Chapter 148: The Demise of the Twin Hawks

Old Man Guishan’s hospitality was thoroughly considerate.

Whether it was the private trading gathering for Nascent Soul cultivators or the large-scale spirit ore assembly, both were rare and magnificent events. The former, in particular, was difficult to access unless one belonged to a specific circle, and many precious treasures seldom seen in the mortal world could be witnessed at such meetings.

True Monarch Guanqi readily agreed, saying, "I have nothing better to do, so I might as well go and join the lively event."

He turned to Jiang Min and said, "Yaoyao, the minerals here are vastly different from those in Dongyuan. You can go and see if there is anything you need."

Jiang Min nodded and replied, "Very well."

Shortly after, Old Man Guishan arranged separate places of cultivation for True Monarch Guanqi and Jiang Min. Jiang Min was led to a cave dwelling far more spacious and luxurious than the one she had initially stayed in. It faced the sun, was rich in spiritual energy, and if needed, she could summon the disciples of Guiming Mountain at any time.

Night fell.

Jiang Min stepped out of her cave dwelling, summoned a disciple of Guiming Mountain responsible for hospitality, and asked, "Is there a large-scale market near your Guiming Mountain? The kind where one can purchase all sorts of goods?"

The disciple respectfully replied, "Reporting to the esteemed guest, about seventy li south of Guiming Mountain, there is a large town called Qishui Town. Situated at a strategic location with convenient access by both land and water, its marketplace is extremely prosperous."

"I understand. You may withdraw."

After the Guiming Mountain disciple left, Jiang Min stood at the entrance of the cave dwelling, gazing into the distance toward the southern mountains under the cover of night, a deep glint flashing across the depths of her eyes.

"Qishui Town, the Black and White Eagles... they should be around the Qi River area, right?"

The white jade fragment.

It was time to go and claim it.

Jiang Min raised her hand, and a stream of light swept out from her sleeve, transforming into a plain wooden boat. This boat was a top-grade magical treasure; while it looked completely ordinary, its speed was much faster than the Taibai Boat.

She leaped onto the wooden boat, bypassed the restriction boundary of Guiming Mountain, and hurried south toward Qishui Town.

Before long, she arrived at Qishui Town.

True to its reputation as a major hub of land and water transport and a prosperous center of commerce, even after nightfall, the marketplace remained bustling with activity. Cultivators of various cultivation levels shuttled back and forth, while local commercial forces maintained order.

She first strolled through the marketplace in a proper manner, purchasing a few necessary items. As she wandered about, she slipped away and vanished amidst the bustling crowd.

Twenty li away.

The Cao Family Manor.

The Cao family, once a flourishing clan of Foundation Establishment cultivators, was now engulfed in a raging mountain-wide fire that consumed the entire manor. The blazing inferno reached the skies, illuminating half the night sky.

Inside the sea of fire.

Fresh blood flowed everywhere, and not a single living soul remained.

Two figures successively swept out from the Cao Family Manor and stood firmly on an opposite mountain peak. The two were none other than the Black and White Eagles. The Black Eagle raised his hand, holding up a glazed jade bottle, inside which half a bottle of golden liquid was sloshing.

"The Essence of Heavenly Sun has been secured. It was indeed on Cao Feng."

The White Eagle narrowed his eyes coldly and mocked, "This Cao Feng is truly a fool. Having obtained such a treasure, he actually ran back to his clan. If anyone is to blame, it’s only their Cao family for harboring a treasure while lacking the strength to protect it. A treasure like the Essence of Heavenly Sun is simply beyond their capacity to keep."

The Cao Feng mentioned by the White Eagle.

Was precisely the runner-up of the Villains' Battle, Feng Leiting.

The name Feng Leiting was merely an alias; his true name was Cao Feng, the fifth ancestor of the Qishui Cao family. Having spent years in secluded cultivation, his appearance was rarely known. Combined with the disguise and alias he used in Villain City, no one knew his true background.

At the conclusion of the Villains' Battle, the Black and White Eagles had lurked outside Villain City, dispatching tracking-adept spirit beasts to trail Feng Leiting and Yun Qianli.

Among them, Yun Qianli had given them the slip midway, disappearing without a trace.

As for Feng Leiting, however, he had been tracked all the way to the Qishui Cao family.

After investigating for some time, the Black and White Eagles finally confirmed that Feng Leiting was indeed the mysterious fifth ancestor of the Qishui Cao family, Cao Feng. Thus, making meticulous preparations to ensure foolproof success, they had washed the Cao Family Manor in blood late tonight to seize the Essence of Heavenly Sun.

"This place is not a safe haven for long. We cannot return to the Twin Eagles Cave either; let us find a place in Puyang to undergo closed-door cultivation," the Black Eagle suggested.

The White Eagle nodded and said, "Let’s go."

