The Law Treasure Broken Branch and the Land of Lava

The flying sword was entirely bluish-gray, shrouded in a layer of gray mist, with a faint, cold light emanating from within.

At the junction of the sword blade and hilt, two small seal characters are engraved: "Broken Branch" (Duàn Kē).

Qin Fei nodded slowly; it seemed this was the name of the sword.

With one hand gripping the sword hilt, his mind exploded with a deafening roar, a putrid aura emanating from him, making him feel as if he were in a desolate wilderness.

The surroundings were deathly silent; even your heartbeat felt like it was about to stop.

Just then, a cool sensation suddenly appeared in his sea of consciousness, as his Divine Sense activated its autonomous defense, Qin Fei regained his clarity.

"What a powerful sword!"

He was greatly shocked, realizing that he had unknowingly become immersed in it using his own spiritual power.

It truly lives up to its Law Treasure; half a year of waiting and countless failures have all become insignificant at this moment.

He twirled his sword, then unleashed a cold slash.

"Bang!"

A deep sword mark appeared on the wall of the cave abode, and there was still a trace of decay on both sides, with stone chips falling continuously.

The feeling was like iron rusting at an alarming rate.

Cloud Treader, hiding in a corner of the animal pen, trembled uncontrollably, terrified.

This was the first time it had shown such an expression, Qin Fei couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Demon Beast are most sensitive to danger, and judging from Cloud Treader's appearance, it seems to be out of instinctive fear.

It seems that the decaying aura on the Broken Branch Sword is even more potent than I imagined.

Next comes the refinement of this sword. Once he can fully master it, he will have another trump card.

The Broken Branch slowly rose into the air, beams of spiritual light striking it, causing the cave abode to flicker with light and occasionally revealing a terrifying aura.

Outside the cave abode, Qiu Muxue waited anxiously.

According to the plan she devised for Cloud Treader, he should consume Azure Scale Bamboo these days to neutralize the potent effects of Sunflame Flower.

The two complement each other and are mutually reinforcing, which could very likely push Cloud Treader's cultivation to the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

However, when she arrived two days ago, Qin Fei had already gone into seclusion, and no matter how many times she tried to send a telepathic message, there was no response.

This worried her greatly. She had taken good care of Cloud Treader for so many years, and they had long since developed a deep affection for each other.

If this delays Cloud Treader's cultivation, not only will all her efforts be wasted, but it will also render all her recent hard work futile.

However, Qin Fei's seclusion is of paramount importance. If it is disturbed and causes any negative consequences, then the losses will outweigh the gains.

Thus, she found herself in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Qin Fei didn't let her worry too much, and she finally ended her seclusion in the evening.

The Broken Branch Sword was successfully refined, its power increasing by 20% out of nowhere. Along with it, he was also tainted with a trace of decay, and his aura changed drastically.

When Qiu Muxue saw him for the first time, she froze on the spot.

Qin Fei's appearance remained unchanged, but he exuded a sense of vicissitude, as if he had experienced endless years.

"What brings you here, Junior Nephew Qiu?"

Qiu Muxue only snapped out of her daze when Qin Fei's voice rang out.

"Reporting to Senior, Cloud Treader's feeding has entered a crucial stage. I don't plan to return these days; I'll stay here and do my utmost to help it break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer perfection."

Qin Fei Cloud Treader's progress these days has been rapid. If he can become a second-tier Demon Beast, his strength will rise to another level.

We will be more confident in dealing with Lu Tianchou then.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Junior Nephew Qiu."

Qin Fei responded and prepared to return to the secret chamber.

Just then, Qiu Muxue suddenly called out to him.

"Please wait, senior!"

Qin Fei turned his head in confusion, only to see Qiu Muxue pull on the belt at her waist, causing her Daoist robe to slip to the ground, revealing her jade-like body.

"Senior, Master's lifespan is running out."

Long ago, Qiu Muxue had wanted to get closer to Qin Fei in order to gain Qin Fei's help when Guo Nanshan passed away.

However, she was aloof by nature and couldn't learn how to be coquettish or flirtatious, nor could she lower herself to such a level, which is why she kept putting it off.

However, recently, Master's health has been deteriorating, and time is becoming increasingly urgent.

Qiu Muxue knew she couldn't delay any longer.

Since he wouldn't gradually close the distance, he might as well lay his cards on the table and tell Qin Fei everything truthfully, leaving the choice to him.

Gazing at the breathtaking scene, Qin Fei remained unmoved, simply saying, "Have you thought this through? I'm merely a guest elder of the Beast Taming Sect."

Qiu Muxue understood what he meant.

Guest elders are essentially honorary elders of a sect; the relationship between them is merely a cooperative one, and the bond between them is not deep.

Even if she offered herself willingly, the other party would not die for her and the sect.

"I've made up my mind. I only ask that after my master's passing, you do your best to help my Beast Taming Sect. If we encounter a formidable enemy, you need not concern yourself with anything else."

Qiu Muxue lowered her head, her toes gripping the ground tightly.

Seeing Qin Fei staring at her naked body without moving, she buried her head even deeper.

But the next moment, the person in front of her put the Daoist robe that was on the ground back on her.

At the same time, he took out a bamboo slip from his Storage Bag and handed it over.

"The pleasures of love are enjoyable, but they are of no benefit to cultivation. This bamboo scroll records a Cultivation Method called the Tumbling Phoenix and Nurturing Luan Art,' which can balance Yin and Yang and greatly benefit both parties."

