Chapter 35

Xu Feiniang had stayed in the palace for over ten days. Seeing that Yue Qing had already adapted, she proposed to take her leave: "I have a junior brother in my sect who went to the southwest to seek treasure, so he couldn't come this time. He heard that the scenery in the palace is wondrous and beautiful, and he feels quite regretful. I estimate that he should have obtained the treasure by now. I will go to fetch him. I wonder if the younger sisters would welcome him?"

The people in the palace originally thought Xu Feiniang was the most generous and magnanimous immortal in the world. After meeting Yue Qing, they found her to be ten times more generous. When they heard her mention another junior brother who had gone to seek treasure in the southwest, they imagined he would be like Yue Qing. Xu Feiniang's proposal to bring him was met with enthusiastic approval, and they all urged her to go quickly and return soon.

After Xu Feiniang left, Sanfeng called Wu Fan and first inquired about Yue Qing's condition over the past few days. After some consideration, she finally took out a small banner and handed it to Wu Fan: "You have done a good job entertaining our distinguished guest these past few days. I will reward you with this Soul-Capturing Banner."

Wu Fan knelt down happily and accepted it: "Thank you, Third Palace Master!"

Sanfeng continued: "This banner was refined using the secret techniques of the Heavenly Demons. Its power is formidable. Just a gentle shake can capture someone's soul, allowing you to do as you please. However, its power is too great for you to handle. I heard from Sister Xu that Junior Brother Yue is the foremost expert in refining magical artifacts in the Wutai Sect. You should take this banner to him and ask for his help."

After leaving the Coral Pavilion, Wu Fan was still skeptical about Sanfeng's words. He picked up the Soul-Capturing Banner and shook it a couple of times. He immediately felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground, feeling nauseous. Realizing that Sanfeng had not deceived him, he hurriedly held the banner and went to Daxiong Reef to seek Yue Qing's help.

Yue Qing was in a pavilion, playing the zither and drinking tea to cultivate his spirit. Below the pavilion, fish and dragons swam in the sea, forming a lively scene. Small fish, less than an inch long, gathered in the millions, while larger ones, over several yards long, stirred the sea. Various colors and shapes, all strange and unique, they gathered under the pavilion, raising their heads out of the water to worship, hoping to please Yue Qing and receive a pill of immortality.

Wu Fan arrived on the island via a fairy boat, followed the corridor to Yue Qing, and presented the banner: "Uncle Yue! Third Palace Master rewarded me with this banner for my attentive service these past few days. However, its power is too great, and I feel dizzy and disoriented whenever I use it. Sister Xu said you are an expert in refining magical artifacts, so I came to ask for your help."

Yue Qing knew this was a test from Sanfeng. He took the banner and examined it: "This banner was refined using the juices of the Immortal Violet and the Joyful Lotus. It is merely a human technique, not a true immortal artifact. It can only be used against ordinary people who don't know magic. The only powerful aspect is the Secret Demon Soul-Capturing Seal. Unfortunately, without the Daoist method to clear the mind, it can easily capture your own soul. When you shake it, you feel dizzy and disoriented, which is a sign. If your opponent is of similar cultivation, you will suffer a backlash before you can harm them. Moreover, since it has the Secret Demon Soul-Capturing Seal, the herbs used are superfluous. Even without these aphrodisiacs, as long as you use magic to capture the soul, the person will be at your mercy. Why do you need the herbs?"

Wu Fan, convinced by Yue Qing's logical explanation, was at a loss for words.

Yue Qing shook the banner: "Since you came to me, I will help you improve it." He channeled the Five Elements True Qi into his right index finger and added a Taiyi Sixteen Deity Seal around the six Secret Demon Soul-Capturing Seals. He then handed the banner back to Wu Fan, "Try it again."

Wu Fan shook the banner lightly. The soul-capturing seal activated, creating an invisible connection that captured a colorful koi fish in the water below. The koi fish struggled but could not escape. Just as Wu Fan was about to exert more force, Yue Qing snapped his fingers, breaking the spell, and the koi fish dove into the deep water.

Seeing the banner work without the dizziness and disorientation, Wu Fan was overjoyed and danced with delight.

