Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Nearly ten thousand mortals lived on Jue Ming Mountain. Some were the families of disciples who had just moved from the small worlds, while others were descendants of cultivators who had settled here for many years, spanning several, or even dozens, of generations.

The environment on the mountain was beautiful and the climate pleasant. The land was so fertile that if you simply tossed a handful of seeds, robust crops would grow without much tending.

Living here, mortals were constantly nourished by Spiritual Qi. They rarely fell ill, and their lifespans were ten to twenty years longer than in the mortal realm. It was not uncommon for them to live to a ripe old age.

It was clear that the small town was quite prosperous.

The streets were wide and clean, paved with bluestone. Shops lined the streets: oil presses, rice shops, schools, teahouses...

But now, it was completely empty.

In their place were swarms of densely packed locusts.

These locusts were over a foot long. On their heads, two emerald-green eyes shimmered, and their bodies were covered in glossy, tough carapaces ranging in color from light green to deep yellow.

Their powerful hind legs were covered in serrations, and their two pairs of scaly wings were tinged with a rusty reddish-brown.

They were currently hopping and leaping everywhere, searching for anything edible. The moment they found something, they would pounce, open their powerful mandibles, and chew ceaselessly, as if they could never be sated.

"These are locusts? Why are they so huge?"

"Yeah, I thought they’d be fist-sized at most."

Many of the disciples were seeing these demonic insects for the first time, and they couldn’t help but feel their skin crawl.

Elder Nie saw the fear in the disciples’ eyes. Without a word, he formed a Spell in his hand, and a faint golden light immediately enveloped his body. He let out a loud cry, "Flying Scythe-Blades!"

In an instant, the golden light in his hand erupted, and dozens of sickle-like flying blades shot out.

The blades moved as if they had eyes of their own, decapitating, cleaving in two, or piercing through the chests of the dozens of locusts closest to the group... clearing them all out in an instant!

Seeing this, the disciples all cheered in unison.

Although the Spirit Beast Scroll was inert and dormant, Zhao Lin could still see the Essence Souls of the dead. He couldn’t help but feel a chill as he saw dozens of Essence Souls rise up at once.

Flying Scythe-Blades was a Tier One Magic, but in the hands of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, its power was astounding.

The move’s true strength wasn’t in launching dozens of blades, but in how each one could strike its target with perfect accuracy.

After all, the locusts were not stationary targets; many were constantly moving. One needed a powerful Divine Sense to control each of the blades individually.

After casting the Magic, Elder Nie pursed his lips and let out a sharp whistle.

A WHIR of flapping wings sounded as seven or eight Cyan Wood Sparrows and Long-tailed Yi Pheasants flew over their heads, swooping low towards the nearby locusts.

Strangely, the locusts had remained indifferent to the group’s arrival, but the moment the Spiritual Birds appeared, they reacted like mice seeing a cat and began to scatter in all directions.

The locusts fled quickly, but the Spiritual Birds were faster. In the blink of an eye, they caught up, raised their sharp beaks, and plunged them into the locusts’ heads like iron picks.

A single, fatal strike, and then on to the next...

Seeing how ferocious the Spiritual Birds were, the disciples felt greatly reassured.

Just then, Elder Nie’s voice rang out. "There are seven streets in this town. Wei Yi, Zhang Gong... Dong Lingcheng, the seven of you will lead teams to clear the locusts street by street."

"Zhu Shimao, Lan Jin, you two will be in charge of clearing the farmlands. Take the Spiritual Birds with you!"

"I will go to the ancestral hall in the center of town to watch over the emergency Array. If you encounter danger, call for me with a whistle."

Back on the Flying Vessel, Elder Nie had already organized everyone into teams, with one senior disciple leading four or five junior disciples.

Zhao Lin, Tong Mu, Li Sancai, and Zhu Cong were in one group. Since all four were newly initiated disciples, their team was led by Dong Lingcheng, the strongest combatant among the instructing senior brothers.

