Chapter 283: Chapter 206: Qingming Secret Realm
Three Ancient Bamboo Sticks flew out.
[Middle-Upper Draw: Observe the situation and react accordingly. You can obtain a Fifth-Grade Opportunity and the secret of the Fake Pill. Auspicious.]
[Middle-Middle Draw: Avoid contact and hide. No opportunity. Neutral.]
[Middle-Lower Draw: Actively approach the Mystic Womb Corpse Cliff and fall into a trap. Though you will obtain a Ninth-Grade Opportunity, your life will be in danger. Inauspicious!]
Qin Xuan’s eyes lit up when he read the Divinations clearly.
’Wait, there are still benefits!’
If he ran off now, he’d certainly be safe, but he would also miss out on the coming opportunities.
’The secret of the Fake Pill...’
Seeing the Middle-Upper Draw, Qin Xuan was deeply tempted.
Any thought of leaving to lie low was instantly extinguished. Only a fool would pass up a free advantage, especially when it involved getting an opportunity for nothing.
In the following days, Qin Xuan obediently remained in his Cave Mansion for secluded cultivation. He would also occasionally show his face in the Huaizhong Altar to maintain his presence.
"Kan and Li Union, Water and Fire in Harmony... Mystic Turtle Sword Talisman, appear!"
Wielding his deep gold Lifebound Longsword, Qin Xuan used his own three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit as "water and fire," channeling them through the Mystic Turtle Sword Talisman as a medium, and let out a deep shout.
HUMM!
A black Sword Talisman, shaped like a turtle shell and the color of black jade, slowly materialized. It transformed into the phantom image of a turtle shell and began to rotate, exuding a stable Dao Rhyme that seemed impervious to all techniques.
A gentle yet profound power spread through the air.
Qin Xuan chuckled softly and immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate.
Under the enhancement of the [Profound Turtle] Sword Talisman, he began his daily breathing exercises.
His chest rose and fell, his breaths long and steady.
With each exhale and inhale, not only did his Cultivation slowly increase, but his foundation grew deeper and his lifespan gradually extended!
...
On this day, Qin Xuan was meditating cross-legged in his Cave Mansion. Before him crawled countless multicolored Qi Cultivating Poisonous Insects, Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles...
The Poisonous Insects were densely packed, leaving trails of black venom in their wake that corroded the bluestone floor with a sizzling sound.
The sight was enough to make one’s scalp tingle and a chill run down their spine!
The most conspicuous among them was a palm-sized, brilliantly colored [Seven-Colored Poison Toad].
There was also a [Netherworld Skull Spider] that pulsed with a faint glow, its back bearing the pattern of a ghastly white skull!
"The Five Poisonous Creatures both generate and counteract one another, so that’s how it works... Green Nether Spider Web, go!"
Qin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. With a flip of his hand, Demonic Qi surged, and a ghastly green, silk-like ball of light coalesced in his palm.
"CROAK!"
The moment the ghastly green light appeared, the [Seven-Colored Poison Toad] in front of him went into a frenzy. Its belly swelled and deflated, letting out a dull sound.
It opened its mouth wide, its tongue shooting out like an arrow to snatch one Poisonous Insect after another, swallowing them whole.
The next moment, however, the previously motionless [Netherworld Skull Spider] moved its eight slender legs. Green light glowed from the eye sockets of the ghastly white skull on its back, and it spun a web that filled the air, wrapping layer by layer around the [Seven-Colored Toad], about to bind it completely.
"CROAK..."
The Seven-Colored Toad leaped in panic, crashing against the spider web and spitting venomous saliva. But the silk was tough. The more the toad struggled, the deeper the Poison Power seeped in, and the slower its movements became.
"Enough. That’s all for today!"
Qin Xuan shouted sharply.
The Netherworld Skull Spider retracted its web and obediently retreated, shrinking back into his sleeve.
Qin Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
He gently waved the ghastly green glow in his palm, which dissolved into specks of starlight and fell into the bodies of the remaining Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles.
’As expected of a Tier Four Poisonous Insect. The Demon Poison it produces can actually cause the Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles to mutate. Even the Seven-Colored Poison Toad, also a Tier Four, can’t resist it.’
He looked at the dense swarm of black Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles before him. They were clearly only at the Qi Cultivation realm, but now they were completely different.
Tiny, ghastly green specks of light had appeared on their rice-grain-sized black carapaces.
Even Qin Xuan himself couldn’t have spotted them without using the probing ability of his Cyan Silk Entwined Soul Position from the [Cyan Cicada Shell]!
’Besides extreme stealth, the Green Nether Spider Web hidden inside the Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles can be used to poison in reverse. When combined with the Netherworld Skull Spider and the Seven-Colored Toad, it can achieve unexpected results!’
The more he studied it, the more Qin Xuan felt that Jiang Xiaofeng’s Poison Dao techniques were truly exceptional.
That old fellow just had terrible luck. He first ran into me, who possessed the [Great Sun True Flame] and had no fear of sinister Poisonous Fiends, and then he was cluelessly ambushed by a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Otherwise, had he faced any other Holy Sect Cultivator of the same rank, he probably could have tormented them to the brink of death!
Just as Qin Xuan was about to try other Poison Dao techniques recorded in the Five Poison True Understanding,
Duan Ning’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Reporting to the Altar Master, Vice Director Ma requests an audience!"
Qin Xuan was taken aback. ’When did I ever get to know a Vice Director Ma?’ he wondered.
Just then, Ma Jingchuan’s voice piped up, laced with a hint of humble deference: "Senior Brother Qin, it is I, Jingchuan. I have an important matter to discuss!"
Qin Xuan had a flash of realization.
’So it’s *that* Director Ma!’
Although Ma Jingchuan was at the Purple Mansion Fifth Level, a higher Cultivation than Qin Xuan, he had ultimately failed to guide his Life Star. His only path was to pledge allegiance to a Nascent Soul Demon Monarch.
But now that Qin Xuan had officially established his own altar, his status within the Holy Sect had, in turn, surpassed Ma Jingchuan’s!
"Senior Brother Ma, it’s been a while. I wonder where you’ve found a high post these days?" Qin Xuan said with a cheerful smile as he went out to greet him.
"I dare not accept the title of Senior Brother. Master Qin, you flatter me. Just call me Junior Brother."
Ma Jingchuan smiled humbly. "Thanks to the favor of Lord [Mystic Womb Corpse Refining Demon Monarch], I am now serving as a minor Director in Master Sun’s Mystic Womb Corpse Hall. I’ve come today because I heard that a Tier Three, late-stage Purple Mansion Great Demon has appeared in the ruins of a Golden Core True Monarch’s Cave Mansion from three thousand years ago."
"And since Master Qin possesses the [Demon Slayer] Sword Talisman, I was hoping to cooperate with you to go and slay that Great Demon."
Ma Jingchuan continued, "When the time comes, all of the Great Demon’s Essence Blood and its Inner Core will belong to you, Master Qin. The Demon Corpse will go to this little brother, and as for any inheritance within the ruins, we will split it evenly. I wonder if Master Qin might be interested?"
