lín xuān de liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī jīng yà ， bù guò suí jí jiù wèi zhī shì rán le 。
林轩的脸上闪过一丝惊讶，不过随即就为之释然了。
Lin Xuan's face flashed with surprise, but he quickly dispelled it.
zài dī jiē xiū shì zhōng tā yě suàn jiàn duō shí guǎng ， bù guò fáng yù shǔ xìng de líng qì hái shì dì yī cì jiàn dào ， cóng mǒu zhǒng yì yì shàng shuō ， zhè zhǒng líng qì bǐ jìn gōng xìng zhì dì gèng jiā bǎo guì yī xiē 。
在低阶修士中他也算见多识广，不过防御属性的灵器还是第一次见到，从某种意义上说，这种灵器比进攻性质的更加宝贵一些。
In the realm of low-grade cultivators, he had seen many things, but a defensive spiritual artifact was something he had never encountered before. From a certain perspective, such artifacts were more valuable than offensive ones.
wèi xué dǎ rén ， xiān xué ái dǎ 。
未学打人，先学挨打。
"Learn to take hits before you learn to hit," this saying from secular martial artists also applied in the cultivation world. In combat, it could be even more perilous; a single misstep and blood would spill five steps, with one's head being taken off by an opponent.
zhè jù shì sú wǔ lín zhōng de huà zài xiū xiān jiè tóng yàng shì yòng ， xiū shì dòu fǎ ， qí shí gèng jiā xiōng xiǎn ， shāo bù liú shén ， jiù xuè jiàn wǔ bù ， bèi rén qǔ diào tóu lú 。
这句世俗武林中的话在修仙界同样适用，修士斗法，其实更加凶险，稍不留神，就血溅五步，被人取掉头颅。
Thus, before engaging in battle, both sides would set up layers of prohibitions, qi shields, defensive talismans, and higher-grade spiritual artifacts around their bodies. Otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation or how intricate your spells, if you had no protection, it was still a matter of life and death.
suǒ yǐ zài jiāo shǒu qián ， shuāng fāng dū huì zài shēn tǐ zhōu wéi bù zhì céng céng jìn zhì ， líng lì hù dùn ， fáng yù fú ， yǐ jí gèng gāo jí de líng qì hù zhào děng děng 。
所以在交手前，双方都会在身体周围布置层层禁制，灵力护盾，防御符，以及更高级的灵器护罩等等。
From the strength of the protective shield formed by spiritual artifacts, they naturally offered the greatest defense, drawing many cultivators to them. However, except for top-grade spiritual artifacts that could come with their own shields, other grades of spiritual artifacts had more singular attributes.
fǒu zé rèn nǐ xiū wèi zài hǎo ， fǎ shù zài rú hé de jīng miào ， duì fāng yī zhāo guò lái ， nǐ méi yǒu rèn hé de fáng hù ， hái bú shì yí mìng wū hū 。
否则任你修为再好，法术再如何的精妙，对方一招过来，你没有任何的防护，还不是一命呜呼。
Considering this, it was not surprising that Lin Xuan hadn't seen one before. But then he thought about it; in Youzhou, a region where cultivation levels were relatively high, and the opponent being a grandperfect stage cultivator, having such an artifact wasn’t so outlandish after all.
cóng fáng yù de jiān gù chéng dù ， líng qì gòu chéng de hù zhào zì rán zuì qiáng ， ràng xiū shì men qū zhī ruò wù ， dàn chú le jí pǐn líng qì kě yǐ zì dài hù zhào zhī wài ， qí tā pǐn jí de líng qì shǔ xìng dōu jiào wéi dān yī 。
从防御的坚固程度，灵器构成的护罩自然最强，让修士们趋之若鹜，但除了极品灵器可以自带护罩之外，其他品级的灵器属性都较为单一。
Lin Xuan’s thoughts raced as his hands moved without pause. Seeing the fire rain blocked by the spiritual artifact, he cast another spell from the array.
xiāng duì shuō lái ， fáng yù líng qì yòu gèng nán liàn zhì ， suǒ yǐ lín xuān méi yǒu jiàn guò yě jiù bù zú wéi qí 。
相对说来，防御灵器又更难炼制，所以林轩没有见过也就不足为奇。
The spells split into two, then four, and finally eight. The eight trigrams in the sky began to change shape, becoming smaller but multiplying in number.
