Chapter 207: Dark Harvest

Ning Feiliu smiled without a word; after all, he was a transmigrator with a cheat, so what could he say?

That line about it just being good luck, he had also said many times.

Now, there was no need to say it anymore.

After finishing the small talk following his long-awaited reunion with Dugu Yan, Ning Feiliu went to check on that regrown Qiluo Tulip to see how it was doing now.

The current Qiluo Tulip had grown, but it had only regrown leaves; not even a flower bud had appeared yet.

Even so, one could still smell that faint, refreshing fragrance near the leaves of the Qiluo Tulip, which was extremely similar to the scent of the fully-grown Qiluo Tulip that Ning Feiliu had consumed.

"It will still take a long time to grow..." Ning Feiliu sighed and said.

Even with that magical Immortal Herb Growth-Promoting Potion, for the Immortal Herb's inherently long growth cycle, it could only slightly shorten the growth time.

According to this growth rate... a fully mature Qiluo Tulip would take at least another ten years or so.

This was actually already very fast; a normal, fully mature Immortal Herb would take at least hundreds or thousands of years. Now, with the Immortal Herb Growth-Promoting Potion and the unique growth environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, wasn't it fast to be able to mature in about ten years? However, a Qiluo Tulip matured this way would contain much less energy compared to the naturally grown one he had consumed.

He guessed that consuming such an Immortal Herb might not result in any changes regarding things like improving martial soul quality, but the extent of the soul power increase would not be as high as the original version.

But this... was enough; the most important thing was still that effect of upgrading the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Nothing else was particularly important.

Therefore, the most important thing was that the cultivation time of the Qiluo Tulip must be short, and it must be mass-producible.

Of course, it was certainly impossible to harvest it two or three times a year like planting rice.

Even if he bred a Qiluo Tulip with a shorter growth cycle later on, it would at most shorten the cultivation time by another third, and it would have to be cultivated here at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to achieve such a short time.

However, for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, as long as there was a chance to upgrade the martial soul to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, that was enough.

For Ning Feiliu, as long as he could cultivate a few Immortal Herbs for his four brothers in the next twenty years, he wouldn't be that concerned about the Qiluo Tulips for others.

After returning, Ning Feiliu first came to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to greet Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

And after finishing his chat with Dugu Yan, Ning Feiliu did not return to Heaven Dou City, but instead planned to spend the night at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

After all, not to mention that Heaven Dou City should be under curfew now, there was also the question of where he would stay.

Through his small talk with Dugu Yan, he learned that Ye Lingling was now living at the medical clinic, usually resting there, doing experiments, and cultivating there just like he used to.

Then, of course, he felt embarrassed to go back to the medical clinic to stay.

As for returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Although he had to go back, he didn't plan to stay there tonight.

Ning Fengzhi would surely throw some grand welcoming ceremony for him.

So, he stayed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for the night.

And while Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan began to cultivate again, Ning Feiliu's eyes flickered, and he took out from the Steel Sun Box...

A scroll.

He opened the scroll, which contained a map; according to the map's orientation, it should be the barren land in the northwest of the Douluo Dalu.

On it, there was even a mark with the four large characters "Slaughter City" written on it.

This was exactly the map of Slaughter City he had obtained from that Soul King-level Fallen One.

However, the Slaughter City recorded on this happened to be... located in the northern part of the Bei Jing, near the west side.

In other words, if Ning Feiliu wanted to complete the task of traveling through the Bei Jing, it seemed that a trip to Slaughter City... was inevitable.

And...

When he took out this map, a line of small text appeared before his eyes—

【Obtain the title "Slaughter God," and leave your own legend in Slaughter City to obtain the "Samsara Domain" and the Keystone Rune "Dark Harvest."】

It wasn't the Slaughter God Domain, but a domain named Samsara? And there was also a brand-new World Rune behind it—"Dark Harvest."

This was... the first "Keystone Rune" Ning Feiliu had ever seen; the runes he currently possessed, whether it was the incomplete Revitalization or the complete Presence of Mind.

They were merely World Runes, and he hadn't seen Keystone Runes like Conqueror, Press the Attack, Lethal Tempo, or Fleet Footwork... yet.

After killing that Soul King-level Fallen One and obtaining this scroll related to Slaughter City, he had actually triggered a task that could grant the Keystone Rune "Dark Harvest."

He could even ignore that "Samsara Domain" whose effects he didn't know.

