Chapter 265 - 199: Big Horn Fate Star

Wisps of pure Star Power flowed through him, seeming to accelerate the healing of the internal injuries he had sustained from taking Elder Yun’s blow head-on.

"Cultivate well, and do not fail it."

Venerable Linglong’s voice, tinged with an ethereal smile, slowly faded away.

In a moment of inspiration, Qin Xuan instantly understood.

This was the Fourth Grade opportunity.

A reward from a Divinity Transformation expert—he had obtained another Life Star!

[Kang Jinlong·Da Jiao: Governs warfare. Utmost hardness and sharpness. Contains a trace of Pure Yang Dragon Qi.]

[Star Technique—Radiant Kang Metal Slash: Gathers Star Power and Dragon Qi into a single strike, greatly enhancing a Cultivator’s killing power and escape speed. The user transforms into golden light, becoming an unstoppable force like an overreaching dragon.]

A golden Life Star, radiating immense power, slowly orbited within his Dantian.

"Thank you for your gift, Venerable!"

Qin Xuan was overjoyed and bowed deeply in the direction where Venerable Linglong had disappeared.

’Now that I have this Star Palace, I’ll have a reason to call myself a Star Mansion Cultivator from now on!’

"Junior Brother Qin... no, Senior Brother Qin! Congratulations on receiving the Venerable’s blessing. The Great Dao is within your reach!"

The few other Holy Sect Cultivators who had been lucky enough to survive now gathered around him, their faces full of envy.

’Favored by Venerable Linglong and gifted a star, Qin Xuan has really shot up in status!’

Pang Tunyun, pale and with one arm severed, also staggered over.

He looked at Qin Xuan with an incredibly complex expression, then cracked a smile that was uglier than a grimace.

"Junior Brother Qin, what courage. As for me... sigh..."

Pang Tunyun shook his head and said no more.

He was filled with regret. If only he had possessed Qin Xuan’s courage, perhaps that opportunity would have been his.

Qin Xuan sighed internally.

’It’s a good thing I had the Divination’s guidance. Otherwise, I probably would have ended up like that poor fool Shi Potian, turned into a bloody pulp at the bottom of the deep sea.’

"Senior Brother, you flatter me. I was just..."

Just as Qin Xuan was about to speak, his gaze was drawn to a faint glimmer at the edge of the ruins.

He walked over to take a look.

Beneath a pile of rubble lay a small flood dragon about the length of his forearm, its body covered in fine, black scales.

The little flood dragon had a single, translucent, jade-colored horn on its head and the nubs of four claws on its belly. Its aura was faint, only around the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

But the vast, ancient aura faintly emanating from its bloodline caused the "Big Horn" Fate Star in Qin Xuan’s Purple Mansion to tremble slightly.

’A direct bloodline of the Dragon Lord, a Tier Five Juvenile Demon Beast!’

’And judging by the color of its horn, it’s not an ordinary Cyan-Scaled Chi Flood Dragon. It must be some rarer variant.’

’This flood dragon has immense potential. If I can raise it, it could reach the Nascent Soul Realm in the future!’

Ji Boyan’s indifferent voice sounded out.

"Qin Xuan, well done. Take this flood dragon and your Life Star. After you return to the Sect, I will personally preside over your initiation ceremony and formally announce to the Sect that you are now a True Inheritance disciple of our Holy Sect."

An initiation ceremony, to become a True Inheritance disciple!

Qin Xuan was ecstatic.

"Thank you, Demon Monarch!"

At that moment, Chen Xuanba happened to walk by.

He clapped Qin Xuan on the shoulder, and a Talisman slid silently from his sleeve, landing in Qin Xuan’s robes.

Chen Xuanba kindly reminded him via voice transmission, "Junior Brother Qin, an opportunity is wonderful, but you need to be alive to enjoy it. Be careful on your way back to the Sect..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Xuanba’s figure transformed into a streak of black demonic light and shot off toward the Holy Sect, taking the lead.

A chill went down Qin Xuan’s spine as he snapped back to his senses.

’A Life Star and a young Dragon Descendant... Is Ji Boyan really giving these to me with no strings attached?’

Qin Xuan rubbed his brow, a headache coming on.

’Damn it, everyone is always scheming. Why does trouble follow Ji Boyan everywhere he goes?’

Looking at the ruins of the East Sea Dragon Palace before him, Qin Xuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He carefully put away the timid Black-Horned Young Flood Dragon.

The flood dragon seemed to feel an affinity for the "Big Horn" Fate Star on him and didn’t resist.

"Return to the Sect!" With Ji Boyan’s order,

Qin Xuan, Pang Tunyun, and the others transformed into streaks of Escape Light.

They blended into the group of Cultivators and sped toward the Blood Demon Sword Sect.

...

「Elsewhere.」

Tens of thousands of miles away, inside a gloomy Cave Mansion.

Jiaang Xiaofeng was sitting cross-legged, healing his wounds, when a Jade Pendant in his robes, which shared the same aura as Ji Boyan, suddenly grew slightly warm.

A thought entered his mind.

"Life Star reward, young flood dragon companion, Qin Xuan has great treasures... returning to the Sect alone."

The thought was vague and didn’t state anything explicitly.

But Jiaang Xiaofeng’s eyes snapped open, a trace of greed flashing within them.

