Chapter 679: The Great Soul-Transference Art

"Hahaha! It's Brother Qin!"

"What an unexpected honor! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Li Huo Shiren's face lit up with a smile as soon as he saw Qin Ming, and he bowed to him.

"I heard Brother Qin has urgent matters to discuss—what might they be?"

"No need to trouble yourself; I merely happened to be nearby." Qin Ming flicked his finger, sending the memory jade slip flying toward the other, then spoke bluntly: "Brother Li Huo, take a look at this, and you'll understand."

Immediately.

Li Huo Shiren took the memory jade slip and scanned it—his expression instantly turned grave.

He asked, surprised: "Brother Qin, this intelligence is extremely critical. Such a large-scale void anomaly suggests a Demon Lord is about to descend."

"This information came just in time—if it succeeds, countless lives will be lost again."

"Oh? Is a void rift of this scale already considered large?" Qin Ming asked in return.

Li Huo Shiren nodded: "Correct. Normally, minor void anomalies produce only one rift, one or two zhang wide, allowing only below Golden Core cultivators to pass through. But rifts exceeding three zhang in width permit Nascent Soul Demon Lords to descend unharmed."

"Understood. How is the situation in Da Jin now?" Qin Ming asked, expressionless.

Li Huo Shiren offered no concealment: "Sigh! I won't hide it from you, Brother Qin—the situation is grim. This is a major convergence between two realms, likely to last at least a century. And the overall strength of the Xuehuan Realm slightly surpasses ours."

"Moreover, we in Zhongzhou face the strongest of the Blood Refining Demon Sects—the pressure is immense."

"But didn't we already negotiate an alliance with the beast tribes?" Qin Ming asked.

"The alliance with the beast tribes has eased some pressure, but even together, our races still distrust each other—centuries of old grudges prevent true unity," Li Huo Shiren explained.

"And the beast tribes face no less pressure—according to current intelligence, several Nascent Soul Demon Lords have already descended into the Shouming Mountains."

"But there's good news—thanks to you, Brother Qin, the Ancient Mountain Beast Saint and the Silver Moon Beast Saint have persuaded other beast clans to cooperate deeply with us. We'll hold a grand meeting to plan the extermination of the demons in half a month. If you're free, please attend."

Qin Ming paused to consider, then asked instead: "Is there a way to resolve the void anomaly? I tried, but ordinary methods seem unable to destroy it."

"There is a way—passed down by our ancestors. But anything involving the void layer comes at a high cost."

"We must completely sever the convergence point of the two realms' spiritual tides."

"Don't worry, Brother Qin. Since you've located the anomaly, I'll send someone to eliminate this threat."

"That's best." Qin Ming nodded.

Li Huo Shiren then produced another jade slip and handed it to Qin Ming: "This contains the method to eliminate void anomalies, including the crafting of something called 'Crack Shadow Stone'—it can disrupt and sever void rifts. But the materials all involve void properties and are hard to gather."

After further discussion, Li Huo Shiren revealed his intent to recruit Qin Ming into the Weidao Alliance to jointly resist the descent.

Qin Ming politely declined—he only wished to cultivate quietly as a lone cultivator, avoiding entanglement with major powers.

He always kept his distance from such troubles.

Then, seizing the opportunity, he inquired about the spiritual materials needed to cultivate Blood Dragon Green Rice.

After all, as head of Da Jin's top sect, he must have at least some of these items.

"I do have a small vial of Xuan Huang Essence Qi," Li Huo Shiren said, then produced an ancient jade bottle. "But the other materials you mentioned—I don't have them."

Qin Ming's expression brightened slightly—he'd searched the Nanhuang Realm thoroughly without success, yet here it was, easily obtained.

"What do you require in exchange?" Qin Ming asked immediately.

"Heh! I've long coveted your Demon Flame Wine and Jade Emperor Spirit Rice. Could you spare some?" Li Huo Shiren smiled with hidden intent.

"Xuan Huang Essence Qi is a fourth-rank spiritual item, found only in yin-yang convergence zones of the netherworld. This vial is the only one left in Li Huo Palace."

