Hidden Moth-Chapter 539 - 307: Sword Qi Through the Narrow Path and Flower Clusters

Chapter 539: Chapter 307: Sword Qi Through the Narrow Path and Flower Clusters

He Kao recognized it; this fruit is called the Phoenix Feather Knot. This valley has an excellent Earth Qi environment, and many Phoenix Feather Knots growing here have reached the standard for cultivation spirit medicine.

Most cultivation spirit medicines cannot be directly consumed, especially not by ordinary people, but the Phoenix Feather Knot is an exception. Once matured, it can be eaten as a fruit, primarily functioning to dissolve moisture and remove accumulation.

For ordinary people, it can regulate the stomach and aid digestion. If refined into an elixir, it is a very useful adjunct that can help better metabolize and absorb spiritual effects.

The Jade Pill that He Kao is refining can also incorporate this item.

It’s rare to see such a large area of Phoenix Feather Knot with excellent spiritual effect, so he plans to gather some for tasting and research. This place is clearly a maintained medicine field... but curiously, why isn’t there any array?

With such a large growth of Phoenix Feather Knot, and traces of human clearing in the valley, at least a simple Spirit Gathering Array should have been arranged.

Of course, He Kao doesn’t need to enter the bush and pick the fruits one by one; he immediately spread out his Divine Sense and used the Object Control Skill, selecting mature fruits with the best spiritual effects to gather, but he immediately realizes something is wrong.

Despite the excellent environment, the Earth Qi Spirit Core is chaotic and disturbed, as if having suffered some impact and still hasn’t recovered... he suddenly realizes four words — scapegoat trap!

There used to be arrays here, not just a Spirit Gathering Array but also a simple Guardian Array, yet not long ago, these arrays were destroyed!

Arranging arrays in this deep mountain and using the natural environment to cultivate spirit medicine is quite difficult, and destroying them without permission is tantamount to forming enmities. Who would do such a thing?

His Divine Sense sweeps further away, and in the center of the valley among the surrounding bushes and flowers, there are three pits of varying sizes, clearly newly dug, presumably having uprooted some plants.

Of course, a natural medicine field cannot grow only one type of thing; some spirit medicines, if mixed and planted cleverly and appropriately, can also have mutually promoting effects.

The creator of this medicine field clearly utilized the Phoenix Feather Knot’s gathering properties and cultivated a rarer spirit medicine, a larger plant.

The traces alone show the three plant growth periods differing yet all were uprooted entirely, clearly not a normal situation of harvesting spirit medicine.

Usually, when harvesting spirit medicine, if requiring flowers, leaves, fruits, or branches, efforts are made not to damage the plant itself, and care is taken to protect it.

Just like He Kao harvesting Jade Phoenix Tree Seeds, he would never cut down the Jade Phoenix Tree.

Even when occasionally requiring the whole plant for medicine, the extent is controlled, often first cultivating new plants to replace, otherwise, there will be none left in the future.

The traces here, regardless of size, have all been removed, clearly someone broke the array to steal spirit medicine. Someone did such a thing first, and then he happened to pass by, is it to pin the crime on him?

Regardless of whether that’s the case, He Kao decides to quickly leave the place of trouble, but as he turns around, he feels someone is spying on him, yet doesn’t know where this observation comes from.

...

Across a large mountain, in another valley in the distance, a man stands among the flowers looking in a mirror. This scene appears quite eerie.

The mirror is not large, the handle is about a foot long, shaped like a Palm Leaf Fan with stalk, seemingly made of bronze, with a relief of a naked man and woman on the back.

The man looks at the mirror, with a smug cold smile on his lips. The reflection, however, is not his face but a valley abundant with wild fruits, importantly with He Kao’s figure in the center.

Seeing He Kao has noticed something wrong, the man holds the mirror with his left hand, stretches out the thumb, index, and middle fingers of his right hand towards the mirror, as if casting on the person in the mirror.

...

In the distance, He Kao suddenly feels numb all over and unable to move. He immediately realizes this is quite similar to the Body Fixing Skill of the Observing Body Sect.

There are various means of techniques for immobilizing someone, and the Observing Body Sect’s Body Fixing Skill mainly affects the nervous system, causing the consciousness to lose control over the body.

He Kao’s whole body is currently numb, his hands and feet not listening, forcing his limbs to move only results in tightening his body. If he wasn’t already standing but still walking, he probably would collapse like a log.

Immobilization is actually secondary; his Divine Sense is also greatly compressed, unable to extend far. Since he doesn’t know where the attacker is, he cannot target for a counter with mystical objects.

If it were someone else, they might be helpless or only passively circulate mana in resistance. However, He Kao reacts differently: if consciousness can’t control the body, he simply gives up bodily control, letting consciousness detach instantaneously.

In such circumstances, consciousness detachment is smoother, which is Hidden Moth Sect’s unique divine technique.

"He Kao" leaves the body and dashes to the sky, with an open and unhindered view, scanning around and immediately discovers the man. The man is holding a mirror-like object seemingly casting some technique.

Separating them is still a mountain; ordinarily, even if knowing the opponent’s location in advance, He Kao’s Divine Sense extending over the mountain ridge might not reach.

If unknown beforehand, discovering is even more unlikely.

This person locates him from such a distance and can employ such strange divine techniques, certainly related to the mystical use of the magical treasure in his hand.

Knowing the person and the place causing trouble makes handling easier! A Snow Glow Cold flies from He Kao’s pocket, held in his mouth, lips and teeth emit snow light, and his body beneath the clothes becomes semi-transparent, seeming to reveal Ice Skin Jade Bone.

