VHSTS CH23

Flowing Flame Valley was situated in the northern part of Chang Prefecture, occupying a full tenth of the vast prefecture’s territory.

Even aboard an Earth-grade flying magic treasure, circling the perimeter of Flowing Flame Valley took at least ten full days. Consequently, inside Flowing Flame Valley, one could often walk for an entire day without encountering another soul.

Before entering Flowing Flame Valley, Luo Jianqing had already designated a landmark to the Taihua Mountain disciples, ordering everyone to head straight there upon entry and regroup. Anyone who dared disobey his command would be locked inside the Gate of Admonition for punishment at best, or expelled directly from Taihua Mountain at worst!

Thus, after Luo Jianqing arrived first at the rendezvous point and waited for roughly half a day, Wei Qiongyin showed up.

Within three days, all nine disciples had arrived, even Li Xiuchen trudging up with a reluctant scowl.

Luo Jianqing’s gaze swept briefly across Li Xiuchen’s face before surveying the group. “Our Taihua Mountain dispatched nine people into Flowing Flame Valley this time. According to what I know, among the cultivators who entered the valley, ten have already reached the late stage of Golden Core, and Yan Su of the Soul-Severing Sect even stands at the half-step Nascent Soul realm. Therefore, our Foundation Establishment disciples should search for fortuitous opportunities while keeping danger firmly in mind. As for our Qi Refining disciples…”

Pausing, Luo Jianqing turned with a smile toward Wei Qiongyin and Xie Zizhuo beside him: “Third Shimei, Fourth Shidi, the mortality rate for Qi Refining cultivators inside Flowing Flame Valley is exceedingly high. Why don’t the three of us each take one disciple along to protect their lives, leaving whatever treasures or opportunities they find up to their own fortune?”

Wei Qiongyin nodded in prompt agreement.

Xie Zizhuo, however, felt the corner of his mouth twitch. “Eldest Shixiong, that’s playing dirty! I only came to this bizarre Flowing Flame Valley in Second Shixiong’s place; I didn’t want to come at all. Coming here was bad enough, and now you want me to babysit a deadweight? Let me state this upfront: out here, I am everyone’s shixiong.”

Every single gaze immediately converged upon Li Xiuchen.

Among the three Qi Refining disciples, one hailed from Cangshuang Peak and one from Bishen Peak; only Li Xiuchen belonged to Haoming Peak. What Xie Zizhuo was implying couldn’t possibly be clearer. Even though Li Xiuchen was a disciple of Haoming Peak, Haoming Peak’s Eldest Shixiong, Xie Zizhuo, deliberately declared himself shixiong to everyone, plainly refusing to be saddled with escorting Li Xiuchen on the expedition.

Luo Jianqing spoke with utmost magnanimity: “In that case, Fourth Shidi, you may take this shimei from Cangshuang Peak.”

Xie Zizhuo grinned slyly. “Shixiong is truly the best.”

Paying him no heed, Luo Jianqing continued, “Third Shimei, you will look after this shidi from Bishen Peak. As for this shidi from Haoming Peak, you can follow behind me.”

Li Xiuchen subconsciously shrank back slightly, yet seeing the gentle smile on Luo Jianqing’s face, he still nodded reluctantly.

Luo Jianqing smiled back at him. Soon, the party split into six groups to seek their own opportunities: the three Foundation Establishment disciples traveling solo, and the three Golden Core disciples each accompanying one Qi Refining junior.

Watching Luo Jianqing depart aboard his flying treasure ship, the shimei from Cangshuang Peak swallowed hard in envy and murmured softly, “Spending an entire year alone with Eldest Shixiong inside Flowing Flame Valley… how did that guy get so lucky…”

Hearing this, Xie Zizhuo’s eyes bulged wide open. “Little Shimei, isn’t traveling with me good enough?!”

Once Flowing Flame Valley opened, its gates remained open for three days before sealing shut again, automatically teleporting any surviving cultivators out one year later.

At Xie Zizhuo’s question, the ninth-tier Qi Refining shimei lowered her head shyly and answered softly, “Fourth Shixiong… is naturally wonderful too. However, every disciple on Taihua Mountain knows that Eldest Shixiong stays up on Yuxiao Peak year-round, so we rarely ever get to see him. Besides, Eldest Shixiong…” The blush on her cheeks deepened a shade as she continued, “…Eldest Shixiong is so extraordinarily handsome and impossibly strong; countless female disciples on Taihua Mountain admire him. I… I am one of them too.”

