I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Chapter 347 Settling Down and Making Peace! Entering the Human Realm's Pyramid Circle!

"Old man, this is just the beginning!"

Old Man Feng saw that Xiang Zhili wanted to stop the match, but he was still in the heat of battle.

They had no intention of giving up.

He finally encountered a Nascent Soul stage cultivator who could give him a chance to stretch his muscles and bones.

How could we let this opportunity slip by?

He snorted coldly and stopped holding back.

With a flick of his sleeve, two streaks of dark light shot out like venomous snakes, swirling in the air to reveal two jet-black swords.

The ancient black sword, with its curved blade and intense aura of malevolence!

These two black swords were made of some unknown material, with faint ghost face runes flowing across their blades, emanating a chilling aura.

"Go!" Old Monster Feng pointed his fingers like a sword, aiming them at Zhou Yuan's direction.

The two black blades suddenly emitted a piercing buzz, transforming into two black lightning bolts that crossed and danced, carrying the power to cleave through the void as they fiercely slashed towards Zhou Yuan's Great Geng Sword Formation!

"Clang clang clang clang—!!!"

The deafening clang of metal clashing resounded like a violent storm!

Golden sword light and black blade light collided fiercely in the air, bursting out with dazzling sparks and violent spiritual energy fluctuations!

With the support of the vast and boundless magical power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Old Monster Feng actually managed to block the sword formation composed of Zhou Yuan's seventy-two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords!

However, Zhou Yuan remained calm.

He had absolute confidence in the material of his flying sword.

Each Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword is made primarily of ten-thousand-year-old Golden Thunder Bamboo, and is also infused with rare and precious materials such as Geng Essence. Its sharpness and sturdiness are such that, apart from those true heaven-reaching spiritual treasures, almost no magical artifact in the human realm can destroy it.

Although Old Monster Feng's black blade is powerful, it is wishful thinking to think that it can damage his flying sword!

Thus, the two engaged in a fierce battle in the air, one relying on an exquisite sword formation and endless power, and the other relying on the profound magic power of the Nascent Soul stage and two incredibly powerful ancient treasures!

The sword light and blade light crisscrossed, stirring up the sky and changing the color of the clouds for dozens of miles around!

Besides the clash of magical artifacts, the two also began to compete in terms of magic!

Old Monster Feng made a hand seal with one hand and chanted incantations. The spiritual energy in the world seemed to be summoned and frantically converged towards him! With a casual wave of his hand, several earthen-yellow dragons, each a hundred feet long, roared and charged towards Zhou Yuan!

With another finger pointing out, countless ice spikes gleaming with cold light materialized out of thin air and rained down like a storm!

Zhou Yuan, on the other hand, was not afraid of the magical clash at all!

His biggest advantage is his equipment slots!

Five of the slots are equipped with high-grade spirit stones!

This caused his mana regeneration speed to increase hundreds of times!

It has almost reached the point of being inexhaustible and never running dry!

Although the total amount of mana in his body is not yet as much as that of Feng Laoguai, a Nascent Soul cultivator, his mana recovery speed is far superior to that of his opponent!

His hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, effortlessly casting various spells at a dazzling speed!

"Ten Thousand Swords Technique!"

With a low shout, thousands upon thousands of golden light swords appeared before him, raining down on Old Monster Feng like a torrential downpour!

"Whirlwind Technique!"

With a single breath, an invisible hurricane appeared out of thin air, transforming into countless massive tornadoes connecting heaven and earth, raging across the battlefield and scattering the earth dragons and ice spikes that the Wind Monster had conjured!

"Earth Dragon Technique!" "Ice Rain Technique!" "Fire Sea Technique!" ————

Zhou Yuan was like a tireless magical artillery platform, unleashing wave after wave of powerful mid-to-high-level spells!

The entire battlefield and the surrounding area of ​​dozens of miles were stirred up to be extremely violent, with thunder, howling and explosions resounding everywhere!

Fortunately, the area around Mount Silent Extinction was a barren wasteland with no inhabitants for tens of thousands of miles. Otherwise, the aftershocks of their battle alone would have been enough to crush any living being into dust!

