Chapter 303: Changes in Worldly Affairs

Sanxiancheng, Spring Breeze Turns to Rain Tower.

Qin Ming and Chen Beixuan, the young sect master of Jin Kuizong, sat in a window-side private room conversing.

Chen Beixuan respectfully poured spiritual wine for him, a smile on his face as he said, "Qin Qianbei, please taste this Drunken Immortal Brew and see if it suits your palate."

"Mm, not bad; you sit as well, no need to be restrained." Qin Ming raised his cup and drained it in one gulp, then revealed a faint smile and spoke to him.

Hearing this, Chen Beixuan sat down and poured a cup of spiritual wine for himself.

This was not his first contact with True Person Qin.

Over the past decade, True Person Qin had visited Sanxiancheng no fewer than five or six times, and each time he had been responsible for receiving him.

True Person Qin gave him the impression that, among Jin Dan elders, his temper was relatively mild.

This greatly reduced the pressure he felt when interacting with the other.

Furthermore, every time True Person Qin came, he was inquiring about the latest changes within the Immortal Realm.

He estimated this time would be no exception.

"Young Friend Chen, tell me about the current situation in the Immortal Realm; has anything happened out there?" Qin Ming asked directly.

Unlike before.

This time, Chen Beixuan did not answer Qin Ming's question directly; instead, he poured him more spiritual wine, his expression rather complex, hesitating for a moment, unsure how to begin.

Seeing his demeanor, Qin Ming already guessed that something unexpected must have occurred, so he added, "Young Friend Chen, have no worries; speak freely."

Only then did Chen Beixuan say, "Reporting to Qin Qianbei, the current situation is truly worrisome!"

"Just one year ago, the beast tide in the Beast Cry Mountain Range and the ghost calamity at Taihu in Liang Kingdom erupted simultaneously once again."

"Moreover, the scale was unprecedented, nearly an all-out assault."

"Even more strangely, these demonic beasts and ghostly entities seemed to have premeditated this, colluding and conspiring together."

"Under the call from Xuanxi Valley in Liang Kingdom, the three kingdoms of Wei, Liang, and Wu, along with Canghai Xiancheng, formed an alliance; even our own kingdom's sects, under the direction of the two elders of Beast King Valley, each dispatched reinforcements."

"But who could have expected that two half-formed Demon Kings of late third stage actually appeared among the demonic clans."

"They were a Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon and a Golden Toad Demon King."

"Several Jin Dan elders from the three kingdoms fought fiercely against them."

"Yet at the critical moment, the Modaoliu Sect stabbed them in the back."

"In that battle, Elder Wan of Xuanxi Valley and Elder Yuheng fell directly."

"Elder Wei of Lei Yuanzong and Elder Lu of Beast King Valley also returned severely injured."

"The beast tide and ghost calamity are spreading wildly, beginning to devour and invade the territories of the three kingdoms; right now, the situation for the human race is perilous."

After finishing his account, Chen Beixuan's mood became exceedingly heavy.

After hearing these latest news, Qin Ming himself could not help but fall into deep thought.

"I never expected that within such a short few years, such drastic changes would occur."

"Alas! Even Fellow Daoist Wan and Fellow Daoist Yuheng could not escape this calamity."

"Do you know by whose hands those two elders died?"

Hearing this, Chen Beixuan nodded and said, "Elder Yuheng died at the hands of the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon, while Elder Wan died from a sneak attack by Elder Huosang of the Yuan Demon Sect."

Qin Ming nodded slightly.

What baffled him was that the Golden Toad elder from the Taihu ruins had actually colluded with the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon.

Two half-formed Demon Kings joining forces was something almost no one could have anticipated.

Nowadays, the Jin Dan combat power of the three kingdoms consists only of Nalan Xi of Canghai Xiancheng, Wei Wuya of Lei Yuanzong, Pei Qing and Lu Xiao of Beast King Valley, and Elders Qingxuan and Xuan Yu of Xuanxi Valley.