bù guò zhuǎn niàn yī xiǎng ， zhè ér shì zài xiū zhēn shuǐ píng jiào gāo de yōu zhōu ， duì fāng yòu shì líng dòng qī dà yuán mǎn de xiū wèi ， yōng yǒu fáng yù líng qì ， sì hū yě bù suàn rú hé de lí pǔ 。
不过转念一想，这儿是在修真水平较高的幽州，对方又是灵动期大圆满的修为，拥有防御灵器，似乎也不算如何的离谱。
Instead of spilling out fire rain, they now shot out red beams of light.
lín xuān nǎo zhōng rú diàn guāng huǒ shí bān de zhuǎn guò zhè xiē niàn tou ， rán ér shǒu shàng kě méi yǒu sī háo tíng xiē ， jiàn fēn luò ér xià de huǒ yǔ bèi líng qì dǎng zhù ， tā yòu xiàng zhèn fǎ dǎ chū yī dào fǎ jué 。
林轩脑中如电光火石般的转过这些念头，然而手上可没有丝毫停歇，见分落而下的火雨被灵器挡住，他又像阵法打出一道法诀。
Tan Ming’s face turned a bit black as he cast another spell and pointed at the spiritual artifact above his head. It instantly transformed into a round ball, enveloping him completely.
yī fēn wéi èr ， èr fēn wèi sì ， sì huà wèi bā 。 tiān kōng zhōng dì bā guà tú àn kāi shǐ fā shēng biàn huà ， tǐ xíng xiǎo le yì diǎn ， rán ér shù liàng què chéng bèi zēng jiā 。
一分为二，二分位四，四化为八。天空中地八卦图案开始发生变化，体型小了一点，然而数量却成倍增加。
He was a grandperfect stage cultivator after all, and Tan Ming could already tell that he was trapped by an array talisman. Unlike a formation flag or disk, which required more energy to maintain, this array talisman had much less power.
lǐ miàn yě bù zài qīng xiè chū huǒ yǔ ， ér shì pēn shè chū yī dào dào hóng sè de guāng zhù 。
里面也不再倾泻出火雨，而是喷射出一道道红色的光柱。
Given the situation, Tan Ming felt confident that as long as he endured through this round of attacks and exhausted the array talisman’s energy, he could break free from the restrictions and enter the cave to finish off his opponent.
tán míng de liǎn sè yǒu xiē fā hēi ， shuāng shǒu yī qiā fǎ jué ， rán hòu xiàng tóu dǐng shàng de huā bù yī zhǐ ， nà líng qì dùn shí biàn chéng le yuán qiú de xíng zhuàng ， jiāng tā hún shēn bāo guǒ 。
谭明的脸色有些发黑，双手一掐法诀，然后像头顶上的花布一指，那灵器顿时变成了圆球的形状，将他浑身包裹。
Thinking about the likely possibility of a core foundation expert inside who was stuck due to reaching a critical point in cultivation, Tan Ming felt a malicious satisfaction at the thought of being able to slaughter them without resistance.
hǎo dǎi yě shì líng dòng qī dà yuán mǎn de xiū zhēn zhě ， cǐ kè tán míng yǐ jīng kàn chū ， kùn zhù zì jǐ de shì zhèn fú 。 yǔ yòng zhèn qí ， zhèn pán bù xià de fǎ zhèn bù tóng ， zhèn fú de néng liàng yào xiǎo dé duō 。
好歹也是灵动期大圆满的修真者，此刻谭明已经看出，困住自己的是阵符。与用阵旗，阵盘布下的法阵不同，阵符的能量要小得多。
"Just hold on for a bit longer," Tan Ming told himself. He licked his lips and stared with vicious and greedy eyes.
jiù xiàn zài de qíng kuàng kàn lái ， duì fāng liàn gōng jí shǐ méi dào zuì jǐn yào dì guān tóu ， yě hěn nán xíng dòng ， zhǐ néng fēn chū yì diǎn diǎn líng lì qū dòng zhèn fǎ ér yǐ ， dài zhèn fú de néng liàng xiāo hào wán le ， zì jǐ yī yàng kě yǐ shā rén qǔ bǎo 。
就现在的情况看来，对方练功即使没到最紧要地关头，也很难行动，只能分出一点点灵力驱动阵法而已，待阵符的能量消耗完了，自己一样可以杀人取宝。
Suddenly, a clear call echoed through the air as the darkness was pierced by a giant bird with three eyes and one claw. "Go!" Lin Xuan pointed at the bird.
