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1Chapter 412 – The Sound of Broken Jade
2On Blood Demon Island, within the thousand miles of the island, the entire land was covered with a hazy, thick blood-red fog all year round. This fog had magical properties. If it touched a wound, it would be like a leech that dug into a person’s body, corroding their blood essence.
3Thus, if someone were to be seriously injured on Blood Demon Island, they would quickly die if they didn’t receive prompt treatment!
4At this time, the sun was high in the sky. On Blood Demon Island’s Thundercrest Sect transmission array, there was deafening thunderclap. A blaze of flames scattered out, sending several Houtian disciples that had been defending the location flying away by the forceful and intense winds. Fireshine spread its massive 100 feet long wings and shot into the sky.
5“What… this… what is happening!?”
6A disciple flew in, his eyes filled with complete disbelief as he watched the giant Vermillion Bird shoot up into the sky. What was going on? How could a Vermillion Bird have come out of their transmission array?
7Fireshine was far too fast. In the blink of an eye, it had already turned into a dot in the horizon.
8The group of stunned Thundercrest Sect disciples were left puzzled, entirely unsure of what was happening…
9“There’s a response from the jade slip…” Qin Ziya looked at the soul jade slip in his hand, the sliver of soul inside was dimming even further.
10“It’s most likely in that position.” Qin Ziya pointed. The soul jade slip could only make out a vague direction when it came to long distances.
11“Give me the jade slip!” Lin Ming received the soul jade slip, controlling which direction Fireshine was flying.
12Blood Demon Island had a thousand mile diameter. If the jade slip could accurately indicate which direction she was in, he could quickly find Qin Xingxuan.
13At this moment, Lin Ming’s mind began to shake. He slowly lowered his head to look at the jade slip in his hand, and heard a ‘ka ka ka’ sound emit from it. This light ‘ka ka ka’ was as if the jade slip was under a tremendous pressure and was about to shatter at any moment.
14Lin Ming’s complexion completely changed, and his heart stopped beating for a moment. As he held the jade slip in both hands, even his fingers began to tremble.
15If this soul jade slip broke, that was proof that Qin Xingxuan had died!
16The jade slip slowly shook for several breaths of time, and then finally stopped. The gentle glow of the soul sliver within the jade slip had completely vanished. Qin Ziya’s face was full of lament. “Qin Xingxuan is still alive. It’s just, Xingxuan now…”
17Qin Ziya didn’t continue speaking. A soul jade slip was connected to a martial artist’s soul. Even if they were physically injured, had their limbs broken or even arms cut off, the soul jade slip would not emit sounds that it was breaking!
18The only reason was if the soul of the martial artist themselves was on the verge of collapsing, or if their blood essence was seriously damaged!
19Whatever the situation was, both of these were extremely bad results.
20It could be said that Qin Xingxuan’s life was no different from a dying candle in a stormy ocean; it could disappear at any moment!
21Lin Ming’s eyes flashed with a killing light filled with carnage. He silently placed the soul jade slip into his chest pocket, letting it touch his skin. He swore to himself, “Ouyang Boyan, if Xingxuan dies, I will bury your entire Seven Profound Valleys’ Ouyang Family Clan as tribute!”
22Suddenly, the murderous intent of Lin Ming’s body erupted like a cataclysmic volcano. Even Qin Ziya, who had a cultivation at the early Xiantian realm, felt suffocated by this killing intent, like he could drown at any time within a sea of blood. Qin Ziya thought that in the moment that Lin Ming had witnessed the dimming of the soul jade slip, it was like he had turned into a demon of war!
23The Vermillion Bird let out a deafening cry; flames appeared all around it, forming a swirling storm of fire. All of the blood demons around were forced to run away by this momentum that seemed to pierce the heavens, and none of them dared to approach.
24There were even some slower blood demons that couldn’t run away in time, and they were rapidly engulfed in these burning flames and incinerated to ashes!
25At this time, in a corner of Blood Demon Island, six martial artists were being besieged by dozens of blood demons within a clearing in the mountains.
26Blood demons. The more people died, the more blood essence they could suck, and the more powerful they would become.
27At the start of the war, both sides would fight each other on Blood Demon Island. Occasionally, they would also fight blood demons. But as more and more people died, at this point, often both sides would be slaughtering blood demons!
28This sort of situation could not presently be resolved. They could only wait until the end of the war, and the side that won in the end would organize a party of masters to completely clear out the blood demons.
29The blood demons were only four to five feet high. They looked like humans, but they were like beasts that crawled on the ground with four limbs. Their facial features were blurred, and mostly only a big mouth and dark glowing green eyes were left behind, like a wolf stalking at night.
30Blood demons were like sharks – they were able to sense the smell of blood. They had surrounded these six martial artists and were ready to pounce at any given moment!
31However, every time a blood demon rushed over, they would bounce off a clear, shining  barrier. Any part of their body that touched this barrier of light would be instantly charred!
32“Senior-apprentice Brother Ou, if this continues we won’t be able to last much longer!”
33These six individuals were disciples of the Seven Profound Valleys. The one that spoke was from the Array Faction. This great array had been laid down by him in advance. Although Array Faction disciples had poor combat strength, if they were able to lay down their arrays in advance, they could play a huge role in positional battles.
34This Senior-apprentice Brother Ou was Ou Xiong. The reason he had come to Blood Demon Island was to monitor Qin Xingxuan, and also to trap her. Since it was convenient, he would also take away all the medium-grade true essence stones that Qin Xingxuan had obtained.
35As for mining for medium-grade true essence stones on Blood Demon Island and killing his way through blood demons to do so, Ou Xiong had never thought of this. To him, it was not worth the risk. He hadn’t lived long enough! As a disciple of the Acacia Faction, Ou Xiong had seven or eight concubines, and also more than a dozen pleasure maids. How could Ou Xiong ever give up such a wonderful arrangement?
36However, when Ou Xiong saw that the disciples of the Five Element Region had obtained a Demon Blood Crystal, he couldn’t help but feel his heart stir with greed.
37Blood Demon Crystal!
38This was a very useful treasure to a Xiantian realm martial artist. If he could obtain a Blood Demon Crystal, he would be able to exchange it for a minimum of two or three Heaven Opening Pills with the sect!
39With Ou Xiong’s talent, it was unlikely he would be able to break through to the Xiantian realm. The only chance he had would be if he swallowed down three or four Heaven Opening Pills. Only then would he have a chance of stepping into the Xiantian realm!
40However, Ou Xiong’s last name was Ou, not Ouyang; who would give him three or four Heaven Opening Pills? Ou Xiong had already lost all hope of entering the Xiantian realm, but now, this opportunity had appeared in front of him. How could he not be tempted by this!
41Within the Seven Profound Valleys, a Xiantian master was an Elder. The treatment that an Elder received was beyond that of a normal disciple. All those proud and arrogant women that had looked down on him with disdain…if he were an Elder, he could recklessly push them all down to serve his crotch!
42Thinking of this, Ou Xiong became incomparably excited. Not just that, but a Xiantian realm martial artist removed the foul Houtian air from their bodies, and their life was a hundred years longer than a Houtian real martial artist. If he had an extra hundred years of life, he could enjoy blissful days for another hundred years, and play with beautiful women for another hundred years!
43Thus Ou Xiong had decided to take a risk, and enter Blood Demon Island with this Seven Profound Valleys squad.
44Within this squad, besides Ou Xiong, there were also two Acacia Faction disciples, one Array Faction disciple, a Zither Faction disciple, and finally Qin Xingxuan.
45Qin Xingxuan was in an extremely bad situation, her lips and face had already lost all traces of color. This was the result of accumulated loss of blood essence over time. Not just that, but this time, she had been sneak attacked by a blood demon and had been bitten on the right arm, having a massive amount of blood essence sucked out of her.
46Once a martial artist lost their blood essence, it was extremely difficult to recover!
47When a martial artist lost blood essence, that also meant a loss of strength and life!
48On Qin Xingxuan’s right arm, her sleeve had been completely ripped off, revealing an open wound that dripped with blood. This wound caused her life to continuously pour out of her.
49The blood essence within her body was being continuously corroded. With her present ability, there was no way she could prevent this from happening.
50Qin Xingxuan mirthlessly smiled; perhaps today, here, she would finally fall.
51Even if she managed to return by a stroke of luck, she would not last another month. She had lost a massive amount of blood essence, and the source of her life was like a lamp that had run nearly completely dry…
52“Senior-apprentice Brother Ou, the array formation will not last much longer. At most it can continue for another half an incense stick of time. We have to break through the encirclement afterwards!” The array faction disciple said.
53Of everyone present, besides Ou Xiong who was at the middle Houtian realm, everyone’s cultivation was either at the peak Pulse Condensation period or even half-step Houtian realm.
54Only Qin Xingxuan was at the early Pulse Condensation period. Her cultivation was the lowest, and her situation was also the worst.
55“Break through…” Ou Xiong grit his teeth. Outside of the array formation, there were dozens of blood demons waiting to attack. There were even two higher level blood demons that weren’t much weaker than him. To break through this trap wouldn’t be easy at all.
56“Blood demons are fast. If we have to break through, we have to have some people protect the rear and stop them from following.”
57As Ou Xiong spoke, his eyes swept past everyone and fell on Qin Xingxuan.
58Qin Xingxuan’s eyes were chilling. But, the one who actually became angry for Qin Xingxuan was the Zither Faction girl. “Ou Xiong, what are you trying to say!? Junior-apprentice Sister Qin is already severely injured. You want her to bring up the rear? Are you still human!?”
59Ou Xiong callously shook his head, saying, “She cannot escape from here, her blood vitality is too weak. Whether or not she guards the rear, she will die. So if she is going to die, then why not make a sacrifice for the sect?”
60“You…!” The Zither Faction girl’s eyes shot open, “You are shameless! Sacrifice for the sect! Maybe the one who should be sacrificed for the sect is you!”
61Ou Xiong coldly sneered, “Since that is what you think, then you can go ahead and stay with her. Do as you wish!”
62“Ou Xiong, you cruelly harm a fellow disciple and have violated the rules of the sect. Once I return to the Seven Profound Valleys, I will report this to the Elders and have them punish you for your crimes!”
63After Ou Xiong heard these words, he frowned and his eyes flashed with killing intent. “Violate the rules of the sect? Have I killed you? Have I harmed you? I have not. Do you not want to break through? Dream on! Qin Yao, since you say so, then do not follow me when I break through this encirclement, you can stay with Qin Xingxuan!”
64The Zither Faction girl shook with rage. She turned to look at the other disciples but found that they were avoiding her eyes. In a life or death situation, they would first think of themselves. Who would still bother to care for the fate of others?
65Of everyone present, the one with the highest cultivation was Ou Xiong. With Ou Xiong, they had a slim hope for survival. Without him, they would undoubtedly die.
66Ou Xiong looked at Qin Xingxuan and sent her a true essence sound transmission, “I really feel sorry for you. You are beautiful and talented, just don’t take this personally. You’ve lost your blood essence. Even if you can escape from here, you won’t last another month. And for you, escape is simply not possible. So, I have a pill here for you. This is a Blood Burning Pill. It can stimulate all the potential in your body. Once you eat it and you guard the rear, I can guarantee that your Qin Family will be safe. You should know that Elder Ouyang wants to deal with you and the Lin Family – he simply doesn’t care for the Qin Family.” As Ou Xiong spoke, he handed Qin Xingxuan a blood-red pill.
67As the Zither Faction girl saw Ou Xiong give this pill to Qin Xingxuan, her complexion immediately hung. “Blood Burning Pill! Junior-apprentice Sister Qin, do not take it, this is simply a suicidal pill!”
68Ou Xiong glanced at the Zither Faction girl and sneered. He continued to speak through a true essence sound transmission, “Junior-apprentice Sister Qin, I am willing to take an oath on my heart of martial arts. As long as you can bring up the rear when we break out, I will guarantee the safety of your family. Although my promise is not too valuable, it is still an oath that I make. I won’t damage my heart of martial arts just for the lives of a few mortals. Much less, I have no enmity with your Qin Family.”
69Chapter 413 – An Eternal Instant
70In the skies above Blood Demon Island, Lin Ming stood atop Fireshine’s back. He had the soul jade slip in one hand, and the Purple Comet Spear in the other. He stood upright atop the Vermillion Bird, his long hair scattered in the wind, his murderous intent wantonly overflowing.
71Underneath Lin Ming, Fireshine seemed to sense his killing intent. Fireshine gave keening cry, and all the red fog around was burnt to nothingness by flames!
72According to the signal from the soul jade slip, he was already very close to Qin Xingxuan. But, the soul jade slip could only sense a vague location within a few dozen miles around. Lin Ming still needed to find her himself.
73At this time, Lin Ming had extended his sense to the limit, carefully investigating the area around him. “Mm? A blood demon’s corpse!”
74In a mountain valley below, there were several pools of wretched looking blood. These were left behind after a blood demon died and melted away. But judging by the looks of these blood pools, they had been recently killed.
75There had been a battle here!
76Lin Ming let Fireshine slow down. He stood on Fireshine’s back, closing out all six senses of his body and entering the ethereal martial intent state. Now, there was only his perception left behind. It was like the ripples of a lake that were spreading out in all directions.
77That thick blood fog was pierced through by his perception!
78Currently, almost all that Lin Ming saw in his mind’s eye was a world of red. He felt the lurking blood demons that were hiding in the blood fog, waiting to ambush someone, and he also felt the bones buried within the dark red soil.
79“Mm? This is… a battle? There are people fighting!”
80Lin Ming’s eyes shot open, and thunder flashed in his pupils. He felt that in the distance, a group of martial artists were in a desperate life or death struggle with blood demons.
81“Fireshine, go!”
82Fireshine gave a shrill cry and spread its wings. The surrounding red fog was twisted into a giant vortex with the gale wings.
83“One… two… three… five in total!” Lin Ming’s perception of the world was becoming increasingly clear. There were a total of five people that were fighting dozens of blood demons. And of these five individuals, besides the strongest of them, the rest were in a tragic state!
84“No… I’m wrong… there’s not just five, there are six people. But one is already on the verge of death! Their true essence fluctuation is too weak, I almost didn’t feel it!”
85As Lin Ming sensed the existence of this sixth person, he felt an inexplicable sense of grief and loss. It was like someone had stabbed a sword into his heart and twisted it!
86“Xingxuan… is that you?”
87Lin Ming bit his lips until the skin broke and he bled. With Fireshine’s speed, the time it would take to fly this distance was only several breaths of time. But to Lin Ming, this time seemed to be over 100 years long!
88At this moment when that group that contained six lives, one of the fires of life was suddenly extinguished. Now there were only five left!
89In a short instant, someone had died!
90Lin Ming’s breath caught in his chest. He trembled as he looked down, and saw that the soul jade slip hadn’t broken.
91It wasn’t Qin Xingxuan!
92Xingxuan… was still alive!
93As this thought just flashed in Lin Ming’s mind, he suddenly heard the horrifying ‘ka ka ka’ sound emit from the jade slip!
94The soul jade slip shook, and seemed as if something heavy were crushing it. On the very top of the jade slip, a thin, small crack appeared!
95In that instant, Lin Ming only felt as if his own heart had been ripped out. His eyes filled with blood, and his eyes caught on the soul jade slip. That small crack finally stopped spreading!
96Qin Ziya’s face filled with utter sadness. “It’s breaking… it’s breaking… although it hasn’t split yet, but…”
97They were a step too late! Once a jade slip cracked even a bit, that proved that Qin Xingxuan’s life had received a massive amount of damage, a point of no return. At most, she would only be able to survive for 10 more days!
98Lin Ming didn’t even speak a single word, remaining silent. Because of Lin Ming’s silence, the surrounding atmosphere became oppressive like they were in a pool of viscous blood.
99This invisible pressure even frightened Qin Ziya, causing him to feel a tinge of fear. He wanted to speak, but found that there was nothing to say…
100“Junior-apprentice Sister Qin!”
101With a clear cry, Qin Yao slammed down on her zither, producing a series of notes that exploded behind Qin Xingxuan, throwing away the blood demon that had attached itself to her back, destroying it.
102However, as that blood demon was destroyed, it had already sucked away the last wisp of Qin Xingxuan’s blood essence. She had eaten the Blood Burning Pill, but the truth was that Qin Xingxuan had long ago run out of blood essence!
103At this time, from head to toe, there was not a single hint of color on Qin Xingxuan. Her clothes were torn, her lips shivered, and she was just like a dying person who was thrown into an icy storm, freezing to death.
104She could have sliced apart the blood demon that had attacked her, but Qin Xingxuan actually didn’t have any strength left to lift a sword.
105“Senior-apprentice Sister Qin Yao… leave me…” Qin Xingxuan’s eyes were full of tears; she didn’t want to drag her friend Qin Yao down with her.
106Half a year ago, Qin Xingxuan had met Qin Yao when she was at the Seven Profound Valleys. The two of them had a very good friendship. Qin Yao was older than her by four years. Her talent was mediocre, but she still wanted to try and reach the Xiantian realm. Thus, she had risked danger to come to Blood Demon Island.
107During this month on Blood Demon Island, Qin Yao was like a big sister who constantly looked over Qin Xingxuan’s well-being. Through their adversities, they had become closer. If it wasn’t for Qin Yao, Qin Xingxuan would have long since died.
108During the month she had been on Blood Demon Island, Qin Xingxuan was confused. She had no idea what she was fighting day and night for. Lin Ming had died. Her Qin Family was under the control of others. And under the suppression of the giant force known as the Seven Profound Martial House, even her master Mister Muyi was unable to do anything, along with her grandfather. Now, all that she could do was wait for the newly crowned emperor to fabricate a false charge against her Qin Family, and the heads of all her family members would roll onto the ground!
109She didn’t want to yield. So, she persisted, she fought, she revolted as far as she could. She wasn’t ready to resign herself to such a tragic destiny. But she thought that even if she persevered and continued to live longer, so what?
110She simply could not resist the existence known as Ouyang Boyan!
111She wasn’t willing to die like this. But everything she did only added to the fun that Ouyang Boyan had, watching her suffer in pain!
112Confusion.
113Helplessness.
114Despair.
115In her fragile mind, the endless blood demons around her coalesced into a massive ancient monster, as if it was ready to swallow her soul…
116“Junior-apprentice Sister Qin, over here!”
117Qin Yao played several dozen notes, blocking the five or six blood demons that rushed at Qin Xingxuan. But Qin Xingxuan’s true essence was exhausted, and she had no blood essence left. She simply couldn’t activate any movement technique to escape.
118In that brief moment, Qin Yao and Qin Xingxuan were surrounded by blood demons. The two of them had been completely cut off from Ou Xiong and his group.
119Ou Xiong turned to look at them, the corners of his lips curving up an a demonic smile. “Zither Faction, Sword Faction, all they can produce are righteous idiots like this. Qin Yao knows perfectly well that she’ll die if she stays, and yet she still won’t leave. Well then, she can be buried here with Qin Xingxuan. This is also good, the two of them are enough for the blood demons to eat.”
120As for Ou Xiong’s two Acacia Faction junior-apprentice brothers, as they saw Qin Xingxuan and Qin Yao being surrounded by the mob of blood demons, their faces were full of regret. They didn’t regret Qin Yao and Qin Xingxuan’s deaths, but rather that these delicious and drool-worthy beauties would be spoiled by the blood demons before they had the chance to sample them…
121The three of them began to kill their way out of the encirclement. As for that Array Faction disciple, he had already been sucked dry by blood demons a moment ago. The Array Faction disciple had the weakest combat strength. When he had been surrounded by blood demons, he had called out for help. But, Ou Xiong and his two junior-apprentice brothers naturally didn’t bother to save him, lest they be dragged down and suffer the same miserable fate as him.
122“Mm? What’s that?”
123As Ou Xiong chopped a blood demon into pieces, he suddenly looked up and saw that a mass of flames was rapidly approached them at an amazing speed!
124“Vermillion… Vermillion Bird? It’s someone from Divine Phoenix Island!” Ou Xiong was immediately overjoyed.
125They were saved! Even Ou Xiong didn’t have absolute confidence that he would be able to break out of this tight encirclement. After all, there were still two high level blood demons that weren’t much weaker than he was.
126“Here! Over here!” Ou Xiong began to wildly shout, fearing that this person wouldn’t see or hear them. He promised to himself that after he escaped from here alive, he would never come back to Blood Demon Island. He would hug his seven or eight concubines to sleep – to hell with the Xiantian realm!
127Ou Xiong waved his sword, signaling to the Vermillion Bird. The Vermillion Bird was really flying in his direction, but… it wasn’t slowing down!
128As he saw the Vermillion Bird expanding in his eyes with terrifying speed, Ou Xiong was petrified. A figure leapt down from the Vermillion Bird!
129Bang!!
130An inferno of flames gushed out like a wave!
131Lin Ming’s spear swept out; over 20 blood demons were directly turned to nothing but ash! Even the two high level blood demons that were equal to a Houtian realm martial artist were instantly killed!
132Ou Xiong and his two junior-apprentice brothers were sent flying backwards. They landed flat on the ground, dazed like dead dogs. Ou Xiong’s eyes were wide, he couldn’t believe what was happening. It was a spear! Only a spear! And yet two high level blood demons and over 20 blood demons were instantly killed!
133Who… just who was this!?
134As the terrifying explosive shock wave swept over them, Qin Yao was frightened. However, she was surrounded by blood demons and didn’t know what had happened.
135She had paused, but in that moment of delay, a blood demon leapt towards her, and two other blood demons also leapt towards Qin Xingxuan!
136Qin Yao grit her teeth, and the zither in her hands burst with notes. But, she had consumed too much true essence. Although these notes exploded from her zither, she was unable to fend off three blood demons!
137“Junior-apprentice Sister Qin, be careful!” Qin Yao loudly shouted.
138Lin Ming’s eyes were like electricity. He was able to clearly determine the situation from 200 feet away. But in this instant, these 200 feet seemed like an eternity!
139200 feet distance, but only an instant in time!
140Lin Ming’s eyes emitted a savage and utterly brutal light.
141The power of Tempering Marrow burst out from within his bones.
142Heretical God Force – open!
143Every strength he had was unleashed to the limit.
144“Die!!!!”
145Bang!!!
146The rocks under Lin Ming’s feet suddenly blew up, the shattered stones flying dozens of feet into the air. Lin Ming shot forwards like a bolt of lightning. With the Purple Comet Spear in hand, he was like an avatar of thunder!
147Hu!
148Lin Ming’s skeleton issued out crackling sounds through his entire body. A glorious dragon roar emerged from his depths, shooting straight into the sky!
149“Divine Demon Thunder Soul!”
150The Purple Flood Dragon Divine Thunder was the ultimate suppressive power against demons and ghosts.
151But, the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder was just the opposite: it could instead absorb their power!
152Regardless of which one it was, both of them were the absolute nemesis of blood demons!
153Within Lin Ming’s body, the Heretical God Seed began to howl in elation. Lin Ming’s figure was completely enveloped by the phantom of an Azure Dragon. The Divine Demon Thunder Soul fused into the Purple Comet Spear; the power of thunder flared out!
154The terrifying purple and red dual-colored lightning formed a vast net of electricity that came crashing down!
155Bang!
156All of the blood demons that surrounded Qin Xingxuan and Qin Yao were instantly and completely exterminated!
157When a normal martial artist killed a blood demon, the blood demon would become a puddle of blood on the ground. But when Lin Ming hand instantly killed them, the blood demons had actually turned to ash, without a single drop of blood remaining!
158Qin Yao was utterly stunned. She watched helplessly as the horde of blood demons around her were instantly turned into floating ash, annihilated in a single second without being able to offer an ounce of resistance. She felt as if she were living a dream. Just… what was going on?
159However, Qin Xingxuan stood there in the same place, her body swaying as she stared at Lin Ming, her face devoid of any color.
160Slowly, her once dim eyes began to fill with a range of emotions.
161Joy…
162Affection…
163Happiness…
164Contentment…
165No regrets.
166Her lips bent awkwardly. She wanted to smile, but she failed to.
167Then, she began to fall over, like a broken butterfly in the late autumn cold…
168Chapter 414 – Do Not Move, You Will Be Safe
169In an instant, Lin Ming had appeared at Qin Xingxuan’s side, grabbing hold of her waist before she could fall.
170At this time, Qin Xingxuan’s body was heartbreakingly frail. She was as light as floating silk, and there was no sense of weight to her.
171As Lin Ming looked at Qin Xingxuan’s pitiful appearance, he felt a stabbing pain in his heart, as if his chest were about to burst open.
172Nearby, Qin Yao stood stock still like a statue. She looked the youth who was holding Qin Xingxuan in his eyes, and she was completely dazed. “You… you are…”
173A name echoed in Qin Yao’s mind. But, how could she possibly believe this!
174At this time, Ou Xiong had a charming and affable smile pasted on his face as he rushed over. Ou Xiong had great desires in his heart, he never thought that he would run into an expert like this. If he could form good relations with this expert, then he might be able to obtain great benefits.
175Thinking this, Ou Xiong’s smile became even more dazzling and bright. “Senior, many thanks for the graciousness of saving our lives. I wonder what Senior’s great name is…”
176As Ou Xiong spoke to here, the rest of his words caught in his throat. He was like a crowing rooster whose throat had been seized by a butcher.
177For a time, dismay and fear alternated on Ou Xiong’s face. His lips paled, his fingers trembled, and a cold sweat seeped out from all over him.
178Lin Ming!
179He was alive!
180Not only was he alive, but his cultivation he reached such a terrifying degree!
181The other two Acacia Faction disciples also paused. As disciples of the Seven Profound Valleys, there was no one who didn’t know the legend of Lin Ming. According to what they knew, Lin Ming had a very special relationship with Qin Xingxuan. As the two remembered what had just happened a moment ago, they felt their legs shiver.
182Lin Ming didn’t even glance at Ou Xiong and the other two. He placed a hand on Qin Xingxuan’s back to support her and continuously infused true essence into her body. He took a life maintaining pill from his spatial ring, and gently placed it between Qin Xingxuan’s lips.
183Qin Xingxuan let out a light sigh, and her face flashed with an unusual rosy color. She wanted to lift her hand and trace the contours of Lin Ming’s face, but to someone like her who didn’t even have the strength left to speak, this was nothing but a dream.
184Her pale lips moved, but Qin Xingxuan could not form any words or sounds. All she could feel was the life rapidly leaving her broken body!
185“I’ve got you, don’t move, you’ll be fine. Just lie down and relax.”
186Lin Ming’s words rang in Qin Xingxuan’s ears. Qin Xingxuan only felt her nose burn a bit, and tears silently fall from the corners of her eyes…
187At this moment, she was completely satisfied. This feeling of Lin Ming holding her cold body was very warm, and she felt at ease in his arms.
188She knew that she was nothing but an oil lamp that had run dry. But, she could die in Lin Ming’s arms. And as she stood at death’s door, she learned that Lin Ming was still alive. This life’s content was enough for her to pass in peace.
189With Lin Ming here, her grandfather would be safe, and her Qin Family wouldn’t suffer any longer.
190The corners of her lips bent, revealing a light, sweet smile.
191At the end of one’s life, a woman’s beauty only lasted a moment…
192Lin Ming carefully placed Qin Xingxuan on the ground. Qin Ziya sighed, a melancholic expression on his face. He shook his head and said, “Miss Qin has exhausted all her blood essence. It is too difficult to recover. I fear that…”
193Qin Yao was also sad. If Lin Ming had come just a bit earlier, even if it were just a day, then he could have rescued Qin Xingxuan. But now, it seems that he could only helplessly watch as she passed away in his arms.
194Lin Ming said nothing, it was as if he hadn’t even heard Qin Ziya’s words.
195He took out a small red jar from his spatial ring; inside of this jar was exactly the Vermillion Blood Essence that Mu Fengxian had given him.
196Of the 22 drops, Lin Ming had used 12. he had planned to leave the last 10 drops for Qin Xingxuan, but he didn’t have enough authority at Divine Phoenix Island to do so. It wasn’t up to him to so casually pass along Divine Phoenix Island’s Vermillion Bird blood essence to others whenever he wanted to.
197But now circumstances had changed. Lin Ming had obtained the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method manual. Let alone giving away some Vermillion Bird blood essence, even if he wanted to give away Fireshine, Mu Yuhuang would have nothing to say.
198Lin Ming carefully took a drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence and used a special jade spoon to attentively and gently place it between Qin Xingxuan’s eyebrows. His expression was one of supreme focus. In his eyes, there was only that drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence.
199Ou Xiong and his two juniors looked at each other. They noticed the deep fear in each other’s eyes, and began to unconsciously and slowly back away…
200But this action was seen by Qin Yao. She furiously shouted, “You three scumbags want to run away!? If it weren’t for you three giving Junior-apprentice Sister Qin a Blood Burning Pill and ordering her to protect the rear, how could she end up in such a miserable state!”
201Qin Yao’s voice was loud and clear. As soon as Lin Ming heard these words, in that moment, his hands shook, and the jade spoon in his grip nearly shattered!
202However, he eventually calmed himself. He meticulously placed a second drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence on Qin Xingxuan. At this time, even if an earthquake or tsunami were to occur in front of Lin Ming, he would not be distracted at all.
203An invisible killing intent subsequently filled the air, suppressing everyone in the area. Ou Xiong’s legs both became weak like jelly and his entire body began to drip with cold sweat. He wanted to turn around and immediately escape, but he lacked the courage to do so. If he ran away he would die, if he stayed he would die. No matter what he did or what route he took, he had already foreseen his miserable ending. Now, his heart could only pass away like dying embers.
204Lin Ming was incomparably focused. He placed one drop, and then another.
205In Qin Ziya and Qin Yao’s experience, blood essence could not be transplanted into someone else. However, Divine Phoenix Island actually had a secret technique that was able to transplant Vermillion Bird blood essence. If there was an individual that had a small amount of Vermillion Bird bloodline within them, as long as they had one or two drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence transplanted in them, it would be enough for them to practice the core sections of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method. It wasn’t enough of an exaggeration to say that two drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence was enough to birth a new Revolving Core master for Divine Phoenix Island!
206As for several drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence, that was enough to cause a dispute within the highest echelons of Divine Phoenix Island.
207Thus, it could be seen just how precious Vermillion Bird blood essence truly was.
208Without any reservations, Lin Ming had placed all 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence onto several of Qin Xingxuan’s important acupoints.
209Vermillion Bird blood essence had very mild properties. Once it came into contact with skin, there would be a slight itching feeling, as if all the blood essence in their body was rushing over to a spot between their forehead, and condensing into a crystal. When Lin Ming had transplanted the Vermillion Bird blood essence into himself, he didn’t feel any painful or burning feeling at all. Instead, he only felt incomparably comfortable as if he were resting in the palace of an immortal and drinking fine wine.
210So although Qin Xingxuan was in an incomparably fragile state at this moment, there was no worry that she wouldn’t be able to withstand the effects of the Vermillion Bird blood essence.
211As the Vermillion Bird blood essence seeped into Qin Xingxuan’s skin, her face was finally restored to a colorful and rosy complexion.
212Qin Ziya lay witness to this entire process from the side. At the end, when he saw Qin Xingxuan’s complexion restored and flush with blood, he was shocked. “What did you do? What is that red liquid? There is actually some miracle medicine that exists in the world which can restore blood essence?”
213After Lin Ming finished placing the last drop of blood essence, he let out a deep sigh of relief. Miracle medicine? Vermillion Bird blood essence could be considered this. Just now, he had used enough Vermillion Bird blood essence to create five almighty Revolving Core masters in exchange for the life of the early Pulse Condensation period Qin Xingxuan!
214Such a luxurious and disproportionate exchange was all to restore the blood essence within Qin Xingxuan!
215This was a great price that not even the total accumulated wealth of the Seven Profound Valleys could match up to!
216As the Vermillion Bird blood essence silently baptized Qin Xingxuan’s body, her eyes were tightly shut. Sometimes smoke would come from between her eyebrows, and sometimes she would  twist around. From time to time she would reveal a happy smile, as if she were having a pleasant and wonderful dream.
217Lin Ming silently waited by Qin Xingxuan’s side. He waited for her to gradually calm down and her breathing to even out. Eventually, it seemed as if she were sleeping.
218At this moment, Lin Ming finally stood up, a knowing and loving smile touching his lips.
219But this smile only lasted for an instant. Suddenly, and without a hint, that smile suddenly turned wholly cold. He turned his head, and his vision fell onto Ou Xiong and his two juniors, like the eyes of a death God had locked onto them.
220The time period in which Lin Ming had treated Qin Xingxuan was only a few dozen breaths of time. But to Ou Xiong and his group, those few dozen breaths of time were no different than 10 years. It was like they were prisoners on trial, and although they were incomparably frightened, they could only wait for judgment.
221“Mister Lin… I… I…”
222As Lin Ming’s eyes fell upon Ou Xiong, his overflowing murderous intent also enveloped him. Ou Xiong’s legs were like jelly as he fell to his knees, prostrate.
223As for the other two Acacia Faction disciples, they were in an even worse state. Their legs trembled, their fingers trembled, and they couldn’t stop shaking.
224They couldn’t be blamed for this, Lin Ming’s aura was currently too terrifying. When that middle Houtian disciple who was monitoring Qin Ziya on Coconut Star Island met Lin Ming’s eyes, he spat out blood on the spot!
225After experiencing the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm for a year, Lin Ming had fought in countless battles, slaughtering innumerable enemies. The killing intent that leaked from his body had reached a degree where it could already manifest into reality.
226“Mister Lin, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, please! I well help you testify against Ouyang Boyan! I know how he arranged everything! I know it all!”
227Ou Xiong went all out as he groveled for mercy. But Lin Ming only chillingly smiled, like a cruel beast, “…Help me testify against Ouyang Boyan?”
228“Yes… yes, if Mister Lin doesn’t believe me, then you may plant a seal within my body!” Ou Xiong was someone who feared death. In order to live, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
229“I do not need you to testify against Ouyang Boyan – I only want to kill Ouyang Boyan!!” Lin Ming’s voice was filled with a cold and domineering energy. At this time, he was just like a king who held life and death in his hands!
230Testify against Ouyang Boyan? That was to use the rules of the Seven Profound Valleys as a weapon to defeat Ouyang Boyan. But if Lin Ming had strength, then Lin Ming would be the rules! Why would he need anyone to testify for anything!?
231“Now, you can die!”
232After Lin Ming had suffered this loss, he did not wish to leave behind any more enemies. Even if it was just a nobody who was following orders, it was still a hidden serpent in left behind. Someday in the future, this serpent might return to bite him!
233Lin Ming flicked his fingers, and three crimson arcs of lightning shot out, shooting towards Ou Xiong and his two junior brothers.
234Ou Xiong’s complexion completely changed, and he turned around to flee.
235The other two also cried out and ran away, choosing different directions to escape in.
236However, those crimson arcs of lightning followed them. In an instant, they had already caught up. There was only a ‘chi chi chi’ sound as those crimson arcs of lightning attached themselves to the three like leeches and begun to ruthlessly devour their blood essence!
237The two juniors issued piercing screams. However, despite how much they struggled, it was all meaningless. Their bodies began to rapidly wither, and after several breaths of time, they had turned into desiccated mummies.
238Ou Xiong was able to last for a few breaths of time longer. The Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder pierced his thigh, and his thigh began to rapidly wither. Ou Xiong desperately screamed and then used his sword to chop off his thigh. But at this time, the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder was like a serpent as it latched onto Ou Xiong’s other leg.
239“AhhhHH!!”
240Both of Ou Xiong’s eyes filled with blood. He chopped down with his sword once again!
241Unwillingness. Pain. Despair. Ou Xiong’s face was already completely twisted. He grabbed his own face, wishing he could tear off his skin.
242Qin Yao was frightened as she looked from a distance. In that moment, she suddenly had a feeling as if Lin Ming himself were a demon…
243Chapter 416 – The Feeling of Not Losing Her, How Blissful
244Ou Xiong died, and it was also a painful struggle before he died. Because his cultivation was high, the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder wasn’t able to instantly kill him. But this only meant that he suffered more pain, and in the end, all that was left of him was a dry corpse.
245The three arcs of Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder howled as they flew back towards Lin Ming’s hand, and integrated into the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder’s Thunder Soul.
246Qin Yao gulped. Such a killing method was extremely eerie, to the point where it made her skin crawl. This was absolutely not the righteous path.
247Lin Ming turned around to look at her. Qin Yao jumped. Before she knew it, her hands were wet with sweat.
248“Thank you.” Lin Ming said. Lin Ming had seen the moment when Qin Yao had rescued Qin Xingxuan. He imagined that Qin Yao had looked after Qin Xingxuan many times. Otherwise, with her current condition, it was impossible that she would have survived until he arrived to save her.
249“This is for you.” Lin Ming took out two bottles of pills from his spatial ring.
250When Lin Ming had taken the spatial ring from the South Sea Demon Region’s Saint Son, Lei Mubai, besides the Great Desolate Blood Halberd replica and the ancient Devil Tome cultivation method jade slip, there were also many various precious and rare pills and treasures. Some of the pills were even more valuable than the Heaven Opening Pill.
251Lin Ming was not stingy. He had taken out a bottle of Origin Balancing Pills and a bottle of Earth Spirit Pills. These pills were miracle cures that were respectively used by Xiantian realm and Houtian realm martial artists. These two pills were able to stabilize one’s cultivation, and could build and refine the true essence in one’s body.
252This so-called strengthening one’s energy was in fact creating a more solid and stable foundation. Lin Ming’s foundation was already at the limit of stability when he had broken through. Therefore these two bottles of pills were relatively useless to him.
253Pills that could stabilize one’s foundation were much more valuable than pills that could enhance one’s foundation. Every two Earth Spirit Pills were equal to a Heaven Opening Pill, and, as for the Origin Balancing Pill, every one one was much more valuable than a Heaven Opening Pill!
254In a single breath Lin Ming had given away eight Earth Spirit Pills and three Origin Balancing Pills.
255Qin Yao took the pill bottles. After smelling the fragrance that wafted from them, she was utterly stunned. “These are… Earth Spirit Pills!?”
256To Qin Yao, Earth Spirit Pills were pills only found in legends. Within the Seven Profound Valleys, only a faction’s chief disciple like Jiang Baoyun, Qin Wuxin, or other characters like that could obtain one or two Earth Spirit Pills after they reached the early Houtian realm in order to solidify their cultivate energy.
257But Lin Ming had handed her eight of them!
258Every two Earth Spirit Pills were equal to a Heaven Opening Pill!
259To a martial artist from the Seven Profound Valleys, this was a staggeringly expensive pill that would leave anyone dumbfounded; how could she possibly eat these?
260Since she had Earth Spirit Pills, she might as well trade them for Heaven Opening Pills. Although Earth Spirit Pills had a great effect, a similar effect could be accomplished through accumulated effort over time.
261But, a Heaven Opening Pill was different. Without a Heaven Opening Pill, no matter how diligent one was, it would be impossible to step into the Xiantian realm.
262Therefore, to a Seven Profound Valleys disciple, an Earth Spirit Pill was just like delicious and valuable vicious beast meat was to a poor man. A poor man wouldn’t even be able to eat steamed buns, why would they eat valuable vicious beast meat? They might as well trade it in for several bags of rice and flour, that would be a much better use of it.
263“I…” Qin Yao didn’t know what to say. She knew what an Earth Spirit Pill was, but she had never seen an Origin Balancing Pill before. Still, just from looking at the rich heaven and earth origin energy that was condensed within the Origin Balancing Pill, she guessed that this precious pill was even more valuable than the Earth Spirit Pill.
264In truth, one or two Heaven Opening Pills were more than enough for her. The reason that she had risked her life to come to Blood Demon Island was to obtain enough medium-grade true essence stones in order to trade for Heaven Opening Pills. As for these Earth Spirit Pills, they were completely luxurious treasures.
265Lin Ming was able to guess what Qin Yao was thinking. He smiled and said, “The Earth Spirit Pills are for you to eat. You inner true essence is very messy, and your foundation is unstable. Otherwise, a few blood demons would not be able to deal with you. With your current condition, it will be very difficult for you to reach the Xiantian realm. If you have these Earth Spirit Pills, you can stabilize your cultivation so that your chances are much higher. As for these Origin Balancing Pills, you can use them to exchange for Heaven Opening Pills. Three Origin Balancing Pills are enough to trade for at least three Heaven Opening Pills. Once your foundation becomes stable, two or three Heaven Opening Pills are more than enough for you to reach the Xiantian realm!”
266Three Origin Balancing Pills can be exchanged for three Heaven Opening Pills?
267Qin Yao was stunned.
268At this moment, Qin Ziya laughed and said, “Qin Yao, these Origin Balancing Pills are for a Xiantian martial artist to use. Its value is truly above a Heaven Opening Pill. I can ask the Sovereign to help you trade. The Seven Profound Valleys’ Elders would be glad for this business.
269Qin Ziya was a Zither Faction Elder. If he helped her in the trade, then she wouldn’t need to fear that she would be scammed, and it was also safer. Qin Ziya didn’t have Heaven Opening Pills, otherwise he would be happy to make a trade too. To a Xiantian master, Heaven Opening Pills were useless. But Origin Balancing Pills could be used to solidify their cultivation base.
270Qin Yao was speechless with excitement. Her hands clutched her chest as she ran short of breath. Everything that happened seemed to be like a dream!
271Xiantian realm! She had long ago decided that she would firm her resolve and make the sacrifices necessary in order to work towards this high goal in her life. But yet, this goal had actually been realized in an instant!
272As Lin Ming watched Qin Yao’s excited expression, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. He understood very well her emotions at this time. In Sky Fortune Kingdom, there were many martial artists whose lifelong goal was to step into the Pulse Condensation period. To them, a Xiantian martial artist was no different than Gods from ancient legends.
273But now, these two bottles of pills were able to create a Xiantian martial artist, and realize the lifelong aspirations of a third-grade sect disciple.
274It could only be said that the disparity in this world was too great. All living beings were no different than ants. As for some people who believed they were above others, they were just bigger ants.
275Lin Ming’s own road that he had to travel was still impossible long.
276“Qin Yao, please do not spread the news that I am alive.”
277“I… I understand.” Qin Yao forcefully nodded. Although she tried to calm herself, her voice was still a bit shaky.
278Lin Ming smiled. Then, he bent down and lifted up the peacefully sleeping Qin Xingxuan.
279As he temporarily flattened his killing intent, Lin Ming looked for a peaceful place in the vicinity of Blood Demon Island and spread out a temporary bed of grass and clothing, letting Qin Xingxuan rest on top.
280Once Qin Xingxuan’s condition was completely restored, he would have the peace of mind to go and pay a visit to the Seven Profound Valleys.
281Qin Xingxuan rested for two whole days. During this period, Qin Ziya lived nearby. In these two days, Qin Ziya discussed the Zither Faction’s cultivation methods with Qin Yao; the two were simply birds of a feather. Qin Ziya’s natural talent was extremely high, it was just that he started cultivating martial arts too late in his life, and thus missed the best window of time to do so. But, he still had a very rich experience and depth of knowledge about the Zither Faction’s cultivation methods, and also into the intricacies of the Zither Heart. As he and Qin Yao conversed for two days, Qin Yao benefited a lot.
