Cultivation: I Can Steal Lifespan from Spirit Beasts

Chapter 130: Clash, Exposure!

The air grew heavy, fraught with a delicate, deadly tension.

Catching the flicker of ferocity in the red-haired cultivator’s eyes, Wang Ba’s mind raced. In a crisis, wits were his only weapon. He hurriedly cupped his hands.

“This humble one is a disciple of the Eastern Sage Sect…”

The three red-haired cultivators paused, slightly taken aback.

Immediately, one of the Faith Path cultivators sneered, “An Eastern Sage Sect disciple? So wh—”

His words were cut short. All four heads snapped toward the distant Water Controlling City.

BOOM!

Violent ripples of spiritual energy erupted like a dormant volcano suddenly bursting to life.

Wang Ba couldn’t see the details clearly from his position, but the red-haired cultivator saw it all too well: a Heavenly Gate Sect Golden Core Perfected One had been reduced to flying ash in a single breath!

The attacker was none other than the Eastern Sage Sect’s Master, Ji Lan, leading a group of elders!

The red-haired cultivator’s expression twisted in horror. His peripheral gaze swept over Wang Ba, his eyes now filled with apprehension. He seemed to be weighing the risks.

But at that exact moment, a Foundation Establishment cultivator among them started, then pointed into the distance.

“Look! It’s her!”

They turned to look. A figure clad in purple robes was careening through the air, flying straight toward them.

The four men were shocked.

“Ye Lingyu!”

“That Senior Sister from the Eastern Sage Sect? She actually escaped?”

In mid-air, Ye Lingyu rode her third-grade magic sword, tracing an erratic, corkscrewing path. Whether due to exhausted spiritual energy or severe injuries, she could no longer sustain her flight and finally crashed into the valley behind the hill, not far from their position.

The red-haired cultivator cast a surreptitious glance at the magic sword beneath Ye Lingyu’s feet. A trace of greed warred with caution in his eyes.

“Let’s go. We’ll check it out!”

Wang Ba prepared to slip away during the distraction, but the red-haired cultivator barked at him.

“Kid, where do you think you’re going?”

Wang Ba’s expression remained placid. “I was just checking to see if any Heavenly Gate Sect enemies were pursuing us.”

“Hmph. No need to look. There aren’t any.” The red-haired cultivator snorted coldly.

Wang Ba’s hand tightened around the spirit beast pouch hidden within his sleeve. Steeling himself, he quickly followed them.

Ye Lingyu hadn’t fallen far. As cultivators, they covered the distance in a few breaths, landing beside her.

Only then did Wang Ba see the extent of her injuries. Half of her body was marred by scorched black flesh, and her coldly beautiful face was paler than he had ever seen it.

Yet, her consciousness remained intact. Seeing the red-haired cultivator and his group appear, she immediately propped herself up. The third-grade spirit sword beside her writhed and flicked like a living spiritual snake, guarding its master.

But soon, her gaze swept over Wang Ba. For the first time, her habitually expressionless face cracked with surprise.

“You are… Uncle?”

Hearing that long-lost form of address, Wang Ba felt a momentary daze. A sense of dislocation washed over him, as if lifetimes had passed since he last heard that word.

He nodded slightly.

“Long time no see.”

“Heh, so you really are from the Eastern Sage Sect,” the red-haired cultivator chuckled, his tone dripping with false warmth. “Since you know each other, that makes things easier.”

Despite coveting her third-grade magic sword, he knew the Eastern Sage Sect’s Golden Core experts were nearby. He wasn’t so blinded by profit that he would joke with his own life.

However, right at that moment…

From the direction of the Eastern Sage outpost, a heaven-shaking roar shattered the sky!

“Ji Lan! You all deserve to die!”

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically.

They looked toward the outpost, where a suffocating, domineering spiritual energy aura was radiating a sky-filling demonic might. Even from this distance, they felt as if they had been plunged into a boundless, hellish abyss.

It was a coldness that seeped into the marrow.

“Nascent Soul True Lord!”

“It’s the Heavenly Gate Sect Leader, Ning Daohuan!”

