Chapter 569: Delivering the Message, a Third-Rank Late-Stage Demon King

When Qin Ming returned, he deliberately took a longer, more cautious route.

Only after confirming no one was following him did he reenter the Five Elements Mountain spirit fields.

After all, the opponent was a demonic cultivator—he had to remain vigilant.

Upon returning to the spirit fields, his deep gaze flickered incessantly.

After what he had just witnessed, Qin Ming could easily deduce that certain demonic cultivators from Da Li had secretly infiltrated the southern reaches of Da Jin.

Moreover, Qin Ming sensed that the three demonic cultivators' spiritual energy was extraordinarily potent.

Their demonic aura was so dense it differed vastly from that of ordinary demonic cultivators.

They were very likely true disciples of the Blood Refining Demon Gate from the upper realm.

Especially the demon cultivator surnamed Qiu—Qin Ming could feel he had cultivated a powerful demonic body-refining art, his blood qi immensely robust.

'Fortunately, they didn't attack me.'

'Otherwise, the Fengyou Ghost Jujube Tree might have gained three fresh fertilizers.'

'But if they had truly fought me, I'd likely have revealed my true identity and couldn't remain in Da Jin.'

Yet this incident stirred a sense of urgency in him: even Blood Refining Demon Gate cultivators had infiltrated the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

It meant the situation had grown unpredictable once more.

The Demon Gate's Holy Son and Holy Daughter must not be far off.

Someone capable of defeating a Nascent Soul elder—Qin Ming had no desire to provoke such a foe lightly.

'Why did this old Crow of Coldness come here of all places? Why the southern reaches of Da Jin?'

…

In the days that followed,

Qin Ming returned to the spirit fields and quietly farmed and cultivated, rarely venturing out again.

Yet,

Since he had already discovered traces of demonic cultivators and knew they had settled in Da Jin, he couldn't pretend he'd seen nothing.

Though he didn't wish to be drawn into conflict, he didn't need to act himself.

When the sky falls, the taller ones hold it up.

Since the formation of the Dao Defense Alliance, they've been relentlessly searching for demonic traces—perfect. He could simply pass this information to them and let them eliminate the threat within the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

Once Da Jin's major powers discovered demonic infiltration, they'd naturally dispatch high-level cultivators to deal with it.

Mostly because if these Da Li demonic cultivators kept coming to the Five Elements Mountains, disturbing his farming—how intolerable would that be? Thus,

Qin Ming pondered briefly, then contacted Hua Tianxiong via the Black Talisman Network.

'Master, you called for me?'

At that moment, Hua Tianxiong was attending a reception at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Paths Trading Society. After Qin Ming contacted him, he excused himself from the hall and stepped outside.

'Hua Tianxiong, I have information you must deliver to the Dao Defense Alliance—you might even earn a major merit.' Qin Ming spoke coolly.

Hua Tianxiong was taken aback, then smiled broadly: 'What information, Master?'

'I have tracked three demonic cultivators. Their cultivation bases are above Foundation Establishment's late stage, and their strength is unfathomable—highly likely they're true disciples of the Blood Refining Demon Gate.'

Upon hearing this, Hua Tianxiong's smile froze—he hadn't expected such a shocking secret.

Then Qin Ming described the three men's appearances and movements in full detail to Hua Tianxiong.

'Remember, these three are no ordinary foes. Do not engage them yourself—just deliver the message.'

'Understood, Master, rest assured!'

After the exchange ended, Hua Tianxiong's eyes gleamed with excitement as he rushed back into the hall without delay.

After giving his instructions, Qin Ming exhaled deeply.

'I hope the Dao Defense Alliance eliminates these demonic cultivators once and for all, deterring them from returning.'

'At least they'll be quiet for a while.'

…

After the message was delivered,

Within just a few days, a massive battle erupted in the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

It was a coordinated, forceful strike by the Dao Defense Alliance, exterminating demonic cultivators hidden within Da Jin.

The news spread across the entire Da Jin cultivation world in a matter of hours.

All major factions were shaken.

