Chapter 447: Opportunity

In the underground palace of the Taihu ruins.

The White Bone True Person, who had been slaughtering wildly, suddenly furrowed his brows; his pale, sinister smile froze, then twisted into an incredulous expression.

In some unseen corner of fate, he felt a soul contract sever its connection to him.

The White Bone True Person growled with murderous intent: "That useless Golden Toad was slain."

"Even if he was worthless, he was a spirit creature I painstakingly transformed."

"I never expected someone in this tiny Southern Wasteland cultivation realm could kill him."

"Could reinforcements have arrived?"

The White Bone True Person's dark gaze sharpened as he fell into deep thought.

Seizing the moment of his distraction, those within the underground palace each unleashed their full abilities to flee.

…

Outside Taihu.

Thanks to Qin Ming's coordination with the three spiritual beasts, all reinforcements from the Six Demon Sects had been completely cut off.

The Burning Fire Sect's Old Ghost Li had been slain, and the three other sects' Golden Core demon cultivators had fled without a fight under the terror of the Devouring Sky Rat.

The rest were merely low-grade demon cultivators—no threat at all.

With even their Golden Core Ancestors fallen, nearby cultivators scattered like birds and beasts; none dared linger.

At this moment, Nalan Xi flew over and arrived before Qin Ming.

She said with deep admiration: "I never imagined Qin Daofriend possessed such astonishing prowess—you slew a Golden Core late-stage spirit creature."

"I am truly in awe."

"Nalan Daofriend flatters me. Qin Mou merely happened to possess a magic treasure that suppresses spirit creatures."

"That's why this demon's power was greatly diminished; otherwise, it might not have gone so easily."

Qin Ming replied with modest restraint.

In truth, this battle against the Golden Toad Ancestor owed its success largely to his Wood Emperor Nail.

He had planted the Wood Emperor Nail using the 【Spirit Plant Treasure】 keyword, embedding it within his life-plant, Yin-Yang Mystic Vine, where it absorbed countless ages of temporal energy and was nurtured to perfection.

Among top-tier magic treasures, its power ranked among the very best.

Moreover, its potency would only grow stronger with time.

Beyond that, the Sun Essence Flame's suppression of spirit creatures proved unexpectedly potent—it could weaken the enemy's cultivation base mid-battle.

All the Sun Gold Essence he'd gathered to refine his life treasure had been worth it.

Then.

Nalan Xi gazed toward Taihu and asked: "Qin Daofriend, what now?"

"The perimeter has been cleared; the demons below pose no threat to Qingxuan Daofriend and the others. And with the two Senior Envoys of Lihuogong intervening, I doubt anything serious will happen."

Qin Ming analyzed after a brief pause.

But no sooner had he finished speaking.

BOOM! The lake surface, which had just calmed, erupted again in titanic waves like mountains collapsing and seas roaring.

Several streaks of light shot from the lake's surface—the two leading figures were the two Senior Envoys of Lihuogong.

At this moment, Zhou Yu and He Kang looked utterly battered, their bodies covered in horrifying wounds.

He Kang's left arm had vanished entirely.

Zhou Yu's abdomen bore several terrifying gashes, continuously gushing blood.

"Damn it!"

"Is this White Bone Devil insane?"

"Why is he relentlessly chasing only us?!"

He Kang was seething—he'd planned to use Qingxuan Ancestor and the others as shields, yet the White Bone True Person had ignored them entirely and fixated solely on the two of them.

As he spoke—

A powerful aura suddenly appeared behind them.

A streak of pale white flame sliced across the sky; Zhou Yu immediately pulled out a diamond-shaped black shield.

CRASH! The black shield spun rapidly, transforming into a massive light barrier that barely blocked the strike.

The black shield magic treasure was blasted away, cleaved cleanly in half.

Zhou Yu had no time to mourn his ruined treasure before the White Bone True Person grinned sinisterly, wielding the Nine You White Bone Sword, charging toward them with murderous intent.

