Chapter 605: Great Black Heaven Demon Saint

Qin Ming withdrew his gaze from the window.

He turned his head at the sound, fixing his eyes on the figure before him.

The moment he looked, his pupils shrank sharply.

A ripple stirred in his heart—he was inwardly astonished.

A fourth-stage shape-shifting great demon! Though the black-feathered cultivator had masked his aura with exceptional skill, appearing no different from a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

If it were anyone else, even the highest-ranked Jin Dan elder in the Five Elements Mountain marketplace, they might never detect anything amiss.

But Qin Ming possessed spiritual sense rivaling that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and he also had the Breaking Magic Reborn Eyes.

A few days ago, when he completed the Jin Dan section of the Heavenly Demon Shape-Shifting Strategy, he absorbed the ability of the Red-Eyed Tianlin, enhancing his eye technique more than twofold.

No matter how sophisticated the disguise, it was useless before him.

Thus, Qin Ming saw through the deception at a single glance.

In his eyes, the true form of the figure before him appeared:

The black-feathered demon cultivator standing across from him had unusually small, emerald-green pupils and a horned nasal tip.

He was likely an avian demon cultivator.

A genuine fourth-stage early-stage demon saint!

Yet this black-feathered demon cultivator gave off an aura weaker than that of Yue Lingyan.

'Fourth-stage shape-shifting great demon. Could this be the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint of the Riftwind Eagle clan?'

'Why has even he come to the Five Elements Mountain marketplace?'

'I heard Yue Lingyan mention this one—he's ambitious, deeply interested in the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm.'

'Could there be some scheme?'

Qin Ming's thoughts raced; combining the demon's traits, he had already deduced the black-feathered demon's origin.

The black-feathered demon likely never expected it.

He had casually entered a tavern, and within moments, someone had uncovered his identity.

If word got out, he'd be mocked by his own clan.

Though Qin Ming recognized his origin, his expression remained calm, unruffled.

He replied coolly to the black-feathered demon: 'No one is here. Friend, make yourself at home.'

'Heh! Thank you, friend.'

The black-feathered demon smiled, then sat down boldly across from Qin Ming.

He didn't order any drinks or food—instead, he brazenly asked Qin Ming: 'Friend, would you mind if I had a cup of your wine?'

The black-feathered demon watched Qin Ming with a smiling gaze.

Qin Ming immediately nodded and poured him a cup of spirit wine.

'This demon risked coming into the Five Elements Mountain marketplace—could he also be after the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm?'

'Indeed, before great opportunities, few can remain still—not even a fourth-stage demon saint.'

'Except for me…'

The black-feathered demon took the spirit wine, said nothing, and drank it alone.

The two sat in silence—one pouring, one drinking—with no further exchange.

Half an hour passed; both flasks of wine were empty.

'Hmm. This wine still lacks something—it's flavorless.'

'Thank you, friend, for the wine.'

'Might I ask your surname? If we meet again, I'll treat you to a drink of my own brewed spirit wine.'

The black-feathered demon smiled as he spoke; though he had just finished an entire flask of Bibo wine, he showed no sign of intoxication.

Know that Bibo wine is a second-grade spirit wine from the Windriding Pavilion—far from harmless to Foundation Establishment cultivators, even those at the late stage would grow drunk from too much.

Qin Ming replied coolly: 'I am Lu. We met by chance; this is but a simple drink. Friend, no need for courtesy.'

Hearing this, the black-feathered demon grew curious; his narrow pupils narrowed as he studied Qin Ming intently.

Yet he detected no anomaly whatsoever.

He smiled faintly. 'Lu friend is an interesting man. You seem to enjoy standing apart from the crowd?'

'I haven't dealt with a straightforward cultivator like you in a long time—truly rare!'

Qin Ming did not answer directly but asked: 'What is your surname? You don't seem to be from around here?'

At Qin Ming's question, the black-feathered demon paused, then laughed:

'Correct. I am Mo Yu. I spent my early years secluded in the mountains, cultivating in solitude.'

'I've come out now to see the world, to gain experience…'

'I see.' Qin Ming nodded, then fell silent.

His current strength meant he no longer feared even Nascent Soul cultivators or fourth-stage early-stage demon saints.

Thus, he showed no trace of fear.

