novelonline Chapter 1423 The Initial Success of the Brahma Saint True Demon Art.
Chapter 1423 The Initial Success of the Brahma Saint True Demon Art.
The Great Jin Dynasty, on the border of Liaozhou.
This place borders the Mulan Grassland, but its landscape is quite different. The vastness and desolation of the grassland have gradually been replaced by undulating mountains and scattered towns, and the spiritual atmosphere seems to have become more intense and orderly.
On this day, two striking streaks of light, one dark and one azure, descended from the horizon and quietly landed outside a sizable cultivator town on the border of Liaozhou. The light faded, revealing the figures of Qin Hao and Han Li.
The two entered the town and found a quiet teahouse, specially opened for cultivators, with an elegant ambiance. They sat down in a secluded room by the window. The aroma of spiritual tea wafted through the air, but Han Li frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Qin Hao and asked again to confirm:
"Senior brother, the method you mentioned before, which could resolve the hidden dangers accumulated in my body due to cultivating evil energy, requires finding a profound Buddhist cultivation technique to practice?"
Qin Hao naturally understood what Han Li was worried about. He took a sip of the spiritual tea and smiled calmly.
"Junior Brother Han, you are being a bit too cautious. Now that you have reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage, in terms of actual combat strength, you might not be without a fighting chance even against an ordinary late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Looking at the cultivation world of the Great Jin Dynasty, although it is full of hidden talents, with our strength, what difficulty is there in finding a suitable Buddhist cultivation technique?"
Han Li thought about it and agreed. Unlike Tiannan, which suffered from the cleansing by ancient demons and was thus short of resources, the Great Jin Dynasty had a much better preservation of various cultivation materials and manuals. It shouldn't be a problem to exchange some rare materials for a set of Buddhist cultivation techniques. If all else fails, it's not out of the question to find a Buddhist Nascent Soul cultivator to kill and plunder the treasure.
Having understood this, Han Li's brows relaxed, and he cupped his hands to Qin Hao, saying, "Senior Brother is absolutely right. I was being too rigid. Thank you for your guidance."
With their objective clear, Han Li's deeply ingrained cautious nature began to take effect. After a moment's thought, he proactively suggested to Qin Hao, "Senior Brother, now that we've arrived in the Great Jin, why don't we split up? I'd like to explore the Liaozhou area on my own first, familiarize myself with the surroundings, and also inquire about Buddhist cultivation techniques. What do you think?"
He phrased it tactfully, but Qin Hao understood. Han Li felt that traveling with him would make him too conspicuous and his style too "obvious," fearing that they might inexplicably provoke a powerful enemy of the Tuwu tribe's Great Immortal Master level, just like they had in the Tianlan Grassland.
Qin Hao saw through it but didn't point it out. He simply smiled and nodded in agreement: "Very well. The Great Jin territory is vast, so splitting up will be more efficient. Junior Brother Han, be careful. If anything troublesome happens, send me a message immediately."
"Take care, senior brother." Han Li cupped his hands again, then stood up and transformed into an inconspicuous blue rainbow, blending into the crowd in the town streets and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After Han Li left, Qin Hao did not linger in the town. He went directly outside the town, summoned the Ink Dragon Boat, and in a flash stood at the bow, steering the dark green dragon boat towards the predetermined direction—Guan Ning Prefecture, located at the westernmost end of Liaozhou.
Guan Ning Prefecture was located on the border of Liaozhou and was relatively remote. Qin Hao piloted the black dragon boat westward for seven or eight days before finally entering the territory of Guan Ning Prefecture.
Along the way, the number of cultivators was noticeably small. It was often difficult to sense even a strong spiritual energy fluctuation after flying hundreds of miles. The cultivators encountered were mostly low-level cultivators in the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages, which was obviously related to the relatively thin spiritual energy and scarce resources in this area.
On this day, Qin Hao passed over a small town where mortals and low-level cultivators lived together. He did not land, but only briefly scanned the area with his divine sense before continuing to ride his escape light towards the continuous mountain range known locally as the "Snow Ridge Mountain Range," a thousand miles away from the town.
After flying for about half a day, they ventured deep into the heart of the Snow Ridge Mountains. Qin Hao stopped his escape light above a seemingly ordinary valley, his powerful divine sense sweeping downwards like mercury, carefully probing the area.
