Good and Evil Ultimately Receive Their Due

In a secluded, deserted corner of Spirit Field Valley, a group loyal to Li Jing had gathered. Many were cultivators at the Immortal Seedling Realm, and a few were even powerhouses at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf.

"I've gathered everyone here today because I have a favor to ask," Li Jing cleared his throat and scanned the crowd. Though he spoke of a favor, there was no subservience in his tone. His royal upbringing lent an air of irrefutability to his words. "I want to select someone to go to the Lava Cellar and protect Qin Haoxuan."

As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, Murong Chao nearly jumped up to object, but a calm glance from Li Jing made him realize his loss of composure. Despite his dissatisfaction, he didn't dare speak.

Not only Murong Chao, but everyone else was confused. What was Li Jing playing at? Not kicking Qin Haoxuan while he was down would have been generous enough. Why would they help him now?

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Li Jing smiled slightly and explained, "Because of Xu Yu."

With Li Jing's reminder, they suddenly understood. Xu Yu was close to Qin Haoxuan and had helped him out multiple times. If they wanted to win Xu Yu over, they had to start with Qin Haoxuan. Once Xu Yu was won over, the benefits for Li Jing would be obvious.

Murong Chao wasn't a fool. Remembering his earlier loss of composure, he immediately knelt on the ground, begging Li Jing for forgiveness. Given the prince's personality, he might not say anything to his face, but offending him would surely lead to hard times later.

"Your Highness's vision is far-reaching and your planning is thorough. I lost my composure, and I beg Your Highness to punish me!"

"Get up quickly, Junior Brother Murong. You are only thinking of my well-being, so what crime is there?" Li Jing helped Murong Chao up and said, "Haven't I said many times that you and I are both disciples of the Taichu Sect, and we are like brothers? Calling me 'Your Highness' makes it seem too distant. Wouldn't calling me 'Senior Brother' be more intimate?"

Li Jing's act of winning hearts immediately garnered much favor. People began to praise him, saying, "Junior Brother is humble and respects scholars, his wisdom is unparalleled, and with his supreme talent as a Supreme Purple Seed, his future achievements are limitless!"

A tall, burly man at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf stepped forward and said, "Junior Brother, let me, Chang Qingshan, handle this matter."

Chang Qingshan's proactive offer to take on the task immediately won Li Jing's approving gaze. At this point, others, unwilling to be outdone, also began to volunteer.

After everyone had stated their intentions, Li Jing made a silencing gesture and said, "Thank you all, Senior Brothers, for your strong support. Since Senior Brother Chang was the first to volunteer, I will trouble Senior Brother Chang with this task."

With Li Jing's approval, Chang Qingshan, who was about to endure a few days of hardship in the Lava Cellar, acted as if he had struck it rich. The other Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivators looked at him with envy, cursing themselves for not volunteering first and letting him snatch away such a good opportunity to show initiative.

Meanwhile, in the Lava Cellar, Qin Haoxuan, after a mutual defeat with Yuan Shanxiang, lay on the ground. He felt his wounds burning, but at the same time, the pain had significantly decreased. Half an hour later, Qin Haoxuan, who had been in excruciating pain with every movement, found that although the pain was still unbearable, he could move.

Perhaps due to his injuries, the medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, which had been gradually settling in Qin Haoxuan's body, caused his body to become hot again. This restless, maddening heat forced Qin Haoxuan to endure the pain and get up to cultivate. What if the medicinal power became too intense and he exploded?

To everyone's astonishment, Qin Haoxuan, who had taken a blow from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator, struggled to sit up, propping himself up with the ground. He assumed a posture with his five senses facing the sky and entered meditation on his own.

Even though he was Martial Dao Innate, he was still a mortal. A mortal injuring a cultivator was already terrifying, but what was even more terrifying was that half an hour after receiving a furious blow from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert, he got up as if nothing had happened to meditate and cultivate.

Anyone else would have been on the verge of death, if not dead, after a full-force strike from an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator. Even if Qin Haoxuan was a freak, he should have at least broken a few ribs, right? Could he still calmly enter meditation amidst such intense pain?

Unexpectedly, Qin Haoxuan quickly entered meditation. His slightly disordered breathing gradually stabilized.

Under the incredulous gazes of others, he frantically absorbed spiritual power. It took a great deal of effort to calm the restless medicinal power within him. If it weren't for the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique's silent absorption of spiritual power, his absorption speed, comparable to that of a Gray Seed disciple, would have been enough to shock everyone in the Lava Cellar.

Was this kid a monster? Yuan Shanxiang, lying in the corner, struggling to even move, knew exactly how powerful his full-force strike was. Even an Immortal Seedling Realm Second and Third Leaf cultivator could have been killed by it. Yet Qin Haoxuan, a mere mortal who had just begun to cultivate, not only survived but was able to get up and meditate.

