Chapter 343: Vermilion Bird Flag (5k)

Whoosh!

A thousand li beyond the Five Elements Mountain Range, Hua Tianxiong's golden imperial carriage transformed into a streak of golden light, shuttling across the sky.

Following behind him were the guards of the Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild and their Jin Dan honored guest.

Half an hour later.

He had nearly arrived at the location agreed upon with Qin Ming.

However, just at this moment.

The previously clear sky with white clouds nearby suddenly churned with black qi, rapidly darkening.

A dense wave of deadly fiendish qi spread across heaven and earth; black clouds billowed everywhere, within which ten thousand ghosts wailed, resembling a vast black net unfolding to envelop the people of the Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild.

Seeing this scene, the Jin Dan honored guest from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion immediately changed color, shouting to the subordinates around him: "The situation has changed, protect the Guild Master!"

Immediately after, he took the lead and flew toward Hua Tianxiong's golden imperial carriage.

But in the next instant, the scenery before his eyes suddenly shifted.

He had instead crashed headlong into a vast, pitch-black fog sea, from which tens of thousands of ghostly creatures crawled out, baring claws and teeth as they pounced at him.

"Damn it, it's a Demonic Dao forbidden formation!"

The Jin Dan honored guest's face turned extremely ugly.

Outside, Hua Tianxiong also noticed this situation; clearly, it was the work of Demonic Dao cultivators.

He released his divine sense and already perceived two powerful mid-stage Jin Dan Demonic cultivators chasing closely behind him, their speed astonishing.

What shocked him even more was that Xu, the honored guest responsible for his safety, seemed to have been stalled by some trick of the enemy.

Hua Tianxiong subconsciously realized that his whereabouts must have been exposed.

Ever since leaving the Five Elements Mountain Market, someone had either been tailing him or placed a marker on him.

"Hua Tianxiong! Let's see where you can run to today?"

"This seat will soon make you taste the suffering of bone-corroding and marrow-sucking, to see if you remain as tough as you were at the auction house!"

Two streaks of black flight light approached from afar and arrived in an instant; behind them followed over a dozen Demonic Dao disciples, engaging in a chaotic battle with the guards of the Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild.

The pitch-black flight light converged, revealing the figures of Tian Wugong and Yan Laomo from the Yin Demon Sect, both looking at Hua Tianxiong with mocking eyes as they pursued.

Hua Tianxiong's face turned pale, and he hastily urged his golden imperial carriage to flee by flight.

He still had enough self-awareness to know clearly that he was absolutely no match for these two Demonic cultivators of notorious ferocity.

"Hua Tianxiong, come to the mountain range direction to the northwest ahead."

Just at this moment.

Qin Ming's voice transmission suddenly rang out in Hua Tianxiong's mind.

He immediately trembled with excitement and hurriedly flew toward that area according to Qin Ming's instructions.

When Qin Ming went to find Hua Tianxiong, he had actually discovered the Demonic Dao cultivators lying in ambush in the shadows long ago.

He hadn't expected the people of the Yin Demon Sect to be so relentlessly persistent like lingering souls.

Hua Tianxiong carried something important of his, and furthermore, it had not been easy to refine the black talisman and turn him into his puppet.

Naturally, he could not stand by and watch him fall into the hands of the Demonic Dao.

Qin Ming's gaze was sharp; he had hidden in the shadows and observed for a long time.

"Confirmed: only two Jin Dan Demonic Dao cultivators, no other reinforcements."

"Then this will be easy to handle."

A moment later.

Sweating profusely, Hua Tianxiong urged his golden imperial carriage to arrive at a nearby mountain range, a location situated at the border with the Beast Cry Mountain Range.

Going any deeper would mean entering the territory of the Yao Clan (Demon Beasts).

Luckily he possessed this third-tier upper-grade flying mount; otherwise, he would have been in grave danger.

Suddenly.

Hua Tianxiong only felt a blur before his eyes, and within his golden imperial carriage, Qin Ming's figure suddenly materialized.

It was almost silent and traceless; even he had not detected how Qin Ming had appeared, which greatly eased his anxious heart.

