Rending the Void, a Great Harvest

The Grand Elder looked up at the sky.

Those once terrifying celestial swords seemed to have become commonplace. It wasn't that the celestial swords were no longer worth mentioning, but rather that he now had enough confidence to treat them as nothing.

Xiang Tianxing exerted all his strength to control the remnants of the Blood Demon's body and leaped into the sky.

All the remaining power of the blood mist erupted at this moment, the blood demon roared incessantly, and finally transformed into a blood-red arc.

"Boom!"

After the deafening roar, the crimson arc had consumed almost half of the Heavenly Sword, and the aftershocks spread outwards, making the already ruined Demon Sect Palace even more dilapidated and desolate.

But the remaining Heavenly Swords showed no mercy, still pressing down with astonishing power.

Ning Qi Qi's golden light was concealed as he observed the blood bead in the Grand Elder's hand. He pressed forward relentlessly, forcing the Grand Elder to intervene. The current level was just right, but caution was still necessary. At the same time, he needed to further explore the mysteries of the blood bead's power. Although he had observed it for a long time, it was still not enough.

The remaining Heavenly Sword was merely a test.

Xiang Tianxing felt like he was suffocating; he could only place all his hopes on the Grand Elder.

The elder's robes billowed up, and his silver hair danced in the air.

He hovered in the air, holding a bead of blood in one hand, as if on a pilgrimage.

He roared, and the blood droplets shone brightly. A transcendent power swept out, transforming into a long rainbow that slashed towards the many heavenly swords.

Ning Qi's eyes shone brightly with golden light, and he activated his Golden Eyes of Truth at full power, observing this wondrous power.

"I have never seen such a wondrous power before. Its essence seems no different from the power of heaven and earth, but the power it unleashes is worlds apart. If we had to compare them, it would be like comparing cotton wool to steel! Not only that, but it also possesses all sorts of mysteries, seemingly capable of turning the rotten into the miraculous!"

"This is... the power of Martial Saint?!"

He was deeply shaken.

As the crimson ribbon swept across, he seemed to hear cries of terror rising and falling within it. Some people stretched out their hands in despair, trying to struggle, but were forcibly pulled into the depths of the blood river. He seemed to see crimson lotuses rising, and a madman laughing. All sorts of strange phenomena flashed by in an instant.

The Heavenly Sword wailed, having never encountered such a formidable opponent before.

The once invincible Heavenly Sword was easily severed by the crimson ribbon. Previously, the Blood Demon was mercilessly suppressed by the Heavenly Sword, but now the roles have reversed. The Heavenly Swords are breaking one after another, not because their power has been exhausted, but because they have been forcibly broken. The difference is huge.

A surge of wild joy welled up in Xiang Tianxing's eyes.

The Grand Elder stroked his beard and smiled, as if it were all expected.

The crimson ribbon reversed direction, only dimming slightly after shattering numerous heavenly swords. The Grand Elder's figure gradually rose, holding a blood bead in his hand, reaching the same level as Ning Qi for the first time. He calmly said:

"Heavenly Sword Real Person, you are truly astonishing, a rare talent in thousands of years. You have already surpassed the Celestial Person Realm and are approaching the Martial Saint, but... you ultimately do not understand the true power of Martial Saint! Before such immense power, no matter how monstrous you are, you must bow down!"

He activated the blood bead, replenishing the energy of the crimson ribbon, which immediately burst forth with the same dazzling light as before.

Ning Qi exclaimed in amazement:

"Indeed, incredible power! The Martial Saint, no wonder it's a realm that millions of martial artists aspire to!"

He didn't hold back his praise. Even though what he was seeing was merely the power of Martial Saint catalyzed by Martial Saint's secret treasure, it was still extraordinary, far beyond what the Celestial Person Realm could compare to. This made him even more eager for the Martial Saint. If he could control such miraculous power, perhaps that would be the true beginning of immortality.

The Grand Elder stared intently at Ning Qi:

"You slaughtered many powerful figures of my Holy Gate, and your soul should have been annihilated. However, considering the difficulty of your cultivation, I will give you a chance. Open your mind and let me imprint my mark on you so that you can be at my command, and you may live."

This is to mitigate the losses.

In this battle, the Demon Sect lost more than forty Celestial Person Realm experts, greatly diminishing its strength.

