Chapter 37: Sculpture

Qin Lie stood in the front of the formation and raised the wooden sculpture high up facing the eleven Silver Winged Demon Wolves.

“They should be stopping now…”

Qin Lie said silently in his heart and waited leisurely for the Silver Winged Demon Wolf pack to stop on their own.

According to his grandfather, the Silver Winged Demon Wolf could recognize the wooden sculpture. Once he displayed it, they would be able to escape from the Silver Winged Demon Wolves’ attack.

There was no reason for him to not believe in his grandfather, so he was completely confident, thinking that once the Silver Winged Demon Wolves saw the wooden sculpture, they would stop their assault.

“What is he doing? Feeding himself to the wolves? Does he think that after the Silver Winged Demon Wolves tear him apart, they will spare us?” That martial practitioner from the Gao Family who was going to commit suicide by cutting his own throat mumbled in a low voice. He felt completely baffled upon seeing Qin Lie’s actions.

“Qin Lie! What are you doing? Hurry and come back!” Ling Yushi was worried and unsettled. She yelled hastily, ignored the formation of the defensive circle, and walked towards him while holding her Twin Heart Hoops.

“That wooden sculpture… must be some kind of strong spirit artifact, that has to be it.” Liu Yan’s was stunned, but he immediately reacted and said with certainty, “Qin Lie must have some sort of plan, let us see what kind of miracle he can bring about.”

From when he met Qin Lie, he found that Qin Lie was filled with the scent of mystery and believed that the wooden sculpture that he confidently raised up in the air should be some kind of extremely powerful spirit artifact, one that could help everyone defend themselves from the Silver Winged Demon Wolves’ attack.

“Wasn’t Grandpa Qin Shan the one who carved the sculpture?” Ling Feng’s face was filled with surprise as he asked, “What is going on? The wooden sculpture can hold back Silver Winged Demon Wolves? That can’t be possible, right?”

Many people of the Ling Family felt the same way. The expression in their eyes were all strange, and they felt that Qin Lie’s actions were a bit ridiculous.

“Uh… How come they didn’t stop?” After a few seconds, seeing that the Silver Winged Demon Wolves didn’t slow down at all, Qin Lie was stunned as well. “No way? It didn’t work like Grandpa said it would at all! This is bad!”

Before, the Silver Winged Demon Wolves were quite far away from the group, but now, after their savage charge, they were already close within reach!

The first demon wolf even charged directly at Qin Lie; the light in its eyes were incredibly fierce as it charged abruptly after a long howl.

An extremely fierce imposing aura emanated from the demon wolf’s body. The silver light flickering from its wide wings gave people a feeling that they were as sharp as a sawtooth.

“Qin Lie! Stop daydreaming!”

Ling Yushi screamed and threw out the Twin Heart Hoops in her hands at the same time. It became a screen of light as it flew towards that fastest demon wolf to help Qin Lie block an attack.

“Awoo!”

That Silver Winged Demon Wolf howled fiercely, and its claws struck viciously onto the Twin Heart Hoops.

The Twin Heart Hoops collided into each other in a rattle of gold and iron and was immediately struck into the sky. The screen of light that was formed with spirit energy was also instantly shattered.

Ling Yushi’s beautiful face paled, and without thinking any further, she moved to Qin Lie, stood in front of him, and, with her delicate hands, gathered spirit energy to defend against the angered Silver Winged Demon Wolf.

She was helping Qin Lie block the lethal attack!

The sinister light shining in the eyes of the Silver Winged Demon Wolf was terrifying. It looked at Ling Yushi tauntingly as if it had intelligence as it flapped wide wings, swiftly bringing its majestic body high into the air, before diving towards Ling Yushi.

It seemed like the flesh and blood of a young tender woman was more delicious to it, so it gave up its other prey, Qin Lie.

“Hurry and leave!” Ling Yushi yelled hastily.