'Thank goodness, Master hasn't abandoned me to my fate.'

Hua Tianxiong was well aware of Qin Ming's terrifying strength, not to mention that he commanded three Yao King-level spiritual pets.

'Although those two Demonic cultivators look gloomy and terrifying, with Master's strength, he should be able to withstand them, right?'

Just as Hua Tianxiong's thoughts were racing and he was filled with emotion, Qin Ming grabbed him and threw him into the Small Xiao Lingjing.

"You stay in there."

"Leave the matters outside to me."

Immediately, Qin Ming activated the True Demon Illusion; a distorted fluctuation surged from his body, and he instantly transformed into the appearance of 'Hua Tianxiong'.

A moment later.

Yan Laomo and Tian Wugong from afar caught up.

Seeing that Hua Tianxiong's golden imperial carriage had stopped moving in place, they too halted.

The next moment.

They saw the stout figure of Hua Tianxiong slowly walk out from the imperial carriage.

"You two have pursued this seat relentlessly; what exactly is your intention?"

Hua Tianxiong asked with a faint smile on his face.

Tian Wugong of the Yin Demon Sect gazed at him with sinister, cold eyes and said: "Hua Tianxiong, when you challenged me at the auction house, you should have expected this outcome, yes?"

"Since you refuse the toast and insist on the penalty, I shall simply take the Seven-Aperture Tribulation Flower from your corpse."

"Oh? Are you so confident that you can kill me?" Hua Tianxiong asked with an air of casual indifference.

Seeing Hua Tianxiong act contrary to his usual nature, displaying an attitude of fearless confidence, Tian Wugong of the Yin Mo Sect couldn't help but frown.

He released his divine sense again, sweeping the entire area within a hundred li, yet found no ambushes; there was only Hua Tianxiong alone.

Tian Wugong's gaze turned cold; the magic power of his mid-stage Jin Dan erupted from his body, and a black-flamed longsword appeared in his hand. After injecting magic power into it, the sword grew with the wind, transforming into a strand of black light that slashed toward Hua Tianxiong.

Clang! The 'Hua Tianxiong' opposite neither dodged nor avoided, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, barely perceptible smile.

The strand of black light instantly tore through the void, emitting a chilling aura that made one's heart tremble, penetrating Hua Tianxiong's body in the blink of an eye.

"Hmph! So fragile and utterly defenseless." Yan Laomo, watching coldly from the side, spoke with great contempt.

Tian Wugong, however, looked grave; although a mid-stage Jin Dan crushing an early stage was a suppression of realm, this seemed far too abnormal.

"Something's wrong!"

The figure of Hua Tianxiong pierced by the demonic sword scattered like ripples on water, then vanished without a trace.

Before the two could even react.

"In that case, you two must also receive a sword strike from me."

A voice suddenly rang out from the air.

Immediately after, Qin Ming, disguised as Hua Tianxiong, materialized in mid-air; a white bone sword had already appeared in his hand, burning with white cold flames—none other than the Nine Nether White Bone Sword of True Person Bai Gu.

A terrifying fluctuation of power spread outward.

During the preceding time, Qin Ming had completely removed the imprint True Person Bai Gu had left within the Nine Nether White Bone Sword and had refined it for himself.

Once this sword appeared, Tian Wugong of the Yin Mo Sect and Yan Laomo opposite were visibly shaken, exclaiming, "A top-grade magical treasure!"

Holding the Nine Nether White Bone Sword, Qin Ming slashed once toward the two demons opposite.

Bai Guang flashed.

In the air, several threads were instantly cut out, intermingled with white cold flames.

"Ah!"

Tian Wugong let out a miserable scream as an arm flew high into the air.

With the power of just one sword strike, even his magic power shield and defensive magical treasure were sliced in half.

At the same time.

Yan Laomo also realized something was amiss; he hastily took out a crimson triangular banner, which actually managed to block Qin Ming's sword strike.

"Damn it, how is this merely early-stage Jin Dan?"

"Didn't they say Hua Tianxiong of the Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild was a good-for-nothing?"

"Tian Wugong, you'd better not die; taking this commission from you has already cost this Yunxi Laozu dearly! You'll have to add more money!"

