Chapter 712: Ancient Poison Flame

Within the Small Spirit Realm.

When the Qingyang Old Devil saw Qin Ming’s spiritual body reach perfection, he could not help but exclaim in disbelief: “You actually managed to cultivate the Green Emperor Wood Sovereign Body to its peak state!!”

“Monster! Monster!”

“How many years have passed? I never imagined someone from Qingyuan Sect would ever succeed in mastering it—those old bastards wouldn’t believe it if they heard.”

“Jiejieje! From now on, you may begin to wield our sect’s treasured Gouyu Golden Light Mirror.”

“In the cultivation world, among all offensive treasures, none surpass this mirror.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming’s face brightened; he immediately gestured, and the ancient-looking Gouyu Golden Light Mirror flew out from his life-spirit plant, the Everlasting Immortal Vine.

This mirror had been planted within the black vine via the [Spirit Plant Seed Treasure] entry, and for so many years it had been suffused with a thick aura of temporal power, comparable to having been nurtured inside a cultivator’s body for thousands of years—its power had surged accordingly.

Qin Ming gently caressed the treasure mirror, then drew it into his body and activated the Green Emperor Scripture.

The Nascent Soul upon his purple palace altar held the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror and began refining it with its infant flame.

Time passed slowly.

As the Green Emperor Scripture’s spiritual power continuously flowed into it, the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror suddenly blazed with radiant light! Golden runes swirled like fish swimming within the mirror’s surface.

An ancient, time-worn aura emanated from it, lingering and unbroken.

This treasure seemed to have awakened once more after eons of slumber.

Hum~ Suddenly.

Among the Eight Trigram spiritual patterns on the mirror’s back, the Nanming Li Fire trigram ignited abruptly, radiating crimson light.

Qin Ming’s emerald-green spiritual power surged forth from his Nascent Soul like a great river, pouring into the mirror as the Green Emperor Scripture’s power continued to flood in.

A green rune glowed upon the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror and sank into it, instantly elevating it to the rank of a fourth-rank spiritual treasure.

At the same time.

Qin Ming’s Nascent Soul spiritual sense entered the treasure mirror and discovered that the Divine-Scorching Tribulation Flame he had endured during his Nascent Soul Tribulation now lay dormant within it, emitting a seductive black radiance. This was the mirror’s second great divine ability—and it required no consumption of his lifespan to use.

However, according to Qingyang Old Devil’s words, using this tribulation flame, specifically targeted at a cultivator’s Nascent Soul, demanded an enormous amount of spiritual power.

The Gouyu Golden Light Mirror earned its reputation as the number one offensive treasure precisely because of its Golden Light Divine Flame’s lifespan-draining ability, which ignored all defenses.

Qin Ming pondered briefly: “Why not fuse this Divine-Scorching Tribulation Flame with my own infant flame and the Soul-Devouring Poison Flame?”

“The power would likely be even greater.”

So he acted without hesitation.

Qin Ming formed a hand seal; his Nascent Soul emerged from his purple palace, opened its mouth, and spat forth the Soul-Devouring Poison Flame and his infant flame, transforming them into two orbs of spiritual fire—one emerald green, one orange—floating before him.

He then pointed a finger, and the sealed Divine-Scorching Tribulation Flame within the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror shot out.

Boom! Instantly, a terrifying aura of cosmic destruction descended upon the Small Spirit Realm; the temperature spiked sharply.

A palm-sized, dark-black flame trembled into view, its center faintly shaped like a lotus.

This tribulation flame was the fire of the Dao’s heavenly tribulation.

It could never normally be absorbed or utilized—even a Nascent Soul cultivator could not control it.

Any spiritual sense or magical power touching it would be instantly corrupted and incinerated by its terrifying flame!

Yet under the suppression of the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror, this tribulation flame had been seized and tamed by Qin Ming.

The flame’s power to scorch souls was so potent that ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could not withstand it; even Qin Ming’s own Nascent Soul, as it gazed upon the flame, radiated deep wariness.

Had it not been for the mirror shielding him during his tribulation, he might not have survived.

Immediately after,

Qin Ming changed his hand seals and began forcing the three flames to intertwine, merging and devouring one another.

A terrifying flame aura swirled and dissolved above the Small Spirit Realm.

Several days later,

A three-colored poison flame—shimmering emerald, black, and orange—was born through relentless fusion and absorption.

“Fourth-rank Superior Heavenly-Heavenly Poison Flame—Ancient Poison Flame!!”

Qin Ming’s eyes gleamed with intense excitement; having fused the three spiritual flames, he had finally cultivated an even more dominant poison flame technique.

Once the Ancient Poison Flame emerged, even a single drop could corrupt and incinerate the spiritual soul and spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Qin Ming flicked his finger; the three-colored poison flame in midair instantly shifted into countless forms.