Qin Lie felt defeated that the wooden sculpture didn’t have the power that he thought it had and became stunned for a moment.

When he finally snapped back to reality, he found Ling Yushi swiftly making her move. She rushed before him, disregarding her own safety in order to try and block the Silver Winged Demon Wolf’s attack with her own life.

Ling Yushi was only at the eighth level of the Refinement Realm, and the Silver Winged Demon Wolf was a Rank Two Beast, which was the equivalent of a martial practitioner of the Natal Opening Realm. It was clear from the Twin Heart Hoops being flung away that she had no chance of going head to head with the Silver Winged Demon Wolf.

By the time Qin Lie realized it, Ling Yushi's delicate body was already about to be hit by the Silver Winged Demon Wolf. He didn’t have time to grab and attack with his Green Wing Axe, so he wielded that wooden sculpture and attacked with it.

Circulating Heavenly Thunder Eradication, the thunder and lightning energy mixed within his spirit energy violently flowed into the wooden sculpture.

“BOOM!”

An unbelievable frantic power burst out from within the wooden sculpture!

The head of the wooden sculpture instantly shot out more than ten blue streaks of lightning that were as wide as fingers! Each lightning streak was like a horsetail whisk that was spread out and suddenly connected into a burning electric net, covering at least an area four meters before him!

“Clap clap clap! Boom boom boom!”

The lightning was shooting out intensely with the sound of thunder rumbling. The electric net that burst out from the head of the wooden sculpture exuded an intimidating and terrifying aura!

“Bang!”

The Silver Winged Demon Wolf showed fear in its eyes, but it couldn’t hold its body back and crashed right into the electric net.

“Awoo!”

A shrill howl came from the Silver Winged Demon Wolf. Its silver hair immediately stood erect as it became burnt, and it fell down from the sky as it curled up its body as if it had been hit directly by lightning in the sky.

“Bzzt bzzt bzzt!”

The burning electric net that was formed from within the wooden sculpture released ferocious streaks and streaks of lightning. Each lightning streak released was tangled together like snakes, and its aura was extremely fierce!

“Clang clang!”

Ling Yushi didn’t even pick up her Twin Heart Hoops when they fell to the ground. She watched Qin Lie who shielded her and the scary electric net that was released by the wooden sculpture in Qin Lie’s hands. With her life saved from the gates of hell, all sorts of emotions surged within her heart.

“I knew it. If that kid wasn’t confident, why would he dare to rush out of the defensive formation?” Liu Yan nodded his head, looked deeply at Qin Lie, and said, “This guy was just as I thought. He is filled with secrets and wouldn’t be killed that easily.”

“Brother Liu is wise!” Ling Xin praised sincerely.

Liu Yan smiled slightly.

“Awoo!”

The Silver Winged Demon Wolf that fell on the ground was shrieking, and there were still thin electric currents flickering on his body. After it stood up, it backed away fearfully. Looking at the electric net that was released from the wooden sculpture in Qin Lie’s hands, it didn’t dare to attack again.

The Silver Winged Demon Wolves that were following behind saw it lose and stopped immediately. Each wolf stood behind each other in a line and were obviously showing fear as they all peeked at the area with the burning electric net.

Qin Lie was also stunned.

He held the sculpture in one of his hands by its legs and pointed its head at the pack of wolves. As he imbued his spirit and lightning energy into it, the life-like hair on the head of the sculpture kept releasing astonishing electric currents and spirit energy, forming a web of electricity and filling the area before him.

“This, this is actually a spirit artifact…”

He never thought that the sculpture that his grandfather had left him could be a spirit artifact, thus, he had never tested it by inserting his spirit energy into it since the day he received it.

At the crucial moment just now, he didn’t have the chance to think. When he held the sculpture and was prepared to attack that Silver Winged Demon Wolf with it, he naturally summoned all his strength in order to save Ling Yushi.

But he didn’t expect the sculpture to give him such a big surprise!

