Chapter 209 The Journey to Slay the Demon

Some people didn’t like what they heard and immediately retorted, “How can you talk like that? Senior Brother Li is a genius, originally destined to become an immortal. Due to various accidents, he has not become an immortal seed for a long time. Now that he has embarked on his journey, isn’t that normal?”

Immediately, the heated discussion subsided considerably.

After all, Cao Qianqiu’s lineage was too difficult to deal with. However, some people still talked about it in private.

“Alas, Senior Brother Tang Xumi is in no way inferior to him, but he lacks a master of the highest level. Now, if he wants to embark on that path, he has to fight desperately, and he may die.”

“I’ve also heard that Senior Cao once ventured into the terrifying ‘Waterspout’ and retrieved a priceless rare substance, the naturally formed ‘Dragon Blood.’ After Li Qingxu consumed it, he underwent a rebirth, and his talents were enhanced once again!”

Among the core disciples, some were dissatisfied.

Some of the disciples felt sorry for Tang Xumi, who had made remarkable achievements on the path to immortality and on the path to rebirth, yet was now risking his life.

Some people looked into the distance, where two flames burst forth from Tang Xumi’s body. His body appeared emaciated, but his spirit seemed to have been ignited.

“Senior Brother Tang, why did you have to go to this?” someone asked, trying to stop him, worried about his condition.

The core disciples are already evident; it must be the power accumulated from the Immortal Path and the Path of Rebirth that is burning within him, as he seeks to break through some kind of boundary. In the twilight, dappled light and shadow intertwine, the path overlapping with the real world, winding forward. Some can see it, but cannot step onto it.

Tang Xumi said, “Sometimes at the crossroads of life, there is no choice. I am unwilling to fall behind others, so I have to fight to the death. I either have to fight my way through and leap up to become an immortal seed, or I will be burned to death on the way.”

Hu Tingwen advised, “You may seem to be burning with vitality now, but you’re actually burning away your future and overdrawing your life force. What’s the point?”

“If we get through this ordeal, we’ll use the blood of the auspicious beast to replenish our lifespan!” Tang Xumi said.

On his left and right shoulders, flames raged, representing not only two paths but also the burning of his life force as it was being depleted.

In the mountains, a demon is on the run, its white hair disheveled and its body covered in blood. Its true form is a giant rhinoceros, but it dares not reveal itself now.

He lived in constant fear and fled into the dense forest.

Because he was being chased by an insect!

Fortunately, he had learned to stealth and hide, temporarily escaping that terrifying opponent who possessed “two demonic seeds.” The competition among the fragmented demonic seeds was bloody, often resulting in life-or-death situations!

Qin Ming emerged from seclusion, feeling the wisps of new life force within his body. Full of anticipation, he held a jet-black measuring ruler in his hand, making no attempt to conceal his true form.

He was searching for other fragments of the Demon Seed, but unfortunately, after he completely shattered and absorbed the two within his body, he could no longer resonate with them and lost contact with the “Second Demon Seed”.

To this end, he did not hesitate to use himself as bait to wander around the area.

Someone spotted him and exclaimed, “Hey, isn’t that Shen Wubing? At such a dangerous time, he’s walking alone in the wilderness, doesn’t he have a death wish?”

“Brother Shen!” Ling Yu appeared in the distance, waving in their direction. Qin Ming approached and asked, “Why are you all so nervous?”

Ling Yu told him, “Wang Lijie’s team encountered an insect demon, which swept past them and caused them to lose half of their men. They said I was definitely no match for it.”

“Where?” Qin Ming’s eyes lit up immediately. “Over there, please don’t…”

Ling Yu pointed the way, but before he could finish speaking, Qin Ming had already gone far away and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Zhao Muyao, dressed in snow-white clothes, along with Wang Lijie and those around them, were all dumbfounded. He had gone to chase after that terrifying insect?!

“Brother Ling, is there something wrong with your friend?”

Someone spoke in a low voice, and others avoided it like the plague, but that person actually dared to chase after it alone.

The insect is rumored in the academies of Kunjun, and is said to be a famous demon from the plateau, with the potential to become a “demon seed”!

Qin Ming continued his search, but the more he tried to find it, the less trace of the insects he could find.

He did see the special navigational markings left by Xiao Wu, and followed them.

Soon, he reunited with Xin Youdao, Jiang Ruoli, and others. They were in a small town, where there were many people and various vendors calling out their wares.

This is a secret realm; there shouldn’t be such a bustling ancient town here. “Little Wu, are you alright?” Qin Ming called out.

“Brother, it’s alright, come in!” Xiao Wu waved and came over.

The town was very clean, with cobblestone streets and bustling crowds, but the more so, the more abnormal it seemed.

