Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 525 Third-Tier Spirit Slave
————Xiao Huanshan, Chongmingzong
When Kang Dabao heard the news of Yang Xun's visit while he was in the palace, he was not in a hurry. He simply asked the disciple serving him to inform Ye Zhengwen, and then left it to the latter to handle.

Having already reached the Golden Core stage, how could he possibly do everything personally as before?

It wasn't until late afternoon that Ye Zhengwen came to report. He briefly explained to Headmaster Kang while presenting the storage bag he had just obtained: "Yang Xun said that apart from a few Foundation Establishment Pills, he only sold a low-level magic treasure to repair the mountain-protecting array; the rest remained untouched."

The storage bag was lifted up by a burst of clear air. Kang Dabao glanced at it briefly before hearing Ye Zhengwen add, "There are some sensible people in his family, and they are also well-behaved."

Zhou Yixiu, who was in the same hall, shook his head and sighed: "I'm afraid all the cultivators in the southern and northern mountain paths know about this news. How can the Yang family protect themselves? If Yang Xun can't even figure this out, he should give up his position as the head of the Yang family. Otherwise, he will implicate the clan sooner or later."

The number of rare spiritual treasures in this storage bag was considerable, exceeding what Sect Leader Kang had previously anticipated. However, he quickly suppressed the joy in his eyes and instead asked, "Are you just going to give it to me like this?"

Ye Zhengwen replied with a mocking expression: "How could it be so easy? If I don't cooperate with the Yang family's lead actor in putting on that show of declining three times, how can Yang Xun be at ease?"

Zhou Yixiu nodded repeatedly: "This fellow is still clear-headed, but I don't know if outsiders will believe it or not. It's alright, we'll help him if we can. If his family really suffers a massacre, then my Chongming Sect will do its best to avenge them."

Kang Dabao smiled faintly for a moment, but quickly calmed down and then spoke:
"Old Ye, go and register everything. If you take a fancy to any of the items here, you must use your good deeds to offset them. If you really can't afford it, and you can't even raise the money through crowdfunding, then you must report to the head of the Good Deeds Hall and get a loan from the public treasury. Don't break the rules."

After saying this, a flash of light appeared in the hand of Master Kang, and a piece of black spiritual silk appeared.

With a mere sweep of his divine sense, several useful items he had taken from his storage bag transformed into seal characters that landed on the bag and then floated into Ye Zhengwen's hand.

"If that's the case, I'm afraid we'll need to reorganize the treasury's grand array, otherwise I won't be able to sleep soundly from now on." A hint of amusement appeared in Ye Zhengwen's single eye, and he was about to make a joke when, as if remembering something, he spoke solemnly again:
"Yang Xun might not be honest. Who knows if he's hidden away some rare treasures or tried to fool us with ordinary things? In that case, should we..."

Could this question be made any clearer?
Ye Zhengwen, having also come from a life of danger, would never harbor a shred of compassion for outsiders. Kang Dabao naturally understood the purpose of the former's question, but without hesitation, he immediately rejected it:
"If he really wants to hide it, even if we capture him now, skin him alive, and torture the entire Yang family, they still have a way of hiding that vital treasure. In another three or four hundred years, my family might even suffer some trouble because of it."

It would be good enough if we could gain some benefits and get off to a good start. Which cultivator in this world hasn't had some fortuitous encounters? If everyone wanted to fight and kill, and compete for everything, what would become of us?
"That's enough. Let's leave the matter of the Yang family of Hongshan here. I think this matter can also make the heads of other families see clearly how my Chongming Sect operates."

Ye and Zhou pondered Kang Da's words for a while and found them to make some sense. Kang Da's actions this time had indeed improved his reputation considerably in the surrounding states.

Even when idle people in the neighborhood say that he is "good at bullying women," they know to add a line like "he also has the spirit of righteousness and integrity" to protect him.

It is likely that after this incident, if any family under Chongmingzong obtains a precious treasure that they are unable to control, they will consider "presenting it to the emperor for appraisal and exchanging it for some real benefits" as an alternative.

For Chongmingzong at present, this is enough.

After all, before this incident, it was the Feiyue Shan family that had just reported the Hongshan Yang family for secretly hoarding valuable treasures. If the situation were reversed, they might not have been more obedient than the former.

The head of the Kang family never imagined that all the families under his jurisdiction would be happy to offer their treasures in the future. However, compared to before, he would definitely not gain anything. Even if he occasionally gained something later, it would still be considered a profit.

After all, human desires are endless, and the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance are the most harmful. Kang Dabao believes that his abilities are no less than those of his peers, but he also needs to constantly reflect on himself and be vigilant to avoid going astray.

Having said that, the three of them, each with their own important matters to attend to, went their separate ways.

