Blood-Swallowing Wood Crystal Core, Innate Six Senses

Through layers of jungle.

Shen Qing could already smell a faint scent of blood, mixed with a strong odor of decay.

Even the ground was stained with a faint bloody hue, and scattered bones, both human and animal, could be seen all around.

Through the gaps in the trees, Shen Qing could vaguely see a dark red, short tree, about the height of a floor.

"Why does it look a little familiar..."

Shen Qing muttered and walked forward.

Upon reaching it, Shen Qing circled the tree, and some things in his mind gradually became clearer.

Years ago, when he was in the Capital City, he had read many books, and there seemed to be records of the small tree before him.

"Blood Swallowing Wood, grows over ten feet tall, lives by drinking blood, its fragrance is clear and strong but not turbid, its branches and leaves are sparse, its fruit is dark red, eating it can break through realms, or it may be addictive..."

Shen Qing sniffed slightly. The senses of a Houtian Realm martial artist were also greatly enhanced. Through the layers of stench and blood, he could still smell a faint, subtle fragrance.

Just as described in the book, it was indeed Blood Swallowing Wood.

Immediately after, Shen Qing recalled some descriptions.

"Not naturally occurring, but artificially made, a demonic item, its core is..."

This Blood Swallowing Wood was not something that grew naturally, but a peculiar seed created by blood cultivators through secret techniques.

And the reason blood cultivators spent great effort to create this thing was not for the fruit above, but for its core.

After all, for blood cultivators, directly absorbing blood to improve their cultivation would be faster, right?

There was no need to do something as pointless as taking off pants to fart, and besides, the fruit was also highly addictive.

A cold light flashed in the air, Qing He emerged, and the Blood Swallowing Wood was directly chopped to pieces by Shen Qing, with dark red wood chips flying in the air.

A large piece of broken wood, carrying a crystal as red as snow, appeared.

Shen Qing reached out with one hand, directly crushed the broken wood, and held the red crystal in his palm.

Shen Qing examined it carefully. The crystal was about the size of a fist. It was worth mentioning that although this thing was nurtured by a large amount of fresh blood, it was not stained with the slightest trace of blood.

At this moment, Zhang He, who had been pretending to be dead behind him, had his eyes wide open, staring intently at the Blood Swallowing Wood Core in Shen Qing's palm.

He had a hunch that if he swallowed that crystal, he could immediately break through to the Houtian Realm.

He also felt extremely regretful, guarding a treasure mountain yet only obtaining dregs.

Shen Qing let out a cold laugh.

"What are you looking at? Do you know what this is?"

Zhang He's voice was hoarse, filled with resentment.

"I hate it..."

Shen Qing squatted down, grabbed Zhang He's face, and lifted him up.

"Let me tell you."

"This thing, among blood cultivators, is called the Blood Swallowing Wood Core. This one looks like it's of pretty good quality."

"If you were to eat it, you could probably directly break through to the third or fourth layer of the Xiantian Realm."

"But unfortunately, not only could you not protect your own family, but you were also blind."

Zhang He completely broke down.

"I hate it! Ahhhhh!!!"

The next moment, the roar of anguish abruptly stopped, and Zhang He's head was directly crushed by Shen Qing.

[Killed a Houtian Realm Ninth Layer martial artist, plundered trait: Fist Mastery (Green)]

He had originally intended to interrogate Zhang He about the evil cult behind him, to see if he could catch them all.

But the moment he saw the Blood Swallowing Wood, he abandoned that idea.

This Blood Swallowing Wood was not a common item among blood cultivators, and it was absolutely impossible for trash like Zhang He to have it.

This Blood Swallowing Wood was probably accidentally dropped here, and Zhang He happened to stumble upon it.

Shen Qing looked at the core in his hand. It was indeed a good item.

Eat it? That was impossible. After all, it was a blood cultivator's item, and whether there were any side effects after consuming it was unknown.

However, even if it couldn't be consumed, it was still an extremely valuable item.

The cultivation of Blood Swallowing Wood has always been prohibited in the Great Wu Dynasty, so on the surface, Blood Swallowing Wood Crystal Cores have always been extremely rare.

Therefore, the price has always been high.

Taking it to the Pacification Bureau for exchange would also fetch a good price, enough to exchange for another Crimson Jade Fruit for breakthrough.

Shen Qing picked up a jade box from the ground and put the crystal core away, keeping it close to his body.

Suddenly, another line lit up before his eyes.

[Your subordinate killed a Houtian Realm Third Layer martial artist, successfully plundered trait: Extraordinary Intuition (Green)]

[Astonishing Intuition: Your sixth sense is stronger than others, allowing you to instinctively sense good or bad fortune.]