Immediately after the incident, Hua Tianxiong sought out Qin Ming to report the details.

Qin Ming left the spirit fields and pulled Hua Tianxiong into the Small Spirit Realm.

'Hua Tianxiong, what's the situation at the marketplace?'

'Master, the Dao Defense Alliance's raid on the Five Elements Mountain marketplace yielded tremendous results!' Hua Tianxiong beamed, thrilled.

'Upon learning the three demonic cultivators might be from the Blood Refining Demon Gate, the Alliance deployed a large force of elite high-level cultivators to eliminate them.'

'Even Qian Elder of the Flame Palace personally intervened.'

'Yet those three demonic cultivators were truly formidable—even under such a tight net, two of them still escaped.'

'But one Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was slain on the spot by Qian Elder, as a warning to others!'

'Moreover, the Dao Defense Alliance uncovered more—following the trail, they unearthed dozens of demonic cultivators hiding within the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.'

'Among them were even disciples of the Yin Demon Sect—all were wiped out, hehehe!'

'This has completely purged demonic cultivators from the Five Elements Mountain marketplace. The Dao Defense Alliance now garrisons heavy forces there—no demonic sect will dare to intrude again for now.'

'Even the surrounding security has improved significantly, thoroughly intimidating all petty criminals.'

Qin Ming listened, his gaze flickering, then frowned: 'The Dao Defense Alliance isn't very capable, is it? I gave them precise intel—and still, two escaped?'

Hua Tianxiong looked embarrassed and explained: 'Master, you don't understand—those three demonic cultivators were terrifying. Had Qian Elder not arrived in time to suppress them, the outcome might have been unpredictable.'

'Eliminating all demonic cultivators from the Five Elements Mountain marketplace is already a remarkable victory.'

'Hmm, true enough. True disciples of the Blood Refining Demon Gate—most Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't stand a chance. Killing one is already impressive.' Qin Ming nodded.

'Qian Elder of the Flame Palace truly has skill.'

Hua Tianxiong smiled and said: 'Qian Elder is one of the ten most renowned Foundation Establishment cultivators in Da Jin.'

'He reached Foundation Establishment's peak over a hundred years ago and wields several core Flame Palace transmission techniques—rarely defeated.'

'Of course, no matter how powerful Qian Elder is, he can't compare to you, Master, hehe.'

Hua Tianxiong flattered at the perfect moment.

He had personally witnessed Qin Ming instantly slay Wen Yuliang, the Nascent Soul Seed of the Divine Path Mountain, with his treasure mirror.

At the time, Wen Yuqing had activated a Soul-Explosion Talisman to forcibly boost his cultivation to a pseudo-Nascent Soul level.

Even so, he couldn't escape his fate of death.

In his eyes, Qian Elder, though formidable, paled beside Qin Ming.

'Oh, by the way, for delivering this intelligence, the Dao Defense Alliance granted me a major merit and a reward.'

'I took the liberty of selecting the spirit materials you requested—all are here.'

Hua Tianxiong quickly pulled out a small storage bag and respectfully handed it to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming took the bag and casually glanced inside.

He found the materials were mostly high-grade third-rank auxiliary ingredients for refining Nascent Soul Pills and Ice-Heart Jade Soul Pills—dozens in total.

Thus, all auxiliary ingredients for the Ice-Heart Jade Soul Pills were now gathered; only a few remained for the Nascent Soul Pills.

But the final few ingredients were exceedingly rare—even in Da Jin, they'd require considerable effort to find.

Qin Ming put the materials away and said with great satisfaction: 'Good. You've done well.'

'All thanks to your guidance, Master!' Hua Tianxiong beamed.

'Enough. Keep lying low. Report any new information to me promptly.'

'Yes!'

…

Elsewhere,

In a dark cave deep within the southern mountains of Da Jin,

The two Blood Refining Demon Gate cultivators were healing their wounds.

'Damn it! Don't let me find out who did this!'

The cultivator surnamed Meng's face was grim. A fist-sized wound gaped on his shoulder.

