Immortality Start with Farming - chapter 798 (Patreon)

Chapter 798: Bounty — The Name of the Insect Devil

Inside the cave abode in the back mountains of the Heavenly River Sect.

Qin Ming immediately gave the Ren Water Ancestor a full report of everything that had happened.

Naturally, he omitted some of the more sensitive details.

After all, Ye Kuchan was dead. He was the only one who had returned alive, so he could tell the story however he wished.

After listening, the Ren Water Ancestor showed no particular suspicion. Instead, a grave expression appeared on his face.

“I understand. I know how to handle this matter.”

“Everything is decreed by fate. Elder Ye chose to enter the Immortal Abode secret realm in pursuit of opportunities. Since things ended this way, it can only be said that such was his destiny.”

“It is a pity that our sect has lost a late Void Refinement cultivator who also held an extremely important position in Skystar City.”

“Now that the position of Hall Master of the Heaven Enforcement Hall has become vacant again, we cannot allow it to fall into the hands of other factions.”

“After all, it is one of the most influential high-ranking positions within the Skystar City Council of Elders and carries tremendous authority.”

“Elder Yin, I intend for you to take over as Hall Master of the Heaven Enforcement Hall. What do you think?”

“With your current reputation, your late Void Refinement cultivation, and your achievement of slaying a demon general, as long as you agree, the position is practically guaranteed.”

“Even within the Skystar City Council of Elders, you would be able to convince everyone.”

If it had been any other Void Refinement cultivator, they would have accepted immediately upon hearing they could become the hall master of one of humanity’s principal cities.

But Qin Ming was different.

He knew that the position was extremely ill-fated. Two hall masters had already died one after another. It was clearly a high-risk post, and he had absolutely no interest in it.

Thus, he quickly declined.

“Reporting to Ancestor, it would be better to let another elder of the sect take the position. I am not skilled at overseeing the big picture, nor do I have any desire to compete for power and influence.”

The Ren Water Ancestor frowned slightly after hearing this.

At present, Yin Lingzi was undoubtedly the best candidate.

If another elder were sent, the sect would inevitably have to compete with others coveting the position.

Whether the Heavenly River Sect could keep such an important seat in Skystar City would then be uncertain.

The position was far too important, directly affecting the sect’s share of benefits. Someone had to fill it.

However, seeing that Yin Lingzi truly had no interest in politics, the Ren Water Ancestor could not help but admire him somewhat.

As a cultivator, he had resisted such temptation. His dedication to the Dao was exceptionally firm.

Given enough time, he might even become the pillar supporting the Heavenly River Sect.

With that thought in mind, the Ren Water Ancestor decided not to force the matter and instead showed greater approval.

“Very well. Since that is your decision, remain within the sect and command the sects beneath the Redwater Wasteland. Devote all efforts to suppressing the insect tide.”

“Yes. I will obey Ancestor’s orders.”

Qin Ming immediately accepted the assignment.

Then he casually probed further.

“Ancestor, what is the current situation inside Insect Valley? Elder Ye and I once ventured deep inside to search for the Golden Talisman Key needed to enter the Immortal Abode secret realm, but we accidentally disturbed a seventh-rank ancient ferocious insect...”

“Ancestor, I heard you were attacked by one of those creatures...”

“Hahaha! You're wondering why I am perfectly fine and my cultivation has even advanced further, aren't you?” the Ren Water Ancestor laughed loudly.

Then he said unhurriedly:

“You may know this matter, but do not spread it.”

“I did indeed personally enter Insect Valley to deal with the insect tunnel. By a twist of fate, however, I discovered a vast patch of Insect Spirit Grass. It appears to have grown from the remains of naturally deceased high-tier insect races. The grass is remarkably effective at increasing the cultivation of Integration cultivators.”

“Such a matter naturally cannot be made public. Therefore, I pretended to be injured and entered seclusion while secretly planning how to obtain more of it. Even those old Integration fellows elsewhere in the Kunlun Domain know nothing of this.”

“I estimate there is still plenty left inside, though unfortunately I could not bring it all out.”

“Next, have the middle and lower sects clean up the insect tide around the outer regions. Our sect's true objective is the treasures deeper inside.”

“Those low-level cultivators from the various sects are more numerous than the insects anyway. If one batch dies, another will replace them. They can serve as cannon fodder.”

“If I obtain a few more opportunities, I may even break through to the middle Integration stage. I am already only one step away.”

“When that time comes, the Heavenly River Sect’s influence throughout the Kunlun Domain will expand even further.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming inwardly cursed the old fox for his deep scheming and immense ambition.

Outwardly, however, he readily agreed.

After meeting with Qin Ming, the Ren Water Ancestor granted him enormous authority within the sect, almost as though he intended to cultivate him as a successor.

