Chapter 557: Sacred Ground of the Fox Clan: Obtaining the Spirit Herb [Combined]

After several days of flight, Qin Ming had arrived near Muxia Mountain.

"Master, Muxia Mountain lies just ahead."

Shitian Mouse climbed onto Qin Ming's shoulder and pointed toward a vast, wild mountain range ahead.

"Hmm, I'll send a message to Yue Lingyan." Qin Ming immediately pulled out a transmission talisman and activated it.

Only half a censer's time later, a purple streak flew swiftly toward them, rippling the air.

A beautiful woman in palace attire appeared before Qin Ming, her eyes shimmering like autumn waters, every smile and frown radiating an intoxicating allure.

She also exuded a unique aura of royal bloodline, supreme among all others.

Beside her trailed a small silver fox.

"Hehe! Qin Daoist, you arrived so quickly—please come inside the clan for a visit." Yue Lingyan smiled warmly, extending a heartfelt invitation.

"Lady Yue, it's been a long time." Qin Ming stepped forward with a smile and bowed respectfully.

Hearing his address, Yue Lingyan smiled faintly and said:

"I've told you before—Qin Daoist, you needn't be so formal with me. Between us, there's no need for outside etiquette; just call me Daoist as before."

"Then alright, Lingyan Daoist." Qin Ming reluctantly changed his address.

In the cultivation world, hierarchy was rigid; her status was no longer what it once was, and he dared not overstep.

Yet since Yue Lingyan insisted, Qin Ming followed her wishes.

"Young lady greets Senior Qin!" The small silver fox stepped forward and bowed, her voice clear and bright.

"Hehe! Little Yue, no need for such formalities." Qin Ming smiled slightly and gently lifted her up.

"Hehe! Little Silver Fox, we meet again!" Shitian Mouse jumped down and ran over to greet the silver fox.

Qin Ming was speechless—every time this thing saw Little Silver Fox, it seemed half its soul had been stolen.

"Lingyan Daoist, congratulations on ascending to the rank of Beast Saint. This is a small token of my congratulations—please accept it." Qin Ming pulled out an exquisite jade box and handed it to her.

Yue Lingyan smiled serenely, accepting the jade box with her slender hands, and said politely, "Qin Daoist, your presence is gift enough—why bring a present?"

She opened the box and saw a burst of multicolored radiant light.

Even she, a fourth-rank transformed Beast Saint with vast experience, was momentarily stunned.

"This… this…"

"A fourth-rank mid-stage beast core—specifically, the primal beast core of the ancient rare species, the Thousand Illusion Dark Butterfly Saint."

"Qin Daoist, such a precious gift—where on earth did you obtain it?"

At the sight of the Thousand Illusion Pearl, Yue Lingyan's spirit trembled.

She could clearly sense the aura emanating from the treasure—it was unmistakably fourth-rank mid-grade, and of extraordinary origin.

In the cultivation world, such a treasure was exceedingly rare and precious.

How could such a relic possibly be in the hands of Qin Ming, a mere Golden Core cultivator? She was utterly astonished.

"Hehe! Lingyan Daoist, please accept it without worry. This item was obtained from a close friend." Qin Ming smiled.

Instantly, Su Yuqing's agonized expression flashed through his mind—Yue Lingyan then tucked the treasure away, her tone deeply grateful: "Then thank you, Qin Daoist. Should you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask me."

"To be honest, this fourth-rank mid-grade Thousand Illusion Pearl perfectly matches the cultivation method I practice—it can even be used to forge a primal spiritual treasure."

Above magic treasures lie spiritual treasures.

Only Nascent Soul True Persons or fourth-rank Beast Saints can wield, control, and refine them—their power far surpasses that of ordinary magic treasures.

"The Thousand Illusion Dark Butterfly was an ancient rare species—I knew it was once famed throughout the beast realm. I never imagined a cultivator could slay it."

Qin Ming then recounted the origin of the Thousand Illusion Pearl to Yue Lingyan.

"Oh, so that's how it was—no wonder, if it was the founding ancestor of Li Huo Palace who acted."

Yue Lingyan's expression turned understanding.

"By the way, Lingyan Daoist—I'm a human. Isn't it improper for me to enter your Muxia Mountain?" Qin Ming asked.

Yue Lingyan smiled mysteriously and explained: "This is a trivial matter."

"Didn't I have Yue'er give you a jade leaf earlier?"

Qin Ming pulled out the emerald-green jade leaf. "Is this it?"

Yue Lingyan nodded and smiled as she explained: "This jade leaf contains the full beast aura of a third-rank late-stage Beast King—it can completely conceal a human's aura, even fooling a fourth-rank Beast Saint."