"Judging from the terrain, the entrance to King Xuan Ye's ancient tomb should be nearby," Qin Hao thought to himself.
After a moment's thought, the immense spiritual pressure surrounding him, which belonged to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, quickly subsided and decreased. In just a short while, he used a secret technique to suppress it to a level equivalent to only the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
At the same time, he changed into an ordinary blue Taoist robe and made some adjustments to his appearance, making him look like a low-level rogue cultivator who was venturing into the mountains to search for spiritual herbs.
After making preparations, Qin Hao descended his escape light and landed on the ground. He began to pretend to wander aimlessly through the mountains and forests, sometimes squatting down to examine the plants and trees, and sometimes looking up and around. His acting was quite realistic.
They spent two days wandering in the mountains.
On the third day, when he stepped into a dark and eerie mountain valley shrouded in dense miasma, a strange change occurred!
The mountain wind, which had been slightly chilly, suddenly became fierce and biting, whipping up the withered branches and leaves on the ground and making strange "whooshing" sounds, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.
Immediately afterwards, a thick, oppressive black aura of decay and death surged forth from the ground like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire mountain valley!
Qin Hao chuckled inwardly; the fish had taken the bait. But on his face, he promptly revealed an expression of extreme horror and fear, his whole body trembling as if he were being suppressed by the terrifying corpse energy and yin wind, unable to move, and unable to even use the most basic wind control technique.
Just when he showed his most "helpless" moment—
"Whoosh!"
A blurry black shadow, as fast as lightning, silently darted out from somewhere underground! The shadow seemed to have no physical form, but was just a condensed mass of yin energy and resentment, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. It instantly wrapped around Qin Hao's "stiff" body and then pulled him downwards!
Qin Hao did not resist, but went with the flow. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his body plummeted rapidly. He heard the rustling sound of soil and gravel being broken apart. In the blink of an eye, he was carried by the dark figure through the thick layer of soil and landed in a completely different underground space.
As his feet touched the ground, the chilling power that had been binding him vanished. Qin Hao steadied himself and quickly scanned his surroundings.
This is an extremely vast underground palace, ancient and eerie in style, constructed from massive, dark blue-green stones. The palace ceiling is inlaid with gems that emit a ghostly green light, providing a faint glow that illuminates the shadowy scenes below.
Most striking were the squads of soldiers clad in ancient, tattered armor, wielding rusted weapons, and exuding a thick aura of death, silently patrolling the palace corridors and plazas with stiff, orderly steps. Their eyes flickered with eerie green flames, and most possessed an aura around the Foundation Establishment stage. Numbering in the hundreds or thousands, they resembled a well-trained army of corpse soldiers!
The dark figure that had abducted Qin Hao now revealed part of its form, appearing as a ghostly being with a wisp of flesh and a ferocious face. It seemed quite pleased with itself, holding Qin Hao, its "trophy," and was about to fly towards a certain direction deep within the palace, clearly heading to claim credit from its superior, the "general."
However, in the instant the vengeful ghost turned around—
"laugh!"
A golden light, incredibly condensed and sharp, burst forth from Qin Hao's fingertip without warning, effortlessly cleaving the corpse soldier, whose cultivation was equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage, in two!
Before the corpse soldier could even utter a scream, its body suddenly disintegrated, turning into pure yin energy and dissipating, leaving only a small ** lying on the ground.
But the sudden golden light and energy fluctuations had already alerted the patrolling zombie soldiers nearby!
"Roar!"
"Crench!"
The once orderly zombie soldiers instantly swarmed like startled wasps, letting out low growls, their ghostly flames flickering wildly in their eye sockets, brandishing their weapons, and surging towards Qin Hao's location like a tidal wave! In an instant, the air was thick with the aura of death and the killing intent palpable!
Faced with this torrent of hundreds upon hundreds of corpse soldiers, enough to make even a Golden Core cultivator's scalp tingle, Qin Hao didn't even bother to lift an eyelid. He didn't even bother to take action himself, simply patting the spirit beast pouch at his waist.
"Squeak!"
A flash of silver light appeared, and the Soul-Crying Beast, covered in gleaming silver fur and with a long, curled nose, excitedly leaped onto his shoulder. Seeing so much "delicious" Yin Soul Corpse Qi, the little creature cried out happily twice, then suddenly swung its long nose forward, generating a powerful suction force from its nostrils targeting the Yin Soul Corpse Qi!