Unlike Ye and Zhou, who were overworked and often rested on the table in the temple, and who, even as their time was coming to an end, still stood in the fields all day with a hoe, Ye and Zhou were different.

The most important task for Headmaster Kang now is to cultivate diligently. However, since returning to the Jade Clam Cave, he has not picked up any Taoist scriptures to read.

He took off his sect leader's robes, changed into ordinary clothes, and slowly stepped into a newly carved-out quiet room.

The newly captured Jieyi Shangxiu was covered in fresh talismans and was alone inside the third-order trapping array plate that Kang Dabao had purchased at a high price from Wanbao Trading Company. He was almost lifeless and showed no trace of his Golden Core form.

As the instigator, Master Kang was naturally moved by this scene. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly dispelled by a surge of hope.

Even though the six senses were blocked while Jieyi Shangxiu was trapped in the formation, he still knew that outsiders had entered, and immediately started shouting again:
"Is it Kang Dabao?! You don't know my relationship with the Liangyi Sect. Why do you think all my peers are either dead or gone, while I alone am living a carefree life in Dingzhou?"

But Kang Dabao had already lost patience with what he was saying before he was only halfway through. He saw the latter raise a finger, and Jieyi Shangxiu's voice faltered again.

It turned out that Master Kang flicked out a gust of wind from his fingertip, which swirled into the shape of a giant hand in mid-air and clenched tightly. Jie Yi Shangxiu immediately felt his throat become extremely hot, as if a stream of molten iron was sliding through it.

Once the noise subsided, the lingering hesitation in Kang Dabao's eyes completely vanished, replaced by a resolute expression on his face.

Afterwards, he let out a long breath, then reached out and brushed his fingers across the storage bag at his waist, finally pulling out a purple talisman.

"I wonder when I'll be able to get a second Tier 3 military token."

Now, thanks to his trip to Yingzhou, Master Kang is no longer a frog in a well, confined to the remote borderlands for his entire life. Yet, upon seeing the talisman in his hand again, Kang Dabao still felt a touch of fascination because of the runes on it.

The vermilion patterns on the surface shimmered and shrank with the light in the cave, with half-inch shadows appearing at the ends of the red lines. The winding lines of the dragons and snakes seemed to be slowly folding, and fine golden threads, as fine as baby hair, grew from the scales and claws. Anyone who saw it would have to sigh at how perfectly natural it was.

Because of Master He's identity as a talisman master, even though Master Kang had no talent in this field, he had still developed some basic skills and could naturally discern how exquisite the runes on them were.

"If the third-tier conscription token is already so profound, I wonder what the fifth-tier mother token enshrined in Taiyuan City will be like!"

Fortunately, Kang Dabao knew his own limitations. He only pondered for a moment before snapping back to reality. He carefully examined the interpretation of the text for a while, then closed his eyes and began to ponder the steps to refine cultivators into soldiers.

Currently, Sect Leader Kang only has one Tier 3 Military Service Token, so he must not be careless. It is true that this token has the ability to turn cultivators into blood slaves, but the probability of doing so is far from high.

According to Kang Dabao's consultation with several elders of the Fei family, even though this third-tier military talisman is priceless, the success rate is only less than eleven percent.

The exact amount may vary depending on the cultivator's skill level and the extent of their cultivation, but the general pattern will remain largely the same.

This is understandable given the circumstances. To be honest, the effectiveness of the military command is quite remarkable. If it were any more effective, the Kuang family clan, having lost their ancestor, would have found it difficult to remain in their positions and would have been attacked by various factions throughout the land long ago.

As Sect Leader Kang strode over, Jie Yi Shangxiu seemed to sense something as well. He used some unknown method, his neck swelling to the thickness of a tree trunk, shattering the force of the chokehold, and he roared:

"Kang Dabao, don't make a mistake! The consequences that the Kuang family can bear are something that you, a lowly lackey, may not be able to handle! If you incur the wrath of the masses, the entire Chongming Sect will be in grave danger! Your Chongming Sect's lineage will also be doomed!"

Upon hearing this, the Grand Master of the Kang Sect remained indifferent, showing no intention of elaborating on the matter with Jie Yi Shangxiu. He merely sighed inwardly, "You old man, do you really think I can shake off this reputation as a lackey?"

With a flick of his finger, the talisman in his hand burst into purple flames, and he leisurely pounced towards Jieyi.

The instant the military talisman was affixed to the top of his head, Jieyi's spine cracked with a popping sound like popping beans. Then, blood-red runes, emitting the fresh scent of cinnabar, slowly spread from the top of his head to his chin.

To onlookers, the fine cinnabar lines looked like living snakes, burrowing into his skin from the talisman and writhing and turning in his pale flesh.

At the same time, the sect leader of Kangda formed the Dragon-Tiger Seal and chanted the Three Paths Hidden Mantra in a low voice. Under the blessing of the seal, the chanting, which was originally as soft as a mosquito's buzz, suddenly became as loud as gongs and drums.

