Everlasting

 

“This is Soul Shackle? If a cultivator uses this technique to control a group of yao beasts or high-level cultivators, wouldn’t he or she become practically invincible?” Chen Feng pondered silently.

“It is not that simple. Doing that will affect the future of your cultivation path, unless you can personally perform Soul Shackle to plant your imprint within other people’s mind.” Tower seemingly knew what Chen Feng was thinking.

“Then, when can I perform this secret technique?” asked Chen Feng.

“We can talk about it again after you reach perfect sea of wisdom,” answered Tower coolly.

Chen Feng nodded his head. Then, he pointed at the Four-eared Spirit Monkey in front of him and the rope made from energy currents that were bounding it snapped apart. The Four-eared Spirit Monkey performed a flip as it landed on the floor. It stared at Chen Feng, traces of violence glinting within its eyes. However, it did not attack.

Finally, the violent glint within the Four-eared Spirit Monkey’s eyes disappeared, replaced by a respectful look.

“Greetings, my lord.” The Four-eared Spirit Monkey stepped forward to bow before Chen Feng.

“Just call me Young Master,” said Chen Feng coolly.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“I do not intend on binding you forever. When the time is ripe, I will dispel the Soul Shackle on you. Besides, you must have noticed as well. I am a cultivator who possesses a Heaven-defying legacy. Following me will not be a loss for you. Perhaps, by following me, you can become a Great Yao or even a Yao King in the future,” said Chen Feng as he regarded the Four-eared Spirit Monkey.

“Yes, Young Master,” answered the Four-eared Spirit Monkey with the same respectful tone.

“Although I know you are not sincere, I do need your help right now. All right. From now on, you will follow me out. There is no need to be imprisoned here anymore,” said Chen Feng.

After that, Chen Feng turned to look at the Purplebolt Silverlight Wyrm, who was suppressed by the stone stele.

Earlier, this Great Yao had clearly witnessed how the Four-eared Spirit Monkey was subdued. Seeing Chen Feng turn his gaze over, it thought that Chen Feng wanted to take action against it. It reflexively struggled as it roared out. However, the stone stele suppressing its body remained as immobile as a mountain. No matter how hard this Great Yao struggled, its actions were but for naught.

“Don’t you think about subduing me! Even if you kill me, I will never yield to a human weaker than me. If you want me to submit, you need to be stronger than me!” the Purplebolt Silverlight Wyrm screamed out.

“If I am stronger than you, I would have beaten you up until you look like a pig’s head. Would I have to borrow Longevity Tower’s power to suppress you? What a joke!” Chen Feng sneered.

“Tower, hurry up and do it. Perform Soul Shackle on this Great Yao!” Chen Feng shouted.

“No can do. Given my current level of power, I am still unable to perform Soul Shackle on this Great Yao. Besides, even if it is successful, you will be incapable of controlling it. It will forcibly erase the imprint on its soul because there is too big of a difference between you and this Great Yao,” said Tower.

“Is that so. Forget it, then.” Chen Feng knew as well that this Great Yao’s strength was far higher than his. Generally speaking, should a yao beast successfully become a Great Yao, only Sky Human stage cultivators can deal with it. He was far from the mark.

“If I can devour up this Magic crystal mine, though, subduing this Great Yao won’t be an issue,” Tower continued.

“Even though there is a Magic crystal mine here, there will surely be some experts standing guard. Snatching this mine will likely be problematic. Do you have any ideas?” Chen Feng considered it before asking.

“What ideas can I have? I have yet to recover my power and I cannot go fight. You should come up with your own ideas.” Tower refused to offer any.

“Can’t you handle Sky Human stage cultivators?” Chen Feng refused to back down.

“If you can bring the enemies into this tower, I can deal with them. However, I can only deal with ordinary Concealed stage cultivators. Cultivators above that stage will likely refine me instead,” said Tower.

“Humph! Who was the one boasting to the moon back then? Something about Immortal artefacts getting scared after seeing you and all that. Now you can’t even handle a Sky Human stage cultivator?” retorted Chen Feng in disdain.

“Kid, don’t forget, I am already seriously damaged. If not for this, who in the Myriad Celestial Planes can say they do not know my name!” Tower suddenly grew agitated.

“Sure, sure. If you are so powerful, who was the one who left you in this sorry state?” Chen Feng could not help himself from retorting.

“Humph!”

Hearing Chen Feng’s words, Tower immediately went silent. It would appear that Chen Feng had touched his sore spot.

“All right, all right. It is not that I want to quarrel with you. I am trying to discuss how to get Magic crystals.” Chen Feng too, felt that he had gone overboard. Thus, he tried to persuade Tower.

“It is simple. As long as you can get close to the Magic crystal mine, I can use a technique to devour the entire mine,” Tower said.

“Forget it. You might as well have said nothing.” Chen Feng then ignored Tower. Instead, he led the Four-eared Spirit Monkey with him out from the Longevity Tower.

Seeing Chen Feng bring a golden monkey out from the tower shocked Ye Ziming and Lu Ta and they rushed forward.

“Brother Chen, what is going on here? Why is there suddenly a monkey here?” Lu Ta could not stop himself from asking.

“Stupid bro, I am not an ordinary monkey.” The dissatisfied Four-eared Spirit Monkey sent out a burst of divine sense.

“Eh? This is a Four-eared Spirit Monkey!” Ye Ziming, who was standing beside him, exclaimed.