He Kao had previously used Xue Guanghan to refine his muscles and bones, and he had used similar methods multiple times to "expel poison" for Lan Jiwan. Naturally, he could also use it to dissolve his own negative state.

As expected, he felt his hands and feet returning. He then rushed toward the person’s location, moving quickly, though noticeably slower than usual. His step was unsteady, as if he were drunk.

Affected by the opponent’s technique attack, He Kao’s hands and feet were still not very cooperative.

After breaking through to Tier Five Cultivation, the farthest extent He Kao could extend his divine sense reached about five kilometers. However, at this moment, it was less than one-third of normal, preventing him from locking on the opponent for a counterattack, so he needed to get closer.

...

The bronze mirror in the man’s hand was heating up as if trying to break free from his grip. He clenched his teeth and held onto the treasure tightly, casting with utmost effort, his heart filled with surprise.

According to the intelligence he received beforehand, He Kao’s cultivation was believed not to exceed Tier Four, at most merely a Tier Three Traveler from the Heart Plate Sect. He thought it would be easy to restrain He Kao with the treasure mirror in his hand.

Unexpectedly, instead of being immobilized, He Kao charged towards him... was there a light bulb in his mouth? How could the space between his lips and teeth be glowing?

An expression of panic flashed by, and the man’s demeanor turned somewhat hideous. He stretched his right hand with five fingers outward, seemingly grasping something from the mirror.

Initially intending to capture He Kao alive for interrogation, he now realized the intelligence was incorrect, so he simply decided to kill him.

Xiao Alliance’s current situation had fallen into a comprehensive passive state. Killing He Kao could recover a bit of morale and would count as a merit. It also allowed him to blame it on the Magic Sect disciples who managed the Ba Mountain Medicine Garden. More importantly, he didn’t want to expose himself.

...

As He Kao was running, he suddenly felt a pervasive sensation of needle pricks all over his body. He realized he was becoming weak, as though his vitality was continuously being drained away.

This was the Forbidden Technique of the Observing Body Sect—strange to be used against him by an unknown stranger. The Observing Body Skill excels in health maintenance, emphasizing the refining of vitality. But when used for combative purposes, the most insidious method is depleting the opponent’s life force, thus achieving a stealthy kill.

If it were an ordinary person, they might collapse from weakness while running, ultimately leading to death.

Of course, He Kao wasn’t an ordinary person. Depleting his vitality wouldn’t be that easy. However, if he continued to suffer attacks from this technique, the outcome might not be favorable.

Therefore, he had to make a decision—either take advantage of his ability to still run and turn around to flee, escaping the opponent’s technique range possibly without consequences.

But if he continued to charge towards the opponent, he would be risking the ongoing depletion of vitality, bearing uncertainty over whether he could withstand it.

He Kao did not flee. He fully activated Xue Guanghan to eliminate the negative effects as much as possible, gritting his teeth and rushing up the ridge.

...

The man suddenly lifted his head—He Kao had already appeared in his line of sight, standing at the mountain top ahead... How was it possible that he only had Tier Three Cultivation? Clearly, he had at least Tier Five Cultivation like himself, yet the path wasn’t clear!

Disregarding anything else, he quickly lifted the treasure mirror and turned its surface, projecting a beam of light from within that enveloped He Kao’s form from afar.

The light beam appeared tangible; wrapped in invisible force, He Kao’s resistance instantly increased several times. The more he struggled forward, the more severely his vitality was depleted.

But He Kao’s objective had been achieved—he stopped moving forward, ceasing the activation of Xue Guanghan in his mouth, while his right hand formed a sword formula, drawing forward to unleash the steel ruler embedded on the side of his backpack, transforming it into a ray of sword light that flew outward.

With the distance close enough, He Kao’s divine sense could now lock onto the opponent, promptly summoning the Rainfall Divine Sword.

The man apparently hadn’t expected this. In shock, he disregarded continuing to attack He Kao, throwing the treasure mirror out which transformed into a gigantic mirror surface in front of him to try to absorb the sword light.

The sword light’s power exceeded the man’s expectations, shattering the enormous mirror surface in the sky, reverting it to an ordinary copper mirror that fell spinning to the ground.

The sword light also shattered, yet it didn’t disappear; instead, it fragmented into countless strands resembling a rain, slicing into the man’s form and spirit. The man collapsed silently, seemingly unharmed externally, yet his vitality was utterly depleted.

He Kao’s sword seemed considerably exquisite, not even affecting nearby plants, nor did it sever a single mountain flower.

Once the man withdrew his attack, fully defending against the sword light, He Kao was no longer suppressed by his technique. Naturally, the Rainfall Divine Sword became even more formidable—it was unlikely the treasure mirror could withstand this divine artifact.

The battle was perilous in its soundlessness. The man initially succeeded in a sneak attack with cultivation and magical power not inferior to He Kao’s. However, in the end, he suffered greatly, having misunderstood He Kao’s depth and not anticipating that He Kao possessed such a sword.

Retracting the silk-like sword light that transformed back into the steel ruler, He Kao didn’t hurry to descend the mountain to check on the man’s situation. Instead, he leaned against a large stone and sat down, taking out a Jade Pill to nurse and nurture.

The magical combat persisted for about ten minutes, heavily consuming He Kao’s energy, especially as his body was nearing its limit of endurance, necessitating proper recovery to prevent leaving the hazard of hidden injuries.

When the shadow of the sun tilted west, with the sky tinged red, He Kao opened his eyes, seemingly asking into the air: "When did you arrive?"

**