Chapter 233: Third-Rank Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame

In the midair near the Fangcun Mountain market.

A black shadow materialized.

Lin Zi was spouting blood from every pore; his demonic transformation had shifted into a half-human, half-demon state. Having just unleashed that secret technique to flee, he had exceeded his limits, suffering severe backlash.

The earth-shaking battle between Qin Ming and Lin Zi had naturally been detected by nearby cultivators.

Some fearless cultivators, wishing to investigate, flew toward this location.

But just as they reached the halfway point, they encountered Lin Zi, who was fleeing.

This group of cultivators, seeking to take a desperate gamble with ulterior motives, saw Lin Zi surging with boundless demonic qi and were terrified out of their wits.

"Run! It's a demonic cultivator!"

"Isn't this person Lin Zi of the Demonic Path?"

"Why does he seem severely injured?"

"Should we attack together? There's a Foundation Establishment Pill bounty on him, after all!"

"Aaaah!"

Just then.

Lin Zi erupted with demonic might; demonic qi burst forth from his body as countless black ribbons slashed out.

The cultivators near the Fangcun Mountain market fell like stalks of rice being harvested.

A rain of blood sprayed through the air; Lin Zi exercised his demonic arts, went on a killing spree, and began refining and absorbing the souls of these cultivators.

The arm that Qin Ming had destroyed regrew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ah! Run!"

"The demonic cultivator Lin Zi has arrived!"

"Quickly, call for reinforcements!"

On the other side.

Qin Ming retracted his Blood Qi True Force and waited on the spot for the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame to devour the Qingluo Demonic Fire.

As time ticked by.

The ice-blue firebird completely suppressed the cyan-black demonic flames and accelerated its consumption.

Qin Ming once again employed a secret technique to help the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame speed up its devouring progress.

One incense stick later.

Jiu! A clear chirp rang out in the sky; the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame had completely devoured and fused with the Qingluo Demonic Fire.

Boom! A mass of cyan-blue interwoven Heavenly Earth Spiritual Fire suddenly appeared in Qin Ming's line of sight, emitting astonishing power that surpassed a second-rank spiritual fire.

Even the air was affected by this scorching aura, becoming distorted.

"A third-rank Heavenly Earth Spiritual Fire!"

Qin Ming's eyes revealed excitement; he reached out and beckoned, causing the cyan-blue Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame to fly back into his hand.

"A third-rank spiritual flame, its power comparable to the Samadhi True Fire of a Jin Dan old ancestor!"

"Hahaha! I've made a profit, I've made a profit."

"Lin Zi truly was a good neighbor back in the day."

Qin Ming could clearly feel that after the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame advanced to a third-rank spiritual fire, its power had increased manifold; coupled with the fusion of the Qingluo Demonic Fire's abilities, it was now incomparable to before.

Originally, Lin Zi merely unleashing his second-rank Qingluo Demonic Fire was enough to casually crush those at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and ordinary spiritual treasures could not withstand the scorching of the demonic fire at all.

Now that the brand-new Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame had emerged, few cultivators would be able to withstand it.

More importantly, with a third-rank spiritual fire, he could now refine third-rank spiritual pills, and even form a Jin Dan.

He had taken another giant step toward advancing to become a third-rank Alchemy Grandmaster!

Qin Ming's face overflowed with intense joy; immediately, he opened his mouth, swallowed the third-rank Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame, and placed it within his dantian to nurture it.

"Such a huge disturbance has occurred here; it will likely attract the attention of a Jin Dan old ancestor. I must leave quickly."

"However, before that, there is one more thing to do."

Qin Ming flew down to the corpses of Muhe Laogui and the other two, who had been killed by Lin Zi, raised his hand, and cast the Thorn Technique on the bodies.

In an instant.

Countless black vines, as thick as arms, grew wildly and surged forth, sucking the three corpses of peak Foundation Establishment cultivators dry until they became desiccated mummies.

'Why do I feel that my various methods make me look even more like a demonic cultivator than Lin Zi?' Gazing at the three desiccated mummies.

Such a thought suddenly arose in Qin Ming's heart.

