Chapter 128: Wide-Area Automatic Targeting

Chapter 128: Wide-Area Automatic Targeting

It was a multicolored wooden umbrella, but it would be more accurate to call it a Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella. Its main body was the Rainbow Fishing Rod, crafted with seven colors, smooth like jade, yet with a subtle roughness that made it feel just right in one's grip.

There was no need for blood sacrifice.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Qiu expelled his Twelfth Rank Golden Core and closed his eyes, focusing on his cultivation technique. He only needed to bring the Golden Core close to the umbrella, and after about six hours, the refinement process would be complete.

At that time, the Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella would become his innate spiritual artifact.

However, just as he began to circulate his cultivation technique, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. The umbrella had already shrunk to a miniature version, swirling above his Core Palace, seemingly already refined.

Chen Qiu remained silent.

The process was much faster than he had imagined. He also discovered a hidden effect of the Twelfth Rank Golden Core—it could instantly refine spiritual artifacts. The Twelfth Rank Golden Core was of the highest caliber, and no spiritual artifact dared to defy it.

With a thought, the Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella appeared outside his body, flying around the room at his command.

After the refinement, he felt a subtle connection between his spirit and this innate spiritual artifact. Once it became his innate artifact, the artifact's power would greatly increase, and it would be much easier to use. However, the drawback was that if the innate artifact was damaged, he would suffer the consequences as well.

Chen Qiu closed his eyes to sense the specific effects of the umbrella.

When he opened his eyes, a hint of astonishment flashed across them.

This spiritual artifact...

...was even more powerful than he had imagined.

Spiritual artifacts were classified into different levels:

- Foundation Establishment Superior

- Golden Core Superior

- Golden Core Supreme

- and so on.

The higher the level of the spiritual artifact, the greater its power. At the same time, only those with corresponding cultivation levels could unleash its full potential. If one's cultivation was insufficient and they forcibly activated a high-level artifact, the consequences could be severe, ranging from serious injury to having their Life Energy drained, leaving them as a dried-up corpse.

Chen Qiu's Celestial Artifact was a growth-type artifact, and its level would increase as his cultivation progressed.

The Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella was currently at the level of a Third Rank Celestial Essence Core, matching his cultivation level.

However, there were also distinctions within the same level, such as differences in strength among Third Rank Celestial Essence Core artifacts. The level of the artifact indicated the cultivation level required to fully utilize its power.

Spiritual artifacts were further categorized into three grades:

- Human-grade

- Earth-grade

- Heaven-grade

Due to the interrupted inheritance, all Artifact Cultivators in the Great Xia Kingdom could only create Human-grade artifacts, so the distinction was often overlooked, and all artifacts were assumed to be Human-grade.

In the past, Celestial Artifacts were Earth-grade.

This was why Celestial Artifacts were highly sought after. The Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella in Chen Qiu's possession, with the enhancement of his Formula and a Thread of Celestial Dao Fortune, had reached the Heaven-grade.

A Third Rank Celestial Essence Core, Heaven-grade, top-tier spiritual artifact.

This grade was the strongest among all Third Rank Celestial Essence Core artifacts.

The reasons for its exceptional quality were many: the abundance of Heavenly Materials, the mysterious material of the Rainbow Fishing Rod, and the Formula and Thread of Celestial Dao Fortune.

With these factors, it was no surprise that the Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella would continue to grow stronger as he cultivated.

The umbrella had unlimited growth potential.

No matter how high his cultivation level reached, he could continue to use it. Only during significant breakthroughs, such as advancing from Golden Core Supreme to Nascent Soul, would he need to supplement it with Heavenly Materials to promote its level.

The effects of the umbrella were even more astonishing.

There were three simple effects:

- When you hold this artifact, the power of your spells will be enhanced, and the consumption of Life Energy will be reduced by half.

- When opened, the umbrella can transform into a defensive artifact, capable of blocking a full-power attack from cultivators at the Fourth Stage Golden Core and below.