"A Life Star... a Dragon Descendant... I finally got my chance. I never thought Qin Xuan would be the one to receive such a fortune!"

Jiaang Xiaofeng immediately stood up and gathered his trusted subordinates.

After making some arrangements, several faint streaks of Escape Light silently left the Cave Mansion.

They stealthily made their way toward Qin Xuan’s return route!

...

As Qin Xuan flew cautiously above the sea,

the ball of light in his mind suddenly flared, and three bamboo slips flew out from it.

[Middle-Lower Draw: Ambushed by fellow Holy Sect disciples 1,500 zhang deep into Luoyun Strait. Risk of death. Ominous.]

[Middle-Lower Draw: Targeted by a hidden trap left by a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator 1,600 zhang deep into Luoyun Strait. Risk of death. Ominous!]

[The Worst Draw: Return by the original path, and your head will be separated from your body. Greatly Ominous!]

Qin Xuan’s pupils constricted, and his Escape Light came to a sudden halt.

’Someone really couldn’t resist making a move.’

His expression darkened as his eyes swept over the seemingly calm sea ahead.

Before him appeared a silent strait, roughly two thousand zhang long and a thousand ren high, piercing straight into the clouds.

’Fuck, what the hell is that bastard Ji Boyan playing at? First, he gives me a great opportunity, and now he wants to kill me?’

He sensed the eager "Big Horn" Fate Star in his Purple Mansion and the quietly curled-up Black-Horned Young Flood Dragon in his Storage Pouch.

Qin Xuan muttered to himself, the cold glint in his eyes intensifying.

"Let’s see if you have what it takes to claim them..."

Instead of changing course, Qin Xuan slightly adjusted his direction, optimized his condition, and continued forward without slowing down.

He already had a rough plan in mind.

After Qin Xuan was 1,500 zhang deep into Luoyun Strait,

a figure suddenly flashed into view, blocking his path.

The man was dressed in black, his face sinister, and the corners of his mouth held a hint of mockery and killing intent.

"Altar Master Jiaang?" Qin Xuan was slightly taken aback.

A flash of greed crossed Jiaang Xiaofeng’s eyes. "Junior Brother Qin, I hear you’ve acquired quite a few treasures. Are you interested in... gifting them to your senior brother?"

’He’s actually trying to rob me in my moment of vulnerability.’

Qin Xuan smiled faintly. "What are you talking about, Altar Master Jiaang? If that’s what you want, of course you can have them. It’s just that..."

In a flash,

before he could finish his sentence, Qin Xuan didn’t retreat. Instead, he abruptly accelerated, charging straight at Jiaang Xiaofeng like a moth to a flame!

At the same time, a Yin Thunder Talisman slipped silently from his sleeve.

"You’re courting death!" Jiaang Xiaofeng hadn’t expected Qin Xuan to counter-charge. With a furious roar, he urged his Lifebound Longsword to strike.

"Detonate!"

Just as the Lifebound Longsword was about to pierce his Protective Demonic Light, Qin Xuan crushed the Yin Evil Thunder Talisman on his body!

BOOM!

The black light of the Yin Evil Thunder’s explosion swept out!

Chaotic energy instantly engulfed the area.

When the dust settled slightly,

Jiaang Xiaofeng could be seen staring down in disbelief at a large hole in his chest. It wasn’t just a wound from the Yin Evil Thunder.

A strange, cyan-colored crack was also spreading across it.

It was a hidden trap left behind by Elder Yun’s cyan Nascent Soul when it had fled!

If Qin Xuan had passed through here unguarded, he would have become its prize!

"You..."

Jiaang Xiaofeng pointed at Qin Xuan, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. He fell backward, his aura extinguished.

Qin Xuan’s eyes darted around, and he immediately pounced on Jiaang Xiaofeng’s corpse.

He swiftly took out a Disguise Talisman and slapped it onto Jiaang Xiaofeng’s body, then used the Ten Thousand Forms Blood Talisman to alter his own form.

With a flash of light, Qin Xuan’s appearance and aura instantly changed, becoming identical to the dead Jiaang Xiaofeng.

He even perfectly mimicked that sinister temperament!

He quickly took Jiaang Xiaofeng’s Storage Pouch.

He stuffed his own clothes and belongings into it, then dressed Jiaang Xiaofeng’s corpse in his original clothes and some of his signature items.

PFFT!

With a vicious palm strike, Demonic Essence surged, destroying the corpse’s face and most of its distinguishing features.

After doing all this, Qin Xuan immediately fled in another direction, imitating Jiaang Xiaofeng’s Escape Light in a sorry state.

A few breaths later, Elder Yun’s cyan Nascent Soul emerged.

It saw only a mangled corpse dressed in Qin Xuan’s outer robe, its face blurred and its aura a chaotic mess.

"Hahaha, so it was you, kid! I searched high and low for you, and here you are, delivered to my doorstep!"

Elder Yun’s cyan Nascent Soul opened its mouth wide and, with a sudden inhalation of Demon Power,

swallowed Jiaang Xiaofeng’s entire corpse in one gulp.

Its spirit revitalized, Elder Yun immediately hid itself in the shadows again, preparing its next move.

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan, disguised as "Jiaang Xiaofeng," swaggered out of Luoyun Strait.