Chapter 685: Choice

Several days later, within the Small Spirit Realm.

Following the memories of the Blood Hatred Demon Lord, Qin Ming retrieved a blood token from his storage bag and began chanting a special incantation.

Gradually, the blood token in his hand glowed, and a strange blood ring emerged from his body.

As the spell continued, every strand of blood-mark aura on his body was completely absorbed into the blood token.

In some unseen realm, Qin Ming sensed the lingering, inescapable aura that had clung to him being utterly erased.

"With this, the blood ring curse is resolved—never expected it would end this way." Qin Ming internally surveyed his spiritual sense, checking every detail.

At last, a great weight lifted from his heart.

Over these past days, Qin Ming had also taken stock of his gains from this journey.

"I hadn't even reached Da Jin yet, and already I've claimed the lives and wealth of three Nascent Soul cultivators."

"I couldn't save Brother Li Huo—his storage bag I could only reluctantly take."

First and foremost, the richest haul was undoubtedly the Blood Hatred Demon Lord's storage bag.

"There were roughly ten to twelve thousand high-grade spirit stones, and over a thousand black demonic crystals used by demonic cultivators for cultivation."

I never expected that even a Nascent Soul demonic lord would lack top-grade spirit stones—apparently such resources are exceedingly scarce even in the Blood Ring Realm.

"Given his high rank and power, he should have had at least one or two."

"The most precious item on the Blood Hatred Demon Lord was that blood-soul cage magic treasure—currently only fourth-rank low-grade, but once it absorbs sufficient Nascent Souls, it can continuously ascend."

"Poor Master Li Huo."

When Qin Ming opened the magic treasure, the Nascent Soul inside had already been nearly fully refined, its essence entirely absorbed by the artifact.

Qin Ming had originally intended to try using the Four Seasons Divine Light technique to salvage something.

After all, this unique spiritual plant ability had previously been tested on the Green Yang Demon Lord, with remarkably effective results on spiritual soul healing.

It could be called miraculous recovery.

But now, Master Li Huo had become part of the cage artifact—Qin Ming could do nothing to save him.

Master Li Huo's personal wealth was also substantial: countless spirit stones, heavenly treasures, beast materials, cultivation techniques, secret arts, and elixirs.

Most formidable among them was his fourth-rank mid-grade magic treasure, the Eight Extremes Ruler—a rare and formidable offensive treasure.

Yet, what he carried in his storage bag was clearly not the entirety of Li Huo Palace's wealth.

The full reserves of Li Huo Palace likely remain sealed within the sect's treasure vault.

With the deaths of Master Li Huo and Elder Gan, the two pillars of the sect, internal strife will surely erupt.

Lastly, there was the Yousha True Person's "Soul-Transforming Spirit Gourd," also a fourth-rank low-grade magic treasure.

After all, not every Nascent Soul cultivator possesses a fourth-rank magic treasure—most rely on high-grade or top-grade magical artifacts.

Reaching the level of magic treasure demands not only extraordinary forging skill but also an astronomical investment of resources.

Simply sourcing the rare fourth-rank spiritual materials is no easy feat.

These three were renowned even among Nascent Soul cultivators, and their resources far surpassed those of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

"I hit the jackpot—this was a massive windfall."

"From now on, I'm comfortably wealthy in Nascent Soul circles."

Then,

Qin Ming took out the two blood pearls and approached his life-spirit plant, Yin-Yang Xuan Teng.

He tossed them upward, sending the two dark blood pearls toward the vine.

The jet-black vines writhed like tentacles, snatching the pearls from midair and absorbing them instantly.

Qin Ming gazed quietly at his life-spirit plant, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

After absorbing the two Nascent Soul blood pearls, the black vines seemed to gain immense benefit, radiating a wave of ecstatic emotion toward Qin Ming.

Then, under Qin Ming's watchful gaze, the black vines began to grow and transform once more.

Silver runes began swirling around the plant.

In some unseen realm, boundless ancient energy emanated from the Yin-Yang Xuan Teng; its dense branches and leaves spread wide, far more luxuriant than before.

The silver runes were now more complex and profound than ever, as if only one final step remained to complete the plant's next evolution.

"It seems the number of blood pearls is still insufficient."

