Shen Xiang set fire to Song Nanming's corpses and his guards, watching as they were reduced to ashes. To his surprise, after the flames died down, a two-foot-long golden light ribbon remained.
"What is this?" Shen Xiang asked, puzzled. He informed Bai Youyou and Su Meiyao.
Soon, Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou, both dressed in black with hoods covering their faces, emerged from the storage ring. They took precautions not to reveal their appearances to anyone else.
"Could it be a Martial Spirit?" Bai Youyou's cold voice held a trace of astonishment.
Su Meiyao crouched down, gently stroking the light ribbon. "Yes, it's definitely a Martial Spirit."
"What's a Martial Spirit?" Shen Xiang had never heard of such a thing.
"A Martial Spirit is something with unique properties, though we can't fully explain it. It's nurtured from True Qi or formed naturally by the heavens and earth. For instance, if you have an Ice Martial Spirit fused into your arm, any fire-based True Qi that passes through your arm will transform into ice-based True Qi," Su Meiyao explained.
Shen Xiang was startled. "So, if someone who can't release True Qi flames fuses a Fire Martial Spirit into their arm, they could easily release True Qi flames?"
Bai Youyou nodded. "Exactly. That's why Martial Spirits are incredibly precious. We just don't know the attribute of this one."
It was Shen Xiang's first time hearing about something so miraculous, indicating how rare it was. But why would Song Nanming have one?
"For you, Martial Spirits aren't particularly useful since you can already freely release Five Elements True Qi. You should sell it; it could fetch a good price," Su Meiyao suggested. She took out a small jade bottle, using her Tai Chi Divine Art to create a suction force, pulling the Martial Spirit into the bottle.
"This seems to be a Fire Martial Spirit, likely nurtured by someone who cultivated fire-based True Qi for a long time. This isn't something just anyone can cultivate. Song Nanming probably acquired it by chance but didn't know how to use it," Su Meiyao speculated, sensing the heat emitted by the Martial Spirit.
Shen Xiang hurried toward Luanfeng Mountain, satisfied with the haul he had gained from killing Song Nanming—Dragon Martial Arts and a Martial Spirit.
He asked Su Meiyao through his divine sense, "Sister Meiyao, can you tell me more about Martial Spirits? Are you sure they won't be useful for me?"
Su Meiyao replied, "That's not entirely true. There are many types of Martial Spirits. Besides elemental Martial Spirits, there are also Beast Martial Spirits, which are condensed by demonic beasts. These are extremely rare. What would be most beneficial for you would be a Fire Soul, which can alter the nature of your flames and give them various attributes—highly valuable for alchemists."
"Fire Souls are very rare. To date, I've only known of my master possessing one. I've never seen anyone else with one, though I've heard of a few strong cultivators who had one," Su Meiyao explained.
Shen Xiang was secretly amazed. From Su Meiyao, he learned that those who possessed Fire Souls were all top-tier experts.
Luanfeng Mountain was not particularly tall, but it was vast. At the summit, there were numerous buildings, and a grand palace-like structure stood at the top. Shen Xiang hadn't expected such a large-scale black organization to be based in such a place.
Shen Xiang marveled at his father's audacity. Despite only being at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm, his father had created such a powerful criminal organization and eliminated many important figures in the process.
At the base of the mountain, many guards were patrolling. Because of Shen Tianhu's previous invasion, security at Luanfeng Mountain had become even tighter. But this posed no challenge for Shen Xiang. His father had already killed many of the top leaders, making things even easier for him.
Shen Xiang knew the Nine Poison Gang's main strength lay in their use of poisonous hidden weapons. As long as he prepared himself, there was nothing to fear.
Earlier, thousands of hidden weapons had attacked Shen Xiang from all directions, yet he remained unharmed. Those weapons posed no threat to him.
A member of the Nine Poison Gang saw Shen Xiang emerge from the forest and immediately drew his broadsword, shouting, "Who goes there?"
"Shen Xiang!" The handsome young man's response carried a palpable killing intent that sent a shiver through the gang members. They knew without a doubt that this was the infamous Shen Xiang from the rumors!
With murderous intent in his eyes, Shen Xiang scanned the group. Suddenly, the Nine Poison Gang members rapidly waved their hands, launching countless steel needles of varying sizes. Under the sunlight, the needles glinted menacingly.
As Shen Xiang had anticipated, most members of the Nine Poison Gang relied on these hidden weapons. Ordinary martial artists would struggle to defend against them and could easily be killed.
But for Shen Xiang, there was no danger. He raised his eyebrows, and a wave of scorching Gang Qi erupted from his body, forming a protective barrier. The steel needles froze in mid-air, unable to reach him.
Shen Xiang glanced at the sharp needles and sneered coldly. With a powerful burst of divine sense, he controlled the needles, turning them back toward the Nine Poison Gang members.
"These things must have been difficult to make. Let me return them to you!" Shen Xiang smirked as the countless needles rained down like a storm, piercing the gang members.
Before they could react, the steel needles had impaled their bodies, turning them into human pincushions.
What followed was a horrifying sight. The gang members, about fifty in total, turned black as the poison from the needles spread through their bodies. They screamed in agony as their bodies slowly melted, eventually turning into pools of black blood.
The poisonous blood not only dissolved their clothes but also the nearby rocks and steel needles. The toxicity was terrifying.
"This Nine Poison Gang cannot be allowed to exist!" Shen Xiang frowned. He conjured a large flame, burning away the poisonous blood, then sprinted toward the mountain's summit.
As Shen Xiang engaged the Nine Poison Gang members, a series of bells rang from the mountain's peak. He knew he had been discovered but continued rushing toward the top.
When he reached the summit, it was eerily deserted. However, upon entering the grand palace, he saw a vast hall filled with people dressed in black. A large crowd suddenly appeared behind him, surrounding him—over a thousand people!
"Is your father dead?" A short, ugly, white-haired old man stepped forward, speaking in a grating voice.
"No, he's still alive and well," Shen Xiang replied calmly, causing the old man's eyes to widen. Shen Xiang guessed that this old man was the leader of the Nine Poison Gang.
"Hmph, in that case, why have you come to throw your life away?" The gang leader sneered, his gaze toward Shen Xiang as cold as if he were already a dead man.
"I'm not here to die; I'm here to take your life," Shen Xiang replied seriously, his expression solemn.