282Two days peacefully passed. Lin Ming had laid down a simple isolating array formation. Fireshine was just too conspicuous. Although he was hidden in a cave, he didn’t fear blood demons, but rather that any fight would disturb Qin Xingxuan’s rest.
283Qin Xingxuan slept soundly. Her expression was tranquil, and her face was cute and flushed, just like a baby.
284Occasionally, she would frown, and a look of panic would come over her. Presumably, this was because the shadows of her heart had deepened too much from these past days. Lin Ming’s death, her Qin Family’s imminent demise, the serpent Ouyang Boyan, and even the perilous Blood Demon Island; all of these were Qin Xingxuan’s nightmares, weighing down on her chest, making it hard for her to breath.
285Whenever Lin Ming saw Qin Xingxuan like this, he could only worry and be nervous. He quietly held onto her hands during this time, hoping it would give her comfort…
286This approach was truly miraculous. Whenever he did so, Qin Xingxuan would always slowly calm down, and sometimes even a happy and content smile would appear on her lips.
287The cave was cool. Moisture would condense at the top of the cave, turning into crystal drops of water. Once these water drops were big enough, they would fall down, releasing a clear ringing sound that echoed.
288However, Qin Xingxuan did not feel cold. The Vermillion Bird blood essence continuously and subtly transformed her bloodline, causing her blood vitality to be vibrant like a stove. Sometimes, Qin Xingxuan would even fragrantly perspire until she dripped. She would subconsciously pull off the blanket, and even tug away on her clothes.
289When this happened, Lin Ming could only blush and gulp as he embarrassedly tucked Qin Xingxuan back in her blanket, waiting for the Vermillion Bird blood essence to penetrate into her marrow and completely fuse with her.
290Time slowly marched on. Like this, another day passed.
291It was late at night, and the shining  bright moon was hanging in the dark night sky. Because of the endless red fog that never left Blood Demon Island, the round moon looked as if it were dyed red. But this only made it seem especially beautiful.
292Qin Xingxuan had already completely calmed down. The flushed ruddiness of her face already vanished.
293The bloodline transformation had quietly completed.
294A single tear formed at the corner of Qin Xingxuan’s eyes. Under the red demon moon, the light that fell down was a pale red. It was like a blood-colored pearl was hidden in the night sky. This scene was particularly poignant.
295As the tear rolled down her cheek, it was actually caught by a finger. Lin Ming gently wiped away this tear, feeling some heartache.
296At this moment, Qin Xingxuan loudly coughed. She revealed a pained expression and then… she opened her eyes.
297As her blurry vision began to clear up, in her eyes, she saw Lin Ming’s face.
298She was immediately shocked.
299These past two days, she had encountered countless colorful dreams and terrible nightmares. Now, Qin Xingxuan found it difficult to distinguish between dreams and realities. Between these dreams, she vaguely recalled that before she died, she saw Lin Ming coming to her on a Vermillion Bird. From time to time, this image would pop into her mind, but in the end she didn’t know whether Lin Ming was alive or dead.
300At the moment when she had awakened, she thought that she would be a lone girl that would have to face this desolate and bleak world. But, what she saw was Lin Ming sitting beside her, a tender and happy smile on his face.
301Now, Qin Xingxuan’s tears couldn’t stop. She threw herself into Lin Ming’s arms, crying and sobbing.
302She tightly held onto Lin Ming’s waist. She feared that if she let go, she would lose him.
303“It’s all right, everything’s fine. I’ve got you now.” Lin Ming gently caressed Qin Xingxuan’s back. His heart filled with emotion. This feeling of not losing her was truly blissful.
304Like this, Qin Xingxuan held onto Lin Ming. She cried without words. All of the grievances, injustices, and sorrows she had held within her now melted away like snow under the summer sun.
305Qin Xingxuan suddenly felt that her life was inseparable from Lin Ming’s. Even if the gap between them became a moat that divided them, she would do everything in her power to pursue him. She wouldn’t leave him, even if she had to be a moth that got too close to the flames…
306With a fragrant and jade-like Qin Xingxuan pressed against his chest, Lin Ming was also enjoying this scene that sent his stomach fluttering. After a long time, Qin Xingxuan whispered, “Um… I’m hungry…”
307After three days of not eating anything, Qin Xingxuan was starving.
308Chapter 417 – Towards the Seven Profound Valleys
309“Oh? You’re hungry?” Lin Ming brightly smiled. Hunger meant that she was much better.
310Qin Xingxuan nodded, a bit embarrassed. She was hungry and she was also thirsty.
311“I’ll cook up something delicious for you, I guarantee you’ll like it.”
312After Lin Ming spoke, he lit a fire and took out some pots; he had always brought along cooking utensils in his spatial ring.
313He placed a giant pot on the fire and added water. Then, Lin Ming took out a great piece of bright red meat from his spatial ring and tossed it in the pot.
314He sprinkled on some salt and spices, and then covered the pot to let it boil.
315After a quarter of an hour, a delicious mouthwatering fragrance began to drift out. Lin Ming slowly handed Qin Xingxuan a big bowl. The soft and red meat glittered, and the rich soup was a pale red. It looked like a vintage wine, and also extremely tasty.
316After a sprinkle of diced green onions and a dash of cooking wine, not even an immortal could find anything better.
317“What is this?”
318Qin Xingxuan asked in awe as she looked at delicious-seeming bowl of red and green soup.
319Lin Ming smiled but didn’t say anything. This was food that he had brought back from the Divine Phoenix Mystic realm, and was also the meat from those strange giant crabs. The river underneath the cave was very long, so Lin Ming was impolite and took some time to go hunting for a giant heap of those strange crabs. He had even taken a great amount of the river water.
320These two things were absolutely the best spiritual food and water. Within the Sky Spill Continent, there was nearly no place where something this great could be found. Lin Ming’s spatial ring wasn’t big enough, but Lei Mubai’s was. His low-grade earth-step spatial ring had over a hundred square feet of space inside. So, Lin Ming had packed it full of crab meat. The space inside a spatial ring was a separate dimension; food placed within would never spoil, and it had an effect of always maintaining freshness. It would be alright even if food was stored within for hundreds of years.
321After Qin Xingxuan drank the soup, she also had some crab meat. Qin Xingxuan looked surprised. The crab meat was soft and tender, yet full of strength. The soup was also extremely savory. Not only that, but once the crabmeat entered her stomach, it turned into a gentle flow of heat that slowly dissipated, spreading throughout her body and nourishing her true essence, making her feel warm. After drinking and eating this food, she felt completely comfortable.
322“What is this? Is it expensive?”
323When Qin Xingxuan was at the Seven Profound Valleys, she had also eaten spiritual food. Top quality spiritual food might even cost hundreds of true essence stones. But compared to this crab meat, that spiritual food was nothing. Could the cost of this crab meat be factored by thousands of true essence stones?
324Lin Ming said, “It’s great as long as you eat it. These are all things that I obtained in the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, they can help you recuperate from your wounds.”
325With 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence as medicine and then supported by the highest quality spirit food to assist in recovery, such an extravagant method of treatment was enough to make up for all the blood essence that Qin Xingxuan had lost.
326Qin Xingxuan’s eyes widened, “Lin Ming, what have you been doing for this last year? What happened to you in the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm that you had to stay away for such a long time?”
327“It’s a long story. Wait for me and I’ll tell you slowly. That’s right, how well have you practiced the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ that I gave you?”
328Qin Xingxuan said, “I’ve only practiced the first layer to the Large Success stage. I encountered many questions, the jade slip explanations aren’t too clear.”
329The ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ jade slip that Qin Xingxuan had was recorded by Lin Ming and given to her.
330It was not a simple or easy task to record a cultivation method onto a jade slip. There were many mysterious and profound principles involves. If one wished to engrave a cultivation method onto a jade slip, they had to be incomparably proficient at it. At least, they should have almost reached Perfection.
331Someone who didn’t completely understand the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ wouldn’t be able to engrave it onto a jade slip, but even if they were given a complete copy of the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’, it would be impossible for them to duplicate it. It was just like a person who didn’t understand how to carve seals. If someone were to place a seal in front of them and told them to copy it, they wouldn’t be able to create a seal that was entirely alike.
332This was also the reason that cultivation method jade slips were so rare and precious.
333Lin Ming himself had only practiced the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ to Largess Success of the third layer. This led to there being many ambiguities and omissions in the jade slip that he created. This was also the reason that Qin Xingxuan found it difficult to proceed, with problems everywhere she looked.
334Not just that, but more importantly, Qin Xingxuan didn’t have the memories of the Realm of the Gods’ Supreme Elder within her mind and the cultivation experience that came with it. Thus, even with her sixth-grade talent, her cultivation speed was very slow.
335Lin Ming sighed. Qin Xingxuan had now reached the Pulse Condensation period. If she wanted to complete the ‘True Primal Chaos Formula’ and then subsequently practice the ‘Chaotic Virtues Combat Meridians’ and walk down the road of Tempering Marrow, that would simply be too difficult.
336So, she might as well start practicing the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence was enough for Qin Xingxuan to cultivate the hardest and most difficult core sections of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. In fact, it was highly possible that she would even be able to practice the additional three layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ that he had obtained from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.
337Thinking this, Lin Ming asked her, “Xingxuan, are you willing to join Divine Phoenix Island?”
338Qin Xingxuan was stunned by this question. Then, her eyes shined. “Join Divine Phoenix Island? Can I?”
339Divine Phoenix Island was a top fourth-grade sect. With her sixth-grade talent, she was a once-in-a-generation talent within Sky Fortune Kingdom. Within the Seven Profound Valleys, her talent was also good. But if she were placed in Divine Phoenix Island, her talent was only ordinary. For instance, Mu Qianyu and Mu Bingyun were both superior seventh-grade talents. As for Qin Xingxuan, she was only a medium sixth-grade. Within Divine Phoenix Islands, most of the maids there were at least inferior sixth-grade talents.
340Of course, Qin Xingxuan also desired to join Divine Phoenix Island. In terms of cultivation resources, the difference between the Seven Profound Valleys and Divine Phoenix Island was like night and day. And the most important factor was that Lin Ming was also at Divine Phoenix Island.
341If she could go to Divine Phoenix Island, that meant she could be closer to Lin Ming.
342Lin Ming smiled. “If you are willing, then of course you can! This time I’ll take you to Divine Phoenix Island. There is no longer any need for you to stay at the Seven Profound Valleys!”
343The Seven Profound Valleys was a very complex environment. Lin Ming had far more enemies than friends. If Qin Xingxuan stayed there, Lin Ming would not be able to pass his days in peace.
344That evening, Lin Ming lay down next to Qin Xingxuan. They kept their clothes on, and held hands. Lin Ming happily reiterated his experience this past year to Qin Xingxuan. The conversation of these two continued throughout the entire night, as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Without either of them sleeping, they were still speaking until the dawn arrived…
345Next day, early in the morning, Lin Ming took Xingxuan’s hand and led her out of the cave. In the distance, they could hear the faint sounds of zithers playing. This was Qin Ziya and Qin Yao discussing zither music theory.
346As Qin Yao saw Qin Xingxuan leave the cave, she let out a breath of relief. Although she already realized that nothing would happen to Qin Xingxuan, it wasn’t until she saw her friend truly awaken that her heart rose back up from her stomach.
347“Junior-apprentice Sister Qin, you’ve awoken!” Qin Yao grasped Qin Xingxuan’s hands, a cheerful smile on her face. Qin Xingxuan’s face unconsciously flushed red, as if she had been caught doing something naughty.
348Towards Qin Xingxuan, Qin Yao felt a bit of sisterly envy. Lin Ming had flown hundreds of thousands of miles non-stop in order to rescue Qin Xingxuan. What girl didn’t dream that the one they loved would rescue them in such a daring manner, a dashing knight that radiating a glorious momentum?
349Not just that, but Lin Ming was extremely handsome, and his future was limitless.
350Originally, Qin Yao didn’t envy Qin Xingxuan; there simply wasn’t anything to be envious of. But now she did. The two bottles of pills that Lin Ming had given her were enough for her to step into the Xiantian realm. As for whatever he could give Qin Xingxuan, it was surely enough for her to step into the Revolve Core realm.
351The Revolving Core realm! It was also the realm of the Highest Elder. One would also have 500 to 600 years of life. Thinking this, Qin Yao sighed. Her Junior-apprentice Sister Qin was really lucky!
352At this moment, a flame suddenly lit in front of Qin Ziya. This was a sound transmitting talisman. As Qin Ziya heard the message from the sound transmitting talisman, he frowned, and then he sneered.
353“Mm? What’s going on?”
354Qin Ziya said, “It is a Seven Profound Command to summon me back. Ouyang Boyan has accused me of being derelict in my duties and defying military orders, saying that not only did I secretly leave Star Coconut Island which was under my supervision, but also that I injured his disciple and stole away the sea map. This time, Ouyang Boyan is preparing to impeach me in front of the Council of Elders.”
355Lin Ming smiled, but his smile was very cold. It contained a thick, deadly, murderous intent.
356“Well since that’s the case, Martial House Master Qin, let us return to the sect. I’ll go back together with you and have a look at just how they will impeach you!”
357Chapter 418 – Seven Profound Valleys Banquet
358“You will go to the Seven Profound Valleys? Now?” Qin Ziya was startled. In his view, Lin Ming was truly formidable, and was even stronger than him. But if he went to the Seven Profound Valleys, there were countless Xiantian realm masters scattered around like clouds – and even extreme Xiantian masters. Ouyang Boyan was himself already strong, but no matter how fierce Lin Ming was, how could he possibly do anything to Ouyang Boyan within the Seven Profound Valleys? At best, when Lin Ming went there, anything he tried would come to nothing.
359“Yes, I’m going to go now.” Lin Ming’s voice trembled with a light note of killing intent. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop by several degrees.
360“Lin Ming, don’t be so rash. Think about this.” Qin Xingxuan was afraid that Lin Ming would lose and that something would happen to him. It had to be known that within the complex and layered forces that existed within the Seven Profound Valleys, the Ouyang Family Clan was one of the greatest and most notorious. Ouyang Boyan was an important character of the Ouyang Family Clan, and his network covered the entire Seven Profound Valleys. A strong dragon shouldn’t press local snakes. If he faced off against Ouyang Boyan within the Seven Profound Valleys, it would be easy for him to suffer a loss.
361“Lin Ming, how about this, let’s go to Divine Phoenix Island first and see if we can use Divine Phoenix Island to pressure the Seven Profound Valleys…”
362“No need. I will solve this matter by myself. Now, let’s go!”
363“This… alright.” Qin Ziya glanced at Lin Ming’s killing intent and nodded. “When the time comes, try to negotiate as much as possible. I’m sure the Seven Profound Valleys would convene the Council of Elders…”
364Qin Ziya thought that the Seven Profound Valleys would punish Ouyang Boyan themselves. If this happened, they wouldn’t have to draw in Divine Phoenix Island.
365“But…” Qin Xingxuan was full of worries.
366Qin Ziya said, “It’s alright. Lin Ming shouldn’t be able to accomplish anything on this trip. But no matter how courageous the Seven Profound Valleys is, they wouldn’t dare to lay their hands on him.”
367Qin Xingxuan bit her lips then nodded. She whispered, “Lin Ming, be careful alright?”
368Qin Ziya paused and then said to Lin Ming. “Let’s look for a safe place first and settle Miss Qin down. Afterwards you and I can go to the Seven Profound Valleys together.”
369Lin Ming shook his head. He said, “War is erupting in all lands and directions – there is no safe place in the South Sea. Even if it was an isolated island in the middle of nowhere I wouldn’t feel relieved. Xingxuan, it’s best if you travel with me. Let us go to the Seven Profound Valleys together.”
370“This…” Qin Ziya was a bit worried, “Lin Ming. When the time comes, there are bound to be some battles that occur. If there is some accident, Miss Qin might be harmed…”
371Lin Ming’s expression went cold. “If there is anyone who dares to harm Xingxuan, I will exterminate the entire Seven Profound Valleys!”
372As these words came out, the murderous intent that had been hiding within Lin Ming began to overflow once again. Qin Ziya suddenly felt his back go cold, and he realized that Lin Ming was not joking. He prayed that when the time came, they would be able to peacefully settle matters. “That is… well, let’s not tarry any longer. We’ll go now.”
373The Seven Profound Valleys, Acacia Faction –
374A light mountain fog hung at the bottom of a vast lake. On top of the lake, there were a number of man-made islands. From far away, it looked like these islands were connected together by strings of shining  pearls.
375Today, the Acacia Faction was very lively and festive. Within the sect, they were holding a grand banquet.
376There were three celebrations happening at the same time. The first was that the Acacia Faction Great Elder Ouyang Guang was taking a concubine. Second, was that the Acacia Faction’s chief disciple Ouyang Ming had made a breakthrough to the Houtian realm. And third, the faction Elder Ouyang Boyan, who had been stranded at the peak of the early Xiantian realm for dozens of years, had finally made his breakthrough to the middle Xiantian realm!
377Of these three happy events, the most important two events were the celebrations of breakthroughs in cultivation. As for Ouyang Guang taking a concubine, that was an event worth celebrating, but to Acacia Faction Elders who had groups of wives and concubines, it wasn’t that great a deal. It was just that he was joining in with the rest and having a little celebration himself.
378As for Ouyang Ming and Ouyang Boyan making a breakthrough in their cultivation, this would greatly strengthen and consolidate the Ouyang Family Clan’s status within the Seven Profound Valleys.
379These years, the top master of the Seven Profound Valleys had mainly been the Jiang Family Clan. But, they couldn’t keep up with the Ouyang Family Clan’s flourishing descendants. The Elders had groups of wives and concubines, and many more girls that they played with.
380The larger their foundation of descendants, the more talents they could produce.
381Under such a situation, the Ouyang Family Clan’s population was several times that of the Jiang Family Clan. They had already nearly equaled them in power.
382On the main island of the lake, there were seven distinguished and broad stone bridges that connected to the other islands. These bridges were made of iridescent white marble, and were 50 feet wide. It was enough to allow two large carriages to pass by each other with room to spare. It was quite spacious.
383As this time, on these white marble bridges, there was a steady stream of people walking back and forth. Most of these people were from martial cultivation families, or were top figures of small sects.
384“Haha, Brother Boyan, congratulations!”
385A man with a long face greeted Ouyang Boyan as he saw him, cupping his fists together across his chest.
386“You as well.” Ouyang Boyan laughed in return. At this time, he was flushed with success and filled with elation. At this time, he had broken through to the middle Xiantian realm, Lin Ming had died, and his great blood grudge had been resolved. His thoughts flowed freely, and his heart was at ease. The true essence that had been blocked within him had finally connected, and he had made a successful breakthrough.
387Also, there was another event that caused Ouyang Boyan to feel very happy. And that was that Qin Ziya, the man that had kept obstructing him, had finally gone stupid and did something idiotic, injuring the disciple that he had sent to monitor him at Star Coconut Island. Not only that, but he had then swept away the sea chart and left without authorization from the sect. The Seven Profound Valleys had very strict rules. In times of war, they were even stricter. This time, Qin Ziya would not be able to emerge from this even unscathed.
388It was just a pity that Ouyang Boyan still hadn’t been able to make Qin Xingxuan submit to him and serve him. Although Ouyang Boyan was an Elder, the most he could do was pressure her using his influence and a military command. As for forcefully ravaging her, she was still a Seven Profound Valleys disciple, so that was impossible.
389This caused Ouyang Boyan to feel some regret. Otherwise, if he was able to possess and thoroughly enjoy the woman that Lin Ming had loved before his death, then that would be the greatest and most carefree dream that would make his mind flow even more freely.
390“Elder Ouyang, congratulations. To reach the middle Xiantian realm before 160 years of age, it’s not impossible for you to step into the extreme Xiantian realm in the future.” A long bearded daoist priest smiled in congratulations as he flicked his whisk around.
391This long bearded daoist priest was the master of a second-grade Daoist Temple. The Seven Profound territory had many small second-grade powers within it. They were not part of the Seven Profound Valleys, but still maintained a good relationship with them. Sometimes they would pay tribute with some top quality goods, and thus the Seven Profound Valleys would tacitly allow their continued existence.
392“So it’s Temple Master Qin, please, enjoy yourself.” The atmosphere of the event was very happy and festive. As one of the main hosts of honor of this event, Ouyang Boyan had to smile even when greeting these leaders of second-grade sects. He had fully stepped into the middle Xiantian realm, and had now officially joined the ranks of masters within the Seven Profound Valleys. Ouyang Boyan was only 150 to 160 years old; he still had much room to rise. After several more decades, it wouldn’t be surprising if he reached the late Xiantian realm.
393And the late Xiantian realm was where the true top level masters of the Seven Profound Valleys were. It had to be known that extreme Xiantian masters were exceedingly rare within the Seven Profound Valleys. Within the entire Ouyang Family Clan, there was only a single extreme Xiantian master.
394A grand feast had already been arranged on the islands. The seats around the tables faced the lakes, and the beautiful pavilions shimmered  like they were carved from the purest jade. They were crystal clear, high, and absolutely gorgeous.
395Those that could enter these pavilions were the top characters of second-grade sects, or they might be heads of certain great martial cultivation families. As for the main island, that was mostly reserved for the Elders of the Seven Profound Valleys. Those of lesser status celebrated on the surrounding islands. The entire banquet seating arrangement was organized by a very distinct separation of status.
396Ouyang Ming naturally sat at the main island. A year later, he was still as handsome and talented as before, it was only that his calm and restrained atmosphere was even more intense than before. As he sat there, he was instantly the focus of everyone present. His every movement caught the attention of the outstanding heroic elites present.
397Ouyang Ming had stepped into the Houtian realm at only 21 years of age. In the future, there was great hope that he would be able to reach the extreme Xiantian realm. Then, the Ouyang Family Clan would be able to usher in another golden age of unlimited prosperity!
398The young men present couldn’t help but compare themselves to Ouyang Ming. As for the young women, especially those that came from small family clans or small sects, they all constantly tried to enter the eyes of Ouyang Ming. These girls of common talent all dreamed that Ouyang Ming would fancy them and take them as his concubine. Not only would their status in their family clan or sect dramatically rise, but they would even have the support of the Acacia Faction’s resources. With that, breaking through to the Pulse Condensation period would be simple.
399For these young girls, this temptation was a fatal poison that they couldn’t resist. Not to mention that Ouyang Ming had extremely good looks that seemed sculpted from jade. If they gave their bodies to him, they wouldn’t consider it a loss.
400“Elder Senior-apprentice Brother, is that Ouyang Ming really so fierce? He’s at the early Houtian realm, but he can actually jump ranks to defeat a late Houtian master? Doesn’t that mean he is also more formidable than Elder Senior-apprentice Brother?” In a gazebo near the lake waters, a 20 something youth said in a quiet voice. He was from a small second-grade sect in the Seven Profound territory.
401His Elder Senior-apprentice Brother was nearly 30 years old, and his cultivation was at the late Houtian realm. In their small sect, this Houtian realm disciple was their top number one talent.
402The Elder-apprentice Brother nodded and said, “This late Houtian realm disciple should be a sect’s martial artist. Here, any casual inner court disciple is already far beyond me. Lamentably, I am inferior to Ouyang Ming. I am already 29 years old and Ouyang Ming is only 21. The difference between us is just too great!
403“But…” That Elder Senior-apprentice Brother changed the topic, “Liu Xuan from the Fierce Flood Sect is not some common nobody. This time, he might have thoughts to show off his skills during this banquet competition and brilliantly shine. Perhaps he might even think of challenging Ouyang Ming.”
404Within the South Sea Horizon and the Five Element Region, it was normal that a sect would hold a friendly competition during grand banquets. The Seven Profound Valleys was no exception. This was also a good opportunity for young talents to display their skills.
405Martial artists at the Pulse Condensation period and the Houtian realm could go onstage. But, the truth was that most of these second-grade sects’ Houtian realm martial artists were nearly 30 years old; they couldn’t really be considered as ‘youthful’ heroic elites. But in order to allow the Seven Profound Valleys’ Houtian realm disciples to show their skills, they had no choice but to go up onstage.
406In truth, many disciples were stilling willing to go up. When facing against a Seven Profound Valleys disciple, losing was no shame, and winning meant great honor.
407For instance, the Fierce Flood Sect’s Liu Xuan had stumbled into the cave domain of a South Horizon Region master that had passed away a long time ago, and had obtained a lucky chance from the legacy he had left behind. Now, he wished for the opportunity to go up onstage in the banquet competition and amaze the world with his display of skills.
408Over time, important figures of the Acacia Faction as well as some Elders of the Array Faction, Mirage Faction, and Refiner Faction began to arrive.
409However, there were very, very few people from the Zither Faction and Sword Faction..
410The Seven Profound Valleys had many internal contradictions. As the saying went, those who walked different paths had to go separate ways. Because of the different cultivation methods that they practiced, those from the Sword Faction and Zither Faction had very different personalities from those of the Acacia Faction. The Acacia Faction did not have harmonious relations with these two other factions. Since Ouyang Ming had Ouyang Boyan had made a breakthrough, only those Elders from the Sword Faction and Zither Faction that personally had connections with those from the Acacia Faction had arrived.
411There were multiple rounds of drinks, and the celebratory atmosphere had reached a peak. Now, the banquet competition would begin!
412This was the highlight of the banquet. Many young heroic elites smiled as they went onstage. These geniuses were the greatest talents of their sects. Naturally, they had waves of applause.
413But at this time, just several hundred miles away from the Seven Profound Valleys, Lin Ming was standing on Fireshine’s back as he flew in the direction of the banquet. He could already see the Profound Sky Mountains from several hundred miles away. To Fireshine, this several hundred mile distance would only take an incense stick of time to traverse…
414  
415Chapter 419 – Take Your Life
416In the center of the white marble stage, a sword light flashed, and a Seven Profound Valleys disciple gave a miserable cough as he was sent flying off the stage.
417“Fierce Flood Sect’s Liu Xuan, victory!” The referee deeply looked into Liu Xuan’s eyes as he announced the result.
418“Fierce! This Liu Xuan has won three continuous matches!”
419“And he still has strength remaining.”
420“The younger generation is really spilling forth with heroic elites. Liu Xuan, Ye Tian, Zhang Yan – all are more powerful than the last.”
421“But the truly fierce ones are the masters of the Seven Profound Valleys. The ones that have followed Liu Xuan up are the inner court disciples. Although they lost, the difference between them isn’t too great. If the Seven Profound Valleys’ core disciples or direct disciples enter the stage, then I have no idea what those battles will be like!”
422A disciple sighed. Everyone couldn’t help but glance over at Ouyang Ming, and were surprised to see that he had a clear, dreamy expression on his face as if he simply didn’t care about these fights that were occurring onstage.
423Obviously, battles of this level – even those including Liu Xuan – simply didn’t enter Ouyang Ming’s eyes.
424Those who glanced at him to gave birth to an an extremely deep and profound feeling.
425“Just how far does the degree of Ouyang Ming’s strength reach?” Some people couldn’t help but ask.
426“I cannot fathom. In short, all I can tell is that he is surpassingly strong. Perhaps he is even stronger than our sect’s Sovereign.” The one who spoke was a disciple from a small sect. His sect’s Sovereign had already reached the peak Houtian realm.
427“Stronger than your Sovereign? Isn’t that just too exaggerated!?”
428At this time, Ouyang Boyan was sitting atop the main island, watching the stage as the battles progressed and listening to the sounds of gently instruments float to his ear. He had a very enjoyable expression on his face, as if he was taking in all the luxuries of life. He had beautiful women swaying by his sides. These were his concubines and his maids. As these beautiful women weaved around him, it was a truly beautiful sight.
429Today was the happiest day Ouyang Boyan had ever experienced.
430Lin Ming had died. Qin Xingxuan would suffer a miserable and painful death. The Qin Family and Lin Family, both would be destroyed. And soon, Qin Ziya would quickly be penalized. All of Ouyang Boyan’s thoughts were smooth.
431Not just that, but during this banquet there was even a second-grade sect that had offered him 12 Pure Yin girls.
432These 12 Pure Yin girls had to have a talent above the third-grade and also be below 20 years of age. And most importantly, they also needed to be beautiful, virgin women. The most demanding requirement was their date of birth; it was extremely difficult to collect these 12 girls. Initially, Zhang Guanyu had offered a batch of 12 Pure Yin girls to Ouyang Dihua for his assistance . And, the final result of this was that Ouyang Dihua had instead lost his own life.
43312 Pure Yin girls were extremely beneficial to one’s cultivation of the Divine Acacia Power. Ouyang Boyan had already looked over these 12 young and beautiful girls and he was extremely satisfied by what he saw. Tonight, he would take their virginity and use it to enhance his own cultivation.
434Thinking of this, Ouyang Boyan’s thoughts began to heat up with lust; his mind had already drifted onto the bodies of those 12 beautiful girls.
435But at this moment, a flame suddenly lit in front of him. It was a sound transmitting talisman.
436Ouyang Boyan heard the message from this sound transmitting talisman and was shocked, “Someone from Divine Phoenix is forcing their way into the Seven Profound Valleys?”
437Ouyang Boyan doubted this for a moment, and then heard the clarion cry of a phoenix. Ten miles away, a massive Vermillion Bird cut through the skies, leaving a path of flames that burned the heavens!
438Ouyang Boyan stood up.
439The Vermillion Bird was the absolute symbol of Divine Phoenix Island. If one saw a Vermillion Bird, they would know without a doubt that it was Divine Phoenix Island. But, why would someone from Divine Phoenix Island come to the Seven Profound Valleys? They couldn’t be coming to congratulate him right? Divine Phoenix Island had countless Xiantian masters. To them, Ouyang Boyan who had just broken through to the middle Xiantian realm wasn’t even worth a fart. So how would they possibly come here to celebrate?
440Everyone present also saw the massive Vermillion Bird approaching. No one was allowed to fly over the Seven Profound Valleys’ entrance, but no one dared to stop this Vermillion Bird!
441Lin Ming flew straight towards the Profound Sky Mountains. There were several small spirit boats that approached him, wishing to inquire about who he was, but they were instantly thrown off by Fireshine. Fireshine’s speed was even quicker than a Revolving Core master.
442“Heavens! Is that a phoenix!?”
443“A phoenix! I’m not seeing things!”
444“It’s coming down! It’s coming down!”
445Several thousand pairs of eyes were wide as they stared into the sky. Everyone stood. Most of the people present were only from second-grade sects, when could they ever witness the advent of a Saint Beast!
446They could not distinguish the difference between a phoenix and a Vermillion Bird.
447A 100 foot long wingspan and a body entirely wreathed in roaring flames; strong gales formed a vortex, making it difficult to breathe for everyone below. Fireshine closed its massive wings, and looked down on the world with utter impunity as it dropped straight down!
448Bang!
449Flames combusted in all directions. Fireshine fell directly onto the middle of the lake island, and the hot streams of fiery wind smashed away all the furniture. Those martial artists with weaker cultivations were even forced back several steps by this strong wind!
450All of those present were frightened. Fireshine was Mu Yuhuang’s Vermillion Bird. It was a grown Vermillion Bird. Compared to Mu Qianyu’s Little Flame, it was over double the size!
451“Is that Divine Phoenix Island’s envoy?”
452“Divine Phoenix Island also sends congratulations to Elder Ouyang? Elder Ouyang’s face is truly great!”
453The many disciples of the Seven Profound Valleys were excitedly speaking amongst themselves. They assume d that the reason Divine Phoenix Island had sent an envoy here was to congratulate Ouyang Boyan. This sounded improbable, but during the last Seven Profound Valleys’ Total Faction Martial Meeting, Divine Phoenix Island had also sent an envoy to visit.
454In their limited worldview, it was possible that Divine Phoenix Island would send someone to congratulate Ouyang Boyan for breaking through to the middle Xiantian realm.
455Of course, Ouyang Boyan never entertained such a fanciful idea. His expression was solemn, and his eyes had already turned onto the several figures that were being carried on the Vermillion Bird’s back…
456A youth jumped down. In that moment, every single Seven Profound Valleys disciple fell silent.
457Several thousand eyes turned their gazes towards this youth, completely stunned.
458This person wore black clothes, and his long hair was recklessly scattered. He held a deep purplish-red long spear in his hand.
459His handsome face seemed as if it was hewed by a saber, and his two straight eyebrows slanted up. His eyes were deep and profound as if they contained the endless night sky! He only stood there, but yet a giant, invisible wave of pressure rushed out from him like a tide; even those people hundreds of feet away could clearly feel this aura. It caused them to find it hard to breathe and their hearts to palpitate!
460At this moment, that youth standing in the center of the square was like a heavenly God of War.
461“Who?”
462“Who is that?”
463The second-grade sect disciples began to speak amongst themselves. They had heard Lin Ming’s name, but they had never seen Lin Ming before.
464However, the Seven Profound Valleys’ disciples were bewildered. Many of them subconsciously rubbed their eyes, thinking that they were hallucinating.
465Lin Ming!
466It was really Lin Ming!
467He hadn’t died!?
468Ouyang Ming’s face had completely changed. The calm smile of before had vanished, replaced by a deep awe and reverence that stemmed from the depths of his being. He would never forget the events of a year and a half ago. At the Total Faction Martial Meeting, the early Pulse Condensation period Lin Ming had completely defeated him, he didn’t even have the slightest bit of ability to resist!
469Now, over a year had passed, and Ouyang Ming had reached the early Houtian realm. He once believed that Lin Ming had died, but never thought that he would stand in front of him here today. Not just that, but his cultivation had risen to the late Houtian realm!
470In just a year and a half, Lin Ming’s cultivation had risen by an entire realm and half!
471At the beginning, Lin Ming’s cultivation was weaker than Ouyang Ming’s. But presently, Lin Ming had cast Ouyang Ming far behind!
472If a early Pulse Condensation period Lin Ming already had the ability to defeat the peak Pulse Condensation period Jiang Baoyun, then how terrifying was the current late Houtian realm Lin Ming?
473Could he have strength equal to the early Xiantian realm?
474Ouyang Ming only felt his mind tremble, he no longer dared to imagine the possibilities!
475Ouyang Boyan’s eyes fiercely twitched, his fists tightening and his palms sweating.
476Lin Ming hadn’t died!
477Why!?
478Why didn’t he die!?
479Not only was he alive, but his cultivation had actually reached the late Houtian realm! In just a year and a half, how could this have happened!?
480Ouyang Boyan screaming in his heart!
481He hated!
482He was unwilling!
483He feared!
484It was impossible that Lin Ming hadn’t discovered what he had done these past months. Perhaps Lin Ming might not be able to threaten him with his current strength, but what about later?
485If his growth continued at this breakneck speed, then in a year, Lin Ming might even be able to kill him!
486When that time came, he couldn’t count on anyone in the Seven Profound Valleys raising their head to defend him. Under the suppression of absolute strength, even the Seven Profound Valleys would not hesitate for a second to sacrifice him.
487That meant all he could do was escape. If he stayed in the Severn Profound Valleys, all that awaited him was death.
488Ouyang Boyan coldly looked at Lin Ming. He did not do something foolish or useless like apologizing. In the moment that Lin Ming had dropped down, he was able to feel the thick and overwhelming killing intent surging from his body. Ouyang Boyan knew that Lin Ming had already resolved to kill him!
489Unfortunately, Lin Ming was far too impulsive. If he had just patiently waited for another year, then he really might have been able to kill him.
490In that moment, many thoughts flashed through Ouyang Boyan’s heart. He didn’t lose his calm. Instead, he stood there steadily like a tree.
491“Elder Ouyang! How have you been since we last met? I hope you’ve been well!”
492Lin Ming’s expression was blank as he spoke. But, his voice was like a cold wind that billowed up from the ninth layer of the abyss. The entire atmosphere of the banquet suddenly chilled to subzero degrees.
493Many of those who were from second-grade sects didn’t know who this youth was standing before them. But what they could understand was that this person absolutely did not come to congratulate them, but instead to ruin the scene!
494Who was this? He dared to force his way into the Seven Profound Valleys? But looking at the Saint Beast, this youth was definitely not common. Perhaps he came from some large family clan or sect. Many of those in the Seven Profound territory only knew that the greatest power was the Seven Profound Valleys – they didn’t know the existence of Divine Phoenix Island. This wasn’t surprising. After all, only those that stood at the top would be exposed to a greater world. Initially, Lin Ming hadn’t known of Divine Phoenix Island’s existence either.
495Ouyang Boyan’s expression was ugly. He wanted to smile, but eventually stopped trying. “You are not here to celebrate with this old man!”
496Lin Ming held his spear down, and lazily traced a full moon on the white marble square. He chuckled, and then slowly and unhurriedly said, “Of course not. I’m here to take your life!”
497With this sentence, the entire audience was shocked. Most of the Seven Profound Valleys disciples didn’t know that Ouyang Boyan had enmity with Lin Ming. As for those second-grade sect individuals, they didn’t even know what Lin Ming looked like, let alone something like that.
498“What!?”
499“Take Ouyang Boyan’s life!? Did I hear wrong?”
500No one was able to understand what was happening. This was the Seven Profound Valleys’ domain, and someone dared threaten to take the life of a Seven Profound Valleys Elder? Were these words that a normal person would say?
501Not just that, but this youth’s cultivation was only at the late Houtian realm. Even though his momentum was formidable, just what would he able to do?
502Even Ouyang Ming, who acknowledged Lin Ming’s strength, also felt that Lin Ming was being naïve. With so many Acacia Faction Elders present, how could Lin Ming possibly kill someone in front of them? In fact, he probably wouldn’t be able to defeat Ouyang Boyan.
503Qin Ziya forced a smile.
504Ultimately, it seemed that they couldn’t escape this result…
505  
506Chapter 420 – Those Who Block My Path Will Die
507“Take my life? Hahaha!” Ouyang Boyan richly laughed. “This old man is standing here. I want to see just how you will take my life!”
508Lin Ming sneered, not responding. With a shake of the Purple Comet Spear, arcs of lightning began to flash atop the spearpoint!
509As Lin Ming took a step at a time towards Ouyang Boyan, his momentum began to increase, solidifying to the limit!
510“How presumptuous! Where do you think you are!?” At this time, a dragon-bearded man stepped forwards, holding a nine foot long staff in his hand. This dragon-bearded man came from a second-grade sect, and his talent was also decent. His cultivation was a half-step into the Xiantian realm. But because of his limited resources, had had been trapped at this stage for ten years and hadn’t been able to reach the Xiantian realm.
511This time he came to request help from Ouyang Boyan. He had prepared a great number of gifts in order to infiltrate into the Acacia Faction and cultivate the Divine Acacia Power, hoping to find an opportunity to break through to the Xiantian realm.
512Since the dragon-bearded man needed help from Ouyang Boyan, he would naturally raise his head at this time to show his utter loyalty.
513He simply didn’t know who Lin Ming was, nor did he notice the pity in the eyes of Ouyang Ming, who was looking at him from behind.
514However, the dragon-bearded man was not stupid. Since this youth came here on a phoenix, his strength possibly surpassed  even his own. With a wave of his hand, three people that were standing behind him jumped forwards; their cultivations were at the peak Houtian realm.
515They were all from the same sect. Today, they had all come to submit themselves to the Ouyang Family Clan.
516“The four of us are going to attack him together. Don’t hold back, this fellow won’t be easy to deal with.” The dragon-bearded man said to others with a true essence sound transmission.
517“Okay.”
518The four of them had gone through many tribulations together, and already seamlessly understood each other and were able to coordinate well. They had an implicit faith and understanding in each others’ strength. If they attacked at the same time, rushing Lin Ming’s weak angles from four different directions, then it should be impossible for Lin Ming to block from so many attacks at once.
519“Out of my way!”
520Bang!!!
521A terrifying air wave of pressure erupted. Lin Ming didn’t even bother to move – it was simply the massive momentum that was contained within him suddenly breaking out at once. A savage and violent true essence recklessly shot out, and an incomparably sharp and deadly storm lifted the marble tiles off the floor.
522Puff!
523All four of them spat out blood as they flew backwards, their bodies smashing into the floor and rolling back dozens of feet like gourds that had been kicked. Two of them even helplessly fell into the lake.
524As for Lin Ming, he hadn’t even moved at all!
525The entire audience was petrified.
526“What?” He defeated four peak Houtian masters with a single move? How is that possible?”
527“A move? You think that Lin Ming actually made a move? I didn’t even see it! He stood there, not moving at all. He only shouted ‘out of my way’, and all those people were sent flying backwards by his aura!” A Houtian realm Seven Profound Valleys disciple said. His strength was better so he was able to see what had happened much more clearly than these second-grade sect disciple.
528“Lin Ming?” The second-grade sect disciples were startled, “What? That youth is Lin Ming? Which Lin Ming?”
529“Don’t speak such stupid nonsense. Naturally it is the one who became the champion of the last Seven Profound Valleys Total Faction Martial Meeting! That Lin Ming!”
530With this remark, there was a series of gasps within the square and then silence. At this time, no one cared to ask why Lin Ming hadn’t died. Instead, they were only baffled by his overwhelming strength.
531Lin Ming was only 17 years old!!!
53217 years old. Not only was his cultivation at the late Houtian realm, but his strength had reached such an abnormal degree that he was able to send four peak Houtian masters and even a half-step Xiantian master flying back, wounded! Now, the competition that these so-called talents had before was simply like little babies slapping each other – nothing but an unsightly event!
533The second-grade sect martial artists felt like they were living a dream. This was a true top talent? A person like this really existed in this world?
534The Fierce Flood Sect’s Liu Xuan watched Lin Ming at the center of the square, his palms oozing sweat. He had grown up under the halo of a genius even since he was a baby, and his character had become naturally arrogant and proud. He believed that after stumbling into the cave mansion of a long-dead mysterious master of the South Horizon Region and obtaining a great lucky chance, that he himself would be able to enter the ranks of the top talents. But now, compared to Lin Ming, he was nothing but a joke.
535He couldn’t help but glance over at Ouyang Ming, and saw that his expression was also very perturbed.
536Although Ouyang Ming hadn’t thought that these four people would be able to threaten Lin Ming’s life, there had still been four of them, and they were also skilled in combination attack techniques. At least they should have forced Lin Ming to expend some effort to deal with them. He never imagined that Lin Ming would only give a single shout, and those four would be sent flying backwards!
537Lin Ming’s talent was even more terrifying than it was a year and a half ago! A chill ran up Ouyang Ming’s spine.
538Lin Ming coldly glanced at everyone present. His voice contained a thick murderous intent as he said, “This is the last and final time I will show mercy. If anyone blocks my path again, then they have walked onto the path of death!”
539All of the Seven Profound Valleys Elders’ complexions completely changed. Most of the Elders present were at the early Xiantian realm, and there were even several that had just entered the early Xiantian realm a few years ago. A moment ago, they were able to see everything that had happened clearly. Although that dragon-bearded man and his companions were from a small sect and also had ordinary strength, their cultivations were still at least at the peak Houtian realm. If they were in Lin Ming’s position, they wouldn’t have been able to win like Lin Ming!
540Facing the current Lin Ming, this caused them to give birth to the belief that they could not block his way!
541Lin Ming gripped the Purple Comet Spear, walking forwards a step at a time. On the spearpoint, the power of thunder and fire flashed out!
542Ouyang Boyan’s complexion sank until it was able to leak water!
