared simultaneously. Had the Sect Leader not broken through to the Nascent Soul stage a few decades earlier, or if Li Su hadn’t been present, the consequences would have been unimaginable. It was likely that the entire region of the three major immortal sects would have been overrun, with only a few cultivators managing to escape.
This area was surrounded by Mangkang Mountain, a difficult natural barrier, and the sea on the other side was equally treacherous. Even using a flying boat wasn’t entirely safe, as some avian demonic beasts roamed the seas. Pondering the situation, they realized that if they hadn’t succeeded in halting this beast tide, there would have been few safe havens for the cultivators and ordinary people in this region.
“No, even if the ordinary people had a place to escape, the cultivators wouldn’t have. Now that the Sect Leader’s strength has grown significantly, we can consider regularly exterminating the demonic beasts in the Mangkang Mountain and treat the area as a training ground,” Li Su suggested.
“First, I need to break through to the Nascent Soul stage,” the Sect Leader emphasized. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage was her top priority.
“Li Su, we are greatly indebted to you for your assistance during this ordeal,” the Sect Leader expressed her gratitude after the beast tide had subsided.
“Master, it was my pleasure. By the way, Master, have you reached the second layer of the Nascent Soul stage?” Li Su inquired.
The Sect Leader should have felt a sense of accomplishment, yet she didn’t display it. “Yes, my foundation was slightly damaged before, but after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, I can slowly repair it, which will hasten my progress,” she explained.