Chapter 126: The Demon's Shadow Reappears

Qin Ming followed the sound and discovered that the person who had just spoken was Mu Yuanshan from Qilian Mountain.

Mu Yuanshan continued, "Fellow Daoist Qin, these two supreme-grade Divine Essence Fruits are worth approximately six thousand spirit stones each, making twelve thousand for the pair. Coupled with the fifty catties of Spirit-Roost Rice—estimated at auction prices to be around seven thousand two hundred spirit stones—the two treasures together amount to roughly nineteen thousand spirit stones."

"As for the essence blood of this second-stage mid-level White-Armed Gray Ape, it is also a rare and sought-after treasure."

"You must understand, this beast possessed strength comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Back then, it took my clan’s ancestor and several other late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators working in unison to barely manage to slay it."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you should have some idea of the value of its essence blood, right?"

Qin Ming frowned upon hearing this.

There was logic in what the man said. Essence blood differed from ordinary blood; it was the concentrated essence of an exotic beast’s lineage. A single beast would yield only a small vial, and some provided merely a few drops. The value of essence blood from a White-Armed Gray Ape with strength comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was self-evident.

However, on the other hand, Qin Ming’s Spirit-Roost Rice was also an invaluable commodity, the only one of its kind on the market. Furthermore, its ability to increase the cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators was immediate and tangible.

"Hmm, I can add another ten catties of Spirit-Roost Rice. What does Fellow Daoist Mu think of that?" Qin Ming considered for a moment before speaking directly.

Mu Yuanshan’s eyes flashed with greed as he replied, "I will trade with you, Fellow Daoist Qin, if you add another thirty catties."

"Twenty more, and that is all I have," Qin Ming said firmly. He decided to take a step back in order to secure the essence blood of the high-level ape-like beast. In any case, he still had hundreds of catties of Spirit-Roost Rice in his storage bag.

Mu Yuanshan had been waiting for these words. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "Then it is a deal, Fellow Daoist Qin!"

Qin Ming took out another twenty catties of Spirit-Roost Rice from his storage bag and handed them to Mu Yuanshan along with the supreme-grade Divine Essence Fruits on the table. Mu Yuanshan produced an exquisite jade vial and passed it to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming received the vial, broke the seal, and glanced inside. A rich, oppressive, and bloody aura instantly rushed toward him. Within the vial, the essence soul of an ape-like creature was roaring incessantly. He collected the essence blood without changing his expression, secretly delighted. After all the trouble he had gone through, he had finally obtained the essence blood of this high-level ape-like beast.

The exchange meeting continued. Various treasures emerged one after another—the accumulated wealth of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, usually kept hidden from sight. Qin Ming went on to exchange two more items with other cultivators.

Half a day later, the meeting drew to a close. Xue Zhili instructed his servants to arrange several banquet tables for the guests.

"Haha, this exchange meeting has come to a successful conclusion. Come, everyone, let us have a drink together!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the Foundation Establishment cultivators present grew much more familiar with one another.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, I hear that besides your skills in spirit planting and alchemy, your prowess in combat is also quite sharp. Why don't you consider joining our Seventy-Two Islands Loose Alliance?" Mu Yuanshan toasted Qin Ming, probing indirectly. "With your current cultivation and reputation, Alliance Leader Huo and the others would surely offer you a prestigious position."

Qin Ming sipped his spirit wine and replied bluntly, "I am accustomed to being a free spirit and have no such interest."

After three rounds of drinks, everyone bid farewell to Xue Zhili. Xue Zhili promised the group that if there were future opportunities, he would facilitate more such exchanges among fellow cultivators so that everyone could get what they needed.

After leaving the Liuyun Villa and saying goodbye to Gu Qingzhao, Qin Ming set off on his return journey to Wangyue Island. He had gained a great deal this time, and his primary objective had been achieved.

As Qin Ming piloted his Spirit-Light Flying Shuttle toward the Spirit-Roost Archipelago, his powerful divine sense suddenly detected three cultivators gathered together and conversing about a mile away. It was none other than Mu Yuanshan, Miao Renke, and Gu Huai. His powerful divine sense easily pierced through the sound-insulating barrier they had set up.

"Why have these three gotten together?" Qin Ming wondered to himself.

He had no intention of prying into their secrets and prepared to take a detour. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Mu Yuanshan say respectfully to the green-robed elder, Gu Huai, "Please rest assured, Envoy Gu. The movements of the Seventy-Two Islands Loose Alliance are completely under control. Huo Qianqiu and his faction have received support from the Lei Yuan Sect and are preparing to make their move soon. Here are their detailed plans and deployments; please have a look."

Gu Huai accepted the jade slip, immersed his divine sense to read the contents, and frowned slightly. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Hmm, this is somewhat tricky... I did not expect the Loose Alliance to be able to mobilize such vast forces at once. I must notify the Zhao family immediately so they can prepare a response."

"You have done well. Once our Lingyu Sect unifies the Wei Kingdom’s cultivation world, there will certainly be a place for both of your families."

Miao Renke’s face lit up with joy as he bowed and said, "The Lei Yuan Sect’s fate is sealed. Ancestor Yuwen’s divine might is unrivaled; unifying the Wei Kingdom is the inevitable trend."

Gu Huai nodded in satisfaction.

"Damn! A double agent?!" Qin Ming was stunned. This Gu Huai was actually an elder of the Lingyu Sect, and it seemed his status was not low.

Just then, a bad premonition surged in Qin Ming’s heart. The space around Mu Yuanshan and his companions distorted like ripples on water, and several figures suddenly appeared out of thin air. Four cultivators in black robes and masks appeared on a nearby hillside. All of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with two of them being at the mid-stage. Behind the four black-robed cultivators, a tall figure wearing a Buddha mask slowly emerged. The terrifying aura of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was fully revealed.

