Chapter 487: Zhu Que Flag (5k)

Whoosh!

A thousand li away from the Five Elements Mountains, Hua Tianxiong's golden imperial palanquin transformed into a streak of golden light, slicing through the sky.

Behind it followed the guards of the Qianji Trading House and the golden core cultivator patrons.

Half an hour later.

He had nearly reached the location he had agreed upon with Qin Ming.

But just then,

The sky, previously clear with white clouds, suddenly churned with dark mist and rapidly darkened.

A thick, suffocating aura of malevolent energy spread across the heavens; black clouds rolled like a vast net woven with the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, descending upon the Qianji Trading House's party.

Seeing this, the golden core patron of the Qianji Pavilion immediately turned pale and shouted to his subordinates: "Situation has changed! Protect the CEO!"

Then he flew straight toward Hua Tianxiong's golden palanquin.

But the next instant, the scenery before him abruptly shifted.

He found himself plunged into a boundless sea of pitch-black mist, from which tens of thousands of spectral entities crawled out, snarling and clawing toward him.

"Damn it! It's a demonic forbidden array!"

The golden core patron's face turned ghastly.

……

Outside, Hua Tianxiong also sensed the anomaly—it was clearly the work of demonic cultivators.

He released his spiritual sense and detected two powerful mid-stage golden core demonic cultivators trailing behind him, closing in at astonishing speed.

More horrifying still, Xu the patron, responsible for his security, seemed to have been trapped by some trick.

Hua Tianxiong instantly realized: his whereabouts must have been exposed.

Ever since leaving the Five Elements Mountain marketplace, he had been followed or marked.

"Hua Tianxiong! Where will you run today?"

"I'll make you suffer the agony of bone-melting, marrow-draining—see if you still have the same stubbornness you showed at the auction!"

Two black streaks of light shot from afar and arrived in an instant, followed by a dozen demonic disciples who clashed with the Qianji Trading House's guards.

The black light dissipated, revealing the figures of Tian Wuchong and Yan Laomo of the Yinmo Sect, their eyes filled with cruel amusement as they chased after Hua Tianxiong.

Hua Tianxiong turned pale and immediately commanded his golden palanquin to flee.

He knew his limits well—he was no match whatsoever for these two infamous demonic cultivators.

"Hua Tianxiong, come toward the northwestern mountains ahead."

At that moment,

Qin Ming's voice suddenly echoed in Hua Tianxiong's mind.

He immediately perked up and hurried toward the designated area as instructed.

When Qin Ming went to meet Hua Tianxiong, he had already noticed demonic cultivators lying in ambush.

He hadn't expected the Yinmo Sect to be so relentless.

Hua Tianxiong carried something vital to Qin Ming, and the black talisman used to turn him into a puppet had been painstakingly crafted.

He couldn't possibly let him fall into demonic hands.

Qin Ming's gaze was sharp as he observed from concealment for a long while.

"Only two demonic golden core cultivators—no other reinforcements."

"Then this will be easy."

Moments later,

Hua Tianxiong, drenched in sweat, piloted his golden palanquin to the nearby mountains, a region bordering the Beast Roar Mountains.

Beyond this point lay the territory of the beast tribes.

Fortunately, he had this top-grade third-rank flying vehicle—if not, he'd be done for.

Suddenly,

Hua Tianxiong felt a blur before his eyes—Qin Ming's figure materialized inside his golden palanquin.

Without a sound, he hadn't even sensed Qin Ming's arrival, and his anxiety eased considerably.

"Thank goodness, the master hasn't abandoned me."

Hua Tianxiong knew well Qin Ming's terrifying power—he commanded three spirit beasts of beast-king rank.

"Though those two demonic cultivators look fearsome, surely the master can handle them?"

As Hua Tianxiong's thoughts raced, Qin Ming suddenly flung him into the Little Spirit Realm.

"Stay inside."

"I'll handle things outside."

Immediately, Qin Ming activated the True Demon Illusion, his body rippling with distorted energy as he transformed into the exact likeness of "Hua Tianxiong."

……

Moments later,

Yan Laomo and Tian Wuchong caught up from afar.

Seeing Hua Tianxiong's golden palanquin stationary, they also halted.

The next instant,

A stout figure resembling Hua Tianxiong slowly stepped out of the palanquin.

"Why are you two chasing me so relentlessly?"

The fake Hua Tianxiong asked with a calm smile.

Tian Wuchong of the Yinmo Sect glared coldly and said, "Hua Tianxiong, when you defied me at the auction, didn't you foresee this outcome?"

