Chapter 683

Only half a cup of tea later.

The nearby void shuddered violently, spiritual energy surging like boiling water, ripples spreading through the air.

A streak of bloodlight arrived in an instant, revealing the massive body of the demon serpent.

Upon seeing Qin Ming's figure, the Blood-Scaled Demon Serpent immediately opened its colossal maw and spat a torrent of crimson flame, as if melting the very space, descending upon him like a sky-covering deluge.

Qin Ming waved his hand, and the Soul-Devouring Poison Flame shot forth, transforming into a blue fire phoenix whose flaming wings swept toward the crimson flames.

The moment the Soul-Devouring Poison Flame appeared, searing heat erupted violently, warping even the void.

In an instant, it devoured all the flames in the sky, then flew back into Qin Ming's hand.

The two figures standing atop the Blood-Scaled Demon Serpent leapt down, hovering in midair opposite Qin Ming.

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's gaze settled on Qin Ming, a flicker of surprise crossing his heart.

To dispel his pet's blood-flame breath so casually—this was no feat an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator could accomplish.

He knew his pet's strength all too well.

"Hmm? A fourth-rank demon serpent? Compared to the blood of a third-rank late-stage snake-jiao, wouldn't fourth-rank blood yield even better results when cultivating spiritual rice?"

"And as for these two Nascent Soul cultivators—could their blood pearls help the Yin-Yang Mystic Vine grow and evolve?"

Qin Ming revealed a hint of surprise and spoke calmly.

Hearing this, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's expression instantly changed. He coldly asked: "Are you the Moon-Gazing True Person?"

"From your tone, it sounds like you've been waiting here specifically for us?"

Originally, he hadn't taken this newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator seriously.

Even if the man had crossed the Earthly Demon Heavenly Tribulation, he'd only become a Nascent Soul cultivator for a few years—what great Nascent Soul abilities could he possibly have cultivated? Yet now, witnessing firsthand the legendary Moon-Gazing True Person, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord held an entirely different view.

'This man's Nascent Soul magic power is extraordinarily thick and profound, and his poison-flame technique is unfathomably deep—he shows no fear of my pet's blood-flame demonic fire.'

'Moreover, seeing his calm, indifferent demeanor sends chills down my spine—I have a creeping sense of impending doom.'

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's eyes flickered wildly, his thoughts churning endlessly—he simply could not fathom why this was happening.

"I just heard you intended to use my soul to light a sky-lantern?"

"If you willingly surrender the method to break the Blood-Ring Curse Seal, perhaps we might grant you a quicker death."

Qin Ming spoke coolly.

"Hmph! Qin Daoist, you probably don't know that even the Flame Ascendant is now dead at Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's hands! What gives you the confidence to be so arrogant?" said You Sha True Person, stepping forward with clear disdain.

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's gaze turned icy: "You're the Moon-Gazing True Person, are you? Your mouth is large indeed. Let this Demon Lord see whether you truly possess such ability!"

"Your Fan Tian Mo Xiang has only reached the third stage, hasn't it? That's truly a pity."

As Qin Ming spoke these calm words.

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's face turned drastically pale, abandoning his cold demeanor entirely, he cried out in horror: "How do you know what demonic art I cultivate? Could it be—"

Before he could finish, he involuntarily manifested his three-headed, six-armed demonic body, as if facing a dire enemy.

"Though I don't know why, my 'Yuan Sha True Demon Body' seems slightly superior to yours."

"But since we both cultivate the pig-fattening arts, we can naturally sense each other's presence."

"Yet only the higher-rank can sense the lower-rank."

You Sha True Person, listening to their exchange, was utterly baffled.

But he refused to believe it—he immediately prepared to activate his yellow-skinned gourd magic treasure and strike Qin Ming.

Yet the next instant—

Hum! A powerful void force erupted, centered on Qin Ming, forming a five-li spatial domain!

You Sha True Person and Blood-Hatred Demon Lord both paled instantly—they simultaneously felt severed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. "Nascent Soul Domain!!"

"You're Nascent Soul mid-stage?! How is this possible?!"

"No! You've only just ascended to Nascent Soul—how could you have mastered such a profound void technique?!"

You Sha True Person was utterly uncomposed, his face filled with disbelief.

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord was equally terrified—he suddenly understood why Qin Ming had been so confident. Once the Nascent Soul Domain was activated, even Nascent Soul teleportation could not escape its spatial confinement.

More importantly, upon hearing Qin Ming mention "Yuan Sha True Demon Body," he realized everything.

With the Nascent Soul Domain active, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's three-headed, six-armed demonic form could no longer be maintained—it shrank by more than half.

Before either could react—

Qin Ming's hand now held another blood-colored inkstone magic treasure, which he flung upward.

The two men's vision spun wildly, as if the world had inverted.

When they regained their senses, they found themselves immersed in an endless sea of blood.

You Sha True Person was horrified to discover that, under the combined domains of the Nascent Soul Domain and this magic treasure, his cultivation had been forcibly suppressed to the False Nascent Soul level.