tā de biǎo qíng 。 yī yī bèi lín xuān yòng shén shí jìn shōu yǎn dǐ ， lín xuān shǒu yī fān 。 zhǎng zhōng yòu duō chū le yī zhāng fú 。
他的表情。一一被林轩用神识尽收眼底，林轩手一番。掌中又多出了一张符。
Outside the cave, countless red beams of light fell like raindrops. Tan Ming poured more energy into the spiritual artifact, desperately defending against the attacks. Although it was strenuous, he felt quite smug.
cǐ fú yào bǐ pǔ tōng de shāo dà yī diǎn ， shàng miàn huà zhe yī zhī xǔ xǔ rú shēng de niǎo ér 。
此符要比普通的稍大一点，上面画着一只栩栩如生的鸟儿。
Opponent launching such a fierce attack must be nervous and afraid to finish him off in one go. As long as he endured through this round of attacks and exhausted the array talisman’s energy, he could break free from the restrictions and enter the cave to clean up the mess.
shòu fú ！
兽符！
Thinking about the likely core foundation expert inside who was stuck due to reaching a critical point in cultivation, Tan Ming felt a malicious satisfaction at the thought of being able to slaughter them without resistance.
yī jí jí pǐn líng shòu fǎ lì jiù xiāng dāng yú líng dòng qī dà yuán mǎn jìng jiè de xiū zhēn zhě ， ér zhè lǐ miàn fēng yìn de tiān xiáng niǎo nǎi shì jìn jiē shī bài ， wēi lì gèng shèng yī chóu ， miè diào zhè jū xīn pǒ cè de jiā huo yīng gāi shì méi yǒu wèn tí le 。
一级极品灵兽法力就相当于灵动期大圆满境界的修真者，而这里面封印的天翔鸟乃是进阶失败，威力更胜一筹，灭掉这居心叵测的家伙应该是没有问题了。
"Only hold on for a bit longer," Tan Ming told himself. He licked his lips and stared with vicious and greedy eyes as he heard the sounds of surprise and anger from outside.
lín xuān jiāng fǎ lì zhù rù dào fú zhī zhōng 。
林轩将法力注入到符之中。
Lin Xuan remained calm; with his current cultivation level and treasures, eliminating an opponent at the same level wasn’t difficult. "For greed, one dies; for food, a bird perishes." Since he had acted on his desire, he was prepared to fall.
bàn suí zhe qīng liàng dì míng jiào ， shòu hún zhī fú bào shè chū qiáng liè de guāng máng ， yī zhī sān mù dú zhǎo dì jù dà guài niǎo chū xiàn le 。
伴随着清亮地鸣叫，兽魂之符爆射出强烈的光芒，一只三目独爪地巨大怪鸟出现了。
Lin Xuan focused his attention back on the medicinal pills. He took out a fire from the earth talisman...
“ qù ！” lín xuān chōng zhe tiān xiáng niǎo yī zhǐ 。
“去！”林轩冲着天翔鸟一指。
Half an hour later, a fragrant aroma filled the cave as Lin Xuan’s face lit up with joy, quickly replaced by gravity.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， dòng fǔ wài 。
与此同时，洞府外。
It was now the critical moment for forming the pill; he couldn’t afford to be careless. After some contemplation, Lin Xuan activated the Green Snow Ring, pouring in more energy. Soon, a pure white flame appeared in the air.
wú shù dào hóng sè de guāng zhù rú yǔ diǎn bān fēn luò ér xià ， tán míng jiāng fǎ lì bù tíng de zhù rù dào líng qì zhī zhōng ， kǔ kǔ dǐ dǎng 。 suī rán chī lì ， rán ér tā de biǎo qíng què xiǎn de hěn shì dé yì 。
无数道红色的光柱如雨点般分落而下，谭明将法力不停的注入到灵器之中，苦苦抵挡。虽然吃力，然而他的表情却显得很是得意。
Primordial Fire!
duì fāng fā dòng zhè me měng liè de gōng jī ， xiǎng yào yī gǔ zuò qì miè diào zì jǐ ， kěn dìng shì xīn xū ， zhǐ yào chēng guò zhè lún gōng jī ， jiāng zhèn fú de néng liàng hào dài jìn ， zì jǐ jiù kě yǐ pò chú jìn zhì ， chōng jìn dòng fǔ lǐ shōu shí cán jú 。
对方发动这么猛烈的攻击，想要一鼓作气灭掉自己，肯定是心虚，只要撑过这轮攻击，将阵符的能量耗殆尽，自己就可以破除禁制，冲进洞府里收拾残局。
Only core foundation experts could use it, but with his top-grade spiritual artifact, Lin Xuan managed to use it as well, though at great cost to his mana.