"Huhuhu——!"
Like a whale sucking in water! The surging corpse soldiers, whether it was the Yin Soul core within their bodies or the corpse energy swirling around them, were utterly powerless against this terrifying suction force! They were torn off the ground in large swathes, howling and writhing, as they were sucked into that seemingly small nostril!
In the short span of a dozen breaths, the once dense and menacing army of corpse soldiers vanished without a trace, leaving only tattered armor and weapons clattering to the ground. The entire palace courtyard was now empty!
"Hiccup~~~"
The Soul-Crying Beast let out a loud, satisfied burp, patted its round little belly with its tiny paws, and smacked its lips with lingering enjoyment, as if these "appetizers" tasted pretty good.
Just then, a roar filled with shock, rage, and overwhelming corpse energy resounded from the depths of the palace like a thunderclap:
"You audacious madman! How dare you act so recklessly in my mausoleum and slaughter my personal guards! You're courting death!"
Before the words were finished, a powerful pressure far exceeding that of all the previous corpse soldiers suddenly descended! Three figures exuding dense corpse energy and powerful spiritual pressure appeared like ghosts at the entrance of the main hall of the palace.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in a black dragon robe, wearing a crown, with a majestic yet bloodless face. His corpse aura was so condensed that it was almost tangible, and his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm! He was none other than the master of this place—Xuan Ye, the Corpse King!
To his left was a beautiful woman in palace attire. Although she had become a corpse, her former beauty was still evident. However, her face was pale and her eyes were cold. Her cultivation was at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage. She should be the Princess Consort of Xuan Ye.
On the right is a young man, also dressed in a python robe, with a sinister face. His aura is similar to that of the princess, and he is also in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He must be Crown Prince Xuan Ye.
These three corpse kings clearly cultivated some kind of extremely profound corpse refining technique, and their physical strength was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
Qin Hao gently patted the head of the Howling Soul Beast on his shoulder, signaling it to calm down. His gaze swept calmly over the three Corpse Kings opposite him, who appeared to be facing a formidable enemy, finally settling on the leader, Xuan Ye Corpse King, his tone slightly nonchalant:
"You lot are not worthy to ask my name. Just die already!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, was first taken aback. Then, he carefully scanned Qin Hao with his divine sense. When he sensed the spiritual pressure emanating from Qin Hao's seemingly ordinary appearance—a pressure equal to or even greater than his own—his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock:
"Late Nascent Soul stage! Who exactly are you?!"
Faced with Xuan Ye, the Corpse King's astonished question, Qin Hao didn't bother to answer. He lightly stomped his foot, and like an arrow released from a bow, he charged towards the three Corpse Kings!
"Nether River Corpse, Protective Mystic Qi!" King Xuan Ye was both shocked and furious. He, along with the Queen and the Crown Prince, activated their techniques simultaneously. Dense black corpse energy emanated from their bodies, instantly condensing into a thick light shield around them. It seemed as if the Nether River was flowing on it, making its defensive power astonishing.
At the same time, they swung their claws, creating gusts of black wind that tore through space, and attacked Qin Hao.
However, Qin Hao neither dodged nor evaded their attacks, and didn't even unleash the Sky-Splitting Armor-Piercing Blade. He simply activated the fourth level of the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art!
"Buzz!"
Golden light instantly enveloped his entire body, transforming him into an immortal war god. The black gusts of wind, powerful enough to easily tear apart early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, merely hissed and scraped against his body, which resembled a gilded Buddha statue, without even leaving a white mark!
"How is this possible?!" Princess Xuan Ye screamed, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Your physical body..." Crown Prince Xuan Ye was also shocked.
Qin Hao's eyes were icy cold, and his speed suddenly exploded, appearing before Princess Xuan Ye first. He unleashed a punch, devoid of any fancy moves, only pure, extreme power!
"Oh!"
That seemingly solid "Nether River Corpse Protective Aura" shattered like paper before Qin Hao's fist! The fist continued its momentum, landing solidly on Princess Xuan Ye's chest!
There was no scream, only a dull, eerie sound of flesh and bone being instantly crushed! Princess Xuan Ye's entire upper body was reduced to a puddle of flesh mixed with broken bones and corpse energy by that single punch! Only her legs remained standing for a moment before collapsing limply to the ground. A panicked nascent soul, which had just escaped, was instantly extinguished by Qin Hao with a casual flick of his finger.
