Chapter 182: Breaking the Siege and Obtaining Spiritual Materials

Like wind and lightning.

Qin Ming flashed, vanishing from his original spot.

Azure Nether sword qi crisscrossed; a green ribbon of light slashed across the opposing demonic beasts' bodies, instantly sending severed limbs and broken arms scattering in all directions.

Seeing this, Li Yuanqing on the San Alliance's dharma ship ceased merely observing, took out a spiritual dharma blade, transformed into a streak of blue light, and plunged into the battlefield.

A spiritual pressure from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator descended upon the area outside Yunze Xiancheng like an overwhelming tidal wave.

With the addition of Li Yuanqing, this great cultivator of the late Foundation Establishment stage, the crisis of the beast tide outside Canghai Immortal City was instantly resolved.

The San Alliance's dharma ship also activated its spiritual energy giant cannons, aiming at the demonic beast horde below and unleashing a frantic barrage of bombardment.

One hour later.

Through the combined efforts of the few individuals, the leading several second-tier great demons were all slain.

Those low-tier demonic beasts outside the city, having lost their backbone, scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Qin Ming, without any attempt at concealment, stored the corpses of the several early second-tier demonic beasts he had personally slain into his storage bag.

Lu Liang, watching from the side, twitched his facial skin but dared not say anything more.

If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Qin coming to save the situation, he probably wouldn't have survived today.

Lu Liang, his face pale, took out a pill and swallowed it, then swept his gaze around the surroundings until it landed on his precious disciple.

Seeing that she was unharmed, he immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Qin and Alliance Leader Wei for saving us! This great grace shall never be forgotten by Lu!" After speaking, Lu Liang bowed deeply to the two.

Qin Ming hurriedly stopped him, "Fellow Daoist Lu, there is absolutely no need."

"Slaying demons and eliminating evil is an obligation we cultivators cannot shirk!"

"Seeing Fellow Daoist Lu in peril, it was only right to draw my sword and offer aid!"

As he spoke these words, Qin Ming was righteous and solemn, his voice ringing with strength!

So much so that he nearly believed his own words: "Fellow Daoist Qin truly possesses high moral character; not only is he a master of spirit planting and the Dao of pills, but his cultivation in the Dao of the sword is also truly sharp and unmatched!"

"Lu is truly filled with admiration."

"It was only because Fellow Daoist Lu exhausted most of these demonic beasts' demonic power that I could slay them so easily; mere trivial skills, nothing more."

"Very well, let the cultivators below clean up the battlefield; Fellow Daoist Qin, this is no place for conversation."

"Please, move to my humble residence."

Lu Liang made a gesture of invitation, then ordered someone to open the formation.

The core district of Canghai Immortal City.

After entering the city, Li Yuanqing was eager to find True Person Canghai, while Lu Liang also needed to return and report, so the two parted ways with Qin Ming and headed toward Canghai Peak.

Qin Ming, meanwhile, was led by Lu Wanjun into Lu Liang's private courtyard.

After serving him spiritual tea, she came before him, bowed gracefully, and said, "Wanjun thanks Qin Qianbei for saving us!"

"No need for such formalities; since you've successfully established your Foundation, just call me Fellow Daoist Qin," Qin Ming said lightly, taking a sip of tea.

Lu Wanjun, however, seemed not yet to have recovered from the earlier magical battle; lacking her usual lively and energetic spirit, she appeared floating in qi and hollow in spirit.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, why don't you go restore your internal magic power first? It is fine for me to stay here," Qin Ming stated plainly.

Lu Wanjun did not insist; having only recently established her Foundation before encountering such a fierce battle, she feared her realm might drop back down.

Thus, after ordering servants to bring some fruits and snacks, she bid farewell to Qin Ming and returned to her room to recover and regulate her breathing.

Qin Ming sat in the main hall drinking spiritual tea, his fingers lightly tapping the table, lost in thought.

Half an hour later.

Lu Liang, seemingly having finished his report, walked in from outside, dusty and travel-worn.

"Alas! Fellow Daoist Qin! You have no idea; today I happened to be on rotation guarding the city walls of the Immortal City."

"It was truly perilous; if Fellow Daoist Qin hadn't arrived, my disciple and I would likely have reunited inside a demonic beast's stomach," Lu Liang said, brewing a fresh pot of spiritual tea for Qin Ming, pouring him a cup, and speaking with lingering fear.

