Chapter 21
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The Sect Heads’ could not hide their smiles when they received Qin Mo and Kong Xiao’s report. They bestowed a few sentences of praise upon them then sent them to rest. They discussed the matter of handling the secret territory after the disciples had left.
Those who went into the secret territory had to be below the Golden Core Formation, and only a hundred people could enter at once. That made selecting candidates extremely important, and they discussed it at length. In the end, it was decided to let the eligible disciples participate in a contest of Jade Cards in Zhengyang Sect’s small heavenly grottos.
These heavenly grottos were a treasure left by the ancestors of Zhengyang Sect. Inside was an independent space, and it contained various monsters and spirit grass. It was suitable for disciples to practice.
The contest of Jade Cards entailed allowing over a thousand disciples carrying jade tokens to enter the grotto, and those that obtained more than ten would pass the test.
Beforehand, the Sect Heads went to the Demonic Sect. After all, it was only appropriate to reciprocate.
The vast training ground was cacophonous with loud voices. After the contest was announced, the sects and other forces under the sky gathered like a swarm of bees to honey. Disciples who had never been sent by their sects also came this time. For the first time in tens of thousands of years, the Zhengyang Sect reached its highest peak of capacity. Everyone was gathered in their training ground. Fortunately, it was immense and could accommodate all the cultivators.
Qin Mo stood on a high platform and looked out over the heated scene in silence. People from the Yueqing Sect stood beside him.
“Da-shixiong, there are so many cultivators here!” Jin ling-er came yesterday with the other disciples, but now she held Qin Mo’s arm and stared at the crowd below in surprise.
Jin Ling-er was already eighteen, and it was a girl’s best year. No matter what expression she made, she was charming and attracted the attention of many people around them.
Qin Mo did not look at her when he replied with a single, “En.”
Jin Ling-er couldn’t help but pout at his reaction. She grabbed his arm and acted cutely. “Da-shixiong, we haven’t seen each other for so long. You don’t care about me!”
Qin Mo’s entire body stiffened. He wasn’t used to contact with others, but he also couldn’t explain it.
Jin Lingfeng, who had been standing at the side, watched the interaction and noticed Qin Mo’s awkwardness. He smiled, “Ling-er, don’t pick on your Da-shixiong.”
Only then did Jin Ling-er reluctantly let go of Qin Mo. Her eyes twinkled a little with unspeakable cunningness, “Da-shixiong, I’m also participating in this contest, you have to protect me!”
Qin Mo glanced at her and replied without hesitation, “Alright.”
Lin Zizheng watched the two act harmoniously with each other, and his eyes narrowed into a glare. He unconsciously clenched both hands into fists, and his gaze was fixed on Jin Ling-er’s beautiful face. “Nonsense! The small heavenly grottos are Zhengyang Sect’s most mysterious location. Like the Huangtian secret territory, everyone will go in at random places. How could your Da-shixiong protect you?” Jin Lingfeng said dissatisfied, his brow wrinkled.
Jin Ling-er stuck out her tongue and stood at the side, refusing to talk.
Qin Mo took an interest in his words about the grottos and turned to look at Jin Lingfeng.
As if understanding Qin Mo’s thoughts, Jin Lingfeng smiled awkwardly and said, “Well, I’m not too sure either, but it’s supposed to be a dense jungle connected to the mountains. It’s said there are powerful monsters inside.”
Jin Lingfeng beckoned over all the Yueqing disciples and made them listen. “Those participating in the Jade Card contest will receive a card marking their identity. After entering the small heavenly grotto, pay attention and protect yourself well.” He paused, and his eyes swept over all of them.
“Most importantly, think of how you’ll take ten cards from the others. Only with that will you have the chance to enter the Huangtian secret territory.”
The disciples were silent. After all, it wasn’t easy to defeat ten disciples from the other sects and collect ten cards.
“Everyone!” Kong Fan’s voice suddenly rang out over the training ground. It shattered the noise, and everyone quieted down.
“I believe everyone already knows, so I won’t say much. Everyone participating in the contest will enter the cave behind me. Inside is our Zhengyang Sect’s small heavenly grottos.”
Under the effect of spirit power, Kong Fan’s echo** carried through the entire training ground, and everyone could hear it loud and clear. All eyes turned to the cave behind him. A burning glow shone from within, and they all shifted in its direction.
Qin Mo turned his head to look at Lin Zizheng before entering the cave and quietly said a few words of encouragement. Then he walked in without looking back.
Lin Zizheng’s mouth couldn’t help but rise slightly at the corners. With Qin Mo’s words, the resentment from earlier dissipated.
Qin Mo thought that entering the cave would lead to a dark path. Unexpectedly, once he stepped inside, he was transported to another world.
The area was beautiful, touched with the fragrance of flowers and the epitome of spring.
Qin Mo paused. When he was about to step forward again, the spirit bag at his waist shook. Only then did he remember putting the little fox into a spirit animal bag before going into the grotto.
With a shift of his fingers, the little fox was released.
Just as it was freed, its nose twitched and both its eyes faced forward.
The small shape darted ahead.
Qin Mo’s brow wrinkled, but he followed.
He saw the little fox stopped in the distance. In front of it was a fire-red fruit. The little fox had wide eyes and was drooling a little. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed the fruit whole.
“Wait…” Qin Mo wanted to stop it but was far too late.
He suddenly noticed the fox had gotten a little bigger. Qin Mo couldn’t help but be shocked. He couldn’t begin to guess what kind of heavenly treasure the fire-red fruit was. He went over to pick up the little fox and check it over. But the little fox refused to be obedient. It darted around and escaped Qin Mo’s hands, turning around to look carefully over at him.
Was that a sense of scrutiny in the little fox’s eyes? Qin Mo blinked slowly. The little fox stared back at him with a pair of large, damp eyes.
Qin Mo couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He must have been seeing things. Even if the little fox was intelligent, it had never had that type of expression before. Qin Mo reached out and snatched up the little fox, turning to leave.
He did not see it, but even if the little fox sat obediently in his hold, its eyes were focused on his long, arms, dark but bright eyes deep in thought.
“Rawr!” A loud roar came from behind Qin Mo. He was shocked and turned slightly, seeing a large flame fly passed him.
Qin Mo turned his head in the direction it had come from, and he saw a large monster standing not too far away, gaze vicious on the little fox in his arms.
The monster looked like a lion, but it was much larger than normal. It had peculiar wings on its back and was covered densely in fire from head to toe.
Qin Mo had a revelation. Typically monsters guarded heavenly treasures.
This giant beast was perhaps that one’s guardian.
As if feeling Qin Mo’s gaze, the beast’s eyes turned red, and its rear leg struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust. A beam of red fire burst from its mouth in Qin Mo’s direction.
“Chi!” Qin Mo quickly put the fox back into his bag and unsheathed his longsword. Flicking the sword, he blocked the attack.
The flame turned Biyou Jian’s tip black, and Qin Mo was stunned. He couldn’t help but look over at the giant beast in wonder. What creature was this, to be so powerful? Irritation flashed in the beast’s gaze at having missed. Its wings flapped violently behind it, and it rose into the air. Scarlet flashed in its eyes again, and it rushed towards Qin Mo.
Qin Mo’s expression shifted. He made a sharp blow in the beast’s direction and retreated to the side.
The giant lion was strong, and Qin Mo’s strike had no effect. It darted after him regardless.
“Puchi!” Qin Mo’s face paled suddenly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body violently thrown aside.
He used the longsword to help him back up to a stand but suddenly fell back to the ground again. He looked up at the giant beast that was slowly approaching, and his lips pursed. He was not unable to adapt, however, and facing a strong enemy, he knew what to do.
Qin Mo pulled out a teleportation talisman from the Qiankun bag that Jin Lingfeng had given him, and he tore it. He gradually disappeared.
The beast watched him vanish before its eyes and rage flashed in its visage. Its roar shook the entire forest, but it had no way to find Qin Mo.
Project
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Bet
Chapter 22
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It was late spring early summer, Qin Mo leaned against a willow tree, the sky above him filled with flower petals. They floated down onto him, and before long, they masked the aura of indifference surrounding him, imposing a slight gentleness upon him.
Qin Mo’s fingers moved in pain, and it took him a long moment to take out a bottle of spirit restoring pills from his Qiankun Bag. Spirit restoring pills were Huang grade medicinal pills, suitable for people with serious injuries, they could quicken his recovery.
Swallowing one, Qin Mo closed his eyes and slipped to the ground where he began slowly breathing.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed when he heard footsteps approaching. His brow knit but he did not open his eyes, continuing to meditate.
Four people drew near, all wearing the same style of robes. They were all from the same sect.
Qin Mo sat cross-legged on the ground, his white robe blood-stained, his long-narrow phoenix eyes closed, his skin white and somewhat translucent underneath the sunlight. He was clearly injured.