Immediately after.

A powerful aura appeared before the two of them.

Looking at the triangular red banner in Yan Laomo's hand, Qin Ming couldn't help but utter a soft "Eh?" and ask, "Eh? What kind of magical treasure is this?"

"It actually managed to withstand one of my sword strikes."

Both shocked and enraged, Yan Laomo immediately formed hand seals with his fingers and shouted angrily, "So President Hua has been hiding his depth quite well, actually possessing a top-grade magical treasure."

"In that case, let us see whether my Zhu Que Banner is more formidable, or whether your bone sword proves superior!"

"Tian Wugong, if you aren't dead yet, join forces with me."

The next moment.

Yan Laomo waved the Zhu Que Banner in his hand, and instantly, an earth-shattering, heaven-destroying aura emanated from it.

Screech! Heavenly fire descended, transforming into a boundless sea of flames that surged toward Qin Ming.

Simultaneously, Tian Wugong, who had lost an arm to the slash of the Nine Nether White Bone Sword, wore a gloomy and sinister expression as he once again urged his demonic treasure to attack Qin Ming.

"This Zhu Que Banner is actually also a top-grade magical treasure!"

Qin Ming also detected some clues; his expression revealed a trace of gravity, and he immediately activated his Glazed Treasure Armor to protect his entire body.

Boundless flames instantly submerged and swallowed him whole.

Yan Laomo possessed extremely strong confidence in this natal magical treasure of his.

As a top-grade magical treasure, the Zhu Que Banner was something he had obtained after experiencing nine deaths and one life in a certain secret realm, and after years of tempering and nurturing with elixir fire, its power was truly formidable.

Just as Yan Laomo thought his strike had succeeded.

An extremely ominous sensation of heart-throbbing danger suddenly surged into his heart.

From the unseen depths, a feeling of impending catastrophe arose! Puchi!

But before he could react, several black spikes strangely emerged from the void, piercing straight through his chest and back.

"Uh... th-this..."

As an old monster who had roamed the demonic path for many years, Yan Laomo naturally possessed no shortage of life-saving methods.

He muttered incantations, casting a secret technique to transform into a patch of black mist, instantly escaping the attack of the black spikes. In place of the spikes now appeared a dark, bloody mass.

Forced to employ a secret technique, Yan Laomo clearly paid a heavy price; his face was now as white as paper, and he stumbled as he fled toward the distance.

Just at this moment.

Ripples spread through the air, and the figure of Shi Tian Shu materialized out of nowhere, blocking Yan Laomo's escape route.

Before he could even see clearly.

Shi Tian Shu spewed a sheet of black mysterious light from its mouth, shrouding the entire space, as the formidable aura of a third-stage mid-tier Demon King erupted violently!

As the Forbidden Mysterious Light swept over, Yan Laomo discovered to his horror that the magic power throughout his entire body had been sealed.

Being in this patch of sky felt like sinking into a quagmire; his movements became sluggish, and he was utterly unable to move.

The figure of Shi Tian Shu merged into the void and vanished, only to reappear holding a black steel fork that swept across with terrifying power!

Whoosh! Elder Yan's head flew high into the air.

Plop! Blood sprayed from the headless corpse like rain.

The Shi Tian Shu shrank its body, its gaze sharp; it picked up the Zhu Que banner from Elder Yan's corpse, waved it around, and exclaimed excitedly, "What a fine treasure! It belongs to this Great Master now! Hehehe!"

On the other side.

Tian Wugong, fleeing frantically, saw that Elder Yan had died and his Dao extinguished in mere moments; realizing he had kicked an iron plate today, his heart was filled with bitterness.

His eyes reveal stage a madness, he still wished to make a final struggle.

He sacrificed several powerful magical treasures from his storage bag to self-detonate.

But in the next instant, a white rainbow flashed past.

The Nine Nether White Bone Sword swept through the explosion of demonic artifacts with an unstoppable force, splitting Tian Wugong in two from the middle.

The corpse fell dejectedly from the sky.

Qin Ming raised his hand to cast the Thorn Technique, turning both corpses into blood beads, then retrieved their storage bags.

