Chapter 103: The White Emperor's Glazed Cauldron (Part Two)

The Master of the Lifeless Isle let out a piercing scream, helplessly watching as the Wood Emperor Divine Needle pierced his body. He tried to envelop it with his energy to force it out, but suddenly the Heavenly Wood Divine Needle expanded, transforming into a colossal tree that split his body apart in an instant, tearing him limb from limb! Blood rained down like a storm, and his fragments scattered wildly!

The Master of the Lifeless Isle’s body exploded into a fine powder! The immense energy within him lost control and instantly went berserk, erupting into the sky like a volcanic eruption before bursting apart.

When an expert at the ninth stage of the Void Abyss Realm dies, their spiritual energy surges skyward, exploding and dispersing into the heavens and earth.

Jiang Feng paid no mind to the master’s remains; his vitality was limited and not significantly stronger than his own. Experts at the ninth stage of the Void Abyss Realm, unless they reached the True Abyss Realm, did not possess bodies much mightier—not like the primordial exotic Red-Eyed Blackwater Serpent.

Though the opponent’s spiritual energy was useful, it could only be refined if captured alive. While Jiang Feng had the ability to kill the Lifeless Isle’s master, he lacked the means to capture and refine him alive.

Forcing the enemy to self-destruct was a viable solution. Capturing and refining an expert alive was incredibly difficult; even refining the Blackwater King Serpent required perfect timing and an immense stroke of luck—an opportunity rarely encountered in a lifetime.

“Head!”

Amid the blood rain, Gui Yue spotted the master’s severed head soaring upward, shielded by energy. She quickly waved her hand, releasing a chilling aura that froze the head within a block of ice.

Although the Lifeless Isle’s master was dead, his head remained crucial as a trophy for claiming the reward.

Taking advantage of this, Jiang Feng unleashed the Wood Emperor’s spiritual energy, reaching out toward the White Emperor Glazed Cauldron!

This pill furnace was as large as a small house. Upon the master’s death, it lost control and began flying outward, making it difficult to seize. At that moment, suddenly, from the distant canyon, many figures flew in. “Unexpectedly, someone has beaten us to it! Leave the pill furnace!”

Numerous flying swords and magical treasures rained down upon Jiang Feng. Simultaneously, many spiritual energies transformed into giant hands and ropes, attempting to seize the Five Prison King Cauldron!

“Why are so many cultivators suddenly here, trying to pick up scraps? The Lifeless Isle is supposed to be so hidden! This was supposed to be my first demon-slaying treasure—how could I just hand it over? Who are these people, and why are there so many?” Jiang Feng thought bitterly. After all his efforts to kill the master and claim the remaining treasure—the White Nether Saint Artifact—he had not expected so many spiritual energy users to suddenly appear from who knows where.

He nearly cursed aloud.

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However, this was no time for curses, as many magical treasures were already slashing towards him. Among them were several powerful spirit swords, comparable in strength to the Ruyi Sky-Holding Rod. The most fearsome was a beam of white light, as mighty as three or four hundred wild horses trampling at once, which swept over the Five Prison King Cauldron, nearly dragging it away!

Sensing danger, Gui Yue immediately unleashed the Ice Soul Divine Thunder, intercepting several flying swords to protect Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng himself, facing this peril, once again displayed his formidable power. Spreading the Wood Emperor’s spiritual energy over more than ten acres, it rippled like a vast swamp, ensnaring the attacking forces.

Then, using the other half of his Wood Emperor energy, he formed a giant hand and grabbed the Five Prison King Cauldron, instantly seizing the golden arc of light.

His ordinary Wood Emperor spiritual energy possessed the force of a thousand horses, instantly snapping the white beam. The cauldron flew into his hands.

“That white light is tremendously powerful and resilient! If I hadn’t absorbed part of the Red-Eyed Blackwater Serpent’s magic, even risking my life, I couldn’t have snapped it!” Amid the chaos, Jiang Feng caught sight of the source of the white light—a distant young man holding a square mirror, someone he did not recognize!