Among these, only Elder Qingxuan is at the late Jin Dan realm, Nalan Xi is at mid Jin Dan realm, and the rest are all at early realm; they simply cannot withstand two great half-formed demonic beasts.

Not to mention they must also constantly guard against sneak attacks from the demonic path.

"Alas, it is truly wolves in front and tigers behind."

After analyzing the current situation, Qin Ming's mood also became somewhat depressed.

"Heh, fortunately, within our Wu Kingdom things are relatively stable, and the impact has not been as severe as in the other kingdoms."

"Mainly because with True Person Qin here in Wu Kingdom, plus the two elders of Beast King Valley, we have three Jin Dan experts guarding us."

"The beast tide and ghost calamity will not reach here for some time, and those petty scoundrels of the demonic path dare not scheme against Wu Kingdom."

Speaking to this point, Chen Beixuan timely flattered Qin Ming, this highly respected Jin Dan True Person.

Qin Ming, however, waved his hand dismissively, "If the lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold; once Liang Kingdom and Wei Kingdom cannot hold out, the destruction of Wu Kingdom is only a matter of time."

"Yes, yes! Qin Qianbei's foresight is profound; what you say makes sense," Chen Beixuan hurriedly replied.

Qin Ming then continued to converse with him for a while, inquiring about news from other aspects.

"You have done well; continue to keep watch over changes in the situation for this seat."

As his voice fell, Qin Ming's entire figure turned into a ripple and vanished without a trace.

In Chen Beixuan's daze, he only saw a jade bottle appear on the table; he picked up the bottle, opened it, and inside lay unmistakably a second-rank top-grade Yu Xuan Dan! Overjoyed, he cupped his hands toward the outside and thanked, "Many thanks for Qin Qianbei's generous gift!"

After leaving Sanxiancheng, Qin Ming decided to go to Beast King Valley after all, since Pei Qing and Lu Xiao surely possessed first-hand information.

He spent ten days traveling to Beast King Valley.

The news he obtained from the two elders was roughly similar to what Chen Beixuan had told him.

Especially when Qin Ming met Lu Xiao.

The latter was heavily injured, his entire aura withered and weak.

"Alas! Fellow Daoist Qin, I am ashamed! The strength of that Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon Demon King far exceeds that of us human Jin Dan experts; if not for relying on our numerical advantage, I fear I would never see Fellow Daoist Qin again."

In Lu Xiao's words, a trace of bitterness revealed itself.

Qin Ming activated the divine ability of Yin-Yang Profound Mirror and gazed into Lu Xiao's body; he saw that the verdant vitality within him had diminished considerably. In his dantian sea of qi, there was even a murky dark-green energy coiling like a maggot clinging to the bone.

It appeared he had been poisoned by the divine ability of that poisonous flood dragon.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I observe that your complexion is poor, and within your magic power, there is a poisonous qi invading; it is truly quite dangerous," Qin Ming said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Lu and Xiao were startled, and Pei Qing immediately asked, "Does Fellow Daoist Qin have a solution?"

"To be honest with Fellow Daoist Qin, that Poisonous Flood Dragon Demon King's divine abilities are no small matter; my junior brother merely suffered some collateral damage while retreating, yet he was struck by this strange poison, which proves difficult to extract."

"Over the past year, we have tried various methods, but none have been of much use."

Hearing this, Qin Ming unhurriedly took out a jade bottle and placed it before the two, saying, "This is a third-grade mid-tier Water-Infused Pill I refined in my leisure time; it can heal injuries and specializes in dispelling all manner of strange poisons."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao was immediately overjoyed; he picked up the jade bottle, opened it, and took a look inside.

Inside lay a single third-grade water-attribute detoxifying spiritual pill, radiating an imposing spiritual aura.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, thank you."

"If only we had known to seek your help sooner."

