Above the somber clouds, true fire erupted, shaking the earth of Pingyuan Commandery and prompting the demons within subterranean caverns to roar.
Yet this commotion came and went in a flash.
Inside Jinghu Manor, Qin Xuan was thoroughly immersed in cultivating within the boiler room, noticing nothing of what had transpired outside.
Five elements spirit metal and five elements metal crystal were transformed by the Secret Demon Fiend-Breaking method into Metal Spirit Origin Qi, which was then converted into elixir dew and poured into the springhead of his Flowery Pool to nourish his Dao lotus.
This was truly spending real gold on cultivation, without wasting a single speck.
In less than ten days, a third complete lotus leaf grew from the Dao lotus in his Flowery Pool.
Beneath it, a new stalk and bud sprouted.
"A lotus platform!"
Delight showed on Qin Xuan's face. The bud of a Dao lotus was called a lotus platform by Qi Refiners; once the bud blossomed, it became a Dao flower—the outward manifestation of a Qi Refiner's latent foundation.
Because this stalk was linked to his innate bone structure, it was pure white.
Qin Xuan circled the sprout to admire it, finding it snow-white and warm as jade, without the slightest blemish.
This was thanks to the Elixir Dew Flying Transformation Scripture.
Whether it was the Qi of the Western Bright Stone absorbed during the scripture's practice or the Metal Spirit Origin Qi converted from spirit metals and metal crystals, everything had been thoroughly cleansed and refined into pristine elixir dew.
Were that not the case, Songsong never would have claimed this technique could produce such pure qi.
Qin Xuan withdrew from his internal introspection, unable to hide his joy.
His first lotus platform had already manifested. The speed was truly astonishing; an ordinary Qi Refiner would require more than a decade of bitter cultivation to reach this step.
At this rate, he truly stood a chance of catching up with Zhao Huaimin, that genius from Bihai Immortal City.
Though it felt slightly surreal, the thought of what expression Huaimin would wear in the future made him want to chuckle.
Huaimin was razor-sharp in magical duels and never hesitated when exorcising ghosts or slaying demons, yet he was terribly inept with women and feared trouble above all else. That was why he constantly avoided the girls of the Nangong family and refused to enter the succession struggle for the prince's heir.
*Talking big about introducing me to some divine maiden of Huanbo Pool, eh?*
With a roguish grin, Qin Xuan strolled out of the boiler room.
"Meow—!"
"Meow—!"
A cat cried in the distance. Qin Xuan made his way to the lakeside pavilion and saw it confronting the tribulation-transcending precious medicine in the lake once more.
That carp, its whiskers wreathed in smoke, ignored the cat completely.
Yet the cat remained stubbornly persistent, hissing fiercely into the water.
Senior Mao Yan had not yet returned, nor had the people from Luogu Peak whom he had spoken of arrived.
Qin Xuan cast a glance toward the inner compound. He would not dare act out of line. With Madam Wei's cultivation, discovering what went on outside would be all too easy.
Madam Wei required a tribulation-transcending precious medicine to cloak her tribulation qi whenever she traveled, which meant her cultivation must be formidable.
*Right now she is busy luring in key figures of the Huanyin Sect. There is no reason for her to pay any attention to a minor disciple like me.*
With that thought, Qin Xuan gave the cat a few parting reminders.
Just as he was about to leave the manor, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The thought arose silently, yet instantly conveyed its full meaning: *"The leader sent by Guanjiang Mountain to Pingyuan Commandery is Jin Tu, vice peak master of the Luogu Peak branch. He is the third disciple of Perfected Xuannan. Since the Dao Child is absent, his eldest senior brother, Yuan Guan, may have a chance to become the next master presiding over the Ancestral Hall."*
Qin Xuan understood what the thought implied.
The so-called Ancestral Hall was where the Dao Ancestor was enshrined. Becoming the master of the hall signified being the chosen successor to become the next sect master.
Like many great sects, Guanjiang Mountain placed great store in prestige and propriety; a sect master's cultivation could never be too low.
The position of hall master of the Ancestral Hall was a transitional role; once their cultivation was sufficient, they would formally assume leadership of the sect.
In the Yuansong Temple lineage, Perfected Xuanling ranked fourth.
When Senior Zheng Xiuyuan had arrived, he had carried the command talisman of Perfected Xuannian; that sword-wielding master was the second senior brother.
And the Perfected Xuannan mentioned in the thought was the third disciple of the Guanjiang Mountain Ancestor.
Even as Qin Xuan pondered this, another thought formed in his mind.
*"The Dao companion of Yuan Guan, peak master of Luogu Peak, is Daoist Rongying. The Lai clan of Qingzhou Prefecture are cousins to Daoist Rongying."*
With that, the thought faded into nothingness.
"Many thanks for Senior's guidance!"