Yet this man wore the uniform of the Langya Trade Association, seemingly even the kind worn by its deep-tier members.

The presence of Langya Trade Association members at sea was unexpected for Jiang Feng. By all logic, the Langya Trade Association of Jiuyan Town was a minor player, unlikely to make waves, and he had never taken them seriously.

Now, however, it seemed he had misjudged.

This man was a deep-tier member, a status Jiang Feng hadn’t heard of existing within Jiuyan Town. After all, the town wasn’t wealthy enough to harbor such high-level figures. In the Langya Trade Association, membership levels were not based on cultivation strength but on contributions. The higher your contributions, the more privileges you enjoyed.

Of course, only masters could accumulate significant contributions.

This man was the leader of a group that had appeared outside Ghost Demon Gorge—Zhang Tianhao!

Zhang Tianhao had recently made great strides in cultivation. Although he hadn’t yet stepped into the True Abyss Realm, his strength had reached the ninth stage of the Void Abyss Realm, comparable to the Master of the Lifeless Isle, and seemed on the verge of breaking through. Though the next step was difficult, he had reached the limit.

Given Zhang Tianhao’s talent, it would likely take another decade to fully hone his body to its peak.

It was clear Zhang Tianhao had been taught by a high-level expert.

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“What is that mirror she holds... so strange? And within it, such terrifying white light... What kind of colossal force is the Langya Trade Association? They possess all manner of Nether Artifacts. Just the Jiuyan Town branch has treasures like the Star Sand Azure Dragon Ring and the Ruyi Sky-Holding Rod, and now this White Nether Saint Artifact appears here. It seems the Langya Trade Association controls the economic lifeblood of the Eastern Abyss!”

A sudden flash of insight sparked in Jiang Feng’s mind, piecing the whole situation together.

At this moment, a chill crept into his heart. The Langya Trade Association’s wealth was vast and imposing, capable of stirring such trouble with ease.

The root of the problem was that these opponents were not necessarily high-level spiritual energy users. Though Jiang Feng didn’t understand why someone of no greater strength than the Lifeless Isle’s master could attain deep-tier membership, he reluctantly accepted it—after all, the world was full of unfairness. But why did they possess a White Nether Saint Artifact while he only had a Blue Emperor Glazed Cauldron, which had been damaged by Xuan Xingzi?

Was his fate and fortune truly so poor?

Jiang Feng was cautious about dealing too harshly with Zhang Tianhao. Venting anger was fine, but killing or maiming him was out of the question. First, there was the cultivation gap; killing the Lifeless Isle’s master had already been a stroke of luck. To fight Zhang Tianhao head-on would be senseless trouble.

Moreover, Jiang Feng’s reputation within the Jiuyan Town Langya Trade Association was already poor. Attacking members from other branches would surely attract the attention of the association’s high-ranking figures—and then things would become truly disastrous.

If Zhang Tianhao lacked strength, Jiang Feng wouldn’t care. But now, with a ninth-stage Void Abyss Realm expert opposing him, constant conflict would be a nightmare.

“Damn it, might as well go all out...” Jiang Feng’s anger flared, even cursing under his breath, “But first I have to secure the White Emperor Glazed Cauldron! Too bad it’s all under watch; I can’t just stash it in the Jiangshan Bottle. This level of pill furnace takes a long time to refine—first I must repel these people.”

Protecting the White Emperor Glazed Cauldron, Jiang Feng released the Wood Emperor’s spiritual energy, spreading it all around. The attackers immediately felt his power and hesitated. Even Zhang Tianhao withdrew his white light, standing at a distance.

Together with Zhang Tianhao were nine others. Five of them emanated a calm, steady aura, appearing to be middle-aged. They carried few magical treasures—only one or two spirit tools—but were all eighth-stage Void Abyss Realm masters. However, their spiritual energy was not excessively robust—Jiang Feng guessed this might be due to individual aptitude, as they hovered around the eighth stage in energy strength.

Like Zhang Tianhao, all wore the deep-tier membership uniform of the Langya Trade Association, presenting a formidable squad that sent a chill through Jiang Feng’s heart.