Chapter 377: Transformed Demon Grass and the Thousand Illusion Spirit Bead (Part 1 & 2 Combined)

"But I am a human; would it not be improper for me to attend the grand ceremony in the Demon Realm?"

Qin Ming voiced the doubts in his heart.

After all, humans and demon beasts had fought and waged war against each other since ancient times, standing as irreconcilable enemies; although there were examples of peaceful coexistence between demon beasts and humans, Qin Ming truly dared not risk his life.

The little silver fox smiled slightly and said, "Qin Qianbei, please rest assured; Mother has also considered this. If not for Qin Qianbei's life-saving grace back then, plus your tremendous assistance, Mother would not have been able to break through to the fourth-stage Transformation Realm, which is why she sincerely invites you."

"At that time, Mother will meet privately with Qin Qianbei."

"Qin Qianbei, you will understand once you meet Mother then."

"Oh, in that case, Qin Mou will certainly arrive on time for the banquet to offer congratulations," Qin Ming realized, then replied with a faint smile.

The little silver fox nodded. "Hehe! Then we shall await Qin Qianbei's honorable presence; this humble one will take her leave now."

Qin Ming nodded, picked some spiritual fruits from the Small Spirit Realm to give her, and then had the Shi Tian Shu escort the little silver fox back.

Yue Lingyan achieving the status of a fourth-stage Transformation Demon Saint would undoubtedly be a major event causing a stir within the Demon Realm; at that time, great demon beasts from all paths might gather together.

He had not expected Yue Lingyan to extend such a warm invitation for him to witness such a grand occasion.

"It seems that in just a short year, the Fox Clan has firmly established its footing among the demon beasts of the Beast Cry Mountain Range and has completely risen to power."

"Yue Lingyan, this newly promoted Demon Saint, wields considerable authority and acts with decisive force; one cannot judge her merely because she is a woman."

There was actually another reason why Qin Ming accepted her invitation to the banquet.

That was because one of the spiritual materials required to refine the Nascent Infant Pill was a fourth-stage spiritual plant called "Hualing Yao Cao," also known as Companion Demon Grass, which only grows near the lairs of fourth-stage transformed demon beasts.

This Hualing Yao Cao absorbs the great demon qi of fourth-stage demon beasts day after day, month after month, seizing the creativity of heaven and earth to be born.

For demon beasts, this demon grass is merely a weed beside their lair, but for humans, it is a rare and precious treasure.

It is even a chance to form a Nascent Infant! Furthermore, attempting to pick such spiritual grass under the nose of a fourth-stage Transformation Demon Saint would be no different than seeking death.

Even Nascent Soul stage cultivators among humans would not dare to do such a thing.

Yet Qin Ming currently happened to have such an excellent opportunity to obtain Hualing Yao Cao.

Previously, Yue Lingyan had just broken through to become a fourth-stage great demon beast, so naturally, no such heavenly spiritual grass would have spawned near her cave yet.

But now things were different.

Qin Ming secretly estimated that, given so much time had passed...

Logically, the legendary 'Hualing Yao Cao' should have grown near Yue Lingyan's cave residence by now.

Qin Ming could take the opportunity of attending the banquet, leveraging his close friendship with Yue Lingyan, to request a few stalks of Hualing Yao Cao from her, which should not be problematic.

"However, since the purpose is to request Hualing Yao Cao, I must prepare some congratulatory gifts; otherwise, it would appear too Tang Tu."

"What should I give?"

Qin Ming then began pondering the matter of congratulatory gifts.

After all, Yue Lingyan's ceremony was that of a fourth-stage Demon Saint, and since he also intended to ask her for spiritual grass, the gift could not be too shabby.

He thought back and forth but really could not think of anything he currently possessed that was presentable.

But suddenly, he remembered someone.

"The Su family, as one of the four great Jin Dan families of Great Jin, has been a prestigious clan for a thousand years in Great Jin; they must have collected many good items. Perhaps I should let Su Yuqing cover the cost of this gift, hehe!"

"In any case, once I obtain the Hualing Yao Cao, Brother Su will also need to refine the Nascent Infant Pill, so he will not be short of his share either."

Thus, he informed Old Jia of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, then left the spiritual fields alone, using the teleportation array at the Five Elements Mountain Market to head toward Dragon Court Lake in Central Prefecture.