But this Keystone Rune "Dark Harvest"...

Ning Feiliu found it hard to resist such temptation; the incomplete Revitalization rune had allowed him to obtain Immortal Herbs with almost no injuries, defying the heavens and changing his fate.

Presence of Mind could double his cultivation speed, and it was also because of Presence of Mind that he was able to fearlessly consume soul power and single-handedly destroy the bandit stronghold led by that Soul King-level Fallen One.

So what about this Dark Harvest Keystone Rune?

Dark Harvest... was an invincible late-game rune.

Once he collected enough souls, by the late game, even a single ordinary attack of his would likely have the power to destroy an army of thousands.

It had to be said, Ning Feiliu was tempted.

Going to Slaughter City would allow him to obtain the powerful Keystone Rune Dark Harvest, and he could complete the task of traveling through the Bei Jing along the way, gaining another incomplete Revitalization rune.

This was killing two birds with one stone.

But... Slaughter City.

That place was somewhat eerie; in there, all soul skills could not be used, and soul power was the source of power; one could only rely on soul power or the initial form of their martial soul to survive there.

But according to the original plot, Tang San could even kill Soul Douluo-level Fallen Ones by relying on Hidden Weapons.

This proved that soul power was of no use there either; it should only be able to increase strength and speed, but could not be projected out of the body for direct attacks.

Therefore, Tang San was like a fish in water there and could pass through Slaughter City easily.

It seemed difficult, but in reality, it was not.

After all, Hu Liena could pass through there without Tang San's Hidden Weapons, which proved...

As long as one had powerful combat abilities, one could also pass through Slaughter City.

And as it happened, Ning Feiliu's continuously accumulated hundreds of years of Jax's martial arts made his combat experience second to none.

In Slaughter City, where soul skills and soul power levels don't matter much, passing through without injury was no problem for him.

But the so-called Hell Slaughter Battle in Slaughter City actually didn't count for much, and the most difficult part wasn't the Hell Road that followed.

The most difficult part... was Tang Chen, who was parasitized by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King in Slaughter City and thought he was the Slaughter King, and there was also that mysterious woman wearing a black veil.

That mysterious black-veiled woman had once suggested to Tang Chen that he either let Tang San and Hu Liena bump into each other early, which would make it easy to kill one of them.

Or he could just take action himself to kill them both.

But at the time, Tang Chen refused the black-veiled woman's suggestion because he was wary of Tang Hao and Bibi Dong, who possessed the Slaughter God Domain and could break into Slaughter City at will to wreak havoc.

In other words, to pass through Slaughter City, one needed not only strength but also a background... Do you have a Slaughter God backer who has passed through Slaughter City before?

Ning Feiliu certainly did not; the only two current Slaughter Gods were Tang Hao and Bibi Dong.

How could he go and hug their thighs? Even if he went to hug their thighs now, it was another matter whether they would believe him; he wasn't their son, nor was he a student they had watched grow up, so why would they help him?

But... the Dark Harvest rune...

It was truly tempting.

Ning Feiliu was somewhat conflicted, and his Crescent Moon Divine Weapon combat methods were all long-range; even the folding mirror required soul power to drive its flight.

It was not like the Hidden Weapon of Tang San, which could be thrown and ignored.

Suddenly, he remembered the suggestion Ning Fengzhi had once made to him; after all, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda still had the power to forge another Crescent Moon Divine Weapon...

He frowned, sighed, and decided to consider this matter later.

The next day arrived.

Ning Feiliu decided to return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had actually known for some time that he was safe and sound.

After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had businesses almost everywhere on the Douluo Continent, and the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could be said to search the entire continent for metal ores and gemstones by relying on their unique treasure-hunting abilities.

Places like Wuhun City outside the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire side were easier to manage.

But the Heaven Dou Empire was the base camp of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect openly supported the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Heaven Dou Empire was naturally quite good to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Not only were the commercial taxes for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's chambers of commerce lower, but the disciples and Elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could also travel unimpeded throughout the Heaven Dou Empire.

Therefore, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had many chambers of commerce and disciples and Elders traveling outside even in the Bei Jing of the continent.

After Ning Feiliu wiped out the bandit stronghold, he also encountered disciples and Elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and they reported it to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at that time.

So Ning Fengzhi and the others were not worried at all.

It was just that Ning Feiliu didn't expect... Ning Fengzhi seemingly hadn't told Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan about him being safe and sound.