The more they fought, the more alarmed Old Monster Feng became!

"What kind of monster is this kid?! How can a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator unleash so many powerful spells without running out of mana?!" Old Monster Feng lamented inwardly as he parried Zhou Yuan's storm of spell attacks.

He discovered that the magical power within his body was being consumed at a considerable rate! Although as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish himself, the rate of replenishment was subtly lagging behind the rate of consumption!

If this exchange of blows continues, this Nascent Soul stage old monster will probably exhaust his mana first and need to take a mana-restoring elixir to sustain himself!

"It seems you really think this is all I'm capable of unless I show you some real skills!"

A fierce glint flashed in Old Monster Feng's eyes. He knew in his heart that the fierce battle just now had cost him several precious years of his lifespan!

He couldn't waste any more time pointlessly fighting Zhou Yuan like this! He had to finish the battle quickly!

He gritted his teeth, flipped his hand, and a palm-sized, hexagonal jade plate, carved entirely from some unknown white jade and covered with dense, mysterious runes, appeared in his hand!

Without hesitation, he tossed the hexagonal jade plate into the air!

"Buzz—!!!"

The jade plate swelled in the wind, spinning rapidly in the air and emitting a muffled buzzing sound. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a colossal object several meters in size, hovering in mid-air and radiating a terrifying pressure that made people's hearts tremble!

Suddenly, the runes in the center of the huge jade plate lit up, and a thick, bluish beam of light shot out from the plate! The blue beam of light shot into the air, then suddenly dispersed, turning into countless fine blue rays of light!

These blue lights flashed in the air a few times before instantly solidifying into exquisite blue throwing knives, each only a few inches long!

Within that jade plate, blue beams of light continued to shoot out incessantly, seemingly endless! In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of blue flying knives floated densely above Old Monster Feng's head, resembling an ocean composed of blades!

Each throwing knife exuded a sharp aura capable of easily piercing through the protective spiritual light of a Nascent Soul cultivator!

"This old guy has even brought out a replica of the Spirit Treasure Thousand-Blade Disc! He's really going all out!"

Xiang Zhili, standing to the side, frowned and looked worried when he saw Feng Laoguai bring out this treasure.

He knew that Feng Laoguai had been driven to his wits' end by Zhou Yuan and was planning to use this trump card, a replica of a magical treasure, to settle the score!

When Zhou Yuan saw that Old Monster Feng had actually produced a replica of a spirit treasure, he was also taken aback.

He knew that the Great Geng Sword Formation alone was probably no match for the sharpness of the Myriad Blade Disc! He had to use an even stronger trump card!

Without hesitation, he flipped his hand, and a golden talisman, seemingly formed from countless golden runes and radiating a faint aura, appeared in his hand—it was the Spirit Summoning Talisman!

He carried more than a dozen spirit-summoning talismans, and the one he took out at this moment was only the most ordinary one among them, which was made from the essence of an eighth-level demon beast.

Although it's only level eight, once activated, it allows him to gain the full demonic power of that level eight demonic beast in a short period of time, causing his strength to skyrocket!

At the same time, he no longer hesitated. With a thought, a small cauldron, with a dark blue-black body, three legs and two handles, and its body engraved with ancient cloud patterns and bird and beast designs, flew out and hovered above his head!

It was the Heavenly Treasure he obtained from the Chaotic Star Sea—the Void Heaven Cauldron!

Although with his current cultivation level, he is not able to unleash the full power of the Void Heaven Cauldron and can only activate the second level of the Tongbao Technique, even so, as a true Tongtian spiritual treasure, the power of the Void Heaven Cauldron is far beyond what ordinary imitation spiritual treasures can match!

"A celestial treasure?!"

The moment the Void Heaven Cauldron appeared, Xiang Zhili, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer remain calm!

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and shock!

He never expected that Zhou Yuan would actually possess such a legendary treasure!