"Since you refuse the cup of wine and choose the cup of punishment, I'll take the Seven Apertures Ascension Flower from your corpse."

"Oh? Are you so certain you can kill me?" Hua Tianxiong asked lightly.

Seeing Hua Tianxiong's unusual composure, Tian Wuchong frowned.

He extended his spiritual sense, scanning every inch of the hundred-li radius—no ambushes, no allies, only Hua Tianxiong alone.

Tian Wuchong's eyes turned icy; his mid-stage golden core power erupted. In his hand appeared a black-flame longsword, which, infused with energy, grew into a massive black torrent slashing toward Hua Tianxiong.

Zing! The fake Hua Tianxiong didn't dodge—he merely smirked faintly.

The black torrent pierced the air, radiating chilling dread, and instantly passed through Hua Tianxiong's body.

"Hmph! Pathetically weak!" sneered Yan Laomo, watching coldly.

But Tian Wuchong's expression hardened—though mid-stage golden core should crush an early-stage, this was far too abnormal.

"Wrong!"

The figure pierced by the demonic sword dissolved like ripples in water and vanished without a trace.

Before either could react,

"Then let you both taste my sword."

A voice suddenly echoed through the air.

Jinjiezhe ， Qinminghuazuodehuatianxionglingkongfuxian ， Shouzhongyijingduochuleyibingbaisegujian ， Shangmianranshaozhebaisedelengyan ， Zhengshibaiguzhenrendejiuyoubaigujian 。

A terrifying aura surged outward.

During this time, Qin Ming had completely purged and assimilated the lingering imprint left by the White Bone Elder within the sword.

As soon as the sword appeared, Tian Wuchong and Yan Laomo of the Yinmo Sect gasped: "Top-grade magic treasure!"

Qinmingshouchijiuyoubaigujian ， Chaozheduimianermoyizhan 。

A flash of white light.

The air was instantly sliced into multiple threads, each laced with cold white flames.

"Aaah!"

Tian Wuchong screamed as his arm flew high into the air.

A single slash had cleaved through both his magical shield and defensive artifacts.

Meanwhile,

Yan Laomo sensed the danger and hastily pulled out a crimson triangular flag, which somehow blocked Qin Ming's strike.

"Damn it! This isn't an early-stage golden core!"

"Wasn't Hua Tianxiong of the Qianji Trading House supposed to be a worthless fool?"

"Tian Wuchong, don't you die on me—I'm already losing big on this job! I need a raise!"

Immediately,

A powerful aura appeared before them.

Qin Ming glanced at the crimson triangular flag in Yan Laomo's hand and murmured, "Huh? What kind of magic treasure is this?"

"It actually blocked my sword."

Yan Laomo, both shocked and furious, chanted a spell and roared: "So the CEO of Qianji has been hiding his strength—holding a top-grade magic treasure!"

"Then let's see whether my Vermilion Flag outmatches your bone sword!"

"Tian Wuchong—if you're still alive, join me!"

The next instant,

Yan Laomo swung the Vermilion Flag, instantly unleashing a cataclysmic aura.

"Li!" Infernal fire descended, forming an endless sea of flame surging toward Qin Ming.

Yucitongshi ， Beijiuyoubaigujianzhanduanleyibidetianwugonglianseyinzhi ， Zaiducuidongmobaochaozheqinminggongqu 。

"This Vermilion Flag is also a top-grade magic treasure!"

Qin Ming also sensed something amiss; his expression turned grave as he activated the Glass Armor to shield his entire body.

Boundless flames instantly engulfed and consumed him entirely.

Yan Laomo had immense confidence in his this life-bound magic treasure.

As a top-grade magic treasure, the Vermilion Flag was something he obtained after nine Shengsi in a secret realm, then refined and nurtured for years with elixir fire—its power was truly formidable.

Just as Yan Laomo believed he had landed a decisive blow.

A deeply ominous sense of dread suddenly surged into his heart.

In the depths of fate, he felt a great disaster approaching! Puff!

Before he could react, several black spikes mysteriously emerged from the void, piercing clean through his chest and back.

"Eh—"

As an ancient devil who had roamed the demonic path for decades, Yan Laomo naturally had no shortage of survival techniques.

He muttered incantations, activated a secret art, and transformed into a cloud of black mist, instantly escaping the black spikes' attack—leaving behind only a clump of blackened blood on the spikes.