Yue Qing took the banner back: "When you capture someone's soul with this banner, they lose their consciousness and become like a puppet. While they are at your mercy, it is not very interesting. I will teach you a Daoist mind-clearing incantation. Practice it for an hour every day for forty-nine days. When you succeed, the person's body will be under your control, but their mind will remain clear. They will be helpless and unable to resist, which is much better."

Wu Fan was overjoyed and knelt down to thank Yue Qing: "If this really works, Uncle Yue will be my savior!"

Yue Qing taught him the incantation, and Wu Fan left happily. He returned to the Coral Pavilion and recounted the events to Sanfeng and Dongxiu.

Sanfeng took the Soul-Capturing Banner and examined it: "The seals are cleverly placed, limiting my demon seal without reducing its power."

Dongxiu said, "The incantation is also rare. If it works as he says, it will be very useful."

A few days later, Dongxiu personally came to Yue Qing with a golden chain: "Daoist Yue, being from a great Daoist sect, must be knowledgeable and skilled in Daoist arts. I have a magical artifact and would like you to examine it."

Yue Qing took the golden chain and casually examined it before returning it: "This should be called the Dragon Sparrow Ring, a magical artifact refined by Master Lianshan in the past. It was useful, but unfortunately, it is incomplete, only half of the original, greatly reducing its power. It was originally used to resist Heavenly Demons, but you refined it using Heavenly Demon techniques, further reducing its power."

Dongxiu, unwilling to accept his criticism, said, "It's not as useless as you say. This ring can grow or shrink. In battle, it can capture the opponent's flying sword. As long as I recite the incantation, it will tighten and eventually break the sword."

"That's because you haven't encountered a truly good sword." Yue Qing released his flying sword, which emitted a silver light like fireworks, hanging in front of him. He snapped his fingers, and the sound was like a dragon's roar, "If you don't believe me, try to capture my sword with your ring and see which breaks."

Dongxiu hesitated for a long time, not daring to try, and forced a smile: "Daoist Yue's immortal sword must be a rare treasure. How many other sects can find a sword to match it?"

"You are mistaken," Yue Qing shook his head and sighed, "My twin swords are only average. I know of at least a hundred flying swords that are of higher quality."

Dongxiu was displeased and wanted to leave immediately but asked, "You mentioned that this artifact is only half. Do you know where the other half is? If it could be completed, its power might be greatly increased."

"Haha," Yue Qing laughed, "I can tell you. When my master fought with the Emei Sect, I vaguely heard that the two elders of Mount Song had the other half. They had already calculated where the other half was, but due to past connections, they couldn't directly take it. They planned to find an excuse to ask for it later, and if it wasn't given, they would take it by force. At the time, we were guessing who had the other half, and we never imagined it would be you."

Dongxiu's scalp tingled, and her face turned pale: "How could it be in the hands of the two elders of Mount Song?"

"I have heard that the Dragon Sparrow Ring was originally refined by Master Lianshan, the uncle of the Long Eyebrowed Immortal. It was stored in the Lianshan Cave on Moon Island. The cave sometimes opens, and the two elders of Mount Song once went down to retrieve Master Lianshan's cultivation notes, taking a few magical artifacts, including half of the Dragon Sparrow Ring. In subsequent visits, they didn't pay much attention to it. When they needed it a few years ago, they realized it was missing."

Hearing "Moon Island" and "Master Lianshan," Dongxiu knew it was true. Among the six masters of the Purple Cloud Palace, her cultivation and power were the weakest. Although she had refined a few magical artifacts, none could compare to the Dragon Sparrow Ring. Now, hearing Yue Qing's words, she felt even the Dragon Sparrow Ring was worthless, which was naturally disheartening.

What frightened her even more was that the other half was in the hands of the two elders of Mount Song. She knew their power was immense, and even the six of them in the Purple Cloud Palace might not be a match. If they came to claim it, how could she respond? If she refused, there would be no good outcome. If she gave it, it would be like cutting a piece of flesh from her body!

Thinking of this, she secretly blamed Jinxun, who had brought six artifacts from Moon Island and distributed them. He must have known the truth and deliberately gave her the Dragon Sparrow Ring, leading to this futile effort. Filled with anxiety and resentment, she cursed him silently and returned to the Coral Pavilion to discuss a strategy with Sanfeng.

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