Chapter 699

From the brief interaction, Qin Ming judged that this Black Rock Demon Saint did not seem difficult to communicate with; peaceful means could still secure what he needed.

He secretly activated the Yin-Yang Mystic Mirror technique, scanning the other’s interior.

In an instant, a faint green glow flickered through Qin Ming’s pupils.

Inside the Black Rock Demon Saint, lush vitality surged overwhelmingly, nearly solidified—it was the most potent lifespan aura he had ever witnessed.

‘Truly deserves to be a thousand-year turtle, ten-thousand-year tortoise.’

‘At just early Gao Jie, it possesses over six thousand years of lifespan.’

‘Remarkably long-lived indeed!’

Qin Ming had just thought his own lifespan was long enough, but the giant tortoise demon before him was the true master of longevity.

Then.

Above the island, the Transformation Tribulation rained down relentlessly, its terrifying aura driving all other sea clans away from within ten li.

Qin Ming stood silently in midair; he was no stranger to Transformation Tribulations.

When he himself had broken through to Nascent Soul, he had endured the far more terrifying Earthly Sha Tribulation.

This scale of Transformation Tribulation meant nothing to him—mere drizzle.

Yet Qin Ming observed the Black Rock Demon Saint watching its offspring endure the tribulation, showing no great concern.

To its kind, it seemed as natural as water flowing downhill.

Qin Ming’s powerful spiritual sense had already observed: the black tortoise on the island bore no protective treasures whatsoever, relying solely on its black shell to withstand countless terrifying lightning strikes.

“Black Rock friend, aren’t you worried your offspring won’t survive the tribulation?”

The Black Rock Demon Saint replied with evident pride: “For other demonic races, this Transformation Tribulation is a life-or-death trial—but for our Ao Bie clan, it’s as easy as eating and drinking.”

“Our clan’s defensive prowess ranks among the top three among the demonic races of the Eastern Sea—few can match us.”

Qin Ming now saw clearly: that tortoise shell was truly unbreakable. Even continuous lightning strikes left only faint white marks, let alone piercing it.

Unlike the Devouring Rat—if Qin Ming hadn’t prepared tribulation gear for it, it would’ve been reduced to ash in moments.

Yet demonic races’ bloodline gifts differ, each with its strengths.

The Devouring Rat excels in Void Forbidden Arts, burrowing, Void walking, and superior treasure-sensing talents.

For the Ao Bie tortoise, extreme natural defense was only to be expected.

Gradually.

Above Ao Bie Island, thunder roared, heavenly might overwhelming, as Transformation Tribulation lightning struck without pause.

The black tortoise retreated into its shell, utterly motionless.

After more than half a day.

The black tortoise spat out a massive azure demonic core, effortlessly absorbing the final, fiercest lightning strikes.

Its demonic energy surged to the early Gao Jie level, and the black shell, having endured countless tribulation strikes, began peeling away.

Immediately, a brand-new jet-black shell grew in its place.

Long moments passed.

The storm clouds dispersed; the island fell silent.

The black tortoise had successfully crossed the tribulation, officially ascending to Gao Jie Demon Saint! All it needed now was to draw its demonic core back into its dantian to instantly assume human form.

But at that moment.

Qin Ming’s brow twitched. “Trouble!”

No sooner had he spoken than a jet-green demonic energy erupted from the water near Ao Bie Island, appearing as if from nowhere, striking the airborne demonic core and sending it flying.

The black tortoise, barely finished with the tribulation, was caught off-guard and severely wounded—it spat a stream of crimson blood and collapsed.

“Audacious thief, how dare you!”

The Black Rock Demon Saint, eyes blazing with fury, vanished from where he stood, rushing to save his offspring.

On Ao Bie Island.

Everything happened too swiftly—in mere breaths.

Qin Ming’s Nascent Soul-stage spiritual sense swept across, revealing a young man in emerald robes slowly materializing in the void near Lingdao—his eyes bore strange vertical pupils.

He was also a Gao Jie early-stage sea demon cultivator, clearly skilled in an extremely potent concealment technique, daring to strike the black tortoise right under their noses.

After appearing, the emerald-robed youth moved with lethal speed.

Yet what surprised Qin Ming most was his clear target—not the Gao Jie demonic core, but the discarded black shell on the ground.

Qin Ming acted immediately, yet his body remained still.

His Nascent Soul-late spiritual force erupted violently!

Simultaneously,

The emerald-robed youth reached out, snatching the black shell effortlessly, his face breaking into ecstatic delight.

He clearly sensed the Black Rock Demon Saint charging toward him in furious rage.

“I’ve no patience to tangle with this immortal turtle—got what I came for, time to leave, hahaha!”

The emerald-robed youth sneered, glancing at Qin Ming’s distant position, then turned to flee.

The green-robed youth sneered, his vertical pupils glancing at the distant sky before preparing to flee.

At that moment,

His fleeing form slammed into an invisible wall, staggering backward.

His flying form slammed into an invisible wall, staggering backward.

A crushing pressure surged from all directions, squeezing him inward—his very space twisted under the spiritual force.

The emerald-robed youth’s face paled. “Spiritual Form Manifestation? This spiritual strength—could he be a Nascent Soul-late cultivator?”

"How could you possibly appear here?" Qin Ming gave him no time to react—he unleashed the Soul Annihilation Spike from the Spirit Annihilation Technique!