543He finally realized the most important and dreadful truth. That was that Lin Ming had the ability to deal with him!
544With every step that Lin Ming took forwards, his momentum became increasingly formidable!
545Ouyang Boyan felt a heavy pressure weigh down on him. The current Lin Ming was like a Death God, and he was listening to the sounds of the netherworld slowly approach!
546“You are dissolute! You really think that no one in my Acacia Faction will stop you!?”
547Just now, a drum like voice sounded out. A white-robed old man flashed and instantly appeared on the square. He was the Acacia Faction Elder Ouyang Guang, and his cultivation was at the peak of the middle Xiantian realm!
548This banquet was also a celebration of him taking a concubine. As one of the hosts of this banquet, how could he allow someone to ruin it like this?
549Lin Ming calmly looked at Ouyang Guang. His voice was bone-chilling as he said, “You want to block my way?”
550“What a joke. This is my Acacia Faction, it is not a place where you can be so rampant. You really think you are invincible within this world? How about you kill this old man first.”
551Lin Ming held the Purple Comet Spear horizontally in front of him, and indifferently said, “Those who block my path will die!”
552Lin Ming already didn’t have the tiniest bit of a favorable impression towards the Acacia Faction. Not to mention the actions of the Acacia Faction in the past, just this matter of Ouyang Boyan trying to deal with Qin Xingxuan, how could he have done so and suppressed Qin Ziya if not for the help of his connections through the Acacia Faction?
553The Acacia Faction was a scourge upon the Seven Profound territory. All that the Acacia Faction produced were the lowest of scum. Lin Ming was not a bloodthirsty or vicious person, but in dealing with the scum from the Acacia Faction, he had no qualms about killing them at all.
554“Truly an arrogant junior; you have no idea what it means to die! With your mere late Houtian realm cultivation you can roll over martial artists at your level, so you think no one in this world can defeat you. Today, this old man will let you experience what a Xiantian master’s strength is like!”
555Ouyang Guang gave a loud shout, and true essence erupted from his body. Purple hued true essence gushed out from his dantian. A Xiantian realm martial artist’s dantian contained a cyclone of true essence; their true essence was much purer and thicker than a Houtian realm martial artist’s.
556A dazzling purple flame instantly condensed into a purple bone lance in Ouyang Guang’s hand. From the body of this lance, ghostly cries were emitted.
557This was the Purple Flame Bone Lance of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’. Lin Ming had already seen this move many times. But compared to what he had seen before, the purple bone lance in Ouyang Guang’s hand was much thicker and larger. Not just that, but the end was also shaped like a grim and ominous skull – it seemed incomparably fierce.
558“Junior, prepare to die!”
559Ouyang Guang threw out the bone lance in his hands. His target was Lin Ming’s stomach. Although he didn’t dare to kill Lin Ming, he absolutely wouldn’t let him leave unscathed.
560The ghostly skull lance was fast like lightning. A blurry shadow followed behind it, along with a long tail of purple flames. It cut through the air with the keening wail of ghosts, almost piercing through one’s eardrums.
561Lin Ming’s expression was the same, and his eyes were cold. Azure true essence billowed around his body like flames, and one could clearly hear the sound of this incomparably sharp true essence splitting the air.
562“Divine Demon Thunder Soul!”
563Lin Ming thrust out his spear. Thunder howled. A thick arc of purple lightning mixed with a bright blood red bolt of lightning, twining together and forming a giant, revolving beam of lighting. This beam of lightning collided against the Purple Flame Bone Lance!
564Against ghosts and devils, the power of thunder was absolute suppression!
565After the Divine Demon Thunder Soul crashed into the Purple Flame Bone Lance, there was only a high pitched ‘chi chi chi’ sound. The Purple Flame Bone Lance was actually like a ball of snow that fell into a blazing furnace – it instantly melted away!
566The power of thunder didn’t diminish in the least. With the sound of rolling thunder, it impacted straight towards Ouyang Guang!
567Ouyang Guang’s eyes widened in surprise and shock. Everyone present was also amazed. Just how was this possible?
568Everyone already expected that Ln Ming had the strength of a Xiantian realm martial artist. But he shouldn’t have been able to so easily break apart Ouyang Guang’s killing move!
569“My power of thunder is especially capable at destroying ghosts and devils. Does Elder Ouyang not know even something as basic as this?”
570Lin Ming’s voice contained a hint of ridicule. But, the attack in his hands didn’t slow at all. After the Divine Demon Thunder Soul was sent out, Lin Ming’s spear potential turned, the Fallen Star Flame erupted!
571“10,000 Flames Burning World!”
572First thunder, now flames. Lin Ming displayed the might of thunder and fire to the limit!
573Ouyang Guang paled. He gave a loud shout, and the air around him distorted. The tiles underneath his feet were seared red by heat. He thrust his hands out like he was forming claws. A blood red light seemed to envelop his entire body.
574“Blood Demon Claws!”
575With a flash of blood colored light, a crimson blood claw shot out. This was a martial skill from the sixth layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’. It contained over 90% of Ouyang Guang’s true strength!
576Lin Ming smiled. The ‘Divine Acacia Power’ was originally martial arts from the demonic path. In the past, Zhang Guanyu’s Life Severing Dead Bone Blade, Ouyang Dihua’s Soul Severing Blood Skull, Ouyang Zifeng’s Purple Flame Bone Lance, and even the current Ouyang Guang’s Blood Demon Claws – all of them were the same school of martial arts. With each attack, it consumed one’s own blood vitality. Thus, those who cultivated these skills had to double cultivate and suck dry the Primordial Yin energy of women in order to make up for their own lost energy.
577To use this cultivation method against someone like Lin Ming, well, that could only be considered their bad luck.
578“Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder!”
579Within Lin Ming’s hand, the light of thunder began to turn, becoming a crimson blood colored python of electricity. The Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder was born to suck dry blood essence!
580Kacha!
581The crimson python opened its great jaws and directly chomped down on the Blood Demon Claws, instantly swallowing it!
582What!!??
583Ouyang Guang was unable to believe what had happened in front of his own eyes.
584However, he no longer had time to even feel dismay. The purple flames and thunder had already arrived in front of him!
585Ouyang Guang took out a longsword and slashed down!
586Bang!
587After being weakened twice, the python of lightning was chopped apart by Ouyang Guang’s sword. However, the Fallen Star Flame made a solid strike against Ouyang Guang’s bodily true essence protection.
588The Fallen Star Flame had a unique ability to corrode anything it touched. It immediately ripped open dozens of tiny gaps in Ouyang Guang’s bodily true essence protection, and the full power of that corrosive flame sunk into Ouyang Guang’s meridians. Ouyang Guang immediately shook, paled, and bled from his nose!
589As the audience saw this, every martial artist fell silent. The peak of the middle Xiantian realm Ouyang Guang had already been injured so heavily after just a few rounds of battle!?
590Chapter 421 – Sweeping All Away
591Lin Ming’s strength had already exceeded the scope of understanding of every martial artist present. All of the young heroic elites present that thought to display their skills during this banquet competition suddenly realized that compared to Lin Ming, they were no more than little ants crawling around.
592Lin Ming was younger than them, and the difference in their strength was like the heavens and earth; how could they still live knowing this?
593At this time in the center of the square, the Acacia Faction Elder Ouyang Guang was bleeding from his nose, and his face was red all over. Previously he said that he would show Lin Ming just how strong a Xiantian realm master was, but now, in just a few moves, he had been injured to the point of bleeding from his nose.
594In front of a group of juniors, Ouyang Guang had disgracefully lost!
595Lin Ming’s spear shook, and the Purple Comet Spear was pointed directly towards Ouyang Guang’s head. The spearpoint began to twinkle with lightning!
596Ouyang Guang’s face turned liver-red, this Lin Ming had gone too far!
597For someone as noble and respected as Ouyang Guang, what he most valued was his face. But now, he was actually being provoked by a junior who was pointing a spear at his face!
598And on top of that, what was most atrocious was that he couldn’t stop Lin Ming. If he tried to attack him again, the result would be the same!
599This was slapping him on the face, this was simply slapping him again and again and again on the face!
600“Good! Very good!” Ouyang Guang trembled with rage, “What are you all doing standing around like stunned idiots! Are you planning on letting this rampant boy strut around however he wants!?”
601At this time, Ouyang Guang no longer cared about what face he had left. He waved his hand, calling all the Acacia Faction Elders to join together.
602At this time, The Acacia Faction’s pride had already been demolished by Lin Ming. If they didn’t brace themselves and act together, then maybe their Acacia Faction might not even have the face to stay in the Seven Profound territory anymore.
603There were five Acacia Faction Elders that came to attend this banquet celebration. Besides Ouyang Guang and Ouyang Boyan, the rest of them were at the early Xiantian realm.
604For five Elders to surround and besiege a junior, let alone the Acacia Faction disciples, even the martial artists from other small sects felt their faces burn with shame.
605Ouyang Ming looked at the scene in the center of the square and felt tense. He could no longer watch this. “Send a sound transmission to the Sovereign. Have the Sovereign leave seclusion! Or else our Acacia Faction will be demolished by Lin Ming!”
606As Ouyang Ming helplessly spoke, he was already completely numb to Lin Ming. A year and a half ago, he had seen the early Pulse Condensation period Lin Ming defeat the peak Pulse Condensation period Jiang Baoyun. Although this was undoubtedly amazing, he could still accept this reality.
607Just a moment ago, with just a cultivation at the late Houtian realm, he had managed to defeat the middle Xiantian realm Ouyang Guang. This was simply unbelievable.
608Now, he would resist the combined strength of five Great Elders by himself!
609‘Lin Ming, oh Lin Ming, just how much will you rampage until you are willing to give up?’
610“Soul Severing Blood Skull!”
611Within the square, Ouyang Boyan had also joined the battle. With a single move of this Soul Severing Blood Skull, half the square was instantly covered with brilliant purple flames.
612Behind Ouyang Boyan, two newly promoted Acacia Faction Elders used Life Severing Bone Blades, blocking off all directions that Lin Ming could dodge in!
613Soon after, Ouyang Guang used the Purple Flame Bone Lance once more. The Purple Flame Bone Lance and Ouyang Boyan’s Soul Severing Blood Skull fused together, creating an overwhelming blood wave that swept down from the sky!
614This blood wave was monstrous, it was as if the void itself were tearing apart. The five Elders had gone all out in their attacks!
615At this moment, they had thrown away any face they had left. For this, they were prepared to make any sacrifice. If they couldn’t defeat Lin Ming here, their Acacia Faction would never be able to walk out in the light of day!
616With the five Xiantian Elders joining their attacks together, an incomparably formidable power was created. The martial artists present could only feel their blood essence swell up, as if their blood itself was being attracted towards the center of the stage and wanted to break out of their bodies. This was an extremely discomforting feeling!
617Many martial artists couldn’t help but conjure up all the true essence of their body to resist the deadly corrosive effect that the aura of this attack was having on their blood and soul.
618“It’s too strong!”
619“Truly worthy of being a joint attack from five great Xiantian Elders. If just the aura itself is so strong, how could anyone possibly defend against this!?”
620Facing this turbulent attack that was like the raging waves of the sea, Lin Ming’s expression sank.
621Tempering Marrow true essence erupted!
622On the Purple Comet Spear, the Divine Demon Thunder Soul and Fallen Star Flame Flame Essence madly howled. A series of popping sounds exploded from within Lin Ming’s body. Behind Lin Ming, a solid, lifelike phantom of an Azure Dragon appeared. Flames converged, thunder roared!
623Berserk true essence erupted like a volcano!
624Thunderfire Annihilation!
625Bang!!
626Lin Ming thrust out his spear, and a terrifying power of thunder and fire exploded out, echoing in the air. In that instant, it seemed as if the world itself had lost all color!
627A blinding light obscured the vision of everyone present. In that moment, the thunderous sound left everyone deaf. The power of thunder and fire surged out like a massive tsunami, and the waters of the lake raised into rough waves dozens of feet high, causing all the nearby pavilions to crash down; every banquet table was overturned! Every nearby martial artists was sent flying back! And some of them who were weaker vomited blood and then crashed onto the floor, unconscious.
628The competition square was located on the main island, thus, most of the disciples present were from the Acacia Faction. That they had to bear the full brunt of this attack was just their bad luck. In comparison, the martial artists from small sects had an insufficient status and were stationed on the nearby islands. They all began to count their lucky stars for being able to avoid this catastrophe.
629Plop! Plop! Plop! Plop!
630Dozens of Acacia Faction disciples that had been sent flying backwards landed in the lake. The entire island was in a state of absolute chaos!
631After the blinding flash of light passed, the entire square was in confusion. In the center of the square, there were only three individuals left standing. Lin Ming, Ouyang Boyan, and Ouyang Guang.
632As for the other three early Xiantian realm Acacia Faction Elders, their bodies were lying still on the ground, on the verge of death.
633With the might of his spear, Lin Ming had struck down three great Xiantian Elders!
634As the martial artists that had their bearings saw this, they sucked in a breath of cold air. Qin Ziya was shocked, and even Qin Xingxuan behind him had the same expression plastered on her face. She knew that her Lin Ming was extremely strong, but she never imagined that it would be to such a terrifying degree. No wonder Lin Ming had dared to single-handedly storm the gates of the Seven Profound Valleys’ Acacia Faction.
635Lin Ming gripped the Purple Comet Spear, the spear pointed towards the ground. His long hair was blown up by the waves of true essence, recklessly floating in the wind. At this time, his appearance was no different from that of a God of War .
636As Ouyang Guang faced Lin Ming, he unconsciously took several steps back. His lips trembled, and a deep fear arose from his scattered mind.
637Was this really strength that a human could possess? At 17 years of age, this Lin Ming had resisted a combined attack from five Xiantian Elders! Not only that, but three of them had been severely injured!
638“Die!” Lin Ming didn’t intend to give any of them a chance to catch their breath. His feet trod the ground, and he shot forwards, his spear stabbing towards Ouyang Boyan!
639The normally cold and gloomy-looking Ouyang Boyan now only had an expression of utter fear on his face. He realized that if he was unlucky today, he might really die here!
640Under the threat of imminent death, Ouyang Boyan punched himself in the chest, forcing out a mouthful of blood and then spraying it on his own treasure sword. The originally blue treasure sword had turned an eerie blood red after absorbing the blood.
641This was a move from the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ that damaged one’s cultivation and required the steep price of blood essence to use! Once he used it, it would be difficult to recover the damage to his origin energy, and it would take at least a year to recover. As for his blood essence, that was forever lost.
642Ouyang Boyan did not have Vermillion Bird blood essence, nor did he have the secret techniques of Divine Phoenix Island to transplant blood essence. Once he lost blood essence, he would never be able to recover it!
643After he used a move that cost him a part of his life and cultivation, Ouyang Boyan’s expression was fierce and grim. His face was a deep, vivid red, as if he had been possessed by a demon.
644Ouyang Boyan already hated Lin Ming to the marrow of his bones, he wished to kill him as quickly as possible!
645“Lin Ming, you die here!”
646A sword slashed down. The sword blade became increasingly bright red, as if it were dripping fresh blood. Horrifying screams filled the air. Sword energy howled, and monstrous waves of blood covered the skies!
647Ca!
648Ouyang Boyan stabbed out with his sword. The crimson sword formed a crimson storm. The marble tiles under his feet once again shattered, flying into the sky. Wind swirled around the sword, creating a long red line that directly shot towards Lin Ming.
649Lin Ming sneered. The Divine Demon Steel Needle fused into the Purple Comet Spear. Spear and thunder became one, arcs of lightning crazily sizzled!
650“Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder!”
651Lin Ming thrust out his spear, and his entire body emitted explosive crackling sounds. The Purple Comet Spear was enveloped in a thick red electric python. It howled as it struck the crimson storm.
652Hong hong hong!
653A series of explosions split the air. The crimson storm was constantly being torn apart and shredded by the power of thunder. At the same time, the red electric python also melted. Ouyang Boyan had burned his own blood essence as the price to make this desperate attack, and he was actually able to evenly match with Lin Ming!
654“Mm?”
655Lin Ming was a bit surprised. Immediately, he turned his spear and the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder instantly shrank into the Divine Demon Steel Needle. It found an opening and pierced into the crimson blood storm!
656As Lin Ming and Ouyang Boyan were locked in a desperate struggle, they didn’t have much strength left over to do much else. The scarlet blood storm that managed to approach Lin Ming was burnt away to nothing by the raging power of the Fallen Star Flame.
657Meanwhile, the Divine Demon Steel Needle had reached Ouyang Boyan’s front!
658As Ouyang Boyan saw a small flash of light, his heart was incomparably shocked. He revolved his protective true essence to the limit, and countless purple flames emerged from his body, covering him.
659At this point, the purple and red Divine Demon Steel Needle mercilessly stabbed into the purple flames. With a small sizzle of electricity, it penetrated through the protective purple flames!
660In that moment, Ouyang Boyan felt like his spirit had left his body; he could clearly feel the breath of death approaching him!
661His bodily true essence protection was able to resist for just a moment. Then it was completely burnt away and disappeared by the power of thunder. In this critical moment, Ouyang Boyan yelled out, and reached out a hand to grab the Divine Demon Steel Needle.
662“Ahhhh!”
663As Ouyang Boyan stretched out his left hand and grabbed the Divine Demon Steel Needle, his left hand was instantly charred black, and the blood and energy within his arm were rapidly absorbed by the Divine Demon Thunder Soul through his meridians. In that instant, Ouyang Boyan’s left arm had withered down to nothing.
664Ouyang Boyan’s eyes filled with blood. Without hesitation, he sliced off his own left arm. Blood spurted out.
665Pa!
666A shriveled arm fell onto the floor like a slab of overly cured bacon.
667As everyone on the island saw this, they fell into absolute silence.
668A lost arm!
669Ouyang Boyan was disabled!
670A severe wound and a disability were two entirely different concepts. In many cases, to a martial artist, when their arm was cut off it wasn’t much different than killing them!
671Before this, many of those present had subconsciously thought there would be a little bit of drama and a nice play before matters settled. Although Lin Ming would be able to show off his strength, in the end he wouldn’t be able to do much to harm Ouyang Boyan. But now, it seemed as if this banquet celebration was about to become a battlefield of spilled blood!
672Lin Ming coldly sneered. In order to stop his blood essence from leaving his body, Ouyang Boyan had cut off his own arm. These Acacia Faction martial artists were truly decisive when it concerned their survival.
673“But how will you defend against my next attack?
674Lin Ming flexed his fingers. The Divine Demon Steel Needle that had forced Ouyang Boyan to cut off his own arm appeared once again. With a flick of his fingers, it rushed towards Ouyang Boyan!
675At this time, Ouyang Boyan’s hair was disheveled. His left arm was gone, and he was charred all over and dripping with blood. As he saw the Divine Demon Steel Needle approach in his own eyes once again, his eyes began to glaze over with the color of dying despair.
676As long as this needle pierced him, he would die!
677At this moment, a loud shout rolled out like thunder, “Stop!”
678  
679Chapter 422 – Acacia Sovereign Ouyang
680At this moment, a loud shout rolled out like thunder, “Stop!”
681Everyone in the square followed the source of the loud voice. One thousand feet away, they could see a white-clothed man quickly closing in at an extreme speed. Even though he was 1000 feet away, he was able to cross a hundred feet in an instant. All of the Acacia Faction disciples were immediately overjoyed.
682“It’s the Sovereign! The Sovereign has come!”
683The Acacia Faction’s Sovereign was Ouyang Shenxiu. His cultivation was at the extreme Xiantian realm. Within all of the Xiantian masters of the Seven Profound Valleys, his strength was ranked in the top four.
684However, Lin Ming didn’t care about Ouyang Shenxiu’s warning; he still drove the Divine Demon Thunder Soul towards Ouyang Boyan for the killing blow!
685“Insolence!”
686Ouyang Shenxiu was still a few hundred feet away. It wouldn’t be easy for him to stop this Divine Demon Steel Needle.
687“Go!”
688Ouyang Shenxiu slashed out with his sword and a red sword energy accurately struck the Divine Demon Steel Needle. However, this move was too hasty, and it was too far away. Although the Divine Demon Steel Needle fiercely trembled, a massive power of thunder still fell onto Ouyang Boyan’s body like a typhoon.
689In the blink of an eye, the fragile true essence that protected Ouyang Boyan was torn to shreds. He gave a pitiful scream, and then his body was tossed high into the air. His hair was completely singed off, and he crashed back down like a pheasant that had been shot, his entire body covered in blood.
690Ouyang Boyan’s body twitched, and then he vomited out a large pool of blood. He had already lost a great deal of energy, and now there was almost nothing left.
691As Ouyang Shenxiu arrived at the square, his saw Ouyang Boyan’s pitiful state and his complexion sunk. He had warned in advance, but Lin Ming had still turned a deaf ear and cast down a heavy-handed attack!
692Pu! Pu!
693Closely following behind Ouyang Shenxiu were two white-clothed men. They were both disciples that Ouyang Shenxiu had received many years ago. They had just broken through to the early Xiantian realm about 10 years ago, and could be considered among the most shallow and weak of Elders.
694As one of them saw Ouyang Boyan’s current state, his eyes turned red. He was someone who shared a father and mother with Ouyang Boyan, his blood brother, Ouyang Boxu. He instantly appeared at Ouyang Boyan’s side and fed him some life maintaining pills. As Ouyang Boxu stood up, his eyes were filled with a murderous intent, no different from a raging vicious beast.
695“Lin Ming! I’ll kill you!”
696Ouyang Boxu raised his sword and was about to rush forwards when Ouyang Shenxiu coldly snorted and said, “Draw back!”
697Ouyang Boxu immediately paled. He grit his teeth and drew back a single step. But, his eyes still flashed with fury and bone-deep loathing as he kept them glued to Lin Ming. 
698“Lin Ming, you’ve returned!”
699Ouyang Shenxiu indifferently looked at Lin Ming. During the Seven Profound Valleys’ Total Faction Martial Meeting, Ouyang Shenxiu had once casually met with Lin Ming. He had even invited Lin Ming to join the Acacia Faction, but had eventually let it go.
700“Sovereign Ouyang.” Lin Ming said as he faced Ouyang Shenxiu. His expression was the same.
701Lin Ming did not fear Ouyang Shenxiu. He knew that sooner or later this old man would jump out of the woodworks; he was the only enemy here that he needed to take seriously.
702Before this old man appeared, Lin Ming was trying to reserve as much strength as he could. He would never have used Thunderfire Annihilation a moment ago if he didn’t have to fend off the combined attack of five Elders. But even though he had used that move, he had only used 30% of its total strength. There was still 70% of the power of thunder and fire left within the Heretical God Seed, and it was also recovering at a breakneck pace.
703“Lin Ming, the Seven Profound Valleys has been good to you. You studied at Sky Fortune Kingdom’s Seven Profound Martial House, and afterwards you became champion of the Total Faction Martial Meeting. The Seven Profound Valleys even granted you a Heaven Opening Pill. But you still forced your way into the Seven Profound Valleys and severely wounded and crippled Elders of my Acacia Faction. Just what is your reasoning behind this?”
704“Has been good to me?” Lin Ming coldly sneered. “The Seven Profound Valleys plundered the martial cultivation resources of Sky Fortune Kingdom, making it so that the martial artists of Sky Fortune Kingdom wouldn’t have resources available to them. To them, even breaking through to the Pulse Condensation period is something they can only vainly aspire towards. The Seven Profound Martial Houses are just a form of returning some of the resources that you lot have plundered, and the so-called fostering talents is so that the Seven Profound Valleys can use them for themselves. Is it some form of graciousness? Hardly.”
705“A year and a half ago, I was of great value to the Seven Profound Valleys, so the Seven Profound Valleys naturally treated me well. But, after the Seven Profound Valleys heard news of my death, Ouyang Boyan finally decided to take revenge for personal grudges between us. He repeatedly acted and plotted against Qin Xingxuan, the Qin Family, Lin Family, and everyone else involved with me. Weren’t these deeds all done through the connections of your Ouyang Family Clan? When I left the Seven Profound Valleys, Divine Phoenix Island already paid a high enough price for me. I no longer owe the Seven Profound Valleys anything. The reason that I came here today is to demand that justice be served. Ouyang Boyan must die!”
706Ouyang Shenxiu deeply frowned. He had rushed to the scene and yet Lin Ming had let out this raving rant in front of him. If he allowed Lin Ming to kill Ouyang Boyan here, then how would he be able to establish himself in the martial arts world?
707“This old man is not clear about what matters you speak of!” Ouyang Shenxiu was not lying. As a top figure of the Seven Profound Valleys, he naturally wouldn’t concern himself over these minor matters. But, he believed that Lin Ming was mostly speaking the truth, and he also had a certain understanding of Ouyang Boyan’s character. Someone like him could absolutely do what Lin Ming had described.
708“Even if what you said is true, isn’t that young girl behind you Miss Qin? Even if Ouyang Boyan had tried to harm her, she is safe and sound. Yet you actually cut off Ouyang Boyan’s arm and severely wounded him, completely wasting away his road of martial arts! Haven’t you just gone too far?”
709“Haha!” Lin Ming chuckled. “Safe and sound? What a well said ‘safe and sound’! By holding the lives of the Qin Family in his hands, Ouyang Boyan forced Qin Xingxuan to go to Blood Demon Island for over a month! When I arrived there, Qin Xingxuan’s body had already been exhausted of all the blood essence she had, and her life was at its end. If it wasn’t for me using miracle medicine that is sufficient to create several Revolving Core masters, then she would have already turned to ashes. And that is what you call ‘safe and sound’?”
710Lin Ming’s words caused the entire audience to gasp in shock. Sufficient miracle medicine to create several Revolving Core masters?
711Heavens!
712If what Lin Ming said was true, then using such amazing medicine that could create several Revolving Core masters on a Pulse Condensation period junior was simply a careless waste of heaven’s treasures!
713Ouyang Shenxiu’s lips twitched. Even he had distant hopes to one day step into the Revolving Core realm. But these were only hopes, and were in reality an unachievable dream. In this generation of Seven Profound Valleys Elders and Sovereigns, only the Sword Faction Sovereign Jiang Wuji had a slim chance to break into the Revolving Core realm, but, it was more likely that he would fail.
714The one with the greatest hopes of stepping into the Revolving Core realm was currently the Sword Faction’s chief disciple, Jiang Baoyun.
715Ouyang Shenxiu couldn’t help but ask Ouyang Guang a question through a true essence sound transmission, “How strong is Lin Ming?”
716Ouyang Guang thought deeply about this for a moment and then responded, “He should be equal to a late Xiantian realm master. Just a moment ago, me, Ouyang Boyan, and three other Elders collaborated in a joint attack on him, but we were actually defeated in a single move. And that move should also be Lin Ming’s final decisive ability. “
717“Late Xiantian realm…” Ouyang Shenxiu’s complexion sank. Ouyang Guang’s strength was already at the peak of the middle Xiantian realm. Yet even though four other Elders had joined forces with him and combined their attacks, they were defeated by Lin Ming’s counterattack. Lin Ming’s strength had absolutely reached at least the late Xiantian realm!
718A 17 year old with strength at the late Xiantian realm! That was simply an unimaginable dream! Within the Seven Profound Valleys, there were nearly 100 Xiantian masters, and over half of them were stranded at the early Xiantian realm. 20 to 30 were at the middle Xiantian realm, and as for those at the late Xiantian realm or extreme Xiantian realm, there were only a mere handful of Elders. In fact, there weren’t really more late Xiantian realm masters than there were extreme Xiantian masters. The Acacia Faction only had two Vice Sovereigns that had been able to reach the late Xiantian realm. They had gone to participate in the South Sea war and still hadn’t returned.
719Thus, one could see just how rare the late Xiantian realm was.
720If it were possible, Ouyang Shenxiu wouldn’t want to make Lin Ming his enemy. But now he was unable to back down. He had ridden the tiger, and there was no disembarking from this wild ride. If someone were freely allowed to sweep away his Acacia Faction at such an important occasion without any punishment, then how could his Acacia Faction further establish themselves in the future?
721Ouyang Shenxiu grit his teeth and said, “Since that’s the case, Ouyang Boyan has already paid a sufficient price. Relinquish this matter and I will no longer pursue it. But, since you forced your way into my Acacia Faction’s greatest peak and also injured so many Elders and disciples, I have no choice but to punish you! Take my three moves. If you can take my three moves, then regardless of whether you live or die, I will consider everything settled.”
722“Relinquish this matter and you will no longer pursue it?” Lin Ming’s eyebrows rose and then he sneered. “I am the one that Ouyang Boyan had tried to deal with, just what qualifications do you have to say that you will no longer pursue anything at all? Today, I will take Ouyang Boyan’s life! As for anyone who tries to stop me, from now on they will only be my mortal enemy!”
723“Lin Ming!” Ouyang Shenxiu’s complexion was extremely ugly. He had already taken a step back and tried to resolve matters. Although he had said regardless of life or death, the truth was that he didn’t dare to kill Lin Ming. The most he would do was severely wound him. As long as Lin Ming was just injured, he would be fine after resting up. This matter would be settled, and he would also gain face for being able to resolve matters like this. But, he hadn’t expected that Lin Ming would be contemptuous and try to bully others like so. This caused Ouyang Shenxiu to burn with anger.
724“Lin Ming, do you really think that there is no one in my Acacia Faction that can stop you!? Good! I had originally planned to just give you a light little spanking, but since you insist on being so arrogant and pushing things beyond your limits, then today I will have to personally see whether or not you can take Boyan’s life!!”
725As Ouyang Shenxiu finished speaking, he took a fierce step forwards. His aura erupted, and waves of roiling blood surged out, overwhelming the world!
726Whether or it was the Elders or disciples, everyone nearby was forced back by this suppressive aura.
727There were already those that had learned their lesson. The lower level disciples had already experienced this before, and besides several Great Elders, all the other disciples launched their fastest movement techniques to flee from the main island to avoid being collateral damage.
728Even Ouyang Ming was forced back and retreated all the way to the edge of the main island. As for the proud Liu Xuan from the Fierce Flood Sect, he naturally couldn’t lose face by running. He wanted to stay on the main island, but after looking at the Ouyang Shenxiu’s intimidating aura, he grit his teeth and returned to a pavilion that floated on the water. The shockwaves of Lin Ming’s Thunderfire Annihilation had already forced him to use every bit of his strength to just barely be able to resist it. Now, in the face of this even higher level battle, Liu Xuan realized that he didn’t have the qualifications to stand nearby.
729“Lin Ming, you are far too unruly, not respecting others and acting like you can dominate anyone you cross. Even if you have the backing of Divine Phoenix Island, I will still teach you a lesson. In these three moves, I will not hold back. Whether you live or die, that will be the price that you pay!
730Lin Ming held the spear horizontally in his hands, silent. His eyes were like the stars in the deep night sky – bright and calm. However, at this time Lin Ming was actually feeling the blood boiling within his body; his fighting spirit was brimming  over!
731Extreme Xiantian!
732Not too long ago, he had believed that those at the extreme Xiantian realm were top masters. Shi Zongtian, Ouyang Shenxiu, Jiang Wuji, which one of these characters weren’t Gods among men that could shake the entire Seven Profound territory with but a single word!?
733A year and a half ago, facing these characters, he could only vainly look up at them. But now, Lin Ming was standing right in front of an extreme Xiantian master, ready to fight!
734When an ant became a fierce tiger, he would look back on the road he walked and inevitably feel vibrant and ambitious after seeing just how far he had come.
735“In this battle, by exchanging blows with an extreme Xiantian master, I’ll be able to find out just what martial arts realm a 65% Tempering Marrow boundary can bring me to!”
736  
737Chapter 423 – Purple Flame Crystal Conversion
738Ouyang Shenxiu stood in the center of the square, coldly looking at Lin Ming. It was unknown when, but a light black fog began to cover his face, making it difficult for others to see him. In this black fog, there was only a pair of vibrant red eyes that shined through. A cold light continuously flashed out from these eyes, causing anyone who dared to glance at them to feel a deep despairing fear.
739Ka ka ka!
740Ouyang Shenxiu gripped his fists together, and a purple flame ignited on his hands; this was similar to the Purple Flame Bone Lance that Ouyang Guang had used earlier.
741“What is going on? Sovereign Ouyang is not using a sword?”
742On the various lake islands, all the Acacia Faction disciples were surprised as they spoke. Those of the Acacia Faction used a sword. If a sword user were to use their fists, their power would naturally weaken by a great deal.
743In conclusion, Ouyang Shenxiu still feared Divine Phoenix Island. Since he clearly knew that he couldn’t kill Lin Ming without provoking a calamity upon himself, he might as well not use his sword and only use his fists and sword fingers. Everyone could see this modest and humble act.
744If he easily defeated Lin Ming without using his sword, he would be able to display his own style and aura as a master. No one would say that he was a senior that was bullying the weak and the young, but instead would say the his strength was vast and fathomless.
745This was Ouyang Shenxiu’s plan. If he were to defeat Lin Ming by creating a big ruckus and using an overwhelming momentum, he would lose face even if he won.
746On a small island, another Acacia Faction disciple blankly stared at the disciple who had just spoken, “What do you know. Sovereign Ouyang is going easy on Lin Ming, this is the Sovereign’s grace. Even in this situation, he is still staying his hand. I can only hope that Lin Ming knows what’s good for him and doesn’t ignore this kindness, otherwise the Sovereign will teach him a harsh lesson.”
747“So it’s like this! The Sovereign is indeed great.”
748All the lower level disciples couldn’t help but compliment and praise the Sovereign. Within the entire Acacia Faction, there was only a single person who had practiced the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ to the limit of the seventh layer. To all the disciples of the Acacia Faction, Ouyang Shenxiu  was no different than a God.
749“You won’t draw your sword?” Lin Ming asked with a smile.
750Ouyang Shenxiu sneered. Although his swordless strength was lacking, his sword fingers were still far more than enough. If Lin Ming thought that he would be able to take matters lightly just because he wasn’t using a sword, then he would be sorely mistaken.
75110,000 Shadow Fingers!
752Ouyang Shenxiu flicked his fingers, and thousands upon thousands of purple beams shot out from his hands like a violent storm of purple rain.
753Lin Ming’s spear shook, and his entire skeleton began to emit crackling noises; he used 30% of his Tempering Marrow true essence.
75410,000 Flames Burning World!
755Hoh!
756A raging inferno of fire swept out. A gale of wind swept up Lin Ming’s long hair, scattering it in the wind. The fiery conflagration smashed into the purple beams of light, and with explosive ‘ka ka ka’ sounds, the flames and purple lights began to melt together, shattering against each other!
757Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword fingers issued a sharp whistling sound. Lin Ming stood against this strength, and his Tempering Marrow true essence erupted with 50% force. The might of the spear – irresistible!
758The sword fingers were suddenly torn apart by the flames.
759“Mm?” Ouyang Shenxiu frowned. The area where their energies were colliding was becoming increasingly intense!
760Xiu!
761An azure true essence that seemed to devour all light shot out. Lin Ming’s spear shook, and the phantom of an Azure Dragon appeared behind him; his spear thrust straight towards Ouyang Shenxiu’s chest.
762Explosions filled the air like rolling thunder.
763The power of this spear erupted. 10,000 vibrating threads of true essence locked down the void. Ouyang Shenxiu only felt a sudden tightening of the space around him, and a strong oppressive sense as his aura began to distort under this pressure.
764As Ouyang Shenxiu saw the shining  spearpoint stabbing towards his chest, his expression finally changed. He waved his hand, and a deep red light condensed in his hands, gradually manifesting into a four foot long sword.
765Peng!
766Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword cut down on Lin Ming’s spearpoint! When a sword and spear collided, the sword would always be at a disadvantage!
767Lin Ming’s lips panned up in a dark grin; the complete strength of Tempering Marrow opened!
768The violent and tempered power of thunder and fire mixed with the complete Tempering Marrow true essence, exploding like a volcano.
769Peng!
770Sword and spear crossed. Ouyang Shenxiu felt as if his sword had cut across a mountain. A chaotic and uncontrollable flux of energy broke into his body, causing his blood to stop. His body suddenly shook, and he was forced to soar backwards and into the air by Lin Ming’s unstoppable spear potential.
771Lin Ming’s attack was extremely quick, but Ouyang Shenxiu’s retreat had also been extremely quick. To the casual observer, it seemed as if Lin Ming’s spear had sent Ouyang Shenxiu flying backwards!
772Lin Ming’s spear shot towards Ouyang Shenxiu in the sky. Ouyang Shenxiu’s blood red eyes shot open.
773Ahhh –
774“Break for me!”
775Ouyang Shenxiu gave a loud shot, and purple flames broke forth from his entire body. This was the eruption of an extreme Xiantian master’s true strength. Under the impact of this strong force, Lin Ming’s offensive finally disintegrated!
776As Lin Ming flew through the air, he finally stopped, his toes pointing towards the ground. Like a feather, he gently floated onto the square, his spear still pointed at Ouyang Shenxiu in the sky.
777The entire audience fell into silence. All of the Acacia Faction disciples that had been speaking so highly of Ouyang Shenxiu shut up.
778Ouyang Shenxiu had been forced to fly away by a spear!
779“Lin Ming’s strength is equal to that of Ouyang Shenxiu?”
780A second-grade sect’s Elder said, stunned. Although it had seemed like Lin Ming had suppressed Ouyang Shenxiu with his attack, the truth was that Ouyang Shenxiu had taken great care to not use a weapon, and also held back in his attack. Thus, this was the result, and that was why to this second-grade sect Elder, it seemed as if Lin Ming’s strength was almost equal to that of Ouyang Shenxiu.
781“How could that be possible? Sovereign Ouyang used less than half his strength in that last move!” An Acacia Faction disciple stubbornly said. In their eyes, Ouyang Shenxiu was an invincible existence. “Just wait to see our Sovereign use the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’. The world itself will change. This Lin Ming boy won’t be able to block it!”
782“Humph! Let alone Lin Ming, even if Jiang Wuji came here himself he would still have three points of fear!”
783The Acacia Faction disciples all held their breath as they spoke. But, the disciples of the smaller sects didn’t quite believe this; it was obvious from their eyes that were filled with suspicious.
784At this time on the square, Lin Ming gave off a feeling like he was an ocean, an unfathomable and inestimable force. Perhaps Ouyang Shenxiu’s seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ was incomparable in power, but who knew what other secret cards Lin Ming had hidden up his sleeve?
785Since he had the confidence to force his way into the Seven Profound Valleys and take Ouyang Boyan’s life, his strength might even be beyond this!
786Ouyang Shenxiu was deeply ashamed. Before, he had only used his sword fingers, but not only was he not able to suppress Lin Ming in the first move, but he was actually forced by Lin Ming to use his sword and even forced to retreat into the air.
787This boy’s strength was at least equal to someone at the top of the late Xiantian realm. It was even possible…
788As Ouyang Shenxiu thought this, his expression changed.
789That was simply impossible!
790A late Houtian realm martial artist could have strength equal to an extreme Xiantian martial artist?
791He couldn’t accept this conclusion. His own cultivation was at the extreme Xiantian realm. If a late Houtian boy were to have the same level of strength as him, then that would simply be too pitiful to bear! He could not accept this!
792Regardless of how strong Lin Ming was, it was true that when he was fighting Ouyang Guang and his group, he had still been hiding his strength!
793Ouyang Shenxiu’s eyes were brilliant as he stared at Lin Ming. Before, he had said that after three moves, he would drop all matters regardless of life or death. But, if he couldn’t even manage to harm a single hair on Lin Ming after three moves, and was also forced back because of a counterattack, he would completely lose any face he had.
794This boy!
795Ouyang Shenxiu’s eyes gradually turned ice cold. He extended his longsword and then gave a loud shout. With a whistling sound, Ouyang Shenxiu’s longsword suddenly kindled to life with purple flames. A moment later, these purple flames shrank, manifesting into reality and attaching onto the sword. These purple flames turned into a thin layer of purple crystal. This sword had become an amethyst blade.
796“That’s the Purple Flame Crystal Conversion!” An Acacia Faction disciple shouted from a small island.
797The Purple Flame Crystal Conversion was a magic technique that was only found within the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’. Once one cultivated the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ to the seventh layer, they would have long lasting youth, and their Yang essence wouldn’t dissipate. Although it was impossible to extend one’s life beyond what was allowed by their cultivation, just that fact that their Yang essence wouldn’t fade was already a great temptation for many Acacia Faction disciples.
798Currently, within the entire Acacia Faction, only Ouyang Shenxiu had cultivated the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ to the peak of the seventh layer. This was also the reason that Ouyang Shenxiu, although he was 300 to 400 years old, still appeared to resemble an attractive middle-aged man.
799“The Sovereign used the Purple Flame Crystal Conversion from the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ cultivation method.”
800As this amethyst sword appeared, many Acacia Faction disciples felt proud and happy. When Ouyang Shenxiu had been pushed back by Lin Ming a moment ago, they had almost fallen into despair.
801“Haha, the Sovereign is finally serious!”
802“Let’s see just how this boy will block the Purple Flame Crystal Conversion this time!”
803Once Ouyang Shenxiu used the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’, that was his message that he would no longer use a light hand.
804Lin Ming slightly narrowed his eyes. As he looked at the amethyst sword in Ouyang Shenxiu’s hand, he was able to see that the purple flames’ dark Yin energy had disappeared, and instead turned into pure energy.
805“The highest level of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ can force the dark Yin energy to return to its natural state? This cultivation method also has a few good points.”
806Lin Ming held the Purple Come Spear flat, and readied himself to completely invest everything he had in this battle. Before this, he had repeatedly saved his strength, and it was all for this moment. Lin Ming’s power was very explosive, but it was simply unable to last for an extended period of time. In the end, his cultivation was simply too insufficient. The true essence in his dantian and tempered marrow combined was still far inferior in thickness to that of an extreme Xiantian master. He had to ensure that he would be at his best condition when facing Ouyang Shenxiu.
807The purple lights gathered from all over towards Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword. The entire blade radiated a dazzling purple light, and ghostly cries emitted from it. On Ouyang Shenxiu’s body, dozens of purple beams of light shot into the sky. All of these light beams were spurred by Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword, and then pierced towards Lin Ming.
808Sound seemed to disappear. This sword had created a near perfect ‘potential’. This strange sword attack swallowed all sound side, touching upon a faint and elusive Concept!
809“What a terrifying sword. This Ouyang Shenxiu has not only cultivated the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ to the limit, but he also has such a deep and profound understanding into swordsmanship. I wonder just how Lin Ming will defend against this! Within a pavilion on the lake, a martial family head with great eyesight spoke.
810Facing the full force of Ouyang Shenxiu, Lin Ming’s expression was calm as usual. However, the true essence within his body had already been circulating to the limit.
811In the realms of martial artists, the higher one’s cultivation, the greater the disparity in between boundaries. When Lin Ming was at the late Pulse Condensation period, his strength was comparable to an early xiantian master. However, he was not na?ve enough to think that after his cultivation had jumped an entire realm, his power was now equal to a Revolving Core master.
812Against the full force of Ouyang Shenxiu, Lin Ming did not underestimate him at all.
813Heretical God Force – open!
814After experiencing the trials within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm for nearly an entire year, the power that came from reaching the second layer of the Heretical God Force completely erupted!