"Fellow Daoists! Wait! Wait a minute!" Xiang Zhili could no longer sit still. His figure blurred, like a ghost, and he once again positioned himself between Zhou Yuan and Old Monster Feng, spreading his arms to block them both! "Old Ghost! Don't be in such a hurry to attack! Let me say something!"

"Old ghost Xiang! Get out of my way! I'll take this kid down in no time!"

Feng Laoguai said somewhat impatiently, the Thousand Blade Disc above his head was already poised to strike, the blue blade light flickering and exuding a cold killing intent, "So what if he has a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure? With his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, how much power can he unleash?"

"You're far from capable of hurting me!"

"Old ghost! Are you stupid?! Didn't you see what he's holding?!"

Xiang Zhili quickly pointed to the Spirit-Summoning Talisman in Zhou Yuan's hand and said urgently, "That's a Spirit-Summoning Talisman! One of the three great inherited talismans of the Heavenly Talisman Sect! Each Spirit-Summoning Talisman, even the worst one, requires the essence of an eighth-level demon beast to be refined! Once he activates this talisman, he will receive the power of the demon beast, and his combat strength will double!"

"Hmph! What can a mere level eight demonic beast's power do to me?"

Old Monster Feng remained unimpressed.

"Yeah?"

Zhou Yuan's voice rang out calmly.

He slowly raised his head, calmly meeting Feng Laoguai's gaze. Then, under the watchful eyes of Feng Laoguai and Xiang Zhili, he put away the level eight demon beast summoning talisman and took out another talisman from his storage bracelet.

This talisman is a deep blue color, as if it were carved from the purest jade. On the surface of the talisman, there is a faint phantom of a magnificent bird with wings spread wide enough to blot out the sky. It slowly swims within the bird, emanating a terrifying pressure that far surpasses that of an eighth-level demon beast, making people feel suffocated!

"A level ten demon beast essence!"

Xiang Zhili looked surprised.

Old Monster Feng's expression also changed slightly.

If Zhou Yuan were to truly activate this Spirit-Subduing Talisman, crafted from the essence of a level ten demon beast, and gain the blessing of demonic power, his strength would absolutely surge to a level comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator!

However, Zhou Yuan has not yet revealed all his trump cards!

Under the shocked gazes of Feng Laoguai and Xiang Zhili, Zhou Yuan calmly took out another item from his storage bracelet.

A black sphere, only the size of a walnut, perfectly round, jet black, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, that looks completely unremarkable!

"The Immortal-Slaying Pearl?!"

This time, Xiang Zhili and Feng Laoguai exclaimed in almost unison!

The Immortal-Slaying Pearl!

This is a legendary weapon of mass destruction!

A powerful weapon that can even threaten Nascent Soul cultivators!

They never expected that this thing would end up in Zhou Yuan's hands!

Zhou Yuan held the Void Heaven Cauldron in one hand and a level-ten Spirit-Subduing Talisman in the other. He also had an Immortal-Slaying Pearl hanging at his waist that could explode at any moment. He stood there calmly, looking at Old Monster Feng, without saying a word.

But the meaning couldn't be clearer: you want to fight? I'm ready to fight to the bitter end!

Let's see if you, this old monster at the Nascent Soul stage, can take me down first, or if I can use this Immortal Extinction Pearl to blast you half to death!

Old Monster Feng's face turned pale and then red, a truly fascinating sight.

He stared intently at the Immortal-Slaying Pearl at Zhou Yuan's waist, then glanced at the Level 10 Spirit-Subduing Talisman in his hand and the Void Heaven Cauldron above his head. Finally, he let out a long sigh, and the terrifying pressure that permeated the air, belonging to a Nascent Soul cultivator, slowly receded like a tide.

He knew that he had absolutely no chance of easily defeating Zhou Yuan today.

This kid has too many trump cards! If it really comes down to a fight to the death, even if he wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, and he might even be dragged down with the Immortal-Slaying Pearl!

It's simply not worth risking your life for a direct descendant from more than ten generations away with whom you have no feelings anymore.

