Chapter 615: The Treasure Flower Emerges!

But Qin Ming dared not attempt to merge these two body-refining techniques, remaining at the research stage only.

After all, the "Primordial Sha Demon Seed Sutra," though an ultimate demonic cultivation method, is essentially a pig-farming scripture.

Though no Daoist demon seed has been planted in me, after practicing it, I might end up being raised like livestock.

If my hard-earned cultivation is stolen away, it would be a catastrophic loss.

After completing his daily cultivation, Qin Ming strolled over to the mutated spiritual plant, the Thunder-Element Demon Jujube Tree.

Three golden terms appeared before his eyes.

【Name】: Thunder-Element Demon Jujube 【Term】: Five Spatial-Temporal Leaves (Maturity 6%); 【Name】: Thunder-Element Demon Jujube 【Term】: Five Abundant Lifespans (Maturity 5%); 【Name】: Thunder-Element Demon Jujube 【Term】: One Primordial Demon Qi (Maturity 5%). "After all this time, the growth progress of this demonic plant is painfully slow."

"I suspect more demonic creature corpses are needed to accelerate its growth."

Although Qin Ming still had some 【Spatial-Temporal Leaves】 terms in his spiritual sea, they were reserved for accelerating the maturation of ingredients for the Nianying Pill.

He also needed to stockpile several more sets of ingredients for brewing the Bingxin Yupo Pill.

Qin Ming then watered and tended to the spiritual plants within the Small Spiritual Realm before stepping outside.

The moment he exited his cave dwelling, an intensely rich aroma of spiritual rice flooded his senses.

Qin Ming saw over a hundred mu of third-grade spiritual rice, resembling emerald bamboo groves, all grown to two zhang tall—truly magnificent.

From afar, the sight filled one with serenity and delight.

As harvest approached, Li Lan remained steadfastly by the fields, guarding them without the slightest negligence.

From Li Lan's expression, Qin Ming could see the immense sense of accomplishment he felt from achieving such a feat.

Recently, Li Lan's name had spread throughout the Five Elements Mountain marketplace, for producing such vast quantities of third-grade spiritual rice was no ordinary accomplishment.

Even major sects had begun pre-ordering this legendary third-grade spiritual rice.

But Li Lan politely declined them all: "I sincerely apologize, but all matters regarding the spiritual rice are under the control of Manager Lu; I am only responsible for cultivation and have no authority to interfere."

Thus, all the cultivators' attention shifted back to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming, naturally uninterested, immediately activated the third-grade protective formation around the field to its maximum capacity.

Though cultivators desperately sought the rice, they could only sigh in frustration.

Qin Ming and Li Lan arrived at the Jade Emperor Spiritual Rice Field, and Qin Ming casually extended a finger to tap one of the rice stalks on its joint, hearing the sound of grains shifting inside.

"Hmm, another few months and it will be ready for harvest."

Li Lan immediately beamed with joy: "Manager Lu, I have not disappointed you."

"Once the rice matures, keep ten percent for yourself," Qin Ming said coolly.

Li Lan was stunned: "Huh? Wasn't it agreed that I would farm for you free of charge for thirty years in exchange for your spiritual plant cultivation knowledge? Are you now rejecting me?"

"I reward and punish fairly. Your cultivation of this high-grade spiritual rice far exceeded expectations—this is your reward, no need to worry," Qin Ming stated plainly.

Li Lan was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply: "Thank you, Manager Lu, for your generous reward!"

"Hmm, go about your business," Qin Ming nodded.

But just then.

Suddenly!

Qin Ming frowned as his powerful spiritual sense detected several black demonic birds circling above the field, seemingly scouting, before finally departing.

"These are... Wind-Splitting Eagles. Could they be connected to the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint?"

"Their appearance at such a critical moment—what are they planning?"

His pitch-black eyes flickered incessantly.

With the spiritual plants nearing maturity and the merchant ship bound for the Southern Wastes about to depart,

Qin Ming felt a growing sense of foreboding—something was about to go wrong.

Yet at this moment.

But then the Sky-Devouring Rat ran back from outside.

Qin Ming had previously ordered it to lie dormant beneath the Five Elements Mountain spiritual vein, ready to respond to any changes.

"Master, new developments."

"The Yin Demon Sect has grown impatient and has allied with the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint, acquiring vast quantities of high-level cultivators' life essences."

"This has cut their ritual progress nearly in half. I overheard that in three months, the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree's sacred blossoms will fully bloom, triggering the opening of the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm and sparking fierce competition."

"Already, three demonic elders surpassing the Nascent Soul stage are observing the altar."

After hearing the report from the Devouring Rat, Qin Ming felt his composure slipping.

"What?! Three Nascent Soul-level elders?!"

The Devouring Rat nodded and explained: "Precisely, two Nascent Soul elders: Yin Demon Sect's Xuan Yin Elder and Divine Path Mountain's Wan Gu the Supreme."

"The third is even more formidable—I suspect she is the Holy Maiden of the Blood Refining Demon Sect. Though she appears to be at the peak of Golden Core, her true power rivals that of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Even while I was using the Void Walk technique, this woman nearly spotted me—it scared me half to death, so I immediately ran back."