Xie Zizhuo: “…”

After a brief pause, refusing to give up, Xie Zizhuo protested, “Even if I’m not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as Eldest Shixiong, I’m still handsome and dashing as a jade tree in the wind!” Snapping open his folding fan with a flourish, he asked, “And look, I’m already at the early stage of Golden Core and the Eldest Shixiong of Haoming Peak! Shimei, aren’t I also…”

“It’s not the same, Fourth Shixiong! In our hearts, Eldest Shixiong is practically a god!”

Xie Zizhuo: “…”

Seeming completely oblivious to Xie Zizhuo’s sulking, the shimei clasped her hands tightly over her heart and added, “Doesn’t our Taihua Mountain even have a folk song dedicated to him?”

Xie Zizhuo blinked in surprise before curving his lips into a peculiar grin: “You mean… that song?”

The shimei nodded furiously: “Yes! The mountain ballad sung specifically for Eldest Shixiong!”

Xie Zizhuo burst out laughing heartily. Activating his carpet-like flying magic treasure, he swept the shimei aboard and set off, calling out deliberately as they flew: “Shimei, when you see Eldest Shixiong again a year from now, you must be sure to sing that song for him!”

The shimei blinked in utter bewilderment: “…?”

While Xie Zizhuo and his companion were the last to leave the rendezvous point, Luo Jianqing had already flown dozens of li aboard his flying treasure ship.

Inside the treasure ship, Luo Jianqing meditated continuously, paying Li Xiuchen no mind whatsoever. He wasn’t worried that Li Xiuchen might pull anything against him. Setting aside Li Xiuchen’s meager fourth-tier Qi Refining cultivation, Luo Jianqing knew full well that Li Xiuchen had zero recollection of Luo Jianqing trying to kill him inside the secret ruins.

Li Xiuchen’s memories had been erased by some supreme powerhouse; although he harbored suspicions about Luo Jianqing’s identity, he actually knew nothing at all.

Thus, Luo Jianqing cultivated peacefully without a care in the world. Only when the ship entered the second layer of the valley did Li Xiuchen knock on his cabin door and say, “E-Eldest Shixiong, we have already entered the second-layer zone.”

Opening his eyes, Luo Jianqing looked at him with a smile and asked, “Li-Shidi, do you think we should stop here?”

Taken aback by the question, Li Xiuchen asked back in confusion, “Eldest Shixiong, what do you mean by ‘should stop’?”

Luo Jianqing explained, “This is my first time entering Flowing Flame Valley as well. Although I know there are many opportunities within, finding them is no easy task. Most cultivators who enter Flowing Flame Valley are searching for Flame Fruits. Flame Fruits contain the pure spiritual power of the Heaven-grade fire-attributed Demon Venerable who fell here ages ago, and rumor has it they even carry a trace of Fire Law. We human cultivators cultivate the Grand Dao, whereas demonic beasts cultivate Laws. There are many Flame Fruits in Flowing Flame Valley, yet the territory is vast; one might search hundreds of li without finding a single fruit.”

At this point, Luo Jianqing lifted his gaze calmly toward Li Xiuchen and asked, “Li-Shidi, do you think if we disembark right here in the second layer, we will be able to find Flame Fruits?”

Flowing Flame Valley was shaped like a giant ladle: the outermost ring was the first layer, progressing inward through nine layers in total. At the very center lay a rumored River of Flames with fire soaring to the heavens. Consequently, the deeper one ventured inward, the fiercer the flames and the heavier the spiritual pressure became, though proportionally, Flame Fruits grew far more abundant as well.

Li Xiuchen replied, “There probably really aren’t many Flame Fruits in the second layer, and the area is huge. Shixiong, why don’t we stop at the fourth layer instead?”

Luo Jianqing raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Why is that?”

Li Xiuchen answered, “The fourth layer sits right in the middle without being too deep inside. There, the enemies we encounter shouldn’t be overly powerful, yet we’ll still be able to find Flame Fruits.”

Luo Jianqing smiled lightly and nodded in agreement.

Just before leaving the cabin, Li Xiuchen rolled his small eyes and couldn’t resist asking, “Shixiong, do you really not know… what a television is?”

Luo Jianqing blinked in feigned surprise. “Is that some kind of demonic beast?”