“He he, it seems me giving him the name Four Ears is correct,” said Chen Feng with a smile.

“This monkey is quite the variant species. Generally speaking, those that can develop intellect are no ordinary yao beasts. They are a rare breed and most of them are highly gifted,” said Ye Ziming.

“So, what kind of gifts does this monkey has?” Lu Ta, who stood beside him, asked.

Sou!

Lu Ta had only just finished speaking when golden light flashed before his eyes and a powerful force struck him, sending him flying into the distance.

“Four Ears, don’t attack!” Chen Feng hastily shouted. Next, he rushed forward to catch Lu Ta. Thankfully, Four Ears did not utilize his full strength. Otherwise, even if Lu Ta survived, he would be terribly injured.

“Siii! That hurts like crazy. This monkey is so strong!” The words involuntarily left Lu Ta’s mouth.

“He he, the Four-eared Spirit Monkey is gifted with speed and strength.” Ye Ziming, who was watching nearby, chuckled at Lu Ta’s predicament.

“Generally, yao beasts’ fleshly bodies are stronger than humans. The Four-eared Spirit Monkey race is one of the strongest races there are. Brother Chen, is this your beast servant?” Ye Ziming asked cautiously as he observed the Four-eared Spirit Monkey.

“Four Ears is my partner,” said Chen Feng with a smile.

“Four Ears, that is a good name,” replied Ye Ziming with his own smile.

“Four Ears combat power is the equivalent of a level 4 Concealed stage cultivator. By having him with us, we will have another helper,” Chen Feng continued.

“But for now, he needs to recover his strength.” Having said that, Chen Feng retrieved 1,000 Basic Yang Pills and tossed it to Four Ears, letting him swallow and refine them. 

In Chen Feng’s opinion, the effects of Magic crystals would be better. At present, however, there was not a single Magic crystal on Chen Feng’s person. Thus, he could only pull out the lowest grade item, the Basic Yang Pills, as substitute.

Humph! Hopefully, I can gain something this time. Otherwise, I will be poor again. Chen Feng silently swore.

After that, their group continued onwards. This time, however, their advance was much slower. They could sense the coming and going of cultivators from Purplecloud Sky Grotto. There were even Concealed stage cultivators who constantly whizzed through the sky.

When they approached Purplebolt Mountains, they stopped once again. There were several layers of restrictions upon the passageway leading into the mountains.

Chen Feng peered ahead and saw tens of rolling mountains. Spiritual energy swirled about the picturesque mountaintops filled with lush vegetation. Mist flowed into every corner while purple-coloured power of lightning flashed about constantly. They looked like lightning serpents ravaging across the sky.

“The terrain here is really special. Despite the thick power of lightning here, it could still grow out such an abundance of vegetation,” said Chen Feng curiously.

“He he, it is a big world with countless wonders. I hear there is even a type of tree that can grow flames,” said Ye Ziming jovially.

“Careful, someone is coming!” said Chen Feng using secret vocal transmission. They quickly concealed their presence to hide above a towering tree with large canopy. Four Ears had been following Chen Feng closely. Earlier, this Four-eared Spirit Monkey had swallowed tens of Basic Yang Pills all in one go. As a result, the state of his body had returned to its prime and the withering quality of his aura had disappeared.

“If only I knew something like this would happen, I would have gone back to White Cloud City to buy some Invisibility Talismans,” said Ye Ziming with a tinge of regret.

Soon enough, a group of over 100 people appeared before their eyes. The group of people wore varying types of clothing, all at differing ages. Under the lead of four purple-clothed cultivators, they were led into the mountains.

Sou! Sou!

As they were about to enter the mountains, two young men abruptly dashed out, one running to the left while the other ran to the right. The two of them were very fast, covering a distance of over 100 metres in the blink of an eyes.

“Humph!”

One of the purple-clothed cultivators released a cold snort. He extended a finger out, flicking it a few times, causing two sword beams to flash forward. The two men who were running away screamed wretchedly as they fell to the ground. After struggling for a bit, the light in their eyes faded away. A see-through hole could be seen on each of their chests.

Seeing the two people die, a slight commotion rose from the crowd of people. However, none of them dared to say anything. Neither did anyone dared to flee.

“If anyone here doesn’t want to live anymore, go ahead and run away. On the way here, we have already informed you all, our Purplecloud Sky Grotto will not mistreat you. Once you have completed your task, we will also reward you all,” said the cultivator who attacked earlier.

“But we’ve heard that those who entered before this have not come out. It is as though they have all died inside!” one of the men there summoned the courage to speak up. 

“Mm.” The purple-clothed cultivator’s eyes flashed and a flying sword slid through the air, leaving a thread-like line in its wake. Next, the one who spoke up was decapitated. Blood sprayed out all over and the rest of the men jumped away to avoid the blood.

“As long as you are obedient, you will not die. Enough, we don’t have the time to exchange nonsensical words with you all. Hurry up and enter the mountains!” shouted the purple-clothed cultivator before he forced the group of men into the mountains.

After those people had left, Chen Feng waved his hand and Third Senior Brother was brought out from the Longevity Tower. Third Senior Brother’s cultivation base had been sealed by Chen Feng earlier. Additionally, he was also wounded. At that moment, he appeared pale, even worse compared to an ordinary human.

“What was that just now?” asked Chen Feng.

“Those are the people that our Purplecloud Sky Grotto gathered for mining operations,” Third Senior Brother answered honestly.