Rescuing the Qilin

Although Sha Qi permeated this region, Xuanqing was unafraid.

With the Purifying Mystic Bamboo's true form within him, along with Double Merit Fortune protecting his body, he was worlds apart from an ordinary Golden Immortal.

As Xuanqing walked, he released his divine sense and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Bolstered by the power of merit, his divine sense could penetrate the dense Sha Qi and probe things at a deeper level.

"Hmm?"

He had not gone far before abruptly stopping.

He sensed a faint yet incomparably pure fluctuation of Earth Elemental Spiritual Power deep underground.

"A treasure?"

Xuanqing's spirits lifted. He immediately used an earth-escape technique and silently burrowed into the ground.

The farther down he went, the denser the Earth Elemental Spiritual Power became. After passing through layers upon layers of rock and fractured earth veins, the view before him suddenly opened up. A vast underground cavern appeared before him. At its center, a head-sized chunk of earthen-yellow stone, radiating a heavy, profound aura, floated silently in the air.

"This is... Soil?" Xuanqing's breath stalled for an instant.

Though it was not the Nine Heavens' Soil in Nüwa's possession, it was still an exceptionally high-grade innate soil, containing immense vitality and the power of the earth. Whether used for artifact refinement or to carve out a grotto-heaven blessed land, it was an unsurpassed treasure.

"I've struck it rich—I found a treasure the moment I came in." Xuanqing was beside himself with joy as he prepared to step forward and collect it.

Suddenly, a violent tremor came from above, accompanied by a savage hiss and another youthful roar filled with fury.

Boom!

A huge hole violently exploded through the cavern ceiling, sending shattered rocks flying everywhere. A black figure and a yellow figure crashed heavily down, landing not far from him.

Xuanqing immediately concealed his aura, hiding behind a massive boulder as he quietly observed.

As the dust settled, the sight in the cavern made his pupils contract.

A huge monster with a scorpion's tail and a human face was grinning viciously at the little creature beneath its claws. Demonic Qi surged from its entire body, and its cultivation was unmistakably at the Mystic Immortal Realm.

Struggling beneath its claws was a creature no larger than a calf. Pitch-black from head to toe and covered in fine scales, it had a single horn on its head, horse hooves, and an ox tail. It was none other than a legendary qilin!

Yet this Little Qilin looked utterly miserable. Several wounds on its body were deep enough to expose bone, and blood had dyed its black scales red. Its aura was weak to the extreme, and its cultivation seemed not even to have reached the Celestial Immortal level.

"Little thing, stop struggling." The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal let out a grating laugh. "Your qilin clan should have gone extinct long ago! Being this lord's blood food today is your final honor!"

"Roar!" Little Qilin gave an unyielding roar, spitting out a feeble ball of earthen-yellow divine light that struck the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal.

However, such an attack was no more than a scratch to a Mystic Immortal.

"Overestimating yourself!" A vicious gleam flashed through the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal's eyes as its enormous claw suddenly tightened.

Crack!

Little Qilin's bones gave a crisp snap. It let out a pained wail, and the light in its eyes dimmed further.

Watching from the shadows, Xuanqing frowned deeply.

The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal was at the Mystic Immortal Realm, while he was a Golden Immortal. Fighting it would not be a problem. The crucial issue was Little Qilin's condition...

The moment the thought arose, the Merit Golden Wheel within him gave a faint tremble.

"So that's how it is."

Qilins were auspicious beasts of Honghuang, bearing immense fortune. After the Dragon-Han Calamity, the qilin clan had nearly been wiped out.

The one before him was likely one of the last remaining auspicious qilin beasts upon the lands of Honghuang. Saving it would undoubtedly bring tremendous merit!

Xuanqing no longer hesitated.

Just as the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal was about to crush Little Qilin's head, a languid voice suddenly rang out in the cavern.

"I'd say, with a face as ugly as yours, don't go copying others by bullying children. This sight is really searing my eyes."

The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal froze, then whipped around. Its savage gaze locked onto Xuanqing as he emerged from behind the boulder. "Who are you? How dare you meddle in this lord's affairs!"

"Hard to say, hard to explain. I'm merely doing a great deed of merit." Xuanqing remained utterly calm.

"A Golden Immortal?!" Sensing Xuanqing's aura, the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal was abruptly startled.

It instinctively released Little Qilin beneath its claw. Its enormous scorpion tail lashed out with a shriek through the air, stabbing like lightning toward Xuanqing's face. A jet-black gleam flickered on the tail hook, clearly carrying deadly poison.

Xuanqing neither dodged nor evaded, merely smiling faintly.

With a thought, a pearl the size of a dragon's eye flew from above his head, instantly transforming into a dark-yellow curtain of light that shielded him within.

Clang!

The scorpion tail struck the curtain of light heavily, producing a deafening clash of metal. The light curtain merely swayed slightly before dispelling every bit of force and poison.

It was the Great Dao Pearl!

"A Merit Spiritual Treasure?!" the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal cried out in shock, its eyes full of disbelief.

"You know your stuff." With a flick of his finger, Xuanqing summoned the golden Po Sha Divine Spear into his hand.

Holding the long spear, his entire bearing changed. An incomparably sharp aura surged skyward.

"Since you enjoy using strength to bully the weak, I suppose I have no choice but to use the strong to bully the weak."

Before his words had even faded, Xuanqing vanished from where he stood.

The next instant, he appeared at the Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal's side. The Po Sha Divine Spear in his hand traced a golden arc as it thrust straight toward the creature's waist and abdomen.

The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal was greatly alarmed. It had never expected Xuanqing to be so fast. Caught off guard, it could only twist its body and use its hard shell to withstand the blow head-on.

"Pfft!"

The Po Sha Divine Spear surged forward like bamboo splitting beneath a blade, effortlessly tearing through the defense it had been so proud of.

"Argh!" The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal let out a miserable scream.

What terrified it even more was a pure force of merit pouring in through the wound, wreaking havoc within its body. Its demonic power rapidly melted away before that force.

"Who exactly are you?!" The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal was both shocked and enraged. It could not understand how Xuanqing possessed such a powerful Merit Spiritual Treasure—and why he was hunting down a Mystic Immortal two major realms above himself.

Xuanqing gave it no chance to catch its breath. His assault only grew fiercer.

"Jing Shi!"

He put away his spear and drew that Three-foot Azure Sword instead.

Sword light flashed. The Scorpion-tailed Demon Immortal felt its vision blur, and a streak of clear radiance pierced through its brow. The expression on its face froze, and the vitality in its eyes swiftly faded. Its enormous body crashed to the ground, reverting to its true form—a black giant scorpion ten thousand zhang long.

With a casual gesture, Xuanqing stored the scorpion's corpse and the fallen inner core away. This was a great Mystic Immortal demon, its entire body a treasure. It could not be wasted.

Only after finishing all this did he turn to look at Little Qilin.

Little Qilin struggled to its feet. Though still extremely weak, its eyes were full of vigilance and wariness as it stared at Xuanqing, low whimpers rumbling from its throat.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person." Xuanqing tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible.

He slowly walked over, but Little Qilin instinctively backed up two steps, looking as though it would fight him to the death if he came any closer.