Forced to use a secret art, Yan Laomo clearly paid a heavy price; his face turned as white as paper, and he staggered wildly as he fled into the distance.

At that moment.

Ripples stirred in the air, and the Shi Tian Rat's figure materialized out of nowhere, blocking Yan Laomo's escape.

Before he could even make out its form.

The Shi Tian Rat spat out a wave of black mystic light, engulfing the entire space, as the overwhelming aura of a mid-stage third-rank beast king erupted violently!

As the Forbidden Mystic Light swept over him, Yan Laomo was horrified to find his entire magic power sealed.

Trapped in this space, he felt as if sinking into mud—his body sluggish, utterly immobile.

The Shi Tian Rat's figure vanished into the void, then reappeared holding a black steel fork that radiated terrifying power as it swept through the air!

Shhh! Yan Laomo's head flew high into the air.

Puff! Blood gushed from the headless corpse like rain.

The Shi Tian Rat shrank its body, its gaze sharp as it picked up the Vermilion Flag from Yan Laomo's corpse, waved it around, and cried excitedly: "What a wonderful treasure! It's mine now! Hehehe!"

On the other side.

Tian Wuchong, frantically fleeing, saw Yan Laomo perish within moments—he realized he had kicked a iron plate, and his heart filled with bitter regret.

His face twisted into a mad expression as he tried one final struggle.

He summoned several powerful magic treasures from his storage bag and detonated them.

But the next instant, a white streak flashed past.

The Nine You White Bone Sword slashed through the exploding demonic artifacts like a scythe through straw, cleaving Tian Wuchong cleanly in two.

His corpse tumbled lifelessly from the sky.

Qin Ming raised his hand and cast Thorn Spell, turning both corpses into blood pearls, then summoned their storage bags to him.

He then fired fireballs to erase all traces—his entire sequence was seamless, flawless.

Nothing else—just mastery.

After finishing, Qin Ming entered the Small Spirit Realm.

He saw Hua Tianxiong pacing nervously inside.

At that moment.

Hua Tianxiong, seeing another "himself" walk in, nearly dropped his jaw.

"You—"

Qin Ming immediately activated the True Demon Illusion, shifting his form back into the appearance of Lu Shopkeeper.

"Ah? Master!"

Hua Tianxiong bowed tremblingly, then respectfully presented the Seven-Hole Tribulation Flower and the Divine Wood Elixir Formula to Qin Ming.

"Here are the items you requested."

Qin Ming accepted both items with a calm expression and nodded in satisfaction. "You've done well. You may leave."

"What about the demonic cultivators outside?" Hua Tianxiong hesitated.

After all, less than half a stick of incense had passed—he had seen with his own eyes that both demonic cultivators were at least mid-stage Golden Core. "They've been dealt with," Qin Ming said.

Hua Tianxiong was stunned. Even though he knew his master was powerful, he still found it hard to believe.

At that moment.

The Shi Tian Rat's figure also appeared, holding the Vermilion Flag and waving it happily.

Hua Tianxiong's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Isn't that… Yan Laomo's famed magic treasure—the Vermilion Flag?"

Now, Hua Tianxiong fully believed.

He knew his treasures—Yan Laomo had built his legendary reputation in Great Jin precisely because of this top-grade magic treasure.

Who would have thought it would fall here today?

"Vermilion Flag?"

"What? You know this treasure? Tell me everything about it," the Shi Tian Rat said, suddenly interested, speaking with an air of ancient authority.

Hua Tianxiong's fat body trembled as he forced a smile.

"Hehe, I only know a little."

"It's said the Vermilion Flag is one of the Five Element Flags. Over a hundred years ago, Yan Laomo luckily obtained this treasure from a secret realm."

"Legend says the Five Element Flags form a complete set of top-grade magic treasures—if all flags are gathered, their power is unimaginable: they can destroy heaven and earth, move mountains and fill seas without effort."

Upon hearing this, the Shi Tian Rat's eyes gleamed, and it clutched the Vermilion Flag even tighter.

It turned to Qin Ming with hopeful eyes and asked: "Master, could I use the Vermilion Flag?"

Qin Ming considered for a moment, seeing how much the Shi Tian Rat adored the item, and nodded. "Fine, you may use it."

"Thank you, Master! Hehehe!"

Overjoyed, the Shi Tian Rat immediately swallowed the Vermilion Flag and dashed off to cultivate it.

"Um… Master, I'll take my leave then," Hua Tianxiong said. "I'm at your command whenever you need me."

"Mm. I'll contact you when I need you."

