446 Kun Peng Seed Fragments

Charging headlong into the battlefield to secure a path for Xiang Mingfeng and the others also served as an opportunity for Qin Huai to confirm a particular suspicion.

After a while, Qin Huai gradually opened his eyes. He had been injured by Gao He’s assault, and his wounds were not light. As expected, an expert who had reached the third-level visceral prefecture realm possessed tremendous fighting prowess.

“Senior, when I defeated Tang Xinglong, I noticed he could actually grow gray wings on his back, identical to the totems on their bodies,” Qin Huai said right away.

Unquestionably, Tang Xinglong and the entire Prefecture Overseer Estate had transformed into demons. The revelation sent shivers down Qin Huai’s spine. Did this mean that the Tang family, who had governed Qingzhou for thousands of years, were actually demons?

Qin Huai then recounted how everyone had transformed the Emperor of Qingzhou into a demon. Not far away, the emperor himself slowly rose to his feet.

“It appears the worst-case scenario has arrived,” the emperor said, his expression unchanged. “In the aftermath of my death, demons run rampant.”

He then gestured to Qin Huai, and they moved toward the water’s edge. “Experts from various Qingzhou sects surround this sinkhole. Evidently, they’ve internally agreed to consider you the demon’s successor or reincarnation, and they’ve joined forces to eliminate you.”

The emperor turned, his eyes sparkling with an intense fervor. “Grow up quickly. Your time is running out,” he urged, patting Qin Huai’s shoulder and revealing a sinister grin.

“Senior, what’s your plan?” Qin Huai asked, grasping the situation quickly.

“I still have one last attack left in me. Given they want to eliminate you now, they must have dispatched their top-tier experts. We might as well use you as bait,” the emperor suggested with a wicked chuckle.

Qin Huai nodded, feeling a pang of sorrow. A character like the Emperor of Qingzhou had been reduced to a demon, wreaking havoc in Qingzhou ten thousand years later. Who could guess what was going through this Qingzhou legend’s mind?

The emperor carried on, “Concerning Tang Xinglong’s demise, only a pair of gray wings emerged. It’s likely their method to blend into the human race, or should I say, evolution?”

“Oh?” Qin Huai perked up, paying close attention. This was because what the emperor was revealing would directly impact Qin Huai’s future.

“They started experiments ten thousand years ago, attempting to harness the potent physique of demons and the cultivation talents of humans. It seems they might have succeeded,” the emperor unveiled the secret.

Unfortunately, no one would believe Qin Huai’s words, as Qingzhou was under the covert control of the demons.

“They are neither demons nor devils anymore. If you want to label them, call them demonic,” the emperor said after a moment of silence. “As for their identities, they should be easy to figure out. In the future, you just need to investigate those prominent families that only intermarry within a few specific clans. We can eliminate them straight away. They are undoubtedly demonic!”

Qin Huai committed to memory all of the emperor’s words. He then relocated to a nearby spot and sat in a meditative pose, persistently guiding the bronze mountain and river diagram into his organs.

In the blink of an eye, a month went by. At a certain moment, Qin Huai, who had been in deep meditation, vanished from his spot. His figure surfaced dozens of meters away, silent and without any trace.

With a slight shift in his mind, he instantly materialized in the darkness of the pit, examining the faint figure in the distance. The next second, he returned to the bronze realm.

Having refined the bronze mountain and river diagram, he could now fully command the bronze realm. In other words, he had a new bronze realm at his disposal. As for the bronze realm beneath his feet, it was a tad more complex, as most of its power stemmed from the broken array in the sinkhole.

“Visceral prefecture realm…” The emperor appeared next to Qin Huai and patted his shoulder. “You’ve achieved this breakthrough faster than I anticipated,” he chuckled.

“Did you originate from this broken formation, Senior?” Qin Huai asked, curious.

“I think it’s time to execute the plan,” the emperor said seriously. “I don’t have much time left.”

Qin Huai promptly fell silent.

“I’ve been observing the disciples guarding the sinkhole and found some intriguing details.” The emperor squatted near the water, studying the martial artists who were hunting for traces of Qin Huai in the sinkhole. “Despite their different attire, they all bear similar totem tattoos on their bodies. Most likely, they are the descendants of the Eight Virtuous Kings, today’s demons.”

“Demonic infiltrators within the various sects…” Qin Huai examined the images that continued to spin. While some figures clearly displayed totem patterns on their bodies, others did not. However, based on their attire, it seemed like Lion Spirit Mountain, Wuji Mountain, Blue Sea Pavilion, and the five great sects had all been infiltrated by demons.

The entire Qingzhou was compromised. There were probably numerous demons amongst the leaders of the five great sects.

“It seems inevitable that you’ll clash with the entirety of Qingzhou,” the Emperor of Qingzhou joked, “Conveniently, this is the true path to becoming an emperor. To slaughter all powerful entities in the world, and single-handedly dominate the world. Go, carry out my plan.”

As the emperor nudged Qin Huai, the latter acknowledged, “As you command, Senior!” with cupped fists.

“Remember, catch me a big fish. Ideally, the prefecture overseer or a sect master from the five great sects.”

Qin Huai’s figure slowly faded from the bronze realm. The very next second, he materialized directly before the martial artists guarding the sinkhole.

“Zhou Cunzhong!” everyone instantly cried out.

However, with a calm demeanor, Qin Huai silently strolled past everyone. Moments later, the group of warriors guarding the sinkhole spontaneously exploded. Their blood, transformed into black blood in mid-air, corroded the sinkhole’s ground, emitting a sizzling sound.

“Ding! You have collected a [Kun Peng Seed (Fragment) x1], [Kun Peng Seed (6/2,000)]!”

“Ding! You have collected a [Kun Peng Seed (Fragment) x1], [Kun Peng Seed (7/2,000)]!”

“Ding! You have collected a [Kun Peng Seed (Fragment) x1], [Kun Peng Seed (8/2,000)]!”