"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence. Complete and utter silence.
Wei Wuyin's eyes flashed with enlightenment and swiftly acted. With a shouting spiritual command, he instructed the crane to immediately depart while the awe-factor was still in effect.
The crane cried and flew forward with haste. The remnant elemental energy that crackled, sizzled, swished, and whistled was the only evidence to the death of a Mortal God. A lofty Mortal God.
Wei Wuyin felt that he should've mounted a tombstone there, saying: "Here lies Gu Futu. He died as a lived, as a stupid beast."
Gu Futu belonged to the Earthly Titan Sect and just like the Jade Lotus Sect, the Scarlet Solaris Sect weren't allies, so he didn't feel an ounce of pity in Gu Futu's sudden demise. In fact, if he informed the sect of his exploits, he would be deeply rewarded.
He coldly laughed inside as he left the murder scene behind. They departed without a single person attempting to stop them. Even if they weren't shocked frozen, they still wouldn't try as Wei Wuyin could easily kill them in a blink of an eye. Why throw away their lives?
After Wei Wuyin was out of visible sight, several eagles soared towards the area. Two of them were riding two huge eagle beasts. They exuded auras of strong yin-yang, setting them apart from normal cultivators.
They arrived with solemn expressions. The dumbstruck members of their sect left them both confused. One of them asked, "Where's God Gu?"
"..."
"..."
A beautiful woman's expression in the crowd had turned exceptionally ugly. Her face seemed like it became twisted and sour, fear and despair surfaced in her eyes. She was Gu Futu's third wife, an expert at the Elemental Birth Phase. Usually, she was arrogant and haughty. There was no lack of enemies she possessed and even her clan relied on Gu Futu's influence.
Now that he was...he was gone, what would become of her?
What would become of all his wives? All his concubines? All those women and children of his who relied on his peerless strength and ferocity. Many of them hadn't even entered the third phase yet, and some kids weren't even in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Let's not even mention the hatred within the harem itself.
This…
A disciple who had a little more courage and a whole lot of fearlessness said, "He was killed! We must get revenge, God Jin, God Nui, I beseech you to hunt down and slay our sect's vile enemy!" His rage was palpable, but it didn't incite the boiled blood and rallied mentality he hoped for.
There were quite a few people who looked at him like an idiot, as if saying: "Did you not see Gu Futu get one-shot? He couldn't even defend himself!"
God Nui's, a thin and middle-aged man, facial expression had changed upon hearing this. He shouted, "Explain clearly what happened!"
The courageous disciple stepped forth and explained what had happened from beginning to end without embellishment, but it was only from his point of view. He couldn't deduce what messages were exchanged, except that Wei Wuyin had said he was here on a mission and couldn't expose his identity. However, Gu Futu refused and was then killed swiftly as a result.
"..." God Nui's expression turned ugly. Gu Futu was the strongest Mortal God of the three. He wasn't foolish enough to chase after the enemy, but if he didn't, the culprit would have escaped without a clue to their identity. As for relying on the energy signature left behind, that's beyond his level. Only a Godlord would be able to track someone off their spiritual signature. At that level, their qi enabled stronger spiritual spells.
However, Godlords were Ancestral-level figures to sects. The Earthly Titan Sect only had one.
God Jin was silent as well, but wore a contemplative expression. Swiftly, he withdrew a transmission crystal and sent out a message. It was to a fellow Mortal God, a Sublime Qi Phase expert. The message was brief:
"Gu Futu is DEAD! Storage, take!" After sending that brief yet concise message, he used his spiritual sense to establish a spiritual spell. A surging stream of spiritual energy exited his body before encapsulating everyone present within a spherical barrier. This barrier effectively locked down all spiritually transmitted messages.
God Niu ugly expression turned uglier witnessing this, "What do you mean by this?"
God Jin said with a serious and intense expression, "How do we know the expert left this area? I think its best everyone stays where they are and make sure none of these disciples are allied with that expert! Gu Futu could've been poisoned, that's why he was so easily killed!"
God Jin didn't even try to make sense or keep a linear reasoning. The amount of bullshit he spat was tremendous, but he had no shame and a thick skin. He looked towards the disciples with a fierce glare.
They all shivered.
God Niu felt as if he had gone stupid and realized his shock had led to him missing an insane oppportunity. He was considering whether he should fight God Jin to send out a message, but considering this would likely lead to other disciples with connections and a brain to also send out a message, he decided against it. Instead, he sent his own transmission from within the barrier to God Jin:
"Five percent, and I won't disturb your plans!"
While transmissions within a certain range would be intercepted, those outside that range would be sent out fine.
God Jin thought for a moment and slightly nodded.
God Niu then shouted, "I agree. Let's inspect to ensure no spies or traitors are in our midst."
All the disciples' expressions changed upon hearing this, feeling something amiss, while the elders quickly realized the situation. Gu Futu's spatial ring had been destroyed. If they claimed his storage container and said everything was "missing," blaming everything on the murderer, they could get away with so much wealth. However, they didn't dare say anything.
If they did, maybe they wouldn't live beyond today.
God Niu sent another message, "Gu Futu's Third Wife is mine!" A lustful gleam appeared in his eyes as he looked at the beautiful woman with the ugly and panicked expression. When she wasn't making that expression, she was quite a beauty.
God Jin didn't care. He sent: "We'll make her an accomplice of the murderer as a spiteful, jealous woman, you can do what you wish to her then!"
God Niu coldly grinned.
-----
Wei Wuyin and the Jiao Ning trio were flying leisurely on the white crane without a shroud. They were already hundreds of miles away from Ash Dragon City and Mount Inferno, so they were in the clear. Even if they were chased, there were other mounts flying in the sky, those stronger than the white crane, so suspicion would be difficult to place on them.