"My beloved concubine!!!" Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, cried out in fury.
"Mother!" Crown Prince Xuan Ye roared in grief, rushing towards Qin Hao as if possessed.
"You're asking for death!" Qin Hao sneered, slightly shifting his body to avoid the prince's attack. He then swung his elbow back like a dragon's tail, slamming it hard into the prince's back!
"Crack!" A sickening sound of bone breaking rang out.
Crown Prince Xuan Ye's protective aura also collapsed instantly. His entire spine was shattered by the elbow strike, and his chest cavity caved in dramatically! He spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling blood, and his body flew out like a broken sack. Even in mid-air, his flesh began to shatter inch by inch, and finally exploded with a "bang," following in his mother's footsteps. His nascent soul also failed to escape.
In the blink of an eye, the two early-stage Nascent Soul Corpse Kings were utterly crushed by Qin Hao with pure physical strength!
"No—! My son! My beloved concubine!" Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, watched his wife and son perish before his eyes, letting out a desperate and frantic roar, his eyes instantly turning blood red.
He suddenly opened his mouth, and a bead the size of a longan, golden in color, yet exuding extreme corpse energy, slowly flew out of his mouth—it was the Heavenly Corpse Bead, which he had cultivated for ten thousand years and condensed his life's cultivation into!
He actually intended to detonate the pearl himself, taking Qin Hao with him to his death!
However, Qin Hao had already anticipated this move. Just as the Heavenly Corpse Pearl broke free from Xuan Ye's control, its energy became extremely unstable, and it was on the verge of exploding—
"Shocking Thrust!"
An invisible yet incredibly sharp divine consciousness spike appeared between Qin Hao's brows, traversing space at a speed beyond comprehension, and piercing the subtle divine consciousness connection between Xuan Ye Corpse King and the Heavenly Corpse Pearl!
"Ugh!" Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, let out a shrill scream, clutching his head and kneeling on the ground. His connection with the Heavenly Corpse Pearl was forcibly severed!
The Heavenly Corpse Pearl, which had lost control and was about to go berserk, was caught by Qin Hao with lightning speed. He reached out and grabbed it from mid-air, and a gentle magical power enveloped and suppressed it, steadily taking it into his hand.
The violent energy on the bead quickly subsided, restoring its golden appearance.
At the same time, Qin Hao used his other hand to flick out several restrictive runes, which entered the body of Xuan Ye Corpse King, who had temporarily lost the ability to resist due to damage to his divine consciousness, completely sealing his nascent soul and physical body, rendering him unable to move.
Upon seeing this, the Corpse King Xuan Ye was terrified; the fear of death instantly overwhelmed him. He struggled to speak, trying to beg for mercy: "Senior... please spare my life... I'm willing..."
However, Qin Hao was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. He lightly patted the eager Soul-Crying Beast on the shoulder.
"squeak!"
The Soul-Crying Beast let out an excited cry, and its long nose, like a snake emerging from its hole, suddenly coiled up, generating a suction force specifically targeting the nascent soul. It forcibly pulled the sealed nascent soul of the Corpse King Xuan Ye out of his crown chakra!
"No—!" Xuan Ye Corpse King's nascent soul let out a final desperate wail before being sucked into the nose of the Soul-Crying Beast, becoming another delicious meal for it.
As for Xuan Ye's corpse king's late-stage Nascent Soul body, which had lost its Nascent Soul but was of excellent quality, Qin Hao naturally wouldn't waste it. He carefully examined it, then cast several reinforcing and binding talismans to ensure it wouldn't turn into a corpse or lose its spiritual energy. He then took out a crystal coffin that he had prepared beforehand, carefully placed it inside, closed the lid, set up a restriction, and then put it into his storage bag.
With a little refinement, this physical body could become a top-tier Heavenly Capital Corpse Puppet at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage!
After dealing with Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, Qin Hao's gaze fell on the golden bead in his hand.
"This is the Heavenly Corpse Pearl?" He murmured to himself, sensing the extremely pure and cold energy and some peculiar body-tempering substance contained within it.
Then, he flashed into the depths of the palace, into the main tomb chamber of the Corpse King Xuan Ye. After a careful search, he indeed found another Heavenly Corpse Pearl of the same quality in a hidden compartment under the coffin.