His power and techniques could no longer manifest beyond three-tenths of their full strength. "You truly killed the Holy Son—and even refined the Blood Pagoda into a magic treasure!"

At this point, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord was panicked.

His earlier aura of invincibility had vanished completely.

Roar! Qin Ming immediately activated his Yuan Sha True Demon Body, transforming into a blood-colored eight-armed demon monkey, each of its eight hands forming distinct seals.

Whoosh! The next instant—

Qin Ming's figure vanished abruptly, reappearing moments later as a massive fist slammed down upon the demonic form of Blood-Hatred Demon Lord.

Under the Void Teleportation technique, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord had no time to react—half his body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

With Qin Ming's body now sanctified, anyone who got close was doomed.

He tried to retreat with his ruined form, but Qin Ming reappeared from the void once more, delivering a brutal horizontal sweep that shattered Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's legs at the knees.

"Ahh!"

Within the Nascent Soul Domain, a crimson Nascent Soul fled from the shattered core of Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's body, desperately trying to escape.

Bang! His Nascent Soul slammed into an invisible wall and was violently rebounded, his soul dazed and disoriented.

Within the five-li domain, void force was completely sealed—even more tightly than his own Blood-Soul Cage magic treasure.

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord knew full well that falling into Qin Ming's hands meant certain death. His Nascent Soul wore a mad expression, willing to severely damage his soul to fight to the death.

He commanded the Blood-Scaled Demon Serpent to twist its massive body and lash out at Qin Ming.

Yet the next instant, the space around Qin Ming warped violently—the demon serpent's attack was deflected by void force.

One attack after another missed entirely—even the demon serpent stared in stunned disbelief.

At that moment—

Qin Ming's mind stirred, and the black demonic infant seated upon his central lotus throne suddenly flew out.

The demonic infant looked exactly like Qin Ming himself, and upon appearing, it wore a strange smile.

Immediately, it formed an unusual hand seal, and a mysterious black rune ignited on its forehead.

Instantly, the entire demonic infant radiated an ancient, supreme aura—demonic energy surged wildly! "How is this possible? A demonic infant!"

"Primordial demonic energy! You—"

At the sight of Qin Ming's demonic infant, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's face twisted in horror, screaming out in shock.

His Nascent Soul's tiny face was filled with overwhelming terror—he was frozen in place, as if bound by some unseen force. Then, from bottom to top on his Nascent Soul, a pitch-black glow coalesced, identical to the rune on Qin Ming's demonic infant.

Yet it was far smaller in size and dimmer in radiance.

The demonic infant stared at the opposing Nascent Soul with intense longing and excitement, then flew forward and opened its mouth to suck.

"No! What are you doing! No!"

Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's Nascent Soul felt his cultivation draining away, continuously pulled into the opposing demonic infant.

The Nascent Soul is the essence of a cultivator, condensing a lifetime of cultivation.

Soon, Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's cultivation aura plummeted to Golden Core late-stage, then Foundation Establishment, finally dropping to Qi Refining.

His Nascent Soul shrank drastically, growing faint and dim, on the verge of collapse.

This meant the blood-cursed realm's once-feared Nascent Soul Demon Lord had lost all centuries of cultivation—turned into mere nourishment.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming's demonic infant, after absorbing the essence of Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's Nascent Soul, surged in power, instantly growing a full size larger.

"I truly don't understand why Blood Refining Demon Sect cultivators are so obsessed with pig-fattening arts."

"But even Blood-Hatred Demon Lord himself didn't realize he was being fattened—he was fooled too. Clearly, there's a higher predator at the top of this food chain."

Qin Ming felt his demonic infant's body cultivation skyrocketing—he was secretly astonished. No wonder demonic cultivators were so addicted to demonic arts.

Such a simple, brutal way to plunder cultivation—hardly anyone could resist its allure.

The demonic infant devoured the remains of Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's Nascent Soul with wild greed, swallowing every last fragment.

"The Yuan Sha Demon Seed Scripture is truly ruthless—it's all about mutual devouring."

As the demonic infant finished consuming Blood-Hatred Ancestor, all the memory data within his soul was absorbed by Qin Ming.

He completely bypassed the Blood Refining Demon Sect's soul-sealing techniques.

From Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's Nascent Soul memories, Qin Ming found the method to break the Blood-Ring Curse Seal.

First, he cast the Thorn Spell, draining the Demon Lord's corpse into a dark crimson blood pearl, thick with blood essence.

"Master, you didn't even leave me a scrap of that Nascent Soul?" The Devouring Rat stared helplessly as the demonic infant devoured the Nascent Soul clean.

Qin Ming tucked away the blood pearl and said calmly: "Aren't there still two left?"

Boom!

With Blood-Hatred Demon Lord's death, his Blood-Scaled Demon Serpent let out a mournful cry, its massive body collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Clearly, with its master dead, it too perished—bound by soul-link.

"Mercy, Demon Lord! I offer you a strand of my Nascent Soul essence—I pledge my life to serve you!"

