Chapter 104: Black Needle
Chapter 104: Black Needle
Chapter 104: Black Needle
Wang Hong lay quietly on the ground, watching Poisonous Bees dance in the air. Once again, Poisonous Bees had saved his life.
The recent battle, from ambush to counterattack, lasted only a few breaths, but it was extremely perilous. The opponent's Flying Needle Magical Weapon showed no Spiritual Energy fluctuations, and even Divine Sense couldn't detect it. If Wang Hong wasn't a body cultivator, that flying needle might have pierced through his heart.
At a critical moment, he released Poisonous Bees for a sneak attack. The Poisonous Bees appeared directly around the opponent's body, leaving them no time to defend. The result was the demise of both.
The two would never understand how a swarm of Poisonous Bees suddenly appeared beside them. In reality, Wang Hong could retrieve items from his Space, placing them anywhere within his Divine Sense range. Unlike items from the Storage Bag, which had to come out from the bag's opening, Wang Hong could make things from Space appear anywhere he chose.
He had refrained from using this Space feature in public to avoid exposure. Today, faced with a life-or-death situation, he had no choice but to use it. He couldn't afford to leave survivors or be discovered, risking suspicion.
However, Space couldn't make items appear directly in a sealed space. If there were barriers like Divine Sense, formations, or restrictions, Space couldn't breach them unless Wang Hong had the power to overcome these obstacles.
Otherwise, in battle, he could simply make a Flying Sword appear directly in an opponent's abdomen without all this effort.
The same principle applied to pulling external items into Space. Why bother fighting when he could just snatch an enemy's head into Space?
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wang Hong slowly sat up, and most of the poison in his body had been neutralized. This potent poison would have turned him into a lifeless body if he hadn't found the antidote in time.
Moreover, if he didn't have expertise in the art of poisoning and a knowledge of pharmacology surpassing a typical alchemist, he wouldn't have been able to identify the specific antidote. It would have been a matter of luck.
After collecting the Storage Bags of the two deceased, he released two Fireball Techniques, turning their bodies into ashes. He then quickly left the area, heading towards Azure Void City, which wasn't far away. Currently, Azure Void City was relatively safe.
Nothing eventful occurred on the way to Azure Void City. Once there, he didn't contact Skinny Monkey and the others. Instead, he checked into an inn.
He wasn't sure if these two were merely robbing and killing or if there was a planned assassination. If it was a targeted attack against him, he couldn't approach Skinny Monkey and the others in this manner. If the assailants were initially unaware of their relationship, this approach would reveal it.
After entering the inn, he closed the doors and windows and activated the isolation formation of the inn. Only then did he sit cross-legged on the bed.
An hour later, all the residual poison had finally dissipated, and his tense expression relaxed somewhat.
It was only at this point that he took out the two Storage Bags, emptying their contents onto the beda jumble of items. After a brief search, he found two black Tokens. One side of the Token had the character "" (Shadow), while the other side respectively bore the characters "" (Department of Personnel Fifty-Eight) and "" (Department of Personnel Fifty-Nine).
It seemed these two individuals belonged to the same organization, making it more likely that they had come specifically to assassinate him.
He was puzzled, though. He had never heard of this organization, let alone offended them.
Among the heap of items were some Jade Scrolls containing various cultivation techniques. Qingxu Sect possessed a vast heritage, and Wang Hong wasn't interested in ordinary techniques.
He quickly scanned through them until one Jade Scroll caught his attentionHidden Spirit Technique. This technique's main function was to conceal one's cultivation level. It was a practical secret that allowed one to hide a portion of their cultivation level until a surprise attack during a confrontation.
Wang Hong remembered that when the two cultivators were bitten by Poisonous Bees, they seemed to erupt with a stronger Spiritual Energy pressure. However, at that moment, he was poisoned and couldn't pay much attention.
Considering the opponent's displayed cultivation level was slightly lower than his, it could eliminate his vigilance, making an ambush easier.
Wang Hong thought this technique was worth learning. The Sect likely had similar techniques, but he had focused on studying Spiritual Herbs and Alchemy, neglecting cultivation techniques.
The Sect's heritage spanned tens of thousands of years, and its accumulation was too vast. Even a Qi Cultivation cultivator like him couldn't hope to read all of the Sect's records in one lifetime. The only requirement for accessing the Sect's records was contribution points. As long as he contributed enough to the Sect, theoretically, he could borrow any book from the Sect's collection.
He currently had no shortage of contribution points; originally, he had 1.2 million. By exchanging three Spiritual Herbs for the status of a Named Disciple, he still possessed 900,000 contribution points.