"If you've truly made up your mind, then cultivate this technique. When we meet again, we can explore its inner workings together."

The Tumbling Phoenix and Nurturing Luan Art originated from the Ghost Mother's male favorite, that strange Daoist priest.

This technique is a dual cultivation Cultivation Method, quite profound, and also the key for demonic Daoists to advance to the Foundation Establishment.

Now that Qin Fei is preparing to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Golden Core Technique, he will need to disperse his cultivation power nine times in total, so he has no choice but to seize every opportunity to improve his cultivation.

The "Tumbling Phoenix and Nurturing Luan Art" is a crucial part of this process.

Qiu Muxue accepted the work, opened it, and her pretty face immediately turned red.

The illustrations recorded in the Cultivation Method were so daring that just one glance was enough to make one's blood boil.

The images of herself and Qin Fei flashing through her mind made her feel even more ashamed, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Qiu Muxue quickly put on her robes, put away the bamboo slips, and changed the subject, saying, "Senior, I'm almost at the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer in the Cloud Treader. I need to prepare for breaking through to the second level as soon as possible."

Seeing her like this, Qin Fei but want to tease her.

He grabbed Qiu Muxue's hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Oh? What preparations are needed?"

Qiu Muxue trembled all over; this was her first time having intimate contact with a man, and her mind went completely blank.

Only when Qin Fei asked again did she hurriedly answer, "The advancement of Demon Beasts is different from that of cultivators; they need to absorb a large amount of bloodline power when breaking through."

"The Demon Beasts in the mountains usually begin hunting other Demon Beasts long before they break through to the next level, collecting their Essence Blood for future use."

"As for the spirit beasts raised by humans, their masters need to prepare corresponding Essence Blood for them. The purer the bloodline power, the greater the Divine Abilities they will possess after breaking through."

"Of course, rare Demon Beast Essence Blood is not easy to find, so we must proceed according to our capabilities."

"If you really can't find one, Senior, our Beast Taming Sect also has a batch in stock. However, their attributes are not suitable for Cloud Treader, and their Divine Abilities after breakthrough will probably not be very strong."

Qiu Muxue's clothes were soaked with sweat from nervousness, and she couldn't calm down, especially when she felt the warm hand on her lower abdomen.

"Senior Qin, it's time for Cloud Treader to eat. I have to go right away."

She made up a random excuse and finally escaped Qin Fei's "clutches".

Qin Fei didn't continue teasing her, but instead began to ponder the matter of Cloud Treader.

He had no Demon Beast Essence Blood in his possession; although the Beast Taming Sect possessed it, it was merely an ordinary item.

As his first and currently only spirit beast, Cloud Treader is one that Qin Fei doesn't want to treat lightly if given the opportunity to raise it properly.

It seems I'll have to make a trip to the Demon Beast Mountain Range soon to hunt some Demon Beast suitable for Cloud Treader.

"Based on your estimate, how long would it take for Cloud Treader to break through to the second-tier Demon Beast level?"

Qiu Muxue was in a state of confusion, but she still replied, "It shouldn't take more than a year."

"One year--"

Qin Fei silently recited something, then instructed, "Take good care of Cloud Treader during this time. I'm going out for a bit."

"Oh, and don't forget to study the Tumbling Phoenix and Nurturing Luan Art."

Qiu Muxue's face was flushed, like a ripe red apple waiting to be picked.

Qin Fei left the cave abode without hesitation.

A year is not a long time.

He needs to find a suitable demon Demon Beast to Cloud Treader and extract its Essence Blood, the more the better.

Fortunately, the border has expanded by eight thousand miles, and the Demon Beast Mountain Range, which was originally adjacent to the Barbarian Tribe territory, has now become the heartland of the human race.

Incidents similar to the previous encounters with the Barbarian Tribe are unlikely to happen again.

Two weeks later.

Two figures appeared at the bottom of a cliff.

One side of the cliff rises into the clouds, stretching as far as the eye can see.

On the other side was a barren rocky area, with no vegetation on the ground, only large cracks through which lava flowed.

Thick smoke billowed in the air, reducing visibility to extremely low levels.

"Strange, it clearly crawled in here, but how did it disappear in the blink of an eye?"

Qin Fei was puzzled. He and Jumang had been chasing a Lava Beast and were about to succeed when they were blocked by the black smoke.

The black smoke had the effect of obstructing Divine Sense; once it spread two or three zhang (approximately 6.6-9 meters), it became impossible to continue probing.

Although the effect of the Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eye is much better, it is still significantly less effective than usual.

The magma power within that Lava Beast was quite compatible with the advancement of the Cloud Treader. Qin Fei didn't want to give up easily, so he could only order Jumang to scout ahead while he kept watch from the side.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding air grew increasingly scorching, giving them a faint sensation of their hair being roasted.

Fortunately, the black smoke gradually dissipated, and visibility returned.

A huge lake appeared directly in front of Qin Fei.

What's unusual is that the lake is filled with rolling lava, which bubbles up from time to time.

In the very center of the lake, a young leopard was rolling around, having a great time.

Upon seeing Qin Fei and the other person, it looked greatly alarmed and plunged headfirst into the lava, leaving only its eyes visible as it cautiously observed the outside world.

Qin Fei frowned slightly. Why was it the Crimson Zheng Clan again?

He hesitated for a moment, and to avoid a repeat of the misunderstanding from last time, he took out a round ball and crushed it decisively.

Upon seeing the sphere, the young fang's eyes lit up, and it slowly swam over.

"Senior, do you know Uncle Wuyao Clan?"