815Chapter 424 – Horrifyingly Fierce
816As the Heretical God Force was opened, Lin Ming was like a monster that leapt out from an endless abyss; his momentum completely broke free.
817As Lin Ming gripped the Purple Comet Spear, the ground underneath him began to shake, and cracks began to spread out from where he was like a spiderweb. He flourished his spear, and countless tiles of white marble rolled up like a mat, with countless stones and rocks being sent swirling in a high speed vortex. If a weaker martial artist were to be touched by these chunks of stone, it would pierce a bloody hole through their body.
818After the Heretical God Force’s aura of the second layer erupted, all of the martial artists present, including even the Xiantian Elders, felt a great suppressive pressure. They had no choice but to revolve their true essence to resist it.
819Ouyang Shenxiu’s amethyst sword cut down. On top of the sword, the amethyst layer had already grown nine feet long. That four foot sword had actually become a nine foot long greatsword!
820“Break!”
821Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword cut out!
822Kacha!
823Sword energy and spear light wove as they smashed into each other, creating a cold and terrifying storm of true essence.
824The true essence tore apart the earth, sending massive crushed stones flying high into the air. Giant waves appeared on the lake as if it were in the middle of a sea storm. Under the force of such a crazily strong impact, Lin Ming’s body was blown backwards like a leaf.
825Puff puff puff!
826Lin Ming was flung away from the main island and fell on top of the lake. Just as he was about to land, Lin Ming waved his sleeves and a cool breeze surrounded him, supporting his body in the air. Lin Ming slowly settled down, bouncing atop the churning waves before steadying himself.
827The heavy impact from a moment ago had caused him to pale, and a thin line of blood leaked out from the corners of his lips.
828His explosive strength was strong, but the difference between their cultivations was just too great. After all, his foundation was weaker. Lin Ming’s Tempering Marrow true essence was fine. It was just that the meridians in his body weren’t able to withstand such a vicious impact and he received a wound.
829Ouyang Shenxiu was forced dozens of feet away by the true essence shockwaves. When he saw that Lin Ming was injured, he let out a light breath. However, before he had a chance to speak, his pupils suddenly narrowed.
830A small purple and red flash of light was approaching him. It was only several inches long, but was moving at an incredible speed. The chilling aura that it released was just like a serpent that shot towards Ouyang Shenxiu’s chest!
831“Mm?”
832Ouyang Shenxiu raised his sword to cut down on it. However, he had just used some of his gathered strength and hadn’t recovered enough. With the true essence in his body in chaos, he couldn’t make a decent counterattack.
833That small ray of light struck apart Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword, piercing through his chest and causing a fountain of blood rain to gush out!
834In that moment, Ouyang Shenxiu felt as if all the blood essence within his body was rushing towards that small light.
835“Ahhh!”
836Ouyang Shenxiu’s eyes widened. He roared out and then punched himself in the chest. The power of the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ manically erupted, and finally forced that small bright light out of his body.
837Xiu!
838That flash of light became a three inch long steel needle. There was the image of a dragon and snake engraved on the needle. It flew back into Lin Ming’s hand, submerged into his fingertips, and vanished without sight!
839Ouyang Shenxiu’s chest was stained in blood and his face was pale. His eyes were like a wild beast as he stared at Lin Ming, hatred glowing within them.
840What a terrifying and strange steel needle! Not only was it able to break through such the powerful storm of true essence, but it wasn’t destroyed and still managed to pierce through Ouyang Shenxiu’s chest, severely wounding him. It had even carried away a little wisp of blood essence.
841A martial artist’s blood essence was incomparably precious. Although Ouyang Shenxiu had no plans of trying to reach the Revolving Core stage, he still treasure his own life beyond all else. Blood essence was immediately able to influence one’s lifespan. Now that he had lost his blood essence, that also meant that he had lost additional years of life!
842“Ouyang Shenxiu is injured.”
843“And heavily so!”
844“I can’t believe that an extreme Xiantian master was actually injured to this extent by a junior, and even had a portion of his blood essence taken away.”
845The disciples from the distant small islands were spectating this battle with looks of fear and suspicion on their side. To martial artists from a second-grade sect, Ouyang Shenxiu was one of the top controlling characters of the Seven Profound territory.
846Although the Seven Profound territory had a single Revolving Core old master, it was said that that old monster was nearing the end of his life. There were even some rumors that he had gone into closed door seclusion to extend his life. With that Revolving Core master unable to attend to any matters anymore, in the minds of many martial artists, Ouyang Shenxiu and those like him represented the top figures of the Seven Profound territory.
847But now, Ouyang Shenxiu was actually wounded by a junior!
848If he was so fierce at the late Houtian realm, what would happen once he stepped into the Xiantian realm?
849The present Acacia Faction martial artists had long turned silent. They looked onstage towards the bleeding Lin Ming who was soaked in blood, and were able to feel a deep fear coming from their hearts.
850This was just too horrifyingly fierce. Just what was that steel needle? Before, everyone had seen a small flash of light attack Ouyang Boyan. But there were also those who didn’t catch it in time. These people only assume d that it was a concealed needle weapon or even a hidden weapon. There were some martial artists that excelled at hidden weapons or even hidden weapons like needles. There were even some martial artists that used hidden weapons and would engage in sneak attacks. But, these sneak attacks weren’t some glorious or correct method, and many martial artists despised those who relied on them.
851Now it seemed as if their guesses were completely different. If this weapon could submerge into a martial artist’s body or even fuse together with the martial artist, then there was only one possibility, and that was that this needle was a manifestation of pure energy.
852“What is going on? How could he be so strong!?”
853Many of the martial artists present had limited knowledge. They had never seen a Thunder Soul, and they also didn’t know what this Divine Demon Steel Needle was.
854Lin Ming gently stroked the Divine Demon Steel Needle. Because it had just absorbed Ouyang Shenxiu’s blood essence, the crimson snakes of lightning became bright and more vibrant. This was the terror behind the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder. Once  it drilled into one’s body, no matter what effort was made, it would still equally attract their blood essence. Unless one was able to immediately shake it off, they would permanently lose blood essence.
855Unfortunately, Ouyang Shenxiu had a very deep cultivation, and it took him an instant to stop the Divine Demon Steel Needle. Otherwise, the longer it took, the greater Ouyang Shenxiu’s loss would have been.
856Distantly, Ouyang Shenxiu was glaring at Lin Ming, his eyes thickening with a dreadful killing intent!
857“Lin Ming! I have gone easy on you everywhere I could, and yet you actually damage my blood essence!?”
858“Gone easy on me? You have?” Lin Ming sarcastically asked. Ouyang Shenxiu had continuously used the seventh layer of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’. If he hadn’t opened the Heretical God Force,  there was no way he would have been able to defend against it.
859Even so, Lin Ming had relied upon the formidable defensive and recovery power of Tempering Marrow in order to exchange damage. He calculated that as long as Ouyang Shenxiu still hadn’t recovered his strength, he wouldn’t be able to make some sort of sneak attack. Otherwise, there was no way that Lin Ming would have managed to emerge with an advantage from the exchange a moment ago.
860“This Lin Ming is far too arrogant!”
861Around the square, the Acacia Faction disciples were all clenching their fists. Lin Ming plainly didn’t place their Acacia Faction in his eyes.
862“Good! Very good!” Ouyang Shenxiu began to sizzle with anger.
863“Ho–!”
864Purple flames completely wrapped around Ouyang Shenxiu. Suddenly, it wasn’t just his sword, but his entire body was wrapped in amethyst crystal.
865The so-called three moves that Ouyang Shenxiu had settled upon earlier had already been completely abandoned. He now only desired to cause severe harm to Lin Ming, otherwise he would never be able to release this hatred that festered in his heart.
866“Die!”
867Ouyang Shenxiu slashed out with his sword. The space around Lin Ming suddenly tightened, collapsing.
868Lin Ming was calm as usual. The Purple Comet Spear in his hands was like a whip as it fiercely slashed out. Because of its extreme speed, even the spear shaft bent. The spearpoint cut through the air, causing a sharp howl that pierced the ears.
869Peng!
870Spear and sword collided. A strange vibrating power penetrated through the amethyst sword and into Ouyang Shenxiu’s body, causing his entire body to shake.
871“This boy has such a strange attack skill!”
872Ouyang Shenxiu was darkly amazed. But, although this power of vibration was strange, he was still barely able to melt it away once it entered his body.
873The collision of the two became increasingly intense. Spear light and sword energy haphazardly intertwined together. Lin Ming’s spear had the Concept of Wind fused into it, and his spear shadow melted into the wind. The wind itself became his spear, overwhelming and with no gaps!
874Bang bang bang!
875The roiling true essence swirled into a giant storm, completely crushing the ground. Within the lake waters around the main island, the strong gales and intense true essence caused massive columns of water to rise into the air. Dozens of columns of water soared into the air, turning into giant waterspouts that hung in the sky, slowly being dragged into the massive storm.
876All of the surrounding martial artists could only look on in helplessness and awe. Against such a terrifying fight, let alone taking any of these blows, if they just walked a few steps closer, it was likely that they would be shredded to bits by this storm of true essence and immediately die!
877Blood Flame Slash!
878As Ouyang Shenxiu slashed out, the aura of his body suddenly changed. His entire body was enveloped in a bloody fog, and it was as if waves of blood were surging out from him. The intense impact of true essence created a tornado that swept up the countless broken shards of white marble from the floor.
879Peng peng peng!
880As this tornado of debris was thrown towards Lin Ming, it was also swept up by the azure true essence that Lin Ming released, continuously exploding in the air and becoming a fine white sand.
881Lin Ming thrust out his spear. He had to take the offensive and finish this fight in the next few dozen breaths. Otherwise, the power from the Heretical God Force would soon exhaust itself!
882“You want to exchange wounds? Dream on!”
883The sword in Ouyang Shenxiu’s hand suddenly accelerated. His attack speed was significantly faster than Lin Ming’s!
884A sword cut down onto Lin Ming’s chest. At this time, because of his lost blood essence, Ouyang Shenxiu had been driven to madness and desperately attacked.
885Kacha!
886Spear and sword locked together. Most of Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword attack was blocked by Lin Ming. However, most of the sword energy still cut towards Lin Ming, ripping open his clothes, slicing his chest, and causing blood to shoot out.
887Ouyang Shenxiu’s smile didn’t even last an instant before it froze on his face. Lin Ming simply ignored this chest injury and cut down with his spear towards Ouyang Shenxiu.
888“What? He’s alright!?”
889Ouyang Shenxiu hadn’t left any room for dodging after making his move. Lin Ming’s Purple Comet Spear was like the blade of a guillotine as it came towards him. He was struck by that spear and sent soaring back!
890Bang!
891Ouyang Shenxiu crashed into the floor. Within the ruined ground, another crater appeared. His mouth was already full of blood, several of his ribs were broken, and his organs were crushed. His face was pale white and his entire body was damaged all over. This battle was brutal beyond his imagination!
892All of the current martial artists were stunned silly. Lin Ming had used his own body to forcefully withstand Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword energy? And then he had made a counterattack?
893A single spear had sent Ouyang Shenxiu cratering into the ground. What kind of character was Ouyang Shenxiu? But he had actually been struck by a junior and sent slamming into the ground. A fight of this level was too terrifying!
894Lin Ming’s own situation wasn’t too good. He had relied on the powerful defensive capabilities of his 65% completed Tempering Marrow and withstood Ouyang Shenxiu’s sword energy. But, his meridians had been damaged in many sections and his chest was already stained red with blood. The Heretical God Force could only last for about 10 more breaths of time!
895Seeing Ouyang Shenxiu stand up, Lin Ming fiercely grit his teeth. He shot forwards, and the Thunder Soul and Flame Essence on his spear connected.
896Thunderfire Annihilation!
897Ouyang Shenxiu’s two eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed his sword with both hands, and all of that amethyst crystal completely manifested onto the blade of the sword. The absolute limit of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’s’ seventh layer of strength transferred to the sword, slashing down at Lin Ming!
898Bang!!!
899In that moment, it was like a bloody sun rose within the center of the square. Ouyang Shenxiu’s body was like a piece of broken straw as he was thrown backwards… 
900Chapter 425 – Stones Dyed With Blood
901Bang!!!
902Ouyang Shenxiu fell into a pile of rubble, stirring up a large cloud of dust and dirt.         
903As the bright light from the explosion faded, the true essence shockwaves subsided. The lake was quiet, and even the wild, turbulent waves became gentle once again. On the main island, every building was completely razed to the ground, turned to crushed stones and tiles. There was now nothing left but a long stretch of ruins!
904Pa ta!
905A drop of bright fresh blood trickled down from the cold point of the Purple Comet Spear. As this drop of blood fell onto the ruins, it broke apart. In the utter silence of the square, this sound was incomparably clear.
906Lin Ming stood within these ruins, his entire body dyed in blood. Part of this blood was from Ouyang Shenxiu, and part of it was from himself.
907At this time, Lin Ming was like a Killing God that crawled out from an Ashura battlefield. All of the martial artists that looked at Lin Ming had a shine of fear and horror in their eyes. Even though the extreme Xiantian master Ouyang Shenxiu had emerged to stop Lin Ming, he was still beaten to the edge of death!
908Ouyang Ming heaved a deep sigh of relief. In the face of someone like Lin Ming, he was completely paralyzed. Even Liu Xuan, who had grown up under the halo of being a genius, had a complex expression on his face. He now learned that there was no limit in this world; no matter how strong he was, there was always someone stronger. No one wanted to admit that they were a frog in a well. But now, he had no choice but to acknowledge the world outside of the well. He had discovered that the world outside of this well was much more broad and limitless than he could have ever imagined.
909Ouyang Shenxiu lay waiting the ruins of the main island, half his body buried within the crushed stoned. Ouyang Shenxiu had long fallen unconscious. In comparison to the bloody Lin Ming who stood next to him, this left an extremely strong visual impact on all that saw this.
910This strong visual impact, as well as the thick and frightening killing intent that still filled the air, caused everyone around to not dare to make even the smallest noise.
911The entire square had fallen under an oppressive pall of silence. The tyrannical aura seemed thick enough to manifest into reality.
912Pa ta!
913Pa ta!
914More and more blood dropped onto the ruins. As drop of blood after drop of blood fell down, it formed a blossoming flower of blood atop the crushed stones.
915Lin Ming’s body swayed twice.
916Peng!
917The Purple Comet Spear struck the ground. Lin Ming supported himself by grabbing onto the spear shaft, finally coming to a halt. Even though he had consumed too much true essence and he was heavily injured, he still managed to stand firm.
918“He’s reached his limit!” Ouyang Boxu narrowed his eyes as he stared at Lin Ming, finally relieved.
919‘No matter how formidable you are, since you have reached your limit, there is nothing to fear from you!’
920“Five Great Elders of the Acacia Faction combined to attack him, and even Ouyang Shenxiu fought him; it’s already a miracle that he could still stand at this point. But, there is no longer any need to fear him!” Ouyang Guang said to several other elders on the main island with a true essence sound transmission. To everyone present, it was obvious that Lin Ming had reached the end of the road.
921Lin Ming raised his Purple Comet Spear and began to slowly move towards Ouyang Boyan. On the chilling point of his spear, a cold light flashed.
922But at this moment, Ouyang Boyan’s younger brother Ouyang Boxu was standing in front of him.
923“What? This boy is even trying to kill my brother now? Is his brain filled with water? He is simply seeking death!”
924With his longsword in hand, Ouyang Boxu’s eyes flashed with a deep murderous intent. He wished that he could immediately kill Lin Ming. But in this situation, he didn’t have the courage to do so.
925“Lin Ming! If you take one step close, I will cut you down with my sword!” Ouyang Boxu shouted out with a dour expression.
926His entire body’s true essence was revolving to the limit. And beside him, even Ouyang Guang had once again taken out his longsword and was prepared to fight at any given moment.
927Lin Ming was expressionless as if he hadn’t heard anything at all. He continued to slowly walk and stumble towards Ouyang Boyan.
928The corners of Ouyang Boxu’s lips twitched. Ouyang Guang said, “Boxu, us three will attack together. Although we can’t kill him, we can still severely injure him and ruin his blood essence and meridians. Even if we do so, Divine Phoenix Island won’t say anything. After all, Lin Ming was the one who attacked first, and he also injured Boyan and the Sovereign’s blood essence. If we damage his blood essence and meridians then that will be a perfectly justified matter; there is no reason that Divine Phoenix Island would punish us!”
929“That’s right. At this time Divine Phoenix Island needs our hearts united in order to face the South Sea Demon Region. They would not dare to bully us like that, otherwise the already loose alliance will disperse and Divine Phoenix Island will suffer a major loss. We will damage Lin Ming’s blood essence today and have him pay the price for his rampant and flagrant actions!”
930Ouyang Boxu devilishly smiled. ‘This Lin Ming is such a self-important idiot. He is already wounded with this miserable appearance, but he still wants to kill my brother. If he was smart and had just a bit of respect, he would have stopped here and I wouldn’t have had an excuse to harm him. But now, he can die!’
931“Go!”
932Ouyang Guang gave a loud shot. Ouyang Boxu led the way, rushing to the front, his sword slashing towards Lin Ming’s right arm.
933“First I’ll take your arm!”
934Ouyang Boxu’s lips curved up in a savage grin and his longsword whistled. Lin Ming faltered in his step, but still walked forwards.  
935This sword contained all of Ouyang Boxu’s potential! If Lin Ming’s arm was severed, he could still reattach it, but at that point the damage would have been done.
936“Lin Ming!”
937Behind Lin Ming, Qin Xingxuan screamed as she covered her mouth in absolute horror. Even Qin Ziya was pale. The zither in his spatial ring suddenly appeared in his hand. But, Qin Ziya was only at the early Xiantian realm. Against these three great senior Xiantian masters and even the middle Xiantian realm Ouyang Guang, Qin Ziya was limited in what he could do!
938The thousands of people in the surroundings widened their eyes. For Ouyang Boxu to take advantage when someone was in such a helpless position was truly despicable, but this was also the best opportunity he would have. Lin Ming was a lamp that had run out of oil, just how would he be able to defend against this?
939“Die!”
940Ouyang Boxu’s longsword slashed down, a brilliant purple flame enveloping it.
941In a split-second, Lin Ming’s eyes suddenly condensed. The phoenix flame mark between his eyebrows suddenly combusted in a fiery blaze!
942Phoenix true blood, Nirvana Rebirth!
943“Hoh!”
944A clarion phoenix cry sounded out, directly impacting through the heavens. From between Lin Ming’s eyebrows, a powerful and dominant power of fire erupted. Phoenix true blood poured through the blood vessels of Lin Ming, causing his blood to boil
945A phoenix was immortal and endless. Similarly, its bloodline was the same. It was able to bathe within the blazing fires of nirvana, and had the effect of being rebirthed even from the precipice of death!
946Normally, when a martial artist burned their blood essence they could trade it for a powerful strength in return. But once blood essence was burned away, it was gone forever!
947However, phoenix true blood was different – it itself was already capable of rising from the ashes of fire. Even if it were burned, it would not be reduced by the tiniest bit!
948This was the effect of the Phoenix true blood, a power that was capable of defying the heavens themselves!
949After this phoenix true blood poured into Lin Ming, half of his bodily wounds were restored in just a blink of an eye. As for his true essence that was nearly depleted, with the combustion of the phoenix true blood, it began to violently rise!
950Lin Ming’s eyes were cold, just like stars from quiet nine heavens. The forceful coldness of his vision pierced through the hearts of those who met his eyes.
951As Lin Ming vision’s touched Ouyang Boxu, Ouyang Boxu subconsciously froze for a moment. He felt as if he were being glared at by a catastrophic monster, and chills ran all over his body. He had an ominous foreboding feeling creep up his heart, but…
952It was already too late!
953Lin Ming shook the Purple Comet Spear in his hands, and the vigorous Fallen Star Flame combusted. Under the blessing of the Phoenix true blood, the flames became an increasingly deep and vibrant purple!
954“Go die!”
955Lin Ming’s icy words were like an arctic wind that came from the endless abyss. His spear thrust out, flame howled, and the air trembled!
956The shining  flames condensed into a phantom of a phoenix, directly shooting straight towards Ouyang Boxu!
957“Divine Phoenix Within the Heavens!”
958This was shockingly a killing move that Lin Ming had learnt from the third layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. Its might was naturally inferior to that of Thunderfire Annihilation, but it was still more than enough to deal with the early Xiantian realm Ouyang Boxu!
959“What!? How is this possible!??”
960The Lin Ming who had been like dying embers had suddenly ignited in a burst of raging power. As Ouyang Boxu saw this with his own eyes, he felt a sense of intense panic overtake him. He couldn’t believe what was happening in front of his own eyes. But in this critical moment, Ouyang Boxu no longer had time to reflect on the reasons behind it. As the blazing flames swept towards him, Ouyang Boyu’s expression completely changed. He loudly shouted and then slashed out at the flaming phoenix!
961Peng!
962It was just an instant, but the purple flames on Ouyang Boxu’s sword were completely swallowed by the flaming phoenix. And then, that flaming phoenix continued to soar towards Ouyang Boxu.
963“What!?”
964As Ouyang Boxu witnessed the flaming phoenix swallow his flames, he felt as if he had gone mad. He revolved his bodily true essence protection to the limit!
965Chi chi chi!
966There was only the sound of cracking, as if molten metal were being poured atop cold ice. Ouyang Boxu’s protective true essence melted in an instant, and the flames engulfed him, swirling around his body.
967Ouyang Boxu sent out a miserable shriek.
968At the same time, Lin Ming stabbed his spear through Ouyang Boxu’s dantian and then twisted. As Ouyang Boxu’s dantian was shattered, he immediately died on the spot.
969All of the surrounding martial artists had fallen deathly silent, none of them were able to respond to this sudden change.
970How was this possible?
971Lin Ming, who had already spent all his energy, was actually able to suddenly erupt with strength to instantly kill Ouyang Boxu?
972Lin Ming’s spatial ring flashed and Ouyang Boxu’s corpse was sucked into it. Ouyang Boxu’s spatial ring wasn’t able to be placed into the pocket dimension, so Lin Ming took that himself.
973A single spear had killed Ouyang Boxu. At this time, Ouyang Guang and another Elder were halfway to Lin Ming, and they suddenly lagged as this saw this horrifying scene. Most of their momentum instantly dissipated.
974Lin Ming didn’t stop. His eyes flashed with a cold light and he took a step forwards, his spear thrusting towards Ouyang Guang!
975Ouyang Guang had already lost a massive amount of true essence from his earlier fight, and had even been wounded. Although he was at the crest of the middle Xiantian realm, now his strength was at the lowest of the middle Xiantian realm masters!
976His complexion completely changed. He now realized how terrifying and severe Lin Ming’s killing intent was. This spear was not a sparring shot or a deterrent, it was a true killing strike!
977If he could not block this, he would die!
978In that instant, Ouyang Guang felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
979Just then, a purple light flashed at his side. The Acacia Faction Elder who had attack together with him had abandoned all else and ran away!
980The disciples of the Acacia Faction had never had much loyalty to begin with, they had always placed their own lives as their top priority in life. As this Elder saw Lin Ming lock onto Ouyang Guang, he immediately escaped. Compared to his life, honor was nothing!
981“damn!”
982Ouyang Guang’s eyes widened. However, he now had no choice but to face Lin Ming’s spear!
983“You’ve gone too far!”
984Ouyang Guang’s sword potential turned. From the bottom up, he cut against Lin Ming’s Purple Comet Spear. However, as his sword cut against the spear, he felt a strange vibrating energy spread into his body from the spear. His arm shook, and the sword fell from his hand.
985Ouyang Guang was shocked. At this time, Lin Ming’s spear swept out, the cold tip of the Purple Comet Spear carrying a billowing flame!
986Peng!
987Ouyang Guang’s sword slashed down on the flames of the Purple Comet Spear. However, a tiny wisp of purple Flame Essence split off from the flames and silently fell onto Ouyang Guang’s chest…
988Puff –
989The Fallen Star Flame was like a serpent that penetrated into Ouyang Guang’s body.
990Chapter 426 – Auspicious Sign of the Heavens
991The corrosive Fallen Star Flame Flame Essence drilled straight through Ouyang Guang’s stomach, piercing through his dantian and shooting out from behind!
992Ouyang Guang grabbed onto the shaft of the Purple Come Spear. He slowly looked down at the hole in his stomach that was pouring out thick, black blood, his face colored with disbelief.
993He extended his hand out, waving it in front of him as if he wanted to grab onto something. However, his eyes relaxed and dulled, and the light faded from them.
994Ouyang Guang fell to his knees, and then softly plopped onto the floor.
995So far, of the seven Elders and Sovereign from the Acacia Faction, some had died, some were severely wounded, and some had escaped; there were none left!
996The entire main island was emptied, even Ouyang Ming had returned to a small island. Now, on the main island, the only one left standing was Lin Ming.
997With his own strength, not even the seven Great Elders of the Acacia Faction had been able to stop him. Such a frightening strength caused all the surrounding martial artists to hold their breath, afraid that they would attract the attention of this monster in human form.
998Lin Ming took the Purple Comet Spear and walked in front of Ouyang Boyan. At this time, Ouyang Boyan only had a single breath of life left. He glanced at Lin Ming, but his eyes had already glazed over.
999The Purple Comet Spear flashed with a cold light, and there was a light piercing sound as a gaping hole appeared in Ouyang Boyan’s stomach, followed by a shower of blood.
1000All of the surrounding martial artists from small sects jumped, feeling faint at heart. Just a moment ago, this had been a lively and grand celebratory banquet. Ouyang Boyan had been filled with happiness and elation due to his breakthrough, but now, that happy man had been slaughtered in a way no different from a farm chicken!
1001Such a great contrast caused everyone to feel a deep sense of awe and dread.
1002Lin Ming placed Ouyang Boyan’s corpse into his spatial ring. He wanted to verify something. Was a Xiantian martial artist’s blood essence able to open the Magic Cube once again?
1003“Lin Ming! You’re alright!” Qin Xingxuan ran over to Lin Min and helped support him, her face filled with worry and concern. Lin Ming’s appearance was just too horrible at the moment. He was bruised all over, and his true essence had been overdrawn.
1004“I’m alright.” Lin Ming brightly smiled at Qin Xingxuan to reassure her at let her feel more at ease. He said, “Come on, let’s go home…”
1005“Senior Master… Ouyang Boyan had died.”
1006In the back mountains of the Seven Profound Valleys, Shi Zongtian stood outside of a cave mansion, his face solemn.
1007As the Seven Profound Valleys’ Valley Master, the only one that Shi Zongtian would refer to with such respect would be the Highest Elder of the Seven Profound Valleys, Jiang Huan.
1008Jiang Huan was now 500 years old. He had been stranded at the early Revolving Core realm, and was reaching the end of his life. In these past many years, he had gone into closed seclusion.
1009The reason that Jiang Huan was in seclusion was not because he wanted to break past the early Revolving Core realm; he was well aware that his life was nearly exhausted, and breaking through was nothing but a wild dream. Jiang Huan had used this method of seclusion in order to delay the embers of his flickering life from fading. He greatly hoped that he would be able to maintain his feeble existence and linger on in the world until the day that Jiang Baoyun made a breakthrough to the extreme Xiantian realm.
1010Only such a super powerhouse like that would be able to guarantee the stability of the Seven Profound Valleys.
1011Therefore in these past years, regardless of any matter, Jiang Huan rarely left his cave mansion, and that why was rumors had been passed along in the smaller sects that Jiang Huan was in life or death closed door seclusion.
1012“I know…”
1013As Jiang Huan slowly spoke, his voice had a faint dying energy.
1014In fact, Jiang Huan had already been made aware of the situation ever since Lin Ming had broken into the Seven Profound Valleys, and was very clear on the entire process of what had happened.
1015Shi Zongtian hesitated and said, “Should I go and speak with Lin Ming?”
1016Although the Sword Faction and Acacia Faction had many disagreements, and even many areas in which they were complete and polar opposites, they were still in the same sect. Lin Ming had killed one after another within the Acacia Faction, and this would ruin their Sword Faction’s reputation too. If this spread out, then others would say that the Seven Profound Valleys had been invaded by a 20-something year old baby, and no one dared to even admonish him.
1017Jiang Huang said, “There’s no point in you going. Since Lin Ming came to the Seven Profound Valleys, he naturally has something to rely on. If it’s as you said and Lin Ming truly does have a reason to take revenge, then Ouyang Boyan wouldn’t have sat idly by. I thought that he would rely on the Acacia Faction and pay off Lin Ming with some high price, but I never thought that he would underestimate Lin Ming’s strength to this degree. In truth, it wasn’t just him who underestimated Lin Ming, but also me. I never would have dreamed that Lin Ming’s strength was already formidable to this degree!”
1018Shi Zongtian listened silently, not speaking. He had a certain understanding of Lin Ming’s personality. Even if he went, he would just lose face in the end no matter what he did. If that was the case, then he might as well not go. Not just that, but Lin Ming also came here riding a Vermillion Bird. The Vermillion Bird represented Divine Phoenix Island and wouldn’t recklessly attack the Seven Profound Valleys, but it was still a form of deterrence.
1019Thinking things over, Shi Zongtian sighed. Finally, he decided not to involve himself with this matter. Everything would be settled by Lin Ming and the Acacia Faction.
1020On the highest peak of the Acacia Faction, a resonant phoenix cry echoed through the heavens. The Vermillion Bird shot into the sky. nobody dared to stop Lin Ming. In the view of the surrounding martial artists, Lin Ming had forced his way into the Acacia Faction and killed several of their Great Elders. But, the other six factions of the Seven Profound Valleys hadn’t even appeared, and Lin Ming had cockily sauntered his way out.
1021The banquet naturally couldn’t continue. The martial artists from the small sects quickly excused themselves and left. After the seven Great Elders had been completely wasted by Lin Ming alone, the one with the highest status left on scene was Ouyang Ming.
1022The martial artists quickly spoke their farewells to Ouyang Ming. Ouyang Ming ruefully smiled, he never thought that the celebratory banquet the Acacia Faction held today would have such a result.
1023Ouyang Ming was no longer inclined to think about Lin Ming. He and Lin Ming were destined to follow different paths and tread on different worlds. He wouldn’t take Lin Ming as his goal in life; instead, he would just believe that Lin Ming no longer existed.
1024The wind howled.
1025Lin Ming, Qin Xingxuan, and Qin Ziya all stood atop the Vermillion Bird. They had already left the range of the Seven Profound Valleys’ mountains. 
1026Lin Ming said, “Martial House Master Qin, what are you planning to do in the future?”
1027Qin Ziya thought for a moment and then said, “I will stay in the Seven Profound Valleys in the future. There were already many conflicts between the Zither Faction and the Acacia Faction. Although I have offended the Acacia Faction this time, it won’t affect me much.”
1028“Martial House Master Qin, how about switching sects? For instance, joining Divine Phoenix Island?”
1029“Divine Phoenix Island… consider it finished. In my life, I pursue the zither with my heart and soul. I can only do this within the Zither Faction, Divine Phoenix Island does not suit me.”
1030Lin Ming nodded. What Qin Ziya said was right. He had spent half his life cultivating the zither, it was impossible for him to branch out and practice other cultivation methods again.
1031“Then, I must separate with Martial House Master Qin. When I was stranded within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, it was all thanks to Martial House Master Qin that Xingxuan remained safe for as long as she did. I, Lin Ming, will engrave this kindness onto my mind.”
1032Qin Ziya laughed and said, “If it wasn’t for you, I would never have stepped into the Xiantian realm. If we are speaking of kindnesses, then yours is greater than mine. This time in helping Miss Qin, the truth is that I didn’t play much of a role, I could only do as much as I could in order to not frustrate my thoughts.”
1033To those from the Zither Faction and Sword Faction who were mostly honest and held a greater value towards integrity, they would never feel comfortable if they owed anyone anything. Only when they returned the favor would they feel at peace. So in general, these individuals didn’t often owe favors to others.
1034“Lin Ming, this is where we part. I bid you farewell, take care of yourself.” Qin Ziya waved his sleeves, and then leapt down from the Vermillion Bird. His white clothing quickly vanished within the strong heavenly winds.
1035Lin Ming watched as Qin Ziya’s figure disappeared. He cupped his fists across his chest and said, “Martial House Master Qin, please take care…”
1036“Lin Ming… where will we go to?” Qin Xingxuan asked as she stood beside Lin Ming.
1037She had already prepared to follow Lin Ming to the edges of heaven and the ends of the earth.
1038“First we’ll go home, and then we’ll go to Divine Phoenix Island. You can cultivate within Divine Phoenix Island.”
1039“Mm, then let’s do as you say.” Qin Xingxuan bit her lips, feeling incomparably at peace. With Lin Ming, she no longer worried about anything at all.
1040Sky Fortune Kingdom was several hundred thousand miles away from the Seven Profound Valleys. Transferring news was often a very slow and arduous process. In order to activate a sound transmission array once, it required a great amount of true essence stones, and would also wear down the limited integrity of the array formation, shortening its life.
1041In normal circumstances, the current Seven Profound Martial House Master who was also Ouyang Boyan’s disciple would only make a report to Ouyang Boyan once a month. Now that Ouyang Boyan had died, there was no longer anyone to manage this chess piece he had left within Sky Fortune Kingdom.
1042In fact, besides Ouyang Boyan, not many people knew that Yang Zhen and this cloaked man were followers of Ouyang Boyan. These people were on a very low level. The Acacia Faction Elders naturally wouldn’t bother with them.
1043The news of single-handedly killing his way into the Acacia Faction and wrecking them hadn’t yet spread out. Before the second-grade sect disciples had returned to their sect, Lin Ming had already arrived back at Sky Fortune Kingdom. With the Vermillion Bird’s astoundingly extreme speed along with the use of two transmission arrays, Lin Ming had managed to return to Sky Fortune Kingdom in a single day and night.
1044On this day, all of Qin Xingxuan’s anxieties and fears had been clearly seen by Lin Ming’s eyes. The Qin Family members’ lives were all at stake, so of course Qin Xingxuan was nervous.
1045It was an ordinary morning in Sky Fortune City. The sun had just risen, and the fresh and bright sunlight had just started spreading throughout the city. The common peasant workers held their hoes across their shoulders as they headed to the fields outside the city to farm. Merchants sold their wares in their shops. At this moment, a bright red light flashed on the horizon. From afar, it was like a massive group of flames was burning the air.
1046This flame was at first very small, but it began to grow at an alarming speed. Everyone quickly realized that this wasn’t a group of flames, but rather a fiery bird!
1047Everyone couldn’t help but stop whatever work they were doing and stare at the sky, dazed.
1048A resounding phoenix cry spread through the horizon. The massive Vermillion Bird with its 100 foot wingspan cut across the limitless blue sky!
1049All of Sky Fortune City’s residents were shocked!
1050“Phoenix!”
1051“Heavens! Is that a phoenix!?”
1052“Am I dreaming?”
1053To mortals, a phoenix was an existence that they had only heard about in ancient stories and legends. In the legends, when an emperor had united the dynasty and performed a great deed, a phoenix would appear unto the world; this was the so-called auspicious sign of the heavens.
1054“The phoenix is flying to the Royal Palace!”
1055With that, people quickly came to their senses. This must be related to the great deeds of the newly crowned emperor!
1056Thinking of this, everyone quickly kneeled on the ground, prostrating themselves in worship as they stared at this phoenix in the sky.
1057At this time, in the vast grand hall of Sky Fortune City’s Royal Palace, Yang Zhen was meeting his court. Within 30 days of ascending the throne, he had summoned the representatives of the difference provinces and was to meet with them.
1058Under the grand podium, hundreds of leaders and officials from the various provinces were kneeling. Yang Zhen was sitting grandly above them. At this moment, he heard a shrill cry as someone entered…
1059A court eunuch burst into the grand hall, a great smile on his face as he shouted, “Emperor! This is a great occasion, a great occasion! An auspicious sign of the heavens has come! An auspicious sign of the heavens!”
1060Chapter 427 – Changing Heavens
1061All of the officials and officers looked over. Their faces were filled with surprise as they saw this fat eunuch that looked like a giant meatball barge into the palace’s grand hall.
1062After attracting everyone’s attention to himself, the middle-aged eunuch seemed to notice that and began to wave to everyone as he happily reported such a wonderful event.
1063He coughed to clear his throat, and then the middle-aged eunuch said, “Emperor! An auspicious heavenly sign has arrived! A phoenix has come!”
1064“Mm? Phoenix?” Yang Zhen was startled, and then a joyous smile immediately crossed his face. “Really?”
1065Just as Yang Zhen asked that, there was suddenly a resounding phoenix cry from overhead. All of the officials and officers were startled. Could it be? Was that actually a phoenix flying overhead?
1066Everyone quickly ran out of the grand hall, not daring to believe unless they could verify this with their own eyes. They ran out and were incomparably shocked when they saw a massive phoenix with a 100 foot wingspan gently floating in midair. And on the back of that phoenix were several immortal beings.
1067The wind whistled and flames howled around them. Such an auspicious event caused everyone’s eyes to go round like moons; this was a scene that had only ever been described in ancient legends.
1068Yang Zhen was euphoric. He had usurped the throne, forced his father to abdicate the throne, and had even placed his elder brother under house arrest. None of these were glorious actions, but now that an almighty phoenix had arrived, this was the perfect chance for him to restore his honor.
1069As he was about to bow to the two immortals on the phoenix and introduce himself, at this moment, the bright smile on his face suddenly froze.
1070As he saw the young man and woman on top of that phoenix, Yang Zhen’s face went from a disbelieving happiness to abject horror!
1071“Lin Ming! Qin Xingxuan!”
1072Lin Ming moved, stepping on the wind and slowly falling from the sky. A faint aura emanated from him. Combined with the phoenix behind him that burned with brilliant radiant flames, this image was too impactful. Everyone else couldn’t help but fall to their knees in worship.
1073Yang Zhang was already afraid, but now he was frightened out of his mind. How was this possible? Wasn’t Lin Ming already dead?
1074“Lin… Mister Lin…” Yang Zhen stuttered, “You… you’re alive. I’m so excited that I can… see you… again…”
1075Yang Zhen‘s entire body was in a cold sweat. In just a few words, sweat had already begun to drip down his fingertips.
1076Besides Yang Zhen, there were a few officials that recognized Lin Ming from a banquet a long time ago, when he had displayed his amazing movement techniques. They had a very high status within Sky Fortune Kingdom, and they had also heard many things concerning Lin Ming. Thus, they deeply understood just what Lin Ming’s status was!
1077Lin Ming sarcastically looked at Yang Zhen, “Excited? Yang Zhen, how come I can see you shaking?”
1078Lin Ming’s words shocked everyone present, including all the officials and ministers. Most of those present didn’t recognize Lin Ming. To them, the world that Lin Ming lived in was just too distant a reality. In their minds, the emperor was the heavens, a nigh unreachable existence.
1079Just who was this person? He spoke to the emperor directly using his full name, and it was also obvious that the emperor feared him!
1080After Yang Zhen had ascended to the throne, he had launched a massive campaign to clear out all the past officials, making everyone feel insecure of their own position. Even the legendary and renowned Marshal Qin Xiao had been placed under house arrest; who else still dared to oppose Yang Zhen? With just a few words from Yang Zhen, their entire families would be beheaded and their fortunes taken!
1081And yet, this cold-blooded and heartless emperor was at the moment frightened to the point that he was dripping sweat?
1082“Mister Lin… I beg you, spare my life. I was confused. The new Seven Profound Martial House master tricked me, and Ouyang Boyan forced me to do what I did. I can be your most faithful servant. I can even testify against Ouyang Boyan on your behalf if you give me the chance to do so…” Yang Zhen said with a true essence sound transmission. This year his cultivation had managed to reach the Altering Muscle stage, and he was able to use this skill.
1083Lin Ming sneered, “Ouyang Boyan has been slain by my hand. If you want to testify against him, then you can do so in hell!”
1084“Wh… what?” Yang Zhen uttered in a daze. Ouyang Boyan had been killed by Lin Ming!?
1085Ca!
1086An azure light flashed, and Yang Zhen’s expression was forever frozen in this dazed look. A thread of azure true essence had been injected into his heart, directly bursting it. Yang Zhen had died on the spot.
1087Plop!
1088Yang Zhen slumped to the ground. After his heart burst open, blood began to flow out from his nose and mouth.
1089“Emperor… Emperor!” The middle-aged eunuch was horrified, his face turning white.
1090After Yang Zhen suddenly died, the Royal Palace was in chaos. Everyone was terrified, falling to the ground on their knees, begging as their hands trembled. All of the officials looked as though they had lost their souls. In just a breath of time, the emperor had been killed in front of everyone!
1091Some officials who knew a bit more of what was happening fell silent. They understood one thing, and that was that the heavens would change.
1092Yang Lin would ascend to the newly emptied throne, and Qin Xiao would be restored to his great position and authority. All of those who assisted Yang Zhen in clearing out the old guard would be demoted and cast away, or perhaps, maybe their entire families would be slaughtered.
1093This was the brutality of a struggle for authority. But in front of absolute power, any authority paled in comparison.
1094After Lin Ming killed Yang Zhen, he didn’t even bother to say anything to the chaotic crowds of people at the Royal Palace. He hopped onto Fireshine and rode non-stop to the Seven Profound Martial House.
1095The Seven Profound Martial House was located at Sky Fortune City’s Zhou Mountains. This distance of 10 miles was just a blink of an eye to the extreme speed of a Vermillion Bird!
1096As he spread his sense down, Lin Ming instantly located the current Seven Profound Martial House Master that Yang Zhen had spoken of. Within the entire Martial House, he was the only half-step Xiantian martial artist.
1097Bang!
1098The main hall fiercely shook. The cloaked man that was cultivating in seclusion was suddenly startled, he jumped out from his quiet room!
1099“Who is it? Who dares to force their way into my Seven Profound Martial House!?” The cloaked man was furious. Then, he froze as he saw the massive Vermillion Bird and the two individuals that stood on it.
1100Lin Ming! Qin Xingxuan!
1101Not only did the cloaked man see Lin Ming, but many of the disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House saw him. With such a giant Vermillion Bird flying into the Seven Profound Martial House, it was difficult to not notice this.
1102The disciples that had entered into the Seven Profound Martial House with Lin Ming hadn’t graduated yet. As they saw Lin Ming atop the Vermillion Bird, they were stunned.
1103“Is that person… Senior-apprentice Brother Lin?”
1104To the disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House, Lin Ming was a fable, a living legend that they worshipped. After he stayed at the Seven Profound Martial House for just half a year, he had become the champion of the Seven Profound Valleys’ Total Faction Martial Meeting! It was like he was a hero from the myths!
1105Afterwards, they had heard that he had been personally selected by some large sect and had also become that sect’s top disciple.
1106Without a doubt, Lin Ming would become a Xiantian master in the future. To the disciples of the Seven Profound Martial House, a Xiantian master was also a character only heard of in legends.
1107There were many new disciples that had heard of Lin Ming’s great name even before they had joined the Seven Profound Martial House. They dreamt that one day they would become an awe-inspiring powerhouse like Lin Ming.
1108“It really looks like him. And behind him… is that… Senior-apprentice Sister Qin?”