xiǎng xiàng zhe lǐ miàn de xiū shì hěn yǒu kě néng shì zhù jī qī gāo shǒu ， què yīn wèi liàn gōng dào le jǐn yào guān tóu ， wú fǎ dòng shǒu 。 zhǐ néng rèn píng zì jǐ zǎi gē ， tán míng de xīn lǐ ， jiù yǒng dòng qǐ yī gǔ è yì de kuài gǎn 。
想象着里面的修士很有可能是筑基期高手，却因为练功到了紧要关头，无法动手。只能任凭自己宰割，谭明的心里，就涌动起一股恶意的快感。
Compared to earth vein fire, primordial fire was better for alchemy.
“ zhǐ yào zài jiān chí yī huì er 。” tán míng zài xīn zhōng duì zì jǐ shuō ， shēn chū shé tou ， tiǎn le tiǎn zuǐ jiǎo ， yǎn jīng zhōng fàng shè chū hěn dú ér tān lán de guāng máng 。
“只要再坚持一会儿。”谭明在心中对自己说，伸出舌头，舔了舔嘴角，眼睛中放射出狠毒而贪婪的光芒。
This was a critical moment for whether the top-grade wash-spirit pill would succeed. Lin Xuan had no choice but to take a risk.
sà rán 。 yī shēng qīng liàng dì míng jiào chuán rù ěr duǒ 。 màn tiān de hēi àn bèi pò kāi le yì diǎn ， yī zhī sān mù dú zhǎo de jù dà guài niǎo xiàng zhe tán míng chōng le guò lái 。
飒然。一声清亮地鸣叫传入耳朵。漫天的黑暗被破开了一点，一只三目独爪的巨大怪鸟向着谭明冲了过来。
As he poured in mana and released the primordial fire, he carefully controlled the temperature of the medicinal pill. Half an hour later, with a loud bang, the qi scattered everywhere, even lifting the lid off the cauldron.
“ zhè shì shén me ？” gǎn shòu dào guài niǎo shēn shàng suǒ sàn fà chū lái de qiáng dà líng lì bō 。 tán míng liǎn sè dà biàn ， zhè wēi yā ， zhè shēng shì ， yǔ zhù jī chū qī de xiū shì xiāng bǐ ， yě xiāng chā wú jǐ 。
“这是什么？”感受到怪鸟身上所散发出来的强大灵力波。谭明脸色大变，这威压，这声势，与筑基初期的修士相比，也相差无几。
Seeing this unexpected change, Lin Xuan was not worried; he didn’t bother resting as he cast a white light from his hand. The light enveloped the cauldron and brought it back.
kàn zhe duì fāng jīng kǒng de biǎo qíng ， lín xuān lěng xiào yī shēng ， yòu cóng huái zhōng qǔ chū le yī hēi sè de xiǎo fān lái ， shà shí jiān ， yīn fēng cǎn cǎn ， shù shí gè pī tóu sàn fà de lì guǐ cóng bǎi hún fān zhōng yǒng le chū lái 。
看着对方惊恐的表情，林轩冷笑一声，又从怀中取出了一黑色的小幡来，霎时间，阴风惨惨，数十个披头散发的厉鬼从百魂幡中涌了出来。
The room filled with fragrance as Lin Xuan examined the pill. Its color, smell, and even its surface glow matched those described in ancient texts. This legendary medicinal pill indeed lived up to its reputation.
“ qù ba ！”
“去吧！”
Lin Xuan carefully stored the wash-spirit pill and the cauldron before sitting cross-legged. He held two crystal stones in his hands, replenishing his mana.
lín xuān chōng lì guǐ men yī zhǐ ， qí shí píng zhe yīn yáng bā guà zhèn yǔ tiān xiáng niǎo yǐ zú yǐ miè diào duì fāng ， rán ér shòu fú de néng liàng yòng yì diǎn shǎo yì diǎn ， duì fāng bì jìng yě shì líng dòng qī dà yuán mǎn ， lín xuān bù xiǎng shòu fú sǔn hào tài duō ， suǒ yǐ jiāng bǎi hún fān zhōng de lì guǐ yě jiào chū lái le 。
林轩冲厉鬼们一指，其实凭着阴阳八卦阵与天翔鸟已足以灭掉对方，然而兽符的能量用一点少一点，对方毕竟也是灵动期大圆满，林轩不想兽符损耗太多，所以将百魂幡中的厉鬼也叫出来了。
Unlike absorbing natural qi, using crystal stones was much faster; within a quarter of an hour, Lin Xuan’s mana was fully restored.
