Chapter 149: I’m in a Hurry

The front-line quartermaster of Black Wind Cliff was the first to discover the situation. When he arrived at Blackwater Town to coordinate supplies, he was scared out of his wits.

Not only had all the outer sect disciples responsible for guarding the post perished, but all the supplies had vanished completely, leaving not even a trace behind.

More importantly, Xuan Yun, the Young Cliff Master of Black Wind Cliff, had been executed.

The person responsible claimed to be Qin Chuan, who was only at Level 30 and wielded a crimson spirit weapon.

"This is sheer lawlessness!"

Furious beyond measure, the quartermaster hurriedly sent a message to the inner sect of Black Wind Cliff while simultaneously heading to Blackwood Town to procure more supplies.

The ultimate outcome, however, left him spitting blood with anger once again.

With front-line supplies in critical shortage, there was not a single scrap left here either—a truly desperate emergency.

Even as he reported the situation back to the front lines, he traveled to other outposts to requisition supplies, only to end up empty-handed every single time.

"What on earth is going on here? What on earth is going on?!"

The quartermaster was on the verge of madness; nothing like this had ever occurred in thousands of years.

Upon receiving the news, the Black Wind Cliff front-line command hastily dispatched two thousand-strong spiritual beast cavalry units to investigate the rear.

These spiritual beast cavalry functioned as mounted troops. The Swift Spirit Leopard Legion was deployed, with a Black Wind Cliff disciple mounted upon each beast.

This was standard configuration in the wars of the Spirit Realm; cultivators could achieve synergy not only with spirit weapons but also with spiritual beasts.

Under such circumstances, a cultivator's combat strength would undergo a massive surge.

In the end, Black Wind Cliff had no choice but to frantically purchase supplies from the Human race at prices several times higher than usual.

Humans were naturally gifted in commerce and the accumulation of wealth, a trait unmatched by any other race.

Thus, the greatest beneficiary of this war up to this point had become the Human race, with the Treasure Pavilion reaping the most ruthless profits of all.

These successive actions by Black Wind Cliff could not be completed within a single day.

During this window of opportunity, Qin Chuan continued on his relentless march of soloing outer sect branch shrines.

At this moment, Qin Chuan arrived at a valley. The surroundings were heavily guarded, and the outer sect disciples were exceptionally busy.

This branch shrine was not located above ground; instead, it was built deep underground. Compared to the previous two branch shrines, this place appeared rather shabby.

However, Qin Chuan knew these were merely superficial appearances, for a jade crystal mine was located right here.

As the saying goes, he who has a mine at home is bound to be prosperous.

Jade crystal mines were vital strategic resources capable of elevating all attributes of spirit weapons, and Black Wind Cliff attached great importance to them.

Consequently, the branch shrine masters here were at Levels 44 and 43 respectively.

The shrine masters were named Qu Tian and Qu Di.

At that moment, they were tallying the jade crystals, preparing to dispatch them to the inner sect.

"Report! To the two shrine masters, someone has raided the mine and already broken in!"

An outer sect disciple rushed over, his expression one of extreme panic.

"What?! Who is so audacious?"

Qu Tian was utterly shocked. When had bandits ever dared to appear on Black Wind Cliff territory?

"It's a young man in black. Extremely ferocious, taking down one person with every single sword strike."

"No, sometimes multiple people with a single strike!"

Recalling the scene he had just witnessed, the outer sect disciple could not help but feel his soul freeze with terror.

"Bastard! Where on earth did these bandits come from? When did our Black Wind Cliff fall to the point where we can be slaughtered at will?"

"Elder brother, since this fellow comes with ill intent, let us go together and slay him!"

"Agreed. The jade crystals are of immense importance to us; we cannot afford any mishaps."

Qu Tian and Qu Di were both extremely cautious; otherwise, Black Wind Cliff would never have entrusted them with such a heavy responsibility.

As before, Qin Chuan carved his way inward from the entrance, soon arriving at a spacious clearing.

Qu Tian and Qu Di stood at the front, while the disciples behind them had already formed three jade crystal axe arrays.

Qu Tian wielded the Heavenly Sun Halberd, while Qu Di wielded the Earthly Moon Hook.

Such spirit weapons were exceedingly rare.

It was the first time Qin Chuan had ever laid eyes on them, and moreover, one was long and the other short, offering a combination of offense and defense.

Qin Chuan stepped forward slowly, smiling faintly as he asked, "Are the two of you going to come at me together, or shall we fight one-on-one?"

Seeing that Qin Chuan was only at Level 36, Qu Tian flew into a rage. "You certainly have some nerve, trespassing into the forbidden grounds of Black Wind Cliff and spouting such arrogant nonsense. You are simply courting death!"