I willingly offer a strand of my Nascent Soul's essence, to serve you as my master for all this life and beyond!

Far away, the True Lord You Sha was being chased like a rat with its head covered, driven by the Blood Refining Devil Light from the Blood Sea, controlled by the Old Devil of Qingyang, barely clinging to life.

Even more shocking to him was seeing Qin Ming's demonic Nascent Soul unleash its power, swiftly crushing and annihilating the Blood Hating Devil Lord in mere moments.

He mistakenly assumed Qin Ming was also a member of the demonic path—how else could one possess such terrifying power?

Qin Ming heard how this esteemed Nascent Soul cultivator, facing a life-or-death crisis, displayed such a pitiful posture.

He sneered, "To become my dog, you're not even worthy!"

Immediately, Qin Ming's demonic Nascent Soul formed another hand seal, and the Eight-Armed Yuan Sha Demon Form reappeared once more.

Then, Qin Ming, who had just been locked in place by You Sha's spiritual sense, vanished instantly.

BOOM! Before he could react, Qin Ming appeared at his side and smashed his skull with a single heavy punch.

Trapped within the Nascent Soul's domain, You Sha had no resistance left against Qin Ming, who could teleport freely through empty space.

On his tiny Nascent Soul face, terror filled every feature.

Qin Ming was about to imprison his Nascent Soul.

But at that moment—

A deep longing suddenly surged from within his demonic Nascent Soul, identical to the hunger of the Sky-Devouring Rat in the Small Spirit Realm—eyes wide, drooling uncontrollably.

Qin Ming forcibly suppressed this impulse; if he let the demonic Nascent Soul consume it again, who knew what trouble might arise?

After all, You Sha had not cultivated the Devil Seed in the Dao Heart technique—he likely couldn't be absorbed or fused.

If they failed to merge, it would cause major problems.

Immediately, he took from the Blood Hating Devil Lord's storage bag a black jade vial, based on the latter's memories.

This vial was named the "Stabilizing Spirit Treasure Vial," capable of sealing and storing a Nascent Soul; it was itself a fourth-rank inferior demonic treasure.

Compared to the previous "Blood Spirit Cage," it was far gentler in imprisoning and refining Nascent Souls.

A Nascent Soul trapped in the Blood Spirit Cage would instantly scatter its soul, its essence absorbed into the cage's demonic treasure.

This enhanced the treasure's rank and power—the Blood Spirit Cage, combined with the Blood Hating Devil Lord's Secret Art of Nascent Soul Binding, was devastatingly effective against cultivators' Nascent Souls.

"According to this Devil Lord's memories, countless lives had been sacrificed to forge this Blood Spirit Cage. It took the Blood Refining Devil Sect a century to gather the resources needed to refine it. The Blood Hating Devil Lord himself had merely borrowed it temporarily upon descending to this realm."

"The more Nascent Souls it refines in later stages, the more terrifying its power will become."

Then—

Qin Ming cast the Thorn Technique again, draining You Sha's corpse dry, turning it into a Nascent Soul-level blood pearl.

He then collected the corpse's storage bag as well.

With a sweep of his robe, he buried both dried corpses beneath the Lei Yuanmo jujube tree, using them as fertilizer.

Next, Qin Ming tossed the entire corpse of the fourth-rank demonic python into the Small Spirit Realm.

He kept the python's corpse to use its blood for cultivating and planting Blood-Crimson Rice.

The Sky-Devouring Rat's eyes gleamed as it immediately rushed over, inspecting the fourth-rank demonic python's corpse.

The overwhelming demonic aura radiating from the corpse made even this Rat King tremble with fear.

"Master, the demon python's core! Hehehe!"

It rubbed its excited little paws and asked.

Qin Ming replied calmly, "Pity—though this core still holds value, with the death of the Blood Hating Devil Lord, the python's demonic soul has been extinguished."

"Thus, most of the essence within this fourth-rank core has leaked away. Even if I gave it to you to consume, it likely won't help you break through to the fourth rank."

The Sky-Devouring Rat immediately looked heartbroken: "Aww! What a shame—fate just wasn't on our side!"

Seeing its expression, Qin Ming smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry—I've already prepared for your sake."

"There are now Yuying Fruits in the Small Spirit Realm—fourth-rank spiritual fruits. Though your bloodline isn't as potent as the Silver Moon Celestial Fox's, they still give you two extra chances to break through to the fourth rank."

"When the time comes, we'll travel to the Eastern Sea, visit the rumored Immortal Mansion Gathering, and gather a few treasures for your Tribulation Crossing."

"Otherwise, with your current cultivation and power, you'll likely end up as a roasted field mouse beneath heavenly wrath."

Hearing this, the Sky-Devouring Rat burst into ecstatic joy and rushed over to knead and massage Qin Ming's shoulders.

"Master is so thoughtful! I, the Sky-Devouring Rat, swear to serve you faithfully for life!"

Then—

Qin Ming swiftly cast a spell to erase all traces of qi from the scene, then vanished without delay, his body dissolving into ripples like water.