Chapter 599: New Direction
Qin Lie wasn't surprised that both Xing Yumiao and Xiang Xi decided to join Blood Fiend Sect.
Once the two of the agreed on the general direction, Qin Lie left all of the logistics for them to discuss and figure out.
He believed that Xing Yumiao would treat Xiang Xi fairly.
Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong represented the old guard of Gold Sun Island. Although their power wasn't too impressive with only Xiang Xi in the Fragmentation Realm, this faction definitely couldn't be dismissed. Without them, Gold Sun Island's overall strength would drop tremendously.
If Xiang Xi and his men ended up leaving, Gold Sun Island could very well drop in rank from Copper to Black Iron.
—The Xing brothers definitely wanted to avoid such a result.
Xing Yumiao was determined to take revenge. He and the rest of the Xing Family wanted to fight their way into the Heavenly Calamity Continent and wipe every trace of the three great families from existence.
Gold Sun Island had far from enough strength to accomplish that, and it certainly couldn't afford to lose any more than it currently had.
In light of this, Qin Lie believed that Xing Yumiao would mend his relationship with Xiang Xi, which would, of course, require Xiang Xi to do the same.
The island envoys under Xiang Xi's command oversaw the Setting Sun Islands. Qin Lie requested an island for his group to have to themselves, and the island they were given had a dozen stone towers for the six of them to live in for the time being. Each of them took up residence in a tower of their own.
Since they no longer needed to hide their identities, Qin Lie could work on refining blood essences within a room of his stone tower.
After focusing on using the Blood Refinement Art for five days, Qin Le completely refined the nine essences of the metal, earth, and water spirits and fused them with his own blood.
"Whoosh…!"
As soon as he did, the Soul Suppressing Orb in the space between Qin Lie's eyebrows roared to life with a powerful sucking force.
The Soul Suppressing Orb sucked the nine freshly refined blood essences and large amounts of his soul energy and blood inside of it, storing it within the restricted area that Qin Lie's soul consciousness couldn't enter.
Qin Lie withered as the sensation of his soul energy and blood being sucked away utterly terrified him once more.
Since she was nearby, Xue Moyan could sense the abnormal movement of his blood energy and immediately rushed over. Xie Jingxuan detected the strange activity in his life force as well and arrived with Song Tingyu in tow.
The three women hurried into Qin Lie's tower and quickly gathered within his room. His ashen face and lethargic eyes greeted them, a clear indicator that he had lost a great deal of blood.
All three of them had fought by his side in the Graveyard of Gods, and an odd realization set in when they saw his condition.
"Is this situation similar to your previous one?" Song Tingyu asked. She seemed more surprised than shocked.
Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan weren't worried either. Instead, they displayed curiosity and palpable excitement.
"The blood essences of the three spirits were absorbed," Qin Lie said. "They mixed with my soul energy, my blood, and flowed… here."
Qin Lie pointed at the space between his eyebrows.
"This is good." Xie Jingxuan spoke with a calm, yet serious voice. "Three more miraculous entities will be born soon."
"This probably isn't bad news," Xue Moyan said.
"Before they're born, however, you will need to provide soul energy and blood to nurture them. Doing so will leave you weak for a while." Song Tingyu thought to herself then silently took out the soul crystals she had in her spatial ring. "Here. These are all the soul crystals I have left."
Everyone aside from Qin Lie had gathered large amounts of soul crystals from the bottom of the Thunder Lagoon. Yet Qin Lie's refinement of the blood essences, as well as the drain on his soul energy and blood, forced all of them to give him soul crystals to help him recover as soon as possible.
Of the three women, Song Tingyu had naturally been the most generous with her soul crystals and provided him with the largest amount each time.
Now that Qin Lie found himself in the same situation as before, she knew that he would need an obscene amount of soul crystals. Only this would help Qin Lie bring the three new beings to life.
After taking out all of her soul crystals and piling them before Qin Lie, Song Tingyu looked at Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan with her alluring eyes, a soft smile playing at her lips.
A long moment passed before Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan took out half of the soul crystals they had in their spatial rings, letting them pour to the floor in front of Qin Lie.
"Haha, that should be enough," Song Tingyu exclaimed, a smile blooming on her face.
Qin Lie casually stored the soul crystals into his own spatial ring without a word, leaving only two of them in each hand. As he absorbed soul energy from the two crystals, he spoke.
"We won't be going to the destination we agreed on earlier."
"W-what did you just say?" Xue Moyan sputtered.
"We will not be going to Blood Fiend Sect yet!" Qin Lie growled. "We will first head to Gold Sun Island and use it as a base of operations!"
The three women stared at him in shock.
