547 The Strange Stone Token
The person the Supreme One had mentioned was now evidently Qin Huai.
Upon hearing the reference to ‘His Lord,’ Qin Huai’s heart skipped a beat. They had met in a dream, and the other party was indeed aware of it. Murderous intent flared in Qin Huai’s eyes, and a black veil erupted from his body, enveloping several miles around him.
At this moment, Zhou Chuanyong sensed his impending doom. Even as a fifth-level visceral prefecture realm practitioner, he felt a deep-seated dread upon entering the black dragon world.
“Wait! We can negotiate!” he bellowed. “If you join us, the Supreme One will grant you the position of Saint!”
“I have no interest in a deluded cult leader!” retorted Qin Huai, his voice icy but his hands swift.
A chilling murderous intent materialized within the black dragon world, launching at Zhou Chuanyong from all directions.
Zhou Chuanyong’s heart lurched. This wasn’t merely intent — it was an actual assault! Suddenly, a cold, unseen attack struck him.
Puff!
Blood spurted from his wounds, and as Qin Huai loomed larger before him, he found resolve. “Supreme One, I will go ahead!” His murderous intent flared in an instant. “Golden body blood burst!”
Bang!
The blood detonated just a meter from Qin Huai, its explosive force propelling fragments into Qin Huai’s skin like crossbow arrows. The close-range self-destruction of a fifth-level visceral prefecture realm expert was indeed terrifying.
The black dragon world collapsed, and Qin Huai clutched at his bleeding chest. Blood streamed from the punctures on his arms and thighs. Even Qin Huai’s bones were slightly fractured.
“I underestimated his willingness to self-destruct twice,” he mused. “I was careless.”
As Qin Huai slowly rose to his feet, his wounds and fractures visibly began to heal. Such injuries were inconsequential to him, and he knew he could recover quickly as long as his internal organs remained unharmed.
Qin Huai’s gaze fell upon the bloodied remnants on the ground — fragments of artifacts, scraps of notes from the Great You Trading Company soaked in blood, and a token. He picked up the blood-stained token and shook off the debris.
The token appeared to be made of an unusual stone that had withstood the self-destruction of a visceral prefecture realm expert — a finding worth exploring. The token bore a single word: spirit. The material used for the word was different and seemed to be melded to the token through a unique refining method.
“Spirit. Spirit realm?” Qin Huai contemplated, reminded of the secret Tang Pi, the leader of the Kun Peng clan, had revealed. The legendary spirit realm appeared to be closely connected with the king realm, which was a tier above the visceral prefecture realm.
“I should ask Mountain Chief Kong when I return,” Qin Huai thought, looking towards the Thousand Divination Tower before making his way to Wuji Mountain.
Having lost Zhou Chuanyong, an important and powerful figure, Qin Huai had also annihilated the Sacred Heart disciples on the ground in a rage. Although the encounter was brief and the damage minimal, his spirit and aura had significantly shifted. With Tang Pi and Kong Binghuang, two formidable allies, he was confident of turning the tides.
Qin Huai’s gaze sharpened as he caught sight of the scene at Wuji Mountain. As he had predicted, Zhou Chuanyong’s disappearance had promptly ended the battle.
Even Yue Yang, the lord of the Thousand Divination Tower, seemed unable to hold out much longer. The moment Zhou Chuanyong vanished in death, those who followed him scattered in panic, like monkeys fleeing a felled tree.
…
At the base of Wuji Mountain, Kong Binghuang and Tang Pi stood side by side.
“I never thought the day would come when we’d fight together,” said Tang Pi, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Our interests align for the time being,” Kong Binghuang replied coldly.
“Why act so aloof? As if I owe you something!”
“Tell me, how many humans have your Kun Peng clan murdered in secret?” Kong Binghuang’s tone grew frostier.
“Then how many of my Kun Peng brethren have you humans slain?” Tang Pi sneered. “Where do you suppose human experts acquire their guardian spirit items? Aren’t they forged from the blood and organs of my race?
“We’re often kept alive as we’re turned into objects, tortured a thousandfold… And still, you human martial artists feign righteousness and act as if it’s justifiable. You’re all hypocrites. When it comes to killing, you may not have slain as many humans as us, but you’ve undoubtedly killed more demons.”
Kong Binghuang fell silent. “This is also why I didn’t immediately report your presence to the sect for elimination,” he finally said. His expression was complex, his gaze distant, as if reminiscing.
He had known that the prefecture overseer of Qingzhou was a demon, and that Great You harbored more secrets before he had arrived. However, upon his arrival, he found Qingzhou’s citizens living happier lives than he had anticipated.
The situation was far from disastrous. Under demonic rule, order prevailed, and the living conditions were considerably better than many counties he knew. Thus, he chose to bide his time.
It wasn’t until recent decades, when the demons ruling Qingzhou began to treat human lives as trifles, that Kong Binghuang resolved to eradicate the Kun Peng race. However, time had passed, and the situation in Great You had changed. Even the True Path Sect couldn’t dispatch forces to Qingzhou to quell the demons.
A moment of silence passed between them. “At least until the Sacred Heart Sect is entirely eradicated from Qingzhou, I promise to cooperate fully,” Kong Binghuang declared his position.
“In that case, contact me when needed!” Tang Pi replied, spreading his wings to take flight. He shouted, “Erlang, follow me!” and led the hundreds of Kun Peng elites from the ground into the sky, towards the blood-red clouds above.
Kong Binghuang held a gray feather in his hand.
“Mountain Chief, what’s our next move?” the Lotus Flower Peak Master asked, approaching from a distance.
“Retreat,” Kong Binghuang answered.
“Retreat?” The Lotus Flower Peak Master was stunned. “To where? Are we abandoning Wuji Mountain?”
“We are,” confirmed Kong Binghuang, waving a hand dismissively. “Everyone, scatter and seek refuge in the mountains and forests of Qingzhou City. The deacon will lead the teams.
“After Zhou Chuanyong’s death, the white-robed king will undoubtedly be enraged. With his strength, we can’t fight against him solely relying on Wuji Mountain’s grand array. Our best move is to hide in Qingzhou City and wait for an opportunity.
“If the white-robed king retaliates against the ten counties of East Qingzhou, we’ll dismantle all important bases he relies on in Qingzhou City. The death of numerous experts will inevitably hurt him.”
Kong Binghuang’s eyes narrowed. Though the white-robed king saw these people as pawns, losing too many would make fulfilling the Sacred Heart Sect Master’s mission challenging. Lacking the strength to confront him, their best option was to resort to this strategy.
The master of Lotus Flower Peak and the other two peak masters acknowledged his plan and set off to relay the orders. Soon after, a figure appeared beside Kong Binghuang.
“So, it is you, kid,” he said, detecting the dangerous aura and smiling. “I didn’t expect you to defeat the blood sea’s core…”
“I was lucky,” Qin Huai responded calmly. “Mountain Chief, your plan might be a bit risky. That white-robed king controls the Thousand Divination Tower, which boasts impressive divination abilities,” Qin Huai warned.
“It won’t happen. Or at least, not so soon…” Kong Binghuang assured him with a knowing smile.
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