"I wonder what conditions Fellow Daoist Qin Ming requires to trade for this Water-Infused Pill?"

Qin Ming said, "Fifteen high-grade spiritual stones, or spiritual materials of equivalent value, will suffice."

"No problem, it's a deal!"

With the transaction concluded, Qin Ming stayed in Beast King Valley for most of the day before bidding farewell to the two Yunxi Laozu and departing.

As Qin Ming flew back toward the Small Xiao Lingjing, he pondered deeply.

"I came out for a trip, never expecting the situation to develop like this."

"Even a Jin Dan Yunxi Laozu has perished."

"It is truly too terrifying."

"Even being at the early stage of Jin Dan is no longer safe."

"Fortunately, my Jade Emperor Spirit Rice is about to mature."

"Even a Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun of the Small Xiao Lingjing cannot break in; it remains relatively safe."

Not long after Qin Ming departed from Beast King Valley,

on the border line where the Jin Kingdom meets the Wu Kingdom,

in a vast, empty wilderness,

the void began to distort, ripples constantly spreading through the air as if something were wriggling forth from within.

Hum~ A beam of pitch-black light burst from the earth, forming various ink-colored runes; centered around several dark runes, they interwove on the ground into a massive ring over ten zhang in diameter.

As the ink-colored runes around the ring all fell into place, a powerful fluctuation erupted from the void.

Subsequently, hundreds of beams of light shot straight down from the firmament.

As the light dispersed, a large group of demonic cultivators dressed in the attire of the Modaoliu Sect emerged from the void.

Among them, two figures at the very front subtly appeared as the leaders.

Of these two figures, one was a young man with sinister eyes, high cheekbones, and a hooked eagle's nose; a faint smile hung on his lips, yet it was filled with a chilling, ghostly implication.

His body emanated a fluctuation of magic power corresponding to the peak of Foundation Establishment.

The other figure was a handsome man with frivolous eyes, his every movement revealing an eerie, demonic quality.

He too possessed cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

"Ye Wuxian, was our sect's Ghost Luo Teleportation Array useful?" the hook-nosed man asked with a sinister grin.

The handsome man called Ye Wuxian curled the corner of his mouth, lightly stroking the hair at his chest, and smiled shallowly with unrestrained abandon: "For your Yuan Demon Sect to even be willing to bring out this array formation this time is not bad."

"Qiu Ye, after this matter is settled, your Bloodthirsty Demon Art should be able to advance another level, correct?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Ye said, "Not necessarily; my demon art must refine the living souls of cultivators; those of mortals are useless."

Saying this, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "But your Six Desires Emotional Silk Sword should be able to ascend to a third-grade demonic weapon after this, right?"

"Preparing for Golden Core formation; perhaps your Joyous Union Sect will produce another Jin Dan stage expert, hehehe."

"It is still too early."

"This operation targets the Wu Kingdom; sending our two sects to lead the charge means we cannot drop the ball."

"Otherwise, there will be no good fruit to eat when we return," Ye Wuxian said.

Qiu Ye said carelessly, "Our two sects' targets are merely those few small sects; someone else will naturally handle Beast King Valley."

As he spoke, he pointed toward the sky.

"Besides that, within this Wu Kingdom, who else could possibly rival you and me?"

Ye Wuxian pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "There is one: True Person Wangyue."

"I heard this person has been traveling in the Wu Kingdom for many years; back then, the two Jin Dan experts of Lingyun Sect were no match for him and were forcefully slain by him; if he were to act..."

Qiu Ye interrupted, "You also know that the three my lord figures arriving this time have descended from the Upper Sect."

"How could he, acting alone, possibly resist this overwhelming trend?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Wuxian of the Joyous Union Sect said no more, offering a strange smile instead.

Immediately afterward, batch after batch of demonic cultivators were secretly teleported over.

Unknowingly to gods or ghosts, they crossed the border of the Wu Kingdom.

(End of Chapter)