"Our identities will be exposed soon, and the fact that we are with Gold Sun Island probably won't be a secret much longer." Qin Lie paused in contemplation, then continued, "Blood Fiend Sect's current location is an extremely well kept secret. I believe that even Illusory Demon Sect has no clue where it is. We should only go there if we have no other option and keep it as a last resort.
"Though you should travel there soon, Senior Sister. Take the body of the Blood Progenitor so that Senior Xue Li can merge with it," he said. "You should also tell your master about your true identity as a member of Blood Fiend Sect. Try and persuade her to…"
"There is no need for persuasion," Xue Moyan said, casually interrupting Qin Lie. "My master is already aware of my origins."
"She is?" Qin Lie asked in astonishment.
"You don't need to worry about Illusory Demon Sect," Xue Moyan declared confidently. "Gold Sun Island serving Blood Fiend Sect won't be a problem. My master and the sect will not cause any trouble."
Qin Lie gave her a profound look and nodded softly.
"It seems like our situation isn't as bad as I thought."
Xue Moyan's attitude told Qin Lie that Illusory Demon Sect's sect master wasn't hostile toward Blood Fiend Sect. In fact, she actually seemed protective of it. As this occurred to him, his mind started racing. He realized that, when Blood Fiend Sect faced extermination a thousand years ago, Mo Lingye and the elders of Blood Fiend Sect fled toward the Heavenly Slaughter Continent—
—toward territories under Illusory Demon Sect's control.
Qin Lie thought everything over carefully, a theory gradually forming in his head.
He became more and more certain that the sect master of Illusory Demon Sect had hidden ties to Blood Fiend Sect.
The moment Qin Lie thought this, Xue Moyan glanced at Song Tingyu and Xie Jingxuan.
After a bit of hesitation, she said, "My master and my mother… when they were traveling the world together, they became as close as sisters. Back then, my master wasn't in charge of Illusory Demon Sect and Blood Fiend Sect wasn't hated by all.
Qin Lie's eyes lit up.
"Before Blood Fiend Sect had been surrounded and massacred, my mother received an urgent message from my master and left with elders of Blood Fiend Sect," Xue Moyan explained in a soft voice. "With my master's help, they escaped to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent…"
Yu Lingwei was the reason Blood Fiend Sect managed to survive. She had even arranged Blood Fiend Sect's current clandestine existence. That seemed to explain why Illusory Demon Sect wouldn't have a problem with Gold Sun Island becoming Blood Fiend Sect's vassal force once again.
"Gold Sun Island, Green Moon Valley, and other smaller forces were able to establish themselves in the Heavenly Slaughter Continent because they received protection from Illusory Demon Sect. Protection that my master provided on behalf of Blood Fiend Sect," Xue Moyan said. "My master promised that, if they wanted to serve Blood Fiend Sect once more, she would support me."
"You have an excellent master!" Qin Lie exclaimed, his eyes trembling with approval.
Xue Moyan smiled softly.
"That means Illusory Demon Sect will help us instead of being a threat, and we'll have more support!" Qin Lie said, rubbing his chin. "With Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang's haul of six bodies of ancient elites, along with Uncle Li's presence, Heavenly Sword Mountain won't be an enemy either. Of the six great Silver rank forces, two will be on our side."
"Don't you mean nine?" Xue Moyan asked reflexively.
"If you're talking about the three great families, they do not qualify!" Qin Lie replied with a shake of his head, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Only Terminator Sect, Black Voodoo Cult, Illusory Demon Sect, Heavenly Sword Mountain, Celestial Artifact Sect, and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain are the real overlords of the Land of Chaos. The three great families together probably wouldn't be even be able to contend with a single one!"
Xue Moyan considered this for a while, then nodded and said, "That's true."
"Everything is much simpler now." Qin Lie could feel his thoughts become more and more lively. "Chu Li wouldn't die so easily, and as long as he's still alive, I have three bodies of ancient elites for him! He also said he'd get me an audience with Forefather Terminator. If I meet him, I believe that I can get him to support Blood Fiend Sect! Then it is much simpler."
Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement the second he said this.
"Jiang Zhuzhe conspired with Celestial Artifact Sect, and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain was also involved. Neither of the two are blameless, so how would they be able to blame us?" Qin Lie asked with a snort. "In my opinion, both forces are ignoring Blood Fiend Sect like a poisonous tumor that they just had removed!"
"The way you're putting it, it seems like only Black Voodoo Cult and the three great families will be trying to kill us." Song Tingyu laughed softly.
"After all these years, they still haven't given up on hunting Blood Fiend Sect down," Xue Moyan said. "They really are the only ones we need to worry about."
"Hehehe…" The warmth of excitement spread throughout Qin Lie's body as the situation became clear. "It seems like we're in a better spot than we thought."
Chapter 600: Released!