Shaking his head, Li Xiuchen turned and walked straight out. Strolling down the ship’s corridor, Li Xiuchen muttered quietly under his breath, “Looks like he really isn’t a transmigrator after all. Could it be… that after I transmigrated here, my butterfly wings flapped so hard they altered the plot this drastically? Still, sooner or later I’ll have to stick to the original plot. Like it or not, he’s still an early-stage boss…”

Although Luo Jianqing couldn’t understand every word Li Xiuchen murmured, he clearly perceived that the boy harbored no further suspicions about his identity, and even detected a faint, subconscious trace of killing intent in his tone.

Others wouldn’t know whom that killing intent was aimed at, yet recalling that ice-cold sword piercing his heart in his past life, Luo Jianqing knew all too well.

A fourth-tier Qi Refining cultivator actually intending to kill a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator?

Anyone hearing that would laugh it off as a fantasy tale, yet Li Xiuchen’s tone was utterly resolute, devoid of the slightest doubt.

Because he was the protagonist of Seeking Immortality.

Flipping his hand, Luo Jianqing took out the book and reread its final chapters once more.

The book ended right after the Flowing Flame Valley expedition concluded, with Li Xiuchen reaping a massive harvest and returning to Taihua Mountain. Despite being merely a Qi Refining cultivator, Li Xiuchen repeatedly turned peril into safety, stumbled upon heavenly treasures at every turn, and ultimately discovered a crimson fruit burning with raging flames.

That crimson fruit was Luo Jianqing’s true objective on this trip.

Though not a Flame Fruit, it contained colossal energy; after absorbing only a tiny fraction of it, Li Xiuchen had jumped straight from the sixth tier of Qi Refining to the eighth. Moreover, the book noted that Li Xiuchen had hidden the rest of the fruit away, hinting it would serve a monumental purpose later on.

Luo Jianqing was determined to claim that crimson fruit for himself!

Not merely to strip Li Xiuchen of his fortuitous treasures, but to accelerate his own advancement and take one step closer to standing on equal footing with that person!

“If I too reach the Deity Transformation realm, Wuyin… how will you respond then?!”

For three full days, Luo Jianqing remained shut inside his cabin in meditation, pushing toward the second layer of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record.

The First Plunder of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record was Plundering Springs and Autumns.

It severed the flora of the world from the Heavenly Dao’s control. Why did willow catkins always drift in spring? Why did a hundred flowers wither the moment autumn arrived? Those were laws dictated by the Heavenly Dao; once their springs and autumns were plundered, plants could rely solely on their own strength. Whether they ascended to higher spiritual tiers or withered into common weeds depended entirely on themselves.

As for those stolen laws, Luo Jianqing had a distinct intuition that once he cultivated to a certain realm, he might very well be able to establish laws of his own!

The Heavenly Dao wrote laws and commanded all under heaven to obey them. Why, then, could he not write the laws?

Meanwhile, the Second Plunder of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record, Plundering the Dharma-Meaning of All Living Beings, plundered the inequality between living creatures.

The Heavenly Dao played favorites: mayflies were born with a lifespan of a single day, while dragon-kin demonic beasts possessed eighth-grade power from birth. Yet all things in creation ought to be equal, none inherently superior to another; humans and demons had never been born noble or lowly, and even a tiny worm wriggling in muddy water was still a living soul.

The true Heavenly Dao ought to treat all living beings as equals.

Plundering the Dharma-Meaning of All Living Beings meant stripping away the unequal laws imposed upon every living creature!

Sitting cross-legged on the stone couch, Luo Jianqing continuously formed hand seals as an invisible force slowly radiated outward. Inside the small cabin, the intangible energy materialized into long ribbons that drifted playfully through the air. Seemingly possessing spiritual intelligence of their own, they frolicked mischievously around the room until, as Luo Jianqing’s incantation sounded, they gradually settled down obediently.

Brilliant blue-green light flared between Luo Jianqing’s brows as the three-petaled cyan lotus radiated boundless brilliance.

Cultivators practicing the Nine Lotuses True Heart Record manifested lotus markings between their brows as their cultivation rose. Luo Jianqing had originally worried about how to conceal his brow mark after abandoning the Nine Lotuses True Heart Record for the Nine Plundering Heavens Record; to his surprise, cultivating the Nine Plundering Heavens Record still left him with the three-petaled cyan lotus!

The only difference was that this lotus appeared livelier, with faint spiritual light flickering along its petals.

