The Grand Elder lifted his eyes to the sky.
Those terrifying Heavenly Swords seemed to have become sparse and ordinary, not because the Heavenly Swords had truly lost their significance, but because now he had enough confidence in his heart to regard the Heavenly Swords as nothing.
Xiang Tianxing struggled to control the remnants of the Blood Demon's body and leapt into the air.
At this moment, all the remaining blood mist power exploded. The Blood Demon roared endlessly, finally transforming into a blood-red arc.
Boom!
After the earth-shaking sound, the blood-red arc consumed nearly half of the Heavenly Swords. The residual waves spread outward, making the already ruined Demonic Sect underground palace even more devastated, appearing extremely desolate.
But the remaining Heavenly Swords showed no mercy; they still pressed down with astonishing might.
Ning Qi's eyes dimmed with golden light as he observed the blood bead in the Grand Elder's hand. He pressed forward step by step, forcing the Grand Elder to take action. This level was just right but required caution. At the same time, he needed to further probe the mysteries of the blood bead's power. Although he had observed it for some time, it was still insufficient.
The remaining Heavenly Swords were a test.
Xiang Tianxing was almost suffocating; he could only place all his hopes on the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder's robes billowed, and his silver hair fluttered.
He hovered in the air, holding the blood bead in one hand as if in pilgrimage.
Suddenly, he shouted fiercely. The blood bead emitted radiant light, and an extraordinary force swept out, transforming into a long, blood-colored spear that slashed at the many Heavenly Swords.
Ning Qi's golden eyes shone brightly. The All-Seeing Golden Eyes operated at full power as he observed this miraculous force.
"I have never seen such a wondrous power. Its essence seems no different from the power of heaven and earth, yet its destructive might is worlds apart. To force a comparison, it is like cotton versus steel! Not only that, it contains many mysteries, seemingly able to transform decay into miracle!"
"This is... the power of the Martial Sage?!"
His heart trembled.
Within the blood-colored spear's sweep, he seemed to hear countless terrified wails rising and falling. Some unwillingly stretched out their hands, trying to struggle but were forcibly dragged into the depths of the blood river. He seemed to see blood-red lotuses rising, wild demons laughing madly, and various strange visions flashing by.
The Heavenly Swords wailed sorrowfully, encountering such a formidable opponent for the first time.
The invincible Heavenly Swords were easily severed by the blood-colored spear. Previously, the Blood Demon was ruthlessly suppressed by the Heavenly Swords, but now the roles reversed. The Heavenly Swords shattered not due to exhaustion of power, but because they were forcibly broken—a huge difference.
Xiang Tianxing's pupils flooded with ecstatic joy.
The Grand Elder stroked his beard with a smile, all according to his expectations.
The blood-colored spear reversed direction. After shattering many Heavenly Swords, it only dimmed slightly. The Grand Elder's figure rose steadily. Holding the blood bead, he was for the first time level with Ning Qi. He calmly said:
"Heavenly Sword True Immortal, you are truly astonishing, a rare genius in thousands of years. You have surpassed the Heaven-Man Realm and approached the Martial Sage, but... you still do not understand the true power of the Martial Sage! Before this mighty force, no matter how talented you are, you must bow your head!"
He activated the blood bead again, replenishing the spear's energy, which immediately exploded with the same brilliant light as before.
Ning Qi marveled:
"This truly is an incredible power! The Martial Sage realm is indeed the coveted stage of millions of martial artists!"
He did not withhold his praise, even though what he was witnessing was Martial Sage power catalyzed by a Martial Sage secret treasure. It was extraordinary, far beyond the Heaven-Man Realm. This made his passion for the Martial Sage realm burn even hotter. If he could master such miraculous power, it might truly be the beginning of eternal life.
The Grand Elder stared fiercely at Ning Qi:
"You slaughtered many of our Sacred Sect's strongest. Your soul should have been extinguished, but considering your difficult cultivation, I will give you a chance: open your heart and let me imprint a mark for my control, so you may live."
He wanted to recover the losses.