As soon as he arrived within the Five Elements Mountain Market, he encountered Han Yuan and the other two again.

"Yo! Daoist Lu, have you come to the market to handle affairs?"

Han Yuan and the other two approached, asking with smiles on their faces.

"Long time no see; congratulations to Daoist Han and Daoist Liu! You have both broken through to the peak Foundation Establishment realm," Qin Ming said with a smile, clasping his hands in salute.

"It is all thanks to Daoist Lu's blessing! If not for your Yu Xuan Dan, the three of us would likely still be stuck in the late stage realm, hehehe!"

"I heard Daoist Lu has broken through to become a third-stage top-grade Grandmaster Spiritual Planter; you, such a busy person, are rarely seen nowadays. This time, no matter what, you must grace us by sharing a few drinks before you go."

Liu Ye said with a beaming smile.

Qin Ming was not actually in too much of a hurry, so he accepted the three's enthusiastic invitation and gathered briefly with them at the Wind-Riding Tower within the market.

The three spared no expense, ordering a table full of fine wine and delicious dishes to treat Qin Ming.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes...

Han Yuan suddenly activated a sound-isolating formation to envelop the private room, then spoke to Qin Ming:

"Daoist Lu, there is extremely important news we must warn you about."

"Oh? What is it? Please speak, Daoist Han." Seeing the other party acting so cautiously, Qin Ming felt somewhat strange.

Han Yuan said, "Recently, the upper echelons of our Wan Dao Shang Alliance intercepted a very crucial piece of intelligence."

"It concerns Divine Dao Mountain, which has been secretly maintaining close contacts with the Yin Mo Sect of the Great Li Immortal Realm lately."

"Furthermore, their spearhead points directly at the fourth-stage spiritual vein of Five Elements Mountain; during this period, the Yin Mo Sect seems to have secretly provided substantial support to Divine Dao Mountain."

"Among these, the most numerous item is a third-stage spiritual seed called Rotten Spirit Grass, and there is also a batch of third-grade spiritual planters kidnapped by the Yin Mo Sect from outside who were taken to Divine Dao Mountain; no one knows what they are being used for or what the purpose is."

"Daoist Lu, although you are a third-stage top-grade Grandmaster Spiritual Planter, the Shopkeeper of Mirror Jing Xue Ge, and under the protection of the Wan Dao Shang Alliance..."

"These people from Divine Dao Mountain and the Yin Mo Sect act without scruples; with so many spiritual planters disappearing without cause, you must be extra cautious."

"Sigh, it seems Divine Dao Mountain has again received secret funding from the Yin Mo Sect, and their actions are extremely clandestine, seemingly accessible only to the highest leadership; even the Shang Alliance above cannot determine what they are plotting."

"Let us hope another war does not break out; the great battle between the Li Li Huogong and Divine Dao Mountain has only been quiet for a few years."

"Judging by the situation, war is coming again; Daoist Lu must keep your wits about you and make preparations early."

"If there is anything you need help with from the three of us, just speak up."

Speaking to this point, Han Yuan let out a heavy sigh, because once war broke out, people like them would inevitably have to take the field.

"So that is how it is; thank you for informing me, Daoist Han!" Qin Ming raised a cup in a toast.

"I did not expect Divine Dao Mountain and the Yin Mo Sect to start secretly colluding again, joining forces in their corruption."

"A storm is brewing!"

After conversing with the few of them for a while, Qin Ming took his leave and stepped onto the transmission array of the Five Elements Mountain market.

Moments later, he arrived within Lixian Xiancheng in Zhongzhou.

Using a transmission array like this was not something ordinary cultivators could afford to do often; most cultivators still relied on Dharma boats for travel.

Traveling from the Southern Border to the Zhongzhou region by flight would take even a Jin Dan cultivator quite some time.

However, Qin Ming was now quite wealthy, and to save time, he had directly chosen to travel via the transmission array.

After leaving Lixian Xiancheng, he flew for two more days before arriving near Longting Lake.

Subsequently.

Qin Ming sent a message talisman to Su Yuqing.

Upon receiving the message, Su Yuqing immediately set aside his current affairs and personally came out to welcome him.

"Brother Qin, why have you come in person?"

"Wouldn't it suffice to have your subordinate, Hua Tianxiong, handle it?"

"I must thank you again for the Divine Wood Pill materials you delivered last time."