Without time to dwell on it, Qin Xuan hurriedly bowed toward the inner compound.
No wonder Uncle Li could not best Lai Jing. The Luogu Peak lineage stood a chance of inheriting the sect's leadership, and Yuan Guan's Dao companion was a cousin to Lai Jing's main family.
Qin Xuan had heard Zhao Huaimin mention that Uncle Li was closest to Perfected Xuannian's branch, but his roots were not considered purely orthodox within the core succession. Compared to Lai Jing, he was indeed at a severe disadvantage.
A twinge of bitterness rose in Qin Xuan's heart.
*Ah, Uncle Li, you're the one who got dealt an apocalyptic starting hand.*
*Under such immense pressure, you still tried every way to pull me into the Upper Court.*
*And as for that Dao Child, he really neglects his duties far too much. Instead of taking charge as sect master, he ran off to go fishing.*
Just as he was lamenting the man's lack of ambition, a command talisman flew out from the inner compound as a streak of flowing light, landing squarely in Qin Xuan's palm.
Looking down, he saw the talisman was inscribed with the character "Wei." Staring into the character, he instantly heard the crashing roar of ocean tides and surges, and an image arose of a boundless, rolling sea with towering waves.
Madam Wei had first informed him of who was coming from Guanjiang Mountain, laying bare their identity and their grudges against him.
With this talisman sent to his hand, how could Qin Xuan fail to understand her intent?
He said with deep respect, "Xuan expresses his deepest gratitude for Senior's care and protection."
Qin Xuan waited a short while. Seeing no response from the inner compound, he mounted a cloud and departed the manor.
He felt intensely thrilled. Madam Wei was openly backing him. With this talisman in hand, even if the person arriving from Luogu Peak was that third disciple of Perfected Xuannan, they would not dare make things difficult for him.
Qin Xuan had never met those seniors from Guanjiang Mountain, so he could not judge them.
Yet having interacted with Madam Wei here in Jinghu Manor, he found this senior thoroughly admirable.
Qingzhou Prefecture lay on the easternmost edge of the Eastern Ascendant Continent, while the lands of the East Sea lay beyond the eastern border of Qingzhou Prefecture. From the books Senior Mao Yan had given him, he knew numerous factions vied there and conditions were far from tranquil—nowhere near as peaceful as Guanjiang Mountain.
Still, he remembered a passage from the loose immortal senior's *Reminiscences of the East Sea*.
The sea cucumbers of the East Sea were delicious.
The seagulls had booming voices and cursed constantly.
The maidens of the dragon race loved browsing mortal sea markets...
Qin Xuan let his mind wander, but then shook his head, snuffing out every stray thought.
Pondering those things was useless right now.
At present, he needed to catch yin spirits, catch yakshas, make money, and spend it on cultivation!
And when the chance came, he would exterminate every single monster from Lanjiang Water Manor.
The fiend seemed to sense Qin Xuan's battle intent. Following the dark yin ghost wind, it tracked down the nearest yaksha. This creature was wounded and hiding deep in an inland river, concealing its aura.
Coupled with the heavy stench of blood in the area, spotting it would normally have been exceedingly difficult.
*It has intelligence!*
Qin Xuan's eyes lit up. An intelligent yaksha was worth far more hell money.
With his magic power further advanced, he spurred his sword talisman, slashing straight into the inland river.
*Boom!* An explosive blast ripped across the six-zhang-wide river surface, instantly drawing hidden and open gazes from all directions.
Flushed out by the sword talisman and unable to hide any longer, the yaksha beat its wings and fled toward the distant sky.
A nearby Qi Refiner shouted, "Damn it all! The ghost thing was hiding in the river!"
Many wore wary expressions, evidently having suffered at this yaksha's hands.
An expert among the rogue cultivators called out to Qin Xuan, "Fellow Daoist, don't let the brute get away! It has slaughtered many people!"
Before the man's words had even faded, Qin Xuan's sword light had already given chase. At the same time, he cast out the hemp rope Mei'er had given him. It was a corpse-binding rope used by the fox grandpa to bind coffins, and Qin Xuan had not known whether it would prove useful.
To his surprise, masked by the sword talisman, the hemp rope shot forth, found an opening, and pierced right through the ghost wind shrouding the yaksha, trussing it up like a crab.
*What a treasure...!*
The yaksha spread its wings, attempting to burst free of the corpse-binding rope.
Qin Xuan gave it no such chance. A flash of sword light lopped off its head. The yaksha plummeted from the sky, but the true spirit within its ghostly form was not located in its head. Channeling ghost-path magic power, it regenerated its head in an instant.
Yet in that briefest interval, the fiend surged forward amidst a cloud of black mist right behind the corpse-binding rope, wrapping around the yaksha once more while simultaneously sensing where its true spirit lay.