Xiang Zhili was a shrewd man; just by looking at Feng Laoguai's posture, he knew that Feng Laoguai had already begun to consider retiring.

He quickly seized the opportunity, chuckling as he smoothed things over, "Oh dear! Fellow Daoist Feng! Look, look! I told you! Although Fellow Daoist Zhou's cultivation is still at the Nascent Soul stage, with his strength and wealth, how can he be considered an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator? He clearly already has the qualifications to stand on equal footing with us old guys!"

He walked up to Old Monster Feng and said, "Old Ghost, your direct descendant is at least a dozen generations removed from you, right? To be honest, you probably wouldn't even remember such a person all year round. For the sake of such a descendant, you'd go and follow someone who possesses a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure..."

Is it worth risking your life with a level 10 Spirit Summoning Talisman and the Immortal Extinction Pearl? What if you really push him too far and he throws the Immortal Extinction Pearl at you?

"Take my advice and let this matter rest! Give me face, and give Fellow Daoist Zhou face too, how about it?"

After listening to Xiang Zhili's persuasion, Old Monster Feng remained silent for a moment. Finally, he slowly nodded and addressed Zhou Yuan, his voice still somewhat harsh, but without the previous murderous intent: "I will give Old Ghost Xiang some face! Fellow Daoist Zhou, let's—become friends through this fight!"

"Let's leave this matter here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan put away the Void Heaven Cauldron and the Spirit Descent Talisman, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Old Monster Feng, and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Feng is so magnanimous, I am deeply grateful."

A tense battle at the Nascent Soul level, which was almost a matter of life and death, was thus dissolved into nothingness thanks to Xiang Zhili's mediation and Zhou Yuan's display of his powerful trump cards.

The atmosphere among the three of them finally eased.

Xiang Zhili laughed and took out a set of exquisite tea utensils from his storage bracelet, along with a small jar of fragrant spiritual tea, and began to brew the tea on the spot.

"Come, come! We've become friends through this little misunderstanding! Let's sit down, have some tea, and chat!"

Xiang Zhili greeted him warmly.

Zhou Yuan and Feng Laoguai exchanged a glance and then sat down.

What was supposed to be a life-or-death battle turned into a gathering for tea tasting and philosophical discussions.

Through this battle, Zhou Yuan truly proved his strength, gained the right to have an equal dialogue with these two beings who stood at the top of the human realm, and successfully entered this most elite circle.

Over tea, Xiang Zhili introduced Zhou Yuan to several figures who truly stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world in the Great Jin Dynasty: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are now considered one of us. Let me tell you about some other beings in the mortal realm that you should be wary of, besides myself and Fellow Daoist Feng."

"Old Demon Hu of the Heavenly Demon Sect and Old Ghost Bai of the Righteous Taiyi Sect are both veteran Nascent Soul cultivators like us, with unfathomable strength. In addition, there is Old Demon Che of the Myriad Demon Palace, a Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator who has cultivated for countless millennia—"

Zhou Yuan listened quietly without interrupting.

As a time traveler, he naturally knew these secrets.

Finally, Zhou Yuan asked the question that concerned him most: "Fellow Daoists, you've both been through this before. I'd like to ask, besides arduous cultivation, are there any things to be aware of when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Or, is there any way to increase the success rate of reaching the Nascent Soul stage?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhili pondered for a moment and said, "The difficulty of achieving the Nascent Soul stage is greater than ascending to heaven. It not only requires a sufficient understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, but also a massive accumulation of spiritual energy and a sliver of elusive opportunity. However, it is not entirely without things in this world that can increase the chances of achieving the Nascent Soul stage."

He paused, then said, "As far as I know, the old demon Hu of the Heavenly Demon Sect possesses a pill called the Demon Essence Pill. It is said that taking it can, to a certain extent, increase the probability of breaking through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage."

"However—"

He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "That stuff can only be the icing on the cake. If one's foundation isn't solid enough and one's comprehension isn't deep enough, even if one consumes a lot of Demon Essence Pills, it will be in vain. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so few Nascent Soul cultivators in the human realm."