Chapter 17

After the five great experts seized two treasures from the Qingqiu Kingdom, they also alarmed the powerful cultivators in the Qingqiu Kingdom and the surrounding regions. Everyone knew that these two treasures were ancient magical artifacts with great power.

This attracted even more cultivators to search for the two who had taken the treasures.

However, after the two treasures were taken, the ruler of the Qingqiu Kingdom, Zhu Xu, immediately went into seclusion to consume two pills to extend his lifespan. Zhu Ganglie, on the other hand, carefully stored the talisman given by the Divine Dawn Dao and quietly left the Dragon Flame City.

He had no attachment or sense of belonging to the Dragon Flame City, so he left without much fanfare.

Before leaving, he used his invisibility technique to load a considerable amount of materials and gold from the treasury.

Although they were just ordinary materials, it saved him the time of searching for them one by one and avoided some unnecessary trouble.

After leaving the Dragon Flame City, Zhu Ganglie still planned to go to the Tai Bai Sword Sect. Although he was momentarily moved by the talisman given by the Divine Dawn Dao, which provided him with another opportunity, his heart was still set on the Tai Bai Sword Sect.

If he could not successfully become a disciple, the Divine Dawn Dao would be his alternative opportunity.

After leaving the Dragon Flame City, Zhu Ganglie headed for the Tai Bai Sword Pool, the headquarters of the Tai Bai Sword Sect, located in the north of the Qingqiu Kingdom.

According to the information on the talisman given by the Ice Soul Daoist, the Divine Dawn Dao was located to the east of the Qingqiu Kingdom, quite far from the Tai Bai Sword Sect.

The talisman not only recorded the location of the Divine Dawn Dao but also contained a scroll of the Ice Heart Technique. However, this technique was only for visualizing the Ice Soul Daoist, stabilizing the mind, and cultivating spirit energy out of the body, which was not particularly important to him at the moment.

After all, he had already successfully left his body and condensed a much more substantial spirit energy than ordinary cultivators.

After leaving the Dragon Flame City, Zhu Ganglie did not immediately head to the Tai Bai Sword Pool. Instead, he found a cave and prepared to first cultivate the Supreme Unity Right Spirit Summoning Talisman to transform Dou Tai into a ghostly form.

This way, Dou Tai could gather information for him, be at his command, and help him with various tasks.

After several days of seclusion in the cave, Zhu Ganglie refined a Supreme Unity Right Spirit Summoning Talisman, which appeared in a light golden color, like jade.

Although this talisman had only one layer of restriction, it was refined using the Nine Heavens Seal Technique, making it far more powerful than the Lesser Cloud Seal Techniques.

"Dou Tai, enter this talisman."

As soon as the talisman was completed, Zhu Ganglie shook the White Bone Yin Tower, and Dou Tai transformed into a black light and entered the talisman.

While Dou Tai entered the talisman, Zhu Ganglie used a golden flower from the Primordial Yang Ruler and a strand of spirit energy to slowly refine the golden talisman, merging Dou Tai's soul with the talisman.

After a while, Dou Tai and the talisman merged into one, transforming into a golden-armored divine general holding a long spear.

"Hehe, this appearance is quite good."

Looking at the golden-armored divine general, Zhu Ganglie chuckled.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for allowing Dou Tai to see the light of day again."

Feeling the new power, Dou Tai was overjoyed and bowed.

"There's no need to thank me. I refined you into a semi-magical object for my own benefit."

Zhu Ganglie chuckled, and with a light gesture, Dou Tai involuntarily transformed into a light golden talisman in his hand.

With a casual touch, the entire talisman flashed with golden light, enveloping him, and Zhu Ganglie transformed into a golden-armored divine general.

"Comparable to the peak martial artists of the mortal world, equivalent to the out-of-body stage, and condensed with a spirit energy, this is quite powerful."

After testing the talisman's power, Zhu Ganglie grabbed it and transformed it back into a golden talisman.

Another function of this talisman was to allow the creator to possess the power of the ghostly form. However, during the initial refinement, the original consciousness of the ghost should be erased, leaving only a thread of consciousness to prevent resistance and ensure successful refinement.

However, Dou Tai was loyal and did not resist, so this step was unnecessary.