Cooperating with the fiend, Qin Xuan grew increasingly adept. Stepping through the Nine Palaces Displacement Art, his Taiyin aperture exhaled extreme yin magic power as he closed in and jabbed a finger directly into the location of the true spirit.
A vividly human expression of sheer terror appeared on the newly grown head.
Rendered entirely immobile, it watched as a vermilion coffin descended.
The yaksha fell into the coffin, lapsing into deep slumber.
Chanting the ghost incantation formula, Qin Xuan shrank the vermilion coffin once more and tucked it into his pouch of treasures.
*Not bad, not bad at all. Another neat profit.*
With a thought, he rode his black cloud back into the sky, rushing off without a moment's pause to track down the next yaksha.
All around the inland river, onlookers were left dumbfounded.
From the moment this youth arrived astride an eerie corpse-god fiend cloud to his capture of the veteran yaksha ghost, mere dozens of breaths had passed.
His methods were far too crisp and clean!
Even though they had worn down this yaksha's ghost-path magic power earlier, it was still terribly difficult to handle. How had it been kneaded like soft clay in his hands?
A rogue cultivator standing beneath an eave asked, "His spell against ghostkind was neither Five Thunders nor any manner of yang fire, yet it subdued it completely. Looking at him, could he be a chosen talent from some demon sect who came here to gather yin-natured consumable ingredients for his cultivation?"
A local cultivator of the commandery city immediately replied, "Fellow Daoist, you must be from out of town. That was the Clear Water Sword Talisman, and his sword technique was blindingly swift. Anyone can see at a glance he is Yuansong Temple's Breeze and Moon Little Sword Immortal! How could he possibly be some demon sect figure?"
"Ah?!" The rogue cultivator opened his mouth wide; he was indeed an outsider. "If he is a disciple of Yuansong Temple, why does he possess such startling demon-path momentum?"
"Fellow Daoist, you make a fuss over nothing. The people of the commandery often say Qin Xuan is a free-spirited, uninhibited sword knight who indulges in eccentric hobbies—it is perfectly normal for him."
A trace of admiration surfaced on the outsider's face. "A few days ago, I heard he engaged in a fierce battle against yakshas across the city to slay ghosts and demons. Now that his magic power has recovered, he is doing it again. It seems the rumors were true."
Just then, three toads leaped down from a rooftop.
The senior toad brother was remarkably well-informed and croaked aloud to enlighten the outsider: "The corpse god within that fiend cloud originates from the Guayin Corpse-Refining Divine Fiend. Not long ago, he battled the Black Corpse Old Man; the latter was lashed to death with a divine willow whip and his corpse exposed to the city, while his divine fiend was seized by Qin Xuan.
"Now he has refined it into a fiend cloud, precisely to flaunt his spoils and provoke the people of the Xieling Sect.
"The Tongshan Xieling Sect was all but annihilated by his hands. This move is meant to bait Sect Master Yu of Xieling into coming in person, showing that Qin Xuan has the confidence to contend with a Golden Core grand cultivator."
Fan Da spoke with deliberate weight, wearing a solemn expression as though he had witnessed the scene firsthand.
Behind him, Elder Tao and his junior brother Fan Xun both blinked in slight surprise.
The surrounding cultivators, who had rushed here from various regions seeking fortuitous encounters in the royal tomb, all showed strange expressions.
This place was barely two thousand li from Tongshan, and several of them hailed from the north to begin with.
They had naturally heard the name of the Black Corpse Old Man.
At the thought of Sect Master Yu of Xieling, everyone felt a chill down their spines—that was a ruthless figure who had hacked his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Using the spoils taken from the Xieling lineage to provoke Sect Master Yu into coming in person?
This...
This Breeze and Moon Little Sword Immortal truly was wildly uninhibited.
Similar murmurs soon arose near the eastern quarter of the city, where another yaksha was brought down by Qin Xuan.
The corpse-binding rope Mei'er had provided was remarkably handy.
Qin Xuan had worked out a streamlined process for capturing yakshas.
First, break their ghost wind with sword technique, bind them with the corpse-binding rope, lop off their heads with the sword talisman to force them to expend their ghostly magic power, let the fiend locate their true spirit, pin the spirit down with supreme yin force, and seal them into the coffin!
A third, a fourth...
By the middle of the Hour of the Rooster, Qin Xuan had caught his fifth yaksha, filling the vermilion coffin almost to bursting.
Throughout this process, he noticed the situation inside the city had shifted.
More and more Qi Refiners were gathering here, nearly all drawn by the royal tomb.
The Huanyin Sect and Renmao Sect had likely overlooked one thing: not all Qi Refiners shared their cruel disposition. When those yin spirits and old ghosts escaped the tomb to wreak havoc and devour living beings across the commandery, arriving cultivators stepped in one after another.
Furthermore, as time passed, cultivators of profound attainment began arriving.