Qin Lie originally wanted Xue Moyan to bring the Blood Progenitor's body to Xue Li, but when he took it out, he realized that Xue Moyan had nothing to carry it with.
The Blood Progenitor's body, which radiated bloody light and seemed like it was made of sanguine jewels, had been held within the Soul Suppressing Orb this entire time—
—and not a spatial ring.
Spatial rings could hold many things. They could hold wood, spirit stones, plants, pills, corpses, bones, you name it.
It could hold everything except beings with souls—not even the tiniest fragment!
A soul pagoda sat deep inside of the Blood Progenitor's mind, and even some extremely small fragile soul remnants lingered throughout the body.
These were proof of the Blood Progenitor's imperishable soul.
Although these slivers of the Blood Progenitor's soul were so weak they could be disregarded, they still prevented his body from being stored within a spatial ring. Only the Soul Suppressing Orb could contain it.
The Soul Suppressing Orb held three newborn entities, things undergoing refinement, and the Bloodthirsty Dragon. Like the body of the Blood Progenitor, all of these things possessed souls.
Even the three tiny beings that were just born and had simple consciousnesses could be considered intelligent creatures with souls.
Qin Lie had the Soul Suppressing Orb in which he could store the Blood Progenitor's body and disguise the thick stench of iron that came from it. Xue Moyan didn't have a such a treasure. Since it couldn't be carried in a spatial ring and it weighed thousands of kilograms, she had no way to covertly transport it to Blood Fiend Sect without being discovered.
Because of that, Xue Moyan left the others early on.
She needed to see the sect master of Illusory Demon Sect and explain everything that had happened inside the Graveyard of Gods. She also needed to go see her father, Xue Li, and bring his soul along with other members of Blood Fiend Sect to Qin Lie.
With Gao Yu and Xue Moyan's departures, only Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, Xie Jingxuan, and Song Tingyu remained with Qin Lie.
In the days that followed, the Xing Family and Xiang Xi's faction held secret meetings at the Setting Sun Islands to mend their relationship.
Qin Lie neither asked about the proceedings nor paid any attention to them. Instead, he focused on using soul crystals to replenish his soul energy and absorbed fiendish bloody energy from the Demon Sealing Tombstone to generate blood.
Ten days later, the Xing siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong coexisted harmoniously once again. It appeared as though both sides had completely forgotten the conflict that had just occurred.
The day after their relationship seemed to have miraculously mended, Qin Lie summoned the the six of them to the island he resided on. Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang were present as well.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Qin Lie bluntly asked, "Has news of us commanding the god corpses been leaked yet?"
"It's quite strange, actually. We have yet to receive any information about that matter," Xing Yuyuan answered. He still looked a bit pale, and his wounds hadn't completely healed. "However, many will notice the strange details about this region eventually. For example, the patriarch of the Pan Family and their main force haven't contacted the main family for a long time. The people of Black Cloud Palace and Heavenly Sea Pavilion have been missing as well. This has caused Black Voodoo Cult and Illusory Demon Sect to send people to investigate."
"We killed the Pan Family," Qin Lie said nonchalantly.
The Xing siblings and Xiang Xi's trio exchanged knowing glances as if they had already guessed this.
"Since it seems as though news hasn't spread…" Qin Lie paused for a moment, then said, "That should be enough."
"What did you summon us for, little brother?" Xing Shengnan asked.
Qin Lie smiled at everyone and said, "I summoned you here for a good matter."
As he finished speaking, the Demon Sealing Tombstone emerged from his spatial ring and flew up to hover above them.
Soon enough, the splash of movement in the water could be heard near the island. Everyone turned to look at the sea and watched as the eight god corpses emerged from it. They took great, earthshaking strides ashore, the boom of their slow steps echoing throughout the island.
An enormous basket woven from tree branches soaked with saltwater came into view. Gargantuan bodies of ancient elites from the Asura Race, the Giant Spirit Race, the Wood Race, and other ancient beasts lay within that basket.
"The remains of ancient elites!" Everyone's eyes shone with a burning light.
Qin Lie continued to send commands to the god corpses, and they soon pulled the twenty three bodies of ancient elites onto the island.
This unnamed island covered thousands of square meters, yet once the twenty three bodies had been spread out, they took up nearly all of its space.
Some of the ancient elites were small, the size of normal humanoids like humans and the Wood Race. Some, on the other hand, were extremely large when laid out. Like ancient beasts and members of the Giant Spirit Race, many were hundreds of meters tall and resembled mountains.
Twenty three bodies of ancient elites were spread throughout the island, radiating all kinds of ancient, wild auras. These auras pressured everyone present, making their very souls tremble.
"These are our spoils from the Graveyard of Gods," Qin Lie said. "Seven of us came out of there together. We don't know if Chu Li is dead or alive, but… I'll be keeping his share for him."