- When opened, your Divine Sense will automatically target all enemies within its range.

As the artifact's level increases, these effects will also improve.

Upon seeing these three effects, Chen Qiu gradually fell silent, not because they weren't powerful, but because he felt they were a bit too strong.

The first effect is self-explanatory.

It's a fundamental aspect of all Spell Cultivator artifacts, a versatile enhancement that is both necessary and crucial. However, the magnitude of this artifact's boost far surpasses that of others.

Reducing Life Energy consumption by half is theoretically equivalent to doubling one's combat power. The number of spells one can cast is effectively doubled.

Previously, with the support of various Formulas like "Tenfold Spellcasting," he could unleash over four thousand Lightning Dragons.

Now, he could summon eight thousand.

Moreover, the umbrella enhances the power and intensity of his spells. When he holds the Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella and casts the Lightning Summoning Art, the effects are more potent. This is not limited to the Lightning Summoning Art; even a spell he rarely uses, like the "Nine Toxins Soul Annihilation Spell," will be more powerful.

The second effect combines offense and defense. Defensive artifacts are of utmost importance to Spell Cultivators, as it is common knowledge that, at the same cultivation level, Spell Cultivators have the weakest defense. After all, one's resources are limited, and if you invest heavily in offensive capabilities, you'll have fewer resources left for defense.

Unless you completely ignore your offensive capabilities and dedicate all your resources to acquiring defensive artifacts, defensive spells, and the like, in which case, why choose to be a Spell Cultivator in the first place? You might as well choose to be a Body Cultivator.

The only exception is someone like Qu Qi, who has abundant resources and can afford to purchase numerous defensive artifacts and talismans, thus achieving a balance between offense and defense.

Even so, they still can't match the endurance of Body Cultivators. Body Cultivators forge their bodies like spiritual artifacts, making them incredibly resilient. They disperse their Life Energy throughout their bodies, integrating it into their skin, making them exceptionally tough.

This Seven-Colored Mystic Umbrella is Chen Qiu's first defensive artifact.

"Hmm."

Although he hasn't encountered any situations requiring self-defense yet, it's better to be prepared.

The third effect, to put it bluntly, is a wide-area, unlimited automatic targeting ability.

Normally, a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator can target only one enemy with their Divine Sense.

As they gain mastery over their Divine Sense, they can gradually increase the number of targets to three, five, or even several dozen. Targeting over a hundred enemies simultaneously becomes increasingly challenging.

If one had an exceptional level of control over their Divine Sense, they might be able to achieve this while standing in meditation, but it would be nearly impossible during intense combat.

Moreover, the enemy isn't foolish.

With techniques like Far-Ranging Escape and Concealment, as long as one's speed is fast enough or they have a way to evade Divine Sense Lock, it would be difficult for their Divine Sense to lock onto them.

However, within the range of his Divine Sense, any existence he identifies as an enemy will automatically be locked onto by his Divine Sense. And his Divine Sense range is not just the usual twenty li radius of a Golden Core First Stage cultivator.

It is one hundred and thirty li.

This means that as long as the enemy appears within his Divine Sense range, they will be automatically locked onto. And being locked onto by the Divine Sense of a Spell Cultivator often means that the next moment, several spells will rapidly strike at you.

Of course, it is impossible to launch a Divine Sense Attack. A Divine Sense Attack consumes the Sea of Divine Sense, and after repeated use, it will need to slowly recover. The Sea of Divine Sense can only recover naturally, without external assistance, and it is a trump card that cannot be casually expended.

Over-consuming the Sea of Divine Sense poses a danger to one's mental state and life.

A Divine Sense Attack cannot be launched simultaneously in dozens or hundreds of directions, but Divine Sense Locking is different. It has an extremely low consumption of the Sea of Divine Sense, especially with the "Mutual Support" Formula that increases the capacity of the Sea of Divine Sense.

It can lock onto more people simultaneously, but since he hasn't tested it, he isn't sure of the maximum number of people he can lock onto.

