Chapter 456: Primordial Poison Flame

Within the Small Xiao Lingjing.

When the Qingyang Yan Laomo saw Qin Ming's spiritual body reach great completion, he immediately let out an incredulous exclamation: "You have actually cultivated the Green Emperor Wood Sovereign Body to the realm of great completion!!"

"A monster! A true monster!"

"How many years has it been? To think someone from the Qingyuan Sect's lineage has actually refined it to success; if word got out, those old fellows might not even believe it."

"Heh heh heh! From now on, you will be able to initially master our sect's supreme treasure, the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror."

"Within the Immortal Realm, speaking solely of offensive supreme treasures, I fear none can surpass this mirror."

Hearing this, Qin Ming's face lit up with joy; he immediately reached out and summoned, whereupon the archaically styled Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror flew out from within his innate spiritual plant, the Ageless Immortal Vine.

This mirror had been planted inside the black vine for so many years by the 【Spirit Plant Seeds Treasure】 trait, enveloped throughout by a thick force of time, comparable to being nurtured within a cultivator's body for several thousand years, causing its power to surge accordingly.

Qin Ming gently stroked the precious mirror, then immediately inhaled it into his body and began circulating the "Green Emperor Art."

On the spiritual platform of his Purple Mansion, his Nascent Soul held the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror, exhaling and inhaling infant fire to refine it.

Time passed bit by bit.

As the magic power of the Green Emperor Art was injected ceaselessly, the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror suddenly erupted with brilliant treasure light! Streaks of golden runes flowed and shifted unpredictably, like swimming fish maneuvering within the mirror.

An aura of an ancient treasure weathered by ages radiated from it, knotting together without dispersing.

This supreme treasure seemed to have awakened once more after enduring an eternity of silence.

Buzz~ In an instant.

Among the Eight Trigrams spiritual patterns on the back of the mirror, the Southern Bright Li Fire trigram suddenly ignited, bursting forth with crimson rays of light.

Qin Ming's cyan-colored magic power within his Nascent Soul poured into it like a long river, continuously surging in with the magic power of the Green Emperor Art.

Upon the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror, a cyan rune flared up and merged into it, instantly reaching the level of a fourth-grade spiritual treasure.

At the same time.

Qin Ming's Nascent Soul divine sense plunged into the precious mirror, discovering that the Soul-Burning Tribulation Fire from when he underwent his Nascent Soul heavenly tribulation lay quietly within, emitting an enchanting fluctuation of black light. This was the second great divine ability of this Jin Guang spiritual treasure, and it could be used without consuming his lifespan.

However, according to what the Qingyang Yan Laomo had said, deploying this kind of tribulation fire specifically targeting cultivators' Nascent Souls required a terrifying amount of magic power.

The reason the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror was ranked first among offensive magical treasures still relied on the Jin Guang Divine Flame's lifespan-consuming divine ability that ignored all defenses.

Qin Ming pondered briefly, "Would it not be better to fuse this Soul-Burning Tribulation Fire with my innate infant fire and the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame?"

"Its power would likely be even more superior."

Thus, he acted immediately.

Qin Ming formed hand seals, causing the Nascent Soul above his Purple Mansion's spiritual platform to exit his body; he opened his mouth and spat, immediately releasing the Spirit-Devouring Poison Flame and his innate infant fire, which transformed into one cyan and one orange ball of spiritual flame, floating before him.

He then pointed a finger, and the Soul-Burning Tribulation Fire sealed within the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror suddenly flew out.

Boom! In an instant, a destructive aura of the Great Dao descended upon the Small Xiao Lingjing, and the temperature soared abruptly.

A palm-sized dark black flame trembled as it floated out, with the faint shape of a lotus hidden at its center.

This tribulation fire was the fire of the Great Dao's heavenly tribulation.

Originally, it could not be refined or utilized; even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could not control this fire.

Any divine sense or magic power attached to it would be defiled and incinerated by the terrifying tribulation fire!

