Chapter 339: Chapter 225: Outer Golden Core (2)
So... so his own sword strike had directly helped Chen Xuanba settle the great struggle, propelling him into the position of the previous Demon Child.
The realization sent a cold sweat running down Qin Xuan’s back.
A sense of absurd, cruel irony washed over him.
Without even realizing it, he had been swept up in a conflict of this magnitude right from the very beginning!
’Damn it, this is bad. I’m getting in deeper and deeper...’
’Liu Mobai has the support of a full four Demon Monarchs, while Wei Qingyi has two!’
’And me?’
’Aside from this Old Flood Dragon in front of me with his ambiguous attitude, I don’t even know who the other Demon Monarch clearly supporting me is.’
’This suggests they aren’t necessarily willing to back me with their full power. They probably just want to make Sunx Youhai unhappy.’
’This battle... How can I possibly win?’
’It’s a situation with absolutely no chance of survival!’
Ao Lie seemed to see through his thoughts. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said with a straight face, "Relax, kid. Although I’m openly supporting that girl, Wei Jieyue, that doesn’t mean I don’t see your potential."
"Otherwise, why would I have given you this Flood Dragon Pill?"
Hearing this, Qin Xuan couldn’t help but look up and roll his eyes, his tone laced with unconcealable exasperation, "Senior, your way of... ’seeing my potential’ is really something else."
’He was basically roasting me over a fire and complaining it wasn’t hot enough!’
His reaction sent Ao Lie into a fit of laughter, the sound of it shaking the Cave Mansion.
"Kid, I’ve shown you the path and given you the item. Whether or not you can carve out a bloody path for yourself is all on you now."
"Remember, the struggle for the Great Dao has always been this cruel!"
Before Qin Xuan left Ao Lie’s Cave Mansion, Ao Lie tossed him another item.
It was a palm-sized, blood-colored Dragon Scale.
The edges of the Dragon Scale were sharp, and it shimmered with a dark red, bloody light.
"This is the Reverse Scale I shed when I advanced to the Late-stage Nascent Soul. For the next thirty years, as long as you remain within the Holy Sect’s territory, even if that little guy Sunx Youhai attacks you himself, I can use this scale to sense it and keep you safe."
"Thank you, Senior, for this generous gift!"
Qin Xuan was overjoyed. He took the Reverse Scale. It was cold to the touch, yet he could feel the terrifying draconic might contained within it.
A sudden realization dawned on him.
This life-saving item, capable of blocking a single blow from a Nascent Soul expert, was the very Third-Grade Opportunity mentioned in his fortune reading!
"So... what if I leave the sect within thirty years?"
Seizing on the loophole, Qin Xuan quickly asked, "And what about after thirty years? Is the final selection for the Demon Child going to last that long?"
"You’re a cautious one, kid."
Ao Lie chuckled, amused. He said casually, "Within thirty years, if you leave the Holy Sect, the scale can still activate automatically. It can block a full-power strike from an Early-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator."
"As for the final Demon Child selection, that will depend on when this generation’s Daoist from the Cyan Cloud Sect enters the world."
"Kid, make the most of it."
"In the days to come, remember to go into seclusion and focus. You must complete the initial Refinement of the Blood Flood Dragon Pill before the final Demon Child trial begins."
"Understood!" Qin Xuan replied with the utmost respect.
...
「That night, at the Huaizhong Altar.」
Heavy, dark clouds shrouded the entire Magic Altar, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
The results of Qin Xuan’s participation in the Demon Child re-selection trials had not yet arrived, and the Cultivators of the altar were all on edge.
In a side hall, a flickering oil lamp illuminated a few panicked and uncertain faces.
A group of Cultivators led by Foundation Establishment Stewards Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan were gathered together, whispering amongst themselves. They were men who had pledged allegiance to Qin Xuan, but had also secretly skimmed from his Cultivation Resources in the past.
Wang Jian was wringing his hands, his face pale. "It’s been so long, and there’s still no news... I heard the Demon Child trials are incredibly dangerous. Not even one in ten survives!"
"What if... what if Altar Master Qin..."
Sunx Yuan was also fraught with worry. He said in a low voice, "Brother Wang is right. If Altar Master Qin fails the trial, or even dies in there, we’ll have no backing left here at the Huaizhong Altar."
"The people we’ve offended in the past, and especially Sub-forum Master Zhao Youliang—I’m afraid none of them will let us off the hook!"
"How about..."
"How about we pack our valuables and escape under the cover of darkness?"
The men looked at each other, then finally gritted their teeth. They returned to their own residences one by one and began secretly packing their belongings into their Storage Pouches.
They were preparing to flee far away the moment the bad news was confirmed.
Just as morale was at its lowest,
SWOOSH!
A powerful, undisguised aura of a Purple Mansion Cultivator descended upon the Huaizhong Altar, approaching from a distance.
The visitor was unexpectedly the Purple Mansion Altar Master who once had a conflict with Qin Xuan—Ruan Fusheng!
Ruan Fusheng wore a terrified expression.
A mighty Purple Mansion Ninth Level Altar Master, he was actually bare-chested and carrying thorny branches on his back. The moment he landed, he bowed deeply toward the main altar, his voice trembling.
"I was blind and foolish to have offended Altar Master Qin in the past! Today, I have come to offer my humblest apologies and beg Altar Master Qin to be magnanimous and forgive me!"
This scene left Wang Jian, Sunx Yuan, and the others watching from the shadows completely dumbfounded.
’Altar Master Ruan is a Purple Mansion Cultivator. Why would he suddenly come to beg for forgiveness so humbly?’
Before they could make sense of it, the sky had just begun to show the pale light of dawn.
An even more vast and soul-shaking pressure, the might of a Golden Core, suddenly descended!
A streak of rainbow light descended, revealing the figure of a woman in a Moon White Daoist Robe. Her aura was as cold and otherworldly as an immortal’s.
It was none other than the Tower Master of the Vast Qi Tower, Xiao Yan’Er—the one who had once plotted against Qin Xuan and had now successfully broken through to the Golden Core realm!
Xiao Yan’Er held a brocade box in her fair hand. Her voice, clear and pleasant, carried throughout the Huaizhong Altar. "Hearing that Fellow Daoist Qin has entered the Demon Child re-selection, I have prepared a humble gift in congratulations. As for the minor misunderstandings of the past, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them, Fellow Daoist."
When Foundation Establishment Incense Master Zhao Youliang saw a Golden Core True Monarch arrive in person, he was so shocked his jaw dropped.
Even Gan Tang, the Purple Mansion Incense Master who was known for being cold on the outside but warm on the inside, revealed a look of astonishment, the motion of her hand polishing her Bone Whip coming to a halt.
As for Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan, hiding in the corner, they were so terrified that all the color drained from their faces. Their legs went weak, and they nearly collapsed on the spot.
