Chapter 966 – Talent and Treasure That Arouse Envy

…

…

…

The moment that the source strength left behind by the old Palace Master fused into the Phoenix Blood Spear, Lin Ming felt an intense familiarity, as if this spear became part of his flesh and blood.

He obtained the approval of Saint Artifact Pavilion and now the Phoenix Blood Spear also recognized him as its master, connecting to him through heart and soul.

“What a strong source strength! There’s even such pure blood of the Ancient Phoenix. I wonder just what boundary the old Palace Master was. Although he cannot be compared to the Patriarch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan, he should still be a heaven-shaking existence, someone with a cultivation even above Senior Fairy Feng. Since he is someone that can forge a spirit artifact, it is my good fortune to be able to obtain a wisp of his source strength.” Lin Ming said to himself.

The stone tablet that stabilized the eye of the great array formation within Saint Artifact Pavilion was left behind by an old Patriarch of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. But the source strength that was absorbed into the Phoenix Blood Spear was left behind by the old Palace Master.

While a Palace Master was certainly inferior to a Patriarch, source strength was something consumable, whereas a stone tablet could continue existing in perpetuity. After hundreds of millions of years, the number of stone tablets accumulated would be terrifying. But as for source strength, every single drop used meant one drop less; it was an extremely rare and precious treasure.

The Ancient Phoenix Clean had a population of countless hundreds of billions. Nearly all these people cultivated martial arts. From a common mortal to becoming an outer disciple of a palace, from an outer disciple to entering Firebird Hall and becoming an official disciple, and then even entering Golden Crow Hall, Vermillion Hall, and Phoenix Hall afterward, the competition was furious and vivid. With so many geniuses being raised every year, just how many of them were ever able to obtain a wisp of source strength left behind by a Palace Master?

Once Lin Ming really became a great character and no longer needed to rely on the Phoenix Blood Spear, he could absorb the wisp of source strength and use it to enhance his bloodline and refine the Laws within him, even enhancing his own cultivation. It was a treasure with many uses.

The source strength of the old Palace Master turned into a golden red line that spread over the Phoenix Blood Spear. This source strength would greatly enhance the might of the Phoenix Blood Spear. Although the spear hadn’t reached the level of a transcendent saint artifact, the source strength allowed it to come infinitely close!

The Phoenix Blood Spear’s light became increasingly radiant as if a sun fused into the shaft.

Nine feet nine inches, a numeral that existed at the pinnacle. The array formation within the Phoenix Blood Spear also contained a high principles of the Heavenly Dao; this spear was truly an incomparably beast amongst saint artifacts.

Beside Lin Ming, Jun Yunrue and the other disciples’ faces were full of envy. Lin Junzhi stared at the spear shaft in Lin Ming’s hands with watery eyes. She wanted to reach out with her hand and trace it.

As for Song Baifeng, he looked as if he had lost his soul. He had put on an act to flatter Huang Yuegong today, but in the process he had managed to offend Lin Ming. If Lin Ming didn’t die in the future and managed to rise to glory, wouldn’t stepping on a small shrimp like himself be as easy as turning a hand?

“Good spear.” Lin Ming casually swung the spear and an invisible wave shot out. The surrounding heaven and earth origin energy and infernal energy were stirred up by the Phoenix Blood Spear, forming a faint crescent moon shaped energy blade that shot outward.

Peng!

The energy blade struck Saint Artifact Pavilion’s spatial barrier where it vanished. Lin Ming hadn’t used any of his own strength just now; that was merely a damaging power formed from the Phoenix Blood Spear. This was the greatest difference between saint artifacts and ordinary treasures. A saint artifact contained an inherent array formation as well as the principles of the Great Dao. If a mortal were to obtain the recognition of a great high-grade saint artifact, they could use it to instantly kill a Xiantian realm martial artist. That crescent moon shaped energy blade was absolutely not something that a Xiantian, or even a Revolving Core, martial artist could block.

A scratch to wound, a touch to kill, that was the attribute of a divine weapon.

