Chapter 311

Qin Ming stood in midair, hands clasped behind his back.

Hearing Linghu Yang's words, his expression remained unreadable, undisturbed; he merely said calmly:

"I don't need you to hold back."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Yang was momentarily stunned, then snapped coldly: "Hmph! You're truly arrogant—do you truly believe you can handle a Jin Dan cultivator's power?"

Qin Ming replied coolly: "I merely fear that after this, your heart will be even more blocked."

Hearing this, Linghu Yang's temper flared—this man's attitude clearly showed utter contempt for him.

"Fine!"

"Then I won't hold back—I'll test whether the Long Daoist is truly as formidable as claimed."

"If I lose control and accidentally kill you, don't blame me!"

With that, Linghu Yang unleashed his full magical energy.

Qin Ming immediately waved his hand, and a gray-furred rat demon appeared between them.

"Win against my spirit beast first."

Instantly, the Shi Tian Rat's body swelled violently, growing to dozens of zhang in size—a crushing aura of a peak third-rank demon king descended upon them!

The overwhelming spiritual pressure left Linghu Yang pale, gasping for breath.

At the same third-rank level, demonic beasts were several times stronger than humans.

Moreover, Linghu Yang had only just broken through to Jin Dan.

"Hehehe! Kid!"

"I heard you wanted to challenge my master?!"

"Tell me—what kind of death do you want?"

The Shi Tian Rat bared its icy fangs at Linghu Yang with outrageous arrogance.

"Peak third-rank demon king!!"

"How is this possible?!"

Linghu Yang's eyes widened in terror—he simply could not believe that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Long Daoist could possess such a powerful spirit beast.

If this was the spirit beast's strength, what of Long Daoist himself? Confusion, fear, doubt—all twisted across Linghu Yang's face.

The next instant, he forced a grim smile, bowed to Qin Ming in apology: "I didn't realize Long Daoist's strength was so immense—I beg your pardon for my presumption and disrespect."

Without another word, Linghu Yang turned and fled in a golden aura, vanishing swiftly.

Faster than he'd arrived.

"Hehe! Think you can run?"

The Shi Tian Rat twitched eagerly—it had been too long since it last fought, and it was impatient.

Its massive demonic body vanished mysteriously into the void.

Qin Ming's figure also flickered and disappeared from the spot.

……

On the other side.

Linghu Yang fled at top speed, using a secret technique to teleport thousands of li away.

Sweat drenched his body as he continuously scanned behind with his spiritual sense.

Only after confirming that Long Daoist and his terrifying demon king spirit beast had not followed did he finally exhale.

"Once I reach Moyuan Immortal City, I'll be safe."

"There's always someone stronger—mountains rise beyond mountains."

"Long Daoist… is utterly unfathomable! He must harbor great secrets!"

"My cultivation mindset is still too restless—I won't seek to outdo others again."

"This whole affair was pure humiliation!"

"I thought breaking into Jin Dan would let me erase my past shame… Forget it. I'll return to the mountains and cultivate in seclusion."

"I won't emerge again until I reach late-stage cultivation!"

At that moment—

"Now you think of seclusion? Isn't it a bit late?"

A faint voice suddenly sounded beside him—startling Linghu Yang into immediately summoning a magic treasure: a three-foot-long sword brimming with golden metallic energy.

Whoosh! A silent attack struck.

Linghu Yang's back hairs stood on end; he twisted his body and shot dozens of zhang away.

He swiftly formed a sword seal and slashed at the empty air before him—the golden sword emitted an unrivaled sword aura, splitting into thirty-six golden flying swords that struck something in midair.

Clang! Whoosh! Several massive black spikes erupted from nowhere, colliding with the golden swords.

Linghu Yang's golden sword treasure was knocked back, trembling and severely damaged by the Shi Tian Rat's strike.

His core treasure wounded, Linghu Yang's complexion darkened; he spat out a gout of blood.

A single strike from the Shi Tian Rat nearly killed Linghu Yang.

Clearly, their power levels were not even in the same realm.

Qin Ming's gaze turned cold—he'd originally wished to let it pass, but Linghu Yang's persistence left him no choice.

Then let it be on his own head.

He also wanted to see just how strong the Shi Tian Rat had become beyond its peak.

The Shi Tian Rat darted unpredictably through the void; Linghu Yang couldn't lock onto its position at all.

Suddenly—

He was struck by the rat's tail and flew like a sack of sand.

Linghu Yang scrambled up, clutching his chest and coughing violently—he realized now he couldn't escape.

Especially with Long Daoist watching nearby.

His face twisted into madness—he prepared to fight to the death.

Linghu Yang once again commanded his golden sword treasure, pouring every ounce of his magical energy into it.

"Rise! Golden Sun Sword Array!" Hum! Whoosh! Whoosh! Instantly, his sword flew out, transforming into a sky-filling rain of blades—seventy-two in total, each golden blade tens of zhang long.

Linghu Yang unleashed everything—the Golden Sun Sword Array radiated a world-shattering aura.

Golden swordlight interwove, engulfing all surrounding space.

The next instant—

The Shi Tian Rat reappeared, centered within the array, utterly unfazed.