"With your skills, Qin Daoist, and this jade leaf, disguising yourself as a beast should be effortless, wouldn't you say?"

Immediately, Yue Lingyan taught Qin Ming the precise incantation to activate the beast aura within the jade leaf.

The incantation was simple for Qin Ming—he mastered it within moments.

Qin Ming first activated the True Demon Illusion, transforming into the form of a third-rank late-stage crocodile Beast King.

His upper body remained an ordinary youth, but behind him now sprouted black scales and a crocodile tail.

Combined with Yue Lingyan's jade leaf, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary third-rank late-stage semi-transformed Beast King—his disguise was flawless.

Even Yue Lingyan herself, after observing him for a long while, detected no trace of deception.

Let alone ordinary beast clansmen.

"Qin Daoist's disguise technique is truly astonishing—even I couldn't detect a single flaw, as if you truly were a beast! Hehe!"

"Thanks to your beast aura jade leaf, I could never have achieved such realism," Qin Ming replied with a smile.

Then both transformed into green streaks and flew toward Muxia Mountain.

At the same time, Yue Lingyan noticed something surprising.

This Golden Core late-stage human cultivator's flight speed matched hers perfectly—and he showed no sign of fatigue.

This made Qin Ming seem even more mysterious to her.

Having observed him through several encounters, her intuition told her plainly: Qin Ming was no ordinary Golden Core cultivator.

Gradually, a vast mountain range bathed in purple auroras appeared before their eyes.

The sacred ground of the Silver Moon Fox Clan, Muxia Mountain, occupied a fourth-rank mid-grade spirit vein—its peaks towered into the clouds, immense and majestic.

The core region of the fox clan was shrouded in multicolored auroras, shifting unpredictably—sometimes radiant, sometimes eerie like ghostly flames.

Within Muxia Mountain resided not only fox beasts, but many other beast species—all ruled by the Silver Moon Fox Clan.

Upon seeing Yue Lingyan and the small silver fox, all beasts bowed in submission.

Around Muxia Mountain's outer perimeter hovered a dazzling multicolored barrier, within which countless beast runes drifted.

Merely approaching from afar, Qin Ming felt a terrifying power emanating from the barrier that made his spirit tremble.

"A fourth-rank upper-grade protective array!" Qin Ming knew well that once beasts reached the transformed stage, they could refine elixirs, forge artifacts, inscribe talismans, and construct arrays—nearly equal to humans.

Yet he never expected the sacred ground of the Silver Moon Fox Clan, Muxia Mountain, to be guarded by a fourth-rank upper-grade array.

He had clearly underestimated Yue Lingyan's capabilities.

Yue Lingyan, however, took it in stride, leading Qin Ming straight to the rear mountains of Muxia Mountain.

Along the way, Qin Ming clearly sensed an atmosphere of celebration permeating the entire fox clan.

Clearly, Yue Lingyan's ascension to Beast Saint had elevated the Silver Moon Fox Clan to one of the Four Great Beast Clans—every fox and subordinate beast within the clan felt immense pride.

Before reaching Yue Lingyan's cave dwelling,

Qin Ming turned to her and said: "Lingyan Daoist, I have a humble request—I'd like to ask for something from you."

"Oh? What do you need? If I have it, I'll gladly give it to you," Yue Lingyan said with a smile.

"Hehe! I need a herb called the Transformation Beast Herb for my elixir refining—it grows only near the dens of fourth-rank transformed Beast Saints, as a companion spirit herb."

"So I'd like to ask for a few sprigs," Qin Ming explained.

Yue Lingyan said: "I see. That's a simple matter—but I don't know what this Transformation Beast Herb looks like. Why don't you go see for yourself?"

Immediately,

Yue Lingyan flew with Qin Ming to the rear mountains of Muxia Mountain. As soon as they entered, Qin Ming felt an overwhelming torrent of spiritual energy rushing toward him.

The abundance of spiritual energy was the greatest he had ever encountered.

"So this is what a fourth-rank spirit vein environment is like?"

Qin Ming took a deep breath, deeply awed by the sheer density of spiritual energy surrounding him.

To cultivate here continuously would surely lead to rapid advancement.

Of course, such top-tier paradises were exceedingly rare in the entire Beast Roar Mountain Range—only a handful were held by fourth-rank Beast Saints.

Ordinary beasts could hardly even dream of entering such a sacred cultivation ground.

"Wow! This concentration of spiritual energy—it feels like it could be pulled into threads! This is insane!" Shitian Mouse, trotting beside the silver fox, burst into exclamations, utterly enchanted.