Yet under the suppression of a supreme treasure like the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror, such tribulation fire had actually been obtained and tamed by Qin Ming.

The soul-burning power of the tribulation fire was something ordinary Nascent Souls simply could not withstand; even now, when Qin Ming's Nascent Soul gazed upon this flame, it still revealed a deep sense of dread.

If he had not possessed the precious mirror to protect his body during his tribulation back then, the outcome would truly have been uncertain.

Immediately following this.

The Dharma seal in Qin Ming's hand transformed as he began urging the three flames to intertwine, merging and devouring one another.

A terrifying aura of fire circled and extinguished itself in the sky above the Small Xiao Lingjing.

Several days later.

Amidst constant devouring and fusion, a tri-colored poison flame flickering with cyan, black, and orange was conceived and born.

"Fourth-grade upper-tier Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire—Primordial Poison Flame!!"

Qin Ming's eyes brimmed with intense excitement; under the fusion of the three spiritual flames, he had finally cultivated an even more domineering poison flame divine ability.

Once the Primordial Poison Flame emerged, merely touching a speck of it could defile and incinerate even the divine soul and divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Qin Ming flicked his finger, and the tri-colored poison flame in midair immediately transformed into various postures.

At times it became a Fire Phoenix, at others a Griffin, with forms of various spiritual birds and demonic beasts emerging endlessly.

It could even transform into the shape of a blade-handled magical instrument or rain of fire across the sky, possessing endless marvelous uses.

What surprised Qin Ming even more was that the "Green Emperor Art" he cultivated was a wood-attribute technique; using its magic power to urge the Primordial Poison Flame was like adding wings to a tiger, instantly multiplying its potency several times over.

Caught off guard, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator encountering it would either die or lose a layer of skin.

After familiarizing himself with it, Qin Ming recalled the tri-colored flame and stored it within his Nascent Soul's Purple Mansion for nurturing.

"Having cultivated another great divine ability, I deserve a large cup of wine!"

"At present, aside from the unreasonable lifespan-consuming divine ability of the Gouyu Jin Guang Mirror, this Primordial Poison Flame is my most powerful asset."

"Furthermore, using this fire for alchemy or artifact refining in the future will yield twice the result with half the effort."

The Shi Tian Shu watched from the side, its heart pounding with fear: "Master truly loves playing with fire! These flames are each more fierce than the last; so terrifying!"

Seeing the Shi Tian Shu pop its head out again, Qin Ming immediately summoned it over.

"Master!"

As soon as the Shi Tian Shu approached Qin Ming, he grabbed the entire creature in his hand and began inspecting and turning it over.

Two days prior, it had nearly been refined by the Spirit King Cauldron, suffering severe damage to its vital energy; although it had consumed pills to recover, its spirit remained listless and sluggish.

Yet Qin Ming worried whether this fellow might suffer any lingering aftereffects in the future.

Thus, he immediately activated the Four Seasons Divine Light and sent several strands of it into the creature's body.

A profound and dense vitality continuously radiated from the Shi Tian Shu's body.

Half a day later.

The Shi Tian Shu was once again full of life and vigor, having restored itself to a state of brimming essence, qi, and spirit.

"Eh? It's all healed!"

"Many thanks, Master! Hehehe!"

Qin Ming waved his hand, letting it continue its cultivation on its own.

As for him, he took out the Spirit King Cauldron and continued studying it.

Through several attempts, Qin Ming discovered that whether using this cauldron to refine pills or to refine high-grade living beings, a trace of green essence would remain inside the vessel.

Once these essences accumulated sufficiently, they would coalesce into a flesh-like lingzhi known as 'Taiyi Essence'.

This item possessed endless marvelous uses; Qin Ming had already tested it on his life-bound spirit plant previously.

Beyond that, using this cauldron for pill refining felt incredibly handy to Qin Ming, even raising his success rate by another twenty percent.

