Chapter 84: Chapter 84: This Item Is Destined for Me
An emerald light flashed, and an object like a Jade Ruyi landed in Cheng Mengying’s hand.
’With my remaining strength, I can only use this Jade Ruyi once.’
’Given his current condition, a single strike would, at best, severely injure him. It won’t be enough to kill him!’
’But if he’s badly wounded, given my own state, could I possibly...’
She had suffered grievous losses this time; she was unwilling to simply retreat.
But if she continued to fight, she had no absolute certainty of victory, even with a Heavy Treasure in her possession.
Should she make a clean getaway? Or risk it all?
Cheng Mengying’s expression shifted as her thoughts raced.
In the end, reason won out.
’It’s just a few Demon Stones and some treasures. My life is far more valuable; I won’t put myself in needless danger.’
On the other side, Xu Chang’an’s face lit up with joy as he stared at the object in Cheng Mengying’s hand.
’That thing is destined to be mine!’
A Quasi-Magical Treasure! Such things are found only by chance, never by searching!
If he could get his hands on it and Nurture it properly, it would become another one of his trump cards.
’I’ll go all out and seize it!’
Xu Chang’an made his decision in an instant.
A jet-black talisman paper of unknown material appeared before him.
A lifelike ring was etched upon its surface.
"That’s—!"
Cheng Mengying had just decided to retreat.
But when she saw the talisman paper materialize before the Golden Lion, her face filled with horror.
"A Talisman Treasure!"
’Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!’
Alarm bells screamed in her mind. Cheng Mengying no longer hesitated. Her Demon Power erupted as she made a decisive retreat.
"Go!"
With an eruption of Demon Power, the Talisman Treasure before Xu Chang’an was instantly activated.
He guided it with his Demon Sense.
The talisman paper erupted in a dazzling radiance.
In a flash, a shimmering golden ring appeared.
SWOOSH!
The ring spun as it shot toward Cheng Mengying.
Its speed was far beyond ordinary.
’This is bad!’
A chill ran through Cheng Mengying. An unprecedented sense of mortal danger enveloped her.
Holding nothing back, she condensed all her Demon Power and drove the Jade Ruyi in her hand to meet the attack.
The emerald Jade Ruyi and the golden ring collided violently.
BOOM!
The invisible shockwave sent ripples through the air.
The clashing energies created a silent shockwave that roiled the Demon Power and blood in one’s body.
If a Little Demon had been present, they would have likely been shaken to death on the spot.
PTHOO!
The Jade Ruyi’s power was immense. Xu Chang’an had driven his Talisman Treasure to clash with it.
Though he blocked the attack, the force that blasted back through the connection made him spit out a mouthful of blood.
’As expected of a Quasi-Magical Treasure!’
Xu Chang’an couldn’t help but marvel.
A Talisman Treasure only contained a fraction of the original Magical Treasure’s might, whereas a Quasi-Magical Treasure, once activated, unleashed its full power.
Thus, aside from the exceptionally rare, high-quality Talisman Treasures that were refined at great expense...
...the power of most Talisman Treasures was slightly weaker than that of a Quasi-Magical Treasure.
However, Talisman Treasures had a clear advantage: the energy required to activate them was far less than that needed for a Quasi-Magical Treasure.
Xu Chang’an was having a hard time, but so was Cheng Mengying.
Although the Jade Ruyi’s power was greater than the Talisman Treasure’s, the difference was limited.
Using the Jade Ruyi to counter the attack had left Cheng Mengying with barely any Demon Power remaining.
The backlash from the collision added to her injuries, causing her to spit out several more mouthfuls of blood.
She wanted to recall the Jade Ruyi, but her Demon Power was nearly depleted. If she tried to force it...
...she might get the Jade Ruyi back, but she would have no Demon Power left to flee for her life.
Gritting her teeth, Cheng Mengying made the painful decision to cut her losses and abandon the Jade Ruyi.
Heedless of anything else, she activated her Fan-shaped Magical Artifact and shot into the sky to escape.