After brief haggling, Qin Ming exchanged half a jar of Demon Flame Wine and some Jade Emperor Spirit Rice for the Xuan Huang Essence Qi.

"So, Brother Qin, where are you headed next? If you're going to Da Jin, I'll gladly host you," Li Huo Shiren said, stowing the wine and rice, clearly pleased.

Hearing this, Qin Ming suddenly remembered someone—he might not need to travel to the Eastern Sea Realm to obtain what he needed.

He asked: "Do you know where Brother Han Ya is?"

"Han Ya the Old Ghost?"

"That old rascal has plenty of treasures—your needed materials might be obtainable from him."

"But years ago, with our Weidao Alliance's help, he fully reclaimed the Xuanqing Temple of the Da Zhou Realm."

"He should now be stationed at the temple. No one knows what kind of opportunity he gained."

"He survived his near-death, restored all his cultivation and abilities, and even shows signs of further advancement."

Li Huo Shiren sounded puzzled.

"So he's returned to the Da Zhou Realm? That's truly unfortunate."

Qin Ming sighed—he'd planned to visit Han Ya to procure materials.

After all, the man had casually gifted Void Spirit Stone as a congratulatory present.

Who knew what other priceless treasures might be in his vault?

But Da Zhou was far away, mountainous and treacherous, and now ravaged by demons.

Qin Ming had no desire to stir up trouble for a few spiritual materials.

"I only need to bring peace to Da Jin. Da Zhou can wait."

"I've barely arrived here and already uncovered a major void anomaly—eliminating this threat is no small feat."

The transaction concluded.

Qin Ming prepared to take his leave.

"By the way, those two Foundation Establishment youths who helped me—without them, I wouldn't have found the void anomaly. Please reward them appropriately."

Li Huo Shiren blinked in surprise—he hadn't expected a Nascent Soul True Person to care about lowly cultivators.

His specific mention clearly meant he wished to show favor.

"Heh! Of course. Brother Qin, rest assured—the Alliance always rewards merit and punishes failure. I've already given orders." Li Huo Shiren smiled.

"By the way, the other spiritual materials you need might be found in the Eastern Sea Realm."

"It's said that in five years, the Eastern Sea Realm will host its once-in-a-century 'Immortal Mansion Gathering,' where rare treasures and exotic beasts from immortal mansions will appear—it's co-hosted by human and sea tribes."

"Not only is the Eastern Sea richer in resources than Da Jin, but the Dragon Palace's sea beasts are masters at gathering treasures."

"There will likely be an exchange among Nascent Soul cultivators there too. With your connections, joining won't be difficult," he added, as if remembering something.

"Thank you for the information, Brother Li Huo," Qin Ming rose and bowed.

Even without this, Qin Ming had planned to visit the Eastern Sea Realm.

Since Long Mu Zhenjun knew how to cultivate Blood Dragon Green Rice, she must have gathered the necessary materials—or at least could trade with him.

After some polite exchanges, Qin Ming declined Li Huo Shiren's invitation to stay, mounted his Lingxiao Noble Chariot, and departed Weiyuan City.

Inside the grand hall.

After seeing Qin Ming off, Li Huo Shiren issued several orders in rapid succession.

Then he summoned Han Yuan and Liu Ye.

Han Yuan and Liu Ye, having just received rewards and now summoned again, were terrified, unsure of what awaited them, and hurried into the hall.

Before they could bow, Li Huo Shiren asked coolly: "What is your relationship with Wangyue Zhenjun? Do you know him?"

"Ah? Your Excellency, we've never met Wangyue Zhenjun before—this is our first encounter," Han Yuan stammered, bowing deeply.

Li Huo Shiren frowned, pondering—why had Qin Ming said that?

A Nascent Soul True Person wouldn't casually mention such a thing. After a moment's thought, he told Han Yuan and Liu Ye: "By my order, from this moment, you are appointed as Administrators of the Weiyuan City General Affairs Hall. No more field missions."

