Chapter 101: The Iron Yang Needle

Chapter 101: The Iron Yang Needle

Life-and-death struggles allow no room for concealment; it is either you live or I perish. Since Liu Jian began cultivating martial arts, aided by his talisman of spiritual communication, he had inadvertently studied the Taoist arcane heart method, ascending to the Out-of-Body realm. Yet, never before had he felt such despair. Even when confronting the infiltrators of the Yin-Yang Sect, he had never experienced a trace of helplessness.

Now, however, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of dragonfish. Though individually their offensive power was inferior to that of the Golden and Silver Wolves, their vast numbers were overwhelming.

Dense and layered, they encircled him. Only through his agile footwork did Liu Jian barely manage to escape to this spot. After about half an hour, once Qi Fei confirmed that the dragonfish were no longer pursuing, he slowed his pace. During the earlier frantic run, he had paid little attention to the surrounding poplar trees. Now, with some respite, he resumed his search for the Iron Yang Needle.

Yet, whether it was the unusually stable weather or some other reason, despite the abundance of hemlock trees, the object of his quest stubbornly eluded him.

This circumstance left Qi Fei somewhat disheartened, but he pressed deeper into the forest. After some time, the persistent search and flight made his stomach growl incessantly. This caused him silent frustration.

Earlier, traveling with a group of wandering cultivators through the Beast Mountains, even in the harsh midwinter, they had seldom lacked prey. Thus, Qi Fei had not prepared much food. Upon entering this forest and seeing many beasts and low-level monsters, he hadn’t considered hunting for the next meal. Now, feeling hunger gnawing at him, he regretted his carelessness. Had the environment been more accommodating, carrying enough provisions for days, months, or even half a year wouldn’t have been a burden.

But here, in this region teeming with ninth-level beasts, finding food was perilous. Especially after such a long journey without encountering any ninth-level monsters, Qi Fei guessed this area was dominated either by the dragonfish or the eight-winged earthworm.

In a place where only these beasts thrived, seeking food meant risking another confrontation with the dragonfish—a dangerous gamble. Yet hunger was more urgent.

Without sustenance, not only would his search for the Iron Yang Needle be in vain, but even facing the dragonfish again would exhaust him. Qi Fei’s cultivation path was one of bodily strengthening; maintaining his spirit and strength required keeping his stomach filled. Prolonged hunger would diminish his power, jeopardizing the challenges ahead.

His eyes flickered as he hesitated briefly, then resolutely turned back.

Though uncertain if the dragonfish had left the battlefield, he knew dozens of their corpses lay there. If luck favored him, his food worries might soon be over. Following the path back, Qi Fei soon silently returned to the scene of his breakout.

Peering cautiously through the trees, his expression soured.

Before him lay pools of crimson blood stains, but no dragonfish corpses remained.

He muttered, “Could the dragonfish have dragged away their fallen comrades?” Yet he shook his head, dismissing the thought. These creatures, though intelligent, were unlikely to care for their dead as humans do.

More plausibly, seeing the piled corpses, they might have turned to consuming their fallen to fill their bellies—an instinctual survival behavior. Indeed, on closer inspection, Qi Fei found some chewed dragonfish flesh fragments.

The bite marks were not those of the dragonfish, which swallowed prey whole, but more likely the feeding traces of the eight-winged earthworm. How this formidable creature used its last remaining poisonous fang, severed by Qi Fei, to feed was a mystery he chose not to dwell on.

His pressing concern was finding food, not solving the earthworm’s eating methods. Fortunately, though the dragonfish had left, their pungent, fishy scent remained strong enough for Qi Fei’s keen senses to detect.

He wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air sharply, quickly discerning the direction the dragonfish had departed. He then sprinted after them, carefully masking his aura to avoid another encirclement.

After about half an hour, he emerged from the dense woods into a valley-like area. Behind it rose a tall cliff, from which a slender waterfall cascaded down into a deep pool.

The scene was picturesque—mountains and water, with grass knee-high surrounding the pool. Were it not for the overwhelming fishy stench, it would be a breathtaking sight.

Indeed, the pungent odor was far stronger here than anywhere else, confirming to Qi Fei that this was the dragonfish’s gathering place or nest.

He wondered if the dragonfish all lived beneath the pool’s surface. If so, capturing them for food would be challenging.

After a moment’s consideration, Qi Fei decided to test his luck. Beside the waterfall lay a smooth boulder about ten feet across. He lifted it and hurried to the pool’s edge, forcefully hurling the heavy stone into the water.

With a thunderous splash, the rock, propelled by tens of thousands of pounds of force, crashed into the pool. Water sprayed, mist rose, and the pool churned violently.

Readying his Bloodpiercer sword from his spatial pocket, Qi Fei prepared to strike.

Suddenly, five gray-and-white dragonfish shot from the water, lunging directly at him.

A flash of sharp light gleamed in Qi Fei’s eyes as he identified them. Without hesitation, he met their charge with his sword drawn.

Prepared as he was, the dragonfish could not withstand the might of his sword strike. In an instant, they crashed heavily onto the grassy bank, while the pool continued to roil.

Qi Fei wasted no time waiting for more to emerge. Swiftly, he curled one dragonfish into his spatial pocket and dashed away like a shooting star.

Two quarters of an hour later, in a clearing within the woods, Qi Fei kindled a fire and roasted a piece of dragonfish meat to a golden hue. Hunger long endured made him impatient; before the meat even cooled, he bit into it and chewed vigorously.

As the first mouthful slid down his throat, a sudden shiver ran through his body. Holding the meat up, he scrutinized it in disbelief.