That was why Dugu Yan was so worried about him.

However, he didn't take this to heart and first returned to the castle of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Pavilion Master!" When they saw Ning Feiliu, the Elders and disciples on duty outside the gate bowed respectfully.

Ning Feiliu was, of course, no longer the ignored son of the Sect Master he once was; even if he weren't Ning Fengzhi's son now, but just an ordinary direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Relying on his talent, as well as the Mysterious Water Pill and those Alchemy Potions he contributed to the sect, he could earn the respect of everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Especially since he had also been appointed as the Pavilion Master of Martial Glazed Pavilion by Ning Fengzhi.

"Mm, go and help me report to the Sect Master and the Young Sect Master that I have returned," Ning Feiliu said calmly.

"Understood, I will go and notify the Sect Master and the Young Sect Master right away," a disciple said immediately.

Then he turned and walked inside.

Ning Feiliu didn't wait on the spot for him to report, but walked into the sect himself.

He walked toward his room; a year had passed for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, yet it seemed as if nothing had changed at all.

Ning Feiliu walked forward, but unexpectedly encountered an acquaintance.

"Young Lady... the Sect Master says you should go back," a maid said somewhat pitifully to the young girl in front of her who looked somewhat unfamiliar.

Ning Feiliu recognized that it was Ning Rongrong, but after more than a year, Ning Rongrong looked significantly taller, and her face had lost some of its babyish youthfulness.

The Spirit Masters of the Douluo Continent grew very quickly.

Ning Rongrong was already nine years old now; like the growth rate of Zhu Zhuqing, who had a childlike face and a mature figure before she was twelve, although she wasn't that fast, she wouldn't still look like an ordinary ten-year-old either.

The current Ning Rongrong looked to be about the age of a middle school student from his previous life.

"I'm not going back," Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, concentrated her soul power in her right fist, and struck hard at a sandbag standing in the garden.

What was she... doing?

Ning Feiliu raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Was she venting her emotions?

Or was she... planning to learn from him and become a Battle Soul Master?

Sure enough, Ning Rongrong was indeed doing that; she wasn't just venting her anger by hitting the sandbag randomly, but was attacking the sandbag with punches and kicks in a methodical way.

What Ning Feiliu didn't know was that the blow he dealt to Ning Rongrong a year ago had made her regret it.

But facing Ning Feiliu's cold attitude from before, Ning Rongrong still had some pride in her heart.

She admitted she was wrong, but Ning Feiliu was unwilling to forgive her.

She didn't intend to continue pestering Ning Feiliu either.

It was just... the moment she thought about how Ning Feiliu could defy the heavens and change his fate to become a Battle Soul Master, then she... could too!

Although she didn't have the Crescent Moon Divine Weapon martial soul combination that Ning Feiliu had suddenly appeared with, she could... practice close-quarters combat!

In her vision, in the future, all Enhancements would be applied to herself, and then she would practice fist and foot techniques, and she would be able to fight others just the same!

So in the year that Ning Feiliu left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she practiced her punches very seriously.

"Young Lady..." the maid pleaded, feeling somewhat troubled.

After all, if she didn't bring Ning Rongrong back on time, Ning Fengzhi would definitely punish her.

So she reached out her hand, wanting to stop Ning Rongrong's actions.

But just at this moment, Ning Rongrong grew impatient, flung her hand out to push the maid to the ground, and said, "Are you annoying or what..."

"As expected, it's still like this, it hasn't changed at all..."

Just at this moment, a voice that Ning Rongrong felt was somewhat familiar drifted over.

She turned around to look, and the impatient expression on her face changed in an instant; her expression became somewhat complex, and she called out, "San... San Ge, you've returned."

"I am not your San Ge," Ning Feiliu frowned and said once more.

"It has been so long, can you still not forgive me?" Ning Rongrong suddenly felt somewhat irritated again, and she lifted her head somewhat stubbornly, yet tears surged out from her eyes as she said aggrievedly, "I know I was wrong, I know I let you down, why can you still not forgive me? Did I do something heinous?"

As she spoke, she felt even more aggrieved, and she cried loudly, saying, "Do you want me to kneel down and admit my mistake to you? Fine, I'll kneel down for you then!! Forgive me! Won't you forgive me! Won't you forgive Rongrong! I can't stand your hostility anymore!"

Then she truly bent her knees, about to kneel down just like that to apologize to Ning Feiliu.

(End of this chapter)