Chapter 126: Chapter 124: Qi Refining Great Perfection?

A surge of Sword Qi, imbued with an overbearing fierce intent and wreathed in Nanming Demon Fire, shot toward the man’s unguarded brow with a sharpness that could pierce gold and iron!

But the expected scene of his head exploding never came.

The Sword Qi, powerful enough to easily tear through ten feet of refined steel, struck the man’s brow and produced a faint, crisp CLINK.

It was as if it had struck some invisible barrier. It failed to leave even a single white mark before abruptly dissipating, the Demon Fire extinguishing along with it.

"Hm?"

Qi Yun’s pupils shrank slightly, a flicker of genuine astonishment crossing his eyes.

He knew the power of his Sword Qi all too well. An ordinary Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivator would have no hope of withstanding it without a Magical Artifact to block it directly.

But this man before him, his vital points sealed by Golden Needles, should have been unable to circulate his True Qi, rendering him completely helpless.

How could he withstand a full-power attack with just his physical body, completely unscathed?

It was simply unthinkable!

"Heh... heh heh heh..." The chained man, far from being angered by the sudden assassination attempt, let out a low, raspy chuckle. His laughter held an indescribable note of satisfaction and even appreciation.

"That’s the stuff! This is more like it!

Attacking to kill at the slightest provocation, clean and decisive!

Kid, that vicious decisiveness of yours is right up my alley!"

Qi Yun’s gaze hardened. Refusing to accept it, he attacked again.

The Abyssal Iron Sand formed into countless fine needles, shooting forth like a black storm. The White Bone Skeleton spat out highly corrosive Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire. He even tried the Void-Piercing Cone from the Wood Element Command Skill...

He unleashed one technique after another. For a moment, the quiet room flashed with Dharma Light and overflowed with raging Qi Force.

Yet, the result was the same.

Every attack that landed on the man, be it a sharp physical impact or insidious attribute-based corrosion, was like a clay ox sinking into the sea—it vanished without causing any substantial harm.

His seemingly broken body was as if forged from Divine Gold—indestructible.

Qi Yun stopped his assault. He looked at the man, who was riddled with Golden Needles yet still wore a mocking "smile," and fell silent for a moment. Then, he sincerely gave the man a thumbs-up.

"Tough enough!"

He had to admit, he was impressed.

This level of defense was simply absurd.

"Hahaha!" Hearing this, the man let out a hearty laugh, tinged with a hint of desolation.

"A phoenix without feathers is no better than a chicken, but a lion without a mane is still a goddamn lion!

Kid, now you see that I’m not someone you can just push around, don’t you?"

Qi Yun pursed his lips, completely giving up the idea of killing the man on the spot.

Since he couldn’t kill him, he couldn’t be bothered to waste any more energy.

He decided to ignore this "iron turtle" and walked to one side, patiently waiting for the Vein-locating Talisman to finish its work.

As soon as the coordinates were recorded, he would get out of here. This mess had nothing to do with him.

Just as the light from the Magic Talisman was stabilizing, about to complete its recording, the man’s voice rang out again. This time, the bait he offered made Qi Yun’s heart skip a beat.

"Kid, don’t be in such a hurry to leave... How about we make a deal?

If you help me break free from these restraints, I can tell you the exact location of... a wild, ownerless Foundation Establishment Object."

A Foundation Establishment Object!

Those three words held an irresistible allure for any Qi Refining Cultivator.

In the path of Cultivation, pursuing Longevity was, of course, the ultimate goal.

But who didn’t also yearn for the immense power to command the universe and stand above all living beings?

A suitable Foundation Establishment Object could elevate the quality of one’s Dao Foundation by several levels, profoundly influencing their future path.

The words indeed caught Qi Yun’s attention, but his eyes only twitched slightly. He didn’t respond immediately, nor did he show any change in his expression.

He simply stood there quietly until the light of the Vein-locating Talisman completely receded. A soft HUM signaled that the coordinates had been successfully recorded. Only then did he unhurriedly retrieve the Jade Talisman and put it away in his Storage Magical Artifact.

Having done all this, Qi Yun slowly turned to face the suspended man.

"Oh? A Foundation Establishment Object? That does sound a little interesting.

But you’re offering empty words. Why should I believe you?"

The two immediately began a sharp-tongued round of bargaining.

The man tried to get Qi Yun to release him first before revealing the location, which Qi Yun naturally refused.

In the end, they reached a tiered agreement.

For every key Restriction Qi Yun removed, the man would reveal a piece of information about the Foundation Establishment Object.

To prevent the man from lying or making things up, Qi Yun forcefully demanded that he swear an oath on his own cultivation path.

Although such Heart Demon and cultivation path oaths weren’t directly enforced by the laws of Heaven and Earth and wouldn’t summon divine lightning upon the oathbreaker...

...for a Cultivator aspiring to the Great Dao, leaving the stain of a broken oath on their Dao Heart could easily give rise to a Heart Demon when Breaking Realms in the future. This could cause all their efforts to be for naught, so the impact was far from insignificant.

This was the strongest form of assurance Qi Yun could think of at the moment.

The man seemed extremely confident about the Foundation Establishment Object, or perhaps his desire for freedom was simply too desperate. After a brief hesitation, he complied with Qi Yun’s demand and swore a vicious oath on his future in the Great Dao.

Qi Yun watched the man finish his oath, his eyes glinting.

’He knew it was still extremely risky, but a "Foundation Establishment Object" was worth the gamble.’