However, if one could enslave such a peerless genius, it would make up for most of the losses, and even generate a profit. The power of a Heavenly Sword Real Person is enough to dominate the Great Flame, unless the Great Flame also uses a foundation similar to the Blood Pearl.

Ning Qi naturally wouldn't agree. After a brief respite, more heavenly swords floated around him, and he simply sighed to himself:

"Unfortunately, you are not Martial Saint."

This time, he had a rough idea of the true strength of Martial Saint.

The Grand Elder snorted coldly:

"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Fine, let me show you the might of Martial Saint!"

With such power in hand, he was confident and even a little arrogant. He didn't care at all that Ning Qi was recovering his power. He wanted to crush all the pride of the Heavenly Sword Real Person in front of him with an absolute crushing force, and make him willingly become his slave!

The Heavenly Sword roared in, transforming into a river of swords that stretched across the sky.

The Grand Elder simply waved his hand, and a crimson streak, like a celestial blade, slashed down with immense power.

As expected.

The Heavenly Sword was shattered.

Even Ning Qi's face paled slightly. The series of battles had taken a toll on him, even with his extraordinary abilities. However, everything was still under control.

After making two consecutive moves, he had roughly discerned the true nature of this Blood Bead Treasure.

Whether it was due to the upper limit of the secret treasure or the fact that the Grand Elder only had such control over it, the upper limit of this crimson ribbon had been locked. Although the power to turn decay into magic was mysterious, it was ultimately somewhat rigid. Under the Golden Eye of Insight, Ning Qi saw the flaw in it.

The Grand Elder roared with earth-shattering force:

"Submit immediately, and I'll spare your life!"

The crimson heavenly blade struck again, and after being replenished by the blood bead's energy, it shone brightly once more. Ning Qi felt a pang of regret, seeing the Grand Elder squander so much of the blood bead's energy, which was a mysterious power that diminished with each use.

He had already come to regard the treasure as his own.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Ning Qi's body surface condensed into streaks of azure light, transforming into a Treasure Armor that covered his entire body. To this day, his Azure Profound Body Protection Technique has reached its pinnacle, far surpassing the Azure Profound Treasure Armor of the past. Circles of azure ripples spread out, and when the blood-red Heavenly Blade slashed down, it actually encountered resistance.

It's like cutting into Ox Skin, with the force constantly rebounding.

The Grand Elder's expression changed slightly. He wondered what kind of secret technique this was. He was secretly amazed by the Heavenly Sword Real Person before him. It was unheard of for a Celestial Person Realm to have such formidable combat power.

He was even more determined to bring Heavenly Sword Real Person under his wing.

He activated the blood beads with all his might.

The crimson ribbon transformed into a python, attempting to entangle Ning Qi and strangle him.

A series of crisp, snapping sounds rang out, and the blue-green Treasure Armor teetered precariously.

But Ning Qi remained completely calm.

His eyes shone brightly with golden light as he spotted a flaw in the serpent's defenses.

In an instant.

His Dantian trembled, and the peerless Sword Qi that had been nurtured for two months was unleashed with a clang!

It was another supreme secret technique obtained from Zhuang Chen's Innate Sword Bone: the Innate Divine Sword Qi!

Chant!

It sounded like a divine sword chanting, or True Dragon roaring.

What an amazing Sword Qi!

It seemed ordinary, but wherever it passed, it left behind terrifying black marks. Although extremely subtle, they were enough to send chills down one's spine. It was a manifestation of power, forcefully tearing through the void!

Ning Qi stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a sword immortal reborn.

Under the incredulous gazes of the Grand Elder and Xiang Tianxing, the innate divine Sword Qi struck the serpent's "seven-inch spot," causing its originally overwhelming power to suddenly drop, leaving it teetering on the brink of collapse. This was Ning Qi's strongest trump card, and now, with a sudden attack, he forcefully severed the connection between the Grand Elder and the blood-red ribbon.

"Ah!" The Grand Elder coughed up blood, his head feeling like it was about to explode.

The sudden turn of events made him glare angrily and feel a chill in his heart. He tried his best to calm his mind and regroup his strength, but Ning Qi naturally wouldn't let go of this excellent opportunity.

The innate divine Sword Qi pierced through the body of the blood-red python. Although its power was somewhat diminished, it was still invincible. The wisps of black marks on its surface sent chills down one's spine.

"Martial Saint! How is this possible? How is this possible?!" The Grand Elder stared at the black mark that tore through space, as if he had seen a ghost.