Afterwards, he flicked a fireball to destroy the bodies and erase all traces; the entire process was incredibly smooth and fluid.

There was no other reason, only familiarity.

Having done all this, Qin Ming entered the Small Xiao Lingjing.

He saw Hua Tianxiong pacing back and forth inside, looking uneasy.

At this moment.

Hua Tianxiong saw another 'himself' walk in and nearly dropped his jaw in shock.

"You are..."

Qin Ming immediately activated the True Demon Illusion, shook his body, and transformed back into the appearance of Shopkeeper Lu.

"Ah? Greetings, Master!"

Hua Tianxiong bowed tremblingly, then took out the Seven Orifices Tribulation Crossing Flower and the Divine Wood Pill Formula, respectfully handing them to Qin Ming.

"Here are the items you requested."

Qin Ming accepted the two items with a calm expression, nodded satisfactorily, and said, "You did well; you may leave now."

"But the demonic cultivators outside..." Hua Tianxiong hesitated.

After all, less than half an incense stick's time had passed, and he had witnessed with his own eyes that the two demonic cultivators possessed at least mid-stage Jin Dan cultivation... "They have already been dealt with," Qin Ming said.

Upon hearing this, Hua Tianxiong was instantly stunned; even though he knew his master was powerful, he found it somewhat unbelievable.

At this time.

The figure of the Shi Tian Shu also emerged, holding a Zhu Que banner in its hand, happily waving it nonstop.

Seeing this, Hua Tianxiong's pupils suddenly constricted.

"Th-this isn't Elder Yan's famous magical treasure, the 'Zhu Que Banner,' is it?"

Now, Hua Tianxiong was completely convinced.

He knew the value of goods; it was precisely relying on this top-grade magical treasure that Elder Yan had forged a tremendous reputation in Great Jin.

He never expected it would be lost here today.

"Zhu Que Banner?"

"What? You kid recognize this treasure? Hurry up and tell this Great Master all about it," the Shi Tian Shu said, suddenly interested and asking with an air of seniority.

Hua Tianxiong's entire fatty body trembled; he plastered on a smile and said:

"Hehe, I only know a little bit about it."

"It is said that this Zhu Que Banner is one of the Five Elements Banners; over a hundred years ago, Elder Yan luckily obtained this treasure from a certain secret realm."

"Legend has it that the Five Elements Banners are a set of top-grade magical treasures; if all the banners are gathered, they truly possess unimaginable power, capable of destroying heaven and earth or moving mountains and filling seas without effort."

After listening, the Shi Tian Shu's eyes lit up, and it loved the Zhu Que Banner even more, unable to put it down.

It then looked at Qin Ming with expectation in its eyes and asked, "Master, could this Zhu Que Banner... be given to me to use?"

Qin Ming pondered for a moment; seeing how much the Shi Tian Shu liked the item, he nodded and said, "Fine, you may use it."

"Thank you for the reward, Master! Eh hehe!"

Overjoyed upon hearing this, the Shi Tian Shu immediately opened its mouth, swallowed the Zhu Que Banner, and ran off to a distant spot to refine the treasure.

"Uh, Master, then this humble one will take my leave," Hua Tianxiong said. "I shall await your orders at any time in the future."

"Mm, if I need you to handle matters, I will contact you."

Subsequently, the space outside distorted, rippling with a circle of waves.

Hua Tianxiong's figure returned to the outside world; he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and released his divine sense to observe the surroundings.

Indeed, there was no trace of the enemies; in a flash.

A golden escape light flew toward him; as the brilliance faded, it revealed the figure of the Jin Dan supplier from the Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild.

Seeing Hua Tianxiong safe and sound, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward to ask, "President Hua, are you alright?"

"Cough! I am fine now."

"Just some mere demonic cultivators; this seat applied a slight stratagem and sent them packing."

"Let us go, Supplier Xu; we will change course and return to the guild."

From within the Golden Luan Palanquin came Hua Tianxiong's voice, light as the wind and calm as the clouds.

Upon hearing this, Supplier Xu showed a look of suspicion, but after scanning the area thoroughly, he could not find anything unusual.