Of course, as a Corpse King who ruled over a region and cultivated for ten thousand years, King Xuan Ye's accumulated wealth was astonishing. Qin Hao swept away several hidden treasure vaults in his tomb, obtaining a large amount of rare materials, spirit stones, and many cultivation manuals.
These treasures indeed contain many valuable items. There are several "Vajra Relics" left behind by eminent Buddhist monks after their passing, each containing pure Buddhist power. The rare materials for crafting magical artifacts and puppets are piled up like mountains, many of which Qin Hao had only seen patterns on the list given by the Great Evolution Divine Lord. In addition, there are dozens of jade slips recording cultivation techniques.
Qin Hao scanned the jade slips with his divine sense, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. Among them was a crucial part of his journey—the complete cultivation method of the "Ming Wang Jue"! In addition, there were several other Buddhist cultivation methods of considerable quality, such as the "Vajra Subduing Demon Technique" and the "Heart Sutra."
These must have been spoils of war that Xuan Ye, the Corpse King, plundered after killing the Buddhist monks who came to subdue demons.
Now that he had obtained his most important goal, the "Ming Wang Technique," Qin Hao was too lazy to look for another place. This Xuan Ye Ancient Tomb was located in a remote area, heavily guarded, making it an excellent place for seclusion. He simply decided to begin cultivating the "Ming Wang Technique" right here in this ancient tomb.
He cleared out a relatively clean side room with less corpse energy, set up protective and spirit-gathering formations, and prepared to go into seclusion.
"Kid, you're really lucky." From within the Soul-Nourishing Wood, the Great Evolution Divine Lord sighed with a hint of envy: "This Heavenly Corpse Pearl is the essence of the Corpse King, containing extremely pure Yin attribute energy and a unique body-tempering substance, which can greatly shorten the time you need to cultivate the 'Ming King Technique,' temper your physical body, and condense Buddhist power!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao smiled calmly: "Senior, this thing is extremely poisonous. It might not be appropriate to refine it directly, would it?"
“Naturally, it cannot be refined directly.” The Great Evolution Divine Lord said, “I have a recipe for an ancient spiritual liquid here. If you prepare it according to the recipe, soak these two Heavenly Corpse Pearls in the spiritual liquid for seven days and seven nights, it will remove all the stubborn corpse poison and leave only the purest body-tempering energy.”
As he spoke, a complex prescription entered Qin Hao's mind.
Qin Hao memorized the prescription and checked the ingredients in his storage bag. He found that most of them were present, and the missing items could be replaced with those from King Xuan Ye's collection. He immediately set to work, preparing a large bucket of spiritual liquid that emitted a strange, pleasant fragrance, and then carefully placed two Heavenly Corpse Pearls into it.
As soon as the Heavenly Corpse Pearl entered the spiritual liquid, wisps of black gas began to emerge from its surface, accompanied by a soft "sizzling" sound, clearly indicating that it was being purified and detoxified.
During this time, Qin Hao was not idle either. He had the "intelligent brain" in his sea of consciousness begin to fully deduce the cultivation process of the "Ming Wang Jue", establish an energy model, and optimize the operation route, in order to achieve twice the result with half the effort when he formally began cultivation.
After seven days and seven nights, the spiritual liquid turned as black as ink and had a pungent, fishy stench. Meanwhile, the two Heavenly Corpse Pearls at the bottom of the bucket became even more golden and dazzling, crystal clear, and no longer had any trace of corpse aura or coldness. Instead, they exuded a warm and mellow aura, yet contained a hidden fierce power.
Qin Hao took out the purified Heavenly Corpse Pearl, felt the pure and enormous energy within it, and nodded in satisfaction.
Immediately, he sat cross-legged in the center of the formation and began to formally cultivate the "Mingwang Technique".
Although this "Ming Wang Jue" belongs to Buddhism, its cultivation method is vastly different from ordinary Buddhist techniques, being extremely domineering and fierce. The pain generated during cultivation is like being in purgatory, which is unbearable for ordinary cultivators. The slightest carelessness can destroy one's meridians or even lead to qi deviation.
However, for Qin Hao, who had already cultivated the Heaven-Supporting Demon Art to the fourth level and whose physical strength was comparable to that of a body-refining demon beast of the same level, this pain was naturally nothing.
Guided by the optimized cultivation path provided by the "AI Brain," Qin Hao's cultivation progressed smoothly. In just over a month, he rapidly advanced the "Ming Wang Jue" to the second level! A faint golden luster appeared on his skin, and his physical strength and power had even improved slightly beyond the foundation of the Tuo Tian Demon Art!
