Chapter 193: Slaying the Demon

Two months later.

Outside Wangyue Lake, two streaks of escape light cut across the sky, and before long they arrived before the island.

Inside the cave dwelling.

Daoist Qin opened his eyes; his divine sense had already detected who the arrivals were.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a faint arc. "You're back?"

A moment later, the mist illusion realm outside Wangyue Island opened a passage.

A few breaths later.

Two dashing figures of a youth and a maiden appeared within Wangyue Island, then stared at the island with faces full of disbelief.

The two were precisely Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue, who had just returned from Lei Yuanzong.

Wu Wangfeng had a striking brow and starry eyes; Wu Wangyue stood slim and graceful. One possessed an Earth-grade spiritual root talent, the other was born with a Congenital Spirit Body.

At only fourteen or fifteen, they had already stepped into mid Qi Refining—a starting point that stood where ordinary loose cultivators might only reach after a lifetime of effort.

The Wu family members on the island, seeing the young master and Young Lady return, all set down what they were doing and went out to greet them.

Wu Jiang and his wife could hardly hide their joy. After so many years apart, Mu Ruyin must have missed her children terribly; she threw her arms around the two of them, overjoyed beyond herself.

What followed was a warm, heartwarming scene.

"Ahem! That's enough, that's enough!"

"That's about right—let Wangfeng and Wangyue go see Daoist Qin first."

"Don't forget your manners!"

As the head of the household, Wu Jiang, amid his excitement, had still matured considerably over these years.

Seeing that his children's cultivation had advanced and that they were safe and sound, he was already quite content.

Compared to Wu Jiang and his wife, it was Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue, gazing at everything on the island, who were stunned into a silence that lasted a long time.

"A third-rank spiritual vein… a third-rank island-protecting grand formation…"

"And the mist illusion realm…"

"Father, Mother—i-is this still the Wangyue Island the two of us grew up on?"

Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue exchanged a glance. An environment like this was even better than the one they had for cultivation at Lei Yuanzong.

"Naturally. These past years, the changes on the island have been plenty—too many to finish telling in one sitting."

"When you see Uncle Qin later, remember to behave properly."

Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue obediently nodded. Although they had switched environments for their cultivation, the upbringing they had received since childhood was quite good—they knew propriety.

Half a cup of tea's time later.

Qin Ming was already standing outside the spirit field, waiting for the two of them.

"Uncle Qin!"

"Uncle Qin!"

Upon seeing Qin Ming, Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue immediately moved to bow and perform the great salutation.

But just as they were about to bow down, the two only felt an invisible force lift them up around their bodies; no matter what they did, they could not bow.

"Hehe! It's been many years—Wangfeng and Wangyue have grown so much, no need for such ceremony." Qin Ming said with a smiling face.

"By the way, with demonic beasts running rampant outside, how did the two of you get back?"

Hearing this, Wu Wangyue immediately replied to Qin Ming in a sweet, clear voice: "Hehe! Uncle Qin, the two of us came aboard the sect's law boat heading to Yunze Xiancheng."

"The elder ordered them to take a slight detour and drop us off near Wangyue Lake."

Only now did Wu Jiang and his wife react—if not for that, two little mid Qi Refining cultivators running about outside, no matter how good their talent, wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between a demonic beast's teeth.

But what Qin Ming thought of was different from the others; he was privy to the inside information.

If nothing were the matter, Lei Yuanzong generally would not dispatch a large law boat to Yunze Xiancheng.

'It seems that after obtaining those two Soul-Returning Pills of mine, Lei Yuanzong is also preparing to make a move.'

'Perhaps the three factions have already begun laying out their plans in secret, and are about to make a move against the demonic plants on Qianye Island.'

Qin Ming deliberated, while at the same time secretly observing the cultivation of the two. He found that both had very solid foundations and steady auras—clearly they had received careful guidance from Lei Yuanzong's elders.

Moreover, what they cultivated were also top-tier arts that Lei Yuanzong did not transmit to outsiders.

"Not bad, not bad."

Qin Ming praised the two of them as well, and then, not wishing to disturb the Wu family's reunion, he let them withdraw.

Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue did not harbor the slightest grievance over Qin Ming's not having taken them as disciples back then.

Because over these years, as prodigy disciples under Lei Yuanzong, they had naturally heard many legends concerning Qin Ming.

According to their master, even Lei Yuanzong's elders would treat a second-rank upper-grade grand master of the Alchemy Dao and a grand master of Spirit Plants with due courtesy.

Perhaps Uncle Qin did not take them on because their talent still fell far short of his requirements for accepting disciples…

Beneath the island.

The Wu family was immersed in a happy, harmonious reunion.

But Qin Ming had a premonition that a tremendous storm was about to descend upon the spiritual energy Archipelago. Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue stayed on the island for several days.

