Chapter 12 - 7: The Audacious Meets Their End

Words : 1582 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 12: Chapter 7: The Audacious Meets Their EndThe cliff was precipitous, and Yue Jinghua dispersed Dark Energy into her hands and feet, climbing straight down. The mountain wind made her clothes and armor rustle loudly; having climbed down only a few steps, the increasingly spacious vista aroused suspicion in Yue Jinghua's heart. The sheer cliff, which originally seemed to offer no foothold, revealed a set of stone steps, chiseled by human hands, after descending nearly ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). The stone steps were smooth, clearly trodden upon without any traces of moss growth. Climbing down further, she faced the resistance of the mountain wind. It took her a couple of hours to finally discover a cave hidden in the cliff face. The cave entrance, seen from the outside, was no larger than a bird's nest, but as one delved deeper, the opening gradually widened. Inside the cave, a dry and tidy breeze blew out from within, and the air carried the scent of incense that had burned. Activating her Lifebound Invisibility Technique, Yue Jinghua's figure gradually vanished within the cave, blending into the mountain air. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The entrance widened the further inside it went; the cave was neatly furnished, and two Whale Oil Long Burning Lamps illuminated the entire cavity. There was a pine table with two tea bowls on it and a few pots of fresh fruit. Two people were sitting in the cave, one of whom was an acquaintance. The owner of Old Xia Grocery Store—Old Xia. Old Xia and an old man in a grey robe were sitting on the ground. The Wind-calling Eagle circled behind Old Xia, emitting a series of docile cooing sounds. Old Xia's demeanor was a stark contrast to the dawdling appearance he had in the grocery store, his aged face shining with shrewdness, eyes intently staring at the grey-robed old man. The old man had an arrogant look and pulled out a bulging pouch from his bosom. With a swoosh, the mouth of the pouch opened, and over a hundred pearls spilled out, each more dazzling than the last. Each pearl radiated a captivating Dark Energy. Yue Jinghua was shocked to her core—more than a hundred Third-level Dark Pills. She had spent seven days in Hundred Beast Mountain and had never acquired a Third-level Dark Pill. Over a hundred Third-level Dark Pills would mean slaying over a thousand third-rank Dark Beasts at least. Since when did Third-level Dark Pills become as cheap as cabbages? "Brother Shen has truly great skills. One hundred and fifty Third-level Dark Pills, not one more or less," Old Xia, upon seeing the Dark Pills, did not show too much joy. On the contrary, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, "But, we had previously agreed upon a hundred Third-level Dark Pills and fifty Fourth-level Dark Pills." The grey-robed old man's expression shifted, "Xia Palace, Fourth-level Dark Pills are not so easily obtained just by talking about them." "Then why has the 'Qingyun Commerce' suddenly received fifty Fourth-level Dark Pills? The envoy hidden within Shang Kingdom has long since passed on the news, do you still want to quibble? Brother Shen silent, you truly have the gall. The Divine Court has granted you a second life, yet you dare to betray it," Old Xia began to reprimand. The Wind-calling Eagles circling overhead cooed, flapped their wings that were over half a meter long, and countless feathers transformed into arrows, assaulting the grey-robed old man. A wooden staff appeared in the old man's withered hand and danced swiftly. "Cling, cling" rang out as the eagle feathers struck the staff, creating sparks. Old Xia and the twin eagles struck together, executing the Eagle Claw Skill with Dark Energy surrounding his body, clearly revealing him as a Dark Practitioner with Small Success in Dark Jade. The old man was hard-pressed to defend against both the person and the eagles, and his robe suddenly bulged. A Golden Ring Snake shot out swiftly. It was initially as thick as a finger, but upon touching the ground, it rapidly enlarged. The snake raised its head high, its body growing as thick as a bucket. A Fourth-level Golden Ring Snake, capable of swallowing a calf in an instant, faced off against the two third-stage Wind-calling Eagles. The Wind-calling Eagles' golden feathers were as hard as iron and black hair, their beaks and talons shone with a golden light. At the sound of Old Xia's whistle, they moved as fast as the wind and attacked from both sides. Yet, the reaction of the Golden Ring Snake took Yue Jinghua by surprise. It suddenly opened its mouth wide and exhaled a burst of Golden Gang Energy. 