Moreover, Zhu Ganglie did not intend to do this. Dou Tai's strength was insufficient, and he only knew some martial arts and military strategies, which Zhu Ganglie could often consult without wasting energy to erase his consciousness.

"Dou Tai, stay in the White Bone Yin Tower and be ready to answer my summons."

With the two layers of the Supreme Unity Right Spirit Summoning Talisman, he could only refine Dou Tai to the manifestation stage, which was insufficient for combat but enough for carrying things and gathering information.

After refining Dou Tai into the talisman, Zhu Ganglie casually refined another disciple from the Hundred Demons Mountain, Zuo Fang, into a talisman. Zuo Fang had no consciousness, and with his experience, the refinement was easy.

With the help of the Zuo Fang talisman, he could control the White Bone Yin Tower as if it were an extension of his own body.

After putting away the two talismans, Zhu Ganglie sat in meditation to recover his lost spirit energy and absorb the elemental energy to strengthen his divine soul.

The next day, Zhu Ganglie left the cave and headed straight for the Tai Bai Sword Pool.

Traveling day and night, he quickly left the Dragon Flame City and traveled hundreds of miles to the Ying River, the largest river in the Qingqiu Kingdom. The river was over a hundred miles wide, and he had to cross it whether he was going to the Tai Bai Sword Pool or the Divine Dawn Dao.

However, he could not control the waves and was only at the out-of-body stage, having condensed only eight spirit energies. He could not fly, and even with some magical tools, he could only fly for a short time, which was not enough to cross a river over a hundred miles wide.

Moreover, there were many powerful demons and water monsters in the river, and he did not want to be swallowed by one of them halfway through.

The safest way was to find a large boat to cross the river, which would be less conspicuous.

After searching the Ying River for a while, he found a ferry at a riverbank. However, the ferry only crossed the river every five days.

There were three days until the next ferry, so Zhu Ganglie had to wait two more days before crossing.

The Ying River was rich in elemental energy, comparable to a small spirit vein, which was a good opportunity to condense his ninth spirit energy and complete the out-of-body stage.

Walking along the river for several miles, Zhu Ganglie found a temple called the Great Buddha Temple on a hill by the river. The temple was bustling with hundreds of monks, a grand and magnificent place.

After contributing some incense money, Zhu Ganglie stayed in a side room of the temple.

The side room was also occupied by many people waiting to cross the river, including vendors, laborers, and scholars, a mixed crowd.

However, Zhu Ganglie did not pay attention to them. As soon as he entered the room, he sat in meditation, absorbing the elemental energy to strengthen his divine soul and prepare to condense his eighth spirit energy.

"Knock, knock!"

On the second night, a knock on the door woke Zhu Ganglie from his meditation. The person knocking was a fat monk, followed by a group of other monks, all showing a respectful demeanor.

"Why did the abbot come personally?"

Zhu Ganglie looked at the monk with surprise, finding it strange. This monk was the abbot of the Great Buddha Temple, and they had only met briefly when he arrived. He did not know why the abbot was now visiting him personally.

"Venerable Liao Kong greets Prince Wang. We have been negligent towards Prince Wang. Please forgive us. I have prepared a quiet and elegant room in the scripture hall for Prince Wang. Please move there."

Liao Kong spoke respectfully, his oily face showing a hint of humility.

Seeing Liao Kong's expression, Zhu Ganglie felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. He did not expect to encounter such a situation here, but seeing the crowd gathered to watch, he decided not to stay and did not intend to argue with the abbot. He smiled and followed the abbot to the scripture hall.

After Zhu Ganglie entered the scripture hall, Liao Kong happily sent someone to report to the Dragon Flame City that night.

Zhu Ganglie saw through Liao Kong's intentions, but since he was only staying for one more day, he welcomed the peace and quiet.

However, less than half a day after he moved in, an old monk in a gray-brown robe with a simple face came to visit.

"Venerable Liao Fan, I pay my respects to Prince Wang."

When Liao Fan bowed, two golden rays of light hung behind his head, making him appear extremely sacred. This made Zhu Ganglie's face change, and he looked at the monk with surprise.

In the past dozen years, he had never met any monk who had achieved cultivation, and he did not know what the Buddhist world was like in this world.