The four looked at one another, a spark flashed across their eyes. They had arrived at Zhengyang Sect only after the demonic cultivators attacked and were unfamiliar with Qin Mo’s reputation and his cultivation. However, seeing how feeble he appeared now, they couldn’t help but let their thoughts wander.
They nodded amongst themselves and walked towards him.
The footsteps closed in on him, and Qin Mo opened his eyes. He glared fiercely at the four people, parted his thin lips parted, and coldly said, “Scram.”
The four men were stunned. They didn’t anticipate him capable of such coldness and to simultaneously place such pressure upon them.
Amongst the four, a tall man stepped forward, a smile on his face. He threatened under his breath, “Hand over your jade card!”
“Scram.” Qin Mo’s expression remained unchanged, only the coldness in his gaze became even more severe.
Seeing the state he was in, the four men could guess what his thoughts were. Their faces darkened and they moved to attack.
Although Qin Mo had been injured quite seriously by the giant beast, he had recovered a fair bit in his recuperation moments ago, more than enough to deal with a few minor characters in the Qi refining stage. All they saw was his long sleeve shift when they were overtaken by an invisible wind. In an instant, the four men were awkwardly thrown to the ground.
Their expressions became ones of extreme fear, they hadn’t expected that the person before them would bear such strength. Initially, they wanted to take advantage of his unfortunate circumstance, but to their surprise were met with an iron-plated kick.
Thinking it over, the four faces change once more. Afraid of the consequences their actions may carry, they took the jade cards out from inside their robes and tossed them onto the ground, turned around and ran away, terrified that Qin Mo, once angered, would not stop untill he killed them. Qin Mo glanced at them casually, moving his long sleeves to roll up the jade cards, before returning to his slow breathing once more.
Qin Mo lingered there a few days, during which people would pass by him, many would attempt to snatch his jade card, but left void of their own jade cards without exception.
After changing into a set of clean clothes and straightening them out, he breathed a sigh of relief, his wounds at last healed. Now that he checked his Qiankun bag, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise, he already had ten jade cards and, by and of itself, accomplished the small heavenly grottos task.
Having thought it through, Qin Mo picked out a jade scroll from the Qiankun bag and considered snapping it. It was a teleportation talisman issued by Zhangyang Sect before they entered the small heavenly grottos, by snapping it he would be teleported out.
“Da-Shixiong!” just then he heard what sounded like an excited voice call him.
Qin Mo paused and looked in the direction it originated from.
The person that approached was a Yueqing Sect disciple, one Qin Mo already recognized from before entering the small heavenly grottos.
Qin Mo asked, “What’s the matter?”
His face seemed quite anxious, but once he caught sight of Qin Mo, he was beyond thrilled and answered, “Da-Shixiong, it’s not good. Yunyin Sect’s disciples and our sect’s disciples started a fight!”
“What happened?” Qin Mo’s face drifted into solemnity.
“After entering the small heavenly grottos, a few of our Yueqing Sect disciples were fortunate enough to regroup, so we prepared to act together. But we came across a Yunyin Sect disciple named Liu Qingzhou, and he dared harass Xiao Shimei, we got angry, and a quarrel was started!” the disciple’s face was red. Liu Qingzhou’s behavior had been shameless in every respect.
“But this Liu Qingzhou is very strong, we were not their opponents at all. I was told to find someone to help. I didn’t expect to be able to meet Da-Shixiong here!” The disciple’s tone was full of joy, confident in Qin Mo.
Qin Mo’s brows wrinkled. He pulled the disciple to the side and went in the direction that he had come.
“It is this place!” The small disciple halted, pointing up front. Qin Mo’s movement also stopped, and he looked in the direction he was pointing.
Before them was a large open area and standing in it were two groups. Among them, one was very familiar to Qin Mo. They were four of Yueqing Sect’s disciples. Jin Ling-er and Lin Zizheng were amongst them.
Qin Mo was a little surprised. He didn’t expect Lin Zizheng to be here.
Then he turned his attention to the other side.
They had a total of five people. A young man wearing a blue-green robe embroidered with dark lace ferns, with handsome features, and an elegant manner stood at the front. His cultivation was at the start of qi refining, which was outstanding among the young disciples. This was Liu Qingzhou.
Qin Mo had never seen this person before. Although he did not know why, with his strength, he did not come with the leaders of Yunyin Sect, it was obvious he also just arrived a few days ago.
“Hum! Don’t you hesitate until you’re forced!” Liu Qingzhou snorted and made a gesture to the four people behind him, he said in an unspeakably sinister tone, “Go, seize her!”
The four people behind him rushed toward the Yueqing Sect group. Those four’s cultivation was around the sixth layer of qi refining, which was too much for Jin Ling-er and others. Lin Zizheng glanced at the anxious Jin Ling-er, thinking of the way she and Da-Shixiong spoke ambiguously from before, and his fingers twitched, but he did not make a move in the end.
A white figure flashed into sight, and the four men fell back.
A cold voice rung in the air, “We from Yueqing Sect are so easily bullied?”
Several of the Yueqing Sect disciples opened their mouths in surprise and cried, “Da-Shixiong!”
“You are Yueqing Sect’s Da-Shixiong?” Liu Qingzhou examined Qin Mo, and his heart could not help but feel a trace of unhappiness.
In the Yunyin Sect, women were valued over men. While Sect Head Liu Yun was his mother, his treatment had always been bad despite his outstanding ability. When he saw Qin Mo who was equally excellent but treated differently, his heart was filled with jealousy.
Qin Mo ignored him and looked at the four people in Yueqing Sect. He saw they were only exhausted and couldn’t help but be relieved.
This only set the fire in Liu Qingzhou’s heart ablaze. Both eyes red, he drew on his spirit power and waved a palm toward Qin Mo’s back.
“Da-Shixiong! Watch out!” The sudden change made the Yueqing Sect disciples’ faces shift. They did not expect that Liu Qingzhou would try a sneak attack.
Qin Mo remained impassive. He turned and watched the impending attack. He shifted his robe’s sleeve, his sword swung unhurriedly and light flashed along its blade, catching Liu Qingzhou’s.
Liu Qingzhou’s body jerked, and he was sent backward. He staggered a bit and turned pale. Fortunately, there were a few people behind to support him, so he did not fall. He couldn’t help but cough and grab his chest. He glanced at Qin Mo hatefully then turned and fled into the distance. The remaining people on his side followed.
A Yueqing Sect’s disciple then reacted. This Liu Qingzhou who had been boastful and domineering just fled. With dissatisfaction on his face, he said, “Da-Shixiong, you’re just going to let them escape?”
“Drop it, too troublesome!” Qin Mo glanced at them. After all, he did not put those people in his eyes. The hand with the longsword already returned it to his Qiankun bag.
The disciple quieted at his words.
Qin Mo turned a little and saw Lin Zizheng was covered in small wounds he hadn’t caught in his observation earlier. His brows furrowed and he asked, “What happened?”
Lin Zizheng was stunned then he understood. His lips curled up a little, and he said, “Nothing. Just accidental bruising from before.”
Lin Zizheng said this lie with a straight face. These injuries were from the mysterious cave he went into earlier. He didn’t want to deceive Da- Shixiong, but he didn’t trust anyone else here.
Qin Mo nodded, appeased. After all, it wasn’t unusual for one to be injured in the small heavenly grottos. It wasn’t worth making a fuss over.
“Da-Shixiong! We collected all the jade cards, let’s go back together!” Jin Ling-er frowned and pulled on Qin Mo’s arm acting coquettish to get his attention.
Qin Mo nodded.
After a flash of white light, not a trace of them remained. Project
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Bean, Bet
Chapter 23
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The jade card contest lasted for about ten days. People exited the small heavenly grottos, and the one hundred disciples that would enter the secret territory were also determined.
Kong Fan stood on higher ground with the sect heads and watched the happy disciples below. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but tilt slightly upward. As expected, the three largest sects accounted for the majority of the hundred.
He coughed and began to speak, “Now that they have been decided, we will leave for the secret territory now…”
“Wait!” Before he could finish, a voice below interrupted him.
Kong Fan’s brow wrinkled. He looked down and saw the speaker was Liu Qingzhou, the son of Yunyin Sect’s sect head.
He glanced at Liu Yun sitting at his side and swallowed his displeasure.
“What’s the matter?”
Liu Qingzhou seems to notice Kong Fan’s displeasure. He clenched his fists but said respectfully, “Kong Sect Head, this junior did not intentionally interrupt you, but this junior felt the jade card contact was a bit unfair.” Liu Qingzhou glanced at Qin Mo then added, “Some people got ten jade cards through luck, but their strength is not enough to enter Huangtian’s secret territory!” Kong Fan’s expression showed a trace of dissatisfaction. After all, the jade card contact was initially proposed by him. Liu Qingzhou’s words did not give him face.