At first,

Qin Ming had thought the demon had come for him—but it turned out the demon had merely stumbled upon him by chance.

Though he didn't know the black-feathered demon's exact intent, he guessed with near certainty that he was after the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm.

Qin Ming wished to avoid any entanglement or unnecessary complications.

Feeling the time was right, he rose to take his leave: 'Mo friend, continue drinking. I have matters to attend to—I'll take my leave.'

'I've already paid for the wine.'

'Then thank you, Lu friend, for the drink. No need to see me off.' The black-feathered demon made no move to rise.

Qin Ming paid him no further heed and walked straight downstairs.

After he left, the black-feathered demon, listening to the bustling shouts around him, let a mocking glint flicker in his narrow eyes: 'Soon enough, this prosperity will fade entirely...'

'Then I can gather a fine harvest of materials.'

'Wine brewed from cultivator golden cores tastes far better…'

…

Night fell; the bright moon hung high.

Qin Ming did not return to the Mirror Snow Pavilion—he frowned deeply and went straight to Hua Tianxiong's courtyard.

'A fourth-stage shape-shifting great demon arriving here is no good omen. I must prepare to leave early.'

'I heard from Yue Lingyan that the Riftwind Eagle clan's Great Black Heaven Demon Saint is extremely warlike, especially toward humans—he kills without hesitation.'

Had Qin Ming not known this beforehand, he too would have been deceived by the demon's gentle demeanor.

'These ancient demons are all more cunning and treacherous than the last.'

'Never trust them lightly.'

Hua Tianxiong, seeing Qin Ming arrive, hurriedly welcomed him into the main hall and brewed a pot of fine spirit tea.

'Master, you've come.'

'Hmm.'

After sitting down, Qin Ming inquired about the situation.

The information he received matched closely what Han Yuan had said.

Qin Ming pondered—the black-feathered demon's movements were too suspicious. If left unchecked,

he might bring danger to the human race, especially if this demon went on a killing spree here, threatening Qin Ming's spirit fields and the Mirror Snow Pavilion.

He decided to have Hua Tianxiong report the matter to the Weidao Alliance—let the Nascent Soul True Persons handle it.

He need not risk himself.

Qin Ming set down his teacup, his expression grave: 'Hua Tianxiong, I have a task for you.'

'I just spotted a shape-shifting demon infiltrating the marketplace. This matter is critical—it concerns the survival of the entire market.'

'What?! A shape-shifting demon saint?!' Hua Tianxiong spat out his tea in shock, frozen in place.

'Th-this… Master, what should I do?'

Then he remembered something: 'Could this demon also be after the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm?' 'Likely so. Secretly inform the Li Huo Palace. This is no trivial matter—nothing else matters.' Qin Ming said coolly.

'You should also prepare to leave the Five Elements Mountain marketplace. This place is no longer safe.'

'Yes, I obey your command, Master!'

…

Several days later, the Weidao Alliance's cultivators in the Five Elements Mountain marketplace surged dramatically, as if preparing for war.

The wandering cultivators moving through the market had no idea what had happened.

Qin Ming sensed two powerful auras secretly descending into the marketplace.

They simply hadn't revealed themselves.

Almost certainly, the Weidao Alliance had sent Nascent Soul True Persons to deal with the shape-shifting demon saint.

Yet days passed without incident—the marketplace returned to calm.

Qin Ming sat in the Mirror Snow Pavilion, pondering inwardly:

'This doesn't make sense. Did that demon escape?'

Meanwhile, in the Beast Roar Mountains,

the black-feathered demon cultivator shot through the sky as a streak of black light, frequently glancing behind him.

'Damn it—where did I slip up?'

How could our identity be exposed? Those two human elders must have gotten wind of it.

But we've achieved our goal here—no great loss.

We'll play with those two old bastards properly later.

The black-feathered demon cultivator's emerald-green, tiny pupils shifted rapidly as he sped away, vanishing into the horizon.

…

In the Jingxue Pavilion of the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

Old Jia, beaming with pride, held his ledger and reported to Qin Ming.

"Hehehe, Master Lu truly has foresight!"

"The Tianluo Powder sold out completely within half a month—prices have more than quintupled."

"Here's the full accounting—please review it."

Qin Ming took the ledger and flipped through it casually, then nodded slightly.

Then Old Jia handed over all the spirit stones to Qin Ming for disposal.

