Chapter 129: Dual Cultivation of the Yin Spirit, the True Form of Crane Grass (Please Subscribe)

The shadow spirit flew low through the air, the scenery on both sides rushing past in a blur.

Taking advantage of a moment, Lu Qian opened the Heaven-Compressing Bag belonging to the Black-and-White Daoist.

Inside, at the very least, were a jumble of various mystical incantations, among which lay a jade booklet.

On its cover was written: "The Black and White Yin-Yang Spirit Refining Chapter."

Flipping through it briefly, it appeared to be the cultivation insights of the Black-and-White Daoist.

One passage sent a chill down Lu Qian’s spine.

According to the Black-and-White Daoist, originally, there was a single-step incantation, but later it was divided into two parts.

This method of cultivation was inherently flawed; thus, every so often, the two shadow spirits must practice dual cultivation together to complement each other's vital energy.

"Men cultivating together?" Lu Qian wondered, puzzled. No one had ever said such a thing was impossible.

However, this technique was suited for twins born of the same mother.

If he couldn’t find the continuation of the Moon Invitation lineage’s cultivation method, switching to the shadow spirit path might not be a bad choice.

Besides that, he also found a silver talisman inscribed with the words "Autumn Official Governor."

After some thought, Lu Qian hung the talisman at his waist.

Boom!

Ahead, a wave of black demonic flame surged again.

"Heh heh, little girl, don’t run away now," came the voice of the Pegasus again.

Lu Qian glanced over and saw the demonic flame Pegasus soaring high in the sky.

Below lay several corpses, and a woman in white was fleeing in a desperate manner.

The woman was petite and fair, with a delicate appearance and a slightly chubby chin.

Her face flushed red from intense exertion, strands of hair clinging to her cheeks.

Judging by her looks, she was about seventeen or eighteen.

Two golden sword orbs hovered at her temples.

Each orb was adorned with two pairs of metallic wings, spinning rapidly around her.

They frequently blocked the demonic flames flying from above; the orbs moved so fast that even Lu Qian’s eyes struggled to track them.

Each possessed at least the power equivalent to the Spirit Nourishing Stage.

"But why is she still being overwhelmed?" Lu Qian was confused.

The Pegasus was clearly in poor condition, and judging by the woman’s speed, her cultivation wasn’t weak either.

If it were him, he would definitely use the two sword orbs to keep pace.

In less than three rounds, this woman would have been cut down beneath his horse.

Lu Qian was confident in himself; after years of battle, his judgment was sharp.

"Is she pretending to be weak to lure the enemy in?" A cold thought crossed his mind.

Originally, he had considered intervening, but on second thought, he decided against it.

Better to watch and wait, then reap the benefits later.

Ding-ling!

The pure gold dragon horn seized an opening, knocking down two flying winged sword orbs.

The woman in white suffered a backlash, collapsing to the ground, her large eyes innocently staring at the Pegasus.

"Hahaha! Nowhere to run, right?" the Pegasus laughed triumphantly.

Lu Qian realized he had been mistaken—the girl was truly pathetically weak.

Though she had the strength of the Spirit Nourishing Stage, her combat experience was abysmal, something he had never seen before.

She was like a flower grown in a greenhouse, utterly incapable of withstanding storms.

This left Lu Qian feeling disoriented.

He had grown up in a ruthless environment where people trampled one another, stepping over corpses to ascend.

So he had never thought a Spirit Nourishing expert could be so feeble.

For a moment, he couldn’t distinguish truth from illusion.

"If you kill me, you still won’t escape," the woman in white gritted her silver teeth, pitifully, "My sister and comrades are nearby. You people from the Fangcun Demon Kingdom won’t get away."

Lu Qian paused at her words; it seemed he had inadvertently been transported into the stronghold of the righteous faction.

"Enough talk! Die!" The Pegasus suddenly sensed something, then opened its blood-red maw, fangs dripping with shredded flesh, releasing a pungent stench.

"Death is certain!"

Facing death, Qu Suli closed her eyes, filled with regret for venturing out and dragging down her senior brothers and sisters.

"Ah! …"

After a long moment, a cold chill swept over, and Qu Suli opened her beautiful eyes in surprise.

The Pegasus had frozen in place, a black thorn piercing its forehead.

Crash!

The Pegasus’s body shattered into dust, leaving only its sturdy dragon horn.

Behind the Pegasus stood a black-clad Taoist.

His face was as white as jade, eyes deep and mysterious; around him swirled azure clouds, exuding a powerful murderous aura, like a great demon lord from hell.

Previously, Qu Suli would have fled upon seeing such a figure.

Now, he was her savior.

"What is your name?" Lu Qian’s gaze burned.

"I’m Qu Suli," she stood and dusted the dirt from her behind.