With his eyes tightly shut, cyan spiritual light gradually coalesced between Luo Jianqing’s fingertips. Surrounding that light, the intangible energy began spinning into a tiny vortex. The vortex grew larger and larger, eventually breaching the confines of the cabin and expanding wildly outward.

“Lush yellow blossoms are naught but prajna; emerald green bamboo are all dharmakaya.”

“The Heavenly Dao possesses constancy. Wherein lies its constancy? In the equality of all living beings, and the permanence of all things!”

“Second Plunder of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record: Plundering the Dharma-Meaning of All Living Beings!”

In an instant, a terrifying wave of spiritual pressure erupted outward with Luo Jianqing at its epicenter, spreading evenly in all directions. The very first person that pressure encountered was Li Xiuchen standing at the ship’s bow. Forming an invisible cocoon, the intangible force wrapped tightly around Li Xiuchen, yet the moment it attempted to strip away the Heavenly Dao laws clinging to him, countless layers of blinding spiritual radiance flared across Li Xiuchen’s body.

The force paused momentarily before reluctantly releasing Li Xiuchen, even giving him two disdainful lashes with a spectral ribbon before sweeping away.

Completely oblivious to all this, Li Xiuchen continued standing at the bow, gazing curiously at the scenery of Flowing Flame Valley.

Immediately afterward, the intangible force surged outward with explosive might, sweeping across countless low-grade demonic beasts throughout Flowing Flame Valley and even coiling around the body of a fifth-grade demonic beast! Equivalent to a human Golden Core cultivator and endowed with innate intelligence capable of human speech, the fifth-grade beast was the sole creature to detect the invisible energy and struggled frantically against it.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a speck of brilliant starlight shot out from the beast’s body and merged swiftly into Luo Jianqing’s frame.

Furrowing his brows tightly as the cyan light around him grew ever brighter, Luo Jianqing felt his aura surge abruptly, climbing straight to the Great Perfection of the mid-stage Golden Core realm, merely a hair’s breadth away from breaking into late Golden Core!

The Second Plunder of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record, Plundering Dharma-Meaning, was finally mastered!

As the flying treasure ship sailed steadily onward, wherever it passed, that intangible force gleefully swept through the surrounding terrain. Leaving nothing behind in its wake, it drained every trace of Heavenly Dao law from surrounding beasts and spiritual plants alike while keeping a covetous eye on Li Xiuchen every single day.

Were it not wary of the dense Heavenly Dao radiance shrouding Li Xiuchen, so thick its glow was visible from a hundred li away, that force would have swarmed forward long ago and swallowed Li Xiuchen whole.

Consequently, over the next several days, numerous cultivators who had just entered Flowing Flame Valley were shocked to witness demonic beasts and spiritual herbs behaving in complete defiance of common sense. Dark Sand Fierce Serpents, which were supposed to be third-grade from birth, were somehow only second-grade! Black Fire Female Blossoms, supposedly incapable of ever advancing to the fourth grade, somehow successfully ascended to the fourth grade!

“Could it be… that Flowing Flame Valley’s geographical environment differs from everywhere else?”

No one could explain it.

Seven days later, Luo Jianqing and Li Xiuchen arrived at the fourth layer of Flowing Flame Valley.

Storing the flying treasure ship back into his storage ring, Luo Jianqing stepped onto the scorching gravel alongside Li Xiuchen as the two walked steadily deeper into the valley.

Li Xiuchen’s attitude toward Luo Jianqing was a mix of wariness and reliance. With his meager cultivation, leaning on a towering tree like Luo Jianqing was undeniably convenient; yet he still remembered how Luo Jianqing had ordered someone to gag his mouth and immobilize his body back at Beidou Zhenjun’s ruins, causing him to lose every shred of face.

Over the past few days together, however, Li Xiuchen was surprised to discover that Luo Jianqing seemed to have forgotten all about those incidents.

When Li Xiuchen cautiously probed him about it, Luo Jianqing asked back in even greater surprise: “So that shidi back then was you?”

Realization dawned on Li Xiuchen: Luo Jianqing didn’t even remember him!

Makes sense, really. Back then he had mistaken Luo Jianqing for a fellow transmigrator and deliberately tested him, only to get kicked several times for his trouble. Later, inside Beidou Zhenjun’s ruins, he had probably spoken out of turn, prompting Luo Jianqing to punish him in his capacity as Eldest Shixiong.

Thinking it over carefully, Luo Jianqing actually treated him quite decently, certainly far better than that bastard Xie Zizhuo.