At this moment, in the Capital City, he dares not experiment. Otherwise, having hundreds or even thousands of people simultaneously locked onto by his Divine Sense is no joke. Such intense Divine Sense fluctuations would immediately activate the Capital City's defensive array, followed by the arrival of several Peak Golden Core cultivators above his Inn.

After refining his Life Artifact, Chen Qiu was quite satisfied with it. Instead of cultivating, he prepared to sleep for the night.

Although a Golden Core cultivator no longer needs sleep to maintain sufficient energy, sleeping still feels more comfortable.

After enduring so many tiring days, it's time for some rest.

After refining it into his Life Artifact, he also learned its formal name.

"Seven-Colored Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella."

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace within the Capital City of Great Xia.

In a dimly lit study, guarded by several Golden Core cultivators, a man in a hooded cloak, his face hidden, sat calmly staring at thirty-six silk pouches spread out on the desk.

Twenty-four of these pouches had already been opened, leaving twelve untouched.

Each pouch had a paper note attached to it.

On the thirteenth pouch, the note read:

"To be opened when there is only one person on the Heaven's Pride Ranking."

"..."

The man in the study stared at the note in silence for a long time before reaching out with his slender, pale hand to pick up the pouch. He extended his Divine Sense into the pouch, which was protected by an extremely unique restriction. Without a secret method, forcibly removing the restriction would cause the pouch to self-ignite, and the restriction could block Divine Sense from penetrating and seeing through the pouch.

Only one person in the world could set up such a restriction.

And this person, along with the National Teacher, had entered seclusion and had not been seen for a long time.

He extended his Divine Sense into the pouch, using a secret method to break the restriction, and a piece of paper floated out.

In the study, a single oil lamp illuminated the room, casting a dim light. Outside the window, the palace appeared tranquil under the starry sky. The man sitting in front of the desk had a dazed expression as he reminisced about the content on the paper, unconsciously rubbing the paper between his fingers and muttering.

"National Teacher... National Teacher..."

"Is he the one you chose?"

He fell silent again, and after a long while, he gently shook the bronze bell on the desk and softly spoke to the person outside the door, "Let the Flower Offering Sect begin."

"Thirty days later, have Ji Taiping return to the Capital City."

There was no response from outside the study, and the man at the desk didn't speak further. Instead, he turned his head to look at the illusion stone on the desk. This stone could make one forget all their memories and live a new life.

No matter how powerful a cultivator is, they cannot guarantee that they will reach the same heights if they start over from scratch.

Only one person has used this illusion stone to discard all their memories and live thirty-six lives. In twenty-seven of those lives, he achieved heights far beyond ordinary people, but in nine of them, he failed.

In those nine lives, he died on the path of rising from humble beginnings. Not once did he die of old age.

This person was the National Teacher.

The National Teacher entered seclusion several years ago and has not been seen for a long time.

After a while, the man sitting at the desk slowly closed his eyes, feeling a bit tired, and leaned back in his chair.

On the first silk pouch that was opened, there was also a note attached.

"Inform the Zhang family in the Capital City that the top sword cultivator, White Robe, possesses the method to cultivate a Nascent Soul. Cause his cultivation to drop, and make him drift to the Ask Heaven Market in Windward City. Keep an eye on him, and do not allow him to join any family or sect. Those who have excessive contact with him will be executed."

"It has begun."

The Sect Leader of the Flower Offering Sect had a flushed face and stood excitedly in the high air above the Flower Offering Sect, looking down at the Walking Heavenly Maiden below and the cave mansion, trembling with excitement: "The big shot from the palace has sent a letter!!!"

"The opportunity for the Flower Offering Sect to rise has finally come!!!"

"..."

The Great Elder of the Flower Offering Sect, standing beside him, had a complicated expression and didn't say much. He felt that something was amiss; in this world, everything has a cost, and different things correspond to different costs.

The revival of the Flower Offering Sect corresponds to the loss of a Walking Heavenly Maiden.

This is clearly not an equal exchange.