Qin Xuan had already spotted at least three Core Formation fiend-refining Qi Refiners who had traveled from Qingzhou Prefecture in the east. Along their way, whenever they encountered yakshas equivalent to Foundation Establishment, they spent a little effort and eradicated them in passing.
A yaksha's sliver of true spirit could reconstitute a ghostly body.
Yet once a Core Formation cultivator unleashed their fiend art, the entire ghostly form was pulverized. Exposed directly to heaven and earth, the true spirit was Dao-transformed into nothingness in an instant by the myriad cosmic thoughts of the realm.
Such a crushing disparity in cultivation realms was not something that mere knowledge of Senluo ghost-path arts could overcome.
Those outsiders were unwilling to meddle in the struggle over orthodox lineages concerning Pingyuan Commandery City.
Yet fortuitous encounters stirred every heart.
With the Pingyuan King's tomb surfacing, events from three thousand years ago were dug up by some old fogies.
The Pingyuan King of that era had been a towering figure who shook the world; for his tomb to create such a massive stir now invited endless speculation.
Those interested in the tomb also captured yakshas to study, testing their ghost-path magic power so as to be prepared.
The influx of experts from all quarters disrupted several of the Huanyin Sect's plans.
The total chaos they had hoped to sow throughout the commandery city was proving difficult to achieve in the short term.
Moreover, the people gathered here already had their eyes fixed on Hawk's Beak Mountain. Nine out of ten were merely biding their time.
Once they lost their patience and stormed into the Wood Wraith Grand Formation, the plots of the Huanyin Sect and Renmao Sect would end in total ruin.
Having seen through all this, Qin Xuan headed straight for Huashi Alley after bagging five yakshas.
He needed to seize this window of opportunity to build up his personal wealth as quickly as possible.
The fox grandpa happened to be home. While this batch of yakshas was slightly inferior in quality, Qin Xuan still traded them for a small piece of five elements metal crystal and two large chunks of five elements spirit metal ore.
*Not bad, not bad at all.*
Thoroughly pleased, he pocketed the minerals and asked casually, "Is Old Master Gu planning to walk the yin road anytime soon?"
"No."
The old man's wrinkled face was filled with joy. "Business has been good lately. I'll amass a few more yin objects before entering Yin City."
He smiled with utter sincerity, without the slightest falsehood.
Qin Xuan pondered inwardly, *The subterranean Yin City suppresses the Yellow Springs River, so it shouldn't lack yin objects.*
*Creatures like these yakshas are born along the banks of the Yellow Springs River to begin with.*
*Just who could be demanding such things?*
He was intensely curious about Old Master Gu's business.
Yet since the fox grandpa never brought it up, it was naturally improper to pry.
Above, a thick curtain of dark clouds blocked the sky, hiding the sun. Night was pitch-black, to the point where one could barely see one's own fingers. Even though Qi Refiners who reached Embryonic Breathing could see in the dark, their vision was still significantly impaired.
Sweeping out with divine sense risked detection by others.
With so many factional forces mingling chaotically in the city, venturing out at night carried heightened danger.
Qin Xuan lingered outside the coffin shop, hoping to spend the night there. Before he could speak, the fox maiden glanced at the sky and stepped forward with considerate warmth.
"Young Master, traveling by night is quite unsafe. Why not rest here until morning?"
"Would that be appropriate?"
The maiden nodded repeatedly. "Appropriate, perfectly appropriate!"
Beside them, the fox grandpa said, "Just pick a coffin to sleep in. But sleeping in my coffin shop costs hell money."
"Why would he sleep in a coffin?" the maiden said with a beaming smile. "He can sleep in Mei'er's room."
Old Man Gu watched as Mei'er pulled Qin Xuan toward the quarters, and the lad didn't even refuse. In an instant, the old man's pale hair tumbled loose, fluttering wildly in the yin wind...
Qin Xuan had spent a night in this room on the western side of the courtyard once before.
Shabby on the outside, it was clean and warm within.
Mei'er shut the door, pushed open a small casement window, and trimmed the lamp wick. She did not behave like the fox spirits in storyteller tales who seduced men entering their chambers. Instead, she brought over several fruits, retrieved two rush cushions, and set them on a bamboo mat.
Sitting opposite Qin Xuan across a low table, she pushed the fruit plate toward him.
Qin Xuan swapped the fruit on the plate for hawthorn berries. "Eat mine."
The little fox was actually very alert. Perhaps because Qin Xuan had saved her life, she maintained no guard against him, nibbling on the spirit fruit in small bites.
However...
Having spent time with Qin Xuan, she seemed to understand his temperament a bit better. Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Young Master, what is it you wish to ask?"
Qin Xuan produced the corpse-binding rope. "This rope is exceedingly useful. If Old Master Gu went to capture yakshas himself, it surely wouldn't be difficult. Why bother relying on others? That..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the girl's slender hand pressed against his lips, hurriedly stopping him.