Then, with a thud, he casually tossed aside a kidnapped cultivator—his body instantly withered to dryness.

After absorbing this blood offering, his wound visibly healed before their eyes.

'Master Qiu, how did our trail get exposed?'

'Did someone in the sect betray us?'

The burly youth, though barely injured, spoke coldly:

'Impossible. That would benefit no one.'

Meng's disciple frowned again: 'But we had the Mirage Pearl from the sect to conceal our presence—how were we discovered? And we traveled quietly, encountered no powerful figures…'

'Only a Nascent Soul cultivator could see through it, right?'

The cultivator surnamed Qiu replied: 'I don't know. I underestimated these mortals. We'll discuss this later.'

'We can't stay in Five Elements Mountain anymore—it's become a target.'

'And the Old Crow of Coldness has likely alarmed them—he won't show himself for a while.'

"Senior Brother Chou, what should we do now?"

"Lie low for a while and wait for other sect members to act when the opportunity arises."

"The Qingyuan Sect's secret realm won't open anytime soon anyway."

"In the meantime, focus on healing your injuries."

……

In the following period of time.

News of the massacre of demonic cultivators at the Wu Xing Mountain marketplace spread like wildfire throughout Da Jin.

And the one killed was a true disciple of the Blood Refining Demon Gate.

It dealt a heavy blow to the demonic forces of Da Li.

Clearly, the cultivation strength of Da Jin's cultivator world surpasses that of Da Zhou.

Besides that,

there was another crucial reason.

Shen Dao Mountain and Yin Mo Sect were also deeply concerned that the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm matter might leak out; if it did, it wouldn't just be Da Jin's cultivator world that would be affected.

All sorts of rogue sects and demonic entities would turn their eyes toward the Wu Xing Mountains—something they absolutely did not want to see.

Qin Ming also had no desire to expose this fragile veil; should war erupt within Da Jin, he'd have to flee again.

The current situation suited him perfectly.

At least he could wait until he harvested the spirit plants in his fields; besides, the most critical spirit materials were now down to just a few remaining items.

One day,

Qin Ming was tending to the spirit plants in the Wu Xing Mountain fields.

When he noticed a sudden disturbance in the spiritual energy within the Little Spirit Realm.

He saw the Sky-Devouring Rat running up to him, full of excitement

"M-Master! I feel my demonic essence has reached its limit—I'm about to break through!"

This surprised Qin Ming; he hadn't expected the Devouring Heaven Rat to be ready for a breakthrough.

Then again, it had consumed countless rare herbs and treasures, plus the pills he'd crafted, and lived daily amid the supreme spiritual vein of the Little Spirit Realm.

Reaching this point was merely a matter of time.

But the Little Spirit Realm housed many rare spirit plants—he couldn't let the Devouring Heaven Rat undergo its demonic tribulation here.

The tribulation of a third-stage mid-tier demon king advancing to late-stage was far more terrifying than before.

Even a fraction of its residual energy could destroy Qin Ming's herb garden.

Upon learning this, Qin Ming naturally sought a more suitable location for its breakthrough.

The spiritual vein environment for a demonic beast's advancement should be as high-grade as possible.

After a moment's thought, he thought of one place.

The Muxia Mountain, the fox clan's sacred ground within the Shouming Mountains.

Breaking through here in the Wu Xing Mountain fields would be far too conspicuous.

"I'll take you to Muxia Mountain. Its fourth-stage spiritual vein is sufficient for your breakthrough," Qin Ming said calmly.

The Devouring Heaven Rat's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together. "That's wonderful, Master!"

"Wonderful? I bet you're just looking for a chance to show off in front of Little Silver Fox," Qin Ming smirked.

Caught off guard, the Devouring Heaven Rat scratched his head awkwardly. "Hehe! I just want to be safe, that's all."

Afterwards,

Qin Ming took the Devouring Heaven Rat to Muxia Mountain in the Shouming Mountains.