Soon, Qin Ming noticed that when he brushed past those people, it was like encountering a bubble; he hadn’t actually made contact with them—it was all an illusion.

He immediately focused his mind, and a surge of heat rushed to his eyes. In an instant, he saw that it was just wisps of mist.

Xiao Wu said, “Brother, there’s a small path here that I think I can take, but I’m worried about you. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“If you’re going on your journey, you’ll still need a weapon. Try this.” Qin Ming handed over the Measuring Ruler, which was forged from black jade iron mixed with refined gold and was quite valuable.

“You… wiped them all out?” Gan Jincheng was shocked because the Measuring Ruler was the weapon of the leader of that demon army.

The others stared in disbelief at the black weapon; that force was terrifying, far more powerful than the demons in the village.

“My brother’s behavior is perfectly normal!” Xiao Wu said, taking the bag and swinging it forcefully, producing a loud popping sound. “How did you discover this road?” Qin Ming asked.

At one end of the town, there was a blurry road. As the rainbow light within Xiao Wu transformed into a divine bridge, it became clear upon touching that spot.

Xiao Wu said, “It seems that a spiritual realm is needed to resonate with it, and then, the path appears.”

This meant that unless a newcomer stepped into the Outer Saint realm and developed a glimmer of consciousness, they wouldn’t even be qualified to try. Qin Ming was somewhat skeptical. After nine rebirths, his Heavenly Light Force, infused with consciousness and divine wisdom, was theoretically not weak; why couldn’t it work?

Then, he tried to combine all the celestial energy here, and it boiled up.

In an instant, countless golden rays of light, dazzlingly bright, emanated from Qin Ming’s flesh and blood, expanding outwards from his body. It was as if a brilliant sun had risen above this place!

“Ah…” Liu Hanyue cried out in surprise, staggering backward. Jiang Ruoli also quickly dodged. Their faces were pale with fright. Because they were so close, their consciousness and wisdom were burning up.

This horrified them; it seemed even more domineering than the legendary Tathagata Force and Sky-Supporting Force! “How is this possible?” Gan Jincheng said in shock, staggering backward.

With a loud boom, a wide road stretched out beneath Qin Ming’s feet, flowing with golden light, which meant that he could travel even without the Demon Seed!

“Wider and more dazzling than my path!” Xiao Wu was lost in thought. Then, the rainbow light within him flew out, preparing to resonate with greater force.

However, no other road appears here; there is only this one.

“Brother, is this road so domineering?” Xiao Wu asked in astonishment.

Everyone else was also stunned, because it was obvious that Qin Ming’s path was quite unusual, as if it were paved with golden firelight, wide and dazzling, seemingly leading directly to the other side.

With a whoosh, he withdrew the Heavenly Light Force after nine rebirths, and the path vanished instantly.

Xiao Wu tried again, and his path appeared. As he increased the intensity of the resonance, it indeed became brighter, but it was still darker than Qin Ming’s path.

“Brother, your road is really special. My road is already brighter than the two roads we can see in the distance, but yours looks like it’s burning!”

At this moment, even Xin Youdao was stunned. Thinking about what he had just seen, he felt it was really too outrageous.

Qin Ming said, “It seems that there can only be one road near this strange building. You take this one, while I still need to hunt demons. I’ll just have to find another one.”

Little Crow said, “I’ll wait for you.”

“No, you go first, don’t delay, I’ll run ahead soon!” Qin Ming had a plan in mind.

Finally, Xiao Wu set off, its figure gradually fading into the distance and becoming blurred. The road seemed to be in the real world, but at times it led to the clouds and cut through the mountains, which was quite absurd.

It’s as if two worlds are merging, sometimes in the present world, sometimes in another world.

Xin Youdao was quite envious of Gan Jincheng, and Liu Hanyue and the others were also watching intently. Although they were all geniuses, none of them were qualified to embark on the journey.

“Let’s find our opportunities in the real world, not in the distant future,” Jiang Ruoli said calmly, having accepted reality.

Soon, everyone else realized that such a path was only for immortals and gods!

Apart from Xin Youdao, everyone else had complicated expressions. It was unimaginable that the two young men beside them were such outstanding individuals!

At first, they thought they were just two nobodys.

“There are two more powerful demons nearby, so be careful,” Qin Ming warned. Suddenly, he heard a commotion in the distance; the ground trembled slightly, and a huge rhinoceros was charging forward.

It was a demon with a fragmented demonic seed. After being discovered by the insect demon with a “second demonic seed”, it had no choice but to reveal its true form and run away at full speed in an attempt to escape with its life.

It spotted the town, saw many people, and immediately rushed over.

“Has my luck started to turn around? Things are finally starting to go a bit smoother,” Qin Ming said with a smile, quickly arriving outside the town.