Close to Lin Ming, Huang Yuegong also paled. The fiercer the Phoenix Blood Spear was, the more unwilling he became!

On this day, if it were one of the top disciples of Phoenix Hall that obtained the Phoenix Blood Spear, he would at most feel envy in his heart but he would still compliment them outwardly. This was because the top disciples of Phoenix Hall had a background not any worse than his own. Even if they were a cow, there wouldn’t be anything to say if their talent was higher.

But now he was stepped on by Lin Ming and his face had been maliciously slapped. Huang Yuegong felt as if he would rather die than live.

“Young master, I think that Saint Artifact Pavilion’s artifact spirit was confused. How could it possibly bestow the Phoenix Blood Spear onto Lin Ming and not give the Sunpierce Sword to young master? He is only a beggar that ascended from the lower realms, he simply doesn’t have the qualifications to wield the Phoenix Blood Spear.”

“That’s right, the Phoenix Blood Spear should belong to young master. Saint Artifact Pavilion’s artifact spirit definitely made a mistake somewhere.”

The two lackeys could see that their master was enraged and they quickly tried to soothe him with true essence sound transmissions. However, all their blabbering had no effect. It even further angered Huang Yuegong instead. “Shut the hell up! Are you saying that I am inferior to a beggar? Have I not lost enough face already!?”

Huang Yuegong’s true essence sound transmission contained a thick killing intent that immediately silenced his two lackeys.

“You are called Lin Ming?” Huang Yuegong suddenly looked at Lin Ming. “It seems I was wrong. Your potential was actually high enough to obtain the recognition of Saint Artifact Pavilion’s artifact spirit. You’re very good!”

Huang Yuegong’s was gloomy. Although he was temporarily suppressing the rage in his heart and saying some pleasant banter, his tone actually contained an aggressive edge.

Lin Ming turned and looked at Huang Yuegong. With his tall and straight figure combined with the nine foot nine inch Phoenix Blood Spear, even though Huang Yuegong was trying to pressure him with his momentum, Lin Ming remained unmoved.

“What an impressive aura. For you to reach this point even though you ascended from the lower realms, that proves you’ve got quite the talent. You know, I’ve heard a little story in Phoenix Cry Palace that originated from the mortal worlds. Are you interested in hearing it?”

Although Huang Yuegong asked Lin Ming a question, he didn’t wait for him to reply before speaking. “There was once a beautiful little mortal girl who had an uncle that managed to cultivate to the Divine Sea realm. One day, he gifted her a beautiful vermillion bird feather dress. She put on this feather dress every day when she went to her martial house to train, and she enjoyed the looks of envy that she received from everyone there. But one day, her vermillion bird feather dress disappeared. She eventually found it. It had been shredded apart by someone and thrown in the gutter, utterly ruined and filthy. The little girl cried over and over again, miserably and pitifully, her heart broken. She simply wasn’t able to bear it. Afterwards, her uncle gifted her yet another, more beautiful vermillion bird feather dress. She put it on to show off at the martial house, and as a result, the little girl disappeared. When they finally found her, her primal yin energy had been snatched away and the fires of her life had diminished to the point of fading away at any moment. She had become utterly mad…”

Huang Yuegong’s voice turned colder and crueler as he spoke. The meaning behind his little story was obvious to all. Jun Yunrue stiffened as she heard this and she felt her heart go cold. But Lin Ming maintained his calm, as if he simply didn’t understand the meaning of the story. He looked at Huang Yuegong and faintly smiled, “What are you trying to say?”

“I am only informing you that whether it is Golden Crow Hall, Vermillion Bird Hall, Phoenix Hall, the entire Phoenix Cry Palace, or even the Ancient Phoenix Clan itself, the struggles of the various factions are far from what the likes of you can imagine. Sometimes, not only will talent not bring you supreme honor and glory, but it will instead draw a fatal calamity upon your head!”

“Huang Yuegong, what nonsense are you spouting!? Do you think that my Phoenix Cry Palace has no rules? If you murder a talented disciple, you will be personally executed by the Palace Master!” Jun Yunrue became incensed as she saw Huang Yuegong threaten someone on her side.