Having had about enough of their reunion with their family, the two were just about to take leave of Qin Ming and head for Yunze Xiancheng to rendezvous with Lei Yuanzong's law boat.

Boom rumble rumble! Crack crack crack! Amidst a shaking of the earth, violent explosions came from the direction outside Wangyue Lake.

"What's going on?"

It wasn't only Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue—the Wu family members were also stunned into speechlessness by this sudden commotion.

In an instant.

A streak of azure flowing light flashed past, flying out from the cave dwelling atop Wangyue Island's main peak, and stood in midair out of nowhere.

Qin Ming had also sensed the commotion outside at the very first moment.

"Less than half a year has passed."

"Have the three great superpowers already begun acting against the demonic plants on Qianye Island so quickly?"

"If a great war breaks out, it would be manageable if Lei Yuanzong, Lingyu Sect, and Canghai Immortal City win."

"But if that third-tier Blood Curse Demonic Vine wins and devours the essential soul of a Jin Dan elder, its strength might advance to an unimaginably terrifying level."

"At that time, the entire Lingxi Archipelago will surely be bathed in blood; even a third-tier great formation probably won't be able to stop it."

"No, if the situation turns unfavorable, I must prepare to flee at any moment."

In just a few breaths, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Qin Ming immediately decided to go out and observe the battle from a distance in secret.

With his current cultivation and strength, few below the Jin Dan realm could threaten him; he had more than enough ability to protect himself.

Afterwards.

Qin Ming landed in the spiritual field and issued a command to his natal spiritual plant, the Longevity Vine; instantly, the towering Longevity Vine transformed into a pool of black mist, swirling and dancing before coiling around Qin Ming's arm, turning into a black spiritual plant-shaped tattoo just as before.

Other spiritual plants didn't matter; if lost, they could be replanted, but this natal spiritual plant, crucial to his great undertaking of longevity, absolutely could not be left behind.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, I'm going outside to see what's happening."

"The island is safe; remember, under no circumstances should you go out unless absolutely necessary."

Qin Ming quickly instructed Wu Jiang, then summoned his Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng and Profound Water Crocodile; as he was about to leave, he asked Wu Wangfeng and Wu Wangyue, "When you came out, didn't the elders of Lei Yuanzong tell you anything at all?"

"Uncle Qin, Master only told us to return immediately to Canghai Immortal City after visiting our relatives; nothing else was specifically mentioned."

Hearing this, Qin Ming fell into thoughtful contemplation.

'It seems Lei Yuanzong's level of secrecy regarding this battle has reached an extreme.'

'After all, it concerns the very life and death of the entire sect.'

'I wonder how Wei Wuya's breakthrough is progressing.'

Then, before everyone's gaze, Qin Ming transformed into a streak of azure light and vanished into the horizon.

He left Wangyue Island.

Qin Ming mounted his Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng and rushed toward Qianye Island at maximum speed.

His divine sense now extended outward to about eighteen li, so he only needed to secretly observe the situation from the periphery.

At the first sign of trouble, he would flee immediately.

Upon arriving above the Lingxi Archipelago, Qin Ming was stunned by the scene before him.

The sky was filled, blocking out the sun and moon, entirely with massive Dharma ships representing Lei Yuanzong, Lingyu Sect, and Canghai Immortal City.

Just from Qin Ming's rough glance, there were no fewer than four or five hundred of them, all excellently equipped.

Back when the seventy-two islands of the San Alliance attacked Qianye Island, they deployed quite a few Dharma ships, but compared to the fleet before him, that was like a small witch seeing a great wizard.

The spiritual energy cannons on the Dharma ships of the three great superpowers exhaled terrifying auras, releasing powerful spells one after another, continuously bombarding and slaughtering the beast herds below.

"This is a perfect opportunity to collect blood pearls!"

"But wait a moment."

"That third-tier demonic vine hasn't shown itself yet."

Watching countless demonic beasts turn into masses of flesh and blood under the spell bombardment, Qin Ming's mind began to stir with ideas.

Huge numbers of demonic beasts, like a tidal wave, were endless to kill and kept surging toward the Dharma ships in the sky.

Boom—boom—boom! Just then.

An even louder, more massive explosion echoed throughout heaven and earth.

Following the sound, Qin Ming looked up to see that in the eastern direction of Qianye Spiritual Island, spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged wildly, several dazzling spell lights flashed, and a massive fireball shot straight into the sky!

Like a small sun capable of destroying heaven and earth, it slowly rose above the island! The resulting shockwave made even Qin Ming, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, feel a tremor in his soul from far away! Amidst the tremendous vibration, the entire Qianye Island instantly split apart, with fully one-third of it sinking completely into the seawater.

Accompanying this, thousands of demonic beasts perished in the water.

"Is... is this what a clash at the Jin Dan level looks like?"

Hiding within the clouds, Qin Ming's face was filled with shock.

(End of Chapter)