tīng zhe wài miàn xiū shì yòu jīng yòu nù dì shēng yīn ， lín xuān biǎo qíng píng jìng ， yǐ tā xiàn zài de xiū wèi yǔ hún shēn de bǎo wù ， miè diào yí gè tóng jiē de xiū shì bìng bù suàn hěn nán 。
听着外面修士又惊又怒地声音，林轩表情平静，以他现在的修为与浑身的宝物，灭掉一个同阶的修士并不算很难。
The middle-grade crystal stones lost their luster as Lin Xuan smiled and left the cave.
rén wéi cái sǐ ， niǎo wèi shí wáng ， jì rán dòng le tān niàn ， jiù yào yǒu yǔn luò de jué wù 。
人为财死，鸟为食亡，既然动了贪念，就要有陨落的觉悟。
The energy from the Yin-Yang Eight Trigram Formation had been depleted by about seventy percent. The spirit of the giant bird also seemed to be weakening. Lin Xuan was surprised; it appeared that the unexpected guest’s strength was stronger than he had imagined.
lín xuān jiāng zhù yì lì chóng xīn jí zhōng dào dān yào shàng lái le ， cóng huái lǐ tāo chū yī zhāng dì huǒ zhī fú ……
林轩将注意力重新集中到丹药上来了，从怀里掏出一张地火之符……
But regardless, he was already dead. Tan Ming's corpse lay on the ground.
bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu 。
半个时辰以后。
Lin Xuan pointed his finger at the body, and a translucent soul emerged, filled with fear as it looked at the smiling youth. "Friend, please spare me! You must have misunderstood; I truly had no ill intentions!"
dòng fǔ zhōng kāi shǐ piāo sàn chū yī zhèn zhèn qìn rén xīn pí de yào xiāng ， lín xuān liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī xǐ sè ， bù guò hěn kuài jiù bèi níng zhòng suǒ dài tì le 。
洞府中开始飘散出一阵阵沁人心脾的药香，林轩脸上露出一丝喜色，不过很快就被凝重所代替了。
"Hmph, still trying to lie?"
xiàn zài zhèng shì chéng dān dì guān jiàn shí kè ， qiān wàn dà yì bù dé ， chén yín le yī xià ， lín xuān jiāng bì xuě huán yě jì le qǐ lái ， líng lì bù duàn dì zhù rù ， hěn kuài ， yī tuán chún bái de huǒ yàn chū xiàn zài le kōng qì zhōng 。
现在正是成丹地关键时刻，千万大意不得，沉吟了一下，林轩将碧雪环也祭了起来，灵力不断地注入，很快，一团纯白的火焰出现在了空气中。
"Please, spare my life! My physical body is destroyed, leaving only a solitary spirit. Have pity on me!"
xiān tiān zhī huǒ ！
先天之火！
Lin Xuan remained indifferent and ignored Tan Ming's pleas. It wasn’t because he was cruel but rather that mercy for the enemy meant cruelty for oneself.
zhù jī qī gāo shǒu cái néng shī zhǎn ， bù guò píng jiè zhe jí pǐn líng qì ， lín xuān miǎn qiǎng yě néng yòng ， zhǐ bù guò duì fǎ lì dì xiāo hào jí dà ， zhī chēng bù liǎo duō jiǔ 。
筑基期高手才能施展，不过凭借着极品灵器，林轩勉强也能用，只不过对法力地消耗极大，支撑不了多久。
Lin Xuan didn't want to leave any hidden dangers due to his compassion.
yǔ dì mài zhī huǒ xiāng bǐ ， líng lì suǒ jù de xiān tiān zhī huǒ gèng shì hé liàn dān 。
与地脉之火相比，灵力所聚的先天之火更适合炼丹。
He took out the Hundred Soul Banner.
xiàn zài shì jí pǐn xǐ suǐ dān néng fǒu chéng gōng de guān jiàn ， lín xuān zì rán yào fàng shǒu yī bó 。
现在是极品洗髓丹能否成功的关键，林轩自然要放手一搏。
"Magic artifact?"