Naturally, Qin Ming was not fooled by such appearances. The man used every means available and likely did everything for his own benefit.

After conversing for a while longer, Qin Ming left the cave abode.

The red-robed Ren Water Ancestor watched him depart, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Several days later.

Qin Ming received his official appointment from the sect and headed directly to the coalition immortal city resisting the insect tide.

Inside the main hall, the leaders of the upper, middle, and lower factions of the Redwater Wasteland had already gathered. They were discussing recent developments.

The representatives of the four Void Refinement sects—Moonshadow Gate, Five Fires Cult, Greengrain Valley, and Mystic Armament Pavilion—were all present.

Madam Qingfu and the slovenly Daoist Han Yuan, whom Qin Ming had met before, were among them as well.

At this moment, everyone wore worried expressions.

They all knew why the Heavenly River Sect had suddenly convened this assembly.

It was nothing more than organizing cultivator armies to fight endless hordes of insects.

What frightened them even more was the name of Insect Devil Yin Lingzi.

Madam Qingfu and Han Yuan had personally witnessed his ruthless methods.

Back in Insect Valley, he had used them as bait to lure out a sixth-rank ferocious insect.

Even the old monster Lei from Mystic Armament Pavilion had perished in the creature’s jaws.

“Madam Qingfu, I never imagined Yin Lingzi of the upper sect would improve his divine powers yet again. He even managed to kill a demon general. In the entire Kunlun Domain, there can’t be many with such strength, can there?” the slovenly Daoist asked.

“I heard the one who died was Demon General Ao Qing of the Cangyue Heavenly Wolf Clan. Among the many Void Refinement demons, his strength ranked among the top ten. He was also the offspring of an Integration Demon Marshal, and his bloodline abilities far surpassed ordinary demons. That alone shows that Old Devil Yin’s cultivation and divine powers have become even more terrifying than when we last saw him.”

Madam Qingfu replied calmly.

“I heard the demon race has issued a bounty on Old Devil Yin. The reward is an Integration opportunity. Those intelligence organizations operating in the shadows must be extremely tempted,” one cultivator remarked gleefully.

“An Integration opportunity? Then it won’t just be the demons. Plenty of desperate outlaws will be tempted as well.”

“They’ll need to stay alive long enough to enjoy it. Old Devil Yin’s strength has increased again. Aside from Integration mighty figures, I doubt anyone can oppose him now.”

As the discussion continued—

A shadow radiating immense Spiritual Pressure suddenly shot into the hall and revealed the figure of Yin Lingzi.

His hawk-like gaze swept across the assembled cultivators.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the hall became silent enough to hear a pin drop.

The sect patriarchs, who were normally lofty and untouchable figures, all avoided meeting his eyes. Cold sweat unconsciously formed on their backs.

Seeing this unfortunate bunch, Qin Ming felt somewhat helpless.

He then walked directly to the seat at the head of the hall and sat down.

In a tone that permitted no argument, he said calmly:

“The insect tide has become increasingly severe. Another large-scale extermination campaign can no longer be delayed.”

“Next, I shall announce the detailed battle plan.”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone below revealed expressions of utter misery.

…

Elsewhere.

On Little Turtle Peak, Qin Ming completed his daily cultivation and opened his dark eyes.

During this period, he had also obtained considerable intelligence on the movements of the insect tide through the Demon Infant Primordial Spirit.

If the situation deteriorated, he was fully prepared to flee at any moment. He had already selected several excellent destinations.

Besides that, Qi Xiaoyu had informed him that Venerable Hanya had been taken away by the Profound Tortoise Divine Lord.

Qin Ming immediately revealed a strange expression and sighed at the old fellow’s good fortune.

Others might not know it, but Qin Ming understood clearly that the Profound Tortoise Divine Lord was merely an incarnation. His true identity was most likely an Integration mighty figure.

Venerable Hanya could be said to be just like Su Yuqing—blessed with exceptional fortune and favored by one of the great figures of the Spirit Realm.

Qin Ming could not help wondering:

“What exactly did Gu Chang’an see in Fellow Daoist Hanya?”

“Could it be that he took a liking to the old fellow’s substantial fortune?”

Fortunately, Qin Ming knew the Profound Tortoise Divine Lord’s character very well. He was not the sort to do such things.

A seventh-rank talisman master was respected wherever he went and never lacked cultivation resources. There was no reason for him to covet Venerable Hanya’s possessions.

During this time,

Qin Ming spent his days drinking tea atop Little Turtle Peak while the Devourer Rat and the other beasts attended him.

Then a streak of green light approached from afar and entered the residence in the blink of an eye.

The light dispersed, revealing Elder Tu'e of the Flower Spirit Clan.

Qin Ming opened the mountain-protecting formation and welcomed him inside.

As soon as Elder Tu'e saw Qin Ming, he cupped his hands and greeted him.