Then he noticed Liu Qingzhou’s gaze was pinned on Qin Mo, and Kong Fan’s tone became a bit sarcasm, “You can’t mean Qin Mo Shizhi!”
The audience was surprised, their eyes couldn’t help but concentrate on Qin Mo, then the whispers began.
Who was Qin Mo? Before, maybe some people wouldn’t know, but after getting along with each other these few days, everyone felt like they all know that he was a teenage genius already entering the building foundation at the age of twenty. He had excellent skill and, if he wasn’t qualified to enter Huangtian’s secret territory, then very few people would be.
Even if the entire audience focused on him, Qin Mo stood in the same spot, taking his time to enjoy the moment. Everything else was relegated to being a background prop.
The taunts around him had Liu Qingzhou’s hands clench tighter in his sleeves. What’s so great about Qin Mo? But he also understood it was impossible to fight Qin Mo using this reasoning. All he wanted was to hit Qin Mo’s face.
Liu Qingzhou’s gaze fixed on Lin Zizheng behind Qin Mo. This kid always followed Qin Mo these days, and Qin Mo also treated him differently from others. As long as he can keep this kid from entering Huangtain’s secret territory, then Qin Mo’s face would be dull.
Thinking of this, Liu Qingzhou no longer hesitated. He pointed to Lin Zizheng then to a rather strong man behind him and said, “It is him. He only cultivated to Qi Refining 7th layer, and Wang Li’s strength is already at Qi Refining 9th layer. He obtained the qualification by luck, and Wang Li’s strength is higher, but he cannot enter, I refuse to accept this!”
Wang Li immediately stepped out from behind Liu Qingzhou and bowed to Kong Fan, he said, “I refuse to accept it! This disciple requests to fight him!”
The atmosphere became stiff. Jin Linfeng’s face became ugly. This Liu Qingzhou was attacking not only Qin Mo’s but also Yueqing Sect’s face.
Jin Linfeng’s face sank. He flicked his sleeves and said, “This was decided by all the Sect Head’s. What are you dissatisfied with?”
Liu Yun’s eyebrows wrinkled. Although she disliked Liu Qingzhou, he was still her son, after all, and she said, “What Qingzhou said is reasonable, there is some misgiving!”
Kong Fan’s face flushed red. He did not know what to decide. He always liked to be straightforward, but he was not a fool. He understood if he agreed to one party, he would offend the other.
“I agree to the fight!” Just when Kong Fan overwhelmed with uncertainty, another voice suddenly rang out. It was Lin Zizheng, the topic of everyone’s discussion.
It wasn’t until he spoke that people noticed this person standing as though he was Qin Mo’s attendant. They only saw his eyebrows were full of perseverance and his eyes were fixed on Liu Qingzhou and Wang Li.
Since Lin Zizheng had agreed to the matter, despite Jin Linfeng being dissatisfied with it, he can’t say anything anymore. He snorted and stopped talking. Kong Fan also nodded and agreed.
Qin Mo nodded slightly to Lin Zizheng and stood quietly under the willow tree to spectate.
He was not worried about Lin Zizheng. In his memory, Lin Zizheng’s road of cultivation had been smooth. Aside from when he encountered powerful monsters, it was all consecutive victories, especially against other people.
Wang Li and Lin Zizheng stood in the center of the training ground. There was a platform there raised higher than the rest of the training ground. This was where Zhengyang Sect’s disciples sparred regularly.
Lin Zizheng was only at the Qi Refining 7th layer, and Wang Li already at Qi Refining 9th layer, so everyone was not optimistic about Lin Zizheng. After all, the differences in cultivator’s level also represented the gap of strength. There was a two-layer difference between Lin Zizheng and Wang Li, he couldn’t be compared at all.
However, results are often unexpected. On the tournament platform, Lin Zizheng held the dark □□, its tip flashed silver and, in only half a cup of tea, Wang Li fell off the stage without the strength to fight back.
Under the crowd’s astonished eyes, Lin Zizheng retracted □□ in his hand and said courteously in Wang Li’s direction, “You let me win!” He walked toward Qin Mo and stood behind him once more.
Jin Linfeng was extremely happy in his heart. He laughed twice and carefully looked at Lin Zizheng. He exclaimed, “Not bad!”
Liu Yun, on the other hand, glared at Liu Qingzhou but did not say anything. Liu Qingzhou trembled and dared not to say anything, but his heart hated Qin Mo even more. If it hadn’t been for him, he would not look so ugly today.
Kong Fan did not say anything else. He directly presented the transport treasure and carried people to the Huantian’s secret territory.
The territory was still as Qin Mo and King Xiao saw a few days ago. A large transparent boundary covered the territory. The crowd stood outside and could faintly see inside.
Kong Fan explained everything then, looking at the other Sect Heads, they took out five keys. These five keys, including the one they took back from the Demonic Sect, were the keys to the secret territory.
The keys floated above the secret territory, emitting a soft golden glow. The Golden Core Sect Heads did not show the slightest change in expression. They stood under the five keys one after another and shifted their hands as if they were opening an array.
They breathed a sigh of relief.
Kong Fan said, “Everyone can enter now!”
The crowd looked at the unchanged boundary, and their expressions revealed their doubts.
Kong Fan just laughed, “The boundary has opened. Don’t worry, it’s fine to go right in. After entering, you will be transported to a random location, everyone must be careful!”
A bold person promptly approached the boundary. As he drew closer, it was as if the barrier didn’t exist at all. The person disappeared in front of everyone. All of a sudden, the rest of the disciples didn’t care much and rushed into the secret territory.
Qin Mo’s foot was lifted slightly, just as he was ready to go in, he saw a pale green figure from the side, the person was Jin Ling-er, his movement stopped immediately.
Jin Ling-er’s cheeks were slightly reddish. She looked a little embarrassed. First, she raised her head and glanced at Qin Mo then lowered her head again, fidgeting with the corner of her clothes, She worried for a long time then whispered, “Da-Shixiong, grandfather said… after we get out the secret territory, let’s have an engagement ceremony!”
The girl’s face was so charming, but Qin Mo felt a bit confused. Why didn’t he know about the engagement?
Jin Ling-er glanced at Qin Mo’s face and saw him standing in the same spot. Thinking he was shy, her heart was delighted beyond measure. She rose up on her toes and gently kissed Qin Mo’s cheek, then she turned and ran towards the boundary. Qin Mo woke from his daze. He thought of what she had just said and did, and his heart couldn’t help but be unhappy. His expression tightened.
He didn’t like Jin Ling-er at all. How could he marry her? Not to mention she would be Lin Zizheng’s wife in the future. Qin Mo raised his head and looked at Lin Zizheng.
Lin Zizheng wore black today, and he stared at Qin Mo. His eyes were dark and his lips tight. He must have seen everything.
Qin Mo’s heart became even more anxious. Though he was always calm, now there was a worry in his chest. He moved forward and also entered into the secret territory.
Lin Zizheng stood in the same spot, watching Qin Mo’s back disappear. His eyes darkened even further, and a strange looked flashed across them. After a long time, he whispered to himself, “Da-Shixiong… engaged?”
A moment later, the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a wicked smile. He glanced at Jin Linfeng in the distance and slowly entered into the boundary.
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire, Bet
Chapter 24
Project
Everything in front of him was pitch black, and the ground under him was soft. Qin Mo reached out and steadied himself with a hand on the wall, but to his surprise, the wall was just as soft as the ground under him. He didn’t know if it was a delusion or not, but when he touched the wall, it felt like it was moving.
Qin Mo’s forehead wrinkled, and his right hand curled. A purple light glowed around his hand, and his surroundings brightened.
His pupils shrank, and he quickly retracted his hand from the wall. It wasn’t a normal wall but pink flesh instead.
The wall squirmed under Qin Mo’s gaze, and the ground under him started to shift. He looked down and found that he was standing on flesh too. A sticky, transparent fluid flowed around him.
Qin Mo felt his scalp go numb, a bad feeling in his heart. He seems to have been randomly placed inside a creature.
Qin Mo’s spirit animal bag jerked, and the little fox jumped out. It leaped up onto Qin Mo’s shoulder and looked around, dark eyes flashing.
Qin Mo was surprised the little fox came out of the spirit animal bag by itself, but before he could think more about it, the meat under him started shaking. Qin Mo was thrown back, and he began to slide further into the darkness. His eyes widened, and he waved his right hand. A longsword appeared in his grip, and Qin Mo stabbed the long sword into the ground. The sword delved deep into the soft flesh, and Qin Mo held the hilt tight. He stopped sliding down and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before he could relax, his surroundings shook even more violently, and the transparent liquid flowed onto the longsword. To Qin Mo’s surprise, Biyou Jian actually began to melt. In only moments, the longsword slipped free from the meat wall, and Qin Mo continued to fall.
He was falling fast, and something sticky touched Qin Mo’s face from time to time. His chest tightened a little, but in the corner of his eye, he saw a smooth flesh area that seemed slightly raised.