The red-haired cultivator stared into the distance, his face grave.

A man’s name casts a shadow as long as a great tree.

Since arriving in the State of Chen a few years ago, the Heavenly Gate Sect had kept a low profile. Yet, as the only Nascent Soul existence within the state, Ning Daohuan was destined to command the attention of all.

Even the Grand Elder of the Mountain Sea Sect—whose physical body was renowned to rival a Nascent Soul existence—had publicly admitted he was far inferior to Ning Daohuan. This admission made Ning Daohuan’s name thunderous among the cultivators of the State of Chen.

Aside from his involvement in the extermination of the Eastern Sage Sect, he had not acted in years. But now, this Nascent Soul powerhouse had been provoked into action!

The situation in Water Controlling City had changed instantly.

The red-haired cultivator exchanged a silent, meaningful glance with the two Faith Path Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Heavenly Gate Sect Leader is making his move. Even if the Eastern Sage Sect Master and elders are present, they are likely doomed…

If that’s the case…

His gaze snapped back to the third-grade magic sword beside Ye Lingyu. After a split-second calculation, hesitation vanished from his eyes.

He secretly activated the Divine Punishment art passed down from the Myriad God Kingdom!

This was a potent divine art bestowed by the deities to intimidate the disobedient. As long as the target’s soul was weaker than the caster’s, once struck, death was certain.

In an instant, this Eastern Sage Sect “Senior Sister Ye” would suffer a torn soul and a violently exploding body!

Don’t blame me, the red-haired cultivator thought. We are all just using each other.

Excitement and anticipation surged in his eyes.

But his grin froze. He watched in astonishment as the cold, beautiful cultivator remained completely unaffected. Instead, she swept her gaze over him, her eyes cold as lightning.

“Seeking death!”

Accompanying her voice was an incredibly sharp burst of sword Qi from the third-grade magic sword, slashing straight at him!

“How is this possible?!”

The red-haired cultivator’s heart lurched. He retreated violently.

However, he quickly noticed an anomaly. The sword Qi Ye Lingyu fired only forced him back before immediately looping to return to her side.

A flush of realization—and a cold sneer—appeared on his face. “Heh, I thought you retained your peak strength… It seems you truly are heavily injured!”

“Capturing you is enough,” Ye Lingyu stated calmly. She circulated her spiritual energy, slowly standing up, though a flush of unhealthy redness flashed across her face.

Her expression softened slightly as she glanced back. “Uncle… cough… step back.”

Wang Ba hesitated for a moment, then obediently retreated behind Ye Lingyu.

The red-haired cultivator gave them no quarter. He barked orders coldly.

“Gao Yong, you and I will pin her down!”

“Zhang Can, go kill that kid first, then come help us!”

“Yes!”

Gao Yong looked grave, but he steeled himself to cast a divine art at Ye Lingyu.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator named Zhang Can let out a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Wang Ba, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.

“Leave it to me!”

Fighting Ye Lingyu terrified him, but dealing with a mere Qi Refining eighth-layer junior? That was as easy as catching a turtle in a jar!

With a thought, he activated the Displacement Art.

An invisible Yin Ghost hidden within his body silently detached and latched onto Wang Ba, preparing to devour his flesh and blood. This would serve as compensation for the losses of this trip.

However, Zhang Can’s expression shifted rapidly.

He was shocked to find that the Yin Ghost he sent out was transmitting emotions of unprecedented shock and voracious greed!

It suddenly broke his control, manifesting its true form from the void and rushing excitedly toward the oblivious junior cultivator. It acted as if the world’s supreme delicacy was standing right there.

“What is going on?! Why is the Yin Ghost out of control?!”

Zhang Can was bewildered.

Then, a realization struck him like a thunderbolt. The Yin Ghost is refined using the method bestowed by the High God. It loves feeding on the High God’s divine power… Could it be…

He has cultivated Yin Spirit divine power?

The copy of the ‘Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture’ is on him?!

In that instant, his heart shook violently. He almost shouted the shocking news aloud.

But in the spark of a flint, greed choked the words back down.