Not only did his empty stomach feel much fuller, but a subtle warmth spread from his dantian throughout his limbs and torso.

Curious, he examined his internal state. The energy flow swiftly merged into his meridians and blood, vanishing, yet invigorated his spirit and slightly boosted his vitality.

Qi Fei marveled, “This dragonfish meat actually enhances primordial energy?”

Confirming his suspicion, he joyfully stuffed his mouth with large bites of the meat.

Since learning to cook, Qi Fei’s youthful appetite had not waned, and discovering that eating this meat benefited him so profoundly thrilled him.

Soon, having devoured the chunk, his hunger was fully sated. Moreover, he felt an inexhaustible strength coursing through his body, reminiscent of the vigor after practicing the Desire-Clearing Technique.

This revelation filled him with exaltation and ambition. He thought, “Even if I cannot find the Iron Yang Needle here, at least I won’t leave empty-handed!”

He had begun to covet the gray-and-white dragonfish.

Though he knew of creatures like the Golden and Silver Wolf Kings that could enhance one’s true energy, he had never heard that these dragonfish had similar effects.

It seemed this forest’s ability to produce the Golden and Silver Wolf Kings was no accident. Qi Fei speculated that some special medicinal herb must exist here, which endowed these dragonfish with their nourishing properties.

Pondering this, he resolved to search the entire area—not only for the Iron Yang Needle but also for other unique items.

If he could find herbs capable of altering these dragonfish’s bodies, that would be a great boon.

As for hunting more dragonfish, that could wait until he finished the one he had.

Unbeknownst to him, this plan would soon spare him from grave danger.

Just as he left the pool area, five pure white dragonfish, much larger and sturdier than the gray-and-white ones, suddenly burst from the water.

They lifted their heads and scanned the surroundings with an almost human-like intelligence. Finding nothing amiss, they let out joyous cries and swiftly consumed the four gray-and-white dragonfish Qi Fei had left behind.

After feasting, these pure white dragonfish’s scales shimmered with an even more radiant whiteness, refracting sunlight like polished jade. Clearly, the meal had greatly benefited them.

As they basked lazily, preparing to return to the pool, a black-and-red shadow suddenly darted down from above.

Had Qi Fei been present, he would have recognized it as the eight-winged earthworm he had grievously wounded.

But now, the earthworm was no longer the battered creature he had seen before. Its red and black body glowed faintly, and at the site where Qi Fei had severed a fang, a smaller yellow poisonous tooth had grown.

Its more than twenty shortened legs had all regrown, though not yet to full size, yet sufficient for movement.

Upon arriving, the earthworm caused the five white dragonfish to stand erect like soldiers before a general, ready to receive orders.

The earthworm crawled on the ground, then suddenly stood upright, howling angrily.

At its call, one white dragonfish swiftly dove into the pool.

Soon, dozens more white dragonfish of similar size surged from the water.

Most terrifying among them was an enormous one nearly twenty zhang long, with a nearly one-zhang-wide rounded body. Its massive head, the size of a calf, bore two protruding swellings on either side, from which something seemed about to emerge.

After the earthworm greeted the giant dragonfish with soft hisses and nods, the dozens of white dragonfish scattered, seemingly searching nearby.

Meanwhile, Qi Fei had already left this perilous zone to continue his search for the Iron Yang Needle elsewhere.

Though these white dragonfish returned to their deep pool after fruitless searching, Qi Fei, having found no other ninth-level beasts beyond the dragonfish, happily explored for his prize.

In this ninth-level beast region, most hemlock trees were already three thousand years old, some naturally withered into dead trees.

Qi Fei focused on these dead iron hemlocks, hoping to find new green shoots sprouting beneath the stumps.

Since there was such a saying as “old trees blossom,” surely some iron hemlocks, nourished by rain, could sprout anew.

Indeed, after searching, Qi Fei found three iron hemlocks rejuvenated with fresh life.

One, a small tree that had withered long ago, now had branches nearly ten feet tall, and a trunk as thick as his waist.

Regrettably, none showed signs of damage from acid rain, which disappointed Qi Fei.

Yet, the forest was vast, and he had explored only a fraction. Hope remained for further discoveries.

The area spanned hundreds of miles, and at his pace of examining tree by tree, it would take at least half a month.

Concerned for Tong He’s safety and unsure whether the soul imprisonment harmed his spirit, Qi Fei grew increasingly anxious after several hours of searching.

Peering through the leaves at the sky, he longed to fly and scour the area from above, but knew this was wishful thinking.

Thus, in the coming days, Qi Fei searched anxiously for the Iron Yang Needle, sustaining himself by harvesting gray-and-white dragonfish meat.

Remarkably, eating this energy-enhancing food sometimes enabled him, almost unconsciously, to enter the mystical state of extreme transformation and cosmic resonance.

With continued consumption and deliberate cultivation of a clear mind, Qi Fei could artificially induce this state.

This discovery thrilled him immensely, leading him to believe that if the phenomenon persisted, he might ascend to the Innate Realm through his own insight into the Dao, without external aid.

Especially within two hours after consuming the dragonfish’s head, if he found time to meditate and absorb the surrounding spiritual energy, he had about a fifty percent chance to enter this transformative state.

After each meal, Qi Fei would sit in focused meditation, striving to perceive his own great path.

Yet this progress slowed his search considerably.

One day, after finishing the last piece of dragonfish meat, Qi Fei began to calm his mind and carefully attune himself to the surrounding energy of heaven and earth.