Enemy

The lines of small characters swiftly vanished.

Liu Ping glanced at the words and sensed an inexplicable crisis looming, yet it appeared...

This crisis had been completely averted under the scrutiny of the sequence.

He intended to inquire the sequence about the nature of the so-called tactical nuclear weapon, but Hong Tao's voice interrupted his thoughts from ahead.

At last, Liu Ping set aside his doubts momentarily and leaped out of the pit.

The three of them pressed forward.

"We should focus on finding items that have been identified to lower the risk," Zhao Chanyi proposed after some consideration.

Hong Tao sighed softly.

"Over the past few decades, millions of objects have fallen from the sky. Among them, only over 10,000 have been identified as non-dangerous. The pictorial book I possess records only around a hundred kinds."

"So, if we want to avoid returning empty-handed, we'll have to take some risks," Liu Ping remarked.

The three continued their journey for a while.

Suddenly, Liu Ping stopped and pointed in a certain direction.

Hong Tao advanced with a stick, rummaging through the sand until he retrieved a spear made entirely of pure gold.

"Alright, Brother Liu, even if we don't earn many spirit stones, at least our livelihoods will be for a while " Hong Tao chuckled happily.

Zhao Chanyi followed suit and nodded in agreement.

'Had all the low-level cultivators fallen to such circumstances?'

Liu Ping pondered silently, but his attention was drawn to Zhao Chanyi's sudden change in expression as she glanced in another direction.

She promptly activated a spell with a gesture, dispersing a patch of yellow sand.

"I've never seen this before," Zhao Chanyi murmured, her curiosity piqued.

Hong Tao flew over, inspecting the object closely. "I haven't seen this before either. What about you, friend Liu?" he inquired.

Liu Ping examined the object.

Directly in front of them lay a palm-sized sculpture, crafted from gray-black stone, depicting a unicorn horse.

Suddenly, a line of small characters materialized in the void:

[Database comparison successful]

[You have discovered a magical item: a wild beast mount.]

[Activation requirement: Infuse this statue with five units of Mana to transform it into a mount.]

[Note: Utilizing this sequence as a conduit, following the laws of energy conversion and loss, this statue can only be activated with five times the spiritual power.]

Liu Ping glanced at Hong Tao and Zhao Chanyi.

The pair froze in place, their expressions filled with anxiety and vigilance.

—Could such an item be dangerous? And is it truly worth the risk?

Liu Ping waved his hand, and the statue floated over, landing gently in his palm.

"Don't worry, you two. I've seen this item in an illustrated book; it's not dangerous," he reassured them.

The two visibly relaxed, exhaling sighs of relief.

"Then... how much could we sell it for?" Zhao Chanyi inquired.

"I only know that it's not dangerous. I'm not sure about its value," Liu Ping replied.

"Well, let's just leave it be. At least it won't cause us any losses," Hong Tao suggested.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from afar:

"Of course, this is a profitable venture."

In an instant, an afterimage streaked past.

Thud! Boom!

With two dull thuds, Hong Tao and Zhao Chanyi were instantly knocked unconscious.

The fan in Liu Ping's hand suddenly unfurled, emanating layers of aura like an unfolding picture, intercepting the twelve shadow blades aimed at him.

Despite his efforts, Liu Ping was still overwhelmed and thrown backward.

Utilizing the momentum, he unleashed his strength, continuously adjusting his posture mid-air, and swiftly retreated several meters.

But it wasn't over yet—

Manipulating his fan like a blossoming flower, he swiftly conjured nine shimmering aura blades to shield himself.

The elusive afterimages thwarted any attempts to approach him, leaving his opponent to dart around the swirling blades, desperately searching for an opening.

Meanwhile, Liu Ping, suspended in midair, deftly retrieved his spirit Hound Talisman with a flick of his left hand.

"Hahaha, a spirit Hound? Is this your final gambit?" mocked the lingering shadow.

Liu Ping suddenly threw a mouthful of blood, staining the talisman a deep crimson. With one hand formed into a knife-like gesture, he swiftly traced intricate patterns across the now blood-soaked paper.

The entirety of the talisman became coated in crimson, as he skillfully manipulated the blood to craft a brand-new spiritual symbol.

In mere moments, a new symbol took shape.

With the sacred fan grasped in one hand and the talisman in the other, Liu Ping bellowed in a commanding tone, "Tiger formation!"

The Talisman ignited, erupting into a blaze of swirling flames.

The fiery vortex descended to the earth, rapidly solidifying into a towering inferno, morphing into the form of a majestic fierce tiger.

As Liu Ping observed, the afterimage hesitated momentarily before withdrawing several paces.

Finally revealing himself—

A man wielding a hook and adorned with a white jade crown stood there.

"Formation master?"

The man with the lofty crown regarded Liu Ping with astonishment.

Liu Ping extended his hand towards the flaming tiger beside him and gave a reassuring shake.

