readytorunbook Chapter 161 Collecting Merits
Chapter 161 Collecting Merits
Chapter 161: Collecting Merit
The Jade Pearl Star Palace acted quickly. After Lan Yifei set off with a large gift to the important location of the Court of Mechanisms, the core elder Xie Changqing also departed shortly after.
The headquarters of the Shadow Assassin Temple was quite far from here, but fortunately, there were ready-made starry teleportation arrays along the way. Xie Changqing hurried along the journey and finally arrived at the Night Spirit Immortal Realm ten days later.
As the nest that the Shadow Assassin Temple had operated for millions of years, this place was already a beautiful and magnificent land. Giant land masses could be seen everywhere, and the land, nourished by the spiritual veins, was exceptionally fertile. Various rare treasures and heavenly materials emerged endlessly, and the pure spiritual energy was so dense that it turned into visible mist, filling every corner of the land.
Within the core area of the Shadow Assassin Temple, one could often see groups of male and female cultivators dressed in feather robes and beautiful clothes, leisurely enjoying themselves in the mountains and rivers, playing chess and discussing the Dao. Even in the numerous cities and towns of the mortal realm, most of the countless mortals had healthy bodies and rosy complexions, living peaceful and content lives, showcasing the skill of the rulers.
If one was not familiar with the situation, it would be hard to believe that such an orderly, peaceful, and prosperous Immortal Realm was actually the stronghold of an assassin organization.
Outside the mountain gate formation, Xie Changqing was intercepted by more than ten shadowy figures that appeared silently. After he revealed his identity and presented the tokens of the Sect Master and Lan Yifei, he was immediately welcomed into the inner hall where distinguished guests were received and met the current helmsman of the Shadow Assassin Temple.
The appearance of the hall master, Lan Cangye, was quite good. His facial features were handsome, his bearing was noble, and he wore a purple robe with a jade belt. There was always a gentle smile on his face, as if he were a noble aristocrat in the secular world, completely unlike the notorious underworld boss of the assassin world who made countless cultivators tremble and had countless lost souls under his command.
After the routine pleasantries were exchanged, Xie Changqing directly stated his purpose and presented a long list of gifts.
"On this matter, I agree," Lan Cangye said after a moment of consideration. Taking over the position of the hall master for thousands of years, he had seen countless entrusted tasks. Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was just another target, no different from other major business deals.
Taking people's money and eliminating their troubles. That was the operating principle of the Shadow Assassin Temple, very simple and straightforward.
"However, if Elder Xie could provide an image of the target or any personal belongings, it would make the task even smoother," Lan Cangye said. The Shadow Assassin Temple had a long history of inheritance, and there were countless mysterious and unpredictable methods. As long as they obtained the name, image, or even a trace of aura of the target, they could use secret techniques to track and locate the person, and then send out elite personnel to strike at the right moment, completing the mission swiftly and quietly.
Xie Changqing said, "I have brought the information about their identities, but it is difficult to obtain their personal belongings for the time being, so I will trouble the hall master to take care of it."
As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and handed it over.
Lan Cangye took it and examined it briefly. Inside the jade slip was a list, with Mu Yinghua's five direct disciples at the top. Qin Muling undoubtedly ranked first, and there was the least amount of information about him, except for a magical image, everything else was vague.
In addition to that, many core elders of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, including Mu Yinghua herself, were well-known on the list, but their priority was lower than Qin Muling's.
"I feel that something is not right with the background and origins of this direct disciple... There are major issues."
The wild god Lan Cang's expression became more solemn. As a lifelong professional killer, he had assassinated countless formidable individuals, to the point where he could accurately assess their strength just by knowing their names. However, this Qin Muling gave him a rather unusual feeling. No matter how many different divination techniques he used, the feedback he received was always vague and indistinct, without any useful information.
Xie Changqing calmly said, "Indeed, my sect leader has tried numerous times, but the results were minimal. We can only confirm that all divination techniques have no effect on him, as if he doesn't exist in this world."
Lan Cang chuckled, "This is getting interesting. According to rumors, only the ancient Innate beings with famous names or the Innate treasures can render all divination techniques useless. Could it be that he is an Innate being?"
Xie Changqing smiled, "He is definitely not an Innate being, but he does have some unusual qualities. That's why my sect leader wants to capture him alive and see if he can be of use to us."