1109“This… how is this possible? Wasn’t it said that Senior-apprentice Brother Lin died? Not just that… but what are they riding? Is that a phoenix?”
1110“Senior-apprentice Brother Lin’s cultivation is…”
1111Several Viscera Training stage youths stared with wide eyes, but they still couldn’t see Lin Ming’s current cultivation!
1112For a Viscera Training stage martial artist to not be able to see someone’s cultivation, that could only mean that they were at least at the late Pulse Condensation period, or even the peak Pulse Condensation period!
1113“Senior-apprentice Brother Lin has already broken through to the peak Pulse Condensation period? That’s impossible!”
1114“Senior-apprentice Brother Lin is indeed powerful, he’s so fierce! 17 years old and yet he is at the peak Pulse Condensation period. In the future he’ll become a Xiantian master!
1115“I wonder why Senior-apprentice Brother Lin came back to the Seven Profound Martial House? Does had have something he needs to speak with the Martial House Master about? Could it be about the next Total Faction Martial Meeting!?” As soon as someone mentioned the Total Faction Martial Meeting, everyone – especially the younger disciples – became giddy with excitement.
1116As they were discussing this, wang Yanfeng was silently gazing at Lin Ming in the sky, his eyes shining .  
1117He wasn’t at the peak Pulse Condensation period, but at the late Houtian realm… wang Yanfeng gasped and then clenched his fists. Not too long ago, he had participated  in the Seven Profound Martial House entrance examination with Lin Ming. At that time there had been a fierce battle for first place. But now,the difference between them was like clouds and mud.
1118“Who are you? Why have you come here?” The cloaked man’s expression changed. These past years, he had been travelling the world for his own pleasure and hadn’t been at the Total Faction Martial Meeting. Naturally, he wouldn’t know what Lin Ming looked like.
1119Although Lin Ming’s cultivation was inferior to his, he had a faint sense that this youth in front of him was a terrifying being!
1120“Are you the current Seven Profound Martial House Master?” Lin Ming blankly asked.
1121The cloaked man frowned. He faintly felt that Lin Ming came here with ill intent, but there was no way to deny this. He nodded his head and said, “I am!”
1122“Oh really…” Lin Ming coldly smiled. He heard from Qin Xingxuan that Yang Zhen had used the support of the current Martial House Master in order to successfully ascend to the throne. Afterwards, when the campaign had been launched to purge the old officials, Qin Xiao had been captured without a fight because of this cloaked man.
1123“Then… it’s not an injustice for you to die…” Lin Ming stretched out his palm, a purple arc of thunder flashed out!
1124“Humph!” After he sensed Lin Ming’s ill intent, the cloaked man was already on high alert. He coldly snorted and then drew out the longsword from its sheath, his entire body boiling with purple flames!
1125A sword cut down on the purple thunder. But as soon as the longsword touched the purple thunder, the purple flames that enveloped the sword were instantly scattered by the power of thunder!
1126Siii –
1127A finger-long arc of purple electricity sunk into the cloaked man’s body, and all of his organs instantly blew up!
1128The cloaked man vomited out a massive amount of blood, and then fell down from the roof of the main hall.
1129Peng!
1130The cloaked man crashed into the ground, his blood spattering all over the floor!
1131In that instant, all of the Seven Profound Martial House disciples were frightened. They couldn’t believe their own eyes as they looked at the dead cloaked man, their eyes completely round.
1132What was this all about?
1133Lin Ming had instantly killed the new Martial House Master?
1134The purple light had just flashed. Although it was fast, it still left behind an afterimage in the eyes of everyone present. Not just that, but the cloaked man had also used his sword in a counterattack. But still, in that flash, the cloaked man had suddenly died!
1135The new Martial House Master whose cultivation was at a half-step Xiantian, and who was no weaker than the old Martial House Master Qin Ziya, was actually killed in an instant?
1136How was this possible?
1137And… why did Lin Ming do this?
1138The entire Seven Profound Martial House was buzzing with noise.
1139wang Yanfeng also didn’t fully understand what was happening. But at this moment, he saw a white light flying towards him – it was a porcelain bottle. He subconsciously reached out his hand to grab it, and as soon as he glanced at it, he saw that it was a bottle of pills.
1140A sound echoed near wang Yanfeng’s ears. “These are pills for a Pulse Condensation period martial artist. The Seven Profound Valleys will soon send a new Martial House Master. Farewell wang Yanfeng! If it is in our fates, we shall meet again!”
1141After Lin Ming sent his message, he jumped onto the Vermillion Bird’s back. The Vermillion Bird shot up into the sky and quickly vanished into the endless sea of clouds.
1142wang Yanfeng held the bottle of pills in his hand. He gazed at the Vermillion Bird as it faded into the foggy skies above the Zhou Mountains. For a time, he stood there, absently staring into the skies…
1143“Lin Ming, do you know that young man?” Qin Xingxuan asked from atop the Vermillion Bird.
1144“Not really, I just found that he has a firm heart of martial arts so I’m giving him a hand.” Lin Ming thoughtlessly said. If one didn’t have resources, it would be difficult to practice to the upper reaches of martial arts. To reach the highest boundaries was simply too difficult. Whether it was wang Yanfeng’s heart of martial arts or his talent, both were adequate. If he were to waste too much time because of his lack of resources, that would be too pitiful.
1145“Lin Ming, where are we going now?”
1146“We’ll go to your family.” Lin Ming smiled at Qin Xingxuan. On the trip here, he hadn’t had the chance to study the Magic Cube. He would go to the Qin Mansion and take a rest there. In the meantime, he would be able to confirm his suspicions about the Magic Cube
1147Chapter 428 – Opening the Magic Cube Again
1148Sky Fortune City, Marshal Quarters –
1149The Marshal Quarters had been surrounded for over a month by the army, and not even servants were allowed to leave. But now, within a quarter of an hour of Yang Zhen’s death, those officials that had realized the vast changes that were about to sweep through the nation instantly lifted the order of house arrest for Qin Xiao.
1150Undoubtedly, Crown Prince Yang Lin would make a return and ascend to the throne. As for Qin Xiao, he would be restored to his position as one of the highest officials, and his status would be even more terrifying than it was in the past.
1151During this time, anyone who didn’t try to curry favor with these two would be fools.
1152Qin Xiao was surrounded by many officials that had come to the Marshal Quarters. They discussed plans to pave the way for a smoother future.
1153Even those who accompanied Qin Xiao received a high level of respect. Even nobles dared not to disrespect them. These nobles constantly referred to them as ‘little brother’ or ‘old master’ in case they be seen as not paying their due respects.
1154Especially those nobles that had defected to Yang Zhen’s side before. They were all in absolute fear, and they all wished that they could cut out their hearts and let Qin Xiao know the depths of their newfound loyalty.
1155It had to be known that in a struggle for authority, the winning side would often engage in a bloody purge. As for all those that had followed Yang Zhen, they might also be exterminated.
1156In this situation, how could they not be afraid? They all wished to take Qin Xiao as their own father and venerate him in the same way.
1157As Qin Xiao and the group of nobles that followed him entered past the gates of the Qin residence, they saw a massive Vermillion Bird fly down onto the courtyard. Its brilliant red feathers burned with radiant flames as it sent out a pulsing aura; all of the nobles’ throats twitched as they stared as this magnificent creature.
1158“Master! Master! Mister Lin has brought the Young Miss back, they are waiting for you in the rear courtyard.” A middle-aged steward said.
1159“Xingxuan…” Qin Xiao shook, and his heart filled with a surge of emotion. He thought that he would never have the chance to see his precious granddaughter ever again. But who knew that in just one night, the situation would change so much.
1160Qin Xiao followed the steward to the rear courtyard. The other nobles stayed back. They were aware of their own status. What kind of existence was Lin Ming? How could they possibly have the qualifications to see him? To someone like Lin Ming, nobles, royalty, or even the emperor himself were nothing but clouds of smoke, merely meaningless existences.
1161Therefore these people very casually greeted the housekeeper and sat down in the lobby, drinking tea and chatting with each other.
1162“Grandfather!”
1163As soon as Qin Xiao entered the rear courtyard. Qin Xingxuan gave a loud cry and threw herself into Qin Xiao’s arms. She had anxiously worried over her grandfather’s condition for over a month. Now that she saw her grandfather safe and unharmed, Qin Xingxuan couldn’t suppress all the pain and worry she had been keeping down until now; tears flowed down her cheeks like strings of crystal beads.
1164“Grandfather is alright.” Qin Xiao patted Qin Xingxuan on the back. At this age, Qin Xiao had already lived through many great storms. In this world, there was very little that could cause Qin Xiao to feel great sorrow or great happiness. Now, what Qin Xiao worried about was only the legacy of his Qin Family, as well as his most precious children and grandchildren.
1165Qin Xiao looked at Qin Xingxuan, his eyes full of grandfatherly love. To have such an outstanding granddaughter was truly the blessing of the heavens.
1166Qin Xiao glanced at Lin Ming. Towards this amazing young man in front of him, Qin Xiao wasn’t sure what to feel. Gratitude , happiness, fear, awe… all sorts of emotions intertwined in the same place. Qin Xiao didn’t even know what he should call Lin Ming.
1167Before this, he had received the news that the current Seven Profound Martial House Master had already been slain by Lin Ming in a single instant.
1168The young and respectful youth in front of him was a man that even the Seven Profound Valleys’ Valley Master had to pay three points of respect to! This was a level that had already surpassed  Qin Xiao’s understanding.
1169He hoped that he could urge Qin Xingxuan and Lin Ming to wed. But, this sort of matter wasn’t something he could ask. He no longer had the ability to arrange or manage his granddaughter’s life.
1170“Marshal Qin, please catch up with Xingxuan. I will leave first for a moment.” Lin Ming bowed as a respectful junior would, and then left the room…
1171Outside of the room, the middle-aged steward was waiting for him.
1172“Mister Lin, there is someone waiting to see you.”
1173“See me? I thought I said I didn’t want to see anyone?” Lin Ming didn’t want to see the nobles of Sky Fortune City. All they wanted to do was to kiss up to him and shower him with gifts, he had no interest towards any of this.
1174“Well… she said she was an old acquaintance of yours.”
1175“Old acquaintance?” The first one Lin Ming thought of was Lan Yunyue. However, when he saw who it was he was a bit taken aback. The one waiting for him was a young, delicate looking girl who had an air of elegance.
1176This was… Bai Jingyun.
1177Bai Jingyun and Murong Zi were called the Seven Profound Proud Pair, and they were also top characters within the Seven Profound Martial House. Lin Ming and Bai Jingyun didn’t have much contact with each other, it was just that he had helped her make several inscription symbols for treasures before. Towards Bai Jingyun, Lin Ming didn’t have a deep impression, and had nearly forgotten who she was.
1178When Bai Jingyun saw Lin Ming, she faintly smiled and bowed, “Mister Lin.”
1179Lin Ming was a bit awkward at being called Mister Lin. He said, “Please refer to me as you used to. After all, we used to be fellow disciples.”
1180“Mm… then I’ll call you Brother Lin.” Bai Jingyun smiled. “To be honest, when I first saw Brother Lin enter the Seven Profound Martial House, I thought that Brother Lin had infinite potential to grow. But, I never thought that in just a few years, Brother Lin would have already reached this point…”
1181Bai Jingyun couldn’t help but see. The first time that Lin Ming had rushed into the Ten Thousand Killing Array, his rank had been lower than hers. But now, even the Seven Profound Martial House Master had been instantly killed by him.
1182This was simply like a dream.
1183“Mm, I’ve obtained some great opportunities. My luck has been too good.”
1184“Destiny is also a part of talent.” Bai Jingyun shook her head, and then looked unsure, as her eyes flashed with a strange light, “Brother Lin, may I ask you a question?”
1185“Please ask.”
1186Bai Jingyun hesitated, and then slowly asked, “A year and a half ago… were you the one… that killed Ouyang Dihua?”
1187There were only a few people within the entire Sky Fortune City that knew of the grudge between Lin Ming and Ouyang Dihua. Besides Yang Zhen, the cloaked man, and some others, no one else was aware.
1188People didn’t even know that Yang Zhen had drawn relations with the cloaked man. They only assume d that Yang Zhen had gained the backing of some great figure within the Seven Profound Valleys. As for who it was, no one knew.
1189Bai Jingyun naturally didn’t know. However, she was able to trace some clues and make a guess. For instance, in the past before Lin Ming had left the Sky Fortune Kingdom, he had his parents moved away. The new Martial House Master came from the Acacia Faction, Ouyang Boyan had once visited Sky Fortune Kingdom, and after news of Lin Ming’s death spread, Yang Zhen began to move against the Qin Family…
1190This series of events were all related. Bai Jingyun managed to connect them, and therefore she had come to ask Lin Ming to verify this.
1191At this moment, Lin Ming didn’t have any reason to hide it. He nodded and said, “I was the one who killed Ouyang Dihua.”
1192After Bai Jingyun heard Lin Ming’s words, she let out a long breath. Her eyes gently closed, and her eyelashes trembled.
1193The pressure that had been on her heart and mind for this past year and a half seemed to vanish. Although this matter was now complete, and she had obtained a truth that had no significance behind it, she still felt tired.
1194As her eyes opened, Bai Jingyun was calm once again, “Thank you, Brother Lin…”
1195Lin Ming shook his head, “There is no need to thank me. The reason that I killed him was because he had the intention of killing me first.”
1196Humans were all different. In truth, the Acacia Faction was not so terrible to female disciples. If they could lay down their modesty and pride, then they would be able to obtain many things that they desired from the Acacia Faction. There were even many girls that only had ordinary talent, but were still considered beautiful, that were desperately trying to join the Acacia Faction in order to obtain wealth and longer youth.
1197Lin Ming sighed, and then took out a pair of pill bottles from his spatial ring. He said, “Senior-apprentice Sister Bai, of these pill bottles, one is for you. As for the other, could you pass it to Lan Yunyue if you see her? These medicines have very mild properties, and if you eat them carefully, it will guarantee that you step into the Pulse Condensation period…”
1198Bai Jingyun’s talent was considered good within the Seven Profound Martial House. As a martial artist, she also hoped that one day she would be able to break through to the Pulse Condensation period. But now, as she looked at these pill bottles, Bai Jingyun didn’t feel any joy. After experiencing a number of things, it was as if she no longer wished to pursue these things.
1199Bai Jingyun hesitated and then silently received the pair of pill bottles. She said, “Miss Lan has been managing her fabric shop in the northern end of town for the last few years. About Brother Lin returning, she is probably already aware…”
1200Bai Jingyun was implying that Lan Yunyue didn’t want to see Lin Ming. Now that things had changed between them, there was no longer any meaning in them seeing each other. It would just make things embarrassing for the both of them.
1201Lin Ming was silent, and then sighed in his heart. Perhaps these calm and peaceful days were much more suitable for Lan Yunyue… this bottle of pills that he gave to her could be considered the last of their karma. From now on, all that was between them would completely vanish into nothing…
1202After Lin Ming bid Bai Jingyun farewell, he returned to his room alone. He had already told the steward that no one was to disturb him, not even to deliver meals.
1203Like this, Lin Ming entered the ethereal martial intent and sat in meditation for three or four hours.
1204When he opened his eyes, it was already evening.
1205Lin Ming stood up and then took out a small jar from his spatial ring. There was a thick red liquid within this small jar; this was the blood essence that he had taken from Ouyang Boyan as well as Ouyang Boxu!
1206From the last time that Lin Ming had touched the Magic Cube with the blood essence of a Houtian master and opened it to today, it had been nearly two years.
1207In two years, Lin Ming’s strength had reached the extreme Xiantian realm!
1208What he wanted to know was: could a Xiantian master’s blood essence open the Magic Cube once more?
1209Lin Ming impatiently wanted to verify this hypothesis.
1210Lin Ming ruefully smiled and then shook his head, mocking himself, “My mind is too messy. This mentality isn’t suitable for opening the Magic Cube…”
1211The more valuable something was, the more he needed his heart and mind to be at peace. Otherwise if his heart was spurred by greed, it might expose all sorts of flaws in his mind.
1212Currently, Lin Ming wasn’t too desperate or desiring of the legacies within the Magic Cube. What he wanted the most was to explore the secrets of the Magic Cube. Where did it come from? Who created it? How was it made? What was it guiding him to do?
1213Lin Ming always felt that the Magic Cube was sentient. It was only that this Magic Cube seemed to stand at the height of all existence, and looked down on everything with indifferent disdain, including even Lin Ming himself.
1214This so-called heartless to all of heaven and earth, taking all of existence as nothing but straw dogs; to the Magic Cube, it cared about nothing. It was indifferent to everything, and would stay this way despite any change to the world…
1215As Lin Ming’s mood calmed down again, he stripped off his clothes, exposing a strange symbol on his left chest. This pattern was the mysterious inscription of the Magic Cube…
1216Chapter 429 – Demon Emperor
1217Lin Ming took a deep breath. He had washed his hands, his face, burned incense, and had adjusted his own mindset so that there wasn’t even the slightest trace of turbulent emotions.
1218Then he poured the blood essence onto his chest.
1219The crimson blood essence dripped down. At first there wasn’t a reaction, but after a breath of time, there was a ‘chi chi chi’ sound. The blood essence seemed to be corroding, and was emitting a faint trace of blue smoke.
1220As a burning pain emitted from his chest area, Lin Ming furrowed his eyebrows. He felt his heart, and then released his sense to investigate the Magic Cube under his chest area that was releasing strange fluctuations of energy, hoping to find some clues.
1221After it went to sleep near Lin Ming’s heart, the Magic Cube seemed to have disappeared. If it didn’t reveal itself of its own initiative, Lin Ming would never have been able to sense it.
1222But now, as the Magic Cube absorbed the blood essence, Lin Ming was finally able to detect its existence.
1223However, right after, Lin Ming felt his spiritual sea tremble. The perception he released seemed as if it were being sucked into the Magic Cube. Against this powerful suction power, Lin Ming couldn’t react in time; he simply wasn’t able to offer any resistance.
1224In the next instant, Lin Ming’s consciousness had arrived into a dark, jet black space that stretched infinitely outwards. It was as if he were floating in the starry sky.
1225He was extremely familiar with this space – this was the space within the Magic Cube.
1226Beside Lin Ming, dense mist floated all around him. Within this mist there were many shining  lights. They slowly revolved around a giant foot-wide light sphere in the center, as if they were stars in heaven.
1227“I’m finally here.”
1228The second time it had been a Houtian martial artist’s blood essence that had opened the Magic Cube. The third time it had been a Xiantian master’s blood essence. The fourth time would probably require that of a Revolving Core master…
1229Lin Ming was sure that even if it was a Revolving Core master’s blood essence, it wouldn’t have much of an effect on the Magic Cube. In fact, this was most likely the Magic Cube finding a way to tell him that it needed the blood essence of powerhouses.
1230The giant soul shard light sphere in the center shined with a milky, soft light. The countless soul fragments around it were like sparkling crystal.
1231Although Lin Ming had arrived within the Magic Cube space, he still felt a bit of disappointment; even now, he didn’t understand anything more about the Magic Cube.
1232As Lin Ming released his sense to touch upon all the soul fragments, he discovered to his surprise that not only was his soul force growing stronger with time, but also that he could feel the vague aura that the soul fragments released.
1233Some soul fragments were gentle, and others were overbearing. There were even those that had a faint hint of blood and devil arts.
1234This should be because of the cultivation methods that they had cultivated while they were alive.
1235The energy was extremely faint, Lin Ming could only roughly approximate. As he looked at the soul fragments, he did so very carefully. He couldn’t guarantee beyond a doubt that all of these soul fragments were ownerless. There was a possibility that there were some soul fragments on which the spirit mark wasn’t destroyed yet. If he selected one like that, he would be in a worst case situation. All of these Supreme Elders of the Realm of the Gods were earthshaking characters that dominated worlds before they died. Even if there was just the tiniest amount of leftover will within a soul fragment, there was no way that Lin Ming would be able to resist it.
1236Lin Ming had been in the Magic Cube space for a long time. He didn’t dare to rashly release his sense everywhere, he passively sensed his surroundings. After some time, Lin Ming’s eyes suddenly popped open. He turned around with an incredulous expression as he watched a light red colored soul fragment slowly floating past him.
1237This soul fragment was only the size of a small nail and sparkled like a ruby crystal. As it slowly spun around through space, it left sprinkles of red light wherever it went.
1238Lin Ming paused, this feeling was…
1239Back when Lin Ming and Lei Mubai had fought, he had also felt a similar aura!
1240Netherworld Great Emperor?
1241Ancient Devil Tome?
1242Lin Ming hesitated. Then he stepped forwards, and a wisp of his true essence locked onto that soul fragment.
1243As he looked at the soul fragment that was bound by true essence, Lin Ming could clearly feel that it contained a bloody energy.
1244When Lin Ming had swallowed the Shattered Demon Heart Crystals, he had witnessed the great figure of the Netherworld Great Emperor’s giant axe pointed at the sky, his feet firmly upon the ground. There had also been countless numbers of demons that surrounded him. Lin Ming’s heart suddenly surged with an inexplicable desire to swallow this soul fragment. Just what would happen if he did?
1245Lin Ming grit his teeth, and then reached out a hand to grab the red soul fragment.
1246Xiu!
1247As Lin Ming touched the soul fragment, it melted into a stream of light that submerged into his body.
1248Lin Ming’s strength was far more formidable than it had been in the past. But, this soul fragment was also more formidable than any one he had absorbed before. As a countless amount of information emerged within Lin Ming’s mind, his spiritual sea suddenly shook, and fuzzy scenes and sounds appeared in front of him.
1249Of these various demons he saw, there were also those that were etched upon the walls of the Ancient Phoenix Main Hall.
1250War… blood… battlefields…
1251Powerhouses waved their earth-shattering weapons in the air. Countless corpses flew back, burned into nothing but countless specks of ash. The yellow sandy ground was dyed completely red…
1252Faintly, Lin Ming could see a massive city hewn from rock. The buildings within this city were rough and looked wild, but it was filled with an uninhibited sense of power and beauty. And the residents within this city were all the demons that Lin Ming had seen before. They were all over 10 feet tall, and some were even 20 feet tall.
1253“Giant Demon?”
1254Lin Ming’s mind echoed with these two words. After the chaos of fragmented memories was finally organized by Lin Ming, he finally understood that these demons were really just a human-like race!
1255Their bodies were wrapped in chains, and long horns and tusks came from their faces. They had fiery crimson hair that recklessly hung down. This was not unique to the Netherworld Great Emperor. In truth, they were a separate race – the Giant Demon race.
1256“So that’s how it was. The Netherworld Great Emperor was not a human to begin with. When I swallowed the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal and saw him slaughter countless demons with his great axe, it’s likely that the location was a gathering place of the Giant Demon race.
1257“And the red demon that I encountered during the last smelting trial of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm was also a kind of Giant Demon…”
1258The puzzles that had plagued Lin Ming’s mind suddenly became much clearer.
1259“No wonder I was able to feel the same bloodline legacy of the Netherworld Great Emperor from Lei Mubai. I’m even able to sense the difference in this small red soul fragment. The reason is that it simply doesn’t originate from the bloodline of humanity, so it’s a bit more special.”
1260As Lin Ming opened his eyes, he left the Magic Cube space. He opened the doors and walked out. The moon was bright in the sky, it was already late at night.
1261The night air was a bit humid. As a cold breeze wafted on his face, Lin Ming sobered up by a great deal. He rubbed his forehead and felt a deep, aching pain in his brain, as if it had slept for too long and his mind wasn’t cleared yet.
1262As Lin Ming suppressed this aching feeling, he carefully examined the memories he had acquired. Suddenly, Lin Ming was fiercely startled, “This is…”
1263Great Desolate Blood Halberd!
1264Lin Ming was shocked. In the image in his mind, this weapon was 10 feet long, and the halberd shaft was as thick as an arm. This great and ominous halberd was a deep blood red all over!
1265This… this Supreme Elder of the Realm of the Gods was actually the first master of the Great Desolate Blood Halberd!
1266Lin Ming’s was mind-boggled.
1267The Great Desolate Blood Halberd had left behind endless legends. It was said that it was at least a medium-grade heaven-step treasure, or possibly even higher. This halberd had existed for 70-80 thousand years already. Because of the vast expanse of time, it was no longer possible to find out just who the first master of the weapon was. All of the masters that followed – including even the Peerless Emperor powerhouses – had an insufficient destiny and would be cursed to death by this ominous halberd!
1268This even included the Netherworld Great Emperor!
1269Lin Ming subconsciously took out the ancient Devil Tome from the spatial ring. This ancient Devil Tome was taken from Lei Mubai. After he read it, Lin Ming began to laugh and cry at the same time. It turned out that this ancient Devil Tome was actually a cultivation method that the Supreme Elder who had first owned the Great Desolate Blood Halberd had created himself, just before he left for the Realm of the Gods!
1270Such a coincidence could only be said to be the will of the heavens. It was probably because of all these vague connections that Lin Ming was able to sense that familiar energy coming from the blood red soul fragment.
1271“To think that one of the 10,000 powerhouses from the Realm of the Gods that had laid waste to the Verdant Feather Holy Lands was someone who had flown up from the Sky Spill Continent.”
1272“The first master of the Great Desolate Blood Halberd… 80,000 years ago, he was an Emperor powerhouse of Sky Spill Continent, title d the Demon Emperor! He had founded his own sixth-grade sect that lasted for over 16,000 years!”
1273Demon Emperor!
1274Anyone who dared to call themselves this was probably the top figure of the demonic path!
1275Because the memories were incomplete, it took a long time for Lin Ming to reorganize them. There were many bits and pieces of information; he simply was at a complete loss at many of these confusing scenes.
1276As Lin Ming slowly digested these memories, he looked through them. Within the memories of this Demon Emperor’s soul fragment, most of them were memories of scenes that involved his participation  in wars. There were countless scenes of slaughter and blood!
1277“This Demon Emperor is really bloodthirsty!
1278Lin Ming sighed. Although this soul fragment was larger than the last two, there were very few memories of cultivation methods. There were a few, but even those were mostly incomplete. As Lin Ming continued to organize the memories of the soul fragment, he was suddenly startled.
1279“Mm? This is…”
1280A halberd art?
1281Lin Ming’s heart moved. In truth, the essence behind a spear and halberd was nearly the same. Spear skills could be used with a halberd, and halberd arts could be used with a spear!
1282What Lin Ming lacked the most now was spear skills. When he had fought a master of Golden Bell Mountain in a match, it had fully reflected a weakness of his, and that was that he lacked finesse and technique in his spear skills. If it wasn’t for the blood of the True Dragon that had augmented his spear powers, Lin Ming would have undoubtedly lost to Xiao Chi in a battle of spear skills.
1283“This Giant Demon race mostly uses long weapons! Humans mostly used swords and sabers, but the Giant Demon race – maybe because of their height – are more familiar with long pole-type weapons. For instance, the Netherworld Great Emperor used a long handled great axe and the blood halberd. Lei Mubai also used a halberd. As for this Demon Emperor, he also used a halberd.”
1284And what was impressive was that this ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ was one of the Demon Emperor’s ultimate law formulas. Not only did it contain halberd skills, but it also contained a cultivation method. Its power was simply enormous.
1285The ancient Devil Tome that Lei Mubai had cultivated was only a tiny fraction of the full ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’.
1286What Lin Ming was apprehensive about was that cultivating the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ was not easy. It required one to constantly kill, sucking up the enemy’s blood essence and accumulating one’s own murderous intent!
1287“Killing…” Lin Ming frowned. During these years that he had practiced martial arts, he hadn’t killed many. As for all those that he killed, they each had reasons to die and had simply walked the road of death.
1288When the Demon Emperor had practiced the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, he had killed countless others in an absolute bloodthirsty frenzy, all in order to improve his own cultivation method. But Lin Ming could not do the same. He could not, and would not kill innocent people.
1289“This demon way martial arts seemed to have two different paths. There is the killing path along with the lustful path. The Netherworld Great Emperor had stepped upon both of these, but as for the Demon Emperor of 80,000 years ago, he had only walked the killing path!
1290“And the killing path is the only way left to me…”
1291  
1292Chapter 430 – Returning to Divine Phoenix Island
1293As Sky Fortune City entered fall, the days began to be filled with a faint chill.
1294In the ninth month, Crown Prince Yang Lin ascended to the throne. The grand ceremony continued for a total of nine days. Before this, all of the officials that had been purged and were still living were once again restored to their former glory. They entered the palace again and again, being promoted continuously.
1295As for officials that had followed Yang Zhen, some were demoted and some were exiled. Even though Yang Lin was a naturally kind-hearted man, after becoming emperor he would also begin to gradually show a ruthless side.
1296In the middle of the ninth month, Lin Ming brought Qin Xingxuan back to his hometown of Green Mulberry City.
1297Before this, Yang Lin had already sent summons to meet Lin Ming’s parents.
1298Yang Lin was clear that his life was protected and he would finally be able to ascend the throne all because of Lin Ming. Although this was a great graciousness of Lin Ming, there was no way that Yang Lin could return the favor. What he could offer Lin Ming were common things such as authority and money. However, these things no longer held any significance to Lin Ming.
1299However, Yang Lin was still a wise and smart character who knew the best way to do things in any situation. Since he couldn’t offer Lin Ming anything he wanted, he would then give a title  to Lin Ming’s parents.
1300He title d Lin Ming’s father as the Duke of Lu County with a scope of land over 500 miles wide. This Lu County also included Green Mulberry City within its borders. Henceforth, Green Mulberry City was the home grounds of the Lin Family.
1301As for Lin Ming’s mother, she was title d as a first-class madame. Even Lin Xiaodong was given the title  of a first-class viscount.
1302These title s were extraordinary. Whether it was a duke or a first-class madame, neither of them had official government power, but they were title s that were still only inferior to a prince or king, and were top characters among any noble circles.
1303These title s were also hereditary. Once title d, they would not be removed unless there was a major crime that was committed. Thus, the Royal Palace would not easily bestow these noble title s onto others. Besides times of great war or in the founding of the nation, they would almost never be given. If one thought that they could receive this title  during times of peace, then that was simply nonsense.
1304It had to be known that the title  of viscount within Green Mulberry City would include a 30 mile manor as well as 1000 servants.
1305As for the several great families of Green Mulberry City, besides the Zhu Family who had obtained some status because their daughter had become the empress concubine, the other family heads were not even second-rate barons. As for the commoners, the best among them could be considered the wealthy gentry of the countryside.
1306Between the common people and the nobility there was an insurmountable gap. The nobility represented the most honored positions. Although great merchant families were large and powerful, within the minds of the common people, their social status was inferior to nobles’.
1307Thus, to Lin Ming’s parents, being able to receive a title  and become a duke or a madame was simply a dream come true. This was an event worthy of a grand celebration, and would also bring great honor to their ancestors.
1308As Lin Ming saw the happy look on his parents’ faces, he was deeply satisfied. He didn’t think that such a common title  of the mortal world would let his parents become this pleased. The last time that Lin Ming had come back, even the pills that he had given them that would let them extend their lives by a hundred years hadn’t caused his parents to be so happy.
1309As Lin Ming’s mother affectionately felt the imperial decree, her smile went from ear to ear. She decided that she would have a beautiful sandalwood box made and then place the imperial decree within. Later, when she passed onto the next world she would be able to raise her head high when she saw her ancestors. Lin Ming wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh or cry when he heard these ideas.
1310As Lin Mu happily spoke, the cry of a little baby was suddenly emitted from the west wing of the residence.
1311This baby was Lin Ming’s little sister.
1312Lin Ming had been stranded within the Divine Phoenix Mystic for nearly a year. Under Qin Ziya’s protection, Lin Ming’s parents hadn’t even heard the news of Lin Ming’s death from the beginning to the end. They had lived an entire year happily in peace, and had even popped out a little sister for Lin Ming.
1313This could all be accredited to Lin Ming’s pills. This couple that had worked hard for half a lifetime suddenly felt much younger. The wrinkles on their skin vanished, and their bodies constantly improved. Now, the husband and wife were no different from anyone else in their early thirties.
1314Lin Ming’s little sister was only a few months old and was still nursing. Her name was Lin Xiaoge, and her nickname was Little Pigeon.
1315This little girl had surprisingly large eyes and wasn’t afraid of strangers. As she saw Lin Ming, she stared at him with her bright black eyes shining , intently watching him.
1316Lin Ming was very fond of this cute baby. He took out a soul jade pendant from his spatial ring and placed it around Lin Xiaoge’s neck.
1317This little baby had arrived right on time. Lin Ming was worried that his parents would be lonely after he left, but now that Little Pigeon was here, that wouldn’t be the case. Perhaps in the future there might also be another little brother or sister, and they would also be able to inherit the family title . As for Little Pigeon, she might marry into the Royal Palace and become an empress in the future. At that time, his parents should no longer have any regrets…
1318Lin Ming hadn’t been planning on telling his parents what had happened this year, but after the couple had been home for a while, they learned what happened. After Lin Mu heard this news, she was frightened out of her mind.
1319Especially after she had heard that Lin Ming was soon leaving Sky Fortune Kingdom again, and this time it would be a very long time before he returned. Lin Mu’s originally happy mood fell, and she didn’t speak for an entire day.
1320She didn’t know what Lin Ming’s experiences were when he went out, but what she knew was that it would undoubtedly be dangerous. Not just that, but she wouldn’t be able to see her son for several years. Lin Mu wasn’t happy at all.
1321The only one who could make Lin Mu smile was Qin Xingxuan. Although Lin Ming was only friends with Qin Xingxuan, in Lin Mu’s opinion, since Lin Ming had brought her back to his home, that was the same as bringing a woman back to meet the in-laws. No matter how Lin Mu looked at it, she was very satisfied with this future wife. Qin Xingxuan had a good background, she was intelligent, kind, well-mannered, and also very beautiful.
1322Lin Mu made several insinuations, asking many times when Lin Ming would marry and produce some grandchildren that she could hold. Lin Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She might as well wait for Little Pigeon to grow up and have some children herself.
1323A martial artist traveled throughout the world and had no fixed home. It was simply impossible for them to look after their own child. This was also the reason why most martial artists had children at a very late stage in their life. Normally only when they had reached the end of their potential and stabilized at whatever boundary they were at would they consider having children. Normally, a Revolving Core Supreme Elder wouldn’t have children until they were at least a hundred years old.
1324Lin Ming lived at home quietly for half a month. During this time, he didn’t cultivate much. Most of his time was spent accompanying his parents or teasing the Little Pigeon.
1325It was only late at night that Lin Ming would meditate over the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ left from the Demon Emperor. The more he pondered it, the more incomparably profound he discovered this cultivation method was, and he also encountered many difficulties.
1326Finally, the day to depart arrived. Lin Ming had to return to Divine Phoenix Island, and Qin Xingxuan would follow him there. As for his bonds with the Seven Profound Valleys, they could already be considered finished.
1327Next day, early morning –
1328The fall wind blew, the leaves were withered and yellow, and flocks of birds flew through the bright blue sky to the south. Lin Ming stood under the massive wings of Fireshine, all of his clothes flapping in the breeze blown by the flames.
1329Behind Lin Ming, Lin Mu covered her mouth, unable to help the tears streaming down her cheeks.
1330Lin Fu also sighed. He was proud to have a son like this, but to have a son like this also meant that his son was destined to not stay by their side. Otherwise, he would never be able to fly high.
1331“Father, Mother, take care!” Lin Ming knelt down and bowed his head to the ground three times. Then he jumped onto Fireshine’s back. Fireshine opened its massive wings and shot up into the sky with Lin Ming and Qin Xingxuan onboard.
1332The Vermillion Bird soared into the heavens. The wind howled, and flames dyed the skies red…
1333Those that walked the road of martial arts were doomed to be alone. They lived long lives, and it was impossible for them to spend their years together with their family.
1334This was also the reason why many Supreme Elders – such as the Sorcerer of the Southern Wilderness – would return to their homeland after many years and finish the causal bonds that they held with the world they once knew.
1335“Lin Ming, are we going straight to Divine Phoenix Island?” Qin Xingxuan asked from atop the Vermillion Bird.
1336“Yes, we’re going straight to Divine Phoenix Island!”
1337Chapter 431 – No Choice Left
1338Divine Phoenix Island, back mountains, Vermillion Bird Palace –
1339Divine Phoenix Island’s Third Elder, Mu Yanzhuo, strode out of the Vermillion Bird Palace, scowling.
1340“Third Elder!”
1341A pair of maids outside of the Vermillion Bird Palace bowed to Mu Yanzhuo.
1342Mu Yanzhuo only gave a light humph, not bothering to reply to them. As he stepped 100 feet away from the entrance of the main hall, Mu Yanzhuo waved his sleeves and then flew away.
1343Although there were no rules stating that one could not fly at the Vermilion Bird Palace’s front square, Vermillion Bird Palace was still the palace of Mu Yuhuang, and also where the supreme power of the Vermillion Bird Faction lay. A normal person would only fly outside of the square and then walk in, but Mu Yanzhuo no longer bothered to pay attention to any manners or rules. The conversation he had with Mu Yuhuang just a while ago had left him very unhappy.
1344The Saintess engagement ceremony that he had proposed had been pushed back by Mu Yuhuang. She had found some random excuse to turn it down, and now it was extended indefinitely!
1345Hu!
1346A sound transmission talisman lit in front of Mu Yanzhuo; the one who had contacted him was Great Elder Mu Chihuo.
1347Mu Yanzhuo frowned. His relationship with the Great Elder was average. There were many complex power struggles within the intricate internal stage of Divine Phoenix Island. Mu Yanzhuo was the Third Elder, and represented a faction. As for Mu Chihuo, he also represented another faction.
1348Between these two great factions, there were many places in which they naturally conflicted. This had led to the relationship between Mu Yanzhuo and Mu Chihuo being discordant – this was unavoidable.
1349Mu Yanzhuo hesitated and then flew to the Fire Soul Palace where the Great Elder was waiting.
1350“Haha, Brother Yanzhuo, it’s been a while since we met each other like this. How have you been?” Outside of Fire Soul Palace, Mu Chihuo was wearing a long red robe as he waited there with a smile on his face.
1351“I thank Brother Chihuo for your concern. I’m fine.” Mu Yanzhuo lightly landed and then cupped his hands together in greetings.
1352“Fine? What fine, I’m afraid you’re not fine at all!” The Great Elder said with a faint smile.
1353Mu Yanzhuo frowned, not refuting anything.
1354“Brother Yanzhuo, I know that you’ve worked very hard for Qingshu’s wedding. But if I could speak frankly, Brother Yanzhuo should just forget about this. It seems that Mu Yuhuang has already decided to have Mu Qianyu marry Lin Ming. Not only that, but looking at how close Mu Qianyu and Lin Ming are, they are both likely willing to agree to this marriage. It seems that Qingshu will have to make other plans in the future!”
1355Mu Chihuo’s words were harsh. Mu Yanzhuo was very sullen. He already knew this, but he was still having trouble accepting this truth.
1356Mu Chihuo smiled and said, “Brother Yanzhuo is a sensible man. Before, there really were some unpleasant problems between us, but in the end, we are both surnamed Mu. Within the last 3000 years of Divine Phoenix Island, there have been many disciples with different last names that have joined, but in the end they aren’t Elders with the same surname. I’m afraid that in the future, Lin Ming will continue to progress and will become an Elder! Lin Ming’s status is becoming more and more important. In the future, if he marries Mu Qianyu, he might even become the Island Master of Divine Phoenix Island.”
1357Mu Yanzhuo said, “In these last 3000 years, there has never been someone whose last name was not Mu who became the Island Master. This is basically no different from handing Divine Phoenix Island to others. The Council of Elders would never agree to this; who could guarantee that an outsider wouldn’t be harboring evil intentions?”
1358Divine Phoenix Island was a sect, but in truth they took bloodline heritage very importantly. Most of those on the island had the last name Mu, and it was very similar to a family clan.
1359A family clan would never hand over the position of family head to an outsider. Therefore, Divine Phoenix Island’s Elders would also not accept someone with a different last name becoming the Island Master.
1360“Hehe, that’s not necessarily true. Mu Fengxian very much favors this Lin Ming, and Mu Yuhuang also places a great deal of faith in him too. Not only that, but Lin Ming’s potential is simply too terrifying. Brother Yanzhuo may not know, but this time Lin Ming forced his way into the Seven Profound Valleys’ Acacia Faction and fought seven or eight Elders of the Acacia Faction by himself. He even defeated the extreme Xiantian Acacia Faction Sovereign!”
1361“What!?” Mu Yanzhuo’s complexion immediately changed. “You say that the late Houtian realm Lin Ming defeated an extreme Xiantian master!?”
1362“Yes! This is a level of talent that only a future Emperor powerhouse will have. Thus, that is why I said that Lin Ming would become the Island Master of Divine Phoenix Island in the future. Even controlling all of Divine Phoenix Island is not impossible. At that time, we really won’t have anywhere to go!”
1363Mu Yanzhuo’s complexion was extremely ugly. He grit his teeth, “If that’s the case, then this old man has nothing to say. Lin Ming’s rise is simply unstoppable. I will try to advise Qingshu to give up this engagement and focus on cultivating. If his talent is inferior to others, then he can do nothing but accept this fate! Although in the future I will be under the control of others and my influence will slowly decline, I will still be able to survive. It is far better than being destroyed! I urge Brother Chihuo to also not bother with Lin Ming! Such a character will become extremely terrifying once they grow up in the future! If anyone offends him, their deaths later will be extremely miserable!”
1364Mu Chihuo disdainfully said, “Brother Yanzhuo, why do you try to protect yourself? We have already offended him!”
1365“Humph, it is only Brother Chihuo that has offended him. Brother Chihuo is like water and fire with Island Master Yuhuang. I, Mu Yanzhuo, do not have the courage to struggle for authority with others. I’m fine with being subject to others. Brother Chihuo should best not try to pull me down too!”
1366“Hehe,” Mu Chihuo suddenly sneered, “Brother Yanzhuo is too naïve. Does Brother Yanzhuo know why Lin Ming killed his way into the Seven Profound Valleys’ Acacia Faction?”
1367Mu Yanzhuo paused. He gave a light humph and then didn’t reply. He didn’t know the circumstances between Lin Ming and Ouyang Boyan. To Divine Phoenix Island, anything like these minor matters that happened within Sky Fortune Kingdom were no different than little ants fighting. It was not enough to arouse the interest of Divine Phoenix Island, not to mention that Divine Phoenix Island was already busy with the chaos caused by the war they were in.
1368Mu Chihuo laughed and said, “Several months ago, news of Lin Ming’s death had been passed onto the Seven Profound territory. One of Lin Ming’s enemies wanted to use this chance to take some revenge, and decided to retaliate against the Lin Family and also forced a little girl that Lin Ming is extremely close to into a dead end. The ones who did this were the Seven Profound Valleys’ Acacia Faction. This was the reason that Lin Ming killed his way into the Acacia Faction. In fact, all of the people that he killed were Elders of the Acacia Faction, Xiantian masters.”
1369“And? So what?”