Wei Wuyin meditated on the white crane as his thoughts simulated various scenarios. He hadn't realized his strength before, but now he had an idea of it.
He had a physique tempered by four natural elements, four advanced elements, pure yin, pure yang, and yin-yang energies. He had risen so quickly that he couldn't get an appropriate measure of his strength.
The Yin-Yang God Sphere contained such pure yin and yang energies that his spiritual sense, mental abilities, physical senses, stamina, and healing factor had shot through the roof. With his eyes closed and his ears honed, he could hear faint conversation a mile away through the rushing wind. He felt god-like at the moment.
He had read and been told that those who ascended using the Yin-Yang God Sphere were stronger by several-fold, in comparison to someone who hadn't. This was most certainly true.
He also hadn't thought about the true benefits of two Hearts of Qi, but he now realized it wasn't limited to energy reserves, cultivation speed, and recovery speed. The amount of tempered energy coursing through his body was doubled as well.
He had two-fold the physical attributes and qualities of someone with his elemental energy types. The two separate minds allowed him to do two things at once. He now knew why Godlord Lin was willing to marry anyone who could cultivate this technique!
This didn't even factor in his high-level elemental qi that numbered four. They were top-grade qi! His strength was extraordinary to say the least.
"I should be as strong or stronger than a seventh phase expert. I don't even know if Gu Futu could've blocked my attack even if he defended himself. He instantly evaporated upon contact. That's definitely not normal!" A joyful grin tugged at his lips.
"God Wei...I…Where are we going?" Dai Quiyue respectfully said, her voice tinged with fear and inferiority. With Wei Wuyin's identity as a Mortal God revealed, she changed her form of address.
Wei Wuyin didn't even look towards her as he said, "Golden Milk City."
"Oh."
Golden Milk City was a nearby city that dealt with high-end trades and resources. It also had a lucrative black market within, allowing one to sell off undesirable merchandise without revealing their identity.
He had a vast amount of pills, elixirs, weapons, armor, and materials he didn't need and had to sell off. What he needed now was refined essence stones. If he could gain a thousand stones, he might just enter closed door seclusion immediately and strive to ascend into the Seventh Stage of Qi Condensation, Sublime Qi.
It was the true phase of accumulation. But most importantly, he hoped to find a high-level Ice Essence there. If he could purchase it, he would be on the path of establishing his Divine Heart of Elemental Qi. At that point, he was certain that he could face Godlord characters!
He licked his lips. A surging heat scratched at his heart. He opened his silver eyes and glanced with a side-eye at Jiao Ning. However, he decided he would resist his thoughts. He remembered the promise he made to himself as a child when he had just started the path of cultivation.
He didn't want to become someone who slipped into habits of debauchery. Even if he gained absolute strength, he needed a code of principles and limits as to not lose himself.
Jiao Ning said, "God Wei, can you take us to the border of the Jade Lotus Sect's domain?"
Wei Wuyin thought for a moment. He considered his direction and realized there was an interconnecting point that hit the border of the Jade Lotus Sect's domain nearby. He nodded.
A sigh of relief emerged in Jiao Ning trio's heart simultaneously. They didn't know if Wei Wuyin would let them leave or take them back to his sect as slaves. After all, that wasn't unheard of.
While they wouldn't argue if he did, they definitely liked their freedom and status that was accompanied by family, lovers, and authority. If they became slaves, they'd lose all of that.
Wei Wuyin pouted his lips and thought, "Let's check and see what's in the second layer of that Three-Layered Spatial Ring." He removed the spatial ring and sent his spiritual sense into the second layer.
He had done so before, but because there were only two things inside, he didn't put too much emphasis on it. After all, they weren't essence stones.
He inspected both items. The first was a pendant. It was of a silver crescent moon with characters etched into it without any specific order. When he tried to read it, he realized it was nonsense. It didn't have an aura and the materials were something he didn't recognize.
He grabbed the pendant and frowned. However, he liked its color as it matched his eyes, and the material was cool to the touch. The necklace was made of silvery silk. It seemed to have been twirled around continuously until it became thick enough. It felt soft to touch. He placed it around his neck.
Nothing happened.
Shrugging, he checked the second item. It was a manual. When Wei Wuyin picked it up, there was a description on the front page:
"To those who are fearless. To those who wish to be free amongst the starry skies. To those who are willing to die for that freedom. Those without bravery, concede and depart. You are not chosen."
Wei Wuyin frowned. The title of the next page caused his heart to fiercely tremble.
"Will."
Only a single word. The manual was thin and lacked any substance, but he continued to flip through the pages. Each page had a title, but underneath that title was a vast blankness.
There were three thick pages and three titles.
"Will."
"Void."
"Weapon."
He frowned. Was this it? Was he missing something? A unique sensory method, perhaps?
He searched his spatial ring and tried to find the unique spiritual spell used by that commander, but he found nothing remotely close.
"Could he have hidden it away for his family in case of his death? Or placed it in a different spatial storage? Or...did he burn it after memorizing it?" Unfortunately, he would never know.
Shrugging, he placed the manual back in the three-layered spatial ring. He took out a single essence stone and held it in his hand.
He learned from the Ash Dragon City's Lord that wholehearted cultivation without the appropriate protection was suicidal. That being said, he didn't want to waste his time while traveling.
He divided his mind, one focused on his Hearts of Qi as it absorbed the essence within, while the other mind's focus was on his surroundings and spiritual sense. The Hearts of Qi once more split the essence between them.
When the Jiao Ning trio noticed Wei Wuyin started to cultivate, their expressions changed, but they remained silent in the end.