“Spiritual sense taking shape—this level of spiritual sense, could he be a Nascent Soul late-stage grand cultivator?”

The emerald-robed youth’s demonic soul was grievously wounded—he screamed, clutching his head, dropping the black shell to the ground.

Demonic races’ bodies were far sturdier than humans’, yet their spiritual souls remained a critical weakness.

As Qin Ming prepared to cast another mind-controlling technique to capture him, the youth’s waist pendant shattered with a sharp crack.

His mind instantly cleared.

Without hesitation, the emerald-robed youth activated a technique, his body turning transparent and vanishing into the sea.

BOOM! The Black Rock Demon Saint’s black demonic energy struck the exact spot—but missed.

“Bi Xi Wang, this feud is unforgivable! Don’t let me catch you!!”

The Black Rock Demon Saint, enraged, abandoned pursuit and instantly rushed to the fallen black tortoise.

Qin Ming did not pursue either—not because he lacked desire, but because the Bi Xi Wang possessed a peculiar ability to fully merge with his surroundings; once he vanished into the sea, even Qin Ming’s spiritual sense could not track him beyond a distance.

His form blurred, and in an instant, he arrived on Ao Bie Island.

The Black Rock Demon Saint waved his hand, drawing the azure demonic core back into the black tortoise’s body.

His figure blurred, and in an instant he arrived on Ao Bie Island.

The tortoise’s form shifted, transforming fully into a young man with a simple, earnest face.

But his demonic core had been severely damaged by the Bi Xi Wang—his origin wounded—he was pale as paper, utterly depleted.

The Black Rock Demon Saint was frantic, giving his son a healing elixir, then summoning a yellowish-brown demonic energy to heal him.

But his demonic core had been severely wounded by the Green Lizard King, seemingly damaging his origin, his face pale as paper, utterly depleted of vital energy.

“Black Rock friend, your son’s injury is to his origin. If you force healing with demonic energy, you’ll only treat symptoms, not root causes.”

“Improper handling may miss the optimal window, leaving permanent internal damage that cripples his future cultivation potential.”

Qin Ming offered this timely warning—he intended to trade with the demon, and wanted no unforeseen complications.

The Black Rock Demon Saint immediately halted his actions.

The tone was too confident to be bluffing.

He had already realized: had this Long Dao Ren not intervened against the Bi Xi Wang, his son’s life might not have been saved.

Thus, his view of Qin Ming had shifted dramatically since their first meeting.

Perhaps this stranger truly meant no harm.

He turned urgently: “Long Dao Ren, do you have a cure? If you heal my son, name your price.”

Qin Ming’s lips curled slightly.

He had been waiting for those words.

Without reply, Qin Ming stepped forward to the earnest youth, withdrew a Li Yun Pill from his robes, and fed it to him.

Then,

His fingers curled in the air—a thread of emerald-green light, radiating lush, boundless vitality, emerged from the Four Seasons Divine Light, flowing into the youth’s body.

Time passed silently.

After more than half a day, Qin Ming had expended six threads of Four Seasons Divine Light.

The earnest youth coughed softly, his closed eyes slowly opening—he awoke from his critical state.

Qin Ming immediately withdrew his technique.

The Black Rock Demon Saint burst into joy!

“Tian’er, how do you feel?”

The earnest youth, now a Gao Jie demon, took a breath and instantly realized his grievous injuries had healed nearly completely.

“Tian’er, how do you feel now?”

The burly youth was a fourth-rank great demon; after awakening, he merely adjusted his breath slightly, then was stunned to find his severe injuries had healed seven or eight tenths.

Even the wounds on his meridians and demonic core were fully healed, restored as if never damaged.

He estimated that with just a few days of rest, he would be as vigorous as ever.

He looked stunned, muttering in reply: “Father, my injuries are completely gone.”

“What?!”

Even the Black Rock Demon Saint paused at these words.

He found it hard to believe, so he placed his hand on his son’s body and examined him thoroughly.

The Black Rock Demon Saint’s expression turned deeply strange, and the unease that had weighed on his heart instantly shifted to joy: “Truly, all is healed!”

“This is nothing short of a miracle!”

“Comrade Long, you are truly a divine being! Allow Ao to bow to you!”

The earnest young man on the ground also rose and bowed deeply to Qin Ming, speaking haltingly: “Ao Tian thanks you, Comrade, for saving my life.”

Qin Ming, however, remained calm and indifferent, simply saying: “Comrade Black Rock, don’t forget your earlier promise to me.”

The Black Rock Demon Saint snapped back to himself, retrieved the tortoise shell from the ground, and smiled warmly: “Of course. From now on, Comrade Long, you are a honored guest of Ao Bie Island.”

“To call this a mere transaction would be too distant after such a great debt.”

“Comrade Long, please come inside my cave to discuss matters—tell me what you need, and Ao will provide it without hesitation.”

“Please, come in!”

Qin Ming nodded; he could tell these two old turtles were relatively upright, likely having cultivated on Ao Bie Island with little contact with the outside world.

As he passed the entrance to the cave den, his spiritual sense unintentionally fell again upon the two-foot-tall spiritual tea tree.

Meanwhile,

In Qin Ming’s mind, the tortoise shell appeared—how the Green Lizard King had forsaken a fourth-rank demonic core just to seize this black shell; it must be an exceedingly rare treasure.

…

(End of Chapter)