Just moments ago, Supplier Xu had been trapped in a demonic formation; no matter how hard he tried with all his abilities, he could not escape.

But somehow, that formation seemed to lose its control and suddenly vanished... Worried about Hua Tianxiong's safety, Supplier Xu immediately rushed over here.

Along the way, he also conveniently wiped out those demonic disciples.

But when he rushed over in haste, he discovered Hua Tianxiong waiting there as if nothing had happened.

Elder Qian, a worshiped guest of the Li Fire Palace, had been assigned to stay by Hua Tianxiong's side, responsible for monitoring his every move.

Hua Tianxiong absolutely could not suffer any mishap.

Otherwise, Elder Qian would have a difficult time explaining himself.

……

Within the Small Xiao Lingjing.

Qin Ming took out the Seven Orifices Tribulation Crossing Flower, a look of joy appearing on his face, "A Nascent Soul condensing spiritual object! The Seven Orifices Tribulation Crossing Flower; I didn't expect to obtain it so quickly."

"However, it still needs to be cultivated and planted, ripening it to over a thousand years before it will suffice."

"As for the pill formula of the 'Ice Heart Jade Soul Pill,' Su Yuqing should surely have it, right?"

"Since I have already arrived in Great Jin, it is time to go see Brother Su; after all, we haven't met for several decades."

Qin Ming still missed Su Yuqing somewhat, a person who had been both teacher and friend to him.

He put away the jade box containing the Seven Orifices Tribulation Crossing Flower, then took out that ancient pill formula and released his divine sense to examine it.

"This Divine Wood Pill, as a third-grade upper-tier spiritual pill, possesses immense efficacy for advancing the cultivation and magic power of the Jin Dan middle and late stages."

"Main ingredients: third-grade Earth Soul Glazed Flower, Phoenix Blood Fruit, Demon Origin Earth Root."

Qin Ming glanced over it briefly; merely the main ingredients for refining the Divine Wood Pill numbered five or six kinds, and some of these spiritual materials were ancient spiritual grasses that had gone extinct in the Immortal Realm.

"Although these spiritual materials are hard to find, for me, as long as I can find the spiritual seeds, I can replant them; this Divine Wood Pill may not be impossible to refine after all."

"Perhaps there are other substitutes; I will ask Brother Su about it together when I see him."

Qin Ming then checked the storage bags of Tian Wugong and Yan Laomo from the Yin Demon Sect.

What left him speechless was that the Black Flame Evil Feather Fan magical treasure had been bid on by Tian Wugong.

Now, after going around in a circle, it had returned to his hands.

The spiritual stones within the two storage bags also numbered several hundred thousand; Qin Ming had made a small fortune once again.

As for those demonic path magical treasures and demonic arts, Qin Ming did not think highly of them.

The only item worth looking at, the Zhu Que Flag, had also been claimed by the Shi Tian Shu.

Thinking of this, Qin Ming walked toward where the Shi Tian Shu was located.

He saw that in merely half a day's time, it had already completely refined this top-grade magical treasure.

At this moment, it was wielding the Zhu Que Flag, casting a fire divine ability toward an open space.

With a wave of the command flag in the Shi Tian Shu's hand.

Countless heavenly fires descended, transforming into three orange-red Zhu Que dancing wildly across the sky, truly magnificent.

"Be careful with the fire; don't burn down my Small Xiao Lingjing!"

Qin Ming watched from the side and spoke out to remind it.

The Shi Tian Shu immediately raised its hand and beckoned, whereupon the Zhu Que flames in the sky were all drawn back into the magical treasure.

It said with a grin, "Master, with this magical treasure, my strength has increased greatly once again!"

"That old demonic man only mastered a bit of the surface; he did not unleash its true power."

"The formations inside the magical treasure have been completely cracked by me."

"I also obtained a method for refining the other four types of command flags: the Green Dragon Flag, the Bai Hu Flag, the Black Tortoise Flag, and the Central Yellow Flag."

"If all five elemental flags are obtained, it will simply be invincible!"

Qin Ming: "."

Thanks to Daoist "Wind Dragon Chant" for the 100 coin donation.

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