"Wait—" the man began hastily.

"End him," Liu Ping whispered.

Just as the opponent launched a sudden assault, the clash between the cultivators commenced, without any introduction, unfolding in the most intense manner—

Hong Tao was impaled by two long daggers, his breaths shallow and labored, his condition appearing dire.

"Friend Hong Tao, stay with me. I have a Blazing Crane Pill here. Take it, and you'll be fine," Liu Ping exclaimed urgently.

With determination, he rummaged through his storage bag and retrieved a pill emitting a subtle fragrance.

As he reached to administer the pill to Hong Tao, an unexpected development unfolded—

A powerful gust of wind struck Liu Ping from behind, propelling him several dozen feet away.

Standing before Hong Tao was the man with the high crown, his upper body charred and his skin bearing the telltale signs of burns.

"That trick was quite something. It actually managed to harm me. However, such a rune crafting in at your power level has depleted your spiritual energy entirely," the man wheezed, his breaths labored.

The attack was powerful by all means, but it proved insufficient to claim his life.

Clutching a pill in his hand—

It was the very same pill Liu Ping had produced moments earlier!

The man inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the pill, and erupted into a fit of raucous laughter.

"Hahaha, it's Blazing Cranel! So, it's Blazing Crane! Boy, how did you come by such a potent medicine?"

Liu Ping rolled several meters away, blood flowing onto the ground, and bellowed with indignation, "You're clearly at the pinnacle of foundation building. Yet, you stoop so low as to attack three of us at the Qi Refining Realm and steal my medicine! Shameless!"

"Shameless? You dare accuse others, while you yourself are careless?" The man's grin faded, his expression turning grave. "Boy, the path of cultivation has always been unforgiving. Today, I'll teach you a valuable lesson—' Be cautious in your endeavors for the long journey ahead.''

He consumed the pill in a single gulp.

Observing this, Liu Ping's resentment dissipated entirely, replaced by determination as he scrambled to Hong Tao's side.

The man with the high crown watched Liu Ping's retreating figure with a smirk, reaching towards his storage bag, only to find himself immobilized in an instant.

He was paralyzed.

The pill Liu Ping had ingested before had already begun to take effect, the outer layer of the Crane Control Pill dissipating swiftly.

In mere moments, the poison pill concealed within would be revealed.

The poison infiltrated meridians, coursing through his entire body, its effects escalating rapidly.

With a dull thud, the man with the high crown could no longer maintain his human form, transforming abruptly into a gaunt wolf demon.

"It was a monster all along. I suspected as much. How could mere cultivator at the foundation stage contend the Three of us?" Zhao Chanyi remarked.

"The poison is potent indeed—" The wolf demon coughed up black blood incessantly, urgency evident in his tone. "I'll offer you all the spirit stones I possess. Please, Spare me!"

"Spirit Stones? I don't need your Spirit Stones. Do you have anything else to offer?" Liu Ping interjected urgently.

"I'll give you anything you want," the wolf demon roared.

"I want your death," Liu Ping chuckled.

The wolf demon attempted to utter another word, but no sound escaped its lips.

Gradually, its expression froze, vitality draining from its body like sap from deadwood, leaving it standing motionless in the desert.

"What happened to it?" Hong Tao asked.

"It died"

"..."

Liu Ping finished his scrutiny of the wolf demon, approaching Hong Tao instead and laying a hand on him.

A gentle stream of icy mist emanated from his touch, settling softly and instantly congealing the wound on Hong Tao's body.

The flow of blood halted abruptly.

"It's—It's cold," Hong Tao shivered.

"Endure it," Liu Ping instructed.

Completing his technique, Liu Ping waved the fan in his right hand.

Successive layers of spiritual light cascaded from the fan, enveloping the frost.

A radiant aura of rejuvenation permeated the air.

"This technique is rather rare, drawing the power of water element. It harnesses the healing properties of water," Liu Ping explained.

"Friend Hong Tao, you're gonna live, but you must rest for a while," Liu Ping advised.

"I'm grateful just to be alive, but these two daggers... Could you please remove them from me first?" Hong Tao requested, gasping for breath.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Liu Ping assured him.

Zhao Chanyi knelt, swiftly assisting with healing the wound.

Observing briefly, Liu Ping then turned and moved aside to tend to his own needs.

With a sense of solemnity, he approached the corpse of the wolf demon. Retrieving the previously broken blade, he drove it into the creature's chest. Afterward, he turned his gaze and inquired:

"Fairy Zhao, I've stabbed its heart with a knife. If it attempts resurrection, will it die instantly again?" Liu Ping inquired.

"Remove the blade!" Zhao Chanyi exclaimed urgently.

"Indeed, while preventing resurrection, repeatedly damaging the corpse will inevitably draw the attention of Powerful monsters," Hong Tao added.

Liu Ping swiftly withdrew the knife, casting a puzzled glance at the two of them.

In the next moment...