Before leaving, Elder Nie gave a specific warning to the nine senior disciples: "Your first priority is to look after the other disciples. Slaying locusts is secondary. There must be no casualties. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

The nine replied in unison and then led their respective teams toward the streets and farmlands.

Dong Lingcheng was the same senior disciple with the stern face and sword-like brows who had taught them at the Demonstration Pavilion. He led Zhao Lin and the others toward the third street from the north.

As the five of them entered the street, they saw hundreds of locusts scurrying about on the ground, walls, and rooftops. From some of the houses came the sound of CRUNCHING and CHEWING.

"Each of you cast a Magic. Kill a locust and let me see."

Dong Lingcheng wasn’t in a hurry to kill the locusts himself. He wanted to gauge the general strength of his team members before deciding on their next move.

"Alright."

Zhao Lin was the first to step forward. His gaze swept around and locked onto a locust that was halfway inside a wooden barrel by the street.

He usually practiced his Magic on targets or empty space; this was his first time killing a living creature.

Zhao Lin calmed his mind and quickly formed the Fifth-Grade Lotus Seal of ’Lin’ with his hands.

He pressed his thumb against his middle and ring fingers, extended his index and pinky fingers upward, and then swiped through the air.

"Wind Blade Skill!"

Cyan light gathered, condensed into a wind blade, and flew through the air, striking the locust squarely in the abdomen and slicing it in two.

"Good!"

Dong Lingcheng praised him before turning his gaze to Li Sancai.

Although Li Sancai had a low-grade Spiritual Root, he was quite talented at controlling Spiritual Power. He also cultivated the Spirit Blade Skill, but his was driven by Fire Spiritual Power.

He unleashed a blade of fire, which struck a locust perched on a wall on the head.

With a SIZZLE, flames erupted, and the smell of something burning instantly filled the air.

"I hit it!"

Li Sancai pumped his fist in excitement.

Next was Tong Mu. Having spent years herding sheep on the grasslands, he was used to driving them with a whip, so when he started practicing Magic, he chose a Wood Element spell: the Green Vine Skill.

The Green Vine Skill created a Cyan Rattan Whip over forty feet long, covered in barbs, that writhed in the air like a snake.

After casting it, he violently snapped it back, hooking a locust’s body and crushing it to pieces.

Last was Zhu Cong. He practiced the Water Arrow Skill. Although his Spiritual Root was of a higher grade than the other three, he had not yet mastered the basics of the Magic and lacked control.

Furthermore, being young, he was afraid of the locusts. He fired two Water Arrow Skills in a row, barely managing to hit one of the locust’s legs.

The locust fell to the ground, sprang up in alarm, and was about to take flight when Dong Lingcheng struck it down from the air with a Wood Element flying sword.

"Not bad at all!"

Dong Lingcheng said with satisfaction. ’Elder Nie asked me to lead four new disciples, and I thought they would be a burden. I didn’t expect them to be so surprisingly competent. They can actually help share the load.’

"Stay close to me. Remember, don’t go more than twenty yards away... no, fifteen!"

After speaking, he glanced at Zhao Lin. "You’re the oldest and have a martial arts background. Help me keep an eye on them."

Zhao Lin quickly replied, "Don’t worry, Senior Brother."

Dong Lingcheng gave a slight nod and charged into the street, leading the group to slaughter every locust in sight.

"Autumn Wind, Falling Leaves!"

Dong Lingcheng’s cultivation was at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. His Mana was powerful, and though he couldn’t kill dozens of locusts in a single move like Elder Nie, several of the demonic insects fell with every strike he made.

He charged and fought fiercely at the front while Zhao Lin and the others followed close behind, taking turns to finish off any locusts that slipped past or weren’t completely dead.

Having long practiced martial arts, Zhao Lin’s combat insight was extremely sharp.

He observed for a while and noticed that Li Sancai’s Fire Saber Skill had an incendiary effect; every time it hit a target, a ball of fire would erupt.

"Sancai, leave the single demonic insects to us. Try targeting the ones that are clustered together."