1370“Hehe, it seems that Brother Yanzhuo really doesn’t know. Brother Yanzhuo, think for a bit. If Lin Ming’s family and friends were forced to the brink of death, why would they not ask for help from Divine Phoenix Island? After all, they know that Lin Ming and Mu Qianyu are friends. However, what is unfortunate is that Mu Qianyu was together with your grandson Mu Qingshu. Then, for some unknown reason, your grandson decided to burn away the letter that was sent to Mu Qianyu. In fact, he burned away multiple letters, not giving any of them to Mu Qianyu. Afterwards, this almost caused that girl who has an intimate relation with Lin Ming to die on the battlefield.”
1371As Mu Chihuo slowly spoke, Mu Yanzhuo’s expression didn’t change at all. Mu Chihuo wouldn’t lie about something like this, and there was a very high chance this was true. Mu Chihuo was aware of what sort of personality Mu Qingshu had, and it was likely that he would do something like this.
1372Mu Yanzhuo’s eyebrows rose. He flared at the Great Elder, and then coldly said, “You have someone spying on my arrangements?”
1373If this Great Elder hadn’t hidden some spy within his own people, then he would never know such trivial matters.
1374“Haha, Brother Yanzhuo shouldn’t speak so harshly. It’s best to spend this time to think about how to deal with Lin Ming’s anger. This Lin Ming is a person who will definitely take vengeance on any grudges he has; one just needs to look at the miserable state of the Acacia Faction to find out. Once Lin Ming returns to Divine Phoenix Island, he will inevitably investigate this matter and try to trace back clues. In the past, your grandson thought that Lin Ming had died, so he was very casual in his actions and wasn’t clean in erasing his traces. If Lin Ming investigates this matter, it won’t be difficult to find out who it was. With Lin Ming’s current ability, he won’t be able to harm Qingshu. But in the future, after Lin Ming reaches the Revolving Core realm, will Brother Yanzhuo still be able to protect Qingshu? At that time, perhaps Qingshu…”
1375As Mu Chihuo spoke he began to shake his head. Mu Yanzhuo grimaced. Mu Qingshu was his bloodline’s most outstanding character. If there weren’t any accidents, he would become an Elder in the future and take over his position.
1376The position of an Elder was extremely important. If a faction didn’t have an Elder, they would have no power within the upper echelons of the sect. The result was that they would slowly wither away, and finally disappear.
1377If this was a normal conflict, Mu Yanzhuo would apologize. But in this matter, even if it were Mu Yanzhuo who had committed it, Lin Ming still might not forget it!
1378Mu Yanzhuo’s expression changed several times. Finally, he asked with a true essence sound transmission, “Does Brother Chihuo have a plan?” In Mu Yanzhuo’s opinion, with Lin Ming’s current talent and strength, in addition to Mu Fengxian’s support, it was impossible to pose a threat to Lin Ming even if he joined with Mu Chihuo.
1379“Brother Yanzhuo, there is no need to worry. There is always a way. Brother Yanzhuo, how about we return to my Fire Soul Palace and then slowly discuss this matter?”
1380Mu Yanzhuo nodded. He simply had no choice left.
1381On an island 1000 miles away from Divine Phoenix Island, the reef was rugged and the waves surged against the beach.
1382A squad of Divine Phoenix Island disciples were carrying out a routine patrol. Just before noon, the Xiantian leader of this squad suddenly saw a bright flame in the distant skies. His eyesight was exceptional, so he was the first one to see that it was a Vermillion Bird!
1383And also a fully grown Vermillion Bird!
1384Divine Phoenix Island only had a few grown Vermillion Birds. Those that could ride a Vermillion Bird out to travel were most likely Elders.
1385The disciple immediately lit a sound transmitting talisman.
1386In the center of a small island, in an elegant small building, Mu Qianyu was watering flowers.
1387These past days, Mu Qianyu had been in a very good mood. When she had spare time, she would plant some flowers and plants.
1388Mu Qingshu was standing in the courtyard, silently looking at Mu Qianyu watering flowers.
1389These days, Mu Qianyu’s attitude  towards him was much better than before. But this sudden change in attitude  did not make Mu Qingshu happy.
1390Since Mu Qingshu had learned that Lin Ming was still alive, he had a very poor complexion. It wasn’t that Lin Ming was still alive, but because his cultivation had already reached the late Houtian realm.
1391A 17 year old with a late Houtian realm cultivation had already surpassed  Mu Qianyu when she was at this age.
1392This caused Mu Qingshu to feel a deep sense of crisis. If this speed continued, then perhaps in a few years, Lin Ming’s strength would outstrip his own.
1393When that time came, he would not have the slightest advantage.
1394These next few years were his last chance.
1395Mu Qingshu already has his grandfather try to make final effort. Although the chances weren’t great, his still had a glimmer of hope. That was because he had an enormous advantage over Lin Ming, and that was that his last name was Mu.
1396At this moment, a flame suddenly shone in front of Mu Qingshu.
1397“Mm? Some people are coming here on a Vermillion Bird?”
1398Chapter 432 – I’ll Compensate
1399During these chaotic times of war, those that rode a Vermillion Bird to travel were most likely Elders, ‘Could there possibly be news from Grandfather’s side?’
1400As Mu Qingshu thought of this, he was conflicted. The Council of Elders within Divine Phoenix Island was mainly composed of conservative old hypocrites. It wasn’t necessarily true that they would allow Lin Ming to become a leader of power in the future, so the situation wasn’t hopeless for him.
1401As Mu Qingshu was lost in his thoughts, he heard the high-pitched phoenix cry of the Vermillion Bird. The Vermillion Bird was extremely fast; just a few breaths of time after Mu Qingshu had received the sound transmitting talisman, it had already flown over the island’s skies.
1402Mu Qianyu was momentarily startled. She lay down the flower pot in her hands and looked towards the skies.
1403Hu!
1404The Vermillion Bird landed on the ground, setting off a wild wind that blew away the surrounding greenery.
1405There was a man and a woman standing on top of the Vermillion Bird. The young man was a handsome youth. As he smiled, his eyes were soft, but they contained an inexplicably fierce will. The girl that stood behind him was delicate, but her attitude  was a bit cautious.
1406They were Lin Ming and Qin Xingxuan.
1407Lin Ming didn’t return straight to Divine Phoenix Island. Instead, as he was crossing a South Sea transmission array, he asked a disciple who was stationed there where Mu Qianyu was and came to look for her first.
1408Lin Ming had an exceptionally warm feeling towards Mu Qianyu. In a way, it could be said that Lin Ming was willing to contribute to Divine Phoenix Island mostly because of Mu Qianyu.
1409When Lin Ming had first left the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, if it wasn’t because he was frantically trying to rescue Qin Xingxuan, he would have looked for Mu Qianyu first.
1410As Mu Qingshu saw Lin Ming appear, the smile on his face instantly froze.
1411Lin Ming!
1412It was actually him!
1413As Mu Qingshu saw Lin Ming’s smiling face, he felt like he had eaten a fly. For now, he had to consider protocol. He could only hide the disgust and loathing he felt in his heart, and keep on a fairly calm expression.
1414“Lin Ming!” Mu Qianyu lightly breathed out. She looked as she usually did, but it was hard to conceal the joy shining  in her eyes.
1415“Senior-apprentice Sister Mu.” Lin Ming hopped off the back of the Vermillion Bird. Qin Xingxuan also followed him, carefully jumping off Fireshine and then politely standing behind him. She was still a bit stiff and unsure; she had already heard that Lin Ming and Mu Qianyu were very close.
1416As Qin Xingxuan came down, Mu Qianyu’s vision also fell onto her. After several breaths of time, she began to see Qin Xingxuan squirm a bit, like a cat on a hot floor. At this moment, Mu Qianyu faintly smiled and said, “Is this Miss Qin? I’ve just recently heard of Miss Qin’s problems. Since the Qin Family was in distress, that is also an oversight on my part. I’m really glad that Miss Qin is safe and sound.”
1417“Your Highness Saintess is too kind.” Qin Xingxuan respectfully bowed. This was the first time that she had seen Mu Qianyu. She had already heard that the Saintess of Divine Phoenix Island was a divine fairy maiden of the world. When Qin Xingxuan saw her today, there was inevitably a small part of her self-esteem that felt inferior. No matter how she saw it, in terms of status, strength, or anything else, she was simply unable to compare with Mu Qianyu. This caused Qin Xingxuan’s aura to weaken by several degrees.
1418“This is…” Lin Ming turned his eyes to Mu Qingshu.
1419“I am Mu Qingshu, I’ve heard Junior-apprentice Brother Lin’s great name already. I’m glad to meet you!” Mu Qingshu cupped his fists together, keeping a neutral tone.
1420“So it’s Senior-apprentice Brother Qingshu.” Lin Ming politely greeted him in return. But at this time, a true essence sound transmission sounded in Lin Ming’s ear. “Be careful of Mu Qingshu. Because of some… reasons… he might harbor some hostility towards you.”
1421“Mm? Have I done something to offend him?” Lin Ming asked, slightly startled.
1422“This…” Mu Qianyu didn’t know what to say, so she vaguely said, “just be careful!”
1423“Got it.” Lin Ming marked this down.
1424“Junior-apprentice Brother Lin, since you’ve been within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm for such a long time, you must have gotten some great lucky chance right?” Mu Qingshu indifferently asked.
1425“Mm, I found some lucky chances, that’s why I was stranded in their for so long and caused everyone to worry.”
1426‘Worry?’ Mu Qingshu sneered in his heart, ‘What I worry about is how you didn’t die.’ As Mu Qingshu thought this, he turned away. He feared that if he kept facing Lin Ming, he wouldn’t be able to continue suppressing the hatred he felt in his heart.
1427Mu Qianyu heard Lin Ming’s words and said, “It’s been a full 10 months; it’s truly been a long time. Fortunately you still managed to come out in time, otherwise there would have been a tragedy.”
1428As Mu Qianyu spoke, her eyes turned to Qin Xingxuan, “Miss Qin, the truth is, if the Qin Family had met with any troubles, you could have sent a letter to me. If I knew that any of this was happening, I would have immediately come to help in any way I could have. Miss Qin, there is no need to be a stranger.”
1429“Mm…” Qin Xingxuan frowned. She naturally knew of the letters that Qin Ziya had sent to Mu Qianyu. As she listened to Mu Qianyu’s tone of voice, she didn’t know what to take from it. Looking at her sincere and honest expression, it didn’t seem like she was lying. Qin Xingxuan bit her lips and wasn’t sure if she would say anything. At this time, Lin Ming said, “Miss Mu, when the Qin Family was in dire trouble, my Elder wrote two letters to Miss Mu. But it seems as if these letters disappeared somewhere, and there was never a response.
1430At these words, Mu Qingshu’s eyebrows jumped. He felt weak at heart, but he continued to maintain his tranquil expression, casually standing by the side.
1431Mu Qianyu frowned. “You’ve written two letters and they disappeared?”
1432“Yes.”
1433“It’s… they might have been lost in the chaos of war.” Mu Qianyu thoughtfully said, not even glancing at Mu Qingshu from the corner of her eyes.
1434“Is that really so?” Lin Ming didn’t really believe Mu Qianyu’s assumption. The truth was that transmission arrays that passed on letters weren’t really affected by the conflict of war. Not just that, but for two letters to be completely lost seemed a bit unjustified.
1435“It should be like that.” As Mu Qianyu spoke, she also sent Lin Ming a true essence sound transmission, “I’ll investigate this matter. Junior-apprentice Brother Lin shouldn’t worry. I will give Junior-apprentice Brother Lin a full account of what happened.”
1436Lin Ming was stunned. There could only be one reason that Mu Qianyu had spoken to him with a true essence sound transmission, and that was to guard against a person. That person could only be Mu Qingshu.
1437Lin Ming was doubtful, “I’ve offended Mu Qingshu?”
1438“This…” Mu Qianyu was speechless. How could she possibly speak of what happened? Should she tell Lin Ming that the Elders wanted her to marry Mu Qingshu, and that was why Mu Qingshu’s envy was aroused? And that even later, this engagement was postponed? Wasn’t that implying that Honorable Master Yuhuang was trying to facilitate a marriage between her and Lin Ming?
1439As Mu Qianyu thought of marriage, her heart was a mess. Her personality deviated towards being independent and free. She did not desire the emotions that lay between men and women, and only wished to pursue the peak of martial artists.
1440As for what she felt towards Lin Ming, even Mu Qianyu wasn’t clear of it.
1441Between her and Lin Ming, from the curiosity she felt towards him that became admiration, the two of them should have become close friends and confidants. However, because of those ambiguous experiences within Thundercrash Mountain, a great deal of confusion had been mixed in with these feelings.
1442Mu Qianyu had followed Mu Yuhuang ever since she was a little child. From then until now, she had very little contact with men, much less having a man touch her body.
1443Mu Qianyu also couldn’t help but acknowledge that when she had learnt of Lin Ming’s death, she was extremely heartbroken, as if she had lost her soul and everything was gone.
1444Thinking of this, Mu Qianyu unconsciously glanced at Qin Xingxuan. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but eventually didn’t speak at all…
1445As for Lin Ming, ever since he learned that someone may have sabotaged the sent letters, his expression had sank. Regardless of who it was, once he learnt of it, he would never let this matter go.
1446“Lin Ming, let’s go back to Divine Phoenix Island together. Honorable Master is probably impatient.”
1447“Mm, alright.”
1448Divine Phoenix Island, Vermillion Bird Palace –
1449The front door of the Elders’ meeting hall was crafted by 1000 year parasol tree wood. Within the meeting hall there was a 30 foot long table with 10 parasol tree chairs. Nine year flame flowers filled the room. These flowers blossomed after nine years, and after blossoming, they were able to absorb fire origin energy. They were extremely rare fire-attribute spiritual plants. These flowers were very beautiful and were mainly used for decoration around the rooms in Divine Phoenix Island.
1450Mu Yuhuang sat at the seat of honor, and Mu Qianyu sat beside her. There was also seven or eight individuals gathered in the surrounding wooden chairs. Of these seven or eight people, Lin Ming had only seen one before, and that was Revered Master Tianguang, Mu Tianguang.
1451Beside Mu Tianguang was an old woman dressed in red. Her two eyebrows were over a foot long, and all her hair was red; she looked somewhat similar to Ancestor Chi Yan.
1452Lin Ming’s soul force was much more formidable now than it used to be, so he was able to faintly feel the level of her cultivation. This old woman was at the middle Revolving Core realm. Within Divine Phoenix Island, most of the Elders were at the early Revolving Core realm. Someone at the middle Revolving Core realm was considered quite strong.
1453As the old woman saw Lin Ming look at her, she smiled and nodded.
1454Lin Ming smiled back in return. During this time in front of the Council of Elders, Lin Ming had suppressed his own energy as much as possible in order to show his respect and humbleness.
1455Besides this long eyebrow old woman, most of the others here were also woman. As they looked at Lin Ming, their expressions varied. Some appeared appreciative, and some weakly smiled. There were also a few that completely ignored Lin Ming, not bothering to acknowledge him at all.
1456The Council of Elders was the highest authority center within Divine Phoenix Island. All of these Elders were truly powerful characters within Divine Phoenix Island. As long as any four or five of them joined together, that was enough to place sufficient pressure onto Mu Yuhuang.
1457Mu Tianguang was actually extremely friendly to Lin Ming. After he sat down, he began to look of Lin Ming. As he sensed the profound true essence fluctuations within Lin Ming’s body, he was very surprised. It was simply hard to imagine that these were the true essence fluctuations that could come from a Houtian realm martial artist. However, as he looked over Lin Ming’s dantian, he was able to see that the true essence hadn’t yet formed a cyclone there and was still scattered. Evidently, he still hadn’t set foot into the Xiantian realm.
1458“Lin Ming, during your time within Divine Phoenix Island you must have greatly benefited.” Mu Tianguang smiled as he spoke.
1459“Mm, disciple’s luck has been good, and I’ve managed to obtain some lucky chances; that’s also why I was stranded there for so long.”
1460“Good. If you can grow up faster, then that will be another great war force added to our Divine Phoenix Island!” Mu Tianguang chuckled. Of course, he was only speaking thoughtlessly, he didn’t really believe that Lin Ming would be able to play any significant role in the war between Divine Phoenix Island and the South Sea Demon Region. In a fight of this level, even an early Revolving Core powerhouse was limited in what they were able to accomplish. As for Lin Ming, his cultivation was far below that.
1461As the Elders began to arrive one after another, with the Vermillion Bird Faction and the Blue Luan Faction added together, there were around 20 Elders in this Divine Phoenix Island council in total.
1462At this moment, the meeting hall door swung open, and a tall, vigorous looking old man walked in. Behind this old man, there was a very diminutive looking old man with calm eyes who was walking in using a 10,000 year old parasol tree cane.
1463These two were Divine Phoenix Island’s Vermillion Bird Faction Great Elder Mu Chihuo as well as Third Elder Mu Yanzhuo.
1464Mu Chihuo swept his eyes over everyone present. He finally glanced at Lin Ming, and then smiled a bit, before heading straight to his seat.
1465Mu Yuhuang coldly looked at these two old men that sat in their seats and then calmly said, “During this conference of Elders, there are three matters that will be discussed. First there is the announcement of a new appointment. Second is the war plan against the South Sea Demon Region that will occur next month. And third is that Lin Ming will narrate his experiences within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.”
1466The Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm was vital to the existence of Divine Phoenix Island. However, Divine Phoenix Island only had an extremely limited understanding of just what the Divine Phoenix Mystic was. Every time a disciple returned from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, they would reiterate their experiences for future reference and information.
1467This time, Lin Ming had been stranded within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm for almost an entire year. Naturally, the information of what he had experienced inside was extremely significant; it would allow Divine Phoenix Island to deepen their insight into the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. Therefore Mu Yuhuang had especially convened the Council of Elders in order to allow Lin Ming to narrate his experiences.
1468Of course, this meeting of Elders also had another meaning behind it, and that was to allow the Council of Elders to affirm Lin Ming’s value.
1469“First, I will speak of the new appointment. I propose that Lin Ming be appointed as the new Vermillion Bird Envoy. I wonder what everyone thinks about this?”
1470Divine Phoenix Island’s Vermillion Bird Envoy was usually aimed at Xiantian disciples. There were extremely few cases in which Houtian disciples were appointed. The appointment of a Vermillion Bird Envoy meant that the disciple was a future candidate for an Elder.
1471If one became a Vermillion Bird Envoy, not only would they have true authority, but they would also enjoy rich resources.
1472Since Mu Yuhuang said these words, that was equal to appointing Lin Ming as an Elder ahead of time.
1473Regarding this matter, nearly half of the Elders reacted calmly. This was already within their calculations, everyone could see just how much Mu Yuhuang valued Lin Ming.
1474However, there was a section of Elders that frowned. If Lin Ming became an Elder with real power that didn’t share their last name, then that was similar to a foreign official serving at one’s court. It normally wouldn’t mean too much, but now with how much Mu Yuhuang and Mu Fengxian valued Lin Ming – along with his amazing talent – it wouldn’t be as simple as just being an Elder with a different surname.
1475Divine Phoenix Island was a sect that was very similar to a family clan. Most of the Elders shared the last name Mu, and it was very difficult for those with a different last name to become an Elder with true power and authority. 1000 years ago, there was an Elder who appeared that was not from the Mu Family. He had betrayed Divine Phoenix Island, causing them to suffer massive losses. Divine Phoenix Island had never forgotten this.
1476With Lin Ming’s talent, in the future his authority would only grow. This was equal to handing over the entire Divine Phoenix Island to Lin Ming; it was difficult to say just what Lin Ming’s character was!
1477The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
1478After several breaths of time, the Great Elder slowly stood up and said, “This old man does not have an opinion on the Sect Master’s decision to appoint Lin Ming as the Vermillion Bird Envoy. However, this old man only wishes to ask Lin Ming some questions about a matter.”
1479Mu Yuhuang’s expression was cold, she had a very poor relationship with Mu Chihuo. “What matter?”
1480The Great Elder stood up and smiled as he looked at Lin Ming. He slowly said, “According to what this old man knows, when you were stranded within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm and news of your death spread, there was an enemy of yours who wished to take revenge and retaliate against your family and friends, and even forced a girl that you are very intimate with into a hopeless situation where she would die. When you broke through the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, you hurried to rescue this girl. This girl’s life was near its end, and she was about to die. Thus, you took 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence as a price in order to revive this girl’s blood essence and revive her. This girl is a medium sixth-grade talent, and her cultivation is at the Pulse Condensation period. Besides her appearance being simple and beautiful, she has no other strong points. Also, she has no relations to my Divine Phoenix Island. I wonder if anyone knows of this matter?”
1481The Great Elder’s words were extremely vicious. ‘Besides her appearance being simple and beautiful, she has no other strong points’ that was simply saying that Lin Ming drooled and lusted over Qin Xingxuan’s beauty, and that was the reason that he took out 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence to save her!
1482With just these few words, the expression of all the Elders present changed. Their eyes all turned to closely look at Lin Ming. For a time, the vision of all these Revolving Core masters was completely concentrated on a single person – the pressure could be imagined!
1483Even Mu Yuhuang’s willowy eyebrows were pinched together. If this was true, then this would really lead to massive outrage. Vermillion Bird blood essence was beyond precious! Just one or two drops of this blood essence was able to create a Revolving Core Supreme Elder!
1484Divine Phoenix Island had countless disciples and many lower level Elders that dreamed of being able to obtain just a single drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence so that they could cultivate the core parts of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. However, there was a limited supply of Vermillion Bird blood essence. Mu Yuhuang had defied the pressure of everyone and given Lin Ming all the Vermillion Bird blood essence. This had already caused dissatisfaction among many Elders. Yet Lin Ming had wasted away 10 drops of this Vermillion Bird blood essence in a single go. Because of the deep and private love between a man and a woman, Lin Ming had rescued this girl’s life with this high price. This would inevitably cause anger among many Elders, and touch upon their point of rage!
1485Even Mu Yuhuang who favored Lin Ming to the extreme was disgruntled by this act!
1486Everyone waited for Lin Ming’s reply. At this time, the atmosphere was filled with a terrifying silence, as if the air itself was condensed into essence. All of the Elders, including the long eye browed old woman who had been friendly, were currently glowering at Lin Ming. Only the Great Elder was still faintly smiling as he smirked, calmly looking at Lin Ming.
1487Against such a enormous pressure, Lin Ming was still as calm as before. He looked at everyone present, and then after several breaths of time, he deeply said, “Everything that the Great Elder said is true!”
1488With just these words, all of the Elders present were thrown into a boiling rage. Several Elders that were already skeptical of Lin Ming’s character immediately stood up, “Lin Ming! You’ve got guts! Who gave you this authority!? For just your own affairs you wasted away 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence!”
1489“To trade the life of some young girl for 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence, Lin Ming, you have really opened this old woman’s eyes!”
1490“If you used 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence to trade for a girl’s life, then another day, after you become a truly powerful Elder of Divine Phoenix Island, won’t you even give away the entire Divine Phoenix Island as a gift to some demonic sect? As this old woman knows, the current spiritual leader of the South Sea Demon Region is an extremely beautiful woman!” The long eyebrow woman shook her head as she looked at Lin Ming with disappointment.
1491“How great of you! As long as he had two drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence, this old woman’s grandson would be able to practice the core sections of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. He diligently practices, is not bitter, and yet he still cannot obtain any, unlike you! You actually used 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence to rescue a piece of trash!” The old woman’s voice was very shrill, and her words were sharp and cruel!
1492In the eyes of these Elders, a sixth-grade talent that didn’t have the Vermillion Bird bloodline still couldn’t be considered trash, but, even if several hundred of these people were added together, they would still be unworthy of a single drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence. To even use half a drop on her was a waste!
1493Of all the Elders present, their words were all one-sided scolding. Mu Qianyu sighed, she was the only one here that understood Lin Ming. It could only be said that Lin Ming was swayed too much by his emotions and feelings of righteousness. However, what he did was hard to explain!
1494Lin Ming was willing to take the criticism of all these Elders in his stride. That was, until someone labeled Qin Xingxuan as a piece of trash. Then, Lin Ming’s eyebrows rose up in anger. He coldly said, “I, Lin Ming, will compensate for these 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence!”
1495“Compensate!? Hahaha!” The Great Elder savagely smiled. “This old man has really heard the funniest joke. 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence is equal to 10 Revolving Core masters; just what do you have to compensate
1496Chapter 433 – Blood Red Jade Slip
1497After hearing that Lin Ming would compensate for the 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence, not only did Great Elder Mu Chihuo laugh, but all the other Elders thought this was farcical. A red-robed old man coldly snorted and said, “The value of a single drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence is inestimable. This old woman wants to see whether or not you have anything worthy of compensating for it!
1498This red-robed old woman was the one that had just called Qin Xingxuan a piece of trash.
1499“The reason that Divine Phoenix Island gave you the Vermillion Bird blood essence was not for you to give it to others, and especially not to waste it to court some random hussy! Exactly what qualifications do you have to do this!?”
1500This red-robed old lady spoke aggressively and also recklessly sent out her aura, directly pressuring Lin Ming. If it wasn’t for her grandson lacking some Vermillion Bird blood essence, he would have absolutely been able to break through to the Revolving Core realm. This caused the red-robed old woman to feel a deep resentment. Now, with Lin Ming’s words, she used her aura to pressure Lin Ming!
1501For a middle Revolving Core Supreme Elder to send out an aura to oppress a Houtian master, it would be able to frighten him out of his wits!
1502But this red-obed old woman knew that Lin Ming wasn’t an ordinary Houtian master. She wouldn’t be able to kill him with her aura. The most she could do was embarrass him and make him wet his pants. Thus she did not lighten her hand at all, releasing her aura with full force.
1503As soon as Mu Yuhuang saw this her complexion changed. She immediately wanted to stop this, but as she raised her hand halfway, she noticed that Lin Ming had induced too much onto himself; she simply couldn’t resist the outrage that had been stirred up in order to protect Lin Ming. Not just that, but Mu Yuhuang was also very dissatisfied with what Lin Ming had done this time.
1504As for the Great Elder, he wasn’t bothering to hide his smile, he was waiting for Lin Ming to make a fool of himself.
1505However, Lin Ming sat still tightly in his seat. His face was not red, and his heart wasn’t palpitating – he didn’t even look troubled. It was as if the red-robed old woman’s aura was just like the air.
1506Mm?
1507The red-robed old woman was shocked. She had released her full aura in order to suppress a junior, but now she was being completely ignored? How was this possible!?
1508It had to be known that even within the boundaries of the Revolving Core Elders, if an early Revolving Core master was being suppressed by a middle Revolving Core master, they wouldn’t be able to be so relaxed!
1509She thought that Lin Ming would be overwhelmed, unable to withstand the pressure and begin to grit his teeth and sweat. But she didn’t expect that he would simply ignore her. What face did she have left?
1510Unable to stop from embarrassment, the red-robed old woman revolved all of her true essence and began to galvanize her aura to the extreme. Seven of the fire flowers near her had their petals blown away by her momentum. But Lin Ming only coldly looked at her, remaining completely unmoved.
1511All of the Elders present were awed. The red-robed old woman was a top ranked Elder among those present. Lin Ming was strong, but there was no way he was strong to this degree. How was this possible?
1512Lin Ming calmly stood up, his eyes coldly glaring at the old woman. He slowly said, “I, Lin Ming, have truly used the Vermillion Bird blood essence to save a girl. This girl was forced into a desperate situation because of me. She was alone and in despair. Not only that, but I also owe her graciousness for her kindness to me in the past. Even if it wasn’t so, I would still not sit idly by and do nothing at all. If it’s as Senior says, then in the relationships between people, is the only important factor how valuable they are? Is the only measure in which they can be evaluated how much they can be used?”
1513Lin Ming’s words were combative. As he spoke, the Ancient Phoenix bloodline from within his eyebrows naturally emitted, releasing a pulsing aura that caused everyone’s hearts to quicken. The woman in red bore the brunt of this momentum, and her heart suddenly stopped for a moment. She didn’t know why, but at the time, she felt the very depths of her being tremble. It was as if this was… bloodline suppression.
1514Hu-
1515An incredible scene took place. The red-robed old woman’s aura was like late winter snow. In just a few breaths, it completely melted away!
1516Mm?
1517All of the Elders present turned to Lin Ming, the look in their eyes changing.
1518Lin Ming calmly stood in front of the table as before. He indifferently said, “Divine Phoenix Island has been kind to Lin Ming. I was originally planning to freely offer something to Divine Phoenix Island, but since everyone intends to be so calculating about ‘worth’ and ‘value’, I shall offer this object to Divine Phoenix Island as per the rules. Great Elder, if Lin Ming is not wrong, then the rules of Divine Phoenix Island state that after entering the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, any treasures obtained belong to whoever obtained them, and they could also be exchanged with Divine Phoenix Island for resources of an equal value. Am I correct?”
1519“That’s right!” Mu Chihuo’s eyes jumped. He was still startled thinking about the scene where Lin Ming so easily broke apart an Elder’s aura.
1520“Since that’s the case, I shall hand out part of this object in exchange for 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence. As for the rest, we shall negotiate further!”
1521“What!?”
1522With these words, everyone was shocked.
1523Hand out part of an object in exchange for 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence and then negotiate for the rest!?
1524Listening to Lin Ming’s words, he seemed think that whatever he had to offer was actually equal to at least 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence?
1525The Great Elder’s expression sank, “Lin Ming, this old man wants to see just what you can take out!”
1526“Then I shall have to ask Honorable Sect Master to take a look.”
1527As Lin Ming spoke, he took out a blood red jade slip from his spatial ring. This jade slip was twice as large a normal jade slip, and the face of the jade slip was crisscrossed with crimson lines. It looked extremely mysterious.
1528Mm? Jade slip?
1529Cultivation method?
1530All of the Elders present were startled. As for the Great Elder Mu Chihuo, his eyes were riveted to the jade slip. No matter how he looked, he didn’t know what to think.
1531This jade slip was obviously from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm!
1532What could it be?
1533Cultivation method? Martial skill?
1534Mu Yuhuang deeply looked at Lin Ming before she took hold of the jade slip. As she held it, she felt as if she were holding onto an object from ancient times. Brilliant flames shined on the jade slip, and it emitted a very ancient and profound energy – this was certainly an extraordinary object!
1535Mu Qianyu was sitting beside Mu Yuhuang. As she looked at this jade slip, she turned to look at Lin Ming, her heart racing. She silently waited for Mu Yuhuang to reveal the results of her investigation.
1536As Mu Yuhuang slipped her sense into the jade slip, her heart suddenly shook; the beginning of the jade slip was the first layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’.
1537Could it be…
1538Mu Yuhuang suddenly realized a possibility, and that was that this jade slip Lin Ming had brought back was able to fill in the flaws of the current ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle!’
1539If this was so, the value of this jade slip was difficult to imagine.
1540As she silently looked down, Mu Yuhuang swept past the fifth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. As she saw the sixth layer, she gasped, her eyes flickered and her breathing became rapid!
1541With Mu Yuhuang’s understanding of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, she was certainly able to determine whether this cultivation method was real or fake.
1542The founder of Divine Phoenix Island had obtained only the first five layers of the cultivation method. But even with so many flaws, the ‘Vermilion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ was not inferior to any cultivation method of a fifth-grade sect, or even a Holy Land! It was only that one needed the Vermillion Bird bloodline in order to practice this cultivation method. Thus, this cultivation method was not coveted by fifth-grade sects.
1543The higher this cultivation method went, the more terrifying its might was. With the first six layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, it would become a top cultivation method capable of creating an Emperor level powerhouse!
1544If this cultivation method was obtained by Divine Phoenix Island, then there was a possibility that they could become a Holy Land!
1545This was certainly not something that several drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence could compare with. Even if it were a few dozen drops, or even a hundreds drops, it simply could not compare!
1546However, at this moment, the unbelievable occurred. After the sixth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, there was actually the seventh layer!
1547Heavens!
1548The seventh layer of the cultivation method!
1549Mu Yuhuang’s hands actually began to slightly tremble. As the Elders present saw this, their eyes began to change. They looked at the jade slip in Mu Yuhuang’s hands – just what did Lin Ming bring back that could cause her to have such a violent reaction?
1550Then, after she looked at the seventh layer of the cultivation method, Mu Yuhuang’s heart nearly stopped for a moment. After the seventh layer of the cultivation method was shockingly…
1551The eighth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’!
1552Eighth layer…
1553Mu Yuhuang felt cataclysmic waves going off in her heart and mind, as if the world itself were overturning. How powerful the eighth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ was, she simply could not imagine.
1554Mu Yuhuang’s fingers trembled and she had to use her hand to support herself on the table. She looked at Lin Ming with absolute amazement in her eyes.
1555“Sect Master, just what is in that jade slip?” The red-robed old woman who had been arguing with Lin Ming couldn’t help but ask as she saw Mu Yuhuang’s violent reaction.
1556Mu Yuhuang laid down the jade slip and closed her eyes in order to restore her tranquil mood. After a long time, she handed over the jade slip and said, “See for yourself.”
1557As the red-robed old woman received the jade slip, she was already able to faintly guess what it was. There was probably only a single situation in this world that could cause Mu Yuhuang to react like this.
1558Her sense swept down. Suddenly, the red-robed old woman’s heart shook – it was true!
1559However, as she continued, her expression became increasingly stunned, shocked, and awed. Finally, she felt completely slack-jawed.
1560Although she had prepared in advance, she had never imagined that this jade slip would contain the eighth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle!’
1561“What is it?” The surrounding Elders asked together.
1562“The ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’…” The red robed old woman whispered. She turned to look at Lin Ming, and then after several breaths of time, she haltingly said, “The first eight layers of the cultivation method!”
1563“What?”
1564“First eight layers?”
1565All of the Elders were shocked beyond measure. When they had seen Mu Yuhuang react like that, they already had some faint guesses in their heart. But when the red-robed old woman spoke the truth, they finally realized that they had far underestimated just how terrifying this jade slip was.
1566Third Elder Mu Yanzhuo looked completely befuddled. He looked at Lin Ming and felt an increasing amount of awe in his heart. When the founder of Divine Phoenix Island had first entered the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, she had found a great lucky chance and obtained the first five layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method. After that, she had founded Divine Phoenix Island. But now, Lin Ming had taken out the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. How!? He simply couldn’t imagine the circumstances.
1567The Great Elder also looked gloomy. As he looked at the blood red jade slip in Mu Yuhuang’s hands, his fists clenched together; he didn’t know just what to think.
1568The other Elders had various looks. If it was just the complete first five layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method, then they would already be delighted. It had to be known that they had all reached the fifth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. However, many of them were still stranded at the early Revolving Core realm or middle Revolving Core realm. If they wished to break through to a higher step, they had to reconsolidate the fifth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ in order to purify their understanding of this cultivation method and try to make a breakthrough.
1569This was all because they did not have the sixth layer of the cultivation method!
1570Chapter 434 – Sitting and Gathering Treasures
1571If they had the sixth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, they would be able to directly cultivate to the sixth layer. Even if their foundation was bad, it was still far faster than repeatedly consolidating and building up the first five layers!
1572Anyway, these Elders no longer hoped or expected to become an Emperor level powerhouse, what did it matter to them if their foundation was bad?
1573To achieve the late Revolving Core realm or even the extreme Revolving Core realm was already their life’s greatest goal.
1574Thinking this, everyone’s eyes became eager and ardent. Some people were extremely regretful that they had tried to argue with Lin Ming a moment ago. In the end, the struggle for Vermillion Bird blood essence was a matter of juniors. If they could make a breakthrough, increase their strength and also extend their lives by a few hundred years, then whatever struggles the juniors went through were irrelevant!
1575Compared to the eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence were simply nothing to speak of!
1576Everyone’s eyes unanimously focused on Lin Ming, their vision earnest.
1577According to the rules of Divine Phoenix Island, everything that was obtained from the Divine Phoenix Island smelting trials fully belonged to the one who obtained it. Not only could they exchange it to the sect, but they could also exchange it to the Elders as long as both sides were satisfied with the term.
1578Of course, these Elders didn’t expect to solely own this blood red jade slip, it was already enough to be the first one to enjoy it. As for the jade slip, there was only one. Meanwhile, there were over a dozen Vermillion Bird Faction Elders. If an Elder meditated over a jade slip, it would at least take a month or two. For all of them to have a look, it would take one or two years.
1579All the Elders that had been glaring at Lin Ming seemed to have completely forgotten the embarrassing scene from a moment ago. A white-haired old woman asked, “Nephew Lin, what are you planning on exchanging that jade slip for with the sect?”
1580“This old man has a 900 year old Sunfire Flower. I wonder if Nephew Lin is interested?”
1581As another Elder butted in, everyone looked at him with contempt.
1582A mere 900 year old Sunfire Flower? Really? This old man actually had the gall to bring up something like that?
1583The atmosphere was becoming increasingly fiery, even Great Elder Mu Chihuo had an extremely ugly expression. Of course he greatly desired to study the eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ too, but how could Lin Ming possibly give it to him?
1584Mu Chihuo grit his teeth and said to Lin Ming, “Lin Ming! What do you want in exchange!?”
1585Lin Ming faintly smiled. “Before, I was planning on freely offering this as a gift to Divine Phoenix Island. But now, I have changed my mind! I will lend this jade slip to Divine Phoenix Island for 100 days, and that should be sufficient for the value of 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence!”
1586“What!?”
1587Mu Chihuo’s complexion sank. Lin Ming was actually only lending the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ jade slip to Divine Phoenix Island for 100 days!
1588Pondering a jade slip through meditation was an extremely slow process. In order to understand it, meditating over it for one or two months was nothing strange. If Lin Ming lent this jade slip out for 100 days, at most that would only be enough time for three people to study it!
1589However, even having said that, before Lin Ming had obtained the this jade slip, if the Elders present knew that they could exchange three drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence in order to study the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ for a month, they would have been tripping over themselves to rush for this chance.
1590But now that Lin Ming had brought the jade slip back, the Elders had regarded this jade slip as property of Divine Phoenix Island. To trade 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence for 100 days, how could they possibly agree to that?!
1591Lin Ming didn’t seem affected. He unhurriedly said, “I’m not done speaking. After this 100 days, for the rest of the time, if any Elders wish to study it, we can continue to discuss terms. If both sides are satisfied then the jade slip can be continued to be lent out.
1592And also discuss terms?
1593With these words, all of the Elders present wanted to cuss out Lin Ming. This move of his was just too black-hearted! He wasn’t exchanging the jade slip, he was lending it out! From now on, if an Elder wished to meditate over this cultivation method, they would have to pay a massive price.
1594The Great Elder coldly snorted and said, “You’ve really thought this out well! The Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm is part of my Divine Phoenix Island! For my Divine Phoenix Island to exchange for the jade slip that you took out of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm is already showing great tolerance and doing everything possible to accommodate you, and yet you are insatiable. After being given an inch, you want to take a yard? You think you can just sit there and gather all the treasure?”
1595Lin Ming coldly smiled and said, “According to what I know, the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm was a smelting trial land laid down by the Ancient Phoenix Clan. But, the disciples of Divine Phoenix Island are not the subjects of the Ancient Phoenix Clan. In comparison, when I entered into the Ancient Phoenix Main Hall, I managed to obtain the approval of the Palace Spirit, thus I was granted this jade slip with the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. It’s difficult to say just who is the owner of the Divine Phoenix Mystic realm. To say the least, even if the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm belongs to Divine Phoenix Island, I still want to ask a question. When Great Elder was young, did Great Elder also enter the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, and just what did the Great Elder obtain?
1596As Lin Ming calmly spoke, it was like stabbing with needles until they were bloody. Especially that last sarcastic question, it caused the Great Elder’s face to turn liver red. When the Great Elder had entered the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, he also had a lucky chance. But when compared to the first eight layers of  ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, it wasn’t even worth a fart.
1597“The first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method have always been within the Ancient Phoenix Main Hall for the last 3000 years, and have been guarded by the Palace Spirit. Those who have the ability to do so many take it away. If anyone thinks they can just take this jade slip, then they are nothing but idiots spouting nonsense! Since the Great Elder said that the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm belongs to Divine Phoenix Island, I wonder if Great Elder has any personal disciples that can enter into the Ancient Phoenix Mystic Realm and obtain the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’?”
1598Lin Ming’s refutation caused Mu Chihuo to be bamboozled! All of the other Elders stayed silent. They were still watching Lin Ming, obviously refusing to give up.
1599Lin Ming sneered in his mind. In the presence of all these Elders, he pushed the blood red jade slip towards Mu Yuhuang. “Honorable Sect Master, this disciple is busy with practice, so this cultivation method will be temporarily placed with Honorable Master. Anytime anyone wishes to rent out this jade slip, Honorable Master may do so in place of disciple. Is this alright?”
1600Lin Ming was well aware that the significance of this jade slip for Divine Phoenix Island was too great. According to the rules of Divine Phoenix Island, the jade slip should be controlled by Lin Ming. However, when it came to objects that were important, following this rule wasn’t possible.
1601Thus, Lin Ming had already planned to hand this jade slip over to Mu Yuhuang to deal with, and she could also decide what the terms would be. It was already enough that he would receive a portion of the exchange.
1602Not just that, but this was equal to delivering a huge graciousness to Mu Yuhuang. If Mu Yuhuang controlled this jade slip, then she would have the authority over who could see it and also have the power that followed. This was equal to holding the weak point of all the Elders; who would dare to oppose Mu Yuhuang?
1603As for the Great Elder, if he wanted to stir up trouble, he would have to deal with someone much stronger than himself in order to do so. Now that Mu Yuhuang had the jade slip in her hands, it would be extremely difficult for him to form an alliance to deal with her. nobody would try to offend Mu Yuhuang at this time.
1604Not just that, but if the Great Elder wanted to practice the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, he would also have to obtain permission from Mu Yuhuang and Lin Ming. Thinking of this, Mu Chihuo felt sick to his stomach like he had swallowed a fly.
1605Chapter 435 – Marriage Matters
1606“Lin Ming, inform the fellow Elders of just what you experienced when you entered into the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.” Mu Yuhuang gently said as she played with the jade slip in her hands.
1607Mu Yuhuang was in an exceedingly good mood. Originally, Lin Ming’s background had been a major problem. But now, after Lin Ming took out this jade slip and gave it to her, no one could question anything about Lin Ming anymore.
1608If his background was questioned, one would first have to contrast just who had a greater contribution towards Divine Phoenix Island.
1609“Yes.” Lin Ming nodded. There was no point in hiding anything that he had experienced within the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm. He might as well tell these fellows. After all, they could only look, and couldn’t obtain anything from it.
1610Lin Ming reiterated his entire experience from when he first entered all the way to the complete process of the final general level smelting trial to these Elders.
1611The 10 month-long experience as well as the six different smelting trials, Lin Ming told these Elders everything besides the fact that he had obtained the blood of the Ancient Phoenix.
1612After the Elders listened to Lin Ming’s story, they all fell into silence.
1613There was a general level smelting trial? As well as a king level smelting trial?
1614That meant that the smelting trial they had participated  in before was just for little ground soldiers!
1615All of the Elders present were characters who could stamp their feet and cause huge waves within the entire Divine Phoenix Province. But now, if they were placed with the Ancient Phoenix Clan, they were actually just… little soldiers!
1616This was difficult for them to psychologically accept.
