Demon Spider Clue, the Li Household of Banyan City

After returning to the inn, Qin Yi washed up briefly, then began considering where to find a Nine-Eyed Demon Spider. This kind of Demon Beast was far too dangerous, and under normal circumstances, no one would willingly provoke one. Unlike the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros, it did not live only on the outskirts of the Blood-Colored Forest. The problem gave Qin Yi a headache.

"Forget it. I'll visit the Eight Treasures Pavilion tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll find something."

Early the next morning, Qin Yi went to the Eight Treasures Pavilion. There should be information there on the Nine-Eyed Demon Spider's whereabouts. As soon as Qin Yi arrived, Jin Peng hurried over to greet him. "Senior Brother, what wind blew you here? Come, come, have a seat. Is there anything I can help you with?"

This Jin Peng is pretty quick-witted. Never mind, I'll ask him, Qin Yi thought.

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, Senior Brother, I've been here for five years. Every day, I provide tasks for the people who come here and help them gather information."

When Qin Yi heard that Jin Peng also had ways of gathering information, he immediately turned serious. "To tell you the truth, I need to hunt a Nine-Eyed Demon Spider, but there are practically none on the outskirts of the Blood-Colored Forest. Most live in the inner region, where they're hard to reach."

"Do you know anywhere else I can find a Nine-Eyed Demon Spider?"

When Jin Peng heard this, he saw his chance. As luck would have it, he really did have a piece of information about a Nine-Eyed Demon Spider. He hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, to tell you the truth, I do have some information about a Nine-Eyed Demon Spider."

Qin Yi narrowed his eyes. "When I return, you may go back to the sect ahead of schedule."

Jin Peng grew excited. He originally had another year to go before he could return, but a single sentence from Qin Yi had given him an extra year to cultivate. He hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you, Senior Brother! Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"All right, hurry up and tell me what you know," Qin Yi said with a wave of his hand.

"Here's the situation: a Demon Beast hunting team is recruiting members. They're led by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator and are heading to a place near the inner region of the Blood-Colored Forest. Apparently, they're going to hunt some kind of Demon Beast. A Nine-Eyed Demon Spider was spotted there a few days ago. You could try your luck with the hunting team."

Qin Yi pondered for a moment, then asked, "When and where?"

"Three days from now, at the Nine Separations Colosseum."

After learning the time and place, Qin Yi left the Eight Treasures Pavilion and took a look around the market. Finding nothing, he returned to the inn to cultivate. As for pills and the like, Qin Yi had never worried about them. What a joke-how could the personal disciple of the esteemed master of the Eight Gods Pavilion be short of pills? Besides, all he needed now was an opportunity to break through to Qi Refinement Great Perfection. That was not something pills alone could accomplish.

Qin Yi had a feeling that this trip with the hunting team would help him break through to Great Perfection. Foundation Establishment was just ahead.

Three days later, Qin Yi arrived at the Nine Separations Colosseum. It had once been the largest colosseum on Hui Mountain, but the outbreak of a beast tide had stripped it of its former glory, reducing it to a gathering place for passing cultivators who hunted Demon Beasts.

"What? You only want people at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining or above? Are you going to hunt a second-tier Demon Beast? You dare go into the inner region with just one Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator leading the team? You're courting death!" A bald cultivator left, cursing under his breath.

"I want to sign up." Qin Yi walked over to the place where the bald cultivator had just made his inquiry and spoke to the man sitting in a chair.

"We only accept those at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining or above. Are you qualified?" the man replied disdainfully.

Qin Yi summoned a flame in his hand and tossed it onto the man. "Am I qualified now?" Qin Yi's icy voice rang in the man's ear.

The man tried to extinguish the flame with spiritual power, only to discover in terror that it clung to him like a maggot to the bone and would not go out no matter what he did. He shouted, "Enough, enough! Put it out!"

Qin Yi beckoned with his hand, and the flame gradually died out. The man did not dare make another sound. He was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining and had been left in such a sorry state, so Qin Yi had to be stronger than him. Qin Yi ignored him and walked straight to one side, where he examined the other team members. Three were at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, and two were at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. There was also a woman whose cultivation Qin Yi could not see through. Presumably, she was at Qi Refinement Great Perfection.

Qin Yi then closed his eyes and rested. Apart from the woman, none of the others posed a threat to him.

Three shichen later, an old man came over to Qin Yi and the others and said, "Everyone, this task was issued by my Li Household of Banyan City. We need you to go to the Blood-Colored Forest, hunt down a Foundation Establishment Realm demon tree, and retrieve its tree heart."

"A Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast? Then why recruit Qi Refining Realm cultivators like us?" several team members asked in dissatisfaction.

The old man was in no hurry. He said slowly, "It's only a tree demon that just broke through to Foundation Establishment. The cost of sending Foundation Establishment cultivators to hunt it is too great. With a Foundation Establishment cultivator from my Li Household leading you, you'll be enough."

"A tree demon that just broke through to Foundation Establishment?" Only then did the several people relax.

Only Qin Yi felt that something was amiss. The old man was clearly a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator himself, so why didn't he go hunt it himself instead of paying such a great price to hire others? There was definitely something fishy about this.

Something's not right. Qin Yi had some doubts about the operation, but he did not voice any objections. After all, he was also planning to use the other party to hunt the Nine-Eyed Demon Spider.

"This is Li Ze, a Foundation Establishment elder of my Li Household. He will lead the team on this task." A burly man stepped out from behind the old man.

Li Ze nodded to everyone, then said, "There's no time to lose. Let's set out now."