Li Sancai gave it a try, and sure enough, one Magic spell could now kill two demonic insects at once. He couldn’t help but shout in satisfaction.

Tong Mu’s Green Vine Skill didn’t have a long range, but its area of effect was wider. Zhao Lin suggested he use it to clear out the locusts that had entered the houses, as there would be no risk of missing.

Zhu Cong’s Magic was unrefined and his aim was poor, but Zhao Lin could see the Essence Souls of dead locusts. Whenever he noticed that no Essence Soul had appeared, he would have Zhu Cong go and deliver the finishing blow.

The Wind Blade Skill was nimble and agile, so Zhao Lin deliberately sought out flying locusts to practice his aim.

And so, the group fought while learning the various nuances of their Magic—things that were difficult to learn back at the Spirit Dao Institute.

The group cut a path forward, leaving a trail of locust corpses in their wake.

However, the four disciples were only at the Qi Refining First Layer. In less than an hour, their Mana ran out one by one.

Fortunately, even without Mana, Zhao Lin still had his Qi and Blood. He could still slay the demonic insects using martial arts Cultivation Techniques like the Sky-splitting Slash and Celestial Frost Fist. Though their range was shorter than Magic, their power was greater.

As for Tong Mu, Li Sancai, and Zhu Cong, they could only watch helplessly, following behind Zhao Lin and waiting for their Spiritual Power to slowly recover.

Dong Lingcheng also noticed that the others had exhausted their Mana, but seeing Zhao Lin’s clean and efficient attacks, he was able to relax and focus on slaying locusts.

After fighting for a while, the view suddenly opened up, and they realized they had fought their way from one end of the street to the other.

"Rest here for fifteen minutes."

Dong Lingcheng gave the order, sat down directly on the ground, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Zhao Lin and the others followed his example, sitting down cross-legged.

When the time was up, they all stood up at once.

Most of the demonic insects on the street were already dead, but now more locusts flew in from elsewhere, some even beginning to feed on the corpses of their own kind.

Dong Lingcheng didn’t say a word, simply waving his hand and leading the group back down the street to mop up.

This time, Zhao Lin and the others found it much easier. For one, the number of locusts had decreased; they were no longer swarming everywhere as before.

Secondly, they were more proficient with their Magic than when they started. With their Spiritual Power restored, their insect-killing efficiency was higher, and even Zhu Cong had improved significantly.

"There’s one inside!"

As they passed a winery, a strange noise came from inside.

Not wanting to waste time, Dong Lingcheng told Zhao Lin and the others to go search inside while he continued to slay the locusts outside.

Zhao Lin acknowledged the order and led the other three into the winery. When they burst into the main room, they all froze.

The table in the room was laden with food and wine. Clearly, the people in the winery had been in the middle of a meal when the disaster struck.

Sprawled across the table was an enormous locust, nearly three feet long and a foot and a half tall, more than twice the size of any they had seen before.

That alone was one thing—in any large group, there are always a few outliers—but what struck them as strange was that this locust had its long mouthparts stuck into a wine jar.

It was drinking wine!

Li Sancai and Tong Mu raised their hands simultaneously. Zhao Lin didn’t stop them, instead pulling Zhu Cong back to guard the entrance.

’A locust this big might not be killed by a single Magic spell. It’s safer if two people attack.’

But then something even more surprising happened: the locust looked up at them, kicked its legs, and flew straight out the window.

"It ran away?"

The four of them were stunned for a moment.

Locusts had almost no intelligence. They didn’t run when they saw people, only scurrying away frantically when attacked.

This locust actually seemed to be afraid of them.

’Something’s not right!’

Zhao Lin sensed something was amiss. He was the first to react, turning and striding out of the room.

He emerged just in time to see Dong Lingcheng unleash his Wood Element flying sword and slice off the enormous locust’s head.

"Thank goodness..."

Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like I was overthinking it,’ he thought.

Just as he was about to call over Li Sancai and the others, his gaze suddenly froze. The hairs on his body stood on end, and he roared, "Senior Brother Dong, look out!"