Su Yuqing was quite delighted to see Qin Ming again and invited him into his cave dwelling.

"Brother Su need not be so polite; in any case, I have plenty of those materials left," Qin Ming said with a laugh after taking a seat.

"That is true; with your strength as a third-tier Grandmaster of Spiritual Plants, what kind of spiritual material could you not cultivate?" Su Yuqing similarly smiled as he poured spiritual tea for him. "Brother Qin has traveled thousands of miles to find me; I wonder what urgent matter brings you?"

A smile curled the corners of Qin Ming's mouth, and he then recounted the matter of preparing a congratulatory gift for Yue Lingyan. "What???"

"A fourth-tier Form-Transforming Demon Saint!"

After hearing this, Su Yuqing was greatly shocked; no matter how he tried, he could not imagine that Qin Ming had actually befriended a great saint of the demon race.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! I must say, Brother Qin, your luck is truly considerable; even such heaven-defying good fortune has fallen into your lap."

"You must know that the strength of a fourth-tier Form-Transforming Demon Saint is comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator of the human race, whereas the two Laozu of the Li Li Huogong and the Divine Dao Mountain are only at the early Nascent Soul stage."

"With such a powerful backer, do not forget about me in the future."

"And your cultivation; you have broken through to the late Jin Dan stage so quickly again. I fear that once you gather all the materials to refine the Infant-Condensing Pill and the Ice Heart Jade Soul Pill, you will be ready to prepare for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, correct?"

Su Yuqing said with a smile on his face, his tone filled with envy.

"Heh! The Nascent Soul stage is still far off, but I used that Poison Flood Dragon's demon core to brew a kind of 'Demon Flame Wine,' which will be ready to drink in ten years."

"The first time one drinks this wine, it can immediately increase one's cultivation by a hundred years, allowing a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator to break through to the Jin Dan perfection stage," Qin Ming said with a faint smile.

"Really? Could there actually be such nectar and jade liquid in this world?"

Upon hearing of such spiritual wine, Su Yuqing was even more overjoyed, for he too was currently at the late Jin Dan stage of cultivation, needing only the final step to advance to the realm of perfection.

"Heh! Naturally, a share for you, Su Yu, will not be lacking," Qin Ming said meaningfully.

"You have brought out so many good things and conditions; it seems you are prepared to make me bleed heavily today?" Su Yuqing said with a laugh, pointing at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming spread his hands and said, "Heh! The fourth-tier Demon Saint Yue Lingyan has invited me to her grand ceremony; surely I cannot go empty-handed?"

"By the way, on this trip, I will take the opportunity to ask her for some of the main material for refining the Infant-Condensing Pill, the 'Form-Transforming Demon Grass,' which you could also use when refining pills, correct?"

"This spiritual grass only grows in the lairs of Form-Transforming Great Demons; it is very difficult for you to obtain, and its value is not low."

Hearing this, Su Yuqing finally nodded, feeling that Qin Ming's words made perfect sense.

After all, exchanging some resources for Form-Transforming Demon Grass was not a loss.

After the two conversed for a while.

Su Yuqing stood up and said to Qin Ming, "Wait here for a moment."

"The item you desire is a treasured heirloom even within our Su family; I must go ask our old man for it."

Immediately, Su Yuqing flew off toward a deep courtyard residence of the Su family at Longting Lake.

In an ancient-styled courtyard, a middle-aged man with silver hair was writing calligraphy in his study.

The middle-aged man had a resolute face with sharp features, and a strong glint shone in his eyes; his cultivation was at the Jin Dan perfection stage.

This person was the clan leader of the Su family, Su Yuqing's father, Su Tiannan.

It was precisely he who had single-handedly separated the Su family from the Li Li Huogong to establish their independence.

Upon seeing Su Yuqing rush in so energetically, Su Tiannan guessed that nothing good was coming his way, so he frowned and asked indifferently, "What is it this time?"

"Hehe! Father, it is a wonderful thing!"

"Just give me that fourth-tier Thousand Illusion Spirit Pearl; I have a great use for it!" Su Yuqing said, getting straight to the point without hesitation.

"Get out, get out, get out!"

"What do you mean? Could it be that you have advanced to the fourth-tier Dan Wang realm and need such a spiritual object? This is the last of our family's treasures; we cannot withstand your squandering!" Upon hearing that he was asking for this fourth-tier spiritual object, Su Tiannan jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on.