'Boom' The Gang Qi struck the Wind-calling Eagle, and blood splattered against the mountain wall immediately. Seeing this, Old Xia knew things were bad, and he attempted to escape by flying away. However, the grey-robed elder let out a grim smile. The Golden Ring Snake curled up from the ground, coiling tightly around Old Xia. Wrapped by the snake's body, the sound of popping, like bursting beans, came from Old Xia's spine as it cracked section by section. His pupils shrank in despair, and he let out a hopeless scream. At the brink of life and death, Old Xia, putting all his strength into it, made the sharp light in his hand flash and stabbed into the seven-inch area of the Golden Ring Snake. Arrow-like streams of hot, pungent blood gushed out; the Golden Ring Snake was cleanly severed into two from the seven-inch area, and its head rolled on the ground, dead. Old Xia had also become a pile of minced flesh. The grey-robed elder also felt endless regret, as he had raised this Golden Ring Snake from its youth, and it had not easily reached the fourth level, only to be slain by Old Xia in a last-ditch effort. He grunted in pain, his eyes filled with greed, gathered up the bag of Dark Pills, and spat on the ground. "Divine Court, don't blame me for being ruthless. If it weren't for the decline of my Shen Family, would I, a descendant of a distinguished Summoner, ever tolerate being ordered around by your bunch of charlatans," he had just finished speaking, when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his eyes bulged out. A dagger silently pierced his heart; moments earlier, that very dagger had been clutched in the rigor-mortised hand of Old Xia. "You..." The grey-robed elder collapsed with a boom. Yue Jinghua wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, pulled out the dagger, and looked around at the mutually destructive scene in the cave. From the events just transpired, it seemed that Old Xia held a not-so-simple identity, presumably a representative of a mysterious force called Divine Court in Hundred Beast Mountain. This grey-robed elder was likely the descendant of the Summoner named "Deep Blue." This hidden cave was the rendezvous point for Old Xia and him. Just as Yue Jinghua was about to put the Dark Pills into her pouch, she suddenly felt a chill all over, a cold and immense force piercing into her Divine Sense. A grey mass of Divine Soul surged out from the grey-robed elder's body, launching a spiritual attack on Yue Jinghua's Divine Soul. "Junior, you dare to scheme against me, let me show you the power of our Deep Blue Family," the taunting laughter came to an abrupt halt. An overwhelming consciousness swept over, and amidst an eerily charming laughter, the grey-robed elder's Divine Soul struggled briefly before being completely crushed. Yue Jinghua only felt her back drenched in cold sweat. "To dare use a spiritual attack trick in my presence is truly seeking death. Woman, you were too careless," Qing Pu remarked mockingly. In the cave, the grey-robed elder's eyes rolled back, already breathless. Yue Jinghua smiled bitterly to herself, deep in thought. However, the situation did not allow her to contemplate any further. After collecting the Dark Pills, Yue Jinghua searched the bodies of Old Xia and the grey-robed elder one after the other. From Old Xia's body, she found a token with "101" written on it, and additionally, several thin Human Skin Masks. Yue Jinghua was not polite; she took them all and, when searching the grey-robed elder's body, she found a Jade Box. The box was only the size of a palm, without any lock or a seam to open, and felt ice-cold in hand, as if it were just a piece of jade that had been polished if it weren't for its shape. After hacking at it with a dagger a few times, not a single scratch appeared on the box. She then used a nearby Whale Oil Lamp to heat it, but still, no burn marks appeared on the surface of the Jade Box. Seeing that it was getting late and the cave was ominously unnerving, Yue Jinghua decided to return to the Free Market first. She threw the bodies in the cave off the cliff, secured the box, and climbed back up the cliff the way she came. Not long after Yue Jinghua left, the female eagle that lay in the pool of blood on the ground stumbled and flew out of the cave.

Chapter 12 - 7: The Audacious Meets Their End

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