In this battle, more than forty Heaven-Man Realm experts of the Demonic Sect had died, greatly reducing their foundation.
But if they could enslave such an unparalleled prodigy, it would compensate for most of it, even yield profit. The deterrent of a Heavenly Sword True Immortal alone was enough to dominate the Great Yan Dynasty, unless the Great Yan also wielded treasures like the blood bead.
Ning Qi naturally refused. This brief détente passed, and once again countless Heavenly Swords floated beside him. He merely sighed to himself:
"Unfortunately, you are not a Martial Sage."
This time, he probably had some idea of the true Martial Sage combat power.
The Grand Elder snorted coldly:
"No tears without seeing the coffin. Fine, let me show you the might of the Martial Sage once more!"
With such power in hand, he was confident, even somewhat swollen with pride. He did not care that Ning Qi was recovering his strength. He wanted to utterly crush all the pride of this Heavenly Sword True Immortal, forcing him to become a willing slave!
The Heavenly Swords howled and transformed into a river of swords streaking across the sky.
The Grand Elder waved his hand, and the blood-colored spear descended like a heavenly blade, slashing down with overwhelming might.
As expected, the Heavenly Swords shattered.
Even Ning Qi's face paled somewhat. After successive battles, despite his extraordinary foundation, the consumption was considerable. Still, everything was under control.
After two consecutive moves, he roughly discerned the limits of the blood bead treasure.
Whether due to the secret treasure's cap or the Grand Elder's limited ability to manipulate it, the blood-colored spear's limit was fixed. That power to transform decay into miracle was mysterious but somewhat rigid. Under the All-Seeing Golden Eyes, Ning Qi saw its flaw.
The Grand Elder shouted furiously with earth-shaking force:
"Surrender quickly, spare your life!"
The blood-colored heavenly blade fell again, glowing brilliantly after the blood bead's energy replenishment. Ning Qi felt a pang of pity. The Grand Elder was so wasteful that the blood bead's energy had been heavily consumed—a precious and limited mysterious force.
He had already regarded the secret treasure as his own.
Without hesitation, Ning Qi's body was surrounded by blue light, transforming into an armor covering him entirely. To this day, the Azure Profound Bodyguard Technique had reached perfection, far surpassing the previous Azure Armor. Blue ripples spread out in circles. The blood-colored heavenly blade fell but encountered resistance.
It was like trying to cut through taffy, with the blade's force reverberating continuously.
The Grand Elder's expression changed slightly. He did not know what kind of secret technique this was, but he secretly marveled at the Heavenly Sword True Immortal's skills. Such overwhelming combat power at the Heaven-Man Realm was unprecedented.
His determination to capture the Heavenly Sword True Immortal grew stronger.
He fully activated the blood bead.
The blood-colored spear transformed into a dragon python, intending to coil around Ning Qi and strangle him to death.
Crunching sounds rang out as the blue armor shook, on the verge of collapse.
But Ning Qi remained calm.
Golden light surged in his eyes as he spotted the python's flaw.
In an instant, his dantian trembled. The peerless sword qi nurtured for two months was unsheathed with a sharp clang!
It was another supreme secret technique derived from Zhuang Chen's Innate Sword Bones—the Innate Divine Sword Qi!
A chant!
It sounded like a divine sword's clear song, like a true dragon's long roar.
What a stunning sword qi!
It looked ordinary, but wherever it passed, it left faint, terrifying black scars. Though extremely subtle, they chilled the skin—an expression of power forcibly severing the void!
Ning Qi stood with his hands behind his back, like a sword immortal walking the world.
Before the incredulous eyes of the Grand Elder and Xiang Tianxing, the Innate Divine Sword Qi struck the dragon python's "seven-inch" spot, causing its overwhelming momentum to instantly drop and become shaky. This was Ning Qi's strongest trump card, suddenly used to sever the link between the Grand Elder and the blood-colored spear.
"Ah!" The Grand Elder spat blood and looked up to the sky, his head about to explode.
The sudden change made his eyes bulge with fear. He exerted all his strength to stabilize his mind and regroup the spear, but Ning Qi naturally would not let this perfect opportunity slip away.