Qu Di chimed in with a stern rebuke, "You had best surrender obediently, and I might still leave your corpse intact. Otherwise, I will hack you into a thousand pieces!"

They were also extremely covetous upon hearing about the crimson spirit weapon. If they could force Qin Chuan to surrender docilely, it would be an absolute windfall.

Accustomed to standing high above others, Qu Tian and Qu Di naturally assumed Qin Chuan—who had dared to charge in here—was hardly the type to surrender tamely.

Qin Chuan drew the Dragon-Patterned Chilly Crystal Sword and said calmly, "You might as well come at me together. I'm in a rush."

Hearing these words, the disciples in the rear wore expressions of utter bewilderment, each of them wanting to ask if this person had lost his mind.

The situation was glaringly obvious: Qin Chuan was only Level 36, while both shrine masters were above Level 40.

Under such a disparity in strength, to still act this arrogant—if this wasn't madness, what was it?

"Ha! Ignorant fool, thinking that holding a crimson spirit weapon makes you lawless. Today, we will show you the meaning of regret!"

Laughing out of extreme anger, Qu Tian stepped forward a few paces and slammed the Heavenly Moon Halberd onto the ground, cutting an imposing and majestic figure.

Meanwhile, Qu Di began maneuvering around the perimeter, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Qin Chuan at a moment's notice.

The current situation was clearly a one-versus-two, or counting the spirit weapons, a one-versus-four.

Yet Qin Chuan showed not a shred of fear; instead, he felt a surge of excitement. Clearly, this battle would be a true test of his limits.

In truth, Qin Chuan also wanted to discover where his limits lay.

Qu Tian's three primary attributes were: Attack 2300+, Spirit Defense 3000+, Agility 2400+.

Qu Tian possessed three halberd techniques: Heavenly Dynasty Crescent Moon, Heavenly Star Slicing Moon, and Chaotic Moon Halberd Dance.

Secret Technique: Heavenly Moon Halberd.

Among these three techniques, Heavenly Dynasty Crescent Moon echoed the three phases of the spirit weapon and unlocked the secret technique.

A secret technique referred to an ability that, once perfectly comprehended, could be used without formal triggering, merely consuming three times the amount of spiritual energy.

Once a spirit weapon's skill points were maxed out at Level 15, secret techniques could be unlocked, subject to a fixed level requirement with a minimum threshold of Level 42.

Although the minimum requirement was Level 42, cultivators varied in their comprehension; for instance, Ding Guang and Qu Di had not yet comprehended it.

Heavenly Dynasty Crescent Moon: First form, a direct thrust dealing 150% halberd damage in a ten-meter radius. Upon hitting a target, the user can teleport near the target. Second form, a sweeping strike dealing 150% damage in a five-meter radius. Third form, a mobile whirlwind spin dealing 150% damage in a five-meter radius.

Painting the Sky and Pointing at the Moon: A flying leap, spinning three times in mid-air before landing, dealing 150% damage in a five-meter radius.

Chaotic Moon Halberd Dance: Deals 120% damage in a five-meter radius, inflicting a 2-second stun upon the target.

Heavenly Moon Halberd Passive: Increases attack by 30%.

Qu Tian's ultimate move was somewhat special, belonging to a class of spirit skills combining attack and crowd control.

Judging solely by his spirit skills and attributes, Qu Tian appeared rather difficult to deal with, and Qu Di was by no means inferior.

Qu Di's three primary attributes were: Attack 2000+, Spirit Defense 2600+, Agility 2800+.

Three spirit skills: Hook Shadow Ghostly Track, Gale Striding Step, and Lightning Hook Soul.

Hook Shadow Ghostly Track: First form summons one phantom image, second form summons two, and third form summons three, totaling six phantom images that persist for three seconds.

Under this spirit skill, Qu Di could instantly teleport to the location of any phantom image.

Gale Striding Step: Increases agility by 10% for a duration of 2 seconds.

Lightning Hook Soul: Deals 150% damage to a target within three meters.

Earthly Moon Hook Passive: Increases agility by 30%.

The two opponents Qin Chuan now faced were truly extraordinary in their strength.

This situation was infinitely more perilous than facing the Five-Colored Spirit Beings.

At that moment, Qu Tian gripped the Heavenly Moon Halberd in one hand and charged toward Qin Chuan with thunderous strides, while Qu Di began stealthily deploying his six phantom images.

Qu Tian's figure flashed like a streak of light right up to Qin Chuan, launching directly into a horizontal sweep that officially ignited the flames of this massive battle.