While still shouting, Jieyi Shangxiu could no longer speak coherently. He only made a few gurgling sounds before thick black blood suddenly overflowed from his seven orifices, mixing with the saliva dripping from his mouth and turning into thin red threads.

Gradually, the gurgling sound in Jieyi Shangxiu's throat grew louder and louder. Before long, the veins all over his body bulged out like earthworms in the moonlight.

Upon seeing this, Kang Dabao raised his eyelids, changed the hand seals several times, and the incantation he uttered became even more difficult to understand.

With this change, the surface of the military talisman paper, which had become clean due to the incantation flowing into Jieyi Shangxiu's flesh and blood, was suddenly covered with dense dark gold ancient seal script. After a few breaths, it rushed towards Jieyi Shangxiu again.

Jie Yi Shangxiu had not expected that this dark gold ancient script would be even more domineering than the vermilion runes. He felt as if these characters had just touched his already festering flesh, and each one was like a red-hot iron skewer, piercing straight into his soul.

Even someone with his years of accumulated golden core cultivation would find this pain unbearable, and a horrific scream suddenly escaped his lips.

Immediately afterward, Kang Dabao saw Jie Yishang's spine bend and creak loudly, while his knees suddenly lost strength and slammed hard to the ground.

As Jieyi Shangxiu knelt down, a large amount of stone chips flew up around him. However, before he could get much further, they were crushed into dust by the obscure incantations that enveloped the formation.

Clearly, the Great Master Kang showed no sympathy for the tragic scene before him. His already loud chanting suddenly rose even higher, causing the cultivator Jieyi to throw his head back and roar, digging at the ground with his outstretched claws and scraping out five wisps of green smoke.

This scene was truly terrifying. No one could have imagined that a dignified cultivator would completely lose his former dignity and prestige in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!
The once hard earth and stone began to hiss and bubble the moment they touched the corroded fingertips. Despite the immense pain, Jieyi Shangxiu, with the last shred of his rationality, endured the pain and focused his inner energy on his dantian.

He could only see that the golden core had been shaken and left afterimages, and the dazzling golden light was tightly bound by the vermilion talisman into a fine spider web, making it impossible to reveal any of its divine properties.

"Sitting idly by and waiting to die is unacceptable!"

Jieyi Shangxiu was suddenly roused by this intense will to live, ignoring the large amount of black blood still gushing out of his seven orifices.

He simply focused his mind and swiftly formed a hand seal with his ten fingers, which were so thick with flesh that not even a single piece of flesh was visible. The pill, wrapped in dark gold, immediately sprang up and broke free!
The Grand Master Kang, who was chanting incantations, naturally had a countermeasure. He simply added a bit more divine sense to activate the purple talisman. Just as the golden core that Jieyi was about to leave his body was forced back by the chain of golden seal characters.

Jie Yi Shangxiu was still unconvinced, but the Great Master Kang had already activated his Bright Moon Visualization Technique. The Sign-off Talisman became more and more radiant. After burning the midnight oil several times, he finally grasped the basics of the "Sword God Thorn" and used it again.

The divine sense that Jieyi Shangxiu possessed was so powerful that it instantly transformed into a sharp blade and pierced into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The pain was so intense that he lost his composure, and the hand seals he had formed in his desperate attempt to fight to the death suddenly shattered. The ten bones were struck by the violent spiritual energy, and fine lines appeared on them until not a trace of flesh was visible.

The conversion of the military token was indeed difficult; even someone with the profound foundation of Master Kang felt that it was quite costly. Fortunately, just as he took out a pill and put it in his mouth, the cultivator on the other end was completely unable to resist.

The cinnabar runes deeply imprinted into its flesh and blood suddenly flowed like lava, and the blank talisman paper, emitting purple flames, began to devour its flesh and blood again.

The relentless, agonizing pain completely extinguished the last vestige of hope in Jieyi Shangxiu's heart. Only after the eyes of this Golden Core cultivator had lost all their luster did the runes that echoed throughout the trap finally begin to subside.

The vermilion runes and golden seal characters that had been wantonly eroding the flesh and blood of Jieyi Shangxiu suddenly changed their behavior. They began to slowly wriggle onto every inch of the damaged flesh and blood of Jieyi Shangxiu, transforming themselves into filling treasures and gradually repairing this golden core body that was already mostly damaged.

However, even though his robes were already soaked with sweat, Master Kang showed no sign of pride when he saw the newly minted third-tier spirit slave.

Recalling the horrific scene of Jieyi Shangxiu's previous ordeal, Kang Dabao didn't miss a single detail, and a strange sense of lingering fear arose in his heart:
"I never imagined the Kuang family could be so cruel!!"

(End of this chapter)