Chapter 585 - 405: Teaching the Clueless a Lesson (Part 2)

Only then did Meng Fen turn his attention to Fang Qingyuan. Compared to Qiqi at her Late-Stage Golden Core Perfection, the Fourth-Layer Golden Core Fang Qingyuan seemed much easier to deal with.

’Time to take out the leader first.’

Meng Fen knew Fang Qingyuan was from the Beast Taming Sect. He’d had plenty of dealings with their cultivators and understood that most of a Beast Taming Sect disciple’s power lay with their Spirit Beast.

Thus, Meng Fen treated Fang Qingyuan accordingly. He released his prized Yellow Turban Giant Power Divine General to first entangle the fierce beast Qiqi, planning to quickly capture Fang Qingyuan and then deal with Qiqi at his leisure.

Unfortunately, Meng Fen had miscalculated one thing: Fang Qingyuan was an even tougher fighter than Qiqi.

As Meng Fen’s magical gaze swept over, he saw a White Tiger roaring at him. Starlight flickered in its eyes, and its sharp claws were imbued with an ancient, cold light.

’What the hell is this thing?’

The White Tiger leaped, pouncing to his side. It swiped with its front paw, and with a flash of cold light, Meng Fen felt one of the protective layers of Spiritual Light from his magical artifacts shatter as if it were made of paper.

Then the second and third layers of his defense shattered.

Meng Fen was horrified. He finally realized that there was something deeply wrong with the claws of this White Tiger Dharma Aspect.

’My Golden Core defenses can withstand several rounds from a cultivator of the same rank. How are they so fragile against this White Tiger Dharma Aspect?’

Catching a glimpse of Fang Qingyuan’s cold smirk, Meng Fen gritted his teeth. ’Don’t think you can push me into a corner with just one bizarre White Tiger Dharma Aspect.’

The White Tiger Dharma Aspect continued its relentless assault. Meng Fen split his focus, summoning a Tier Three Flying Sword to fend it off while simultaneously raising the Treasure Mirror in his hand, aiming it at Fang Qingyuan, and rapidly chanting a scripture.

"Soul, return!"

The final verse of the scripture rang in Fang Qingyuan’s ears like a great bronze bell, but aside from making them ache, it had no other effect.

Fang Qingyuan’s soul was at least three to four times stronger than Qiqi’s. Meng Fen couldn’t even extract Qiqi’s soul; he was dreaming if he thought he could extract Fang Qingyuan’s.

Seeing his scripture and Magical Artifact fail, Meng Fen was so frustrated he could have coughed up blood. His technique had always been invincible in the past. He never imagined he’d run into two opponents today, each more freakish than the last.

’If I can’t extract his soul, then I’ll just destroy him.’

Meng Fen no longer cared that he had originally come to do business. He clutched the Treasure Mirror in his palm and poured all of his Magical Power into it. An instant later, an incredibly scorching beam of light shot from the mirror’s surface, reaching Fang Qingyuan in a flash.

Meng Fen’s Spirit Root was of the fire attribute. Among the five elements, his affinity for fire was the highest, reaching the level of an Earth-grade Spirit Root. As a result, he was a master of Fire Element Techniques.

However, just as the beam—filled with the destructive, explosive power of flames—reached Fang Qingyuan, it was blocked by a massive creature with the head of a tortoise and the tail of a serpent. The beam, powerful enough to obliterate a mountaintop, struck the body of the Black Tortoise Aspect and vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

That wasn’t all. As the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect appeared, Meng Fen also heard a bird’s cry and a dragon’s roar.

To the south, a Vermilion Bird Spirit Bird forged from fire appeared. Flames streamed from its wings, whipping up a torrential firestorm as it flew toward Meng Fen.

And to the east, a long, slender figure flickered in and out of view within the clouds, occasionally revealing a scale or a claw that hinted at its magnificent power.

With all four aspects now revealed, Meng Fen groaned inwardly. ’What in the world have I gotten myself into?’

......

「Hours later.」

Qiqi slammed the Yellow Turban Divine General to the ground, pinning it firmly. They had battled from the heavens to the earth, and now, at last, a victor had emerged.

She glanced over, not the least bit worried about Fang Qingyuan’s capabilities. Before they had set out, Bear Wind had laid it all out for her: she was no match for Fang Qingyuan. If they ran into a truly powerful enemy, it was every man for himself; they shouldn’t worry about the other.

In the distance, Meng Fen’s face was ashen, and the beam of light shooting from the Treasure Mirror in his hand had grown feeble.

Meng Fen clutched a Top-grade Fire Spirit Stone in one hand, forcefully absorbing its Spiritual Qi regardless of the impurities within. It was the equivalent of drinking poison to quench a thirst; in the future, he would have to expend many times the effort to purge his body of those impurities.

But Meng Fen couldn’t afford to worry about that now. He had long since run out of Elixir Pills to restore his energy. His Magical Power was utterly depleted, and his condition couldn’t possibly be worse.

Forcing a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator into such a desperate state was a true testament to Fang Qingyuan’s power.

The commotion from their battle had long attracted numerous onlookers. However, the strongest among them were only Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and none dared to venture onto the battlefield. They could only watch from afar, hoping to pick up some scraps from the aftermath.

Fang Qingyuan looked at the spent Meng Fen and offered terms of surrender:

"Fellow Daoist Meng, why continue to resist? If you admit defeat and surrender peacefully, I guarantee your safety."

Meng Fen gave Fang Qingyuan a look of resignation. With a long sigh, he dropped his Treasure Mirror and Magic Sword. He stood no chance against the four aspects Fang Qingyuan had summoned.

During the duel, he had exhausted every trick up his sleeve, yet he couldn’t touch Fang Qingyuan. Instead, his own essence and energy had been completely drained. If he kept fighting, he feared he would damage his very foundation.

Meng Fen didn’t believe Fang Qingyuan would actually kill him. As a disciple of Qimeng Mountain and a righteous cultivator of Qi Yun, his background was well-known to Fang Qingyuan. Furthermore, with so many onlookers present, if Fang Qingyuan were to kill him, Qimeng Mountain would have every reason to avenge his death.