However, the Wind Sand Art was not so easy to cultivate. This technique also required converting spiritual power into a small amount of wind spiritual power to combine with earth spiritual power for execution. Although this spell had offensive capabilities, its greatest effect was not to attack enemies, but to provide cover for retreat, capable of stirring up a cloud of yellow sand to confuse enemies.
Zhang Ling chose to cultivate this Wind Sand Art, largely because the second natal magic treasure he was about to refine, the Heavenly Star Sand, was very suitable for casting this spell.
The mist stirred up by ordinary sand and stones did not greatly interfere with a cultivator's spiritual sense. But if cast with Heavenly Star Sand, whether used to trap enemies or escape, the effect would be very different.
Thus, every day, besides spending some time in meditation, Zhang Ling spent most of his time studying high-level spells.
Of course, the spells he studied were not limited to earth-attribute spells; he also dabbled in other five-element spells. Even those spells that he couldn't cultivate, he would study, sometimes gaining some inspiration.
In Zhang Ling's view, the spells that cultivators practiced were actually created by observing the changes in the world.
High-level spells were not just cast with a single type of spiritual power. Some special high-level spells also required the aid of a special magic treasure to cast.
Like the Wind Sand Art he was currently practicing, if combined with a wind-attribute treasure, its attack power would at least greatly increase.
As he studied high-level spells, Zhang Ling's attainments in spells became increasingly profound. This was also very beneficial in actual combat. When fighting with other cultivators, he might be able to see the strengths and weaknesses of their techniques, or even some flaws.
The five elements generate and overcome each other, and yin and yang can also be reversed. There are myriad spells and thousands of methods. Many must rely on each other, and some restrain each other. If used properly, they can also produce miraculous effects.
Another year or so passed as Zhang Ling studied spells. He could already skillfully use the Earth Armor Technique, and he had also successfully cultivated the Wind Sand Art.
One day at noon, Zhang Ling stood in the sky with three blue flying swords floating in front of him. With a change in his hand seals, the flying swords revolved around him, transforming into thirty to forty blue sword lights.
Wrapped in the sword light, his figure was also dyed blue, giving a kind of unreal feeling. Suddenly, his figure swayed and disappeared. Then, the thirty to forty sword lights floating around him instantly exploded, shooting in all directions.
On each sword light, one could see a blue figure, making it impossible to tell where Zhang Ling's true body was. These sword lights became faint after flying five or six miles away from their original location, and then dissipated one after another.
And where was Zhang Ling?
At this moment, he was wrapped in a blue sword light and had arrived at the easternmost side of Fire Cloud Island. The blue light on his body dissipated, revealing Zhang Ling's figure. He was now eleven or twelve miles away from his previous location.
As the blue light on his body dissipated, this blue spiritual power did not disappear but revealed three blue flying swords. Looking at these three flying swords, Zhang Ling grinned. "It seems this technique really has some merit. The escape speed alone is much faster than before."
He was using a Sword Light Escape Technique.
The full name of this technique was the Sword Light Shadow Escape Art, a flying escape technique recorded in the Sword Control Art he had obtained from Tu Fei.
This technique was a fast escape technique created by combining sword escape and illusion techniques, and its execution required the aid of flying sword-type magic treasures.
The principle was to use the fast flying ability of the flying sword to drive his own escape speed and accelerate his own flying speed.
Sword escape was originally a flying escape technique used by sword cultivators, and it was much faster than ordinary escape light. When this Sword Light Shadow Escape Art was used, it would conjure numerous sword lights, and the main body would take the opportunity to hide in one of the escape lights, quickly escaping under the cover of numerous sword lights.
In Zhang Ling's experiment, it could increase his flying speed by more than two times, but it also had drawbacks. It consumed a lot of mana and could not be used for a long time, but it was suitable for escaping.
Adding this technique to the high-level spells he had learned during this time could make him a formidable force. Although his cultivation had not increased much, his strength had increased a lot.
Next, Zhang Ling went to the medicine field and carefully examined a black spiritual wood that was only half a person tall but had a diameter of ten feet wide.
This spiritual wood had now been nurtured by him to be a thousand years old, and standing next to it, one could smell a special fragrance.
This fragrance, when inhaled, was somewhat refreshing. Zhang Ling nodded, it seemed the age was sufficient.
Thinking in his heart, a flash of blue light appeared in his hand, and a blue sword light directly chopped down the spiritual wood and put it into his storage bag.
This was a special spiritual wood, "Five Fragrance Wood," which could emit a peculiar fragrance. The powder of the Five Fragrance Wood could be used to refine a special incense called Heavenly Demon Incense. Once lit, it could emit a strange fragrance, used to lure demon beasts or desolate beasts.
Of course, this fragrance was not useful for all demon beasts, but only attractive to some demon beasts. The older the Five Fragrance Wood, the greater the attraction to high-level demon beasts.
Zhang Ling had nurtured this Five Fragrance Wood to a thousand years old also for his own consideration. The Heavenly Demon Incense refined from thousand-year-old Five Fragrance Wood had the greatest attraction to fifth and sixth-level desolate beasts, and also had a certain attraction to seventh-level demon beasts.
This was already enough, but there was also a certain risk.
It must be used with special care. Once too many desolate beasts were attracted, one's own safety would not be guaranteed.
Zhang Ling planned to go out and hunt desolate beasts to refine this incense.
He had actually had this plan for a long time. On the one hand, his cultivation progress was slow now, and continuing to cultivate in seclusion would waste a lot of time, so it was better to travel around.
The most important reason was that he needed to collect a large number of gold and earth attribute demon cores to refine Spirit Breath Soil.
Spirit Breath Soil was used to refine Heavenly Star Sand. It was not rare in itself, but it required a large number of demon cores to condense. If collected from the market, it would not only cost a lot, but also attract the attention of others. Therefore, Zhang Ling planned to enter the desolate region himself to collect it.
For the next half month, Zhang Ling used Five Fragrance Wood to refine several Heavenly Demon Incense sticks. After taking care of the affairs of the cave, he left Fire Cloud Island with the Corpse Bear spirit beast and a portion of the Earth Spirit Bees.
He first went to Myriad Manifestation City to buy some necessities, and then used the teleportation array to teleport to a small island close to the desolate region, and then entered the desolate region.
......
Two months later, in a dark forest swamp, a copper incense burner the size of an inch was placed on a protruding black rock, and a few wisps of pink smoke were drifting out. The smoke disappeared with a sway.
Nothing happened nearby, maintaining calm.
Until more than half a day later, an excited strange laugh came from the sky, and a dozen blue birds swooped down towards the swamp.