Shen Qing sheathed Qing He, raising an eyebrow.

Another skill? It seems Zhang Zhi was killed by Black Dog and the others.

But looking at it this way...

The Zhang family's strength isn't that great, yet they've managed to live freely until now for a reason.

Turns out they had a younger son with such a useful skill.

Even though it's just a green-tier skill, I bet most blue and purple-tier skills can't compare.

In that case, I'm going all in!

He used all four of his skill upgrade opportunities.

Extraordinary Intuition (Green) upgraded to: Astonishing Intuition (Blue) upgraded to: Lucky Instinct (Purple) upgraded to: Seek Fortune, Avoid Disaster (Gold) upgraded to: Innate Six Senses (Red)

In an instant, Shen Qing felt his entire world change, as if a wondrous new sense had been born.

It was as if a new sense had materialized out of nowhere, profound and mystical, making it impossible for Shen Qing to describe in words.

Just then, Black Dog and the others arrived in the depths of the jungle.

The Scholar bowed.

"Reporting, my lord, the interrogation is complete. We didn't get anything useful."

"According to Zhang Zhi, they were just lucky to have encountered that Sacred Tree. They shouldn't have any Blood Cultists backing them."

Shen Qing glanced at the Scholar. A gut feeling told him the Scholar was telling the truth, and he saw admiration in the Scholar's eyes.

He surveyed the surroundings. Shen Qing could see through the gazes of the Imperial Guards; most were filled with admiration, while a small portion held fear.

Looking at Black Dog, Shen Qing noticed a hint of resentment in his eyes, not directed at Shen Qing, but at Zhang He's corpse on the ground.

He must have some past grievance with the Blood Cultists.

Suddenly, an icy gaze pierced the back of Shen Qing's neck.

Shen Qing spun around abruptly, his eyes quickly locking onto a person. This person was a Lieutenant, sent from Luoshui City to supplement their numbers, named Huang Yuan.

His eyes were ferociously hostile, as if he wanted to flay Shen Qing alive.

Seeing Shen Qing turn, Huang Yuan immediately lowered his head.

Shen Qing recalled carefully and confirmed one thing: he definitely had no prior conflict with this Huang Yuan.

Huang Yuan had been transferred under his command two days ago; this was their first meeting.

Could he be someone from the Capital City?

That's even less likely. My arrival in Baiyun County was a secret mission, known only to a few besides the royal family and my own kin.

If they sent someone, it definitely wouldn't be trash like this.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes.

Then there's only one possibility: someone I've offended recently. Either the White Dragon Cult or remnants of those families whose property I confiscated.

Shen Qing vanished from his spot like a phantom.

The next moment, he had Huang Yuan by the neck.

"Speak. What was your motive for infiltrating the Imperial Guards?"

The scene stunned all the Imperial Guards around them, leaving them unsure how to react.

However, Black Dog, Lin Zikai, and the others moved swiftly, drawing their sabers and subduing the Imperial Guards under Huang Yuan.

Huang Yuan's face paled in panic, and he struggled to speak, "My lord... is there... some... misunderstanding..."

Shen Qing sneered.

"Hoping for luck? What misunderstanding? My hand is already around your neck?"

"Do you think you don't have our people on your side? Speak quickly, and I can give you a swift death."

Shen Qing employed a classic interrogation tactic: bluffing!

Huang Yuan flinched, then his expression turned sinister, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Shen Qing!"

"You will die! We will definitely return!"

With that, Huang Yuan attempted to bite down on the poison hidden in his mouth.

But how could his speed match Shen Qing's? Shen Qing clamped down on Huang Yuan's jaw, and Black Dog, with his sharp eyes, immediately stepped forward and retrieved the poison from Huang Yuan's mouth.

Shen Qing applied slight pressure, and Huang Yuan's jaw made a grating sound before he quickly lost consciousness.

Soon, someone brought iron chains and bound Huang Yuan tightly.

"Old Li, take him back to the prison and interrogate him thoroughly. Use the same method we discussed before, with the chili peppers."

Afterward, Shen Qing's gaze swept over the group of Imperial Guards under Huang Yuan.

They immediately knelt on the ground, trembling and kowtowing incessantly.

"Sir, we truly have no connection to that Huang Yuan."

"Sir, please see clearly..."

Shen Qing withdrew his gaze. His Innate Six Senses indeed didn't detect any ill will from these people.

He waved his hand, and these Imperial Guards immediately began kowtowing on the ground.

Shen Qing's eyes gleamed. This Innate Six Senses was even more useful than he had imagined.

Perhaps it could play a big role in the future.

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