Even as he spoke, the Devouring Rat shuddered, breaking into a cold sweat.

"The Blood Refining Demon Sect's Holy Maiden?"

"That's plausible. She forced Cold Crow Elder to abandon his physical body and flee—her ruthlessness is evident."

"Cold Crow Elder lived for a thousand years; no other ancient monster in Great Jin could have inflicted such a defeat upon him," Qin Ming said gravely. "Correct. I observed that both Xuan Yin Elder and Wan Gu the Supreme subtly defer to her," added the Devouring Rat.

"Alas! This is practically a Nascent Soul summit meeting!"

"Since the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint has allied with Xuan Yin Elder, he must be lurking nearby in secret."

"And then there's the Dao-Defending Alliance's Li Huo Elder, and other powerful figures..."

"Just as the rice nears harvest, the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse."

"The plan has changed—we must flee immediately."

Though Qin Ming's current strength rivals that of a true Nascent Soul True Sovereign, he still refuses to get entangled in such conflicts.

He immediately recalled the Devouring Rat into the Small Spiritual Realm and flew toward the Five Elements Mountain marketplace.

With his current speed, a journey that normally took two days was completed in half a day.

Such is the terrifying power of a Golden Core cultivator possessing Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy! He immediately contacted Han Yuan, arranging to meet him at the Wind-riding Pavilion.

Gao Feng and Liu Ye also arrived—they likely sensed this might be their final meeting with "Master Lu."

Inside the private chamber of the Wind-riding Pavilion,

Qin Ming exchanged pleasantries with the three.

Then he asked directly:

"Han Daoist, when does the Jintian Trading Company's ship depart for the Southern Wastes?"

"The departure is scheduled for the tenth day of the second month. What? Do you have some urgent matter, Lu Daoist?" Han Yuan asked with concern.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming exhaled in relief.

That meant the ship would depart a full month before the secret realm opened—plenty of time.

Yet, as he gazed at the three sitting with him at the table, he couldn't help but sigh.

Once the Qingyuan Sect's secret realm opens, battle will erupt instantly; with their Foundation Establishment cultivation, the three would stand little chance of survival in the chaos.

As patrol enforcers of the Dao-Defending Alliance, they would inevitably be drawn into combat.

Qin Ming then said: "Han Daoist, Gao Daoist, Liu Daoist, let me say this plainly: in these turbulent times, why not seek a transfer to another post?"

"Even being reassigned to rear logistics would be better."

"To be blunt, if the three kingdoms go to war, you'll be among the first cannon fodder."

Han Yuan said, "Alas, Lu Daoist, it's not that we three are unwilling—those who can be temporarily reassigned all have connections and backing."

"All three of us were originally wandering cultivators; we barely rose to this position. Now, stepping down is nearly impossible."

"We can only leave our fate to heaven and pray for our own survival."

This Qingyuan Sect secret realm in Five Elements Mountain involves the legacy of a Divine Transformation sect.

When Nascent Soul elders unleash their power, even the shockwaves can instantly reduce Foundation Establishment cultivators to ash—nine lives wouldn't be enough to survive.

After meeting briefly with Han Yuan and the others, Qin Ming left the Five Elements Mountain marketplace, gathered intelligence, and returned to the fields.

……

Two months later.

Nothing unusual occurred during this time.

In the lush fields, the hundred mu of third-grade Jade Emperor Spiritual Rice had fully matured.

Qin Ming ordered Li Lan and the below-ground spirit farmers to harvest it immediately.

After days of frantic labor, the entire field was harvested.

In total, three thousand jin of Jade Emperor Spiritual Rice were collected—an impressive yield for such a high-grade crop.

Qin Ming himself had also planted Jade Emperor Spirit Rice within the Small Spirit Realm, and its quality was far superior to Li Lan's.

It was more than enough for his daily cultivation needs—he couldn't possibly consume it all.

These third-grade Jade Emperor Spiritual Rice were precisely what the outside world coveted; Qin Ming planned to trade them later for scarce resources.

After all, some things simply cannot be bought with spiritual stones—only barter works.

Just as Qin Ming and the others finished harvesting the spiritual rice and felt their burdens lift,

Deep within the fourth-grade spiritual vein of Five Elements Mountain, beneath the earth,

Cultivators from the Yin Demon Sect, Divine Path Mountain, and Blood Refining Demon Sect all stared, breathless with excitement, at the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree.

As streams of crimson light from the altar flowed into the coral-like tree,

The buds hanging from the seven branches, each of a different color, suddenly unfurled and bloomed! Whirr! Boom! Yet, before the eyes of the cultivators, utterly stunned.

As if drawn by some unseen force, the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree erupted in seven-colored radiance, growing visibly before their eyes.

It directly pierced through the upper mountain range, and the peak above the dome instantly shattered and collapsed.

The treasure tree's frenzied growth did not cease, bursting straight through the heavens!

It grew to thousands of zhang tall, like a World Tree, standing firm between heaven and earth.

Immediately, billions of radiant beams of light blazed forth from the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree; the buds hanging from its seven branches instantly bloomed into seven-colored, dazzling treasure flowers.

……

(End of Chapter)