Nowadays, refining Nascent Soul-stage pills was as easy as picking something up for him, completely under his control.

……

……

Several days later.

A message talisman landed in Qin Ming's hand; upon opening it, he saw it was from Long Mu Zhenjun. "Fellow Daoist Qin, the time has come; let us prepare to depart for Long Yuan Island."

Qin Ming immediately left his cave dwelling to meet with the two members of the Penglai Sect.

Outside the Penglai Immortal Tree, two thousand-zhang cross-country spirit ships were already preparing to set sail, their masts bearing the Penglai Sect's golden leaf emblem.

"Did Fellow Daoist Qin rest well in this old one's residence?" Long Mu Zhenjun asked with a smiling pleasantry.

Qin Ming gave a faint smile and nodded. "The spiritual qi within the Penglai Sect is abundant; naturally, it was excellent."

"As long as Fellow Daoist Qin does not mind, haha!"

Afterwards.

Disciples and elders below began boarding the ships one after another; the Immortal Mansion Grand Assembly was a major event in the East Sea Immortal Realm occurring only once every thousand years.

Sects from those with Qi Refining-stage disciples up to those with Nascent Soul Supreme Elders all intended to go and witness it.

The cross-country spirit ships of the Nascent Soul sects slowly sailed out like primordial behemoths, heading toward Long Yuan Island.

In addition.

Qin Ming had already arranged for Hua Tianxiong to travel together with Xia Yuangong and the other person from Yunze Xiancheng.

Perhaps they could gather some heavenly treasures and earthly materials, and while at it, help his Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion gain some reputation.

Inside a luxurious room on the spirit ship.

Qin Ming chatted freely with the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Penglai Sect.

Ever since he obtained a set of fourth-tier inheritance from the Penglai Immortal Tree, their attitudes toward him had become even warmer than before.

"Once this Immortal Mansion Grand Assembly opens, heroes will gather; some Nascent Soul fellow daoists who usually remain in seclusion, and even cultivators from several other Immortal Realms, will come to witness the grand event."

"However, it is limited to those with cultivation above the Nascent Soul stage; after all, given the vast distance and difficult journey, ordinary cultivators cannot reach Long Yuan Island."

Chen Muzhi said with a smile hanging on his face.

"Oh? Will demonic beasts from other regions also come?" Qin Ming asked.

"Fellow Daoist Qin means the Beast Cry Mountain Range, correct? After all, this old one knows your relationship with those two Demon Sages is quite good."

"However, I fear they cannot make it this time; they should be concentrating their efforts on dealing with the descent of the Blood Universe Realm," Long Mu Zhenjun replied.

Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully.

"Very well, let us not discuss these matters further; this old one shall instead introduce Fellow Daoist Qin to the local customs of the East Sea Immortal Realm, as well as some affairs concerning the sea races."

Long Mu Zhenjun then changed the topic and spoke.

……

Two months later.

The speed of the Penglai Sect's cross-country spirit ship began to slow as it entered the territory of the sea races.

Not long after.

A black dot appeared in the distance within everyone's line of sight.

As the spirit ship drew closer, the black dot continuously grew larger, revealing itself to be an aerial spirit island floating above the sea surface.

Its scale was only slightly smaller than that of Yunze Xiancheng.

However, Long Yuan Island floated in the air above the sea, possessing a magnificent momentum that was truly spectacular.

Above the nearby seas, various spiritual birds, carriages, precious carriages, demonic beasts, magical tools, and fleeing lights shimmered with colorful brilliance, transforming into streaks of light converging toward the island.

Among them were colossal entities like the Penglai Sect, while other Nascent Soul sects had also dispatched cross-country spirit ships, displaying the majesty of powerful regional forces.

In addition, sea races on the surface and in the waters emerged in endless numbers, falling not a bit behind the human races.

Even the dominant power among the sea races, the East Sea Dragon Palace, appeared in everyone's vision, riding a giant turtle reaching a thousand zhang in size that carried jade towers and palaces upon its back.