At this thought, the way Li Xiuchen looked at Luo Jianqing shifted subtly. Having been bullied relentlessly by people on Haoming Peak lately, he had gradually learned a sliver of patience; out of ten provocations from Xie Zizhuo, Li Xiuchen could now endure two, a massive improvement.

Li Xiuchen suggested, “Eldest Shixiong, why don’t we take a rest here first?”

Luo Jianqing smiled lightly. “Alright, sure.”

Look at that! Taihua Mountain’s Eldest Shixiong is way easier to talk to than that jerk Xie Zizhuo!

Luo Jianqing acted completely calm and unhurried, showing zero greed for the treasures and opportunities of Flowing Flame Valley and focusing solely on meditating. Whenever Li Xiuchen asked to stop, he stopped; whenever Li Xiuchen wanted to move on, he moved on, gradually lulling Li Xiuchen into letting his guard down completely.

Even so, along the way, the two stumbled across quite a few Flame Fruits.

Despite supposedly being rare enough not to see a single one in three days, they actually found seven or eight within a single day!

Luo Jianqing was extraordinarily generous with these Flame Fruits: whatever Li Xiuchen could reach, Luo Jianqing took none of it, claiming only the ones beyond Li Xiuchen’s reach. This left Li Xiuchen all the more grateful, forgetting his past grudges over getting kicked in the face and gagged cleanly out of mind.

One night, Li Xiuchen even muttered sleepily in his sleep, “When I take down the boss later, I’ll make it quick and painless…”

Little did Li Xiuchen know that Luo Jianqing’s hearing far surpassed that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators; even many Nascent Soul experts couldn’t match him. Even when Li Xiuchen barely breathed the words without making a sound, Luo Jianqing caught every syllable clearly.

Thus, the two continued traveling together. Li Xiuchen felt thoroughly pleased at having found such a sturdy tree to shade himself under, practically picking up treasures off the ground for free. Unhurried as ever, Luo Jianqing simply let any rogue cultivators they encountered take one look at his white Taihua Mountain uniform and mid-Golden Core aura before they retreated glumly on their own.

After traveling for over a month, both reaped abundant harvests. Li Xiuchen gazed at Luo Jianqing with heartfelt gratitude, while Luo Jianqing remained utterly composed.

Li Xiuchen felt grateful to Luo Jianqing, yet Luo Jianqing knew full well that even after leaving a small portion of the treasures they encountered to Li Xiuchen, his own gains over this single month surpassed half a year’s worth from his past life!

The Heavenly Dao truly was absurdly biased. Li Xiuchen would stop to rest and accidentally kick up a Flame Fruit with his boot, whereas Luo Jianqing had to slay fifth-grade demonic beasts just to claim one.

Three days later, the two finally crossed paths with the Soul-Severing Sect disciples.

Unlike Taihua Mountain, which had split into six teams to maximize their search for opportunities, the Soul-Severing Sect kept all nine of their members banded together. Leading them was Yan Su, who already stood at the half-step Nascent Soul realm. The moment Yan Su appeared, Luo Jianqing opened his eyes and lifted his gaze toward him.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

After a long pause, Yan Su cupped his hands in salute: “Luo-daoyou.”

Luo Jianqing returned the salute: “Yan-daoyou.”

Yan Su inquired, “It appears Taihua Mountain’s daoyou have all split up to search for opportunities individually?”

Luo Jianqing smiled faintly without answering.

Right at that moment, a woman in cyan robes standing beside Yan Su spoke up sharply: “Shixiong, it’s that kid! I just saw him pick up one Flame Fruit first, and then dig a second Flame Fruit straight out of the sand!”

Every single Soul-Severing Sect disciple immediately locked heated gazes onto Li Xiuchen standing beside Luo Jianqing.

Even Luo Jianqing looked over at Li Xiuchen in genuine surprise.

…Li Xiuchen barely went for a walk for one ke, and he actually picked up two Flame Fruits?!

All nine members of the Soul-Severing Sect stared covetously at Li Xiuchen. The cyan-robed female cultivator remarked enviously that the kid was merely at the Qi Refining stage: possessing treasures beyond one’s strength only invited ruin, and he had no right to hold so many Flame Fruits. However, Yan Su raised a hand to cut off her words, stepped forward, and asked, “Luo-daoyou, may I be so bold as to ask how many Flame Fruits the two of you currently have on hand?”