But then he shook his head, thinking to himself: 'What nonsense am I thinking? I am a righteous cultivator.'

'As a positive-energy spirit planter, it shouldn't be too excessive to take the essence blood of some vile individuals to irrigate my spiritual plants, right?'

Qin Ming raised his hand and beckoned, drawing three enormous blood pearls into his grasp and storing them away.

Then he flicked out three fireballs to destroy the corpses and erase all traces, before flying away from the scene.

Two hours later.

Qin Ming rode the Silver-Winged Frost Bee, taking a long, winding detour with many twists and turns; after confirming that no one was following him, he finally flew back to Wangyue Island.

The members of the Wu family were still diligently farming on the island.

Seeing Qin Ming return, they all displayed expressions of awe, and Wu Jiang also came over to greet Qin Ming respectfully.

However, he noticed that upon this return, Qin Ming was filled with a terrifying killing intent, much like someone who had just come back from a slaughterhouse.

Yet, Wu Jiang did not dare to ask further.

"It seems this year's spiritual rice is growing well; keep up the good work, Daoist Wu."

"Hehe, I've planted another batch of five-colored spirit rice; the survival rate is much higher than before."

"Mm, not bad; keep up the good work."

After chatting a few words with Wu Jiang, Qin Ming returned to his cave dwelling on the main peak.

He released all three of his spirit pets.

"Hehehehe!"

"Master, I certainly made a great contribution during this outing, right?"

The Shi Tian Shu rubbed its small hands together the moment it emerged, smiling broadly as it sought credit from Qin Ming.

Seeing its worldly and mercenary appearance, Qin Ming couldn't help but laugh.

"To be honest, you truly don't look the least bit like a Demon King anymore."

"The moment you stick your butt up, I know exactly what kind of fart you're going to let out."

Hearing this, the Shi Tian Shu didn't mind in the least and, with extremely thick skin, said:

"Isn't this just because I'm following you, Master? That little bit of empty fame from the past is just like floating clouds in the sky."

Qin Ming found its flattery somewhat unbearable.

Immediately taking a Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit from his storage bag, he tossed it to the creature, saying, "Enough, enough; where did you learn this? Spouting off sets of slick phrases like that. Finish eating and hurry up to till the fields for me; I haven't tended the spirit fields for many days, and they're about to go wild."

"Hehehe! Many thanks for the master's reward!" The Shi Tian Shu caught the Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit, its mouth splitting wide with laughter.

Thinking for a moment, Qin Ming also tossed a Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit each to the Profound Water Crocodile and the Yin Yi Shuangfeng.

However, the effect of this thing is best upon first consumption; since the two spirit pets had already eaten several before, the boost to their cultivation was no longer that significant.

Nevertheless, there was still some effect.

In contrast, the Shi Tian Shu had only eaten one previously; after consuming the one Qin Ming had just given it, it was estimated that it would recover a considerable amount of its cultivation strength.

Through this actual combat, Qin Ming discovered that the Shi Tian Shu's fighting prowess was indeed extraordinary; the stronger its power, naturally the greater its assistance to him.

In any case, with the Blood-Banishment Divine Contract, he had no fear of it playing any tricks.

Subsequently, the three spirit pets left the cave dwelling.

Holding the Spirit-Transforming Demon Fruit in its hands, the Shi Tian Shu turned its head toward the Profound Water Crocodile and the Yin Yi Shuangfeng, saying proudly:

"Did you see that? Second and Third, you have to know how to lick boots; your skin must be thicker than city walls, and just like that, a third-tier spirit fruit is in hand, isn't it?"

"This is the essence summarized by yours truly from hundreds of years of dealing with the human race, deeply understanding the ways of human cultivators in conducting themselves."

"Watch closely and learn well."

The Shi Tian Shu chattered on, exchanging words with the other two beasts, before each returned to its own lair to consume and digest the spirit fruits.

Qin Ming looked at the Shi Tian Shu and was rendered speechless.

Next.

He took the other half of the bronze mirror he had bid on at the black market from his storage bag and began studying it.

(End of Chapter)