Zhou Tao, who had been sitting cross-legged, sprang to his feet atop the bird of prey, two golden rays shooting from his pupils. He had led the group this time, yet it had resulted in the wondrous medicines reserved for other elders being plucked clean—the whole affair was utterly disgraceful.
In the pitch-black night sky, the white peacock radiated a divine aurora and said, "Elder Zhou, I advise you not to be agitated. Everything is being done according to the rules; so long as the red line is not crossed, it is permissible."
Qin Ming dared not venture too deep into the Plain of Divine Demise, wary of running into truly ruthless adversaries. However, he yearned to make progress and wished to purge monsters.
He knew that once he left this place, it would be difficult to encounter extraordinary creatures that birthed wondrous blood again. Qin Ming was highly motivated, eager to keep pioneering new ground!
Since he could not push further vertically, he decided to expand horizontally, heading out to support his acquaintances.
Taking inventory of his spoils, Qin Ming traveled through the night to deliver donkey hooves, peng talons, four-colored feathers, elephant tusks, mountain ape phalanxes, and other tokens to Stone Fort Village as proof of subjugating the monsters.
"Young man, you... single-handedly killed all those old monsters?" The old village chief was shaken to his core. What a glorious feat!
The others were equally terrified upon hearing this. In the past, wave after wave of young demon slayers had arrived, unable to handle even that Old Donkey, yet now the entire pack of monsters had been wiped out!
Moreover, some of those aged monsters had not even been listed in the dossiers; they had simply been slain in passing by the youth before them, who was truly expanding the frontier.
Before shallow night had even arrived, Qin Ming set out. Even on the road, he studied the Archery Classic. Every time he shot an arrow, he would swiftly give chase, neither neglecting his archery practice nor delaying his journey.
Traversing the boundless forest, he felt no fatigue whatsoever; dense Yimu essence continuously nourished his flesh, blood, and spirit.
Hu Family Stronghold was a relatively large village of over six hundred people, filled with blue-brick, grey-tiled houses and illuminated brightly by its tier-two Fire Spring.
Arriving in this territory, Qin Ming naturally inquired with the locals first, asking whether there were any wicked monsters nearby.
Standing beneath an old pagoda tree, the village chief smiled broadly. "Young man, you've come too late. Recently, a young lady—as lovely as a fairy stepping out of a scroll painting—helped us eliminate the monsters and resolved the trouble."
"Look, here she comes," the village chief said, pointing.
Zhuo Ya appeared, walking over with graceful, swaying steps. Her black attire accentuated her fair, exquisite features, lending her a rather cool, glamorous aura; she was a mutant even stronger than Cao Wuji.
"Why did you come over to my area? Do you want to take a punch from me to vent anger for my cousin?" Zhuo Ya asked with a smile. She was Yu Zhuohan's cousin.
When first meeting her, she had seemed quite cold and aloof, but once one got to know her a little, her smile was like a blooming snow lotus, remarkably brilliant.
Qin Ming chuckled. "Yu Zhuohan and I became friends through our bout; I don't believe he's petty enough for that. I came purely to lend a hand. Are there any troublesome, aged monsters around here that are hard to slay?"
Suddenly, he unslung the silver bow engraved with cloud patterns, aimed at an iron-beaked parrot perched on a nearby willow tree, and prepared to release an arrow.
"Mercy! I mean no harm! Good heavens, how could I run into you here too?!" the iron-beaked parrot squawked miserably.
"Don't kill it!" Zhuo Ya hastily stopped him.
"What's going on?" Qin Ming asked in confusion. Over the past few days, bird demons had constantly been spying on him, and only after he shot down several in succession had things finally quieted down.
"It's a subordinate tamed by the white peacock, patrolling various areas..." Zhuo Ya explained that this served as protection for them; if an accident outside the rules occurred, the white peacock would intervene.
The iron-beaked parrot wept tears of anguish. "Lately, word has spread across our bird circles never to enter the territory of the Black Peng and Fire Qilin Lion! Nine of our avian brothers assigned to patrol there were shot down and blown apart!"
Qin Ming was taken aback. Among the bird demons he had shot, there were actually scouts of the Six Imperials? "Who told you not to speak up beforehand?"