Suddenly, Lu Qian flashed forward, towering over her by a head, looking down with an air of command.

"Am I your savior?" he asked, as if transformed.

"Yes…" Qu Suli’s voice was faint, nodding like a little chick pecking.

"Good. Tell me everything you know," Lu Qian smiled.

Qu Suli recounted all the information she had.

She came from the Disaster-Slaying Treasure Courtyard and had been chased by the Pegasus for leaving without permission.

The treasure courtyard’s team was led by two Dao Foundation experts.

What surprised Lu Qian was that her sister was the famed Dragon Dawn Immortal, Qu Suying.

The very woman who had once unleashed the "Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night" technique.

No wonder the girl’s cultivation was decent but combat skills so poor.

Their station was exactly on Lu Qian’s route—the only place marked in red on the iron talisman.

Lu Qian guessed it was the fabled Underworld River Secret Mansion.

"Two Dao Foundation experts—that complicates things," Lu Qian thought.

If he offended those two, he’d have four Dao Foundation enemies inside this secret realm.

Such a deal was hardly worthwhile.

He glanced at the girl beside him.

She was a useful bargaining chip—one, to guide the way; two, to serve as a shield in danger.

"Come with me," Lu Qian said coldly.

"Yes," Qu Suli followed obediently like a gentle fawn.

He had analyzed her character.

With a domineering sister, Qu Suli was somewhat weak and accustomed to obeying authority.

The harsher he was, the more compliant she became.

They moved quietly along the path.

The closer they got, the stronger the sense of danger.

Using his far-sight, Lu Qian glimpsed nine gigantic serpent heads spewing water, fire, and poisonous gas.

Each head was enormous, exuding overwhelming pressure.

Opposite the heads were twenty-four star-like sword orbs.

"Let’s take a detour; this place is too dangerous," Lu Qian said.

They could bypass this path.

Ahead, a few shadowy figures appeared, their aura suggesting they were not righteous cultivators.

"Let’s bypass them too," Qu Suli said nervously.

"No need. Kill them directly," Lu Qian commanded coldly. "By the way, have you killed anyone before?"

"No."

"Then release two sword orbs and don’t hold back; just control them to attack," Lu Qian said, somewhat speechless.

"Alright!" Qu Suli bit her silver teeth and unleashed two flying winged sword orbs.

Buzz!

The orbs flapped their wings, carving golden trails as they shot miles away.

"Enemy attack!"

The two figures only reacted then, but the orbs were too fast, throwing them into chaos.

Before they could respond, a frost-like shadow sealed their bodies.

The sword orbs returned, piercing through their skulls.

"That’s more like it. Be ruthless with enemies—no mercy. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to die," Lu Qian rarely smiled.

The two orbs were highly refined mystical weapons.

"I see," Qu Suli seemed enlightened.

This man was unlike anyone she had met before—fierce and ruthless—but his words made sense.

"Haha! I’m done playing with you, little brat!" a brazen laugh echoed from the sky.

The nine-headed serpent vanished instantly.

Suddenly, a sharp sword aura swept over, chilling the spine.

A clear figure descended from the sky and stood before them, twenty-four bright moon sword orbs swirling around her.

She was fair and delicate, bearing a resemblance to Qu Suli but more heroic.

The sword aura stretched like a rainbow, and under its influence, the surrounding flowers and trees bowed their heads.

"Ali, why are you here?" the sword immortal asked.

"Sister…" Qu Suli hesitated, then recounted the events, finally pointing to Lu Qian. "This is the Daoist friend from the Nine Heavens Alliance who saved me."

Lu Qian’s waist talisman was a token of the Nine Heavens Alliance, a deliberate ploy.

He had thought he could slip away quietly, but the battle ended so quickly.

Confidently, Lu Qian said, "Lu Li of the Nine Heavens Alliance greets Immortal Dragon Dawn."

"Oh, a friend from the Nine Heavens Alliance. Thank you for your aid," Qu Suying flicked back her hair, revealing two dimples.

At that moment, she appeared like a newlywed maiden, not a ruthless sword immortal.

"It was nothing," Lu Qian smiled.

Qu Suli had seen Lu Qian use demonic arts before.

He understood her personality—timid yet kind, reluctant to betray others, hence fearless.

Moreover, the Nine Heavens Alliance was a coalition of scattered cultivators, with diverse sects; knowing some unorthodox techniques was common.

The righteous faction did not blindly attack those with unorthodox arts.

Everything was driven by interest.

"Where are you headed? Come with me to the Disaster-Slaying Treasure Courtyard," Qu Suying invited, raising her brows and retracting the moon sword orbs, her fierce aura softening.

"No, I have other business," Lu Qian feigned a desire to leave.

"Up ahead? The Old Demon Xiangliu is there. It might be dangerous for you," Qu Suying suddenly said, producing two tokens in her palm—one jade, one wooden.