“Palace Master? Hehe, who is the Palace Master? Junior-apprentice Sister Jun, you haven’t been here long enough so you have no idea how high and lofty the status of Palace Master is! Do you really think that Lin Ming has the qualifications to be personally raised by the Palace Master? You think that just because he obtained the approval of Saint Artifact Pavilion and the source strength of the old Palace Master that he has the qualifications? Let me tell you something, the source strength left behind by the old Palace Master can last for tens of thousands of years and be given to dozens if not hundreds of disciples. And out of all these disciples, just how many can become the Palace Master? Let alone the Palace Master, even becoming a Vice Palace Master is a near insurmountable moat! Which palace has several hundred Vice Palace Masters?”

“Phoenix Cry Palace has countless talents. Even if you’re the chief disciple of Phoenix Hall, the most you will obtain is the Palace Master’s notice. Take my Phoenix Cry Palace for example. There is at least one Phoenix Hall chief disciple every 100 years, and sometimes even several of them! But a Palace Master only comes once every several tens of thousands of years! How can you even compare?”

“Moreover, Lin Ming isn’t even the chief disciple of Phoenix Hall; he falls far short! Do you think that Phoenix Hall’s chief disciple doesn’t have their own top grade saint artifact? Especially Senior-apprentice Brother White Daohong, his origin is deep and people even say he has spiritual powers. I believe that at his level, he doesn’t even need to come to Saint Artifact Pavilion!”

Lin Ming maintained his calm demeanor throughout Huang Yuegong’s tirade. He said, “Huang Yuegong, if you have any words to say, then speak them out, loud and clear. Stop beating around the bush.”

“Heh, Junior-apprentice Brother Lin is indeed a smart man. I will tell you that in a situation where you have no foundation, the more you show off your talents the more dangerous it will be for you. Although you don’t have the qualifications to be noticed by the Palace Master, do you think that Senior Xiao Jiuyang will ignore you? Don’t you remember just what sort of a relationship Senior Xiao Jiuyang has with Fairy Feng!?”

“Without an influence to support you, those with talent might die even faster! The Divine Realm is a world of factions, and the Ancient Phoenix Clan is not a single monolith. In a situation where there is no war against some foreign enemy, the struggles on the inside are far more violent and fierce than the fights on the outside! Do you think that all talents will be vigorously raised? If you do, then you’re wrong. Of everyone within the Ancient Phoenix Clan, their first and foremost consideration is their own benefit, then the benefit of their family clan, and only then the benefit of the Ancient Phoenix Clan.”

Huang Yuegong’s words were not lies. The Ancient Phoenix Clan was simply far too large with a population of several hundred billion people. It was equivalent to a superpower in the mortal world. All the citizens of this superpower might not consider their country’s interests first, but would think of their own benefit and their family clan’s benefit.

“Senior-apprentice Brother Huang Yuegong, are you trying to say that you are planning to be my backer?” Lin Ming’s lips curved up in a droll smile.

“Haha, speaking with a smart man like you is indeed refreshing. Yes, my Huang Family Clan is one of the three great family clans of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. It is one of the strongest influences within the Ancient Phoenix Clan. If you join us, you will be able to find asylum and endless resources to enjoy!”

“Oh, is there something so good? Is Senior-apprentice Brother so kind that you would help me without reason?”

“Hehe, Junior-apprentice Brother Lin is clever. If that’s the case, I won’t mince words any longer. I’ll be frank with you, I want to buy your Phoenix Blood Spear! The price I pay will not have you suffer a loss. In truth, me taking the Phoenix Blood Spear off your hands is actually helping you. There is a saying that a man’s own wealth will be his ruin if he arouses the greed of others. You simply cannot protect the Phoenix Blood Spear, and moreover, with your fifth stage Life Destruction cultivation, you cannot display the full might of the Phoenix Blood Spear. But I am different. If I have the Phoenix Blood Spear, my combat strength will dramatically rise. At that time, I and the Huang Family Clan behind me will shelter you within Phoenix Cry Palace!”