1617After Divine Phoenix Island had obtained the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, it was like obtaining a massive hidden treasure. However, they now knew that whatever they had uncovered was just an insignificant little portion. If the rewards for completing the general level smelting trial were so luxurious, then what would it be like for the king level smelting trial?
1618It was unimaginable!
1619“The six smelting trials, how difficult were they?” An Elder couldn’t help but ask. Her grandson was already 12 years old. Although he hadn’t yet been announced as a direct disciple, he was surpassingly talented. Perhaps… perhaps he might too have the chance to participate in the general level smelting trial?
1620Although they knew the chances were low, people always harbored a bit of hope.
1621Lin Ming said, “When I faced the last and final sixth smelting trial, my opponent was equal to a martial artist with an extreme Xiantian cultivation. Not just that, but a powerhouse within the extreme Xiantian realm that was not considered weak. At that time, my cultivation was at the late Houtian realm.”
1622“A late Houtian realm martial artist facing off against an extreme Xiantian master!”
1623The old woman Elder sighed, a bit depressed. To cross such a large gap in battle and succeed, she thought about it and then directly eliminated this idea.
1624“Lin Ming, you said that there was also a king level smelting trial?” Mu Yuhuang asked.
1625“Mm, yes. If one can complete the king level smelting trial, it is possible to obtain the complete ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’.”
1626“Then will you be able to enter next time?” Mu Yuhuang had a very eager expression. Every disciple was able to enter the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm two times, but Lin Ming had only gone in once.
1627Lin Ming shook his head, “My chances aren’t too great.”
1628When he had left the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, he had asked the Palace Spirit about the rules for the king level smelting trial. The age limitation was a bit more loose; one could enter as long as they hadn’t reached 30 years of age. However, his bloodline concentration just wasn’t high enough.
1629As for the ninth layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, that didn’t really hold much meaning to the Elders present. One needed the bloodline of the Ancient Phoenix in order to cultivate that final layer. Even if it were Lin Ming, he would still be unqualified to practice it.
1630Let alone the ninth layer, even if it were the eighth layer or seventh layer, the Elders wouldn’t bother with practicing it. To them, the sixth layer was already more than enough. If it wasn’t for the fact that a jade slip couldn’t be cut or duplicated, Lin Ming wouldn’t have even bothered to take out the last two layers of the cultivation method.
1631“Everyone, the contents of this current Council of Elders meeting is very important. Everyone will have to ensure that they closely guard the secrets from today. Before we leave, I’ll have to bother everyone…” Mu Yuhuang took out a scroll from her spatial ring. This scroll was crimson colored, and looked as if it had been dyed red from blood.
1632“It’s not that I do not trust everyone here, but the stakes are simply too high. If news of the eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ were to leak out, then Divine Phoenix Island would suffer an irreparable disaster. Everyone, please sign your name on this scroll.”
1633The crimson scroll that Mu Yuhuang had taken out was a form of a bloodstain contract. It was a contract based upon bloodline foundations. All of the Elders present were direct descendants of Divine Phoenix Island, and had either the bloodline of the Vermillion Bird or the Blue Luan, so they would be restricted after they signed this contract.
1634If they dared to violate the conditions of this contract, their bloodline would be obliterated. Of everyone present, their cultivation used either the Vermillion Bird or Blue Luan bloodline as the foundation. If their bloodline were to vanish, they would lose their cultivation method and everything else that came with it.
1635This scroll was created by the founder of Divine Phoenix Island. Thus, only her descendants would be restricted by this. As for those others that had the bloodline implanted  they wouldn’t be affected. This was also a reason why the Elders who shared the same last name excluded those who didn’t.
1636As the Great Elder saw this bloodstain contract, his lips twitched. In truth, this bloodstain contract had been prepared for him. When Mu Yuhuang had spoken, she was mentioning that she didn’t trust him.
1637In order to break out of the limits set by this bloodstain contract, one needed to have a cultivation at the extreme Revolving Core realm. However, of all the Elders present, no one had a hope to reach that realm besides Mu Yuhuang. As for the others, no one dared to even think of it.
1638Unless they were able to meditate and understand the last three layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, and make their breakthrough with that. However, that jade slip was now in Mu Yuhuang’s hand, and she controlled the power!
1639Thinking of this, Mu Chihuo clenched his fists, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy.
1640Mu Yuhuang was the first one to cut her palm and write her own name down on the bloodstain contract.
1641As the characters ‘Mu Yuhuang’ were written onto the bloodstain contract, it strangely began to burn. After several breaths of time, a Vermillion Bird design appeared on top of the bloodstain contract. Within the image of the Vermillion Bird was the sealed character of ‘Mu’.
1642Then, Mu Qianyu also calmly wrote down her name.
1643Then it was Mu Chihuo’s turn.
1644“Great Elder, if you may!” Mu Yuhuang coldly said.
1645Mu Chihuo coldly snorted, cut his finger with his nail, and waved his sleeves as he signed his own name down.
1646After Mu Chihuo, the Second Elder and Third Elder signed their names one after the other on the bloodstain contract. If anyone leaked information about the last three layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ in any way whatsoever, the curse of the bloodstain contract would attack them, and their bloodline would melt away along with their cultivation.
1647Finally, the only one who hadn’t signed their name was Lin Ming. Even if he signed it, it still wouldn’t work. Also, he had no reason to spread this news, as he was the one who had taken this jade slip out from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.
1648“I apologize for hassling everyone.” Mu Yuhuang swept up the bloodstain contract and calmly put it away. “Now, we shall discuss the war with the South Sea Demon Region that has been occurring for the past several months!”
1649As Mu Yuhuang spoke, a flame lit in front of her; it was a sound transmitting talisman.
1650As Mu Yuhuang heard this message, her heart stirred. “Yu’er, Lin Ming, the High Ancestor wishes to see you two. You may leave now.”
1651Mu Qianyu’s heart jumped, Mu Fengxian wanted to see her?
1652She didn’t know why, but her heart suddenly thought of a possibility. It shouldn’t be…
1653“Mm, alright.”
1654Lin Ming turned to leave, departing together with Mu Qianyu.
1655For the entire time on the way over, Mu Qianyu felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Finally, they arrived at the end of a bamboo grove trail where the Emerald Bamboo Pavilion was located. This was where Mu Fengxian lived in seclusion.
1656“Lin Ming, come in.”
1657“Yes, Master Ancestor.”
1658This was the second time that Lin Ming had stepped foot into Mu Fengxian’s residence.
1659The simple arrangement inside the bamboo house hadn’t changed since he had last been here. There were several plan wicker chairs and also a wooden table. As he walked in, he could hear his footsteps causing the bamboo floor to creak.
1660As Lin Ming entered the residence, Mu Fengxian didn’t speak. She only smiled as she looked at Lin Ming. Like this, around half an incense stick of time passed.
1661Finally, Lin Ming wasn’t able to stand it. He tentatively asked, “Master Ancestor… what is the matter that you wanted me for?”
1662Mu Fengxian laughed, “I’ve heard the content of the meeting already.”
1663Creating a short distance sound transmission array with the meeting room of the Council of Elders and synchronizing it so that it could be heard was very easy.
1664Although Mu Fengxian had slowly faded away from managing the matters of Divine Phoenix Island, if there was a meeting that involved significant matters of the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, she would still be concerned about that.
1665“This time you have brought back the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method. To my Divine Phoenix Island, that is simply a great graciousness!”
1666“Master Ancestor is too kind.” Lin Ming’s attitude  was very polite and low-key. If someone treated him with courtesy, then he would return it. However, if someone tried to suppress him, he wouldn’t object to brutally slapping them back in the face.
1667Mu Fengxian smiled. She continued, “Lin Ming, this time when you entered the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, was the only reward you obtained the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ cultivation method?”
1668As Mu Fengxian spoke, her eyes shifted towards the light flame mark between Lin Ming’s eyebrows. As soon as he had entered the room a moment ago, Mu Fengxian had been able to feel the energy of a very pure and powerful ancient bloodline coming from Lin Ming’s body.
1669But, this sort of energy was obviously different from the bloodline of the Vermillion Bird. Before Lin Ming had entered the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, he didn’t have this aura.
1670Lin Ming hesitated for a moment and then nodded, “When I went into the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, I managed to obtain a bloodline through a stroke of luck.”
1671“I see.” Mu Fengxian’s eyes lit up and her heart immediately filled with emotion. Lin Ming’s rise was now unstoppable. As long as he didn’t fall, he would absolutely become an Emperor level powerhouse!
1672But, she just didn’t know if Divine Phoenix Island had the destiny to follow him and become a Holy Land!
1673“Lin Ming, this old woman has a question to ask you. You must answer me truthfully.” Mu Fengxian’s voice was suddenly serious.
1674“Master Ancestor, please ask.”
1675“The truth is that I had this idea a while ago. It’s just that you are too young so I had placed it aside for the moment. But now, I think it’s best for both of us if we can clarify this matter as soon as possible in order to avoid any future misunderstandings or accidents, instead resulting in one of us outplaying ourselves…” As Mu Fengxian spoke, she looked Lin Ming deep in the eyes, and slowly and clearly said, “I want to ask you, are you willing to marry Qianyu and take her as your wife?”
1676Every single word of My Fengxian’s final sentence was clearly articulated. As Lin Ming heard this, he became petrified; marry Qianyu and take her as his wife?
1677“It’s not too late for a martial artist to be married even when they are 100 years old. I don’t need you to answer me now, I just wanted to ask you this question earlier so this issue doesn’t drag on for too long and give birth to misunderstandings.” Mu Fengxian watched Lin Ming’s expression as she slowly spoke. To her, this matter of marriage was extremely significant.
1678Lin Ming’s status was becoming increasingly important. However, Lin Ming was not from the Mu Family. Even Mu Fengxian, who favored Lin Ming, was concerned about this point. After all, Lin Ming had joined Divine Phoenix Island just over a year ago. Although he had a very upstanding and kind moral character, she didn’t know just how much of a sense of belonging Lin Ming felt towards Divine Phoenix Island.
1679Chapter 436 – Slaughtering Path of the Battlefield
1680The Vermillion Bird blood essence was a kindness that was given to Lin Ming. But after he had returned from the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm and taken out the first eight layers of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, he had returned this kindness dozens if not hundreds of times over. Now, Lin Ming no longer owed Divine Phoenix Island anything, but rather it was Divine Phoenix Island that owed Lin Ming.
1681If this was true, then what sense of belonging did Lin Ming feel for Divine Phoenix Island that still remained?
1682Even if he left now, no one would say anything. Why would Lin Ming stay at Divine Phoenix Island, or even help Divine Phoenix Island rise to the level of a Holy Land?
1683My Fengxian had thought that Lin Ming and Qianyu were very intimate with each other, and she wanted to let this relationship between them naturally develop instead of trying to interfere ahead of time. But this time, Lin Ming had killed his way into Blood Demon Island and rescued a young girl called Qin Xingxuan; this left Mu Fengxian no choice but to shift the inquiry of this matter to an earlier date.
1684After all, this sort of scene in which a man desperately gave his all to save a woman like a shining  knight would cause most girls to be moved. Like this, that girl would absolutely fall in love with Lin Ming.
1685Once the two of them were together for enough time, the girl would take initiative and show meticulous care for Lin Ming. If the result of this was that the two of them developed extremely intimate relationships together and even made love together, that wouldn’t be strange at all.
1686Mu Fengxian could see that what was between Lin Ming and Mu Qianyu went beyond a casual or even close friendship. However, the problem was whether or not Mu Qianyu could be like Qin Xingxuan and pursue Lin Ming. This… was clearly impossible.
1687If matters continued like this, then several years from now, Lin Ming might marry Qin Xingxuan. When that time came, what would Mu Qianyu do?
1688Lin Ming stood there, frozen, not knowing just how to answer.
1689Lin Ming certainly felt something towards Mu Qianyu. It was just that he didn’t want to consider something like marriage currently. In the future, he didn’t know just where he would go. Whether it was the South Horizon Region or even the Sky Spill Continent, neither of these places would where he stopped.
1690Once a marriage was set down, he would have another responsibility. In the future, he would adventure all over and might even face death many times. With another bond tying him down, he might always feel some qualms in his mind.
1691Lin Ming thought about this for a very long time. Finally, he said, “Reporting to Master Ancestor, this disciple would not like to consider the matter of marriage before 40 years of age.”
1692Lin Ming said 40 years of age in order to give himself some time. 20 years was more than enough time for many things to change. At that point, he might have the power to affect the Sky Spill Continent.
1693Mu Fengxian hesitated. Lin Ming was obviously trying to find an easy way out and avoid the question; how could she be satisfied with an answer like this?
1694Suddenly Mu Fengxian’s mind jumped as she remembered something. She slyly smiled and said, “Alright, then I shall not you ask about that. Instead, let’s talk about something else. I’m not sure if you know this, but recently the Vermillion Bird Faction’s Third Elder has been wanting to discuss matters of marriage with me. He wishes to have his grandson Mu Qingshu marry Qianyu. He thinks that they should be engaged this year, and 10 years from now they can share intimacy with each other. Lin Ming, I wonder just what your opinion on this is?”
1695Lin Ming’s words died in his throat. He helplessly looked at Mu Fengxian. The Third Elder wanted to discuss marriage matters with Mu Fengxian, but now Mu Fengxian wanted to ask him about this instead?
1696As he thought back to a few days ago when he met Mu Qingshu on the island, he was able to feel the man’s hostility. At that time, Mu Qianyu had a very difficult and awkward expression. Suddenly Lin Ming became aware of what had happened – so that’s how it was!
1697Mu Qingshu had regarded him as a rival in love. No wonder Mu Qianyu had been so embarrassed to explain the reason, and had even needed to use a true essence sound transmission to warn him of Mu Qingshu…
1698As soon as Lin Ming thought of Mu Qianyu’s reddened face that was a bit embarrassed, he felt an inexplicable pang in his heart, like warm and tender waves filled with sweetness began to surge through him. Lin Ming thought back to that dubious night in the forests of Thundercrash Mountain. He even thought about how after Mu Qianyu arrived to the Seven Profound Valleys, she had helped him forge his spear, and had given all sorts of precious materials without holding anything back or having any ulterior motive…
1699As these scenes flittered through his mind, he also thought about what might happen 10 years from now. Mu Qianyu would have to accept marriage with someone she didn’t like, and would be forced to have intimate relations with someone whose actions almost killed Qin Xingxuan… thinking this, Lin Ming suddenly felt his heart stop.
1700Lin Ming looked up to see Mu Fengxian smiling at him. That smiling expression of hers was somewhat like a wily old fox…
1701Mu Fengxian had lived for many years. Naturally, she was very familiar with human emotions and desires. She was able to approximate just what Lin Ming was thinking.
1702‘You want to play with this old woman? Hehe, let’s place the option of Qianyu and Mu Qingshu’s marriage on the table and I’ll see just how nice you’ll be.’
1703“Lin Ming, so what do think about this matter?” Mu Fengxian amicably asked again. The smile on her face only grew wider.
1704As Lin Ming saw Mu Fengxian’s cunningly bright smile, he was simply left speechless, “Master Ancestor, please don’t play tricks on this disciple…”
1705“Play tricks? Do you think this old woman will take something so important like Qianyu’s marriage to play little tricks on you? I just want to ask you, if you think it’s acceptable, I will decide Qianyu and Qingshu’s marriage.”
1706At this time when Mu Fengxian asked again, Lin Ming had called down, “I do not wish for that to happen.”
1707Mu Fengxian let out a long breath, and she lovingly smiled at Lin Ming. “Alright, as long as I have your word, it is fine. As you said before, it’s alright not to consider marriage before 40 years of age. I am also in favor of this. In fact, it isn’t considered too late if a martial artist marries at 100 years of age. You have a will focused on the martial arts, but so does Yu’er, so it’s even better. Unless you have some double cultivation method, prematurely releasing your Primordial Yin essence doesn’t help anyone.”
1708As Mu Fengxian spoke to here, she also said, “Oh, you also seem to be planning on having that girl you brought back enter into Divine Phoenix Island?”
1709“Yes.” Lin Ming honestly said.
1710“Mm… alright. However, that girl’s talent could only be considered ordinary. She will only be relying on the transplanted Vermillion Bird blood essence to have the opportunity to practice the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. You should also know what Vermillion Bird blood essence means to other disciples. Ten drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence, well, that’s something that every disciple has longed for in their dreams. But now, it’s been used by you on a girl whose talent is only ordinary. These disciples will not dare to oppose you, but to Qin Xingxuan, I’m afraid that they will inevitably be hostile to her…”
1711Lin Ming could imagine just how true Mu Fengxian’s words were. A woman’s jealousy was much stronger than a man’s. There were many areas in which women were much more manipulative and there was often serious infighting. If Qin Xingxuan were to become an inner court disciple and be placed into this gaggle of girls, it was possible that she would be isolated or even bullied.
1712She had a different surname, and her talent came from having 10 drops of Vermillion Bird blood essence transplanted into her. Any one of these reasons was enough for Qin Xingxuan to be isolated. When that time came, they would use arguments such as that she was depending on her man to get a foot up in life. This opinion might spread, and with Qin Xingxuan, she might not be able to stand up to the criticism behind these arguments.
1713No matter how strong the deterrent of Lin Ming was, it was impossible to control just what these girls said in private.
1714Mu Fengxian said, “How about this. Let’s have that girl be a maid disciple and she can accompany Yu’er around. You should already be well aware of Yu’er’s personality; Yu’er will not mistreat her or be unkind to her. As for cultivation methods and resources, she will be assigned treatment equal to a core disciple.”
1715As Mu Fengxian spoke, a smile hung on her face throughout. It was best to have Qin Xingxuan together with Mu Qianyu to avoid her following Lin Ming around, in which case something could occur between the two too fast.
1716Not just that, but after Qin Xingxuan followed Mu Qianyu around and they became familiar with each other, she might be too embarrassed to compete with Mu Qianyu.
1717Lin Ming didn’t think too much on this. He nodded and said, “That would be great.”
1718“As for this South Sea Demon Region war, would you like to go out to battle with Yu’er?” Mu Fengxian was planning on having Lin Ming go out for some experience and a little adventure. If he was together with Yu’er, it would be easier to protect them, and it would also be easier to promote the personal feelings between the two.
1719However, Lin Ming actually said, “Master Ancestor, this disciple wishes to be alone while participating in the South Sea war.
1720“Mm? Alone?” Mu Fengxian was a bit surprised. She shook her head and said, “Alone is not good. It’s just too dangerous. Also, if you are recognized and the South Sea Demon Region finds out, the consequences will be dire!”
1721Lin Ming said, “I will be careful. I have an appearance changing technique that I can use to disguise myself. Only someone who is much stronger than me will be able to see through it. Otherwise, they won’t be able to. As for those middle and late Revolving Core masters, they will not appear randomly in these early skirmishes. Even if they do show up, they won’t necessarily be able to recognize me.
1722On both sides of this war, there weren’t many times when Revolving Core masters personally acted. Even if they did, it was often in fights on the same level. When they fought, the skies would darken and the earth would shake, but the truth was that it was rare for any of them to fall.
1723The true main forces of this war were the Xiantian masters.
1724Lin Ming already intended to participate in this great war against the South Sea Demon Region. What he needed the most right now was spear arts; Lin Ming knew very few, and of those he knew, they were quite weak. Only the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ was the best fit for him.
1725The ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ was a cultivation method from the demonic path. Walking down this road meant walking down the road of death. In order to practice it he would need to slaughter many enemies.
1726For this, the best and most suitable place was the South Sea battlefields!
1727But if he went with Mu Qianyu and had the protection of a Revolving Core master, it would be hard to find many opportunities to engage in combat. Not just that, but those he would fight in would be easy, superficial skirmishes – this was not want Lin Ming wanted.
1728He wanted to experience the true depth of fighting on the front line.
1729As Mu Fengxian saw Lin Ming insistence, she slightly frowned. Although his strength would grow much faster if he fought on the front lines, the danger level would double or even quadruple.
1730“You’ve already decided this?”
1731“Yes.”
1732“Alright.” Mu Fengxian sighed. Then, she took out a small bottle from her spatial ring and also a silk sack. “Here is one Scarlet Blood Pill, two Yang Reversion Pills, and also an Escape Symbol. If you encounter true danger, use them. Don’t try to be brave and show off. Coming back safe and alive is what is most important.
1733Lin Ming received the pills and Escape Symbol, and also a jade slip that described how to use them.
1734The Scarlet Blood Pill was able to greatly enhance one’s strength for a short period of time. There were many similar pills, but the side effects were serious and often deadly. This Scarlet Blood Pill had very few side effects, and after using it one would only be weakened for a period of time. This was the reason why the Scarlet Blood Pill was so expensive.
1735As for the Yang Reversion Pill, it was a wonderful life saving pill. No matter how grievous a wound was, as long as it wasn’t a soul wound, the Yang Reversion Pill could help one recover in a short period of time. It could even restore damage done to meridians and could restore exhausted true essence.
1736Compared to the Scarlet Blood Pill, the Yang Reversion Pills were much more precious. Not just that, but they weren’t something that was simply purchasable with true essence stones.
1737Finally, the Escape Symbol was the rarest and most expensive of the three gifts.
1738As Lin Ming took the Escape Symbol, he saw many simple lines on it – these were actually an ancient array formation.
1739Ancient array symbols?
1740Lin Min was stunned. Once activated, this Escape Symbol could transfer one several hundred miles away. It was truly a life-saving tool.
1741Without a doubt, this was obtained from some ancient ruins somewhere. With the Sky Spill Continent’s current level, these were impossible to produce. Every single one of these was extremely precious.
1742Chapter 437 – Life Destruction
1743Lin Ming silently accepted these three treasures. Mu Fengxian had treated him very well. Whether this stemmed from sincere affection in her heart, or whether it was because she valued his future contributions, the truth was that she had helped him out a great deal.
1744These three treasures she had taken out were treasures that he sorely needed.
1745“Thank you Honorable Master. This disciple will be sure to return alive.”
1746Mu Fengxian sighed. She already had a faint understanding of Lin Ming’s personality. When he was at Thundercrash Mountain, he dared to entire the Flood Dragon’s cave with just a mere Bone Forging stage cultivation, much less take the risks he did now.
1747However, she knew that if it wasn’t for this character of his, he never would have reached this step at a mere 17 years of age.
1748If she wanted to restrict him because of his safety, it would only imprison Lin Ming’s potential. A dragon that was locked in chains would never be able to fly up to the nine heavens.
1749“Lin Ming, you’ll be able to do it. I believe.”
1750“Mm.” Lin Ming nodded, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. He said, “Master Ancestor, I have a matter I would like to inquire about.”
1751“What is it?”
1752“Disciple has discovered that a first-grade family clan or sect would take a Pulse Condensation period martial artist as an Elder. A second-grade sect would take a Houtian realm martial artist as an Elder. a third-grade sect would take a Xiantian realm martial artist as Elder, and a fourth-grade sect would take a Revolving Core realm master as an Elder. Every increasing grade corresponded with a higher standard of strength in their Elders. According to this logic, a fifth-grade sect would take an Emperor level powerhouse as an Elder. But, from what disciple has discovered, the disparity between a fifth-grade set and a fourth-grade sect doesn’t seem too great. Only a top fifth-grade sect or even a sixth-grade sect might have an extremely rare few Emperor level powerhouses.”
1753Lin Ming had always had these doubts. When he had inherited the fragmented memories of the Realm of the Gods’ Supreme Elders, their memories of different boundaries and their strengths were very fuzzy. In addition, there might be differences in the situation of the Realm of the Gods and the Sky Spill Continent, thus Lin Ming had asked this question.
1754Mu Fengxian said, “That is indeed true. The difference between a Revolving Core master and an Emperor level powerhouse is just too great. This is because from the Revolving Core realm to becoming an Emperor level powerhouse, one has to pass through stages of Life Destruction. Life Destruction is extremely dangerous – any failure will result in death without even an intact corpse. As for those truly powerful fifth-grade sects, their Elders are mostly stranded within the Life Destruction stages.”
1755“Life Destruction?” Lin Ming asked, curious. He had never heard of this term before.
1756Mu Fengxian smiled and said, “This so-called ‘Emperor’ level powerhouse is only a title . It is not a boundary or anything like that. The realm that an Emperor level powerhouse is at is called the Divine Sea. Since ancient times, a Peerless Emperor powerhouse has nearly always had a cultivation at the Divine Sea realm.
1757“Nearly always?” Lin Ming’s mind stirred.
1758“Yes. There are a few who haven’t yet stepped into the Divine Sea realm. These individuals are still in the Life Destruction stage, but because their individual strength is so great, they are also labeled as Emperor level powerhouses.
1759“What is this Life Destruction?”
1760Mu Fengxian said, “From the extreme Revolving Core to becoming an Emperor level powerhouse, there is only a single step. But, the truth is that this step is too distant a dream. After the Xiantian realm there are two more boundaries – Revolving Core and Divine Sea. A Revolving Core martial artist has their true essence condensed into a core within their dantian. If one day they could shatter this core again and again until it turned into a sea, changing the world of their dantian into a vast expanse of water, this is the Divine Sea realm.
1761“A Divine Sea realm Supreme Elder is also known as an Emperor level powerhouse. Step into Revolving Core before 30, reach extreme Revolving Core before 50, and becoming a Peerless Emperor before 100! From extreme Revolving Core to the Divine Sea, one would need to use at least a full 50 years. In order to step from extreme Revolving Core to the Divine Sea realm, one has to experience several stages of Life Destruction. But every time one undergoes Life Destruction there is a high risk of death. This is the same as a top level vicious beast crossing through their heavenly tribulation.
1762“Every time one undergoes Life Destruction, one has to break apart their core, and even shatter their very body, undergoing a brutal transformation and being completely reborn. This is why an extreme Revolving Core master can live for 800 years, but a Divine Sea Supreme Elder can live for 1000 years or even up to 10,000 years!”
1763As Mu Fengxian spoke, Lin Ming’s mind shook. This was a right! 1000 year sect, 10,000 year Holy Land. The reason that a Holy Land could exist for 10,000 years was because they had an Emperor level powerhouse that could also live up to 10,000 years. With an Emperor level powerhouse guarding the Holy Land, that Holy Land would never be destroyed for that full 10,000 years.
1764As for the Sorcerer and Demon Emperor that had flown up to the Realm of the Gods, they could even live for tens of thousands of years!
1765“Has Master Ancestor experienced Life Destruction?” Lin Ming couldn’t help but ask.
1766Mu Fengxian slowly nodded. “I have undergone a Life Destruction. I will never forget the agonizing pain and suffering of being on the verge of death. That enduring memory will never fade.”
1767Speaking of this, Mu Fengxian heavily sighed. During every Life Destruction, one’s flesh and bones would shatter, their meridians would break, and even their soul would be torn. That sort of pain was simply unimaginable. And in the process of Life Destruction, one’s awareness would teeter on the brink of life and death. They would lose all concept of time; it was truly enough to made one go utterly insane.
1768Mu Fengxian had only experienced a single Life Destruction. Because of that, she had nearly perished. She didn’t expect that she would be able to undergo another Life Destruction, and that was why she decided remain within the extreme Revolving Core realm for the rest of her remaining life, and not try to step into the fabled Divine Sea realm.
1769Lin Ming asked, “How many Life Destructions did the founder of Divine Phoenix Island experience?”
1770“Three times. During that third Life Destruction, she failed to condense her core again and died. In order for a Revolving Core master to try and step into the Divine Sea realm, one needs a tremendous amount of courage. Because one has to undergo Life Destruction several times, there are very few who have managed to fully step into the Divine Sea realm! In fact, most Revolving Core powerhouses are like this old woman. We live a life of mediocrity, and after several hundred years we return to the earth.
1771Mu Fengxian spoke with a bit of self-deprecation as she smiled. For a Revolving Core master who had an unsteady foundation, trying to undergo Life Destruction was simply suicide.
1772Even if one’s foundation was stable, there was still a high chance of dying during Life Destruction. In order to become an Emperor level powerhouse, one not only needed a heaven defying talent, but also a great destiny to fall upon them.
1773From the Revolving Core to Divine Sea, this was only a single boundary, but one’s life would increase by 10 times. The temptation of this was just too strong for many.
1774Lin Ming couldn’t help but sigh. Even the Founder Master Ancestor of Divine Phoenix Island had perished during Life Destruction. Even though she had such a great lucky chance, she had still died! Obviously, stepping into the Divine Sea realm was an incomparably difficult task.
1775No wonder almost the entire Sky Spill Continent only knew of a mere 10 or so Emperor level powerhouses that existed. Even if those unknown ones were added, there might not be more than 100.
1776Lin Ming asked, “Master Ancestor, from the extreme Revolving Core realm to the Divine Sea realm, how many Life Destruction stages does one have to undergo?”
1777“It’s different for every person. Some only need to experience Life Destruction four times, some five times, and there are even those that need seven times, eight times, or the fabled nine stages of Life Destruction!”
1778“Every Life Destruction is a trial of life or death. With every stage of Life Destruction, true essence becomes thicker, blood vitality becomes more vibrant, and meridians become more tenacious. Thus the more times one experiences Life Destruction, the more powerful they will become. When I said that there are Life Destruction Supreme Elders that are already Peerless Emperors, that is because that have experienced many stages of Life Destruction. Once they reach the Divine Sea realm, these characters would have an extremely terrifying strength!”
1779“But even so, most martial artists only hope to go through four stages of Life Destruction and reach the Divine Sea realm. As for nine Life Destructions, just thinking about it is a frightening prospect!”
1780“I understand. Thank you, Master Ancestor.”
1781“Mm. Sooner or later you will personally experience the Life Destruction stages. My own life will soon come to an end. I only wish to see you become an Emperor level powerhouse someday.” As Mu Fengxian spoke, her face revealed an endearing and affectionate smile.
1782“Mm.” Lin Ming solemnly nodded. Reaching the Divine Sea boundary was his first step into entering the Realm of the Gods. If he couldn’t even accomplish this, then there was no point in him thinking of reaching the pinnacle of all martial arts.
1783“Alright. When you go out tell Yu’er to come in.”
1784“Of course.”
1785As Lin Ming left, he called Mu Qianyu to enter. Mu Qianyu was inside speaking with Mu Fengxian for nearly an entire incense stick of time.
1786Afterwards, Lin Ming heard the light footsteps of Mu Qianyu as she walked out.
1787However, the sound of those footsteps paused at the entrance of the bamboo house, as if she were hesitating behind the door for a long period of time. Finally, she slowly pushed apart the leaf door. As she saw Lin Ming looking at her, Mu Qianyu actually blushed red, her expression somewhat awkward.
1788“I… I thought you might have already left.” Mu Qianyu incoherently babbled.
1789Lin Ming was stunned. He understood just why Mu Qianyu felt a bit awkward in facing him. He tactfully said “I’ll go and pack my things to prepare for the South Sea.”
1790“South Sea…” Mu Qianyu was in a trance for a moment. She had already heard from Mu Fengxian that Lin Ming was going to head to the South Sea alone. Regarding this, she certainly didn’t wish for it, but she also knew that it was impossible for her to persuade Lin Ming otherwise. She lightly sighed and quietly mumbled, “Take care okay… if you go to the South Sea… make sure you send a letter every once in awhile… so I can know you’re safe.”
1791Mu Qianyu hesitated for a long time before biting her lips and speaking.
1792Lin Ming nodded, “I will.”
1793Ten days later, South Aurora Island –
1794South Aurora Island was one of the larger islands of the South Sea, it had a diameter of four or five thousand miles.
1795On South Aurora Island there were two treasure locations. The first was a medium-grade true essence stone vein deposit, and the other was a spiritual forest.
1796There was no need to explain the medium-grade true essence vein deposit – it was very valuable for a fourth-grade sect.
1797As for the spiritual forest, because of the features and energy of the land, it was rich in all sorts of precious medicines that grew there year-round. It was no less valuable than the true essence stone vein deposit.
1798South Aurora Island was within the territory of Divine Phoenix Island. This island was quite far from the South Sea Demon Region, so it was considered safe. But in the last several months, because of changes in the war, the fires of war had already made their way here. Now, South Aurora Island had become the front line of the battlefield.
1799On this day, a black-clothed youth wearing a bamboo hat rode an ordinary Heavenly Wind Eagle to land on South Aurora Island.
1800This youth stood tall and straight. He had plain, regular looking features, and his cultivation was at the late Houtian realm. He carried a nine foot long weapon on his back, and this weapon was wrapped in cloth. The sharp half-moon blade of this weapon stuck out; it was possible that this weapon was a halberd.
1801This youth was Lin Ming, who had changed his appearance. Lin Ming didn’t know in which ancient ruins or cave mansion he had found this technique, but the contents of the jade slip were incomparably exquisite and useful. Once used, he would be able to completely mimic the appearance, temperament, and odor of another person, to the point where even a dog wouldn’t be able to distinguish between them.
1802In fourth-grade sects, there were many high level cultivation methods. However, this sort of useful and strangely crafty unorthodox technique was hard to find. Even if they did, it would be much worse than what Bi Luo had found within some ancient ruins.
1803With this appearance changing technique, even a middle Revolving Core master wouldn’t necessarily be able to see through Lin Ming’s disguise.
1804This greatly reduced the degree of danger for Lin Ming.
1805Chapter 438 – South Sea Wartime Alliance
1806As Lin Ming asked people along the way and compared his location with his map, he began to move and finally determined where he needed to go. He tipped down his bamboo hat and immediately began to move towards a town. Within this town was a very prominent building; it was over 200 feet high, and on the gate was a large signboard with the words – South Sea Wartime Alliance.
1807This was an organization that had just been established in the last half year. After all, the South Sea Demon Region qualified as a fifth-grade sect. It had gathered the reluctant support of some deep islands within the South Sea, and it had a very great influence. Even though Divine Phoenix Island had the joint help of some sects from the Five Element Region, it was still difficult to defend against the South Sea Demon Region.
1808This was mainly because the Five Element Region sects were only passively and lightly assisting Divine Phoenix Island; it was impractical to expect them to be the main force of the war.
1809Divine Phoenix Island could only count on itself.
1810However, as the war continued for nearly a year, the outer court disciples were seriously damaged and a great deal of inner court disciples were also used. In this situation, Divine Phoenix Island had no choice by to seek another alliance.
1811During this dire time, the South Sea Wartime Alliance was formed.
1812Divine Phoenix Island had created an alliance of all the influential martial artists within the South Sea Horizon. There were even several free martial artists from nearby lands that had come to join in on the South Sea battlefield.
1813According to one’s military exploits, they could obtain true essence stones or even other rewards.
1814Of all free martial artists that had come, 60-70% either did not have a sect or came from a first-grade or second-grade sect background. Of course, the rest were martial artists of large sects that had come out for adventuring.
1815The rewards that Divine Phoenix Island offered were quite rich, there were many free martial artists that were willing to enter the South Sea battlefield in for them. They would accumulate military exploits and then exchange them for goods.
1816Lin Ming intended to disguise himself as one of these free martial artists.
1817His status was just too sensitive at the moment. Not mentioning that he was currently the top talent within Divine Phoenix Island, but just the fact that he had killed the Demon Region’s Saint Son Lei Mubai was enough for the South Sea Demon Region to expend any and all efforts to kill him.
1818Lei Mubai was the Saint Son that the South Sea Demon Region had raised with every resource at their disposal. His talent had far surpassed  anyone else in the South Sea Demon Region, and he was even a direct descendant of the Netherworld Great Emperor. For this sort of existence to be killed by Lin Ming, the hatred that resulted because of this could be imagined.
1819It could be said that if Lin Ming’s identity was eve found out, it would cause all of the nearby Revolving Core masters to arrive. In this situation, Lin Ming had to be extremely cautious of his actions. During this sojourn to the war against the South Sea Demon Region, news had been spread that he would be going into seclusion and studying the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’.
1820Only Mu Fengxian, Mu Yuhuang, and Mu Qianyu knew the truth that Lin Ming had gone to the South Sea battlefield.
1821Once he disguised himself as a free martial artist and changed his weapon from a spear to a halberd, it was unlikely he would attract much attention.
1822As Lin Ming entered into the town, he found that the crowded streets were dotted with brand new buildings that looked like they had been constructed just a few months ago. There were simple stone houses and also large halls and pavilions. There were also many streets around the town square where people had set up booths.
1823Most of these vendors were martial artists, and their cultivation wasn’t low either. The lowest were at the Pulse Condensation period, and the majority of them were at the Houtian realm. There were even some at the Xiantian realm.
1824Of course, whatever items the Xiantian martial artists were selling would certainly be expensive. These Xiantian martial artist vendors had very high sights, and would basically not bother to respond to martial artists that weren’t on the same level as them.
1825In these stalls there were all sorts of pills, poisons, charms, cultivation method jade slips, treasures, and everything else that could be expected to be found.
1826Without a doubt, most of these things were spoils of war obtained from the battlefield.
1827When these free martial artists killed their enemies on the battlefield, not only would they be able to accumulate military exploits, but they would also be able to amass wealth in another way, and that was taking the belongings of their enemies.
1828This was a way to make windfall. As for what one obtained, that all depended on luck.
1829Thus on the battlefield, there were even naked corpses. In these situations, it was mostly because the enemy was wearing flexible armor, and as a result, after they died even their clothes would be torn apart.
1830For these martial artists that were incomparabe beings among mortals, to die in the wilderness with just a naked corpse left made one sigh.
1831As Lin Ming walked through the streets and glanced at the stalls, he was able to see what items were being sold. There were many good things to buy, but these were most useful to lower grade martial artists. To Lin Ming, they basically didn’t have any appeal.
1832War was a chance for one to gain riches. By gaining military exploits and taking the belongings of those that died, a poor martial artist could suddenly become wealthy overnight.
1833This was why so many free martial artists had joined the Wartime Alliance in this last half year.
1834In this town, besides high level martial artists there were still many low level martial artists in the Body Transformation stages. These martial artists were mostly here to provide services.
1835In this place where there were so many people and where nearly all of them were wealthy, it was naturally easy to have thriving businesses. There were restaurants, inns, teahouses, and even brothels.
1836The battlefield was a place where a tremendous amount of pressure was placed on soldiers. Every day, one would have to risk their life, and their spirits would be tense. When they returned to their quarters, there were many martial artists that chose to visit the brothel in order to vent their pent up emotions. Within this town, there were two big brothels and both were very prosperous.
1837Lin Ming quickly walked over to the Wartime Alliance building, not raising anyone’s attention along the way.
1838Lin Ming was currently a late Houtian realm martial artist, his energy was hidden within his body, and his appearance was also ordinary. In this small town where there were Houtian realm martial artists everywhere, he simply didn’t seem like anything special.
1839Lin Ming walked into the main hall. It was over 200 feet high and the space inside was very broad.
1840Around this main hall, there were many teahouses and also soldiers sitting and drinking together. There were over a dozen people in front of the main hall looking in, sympathy and compassion on their faces.
1841Lin Ming had just entered the gate when a burly bearded Xiantian martial artist lazily stretched his limbs and sized up Lin Ming. He asked, “Are you here to enter the war?”
1842“Yes!”
1843“Name?”
1844Lin Ming hesitated for a moment then said, “Wild Halberd.”
1845Wild Halberd was a codename that Lin Ming had chosen for the battlefield. There were many martial artists that had taken a code name. One reason was that it was easier to remember, and the second was that many people didn’t want to reveal their real names.
1846The large Xiantian fellow didn’t care. He took a registration form and placed it on the table, then pushed it towards Lin Ming. He said, “Fill this out and return it. Then wait a bit and you’ll go through the strength test. Afterwards, we’ll arrange you in a squad.”
1847The most basic combat units of the South Sea war were squads. These squads had different occupations and they were also able to look after each other. Otherwise, after battle, one would often be severely wounded. Without someone backing them up, the survival rate would be too low.
1848Lin Ming filled out the form and was then brought out to the square behind the main hall. The surroundings were a dark misty gray, it was hard to see anything.
1849In the center of the square there were over ten free martial artists already milling around. Their cultivations were all at the Houtian realm and they were also waiting to participate in the strength test.
1850Of these ten or so individuals, there were men and women and old and young. As they saw Lin Ming join them, most of them didn’t have any expression. Some of them were sitting in meditation adjusting their conditions, and some of them looked tense.
1851Although these people had been martial artists for many years, this was the first time that they were participating in a massive battle on this scale.
1852Lin Ming swept his eyes through his surroundings. He looked calm, but he scoffed in his heart. These surrounding martial artists didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, but Lin Ming had discovered that they were already trapped within an illusory magic array.
1853Outside of the illusory magic array there were four Xiantian martial artists standing around. They were pointing at the people within and commenting on them. Because they were behind the shield of the illusory magic array, they didn’t hold back anything in their words.
1854Of these four, two of them were at the late Xiantian realm, and two of them were at the middle Xiantian realm.
1855“Senior-apprentice Brother Zhou, what do you think about the people this time?” A middle Xiantian martial artist who looked around 40 years old asked. In a fourth-grade sect, a man with a middle Xiantian realm cultivation in his forties could only be considered a poor outer court disciple. In his life, unless he came across a heaven defying lucky chance, it would be impossible for him to ever set step into the Revolving Core realm.
1856The man called Senior-apprentice Brother Zhou stroked his beard. His face was long and thin and his eyes were deep. He glanced at everyone that was about to be tested and said, “These are all cannon fodder!”
1857“War is a good way to get rich, but one also needs their life in order to enjoy whatever riches they have. Of these people, I think that 80-90% of them will die!”
1858“Free martial artists, ha! You really think that they will be strong? Besides a few of them that come from large sects for adventuring, most of them are martial artists from the mortal world. Whatever inheritances or legacies they have are utter garbage and they also lack resources. Their foundation is a mess too. Of course they can’t be compared to a sect’s martial artists.”
1859“Mm, of these people, I only think that the woman and the man with the halberd will be so-so. I think they might be able to compare to a second-rate martial artist from a fourth-grade sect.
1860That Senior-apprentice Brother Zhou pointed to Lin Ming and another woman – obviously he was referring to them.
1861As these four individuals spoke, every single word fell onto Lin Ming’s ears.
1862Lin Ming smiled, not minding what they said. These people were not from Divine Phoenix Island, but rather part of the martial artists alliance.
1863The martial artists alliance was located within the Supreme Mystery nation of the South Horizon Region and was a very loose and broad organization. When some individuals or forces encountered trouble, they would often come to the martial artists alliance to take on missions. The martial artists alliance would hand a martial artist a task and then take half of the commission.
1864In addition, the martial artists alliance provided a training platform and also gave a regular stipend to strong powerhouses.
1865There was no conflict in participating in the martial artists alliance and joining a sect. Currently, these four Xiantian martial artists were all outer court disciples from Supreme Mystery Temple.
1866After another two hours passed, there were 20 people gathered altogether. The man surnamed Zhou lazily stood up and removed the illusory magic array.
1867Hu –
1868The surrounding scene suddenly changed, and the gray mist dispersed, showing the back of the main hall. Currently, four men stood in front of the main hall and looked down with condescension on these 20 free martial artists.
1869The sudden transformation startled everyone, they hadn’t expected that they had been within an illusory magic array.
1870“Alright then. You 20 people come up, we’re about to start the strength test. First, I will say that the mortality rate for participating in the war is very high. If you want to quit, there is still time!” The man surnamed Zhou slowly said as he closely observed everyone present, his eyes stopping for a moment on Lin Ming and a woman.
