Chapter 262: The Poison of Time

"It's the Poison of Time!"

Qin Ming learned of this spiritual technique's venomous stinger through mental resonance with Yin Yi Shuang Feng.

This Time Poison Stinger can bypass all forms of defense; any living being struck by it will exhaust their remaining lifespan within seconds and age to death instantly.

However, this spiritual technique also imposes a heavy burden on Yin Yi Shuang Feng.

Each time it is used, it requires burning its own lifespan: within the same realm, burning one year of Yin Yi Shuang Feng's lifespan can eliminate ten years of the opponent's lifespan—a ratio of one to ten.

If crossing major realms, the ratio reverses to ten to one.

That means, if facing a Jin Dan elder or a third-rank beast king, Yin Yi Shuang Feng must expend ten years of its own lifespan to eliminate just one year of the opponent's.

It's essentially a self-destructive attack: "Yin Yi Shuang Feng sacrifices one year of lifespan to strip ten years from the enemy—if it encounters an ancient Jin Dan with little life left, it might prove devastatingly effective."

"This technique's power is astonishing—it cannot be used often. It must remain a last-resort trump card, never to be drawn unless absolutely necessary."

As a late-stage second-rank beast, Yin Yi Shuang Feng's lifespan far exceeds that of human cultivators, possessing over six hundred years—enough to use this technique several times.

"I wonder if Yin Yang Xuan Teng can restore the lifespan Yin Yi Shuang Feng has lost."

"Sigh, if only this technique were mine—I currently have over eight hundred years of lifespan; I could keep draining lifespan endlessly without ever running out."

"What a pity."

At this moment, three spirit beasts surrounded Qin Ming.

"Two late-stage second-rank great beasts, one second-rank mid-stage beast king still recovering its strength."

"Two second-rank middle-grade turtle spirit puppets."

"Plus my own strength."

"This lineup, if displayed, far surpasses many major factions."

"Below Jin Dan, one could truly say 'invincible.'"

"The external pressure should have eased somewhat—it's time to venture out."

"I've ripened the Five Element Spiritual Peach again—it's ready to deliver to Jing Xue Pavilion."

"Along the way, I'll purchase a batch of alchemical materials."

For safety, Qin Ming brought all three spirit beasts with him on this journey.

Then, Qin Ming stored the Xuan Shui E and Shi Tian Shu inside his spirit beast pouch, mounted Yin Yi Shuang Feng, and prepared to depart.

But just as he was about to command Yin Yi Shuang Feng to fly off, he heard Shi Tian Shu's curses coming from the pouch:

"Damn it, big dumbass, move your ass over a bit."

"This place is packed to bursting."

"Eww—what did you eat this morning? Your breath stinks!"

Qin Ming, hearing the commotion inside, couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He realized—he'd been using this spirit beast pouch for years; it was an inexpensive purchase from long ago. Clearly, he needed to replace it with a larger one.

He then informed Wu Jiang and rode Yin Yi Shuang Feng out of Wangyue Island.

Along the way, Qin Ming observed changes in the outside world.

Hunting beast cultivators and beast herds had gradually increased in number.

Fortunately, after the three major factions jointly purged the beasts from the spiritual energy Archipelago, the number of beasts coming here had dropped sharply.

The area with the most beasts remained around Canghai Xiancheng, where large herds constantly lurked, watching hungrily.

An hour later.

Qin Ming arrived outside the gates of Canghai Xiancheng.

He was lucky—today, no beasts attacked the Xiancheng, yet the city walls were still lined with guards, fully prepared.

Qin Ming retracted Yin Yi Shuang Feng midair, suppressed his spiritual power aura to Foundation Establishment early stage, then descended.

He had not disguised himself upon entering Canghai Xiancheng; his true appearance was unmistakable. The guards at the gate recognized him at once.

After presenting his Canghai Token, they respectfully activated the formation and let him pass.

Upon entering the outer city, Qin Ming immediately sensed that, compared to two years ago, the Xiancheng now teemed with far more cultivators.

Besides local hermits, there were also numerous cultivators from the other three kingdoms.

Dressed in various sect robes, they moved through the bustling streets.

"It seems my rumors reached the upper echelons of the cultivation world, prompting them to send reinforcements." "After all, Canghai Xiancheng, as the premier haven for hermits, sits at the crossroads of four kingdoms—its strategic importance is immense."

"If these natural defenses fall to the beasts, the consequences would be catastrophic."

Qin Ming merely sensed briefly from the outer city and detected several unfamiliar Jin Dan elder auras atop the central Canghai Peak.

Clearly, Jin Dan elders dispatched by the other three kingdoms.

Qin Ming also visited the Feng family's inner city premises—everything remained stable; the talisman shop continued thriving.

Feng Sihai's cultivation had advanced significantly—he was only one step away from Qi Refining peak.

Within the core district.

Lu Wanjun had been reassigned to logistics, handling only simple troop deployments and message delivery.

Then.

Qin Ming followed the main road, turned through several alleys, and arrived at Jing Xue Pavilion's entrance, stepping directly inside.

"Oh! Qin Dao has arrived!"

"Qin Dao, what brings you here?"

"Why didn't you warn us ahead of time?"

In the first-floor tavern, Huangfu Qi and Gu Qingzhao were both present.

Seeing Qin Ming enter, they rose to greet him.

"Hehe, it's been a while since I came to the Xiancheng—I just felt like taking a walk," Qin Ming smiled and greeted them.

Then, at Gu Qingzhao's invitation, the three ascended to a private room upstairs.

Two years meant little to cultivators—yet when Gu Qingzhao saw Qin Ming again, she revealed rare delight.

She knew Qin Ming was the type who buried himself in his spirit fields; he rarely emerged unless something extraordinary occurred.

Clearly, he had new goods to sell.

Last time, Qin Ming had been accidentally teleported by the core district's teleportation array to Shouming Mountain Range.

Gu Qingzhao and others had been deeply worried; after he returned, Wu Jiang had reported his safety.

But he had lied, claiming he'd been teleported only to the outskirts of Shouming Mountain Range, offering no further explanation.

…

Inside the room.

The lingering aftertaste of spirit tea mingled with the gentle smoke of sandalwood incense.

They first discussed recent developments.

"Gu Dao, given how dire the beast tide has become, why are you still staying in Xiancheng? Why not evacuate sooner?" Qin Ming asked, puzzled.

Gu Qingzhao replied: "The current situation no longer allows us to decide for ourselves."

"I previously hinted to you, Qin Dao—that the mastermind behind the beast tide is likely a late-stage third-rank beast king from the Shouming Mountain Range."

"There's no safe place left, even across the entire Nanhuang cultivation world."

"Our major factions must now actively resist the beast tide—we can no longer stand aside as we did in past waves."

Qin Ming understood at once—Jing Xue Pavilion had been conscripted too.

Then.

Qin Ming produced the Five Element Spiritual Peaches—over twenty of them—and handed them to Gu Qingzhao. "These are the spiritual peaches I promised you. The first batch has ripened—take them."

"Our transaction is complete. From now on, the peach tree belongs to Qin Mou. Hehe!"

Gu Qingzhao and Huangfu Qi stared at the spiritually radiant peaches, their faces filled with awe.

Huangfu Qi swallowed hard, tore his gaze from the peaches, and asked Qin Ming:

"These are the legendary Five Element Spiritual Peaches—the ones said to boost cultivation and extend lifespan?"

Qin Ming smiled faintly. "Indeed. If you don't believe me, try one."

…

(End of Chapter)