The silver fox, seeing his comical expression, covered her mouth and laughed: "Then why don't you join our Silver Moon Fox Clan, Brother Mouse? Mother would surely give you a fine position."

Shitian Mouse immediately scratched his head awkwardly: "I'm afraid I must decline your kind offer—I promised my Master I'd fight for him my whole life. I can't join the fox clan, hehe!"

Then he suddenly thought of something and blurted out: "Cough! Actually, my Master isn't bad either—Little Silver Fox, why not come with us? I'll make sure you're well-fed and well-treated—we could even grow closer…"

The silver fox's face flushed crimson. She pushed Shitian Mouse with her tiny paw and lightly spat: "Who wants to grow closer with you?"

Then she turned and ran off alone.

Qin Ming couldn't help but chuckle, silently transmitting to Shitian Mouse: "You've got some nerve—already hitting on her this fast?"

Shitian Mouse grinned sheepishly, his face reddening: "Master… this… this is still far from done."

"Keep at it! Win over Little Silver Fox, and I'll grant you a major merit," Qin Ming transmitted at once.

Shitian Mouse instantly perked up—he'd expected Qin Ming to scold him.

But instead of reprimanding him, Qin Ming encouraged him—Shitian Mouse felt as if he'd reached the peak of his mouse life.

He immediately dashed off after the silver fox's vanished form.

Beside them, Yue Lingyan smiled gently, saying nothing, letting them go.

She knew they were merely playing and teasing each other.

Not long after.

Yue Lingyan led Qin Ming to her cave dwelling.

This place sat atop a peak rich in spiritual energy, where mist curled around the mountain summit, jagged rocks jutted everywhere, and rare flowers and herbs, unseen in the outside world, grew all around.

Qin Ming carefully explored the vicinity of the cave but found no trace of the legendary fourth-rank transformation demon herb.

'That shouldn't be. Logically, wherever a fourth-rank transformation beast resides, it should exist.'

After searching in vain, Qin Ming followed Yue Lingyan into her cave dwelling.

The interior space was extremely spacious, furnished with elegant, ancient simplicity, exuding a unique charm.

An opening pierced the ceiling, allowing sunlight and moonlight to spill down, while various flowers adorned the cave's interior.

A small medicinal garden had even been planted.

In addition, a fourth-rank or higher spiritual spring continuously gushed forth, flowing outward toward the valley.

The moment Qin Ming entered, a faint, sweet fragrance—like osmanthus and orchid—filled his senses.

It must be Yue Lingyan's natural body scent.

The instant he stepped inside, Qin Ming's gaze locked onto dozens of emerald-green spiritual plants near Yue Lingyan's stone bed, unable to look away.

These plants resembled newly sprouted dewgrass, their leaves still clinging to two glistening, translucent seven-colored droplets.

At first glance, they were indistinguishable from ordinary dewgrass by the roadside.

Yet these were precisely the fourth-rank 'transformation demon herbs' Qin Ming had sought! "Lingyan, these are the plants!" Qin Ming said, eyes alight with excitement.

Yue Lingyan released her spiritual sense to observe the dewgrass for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise: "So these dewgrass are of great use to you, Qin Daoist? Then take them all."

"Haha! I'll take only a dozen or so—the rest can remain; perhaps they'll grow even better in time." Qin Ming waved his hand, transplanting the dozen or so transformation demon herbs into his Small Spiritual Realm.

Then he activated the 【Strong Adaptation】 term, applying it to these fourth-rank transformation demon herbs.

Instantly,

the spiritual grass began to flourish vigorously within the Small Spiritual Realm.

Once Qin Ming gathers the remaining ingredients to brew the Nascent Soul Elixir, these transformation demon herbs will serve their purpose.

Moreover, with the term in hand, he can cultivate many more of these transformation herbs—both in number and age.

"Thank you, Lingyan Daoist. Qin Mou is deeply grateful."

Concerned with his own Nascent Soul cultivation, Qin Ming spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"A trivial matter, unworthy of mention. I am honored to assist Qin Daoist."

"Had it not been for your intervention back then, and your protection as I broke through to the fourth rank, I would surely have perished in the Cold Pool Cave."

Yue Lingyan clearly remembered Qin Ming's past kindness; even now, as a fourth-rank demon saint, she had not forgotten, and constantly pondered how to repay him.

Three days later.

The Demon Saint Ceremony was held grandly at Muxia Mountain; countless beast clans from the Beast Roar Range came to pay homage, the scene overwhelmingly magnificent, leaving Qin Ming truly awestruck.

(End of Chapter)