If he shouted now, the credit would go to the red-haired cultivator. At most, Zhang Can would receive a pittance of resources. But if he concealed this, secretly kept the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture, and found a way to cultivate it later…

Given the importance his lineage placed on this technique, he might even have hope for the Golden Core, perhaps even the Nascent Soul!

The thought set his blood on fire. He looked at the junior cultivator with fanatical eyes. This wasn’t a person anymore; this was a walking sack of resources paving his road to the Great Dao!

He lunged toward Wang Ba.

However, after only a few steps, he froze.

His gaze fell in horror upon a creature that had appeared out of nowhere in front of the junior cultivator—a pitch-black Spirit Poultry, its feathers shimmering with a chaotic, iridescent sheen.

This Spirit Poultry was clearly only at the Qi Refining realm, yet it was currently pinning his Yin Ghost to the ground, happily pecking at it and tearing the spirit apart with its claws.

Through their spiritual link, Zhang Can could feel the Yin Ghost’s pure, unadulterated terror.

“Damn it! Get lost!”

The Yin Ghost was his life-bound spiritual creature, cultivated in tandem with his own life force. It was precious beyond measure.

Seeing it suffer, Zhang Can flew into a rage. Spiritual energy surged, and he hurled a Darkgold Awl, engraved with bizarre patterns, straight at the black chicken.

The chicken seemed like an idiot, completely oblivious to the incoming weapon as it continued to feast on the Yin Ghost.

The Yin Ghost emitted waves of silent wails.

Zhang Can was exasperated. He poured more spiritual energy into the throw, accelerating the Darkgold Awl!

Just as the weapon was about to skewer the black chicken, the junior cultivator raised his hand and waved.

Boom!

A massive, azure-blue figure landed with a heavy crash. It reared up, using its legs to shield the black chicken.

“Roar!”

The turtle head bellowed. The Darkgold Awl struck the turtle’s back armor with a metallic clang, leaving only a shallow white mark. It didn’t even break the skin!

“This… how is this possible?!”

Zhang Can’s face was twisted in disbelief.

The aura on this spirit turtle was clearly only at the Qi Refining stage. How could it block his attack? Even if it wasn’t his full power, he was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

“Zhang Can, what are you doing?! Hurry up and finish it, then get over here!”

From afar, the red-haired cultivator’s impatient roar sounded.

Zhang Can gritted his teeth. His gaze bypassed the azure giant turtle and the black chicken, locking onto the junior cultivator.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

He recalled the Darkgold Awl with a wave of his hand. Infusing it with spiritual energy once more, he sent it tracing a treacherous arc through the air. It deliberately avoided the turtle and the target’s head, shooting straight for the heart.

As long as the soul wasn’t destroyed, the body didn’t matter. He could extract the soul immediately after death and slowly torture the secrets of the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture out of him.

The speed of the Darkgold Awl clearly exceeded the cultivator’s expectations!

Although the boy panicked and cast a defensive art, raising a faint white light shield and summoning another azure turtle to block, it was too late.

The Darkgold Awl bypassed the turtle at a bizarre angle, shattered the flimsy light shield, and struck true.

Thwack!

It pierced straight into his heart!

Zhang Can watched as the boy lowered his head, staring at his chest in disbelief.

Zhang Can finally exhaled.

“Got him!”

He immediately retrieved a yellow-skinned gourd from his storage pouch, aiming it at the corpse that was still standing upright. He chanted the incantation to extract the soul before it could dissipate.

But to his surprise, the gourd remained inert.

“Why is there no soul?”

“That shouldn’t be. I didn’t command the Darkgold Awl to absorb his essence…”

Zhang Can looked up in confusion.

And then, he froze.

The junior cultivator, who should have been dead with a pierced heart, was casually pulling the Darkgold Awl out of his chest. He looked completely unharmed.

Noticing Zhang Can staring at him, the boy immediately burst into motion, turning and running away with the vitality of a tiger!

As he fled, he frantically fished two blood-red pills from his storage pouch and swallowed them whole, sprinting away like a bolt of lightning.