Sometimes it became a fire phoenix, sometimes a griffin—endless shapes of spiritual birds and demonic beasts emerged.

It could even take the form of a blade-hilt weapon or unleash torrents of fire rain—its applications were boundless.

Even more astonishing to Qin Ming was that his Green Emperor Scripture was a wood-elemental cultivation method; using its spiritual power to activate the Ancient Poison Flame amplified its power several-fold, like adding wings to a tiger.

Under sudden attack, even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator would be left crippled—or dead—if struck.

After familiarizing himself with it, Qin Ming recalled the three-colored flame and sealed it within his Nascent Soul’s purple palace for nurturing.

“Another great technique cultivated! A great toast is in order!”

“So far, aside from the Gouyu Golden Light Mirror’s ruthless lifespan-draining ability, this Ancient Poison Flame is my most powerful technique.”

“Moreover, I can now use this flame for alchemy and artifact forging—it’ll double my efficiency.”

The Devouring Rat, watching from the side, trembled in awe: “Master truly loves playing with fire! Each flame is fiercer than the last—terrifying!”

Seeing the Devouring Rat pop up again, Qin Ming immediately summoned it over.

“Master!”

As soon as the Devouring Rat approached Qin Ming, he seized it in one hand and examined it thoroughly.

Two days prior, it had nearly been dissolved by the Spirit King Cauldron, suffering severe damage to its vital essence; though it had taken medicine to recover, it remained listless and weak.

Qin Ming worried it might have lingering aftereffects.

So he immediately activated the Four Seasons Divine Light and sent several threads of it into the Devouring Rat’s body.

A profound, rich vitality continuously radiated from the Devouring Rat.

After half a day,

the Devouring Rat was once again lively and energetic, restored to its full vigor.

“Huh? Fully recovered!”

“Thank you, Master! Hehehe!”

Qin Ming waved his hand, telling it to resume its cultivation.

He then took out the Spirit King Cauldron and resumed his research.

After several trials, Qin Ming discovered that when using this cauldron for alchemy or refining high-rank lifeforms, a green essence would remain inside.

If enough of this essence accumulated, it would coalesce into a fleshy mushroom-like substance called “Taiyi Essence.”

This substance had countless uses; Qin Ming had already tested it on his life-spirit plant.

Additionally, using this cauldron for alchemy suited him perfectly, raising his success rate by another two-tenths.

He could now craft Nascent Soul elixirs with effortless ease, mastering every step.

……

……

Several days later,

A message talisman landed in Qin Ming’s hand; he opened it to find a message from Longmu True Person: “Brother Qin, the time has come. We are preparing to depart for Longyuan Island.”

Qin Ming immediately left his cave and met the two Penglai Sect cultivators.

Outside the Penglai Immortal Tree, two thousand-zhang transoceanic spirit ships were ready to set sail, their masts bearing the Penglai Sect’s golden leaf emblem.

“Brother Qin, did you rest well under my care?” Longmu True Person asked with a smile.

Qin Ming smiled faintly and nodded: “The spiritual energy within Penglai Sect is abundant—excellent indeed.”

“Glad you’re pleased, hehe!”

Afterwards,

disciples and elders below gradually boarded the ships; the Immortal Mansion Gathering was a grand event held once every thousand years in the Eastern Sea cultivation world.

From Qi Refining disciples to Nascent Soul Supreme Elders, every sect member was expected to attend.

The Nascent Soul sects’ transoceanic spirit ships, like primordial behemoths, slowly set course toward Longyuan Island.

Additionally,

Qin Ming had already sent Hua Tianxiong along with Xia Yuangong and his companion from Tianlan Xiancheng.

Perhaps they could gather some rare treasures and help establish his Thousand Mechanism Pavilion’s reputation.

Inside the luxurious cabin of the spirit ship,

Qin Ming conversed with the two Penglai Sect Nascent Soul cultivators.

Since he had received the fourth-rank inheritance from the Penglai Immortal Tree, their attitude toward him had grown even warmer than before.

“Once the Immortal Mansion Gathering begins, all the elite will gather—some reclusive Nascent Soul cultivators, even cultivators from other realms, will come to witness the spectacle.”

“But only those above the Nascent Soul realm can attend; the journey is too distant for ordinary cultivators to reach Longyuan Island.”

Chen Mu said with a smile.

“Oh? Will the demonic races from other regions come as well?” Qin Ming asked.

“You mean the Beast Roar Mountains? I know you’re on good terms with those two Demon Saints.”

“But they won’t be coming this time—they’re likely focusing all their efforts on dealing with the Blood Huan Realm’s descent,” Longmu True Person replied.

Qin Ming nodded thoughtfully.