Qin Lie summoned a crystalline war chariot with a wave of his hand and boarded it. He then waved for Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, Song Tingyu, and Xie Jingxuan to join him.
Surprise tinged Xing Yumiao's face. He mirrored Qin Lie's actions, getting into the chariot they had arrived on and directing it into the sky. Xiang Xi and the others did the same as well.
Soon enough, all of their crystalline chariots hovered above the island, and everyone surveyed the bodies of the ancient elites.
At this moment, the sun was at its highest. Under its brilliant light, the bodies of the ancient elites seemed to have a metallic shine to them and even released potent waves of power.
—All of that was pure fleshly power!!
In ancient times, every expert focused a great deal of their efforts on the refinement of the flesh and blood. They made it so vast power flowed through their blood, flesh, sinews, bones, and every fiber of their being. Even if their souls were destroyed, the bodies would persist.
Everyone aboard the crystalline chariots closed their eyes and tried to sense the bodies with their soul consciousnesses.
An instant later, all of them opened their eyes, expressions of shock covering their faces.
Upon closing their eyes and examining the bodies on the island below, they discovered that all of them still possessed life force. The power contained in every single body was enough to make them boil over with madness.
"Luo Chen. Du Xiangyang. The six below us belong to you. You can choose which ones you'd like now, or pick once your elders arrive," Qin Lie said with a smile. "Once you've chosen, I will help you remove the seals on them and you will be able to absorb the power directly from each body. You can also take the bodies and use their flesh and bones to refine powerful spirit artifacts, of course. That is your decision to make."
His words made Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang tremble, their eyes shining with joy. Both of them looked at Qin Lie and spoke up at the same time.
"May I send word to Heavenly Sword Mountain?"
Qin Lie nodded. "I welcome the elders from Heavenly Sword Mountain and insist that they come and take the spoils that belong to you!"
"Are you sure?" Luo Chen asked.
"Yes," Qin Lie replied confidently. He paused for a moment to think, then said, "I only hope that Blood Fiend Sect will receive the friendship of Heavenly Sword Mountain in return."
"I don't think there'll be any problems." Du Xiangyang smiled.
"Qin Lie!" Xie Jingxuan exclaimed, pointing to a particular body. "I only need that one!"
The body she pointed out was that of an elderly Wood Race man. He was only around a hundred and eighty centimeters tall and had grayish brown skin that resembled the bark of a tree.
From his wrinkle-ridden face alone, this Wood Race clansman seemed astonishingly old, but he radiated astonishing waves of wood and life energy.
The Demon Sealing Tombstone had been hovering in the air beside Qin Lie, and when he moved, its seven godly lights suddenly shot out from within it.
As they did, everyone instinctively turned to look.
The seven dazzling, godly lights resembled a rainbow that silently descended upon the body of this Wood Race clansman.
If one were to look closely, they would discover that some sort of liquid power seemed to float within each godly light. That power flowed within each light like divine flashing runes that seemed to jump around erratically.
A pale emerald light rose from the Wood Race clansman and formed a thin shield of light. Leafy patterns spread across the surface of that shield, clearly defending the body of this Wood Race clansman.
Yet when the rays of godly light made contact and the divine runes flowed forth, that shield of light slowly eroded. It soon dissolved into drops of verdant liquid, and a potent aura of life energy emanated from it.
These drops of verdant liquid landed on the body of the Wood Race clansman and resembled early morning dew on leaves, but they didn't soak into it.
At that moment, Qin Lie looked at Xie Jingxuan. He spoke up hesitantly.
"S… Sister Jingxuan. I want to discuss something with you."
A thread of shock flashed through Xie Jingxuan's clear eyes when he called out to her, but it only shone for a moment. She immediately calmed down and said, "I know what you want to talk about."
This time, it was Qin Lie's turn to be shocked. "You do?"
Xie Jingxuan hesitated and gritted her teeth.
"That verdant liquid, the distillation of the power that protected the body of that Wood Race clansman, is pure life energy," she reluctantly exclaimed. "It is essentially water from the Spring of Life. Xue Moyan must offer something of equal value to trade for it!"
Her declaration made Qin Lie freeze, but soon his worries dissipated.
He smiled and said, "Many thanks, Sister Jingxuan."
"And now?" Xie Jingxuan snorted softly.
"The seals on him have been destroyed," Qin Lie said. "He now belongs to you."
The seven mysteriously godly lights withdrew into the Demon Sealing Tombstone once again, and the tombstone fell silent.
The pale emerald shield of light surrounding the Wood Race clansman had been distilled into potent drops of water from the Spring of Life.