However, as expected, the progress of the "Mingwang Jue" began to slow down after reaching the second level.
Without hesitation, Qin Hao took out a purified Heavenly Corpse Pearl, swallowed it, and refined it before entering a state of cultivation once again.
This time, the situation was completely different! The pure energy within the Heavenly Corpse Pearl, tempered by the Nascent Soul True Fire, slowly dissolved into his body, nourishing his physical form!
Time stands still in the mountains, and years are not counted in cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed.
Over the past twenty years, Qin Hao has used up two purified Heavenly Corpse Pearls. With the vast and pure energy they provide, along with his own unwavering will and the assistance of his "intelligent brain," he has finally succeeded in cultivating this domineering and powerful Buddhist body-refining technique, "Ming Wang Jue," to the seventh level of perfection!
At this moment, when he sits in meditation, he has a solemn and dignified appearance, with faint golden Buddhist light flowing around his body; once he activates his cultivation technique, he is like a wrathful king, his blood and qi are like a furnace, and his physical strength reaches an unprecedented and terrifying level. If we simply compare physical strength, even a level ten demon beast would be ashamed of itself!
Of course, this is just the beginning.
Subsequently, Qin Hao spent another five years meditating and comprehending. Relying on the powerful deductive ability of his "intelligent brain," and using the sacred techniques of the demon race recorded in the "True Scroll of the Brahma Saint" as a blueprint and bridge, he attempted to integrate the "Ming King Technique" and the "Heaven-Supporting Demon Technique," refining and eliminating their dross.
This is an extremely complex and dangerous process. If it weren't for the "intelligent brain" conducting countless simulations and deductions to avoid most of the risks, it would have taken at least another hundred years of hard work to achieve successful integration.
Five years later, Qin Hao suddenly opened his eyes in the quiet room, and a golden swastika and black magic patterns seemed to flash and disappear simultaneously in his eyes! He let out a low shout, and his aura suddenly changed!
It was no longer just Buddhist light or demonic energy, but a more ancient and primal power that seemed to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth flowing around him! Behind him, a phantom image, three zhang tall, with three heads and six arms, and a face that was sometimes compassionate, sometimes angry, and sometimes majestic, slowly condensed and appeared!
Although this Dharma form was still somewhat blurry and limited by Qin Hao's late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, it could only maintain its most basic form and could not unleash great supernatural powers such as the "Nirvana Holy Body," let alone the ultimate transformations of the first, second, and third Nirvanas. Even so, the pressure emanating from this "Brahma Saint True Dharma Form" was already terrifying to the extreme!
Qin Hao had a clear intuition that if he were to unleash the full power of his "True Magic Form" at this moment, its power would be enough to make even a Nascent Soul cultivator change color! If the opponent were to take it head-on, they would probably have to consider how much precious lifespan they would need to expend to withstand it!
"Finally... a preliminary success." Qin Hao slowly withdrew his cultivation technique, and the Dharma image behind him also dissipated. A trace of fatigue appeared on his face, but more than that, he was excited and satisfied.
“Boy, if you continue in seclusion like this, my remaining soul won’t last much longer…” From within the Soul Nourishing Wood came the extremely weak, even faint, voice of the Great Evolution Divine Lord.
Qin Hao suddenly realized that his seclusion, from beginning to end, had actually lasted for twenty-five years!
Although the Great Evolution Divine Lord relied on the Soul Nourishing Wood for nurturing, his soul power was still slowly dissipating. He urgently needed several core materials required to refine the late-stage Nascent Soul puppet to stabilize or even enhance his soul power in order to carry out the subsequent puppet refining.
Urged anxiously by the Great Evolutionary Lord, Qin Hao finally decided to emerge from seclusion.
He carefully cleaned up all the traces he had left in the ancient tomb, then quietly left the Snow Ridge Mountains and began traveling within the Great Jin Dynasty to collect the last few materials needed to make a late-stage Nascent Soul puppet.
They traveled from the relatively remote Liaozhou to the more prosperous Nanjun, a place teeming with cultivation forces.
However, the last few materials required by the Great Evolution Divine Lord—Radiant Crystal, Five Elements Jade, and others—were all rare treasures, extremely scarce even in the resource-rich Great Jin Dynasty. Qin Hao searched through several large markets and well-known merchant guilds in Nan County, but to no avail.
