Dead End!

“This is the purifying lotus flame I’ve cultivated,” Hua Yanli announced, looking at Qin Huai with a smug smile.

“That’s indeed remarkable,” Qin Huai acknowledged, giving a genuine nod.

Regardless of their origins, these prodigies who could harness the king’s force were not to be taken lightly. Hua Yanli, whose combat power was once considered average among the nine kings, might now give competitors like Gou Jie and Xu Tong a run for their money with his new technique.

“We’ve been working hard over the past few months,” said Xiang Ming Feng as he joined them. His long hair now had a slightly golden hue, and his eyes flashed with a strange, piercing light even without using his king’s force.

“It looks like Brother Xiang has also made progress,” Qin Huai remarked.

“These folks are all exceptional. They defeat a few opponents and suddenly their combat abilities skyrocket.” She Wanshan sighed, looking rather downcast.

Behind Xiang Mingfeng, the surrounding light was entirely obscured. “In the past, I thought you were too young. Now it seems I was wrong. You are too indulgent,” he stated sharply, leaving She Wanshan looking pale. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll send you to the most dangerous part of Qingzhou City,”

Xiang Mingfeng then turned to Qin Huai. “Have you figured out how to implement your plan?”

“I believe so. Let’s discuss what has changed in the past two months,” Qin Huai suggested.

“The audacity of the Sacred Heart Sect is exactly as we suspected,” Xiang Mingfeng explained, “When we kill people in the blood sea, most of the blood, qi, and even the bones of the dead turn into fine ‘sand’ and are absorbed by the blood sea.

“We’ve also been tracking various warriors. We found that over time, the cult followers’ cultivation speeds increased. The more people they kill, the faster they progress in Qingzhou City.” Xiang Mingfeng sounded resigned. “No wonder the Sacred Heart Sect followers are so fearless. They probably prefer it when we kill more.”

“I suspect it’s not just about blood and bones…” Qin Huai pondered aloud, “There might also be some ‘death energy’ involved. After all, those from the Sacred Heart Sect feed on blood too. Without it, the weaker ones or those with weak wills or demonic possessions would turn into walking corpses.”

Knowing a lot about the Sacred Heart Sect and its followers, Qin Huai could identify clues even from Xiang Mingfeng’s account.

“Does this cultivation speed increase occur anywhere else outside of Qingzhou City?” Qin Huai asked, thinking about the unusual events in Lingjiang County.

“No, it’s only confined to Qingzhou City,” Xiang Mingfeng confirmed.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huai shared the anomalies he noticed in Lingjiang. Being experienced and knowledgeable, Xiang Mingfeng replied, “I’ve heard from Master and others that the concentration of spiritual energy varies from place to place, influencing the cultivation speed of martial artists.

“The energy can be influenced in many ways. The most common one is the presence of a hero. The stronger the hero, the richer the energy in their frequent locations. This explains the phrase ‘extraordinary people from the earth’s land’.”

He continued, “The other, more mysterious influences are population and fortune. The larger the population, the greater the spiritual energy and luck. Although it sounds vague, there are examples.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Huai felt some relief. The changes in Lingjiang were likely due to the population increase.

“In the end, it’s about setting up an array,” Xiang Mingfeng added, “To set up such an array, one has to tap into the heaven and earth’s fortune, which is akin to defying the heavens and could result in divine punishment.”

He glanced at the distant blood sea, his gaze heavy with unspoken thoughts. Despite their madness, the Sacred Heart Sect’s ability to set up a formation that could change the spiritual energy of an entire city was undeniably impressive.

“There are two more matters to address…” Xiang Mingfeng said, his eyes becoming serious. “A leader of the Sacred Heart Sect has finally shown up. It’s a giant named Zhou Chuanyong, nearly nine meters tall. His strength is unmatched, and he could easily overpower Fang Huo with his sheer power alone.

“Last month, he confronted our master at Wuji Mountain all by himself, leading to a massive fight.”

“What was the outcome?” Qin Huai inquired.