Instantly, skies filled with bone fire, sweeping over them in a tidal wave.

The severely wounded Lihuogong pair were filled with fury and terror.

"Damn it! This is too much!"

"You think you can treat Old Man He like a soft target?!" He Kang roared, instantly summoning a gilded talisman in his hand.

Qin Ming's brow twitched as he watched the talisman; from afar, he sensed its immense spiritual energy and knew it was no ordinary item.

"No! Brother!"

Zhou Yu, seeing the talisman He Kang prepared to use, turned pale and shouted in warning.

But it was too late—He Kang's face hardened with ruthless determination.

Since becoming a Senior Envoys of Lihuogong, he had never been so humiliated—chased like a stray dog.

The instant the talisman activated, He Kang's magic power surged violently, increasing dramatically.

That wasn't all—he pulled a crimson spirit pill from his storage bag. The pill emitted a pungent, foul stench, yet he swallowed it without hesitation.

Qin Ming, watching He Kang swallow the pill, murmured: "Burn-Soul Pill."

"Qin Daofriend, do you know the origin of this pill?" Nalan Xi asked beside him.

"The Burn-Soul Pill, as the name implies, trades life force for temporary cultivation power," Qin Ming said.

The next instant—

He Kang's magic power surged from Golden Core Perfect to match the White Bone True Person's level.

His face visibly aged at once; his hair turned completely white.

"White Bone Devil, this is your doing!"

He Kang's eyes blazed with madness; with his remaining hand, he formed a hand seal, and a golden square treasure seal appeared in his grasp.

The moment it appeared—

A terrifying spiritual force rippled through the air.

"Could this be…"

Nalan Xi's eyes widened in shock.

"A fourth-rank talisman treasure!"

He Kang poured all his remaining magic power into the golden seal.

ROAR! The seal flashed golden light, summoning a white tiger spirit tens of zhang tall, stepping on golden flame, lunging at the White Bone True Person.

For the first time, the White Bone True Person's pale face showed alarm—he hadn't expected these two Lihuogong envoys to possess such a high-rank talisman treasure.

He was locked in place by the golden flame tiger, with no escape; he raised his Nine You White Bone Sword and unleashed his strongest strike.

"White Bone Sword Array!"

Instantly—

The sky around them was engulfed in white bone-flame sword qi, weaving into a vast sword array that slashed toward the golden flame tiger.

Qin Ming, witnessing this, immediately retreated.

"Nalan Daofriend, fall back!"

If caught in the crossfire of such a battle, even with his strength, he'd likely die—or lose a layer of skin.

BOOM! The two cataclysmic spells collided violently.

It was as if a miniature sun rose from Taihu, then exploded—its shockwave sent waves crashing outward in all directions.

Even the center of Taihu was blasted into a brief vacuum, exposing the lakebed.

ROAR ROAR ROAR! As the blinding light faded, the golden flame tiger pressed forward unimpeded, piercing straight through the White Bone True Person's body.

"Ugh!"

The White Bone True Person's rib bones shattered instantly; his aura plummeted.

His crimson eyes revealed unmistakable fear.

Clearly, he had suffered severe injuries from the fourth-rank talisman treasure's attack.

Qin Ming's original plan had been to flee immediately—he'd known from the moment he saw the White Bone True Person that he was no match for him.

Even He Kang, a Golden Core Perfect, had been driven to desperation, unleashing a life-or-death technique.

He himself was only Golden Core Middle; despite his hidden tricks, how could he possibly stand against such a foe?

Moreover, as a spirit cultivator, the White Bone True Person surely had ample lifespan left, and the Jade Light Mirror's suppression barely affected him.

He might not kill the demon—and would die himself.

Thus, fleeing decisively was the wisest course.

But now, things were different—He Kang had sacrificed his life force and longevity to activate the fourth-rank talisman treasure, severely wounding the White Bone True Person.

It gave Qin Ming a sliver of opportunity.

(End of Chapter)