"Hmph, this Great Jin cultivation world, hailed as a holy land for cultivation in the mortal realm, seems to be nothing more than this! Even at the grand trade fair held once every ten years, they couldn't find a single material that I needed!" The Great Evolution Divine Lord's tone was filled with disappointment and barely concealed anxiety. His soul's condition seemed even worse than Qin Hao had sensed.
Qin Hao remained relatively calm and reassured her, "Senior, please don't be impatient or discouraged. These large-scale trade fairs, which are held in the open, attract a mixed bag of participants. The truly valuable items are not easily exchanged for spirit stones by their owners; they are mostly bartered or circulated only in private circles with higher barriers to entry. Perhaps we can find something at the underground trade fair that will be held tomorrow."
"I hope so..." Lord Dayan sighed, his voice growing weaker and weaker.
The next day, night fell.
In the city of Nanjun, outside a seemingly ordinary, magnificent pavilion, there are strict restrictions. Powerful beams of light occasionally descend, and only after rigorous inspection are people allowed to enter the pavilion.
This is the venue for a high-profile underground trade fair within the high-level cultivator circle of Nanjun.
Qin Hao paid a considerable amount of spirit stones as a deposit and strolled into the pavilion hall. The interior space was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, and the decorations were extremely luxurious. The soft, bright moonstones illuminated the hall as if it were daytime.
At this moment, hundreds of cultivators had already gathered in the hall! What was even more shocking was that the spiritual pressure emanating from these cultivators was at least at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm! Most of them were at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and there were even no fewer than ten late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivators whose auras were subtly scattered throughout the venue!
Such a gathering of multiple Nascent Soul cultivators, with such a high proportion of Grand Master cultivators, is a spectacle that the cultivation world of Tiannan could never have imagined! It demonstrates the profound foundation of the cultivation world of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Qin Hao, a newly promoted late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and a complete stranger, immediately felt countless gazes, some open and some hidden, filled with inquiry, curiosity, and even scrutiny, all focused on him as soon as he stepped into the hall.
"This person is unfamiliar, yet his aura is unfathomable; he is actually a Great Cultivator! I wonder which sect in our Great Jin Dynasty has this reclusive master?"
"Perhaps a wandering cultivator from overseas?"
"Or perhaps some great cultivator used some advanced secret technique to change their appearance?"
The crowd was abuzz with discussion, speculating about Qin Hao's identity.
However, not everyone was simply curious. In an inconspicuous corner of the hall, a gaze filled with resentment and anger, like a poisonous needle, was fixed on Qin Hao!
It was none other than the Holy Maiden of Tianlan—Lin Yinping!
Beside her stood Master Xu, whose face was solemn.
"More than twenty years! A full twenty years!" Lin Yinping gritted her teeth, her nails almost digging into her palms. "To track down this person, this Holy Maiden has been stranded in the Great Jin for more than twenty years! I've searched everywhere, but I've never heard a word from him! I did find his accomplice first, but that slippery fellow managed to get away!"
Her chest heaved violently, and her beautiful eyes almost spit fire: "Now, I've finally found the culprit!"
Seeing this, Master Xu quickly sent a telepathic message, his voice serious: "Holy Maiden, please calm down! This place is a gathering place for high-level cultivators of the Great Jin Dynasty, a place where hidden talents abound and the rules are strict. If we fight here, the consequences will be far beyond what our Tuwu clan can bear! Besides, there are only the two of us here, and we are no match for him! You keep a close eye on this person, and I will immediately contact reinforcements. Remember, do not act rashly!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yinping knew that Master Xu was right. She could only suppress the anger and killing intent surging in her heart, but her gaze was like that of the most loyal hunting dog, fixed on Qin Hao and never leaving him for a moment.
Qin Hao's divine sense was incredibly powerful; the moment Lin Yinping's gaze fell upon him, he had already sensed it. He glanced in that direction indifferently, saw that it was Saintess Tianlan and Grand Immortal Master Xu, understood what was going on, but didn't care at all.
With his current supernatural powers, as long as he doesn't encounter a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, he's absolutely confident he can defeat even three or four late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in a siege. At the very least, he can easily escape unscathed. Two mere Great Immortal Masters from the Tuwu clan are nothing to him. (End of Chapter)