The Innate Divine Sword Qi passed through the blood-colored dragon python's body. Though some power was lost, it remained invincible. Those faint black scars made the onlookers' scalps tingle.
"Martial Sage! How is this possible? How is this possible?!" The Grand Elder looked at the void-ripping black scars as if he had seen a ghost.
The sword qi flashed and vanished.
Terror froze on Xiang Tianxing's face, turning into a blood mist.
The Grand Elder's left hand holding the blood bead was severed at the root. The sword qi pressed down, sealing him in place. The blood bead then leapt lightly into Ning Qi's hand.
Ning Qi's calm voice sounded:
"Such a precious treasure in your hands is somewhat wasted."
He looked at the Martial Sage secret treasure vibrating in his hand and the blood-colored spear spinning wildly like a headless fly in the sky, his eyes burning with passion. His careful plans had not been in vain; this secret treasure had finally fallen into his hands.
The Grand Elder's anger exploded:
"Even if you obtained the Yu King Bead, it is all in vain!"
He tried to provoke Ning Qi, but Ning Qi only smiled lightly.
"Yu King Bead? Looks like this thing indeed has some connection to the former Great Yu Dynasty?"
He activated the power of heaven and earth, resonating with the Yu King Bead in a special way. Then the bead's vibrations began to subside. Although not yet fully controlled, it no longer rejected Ning Qi. Moreover, the blood-colored spear's vibrations in the sky also reversed, flowing back into the Yu King Bead.
The originally dim Yu King Bead instantly turned a faint blood red.
"You wasted so much of my Martial Sage power. If you weren't somewhat useful, I'd want to kill you." Ning Qi snorted coldly.
But the Grand Elder was dumbfounded, saying nothing. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"How do you use the Yu King Bead? Are you also a descendant of Great Yu? Why? Why must we kill each other? Why not unite to overthrow the Great Yan!" He was disheveled, covered in blood and filth. Unable to bear the shock, he was near madness.
Ning Qi shook his head and sat in front of him without explanation.
Earlier, watching the Grand Elder use the Yu King Bead was not idle but to study its principles. With the All-Seeing Golden Eyes and Ning Qi's comprehension, success was inevitable.
Now, the dust had settled.
The vast underground cavern world had only Ning Qi and the Grand Elder left; all others had perished.
Ning Qi exhaled lightly, slightly relaxing his tense mind.
Especially after releasing the Innate Divine Sword Qi, he felt an empty discomfort inside.
This was the toughest battle he had faced since stepping onto the Martial Path. Though he had not reached his limit or faced mortal danger, he had exhausted his trump cards. Still, he had thoroughly grasped his strength.
"The Demonic Sect, such a foundation-rich behemoth, truly cannot be underestimated." Ning Qi sighed inwardly.
The forty-plus Heaven-Man Realm masters in the lair were already formidable, not to mention the Blood Demon Formation and Yu King Bead. If it were others, they would have met disaster long ago. Only Ning Qi's extraordinary methods, beyond normal logic, allowed him to laugh last.
"At this moment, that Demonic Sect leader has yet to appear. It seems he is truly not in this Ten Thousand Flames Cavern."
Ning Qi never relaxed his vigilance, secretly sensing the surroundings.
But now that the dust had settled, if the Demonic Sect leader were here, he would have acted already. Waiting until all Demonic Sect experts died before acting would be meaningless.
"Where the Demonic Sect leader is probably depends on the man before me."
Ning Qi watched the Grand Elder.
The purpose of this trip was to capture him alive to inquire about the Sacred Pills. After many twists, it had been a tough effort, but the goal was achieved.
"You... who exactly are you?" The Grand Elder was still stunned by Ning Qi's activation of the Yu King Bead.
But Ning Qi ignored him and pointed casually. A powerful qi force sealed the Grand Elder's mouth.
His mind stirred. Resonating the Yu King Bead with the power of heaven and earth, though not yet fully mastered or deeply comprehended, he could still use simple applications.
