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It would take some time for Ling Yuling and the others to recover their magic power.
Qi Yuan took advantage of the moment and appeared before the corpse of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The man looked middle-aged, with a centipede-like scar running across his forehead.
Opening the collar of the corpse's shirt, Qi Yuan saw a green palm print burned into the chest—a remnant of the Burning God Green Fire. He traced the imprint with his fingers, and many of his doubts were resolved.
The Fire God Patriarch had held back when retaliating against his junior brother's sneak attack. Instead of completely destroying him, he left the soul an opportunity to escape and seize a new body to continue cultivating.
This body's resilience was due to physical cultivation. No wonder it had remained intact for hundreds of years without decaying.
Qi Yuan shifted his focus to Pei Ao's body, taking his storage bag. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he erased the previous owner's imprint and examined the contents.
The bag contained a wealth of treasures, most of them rare elixirs related to the soul. It was clear that the Fire God Patriarch's junior brother had taken over another body and spent all his spirit stones on soul-healing medicines to mend his damaged spirit.
Among the items, Qi Yuan found a cultivation manual—the Red Fire Hundred Refining Method. It was a solid technique for refining the mind, so he decided to keep it.
However, the corpse-controlling technique inside was of poor quality and not as practical as the method of creating an incarnation.
Then, his gaze fell upon a thick book—the Treasure Record of the Fire God.
Flipping through its pages, his expression brightened with each passing moment.
This tome contained a vast collection of knowledge on alchemy and artifact refinement. It recorded ancient pill recipes, self-created formulas, and the treasured prescriptions of other masters, each annotated with key points and precautions. The notes read like personal guidance from a grandmaster alchemist.
The artifact refinement section was just as detailed, describing long-lost forging techniques and superior crafting methods. Qi Yuan, who had only dabbled in alchemy using Han Li's manual, saw an opportunity for further study.
Since he wanted to refine his own magic weapon, this book arrived at the perfect time.
He examined the magical items next. The black spirit ring was excellent for both attack and defense, while the black oil-paper umbrella offered powerful protection for the soul along with offensive capabilities. He erased the previous owner's imprint and claimed them.
The storage bag also contained more than twenty rare spiritual medicines, including the Seven-Star Fire Lotus. However, having been left unattended for centuries, their condition had deteriorated.
The old man in white's storage bag held two to three thousand spirit stones and fifty to sixty mid-grade ones, which seemed rather meager. His magic weapons included a silver spear and a gray shield of decent quality.
There were also numerous secret manuals—likely looted from the Fire God Sect's archives.
At that moment, Ling Yuling and the yellow-turbaned female cultivator regained consciousness.
Huang Jing, the yellow-turbaned woman, offered a soft expression of gratitude.
"Thank you, Brother Qi, for saving my life," she said.
Ling Yuling smiled elegantly. "Brother Qi, you have great abilities. How about I recommend a career path for you? I guarantee the salary will be excellent."
Qi Yuan responded seriously. "Fellow Daoist Huang is too polite. I was merely protecting myself as well. As for Brother Ling's recommendation, I prefer my freedom and would rather remain a wandering cultivator."
Ling Yuling's smile faltered slightly, but then a thought crossed her mind. Since Qi Yuan lived in Tianxing City, she could visit him there. Independent cultivators would not have the luxury of practicing in peace once the Chaos Star Sea fell into disorder.
Huang Jing glanced at Ling Yuling before turning back to Qi Yuan. "Fellow Daoist Qi, let's head out."
"Alright. What should we do with the Nascent Soul corpse?" Qi Yuan asked calmly.
Huang Jing considered it for a moment before replying, "We have already taken the Fire God Sect's treasure vault. Fellow Daoist Qi may do as he pleases with the rest. I will not interfere."
"Then I ask Brother Huang to burn it, so it won't be used for corpse refinement."
Qi Yuan's expression was firm as he made the request.
Huang Jing raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Do you truly not want it? Refining a Nascent Soul corpse could produce a late-stage Golden Core puppet—a great asset."
"I prefer to focus on my own cultivation. Relying on a Nascent Soul corpse would only distract me," Qi Yuan said confidently.
Huang Jing studied his face, finding no trace of falsehood. Her admiration for him grew. She retrieved a bottle of murky water, poured it over the corpse to weaken its structure, then activated a fire talisman. The body ignited, burning to ashes within moments.
A thorough way to erase evidence.
Qi Yuan exhaled softly.
Afterward, he and Huang Jing worked together to break the restrictions and retrace their steps. The absence of two members made the journey more challenging, but they persisted.
At the outermost soul-damaging barrier, Huang Jing once again released a yellow light from between her brows, leading Ling Yuling outside.
Qi Yuan, having refined the black oil-paper umbrella into a magic weapon, used it as a shield to pass through.
This item was far more practical than the gold-eating bugs he owned, especially since they were still immature and few in number.
The moment he stepped out, Qi Yuan saw Huang Jing and Ling Yuling surrounded by four early-stage Golden Core cultivators. The atmosphere was tense.
Aren't these the cultivators who followed us into the Fire God Sect? Are they trying to take advantage of the situation?
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and quietly moved to Huang Jing's side.
Huang Jing's expression softened in gratitude. While working together inside made sense, she hadn't expected Qi Yuan to stand by her even outside. She couldn't help but feel a strong sense of appreciation for him.
One of the early-stage Golden Core cultivators, a pink-robed man, whispered to his black-robed leader, "Brother, there's another Golden Core cultivator. We can't afford to offend him."
The black-robed man hesitated. He was close to reaching mid-stage Golden Core, and with his group, he was confident in taking down even a mid-stage opponent. But an additional cultivator complicated matters.
Just then, a green-robed cultivator rushed over. "Brother, the intelligence was wrong. Our real enemies are over there!"
Not far away, a wounded early-stage Golden Core cultivator flew past. Seeing the black-robed men glaring at him, he panicked and fled.
The black-robed leader cupped his hands in apology. "We mistook you for someone else. Farewell, fellow cultivators."
Without another word, they turned into streaks of light, chasing after their actual target.
Huang Jing brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed to Qi Yuan. "If not for Fellow Daoist Qi's presence, this would have turned into a fierce battle."
Ling Yuling also gave him a grateful glance.
"It was just a small favor. Brother Huang, Brother Ling, I will take my leave now."
Qi Yuan smiled, bowed slightly, and disappeared into the distance.
Huang Jing was momentarily stunned before regaining her composure and flying off with Ling Yuling.
In an uninhabited sea spanning hundreds of miles, Qi Yuan selected a deserted island to settle on. He set up the Inverted Five Elements Formation and the Fire and Yang Thunder Formation to guard the surrounding waters.
He intended to master the Burning God Green Fire secret technique before returning to Tianxing City.
Three months passed.
Suddenly, the tranquil sea flickered with eerie green flames.
A flash of fire shot into the sky. Birds flying past dropped lifelessly. Fish and shrimp floated to the surface, their eyes rolled upward.
For a split second, the uncontrollable power of the Burning God Green Fire caused death in its wake.
This was why the Fire God Sect had been annihilated overnight.
(End Of Chapter)