"We never had the chance! Who could have known your intuition would be so sharp and your archery so terrifying? Afterward, we simply watched from behind distant mountains; no bird dared approach you." The iron-beaked parrot never imagined that even after rotating to another area, it would run into this bringer of slaughter and nearly lose its bird life.
The chief of Hu Family Stronghold was astounded. This youth had swept through and eradicated all the old monsters in that entire territory?!
Invigorated as if injected with chicken blood, he perked up and said, "Young man, there truly is a demon here that no one dares touch. Although it hasn't crossed the boundary, its descendants cause bloody incidents from time to time."
"What kind of demon?" Qin Ming asked.
"The white flood dragon of Flood Dragon Palace," the village chief revealed eagerly.
"A flood dragon snake living in a palace?" Qin Ming's interest was piqued. This had to be an extraordinary being of substantial weight.
Zhuo Ya's features were picturesque, but her expression turned grave as she shook her head. "That white flood dragon possesses immense spiritual nature and deep cultivation. We cannot handle it."
She had scouted it before, but ultimately gave up, not daring to make a move.
Hearing of its immense spiritual nature made Qin Ming even more expectant. Could it have birthed wondrous blood? Such creatures were of extraordinary value; out in the world, one could not buy them even with day gold. Ordinary people wouldn't even hear rumors about them.
Seeing that he insisted on going and was prepared to act alone, Zhuo Ya ultimately followed along to guide him.
A grand building stood in the forest ahead, accompanied by a tier-three Fire Spring that illuminated the surroundings as bright as day, revealing the lush green foliage of the trees rather than mere dark silhouettes.
"This white flood dragon dominates sixty percent of this region, and its strength is formidable," Zhuo Ya warned, her slender figure tensing like a leopard ready to spring away at any moment.
In earlier years, this white flood dragon had wreaked considerable havoc, demanding large offerings of cattle and sheep from various villages and fancying itself a god. Later, for reasons unknown, it dared not cross the boundary of the reclaimed frontier.
Before long, Qin Ming caught sight of the rumored white flood dragon. It slithered out from the giant palace and plunged into the tier-three Fire Spring, churning up waves of dazzling, vivid crimson.
It was as thick as a water vat, fifteen to sixteen meters long, and pure white like ivory. When its scales flared, a metallic clanking could be heard even from a distance, proving they were undeniably as tough as refined iron.
Upon its head grew a single horn shimmering with pale gold, and its eyes were scarlet like blood diamonds.
Qin Ming's eyes shone brightly. Having encountered more than one creature born with wondrous blood, his instincts told him that this white flood dragon likely belonged among them!
This territory is truly extraordinary, he mused. Did the so-called Land of Divine Demise mean that when a god fell, myriad things flourished, giving rise to creatures bearing wondrous blood?
"This white flood dragon has an extremely unique bloodline," Zhuo Ya spoke up.
Qin Ming looked back at her in surprise.
"So you knew as well, and came for its wondrous blood!" Zhuo Ya realized at once, looking astonished. This guy was brazen beyond measure—was he risking his life for wondrous blood? That white flood dragon was simply not something they could take on at present unless they had mastered Six Imperials force.
Qin Ming said, "I discovered it by chance and found its utility boundless, which is why I want to expand the territory and keep searching for such creatures."
Evidently, although Zhuo Ya came from an illustrious background and knew about creatures with wondrous blood, she did not know that the wild medicines here had long been staked out by the elders of the Six Imperials ancestral court.
She disclosed, "I hunted one down too and nearly lost my life in the process. I had to resort to esoteric sect methods to successfully slay it. Before learning Six Imperials force, one simply cannot make a dent in the monsters here."
Qin Ming was surprised. "You and Yu Zhuohan both come from prestigious lineages—could you both be descendants of esoteric sect experts?"
Zhuo Ya admitted candidly, "I possess an esoteric sect inheritance, but early on I lacked methods to protect my path, so I want to learn Six Imperials force."
Qin Ming immediately realized that she was in a situation similar to Lu Yuzhi, who had joined the Yuqing sect.
"Walking two paths simultaneously—can you manage it? Does the Six Imperials ancestral court agree?"
Zhuo Ya replied, "It's not a big problem. The elders of my family have already reached an understanding with the elders here. Within the Six Imperials, I will pursue the esoteric sect's path to godhood, will never leave the ancestral court, and must never leak the Six Imperials Heart Scripture—otherwise, my entire clan would be implicated. In truth, the Six Imperials elders are quite eager to retain mutants who pursue dual paths."