"By the way, Master Lu, I've already been looking for buyers for the two hundred mu of spirit farmland in Five Elements Mountain."

"But after negotiating with several factions, they've sensed the current instability in the Five Elements Mountain marketplace and fear it might affect the farmland—so their offers are all low."

"If we rush to sell, we'll have to accept a low price."

Qin Ming pondered briefly, then shook his head.

"Don't worry—someone will pay a high price."

"Besides, Li Lan's Jade Emperor Spirit Rice hasn't ripened yet—it'll take some time. Let's wait."

"I'll notify you when the time comes."

"With this matter settled, the shop in Five Elements Mountain marketplace can be closed."

"Be ready to evacuate at any moment."

"Yes, Master Lu."

Old Jia now obeyed Qin Ming without question, utterly devoted.

After all, "Master Lu" had connections even with Nascent Soul True Persons—he naturally had access to highly reliable upper-tier intelligence.

All Old Jia needed to do was follow orders.

"By the way, after all this hustle, here's your reward." Qin Ming tossed Old Jia a bag of spirit stones. "Handle the spirit farmers as you see fit."

Old Jia accepted the reward, his expression thrilled: "Thank you, Master Lu!"

Then he went off to handle his duties.

After Old Jia left, Qin Ming also departed the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

But on his way back to the spirit farmland, he received an urgent message from Hua Tianxiong via the Black Talisman.

"Master, disaster!"

"I just learned from Elder Gan that Shen Dao Mountain and Yin Mo Sect are preparing a ritual to force the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree to bloom early."

"After receiving this intelligence, Li Huo Palace has gone on full alert—they're clearly planning to join the spectacle to lock down the secret realm's location."

"After all, the secret mountain gate of the ancient world's number-one sect is too tempting."

"If wandering cultivators find out, chaos will only worsen."

After hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but frown.

He hadn't expected Yin Mo Sect to choose such an early date.

"Hua Tianxiong, you've done well. Keep probing and report again."

"Thank you, Master!" Hua Tianxiong exclaimed happily, then remembered something. "Oh, by the way, I've made progress on the last few spirit materials you asked me to gather—but they're scattered across distant locations."

"I've ordered my men to collect them for you as soon as possible."

"Good. Go about your business," Qin Ming replied.

…

After hearing Hua Tianxiong's report,

Qin Ming felt uneasy and immediately summoned the Shi Tian Rat.

The Shi Tian Rat scurried up Qin Ming's shoulder, grinning. "Master, what do you need me for?"

"I've grown much stronger now—I've got endless energy. I can fight for you till my last breath!"

Let me put it this way: that Qingmian Poisonous Dragon who once rode on my head? Now I can handle him like an eel—just like that, hehe!

"Enough about the Qingmian Poisonous Dragon. That's ancient history—its demon core's already been turned into wine."

"You still cling to it? You're that vengeful?" Qin Ming turned to the Shi Tian Rat.

"Let's drop that."

"I've received intelligence: something's about to happen beneath the Five Elements Mountain spirit vein. Those demon cultivators are planning another ritual."

"Go keep watch. Find out what they're up to—and notify me when the ritual begins."

"The secret realm of Qing Yuan Sect has been exposed—things will get messy down there. Even Nascent Soul cultivators might be watching. Be careful."

Qin Ming instructed.

The Shi Tian Rat patted his chest. "Master, rest easy. Since I've reached peak Third Stage, my power has surged—and my abilities have broken through."

"Now, with my Void-Walking technique, even Nascent Soul Mid-Stage cultivators can't detect me."

"It's nothing."

"Then all the better. Go."

"Hehe! Master, wait for my news."

Instantly, the Shi Tian Rat leapt off Qin Ming's shoulder, turning into a streak of black light that vanished.

After returning to the spirit farmland, Qin Ming resumed his normal cultivation.

Only three days passed.

The Shi Tian Rat returned, reporting to Qin Ming: "Master, they're about to begin their Spirit Offering Ritual—tonight, at the Hai hour."

"Oh? So soon? Take me there," Qin Ming said.

Instantly, the two of them descended through the underground tunnel dug by the Shi Tian Rat, arriving near the secret realm's entrance.

They saw a vast altar already constructed in the dim underground world.

…

Thank you, friend "160905010717325," for the 100 coins.

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