“The one behind is an insect demon, you now…” Xin Youdao reminded him, after all, the silver-robed youth had been afraid of insect demons with “two demonic seeds” before.

Gan Jincheng, Liu Hanyue, and the others turned pale. “Times have changed!” Qin Ming said.

The towering white rhinoceros, as large as a small mountain, was covered in flowing silver runes. Upon seeing the boy in front of it, its eyes turned cold, and it charged forward without regard for anything else.

Behind it, a black insect crackled and sputtered, its claws tearing through rocks and bushes as it hurtled forward, closing in rapidly. Each time the white rhinoceros’s massive hooves struck, the ground trembled and cracked open—a truly terrifying sight.

It stomped one hoof toward Qin Ming, about to charge past him.

However, the next moment, its body suddenly tensed up, sensing that something was wrong. The spirit jade horn immediately glowed and released five-colored divine light.

Qin Ming, naturally, wouldn’t be trampled by it. He leaped up, reaching the same height as its head, and punched forward. Although the five-colored rays of light on the rhinoceros horn came towards him, they were all scattered by his punch, the light flying and dissipating.

Moreover, the intense energy of the heavenly light tore open the face of the giant white rhinoceros, causing blood to gush from its face.

At the same time, Qin Ming truly “took advantage of his newfound power,” continuing his ascent, his right fist clenched, unleashing an even more terrifying golden light. He was testing the strength of his full-force attack after his ninth rebirth!

The white rhinoceros was horrified, sensing something was terribly wrong. Silver runes swirled all over its body as it shook its head and tail, trying to throw the human boy away.

However, it was too late. Once Qin Ming got close, it would be difficult to break free; he could stick to his opponent.

Like a thunderbolt from the heavens, the light in mid-air was blinding, and the sound was deafening. Qin Ming’s full-force punch pierced through the white rhinoceros’s skull.

Right on its forehead, a bloody hole appeared, which was smashed by Qin Ming’s extremely powerful punch, and then its skull shattered completely.

Like a mountain of gold and a pillar of jade collapsing, with a deafening roar, the enormous white rhinoceros fell in front of the town and died.

A fragment of a demonic seed flew out and headed towards Qin Ming. He wrapped it in a tattered cloth woven from exotic metal and began to refine it.

Qin Ming landed gracefully, very satisfied with his performance in his ninth rebirth. After integrating six extraordinary skills, the Heavenly Light Force had indeed undergone a qualitative transformation.

A giant insect, resembling a black armored vehicle, charged in, and seemed quite wary upon seeing this.

It resembles a spider, but with an extra scorpion tail, raised high, its sharp, black stinger intimidating.

Moreover, it doesn’t resemble flesh and blood; its entire body is black and shiny, as if cast from metal. When its claws rub against the ground, even rocks will crack, which shows how hard and sharp it is.

Spider Scorpion is a famous demon from the plateau. Many old demons have high hopes for it, believing that it may become the next generation of demonic creatures.

Upon meeting, the human and the demon exchanged no words, charging directly at each other with all their might. Qin Ming drew his mutton-fat jade iron sword as if standing in the blazing sun, engaging in a fierce battle.

The spider-scorpion strikes with lightning, spews fire, and unleashes its lightning-fast web, employing every possible means.

Its spider legs pierced out like spears, and its scorpion tail was dazzlingly bright; it was like a soul-reaping messenger from hell. Thump! Thump!

Outside the town, the area exploded. Wherever the spider’s legs passed, boulders and towering ancient trees were shattered. When the scorpion’s tail accidentally touched the massive carcass of a white rhinoceros, it instantly turned it into a pool of rotting blood and mud.

The spider scorpion was truly powerful. Qin Ming unleashed his full power, striking hundreds of times before it began to show signs of injury. Qin Ming then used the blazing sunlight to shield himself from the strange poison that could erode his mental domain.

Clang!

A spider leg flew off, and in the next instant, black venom splattered everywhere as the scorpion’s tail was severed.

Bathed in golden light, Qin Ming swung his sword repeatedly. Finally, the spider legs flew up, the spider web formed by demonic energy shattered, and the lightning and fire that extinguished the insect demon’s head were cleaved open by him.

After a fierce battle, Qin Ming killed the Spider Scorpion!

Two fragmented demonic seeds flew out and rushed towards him, but he caught them with a rag and began refining them into demonic essence. Qin Ming strode away, searching for other towns, preparing to set off.

Behind them, Gan Jincheng, Jiang Ruoli, Liu Hanyue and others were all petrified, their hearts filled with shock. The even more powerful demons had been slain by him!

In an ancient town, two paths suddenly appeared beneath Qin Ming’s feet, causing him to lose himself in thought, stepping on one with each foot.

(There’s more to come!)