The instant these words fell, Luo Jianqing’s expression turned ice-cold.

Yan Su continued, “I know full well this question is exceedingly rude, so allow me to tell Luo-daoyou upfront: all nine of us from the Soul-Severing Sect have searched for two full months and have only found four Flame Fruits so far.”

Luo Jianqing laughed coldly instead of getting angry. “What does you finding four Flame Fruits have to do with me?”

Yan Su replied, “Luo-daoyou, I have always admired the prestigious name of Taihua Mountain’s head disciple, yet my shidi and shimei risked their lives entering Flowing Flame Valley as well. Inside Flowing Flame Valley, killing to seize treasures is commonplace, and as stipulated, any disputes inside the valley are wiped clean once we exit. Both Taihua Mountain and our Soul-Severing Sect signed the covenant: inside Flowing Flame Valley, life and death are left to fate, and wealth and glory to heaven!”

Luo Jianqing said flatly, “And so?”

Yan Su wore an earnest expression. “That daoyou beside you seems blessed with immense fortune and has likely collected quite a few Flame Fruits already. Luo-daoyou, I give you my word: as long as you hand over five Flame Fruits, our Soul-Severing Sect will never make an enemy of you inside Flowing Flame Valley…”

Bang!

A streak of cyan sword qi shot skyward before Yan Su could even finish speaking, forcing him to hastily summon his Ghost Axe to block.

Drawing the Shuangfu Sword directly, Luo Jianqing kicked Li Xiuchen safely back into the distance before charging forward alone.

Yan Su hurriedly raised his massive axe to meet the blow; within the span of a single breath, the two exchanged dozens of rapid strikes.

Believing he was offering reasonable advice, Yan Su called out, “Luo-daoyou, that person is merely a Qi Refining disciple. Why make an enemy of us for his sake?”

Luo Jianqing suddenly laughed: “You think I am making an enemy of the Soul-Severing Sect for his sake?”

Yan Su nodded. “Indeed.”

Luo Jianqing slashed out a brilliant arc of sword light, declaring sternly, “Our Taihua Mountain never yields to anyone, least of all bowing to the likes of you! For the honor and prestige of Taihua Mountain, I will make every single one of you pay for this insult!”

In this world, only Taihua Mountain ever bullied others; never would Taihua Mountain allow itself to be bullied by anyone!

Cyan silhouette and black figure clashed relentlessly in mid-air, longsword striking giant axe and sending showers of metallic sparks flying. Yan Su’s eight shidi and shimei hurried forward to chase after Li Xiuchen, only for Luo Jianqing to cleave down a colossal wave of sword qi that blocked their path completely.

Yan Su’s expression turned frigid: “Luo-daoyou intends to fight nine of us alone?”

Stepping forward, Luo Jianqing hooked a finger to recall the Shuangfu Sword back into his palm.

He smiled faintly: “Why not?”

Beneath the blazing sun and swirling yellow sand, the dazzling cyan-clad figure stood tall, gripping a gleaming cold blade before nine opponents, one man guarding the pass against ten thousand! His overwhelming aura pressed down on all nine Soul-Severing Sect disciples, overpowering even Yan Su at the Great Perfection of late Golden Core.

Silence hung between both sides for a split second before both erupted into motion simultaneously!

With a single sweep of sword light, Luo Jianqing cleanly crippled the right hands of the Soul-Severing Sect’s three Foundation Establishment disciples, rendering them unable to fight anytime soon. The three Qi Refining disciples didn’t even dare enter the fray, instantly leaving only two early Golden Core disciples and the late Golden Core Yan Su standing before Luo Jianqing.

“Ghost Soul Heaven-Cleaving Axe!”

“Sword Summons Thunder!”

At its core, this battle came down to Luo Jianqing against Yan Su.

However, even though Haoxingzi Zunzhe had called Luo Jianqing invincible beneath the Nascent Soul realm, Yan Su had already stepped half a foot into Nascent Soul, and with two early Golden Core cultivators launching sneak attacks from the flanks, even Luo Jianqing sustained several wounds, gradually slipping onto the defensive.

Dark light condensed atop Yan Su’s giant axe as countless wailing ghosts poured forth from the blade. The sky darkened ominously as chilling winds howled; shrieking piercingly, thousands of vengeful spirits surged swiftly toward Luo Jianqing. Luo Jianqing’s eyes contracted as he stomped hard against the ground.

“Plundering Springs and Autumns!”