In an unequal exchange, there are only two possibilities. One is that the former is fake, and the other is that the latter is not just a Walking Heavenly Maiden. No matter which possibility it is, he doesn't think it's a good thing.

But he is only the Great Elder, and within the Flower Offering Sect, the Sect Leader holds absolute power. He cannot interfere.

The Master of the Flower Cult shook his head, his expression turning cold as he spoke in a deep voice, "A while back, we followed Fat Province's example and spent a large amount of spirit stones in two states to create a large number of Shadow Stones, preparing to boost our reputation and obtain Foundation Establishment Celestial Dao Cultivation Pills."

"However, just as we spent a fortune in spirit stones, we only managed to harvest for a few days before the reputation rankings were closed."

"This resulted in a significant loss of spirit stones for our sect."

"The high-ranking official in the palace promised us fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones after the matter was settled. This amount of spirit stones would be enough to inject new life into the Flower Cult. In life and work, one should not be afraid of taking risks."

"If we're always afraid, nothing will get done."

"Let's follow the instructions of the palace official."

After a moment of silence, the Senior Elder of the Flower Cult nodded and replied, "Understood."

The next day—

In the capital city, Chen Qiu woke up in an inn and stepped out to see Fat Dragon and the others waiting at the door with smiles on their faces.

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu glanced at them helplessly and took the lead, walking down the corridor towards the lower levels of the inn. No matter how early he woke up, it seemed that Fat Dragon and the others were always up before him, and he suspected that they had been waiting at the door even before dawn.

Nothing happened that day.

However, as soon as they left the inn's lobby, they overheard a group of guests at the nearby tables whispering to each other.

"Did you hear? The news about the Flower Cult's Supreme Elder passing away years ago has been exposed. The strongest cultivator in the sect is now the current Master, who is at the Fourth Stage of the Golden Core. Without the Supreme Elder, their ranking on the sect rankings will likely plummet."

"Indeed, whether or not there's a Peak Golden Core cultivator in the sect makes a huge difference."

"But I heard that the Walking Heavenly Maiden has committed some grave offense and will be publicly executed today."

"Who knows what she did, but that Walking Heavenly Maiden is no good. She's always been flirting with various Talents, acting so wantonly that it's enough to make one's stomach turn."

". "

Chen Qiu, who was about to leave the inn, paused upon hearing the guests' conversation, his brows furrowing slightly. Then, he took large strides out of the inn, leading Fat Dragon and the others along a small path, strolling casually.

After a cup of tea's time—

Chen Qiu suddenly laughed and turned to Fat Dragon, "Why aren't you saying anything? I thought you'd speak up."

He knew that Fat Dragon had suffered great humiliation at the Flower Cult in the past, and his greatest desire was to one day slaughter the sect.

Now that the Flower Cult's Supreme Elder had passed away, and their strongest cultivator was only at the Fourth Stage of the Golden Core, Chen Qiu's strength was more than enough to annihilate the sect. This was the perfect opportunity, and he had expected Fat Dragon to speak up soon, but to his surprise, Fat Dragon showed no signs of doing so.

"Cough"

Fat Dragon, whose thoughts had been read, spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone, "Brother Qiu, the thing is, the Master of the Flower Cult is at the Fourth Stage of the Golden Core, and they have a Mountain Defense Array. Although your strength is formidable, you might still get injured."

"Although I really want to destroy the Flower Cult..."

"And eliminate those demons who absorb mortal essence as soon as possible, but..."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Brother Qiu."

"We're doing well right now. If we continue developing steadily, there will come a day when we can annihilate the Flower Cult without any injuries. There's no need to take risks at this time."

"Hmm."

The Scholar nodded seriously, "Brother Qiu, Fat Dragon is right. The Fourth Stage of the Golden Core is not on the same level as the First Stage of the Golden Core or the Second Stage of the Golden Core. One is at the middle stage, while the other is at the initial stage, and there's a world of difference between them."

