Chapter 734: Plan

Within the Small Spirit Realm.

After Qin Ming returned to Wangyue Island, he began cultivating Blood Serpent Green Rice.

He mixed spiritual items such as Qingkong Spirit Soil and Xuanhuang Essence according to cultivation methods, then performed Spirit Planting Arts to plant all the seeds, watering them with a small amount of demonic python blood.

He tended to them meticulously every day.

Several months passed.

Dozens of vibrant green sprouts quietly emerged.

These young rice shoots bore faint blood-red patterns, wreathed in a light mist of auroral haze.

At the same time, two golden terms appeared in his vision:

【Name】: Blood Serpent Green Rice 【Term】: Nascent Soul Magic Power ×5 (Maturity 2%) 【Name】: Blood Serpent Green Rice 【Term】: Time Flies ×5 (Maturity 2%) In the following days, he periodically irrigated these spirit rice with the essence blood of snake or dragon creatures.

Time flowed on, years slipped by like a shuttle.

On this day, the sky over Wangyue Lake was clear and boundless.

Yet above a peak on the outer edge of the spirit island, a ten-li-wide vortex of spiritual energy and auroral clouds gathered, relentlessly pouring into one of the caves.

The many spirit farmers tending the fields and low-level cultivators on the island were all startled, staring dumbfounded at the sky.

“It’s a Core Formation heavenly sign!”

“Who would’ve thought Wangyue Island would produce another Jin Dan True Person?”

“It must be Director Mo Lingwei.”

Qin Ming also stepped out of his cave, sleeves fluttering, expression calm, gazing toward the peak where Mo Lingwei resided.

This woman’s cultivation path had been fraught with hardship; she had endured countless trials to reach this point.

She bore the Phoenix Chanting Spirit Body, which granted a certain boost to her Core Formation quality.

Several days later, the spiritual energy aurora dissipated.

“She formed a Superior Jin Dan—her composure is indeed remarkable.”

Qin Ming’s gaze flickered slightly; he had already sensed the quality of her Golden Core.

Then came the Jin Dan Heavenly Tribulation.

Mo Lingwei had used her merits to acquire two magic treasures over the years and successfully withstood all the lightning strikes.

With her Jin Dan perfected and purified by the tribulation, she now officially entered the ranks of high-level cultivators in the cultivation world.

Several days later, this event became a celebrated tale across the Four Southern Kingdoms.

After all, Mo Lingwei had once allied with the Zhao Clan to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, fleeing her entire clan to the Jin Kingdom.

She had even submitted to the Six Demon Sects—anyone else with such a stain would have been hunted endlessly; a tainted reputation could never be easily washed clean.

But she met Qin Ming, who recognized her potential and appointed her to manage Wangyue Island.

Now, having achieved Jin Dan, her status and cultivation power had undergone a glorious transformation.

Mo Lingwei’s fate had made many female cultivators envious; many speculated her position would continue to rise.

After all, she was greatly favored by the sole Nascent Soul True Person of the Southern Wilderness, Wangyue Zhenjun.

…

After her breakthrough, she entered seclusion to stabilize her realm; Qin Ming did not disturb her.

Seven days later.

Qin Ming was reading a book in the Greenwood Pavilion.

A green streak of light descended outside, its glow receding to reveal Mo Lingwei in a pale green silk gown, ethereal and radiant, her brow now tinged with joy.

Clearly, she was overjoyed at having reached the Jin Dan realm.

“Lingwei bows before the Island Master!”

“Hmm. You’ve achieved Jin Dan—superior quality, no less. Rare. Keep striving, remain humble, and strive to reach Jin Dan Late Stage as soon as possible.” Qin Ming released his spiritual sense, scanning her several times before offering encouragement.

Her magic power was stable, her vital energy abundant, her realm firmly settled.

Qin Ming then gifted her a vial of Jin Dan-era tonic elixir and dismissed her.

With Mo Lingwei now managing Wangyue Island, Hua Tianxiong had been assigned to run the Star-Moon Bazaar.

He was also instructed to actively seek out Profound Dark Stone.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming remained stationed on Wangyue Island, as steady as an old dog.

Outside, his demonic Nascent Soul was out seeking new opportunities.

In the days that followed.

Qin Ming resumed his life of farming and cultivating on the island.

As for the Devouring Rat, Qin Ming sent it to find Yue Lingyan to learn about crossing the Transformation Tribulation.

The moment it heard it was going to the Fox Clan, it perked up instantly and vanished within days.

…

Within Liang Kingdom, Tianluan Mountains.

Verdant peaks rolled endlessly, encircling a lake spanning a hundred li. A silver arc of light flashed across the distant sky, causing nearby beasts to flee in terror.