The moment Qin Ming saw this person, his scalp went numb. It was his old acquaintance, Lin Zixiao!

"Hahahaha! Big brother! I heard the Canghai Immortal City held a huge auction."

"We’ve been camping here for three days, and it wasn't in vain! We’ve caught three big fish!"

Lin Zixiao gave a cold laugh. "Hmph! It should be four."

"Oh? There’s another one?" the black-robed cultivator wearing a pig mask asked, puzzled.

He immediately spread his divine sense to scan the distance, and Qin Ming instantly felt a probe sweep over him. His heart tightened. Without a word, he put away the Spirit-Light Flying Shuttle, exerted his escape technique to the fullest, and fled in the opposite direction.

"Heh! It’s just an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; leave it to me." After saying this, the pig-masked cultivator cast his own escape technique and pursued Qin Ming at high speed.

Lin Zixiao cautioned, "Be quick. That person’s aura feels somewhat familiar to me; proceed with caution."

"Understood!"

After speaking, Lin Zixiao looked at Mu Yuanshan and his companions as if they were dead men, his tone devoid of emotion. "Will you three end yourselves, or do you need me to do it for you?"

The faces of Mu Yuanshan and his companions turned deathly pale. They had not expected a group of Foundation Establishment bandits to be lurking right under their noses.

"You possess a high-level concealment array. You must be the notorious demonic cultivator Lin Zixiao, who has been making waves recently, right?" As Gu Huai spoke, his green dharma robes billowed, and his spiritual pressure surged until it hit the late-stage Foundation Establishment level.

Seeing Gu Huai reveal his true strength, Mu Yuanshan and Miao Renke felt slightly less nervous. Both of them were confident in their own abilities, and with Gu Huai at the late-stage, they felt they still had a fighting chance. Miao Renke raised his hand, and two giant wolf puppets appeared before him, radiating Foundation Establishment-level energy.

Lin Zixiao ignored the late-stage Gu Huai and instead focused on the two puppet wolves, surprised. "Oh? High-level puppetry? Not bad, not bad! I just happen to be looking into the path of puppets."

No sooner had Lin Zixiao finished speaking than three black spikes emitting dark smoke silently appeared behind him, aiming straight for the back of his head. Just as Gu Huai thought he had succeeded, Lin Zixiao’s figure abruptly distorted and vanished.

"You’re a bit too green to play these tricks on me."

Lin Zixiao raised his hand and flung out a set of golden array flags, which flew into the air in different directions.

*Hum—*

A golden cage appeared out of thin air, trapping everything within a range of hundreds of feet.

"A second-stage supreme-grade containment array! The Golden Light Binding Cage Array!" Gu Huai’s face turned ghastly.

"Hehehe! You have a good eye!" Lin Zixiao’s demonic energy surged, making him look like a demon god descended to earth.

Mu Yuanshan and Miao Renke were also on high alert; after all, these people were not ordinary thugs.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

The remaining three black-robed cultivators unleashed demonic arts and lunged at them. Lin Zixiao also made his move, his overwhelming black demonic flames rolling forward as he clashed with Gu Huai.

...

On the other side, Qin Ming accelerated his flight while scanning backward with his divine sense. He discovered that only one mid-stage Foundation Establishment black-robed cultivator had followed him. Yet, no matter how he tried to shake him off, the person behind him always seemed to have a way to track his direction, locking onto him relentlessly.

"Hehehe! You think you can escape after being hit by my Spirit-Shadow Technique?" the pig-masked cultivator laughed maliciously.

Qin Ming’s expression was uncertain. If he remained entangled like this, it would be his death if Lin Zixiao finished off the others and came to provide support. His gaze turned cold, and he made a decisive choice. He slapped his storage bag, and the Azure Phoenix Sword appeared before him. He formed a seal with his hands, casting the Azure Hades Sword Art.

*Whoosh!*

Over a dozen cyan sword auras, each several feet long and shimmering with cold light, slashed toward the black-robed cultivator behind him.

Seeing the powerful sword energy, the black-robed cultivator did not dare to be careless. He reached out and grabbed at the void, and a pitch-black chain artifact instantly appeared in his hand.

*Clang!*

In the blink of an eye, he whipped the chain, demonic energy roiling as he lashed out at Qin Ming’s sword aura. The black chain formed a vortex filled with dark energy. The incoming cyan sword auras were swept into the vortex and shattered one after another.

*Zheng!*

The sword intent was sharp, and a flash of cyan light suddenly appeared! A single sword aura had actually pierced through the defense of the chain artifact and struck straight at the black-robed cultivator’s face! This flash of light was the true form of the Azure Phoenix Sword!

"A mid-grade artifact!"

The black-robed cultivator was horrified and quickly used his movement technique to dodge the strike.

*Puff!*

The black-robed cultivator narrowly avoided the terrifying sword, but his right shoulder was still gashed by the energy, blood spurting instantly. The pig mask on his face was also split by the sword aura, revealing a fat, sinister face beneath.

The black-robed cultivator was so shocked by this brilliant strike that he nearly lost his composure; had he not reacted in time, he would have been decapitated. He put away his arrogance and focused with all his might. But when he regained his senses and looked forward, he was astonished to find that Qin Ming had vanished into thin air.

The black-robed cultivator instinctively swirled his chain artifact to shield his body. He looked up, and a blood-colored figure, radiating a terrifying aura of blood and energy, suddenly appeared directly above him. The blood shadow raised a red fist and slammed it down with all his might!