Chapter 134: Not to be Trifled With

"Oh no! It’s a Foundation Establishment-stage great demon!"

"Damn it! That Zhao fellow’s information was wrong!"

"Run!"

Old Monster Evil-Face looked at the immensely ferocious Black Water Crocodile and knew that even if three more of him were present, they wouldn't be enough to serve as a snack for this beast. Without a second thought, he immediately activated his fastest escape technique.

However, they had only flown halfway when they discovered with horror that in the direction they were fleeing, another Foundation Establishment-stage great demon, its body shimmering with silver light and its wings fluttering, was quietly staring at them.

Old Monster Evil-Face’s heart plummeted to the depths.

"It’s over. Two Foundation Establishment-stage great demons... We’re going to die here."

"Split up! If one can get away, it’s better than none."

A flash of resolve crossed his sinister eyes, and he gritted his teeth, making an immediate decision.

Just then, a faint voice suddenly echoed from nearby.

"Where do you think you’re running to?"

In the field of vision of Old Monster Evil-Face, the silhouette of a young cultivator appeared. He was also at the early Foundation Establishment stage, forming a triangular pincer with the two beasts, boxing them in completely with no path left for retreat.

It was not hard for them to guess that the person before them was none other than the Master of Moon-Watching Island, and that these two great demons were his tamed spirit beasts. Otherwise, they wouldn't have cooperated with such seamless precision.

"Heh!"

"I am merely passing through this place. I didn't expect to disturb this fellow Daoist. Please, don't take offense," Old Monster Evil-Face said with a forced, insincere smile.

"..."

Qin Ming replied with a calm expression, "You’re just 'passing through,' yet you intended to slaughter everyone on my spirit island? That doesn't quite hold up, does it? I think you should just leave your lives here. My two spirit beasts haven't eaten yet."

Upon hearing this, Old Monster Evil-Face knew that their earlier conversation had likely been heard clearly by the other party. Realizing that the ruse had failed and there was no room left for negotiation, he hardened his expression, pulled out a spiritual artifact, and charged toward Qin Ming’s position, hoping to break through the weakest point.

*Whoosh.*

Old Monster Evil-Face felt a blur before his eyes.

A silver shimmer suddenly appeared right in front of him. He never even saw how the Silver-Winged Frost Bee had moved from the other direction at such an uncanny speed to intercept him.

At that moment, the Silver-Winged Frost Bee launched its attack, firing an imperceptible Soul-Extinguishing Void Sting from its tail toward the group.

Old Monster Evil-Face felt his hair stand on end, as if a silent, invisible attack had just brushed past him. Even with his divine sense, he could not track its movement.

"Ah!"

As Old Monster Evil-Face stood on high alert, his companion, another early Foundation Establishment cultivator beside him, let out a miserable shriek, plummeted from mid-air, and went silent.

The rest of the rogue cultivators were terrified out of their wits. What kind of terrifying attack was this? A single blow was enough to slay a long-renowned Foundation Establishment expert on the spot!

As Old Monster Evil-Face and the others turned pale with fright and prepared to fight their way out, *Boom! Crackle!*

The Black Water Crocodile unleashed a mass of purple lightning from its gaping, blood-red maw, sweeping toward them. The arc of electricity, the innate talent of the Black Water Crocodile capable of withstanding heavenly tribulations, arrived in an instant.

Old Monster Evil-Face’s pupils contracted, his face filled with despair. In his panic, he unleashed every defensive artifact he possessed.

The next moment, the purple lightning engulfed the crowd. All their defenses were like paper before the Black Water Crocodile's thunderous ability. One after another, charred corpses fell from the sky into the lake. Had Qin Ming not ordered the crocodile to hold back its full strength, these people would have been reduced to dust by the lightning strike.

Qin Ming was quick to act, tossing out black spirit seeds and casting the Thorn Technique upon the corpses of the rogue cultivators. Before long, he had harvested over a dozen blood beads, including two from the early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Now, the Longevity Vine had more fertilizer.