Moreover, the spiritual power in the Lava Cellar contained heat toxins. Even he had to absorb it carefully and then expel the toxins from the spiritual power. But how could Qin Haoxuan, an ordinary person, do something that even Immortal Seedling Realm cultivators could only do?

Even if Yuan Shanxiang racked his brain, he couldn't fathom that Qin Haoxuan didn't need to expel the heat toxins from the spiritual power. For him, whose body was overflowing with medicinal power, the heat toxins were not poison but like ambrosia.

It wasn't until the aroma of food wafted through the air and Qin Haoxuan, ravenous, stopped. He stood up, leaning against the wall, and stumbled to the iron gate. With a glare at the eager old-timers, the group who had come to collect food trembled in fear, exchanging glances and not daring to move. Qin Haoxuan, without any pretense, sat on the ground and ate heartily. Usually, he only ate half of the total portion, but today, injured, his appetite seemed exceptionally good. He devoured more than ten portions of food, leaving not a single grain behind.

Even though Qin Haoxuan was injured, the old-timers still dared not speak out in anger. The psychological impact Qin Haoxuan had on them was too great. Having tasted Qin Haoxuan's fists, they didn't believe they had become stronger than the heavily injured Yuan Shanxiang in the past two or three days.

Yuan Shanxiang, lying there, watched Qin Haoxuan eat all the food. Even he, who considered himself a glutton, couldn't eat that much in one go! After a long while, feeling hungry, he finally remembered that this bastard had eaten his food too!

But like the dozen or so old-timers in the Lava Cellar, he chose to remain silent despite cursing inwardly. He didn't think he had the standing to challenge Qin Haoxuan anymore.

Not long after, the person Li Jing had arranged arrived at the Lava Cellar. It was also a disciple at the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf. The enforcement disciples who escorted him cast surprised glances at Qin Haoxuan, whose appearance was unremarkable yet had fought to a draw with an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator. Even the Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf disciple who came to protect Qin Haoxuan, Chang Qingshan, couldn't understand how such a newcomer with mediocre talent could capture the attention of three Purple Seed disciples and make them compete for him.

Before arriving, Chang Qingshan had imagined Qin Haoxuan's miserable state. It was already incredible for an ordinary person to injure an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf disciple. He thought the exaggerated rumors were unreliable; at least Yuan Shanxiang wouldn't have been defeated so miserably as rumored. Qin Haoxuan might even have been critically injured. But upon arrival, he found that the damned rumors were true! Yuan Shanxiang was severely injured, lying on the ground unable to move, with two broken legs and one arm. Yet Qin Haoxuan could still eat, snatch food, and meditate.

"Junior Brother Qin has good skills," Chang Qingshan said, regaining his composure and cupping his hands towards Qin Haoxuan. "Junior Brother Li Jing and Junior Sister Xu Yu asked me to look after you. It seems to be a bit redundant now."

Sent by Li Jing? Qin Haoxuan raised an eyebrow, then smiled. Li Jing probably wasn't here to take care of me, but to win over Xu Yu, right?

Sent by Li Jing and Xu Yu? The eyes of several old-timers widened as if their eyeballs were about to pop out. One Purple Seed disciple sent an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf expert to deal with Qin Haoxuan, yet the other two Purple Seed disciples immediately sent people to protect him!

Supreme Purple Seed! These old-timers, who had been in the sect for many years, were well aware of the development potential of a Supreme Purple Seed! If they could curry favor with a Supreme Purple Seed, their future would be incredibly bright. Offending a Supreme Purple Seed would be tantamount to suicide.

What was Qin Haoxuan's background? To make one Supreme Purple Seed want him dead, and two Supreme Purple Seeds send people to protect him personally!

This complex relationship also made the heavily injured Yuan Shanxiang fearful. Fortunately, he hadn't managed to kill Qin Haoxuan. Otherwise, the other two Purple Seed disciples would surely have used sect rules and doctrines to kill him. Even Zhang Kuang wouldn't have been able to protect him. His idea of getting revenge on Qin Haoxuan after recovering was completely abandoned.

Li Jing? Qin Haoxuan slowly stood up and walked forward. If it were only Xu Yu sending someone, he would naturally trust them! But with Li Jing added? This person was of royal blood and had many schemes. He had to be more careful.

Yuan Shanxiang's heart filled with confusion as he saw Qin Haoxuan approaching him. What does this kid want to do? Not good! Yuan Shanxiang suddenly felt the killing intent emanating from Qin Haoxuan and quickly tried to get up, but he was still half a beat too slow. Qin Haoxuan's foot stomped hard on the broken bone of his left leg! This violent action aggravated his rib injury, causing him to grit his teeth. Yuan Shanxiang let out a pig-slaughtering scream.