"Only when my life-spirit plant ascends can my Green Emperor Scripture and Green Emperor Wood Sovereign Body continue to break through."

Qin Ming looked up at the ancient, mysterious black vine.

Yet, he was already deeply satisfied with how far his life-spirit plant had grown.

After finishing this, Qin Ming dismantled the corpse of the fourth-rank blood-scaled demonic serpent.

He separated its ordinary blood from its essence blood, collecting both into jade vials and sealing them for future cultivation use.

Though its demonic core had lost much of its spiritual essence, as a fourth-rank demonic core, its value remained high.

He then stripped the serpent's hide—fourth-rank serpent skin is a rare and irreplaceable material for crafting magical artifacts or magic treasures.

Its flesh was rich with spiritual energy; Qin Ming summoned the Devouring Sky Rat, the Black Water Crocodile, and the Silver-Winged Frost Bee to hold a barbecue within the Small Spirit Realm.

One man and three beasts feasted on roasted fourth-rank demonic beast meat and drank demonic flame wine—life couldn't have been more luxurious.

Only Green Yang Demon Lord, trapped within the Blood Pagoda, stared helplessly at the feast, sighing heavily.

"Sigh! I can't even recall how long it's been since I last enjoyed such fine wine and delicacies. Forget it—I won't watch. It's too painful!"

The Devouring Sky Rat, holding a skewer of meat, deliberately chewed loudly in front of him: "Mmm, fourth-rank treasure meat is truly delicious, with benefits beyond words."

Green Yang Demon Lord: "..."

Meanwhile,

With the deaths of these three Nascent Soul True Persons, the cultivation world erupted in turmoil.

Especially the deaths of Li Huo Palace's Supreme Elder, Master Li Huo, and Elder Gan—this was nothing short of catastrophic for Da Jin's greatest power.

Without Nascent Soul True Persons to hold the line, internal and external crises surged uncontrollably.

Yet, rumor had it that the founding ancestor's life-spirit lamp still burned, causing other Da Jin factions to hesitate and dare not fully turn hostile.

They dared not openly break ties.

But it was clear: unless a new Nascent Soul True Person emerges, Li Huo Palace's status will plummet irreversibly.

The Dao Defense Alliance was in chaos, leaderless. Fortunately, Wanbao True Person of the Ten Thousand Dao Trading Society had stepped in to stabilize the situation.

The impact on the Blood Refining Demon Sect was also severe.

Within the Great Li Yin Demon Sect,

At the head of the grand hall sat the Blue Ice Holy Maiden—after so many years, she had long since ascended to the Nascent Soul demonic lord realm.

Beside her were the Yin Demon Sect's Xuan Yin Old Demon and two other Nascent Soul demonic lords from the Blood Refining Demon Sect, both having descended from another realm.

"Why did that old devil Blood Hatred perish alongside two human Nascent Souls in the Beast Roar Mountains?"

"Could the ancient beast saint of Gu Mountain have intervened? If even a Nascent Soul couldn't escape, the opponent must have been mid- or high-Nascent Soul at least."

"No, according to Blood Hatred's last report, the beast tribes were planning to ally with humans against our sect." The Blue Ice Holy Maiden's face was icy and exquisite, her aura even more formidable than before.

"Something major must have happened."

"Order the disciples to investigate immediately and uncover the truth."

The death of a Nascent Soul demonic lord was a serious blow to the Blood Refining Demon Sect.

It was the first such incident since the descent from the other realm—something they could not ignore.

…

Half a month later.

Having just pulled off a major coup, Qin Ming, to avoid unnecessary trouble, immediately used the True Demon Illusion to transform into an unremarkable traveling merchant and entered Da Jin.

Upon arriving, he witnessed the chaos brought by war.

Tension hung thick everywhere.

Especially the former Five Elements Mountains, now the epicenter of battle between demonic and Dao Defense forces.

The Spirit Ruin Market had been sacrificed by Great Black Heaven, and the Five Elements Mountains Market had vanished, reduced to ruins.

Qin Ming sighed, "Such large-scale warfare—I cannot bring peace back here."

Then, Qin Ming contacted Hua Tianxiong and ordered him to come meet him.