Just this realization registered and astonished everyone present, Xie Jingxuan's eyes shone with emerald light. Right when the crystalline chariot was about to land, impatience got the better of her and she charged toward the body of the Wood Race clansman, carefully collecting the drops of springwater with a special container.
The breathing of both Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang grew ragged.
"Qin Lie!" both of them shouted at the same time.
"Take your pick." Qin Lie smiled calmly.
And the two of them instantly went mad.
Chapter 601: Absorb!
Xie Jingxuan landed next to the body of the Wood Race clansman and carefully gathered the drops of the Spring of Life. Her movements were precise and deliberate, almost as if she were afraid of disturbing the body.
The crystalline chariots carrying the others hovered above the island. The Xing siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong were extremely focused, the light in their eyes burning more and more clearly.
Even Xing Yuyuan's breathing gradually sped up.
Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, and Song Tingyu turned to look at Qin Lie, excitement gushing from their eyes. They hoped he would be able to help them take specific bodies of ancient elites by breaking the seals on them.
The three had decided on their targets a long time ago.
At this point in time, no more drops of liquid remained on the body of the Wood Race clansman. Xie Jingxuan, having collected all of them into her container, raised her head to look at Qin Lie. She hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "May I take this body?"
"Of course," Qin Lie said, a faint smile on his face.
Xie Jingxuan's eyes light up. The body of this Wood Race clansman contain an ancient inheritance and was filled with potent life energy. She grabbed it and quickly flew to the stone tower she currently resided and cultivated in.
"Boom!"
A power fluctuation visible to the naked eye spread from that stone tower like a sea of verdant trees. It carried the sound of ancient trees shaking along with the rustling of falling leaves. The souls of everyone that heard this became calm and peaceful.
Even someone as powerful as Xing Yumiao could feel the aura of the inheritance hidden within the Wood Race clansman's body from that strong power fluctuation.
If all of them were to enter that stone tower, they would discover that body radiating faint emerald light.
Xie Jingxuan sat in front of the body of the Wood Race clansman and released her soul consciousness, her hands making strange motions. Tree seedlings appeared in the palm of her hand and grew. Each branch and leaf that formed seemed to be filled with remarkable life energy. Ancient runes that resembled leaves emerged from the rough, barklike skin of that Wood Race clansman, churning in his blood and cheering as though they'd found where they belonged. Those runes floated toward the verdant seedlings in her hand, quickly they growing bigger and stronger as they did.
A potent aura of life energy surged from the tower and spread in every direction.
No vegetation could be seen anywhere on this island, but after this aura of life energy spread from the tower, small patches of grass began to stubbornly grow.
It was a miracle!
"She has already begun absorbing the energy from the body of the Wood Race clansman!" Xing Yumiao exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly. "She's started receiving the inheritance it contains!"
"Qin Lie!" Du Xiangyang shouted, turning his fiery gaze to him once again.
Luo Chen and Song Tingyu gradually found it difficult to control themselves.
Qin Lie nodded. "Go to the bodies you want, and I'll help you break the seals on them. The amount of energy you absorb depends your good fortune."
Du Xiangyang, Song Tingyu, and Luo Chen immediately leaped from the crystalline chariot and shot toward their respective targets.
Du Xiangyang landed beside to the body of a member of the Asura Race.
Members of the Asura Race were tall. Male Asura Race clansmen were savage and vicious, like monsters or ghosts. Females possessed uncommon beauty, bountiful chests, and shapely behinds. The elite that Du Xiangyang had picked was clearly male. He wore scarlet armor that seemed to have been made from natural pieces of unique crystal. Upon closer examination, the armor seemed to burn like flames.
The moment he approached the body, excitement overwhelmed Du Xiangyang. Wisps of scarlet flame erupted from his sleeves, his eyes, and even his ears.
He suddenly looked as though he had been swallowed by flames.
It only took Qin Lie a single glance to know that Du Xiangyang was already prepared. He nodded and said, "Wait until I have broken the seal!"
Seven dazzling prismatic lights emerged from the Demon Sealing Tombstone and struck the body of the Asura Race elite.
"Woosh woosh woosh!"
The body of this elite suddenly erupted in blazing scarlet flames! Intense heat that seemed capable of setting the world on fire made even Du Xiangyang, a martial practitioner that cultivated the power of fire, instantly retreat.
Terror filled the faces of everyone aboard the crystalline chariots. All of them felt as though they were about to be enveloped in flames.
But that sensation only lasted for a moment.
In the face of the seven godly lights, the scarlet flames quickly receded and vanished within the body of the Asura Race elite.
The Asura Race elite's body glowed like heated metal, but it did not show any hostility.
"It's safe now." Qin Lie nodded.
Du Xiangyang rubbed his hands together in anticipation, finally moving closer and sitting next to the Asura Race elite's body. He channeled his spirit art and began absorbing the scarlet flames from it.