After several days of flight,

they arrived outside the fox clan's sacred ground. Qin Ming once again pulled out the jade leaf given to him by Yue Lingyan, activated the True Demon Illusion technique, and disguised himself as an alligator demon king.

Then he sent her a message.

Upon receiving it, Yue Lingyan arrived with Little Silver Fox.

"Qin Daoist, long time no see. How have you been lately?"

"Haha! Thanks to Daoist Lingyan's blessings, all is well."

"I've come because my spiritual pet, the Devouring Heaven Rat, is about to break through to third-stage late and needs to borrow your sacred land for the tribulation," Qin Ming bowed and smiled.

"I see. I didn't expect the Devouring Heaven King's cultivation to have reached this stage already. I extend my congratulations in advance," Yue Lingyan nodded lightly.

"Brother Shi, you're really breaking through?" Little Silver Fox blinked her eyes, her tone tinged with envy.

A demonic beast reaching third-stage late was already a half-transformed great demon king—a rarity even in the Shouming Mountains.

"Hehe, just lucky, really. Not certain yet," the Devouring Heaven Rat said, unusually humble.

Next,

after entering the fox clan's sacred ground,

Yue Lingyan assigned the Devouring Heaven Rat a private cave on Muxia Mountain for its breakthrough.

The spiritual energy here was abundant, and the spiritual vein's grade was high enough to fully support its tribulation.

Whether it could survive the trial, however, depended entirely on the Devouring Heaven Rat's own fortune.

Qin Ming wasn't overly concerned; the Devouring Heaven Rat now possessed not only the Black Steel Fork, a rare treasure, but also a complete set of top-grade Five Elements Flags.

It should have no trouble surviving the third-stage late tribulation.

Several days later,

a spiritual energy vortex, several miles wide and funnel-shaped, began forming above Muxia Mountain, pouring directly into the Devouring Heaven Rat's location.

When the spiritual energy ceased surging, the spiritual clouds above began to dissipate.

As dark, churning tribulation clouds rolled in, the third-stage late tribulation descended.

Qin Ming watched from afar as the Devouring Heaven Rat's aura surged upward, reaching third-stage late, then its body swelled to a staggering hundred zhang in height.

More strangely, its body shimmered with a faint emerald-green pattern.

"The aura of these patterns… feels familiar."

Qin Ming frowned at the sight.

BOOM! The terrifying tribulation struck, drawing gasps of awe from the watching demons.

The Devouring Heaven Rat spat out five flag treasures, which landed around it, forming a tight protective formation.

It held the Earth Flag in hand, controlling the entire array.

Instantly,

the spectral images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise emerged from the flags, unleashing a barrage of powerful techniques that clashed repeatedly with the descending lightning.

Half a day later, nine layers of tribulation passed.

The tribulation clouds above began to disperse; spiritual energy from all directions flowed back into the Devouring Heaven Rat, solidifying its cultivation at third-stage late.

From this point on, the Devouring Heaven Rat officially entered the half-transformed demon king realm.

With the Five Elements Flags, the Devouring Heaven Rat had handled the tribulation with ease.

Though the nine-layer tribulation of third-stage late was terrifying, it had nearly entirely repelled and absorbed the blows.

Inside the Muxia Mountain cave,

the Devouring Heaven Rat's eyes gleamed with excitement as it felt its demonic core, now encircled by a vibrant, ever-renewing emerald aura, more than doubled in size.

Its power had surged dramatically; it was overwhelmed with exhilaration.

In the past, the Devouring Heaven Rat never dared to dream of this.

It had always believed its ceiling was third-stage early.

Yet meeting Qin Ming brought one opportunity after another, propelling it straight to third-stage late as a half-transformed demon king.

With further effort, it might even aspire to the fourth-stage demon saint realm.

"Ahahaha!"

"Third-stage late—I've finally done it!"

"Brothers Two and Three, you'd better step up your training!"

The Devouring Heaven Rat felt utterly refreshed, triumphant, arms crossed, head thrown back, laughing wildly.

Its arrogant, unrestrained laughter echoed throughout Muxia Mountain.

……

(End of Chapter)