With no time to think about it, Qin Mo jerked into the air and dropped awkwardly onto the platform.
It wasn’t until he stood on the platform that Qin Mo saw the platform’s appearance clearly. Unlike the pink fleshy walls, this platform was blood red and had fine blood vessels. From his previous experience with operation, Qin Mo recognized it at a glance as the creature’s heart.
Qin Mo’s heart swelled with glee. No matter what kind of creature it was, the heart was always a fatal weakness. Qin Mo stabbed the longsword in his hand into the heart.
The shaking around him intensified, but Qin Mo stood rooted in his spot and swung the sword at the heart again.
Outside, a thick fog shrouded a swamp in a deathly gloom.
“Hua!” A loud cry came from the swamp, breaking the quiet atmosphere, and a colossal worm reared out of the swamp.
It seemed to have been attacked by something and struggled violently.
Something red sprayed out of its body, and its movements slowly stiffened. It continued to struggle until, finally, its movements stopped. A longsword cut a long wound along the giant worm’s side, and a pair of jade-like hands emerged from within.
Qin Mo stepped out on the huge insect’s corpse and looked at the battered Biyou jian, eyebrows furrowed tightly. Biyou jian was actually destroyed.
The black fog around the swamp poured into Qin Mo, and his spirit power stagnated. Qin Mo was amazed. He did not expect this black fog would affect a cultivator’s spirit power.
The lightning fire in Qin Mo’s Dantian appeared around him, forming a thin protective shield to keep the poisonous air out. Qin Mo recently discovered that lightning fire could isolate poisons, but his cultivation wasn’t high, so it would only last for a short time.
Qin Mo’s chest tightened, and he embraced the little fox in his arms.
The swamp was vast, and it seemed there were no living creatures except for the giant worm under his feet. Everything close to the swamp was pulled into the deepest part of the swamp by black mud.
Qin Mo took an ordinary flying sword from his Qiankun bag and flew toward the edge of the swamp.
“Zhi zhi!” The quiet little fox in his arms struggled and seemed interested in something to Qin Mo’s right.
Qin Mo paused and turned to look in that direction. There was a small plant growing on the edge of the swamp.
Its branches and leaves were green, bright with vitality. Most striking of all was the glittering, translucent fruit on top shining in the gloomy air.
Qin Mo did not expect to find such a vibrant plant in this kind of environment. But when he looked carefully, his heart was shocked again. The fruit was familiar and looked like the purification spirit fruit of legend. Qin Mo reached into the bag at his waist and took out a piece of jade scroll. It recorded almost all types of spirit grass under the blue sky.
By pouring divine knowledge into it, Qin Mo soon discovered a record regarding the purification spirit fruit. The fruit was red and heart-shaped, each with eight leaves. Found in a swampland, it could turn into a spiritual root after being consumed by a cultivator. It had no side effects and was a rare treasure.
The so-called spiritual root transformed the body of a cultivator into a spiritual one that had a high affinity for all elements in the air. It was even above the heavenly spirit root.
Qin Mo confirmed it. This really was the rare purification spirit fruit.
The flying sword under Qin Mo’s feet turned and flew toward the tree. Taking out a jade box from his Qiankun bag, Qin Mo carefully picked the rare fruit.
“Attendant Meng, Attendant He, the purification spirit fruit is over here!” A voice called from outside the swamp.
Qin Mo’s hands paused at those three words then moved even faster.
“I didn’t think there would be such a magical thing in the Huantian’s secret territory. This trip wasn’t in vain this time!” an older voice replied. From the tone, it was obvious that they were slobbering after the fruit.
Three figures appeared from within the fog just as Qin Mo picked up the purification spirit fruit.
The three men stood on a giant sword surrounded by a jade-green sphere of light, preventing the invasion of the black fog. They saw the jade box in Qin Mo’s hands and the fire-red fruit that laid inside.
Their faces darkened and one of them yelled, “Qin Mo, you actually stole our purification spirit fruit!” Qin Mo looked at him. When he discovered Liu Qingzhou was the speaker, he sighed internally at this ill-fated relationship.
However, his expression remained unchanged and he held the jade box in his hand as he casually said, “When did this purification spirit fruit become yours?”
“Junior, you better not be too arrogant, you know. Cultivators at the foundation building stage are nothing special in here!” The old man standing beside Liu Qingzhou interrupted Liu Qingzhou’s response. He looked Qin Mo up and down and threatened, “If you obediently hand over purification spirit fruit, Laozi will not argue with your disrespectful behavior, otherwise…”
The aggressive tone made Qin Mo focus his attention on the man. This person was much older than Jin Linfeng and looked at Qin Mo with disdain.
Qin Mo detected a faint pressure coming from him. He understood, after connecting his words with the fact that the secret territory didn’t allow cultivator above core formation, that to look down on a foundation building cultivator, this old cultivator was without a doubt at the spirit solitude stage. A middle-aged man in a yellow robe stood beside him, and he gave off a similar feeling, so he must also be in the spirit solitude stage.
Even knowing they are spirit solitude cultivators, one step higher than himself, Qin Mo’s expression showed no fear, and he opened his mouth to ask, “Why should I?”
Qin Mo stood quietly. He was obviously at foundation building but still gave off an invisible pressure. Stunned, the three’s expressions became malicious.
The old man’s face flushed red. This junior actually refuted him! So what if he was a genius, a junior was still a junior! Overcome with rage, he pointed a forefinger straight at Qin Mo and said viciously, “You…”
Before he could finish, Qin Mo opened the jade box and ate the purification spirit fruit. Everything fell silent. Project
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Bet
Chapter 25
Project
Their faces darkened after seeing Qin Mo eating the purification spirit fruit. The old man especially couldn’t maintain his noble attitude and clenched his fists. He glared at Qin Mo and cursed, “Bastard!”
Qin Mo didn’t hesitate and fled to the swamp’s periphery.
A fight with them at his current strength wasn’t an option, so Qin Mo used all of his spirit power to fly faster.
They saw a blurred figure skipping through the air like lightning. The old man snorted, “Chase him!”
With a flash of their swords, they followed suit.
A strong wind blew in his ear, and with a tremble of fear in his heart, Qin Mo stopped.
“Boom!” A spear appeared from the sky and pierced the ground in front of him, its red tassel shaking in the air. The air in front of him trembled, and the old man appeared before him.
“Hum! Running away as soon as you finished eating? It won’t be that easy!” Rage filled his eyes and a murderous aura covered him. His hands jerked in the air and a long, water dragon charged in Qin Mo’s direction. Qin Mo’s eyes focused, and he retreated. He quickly connected hand seals, and the purple lightning fire turned into a wall of fire and collided with the water dragon.
“Chi!” under the old man’s amazed gaze, the wall of fire blocked the water dragon.
“Hmm! You have some skill!” A grin appeared on the old man’s face, he snorted and raised a hand, prepared to release a series of attacks at Qin Mo.
The air trembled again as the yellow-robed man and Liu Qingzhou came into view, the unnamed man said, “Wait!” trying to stop the old man.
ented from attacking, the old man’s face darkened even more and asked,
“Attendant He, what are you doing!”
The yellow-robed man glanced at the alert Qin Mo, his eyes flashed and said, “He is Yueqing Sect’s head disciple after all!”
The warning stiffened the old man’s movement. He was too focused on killing Qin Mo that he forgot his identity.
Liu Qingzhou knew in his heart that the two Attendants would let Qin Mo go, and he looked at him with hatred.
He turned to the two Attendants and said, “Attendant Meng, Attendant He, we can’t let Qin Mo go! He ate the whole purification spirit fruit, and once a person eats the spirit fruit, their flesh and blood will have the same effect. As for Yueqing Sect, how would they know if we don’t speak about it?”
Their expressions changed, eyes slowly reddened, and their breathing became heavy.
Qin Mo felt a bad feeling in his heart and turned around, trying to leave.
As soon as he turned around the old man appeared in front of him and screamed, “Where are you going!?” Faced with a spear, he glanced at the yellow robe man blocking his back. Qin Mo’s eyes narrowed. His hands twisted in the air, and a long sword formed by the lightning fire appeared in his hand.
The two attendants looked at each other and simultaneously launched forward.
With the imminent attacks from both the front and the back, Qin Mo’s lightning fire sword danced, forming a barrier around him.
During their battle, no one noticed the little fox on Qin Mo’s shoulder raise its head to the sky and let out a piercing cry.
With a loud “Bang!” the barrier around Qin Mo shattered, and the spear penetrated his left shoulder. The attendant’s attack behind him also landed on his back.
Qin Mo’s lips became white, but his expression remained cold. Without hesitation, he pulled the spear from his left shoulder and threw it to the ground without taking his eyes off the old man before him.
Against Qin Mo’s ruthless gaze, a smile appeared on attendant Meng’s face, and he said, “You can rest assured that you won’t die in vain, we will make good use of your flesh and blood!”