Those smaller forces, upon seeing such a dominant power within the Immortal Realm, all hurriedly gave way one after another.

Just at this moment.

A huge ice crystal palace appeared magnificently in the sky above the sea region; under the refraction of sunlight, it was dazzling and brilliant, moving with astonishing speed.

It quickly drew level with the Penglai Sect's spirit ship, yielding not an inch.

Seeing this, Long Mu Zhenjun narrowed his cloudy eyes slightly and said with a hint of surprise: "I did not expect that even the Xuanming Sect from the North Cold Immortal Realm has come."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming also pondered silently, for the distance between the North Cold Immortal Realm and the East Sea Immortal Realm was extremely vast.

Except for Nascent Soul sects, none could possibly arrive.

"I wondered who it might be; so it is Fellow Daoist Long Mu leading the team this time."

A deep voice slowly drifted into everyone's ears.

The windows and doors on the upper level of the crystal palace opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged man in a blue robe who radiated the cultivation of an early-stage Nascent Soul, his tone carrying a distinct chill.

"Oh~ so it is Daoist Guang Lingzi of the Xuanming Sect! It seems your Ice Divine Abilities have improved considerably; no wonder the temperature around us has dropped so much." Upon seeing this person, Long Mu Zhenjun, offering little face, immediately replied with biting sarcasm.

"Likewise!" Guang Lingzi snorted lightly, having no interest in further exchange with people from the Penglai Sect.

After closing the windows, the massive crystal palace moved ahead first, flying toward the floating island.

After the other party departed.

Qin Ming asked with some confusion, "Could it be that Daoist Long Mu has some grievance with this person?"

"Daoist Qin may not know, but these old fellows from the Northern Cold Immortal Realm, relying on the backing of the Ice God Temple, a Soul Transformation sect, are each arrogant and overbearing, always acting as if they are superior to others."

"If I hadn't encountered them face-to-face here, I wouldn't even bother dealing with this bunch."

"I see." Qin Ming suddenly understood.

However, he also realized that customs and practices in the Immortal Realm vary from place to place.

For cultivators from bitter, cold lands, possessing a posture of unyielding pride is quite normal.

Furthermore, judging by the attitudes of both parties just now, he estimated that the cultivation level of the Soul Transformation Venerable from the Ice God Temple was most likely slightly higher than that of the one from the Star Palace in the East Sea Immortal Realm.

Otherwise, cultivators from the Northern Cold Immortal Realm would not dare to come onto another's territory and put on such an arrogant display unless they had some confidence to back it up.

While he was pondering this.

The two giant ships of the Penglai Sect, along with tens of thousands of streaks of light, gradually approached Dragon Abyss Island.

The full appearance of Dragon Abyss Island was now completely revealed to everyone, with various magnificent palaces and towers standing in great numbers, mostly decorated in a style centered around the underwater world.

Countless coral-like underwater plants shimmered with multicolored lights, adorned with hanging precious bright pearls that emitted a glowing, treasured radiance.

At the center of the island stood a massive circular building, with a huge plaza in its middle.

This place would surely serve as the main venue.

The entire Dragon Abyss Island was shrouded beneath a layer of purple light curtain, within which high-grade runes drifted unpredictably, subtly revealing a world-destroying fluctuation; clearly, this was a top-grade fourth-tier defensive great formation.

Even if a late-stage Nascent Soul great expert came, they could only stare helplessly.

Besides this, with the convening of the grand assembly, the defensive forces of Dragon Abyss Island had increased significantly.

Outside, it was entirely sea races from the Tianhai Alliance and the East Sea Dragon Palace patrolling; one could say the defenses were extremely strict.

Since Qin Ming had provided intelligence to the Tianhai Alliance last time, a high-grade detection formation had been set up in the outermost area; every cultivator entering Dragon Abyss Island had to pass through this formation.

If any anomaly was detected, they would be instantly struck down by Lei Ting on the spot.

(End of Chapter)