yī biān shū chū líng lì ， shì fàng xiān tiān zhī huǒ ， yī biān zhǎng wò zhe dān yào de huǒ hòu ， bàn gè shí chén hòu ， pēng de yī shēng jù xiǎng ， líng qì sì sàn ， lián dǐng lú de gài zi yě bèi chōng fēi le qǐ lái 。
一边输出灵力，释放先天之火，一边掌握着丹药的火候，半个时辰后，嘭的一声巨响，灵气四散，连鼎炉的盖子也被冲飞了起来。
The ghostly spirits screamed as they tried to escape, but with the Yin-Yang Eight Trigram Formation around them, they were like flies trapped in a cage.
dāng cǐ yì biàn ， lín xuān bù yōu fǎn xǐ ， yě gù bù dé pí láo ， cóng shǒu lǐ fàng chū yī dào bái guāng ， nà guāng máng jiāng dǐng lú yī juàn ， shōu le huí lái 。
当此异变，林轩不忧反喜，也顾不得疲劳，从手里放出一道白光，那光芒将鼎炉一卷，收了回来。
Ghostly mists emerged from the banner and enveloped one of the spirits...
mǎn shì fēn fāng ， kàn zhuó yǎn qián de dān yào ， lín xuān méi máo wǎng shàng yī tiāo ， sè zé ， xiāng wèi ér ， dōu yǔ gǔ jí shàng jì zǎi de yī mú yī yàng ， shèn zhì dān yào de biǎo miàn ， hái fàng chū yíng yíng de bái guāng ， chuán shuō zhōng jù yǒu nì tiān gōng xiào de dān yào ， guǒ rán bù tóng fán xiǎng 。
满室芬芳，看着眼前的丹药，林轩眉毛往上一挑，色泽，香味儿，都与古籍上记载的一模一样，甚至丹药的表面，还放出莹莹的白光，传说中具有逆天功效的丹药，果然不同凡响。
Black light flashed, making the Hundred Soul Banner even more ominous. Lin Xuan nodded; adding another soul increased its power slightly.
lín xuān xì xì de shǎng wán le yī huì er ， cái jiāng xǐ suǐ dān yǔ dǐng lú xiǎo xīn de shōu hǎo ， rán hòu pán xī zuò xià ， shuāng shǒu gè wò zhe yī kuài jīng shí ， bǔ chōng fǎ lì 。
林轩细细的赏玩了一会儿，才将洗髓丹与鼎炉小心的收好，然后盘膝坐下，双手各握着一块晶石，补充法力。
Lin Xuan didn’t want to kill anyone but wasn't against using his enemies' souls to enhance the magic artifact's strength.
yǔ xī shōu tiān dì líng qì bù tóng ， yǐ jīng shí zuò wèi bǔ chōng ， sù dù jí kuài ， bù guò yī kè zhōng de shí jiān ， lín xuān de fǎ lì jiù yǐ jīng bǔ mǎn 。
与吸收天地灵气不同，以晶石做为补充，速度极快，不过一刻钟的时间，林轩的法力就已经补满。
According to the cultivation technique, this was a growing-type magical treasure that grew stronger with each absorbed soul.
liǎng kuài zhōng pǐn jīng shí yě shī qù le guāng zé ， lín xuān wēi wēi yī xiào ， chū le dòng fǔ 。
两块中品晶石也失去了光泽，林轩微微一笑，出了洞府。
After tidying up the mess, Lin Xuan looked around the cave. It was time to leave.
yīn yáng bā guà zhèn de néng liàng yǐ jīng xiāo hào le shí zhī qī bā ， tiān xiáng niǎo de jīng shén yě xiǎn de bù zěn me hǎo ， lín xuān yǒu diǎn yì wài ， kàn lái nà bù sù zhī kè de shí lì bǐ zì jǐ xiǎng xiàng de hái yào qiáng yì diǎn 。
阴阳八卦阵的能量已经消耗了十之七八，天翔鸟的精神也显得不怎么好，林轩有点意外，看来那不速之客的实力比自己想象的还要强一点。
Fortunately, today’s visitor was a low-grade cultivator; if it had been a core foundation expert, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Although nothing serious happened, this experience served as a reminder for Lin Xuan that cultivation involved many dangers and shouldn’t be disturbed. He needed a safer place to break through his bottleneck.
dàn bù guǎn rú hé ， tā yě yǐ jīng yǔn luò ， dì shàng jiù shì tán míng de shī tǐ le 。
但不管如何，他也已经陨落，地上就是谭明的尸体了。
"Seal!"