The Sword Qi flashed and disappeared in an instant.

The fear on Xiang Tianxing's face froze, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

The elder's left hand, which was holding the blood bead, was severed at the root. The power of the Sword Qi energy suppressed it and sealed it in place. As for the blood bead, it flew into the air and landed lightly in Ning Qi's hand.

Ning Qi's calm voice rang out:

"Such a treasure, it's a bit of a waste that it's in your hands."

He looked at the Martial Saint's Secret Treasure shaking incessantly in his hand and the blood-red ribbon spinning like a headless fly in the sky, his eyes gleaming with desire. His scheming had not been in vain; this secret treasure had finally fallen into his hands.

The Grand Elder was enraged:

Even if you obtain the King Yu Pearl, it will all be in vain!

He wanted to provoke Ning Qi with this, but Ning Qi just smiled faintly.

"The Yu King's Pearl? It seems this item is related to the Former Dynasty Great Yu Dynasty?"

He channeled the power of heaven and earth, resonating with the Yu King Pearl in a special way. Then, the vibrations of the Yu King Pearl began to diminish. Although he had not yet fully controlled it, it had at least stopped rejecting Ning Qi. Moreover, even the trembling ribbons in the sky reversed and rushed into the Yu King Pearl.

The already dim Yu Wang Pearl suddenly turned a faint blood-red color.

"You've wasted so much of my Martial Saint power. If you weren't still somewhat useful, I would have killed you." Ning Qi sneered.

But the Grand Elder remained blankly silent, as if he had seen a ghost.

"How can you use the Yu King Pearl? You are also a descendant of the Great Yu? Why are you doing this! Why do you kill each other with us? Why don't we unite to overthrow the Great Flame!" He was disheveled, covered in blood, and unable to withstand this shocking blow, he was already showing signs of madness.

Ning Qi shook his head and landed in front of him without explaining.

Just now, Ning Qi sat idly by watching the Grand Elder use the Yu King Pearl. He wasn't doing it out of boredom; he was observing the principles behind it. With the Golden Eyes of Truth and Ning Qi's comprehension working together, they were naturally invincible.

at the moment.

The dust has finally settled.

In the vast underground world, only Ning Qi and the Grand Elder remained; all the others had perished.

Ning Qi let out a soft breath, his tense mind relaxing slightly.

In particular, the innate divine Sword Qi he had nurtured caused him to feel an empty and uncomfortable sensation within his body.

This was the most difficult battle he had faced since embarking on his martial arts journey. Although he did not reach his limit or face a life-or-death crisis, he had used all his trump cards. However, he had also thoroughly understood his own strength.

"The Demon Sect, with its profound foundation, is truly not to be underestimated," Ning Qi thought to himself.

The forty-odd Celestial Person Realm in the lair were already powerful enough, not to mention the Blood Demon Formation and the Yu King Pearl. Anyone else would have been defeated long ago. It was only because Ning Qi's methods were astonishing and could not be judged by common sense that he was able to have the last laugh.

"At this point, the Demon Sect Master has still not appeared, so he is indeed no longer in the Myriad Flames Cavern."

Ning Qi remained vigilant, secretly sensing the movements around him.

But now that the dust has settled, if that Demon Sect Master were still alive, he would have already made his move. There's no point in waiting until Demon Sect experts are dead before taking action.

"Where is the leader of the Demon Sect? It probably lies with the person right in front of us."

Ning Qi stared at the Grand Elder.

The purpose of this trip was to capture him alive and extract information about the Sacred Pill. After many twists and turns, and with considerable effort, the objective was ultimately achieved.

"Who... who exactly are you?" The Grand Elder was still reeling from Ning Qi's activation of the Yu King Pearl.

Ning Qi ignored him and casually pointed, sealing the elder's mouth with his Gang Qi.

A thought struck him, and he resonated with the power of heaven and earth through the Yu King Pearl. Although he couldn't fully control it yet and didn't have time to fully comprehend it, he could still use it in some simple ways.

In an instant.

The blood mist that had been drifting through the underground world surged and converged.

This is the essence of power left behind after the previous Blood Demon monster was destroyed, the flesh and blood power of more than forty Celestial Person Realm. Even though many were lost, the remaining remnants are still considerable.

Ning Qi condensed it into a blood pill and put it away with satisfaction.

"Once the Enlightenment Tea Tree has completely consumed this Blood Pill, it will surely flourish even more!"