The two men each summoned their flying eagles, mounted them, and flew off into the distance.

Just as they flew past another mountain peak and had yet to ascend into the upper air.

Swish! Swish!

Two unadorned sword beams suddenly flashed across the night sky, piercing through the two men like thunder and lightning, striking them down along with their flying eagles, plunging them into the mountain ridges below.

The Black and White Eagles lost consciousness without even sensing any danger, perishing quietly as their physical bodies and souls were utterly destroyed.

Poof!

A cluster of flames surged, burning fiercely.

It reduced the corpses of both the men and the eagles to complete ashes.

As the flames subsided, the cosmic bags on the corpses had already vanished without a trace...

Dozens of li away.

"I never expected that I would make a wasted trip to the Twin Eagles Cave, only to encounter them by chance while passing through the Cao Family Manor. It seems we truly share a destiny!"

Jiang Min stood atop an ancient tree, maintaining her concealed state, murmuring inwardly. She then donned a pair of silk gloves impervious to fire and poison to inspect the two cosmic bags.

Aside from the Essence of Heavenly Sun, Jiang Min no longer cared for the other worldly possessions within. Rummaging for a moment, she found an exquisite brocade box.

She opened the brocade box.

The white jade fragment lay quietly inside.

Hum.

The immortal statue in her palm stirred once more, as if responding to the call of the white jade fragment.

Jiang Min picked up the white jade fragment and asked in puzzlement, "Immortal Senior, what is this object?"

The statue, however, offered no further response.

A thought stirred in Jiang Min’s mind, and her divine sense swept over the white jade fragment, yet she could sense nothing out of the ordinary, as if it were merely an ordinary piece of jade.

Her clear eyes shifted slightly, and she thought to herself, "Could it be that I need to find the other incomplete jade fragments and piece them together to get an answer? But how are the other fragments to be found?"

"Never mind, I will leave it here for now. If I encounter other fragments later, it will not be too late to investigate then."

"Since this white jade fragment is related to Immortal Senior, it shall also be placed on the offering table."

With a thought, the white jade fragment in her hand vanished, reappearing on the offering table in front of the immortal statue within the Immortal Monarch Hall.

Presently.

Upon this offering table, there were not only incense burners and candles, spiritual fruits and pearls, but also a white pearl and a white jade fragment.

After placing the white jade fragment, Jiang Min took out another jade bottle to properly store the Essence of Heavenly Sun. Then, several sword Qi formed in her palm, completely pulverizing the cosmic bags of the Black and White Eagles—along with all their unimportant contents—into dust. She burned them with flames once more and scattered the ashes into the river below her feet.

Taking a detour back to Qishui Town, she re-emerged from the marketplace, purchased a few more items, and then hurried back to Guiming Mountain.

Just as she approached the restriction boundary of Guiming Mountain.

Jiang Min was about to call out when a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Yaoyao, why are you here?"

Standing upon her flying boat, Jiang Min turned around to see the figure of True Monarch Guanqi materialize behind her. The biting mountain wind fluttered his robes, making him look as though he had just returned from a leisurely stroll. She cupped her fists and replied, "I took a stroll around the nearby marketplace and purchased a few things I needed. Has Master only just returned as well?"

True Monarch Guanqi spoke with unvarnished frankness, "I went to deal with the aftermath concerning that person, Po Xie, to prevent any future troubles."

Jiang Min immediately understood that True Monarch Guanqi likely had some disciples, and her master had probably gone to root them out completely to eliminate any future hazards.

The restriction barrier opened.

The two flew toward the back mountain of Guiming Mountain.

Just as they were about to part ways, True Monarch Guanqi called out to her mid-air and instructed, "For the spirit ore assembly at Yanyang Terrace, I also need to purchase some mineral ores native to this place. However, I cannot break away from the Nascent Soul gathering, so I will have to trouble you to make a trip and help me purchase everything on the list."

"Here are the required spirit stones and the list. Keep them safe. If there are any extra spirit stones, you may buy whatever you find useful."

Jiang Min received a pouch of spirit stones and several sheets of paper with both hands, nodding as she said, "Master, rest assured, I will handle this matter properly."

True Monarch Guanqi switched to voice transmission, adding, "On this trip to Yanyang Terrace, Baoyi, Old Man Guishan’s disciple, will accompany you. If she pays for the spirit stones first when you are purchasing the mineral ores, you need not mind it; that is undoubtedly at Guishan’s instruction."

"After all, he was in the wrong regarding the grotto-heaven secret realm. Mentioning the spirit ore assembly was most likely just a way to find an opportunity to make amends."

Apologies for the late update; I hit a writer's block today and rewrote this chapter many times. Furthermore, I have a headache and dizziness. After posting this chapter, I'm going to catch up on some sleep...