In an instant, the blood mist scattered in the cavern surged and gathered.
These were the essence left after the blood demon monsters were shattered, the flesh and blood power of over forty Heaven-Man Realm masters. Although much was lost, the remaining residue was still considerable.
Ning Qi condensed it into a blood pill and stored it with satisfaction.
"When the Enlightenment Tea Tree completely consumes this blood pill, it will surely become more flourishing!"
He felt very pleased.
Just this one blood pill was already a huge gain, well worth the trip.
After finishing this, Ning Qi turned his gaze to the Grand Elder. Now the Grand Elder had finally regained consciousness. He realized what was about to happen. The Ghostmask had probably fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Sword True Immortal, exposing much intelligence from the headquarters.
Though the true extent of the Heavenly Sword True Immortal's shocking methods was unknown, it was unlikely he would withstand it easily.
Ning Qi held the Yu King Bead in one hand and lifted the seal on the Grand Elder.
"Do you want to know my identity?" he smiled. The mask shattered and fell away, but the face beneath was still that of Ghostmask.
The Grand Elder stared at the secret treasure falling into another's hands, his eyes burning with rage:
"Your strength is unsurpassed, yet you still hide your true self. That's beneath your status."
Ning Qi chuckled lightly:
"Fine, I will satisfy your wish."
The Grand Elder shuddered. The Yu King Bead suddenly radiated brilliant light, drawing his attention. Ning Qi's eyes turned into deep whirlpools, enveloping him. There was no Heart-Questioning Platform here, and with the Grand Elder's profound martial will, without a surprise attack, it would be difficult to handle him.
Fortunately, the Yu King Bead played a role, shaking his mind.
Ning Qi watched the Grand Elder gradually go blank and exhaled softly.
Next came the interrogation.
He would try to extract as much useful intelligence as possible, primarily about the Sacred Pills, and secondarily about the Demonic Sect's key secrets and the Yu King Bead.
In the dark cavern, the two questioned and answered in a strange manner.
Time passed unknowingly, reaching the limit.
The Grand Elder's spirit trembled and exited the soul control state. His head throbbed painfully. The Yu King Bead's backlash had already scattered his mind, and Ning Qi's relentless soul interrogation pushed him to the brink of death and ecstasy.
He collapsed on the ground, delirious, looking at Ning Qi with hatred, fear, unwillingness, and confusion flooding his face.
Ning Qi sighed lightly. If possible, he would have given this unparalleled expert some dignity.
In their brief conversation, the Grand Elder truly was an outstanding person who had not forgotten his original intention. Simple words, but few could live up to them.
Ning Qi waved his hand gently.
The Grand Elder was shattered into blood mist and then merged into the blood pill.
The entire cavern world fell silent, leaving only Ning Qi.
He began to contemplate the many pieces of intelligence he had just gained.
First and foremost, naturally, was the Sacred Pills matter.
"There truly is a Sacred Pill method in the Demonic Sect, but only successive sect leaders know the specifics. It is said the Sacred Pill secret art refines the essence of many exotic beast inner cores into a Sacred Pill, then uses secret arts to forcibly break through the Martial Sage realm."
"The exact location where the Demonic Sect leader is closed off is unknown even to the Grand Elder. Every year, many strong practitioners take beast pills from the Ten Thousand Flames Cavern. According to the Grand Elder, the last time was one month ago. That means the next pill collection will be in eleven months."
Ning Qi felt somewhat helpless.
If the time were short, he could wait here patiently. But eleven months was enough for even fools to realize that the Ten Thousand Flames Cavern headquarters had been destroyed. The Demonic Sect had many special communication methods; he could not know all details in such a short time.
"Fine. For now, this Demonic Sect lead is a dead end, but it's not a total loss. At least I now know the Sacred Pill's refinement pace isn't as fast as imagined. Plus, destroying the Demonic Sect headquarters this time will greatly delay their progress. It might take at least two to three years."
Thinking this, Ning Qi's mouth curved slightly.
This time was enough for him to reach Heaven-Man Completion. Then he could confidently claim to rival a Martial Sage.