The wooden token bore a lifelike white crane on one side, and a sprig of spiritual grass on the other.

"This is the Crane Grass True Form token; flipping right turns it into a crane, left into a grass figure. The other is our courtyard’s token. If you visit, use these as a gift of thanks."

"Thank you!" Lu Qian accepted the tokens. "By the way, may I ask about Xiangliu? Why does it appear that every time I see it, it’s fighting someone? Is there some grudge?"

"Oh, Xiangliu’s real name is Jiang Ming, the junior apprentice brother of our sword master," Qu Suying explained with a light smile.

"After losing the competition for sword master, he bitterly turned to demonic arts."

Jiang Ming’s tragedy was that, despite countless sacrifices and schemes against fellow disciples, he could never surpass the sword master.

A single strike, the Nine Tribulation Heavenly Sound, tore away his body, leaving his shadow spirit a half-human, half-ghost form.

"Earlier, he detected the aura of the Mischievous Demon Fetus and retreated."

Qu Suying’s eyes flickered with disdain.

Seeing Lu Qian’s curiosity, she chuckled softly.

"Well, many know this—Mischievous Demon Fetus is Xiangliu’s son. Be cautious."

Two centuries ago, Xiangliu Jiang Ming committed an act that shook the world.

Having lost his body and severely weakened, to forge a stronger one, he violated his own birth mother.

Using secret arts, he created a demon fetus abhorred by heaven and earth, loathed by gods and ghosts.

At its birth, the world’s color shifted; ghosts wailed and wolves howled.

The Mischievous Demon Fetus fed on its mother’s essence and was born with extraordinary cultivation.

"It’s not accepted by heaven and earth, lacking facial features, with six legs and four wings, devoid of humanity, as dangerous as Xiangliu himself."

Six legs, four wings… Lu Qian recalled a talisman once given by the Divine Hatred.

It depicted a six-legged, four-winged creature.

Divine Hatred… and that loathsome feeling...

"Farewell, friend," Qu Suying said, stepping onto a cloud and flying up, Qu Suli waving goodbye.

After several miles, Qu Suying’s expression grew grave.

"Ali, this man exudes dense yin energy. Why are you associating with him?"

"Sister, he really saved me."

"Use your innate sensing to see what kind of background he has."

Qu Suli had a mysterious ability, like a master of fate’s secrets, to sense others’ origins.

She closed her eyes, emanating a mystical aura.

After a while, she opened her beautiful eyes slowly.

"Sister, his background is shrouded in mist, impossible to discern—more obscure than the sword master’s."

"Can’t see through him? Then it’s best not to provoke him."

Qu Suying’s gaze hardened.

Someone with such a background either possessed great fortune or would bring great calamity.

Entangling with such fate might be beyond even her Disaster-Slaying Sword’s power to sever.

Meanwhile, Lu Qian curiously examined the two tokens.

After circulating True Water within to confirm no hidden traps, he studied them carefully.

The Crane Grass True Form token was exquisite; True Water flowed inside, the talisman glowing faintly red as it hovered.

Following the instructions, Lu Qian commanded, "Little treasure, turn left."

Whoosh!

The talisman spun and then merged into Lu Qian’s body.

Suddenly, some things rapidly grew larger.

No, it was he who had shrunk.

He became a three-inch tall figure woven from thatch, his aura blending with the surrounding plants.

He could even merge into the grass and trees.

Lu Qian willed himself back to normal.

The talisman floated again, turning right this time.

It transformed into a red-crowned white crane.

Elegant in posture, ethereal in aura.

After circling the sky several times, it reverted to human form.

"Nice item," Lu Qian thought.

This was not mere transformation magic.

Transformation magic, no matter how deceptive, left traces of the original form.

The Crane Grass True Form token did not grant him special powers but allowed complete transformation into the item itself, possessing all its structure.

Its concealment was obvious; flying overhead, people would only see an ordinary white crane.

As a grass figure, he could blend seamlessly with vegetation.

Lu Qian traveled as the white crane, occasionally turning into grass to evade strange beasts above.

Several cultivators passed nearby but noticed nothing unusual.

After all, no one paid attention to a common white crane—unless it was valuable.

Lu Qian did not regenerate limbs; for now, his priority was to find the Heavenly River Daoist’s legacy and obtain the refining method and energy.

Everything else could wait.

In the distance lay a mountain range.

The location marked on the Underworld River secret map was there.

The smooth progress made Lu Qian feel unreal.

…

(Two chapters combined; please support with votes.)

(Cough, cough, don’t say it’s too short. This story always moves fast—concise and sharp, without unnecessary dragging. Including this next dungeon, there won’t be dozens of filler chapters. One solid chapter beats six weak ones.)