Qin Ming collected all their storage bags. Just like that, the group of Old Monster Evil-Face, who had once terrorized the Lingqi Archipelago, became snacks for the Black Water Crocodile.

Two days later, a shocking piece of news began to circulate among the rogue cultivators of the Lingqi Archipelago: the group led by Old Monster Evil-Face had attempted to ambush Moon-Watching Island and had been completely wiped out! From then on, no one dared to covet Moon-Watching Island again.

Qin Ming returned to his cave dwelling, pondering the words of the rogue cultivators. They had mentioned a "Zhao fellow." It seemed they were inextricably linked to the Zhao family. It was highly likely that a cultivator from the Zhao family had secretly tipped them off. This suggested that the slaughter of the two previous islands might indeed have been orchestrated by the Zhao family using rogue cultivators.

A cold glint flickered in Qin Ming’s eyes.

"To dare to disturb my farming—they truly are tired of living!"

This incident was merely a minor ripple. Afterward, Qin Ming returned to his closed-door cultivation. With the bonuses from his spirit body and the aid of Lingqi Rice and medicinal pills, his progress in condensing his mana into liquid form was rapid. As for his body-refining technique, the *Hundred Treasures Glazed Scripture*, he continued to deepen his practice.

According to the scripture, after completing the first transformation of the True Essence Manifestation, one must accumulate and refine blood-qi true essence to meet the requirements for refining the essence blood of a second high-level demon beast. Once he achieved the second transformation, he would possess the power of two forms of True Essence Manifestation, and his strength would increase exponentially. Qin Ming longed for this, but unfortunately, the outside world was unstable, and high-level demon beast essence blood was not easy to find.

More than a month later, on Moon-Watching Island, an uninvited guest arrived: the eldest young master of the Zhao family, Zhao Wuji. He arrived with two attendants, looking travel-worn.

Zhao Wuji’s strength was not to be underestimated. To avoid exposing his two second-tier spirit pets, Qin Ming had tucked the Black Water Crocodile and the Silver-Winged Frost Bee into his spirit beast bags.

"I wonder what brings you here, Daoist Zhao?" Ever since discovering the Zhao family’s collusion with rogue cultivators and their many heinous acts, Qin Ming had been on high alert. Most likely, it was the Zhao family who had provided the information to Old Monster Evil-Face that only one Foundation Establishment cultivator was present on Moon-Watching Island. Qin Ming had mentally marked the Zhao family. They certainly hadn't expected his two spirit beasts to have broken through to become second-tier great demons.

Zhao Wuji’s composed face squeezed into a smile. "I came here in such a rush because I wish to invite you, Daoist Qin, to join our Zhao family’s alliance. If you agree, our family will not only provide you with the status and treatment of an alliance elder, but eventually, we can even arrange for you to receive a Gold Core-forming spiritual treasure."

Initially, Qin Ming had intended to treat the man's words as hot air, but when he heard the phrase "Gold Core-forming spiritual treasure," he was instinctively startled. However, he quickly calmed down. Such an incredibly rare item—why would the Zhao family give it to an outsider instead of keeping it for themselves? It didn't make sense.

Zhao Wuji seemed to have read Qin Ming’s thoughts and explained, "Beneath our Zhao family’s third-tier spirit vein lies a Sun Crystal mineral vein. Inside, there is a Profound Yin Earth-Fiend cavern that produces a few drops of Profound Yin Earth-Fiend liquid every hundred years. Consuming this during the Gold Core breakthrough increases the success rate by ten percent. We offer this item to cultivators of elder rank and above. As long as you have enough contribution points, you can exchange them for this treasure. Given your attainments in spirit planting and alchemy, I believe you will be able to exchange for it soon."

Zhao Wuji spoke earnestly, trying to entice Qin Ming step by step.