Chen Qiu gave a light laugh and didn't say anything. He used the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella as a walking stick, tapping it on the ground as he walked along the green stone path, "Let's go. It's just the Fourth Stage of the Golden Core; it's not a problem."

Since Chen Qiu had made up his mind, the others didn't try to stop him again.

After leaving the capital, the Scholar summoned the Green Blade and flew towards the Flower Cult. In just a few breaths, they arrived at the sect's mountain gate.

At that moment, two disciples guarding the mountain gate stood there, staring at Chen Qiu and the others who had appeared out of thin air. They tightly gripped a sound transmitter in their hands, their faces turning cold as they croaked, "Who are you? Identify yourselves!"

Chen Qiu didn't say anything.

He just glanced around.

The Flower Cult was located in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, within Jingzhou. These mountains were known for their dense spiritual energy, making them an ideal location for many sects to establish their headquarters.

The Flower Cult was situated on one of these mountain peaks.

It was winter, and most of the mountain was covered in withered branches, giving it a desolate appearance. However, when spring arrived, these branches would sprout green leaves once again, as they did every year.

Although the Flower Cult had announced that they would execute the Walking Heavenly Maiden and allow people to witness it, no one had come to watch. Everyone knew what kind of sect the Flower Cult was, and while they weren't evil or demonic, they were even more ruthless.

It was easy to go up, but coming down was another story.

Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't want to get involved in this affair.

Just then—

The two disciples guarding the mountain gate's pupils gradually turned cold, and they spoke again in a cold voice, "Identify yourselves, or else..."

Their voices abruptly stopped.

Two Divine Sense Attacks swept towards them.

The two disciples immediately stiffened and fell heavily to the ground behind them, sleeping soundly.

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu calmly opened the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella and strode into the mountain gate, following the mountain path towards the summit. At that very moment, as he opened the umbrella, thick, dark clouds swiftly enveloped the entire Flower Cult.

The light dimmed rapidly.

A howling storm of wind and rain also rushed in.

The once peaceful Flower Offering Sect was suddenly engulfed by a raging storm, a drastic change in the heavens and earth that naturally alarmed the entire sect.

His divine sense instantly expanded, locking onto every member within the sect. For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, being locked onto by the divine sense of a Golden Core Spell Cultivator meant they were already teetering on the edge of death.

After several dozen breaths, Chen Qiu, holding the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, led Fat Dragon and the others up the stone steps, their robes fluttering wildly in the storm. On this day, he had changed into a black robe, having grown tired of always wearing green.

As he ascended the steps to the sect hall at the top of the mountain, the sky above was filled with dark clouds, from which tens of thousands of lightning dragons emerged, carrying an incredibly terrifying pressure. Amidst the deafening thunder, the lightning dragons churned and surged.

The might of the heavens was truly terrifying.

At this moment, the plaza in front of the sect hall was packed with people, including disciples, elders, and the sect leader of the Flower Offering Sect, all standing guard in the hall, wary of the uninvited intruder who had forcefully entered.

In the center of the hall, on a stone pillar, stood the Walking Heavenly Maiden of the Flower Offering Sect, her body covered in bloody lash marks and bound in iron chains. She was barely conscious, but upon seeing Fat Dragon behind Chen Qiu, her blurry eyes lit up, and she struggled to speak with all her remaining strength, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Little Fatty, you really came!"

"I've finally waited for you."

"You've really become a big shot who came to slaughter the Flower Offering Sect, but you can't beat our sect leader. Run while you still can!"

"Hurry, or it'll be too late!"

At this moment, the sect leader of the Flower Offering Sect, with his body surging with boundless spirit qi, stood in the storm with his Fourth Stage Golden Core cultivation power unconcealed. Expressionless, he allowed his robe to flutter wildly, his eyes fixed on Chen Qiu as he spoke in a cold and steady tone.

"The Great Xia's Peerless Paragon, Chen Qiu."

"You've entered our Flower Offering Sect alone and initiated the divine sense lock. Are you declaring war on our sect?"