"Hush!"
Mei'er shot him a meaningful look. "Never ask about that, or Grandpa won't do business with you anymore."
She added ambiguously, "I have never captured a yin spirit either."
Qin Xuan paused, understanding the unsaid implication: the fox grandpa had forbidden her from capturing them.
"Then will my capturing these yin spirits and old ghosts cause any trouble?"
The maiden gave him a definitive answer: "Young Master, remember this: in the mortal realm of yang, you may strike without reservation. In the subterranean cavern world, consider your own safety first. But in the underworld, never touch them."
She wanted to say more, but from outside came the sound of a hand plane scraping against coffin boards.
Mei'er poked out her tongue with a helpless look.
Qin Xuan looked at her with a smile and handed her another spirit fruit. The maiden leaned closer to him, a hint of vixenish playfulness surfacing in her eyes. "Young Master, while you meditate here, may Mei'er sit a little closer to you?"
"Why?"
"Um... the aura about you feels very ethereal. Whenever I catch a whiff of it, I faintly feel as though I am inhaling and exhaling the essence of the sun and moon."
"You're trying to drain my yang qi, aren't you?"
"No, no, absolutely not!"
Seeing her expression, Qin Xuan realized she wasn't actually that daring. Spreading his arms, he teased, "Come on, then."
Mei'er's cheeks flushed red. "Young Master, there is no need to be that close."
Qin Xuan could not help but laugh. "And here you claimed you wanted to bewitch people. This will never do."
The little fox had an alluring face but a bashful heart, far from being as wildly uninhibited as the Little Sword Immortal.
After that banter, Qin Xuan ceased teasing her. Swallowing several Solidifying Origin Pills, he sat cross-legged and began regulating his breath.
The maiden settled beside him and began meditating as well.
Outside, Old Man Gu kept planing coffins with a steady *scritch-scratch*, showing no intention of sleeping. Earlier, a few veteran yaksha ghosts had drifted near the alley, yet for reasons unknown, every single one detoured around the shop.
When Qin Xuan departed the next morning, Mei'er fished several evil-warding divine talismans and yin fire ghost talismans out of her small pouch and stuffed them into his hands. He did not know the exact function of the evil-warding talismans, but the yin fire ghost talismans were the powerful talismans capable of slaying wood xiao.
He had witnessed them near the royal tomb earlier; their might exceeded Elder Shi's Bingyang fire talismans.
*She really is a little rich lady.*
Mei'er had "drained" him for a night and then paid him upon his departure. Why did this feel... slightly bizarre?
Qin Xuan himself had suffered no ill effects, so he had no objection to helping the little fox.
As for that feeling of "inhaling and exhaling the essence of the sun and moon," it might have something to do with the ancient mirror. The bright moon within the great lake of the mirror had appeared after he cultivated while bathed in moonlight; that method of cultivation had subtly brought about small changes in him without his realizing it.
Mei'er could sniff out great medicinal herbs in the mountains, and back at Lianyun Manor she had detected the Xieling Sect beneath the earth, possessing senses on par with rare beasts of mountains and seas like the white crane.
Now that she had consumed the oldest Baogai spirit herb, her demon-blood talent had been further elevated.
Coupled with the well-known tendency of fox demons to worship the moon, it was no wonder she could sense something unique about him...
After that night, even more Qi Refiners filled the city.
Yakshas continued to pour out from Hawk's Beak Mountain.
However—
There were more monks than porridge to go around.
Qin Xuan was almost certain the schemes of the Huanyin Sect and Renmao Sect would collapse before long.
Someone had spread rumors claiming that supreme treasures lay within the Pingyuan King's tomb, and further rumors asserted that the Pingyuan King had once visited an Immortal Ascension Ground where Dao fruits were preserved.
The rumors did not need to be true.
Once spread, combined with the immense commotion coming from the royal tomb, countless people took them as gospel.
Qin Xuan scoured the city for over ten days straight, yet only managed to capture a dozen or so yakshas; his efficiency had dropped drastically.
Some yakshas were seized by other factions, while far more were slain outright.
The only yakshas capable of creating major disturbances were those whose ghost-path cultivation had reached Core Formation, but unfamiliar Core Formation cultivators had stepped in to handle them, leaving Qin Xuan no opportunity to compete.
Furthermore, sharp-eyed people had taken notice of him.
On this day, following the fiend's guidance, Qin Xuan located a ruin in the southern quarter of the city and discovered a yaksha hiding there devouring blood-food. Just as he subdued it and sealed it into his coffin, a voice hailed him from afar.
"Fellow Daoist Qin—!"
Before he could mount his cloud and leave, two burly men descended aboard a flying boat. Neither concealed his aura, both possessing Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Judging by their aura, they had formed at least a second lotus platform, boasting higher magic power than Qin Xuan.
