Chapter 66, Augury Sect’s Top Talent

Translator: Tamon

 

Huang Yu was a 7th layer of Qi Refining inner disciple.

 

Unlike the many dainty flowers in the sect, she had a common appearance with her light tan, nice but unadorned complexion, and lacking accessories.

 

Huang Yu came from a family of farmers, working the field and tending the cows. If not for being the sole single earth spirit root user in thousands of miles that an Augury Sect elder happened upon by chance, she wouldn’t have been anything more than that.

 

The elder believed she would reach Foundation Establishment in three years, the best talent the sect had ever seen in a century.

 

Reality begged to differ. She just got to the seventh layer after five years.

All because she refused to train in the Augury Art, shunning any males that vied for her attention and never fawning over anyone.

 

Her estrangement grew with time, isolated from her peers and forgotten by her elder as she became a most average disciple.

 

“Huang Yu, why are you so wounded again?”

 

“Huang Yu, why go through the pain of hunting demons for their inner core when you can just dual cultivate with me?”

 

“What a waste of a perfectly good talent.”

 

Her demon hunts always ended up in wounds and ruined clothes, earning the mockery of her fellow disciples.

 

While all her peers liked to waste the day gabbing about better ways of getting the men to give them what they want or how to fool around with some other sect genius.

 

Huang Yu was a loner, raising her weapon and rushing into the mountain with purpose.

 

She had gone from being put on a pedestal, the object of admiration due to talent, to slinking into obscurity and disregard all in the span of five years.

 

No one cared about her single earth spirit root or for being the best talent, treating her as the funniest joke.

 

Huang Yu’s eyes were especially bright today. “Three hundred thousand contribution points. Just what I need to reach Foundation Establishment within a year.

 

“And with a bit of hard work for two years, I can exchange for the Mountain Tying Gulf and can free myself from this sect. This is my chance, maybe my only chance! I have to find the demon.”

 

She sped up with the response talisman in her hand as she scouted ahead with more drive than the elders.

 

She was sure the demon was hiding underground somewhere at the edge of the barrier as it tried to get out.

 

…

 

Xu Hei’s small lizards fanned out, sending feedback through their Divine Sense link.

 

He saw many cultivators holding a white talisman running about.

 

“Detect Life Talisman!” Xu Hei gasped.

 

Hei Huang mentioned that the bane of Invisible Talisman, besides the Validity Dust, was this Detect Life Talisman.

 

“Xu Hei, keep watch. Make sure no one gets within ten meters of us.”

 

The dog was focused on a spot on the barrier, studying its weakness.

 

“I know.”

 

Xu Hei took a deep breath, his eyes sharp.

 

Killing in their situation brought extreme danger, unavoidable when their pursuers drew ever nearer.

 

Time trickled by, one slow moment after another.

 

The Augury Sect covered a large area, but with a hundred people moving at high speeds, the unscanned sectors were quickly crossed out.

 

All Xu Hei could do was let out his puppets.

 

The instant someone got too fixed on their location, he’d have a puppet draw them away.

 

Many disciples crushed their talismans in the heat of the moment and brought He Luohua over to investigate, only to lash out at the repeated cheap tricks being played against her.

 

“Again with the puppets?

 

“The demon is cunning, but this proves he’s hiding underground.

 

“Don’t let up! Scour every corner, even those already searched!”

 

He Luohua threw dozens more talismans and sent more teams to look for their infiltrator.

 

As more and more people joined the hunt, they only got closer and closer. Xu Hei used his other puppets to draw them away, even killing some people along the way. But one thing was certain: he slowly ran out of them with each diversion.

 

He only had ten of his original one hundred, most being the large ones.

 

“Just a few more minutes, Little Xu. Keep it up.” Hei Huang encouraged.

 

“I know.”

 

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator approached, Xu Hei threw all his remaining puppets into action, getting her attention and leading her elsewhere.

 

Xu Wei was out of puppets. Almost.

 

His only one was the little scouting snake with no fight in it.

 

[Curses! I should’ve had more puppets made.] Xu Hei wailed in his mind, forgetting that he used all the ingredients he stole to make them. Unless he went out of his way to get a couple of Sky Effigy Sect disciples killed, he couldn’t make any more.

 

The seconds were passing agonizingly slowly.

 

Xu Hei sensed Hei Huang’s eyes lit up and his paws sped up as the breach was just about ready.

 

“Quick, Xu Hei. On my signal, you have to rush through without hesitation.”

 

Hei Huang warned.

 

“I got it.”

 

Xu Hei’s little snake sent back info that more humans approached.

 

His eyes flashed, trouble arriving at this critical juncture.

 

His small snake moved closer and flinched.

 

The incoming human was just a girl with short hair and plain clothes, unlike the usual disciple. She had no accessories and a light tan. From a distance, she was more of a boy than a girl.

 

Xu Hei had long known she was around as she kept skirting the area and scanning the place without getting closer.

 

Until now.

 

She had the response talisman in hand and was covered in a brown armor, the same Earth Armor Xu Hei used. She also had five revolving shields around her as she drew closer and closer and closer.

 

Xu Hei’s eyes were cold, committed to ending her before getting within ten meters of them. He got ready to trigger a saved Earth Spike and his dark golden scales.

 

At her 7th layer Qi Refining cultivation, no defense would be enough to save her from instant death.

 

Without puppets, he had to step in himself, even give himself away. He had no other choice. Better sooner than later, for he needed to stall for time.

 

She reached thirty meters in the meantime…

 

Xu Hei took a deep breath, his mind set on triggering the Earth Spike, but the plain girl up and stopped.

 

She had a pale face and was sweating hard.

 

Her legs softened and her mind clouded, a sign of impending doom looming over her shoulder, or beneath her feet.

 

Huang Yu had been through many deadly wringers, sharpening her instincts.

 

She had long since found this area suspicious but never came close, always forced to turn elsewhere due to other circumstances. She was seventy percent confident that the demon was near.

 

But only now, as things came to a head, did she realize it wasn’t worth it.

 

“This is three hundred thousand we’re talking about!

 

“But what’s the point if I’m dead?”

 

Huang Yu had ragged breath, her white and plain clothing soaked in sweat.

 

[Calm down; modesty is the first premise for survival!]

 

[Pride always comes before the fall.]

 

She wasn’t like those homegrown lilies, having shed blood and sweat to discover the value of life.

 

Huang Yu took a deep breath and backed away.

 

The Foundation Establishment woman the ten puppets kept busy so far flew over on her sword. “Huang Yu? Did you search the place?”

 

She wasn’t alone, followed by the Augury Sect’s Grand Elder, a late Foundation Establishment old woman.

 

She was the strongest among the scouters.

 

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