Among the Qi Cultivation Disciples, he had the highest contribution points, although he wasn't sure about the Foundation Building Disciples.
He decided to put away this cultivation technique and planned to check the Sect's Scripture Tower later for a more comprehensive comparison before making a decision.
The rest of the items consisted of various Spiritual Herbs, ores, and Magical Weapons. Additionally, he harvested over 20,000 Spirit Stones from the two individuals, indicating the wealth of their organization.
After counting everything, he took out a black needle from his Storage Bag. The needle was about the length of a finger and slightly thicker than a sewing needle, feeling weightless in his hand.
What made it peculiar was that it couldn't be probed with Divine Sense. Wang Hong marveled at the existence of such a secretive weapon.
He tried to manipulate and control it but faced a problem. Since the needle could isolate Divine Sense, how could he use his own Divine Sense to control it?
After much experimentation in the room without success, he decided to try refining it with his blood.
Typically, only Spiritual Weapons used by Foundation Building cultivators and treasures used by Golden Core cultivators required refining. Qi Cultivation cultivators could use Magical Weapons directly, with only a few special cases requiring refinement.
He cut a slit on his index finger with a high-quality Flying Sword from his Storage Bag, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the needle. He didn't dare pierce himself with the poisonous needle directly; that would be fatal.
The blood was quickly absorbed, leaving him puzzled about how such a small needle could absorb such a large drop of blood.
Next, he inscribed dozens of intricate runes on the needle. Soon, the needle emitted a faint glow, then instantly disappeared.
At this point, he felt a faint connection between himself and the needle. Injecting Spiritual Energy into it, he directed a thought, and the black needle flashed, embedding itself silently and swiftly into the wall, the needle's tail vibrating continuously without a sound.
Satisfied with obtaining such a magical weapon, Wang Hong felt that enduring the ordeal had not been in vain.
Only now did he release Little Peng, who had been confined during the battle to avoid distractions. The moment it came out, it joyfully conveyed thoughts of happiness to him, rubbing against him energetically.
Wang Hong rested at the inn for a night. The next day, he changed his appearance and swaggered out of the inn.
Walking to an uninhabited place, he changed his appearance twice more. Only after the third change did he confidently stride towards Zhao's Pill Shop.
"Hello, senior! It's a pleasure to serve you! What do you need today? Elixirs or Spiritual Herbs?" A Level Two Qi Cultivation apprentice enthusiastically greeted him as soon as he entered Zhao's Pill Shop.
Wang Hong noticed that three more apprentices had been added to the shop, all with cultivation levels at the first or second stage of Qi Cultivation.
Zhao Ning was responsible for all aspects of the shop's management, and Wang Hong didn't interfere.
Inside the shop, several cultivators were browsing, while two seemed to have decided on their purchases, engaged in intense bargaining.
"You go about your business; I'm just browsing."
"Of course, if you need anything, feel free to let me know."
The apprentice left as instructed. Every customer was different; some cultivators preferred to take their time and choose without assistance.
This was the first time Wang Hong had visited his own shop as a customer. Although he had crafted most of the Spirit Pills and Spiritual Herbs, it felt somewhat refreshing from a different perspective.
"Grandpa! It's not easy for me to enter the city with you. You said you'd show me around, but we just passed by several grand and majestic shops. Why didn't we go in, and now we're here?" A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl with watery eyes asked the old man beside her.
"Don't you know? While those shops are large with a wide range of items, some even selling second-tier Spiritual Objects, this shop has the most comprehensive collection of first-tier Spiritual Herbs and Spirit Pills. I found that out by chance a while ago."
The old man was somewhat proud as he stroked his beard.
"We're in the Spiritual Herb business, so naturally, I would prioritize showing you the Spiritual Herbs. Look at this 50-year-old Cleansing Spiritual Herb. The market price is usually twelve Spirit Stones, and it's the same here. However, the quality is much better. Now, take a look at this Yellow Cloud Flower"
The old man seemed to have turned this place into a teaching ground for his younger companion.
"I ask you, have you heard of the Loyal Alchemist Brothers?" A tall and skinny young cultivator, feigning mystery, asked a gloomy-faced young man beside him.
"Of course, I've heard. They're reputed Alchemists."
"Correct! The Loyal Alchemist Brothers are my big brothers, and they are the alchemists for this shop."
Wang Hong couldn't help but sigh. When did these two flatterers become so famous? People were even proud to know them.
He forgot that, under his guidance, the Ma Brothers had become decent Alchemists. Having good relations with one Alchemist was already enviable, let alone two.
After strolling around, he walked towards the counter where Zhao Ning was stationed.
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