Yet the moment their eyes landed on the fiend cloud beneath Qin Xuan's feet, where a corpse god roared, and recalled the legends circulating throughout the city, a deep trace of wariness flickered beneath their gazes as they looked upon this remarkably handsome and refined youth.
Lately, Qin Xuan's fierce reputation had soared to towering heights.
Rumors said he acted without restraint and dared strike at any faction.
He had talent and background, was thoroughly thick-skinned and fearless, and was proficient in sword arts as well as ghost-path methods—truly an opponent best left unprovoked.
"What advice do you two fellow Daoists have?"
The pair cupped their hands and stepped forward, introducing themselves: "Fellow Daoist Qin, we are cultivators of Fengxing Cave from neighboring Qingzhou Prefecture. Forgive our presumption, but we wished to inquire about a matter."
"Speak."
One of them smiled. "We heard you have been capturing these yakshas lately rather than killing them. Being newcomers unfamiliar with the territory, we are curious about these creatures from the royal tomb. Might these yakshas serve some special purpose?"
The pair were indeed being rather presumptuous.
Yet Qin Xuan had prepared his story long ago. With an indifferent expression, he replied, "I slaughtered a group of disciples from the Renmao Sect and obtained their techniques. Since these old yaksha ghosts are plaguing the commandery city, I capture them in passing to refine into puppets. If you two wish to emulate this, you may hunt down members of the Renmao Sect yourselves, or trade spirit metal with me for the Renmao Sect's *Puppet Wood Technique*."
The corners of the two Fengxing Cave cultivators' mouths twitched slightly.
They had heard this man had butchered the Xieling Sect down to nearly nothing, and now he casually spoke of having slaughtered a pack of Renmao Sect disciples as if he were merely wringing the necks of chickens and ducks.
He was indeed excessively ruthless.
"So that is how it is. Forgive our intrusion, forgive our intrusion..."
Both cupped their hands and steered their spiritual boat away.
As Qin Xuan rode his cloud through the sky, he noticed someone trailing furtively behind him. Instead of speeding up, he halted and waited. The lingering presence soon dissolved into the distance.
He gave a cool smirk.
This was Pingyuan Commandery, and he was the local dragon.
Why should he hide from petty scoundrels?
That evening, after concluding his trade with Old Man Gu, Qin Xuan spent the night in the little fox's room once more.
Seeing the furrow on his brow, Mei'er guessed most of what troubled him. "Young Master, the yakshas in the city are getting hard to catch. What do you plan to do next?"
According to the fiend's senses, there should still be yakshas outside the city.
However, he was unwilling to take unnecessary risks.
Qin Xuan thought it over and replied, "I have accumulated a fair amount of spirit metal, so I will likely focus on cultivating for a while and see how the situation in the city unfolds."
During this period spent hunting yakshas, his pace of absorbing the Five Sprouts qi through the Elixir Dew Flying Transformation Scripture had not been slow either.
His pouch of treasures now held five pieces of five elements metal crystal and nine chunks of five elements spirit metal ore.
This stash was far more valuable than his Clear Water Sword Talisman.
Extrapolating from his previous efficiency, there was a strong chance he could cultivate a second Dao lotus...
The next morning, the sky began to change.
Shafts of morning light pierced the somber clouds, illuminating Pingyuan Commandery City, which had been shrouded in gloom for so long. The dark clouds blanketing the heavens thinned, and the dark yin ghost wind blowing from Hawk's Beak Mountain steadily diminished.
The world seemed poised to regain its clarity.
Emerging from Mei'er's room, Qin Xuan looked toward the distant sky. The demon sect's plot was about to fall flat.
As a morning breeze drifted past, a strange fragrance seemed to waft into his nostrils.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the fragrance felt oddly familiar.
"Mei'er, do you smell a peculiar fragrance?"
"A peculiar fragrance?"
The maiden sniffed vigorously. "No."
Qin Xuan sniffed hard just as she had, but could smell nothing more.
Leaving Huashi Alley, he returned to Jinghu Manor. Senior Mao Yan had still not returned, and in the lakeside pavilion, the cat was still hissing at the precious medicine beneath the water.
The cat held a grudge; that dragon-whiskered carp had somehow offended it.
Finding it amusing, Qin Xuan glanced toward the inner compound. Madam Wei was truly good to the cat, allowing it to disturb the precious medicine without reprimand.
After stroking the cat's head a few times, Qin Xuan turned toward the boiler room.
Suddenly, a thought imprinted itself upon his heart.
Madam Wei had another instruction.