Because he didn’t think that the sculpture was a spirit artifact before, he didn’t input mind energy into it and didn’t examine the inner workings of the sculpture.

At this moment, seeing that the pack of Silver Winged Demon Wolves stop with surprised expressions, he kept inserting his spirit energy into the sculpture and also slipped some mind energy into it to sense its construction now that he was finally not pressed for time.

A trace of mind energy flow within and his face instantly sparkled brightly as he yelled within his heart, “What a miraculous Artifact Forging method!”

There were at least six different spirit diagrams inside the sculpture!

And it had all the four basic spirit diagrams, Spirit Gathering, Amplification, Spirit Storage, and Strengthening!

It was just that the four basic spirit diagrams within were much simpler when compared to the respective ones within his Soul Suppressing Orb. However, the ones within the sculpture were still several times more refined and complicated than the Spirit Gathering diagrams within the short spear, the Green Wing Axe, and the Hexagonal Shield!

The four basic spirit diagrams within the sculpture were detailed and complicated, but the structure was clear and the diagrams worked together perfectly.

Aside from the four basic spirit diagrams, there were two spirit diagrams that were even more complicated mounted within. Those two should be even more advanced and should be the real core of the sculpture!

Six different types of spirit diagram filled the sculpture. The network of spirit lines interweaved in and out; it was so complicated, just like the human body’s tendons, and it stunned Qin Lie greatly!

Suddenly, he felt like the sculpture was a living being, because it seemed to have human-like muscles, veins, and flesh!

That spirit energy circulating within the Spirit Diagram, was just like arts unleashed by martial practitioners channeling spirit energy, wonderfully brilliant!

Qin Lie was still not a real artificer, but with his shallow knowledge of Artifact Forging, the spirit diagram within the sculpture was definitely a creation of a Master Artificer!

This was the most complicated, mystical spirit diagram he had seen thus far!

The sculpture must also be an extremely unusual spirit artifact!

Compared to the wooden sculpture, the simple spirit diagrams within the short spear, the Green Wing Axe, and the Hexagonal Shield were like child’s play compared to a master’s creation. They were incomparable.

Because the spirit diagrams within the wooden sculpture were miraculous and unpredictable, after he inserted his powers into it, it intensified his power by several times, becoming so scary that even he himself thought it was unbelievable, and it caused the Silver Winged Demon Wolves to temporarily back off, not daring to continue their attack.

“Qin Lie! Come back here! Stop pouring all your spirit energy in!” Liu Yan suddenly reminded him.

“Mn, let’s back off first. Don’t continue wasting your strength.”

Ling Yushi also said softly. Then, she hurriedly went to pick up the Twin Heart Hoops. Feeling the blue lightning electric net’s fierce electric current, she was secretly shocked. She was sure that the power which formed the electric net definitely could not be formed by a martial practitioner in the Refinement Realm.

“What rank would this spirit artifact be?” She pondered in her heart, knowing that this sculpture greatly increased Qin Lie’s strength and unleashed power several times more than he was capable of.

Qin Lie came to his senses, nodded his head, and stopped inserting his spirit energy. After he stopped channeling his energy into the wooden sculpture, the electric net didn’t disappear immediately, it only slowly shrunk…

“There had already been stored spirit energy inside the sculpture!”

Qin Lie immediately found that there was a white, burning thing inside the Spirit Storage diagram inside the wooden sculpture.

That was the spirit energy that was already stored inside. The reason he was able to make the wooden sculpture release such deterrent power must be because he triggered that ball of white, burning spirit energy within the storage spirit diagram!

The spirit energy was stored within the wooden sculpture for many years, but after being released, it was still as fierce and ferocious, and it didn’t exhaust only after one use. This spirit energy… How thick and refined was it?

“Was it really Grandpa who inscribed such a magical spirit diagram and left this astonishing spirit energy? If it really was him, then how many things did Grandpa keep from me?” Qin Lie was thoroughly shocked.

……