"You may go."

Han Yuan and Liu Ye froze, stunned—this sudden fortune left them speechless.

"Thank you, Alliance Master!"

Outside the hall, still dazed, Liu Ye whispered to Han Yuan: "Did Wangyue Zhenjun know us?"

"Probably not—we only met him once," Han Yuan replied.

"Working in the General Affairs Hall means no more dangerous missions, no more fighting for survival—and the perks are rich."

"Sigh… Gao Feng never lived to see this day—he passed before us. Tragic." Liu Ye sighed.

Han Yuan's eyes welled up, nearly weeping.

The three had been like brothers, walking this path together—Gao Feng had perished on a mission.

"Perhaps Gao Dao's spirit watched over us, saving us from death and bringing us to Wangyue Zhenjun—a true cultivator of great stature."

After dismissing them, Li Huo Shiren, accompanied by Gan Elder and others, personally went to Qin Ming's location to handle the removal of the void rifts.

With Qin Ming having cleared the area, the Weidao Alliance faced far fewer complications.

They only needed to eliminate the three void anomalies.

Li Huo Shiren pulled out more than ten golden crystals, each emitting a subtle, profound void energy.

He waved his hand, casting the Crack Shadow Stones near the three anomalies, ready to activate his spiritual power and destroy the rifts.

"Gan Elder, initiate the array."

Gan Elder bowed and withdrew a set of arrays, preparing to arrange them around the site.

As the array completed its formation in the void.

Li Huo Shiren triggered the Crack Shadow Stones.

BOOM! A deafening explosion ripped through the air; the sky above flashed with eerie black light.

After a moment, silence returned.

When the light faded, the three void rifts above the canyon had vanished—severed completely from the mortal realm.

The dark, twisted vortices slowly closed.

"Report, Supreme Elder: the void anomalies here have been eliminated," Gan Elder returned to report.

Li Huo Shiren nodded in satisfaction: "You've done well, Gan Elder. Your contributions to the sect over centuries are countless. The Ancient Mountain Beast Saint will soon gather the human cultivators again to plan the 'Extermination of Demons.' I've worked hard to arrange this—join me."

"Thank you, Supreme Elder! This is my duty," Gan Elder replied quickly, then added, worried, "But isn't deep cooperation with the beast tribes too risky?"

"I have certainly considered all you've mentioned, but with the ties between True Lord Yueyue, the Silver Moon Fox Clan, and the Mountain Giant Ape Clan, no major upheaval is likely to occur."

"I have encountered the Ancient Mountain Demon Saint several times; with the connection to True Lord Yueyue and the divine pact signed, there is still some assurance."

The problems facing their demonic clans are no less severe than ours—thus, uniting to resist the invasion of the Blood Realm is our only way forward.

"After all these years, our Wei Dao Alliance has finally glimpsed a glimmer of hope."

"If the two great races of the Mortal Realm unite, they will still have some resolve to face the Heavenly Demon Catastrophe."

Li Huo Shangren gazed deeply and spoke slowly.

"Then if that is so—"

Suddenly!

Qian Elder's movements suddenly froze, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

In an instant, spiritual light erupted from his hands—a magic treasure sword materialized, and he struck from behind, catching Li Huo Shangren off guard! "I must eliminate this immortal old fool before the Great Assembly of the Two Clans!"

Li Huo Shangren's expression turned to utter shock—he never expected Qian Elder, whom he had trusted and lived beside for so long, would commit such an unforgivable act.

At the same time,

he quickly regained his composure.

BOOM! Qian Elder's full-force strike was instantly shattered by the aura radiating from Li Huo Shangren.

He was flung backward like a rag.

Then, blood on his lips, eyes wild with madness, Qian Elder lunged straight at Li Huo Shangren.

Golden Core self-destruction!

BOOM! Li Huo Shangren swept his sleeve, instantly absorbing and neutralizing the full force of the explosion.

But the next moment, he cried out in horror: "Soul-Transference Art! Blood-Hatred Demon Lord!"

…

(End of Chapter)