A cross-border spirit vessel of the Four Kingdoms Alliance descended above a valley near the lake.

The vessel was densely packed with silver-armored cultivators, all on alert, rows of dark, ominous spiritual energy cannons aimed outward.

This latest cross-border spirit vessel had been acquired by Qin Ming from the Wei Dao Alliance of Great Jin.

When fully activated with sufficient spirit stones, it could unleash attacks rivaling those of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yet each shot consumed a astronomical number of spirit stones—truly a gold-swallowing beast.

In the impoverished backwaters of the Southern Wilderness, such a vessel could not be casually deployed.

Not long ago, the Liang Kingdom’s Xuexi Valley outpost received a report from herb-gathering cultivators: unusual celestial phenomena had appeared near the Sword Lake in Tianluan Mountains, likely a Void Anomaly.

The news was immediately relayed to the Four Kingdoms Alliance, and cultivators were dispatched to investigate.

Zhum～ At that moment.

The space around the valley suddenly trembled violently; above a region on the valley’s right, a pitch-black vortex appeared, unnatural and ominous.

Then space itself twisted; several blinding bolts of lightning erupted from the air, then exploded.

A five-zhang-wide void fissure instantly formed, lightning flickering within, as if something was about to emerge.

“Something’s happening!”

“All units, alert!”

The entire vessel activated a silver light shield, and the silver-armored cultivators moved swiftly into position.

After the Void Anomaly appeared, the fissure flickered, and two shadowy figures descended into the valley air.

One was a withered old man; the other, a blue-robed youth.

"Old Master Luo, I never expected that as soon as we descended to this realm, alchemical materials would just come to us." The blue-robed youth grinned strangely, staring at the Four Kingdoms Alliance vessel. The withered old man said: "Young Brother Dan, don't underestimate these humans."

“I’ve heard even Wu Kui the Demon of Ten Thousand Souls was defeated in this cultivation realm.”

“According to reliable intelligence, the Wangyue Zhenjun who guards the Southern Wilderness is no ordinary force.”

“Heh! Our Longshengguan’s primary goal here isn’t to conquer the Southern Wilderness, but to gather materials for the Blood Spirit Great Elixir. High-level cultivators will handle this one.” The blue-robed youth, upon hearing this, showed clear caution toward the name Wangyue Zhenjun.

The withered old man nodded, musing: “Indeed. The Seven Sorrows Demon Lord of Blood Refining Sect has already declared: all future maneuvers concerning the Southern Wilderness will be under his command. No one took this barren land seriously before—but now, with one incident after another, even the Seven Sorrows Demon Lord must be taking this seriously.”

The two spoke openly before the Four Kingdoms Alliance vessel, as if ignoring it entirely.

BOOM!!

At the commander’s order, the vessel’s largest main cannon ignited a glowing orange sphere like a miniature sun, firing straight at the Longshengguan pair.

A beam as thick as a water barrel unleashed apocalyptic power, instantly tearing through the sky, reducing everything it passed through to dust.

The peaks near Sword Lake were pierced and incinerated in an instant.

This full-power Nascent Soul-level strike consumed several million spirit stones.

When the smoke cleared, a middle-aged cultivator with a stern face on the vessel gazed toward the spot where the Void Anomaly had appeared.

The two figures were gone. He frowned.

“Senior Fang, no spiritual traces were detected. Did they turn to ash under the energy cannon?” A silver-armored soldier reported.

Senior Fang stared at the lingering Void Anomaly in the sky, then said calmly: “Such a large-scale void passage suggests the intruders are at least Nascent Soul cultivators. We must swiftly eliminate this anomaly and report it to higher authorities immediately.”

“Why didn’t they attack us?”

“Nascent Soul Demon Lord…” The silver-armored soldier broke into a cold sweat.

Then.

The Four Kingdoms Alliance cultivators began deploying Shadow-Cracking Stones to set up arrays and erase the Void Anomaly.

Hundreds of li away.

The two Longshengguan Nascent Soul demons reappeared.

“Had I not been in a hurry to meet my comrades and wished to avoid unnecessary trouble, I would’ve already refined those human cultivators into ingredients for the Five Viscera Elixir,” said the blue-robed young man, his tone indifferent.

The withered old man said: “No time to waste. Move out.”

Their figures blurred and vanished mysteriously from the spot.

…

On Wangyue Island.

Qin Ming reviewed the intelligence reports, his brow furrowing.

Gazing at the two figures in the memory jade, Qin Ming immediately recognized their identities.

“Why have Longshengguan people suddenly appeared in the Southern Wilderness?”

“According to Seven Sorrows Demon Lord’s memories, these two are not unfamiliar to him.”