’His physique is powerful; his speed is probably faster than mine!’
’Lujiao Mountain Marketplace! That’s my only hope of survival!’
In this life-or-death situation, Cheng Mengying’s mind was unusually clear.
Even though she had abandoned the Jade Ruyi, her severe injuries meant she couldn’t be certain she would escape.
Lion’s Mane Cave was too far away. The closest power that could offer her shelter was likely the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
The auction at Lujiao Mountain Marketplace had just concluded, and several Foundation Establishment Great Demons were still there, standing guard.
Not even someone as tyrannical as the Golden Lion would dare to cause trouble there.
Watching the direction in which Cheng Mengying fled, Xu Chang’an didn’t give chase.
He had already achieved his goal. Besides, he was injured, so a rash pursuit would not be a wise move.
In mid-air, without the support of Demon Power, the emerald light emanating from the Jade Ruyi began to dim.
SWOOSH!
Suppressing his internal injuries, Xu Chang’an shot forward on his Golden Radiance Needle and snatched at the treasure.
Without its master’s control, the Jade Ruyi was easily caught by Xu Chang’an.
The Jade Ruyi was shaped like a long-handled scepter, its head flat like a palm leaf.
Its entire body was emerald green, smooth as jade, and crystal clear.
"What a treasure!"
Xu Chang’an’s face lit up with delight.
’This treasure truly was destined to be mine!’
However, the battle had just ended. He was still in a dangerous place, and his injuries were not light.
This was no time to be admiring his new Quasi-Magical Treasure.
He immediately put away the Jade Ruyi and used his Demon Sense to retrieve the Circular Talisman Treasure.
Then he returned to the Elephant Demon’s side, searched its body, and took its Storage Bag.
He glanced at the battle-scarred surroundings but didn’t linger, quickly activating his Magical Artifact to depart as a streak of light.
Destroying the body to erase all traces would have been ideal.
But that would take a considerable amount of time.
He was currently injured and carrying a Heavy Treasure. If a powerful Great Demon happened to pass by, it would be a complete disaster for him.
Leaving this dangerous place as soon as possible was far more important!
’Perfection is a fine goal, but one must adapt to the circumstances.’
’A rigid response, even if technically correct, is often the inferior choice. It can easily leave one in a passive, dangerous position.’
Just like now, Xu Chang’an chose to forgo cleaning up the scene in favor of prioritizing his own safety.
Perhaps in hindsight, he could have cleaned up the scene and nothing would have happened; he would have been perfectly safe.
But the act itself carried a risk.
And it was a risk Xu Chang’an could not afford, nor did he want to take it.
’Some risks are worth taking, some are unnecessary, and some are simply a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils!’
...
「Several hours later」 Inside a hidden cave, Xu Chang’an concealed his aura and hid himself away.
’Now, let’s see what I’ve gained from all this!’
There were two Storage Bags in total: one from the little lioness, and one from the Elephant Demon.
Both Storage Bags had a large amount of space, a full thirty to forty cubic meters each.
He opened Cheng Mengying’s Storage Bag first and began to rummage through it.
When he had attacked, the little lioness had been using several of her Magical Artifacts in the fight.
So, while there were a few Top-grade Magical Artifacts inside her Storage Bag, there were no Supreme-grade ones.
However, the bag was packed with resources.
Demon Stones, Demon Talismans, Elixirs, Arrays, Spiritual Herbs and Plants, Ores—a whole host of related Cultivation Resources.
The Earth Dragon True Blood was also inside the Storage Bag.
In addition, there were quite a few journals detailing various Cultivation Observations.
’Over ten thousand Demon Stones alone! She really is a little rich girl from Lion’s Mane Cave!’
Xu Chang’an was ecstatic.
The net worth of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Great Demon was certainly more than ten thousand Demon Stones.
But most of that worth would be tied up in their Magical Artifacts and Guarding Methods.
They wouldn’t have so much liquid wealth in Demon Stones, unlike this little lioness.
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