“One Sword Transforms into Nine Lotuses!”

Nine streaks of cyan sword light formed a Blue-Green Lotus Grand Array, piercing straight into the horde of ghosts. As the lotus array clashed fiercely with the spirits, Yan Su gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, causing the ghostly aura on his axe to surge dramatically.

Right at that critical moment!

The other two Golden Core cultivators of the Soul-Severing Sect closed in from both flanks to pincer Luo Jianqing.

Sweat beaded across Luo Jianqing’s forehead, leaving him no spare energy to fend off their ambush. Just as he prepared to burn his bridges and exhaust his spiritual power to unleash the Second Plunder of the Nine Plundering Heavens Record, the sharp whistle of incoming spiritual force cut through the air from afar.

“Argh! It hurts!”

“Who’s there?!”

A crimson blood whip pierced straight through the shoulder of one early Golden Core cultivator before snapping through the palm of the second. Accompanied by a soft, velvety chuckle, the blood whip retracted into its owner’s hand as a crimson-clad figure strolled leisurely out from amidst the swirling yellow sand, laughing softly: “Nine against one. Now that’s entertaining.”

A Soul-Severing Sect disciple shouted furiously, “Who are you?! Stay out of our Soul-Severing Sect’s business!”

Hearing that voice, Luo Jianqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, while Yan Su’s face turned downright grim. Hastily recalling his giant axe, Yan Su flew back among his disciples, glaring warily at the newly arrived man in blood-red robes.

“Me? You’re not qualified to know who I am.” Chuckling lightly behind his hand, Mo Qiu walked unhurriedly to Luo Jianqing’s side and said, “I simply couldn’t stand watching a pack of people gang up on one person.”

A Soul-Severing Sect disciple protested indignantly, “Luo-daoyou crippled three of our Soul-Severing Sect’s disciples!”

Mo Qiu spoke in an odd, mocking tone: “Didn’t you just say that inside Flowing Flame Valley, life and death are left to fate, and wealth and glory to heaven? If your skills are inferior, what face do you have left to keep breathing?”

“You!”

Luo Jianqing turned toward Mo Qiu and cupped his hands slightly: “Mo-daoyou, many thanks for your assistance.”

Mo Qiu waved a hand dismissively. “Just a trivial matter. I’ve never liked the look of people from the Soul-Severing Sect anyway.”

Luo Jianqing blinked in surprise. “You have history with the Soul-Severing Sect? You’ve been to the Thirty-Six Prefectures before?”

Mo Qiu suddenly narrowed his eyes: “You investigated my background?”

Luo Jianqing remained silent.

At once, the atmosphere between Luo Jianqing and Mo Qiu stiffened noticeably. Seizing the opening, Yan Su tightened his grip on his giant axe, about to launch a sneak attack, when abruptly, an eruption of crimson radiance burst forth in the eastern sky, unleashing a mountain-toppling, sea-overturning wave of spiritual pressure that whipped up raging gales and blinding sandstorms.

Luo Jianqing, Mo Qiu, and Yan Su exchanged a sharp glance.

“A supreme treasure has appeared!”

In a flash, all three transformed into streaks of light, shooting directly toward the epicenter of that spiritual pressure.

Luo Jianqing flew fastest of all; to his surprise, however, Mo Qiu kept pace right behind him, leaving Yan Su trailing far in the dust. Luo Jianqing accelerated further, yet Mo Qiu clung tenaciously on his heels, and before long, Yan Su was left completely out of sight.

Confronted with a treasure of this caliber, everyone acted for themselves, just as Yan Su had left his own shidi and shimei behind.

When Luo Jianqing arrived on the scene, he happened to see Li Xiuchen getting slashed across the body by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Without letting his gaze linger on Li Xiuchen for even a fraction of a second, Luo Jianqing looked straight toward the crimson fruit resting at the very center of the sunken sand crater.

Luo Jianqing’s eyes widened, even his breathing halting for a split second.

Beside him came Mo Qiu’s teasing voice: “Isn’t that guy up ahead one of your Taihua Mountain disciples too? He just took a blade slash and is hanging by a thread. You have plenty of time to save him, why aren’t you lifting a finger?”

Luo Jianqing replied flatly, “Mo-daoyou must have misseen. I see no disciple of Taihua Mountain here.”

Mo Qiu raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, saying no more.

Before them lay a sunken sand dune basin spanning a full ten li in radius!