“Fellow Daoist Li, thanks to Fellow Daoist Yin’s recommendation, we are now neighbors. This is merely a small gift from our clan. I hope you will accept it.”

As he spoke, he presented several bundles of gifts.

“You are too courteous, Fellow Daoist Tu'e. Then I shall gladly accept.”

Qin Ming had the Devourer Rat receive the gifts.

“When Fellow Daoist Yin and Fellow Daoist Gu came previously, they already told me about your Flower Spirit Clan. We should visit each other more often in the future.”

Qin Ming knew that the elder had come under the instruction of the Myriad Blossoms Saint Lord to establish good relations with Little Turtle Peak.

The gifts were all specialties from the Immortal Abode secret realm.

Since the Flower Spirit Clan intended to settle and thrive here, dealings with Qin Ming would naturally be unavoidable.

Moreover, he knew that the Flower Spirit Clan possessed many valuable treasures. In the future, mutually beneficial exchanges would certainly be possible.

After spending half a day at Qin Ming’s residence, Elder Tu'e took his leave.

Upon returning to the Flower Spirit Clan’s spiritual land, he immediately went to report to the Myriad Blossoms Saint Lord.

“How is that Moonwatch Divine Lord of Little Turtle Peak?” After a period of recuperation, the Myriad Blossoms Saint Lord looked considerably healthier.

This also demonstrated the extraordinary effectiveness of the Profound Tortoise Divine Lord’s seventh-rank healing talisman.

After some consideration, Elder Tu'e truthfully recounted everything he had seen and heard.

In particular, the countless rare spiritual plants covering Little Turtle Peak had greatly broadened his horizons.

After a long while, the Myriad Blossoms Saint Lord finally said thoughtfully:

“In that case, this Moonwatch Divine Lord is rather interesting. Perhaps we may cooperate with him in the future.”

“In a while, send him an invitation. Invite that human cultivator to visit our clan. I would like to meet him personally.”

“Yes!”

Elder Tu'e immediately acknowledged the order.

…

Another half year passed.

Qin Ming had already used the Regenerative Spirit Seed trait to retrieve that cutting of the Profound Yellow Myriad Qi Bloodmother Vine and plant it within the Immortal’s Legacy Field inside the Small Spirit Realm.

This Immortal’s Legacy Field could satisfy the special environmental requirements of most high-tier spiritual plants, and this one was no exception.

The Profound Yellow Myriad Qi Bloodmother Vine could grow all the way to seventh rank and was an exceptionally rare body-refinement sacred medicine.

If he could successfully cultivate and mature it, the body-refinement cultivation of his Demon Infant Primordial Spirit could advance to the Body Mysticism realm.

Should the blood vine reach the seventh rank, even the legendary Body-Dao Unity realm might become attainable.

For that reason, Qin Ming devoted tremendous attention to it and focused much of his effort on the plant during this period.

He also discovered something unusual.

Perhaps because they were both vine-type spiritual plants, his Natal Spirit Plant, the Yama Immortal Vine, actually aided the growth of the blood vine to some extent.

Even so, the blood vine still required the blood of high-tier demons to grow.

“It seems I’ll need to find some Void Refinement demon blood somehow.”

In addition, Qin Ming planned to cultivate the Seven Emotions Six Desires Tree that he had acquired from the Flower Spirit Clan.

However, this spiritual plant required the seven emotions and six desires of living beings as nourishment.

It also needed to be planted at a location where a special Buddhist kingdom intersected with the mortal world.

In a few years, the Little Mount Maitreya Dharma Assembly of the Heavenly Brahma Domain would begin.

The environment there was perfectly suited to the growth requirements of this plant.

Qin Ming intended to take advantage of that opportunity to cultivate it as well.

After all, he had heard from Old Devil Qingyang that the Seven Emotions Six Desires Tree possessed limitless growth potential.

Its spiritual fruits had countless marvelous uses, capable of clarifying the Dao heart and dispelling inner demons.

They were even extremely beneficial for resisting heart demons during the breakthrough to the Integration stage and could be considered a precious Integration opportunity.

No matter what, Qin Ming intended to grow the tree successfully.

After Silverwing returned, Little Turtle Peak gradually became lively once more.

Leading the Ghostface Spirit Bee swarm under Qin Ming’s command, she resumed their routine of pollinating flowers, gathering nectar, and producing Royal Jelly.

The Devourer Rat and the Blackwater Crocodile Demon King were also stimulated into working harder at cultivation.

After all, Silverwing had already left them far behind, and their status on Little Turtle Peak was becoming increasingly precarious.

Meanwhile, Yue Lingyan obtained a Spirit-Summoning Demon Fruit and cultivated on Little Turtle Peak, successfully advancing to the late fifth rank.

Next Chapter >