Qin Mo hated his lacking cultivation for the first time. His gaze swept over the three people in front of him, and Qin Mo decided that even if he died, he wouldn’t be so cowardly! The spirit power in his Diantain churned nonstop, his pale face flushing.
Attendant He, who had been watching Qin Mo, noticed the change on his face and cried to the other, “No, stop him, he’s going to self-destruct!”
The sudden roar of a fierce beast echoed around them. It was so loud the land trembled.
This shocked them and forced them to stop, even the spirit power in Qin Mo’s Diantian subsided.
The sound grew closer and closer, as if coming toward them. Attendant Meng’s face paled. He looked in the direction of the sound and said in a tone beyond belief, “A wave of beasts! It’s an actual wave of beasts!”
The four men saw everything clearly.
Hundreds of beasts rushed towards them. Among them were beasts at the building foundation and others at the core formation. They wore ferocious expressions and there was no path for the living before them.
Attendant Meng’s face changed a few times, and he gritted his teeth,
“Go!” He reached out to grab Qin Mo, planning to drag him along.
Qin Mo avoided the hand, turned, and ran toward the herd. He knew that it was his only chance. They would catch if he didn’t. He might as well enter the crowd and have a chance of living.
Qin Mo looked at the three people behind him, and his eyes darkened,
“You better pray that I die here, otherwise…”
They didn’t expect Qin Mo to act like that, but Attendant Meng didn’t take it seriously. After all, no one came out of a wave of beasts alive. He sighed and left with the other two.
Even though he was feeling in severe pain, Qin Mo didn’t dare to relax as he watched the surrounding beasts. There were so many of them, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
To his surprise, the monsters ignored him and surged around him, chasing after attendant Meng, attendant He and Liu Qingzhou.
Qin Mo’s eyes narrowed, and doubt surged in his heart. The pain continued to spread in his body, and he stopped thinking to find a hidden place where he could rest.
He saw a waterfall nearby, the sun shining on the water and reflecting light.
Joy filled his heart because he saw a hidden cave behind the waterfall. Considering he was fleeing for a long time, he presumed the three men could no longer find him, and he decided to stay in the cave.
Because of his injuries, he was exhausted and used his remaining strength to enter the cave. He barely made it inside before falling to the ground.
Right before he fainted, he heard a familiar voice cry out, “Da- Shixiong!”
Lin Zizheng knelt on the ground, holding the fainted Qin Mo in his arms. His gaze swept over the bloodstains on his body and with red eyes, he murmured, “Da-Shixiong!”
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire, Bet
Chapter 26
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Lin Zizheng sat beside Qin Mo with gaze fixated on him, a blood-thirsty light flashing in his eyes. Who was it? Who dared to hurt his Da-shixiong? His fingertips trembled as he reached for Qin Mo’s bloody collar.
A white shadow burst from Qin Mo’s arms and appeared before him. Lin Zizheng narrowed his eyes at the little fox standing in front of Da-shixiong to block his hand.
“Hmm!” With a cold snort, he lifted his cuff, and a black light flew toward the little fox.
In a flash of white, it avoided the attack, and Lin Zizheng eyes widened a little with surprise. He did not expect the fox to escape his attack.
Nevertheless, his mouth curled upward in a mocking curve. His hands shifted, and a fine black silk appeared, wrapping tight around the little fox.
Displeased with the capture of the little fox, Lin Zizheng’s brow wrinkled, and he flung it to the far corner.
The little fox stood up awkwardly, still tied up by the unknown black thread, and scowled at Lin Zizheng. If it wasn’t recovering still, such a child wouldn’t bully it.
After handling the fox, Li Zizheng’s gaze once again focused on Qin Mo.
Without hesitation, both hands untie his lapel. His hands clenched into fists when he saw the damage, sorrow alight in his eyes.
There was a terrible, bloodied hole in the jade-like shoulder that should have been flawless. This was where that Attendant Meng’s spear landed, and crimson blood flowed from the wound.
Lin Zizheng’s eyes darkened, and he whispered, “Da-shixiong…” He caressed the wound but, as if scalded by the blood, quickly retracted his hand.
He looked at the vermilion smeared on his fingertips, and his eyes flashed. This was the blood of his Da-shixiong. Unconsciously, his tongue slipped past his lips and licked the blood from his fingers.
They were soon cleaned as if they were never dyed crimson. He turned to Qin Mo again, pupils red. He lowered his head and licked the blood away little by little.
When he raised his head again, his lips were stained just as red, and the pallor of his skin looked ghostly. He did not care. His tongue swept over his red lips, and his voice was strange when he spoke, “Da-shixiong’s blood is sweet!”
There was no trace of it left on Qin Mo, but the brutal wound was still the same. Lin Zizheng took out a jade bottle from his bag and tapped out a yellow pill.
He found five of these pills in a mysterious cave during the small heavenly grottos competition. So long as the cultivator still had a trace of life left, it could bring them back to full health no matter how grievous the injury.
He crushed the pill to find powder in his palm and sprinkled it onto his Da-shixiong’s wound. It healed rapidly, visible to the naked eye.
As it healed, Lin Zizheng took out another one and looked down at Qin Mo. His gaze finally settled on his thin, pale lips. This pill, it needed to be consumed to get its best effect…
His tongue swept over his lips again at this thought, and anticipation welled within him. Setting the pill against the flat of his tongue, he lowered his head to Qin Mo’s.
Qin Mo’s breath was warm. Lin Zizheng narrowed his eyes. Even unconscious, his Da-shixiong was still so warm. He pushed the pill from his mouth into Qin Mo’s and the sensation on the tip of his tongue made him reluctant to pull away.
Red filled the little fox’s vision. This bastard dared to violate Qin Mo like this, damn it! It struggled harder, but the tight silk did not budge.
Lin Zizheng raised his head and looked down to Qin Mo’s pinkish lips, the corners of his mouth rising. He stroked his finger along them
His gaze swept down to the wound on his shoulder, and the tenderness in his eyes vanished. Bloodlust sharpened them to narrow slits, and his voice was rough, “Da-shixiong, who hurt you?”
With this question in mind, he lowered his head to press his forehead against Qin Mo’s. Closing his eyes, his long lashes left pale shadows on his cheeks.
By accident, he learned a secret technique to read someone’s mind without hurting them, but it would only work if the other person didn’t resist, and it could only read two days’ worth of memories. This was enough to learn who tried to murder his Da-shixiong.
“Them!” Lin Zizheng smiled with a touch of untold blood-thirst.
“Please, I don’t want to see them again,” he spoke fiercely as if talking to himself.
But a black shadow materialized beside him, and a strange, ancient voice replied, “Yes!” “Wait!” Lin Zizheng stopped it as the shadow was about to leave. He thought back to the image of Jin Ling-er kissing Qin Mo. His eyes narrowed, and he dug his nails into the palms of his hands, whispering a command to the shadow.
The shadow disappeared, and Lin Zizheng shifted his attention back to Qin Mo. A complicated look flashed in his gaze, and he muttered, “Da- shixiong, I hope you won’t blame me. After all, I…” His last sentence dissipated in the air, there was no one else to hear it.
The sound of water rang in Qin Mo’s ears, and he shifted a little, opening his eyes.
A young man stood at the entrance of the cave. The fractured sunlight fell behind him, making him look especially warm. A brilliant smile flickered onto his face when he saw Qin Mo had woken. “Da-shixiong!” he rushed to his side.
Qin Mo propped up his sore body, clear that this was Lin Zizheng.
“Da-shixiong, be careful. Your wound isn’t completely healed.” Lin Zizheng supported him to his feet.
Qin Mo looked around and remembered that he had entered the cave in a hurry. The last thing he heard wasn’t an illusion, but really Lin Zizheng.
Qin Mo completed a cycle of spirit power by reflex and was surprised to find most of his injuries were nearly healed. He looked at Lin Zizheng and understood he must have used one of the best medicine he had on him.
Qin Mo’s heart warmed at the thought, and his mouth curled a little. He whispered to Lin Zizheng, “Thank you.”
Lin Zizheng spotted the flush of his Da-shixiong’s ears and his eyes sparkled, sweeping to Qin Mo’s thin lips. The memory of that soft touch returned, and he smiled radiantly, “Da-shixiong, as long as you’re fine!” When Lin Zizheng didn’t inquire about his injuries, Qin Mo was relieved. He wanted to solve this grievance himself. Regardless of Lin Zizheng’s identity, in his eyes, the boy would always be a child that didn’t need to grow up and could stay under his care.
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire, Bet
Chapter 27
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After Lin Zizheng gave him the spirit fruit, Qin Mo nodded. With doubt in his heart, he petted the little fox. Ever since waking up, it had been hostile toward Lin Zizheng.
Though faced with the little fox’s threatening gestures, Lin Zizheng maintained a gentle smile.