Qin Ming instantly realized that the Six Imperials ancestral court was studying the paths of the outer realms and the esoteric sects, attempting to integrate them, which was why they welcomed exceptional mutants like Zhuo Ya.
Grand ancestral courts like the Six Imperials, Yuqing, and Qingtian did not want to decline following the passing of their patriarchs; all were actively seeking survival.
"He actually dares!" Zhuo Ya retreated far into the distance, watching in shock as the youth who had defeated her cousin made his move.
Standing upon high ground with the silver bow in hand, Qin Ming nocked a jade iron arrow onto the bowstring and initiated his flood dragon slaughter.
In an instant, the black jade iron arrow streaked out like a miniature sun, blazing with terrifying light, and struck the white flood dragon square in the skull.
With a boom, scales shattered and flesh tore into a bloody mess. The very first arrow wounded it; had its instincts not been sharp, the arrow would have pierced its left eye.
Now rearing up six meters high, its serpentine body twisted as it crushed through the forest, charging toward Qin Ming at tremendous speed with overwhelming menace.
Throughout the charge, Qin Ming emptied twelve black jade iron arrows, every single one hitting its head without a miss, nearly shattering sections of its skull.
When the thirteenth and final arrow—the blue jade iron arrow—shot forth, it successfully ruptured one of its eyes. Zhuo Ya was dumbfounded. How could his heavenly light force be so potent? Could he have learned the Six Imperials Heart Scripture beforehand?!
Wielding the mutton-fat jade iron saber, Qin Ming charged in to clash head-on with the great beast. Every strike drew blood, sending the white flood dragon's scales flying.
This great flood dragon was experienced in battle. Though heavily wounded, it remained calm, coiling its massive body in an attempt to entangle its foe. At the same time, its single horn crackled and shot out arcs of lightning, possessing formidable destructive power.
Any other Outer Sage might well have been pierced through by the beam from its golden horn. Yet Qin Ming was fearless; having learned wind-thunder force, he could counter it.
He executed the Saber Control Technique, making the mutton-fat jade iron saber whirl around him so that the dragon's body could not draw close to constrict him.
Meanwhile, he dispersed the lightning with wind-thunder force. This electrical charge was far weaker than the natural lightning that had struck the previous night; he could control it, which gave him an edge over the white flood dragon. In the end, Qin Ming channeled his fused, unified heavenly light force, which could also govern the saber, slicing into the beast's body until it was a mangled mess of deep flesh and visible bone.
Then, he leapt six to seven meters into the air. His fists erupted with light blazing like a scorching sun as he pounded down punch after punch. The white flood dragon was terrified. Its head had already suffered severe injuries, and facing this unrivaled heavenly light force, it could resist no longer.
With a snap, the white flood dragon's pale-gold horn was smashed apart by Qin Ming's fist, its skull caving in.
Thwack!
Qin Ming swung his mutton-fat jade iron saber, cleanly severing the massive flood dragon head! Although this white flood dragon had been fiercer than the Black Peng, it was nonetheless slain.
"You definitely practiced Six Imperials force beforehand, didn't you?" Zhuo Ya rushed over and asked.
"That's right, keep it a secret," Qin Ming said with a chuckle. He swiftly extracted the wondrous blood, which shimmered with a pale golden hue matching the horn.
"The horn and gall bladder are yours," Qin Ming said, before turning his gaze toward the iron-beaked parrot. "Don't go running your mouth and reporting this around."
The bird demon trembled, genuinely terrified that he might shoot it down with an arrow.
"Where are you heading?" Zhuo Ya noticed that Qin Ming was already refining the medicinal potency of the wondrous blood with his heavenly light force as he walked, clearly setting off for distant parts.
Qin Ming replied, "I'm going to help Cao Wuji and the others. As fellow examinees, we should assist one another."
"What?! The wondrous medicine in Zhuo Ya's territory was plucked up by its roots too? Quick, send word down! Time's up! The assessment is over! Call them back immediately!"
When Elder Zhou Tao received the news, he could no longer sit still.
Someone was expanding the frontier and uprooting wondrous medicines along the way, driving him to complete panic.
Chapter 151