Hearing this, Qin Ming furrowed his brows and voiced the doubt in his heart: "Fellow Daoist Lu, how has the situation of the beast tide developed to such a severe degree nowadays?"

Even Lu Liang, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, had nearly lost his life; the danger was thus imaginable.

"Indeed, originally we thought that deep within the Beast Roar Mountain Range, only a single third-tier Demon King had been born, forcing other beast groups to migrate outward."

"But the actual situation now is that several exceptionally powerful third-tier Demon Kings have simultaneously emerged within the Beast Roar Mountain Range."

"Coupled with the excessive reproduction of demonic beasts deep within the Beast Roar Mountain Range, this beast disaster can be said to be unprecedented in the entire history of Canghai Immortal City since its establishment," Lu Liang replied with a solemn expression.

"To be honest with Fellow Daoist Qin, within just these few years, the Immortal City has already endured hundreds of waves of beast tide assaults."

"Among them, there were three instances where three different third-tier Demon Kings personally led the assaults; even a weak point in the formation at the southwest corner of the city was breached under a Demon King's attack."

"Fortunately, the City Lord stepped forward to repel that third-tier Demon King; otherwise, Fellow Daoist Qin would be burning spirit money for me right now."

"Just repairing the third-tier great formation required countless resources of manpower and material, taking a full half-year to completely restore it."

"..."

Hearing this, Qin Ming remained silent for a long time.

He had not expected the situation in Canghai Immortal City to be so dire, facing consecutive assaults from third-tier great demons.

He finally understood that the Immortal City could not possibly spare any extra strength to deal with that third-tier Blood Curse Demon Vine.

Once True Person Nalan Xi, this Jin Dan ancestor, was no longer stationed here to hold the line, Canghai Immortal City would be breached by the beast tide at any moment.

"By the way, the Feng family who came here several years ago holding a letter from Fellow Daoist Qin, what relation are they to you? I have already settled them properly according to Fellow Daoist Qin's instructions; nowadays, the Feng family is developing quite well within the inner city," Lu Liang suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Qin Ming replied, "I must thank Fellow Daoist Lu for helping to arrange matters; they are descendants of an old acquaintance of mine. If Fellow Daoist Lu is present, please offer them some support, but there is no need to manage anything beyond that."

"What kind of talk is this, Fellow Daoist Qin? Such a small matter is hardly worth mentioning; I merely wished to ask if they needed extra care."

"In that case, I will follow Fellow Daoist Qin's wishes," Lu Liang said with a smile. After inquiring about the current situation of the Immortal City from Lu Liang, Qin Ming then took his leave.

Leaving the core district, Qin Ming followed the main avenue and arrived at the Mirror Jing Xue Ge in the inner city.

Inside the restaurant on the first floor, the atmosphere was slightly desolate; only three or two tables of cultivators were dining, a world apart from the bustling scenes of days past.

With the beast tide erupting and prices for various resources continuously rising, the number of cultivators able to spend in high-end establishments like the Mirror Jing Xue Ge had gradually decreased.

Shopkeeper Liao kept his head down at the front counter, tallying accounts; sensing someone enter the shop, he immediately plastered on a professional smile and said, "Welcome, fellow Daoist, to our pavilion. Please, see what you would like to eat."

He had barely finished half his sentence when, upon clearly seeing that it was Qin Ming who had arrived, he instantly became incoherent.

His expression shifted from astonishment to bewilderment, and then from bewilderment to delight! "Fellow Daoist Qin! How have you come here?!"

"Quick, quick, please come in!"

"I must go inform the Gu Gezhu at once! You have no idea! The Gu Gezhu has worried herself sick over matters concerning Fellow Daoist Qin."

Shopkeeper Liao's exclamation caused the dining cultivators to turn their heads one after another; what sort of figure was this visitor, that he could make the Gu Gezhu of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge worry so?

Upon taking a look, they realized someone had recognized Fellow Daoist Qin, so they all rose to greet Qin Ming.

"Oh! It's Master Qin who has arrived!"

"Greetings, Qin Qianbei!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qin!"

Qin Ming's reputation and standing among these rogue cultivators were quite excellent, and their words toward him were filled with extreme flattery and respect.