"Alas! Father, no matter how good this fourth-tier spiritual object is, it is ultimately an inanimate object; leaving it at home will only let it gather dust. It would be better to leave it to my disposal; truly, believe me!"

Su Tiannan put down the brush in his hand, turned around, and asked:

"Then tell me, what do you intend to do with this fourth-tier Thousand Illusion Spirit Pearl?"

"This... is temporarily a secret..." Su Yuqing replied awkwardly.

"A secret? Then no way!" Su Tiannan rejected without hesitation.

Seeing that his father was impervious to reason or flattery, Su Yuqing immediately moved closer to wear him down with soft persistence.

Two sticks of incense later.

Holding an exquisite jade box in his hand, Su Yuqing wore a bitter smile, shook his head, and walked toward Qin Ming.

He then handed the jade box to Qin Ming and said with great reluctance:

"Brother Qin, you had best not disappoint me; this mid-grade fourth-tier Thousand Illusion Spirit Pearl is truly our Su family's treasured heirloom."

"For your sake, I promised my father I would go on a blind date with the Young Lady of the Xin family; alas, let us not speak of it~"

"Brother Su, rest assured, it is certain, absolutely certain!" Qin Ming swore solemnly, then opened the jade box in his hand.

He had not expected that Su Yuqing, in order to beg for this item, would have already sacrificed his life in the next instant.

A shocking surge of spiritual power surged forth from within the jade box, bursting forth with a captivating rosy glow.

Even Qin Ming's currently powerful divine soul, comparable to that of the Nascent Soul stage, felt a sense of bewitchment, nearly falling into some potent illusion realm.

He steadied his mind and saw a transparent black pearl radiating five-colored spiritual luster lying quietly inside, truly extraordinarily mystical.

"Brother Su, what is this?"

"This item is a fourth-grade mid-tier spiritual treasure, the Thousand Illusions Spiritual Pearl, passed down from my great-grandfather's generation to the present."

"It is said to be one of the several heavy treasures stored in the Li Li Huogong treasury back then."

"As for the origin of this fourth-grade spiritual treasure, legend has it that the founding ancestor of Li Li Huogong obtained it after slaying a fourth-grade mid-stage Nether Butterfly Demon Saint."

After listening to Su Yuqing's account, Qin Ming was left clicking his tongue in astonishment, never expecting this item to be so valuable.

"Brother Su, rest assured; an investment will surely yield returns."

Qin Ming subtly stored the treasure into his storage bag and said with a smile on his face.

"Hehe! That would naturally be best of all." Su Yuqing's handsome face suddenly twitched.

Immediately afterward, Qin Ming remembered something else and simply told the other party about the Qingyuan Sect secret realm he had discovered at Divine Path Mountain.

After hearing this, Su Yuqing was also utterly shocked.

"It is actually the mountain gate secret realm of the ancient Guda Sect, Qingyuan Sect!"

"When I was studying ancient texts, I had also heard a little about Qingyuan Sect; I never expected it to truly exist, and moreover, to be located in Great Jin."

Qin Ming nodded and said, "According to my estimation, Divine Path Mountain has secretly colluded with Great Li's Yin Mo Sect, going to great lengths trying to open this secret realm."

"They have already begun acting, but in my view, such news will inevitably leak out in due time."

"Because the method they are using, employing the Spirit Eye Night to induce the Seven Wondrous Treasure Tree to bloom, still requires a very long time."

"With the two factions traveling so frequently between the Five Elements Mountain Range, it is bound to attract the attention of other powers."

"At that time, a struggle for possession will likely be unavoidable."

"Your Su family must also prepare early; I still advise Brother Su not to get entangled in this secret realm struggle, and Li Li Huogong should also keep a sharp eye."

"By that time, they will likely certainly send their subordinate family powers into the fray as well."

"Thank you, Brother Qin, for informing me; I will make preparations with my clan in advance to deal with this coming change of events," Su Yuqing said gratefully.

Immediately following this.

Qin Ming exchanged alchemy insights with Su Yuqing for two more days before departing from Dragon Court Lake.

Subsequently, he used a teleportation array to return to the Five Elements Mountain Market.

Half a month later.

The time was now about right, so Qin Ming brought along his three spiritual pets and set off together for Twilight Mist Mountain to attend the banquet as invited.

(End of Chapter)