After watching Du Xiangyang do this for a while, Qin Lie looked at Luo Chen.
Luo Chen had decided upon a member of the Gray Wing Race.
This Gray Wing Race clansman had been grievously wounded before dying, and its wings had no feathers. If all the feathers of a Gray Wing Race clansman fell off, they would usually grow them back over time. This clansman, however, had been dead for countless years. Since it wasn't alive, the feathers hadn't grown back. In spite of that, the bones of its wings were still incomparably sharp. The surface of those bones held natural patterns, radiating a stunningly ancient and destructive aura.
"Him," Luo Chen said.
Qin Lie nodded and commanded the Demon Sealing Tombstone.
When the seven prismatic lights descended, strange energy formed feathers on the body of the Gray Wing clansman. The greyish brown wings took on a light, nimble aura, but the radiance of the prismatic lights gradually made that aura disappear.
Once the seal had been broken, Qin Lie didn't linger for long. He eventually directed the crystalline chariot and searched for Song Tingyu's trail.
"Ah!" Xing Shengnan exclaimed softly.
Qin Lie concentrated and found Song Tingyu's position. The moment he did, he froze and stared at her in shock.
Unlike Xie Jingxuan and the others, who had chosen bodies similar to humans in size, Song Tingyu had settled on an enormous skeleton. This skeleton belonged to some sort of beast that resembled a lion or a tiger, was almost a hundred meters long. Hundreds of bones of varying sizes made up this monstrous skeleton, all of them a grayish white. This skeleton didn't glow, but it did possess an ancient, savage aura.
The only part of this ancient beast's skeleton that radiated light were its eyes. In spite of the ravages of time, they still looked like flawless crystals and housed unknown flowing lights..
Song Tingyu' eyes quivered as she stared at the ancient beast's own strange pair of eyes.
Song Tingyu smiled and said, "This one!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Alright!" Qin Lie exclaimed, taking action.
He communicated with the Demon Sealing Tombstone and had its prismatic lights shine down upon the beast skeleton.
This enormous skeleton that hadn't shone with any light suddenly became a crystalline purple. Now this hundred-meter-long skeleton gave off a beautiful light and seemed as if it had been carved from a single piece of purple crystal.
At the same time that this transformation occurred, every bone of the skeleton unleashed relentless earsplitting howls.
Off in the distance, Du Xiangyang and Luo Chen suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked over in shock.
The seven godly lights flowed from the Demon Sealing Tombstone like a long, winding river. It grew larger and larger until, all of a sudden, it whipped the beast skeleton!
And the overwhelming primal roars resounding from the beautiful crystal skeleton slowly died away.
Song Tingyu's beautiful eyes lit up with happiness. She looked to Qin Lie, and when he nodded, she immediately approached the head of the skeleton.
Her eyes gazed into the beast's, and tiny meteoric lights shot into the beast's eyes like a flash of lightning.
An ancient, primal aura emerged from the bones of the skeleton, but it did not feel savage. Instead, it seemed as if it were shouting in excitement as it experienced something.
Everyone aboard the crystalline chariots focused on Song Tingyu and watched in amazement as she obtained a strange energy from the beast's eyes.
Xie Jingxuan, Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, and Song Tingyu had each chosen a body of an ancient elite for themselves and begun to obtain the wonders that lay within.
The Xing Siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong had followed them every step of the way. They had seen everything. The envy that shone on their faces couldn't be hidden no matter how hard they tried.
They suddenly began thinking about the benefits that Qin Lie had mentioned.
Chapter 599: New Direction
Qin Lie wasn't surprised that both Xing Yumiao and Xiang Xi decided to join Blood Fiend Sect.
Once the two of the agreed on the general direction, Qin Lie left all of the logistics for them to discuss and figure out.
He believed that Xing Yumiao would treat Xiang Xi fairly.
Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong represented the old guard of Gold Sun Island. Although their power wasn't too impressive with only Xiang Xi in the Fragmentation Realm, this faction definitely couldn't be dismissed. Without them, Gold Sun Island's overall strength would drop tremendously.
If Xiang Xi and his men ended up leaving, Gold Sun Island could very well drop in rank from Copper to Black Iron.
—The Xing brothers definitely wanted to avoid such a result.
Xing Yumiao was determined to take revenge. He and the rest of the Xing Family wanted to fight their way into the Heavenly Calamity Continent and wipe every trace of the three great families from existence.
Gold Sun Island had far from enough strength to accomplish that, and it certainly couldn't afford to lose any more than it currently had.
In light of this, Qin Lie believed that Xing Yumiao would mend his relationship with Xiang Xi, which would, of course, require Xiang Xi to do the same.