Qin Xuan understood the thought's meaning: *"This cat is a golden civet belonging to Tiandu Fairy of Zijin Mountain. Its bloodline has not yet awakened, and the ingredients used to nourish its spirituality are nearly exhausted. The courier sent by Tiandu Peak to deliver ingredients will arrive shortly.*
*"Among the lineages of the Great Sect of Lingbao, our ties with Zijin Mountain are the closest.*
*"If you meet the visitor, do not neglect them. You may have dealings with them in the future."*
Qin Xuan hurriedly bowed toward the inner compound. "This disciple understands. Many thanks to Senior for the guidance."
With that, Qin Xuan turned to the cat with a warm, friendly smile, patting its head gently.
Seeing him like this, the cat was thoroughly unaccustomed to it and almost bristled its fur in alarm.
Qin Xuan ducked into the boiler room and began spending his amassed wealth to cultivate, tossing every scrap of spirit metal and metal crystal into the precious furnace.
The three-part cycle connecting Metal Spirit Origin Qi, the Elixir Dew Flying Transformation Scripture, and the fiend commenced.
Progress went smoothly, and time flew by...
Above the commandery city, the dark clouds grew paler day by day, and the dark yin ghost wind retreated back toward the royal tomb.
A month later.
Beside the banners of the Hundred Ghosts Marching Formation at the Pingyuan King's tomb, Zuo Wei, that shadowless old man of the Huanyin Sect, released a ghostly silhouette that circled the tomb's entrance to peer inside.
Qiu Bailu's effeminate voice sounded nearby: "Fellow Daoist Zuo, what in the world is happening? The yin qi at the bottom of the tomb is immense, and there are many old ghosts left. Why has the Hundred Ghosts Marching Formation lost its effect, unable to draw them out?"
Zuo Wei remained silent, his shadow continuing to scout near the tomb entrance.
After a long while, the shadow returned behind him.
Zuo Wei shook his head, muttering "bizarre" twice in succession, clearly possessing no answers.
Qiu Bailu turned his gaze to Feng Wen. "Fellow Daoist Feng, is there any word from Sect Master Yu?"
Feng Wen's expression grew rigid as he suppressed the growing unease in his heart. With Senior Brother Yu's flying speed, he should have arrived here long ago.
Had something delayed him?
Even if delayed, he should have sent a transmission.
The situation here at the royal tomb was terrible. The Renmao Sect and Huanyin Sect were on the verge of defeat, and Feng Wen was already contemplating retreat. He replied perfunctorily, "More and more factions are gathering near Hawk's Beak Mountain; Senior Brother Yu is likely lurking among them."
Qiu Bailu felt displeased, but Sect Master Yu was not someone he could criticize, and he did not wish to stir up infighting at such a critical juncture.
"Do not panic!"
Zuo Wei snorted coldly. "Even if the old ghosts cannot be lured out, yin qi has steadily replenished the Wood Wraith Grand Formation. We will wait a few more days. If the yakshas still refuse to emerge, we shall dismantle the array and flee into the deep mountains."
The surrounding people nodded in agreement.
Standing to the side, Zhang Laosan rolled his eyes.
How could it be that simple?
Once the formation was taken down, outside factions might have come for the tomb, but the local factions of the commandery, having suffered so much frustration outside the array, would never let them walk away.
Zhang Laosan was all too familiar with this scene.
The moment the array was dismantled, whoever ran slowest would end up taking the fall.
Standing beside Sect Master Feng, he muttered in a low voice, "Those outside have already noticed the shifts here. I fear they won't wait a few days—they will attack by force."
The age spots on Zuo Wei's face concealed a sinister sneer. "They suspect treasures lie within the tomb. At a time like this, everyone harbors selfish motives and holds back their strength. A direct assault is impossible."
Before his words could finish, his expression abruptly shifted.
The change came without warning!
A rich aroma of wine surged forth from within the tomb.
The surrounding demon sect members drew back in unison. From the depths of the tomb, old ghosts roared together, and then a beam of golden treasure light shot straight into the heavens from the fissure of the great tomb, dying the entirety of Pingyuan Commandery in brilliant gold!
Qiu Bailu, Feng Wen, Zuo Wei, Zhang Laosan, and the rest turned pale with horror.
Outside the Wood Wraith Grand Formation, the faces of those from Yuansong Temple, the Incense Divine Way, Liangfeng Temple, and countless watching factions were also washed in dazzling golden light.
"Such treasure light! Could there be a spiritual treasure inside the royal tomb?!"
"A supreme treasure! There is a supreme treasure in the royal tomb!"
No one could remain calm any longer.
*Swish! Swish! Swish—!*
Figures flew in from the distant sky one after another, riding clouds and mist, steering flying boats, or treading upon precious pearls and folding fans.
Someone in the crowd bellowed, "The fortuitous encounter is right within! We cannot let those demon sect dogs beat us to it!"
Another voice echoed dozens of li away: "Fellow Daoists, let us strike together!"