This Ten Thousand Flames Cavern battle had thoroughly clarified his strength.
His conventional power now could only be said to approach Martial Sage level. Using the Innate Divine Sword Qi dealt Martial Sage-level damage.
But after reaching Heaven-Man Completion, his normal strength would truly enter Martial Sage level!
Thus, at least the Demonic Sect threat was greatly reduced. As for the Southern Alliance, that could be dealt with slowly. Without the Demonic Sect, they would surely be greatly impacted and their threat level lowered. Overall, this raid on the Demonic Sect headquarters was highly effective.
Besides the Sacred Pill matter, the Grand Elder revealed some secret intelligence, including treasures and scriptures at headquarters, branch locations, important secret signals, and more.
Ning Qi's eyes flickered:
"This information is also crucial. Although I killed forty Heaven-Man Realm masters in their lair, many strong practitioners remain scattered in various branches. Maybe... I can set a trap!"
A bold idea rose in his mind.
Use the Demonic Sect's communication signals to lure their Heaven-Man Realm masters back, then strike them down in a thunderous blow, saving much effort.
"After another cleanup, and reporting the remaining branch locations to the court, the Demonic Sect's power can be reduced by at least ninety-five percent. It won't be easy for them to gather exotic beast inner cores anymore. The Demonic Sect's threat will basically be eliminated."
But Ning Qi did not act immediately.
He needed to first refine the Yu King Bead.
He had just asked the Grand Elder again about the Yu King Bead's usage. Combining that with his own insights, he roughly understood the secret treasure's usage and purpose.
Heaven-Man Realm practitioners could only manipulate it with simple methods. Only those who truly reached the Martial Sage realm could fully control it.
The Grand Elder currently knew only two functions.
One was storage, with a space to hold dead objects, achievable through resonance with heaven and earth power.
The key was the second function, the Martial Sage power condensation Ning Qi had witnessed.
But this function was somewhat demanding.
Ning Qi thought:
"The key lies in those Demonic Sect servants. Actually, these people are not randomly captured servants. Tracing back, their bloodline originated from the Great Yu royal family, but gradually degenerated into collateral branches, eventually becoming servants. They are bred here by the Demonic Sect's high-ups, and at critical moments serve as nourishment to activate the Yu King Bead."
"This is because the Yu King Bead was once linked by bloodline to a Martial Sage from Great Yu."
He stared at the blood-red Yu King Bead in his hand with some emotion.
Fortunately, the Yu King Bead was now 'charged'. He could use it directly, but once the power was exhausted, it might no longer condense Martial Sage power.
"However, using Great Yu royal bloodline to activate the Yu King Bead is surely not the only method. Now that the Yu King Bead is in my hands, there is plenty of time to study it. If I can deduce a method without relying on bloodline, that would truly make this secret treasure my power!"
"By then, even without reaching Heaven-Man Completion, I am confident I could battle a Martial Sage!"
He had confidence in this.
While pondering, he soared above the underground ruins.
From time to time, he waved his hand, revealing piles of debris. Most things had turned to dust in the fierce battle's waves, but some precious materials or scriptures remained intact. Some were naturally hard, others protected by various barriers.
Among them were blood demon flowers carefully cultivated by the Demonic Sect's Dead Fire Abyss branch. There were five or six here, most matured.
These were priceless treasures that could rapidly enhance Heaven-Man Realm masters. Back then, Old Demon Lin swallowed one, escaping severely injured for two days and nights before arriving at Zhenwu Mountain, where Ning Qi struck him hard with one sword.
Now, all these belonged to Ning Qi.
"Swallowing these blood demon flowers will greatly reduce the time I need to condense the Essence Flower." Ning Qi smiled.
His astonishing perception continuously explored. Treasures flew out one by one—some divine weapons, some supreme materials, some spiritual medicines, others passed-down secret arts. To survive such a fierce battle intact was no small feat.
Ning Qi sensed the Yu King Bead's internal space growing fuller, his mood even more joyful.
This time was truly a great harvest.