"I don't recall any grudges between us."

If not for Chen Qiu's divine sense lock that made him cautious, he would have taken action long ago and wouldn't be wasting time talking. The Flower Offering Sect had over two thousand disciples, including junior disciples and servants, as well as supplements.

All two thousand of them were locked onto by Chen Qiu's divine sense.

He had never seen a Spell Cultivator capable of locking onto so many people with their divine sense simultaneously.

It was simply inconceivable.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu, holding the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella, walked up the steps to the sect hall, standing on the Green Stone Plaza, facing the storm and looking towards the thousands of Flower Offering Sect disciples and elders standing in formation in the distance, as well as the sect leader at the forefront. After a brief pause, he chuckled.

"Naturally, there's no grudge between us."

"But there's a bit of a grudge between you and my brother."

"I'm not just one to seek revenge for myself; I also like to help my brothers seek revenge."

"Moreover, I also can't stand your methods of using mortals as supplements to enhance your cultivation."

". . ."

The sect leader of the Flower Offering Sect, standing at the forefront, glared at Chen Qiu with an icy gaze. Chen Qiu held the Celestial Omnipotent Umbrella low, so the sect leader could only see his smile, making it hard to discern Chen Qiu's true intentions.

Was he demonstrating his strength before discussing something, or was he preparing to fight?

Although Chen Qiu was only at the Core Formation First Stage, one had to admit that the tens of thousands of lightning dragons were indeed a formidable challenge.

If war could be avoided, it was best to avoid it.

"Mortals?"

Although he wasn't sure of Chen Qiu's intentions, since Chen Qiu had spoken, he had to respond. The sect leader of the Flower Offering Sect stared intently at Chen Qiu and said, "Each year, less than a hundred thousand mortals die at the hands of the Flower Offering Sect."

"But do you know how many mortals die in an earthquake?"

"How many mortals die in a flood?"

"Who causes floods and earthquakes?"

"It's the Heavenly Dao!"

"If even the Heavenly Dao slaughters mortals, do you also disapprove of its ways?"

"Do you intend to kill even the Heavenly Dao?"

"You're wrong."

Holding the jade umbrella in the storm, Chen Qiu looked straight at the sect leader and smiled, "I didn't come to discuss the Dao with you. For a path I disagree with, destruction is a more efficient solution than persuasion."

With that!

The deafening thunder once again rumbled and roared! The tens of thousands of lightning dragons in the dark clouds immediately surged towards the countless disciples of the Flower Offering Sect below. Locked by the divine sense, these disciples had nowhere to escape. In the face of indiscriminate bombardment, there might have been a lucky escapee, but now, not a single one would survive.

"You dare!"

Seeing that Chen Qiu was about to attack without any intention of negotiation, the sect leader of the Flower Offering Sect couldn't help but shout with a fierce expression. Then, following his shout, the disciples behind him quickly pulled out the supplements and held them in front of themselves!

"There are over a thousand mortals here. Stop immediately, or else..."

Before he could finish.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In an instant, the tens of thousands of lightning dragons smashed the Flower Offering Sect's Mountain Defense Array into pieces, then, carrying an incredibly terrifying pressure, they struck the mountain peak where the sect was located. Countless explosions reverberated.

Everyone except the sect leader and the senior elder of the Flower Offering Sect, who were both at the Golden Core stage, was turned into ashes.

The sect leader managed to protect himself and the senior elder with a divine treasure, but even so, he was covered in injuries. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground, and with his chaotic aura and fierce expression, he stood unsteadily, staring at Chen Qiu and roaring.

"You said you disapprove of our slaughter of mortals?"

"Then what are you doing?!"

"Me?"

Chen Qiu strolled leisurely through the storm, heading towards the depths of the Green Stone Plaza with a smile, "I'm helping them. After being used as supplements by you for so long, they only have a breath left. Even if they survive, they won't live for long."

"I believe."

"For them, instead of clinging to life for a few more days, they'd rather take you and your group of demons down with them."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end