lín xuān shēn chū shǒu zhǐ ， qīng qīng yì diǎn ， dùn shí ， yí gè bàn tòu míng de hún pò cóng shī tǐ lǐ piāo le chū lái ， mǎn liǎn jīng kǒng de wàng zhe hán xiào de shào nián ：“ dào yǒu shǒu xià liú qíng ， nín wù huì le ， bǐ rén què shí méi yǒu è yì a ！”
林轩伸出手指，轻轻一点，顿时，一个半透明的魂魄从尸体里飘了出来，满脸惊恐的望着含笑的少年：“道友手下留情，您误会了，鄙人确实没有恶意啊！”
Lin Xuan pointed at the giant bird, and its soul transformed into a fiery talisman, which he took in hand. Then he thoroughly cleaned out the dead cultivator’s storage bag, taking everything of value, especially the defensive cloth, which was exactly what he needed.
“ hēng ， hái xiǎng yào sā huǎng ？”
“哼，还想要撒谎？”
He then summoned his flying sword, and with a burst of light, the entire mountain collapsed into rubble, erasing all traces of cultivation activity. Tan Ming's body was buried under the debris.
“ qiú qiú nín ， fàng guò wǒ ba ， wǒ de ròu shēn yǐ jīng huǐ le ， zhǐ shèng xià yī lǚ gū hún ， nín jiù kě lián kě lián ba ！”
“求求您，放过我吧，我的肉身已经毁了，只剩下一缕孤魂，您就可怜可怜吧！”
Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction before vanishing as a blue light, heading towards the horizon.
Lin Xuan's face flashed with surprise, but he quickly dispelled it.
In the realm of low-grade cultivators, he had seen many things, but a defensive spiritual artifact was something he had never encountered before. From a certain perspective, such artifacts were more valuable than offensive ones.
"Learn to take hits before you learn to hit," this saying from secular martial artists also applied in the cultivation world. In combat, it could be even more perilous; a single misstep and blood would spill five steps, with one's head being taken off by an opponent.
Thus, before engaging in battle, both sides would set up layers of prohibitions, qi shields, defensive talismans, and higher-grade spiritual artifacts around their bodies. Otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation or how intricate your spells, if you had no protection, it was still a matter of life and death.
From the strength of the protective shield formed by spiritual artifacts, they naturally offered the greatest defense, drawing many cultivators to them. However, except for top-grade spiritual artifacts that could come with their own shields, other grades of spiritual artifacts had more singular attributes.
Considering this, it was not surprising that Lin Xuan hadn't seen one before. But then he thought about it; in Youzhou, a region where cultivation levels were relatively high, and the opponent being a grandperfect stage cultivator, having such an artifact wasn’t so outlandish after all.
Lin Xuan’s thoughts raced as his hands moved without pause. Seeing the fire rain blocked by the spiritual artifact, he cast another spell from the array.
The spells split into two, then four, and finally eight. The eight trigrams in the sky began to change shape, becoming smaller but multiplying in number.
Instead of spilling out fire rain, they now shot out red beams of light.
Tan Ming’s face turned a bit black as he cast another spell and pointed at the spiritual artifact above his head. It instantly transformed into a round ball, enveloping him completely.
He was a grandperfect stage cultivator after all, and Tan Ming could already tell that he was trapped by an array talisman. Unlike a formation flag or disk, which required more energy to maintain, this array talisman had much less power.
Given the situation, Tan Ming felt confident that as long as he endured through this round of attacks and exhausted the array talisman’s energy, he could break free from the restrictions and enter the cave to finish off his opponent.
Thinking about the likely possibility of a core foundation expert inside who was stuck due to reaching a critical point in cultivation, Tan Ming felt a malicious satisfaction at the thought of being able to slaughter them without resistance.
"Just hold on for a bit longer," Tan Ming told himself. He licked his lips and stared with vicious and greedy eyes.
Suddenly, a clear call echoed through the air as the darkness was pierced by a giant bird with three eyes and one claw. "Go!" Lin Xuan pointed at the bird.
Outside the cave, countless red beams of light fell like raindrops. Tan Ming poured more energy into the spiritual artifact, desperately defending against the attacks. Although it was strenuous, he felt quite smug.
Opponent launching such a fierce attack must be nervous and afraid to finish him off in one go. As long as he endured through this round of attacks and exhausted the array talisman’s energy, he could break free from the restrictions and enter the cave to clean up the mess.