For the past few days, Lin Zizheng took care of him. At first, Qin Mo was unused to it, but Lin Zizheng was persistent, and he stopped minding. For him, Lin Zizheng had always been different from the rest.
Eyebrows wrinkled, Qin Mo patted the little fox’s head and said, “Don’t make trouble!”
This person really can’t tell good from bad, the little fox thought with anger in its gaze, flicking its tail. It closed its eyes and laid down on Qin Mo’s arm.
Lin Zizheng’s eyes glittered as he watched, but he didn’t look away. He gave Qin Mo another spirit fruit, and his mouth raised into a slight smile, “The little fox must be in a bad mood these past few days.”
Qin Mo considered how good Lin Zizheng’s temperament was and responded, “En.”
Suddenly, “thump thump thump!” echoed from the inner part of the cave. The two paused and exchanged serious looks. “Dong dong dong!” The sound became clearer, and Qin Mo stood. He signed to Lin Zizheng and slowly moved towards the sounds, Lin Zizheng behind him.
The cave wasn’t large, so they quickly found its deepest reaches. They faced a stone wall, nothing special, and the sound disappeared without a trace.
Qin Mo frowned and searched along the stone wall. There had to be something strange here. It wouldn’t have made that sound without reason.
“Da-Shixiong!” Lin Zizheng called Qin Mo, who turned to see a large gate at Lin Zizheng’s feet.
The gate wasn’t on the wall but on the ground. There was a flower- shaped lacuna in the middle, with complicated patterns engraved on the side.
Qin Mo squatted to study it and realized the lacuna must be a keyhole. Beyond it, there had to be a mysterious enclave. After all, within the Huangtian secret territory, there were many such areas. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the key.
Qin Mo was disappointed. This was the result of a stroke of luck, so he wasn’t too upset.
Lin Zizheng’s eyes sparked. He said with a smile, “Da-Shixiong, I have a jade card with a similar shape!”
Qin Mo had some doubts but remembered Lin Zizheng was this world’s protagonist. Opportunities like this were not unusual.
Lin Zizhend took a blue, flower-shaped jade from his Qiankun bag and placed it in the lacuna of the stone gate. The moment it was placed inside, they heard a “click” and the jade connected with the gate. It was the key.
A loud bang later, a crack in the middle of the gate opened in front of them. Inside was pitch black. Faintly visible stone steps led from the gate to the underground.
Just as suspected, a mysterious cave dwelling.
Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng gave each other a look and nodded slightly.
Together, they walked through the stone gate.
…
On a plain in the northern part of the secret territory, Attendant Meng, Attendant He, and Liu Qingzhou stood together, their clothes disarrayed.
Straightening out some of his robes, Attendant Meng’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and scolded, “Damn it, how did we encounter a wave of beasts!”
Attendant He humphed.
“It’s such a pity that the purification spirit fruit…”
As the one with the lowest cultivation, Liu Qingzhou’s face was covered in scratches and his body badly injured. If the two attendants hadn’t taken him with them, he might have been buried among the beasts.
Regret filled his face and he released a sigh of remorse. Then thought that Qin Mo was already dead occurred to him and happiness replaced it.
“Humph, that Qin Mo really doesn’t know how to be good!” The words “purification spirit fruit” pained Attendant Meng’s heart. It was one of the most precious treasures to be found under the sky in tens of thousands of years. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Wait for a while, then we will go back and see…”
“Haha, are you talking about me?” A familiar voice interrupted Attendant Meng.
The laugh shocked the three people and Liu Qingzhou’s expression shifted. His teeth gnashed is his mouth and he asked, “Qin Mo, you aren’t dead?”
A figure in a white robe with black hair appeared before them. This was Qin Mo. His eyes were fierce.
“Not being dead is even better!” Attendant Meng was shocked at first. When he looked in Qin Mo’s direction, his face flashed with desire. Greedy, he said, “Then use your flesh and blood to help purify our spirit!”
The spear reappeared in his hand and he threw it in Qin Mo’s direction.
Qin Mo’s expression didn’t change. His lips quirked upward in a slight smirk. The spear fell to the ground with a single wave of his long sleeves.
In disbelief, Attendant Meng asked, “How is that possible?”
Attendant Meng nodded toward Attendant He.
The two glanced at each other and gathered their spirit power together. The air trembled. The spirit power morphed into a long arrow. It shot in Qin Mo’s direction.
Attendants Meng and He breathed a sigh of relief, smile on both their faces. This attack consumed a lot of their spirit power, but Qin Mo was only at foundation building. He would be wounded, if not killed by this.
Their smiles froze. Qin Mo waved his sleeve, and the powerful arrow disappeared in midair.
“Hm!” Qin Mo snorted. He appeared before the two and reached out, holding the Attendants’ necks.
The two’s eyes paled and their faces flushed red. They struggled in Qin Mo’s grasp.
Liu Qingzhou had been stunned in place in Qin Mo arrived. Faced with this scene in front of him, he turned a sharp look at the other cultivator and cried, “Qin Mo, you don’t dare!” “What don’t I dare?” Qin Mo turned and glanced at Liu Qingzhou. A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips, making him look strange and unusual.
Liu Qingzhou’s heart shook, and he unconsciously took a few steps backward. Then, he was frozen in place. Eyes open wide, he screamed incredulously, “Qin Mo, you’re a demonic cultivator!”
Black mist emerged from Qin Mo’s hands, diving into the two Attendants’ bodies. As the black mists surged inwards, Attendants Meng and He stopped struggling. Their faces turned black and blue, and a milky white light spilled from their mouths. Liu Qingzhou knew that must be the attendants’ souls. He watched as Qin Mo opened his mouth with glee. Qin Mo swallowed the two souls.
Liu Qingzhou felt darkness in front of him and he turned around, wanting to leave this place. Qin Mo released the two soulless corpses and shifted his attention to Liu Qingzhou.
Liu Qingzhou stiffened, and his voice trembled, “Let me go, I won’t say anything about you being a demonic cultivator!”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Qin Mo licked his lips, satisfied, and walked toward Liu Qingzhou.
Each of Qin Mo’s footsteps were like arrows to Liu Qingzhou’s heart. Fear swelled in his chest, and he knew today was bound to be bad. His eyes reddened, and he bit on the tip of his tongue. A mouthful of blood sprayed the air, and he started a technique.
This Blood Evasion Technique was Yunyin Sect’s secret. It was a teleportation skill that let a disciple, when encountering danger, instantly teleport to a blood relative. The cost was very high, however, and not only would they exhaust their cultivation, but it increased the difficulty of cultivation in the future.
Liu Qingzhou couldn’t consider that right now. His only thought was to stay alive. The bloody fog enveloped him, and he paled. He shouted, “Qin Mo, just you wait! I will tell everyone that you’re a demonic cultivator! When the time comes, you’ll be annihilated!”
Liu Qingzhou disappeared, but Qin Mo didn’t show a hint of worry. Instead, he smirked and said to himself, “That kid is so troublesome, but I had to let one go!”
When he finished, there was no trace of Qin Mo there. In his place, a black shadow that had appeared beside Lin Zizheng now took shape. The shadow wavered a little then vanished.
Alone, a breeze blew through the plain. Only two, dry, soulless corpses remained.
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire, Empress, Bet
Chapter 28
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Qin Mo entered the stone gate, and the little fox returned to the spirit animal bag. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
When they reached the last stone step, Qin Mo stopped, reached out to stop Lin Zizheng, and said, “Be careful, there’s something here!”
“Pa pa pa!” The sound of something flapping its wings had Qin Mo’s expression become serious. He gripped the long sword and secured Lin Zizheng behind him.
Lin Zizheng looked at Qin Mo’s back and licked his lips. His hands moved a little, but he didn’t say anything.
A scarlet color appeared in the darkness. Once their appearance could be seen, Qin Mo’s grip on the sword became tighter. Before them was a large group of blood bats.
They were black in color, usually hidden in the dark during the day, and they only showed their scarlet eyes when hunting. No one dared to underestimate them. One careless mistake could result in being sucked dry.
The blood bats were excited by the scent of fresh blood, eyes flashing with greed, and they swooped in the two cultivators’ direction.
Qin Mo’s wrist twisted, and the sword cast a dazzling arc in the air. The sword went downward and cut a large number of the bats. Even though he was powerful, he still couldn’t block thousands of blood bats. Soon, numerous blood bats broke away from his control and rushed toward Lin Zizheng.
Qin Mo’s pupils contracted, and he said, rather anxiously, “Be careful!”
He shifted the sword’s toward the bats in front of Lin Zizheng.
“Ah, Da-Shixiong. . .” he sighed, and a golden flame materialized in Lin Zizheng’s palm. As soon as the flame appeared, the blood bats stiffened. The flame increased, and it shrouded the blood bats. In no time, they disappeared.
In the twinkling of the fire, Lin Zizheng’s eyes shone and revealed an unusual emotion. Qin Mo heard him say, “Da-Shixiong, I can protect you too!”
