Chapter 520 - 488: The Fairy’s Spell, An Unparalleled Divine Skill

Song Ciwan flew high above the desert. Looking out from a distance, everything beneath the sky was vast and desolate.

Rolling sand dunes stretched to the horizon. The midday sun bathed the entire desert world in a golden glow, giving the desolate landscape a sudden, unique, and magnificent beauty.

On a sand dune ahead, several men and women of various ages were either lying down or standing.

The ones lying down were clearly heavily injured, and even those standing were covered in bloody gashes.

Beside them lay two massive Demon Beasts, each a full thirty feet tall. One was shaped like a lion, while the other resembled a deer but wasn’t quite a deer, and a horse but not quite a horse. At a glance, it was difficult to identify its species.

But this strange Deer-Horse Demon Beast had one very distinct feature: the tips of its antlers were covered in an insect-like carapace!

The bizarre Deer-Horse Demon Beast lay on the dune, a large hole in its neck from which dark red blood was still gushing. A Cultivator with an injured right hand extended his left arm, using a special Storage Gourd to collect the flowing blood.

Another, a middle-aged Cultivator in Vine Armor, was looking up, waving his arm at the sky and shouting nonstop, "Fairy! Passing Fairy, could you possibly save us humble Cultivators? We ask for your aid, Fairy, and are willing to offer three hundred Battle Merits in exchange!"

’Battle Merits?’

Since arriving in Liangzhou, Song Ciwan had heard this term, "Battle Merits," on several occasions.

In the borderlands of Liangzhou stood the Demon Suppression Pass, and within the pass was a great city called Demon Suppression City.

It was said that there were no ordinary people in Demon Suppression City, only Cultivators. Although Primordial Pearls were also a common currency, Battle Merits were far more popular!

This was because Battle Merits were jointly issued by the Four Great Demon Passes and backed by the Court. With Battle Merits, Cultivators could not only trade freely but also directly exchange them with the Court for all sorts of rare resources.

Some of the most top-tier treasures could not be bought with Primordial Pearls, but they could be obtained with Battle Merits!

Even some Supreme Skills and Cultivation Techniques, secretly guarded by the major Sects, could be redeemed from the Court using Battle Merits.

Thus, in a way, the value of Battle Merits far exceeded that of Primordial Pearls.

However, Primordial Pearls were not just currency; they were also a source of energy. In many situations, Primordial Pearls could be used as an energy supply.

But Battle Merits, once taken outside the Great Zhou, were worth nothing. Their monetary value was entirely granted by the Court.

Therefore, as valuable as Battle Merits were, they couldn’t replace Primordial Pearls. It could only be said that both had their own strengths.

Right now, however, Song Ciwan was indeed curious about Battle Merits, and she needed them.

She was heading to Demon Suppression Pass, and acquiring some Battle Merits beforehand would certainly make things more convenient.

Song Ciwan descended from the clouds. Dressed in white, she drifted down from the sea of clouds. Although the aura of her power was concealed, her flight speed was astonishingly fast. She possessed an indescribable air of grace and spirit that was hard to put into words.

If one had to describe it in simple terms, it could be summed up in four words: the air of an expert.

Why did the Cultivator below, who was clearly middle-aged, respectfully address Song Ciwan, who was on a cloud, as a Fairy?

Naturally, it was because Song Ciwan was Riding the Clouds and Mist, flying high and fast.

Even though Song Ciwan was deliberately suppressing her speed, to the injured Cultivators on the ground, her "slow" pace was still something completely out of their reach.

When Song Ciwan landed, the Vine Armor Cultivator quickly lowered his waving arms to his sides. His face even showed a hint of awkwardness.

He was awkward, surprised, and shocked all at once. It seemed that although he had been shouting and waving his arms, he hadn’t truly believed the expert passing overhead would actually respond and descend.

Song Ciwan’s feet touched down on the soft sand dune. A pulsing heat rose from the ground. Compared to flying high in the sky, the temperature on the desert surface was extremely high.

The Heaven and Earth Scale materialized beside her, receiving a cloud of qi from the Vine Armor Cultivator: [human desires: The surprise, fear, and apprehension of a Qi Cultivation Great Perfection Cultivator. Weight: one catty and one tael. Exchangeable.]

Song Ciwan’s gaze swept over the Vine Armor Cultivator before shifting to the other Cultivators lying on the ground.

The Vine Armor Cultivator’s name was Zhou Mu. He was a middle-aged Cultivator who specialized in Wood Element Techniques. A native Cultivator of Liangzhou, he was a regular in Demon Suppression City. Thanks to his vast experience, he had a decent reputation among low- to mid-level Cultivators.

Recently, the number of Demon Beasts appearing near Demon Suppression Pass had begun to increase dramatically. Because of this, Zhou Mu had gradually shifted from hunting demons alone to forming a team to slay them together.

With more people, they killed more demons, and everyone’s earnings saw a positive increase.

Everything had been going well. Zhou Mu had always been cautious when leading his team, never acting recklessly.

This time, his group of nine had joined forces to ambush an already heavily injured Early-Stage Demon Core Lion Demon. They had brought plenty of Elixirs, Array Plates, and Spirit Talismans. Combined with their prior coordination and practice, they had thought that even if the hunt wasn’t a sure thing, it at least wouldn’t pose any significant danger.

Unexpectedly, despite its heavy injuries, the Lion Demon managed to break through their encirclement Array at the last moment.

Then, during the ensuing chase, the Lion Demon called for reinforcements: a bizarre-looking Deer-Horse Demon Beast.

But that Deer-Horse Demon Beast was only at the Late-stage Spirit Communication! It hadn’t even broken through to the Demon Core Stage!

At that moment, the Lion Demon spoke in human tongue. Upon seeing the Deer-Horse Demon Beast, it had shouted from a distance, "Brother Lu, hurry and save your Brother Lion! These Human Race scoundrels are despicable! They ambushed me while I was heavily injured! Help me, Brother Lu!"