He was in a very good mood.

It can be said that the gains from just this one Blood Pill were immense, making the trip worthwhile.

After doing all this, Ning Qi turned his gaze to the Grand Elder. At this moment, the Grand Elder finally came to his senses and realized what was about to happen. Ghost Mask would most likely fall into the hands of Heavenly Sword Real Person and reveal a lot of information about the headquarters.

Although we don't know what kind of extraordinary methods Heavenly Sword Real Person possesses, we can imagine that it won't be so easy for him to overcome this challenge.

Ning Qi held the Yu King Pearl in one hand and released the Grand Elder's seal.

"You want to know my identity?" he laughed, the mask shattering and falling away, but it was still the face of the ghost.

The Grand Elder's eyes practically blazed with fury as he watched the treasure fall into someone else's hands.

"Your strength is unparalleled in the world, yet you still choose to hide your identity; it would be beneath your dignity."

Ning Qi chuckled:

"Okay, your wish will be granted."

The Grand Elder was startled. The Yu King Pearl suddenly shone brightly, attracting his attention. Ning Qi's eyes turned into deep vortexes, enveloping him. There was no Heart-Questioning Platform here, and the Grand Elder's martial intent was at its peak. If a surprise attack wasn't launched, things would really be difficult.

Fortunately, the Yu Wang Pearl also played a role in calming their minds.

Ning Qi looked at the Grand Elder, who was gradually becoming dazed, and let out a soft breath.

Next.

It refers to the interrogation process.

Try to extract as much useful information as possible. The most important thing, of course, is the matter of the Sacred Pill. The rest is important information about the Demon Sect and the Yu King Pearl.

In the dark, gloomy cave.

The question-and-answer exchange between the two seemed somewhat strange.

I don't know how much time passed before I reached my limit.

The elder was jolted awake and withdrew from the Soul-Seizing state. His head was throbbing with pain. The backlash from the Yu Wang Pearl had already scattered his Divine Intent, and then Ning Qi's reckless Soul-Seizing interrogation had made him feel like he was dying. He collapsed to the ground, looking at Ning Qi in a daze, his face filled with a mix of emotions, including hatred, fear, resentment, and doubt.

Ning Qi sighed softly. If he could, he would like to give this peerless expert some face.

In our brief conversation, this elder was indeed a remarkable person. He never forgot his original aspirations, which sounds simple, but how many people can actually do it?

Ning Qi waved gently.

The Grand Elder was blasted into a blood mist, which then merged into the Blood Pill.

The entire underground world fell completely silent, leaving him all alone.

He began to ponder the intelligence he had just obtained.

First and foremost, of course, was the matter of the sacred elixir, which was of utmost concern to him.

"There is indeed a method for creating a Sacred Pill within the Demon Sect, but the specific method is known only to the sect leaders of each generation. It is said that this Sacred Pill technique involves refining the essence of the inner cores of many Mutant Beast to condense a Sacred Pill, and then using a secret technique to forcefully break through to the Martial Saint realm."

"Even the Grand Elder doesn't know exactly where the Demon Sect Master is in seclusion. Every year, tens of thousands of powerful individuals take away the accumulated beast cores from the Fiery Caves. According to the Grand Elder, the last time was just one month ago, meaning that the next time they will retrieve the Sacred Pill will be eleven months from now."

Ning Qi somewhat helpless.

If it were a short time, he could wait here and wait for the enemy to come to him, but in eleven months, even a fool would realize that the headquarters of the Wan Yan Cave had been destroyed. There are many special ways of communication within the Demon Sect, and he could not possibly know them all in such a short time.

"Very well, it seems that the clue about the Demon Sect can only be shelved for now. However, it's not a complete loss. At least we know that the progress of refining the Holy Pill is not as fast as we imagined. In addition, the raid on the Demon Sect Sect's headquarters will definitely delay their progress greatly, perhaps by at least two or three years."

Thinking of this, Ning Qi's lips curled into a slight smile.

This time is more than enough for him to reach the realm of Perfection Celestial Person. At that time, he can confidently say that he is comparable to Martial Saint.

This battle in the Myriad Flames Cavern made him fully realize his own strength.

His current strength is only close to that of Martial Saint, but when he uses the Innate Divine Sword Qi, he has the destructive power of Martial Saint.

But after Perfection of Celestial Person, his regular strength will reach the Martial Saint level!