Changsheng Guan sounded orthodox, but its bloody methods were no weaker than those of other demonic sects—indeed, they surpassed them.

It merely raised low-grade cultivators to serve as ingredients for alchemy, crafting all manner of elixirs forged from flesh and blood.

It even once consumed the flesh of tens of thousands of cultivators to forge a Nascent Soul Great Elixir, said to grant a significant boost in cultivation upon ingestion.

It was likely that Changsheng Guan’s people had appeared in the Beiming Mountains to gather so-called alchemical ingredients.

The Southern Wastelands’ cultivation realm had already been divided by his second Nascent Soul, Qi Shang Mo Jun, and Changsheng Guan dared not trespass; thus, they turned their attention to the Beiming Mountains, rich in demonic beast resources.

After all, demonic beast flesh was also an invaluable tonic for their demonic path.

“Two of them arriving at once—there must be some major move afoot.”

Thinking of this, Qin Ming immediately wrote a report and handed it to Wei Wuya, instructing him to send it urgently to the demonic tribes as a warning.

After all, the Southern Wastelands’ cultivation realm relied on them to draw the enemy’s fire; if the Beiming Mountains—the natural barrier—fell, the united demonic forces of Da Li would inevitably descend southward.

Qin Ming had barely enjoyed a brief period of peace—he naturally did not wish to see such a scenario unfold.

On the other side.

Within the Blood Demon Palace on Mo Yuan Island, all the Nascent Soul Demon Lords had mobilized, gazing at a massive fifty-zhang-wide void passage at the island’s center, as if awaiting the arrival of someone important.

Qin Ming’s demonic Nascent Soul, having possessed Qi Shang Mo Jun, was also among them.

According to him, the one to be welcomed was Tian Hen Mo Jun, the Second Elder of the Blood Refining Sect, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Moments later.

A sudden burst of black light erupted from the vast void rift, causing surrounding spiritual energy to spiral wildly, with thunderous roars flashing within.

*Wum!* As a resonant hum sounded, a streak of black light sliced through the rift and instantly landed upon Mo Yuan Island.

The figure wore a wide, blood-patterned black robe and a white mask covering half his face; from the stubble visible beneath, he appeared to be a middle-aged cultivator.

The moment Tian Hen Lao Zu appeared, the heavens and earth shifted, and a terrifying spiritual pressure from a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator caused every demon lord present to turn pale—they all bowed respectfully: “Welcome, Tian Hen Mo Jun!”

Such a powerful demon lord, in the mortal realm, could walk with impunity except when facing a Soul Transformation elder.

For in the mortal realm, any Soul Transformation cultivator who acted lightly would face backlash from the realm’s force, losing years of life.

Unless one ascended to the Spirit Realm—but over tens of thousands of years, only a handful of Soul Transformation cultivators in the mortal realm had succeeded.

Thus, even in Soul Transformation sects, Soul Transformation elders served only as Supreme Elders or Ancestors, never meddling in mundane affairs; their mere reputation was enough to intimidate other factions.

Positions such as Sect Master, Elder, and Guardian in Soul Transformation sects were all held by Nascent Soul cultivators.

That Tian Hen Mo Jun held the position of Second Elder of the Blood Refining Sect revealed the immense strength of his cultivation.

This was evident from how he had instantly subdued all the Nascent Soul demon lords upon his arrival.

Under the gaze of all, Tian Hen Mo Jun calmly flew into the Blood Demon Palace and took his seat upon the highest throne.

After listening to the reports from the cultivators below,

he finally spoke: “Fellow cultivators, let us now formulate our next plan.”

The demonic cultivators present then began discussing their respective strategies.

During this process, Qin Ming learned from the Changsheng Guan delegates that their sect had allied with another power, Wu Liang Shan, and planned a large-scale assault on the Beiming Mountains to harvest flesh and blood for crafting a certain elixir called the Blood Spirit Great Elixir.

The crafting of such an elixir typically required the corpses of a million beings, forged from vast quantities of living flesh and essence.

It was said that upon successful creation, it could greatly enhance Nascent Soul cultivation and extend lifespan significantly, with effects varying greatly depending on the quality and quantity of the life force used.

Qin Ming, present in the chamber, had heard every detail of these demon lords’ plans with perfect clarity.

These Soul Transformation sects of the Xue Huan Realm were preparing to unite and launch the first true large-scale invasion of the mortal realm.

Tian Hen Mo Jun had even made detailed deployments against the Southern Wastelands’ cultivation realm—but Qin Ming had taken full responsibility for them.

Invisibly, this has also reduced the invasion pressure on the Southern Wastelands' cultivation realm.

(End of Chapter)