He slowly raised his hand, his gaze falling upon the longest and thickest Golden Needle, the one embedded in the man’s Chest Acupoint.

"Then, let’s start here."

Qi Yun followed their agreement, removing a key Golden Needle Restriction for the man.

The man, in turn, kept his promise, freely revealing partial information about the mysterious Foundation Establishment Object. As the details were pieced together, they didn’t sound like fabrications.

Soon, only the final needle remained—the longest, thickest main needle, the one at his Celestial Spirit acupoint, covered in the densest Magic Patterns.

Qi Yun’s hand was already raised, his fingertips nearly touching the cold tail of the needle.

But at the last moment, his hand suddenly froze, suspended in mid-air.

Raising his head, Qi Yun looked calmly at the man’s eye sockets, which were sealed shut by Golden Needles.

"Your Cultivation is unfathomable, and your physical body is tougher than Divine Iron.

If I help you escape completely right now, you could kill me with a flip of your hand once you’re free. How should I protect myself then?

Forgive me, but I cannot bring myself to remove this final needle."

Seeing freedom so close at hand, the man grew visibly impatient. His voice held an imperceptible tremor as he urged him on.

"Kid! I’ve been tortured into this state, looking neither human nor ghost! I don’t even have a tenth of my original strength!

Even if you can’t beat me, with that Escape Technique of yours, you think you can’t get away?

Stop dawdling!

Listen carefully to the last piece of information..."

He hurriedly revealed the final, crucial piece of information.

"Ooh~"

Qi Yun let out a long, meaningful hum, as if he had been convinced.

The next second, his figure wavered almost imperceptibly.

Without further hesitation, his fingers firmly and swiftly grasped the Celestial Spirit Main Needle, and with a surge of strength, he yanked it out!

SSHHIIK!

The moment the Golden Needle left his body, it was as if a dam had been completely breached!

"Hhh... hhh-heh... HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The man’s stiff face suddenly twisted like a broken mask, revealing a bizarre, crazed smile—a mixture of extreme pain, ecstasy, and boundless violence.

A hoarse laugh forced its way from deep in his throat, growing louder and louder.

It finally erupted into a deafening, maniacal roar!

"I’m finally... FREE!!!"

BOOM—!!!

A terrifying aura, suppressed for who knows how many years, erupted like a dormant volcano, exploding violently from the man.

A tangible tide of pitch-black Demonic Qi surged out, instantly filling the entire quiet room.

The remaining Golden Needles on his body were forced out one after another—PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!—under the impact of this irresistible power. As if crushed by an invisible force, they shattered into dust in mid-air!

The thick iron chains binding his limbs groaned as if unable to bear the strain.

Their Magic Patterns flickered erratically before, with a piercing screech of metal, they shattered completely!

Amidst the billowing black qi, the man’s originally shriveled body rapidly inflated and recovered, with gnarled muscles bulging forth.

On the surface of his skin, hideous and terrifying great Demon Patterns, suffused with an ancient aura, emerged and writhed like living things, emanating a brutal and deathly intent that made one’s very Divine Soul tremble.

The entire room trembled violently under the pressure of his aura. The stone walls cracked, looking as if they might collapse at any moment!

Floating in mid-air, the man stretched his long-unused muscles, producing a series of sickening cracks and pops.

The eyes that had been sealed shut by the Golden Needles were now open. His pupils were a pure, bottomless black.

Only a single point of scarlet at their very center pulsed like an entrance to Hell, hungry to devour souls.

In the first moment of his escape, he didn’t even take the time to savor his long-lost freedom.

Those scarlet pupils instantly locked onto Qi Yun, who stood quietly to the side!

"Kid! I’ve just broken free, and after being cooped up for so long, I’m starving!

You won’t mind if I have you as a little snack to tide me over, will you?!"

Before he had even finished speaking, a large hand covered in Demon Patterns and wreathed in black qi had already shot through the air, moving faster than Qi Yun could react, and seized him by the neck.

The man opened his giant mouth, which transformed into a massive, bloody maw large enough to swallow a living person whole. He aimed for Qi Yun’s head, about to devour him in one gulp!

Just at this critical moment—

—the "Qi Yun" he was holding violently rippled.

It blurred abruptly like a reflection in water, then dissipated into a wisp of pure Pure Qi and vanished without a trace.

"A fake body?!"

The man, having grabbed nothing but air, was stunned for a moment. Then, instead of getting angry, he broke into an even more ferocious and excited grin, as if he had discovered something incredibly amusing.

"Interesting! This is too damn interesting! Hahahaha!!"

Amid his wild laughter, he lingered no longer. His figure blurred, transforming into a terrifying black wind that swept up the corridor, carrying with it a roiling Fierce Evil Qi.

Wherever he passed, stone walls crumbled and Restrictions wailed. He was unstoppable!

Only after the terrifying demonic wind had completely disappeared did the air in a shadowy corner of the room distort, and Qi Yun’s true body slowly materialized.

Staring in the direction the man had fled and feeling the lingering, heart-pounding, berserk aura of the Qi Refining Great Perfection Level, he pursed his lips and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"This aura... is that Qi Refining Great Perfection?"

In truth, from the very beginning, regardless of whether the man had offered the "Foundation Establishment Object" as bait, Qi Yun had already decided to let him go.

A terrifying being like this, trapped for who knows how long and filled with resentment and killing intent, would make an excellent "shield" once freed!

’If you don’t go out and draw their fire...

...how am I supposed to leave?’

...