It opened its mouth and spat a wave of black mystic light, which instantly spread into a vast black net, swallowing Linghu Yang's Golden Sun Sword Array whole.

The moment the swordlight touched the black light, it shattered into countless bubbles.

A few stray blades slipped through and flew toward Qin Ming.

He immediately activated his blood and true spiritual Gang —his skin shimmered with countless spiritual runes: the True Ultimate Body!

Clang! Clang! Clang! The flying swords struck Qin Ming's body, leaving only faint white marks—he was nearly unharmed.

"This—" Linghu Yang was horrified—he'd lost his strongest sword array,

and for the first time in his life, he witnessed someone withstanding a magic treasure strike with nothing but flesh—utterly shattering his worldview as a Jin Dan True Person! Before he could even regret it, his entire body was swallowed by the black light.

"Aaaah!"

A piercing scream echoed from within the black light.

Whoosh! A soul-body shot out of the darkness—Linghu Yang abandoned his body and fled.

At that moment—

The Shi Tian Rat sneered, and its claw slashed forward into empty air.

An invisible force tore through the void, shredding Linghu Yang's soul-body to pieces.

Thus, this newly minted Jin Dan True Person never had the chance to make his name in the cultivation world.

He was swiftly obliterated by the Shi Tian Rat—his soul scattered, utterly annihilated.

This battle revealed the true power of the Shi Tian Rat as a peak third-rank demon king.

After killing Linghu Yang, the Shi Tian Rat eagerly sucked in his corpse, then tore from his dantian a golden, radiant Jin Dan—it drooled at the sight.

"Don't swallow it yet!"

Qin Ming immediately stopped the beast—this creature, already at peak third-rank, would leap to the next level the moment it consumed this human Jin Dan.

A third-rank demon king's demonic core, when given to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could forge a pseudo-Jin Dan.

Conversely, a human Jin Dan was equally precious to demonic beasts.

The Jin Dan contained the cultivator's entire life's essence.

If the Shi Tian Rat swallowed it, it would surely break through to third-rank mid-stage.

Even the Xuan Shui Crocodile or Silver-Winged Frost Bee could reach third-rank demon king level by consuming it.

Moreover, Linghu Yang's Jin Dan was of superior quality.

But if the Shi Tian Rat consumed it now, it would need a long time to digest and break through.

Qin Ming still had matters to attend to—he couldn't afford to lose his key ally in hibernation.

Though the Shi Tian Rat craved the Jin Dan desperately, it obeyed Qin Ming and handed it over.

"Not now."

"After I finish searching for the spirit core, I'll let you break through."

Qin Ming stored the Jin Dan, then reached out and seized Linghu Yang's storage bag and the golden sword treasure.

He didn't even look, just put it away.

Immediately, he cast a Thorn Spell upon Linghu Yang's corpse; countless black vines surged forth, wrapping and enclosing the body, soon turning it into a blood pearl the size of a fist.

It was drawn into Qin Ming's hand.

Qin Ming gazed at this Jin Dan-level blood pearl—now his life-plant, Yin-Yang Xuan Teng, would benefit greatly; feeding it this pearl would likely allow it to grow substantially, and his life-artifact, Mu Huang Ding, might even ascend in rank.

Having finished this.

Qin Ming then fired a Fireball Spell at the dried corpse, destroying all traces before leaving.

…

Three days later.

Qin Ming rode his Silver-Winged Frost Bee to Jingzhou in the Liang Kingdom; his destination was the Xiao family of Taihu.

According to the silk scroll, the spirit of the Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror was hidden within the Xiao family's ancestral hall.

Half a day later.

A vast lake appeared in Qin Ming's sight, like a brilliant emerald jewel set upon the earth.

The surface of Taihu stretched for thousands of acres, clear blue water merging with the sky, mountains green and waters clear, strange peaks and peculiar rocks each bearing unique charm.

Countless fishing boats drifted upon the green waves, people circling the water, mountains shifting with the observer, as if walking through a painting, mountains floating upon the water, filling the heart with serenity.

Around Taihu, dozens of cultivation families, large and small, had passed down their lineages to this day.

The Xiao family was one of them.

Qin Ming couldn't understand how such an important spirit could be hidden within the Xiao family, a minor Qi Refining clan.

But that was ancient history; times had changed—perhaps the family that once dwelled here wasn't even the Xiao family.

Qin Ming retracted his Silver-Winged Frost Bee, cast the True Demon Illusion, and transformed into an unremarkable free cultivator, descending toward a nearby small marketplace.

He planned to secretly investigate the perimeter before making a decision.

The cultivation forces around Taihu were mostly insignificant; only two Foundation Establishment families existed, and the strongest among them were merely at Foundation Establishment early stage.

The Xiao family's population was not thriving; their patriarch, Xiao Zhongren, was only at Qi Refining late stage.

Yet the Xiao family did indeed possess an ancient, elegant ancestral hall.

Qin Ming did not grow careless because of this; instead, he sharpened his vigilance to the utmost.

After all, this involved the spirit of a Gao Jie magic treasure.

That night, he infiltrated near the Xiao family and released his Shi Tian Rat, asking it: "Have you detected anything unusual?"

(End of Chapter)