Free Web NovelChapter 369: Chapter 238: The Turncoats of Huaizhong
[Promotion of Huaizhong Altar to the Huai Heavy Industry Company, Qin Xuan to Holy Sect Demon Child... Reward: a Tier Four Spiritual Object!]
The immense Demonic Sound echoed throughout the Cave Mansion, lingering without end.
"A Tier Four Five Elements Spiritual Object... Extremely Cold Profound Ice!"
The wine cup in Hou Qi’s hand shattered with a CRACK, splashing wine all over him, though he remained oblivious.
"Qin Xuan... Has he really come this far...?"
Astonishment first showed on Hou Qi’s face, then his expression grew complex and bitter.
Extremely Cold Profound Ice contained Innate Ice Soul Qi. When a cultivator at the Purple Mansion Peak used it during the Refinement process to form a Golden Core, it could suppress their Heart Demon, purify their Magical Power, and increase their chances of successful Core Formation by at least ten percent.
It might even make it possible to form a Top-grade Golden Core.
That ten percent chance was not to be underestimated.
Even in the lifetime when Hou Qi had advanced to the Golden Core realm, he’d had no chance of obtaining Extremely Cold Profound Ice. The Golden Core he had formed back then was merely a Low-Grade Golden Core.
’When did the gap between me and Qin Xuan grow so wide?’
Qin Xuan, whose Cultivation and Innate Wisdom had been far inferior to his own back then, was now on the verge of becoming a Demon Child and forming a Golden Core.
And here he was, still stuck at the Purple Mansion Sixth Level...
At this thought, an indescribable wave of bitterness and shock flooded his heart, and his Dao Heart nearly shattered.
’In the beginning, I definitely had a chance to contend with him!’
...
By the ruins of the main hall at Huaizhong Altar.
Heavily injured and listless, Gan Tang hid silently behind a piece of broken rock, her aura faint as she barely clung to life.
As the Qi Cultivation Disciples on the periphery celebrated jubilantly, she managed to force a faint smile onto her lips.
’I knew Senior Brother Qin would be alright.’
However, the slight movement drained what little color remained from her already pale face, making it even more pallid.
She had been ambushed by Ruan Fusheng and was now grievously wounded. The slightest movement would aggravate her injuries, and if she wasn’t treated in time, a regression in her Cultivation would be the least of her worries.
"Tsk tsk, the Manor Master was right. You are indeed badly hurt."
A blood-red figure appeared like a phantom.
"A Blood Loan Ghost Child?"
Recognizing the visitor’s origin, Gan Tang’s face filled with terror. She shuffled backward. "You... What do you want? Our Huaizhong Altar has been promoted to the Huai Heavy Industry Company, on par with the Transportation Department. The loan’s due date hasn’t arrived yet..."
But the newcomer was as short as a child, with a deathly pale face. He grinned, revealing pointed fangs, and possessed the cultivation of a Fake Pill realm expert.
The surviving Qi Cultivation Disciples of Huaizhong Altar also went on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.
They assumed he was here to collect a debt.
"Altar Master Gan, you misunderstand. I am Ghost Child Jia Er of the Blood Loan Money Shop."
Ghost Child Jia Er rubbed his face, trying to twist his ugly features into a friendly expression, and managed a fawning smile.
"The Manor Master has ordered me to deliver this Blood Jade Regeneration Pill to help Altar Master Gan recover from her injuries."
As he spoke, Jia Er took a blood-colored jade bottle from his robes and carefully opened it.
HUMMM!
A rich pill fragrance filled the air.
The mere scent was enough to invigorate the spirit.
"Look at the fragrant mist and the naturally formed pill veins... It’s a Tier Three Top-grade Healing Elixir!" someone nearby exclaimed.
Skeptical but hopeful, Gan Tang consumed the pill.
Instantly, a surge of immense Blood Qi spread through her body. Color returned to her pale face at a visible rate, and the gruesome wound on her shoulder blade healed rapidly.
Even her damaged meridians were nourished and repaired!
Not only that, but the pure medicinal power also caused her stagnant Cultivation to surge forward abruptly.
BOOM!
In a blessing in disguise, Gan Tang’s Realm broke through in one fell swoop from the Purple Mansion Fourth Level to the Purple Mansion Fifth Level.
Gan Tang opened her eyes, a sharp light gleaming within them. She gave the Blood Loan Ghost Child a solemn bow. "My thanks to the Lord Demon Monarch, and my thanks to you, Senior Jia Er!"
The Blood Loan Ghost Child chuckled. "As long as Altar Master Gan is well, that is all that matters. I shall return to make my report."
As his voice faded, Ghost Child Jia Er’s figure slowly dissolved and vanished.
...
Meanwhile, inside a gloomy dwelling in the Ten Thousand Corpses Hall.
Duan Ning, who had been stripped of his skin and whose body was covered in wounds, was not nearly so fortunate.
When the Demonic Sound resounded, Duan Ning’s body trembled violently.
The new mask he wore was plastered to his face like a second skin.
’Master Qin... he actually became a Demon Child... When he comes back, he’ll find out I betrayed him. He will definitely settle the score...’
Duan Ning’s voice was filled with terror. He stared at his ugly, masked reflection in the mirror, remembering the agony of being skinned alive yesterday, remembering Ruan Fusheng’s vicious sneer...
And finally, he thought of the immense power Qin Xuan would now wield as a Demon Child.
A wave of despair completely drowned him.