Lan Cang glanced at him and said, "Regarding your request, we can certainly comply, but the reward must be triple the usual rate. After all, there are too many formidable protectors around him, and we will need a significant amount of force. Completing the mission on time may even result in substantial losses."
As a killer, profit was of utmost importance. Even though the two sects were now in-laws, the accounts still needed to be calculated carefully.
Xie Changqing frowned slightly and reluctantly agreed, "Alright, we will wait for your good news then."
...
In the floating land of the void, an underground cave with a radius of over ten miles collapsed under a powerful force, only to be forcefully opened again by a pitch-black light that pierced through the sky. Blood clouds billowed, and more descendants of the Demon Race rushed out, ferociously attacking the handsome young man in the formation.
Qin Muling wielded his sword like the wind, swiftly cutting through the approaching Demon Race descendants with hundreds of razor-sharp sword beams that were as thin as ice leaves. Even though they had formidable Law Weapons for defense, they couldn't withstand the high-speed cutting of the sharp sword beams.
In an instant, blood and flesh flew, and groups of Demon Race descendants let out miserable screams as their limbs and body parts fell from the sky like rain.
With his temporarily elevated cultivation to the Heart Demon Realm, the assistance of powerful Law Treasures, and nearly inexhaustible mana support, Qin Muling's combat killing power far surpassed that of ordinary peers. Facing these low to mid-level Demon Race descendants, it was basically a one-sided massacre.
"Roar!"
With a ferocious roar, a blood light suddenly shot out from the depths of the earth, spiraling in the air before transforming into a terrifying giant snake. At the top of the snake's head stood a woman with a slender waist and graceful figure, clad in blood-colored armor. The runes on her long spear flickered, exuding a powerful killing intent as she swiftly attacked Qin Muling.
She's quite formidable!
Qin Muling quickly assessed the situation and concluded that the higher-ranked Demon Race beings resembled humans more. This woman had reached the peak of the Destiny Realm, so her appearance and figure were already very close to the standards of a perfect human woman. As for the giant snake, it was equivalent to the cultivation of an Origin Immortal, surpassing his current ability to handle.
Buzz!
With a low and resounding clang, concentric circles of blue light appeared and instantly trapped the body of the giant snake, exerting force upon it.
Under the terrifying pressure, the breath of the giant snake was suppressed and quickly fell to the level of the initial stage of the Destiny Realm. Even the female Demon Race in the blood-colored armor was unable to resist.
"Thank you, senior sister."
Qin Muling smiled at Luo Huan beside her. Although she solved most of the enemies herself, whenever she encountered a powerful Demon Race, the two senior sisters would lend a hand to ensure the safety of their junior brother.
The woman in the blood-colored armor gritted her teeth and coldly snorted. Countless real and fake spear lights burst forth from her spear, and blood-colored thunderballs the size of bowls formed out of thin air beside Qin Muling, then exploded together.
Qin Muling smiled faintly. The phantom of the Soul Slaughtering Bell beside her disappeared in a flash, blocking all of the opponent's attacks. The sword energy of the sword swiftly swept over, and with the woman's incredulous scream, her entire body, including the giant snake, was crushed and exploded into a large mass of blood mist.
After dealing with the strongest one, there were no more significant threats among the remaining Demon Race descendants. Qin Muling harvested them all, leaving none alive. The chaotic light pattern lightly swept over, turning their flesh and remains into spiritual energy that returned to the heavens and earth.
In the depths of the boundless void, strands of golden light of merit gathered continuously, coating the Innate Primordial Spirit Seed and the Azure Lotus phantom with a thick golden edge.
"It seems a bit of a pity."
Thinking of the appearance of the female Demon Race just now, Qin Muling felt a slight regret. With such outstanding appearances, these exotic races could be sold at astronomical prices in the Apex Level auctions of the major trading houses in the Extreme Void Starry Sky. Many powerful figures in the Extreme Void Starry Sky liked to collect various intelligent creatures as slaves.
"What's wrong? Feeling sorry?"
Qi Yalan raised an eyebrow and asked with a charming smile, but she sneered inwardly. He actually dared to have designs on the outside women? He didn't even spare the Demon Race descendants? It seemed that the junior brother's energy had not been drained yet, and the double cultivation tonight needed to be intensified.
"No, not at all."