What's going on? Chang Qingshan was stunned. Without thinking further, he quickly stepped forward to guard against Yuan Shanxiang's counterattack.

"What are you doing?" Yuan Shanxiang lay on the ground, staring at Qin Haoxuan in confusion.

"This way... it's safer."

Hearing Qin Haoxuan's thoughtful answer, Yuan Shanxiang suddenly felt an urge to cry. Safer? Safer for your whole family! If I had known you had two Purple Seeds backing you, I would never have come to trouble you! And now you have an Immortal Seedling Realm Fifth Leaf cultivator by your side! How much safer do you need to be? Do I really want to die? In this situation, I even want to beg for your forgiveness for my ignorance... Safer...

Chang Qingshan frowned, watching from the side, a chill rising in his heart. He had seen ruthless people, but never someone this ruthless. With his temperament and methods, even if this kid's aptitude was poor, as long as he had the right opportunities, his future achievements would not be bad.

Cultivation requires this kind of ruthlessness!

Over the next few days, Qin Haoxuan diligently absorbed spiritual power. In the eyes of others, the spiritual power in the Lava Cellar was a ticking time bomb. If the heat toxins were not removed, absorbing it into the body could easily lead to qi deviation. But for Qin Haoxuan, who had a lot of residual medicinal power from the One-Leaf Golden Lotus in his body and was a Witch Cultivator, it was simply a great tonic!

In just three days, his injuries had healed by sixty to seventy percent. This recovery speed was incredible even for cultivators who didn't take Spirit Medicine to nourish themselves, let alone for Qin Haoxuan in his mortal body.

Although Chang Qingshan provided strict protection, Qin Haoxuan still insisted on beating Yuan Shanxiang every day. He also starved Yuan Shanxiang for three days, causing Yuan Shanxiang's injuries to not only fail to improve but also to leave him on the verge of death from starvation. By the fourth day...

When Yuan Shanxiang saw Qin Haoxuan walking towards him again, he immediately knelt and kowtowed to him without hesitation, swearing that he would never harbor any ill intentions towards him again and begging for forgiveness for his past mistakes, thus escaping further beatings.

After infusing his Immortal Seed with a large amount of spiritual power, Qin Haoxuan vaguely felt that the Immortal Seedling within the small crack of his Immortal Seed had grown some fine root hairs. Although they had not yet taken root in his Dantian, as long as he continued to infuse spiritual power for a period of time, they would take root!

Seven days passed in a flash. Escorted by two enforcement disciples, Qin Haoxuan was about to leave the Lava Cellar, feeling a sense of reluctance. By now, his injuries had recovered by eighty percent, and the roots of his Immortal Seed were becoming increasingly visible. Although it was dangerous here, the danger had now passed, and he no longer had to worry about being ambushed. Once he left, he would have to guard against hidden schemes from Zhang Kuang or Li Jing, making it less peaceful than here.

As Qin Haoxuan departed, the old-timers locked in the Lava Cellar burst into genuine laughter from the depths of their hearts. Their future days would finally include more food. Yuan Shanxiang, still severely injured and unable to rise, was so overcome with joy that he wept. Over these past five days, Qin Haoxuan had only stopped tormenting him after Yuan Shanxiang himself had knelt and begged for mercy. Each time his injuries began to heal, they would only worsen. If he had stayed in the Lava Cellar for another ten days to half a month, he would likely have been crippled for life. After just a few days, he already felt his strength plummeting from his injuries.

However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Huang Li, her face cold, entered the confinement room with two enforcement disciples. A decree was opened in Huang Li's hand, which she read aloud: "Criminal Yuan Shanxiang, for repeatedly violating sect rules, I decree: his cultivation shall be abolished, he shall be turned into an imbecile, and thrown into the Imbecile Courtyard to serve as labor!"

"What?" Yuan Shanxiang felt as if struck by lightning. He collapsed onto the ground, shouting anxiously, "You! How dare you do this to me! I am Junior Brother Zhang Kuang's man! You treat me like this! Does Junior Brother Zhang Kuang know about this?"

Huang Li's face was like frost. "Zhang Kuang? The Purple Seed can protect himself, but he can't protect you! Do you really think Taichu's rules are just for show? Guards! Drag him away!"

"Junior Brother Zhang, save me! Junior Brother Zhang, save me..." Yuan Shanxiang desperately tried to resist, but how could he possibly fight against the fierce enforcement disciples? He was dragged away from the confinement room, his screams and pleas echoing through the entire corridor.

"Junior Brother Qin, Junior Brother Qin, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please beg for mercy for me..." As Yuan Shanxiang was dragged past Qin Haoxuan, he repeatedly begged for mercy, only to be met with Qin Haoxuan's cold stare.

This is the second update of the day! Two chapters totaling eight thousand characters. During the new book period, each chapter is usually two thousand characters. Although these are only two chapters, they represent the volume of four.