541 Turn Enemies into Friends
In this environment, the genuinely good individuals were a rare treasure. It could be argued that 99 out of 100 people slain by Qin Huai had earned their fate.
Over time, Qingzhou City developed a new ecosystem. No one farmed or sold food. The city was overrun by martial artists feasting on one another, sustaining themselves with each other’s blood.
The powerful had taken over the former sect grounds in the inner city, hoarding the precious weapons, secret techniques, books, pills, and talismans. They slayed challengers daily to survive.
The elite, those still affiliated with the original four major sects, had joined the Sacred Heart Sect and submitted to the demons. They remained atop the city’s hierarchy.
The sects that had previously established themselves in the inner city underwent significant changes — some were annexed and ruined, while others rose to power overnight, second only to the five major sects.
Next came the challengers. Town and outer city rulers increased their strength through extensive killing and blood consumption, vying for the opportunity to challenge the status of the major sects. Those in even worse positions would escape from the outer city and go to the county city or lower towns, spreading news of Qingzhou City’s grandeur to attract fresh blood.
Qin Huai continued to collect the experience orbs dropped during their conflicts. Initially, he intended to kill these people one by one through divine punishment to gain more experience orbs.
However, when he thought of the white-robed king, he suppressed this impulse. If discovered, the king might have unique methods to counteract him, so it was best not to engage directly for the time being.
Moreover, Qin Huai feared that his divine retribution would incite panic among the villains. Should millions of villains flee Qingzhou City, it could create massive upheaval, especially in the direction of East Qingzhou’s ten counties.
Instead, he preferred to keep them contained in Qingzhou City, slowly whittling them down like a frog in warming water.
Suddenly, Qin Huai’s gaze froze. He began to observe images of several people. Though he couldn’t hear their conversations, he could deduce much from their actions and movements.
Experts with powerful auras were converging on Wuji Mountain. There were hundreds of them, the weakest among them being at the fifth-level bone pattern realm.
The Sacred Heart Sect was making a big move, a likely disaster for the deteriorating Wuji Mountain.
Before Qin Huai could continue his observations, he felt peculiar movements in the blood sea. The energy of the blood sea seemed to be getting extracted.
Jumping out of the blood sea, Qin Huai scanned his surroundings, soon identifying the culprits — returning demons from the Kun Peng clan.
“No wonder I couldn’t spot you in the ‘painting’,” he thought, observing the group from a distance, but he didn’t make a move. He was afraid of Tang Pi, the sect master of the Kun Peng clan, who had pure-blooded heritage and was on the verge of the king realm.
Qin Hua’s plan was to wear the enemy down. In the blood sea, he held the advantage.
He had just sunk back into the blood sea when he heard Tang Pi call out, “Qin Huai! I know you’re here. Will you meet with me?” he taunted, “The great leader of the Qingzhou Alliance, you claim the lives of millions of beings, yet you lack the courage to face me?”
Qin Huai furrowed his brows upon hearing Tang Pi’s words. How did this man know of his victories?
As far as he remembered, there was no one around when he had fought Wang Kun. The surrounding area had transformed into a purgatory under the influence of Wang Kun’s frenzied blood sea. Anyone who ventured near would be consumed by the blood sea, feeding Wang Kun’s power.
After a brief pause, Qin Huai heard Tang Pi’s laughter echoing through the air. “What a joke! How could that brat from the Qingzhou Alliance possibly defeat a being like you?” Tang Pi questioned, clearly trying to coax Qin Huai out of hiding. “It’s regrettable that such a spiritual object of nature is wielded by mere mortals and fanatics from the Sacred Heart Sect,” he sighed.
Qin Huai took a moment to ponder. From Tang Pi’s words, he deduced that the Kun Peng clan must have suffered a blow from the Sacred Heart Sect during his retreat.
He moved closer, observing Tang Pi from above the sea. Despite everything, Tang Pi appeared strong and lively, showing no signs of defeat.
Qin Huai recalled the rumors about the white-robed king’s audacious demeanor. His way of thinking and acting was quite different from ordinary people. The king had once defeated Kong Binghuang, the master of Wuji Mountain, but spared his life and only took Zhou Chuanyong, who was on the brink of death.
“Humph! If you have something to say, just say it. You don’t need to provoke me,” Qin Huai responded, impersonating Wang Kun’s voice from beneath the sea of blood. “If you’re aware that I’m a creature created from millions of living beings, then there’s no need for these childish tests.”
Tang Pi’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this response. “Hahaha! Mysterious beings like you are more direct than I’d imagined,” he replied, lowering his guard. “You are the living eye of the blood sea, controlling the entire array, and your killing power is formidable. However, while you control the array, that white-robed king controls your life!”
Tang Pi continued, explaining that the Sacred Heart Sect had introduced the Whale Eating Gu worm into Qin Huai’s soul. The worm would turn into an invisible mist, capable of detonating and destroying his soul at any time. While a million souls would indeed give birth to a new him, he would lose his current self.
Tang Pi seemed certain Qin Huai would understand. Even magical beings couldn’t remain calm in the face of life and death, especially for Qin Huai, who had fused with the millions of vengeful souls in Qingzhou City, experiencing a multitude of lives.
“Do you have any way to remove it?” Qin Huai asked, maintaining his calm. After all, Wang Kun was dead, and he was Qin Huai, not a being transformed from millions of vengeful souls.
“I know that the tranquil fragrance flower in Ling Prefecture to the north can cure soul poison. You can’t leave Qingzhou City, but I can fetch it for you,” Tang Pi offered.
“And what are your conditions?” Qin Huai queried.
“No conditions! Or rather, our goals align. Eliminate the white-robed king of the Sacred Heart Sect!” Tang Pi gritted his teeth, revealing that the king had rejected and humiliated him despite his proposition for a partnership to safeguard the Great You.
“I’ll reclaim Qingzhou from him, and you’ll free yourself from his control. Your life will no longer be under threat!” he declared.
Qin Huai felt there was more. “That can’t be all,” he said, already anticipating Tang Pi’s conditions.
“Haha… As expected of the Blood Sea Spirit. To defeat the white-robed king, our current strength isn’t enough. Even though I’ve evolved into a pure-blooded species and am close to breaking through to the king realm, it will still take years. But with your assistance, I might achieve it in months, or even a year!” Tang Pi admitted.
“Exchanging the tranquil fragrance flower for the king realm… Demons do know how to trade,” Qin Huai replied, amused by the proposal.
“We’re simply providing for mutual needs.” Tang Pi smirked.
“Alright, I agree to your terms. However, for now, I’ll just consider that white-robed king’s name as my incentive,” Qin Huai decided, his gaze landing on the Sacred Heart Sect’s martial artists, who were closing in on Wuji Mountain.
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