1871Chapter 439 – First Class Soldier
1872After arriving at this point, naturally there wasn’t anyone who would quit. The man surnamed Zhou nodded with satisfaction and said, “If that’s the case, then you may enter the Ten Thousand Killing Array and we shall judge the level of your strength based on your points. Afterwards, you will be enrolled in squads corresponding with your strength. I fully urge you all to display your full strength so that you can join a squad with a higher combat strength. It will be easier for you to accumulate military exploits as well as increase your chances of living!
1873“Now, all of you come up one at a time! You, come up first!” The man surnamed Zhou casually chose someone. As he spoke, a man beside him activated the Ten Thousand Killing Array. The Ten Thousand Killing Array appeared in the square behind them; most of those here had experienced this array before.
1874This was the most common illusory killing array within the South Sea Horizon Region to test a martial artist’s strength.
1875“Anyone who can reach 100,000 points is a first class soldier, 50,000 points is a second class soldier, 20,000 points is a third class soldier, and as for anyone below that, I advise you to go home lest you just go to the battlefield and die before you can accomplish anything.
1876Anyone who obtained less than 20,000 points would be the weakest sort of Houtian martial artist; they would be in trouble even if they faced a third-grade sect’s Pulse Condensation period disciple. If they went to the battlefield, they didn’t even have the qualifications to serve as cannon fodder.
1877As the first man entered the Ten Thousand Killing Array, a martial artist on the side lit an incense stick. As the incense stick burnt down, the martial artist’s complexion turned white, and then he drew back from the Ten Thousand Killing Array.
1878“36,000 points, third class soldier!” The man surnamed Zhou impassively announced.
1879As the man who was just tested heard this score, he was a bit surprised for a moment. It was hard for him to accept this momentarily. Because many free martial artists rarely met other martial artists of the same level, they were always very confident in themselves. Otherwise, they would never have come to the South Sea battlefield that had such a high mortality rate.
1880But now that the result of this test was announced, he was only a third class soldier. It was unavoidable that his confidence would be attacked.
1881“Next!” The man surnamed Zhou casually swept over to another man, continuing down the line.
1882A second man entered, and after an incense stick of time passed, he left.
1883“28,000 points, third class soldier!”
1884“33,000 points, third class soldier!”
1885“40,000 points, third class soldier!”
1886“19,000 points, you are unqualified!”
1887As 10 people were tested, none of them actually passed 50,000 points. They were all third class soldiers, and there was even one that didn’t qualify.
1888That unqualified man took a major strike to his self-esteem, he left with an extremely depressed expression.
1889The man surnamed Zhou was still calm, he had already expected that something like this would happen. He pointed at the woman who he had mentioned earlier and said, “You, your turn!”
1890The woman wore all black and was thin with average looks. After she entered the Ten Thousand Killing Array, a man from the back lit an incense stick. This time, the incense burned for a much longer time. After the first stick of incense burnt down, even the second incense stick burnt down.
1891When the third incense stick was almost burnt halfway, the woman gave a light cough and then left the Ten Thousand Killing Array.
1892“96,000 points, second class soldier!”
1893All the other martial artists in the room exclaimed in surprise. They didn’t think that this black-dressed, ordinary looking woman would actually be so strong.
189496,000 points was over two times as much as the next highest scoring person!
1895The woman’s expression didn’t change – it seemed that she had already expected a result like this.
1896“You’re next! Come up!” The man surnamed Zhou pointed at Lin Ming.
1897Lin Ming slowly walked over to the Ten Thousand Killing Array. He turned his head and asked, “This Senior-apprentice Brother, could you tell me how points are calculated?”
1898“Mm? Why are you asking? Just give it your best try and that’s the end.” The man surnamed Zhou impatiently said.
1899“I just want to know so that I can keep track.”
1900The man surnamed Zhou looked disgruntled as he said to Lin Ming, “Killing an extreme Houtian will net you 10,000 points, late Houtian will net you 2000 points, and middle Houtian will net you 300 points.”
1901“I understand.”
1902As Lin Ming spoke, he walked into the Ten Thousand Killing Array.
1903A white light flashed in front of Lin Ming, and suddenly seven or eight martial artists appeared in front of him. Their cultivation ranged from the middle Houtian realm to the peak Houtian realm.
1904“These are probably the weakest sort of martial artists, they are about the same strength as when I first participated  in the Seven Profound Valleys’ Total Faction Martial Meeting.”
1905Lin Ming readily extracted a long halberd from the variety of weapons offered around him. The reason he had asked about scoring was because he was afraid that he would kill too many, causing people to pay attention him.
1906Hou!
1907Three or four martial artists rushed at Lin Ming together. Lin Ming swept out his halberd and the three or four martial artists were instantly split in half at the waist, exploding into showers of bloody rain!
1908This was simply an instant kill!
1909Afterwards, a peak Houtian martial artist rushed at him. Lin Ming didn’t bother to change his style and swept out with his halberd again; that peak Houtian martial artist was also cut in half!
1910With Lin Ming’s current strength, facing these low level martial artists was simply a massacre .
1911Outside of the Ten Thousand Killing Array, the incense was slowly burning away. The man surnamed Zhou crossed his arms across his chest and was playing with his mustache with a thoughtful smile on his face, waiting for Lin Ming’s results.
1912As the first incense stick burnt out, the second incense stick was lit. Just as the second incense stick was burning, at this moment, a light flashed and Lin Ming left the Ten Thousand Killing Array.
1913“Mm? So fast?”
1914The man surnamed Zhou was a bit shocked. He had thought that with Lin Ming’s strength, lasting through two or three sticks of incense definitely wouldn’t have been a problem.
1915But as he glanced at the score, the man surnamed Zhou smiled. This boy, he had quite the skill.
1916The other free martial artists didn’t really care about Lin Ming’s score. That is, until the result was announced…
1917“101,000 points, first class soldier!”
1918Hua-
1919The head of every single martial artist instantly swiveled towards Lin Ming. This fellow was a first class soldier? He was even stronger than that formidable woman?
1920Most of the people present had already entered the Ten Thousand Killing Array and were fully aware of just how difficult it was to reach 100,000 points.
1921“Hehe! This boy is good, he’s about the same as me when I was young!” The man surnamed Zhou traced his chin as he spoke, impressed with Lin Ming.
1922“For a late Houtian realm martial artist to have this strength, he should be about the same as an outer court disciple of a fourth-grade sect.”
1923“He’ll have a future. That is, if he manages to survive in the South Sea battlefield.
1924Lin Ming calmly walked down. He had already calculated just what he would need to gather 100,000 points and be ranked as a first class soldier.
1925The Wartime Alliance used squads as the combat units. War intelligence, which included the location of the enemy, was distributed to the different squads for convenience. In that case, Lin Ming had to join as high level a squad as he could in order to quickly familiarize himself with the battlefield and also gain more important information.
1926As for the reason that he had been inside the illusory array for a whole incense stick of time, that was entirely intentional on Lin Ming’s part. The truth was that he only needed a dozen or so breaths of time to reach 100,000 points; he could have done so sooner, but the refreshing rate of the Ten Thousand Killing Array was just too slow. As for the remaining time, Lin Ming had loitered within so that he could avoid leaving early and shocking everyone.
1927As Lin Ming returned to the group, the surrounding free martial artists all looked at him with awe in their eyes. Even that woman looked at Lin Ming for several seconds, and then kept to herself.
1928After Lin Ming, the rest of the martial artists also measured their strength. The highest remaining score was 45,000 points; they were all third class soldiers.
1929A third class soldier was the lowest level on the South Sea Demon Region battlefield.
1930“You two, come with me!” The man surnamed Zhou pointed at Lin Ming and the woman.
1931The other 18 free martial artists watched as Lin Ming and the woman left together, sighing. Their eyes were a bit sad and also had a hint of envy, the gap between them was simply too great.
1932“Now I’ll lead you to enter your squad. If you join a strong squad, you’ll be much safer if you meet danger. Of course, there are also times when a strong squad will meet even stronger enemies. As for which one you want, just choose yourself!”
1933As the man surnamed Zhou spoke, he pushed open the door. Behind the door was actually a noisy and busy tavern.
1934The entire tavern was built with gray tones. There were colorful true essence stone lamps hanging on the ceiling above. On a stage in the center of the tavern, a young woman with almost nothing on was dancing a hot and sexy dance that Lin Ming had never seen before. Compared to the traditional martial arts of the South Horizon Region, this sort of dance was just wantonly flaunting all of the sexy and private parts of a woman’s body, sparking waves of cries and cheers from the surrounding martial artists.
1935“Hey, you like what you see?” The man surnamed Zhou nudged Lin Ming, revealing a lascivious smile that all men understood. “This is a dance that comes from the Demon Region, it has quite the style! That Demon Region really does have some good stuff! Haha!”
1936The man surnamed Zhou lewdly smiled, not noticing the disgusted look in the woman’s eyes next to him.
1937“Everyone, stop, we have two newbies today. There is a 101,000 point first class soldier, and a 96,000 point second class soldier. If your squad needs one of them, just say it.”
1938The tavern instantly quieted, even the girl doing her sexy dance stopped mid-step. All of the martial artists that were enjoying the revelry shifted their vision onto Lin Ming and the woman, sizing them up.
1939It was quite different from what Lin Ming expected; there wasn’t anyone scrambling to pick him up.
1940‘It seems like a 101,000 point first class soldier isn’t worth much here, or perhaps these top squads don’t really need someone with just 101,000 points.’ Lin Ming kept a composed smile as he thought this.
1941“Hey, boy, how about joining us?”
1942After a few breaths of time, a large fellow called out. He held a big pot of wine in his hand, and he was shaking back and forth, much of the wine was spilling out.
1943As Lin Ming glanced at this big fellow, he saw that his cultivation was at the peak Houtian realm and his true essence was abnormally thick. He was obviously a powerhouse of those within the same level.
1944“Our little squad has three Xiantian masters and our squad captain is a middle Xiantian realm. Every one is a first class soldier that has been battle hardened already. The rest are at the peak Houtian realm and half-step Xiantian realm. We’re one of the top squads of the Wartime Alliance. If you join our squad, you will have the best chances to gather military exploits. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that we lost some people a few days ago, we wouldn’t normally take a late Houtian martial artist.”
1945Many veteran squads were reluctant to take in new recruits. A recruit often lacked combat experience and would panic during a life or death situation, throwing everything into chaos. In the end, they would just become a burden to everyone else. On the battlefield where life or death could be decided in a split second, any burden on the squad could result in unimaginable consequences.
1946In this man’s opinion, Lin Ming was simply too immature. Within his squad, he would be of the lowest level; it was difficult to say just what his future performance would be like.
1947Chapter 440 – The Killing Hunt Begins
1948After the big fellow spoke, the man surnamed Zhou said to Lin Ming, “This person isn’t lying, they really are one of the top squads within the Wartime Alliance. It’s a good idea to join them.”
1949Lin Ming hesitated for a moment, not immediately answering.
1950The big fellow saw Lin Ming’s concern and said, “Come to my team lounge and have a look first. If you want, you can directly join in. But let’s get the ugly talk out of the way first. We can help you out at the start, but don’t think that you’ll be able to always count on help from other members. If after several operations you still cannot adapt to life or death battles, don’t blame anyone when you are kicked from the squad. Our squad will not support people that drag us down. Otherwise, when we are putting our lives on the line, it’s possible that a single person’s mistake could cause the entire team to suffer.”
1951“Of course.” Lin Ming calmly answered, “I want to ask this Senior-apprentice Brother, how are the squad’s intelligence channels?”
1952“On both sides of this war, intelligence is the single most important factor. All top squads will enjoy intelligence as soon as it is found. Not only that, but we also have a very formidable member who has skilled perception and is responsible for investigating and gathering intelligence.”
1953“I understood. I’ll join your squad. I’ll have to ask this Senior-apprentice Brother to look after me.”
1954“Oh?” The big fellow looked at Lin Ming with surprise; it seemed as if this boy really cared about intelligence? But this wasn’t too weird. He directly said, “I’ll take you over to see the rest of the members.
1955As the big fellow spoke he laid down his pot of wine and brought Lin Ming through the tavern. After they passed through several corridors, they finally entered into a courtyard. The courtyard wasn’t too big, but it had a very elegant interior.
1956In the small courtyard, there was a purple-clothed woman sitting in meditation. A purple mass of air circled around her with faint hints of electricity sparkling within it. She was clearly a thunder-attribute martial artist.
1957The woman’s face was like a peach and she had a slim figure and a refined appearance. As Lin Ming arrived, she opened up her beautiful eyes to look at him, nodded, and then continued to meditate.
1958Besides the woman, there were two youths playing chess not too far away. These were actually a pair of twins, and their cultivation was at the peak Houtian realm.
1959“Hey, it’s a new squad member.” As the twins saw the big fellow walk over with Lin Ming, they laid down their chess pieces and greeted them.
1960“Mm, introduce yourself.” The bearded big fellow said to Lin Ming.
1961“Wild Halberd, late Houtian realm, 101,000 points at the Ten Thousand Killing Array test, first class soldier.”
1962“101,000 points? That’s great! Haha, you will have a bright future here. My name is Green Tree and this is my little brother Green Forest.”
1963Green Tree, Green Forest, these were also nicknames that they had chosen before. Lin Ming could feel light wood-attribute origin energy fluctuations coming from these twins; they were most likely wood-attribute martial artists. If these sorts of martial artists also had some sort of special technique, they could be very skilled at healing others. These were very popular teammates to have on a battlefield. With a martial artist that excelled at healing others around, the chances of surviving would be much higher.
1964“This is our vice-captain. You can call her Violet Rain.” Green Tree pointed at the purple-clothed woman. Her cultivation was at the peak of the early Xiantian realm.
1965“Senior-apprentice Sister Violet Rain.” Lin Ming greeted.
1966Violet Rain faintly smiled, she had a very calm reaction.
1967“Our squad name is the Fire Ax Squad, and Fire Ax is also the name of our squad captain. We belong under the third squadron of the Wartime Alliance. Wild Halberd, you will be this squad’s ninth member. We’ll be going to the battlefield a few days from now. Wild Halberd, don’t let me down!” The bearded big fellow stretched out his limbs as he spoke with a grin.
1968Lin Ming smiled. “I’ll try my best.”
1969“Haha, don’t be too nervous!” The big fellow patted Lin Ming’s shoulder. “That’s right, Wild Halberd, what attribute are you?”
1970Lin Ming hesitated for a moment then said, “Thunder.”
1971A Thunder-fire dual-attribute physique was extremely rare. Naturally, Lin Ming couldn’t expose information like this, so he chose to say that he was a thunder-attribute martial artist. If he said that he was a fire-attribute martial artist, he would inevitably need to use martial skills like Phoenix Wings Ascending Sky or 10,000 Flames Burning World. These were all martial skills that belonged to the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. It would be very easy for others to associate him with Divine Phoenix Island, thus Lin Ming simply chose to say thunder.
1972Although there were only a few thunder-attribute martial artists in Divine Phoenix Province, there were many of them within the Five Element Region as well as the Supreme Mystery Temple. It wouldn’t draw anyone’s attention even if he used a Thunder Soul.
1973“Thunder? That’s the same attribute as Violet Rain. You can ask her for some tips later. Violet Rain is from the Violet Profound Sect within the Supreme Mystery Province, so her thunder-attribute cultivation method is good!”
1974The Supreme Mystery Province that the bearded big fellow spoke of was a land under the jurisdiction of Supreme Mystery Temple, one of the three great fourth-grade sects of the South Horizon Region. The South Horizon Region’s three fourth-grade sects were Divine Phoenix Island, Supreme Mystery Temple, as well as the Dire space Sect.
1975Divine Phoenix Island once had 19 third-grade sects under it. But after the entire Moon Seizing Sect was destroyed, there were only 18 left.
1976Supreme Mystery Temple also had third-grade sects under their control. The Violet Profound Sect was naturally one of these.
1977Violet Rain calmly said, “If you have any questions on thunder-attribute techniques or control, then feel free to discuss them with me.”
1978Lin Ming gave a cursory nod.
1979“Alright, well, you can go to your room for now. A few days later we’ll be going to the battlefield. During this free time, make sure to raise yourself to your best condition.” The bearded big fellow threw Lin Ming a small badge with a room number written on it.
1980Lin Ming glanced down at his room number. He had been assigned room ‘9’.
1981“Thank you… that’s right, can you lend me a map of the enemy’s forces and how they’re distributed?” The reason that Lin Ming had joined this squad was to a large extent because of the information they could offer.
1982The South Aurora Island region was simply too great. It was thousands of miles in diameter, and it would be extremely difficult to determine where the South Sea Demon Region’s forces were located. If Lin Ming tried to search, he would be like a headless fly that searched everywhere for enemies to slay. Not only would it be extremely inefficient, but it would be extremely dangerous.
1983“A map of the enemy forces?” The bearded big fellow was puzzled for a moment but readily said, “Okay. Green Forest, take out a jade slip copy of the enemy force’s locations.”
1984All of the military intelligence information as engraved into a jade slip. Of course, this information always lagged a bit behind reality and there would be some discrepancies.
1985Lin Ming received the jade slip and immersed his sense into it. He discovered that there was a massive map within the jade slip, and on this map were many red and blue dots of different sizes.
1986“What are these dots?” Lin Ming asked.
1987“Those are the forces of the South Sea Demon Region and also our own. If you immerse your sense further you can obtain greater information”
1988Lin Ming did, and found that the information contained within was astonishingly detailed. There was a list of every base along with a description of their corresponding strength. This included information on masters as well as the possible size of the team. There was also information on array formations and just what sort and how strong those array formations were.
1989As Lin Ming carefully looked through the jade slip, his eyes lit up. This was it!
1990The third position, a squad with a middle Xiantian realm master leading it. It was a sentry point at the southernmost tip of South Aurora Island’s true essence stone vein deposit… Lin Ming slowly locked his attention onto this small red point within the jade slip’s map.
1991“I have absolute confidence that I’ll be able to defeat a middle Xiantian master. Since it’s my first time on the battlefield, I’ll start with a middle Xiantian enemy and familiarize myself with the process. Once I have more experienced, I’ll start to go against the extreme Xiantian masters…”
1992Against a extreme Xiantian master, Lin Ming was a bit worried.
1993Ouyang Shenxiu was an extreme Xiantian master, but the truth was that his strength could only be considered very mediocre within those of his level. If Lin Ming were to meet an extreme Xiantian master who was a core disciple of a large sect, he would completely lack assurance in defeating him.
1994If he had bad luck and somehow met an extreme Xiantian top level powerhouse like Mu Qianyu, he might have to use his Escape Symbol.
1995Thus, he first chose a middle Xiantian master as his goal in order to ensure success.
1996A martial artist’s strength also had multiple areas in which it could grow besides cultivation. The longer they lagged behind, the greater the gap would be.
1997Lin Ming decided he would begin tonight. The bearded big fellow had said that the official battle would start several days from now, but Lin Ming couldn’t be bothered to wait so long.
1998The reason he came to the South Sea battlefield was to slaughter all his enemies.
1999When practicing the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, the more powerhouses he killed and the stronger they were, they greater the might of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’.
2000As Lin Ming memorized the information on the jade slip, he returned to his room by himself and prepared to begin his brief trip…
2001At night, the bright moon shined in the inky sky.
2002At the very southern end of the true essence stone vein deposit, there was a very remote and small town.
2003The small town was surrounded by a simple wooden fence and most of the houses were in ruins. These were the remains left behind after the South Sea Demon Region invaded and the refugees fled.
2004Because the martial artists of the South Sea Demon Region had bloodline origins related to the Giant Demon race, they didn’t see themselves as the same as humans. Once the war began, it also became a war between races. In a battle, it was common for everything to be exterminated – not even a common mortal would be spared.
2005This war in the South Sea was a woeful calamity upon every resident of the South Sea’s islands.
2006Divine Phoenix Island had assigned many ships to transport refugees away from the warzone. However, the distance that separated the South Sea islands was simply too great, and even riding ships was very dangerous. If one encountered vicious sea beasts or turbulent weather, it was a common matter to simply be swallowed into the endless waters.
2007In this war, the civilian casualties were incalculable.
2008Under the ash blue sky, a shadow passed through like a ghost, gently landing on a large tree. This shadow was Lin Ming.
2009Lin Ming had extremely keen eyesight. By borrowing the moonlight, he was able to clearly see that on a hillside around 10 miles away, there was a pitch black cave.
2010This was a base of the South Sea Demon Region martial artists. Normally, the martial artists of the Divine Phoenix Province would set up a tent, or if they were staying longer, they would construct a simple cabin.
2011But the South Sea Demon Region martial artists liked to live in caves.
2012“The data showed that this group of South Sea Demon Region martial artists were spotted here around seven days ago. Since there’s also a giant true essence stone vein to be mined here, they shouldn’t have left so soon.”
2013As Lin Ming neared the cave, he slowed down. Soon after, at the entrance of the cave he saw two large vicious beasts that looked like wolves. These wolves were over 10 feet long and patrolled back and forth. Their sullen emerald eyes were like two lanterns in the dark, and their crimson tongues drooped under their sharp fangs. Saliva trickled down their jaws, and every once in awhile they would issue whining sounds.
2014This was a vicious beast that the South Sea Demon Region commonly used for security purposes. They had extremely sensitive senses of smell and hearing. If Lin Ming hadn’t been using the concealment techniques that Bi Luo had left behind, it would have been very easy for these two animals to discover him.
2015“If these wolves are there, then the info should still be right. It looks like my trip isn’t in vain after all.” The corners of Lin Ming’s lips curved up in a smile.
2016  
2017Chapter 441 – Blood Drinking Seal
2018The cave entrance was around the height of two people, and within the cave, there were six or seven South Sea Demon Region martial artists that were gathered together, chatting.
2019“Captain, these past three months we’ve already mined over a thousand medium-grade true essence stones. In addition, we’ve also accumulated a ton of military exploit points by killing our enemies. After going back, Captain should be able to be promoted to a 3-star Devil General. When that happens, us brothers will also share in the glory!” The martial artist who spoke was around nine feet tall. In comparison to a normal human, he was much taller and his skin was also slightly blue toned.
2020“Haha, with Captain’s talent, being promoted to a starred Devil General was only a matter of time!” Another South Sea Demon Region martial artist said, crazily laughing.
2021Within these people, the one they called captain was a martial artist with a cultivation at the middle Xiantian realm. He didn’t look any different from a human; he had a handsome, delicate face and his skin was a bit pale, as if he were constantly sick. At first glance, he looked like a human youth. His temperament was a bit similar to Lei Mubai’s; he was most likely a descendant of the Netherworld Great Emperor.
2022Hearing the flattery of so many people, the youth chuckled and said, “Strength is the foundation of all. title s like starred Devil General or anything else are simply meaningless vanity! In this South Sea war, my greatest harvest isn’t my military exploits or the true essence stones I’ve acquired, but having cultivated my Monster Killing Law to the third layer!”
2023On the endless battlefield where the only true friend was slaughter, it was the best time to master cultivation methods such as the Monster Killing Law.
2024“Since Captain says that strength is most important, we’ll have to give our all and kill more during this war!”
2025“Humph! 3000 years ago, the humans of the South Horizon Region were merciless to my people. Now it’s time for them to pay blood with blood… mm?” As soon as the youth spoke here, his complexion changed. He expanded his sense and heard two light sounds outside of the cave as both of the wolf beasts guarding were immediately killed!
2026“The enemy is attacking!”
2027The Demon Region youth’s complexion paled. The surrounding six martial artists also tensed up.
2028“Let’s go!”
2029With a cry from the demonic path youth, there was a loud bang as the entire cave suddenly exploded. Rocks were crushed to pieces, and a terrifying shockwave cracked all the way through the mountain and created a massive gap. Large chunks of stone came crashing down.
2030The seven Demon Region martial artists escaped out of the cave in distress. One of them was covered in blood, his entire arm was turned into bone chips and meat. He didn’t have time to react when a blood red light suddenly flashed past him light a rainbow; the speed was too fast for him to have any response!
2031Puff!
2032A long halberd stabbed through the dantian of that Demon Region martial artist. The crescent moon blade twisted, and the youth’s dantian shattered – he died on the spot.
2033As this martial artist fell, an incredible scene took place. The martial artist’s body suddenly collapsed in on itself, turning into countless bits of flesh and blood that rained down. And in this endless shower of blood, a red streak of lightning that looked like a small red snake circled around. The blood and flesh gave off a faint blood energy that was completely condensed into the red lightning. That red lightning darted back into a black-clothed youth’s hand.
2034This black-clothed youth was Lin Ming, and that red lightning was the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder!
2035Lin Ming flicked his finger and a red line separated from the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder, circling around Lin Ming’s fingertip. After a few breaths of time, this red line condensed into a strange crimson seal. On that seal were faint lines that emitted a bloody energy!
2036‘So this is this blood needed to form the Blood Drinking Seal described within the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’…’ Lin Ming bent his finger, and the Blood Drinking Seal sunk into Lin Ming’s body. Suddenly, an icy cold energy spread through his body, and a wave of killing intent surged through Lin Ming’s heart. Along with this, he could feel a slight change in his aura. His aura had become even fiercer, and contained a faint murderous intent.
2037The ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ followed the slaughtering road. Every time someone was killing, their blood essence would be used to create a Blood Drinking Seal. The stronger the victim, the stronger the Blood Drinking Seal!
2038The martial artist that Lin Ming had cut down a moment ago was at the peak Houtian realm. He wasn’t even enough to form the weakest kind of Blood Drinking Seal. This sort of Blood Drinking Seal – whether it was attack power or defensive power – would be extremely weak.
2039Blood Drinking Seals could constantly fuse together. In the midst of carnage, if one killed one million people, they could create one million Blood Drinking Seals, fusing them together to create an even stronger Blood Drinking Seal.
2040As one slaughtered more and more, the power of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ would also become increasingly strong!
2041If one could create tens of thousands of high-grade Blood Drinking Seals, then they could travel wherever they wished between the heavens and earth!
2042This was the killing road of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’.
2043Lin Ming didn’t walk the demonic path, so he would naturally have more problems in condensing a Blood Drinking Seal. However, this problem was solved by the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder.
2044The Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder was able to absorb blood essence. With this ability, it would only take a blink of an eye to fully condense a Blood Drinking Seal.
2045As the Demon Region youth stared at the blood seal within Lin Ming’s hand, his complexion became extremely ugly. “This is a demonic path cultivation method!”
2046“A human martial artist actually practices a demonic path cultivation method!’ The Demon Region youth’s face darkened, “A mere late Houtian realm human dares to kill their way to my base. You are quite confident in yourself!”
2047As the Demon Region youth spoke, the martial artists around him had all come out of their earlier panic, they had all drawn their weapons.
2048Lin Ming casually glanced over the six remaining martial artists. A middle Xiantian realm, an early Xiantian realm, and also four peak Houtian realms.
2049The six of them should be able to condense two Blood Drinking Seals.
2050“Captain, let’s kill this boy and make a corpse guard from his body so we can take revenge for Old Seven!” A Xiantian martial artist in the squad pointed his long spear at Lin Ming, his eyes flashing with killing intent. On the demonic path, there were many martial artists who used spears or halberds!
2051“Be careful, this boy isn’t so simple!” The Demon Region youth reminded everyone. Since this boy dared to rush into their base, he naturally had something he relied on. But he still didn’t believe that a boy with a late Houtian realm cultivation could simultaneously deal with the six of them.
2052“Die!” The early Xiantian realm martial artist with a spear rushed at Lin Ming.
2053The Demon Region youth savagely grinned and also rushed forwards. His weapon was a spear over 10 feet long. The blood red spear edge gave off a thick bloody energy!
2054“Kill! Kill!”
2055The six individuals rushed towards Lin Ming together. In a war where the only purpose was to kill, they naturally wouldn’t care about something idiotic like rules or fairness. As soon as they attacked, every strike they made was an all-out offensive to kill their enemy.
2056For a time, six weapons were pointed at Lin Ming. Once these martial artists attacked, their murderous auras billowed. These were elite soldiers that had thrived on the killing fields!
2057“10,000 Flames Burning World!”
2058Hou!
2059Tens of thousands of flames swept up like a tide, directly rushing over the Demon Region youth. Lin Ming swept out with his halberd, and heard a loud bursting sound as three peak Houtian martial artist exploded into a bloody rain. A small red snake twisted around these piles of flesh, and all the blood essence became a faint red line that was completely absorbed by the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder!
2060“Old Six! Third Brother!”
2061A halberd-wielding martial artist’s eyes turned red. It was just a single exchange of moves, and yet even with the six of them combined, three of them had been instantly killed!
2062“Die!” The Demon Region martial artist cut down at Lin Ming with his halberd. But as he did so, the Demon Region youth’s complexion changed. The youth had realized one thing, and that was that this black-clothed youth in front of him was absolutely a God of Death!
2063“Old Second, don’t do it…”
2064The Demon Region youth’s words had only partially come out, but it was too late.
2065Lin Ming’s halberd thrust out, meeting that Xiantian martial artist’s attack head-on. Tempering Marrow true essence suddenly erupted, and an incomparably peerless strength broke forth. That Xiantian martial artist felt his arm shake, and then the grip of his hand tremble; his weapon was sent flying away!
2066Pu!
2067A purple light flashed, and in a split-second, Lin Ming’s halberd had pierced through that Xiantian martial artist’s body. With a twist of the halberd, the martial artist’s dantian shattered!
2068“Old Second!” As the Demon Region youth saw this, his eyes widened. These Demon Region martial artists had been together with him for years, they were no different than his brothers.
2069He grit his teeth, and without a single word, turned around and fled.
2070The only one left was a last peak Houtian martial artist. As he saw this, he also turned and fled. The direction he chose was completely different from the Demon Region youth.
2071“Smart idea, but too bad… it’s too late.”
2072Lin Ming flicked his finger and a red light and a purple light shot out.
2073The red light was the Blood Drinking Seal he had just condensed, and the purple light was the Divine Demon Steel Needle!
2074Pu!
2075The red Blood Drinking Seal instantly overtook the peak Houtian martial artist with an astonishing speed. It was like a serpent as it drilled through his body.
2076The martial artist’s body shook, and his eyes glazed over. The Blood Drinking Seal had already penetrated through his every blood vessel, and had cleanly absorbed every last bit of blood essence.
2077After several breaths, the martial artist’s body withered away. The Blood Drinking Seal burst out from his body, and the seal’s red lines were much clearer than before.
2078Lin Ming extended his hand, and the Blood Drinking Seal submerged back into his body. At the same time, the Divine Demon Steel Needle also caught up to the Demon Region Youth!
2079“Go die!”
2080The Demon Region youth’s hair was in chaos, and his eyes were bloodshot. He turned around and struck the Divine Demon Steel Needle with his spear!
2081Bang!
2082The spear struck against the Divine Demon Steel Needle, and a terrifying compressed power of thunder suddenly burst forth. The Demon Region youth was struck by the overwhelmingly violent  shockwave and sent flying backwards. He tasted a sickly sweet taste in the back of this throat, and then spat out a mouthful of blood!
2083Pu!
2084The Divine Demon Steel Needle didn’t give the Demon Region youth any chance to recover, it immediately pierced through between his eyebrows!
2085The Demon Region youth’s body trembled, and his eyes were filled with unwillingness that gave away to despair before going dull. All of his meridians were destroyed by the manic power of thunder, torn into pieces.
2086After a breath of time, the youth’s body collapsed and then turned into a shower of bloody rain. The Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder sucked up the faint traces of blood essence and then returned to Lin Ming’s fingertip.
2087In just 10 breaths of time, six Demon Region martial artists – including a middle and early Xiantian realm martial artist – had all been annihilated!
2088If these people had decided to escape at the very start and had taken different directions, then Lin Ming would only have been able to kill three or four of them at most. But because they sensed that Lin Ming’s cultivation was low, they had looked down on him and underestimated him. By the time they had decided to separately escape, it was already too late.
2089“It seems like my cultivation is the best disguise for me.”
2090Lin Ming looked at the two crimson Blood Drinking Seals in his hands and the corners of his lips curved up. He only had two Blood Drinking Seals now, but he couldn’t imagine what it would look like when he had tens of thousands of these Blood Drinking Seals. At that time when he put them all together, its power would be extremely horrifying.
2091Chapter 442 – Fire Ax
2092When many Blood Drinking Seals formed atop the blood halberd, if this was combined with the halberd laws, it could form a near perfect offensive and defensive battle system.
2093When the Blood Drinking Seals were concentrated to a certain level, they could even manifest into a tangible Slaughter Domain. When a mentally weak person stepped into this Slaughter Domain, they would be suppressed to the point of collapse. Even someone with a strong will would be affected.
2094As Lin Ming recalled the description of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, he couldn’t help but sigh. Lei Mubai really did have a great streak of lucky chances. The Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder, ancient Devil Tome, and Great Desolate Blood Halberd replica all perfectly complemented each other. If he could have practiced the first few layers of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, he would have had an enormous chance of being able to break into the level of an Emperor powerhouse in the future.
2095Unfortunately, Lei Mubai had encountered Lin Ming along his path…
2096The ancient Devil Tome was originally a fragmented volume of the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ and the Great Desolate Blood Halberd was also a weapon that the Demon Emperor once used. As for the Blood Extinguishing Demon Thunder, that was a top quality Thunder Soul that was able to extract blood essence.
2097Lei Mubai could be said to have been in the perfect place to cultivate. However, no matter what he had accomplished, he had still ended up with his fate.
2098This was the natural brutality and cruel danger that accompanied those that walked the path of martial arts. There were countless geniuses within the Sky Spill Continent that had the qualifying talent to become an Emperor level powerhouse, however in so many years, there were very few that were able to step into the Divine Sea realm.
2099Lin Ming glanced at the time, it was still the middle of night. On the jade slip there was still a red spot and it was also very near; he could take a short trip to solve the problem there while he was at it.
2100Early next morning.
2101A tall man wearing bright red armor strode into the Fire Ax squad’s small courtyard.
2102As this man walked, he exuded a powerful aura, as if all the surrounding fire origin energy was being sucked into him.
2103“Captain!”
2104The big bearded fellow was laughing and chatting with the twins. But as he saw the red armored man walk over, he stood up and greeted him.
2105“Mm.” The red armored mildly nodded. He was the captain of the Fire Ax Squad – Fire Ax. His cultivation was at the middle Xiantian realm, and he was the absolute core of the Fire Ax Squad’s strength. Regardless of whether it was combat experience, leading ability, or individual strength, he was number one in the squad, and he also held an absolute standing in the squad.
2106The other squad members all respected Fire Ax from the heart.
2107As Violet Rain heard the commotion, she also opened the door to her own room. She faintly smiled at the red armored man and said, “Captain, what’s the battle situation like?”
2108“We encountered a small squad let by two middle Xiantian realm martial artists. We killed three peak Houtian martial artists. Besides Cool Foam being injured, we didn’t suffer any other damage.” The red armored man calmly said.
2109“Two middle Xiantian realm martial artists?” Violet Rain was startled.
2110“Haha! Captain is Captain, he can go one against two!” The big bearded fellow laughed.
2111Ten days ago, Fire Ax had picked up a transportation mission. But because the difficulty wasn’t too great, he had only brought half the squad with him and was letting the other half rest. He didn’t expect that he would encounter a squad led by two middle Xiantian realm martial artists.
2112Within South Aurora Island, since there weren’t any Revolving Core martial artists, Xiantian martial artists were the strongest ones. Fire Ax had a cultivation at the middle Xiantian realm, and was also considered quite strong for those within his level; he could be considered a top class master of South Aurora Island.
2113However, it was still troublesome for him to kill martial artists at the same cultivation level. In that battle, he had been able to kill three peak Houtian realm martial artists, but the two middle Xiantian realm martial artists had escaped.
2114Fire Ax pulled out three jade tablets from his spatial ring and casually threw them on the table. These three jade tablets were shot through with bloody lines.
2115“Hehe!”
2116The bearded big fellow eagerly picked up the three jade tablets; these were the tablets given by the Wartime Alliance for recording military exploits. After killing an enemy, it was possible to stain the jade tablet with the enemy’s blood essence before their dantian’s true essence dissipated as a record. One could use this jade tablet to see the enemy’s cultivation.
2117“We got another 300 military exploit points! Haha, what a great harvest, awesome!”
2118“Divine Phoenix Island is offering very good fire-attribute cultivation methods and they even have a top high-grade human-step Flame Essence. Captain, if you can accumulate some more military exploits then you can exchange it for a high-grade human-step Flame Essence. With your strength, even a late Xiantian realm martial artist won’t be your match! When that time comes, we will be the unrivalled squad of South Aurora Island! Haha!”
2119The Fire Ax who rarely smiled revealed a slight grin as he was infected by the bearded big fellow’s enthusiasm. He had long been yearning for a high-grade human-step Flame Essence.
2120“Don’t boast too outrageously, there are some very strong fellows with the South Sea Demon Region. For instance, there is still Blood Bone, Viper, and Nightmare. Even if I manage to absorb a high-grade human-step Flame Essence, I will still be far from their match.”
2121As Fire Ax mentioned these three people, the bearded big fellow’s neck shrank and he didn’t speak any further. Obviously, he dreaded even the mention of these three.
2122For this past half year, the greatest powerhouses of the South Sea Demon Region within South Aurora Island were Blood Bone, Viper, and Nightmare. Within South Aurora Island, they were called the Big Three of the Demon Region.
2123These three were all slaughter-frenzied killing stars. If any squad encountered them, they would probably be annihilated.
2124Fire Ax smiled and said, “Once I absorb a high-grade human-step Flame Essence, the most I’ll be able to handle is a late Xiantian realm martial artist. And that is only defeating them – killing them is another story!”
2125When martial artists fought those at the same level and their strength wasn’t too different, it was easy to defeat the other. However, it was extremely difficult to kill them. If one of them decided to run with all their might, it would be difficult to stop them.
2126“Good, let’s discuss the plan for the operations three days from now. Call in all the members.”
2127The Fire Ax Squad had a total of nine members. The captain was Fire Ax, a middle Xiantian realm martial artist who also served as the core of the squad. There was vice-captain Violet Rain, whose cultivation  was at the early Xiantian realm, and who excelled at controlling the power of thunder; her combat power couldn’t be understated.
2128There were the twins Green Tree and Green Forest whose primary ability was to cure wounds. There was the bearded big fellow, who didn’t have any attribute. He fought with a sledgehammer and his cultivation was at the peak Houtian realm…
2129As the eight old members sat around a table, Lin Ming sat at the rearmost position.
2130“Hehe, is this our newly arrived little brother?” Within the eight old members, there was a woman whose cultivation was at a half-step Xiantian. She was quite attractive and petite. But what drew one’s attention was that her hands were white like porcelain, and her nails were sharp and long. Obviously, these two beautiful hands of hers were murder weapons.
2131“I’m called Wild Halberd. Attribute: thunder.” Lin Ming introduced himself in a simple manner.
2132“Wild Halberd? That’s a fun nickname.” The woman was habitually cleaning her nails. She giggled and said, “My name is Enchanting Shadow. My job is an alchemist.” Enchanting Shadow pointed to a shyly smiling youth beside her. “This is Cool Foam. He has outstanding sense and therefore is responsible for scouting and detection.”
2133Lin Ming introduced himself to the several members that he was unfamiliar with, and then individually remembered their names.
2134“Alright, let’s have a look at how the current enemy forces are distributed.” As Fire Ax spoke, he spread a map on the table.
2135On the map there was the locations of South Sea Demon Region martial artists; they were indicated by red circles.
2136“Here, here, and here. These three places are the core of the South Sea Demon Region martial artists’ forces, and is also where the Big Three of the Demon Region, Blood Bone, Viper, and Nightmare gather. We have to make sure that our combat zone avoids them as far as possible. With the strength of those three, if we meet any one off them, it’s possible that even the combined strength of our entire squad won’t be able to resist.”
2137Fire Ax was speaking for Lin Ming, the other members were already aware of this.
2138“Now, within South Aurora Island, there are actually two times the number of Wartime Alliance martial artists than there are South Sea Demon Region martial artists. However, the quality of our forces is inferior. Thus, although there aren’t many South Sea Demon Region martial artists, they are dispersed all over the island and are occupying important true essence stone vein locations. As for us, we have many people, but we have to gather together in fear that we’ll be wiped out.”
2139“Three days from now, the goal of our mission will be… here!”
2140As Fire Ax spoke, he pointed at a spot on the map. As Lin Ming saw the marked locations, his complexion suddenly became awkward. This was the stronghold that he had just visited last night. The leader inside was the pale-looking Demon Region youth, and Lin Ming had already annihilated every single Demon Region martial artist within.
2141Could there be such a coincidence?
2142Fire Ax certainly didn’t know any of this. He continued to say, “Our strength is slightly higher than theirs, and it shouldn’t be a problem to defeat them. The key is, just how many can we kill…”
2143The enemy would flee in separate direction if they notice an incoming squad with seven or eight members. If this happened, they would only be able to kill a few of them.
2144Many Demon Region martial artist squads depended on their strength in order to flagrantly penetrate deep within South Aurora Island and blatantly plunder the true essence stone vein resources.
2145If they couldn’t win they would run. Losing a few late Houtian or peak Houtian martial artists was an acceptable loss.
2146The reason that the Fire Ax Squad chose this stronghold was because this enemy base was far too deep in their territory. When Lin Ming had been deciding where to go, this was also the reason that he went there. Thus, the two of them had decided the same way.
2147“The Demon Region squad captain should be at the middle Xiantian realm. He is a bit weaker than me, but as long as he wishes to escape, no one here can stop him. It’s not realistic to kill him. However, he has an early Xiantian realm martial artist under him. If we take him as our main goal and catch this big fish, we’ll be able to earn 1000 military exploit points!”
2148The Wartime Alliance stated that killing a peak Houtian realm martial artist would earn one 100 military exploit points, and killing a half-step Xiantian would earn 200 military exploit points.
2149Killing a early Xiantian martial artist was 1000 military exploit points.
2150This illustrated just how great the disparity was between a Xiantian martial artist and a Houtian martial artist. On South Aurora Island, killing a Xiantian martial artist wasn’t easy at all.
2151“Hehe, 1000  military exploit points. I can’t wait!” The bearded big fellow was immediately roused and began to crack his knuckles, making ‘ka ka ka’ sounds. Of those that came to the South Sea battlefield, most were those that enjoyed the thrill of battle.
2152Only Lin Ming was completely silent, he was simply speechless. This was going to be a wasted errand, but it wasn’t as if he could open his mouth and tell everyone what he had done last night. It stood to reason that it was impossible for him to know something like this.
2153“Alright, I’ve reported the operation details. If no one has any comments, we will set off three days from now.” As Fire Ax spoke, a flame lit in front of him – it was a sound transmitting talisman. As he heard the message, Fire Ax was stunned.
2154“What’s the matter?” Violet Rain asked, puzzled. Most of the time their captain was very calm, he rarely revealed expressions like this.
2155Fire Ax ruefully smiled and shook his head, “The operation is cancelled!”
2156“What? The mission plan was rejected?”
2157“No… it’s that the Demon Region squad was already annihilated…”