…

Outside, the space twisted violently, rippling with waves.

Hua Tianxiong's figure reappeared in the outside world; he wiped the sweat from his brow and released his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings.

Indeed, the enemies were gone—suddenly,

a golden aura shot toward him, its light fading to reveal the Golden Core attendant from the Qianji Trading House.

Seeing Hua Tianxiong unharmed, he let out a long breath and hurried forward to ask: "Chairman Hua, are you alright?"

"Cough! I'm fine."

"Just a few demonic cultivators—I merely played a small trick and drove them off."

"Let's go, Attendant Xu. We'll return to the Trading House."

From within the Golden Palanquin came Hua Tianxiong's calm, effortless voice.

Attendant Xu frowned suspiciously, but scanned every corner around him—yet found not the slightest trace of disturbance.

Just moments ago, he had been trapped in a demonic array, exhausting every technique he knew without escape.

Yet somehow, the array had lost control and vanished all at once. Worried for Hua Tianxiong's safety, he rushed over immediately.

Along the way, he also exterminated several demonic disciples.

But when he arrived in haste, he found Hua Tianxiong waiting there as if nothing had happened.

Attendant Xu was a Senior Elder of the Li Fire Palace, assigned to Hua Tianxiong to monitor his every move.

Hua Tianxiong must not suffer the slightest mishap.

Otherwise, Senior Elder Gan would be impossible to appease.

…

Inside the Small Spirit Realm.

Qin Ming took out the Seven-Hole Tribulation Flower, his face lighting up with joy. "Nascent Soul cultivation material! The Seven-Hole Tribulation Flower—I never expected to get it so soon."

"But I still need to cultivate and grow it until it's over a thousand years old."

"As for the Ice Heart Jade Soul Elixir formula, surely Su Yuqing must have it?"

"Now that I've come to Great Jin, I should pay Su Brother a visit—he hasn't been seen in decades…"

Qin Ming still missed Su Yuqing, the man who had been both mentor and friend to him.

He put away the jade box containing the Seven-Hole Tribulation Flower, then took out the ancient elixir formula and released his spiritual sense to examine it.

"The Divine Wood Elixir, as a third-rank superior elixir, greatly enhances the cultivation base and magic power of mid- to late-stage Golden Core cultivators…"

"Main ingredients: third-rank Earth Soul Glass Flower, Phoenix Blood Fruit, Demon-Earth Root…"

Qin Ming skimmed through it—there were at least five or six main ingredients, some of which were ancient herbs long extinct in the cultivation world.

"Though these materials are hard to find, if I can locate their seeds, I can regrow them myself—so the Divine Wood Elixir isn't impossible to brew…"

"Perhaps there are substitutes—I'll ask Su Brother when I see him."

Qin Ming also examined the storage bags of Tian Wuchong and Yan Laomo from the Yin Demon Sect.

To his disbelief, the Black Flame Demon Feather Fan had been purchased by Tian Wuchong.

Now, after this whole round, it was back in his hands.

The two of them had hundreds of thousands of spirit stones in their storage bags; Qin Ming made another small fortune.

As for those demonic magic treasures and demonic techniques, Qin Ming had no interest in them.

The only item worth noticing, the Vermilion Bird Flag, had been taken by the Devouring Heaven Rat.

Thinking of this, Qin Ming walked toward where the Devouring Heaven Rat was.

In just half a day, it had already fully refined the top-grade magic treasure.

Now it was commanding the Vermilion Bird Flag, unleashing fire techniques onto the open ground.

As the Devouring Heaven Rat waved its flag in hand,

countless heavenly flames rained down, transforming into three orange-red Vermilion Birds soaring through the sky, a magnificent sight.

"Watch your fire! Don't burn down my Little Spirit Realm!"

Qin Ming, watching nearby, called out a warning.

Instantly, the Devouring Heaven Rat raised its hand and drew back all the Vermilion Bird flames into the magic treasure.

It grinned and said, "Master, with this magic treasure, my strength has surged again!"

"That demonic old man only understood a fraction of it—he never unlocked its true power."

"I've completely broken all the seals inside the magic treasure."

"I also obtained a method to forge the other four flags: the Azure Dragon Flag, the White Tiger Flag, the Black Tortoise Flag, and the Central Yellow Flag."

"If I get all five elemental flags, I'll be invincible!"

Qin Ming: "."

Thank you, friend Feng Longyin, for the 100-coin tip.

Thank you all, fellow cultivators, for your voting support! (End of Chapter)