The island envoys under Xiang Xi's command oversaw the Setting Sun Islands. Qin Lie requested an island for his group to have to themselves, and the island they were given had a dozen stone towers for the six of them to live in for the time being. Each of them took up residence in a tower of their own.
Since they no longer needed to hide their identities, Qin Lie could work on refining blood essences within a room of his stone tower.
After focusing on using the Blood Refinement Art for five days, Qin Le completely refined the nine essences of the metal, earth, and water spirits and fused them with his own blood.
"Whoosh…!"
As soon as he did, the Soul Suppressing Orb in the space between Qin Lie's eyebrows roared to life with a powerful sucking force.
The Soul Suppressing Orb sucked the nine freshly refined blood essences and large amounts of his soul energy and blood inside of it, storing it within the restricted area that Qin Lie's soul consciousness couldn't enter.
Qin Lie withered as the sensation of his soul energy and blood being sucked away utterly terrified him once more.
Since she was nearby, Xue Moyan could sense the abnormal movement of his blood energy and immediately rushed over. Xie Jingxuan detected the strange activity in his life force as well and arrived with Song Tingyu in tow.
The three women hurried into Qin Lie's tower and quickly gathered within his room. His ashen face and lethargic eyes greeted them, a clear indicator that he had lost a great deal of blood.
All three of them had fought by his side in the Graveyard of Gods, and an odd realization set in when they saw his condition.
"Is this situation similar to your previous one?" Song Tingyu asked. She seemed more surprised than shocked.
Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan weren't worried either. Instead, they displayed curiosity and palpable excitement.
"The blood essences of the three spirits were absorbed," Qin Lie said. "They mixed with my soul energy, my blood, and flowed… here."
Qin Lie pointed at the space between his eyebrows.
"This is good." Xie Jingxuan spoke with a calm, yet serious voice. "Three more miraculous entities will be born soon."
"This probably isn't bad news," Xue Moyan said.
"Before they're born, however, you will need to provide soul energy and blood to nurture them. Doing so will leave you weak for a while." Song Tingyu thought to herself then silently took out the soul crystals she had in her spatial ring. "Here. These are all the soul crystals I have left."
Everyone aside from Qin Lie had gathered large amounts of soul crystals from the bottom of the Thunder Lagoon. Yet Qin Lie's refinement of the blood essences, as well as the drain on his soul energy and blood, forced all of them to give him soul crystals to help him recover as soon as possible.
Of the three women, Song Tingyu had naturally been the most generous with her soul crystals and provided him with the largest amount each time.
Now that Qin Lie found himself in the same situation as before, she knew that he would need an obscene amount of soul crystals. Only this would help Qin Lie bring the three new beings to life.
After taking out all of her soul crystals and piling them before Qin Lie, Song Tingyu looked at Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan with her alluring eyes, a soft smile playing at her lips.
A long moment passed before Xue Moyan and Xie Jingxuan took out half of the soul crystals they had in their spatial rings, letting them pour to the floor in front of Qin Lie.
"Haha, that should be enough," Song Tingyu exclaimed, a smile blooming on her face.
Qin Lie casually stored the soul crystals into his own spatial ring without a word, leaving only two of them in each hand. As he absorbed soul energy from the two crystals, he spoke.
"We won't be going to the destination we agreed on earlier."
"W-what did you just say?" Xue Moyan sputtered.
"We will not be going to Blood Fiend Sect yet!" Qin Lie growled. "We will first head to Gold Sun Island and use it as a base of operations!"
The three women stared at him in shock.
"Our identities will be exposed soon, and the fact that we are with Gold Sun Island probably won't be a secret much longer." Qin Lie paused in contemplation, then continued, "Blood Fiend Sect's current location is an extremely well kept secret. I believe that even Illusory Demon Sect has no clue where it is. We should only go there if we have no other option and keep it as a last resort.
"Though you should travel there soon, Senior Sister. Take the body of the Blood Progenitor so that Senior Xue Li can merge with it," he said. "You should also tell your master about your true identity as a member of Blood Fiend Sect. Try and persuade her to…"
"There is no need for persuasion," Xue Moyan said, casually interrupting Qin Lie. "My master is already aware of my origins."
"She is?" Qin Lie asked in astonishment.
"You don't need to worry about Illusory Demon Sect," Xue Moyan declared confidently. "Gold Sun Island serving Blood Fiend Sect won't be a problem. My master and the sect will not cause any trouble."
Qin Lie gave her a profound look and nodded softly.
"It seems like our situation isn't as bad as I thought."
Xue Moyan's attitude told Qin Lie that Illusory Demon Sect's sect master wasn't hostile toward Blood Fiend Sect. In fact, she actually seemed protective of it. As this occurred to him, his mind started racing. He realized that, when Blood Fiend Sect faced extermination a thousand years ago, Mo Lingye and the elders of Blood Fiend Sect fled toward the Heavenly Slaughter Continent—
—toward territories under Illusory Demon Sect's control.