“Enough of that. Let me tell you about the customs and folkways of the Eastern Sea cultivation world, and some matters concerning the sea clans.”

Longmu True Person changed the subject.

……

Two months later.

The Penglai Sect’s transoceanic spiritual vessel began to slow, entering the domain of the sea folk.

Not long after.

A dark dot appeared in the distance, coming into view.

As the spiritual vessel drew nearer, the dark dot grew larger—revealing a floating spiritual isle suspended above the sea.

Its scale was only slightly smaller than Tianlan Xiancheng.

Yet Longyuan Isle hovered above the sea with majestic grandeur, truly spectacular.

Across the surrounding waters, various spiritual birds and carriages, divine beasts pulling treasure chariots, and magical artifact glows shimmered in radiant hues, converging as streaks of light toward the isle.

Among them were not only colossal powers like the Penglai Sect; other Nascent Soul sects had also dispatched transoceanic spiritual vessels, displaying the might of regional strongholds.

Moreover, sea folk both on and beneath the waves emerged endlessly, no less numerous than the human cultivators.

Even the sea folk’s dominant power, the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, appeared before them—riding a colossal thousand-zhang giant turtle bearing palaces of jade and crystal.

Smaller factions, upon seeing this supreme force of the cultivation world, all hastily made way.

At that moment.

A vast crystal palace emerged majestically above the sea, dazzlingly brilliant under sunlight’s refraction, and moving with astonishing speed.

It quickly matched pace with the Penglai Sect’s vessel, refusing to yield an inch.

Longmu Zhenjun, upon seeing this, narrowed his cloudy eyes slightly and said with mild surprise: “I didn’t expect even the Xuanming Sect from the Northern Cold cultivation realm has come.”

Qin Ming, hearing this, silently pondered—since the Northern Cold cultivation realm was extremely distant from the Eastern Sea cultivation realm.

Only Nascent Soul sects could possibly reach it.

“So it’s you—I thought it was someone else. It’s Master Guangling of the Xuanming Sect, isn’t it?”

A low voice slowly drifted into everyone’s ears.

The windows and doors on the upper level of the crystal palace opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged man in blue robes, radiating the aura of early Nascent Soul cultivation, his tone cold.

“Oh~ So it’s Master Guangling of the Xuanming Sect! It seems your ice cultivation has advanced further—no wonder the surrounding temperature has dropped so noticeably.” Longmu Zhenjun, seeing the man, gave no deference and retorted sarcastically.

“Mutual respect!” Guangling gave a light snort and had no interest in further conversation with the Penglai Sect members.

After closing the window, the massive crystal palace surged ahead, flying toward the floating isle.

After they departed.

Qin Ming asked curiously: “Master Longmu, do you have some grievance with that man?”

“Master Qin, you don’t know—these old men from the Northern Cold cultivation realm, emboldened by the backing of the Divine Ice Palace, are all arrogant and overbearing, convinced they’re superior to others.”

“If I hadn’t run into them here, I wouldn’t even bother speaking to them.”

“I see,” Qin Ming realized.

Yet he also understood: cultivation realms differed vastly in customs and character.

Cultivators from frigid lands often carried proud, unyielding dispositions—it was perfectly natural.

Moreover, judging from their mutual demeanor, he surmised that the Divine Ice Palace’s Soul Transformation elder likely held a higher cultivation level than the one from the Eastern Sea’s Star Palace.

Otherwise, Northern Cold cultivators would not dare display such arrogance on another’s territory without solid backing.

As he pondered this.

The two massive Penglai Sect vessels, along with thousands of shimmering lights, gradually neared Longyuan Isle.

The full sight of Longyuan Isle now lay exposed before them: magnificent palaces and pavilions stood in abundance, mostly designed in the aesthetic of the underwater world.

Countless coral-like sea plants glowed in dazzling colors, adorned with precious pearls that emitted a soft, luminous radiance.

At the isle’s center stood a vast circular structure, its middle a huge square.

Presumably, this would be the main venue.

The entire Longyuan Isle was shrouded beneath a purple light barrier, within which high-grade runes drifted unpredictably, faintly radiating a force capable of destroying heaven and earth—clearly a fourth-rank superior protective array.

Even a late Nascent Soul powerhouse could only stare helplessly.

In addition, with the grand gathering underway, Longyuan Isle’s defensive forces had greatly increased.

Outside, patrols were composed entirely of sea folk from the Tianhai Alliance and the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace—its defenses were impenetrable.

Because Qin Ming had previously provided intelligence to the Tianhai Alliance, an outer high-grade detection array had been installed: every cultivator entering Longyuan Isle must pass through it.

Anyone detected with irregularities would be instantly struck down by thunderous execution.

(End of Chapter)