Qin Muling's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said seriously, "I just think that these exotic creatures are valuable resources. If we can capture a batch and give them to the elders to be used as materials for refining puppet weapons, it should be feasible."
A large-scale army of puppet weapons was a standard configuration for all major forces. They were mostly made from the strong individuals among the exotic creatures, such as long-dead zombies, evil spirits, Asura night demons, and higher-level monsters from the underground kingdom, which were refined using secret methods after their souls were extracted.
Since these Demon Race descendants had strong bodies and resistance, they could also be captured in large numbers and used as materials, and they were of the highest quality.
"Oh, I see!"
Qi Yalan's expression eased, "It's worth a try, but you should focus on killing enemies and accumulating merit. Luo senior sister and I will take care of this matter."
Qin Muling breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, let's go to the depths of the land and clean up their nests. Then we can explore the surrounding areas. This floating land is too vast, and there should be many lurking Demon Race descendants inside."
Luo Huan gently said, "Okay, let's go together."
Qin Muling's Divine Ability talent was unexpectedly effective in purifying the nests of the Demon Race descendants, and it could also gain more feedback of heavenly and earthly merit. Therefore, this task naturally fell on him, and the two senior sisters also benefited greatly.
In the underground rock layers more than two thousand zhang deep, a huge space was opened up by the great Divine Ability users, transformed into the most suitable environment for the Demon Race to reproduce and thrive. A city had already been established inside, with blood-colored mist pervading the air, and all kinds of strange and exotic creatures could be seen everywhere.
Kill all living creatures, then use chaotic light patterns to cleanse the land, erasing all traces of Demon Race's existence. This is nothing more than plowing the fields and sweeping the nest.
Half an hour later, Qin Muling returned to the surface with two senior sisters.
The desolate floating land beneath their feet is not far from Qi Yalan's dojo. It is relatively large, with an area of millions of miles and a protective atmosphere. However, no one lives here due to the harsh surface environment.
As long as Qin Muling is willing to spend some time to make large-scale improvements here, it can become an important branch of the dojo.
"By the way, do disciples from other sects have to hand over most of the merits they gain from clearing out the Demon Race to the sect?" Qin Muling asked thoughtfully. Merits are special strategic resources that are not easily earned. Now that there is such an opportunity, the high-levels of various forces will definitely not remain indifferent.
There are too many uses for a massive amount of merits, such as refining high-level elixirs, acquiring spiritual treasures, or reviving several dormant elders, which would immediately enhance the overall strength of the sect.
Luo Huan did not hide anything and said, "That is necessary. After all, the high-levels of the sect need these things too. Even our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is no exception. According to the rules set by the sect leader, seventy percent of the merits obtained by disciples must be handed over to the sect, and the remaining thirty percent can be converted into personal achievements."
"Of course, you are different, so you don't need to bear such obligations. You can dispose of all the merits you obtain as you wish."
In the eyes of the high-levels of the sect, Qin Muling's rapid cultivation progress is more important than anything else. Naturally, they would not think of taking advantage of him. On the contrary, they would create suitable conditions to allow him to collect merits more quickly.
Qin Muling nodded and asked again, "So, if all the disciples are mobilized, how many merits can be collected in a month? Can it be used to heal several elders?"
Qi Yalan shook her head and said, "I'm not sure about other sects, but all the merits from our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace are given to the Emperor Xinyu. If this Demon Race calamity continues for ten or eight years, she will be able to fully recover, right?"
With Qin Muling's talent in Divine Ability, it is only a matter of time before he heals those dormant elders. However, Emperor Xinyu's injuries are not so easily healed and can only rely on the effects of the merits. Therefore, this arrangement by Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is the best solution.
"If it doesn't take long, there will be a certain amount of merits from the major trading houses being auctioned off. Although the prices will be outrageous, there should be no shortage of buyers."
Qin Muling immediately thought of this. Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is not short of money now, so they can send people to wait for opportunities and collect as much as possible.
Another inevitable situation is that many ruthless cultivators will join forces to rob and plunder the merits obtained by other cultivators who have worked hard to kill the Demon Race. Even the forces of various sects will organize and carry out such actions to weaken the enemy and strengthen themselves.
"These matters will be handled by our master and the others. Let's continue our work!" Qi Yalan said, reaching out to hold Qin Muling's hand, and together with Luo Huan, they disappeared into the air.
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(End of this chapter)