Hua Tianxiong's patron, Elder Gan, was dead; staying in this war-torn wasteland held little meaning.

Outside Tianxian City, in the Central Region of Da Jin,

Hua Tianxiong arrived riding his Golden Throne Palanquin and immediately bowed: "Hua Tianxiong, pays homage to my master!"

He looked listless—Elder Gan's death had clearly devastated him.

After all, the man had been his patron for years; though Elder Gan's support was mostly self-interested.

Qin Ming then drew Hua Tianxiong into the Small Spirit Realm to discuss the latest developments.

"By the way, how is Su Yuqing?" Qin Ming asked casually.

Hua Tianxiong hesitated, then replied: "My lord, Su Danwang attempted to break through to Nascent Soul two years ago—but failed."

"What? With Su Brother's talent and aptitude, he must have crafted both Nascent Soul Formation Pills and Ice Heart Jade Soul Pills, prepared everything for the tribulation—he had a solid chance. How could he fail?" Qin Ming was surprised.

Hua Tianxiong sighed: "They say the Nascent Soul formation process is extraordinarily difficult—not everyone has the fortune you do. Fortunately, Su Danwang had prepared contingencies; he only damaged his meridians and did not regress in realm."

"I visited him afterward. He said he plans to enter seclusion for ten years, then attempt Nascent Soul again—his life or death hinges on this next try."

"Now that Master Li Huo is dead, some of the fallout has reached Su's family—Su Danwang is under immense pressure."

"As for Da Jin, Wanbao True Person has temporarily taken charge to resist the demonic forces."

Qin Ming felt deeply moved, but he knew Su Yuqing's nature—once he made a decision, he would never waver.

"Hua Tianxiong."

"Master, please give your order."

"Next, I offer you two choices: one is to arrange for you to return to the Southern Wastelands cultivation realm and manage Wangyue Island with Mo Lingwei."

"Or you may operate your own business within the Star-Moon Bazaar and meanwhile gather spiritual items for me."

"The Southern Wastelands currently face no threat of demonic invasions from the lower realms; the cultivation environment is naturally safer and more stable than today's Great Jin."

"With my imperial decree, you will thrive without difficulty."

Upon hearing this, Hua Tianxiong's earlier gloom vanished instantly, his face lighting up with unmistakable excitement.

He was about to rush into an immediate agreement.

But Qin Ming halted him and continued: "The second option is that I intend to travel to the Eastern Sea cultivation realm. The duration is uncertain—perhaps only a few years, or possibly several decades."

"During this time, certain tasks will certainly require you to run errands on my behalf, handling matters that demand public visibility."

"But I have never set foot in the Eastern Sea region before; I am unfamiliar with the land and its people. There may be all manner of dangers at sea, and I cannot guarantee your safety at every moment."

"Decide for yourself how to proceed."

After speaking, Qin Ming fell silent, awaiting Hua Tianxiong's response.

Upon hearing Qin Ming's words, Hua Tianxiong was instantly caught in a painful dilemma.

Yet only half a cup of tea passed.

Hua Tianxiong's face hardened with resolve; he bowed deeply before Qin Ming, clasping his fists, and declared decisively: "I wish to follow my Master to the Eastern Sea cultivation realm and serve you loyally."

He was already of advanced age; if he did not seize this chance now, he might never get another—and he knew well who his true patron was.

"Very well. Attend to your subordinates' affairs first."

"By the way, arrange for someone to escort Lao Jia and Li Lan from Jingxue Pavilion back to the Southern Wastelands."

Qin Ming gazed distantly toward Litian Xiancheng.

Lihuo Palace is now solely preoccupied with its internal crisis.

Outside what was once the largest cultivation city in Great Jin, demonic cultivators roam freely; the land is filled with panic and fear—hardly a place for steady business.

"Of course, matters in the Eastern Sea are not urgent. While this chaos lasts, many scarce resources in Great Jin may secretly leak out. Here is the list of spiritual items I require; begin gathering a few for me as a trial."

"Pay particular attention to 'Qingkong Lingrang' and similar items."

"Yes, I'll set to work at once!"

Hua Tianxiong took the jade slip from Qin Ming's hand and withdrew to carry out his orders.

(End of Chapter)