This stunned Qin Mo. He didn’t know how to feel. This teenager before him seemed to have grown up. He was relieved but a little distressed too. In the end, he only said, “En,” and waved his sword, cutting down the blood bats, no longer watching out for Lin Zizheng.
Lin Zizheng’s lips raised upward at the corners, and he continued to handle the blood bats in front of him.
Even if the blood bats’ numbers were large, they aren’t as powerful as Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng together, and soon there remained no trace of them.
The two rested and adjusted their breathing then continued inward.
At the end of the stairs, there was a small path paved by stones. They slowed their pace, glanced at each other, and walked forward.
Qin Mo’s movement remained the same, but his speed slowed a little. Once he stepped on the path, an invisible but immense pressure pushed in on his body, and the pressure doubled with every step. His expression didn’t change but sweat gathered on his forehead. The path seemed to never end. Just as he thought that, black spots appeared in his vision. He could see Attendant Meng, He and Liu Qingzhou standing in front of him. They showed him a sinister smile and held a jade bowl in their hands. They raised the bowl in his direction and said, “This blood is so sweet!”
Looking at the bright red blood in the bowl, his pupils shrank. He returned his gaze back to them and noticed a powerless person lying on the ground, blood flowing nonstop from their wrists. This man was himself.
Qin Mo trembled, and his heart burst with a murderous aura. He swung his sword and cut down the person in front of him.
Weapons collided with a clang, and he forced Attendant Meng to retreat.
Then he head the person before him cry out, “Da-Shixiong!”
Da-Shixiong? Qin Mo stiffened. The hand holding the long sword came to a stop, and, the person in front of him rushed to him. They held his hands tightly and said, “Da-Shixiong, I am Lin Zizheng, what happened to you?”
He blinked a few times, and this made him see the situation in front of him clearly. It was Lin Zizheng that stood before him, but now he was in a bit of difficult position, one he caused a moment ago.
His eyebrows frowned, and he looked around at this imperceptible path. Not only did this path bring pressure, but it also drew forth the rage within cultivators’ heart, leading them into an illusion.
Looking at the slightly pale Lin Zizheng before him, a somewhat remorseful feeling rose in his heart, and he said dryly, “Sorry!”
Lin Zizheng smiled and he said, “It’s alright!”
Qin Mo nodded and looked at their hands together. He paused but didn’t say anything and walked forward with Lin Zizheng. Perhaps because they just came out from the illusion, but the path ahead was smooth and soon, they reached the end.
There was another large iron gate carved with many patterns that they didn’t understand, but the patterns were consistent with the ones on the stone gate.
Qin Mo nodded slightly to Lin Zizheng, and extended his hand to push the iron gate.
The iron gate opened, and a fierce aura emerged. Qin Mo immediately circulated his spirit energy, blocking the sword aura. When he saw the situation in front of him, a trace of amazement flashed through his eyes.
This was not a mysterious enclave, but a sword tomb, there were hundreds of spiritual swords speared into the ground.
They were all unique and had their own characteristics. If there was anything common about them, it’s that these spiritual swords carried immense spirit aura, which was extraordinary.
Qin Mo’s heart started beating a bit faster, and his eyes drifted to the left.
There was a long sword with a silver blade and a black hilt. It looked unremarkable within this sea of swords. But when he saw it, he couldn’t shift his gaze away, and his lightning fire Dantian jerked violently.
He walked one step at a time toward the spiritual sword.
He held the sword’s hilt and a sense of chill flowed from the spiritual sword into the palm of his hand. Simultaneously, the originally calm sword swayed uncontrollably and uttered a “buzzing” sound. It seemed to resist him.
His forehead wrinkled and he increased his strength. He wanted to pull the sword out from the ground but to his surprise, not matter how much he pulled, it won’t come out. It was as if the sword was connected to the ground. Faced with this situation, he coldly snorted, and circulated spirit power into his hand. At this moment, the lightning fire in his Dantian flew from his palm and wrapped around the spiritual sword.
Under his astonished gaze, the spiritual sword struggled a few more times then stopped moving, and it obediently let Qin Mo pull it out.
Admiring the long sword in his hand, Qin Mo felt joy in his heart, and he caressed the spiritual sword.
Just then, he felt the whole tomb shake and turned his head. He saw Lin Zizheng standing in the center of the sword tomb, holding the golden sword located there.
When Lin Zizheng pulled out the golden sword, the entire place started to shake, all the spiritual swords in the tomb rose up and their tips pointed in Lin Zizheng’s direction.
Qin Mo’s heart tensed. He couldn’t study the long sword in his hand, but with a slight movement, he came to Lin Zizheng’s side. Watching those spiritual swords shining with cold light, he felt a chill in his heart. He pulled Lin Zizheng aside and fled towards the exit.
“Buzz!” The violent vibration sounded in the air as the swords shot in their direction.
The spirit power inside Qin Mo quickly circulated, and he tugged Lin Zizheng along in a series of continuous dodges so none of the swords could hit them.
But his footsteps halted. When the long swords missed, it flew up again and gathered in front of the iron gate. If they exited there, they would be cut into pieces.
Lin Zizheng tightened his grip on the golden sword and looked at the swords as he poured spirit power into the sword. Qin Mo on the other hand scanned the surroundings and spotted a smaller stone gate on the southern side of the tomb. His eyes brightened, and he pulled Lin Zizheng that direction.
Lin Zizheng’s paused his movements, and immediately spotted the stone gate too. He followed Qin.
Those swords obviously had a spirit conscious, because the sword’s shone and also followed them.
When the door was pushed open, Qin Mo stopped. There was no exit in front of him, just a small space that could accommodate a few people and a teleportation array in the middle.
“Bang!” A loud noise came from behind them as the spiritual swords smashed the stone door into pieces. Qin Mo couldn’t think much so he tugged Lin Zizheng along and walked into the teleportation array.
White light flashed across their vision and they stood on solid ground again. Qin Mo’s body shook a little but fortunately, Lin Zizheng was always there to support him.
Before Qin Mo could say anything, a familiar voice said, “Qin Mo, how did you suddenly get here?”
When Qin Mo lifted his head to look towards the voice, he saw the blue- robed Kong Xiao to one side, casually playing with a folded fan in his hand and looking at him with doubt.
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire Proofer(s): Bet
Chapter 29
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Now, Qin Mo stood in a room surrounded by four stone pillars carved with numerous, complicated soaring dragon patterns. These four pillars supported the entire hall, and three prayer mats laid in the center.
The prayer mats were ordinary as if woven from common weeds. But the oddest thing was the large circle of pale-yellow light enclosing the prayer mats.
In addition to Kong Xiao, there are many other cultivators. Qin Mo even saw a few disciples from Yueqing Sect. These cultivators either stood or sat, scattered throughout the hall. When they spotted Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng, their expressions changed a little.
When Qin Mo swept through the crowd, except for the few disciples of Yueqing Sect, their expression revealed traces of unhappiness. Small doubts appeared in their hearts, but their faces remained silent.
Kong Xiao narrowed his eyes. He sized up the somewhat confused Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng. The corner of his mouth curved upward, and he said, “Qin Mo-xiong, did you also came here to undergo the prayer mat inheritance?”
“The prayer mat inheritance?” Qin Mo’s thin lips twitched down a little, and doubt flashed in his eyes. The way Qin Mo’s face responded; Kong Xiao’s eyes sparkled. He opened the folded fan in his hand and fanned himself, “The prayer mat inheritance is the most mysterious existence in Huantian’s secret territory.”
He paused and pointed to the prayer mats in the middle of the hall, “Those are the prayer mat inheritance. Right now, they have not been activated. Once that pale-yellow light disappears, sit atop it, and you will receive an inheritance. This so-called inheritance, not only will it improve cultivation, but it will also present a cultivator with the most suitable skill according to their spirit roots and qualifications, but…”
Kong Xiao’s gaze turned and swept across the crowd, “The prayer mat only accepts a cultivator under the age of a hundred, which means….” He closed the fan with a “pa” sound and looked at Qin Mo, “Only cultivators with true talent can sit on these prayer mats.”
Qin Mo’s eyebrows wrinkled, and Kong Xiao’s heart moved. He knew Qin Mo’s thoughts. He laughed once and said, “I won’t lie to you, this is all recorded on the stone tablet by the door!”
After listening to his explanation, Qin Mo heart immediately understood why everyone in the room carried unpleasant expressions. There are only three prayer mats, but there are many more cultivators under the age of one hundred. Their arrival obviously put pressure on everyone else.
Qin Mo’s face remained unchanged. He nodded to Kong Xiao and said, “Many thanks.” He understood that Kong Xiao had informed him of this out of kindness, and he was grateful.
Then he glanced at several people following Kong Xiao. Qin Mo’s eyebrows wrinkled slightly, and he walked toward the Yueqing Sect’s disciples with Lin Zizheng.