Violent surges of magic power stirred the Yudai River more than ten li away into tumbling waves.
This time, it was not merely the local factions of the commandery who attacked.
A mere dozen-odd breaths after the treasure light appeared, barrage after barrage of radiance bombarded the Wood Wraith Grand Formation. The wraiths within dissolved by seventy to eighty percent in an instant. Ordinarily, subterranean yin qi should have been drawn up to replenish them.
Yet...
With the treasure light soaring into the heavens, the subterranean yin qi froze completely!
Meanwhile, the demon sect cultivators within seemed utterly stupefied, making no move at all.
A resounding crack, like a colossal tree toppling, tore through the world.
The banner of the Wood Wraith Grand Formation was just like that tree; having suffered too many axe blows to repair itself, it collapsed directly.
"The array is broken!"
In that split second, conservative individuals like Old Daoist Wu and Commander Xu held back, while the majority hesitated. Yet several dozen figures still surged inward.
In the next instant, the treasure light in the sky scattered outward, replacing the Wood Wraith Grand Formation like a gigantic golden dome that sealed off a ten-li radius once more.
All those who had failed to enter were locked outside.
Moreover, divine sense could not penetrate it, rendering it impossible to see what lay within.
Several people were racked with regret, having lacked the decisiveness to enter, seemingly letting their grand chance slip through their fingers.
They gazed up into the sky, mad with envy.
Shaft after shaft of treasure light continued to pierce through that golden canopy, illuminating the entire commandery city. Just how many treasures lay within the royal tomb?!
"Send transmissions quickly!"
Seniors roared at their disciples: "This opportunity must not be missed! Swiftly summon the sect's Supreme Elder!"
"Summon the sect master at once!"
Shouts echoed outward, transmission talismans streaked across the sky, and even more people rushed toward Hawk's Beak Mountain.
*Rumble—!*
The earth itself seemed to tremble.
A moment ago, the sky had been layered with somber clouds; now it was bathed in shafts of golden brilliance. Great transformations had occurred in the blink of an eye.
Inside the boiler room of Jinghu Manor.
Qin Xuan opened his eyes with a trace of alarm, golden rays streaking across his vision like a shower of falling stars.
Within his Flowery Pool, three lotus leaves flourished with vitality, gleaming with an oily green luster.
Cradled in the center of those three lotus leaves stood a lotus platform.
When Qi Refiners established their foundation, they needed to cultivate three lotus platforms before their Dao flowers could blossom, enabling them to step into the Golden Core realm.
After refining two pieces of five elements metal crystal and six chunks of five elements spirit metal ore, Qin Xuan had formed his first lotus platform.
Pumping the elixir dew from the remaining spirit metals and metal crystals should have cultivated a second Dao lotus, allowing the next lotus leaf to unfurl.
Yet...
No matter how much elixir dew he infused, the lotus leaf showed no sign of opening.
Instead, the first Dao lotus began undergoing a wondrous transformation. Once he had exhausted all his elixir dew, a bizarre sensation welled up in his heart.
He retrieved a bamboo canister from his pouch of treasures.
Inside was precisely the Taibai dark wind fiend qi he had obtained from Master Xiong's spiritual pond!
The moment this item appeared, the Dao lotus in his Flowery Pool seemed to yearn for it with desperate craving.
Qin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. In this moment, he felt genuine panic. Without forming three grades of lotus platforms, how could he refine fiend qi?!
Refining fiend qi into a lotus platform—wouldn't that force a Dao flower to bloom?
The blooming of a Dao flower manifested one's latent foundation, marking the Golden Core realm.
Yet a Golden Core cultivator, excluding illusory lotuses, possessed at least three lotus platforms. He had only a single lotus platform; if he refined it like this, wouldn't he end up with only one Dao flower?
Once the Dao flower bloomed, his cultivation realm would indeed skyrocket in an instant, surpassing Huaimin outright.
Yet... with such a foundation, wouldn't his latent potential be far too deficient?
Qin Xuan steadied his breathing, put away the bamboo canister, and darted out of the boiler room.
*Songsong... I must go back and ask Songsong!*
Perhaps influenced by his turbulent emotions, the black cloud beneath his feet appeared exceptionally ferocious. Yin qi roiled as the corpse god scrambled and roared. Against the backdrop of the sky bathed in golden light, his flight on the cloud was unmistakably conspicuous, looking as though a great archdemon had flown out from Jinghu Manor.
Without even noticing it himself, the speed at which he piloted the fiend cloud far exceeded anything in the past.
He transformed into a black streak, shooting straight toward Yuansong Temple.
Within the lakeside pavilion of Jinghu Manor, an extraordinarily elegant figure stood beside the cat. Holding a spirit fruit used to tease the feline, she looked up with lovely eyes at the black cloud churning with yin qi in the sky. She could not help but blink, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her...
Chapter 85