Luo Jianqing kept his gaze locked onto the crimson fruit without making a move. He knew full well that despite Mo Qiu chatting pleasantly with him right now, the moment Luo Jianqing twitched, Mo Qiu would lash out with his whip without hesitation, and conversely, if Mo Qiu moved first, Luo Jianqing would draw his sword immediately.

To repay the debt of gratitude owed to that Mo Clan senior from his past life, Luo Jianqing would never unleash a lethal blow against Mo Qiu, yet that hardly meant he would hand over a supreme treasure like this willingly.

Both stood locked in a tense standoff.

The Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators who had originally been guarding the crater froze in terror upon suddenly seeing two Golden Core powerhouses arrive, not daring to move a muscle. Before long, Yan Su arrived as well, staring at the crimson fruit in shock as he gasped, “Could this be a spiritual herb above the seventh grade?!”

Spiritual herbs under heaven were ranked into nine grades: those above the seventh grade generally developed consciousness of their own, eighth-grade herbs possessed innate abilities, and ninth-grade herbs could even assume human form, none of which had been seen in the past millennium!

Strangely enough, although this crimson fruit radiated terrifying spiritual pressure, it appeared devoid of consciousness. Yet there was zero doubt that its overwhelming aura placed it at least at the sixth grade or higher, leagues beyond ordinary Flame Fruits.

Because the commotion of the fruit’s emergence had been so immense, more and more cultivators gradually converged upon the basin.

Luo Jianqing finally understood why he had heard nothing of this fruit in his previous life. A treasure of such terrifying caliber had actually appeared in the fourth layer of Flowing Flame Valley rather than the innermost core! At this time in his past life, he had been pouring every ounce of effort into reaching the eighth layer; how could he possibly have known what transpired in the fourth?

In this lifetime, he had finally laid eyes upon it.

Mo Qiu had been right moments ago: Luo Jianqing easily could have saved Li Xiuchen, yet he chose not to lift a finger.

Li Xiuchen’s sole usefulness along this journey had already come to an end. Having found this spiritual herb, Luo Jianqing refraining from running Li Xiuchen through with his sword was already showing plenty of respect to the Heavenly Dao’s protection and avoiding unnecessary trouble. Whatever perils Li Xiuchen faced next had nothing to do with Luo Jianqing.

According to the book, Li Xiuchen had reaped the spoils while others fought and claimed this fruit at the very end, yet this time, Luo Jianqing would give him zero chance.

Around the perimeter of the sunken sand crater, over a hundred cultivators gradually gathered.

The Golden Core cultivators hovered aloft in mid-air, while Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators lingered stubbornly around the edges, hoping to scavenge an opportunity to snatch the treasure. Initially, it had been a two-way standoff between Luo Jianqing and Mo Qiu; with Yan Su’s arrival, it became a three-way deadlock.

Thus they remained locked in stalemate for half a day, until three direct young masters from the Eight Great Clans, all at the late Golden Core stage, arrived alongside Fairy Minghua, the late Golden Core eldest shijie of the Flying Flower Sect.

Six late-stage Golden Core cultivators in total, plus Luo Jianqing!

Seven experts watched one another warily, not one willing to make the first move.

In this manner, seven major forces and hundreds of rogue cultivators remained deadlocked around the sand crater for three full days.

At dawn on the third day, the crimson fruit suddenly quivered slightly before shooting abruptly straight toward Mo Qiu, landing squarely in his embrace! Seemingly prepared all along, Mo Qiu clutched the crimson fruit and bolted without looking back.

Standing closest to Mo Qiu, Luo Jianqing immediately drew his sword and gave chase, intercepting him right before Mo Qiu could exit the sand basin.

In the very next instant, a barrage of devastating spiritual attacks came hurtling straight toward the red-clad Mo Qiu!

“Ghost Soul Heaven-Cleaving Axe!”

“Melody of a Hundred Flowers!”

“Stainless White Snow Spear!”

“Heavenly Phoenix Divine Jade Strike!”

“Cloud-Piercing Sun-Shattering Arrow!”

Sensing so many lethal attacks converging simultaneously upon Mo Qiu, Luo Jianqing’s eyes contracted; after a mere single second of hesitation, he actually pivoted sharply mid-air and charged sword-first straight toward those five late-stage Golden Core cultivators instead!

“Plundering Springs and Autumns!”

“Plundering Dharma-Meaning!”

“One Sword Transforms into Nine Lotuses!”