Kong Xiao paused, moving his fan, and the corners of his mouth curled. With some dissatisfaction, he said, “So cold and ruthless! Tossed away once finished!” Ignoring everyone’s eyes on him, Qin Mo went straight to his fellow disciples. These disciples wore expressions of slight embarrassment, and he could guess they had experienced difficulties.
He twirled his fingertips, and several bottles of condensation spirit pills appeared in his hands. He ignored the excited, worshipful gazes of the disciples, placed the condensation spirit pill in their hands and sat on the ground. He meditated on his breathing, his expression indifferent, and only the corner of his mouth raised a little.
Lin Zizheng scanned their surroundings and did not adjust his breathing like Qin Mo. Instead, he stood in front of Qin Mo and blocked the ambiguous gazes around him.
Not far from them stood a group of beautiful women. A woman in white clothes with an even more outstanding appearance lead them. Her eyes lingered at Qin Mo, and her brows knitted. Now that Qin Mo had come too, with the unknown strength of Kong Xiao, she was afraid this prayer mat battle would be extremely intense.
This in mind, she took out a piece of jade slip from her Qiankun bag and pushed her spirit power into it. There was a faint glimmer on the jade slip, and then no further reaction.
The woman’s eyebrows knitted tighter after seeing the jade slip’s reaction. What happened to Attendant Meng and He? They lost contact with the attendants once they entered the secret territory. Dissatisfaction glimmered in her eyes. When she returned this time, she would report this matter to the sect head. Men were so unreliable.
Time passed when suddenly the whole hall shook violently. Qin Mo opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.
The pale-yellow light around the three prayer mats had disappeared. Strangest of all, the originally simple prayer mats now had a bit of golden light around them, giving them a somewhat mysterious air. Everyone’s eyes lit up, then they turned red. They looked warily at the people around them but did not take immediate action. They all knew that whoever went forward would become everyone’s target.
The whole hall quieted down.
Qin Mo’s eyes flickered a little, and he glanced at Lin Zizheng beside him. Lin Zizheng nodded, and he slowly stood up.
The whole hall was silent, and Qin Mo’s movement became everyone’s focus.
Even with so many people watching, Qin Mo’s footstep remains unurgent and languid as he walked toward the prayer mats.
The moment he approached a prayer mat, someone finally lost their temper. A figure appeared in the oblique direction, blocking Qin Mo’s way and glared at his icy face. Their voice trembled but they still said stubbornly, “Qin… Qin Mo, even if you are Yueqing Sect’s Da-Shixing, you shouldn’t sieze the prayer mat so directly!”
Since someone came out and blocked Qin Mo, many faces in the crowd turned red, and they came to Qin Mo and shouted in agreement, “That’s right! What this brother said is correct, there aren’t that many Yueqing Sect here! Why do you get to sieze a prayer mat!”
Listening to their shouting, the disciples of Yueqing Sect quickly came to Qin Mo’s side. As the leader looked down upon them, he coldly snorted and said, “Our Da-Shixiong has the talent!”
Faced with this situation, Kong Xiao narrowed his eyes. Blocked by a few people, who were ready to start trouble, behind him, his tone became unexpectedly cold, “You’re all just a bunch of buffoons in the qi refining period!”
The white-clothed woman’s footsteps came forward. But when she looked at Qin Mo’s indifferent face, she ground her teeth and stopped. She said, “Look again!” Qin Mo turned and swept his gaze over the crowd in front of him, his tone even, “Then what do you guys want?”
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire Proofer(s): Bet
Chapter 30
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Qin Mo’s tone was ordinary, but the people he observed unconsciously started to panic.
One of them went pale, his eyes flashing as he spoke, “As long as you can beat us…”
Some of Yueqing Sect disciples’ eyes revealed shameful feelings, but before they could say anything Qin Mo waved his long sleeves.
“Alright!” He looked at the longsword in his hand. Even though it hadn’t recognized a master yet, it could still be used now. “Everyone can come at once.”
Qin Mo’s tone remained even, but his attitude made his words arrogant. The people opposite of him first hesitated then flushed red with fury.
The man who had spoken earlier raised the weapon in his hand and shouted, “Qin Mo, don’t be so arrogant!” His face serious, he turned to the crowd and called, “My fellow cultivators, make him understand how powerful we are!”
Qin Mo raised his eyebrows as he pushed several Yueqing Sect disciples behind him.
The other side had several more people and attacks that could leave everyone dazed. Qin Mo’s face remained unchanged. With a twist of his wrist, spirit power was drawn into the longsword. It swirled in the air, creating an invisible barrier around him, and blocked every attack.
The man’s face curled into hideous disgust. Putting away his weapons, he swung his hands quickly through the air, almost as if forming a sealing art.
“Everyone, please, come help!” He cried out, his face turning red as he looked back at the people behind him. Just as he finished yelling, a fierce yellow tiger appeared in mid-air.
One of the high-level skills, when a cultivator performed this seal art, they would use their own spirit power to form a fierce tiger. After it was created, though, it needed a constant input of spirit power to increase its strength.
The people behind him were stunned at first, but once they understood, their faces darkened. One by one, they started contributing their spirit power to the tiger.
In the blink of an eye, the tiger grew, radiating a yellow light. Its feet stomped powerfully in the air, and it turned its bloodthirsty gaze on Qin Mo.
The tiger rushed at him.
Confronted with the tiger, his eyes turned sharp. The longsword shook as he transferred aura from his Dantian to the blade, making it fly into the tiger’s path.
As the sword moved, a burst of purple light emitted from it. Within the light, flickers of lightning set the whole hall alight.
Blinded by the intense light, a horrible whimper from the tiger rang out across the room.
Once everyone could open their eyes again, the tiger was gone, and the sword was back in Qin Mo’s hand. Their faces paled. Qin Mo touched the sword in his hand, promising to prepare a scabbard. Lifting his eyes to the crowd, he remained indifferent though his thin lips curled upward. “You let me win!”
He glanced over everyone in the hall, and his gaze lingered on Lin Zizheng. His lips parted, but he didn’t say a word. Lifting the hem of his robe, he sat atop the first praying mat.
The crowd’s eyes flashed as they watched Qin Mo, but no one spoke.
With his strength exhibited for all to see, the hall fell silent.
A “bang” rang out, followed by Kong Xiao’s laughter. The silence destroyed, he called out, “Since no one else wants the second praying mat, refusing it would be impolite!”
Finished, he crossed the room to the praying mat.
“Humph! Kong Xiao, you better not dream of it!” A crisp shout rang out, and the woman dressed in white chased after Kong Xiao.
When Kong Xiao didn’t stop, her face turned black. Conjuring a ribbon known as the Red Heaven Silk, she waved it through the air. As if it had a life of its own, it flew towards Kong Xiao.
Sensing the Red Heaven Silk’s attack from behind, Kong Xiao sidestepped.
The attack missed, and the ribbon changed directions to strike again.
The attack drew closer. Kong Xiao flicked open the fan in his hand and flicked it in the ribbon’s direction. An eerie green light flashed, landing on top of the Red Heaven Silk and stopping its attack.
Noticing the woman’s angry expression, he grinned and mused, “So, you’re the Yunyin Sect’s fairy, Fang Yue. How rude of me.”
At Yunyin’s name, Qin Mo’s eyes shifted to the woman in white. Reaching foundation building some time ago, Fang Yu was the eldest daughter of the Yunyin Sect’s elder. She held a high position in the Yunyin Sect, incomparable to Liu Qingzhou.
Face flashing anger, Fang Yue snorted at Kong Xiao’s ironic tone. The Red Heaven Silk began to dance again, flying in his direction.
He smiled as he approached the praying mat and ignored the ribbon aiming for him.
Fang Yue snorted again, the attack becoming more vicious.
A figure in black appeared, waving his hand and seizing the Red Heaven Silk. He blocked all of Fang Yue’s motions.
“Spirit solitude!” Fang Yue gave a heated glared in Kong Xiao’s direction. Reluctantly, she withdrew her weapon. She was no match for a spirit solitude cultivator.
When the spirit solitude cultivator entered the crowd again, Fang Yue tightly clutched the Red Heaven Silk. The Yueqing Sect’s spirit solitude cultivators wouldn’t appear here since they all explored the abandoned celestial mansion.
On the other hand, her Yunyin Sect’s two attendants were nowhere to be found. If they were present, she wouldn’t have wound up in this disadvantageous position.
Catching a glimpse of a figure heading for the third praying mat, fury flooded her chest. Tossing the Red Heaven Silk towards them, she cried, “You dare!”
As the Red Heaven Silk neared, a sword appeared and blocked it. Her eyebrows jerking upwards, she turned to Qin Mo. Angrily, she called out, “Qin Mo, what is the meaning of this?”
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Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): DarkSapphire, Empress Proofer(s): Bet, AyN