In this way...

At least the threat from the Demon Sect has been greatly reduced. As for the Southern Frontier, we'll take it slow. Without the Demon Sect, they will inevitably be greatly affected, and their threat level will also decrease. Overall, this raid on the Demon Sect Sect's headquarters was very successful.

Aside from the matter of the sacred elixir.

What I learned from the Grand Elder was some of the Demon Sect's secret information, including some of the headquarters' treasures and books, the locations of its various branches, and some important secret signals, etc.

Ning Qi's eyes flickered:

"This information is also crucial. Although I managed to corner their stronghold and kill forty Celestial Person Realm this time, the Demon Sect still has quite a few powerful individuals scattered throughout the land. Perhaps... I can use this as bait!"

A bold idea popped into his mind.

Using the communication signals between the Demon Sect to summon back the Celestial Person Realm cultivators of the Demon Sect, and then killing them with lightning speed, would save a lot of effort.

"After another thorough cleansing, the locations of the remaining Demon Sect branches will be revealed to the imperial court. This will eliminate at least 95% of the Demon Sect's power, making it much more difficult to collect the inner cores of Mutant Beast. The threat posed by the Demon Sect will then be essentially eliminated."

But Ning Qi did not act immediately.

He needs to refine the Yu King Pearl first.

He had just asked the Grand Elder again about how to use the Yu King Pearl, and combined with his own understanding, he roughly understood the use and purpose of this Martial Saint's secret treasure.

The Celestial Person Realm can only be manipulated in a simple way with the help of certain techniques; only by truly stepping into the Martial Saint can one completely control it.

As for its uses, the Grand Elder currently only knows two.

One function is storage; it has a space where inanimate objects can be stored. This function can be achieved by resonating with the power of heaven and earth.

The key function is the second one, which is the ability to condense the power of Martial Saint that Ning Qi saw earlier!

However, this feature has somewhat strict usage requirements.

Ning Qi thought to himself:

"The key lies in those servants of the Demon Sect. In fact, these people were not just randomly captured servants. Tracing back in time, their bloodline originated from the royal family of the Great Yu Dynasty. However, they gradually became a collateral branch and eventually turned into servants. They are kept here by the higher-ups of the Demon Sect, and at crucial moments, they are the nutrients to activate the Yu King Pearl."

"It's because the Yu King Pearl seems to have been linked to by a Martial Saint from the Great Yu Dynasty through bloodline in the past."

He gazed at the blood-red Yu King Pearl in his hand, feeling a pang of emotion.

Fortunately, the Yu King Pearl has now been "charged" and he can use it directly, but once its power is exhausted, he probably won't be able to condense the power of Martial Saint again.

"However, using the bloodline of the Great Yu royal family to activate the Yu King Pearl is certainly not the only method. Now that the Yu King Pearl is in my hands, I have plenty of time to study it slowly. If I can deduce a method that does not require a bloodline medium, then I can truly say that I have transformed this treasure into my own power!"

"Even if I haven't reached the Perfection the Celestial Person Realm, I'm confident I can fight a Martial Saint!"

Ning Qi is confident about this.

He sped across the ruins of the underground palace as he pondered these thoughts.

He would wave his hand from time to time, clearing away pieces of debris. In the shockwaves of the battle, most things had been reduced to dust, but some precious items, materials, or books were still intact. Some of these items were made of high-quality materials, while others had been protected by various barriers.

Among them are the Blood Demon Flowers that the Demon Sect's Deadfire Abyss branch carefully cultivated. There are five or six of them here, most of which are already mature.

This is an unparalleled treasure that can rapidly enhance even the strongest Celestial Person Realm experts. Back then, after Lin Old Devil swallowed one, he ran for two days and two nights despite his severe injuries, finally reaching True Martial Mountain where he was severely wounded by Ning Qi's sword.

Now, it all benefits Ning Qi.

"Swallowing these Blood Demon Flowers will greatly reduce the time it takes me to condense the Essence Flower," Ning Qi said with a smile.

His astonishing senses continued to explore, and one treasure after another flew out. Some were divine weapons, some were peerless treasures, some were spirit medicine, and some were secret techniques passed down through generations. Those that could remain intact in such a great battle were all extraordinary.

Ning Qi sensed the increasingly full space inside the Yu Wang Pearl, and his mood became even more joyful.

This time, it's been a huge success!