“It’s hard to tell. Our master was also leveraging the power of Wuji Mountain’s array to combat him. Plus, the guy has this incredible recovery ability through the blood heart technique…

“But, Master’s moves are unpredictable. It’s tough to say if Master has played all his cards yet.” Xiang Mingfeng chose his words carefully. “Fang Huo, Le Ji’an, and the others tried to seize the moment to eliminate him and used the power of Wuji Mountain’s array to hold him there… but they failed and even lost a few of their people.

“Anyway, his life isn’t in danger. It was because of this that we began to train even harder. You could say it was a blessing in disguise…” Xiang Mingfeng glanced at his palm. That battle reminded them of their own limitations in strength.

Qin Huai breathed a sigh of relief. A giant figure was not typical for humans — he was more like a titan. Even lower-ranked monsters weren’t as big as him.

“Can you provide me with information on the current martial arts groups in Qingzhou City, especially the characteristics of the sect’s powers?” Qin Huai started to discuss the main issue.

“Brother Gou has already prepared for this.” Xiang Mingfeng then led Qin Huai to a small room behind the Spirit Gate.

There was a map on the wall facing the door, surrounded by bookshelves. Each sect’s name, their corresponding cultivation method, and characteristics were clearly noted.

Qin Huai walked in and quickly browsed through the books. “Earth Dog Villa, Earth, Mansion Viscera One… Fangshan Sect, Wood, Mansion Viscera Two…” The names of the sects and some important details were clearly noted on the sides of the brand-new books. From the specifics, he found that the leaders of these sects had all fallen into the Sacred Heart Sect’s and the demons’ trap without exception.

Qin Huai quickly searched for clues. After an entire day and night, he finally pinpointed his target.

“White Cloud Sect, Heavenly Eagle Sect, Nine Regions Wind Chasing Divine Legs Gang…”

Qin Huai chose based on a single criterion: whether there were any important figures in the sect who used bird-type monsters as their spirit treasures.

…

Thousand Divination Tower.

The white-robed king sat in the main pavilion, on top of the Heart’s Eye Pavilion. Behind him, Zhou Chuanyong, who had just waged a great war with Kong Binghuang and gained fame from it, stood respectfully.

“Milord, I’ve been feeling uneasy these past few days.” Zhou Chuanyong stooped, his damaged right hand already mended.

“Speak.” The white-robed king toyed with a jade fish in his hand. The jade seemed to breathe out green bubbles.

“I suspect those guys might have discovered a way to break the blood sea.”

“It’s indeed a possibility.” The white-robed king was unmoved. “Then you should devise a plan to eliminate them before they find you.”

“I will definitely do my best and not let you down!” Zhou Chuanyong quickly responded, his fists shaking with determination.

He then quickly retreated from the top of the Heart’s Eye Pavilion. He knew his master was displeased with his failure to kill that stubborn old man on Wuji Mountain. He felt like he was too weak and undeserving of being his follower.

Outside the pavilion, the lord of the Thousand Divination Tower chuckled as he trailed Zhou Chuanyong.

“Lord Zhou, those guys might have discovered a way to break it,” the lord of the Thousand Divination Tower spoke.

“Oh? Tell me!” Zhou Chuanyong showed interest.

“For instance, they could find a monster that can fly seventy thousand feet or refine it into a guardian spirit… Then, they would eliminate all the Kun Peng clans that have been rooted in Qingzhou for thousands of years.” The Lord of the Thousand Divination Tower laid out the plan.

“Hmm, only the Kun Peng Clan can fly up to seventy thousand feet. The Lord had them eliminated considering this, to completely eliminate their chances of flying up. They’re not even given a chance…

“Moreover, it’s impossible to exterminate all of the Kun Peng clan…” Zhou Chuanyong’s voice trailed off as he gave the lord of the Thousand Divination Tower a cold, stern look. “Are you mocking me?” action

“I wouldn’t dare!” The lord of the Thousand Divination Tower quickly bowed. “The so-called prodigies can’t even destroy the Kun Peng clan on the ground, let alone in the air. The strength of the Kun Peng demons would only increase a bit. They have no chance at all, so please don’t worry.”

“That’s true…” Zhou Chuanyong felt better after this conversation.