Thinking about the likely core foundation expert inside who was stuck due to reaching a critical point in cultivation, Tan Ming felt a malicious satisfaction at the thought of being able to slaughter them without resistance.
"Only hold on for a bit longer," Tan Ming told himself. He licked his lips and stared with vicious and greedy eyes as he heard the sounds of surprise and anger from outside.
Lin Xuan remained calm; with his current cultivation level and treasures, eliminating an opponent at the same level wasn’t difficult. "For greed, one dies; for food, a bird perishes." Since he had acted on his desire, he was prepared to fall.
Lin Xuan focused his attention back on the medicinal pills. He took out a fire from the earth talisman...
Half an hour later, a fragrant aroma filled the cave as Lin Xuan’s face lit up with joy, quickly replaced by gravity.
It was now the critical moment for forming the pill; he couldn’t afford to be careless. After some contemplation, Lin Xuan activated the Green Snow Ring, pouring in more energy. Soon, a pure white flame appeared in the air.
Primordial Fire!
Only core foundation experts could use it, but with his top-grade spiritual artifact, Lin Xuan managed to use it as well, though at great cost to his mana.
Compared to earth vein fire, primordial fire was better for alchemy.
This was a critical moment for whether the top-grade wash-spirit pill would succeed. Lin Xuan had no choice but to take a risk.
As he poured in mana and released the primordial fire, he carefully controlled the temperature of the medicinal pill. Half an hour later, with a loud bang, the qi scattered everywhere, even lifting the lid off the cauldron.
Seeing this unexpected change, Lin Xuan was not worried; he didn’t bother resting as he cast a white light from his hand. The light enveloped the cauldron and brought it back.
The room filled with fragrance as Lin Xuan examined the pill. Its color, smell, and even its surface glow matched those described in ancient texts. This legendary medicinal pill indeed lived up to its reputation.
Lin Xuan carefully stored the wash-spirit pill and the cauldron before sitting cross-legged. He held two crystal stones in his hands, replenishing his mana.
Unlike absorbing natural qi, using crystal stones was much faster; within a quarter of an hour, Lin Xuan’s mana was fully restored.
The middle-grade crystal stones lost their luster as Lin Xuan smiled and left the cave.
The energy from the Yin-Yang Eight Trigram Formation had been depleted by about seventy percent. The spirit of the giant bird also seemed to be weakening. Lin Xuan was surprised; it appeared that the unexpected guest’s strength was stronger than he had imagined.
But regardless, he was already dead. Tan Ming's corpse lay on the ground.
Lin Xuan pointed his finger at the body, and a translucent soul emerged, filled with fear as it looked at the smiling youth. "Friend, please spare me! You must have misunderstood; I truly had no ill intentions!"
"Hmph, still trying to lie?"
"Please, spare my life! My physical body is destroyed, leaving only a solitary spirit. Have pity on me!"
Lin Xuan remained indifferent and ignored Tan Ming's pleas. It wasn’t because he was cruel but rather that mercy for the enemy meant cruelty for oneself.
Lin Xuan didn't want to leave any hidden dangers due to his compassion.
He took out the Hundred Soul Banner.
"Magic artifact?"
The ghostly spirits screamed as they tried to escape, but with the Yin-Yang Eight Trigram Formation around them, they were like flies trapped in a cage.
Ghostly mists emerged from the banner and enveloped one of the spirits...
Black light flashed, making the Hundred Soul Banner even more ominous. Lin Xuan nodded; adding another soul increased its power slightly.
Lin Xuan didn’t want to kill anyone but wasn't against using his enemies' souls to enhance the magic artifact's strength.
According to the cultivation technique, this was a growing-type magical treasure that grew stronger with each absorbed soul.
After tidying up the mess, Lin Xuan looked around the cave. It was time to leave.
Fortunately, today’s visitor was a low-grade cultivator; if it had been a core foundation expert, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Although nothing serious happened, this experience served as a reminder for Lin Xuan that cultivation involved many dangers and shouldn’t be disturbed. He needed a safer place to break through his bottleneck.
"Seal!"
Lin Xuan pointed at the giant bird, and its soul transformed into a fiery talisman, which he took in hand. Then he thoroughly cleaned out the dead cultivator’s storage bag, taking everything of value, especially the defensive cloth, which was exactly what he needed.
He then summoned his flying sword, and with a burst of light, the entire mountain collapsed into rubble, erasing all traces of cultivation activity. Tan Ming's body was buried under the debris.
Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction before vanishing as a blue light, heading towards the horizon.