A smile hanging on his face, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then followed Shopkeeper Liao upstairs.

Inside an elegant room on the seventh floor.

Gu Qingzhao, Master Huangfu, and Aunt Long came forward to welcome him.

"Fellow Daoist Qin! What a rare occasion! I never expected that under such circumstances, you would still be able to come to Yunze Xiancheng, hahaha!" Master Huangfu, still looking refined and gentle, said with a smile.

Aunt Long also spoke with a smile on her face: "It has been a long time, Fellow Daoist Qin! When we evacuated Tianhe Market back then, the situation was extremely urgent; we simply didn't have time to notify Fellow Daoist Qin, alas!"

Observing her magic power aura, Qin Ming saw that she too had broken through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage; it seemed the jar of Spirit Fire Wine he had gifted her had done its work.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, how did you get here? The beast tide outside is fraught with danger; was your journey smooth?" Gu Qingzhao, dressed in plain robes, revealed a look of surprised joy in her beautiful eyes as she asked Qin Ming.

"It was fairly smooth! I came over on a Dharma ship belonging to the San Alliance, together with Alliance Leader Li." Qin Ming responded one by one to everyone's enthusiasm.

Afterwards, the several of them took their seats in the elegant room.

And began to converse.

Gu Qingzhao was the first to rise; handing a package to Qin Ming, she said in a clear voice, "These are the few types of rare spiritual materials that Fellow Daoist Qin previously entrusted me to collect."

"Actually, a year ago, I had already obtained all the spiritual materials, but unfortunately, the Xiancheng went under martial law to prevent a sudden beast tide assault; nowadays, even we cannot leave Yunze Xiancheng."

"I was just worrying about what method to use to send the items out, never expecting that Fellow Daoist Qin would arrive."

Qin Ming took the package; inside were all the several types of spiritual materials needed for him to plant the third-tier spiritual plant, the Three-Crimson Soul-Returning Grass.

He stored the items in his storage bag and thanked her: "Hehe, this has troubled Fellow Daoist Gu."

"This is a small token of my appreciation."

Qin Ming then took two Rice-Flower Spirit Fish and a jar of Spirit Fire Wine from his storage bag and gifted them to Gu Qingzhao.

A smile hanging on the corners of her mouth, Gu Qingzhao accepted the two items.

"By the way, taking advantage of the beast tide, I have also gathered quite a few demonic beast materials and refined several batches of pills."

"I entrust Fellow Daoist Gu to sell them on my behalf."

After Qin Ming finished speaking, he waved his hand toward the table, and instantly more than ten exquisite porcelain bottles appeared.

The three people opposite were rendered dumbfounded by this display.

Because with just a brief glance, they saw that most of the spiritual pills here were second-tier spiritual pills.

Gu Qingzhao's gaze lingered on these porcelain bottles for a moment; finally, her fair hand gently picked up one of them, opened the seal, and instantly a unique fragrance, distinct from other second-tier pills, drifted out.

"Good heavens!"

"Foundation Establishment Pills!"

"And two of them!"

Master Huangfu leaned in for a closer look; even he was immensely surprised.

To produce two Foundation Establishment Pills at once was remarkable.

Gu Qingzhao was also somewhat startled; looking up at Qin Ming with some confusion and incomprehension.

"Hehe! These two were refined by me using demonic cores."

"You should be aware of Elder Lü Liang of the Xiancheng, correct?"

"A few years ago, his precious disciple needed a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through; coincidentally, he had obtained a second-tier mid-stage wind-attribute demonic core and entrusted me to refine it."

"At that time, four pills were successfully refined; Lü Liang took two of them, leaving these remaining two with me."

"Keeping them serves me no purpose; it would be better to exchange them for spirit stones."

A look of sudden realization appeared on Gu Qingzhao's face, and she then said with a smile, "Oh~ so that's how it was! Speaking of this matter, it once circulated within a small scope in the Xiancheng."

"I never expected it was Fellow Daoist Qin who handled the refinement."

Qin Ming nodded; in any case, these two Foundation Establishment Pills were leftovers from the refinement Lü Liang had commissioned back then, so they could withstand scrutiny.

Even those great powers and great sects could find no fault with them.

"By the way, if possible, could Fellow Daoist Gu help me exchange them primarily for high-grade spirit stones?"

(End of Chapter)