’No, I can’t wait for Master Qin to return! My fate then would surely be worse than death!’
Duan Ning steeled his heart.
He took a rope-like Magical Artifact from his Storage Pouch, slung it over a roof beam, and slipped his neck into the noose!
After a few convulsions, he fell silent.
A short while later, Wu Qiaomei burst frantically into Duan Ning’s Cave Mansion, her voice laced with anxiety.
"Junior Brother Duan, we need to quickly figure out our next move! Master Qin has been promoted to Demon Child! When he returns to the sect, he’ll definitely... Ah!"
Wu Qiaomei pushed open the eastern door of the Cave Mansion, and her face drained of all color. She stumbled backward and collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
She saw Duan Ning’s body hanging stiffly, suspended from the roof beam by the tightened Magical Artifact.
His Divine Soul was extinguished.
Only his pale, despairing face, eyes wide in a final stare, was turned towards her.
...
In an Earth Fire Room of the Corpse Refining Hall.
Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan were sweating profusely as they manipulated the Corpse Fire, the humiliating Corpse-Control Bells hanging from their waists.
When the Demonic Sound reached them, both men froze instantly.
"A De... Demon Child... First-Rank..."
Wang Jian muttered, and the Corpse-Control Bell in his hand fell to the ground with a CLANG.
"Master Qin isn’t dead?"
Not only was he alive, but he had been promoted to Demon Child and would soon return to the sect!
Sunx Yuan suddenly clutched his chest, his face deathly pale. His lips trembled as he spoke. "Extremely Cold Profound Ice, a Tier Four Spiritual Object... That’s a supreme treasure that can help someone form a Top-grade Golden Core!"
"We... what possessed us to join the Corpse Refining Hall? If we had just waited one more day, just one single day, we would have been hailed as heroes!"
The more Sunx Yuan thought about it, the more he was consumed by regret. His vision swam, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Wang Jian’s eyes were also glazed over with despair.
He looked at the grotesque refined corpses and cold walls surrounding them, then thought of Huaizhong Altar, which had been theirs just yesterday. He was so sick with regret he could taste it.
His heart bled, and he wished he could turn back time, return to yesterday, and strangle his treacherous self to death!
Amidst the deep despair, a flicker of wishful thinking suddenly sparked in Sunx Yuan’s mind.
"Think about it," he said. "Our Cultivation is so low. It took us a hundred years to barely reach Foundation Establishment, while Master Qin became a Demon Child in just a few decades. A man of his stature... surely he wouldn’t lower himself to deal with us, right?"
Hearing this, Wang Jian’s eyes lit up. "Senior Brother Sunx, you have a point!"
Besides, this was the Corpse Refining Hall.
Even if Master Qin wanted to come after them, he might not even be able to find them here!
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief and, though still on edge, resumed their work controlling the Corpse Fire.
...
「Divine Sword Pavilion」
As a guest in the pavilion, Qin Xuan was currently resting with his eyes closed.
However, within his sea of consciousness, Qin Xuan’s Divine Soul Little Man was busy writing.
On a brand-new Spiritual Sense Jade Tube, lines of text were silently appearing.
The *Huaizhong Register of Traitors*!
At the very top, in bright red text, were the names Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan.
"Traitors Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan: For ten lives and ten ages, for all eternity, they shall be slaves to my Huai Heavy Industry Company. This is irrevocable."
"Traitor Wu Qiaomei: Unrepentant even in death. To be hunted for six lifetimes."
"Traitor Duan Ning: Committed suicide out of fear of punishment. To be hunted for four... No, on second thought, for the sake of his sincerity, let’s make it five lifetimes."
The Divine Soul Little Man held the Spiritual Sense Jade Tube, recording everything in a deadpan, serious manner.
A single lifetime of revenge was no longer enough to satisfy Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan vowed that these traitors, Wang Jian and Sunx Yuan, would remember him for lifetime after lifetime.
Once he became a Demon Monarch, he would personally visit the Nine Prisons Reincarnation Tower to brand their souls.
He made a special record of it all now to avoid forgetting when the time came.
’What’s that? Their Cultivation is too low?’
’So what if their Cultivation is low? That’s no excuse to escape punishment!’
Just as Qin Xuan was getting into the swing of his writing, a golden light suddenly erupted in his mind, from which three ancient bamboo sticks flew out.
Qin Xuan froze.
’The Golden Finger is giving another warning!’
[Middle-Upper Draw: In one month, the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Daoist, Ye Qingxuan, will sneak into Huaizhong Altar and Heart Rot Valley, risking death to rescue her dear friend, Qin Xuan’Er. You will encounter her and obtain a Fourth Grade opportunity. Auspicious.]
[Middle-Middle Draw: In half a month, a Purple Mansion Altar Master will attempt to achieve their Golden Core at Ten Thousand Bone Skull Ridge. Liu Mobai will cordially invite you to observe the ceremony. You remain in the main hall in secluded cultivation, gaining nothing and losing nothing. Neutral.]
[Middle-Lower Draw: In half a month, Liu Mobai cordially invites you and you readily accept. However, the Core Formation fails. You are caught in the backlash and suffer grievous injuries. Inauspicious!]
Reading the Divinations clearly, Qin Xuan’s heart turned cold, and his eyes grew dark and profound.
’That Liu Mobai... he’s up to no good!’
But for Ye Qingxuan to sneak into the Holy Sect to save him... that was something Qin Xuan had not expected.