Qin Lie thought everything over carefully, a theory gradually forming in his head.
He became more and more certain that the sect master of Illusory Demon Sect had hidden ties to Blood Fiend Sect.
The moment Qin Lie thought this, Xue Moyan glanced at Song Tingyu and Xie Jingxuan.
After a bit of hesitation, she said, "My master and my mother… when they were traveling the world together, they became as close as sisters. Back then, my master wasn't in charge of Illusory Demon Sect and Blood Fiend Sect wasn't hated by all.
Qin Lie's eyes lit up.
"Before Blood Fiend Sect had been surrounded and massacred, my mother received an urgent message from my master and left with elders of Blood Fiend Sect," Xue Moyan explained in a soft voice. "With my master's help, they escaped to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent…"
Yu Lingwei was the reason Blood Fiend Sect managed to survive. She had even arranged Blood Fiend Sect's current clandestine existence. That seemed to explain why Illusory Demon Sect wouldn't have a problem with Gold Sun Island becoming Blood Fiend Sect's vassal force once again.
"Gold Sun Island, Green Moon Valley, and other smaller forces were able to establish themselves in the Heavenly Slaughter Continent because they received protection from Illusory Demon Sect. Protection that my master provided on behalf of Blood Fiend Sect," Xue Moyan said. "My master promised that, if they wanted to serve Blood Fiend Sect once more, she would support me."
"You have an excellent master!" Qin Lie exclaimed, his eyes trembling with approval.
Xue Moyan smiled softly.
"That means Illusory Demon Sect will help us instead of being a threat, and we'll have more support!" Qin Lie said, rubbing his chin. "With Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang's haul of six bodies of ancient elites, along with Uncle Li's presence, Heavenly Sword Mountain won't be an enemy either. Of the six great Silver rank forces, two will be on our side."
"Don't you mean nine?" Xue Moyan asked reflexively.
"If you're talking about the three great families, they do not qualify!" Qin Lie replied with a shake of his head, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Only Terminator Sect, Black Voodoo Cult, Illusory Demon Sect, Heavenly Sword Mountain, Celestial Artifact Sect, and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain are the real overlords of the Land of Chaos. The three great families together probably wouldn't be even be able to contend with a single one!"
Xue Moyan considered this for a while, then nodded and said, "That's true."
"Everything is much simpler now." Qin Lie could feel his thoughts become more and more lively. "Chu Li wouldn't die so easily, and as long as he's still alive, I have three bodies of ancient elites for him! He also said he'd get me an audience with Forefather Terminator. If I meet him, I believe that I can get him to support Blood Fiend Sect! Then it is much simpler."
Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement the second he said this.
"Jiang Zhuzhe conspired with Celestial Artifact Sect, and Ten Thousand Beast Mountain was also involved. Neither of the two are blameless, so how would they be able to blame us?" Qin Lie asked with a snort. "In my opinion, both forces are ignoring Blood Fiend Sect like a poisonous tumor that they just had removed!"
"The way you're putting it, it seems like only Black Voodoo Cult and the three great families will be trying to kill us." Song Tingyu laughed softly.
"After all these years, they still haven't given up on hunting Blood Fiend Sect down," Xue Moyan said. "They really are the only ones we need to worry about."
"Hehehe…" The warmth of excitement spread throughout Qin Lie's body as the situation became clear. "It seems like we're in a better spot than we thought."
Chapter 600: Released!
Qin Lie originally wanted Xue Moyan to bring the Blood Progenitor's body to Xue Li, but when he took it out, he realized that Xue Moyan had nothing to carry it with.
The Blood Progenitor's body, which radiated bloody light and seemed like it was made of sanguine jewels, had been held within the Soul Suppressing Orb this entire time—
—and not a spatial ring.
Spatial rings could hold many things. They could hold wood, spirit stones, plants, pills, corpses, bones, you name it.
It could hold everything except beings with souls—not even the tiniest fragment!
A soul pagoda sat deep inside of the Blood Progenitor's mind, and even some extremely small fragile soul remnants lingered throughout the body.
These were proof of the Blood Progenitor's imperishable soul.
Although these slivers of the Blood Progenitor's soul were so weak they could be disregarded, they still prevented his body from being stored within a spatial ring. Only the Soul Suppressing Orb could contain it.
The Soul Suppressing Orb held three newborn entities, things undergoing refinement, and the Bloodthirsty Dragon. Like the body of the Blood Progenitor, all of these things possessed souls.
Even the three tiny beings that were just born and had simple consciousnesses could be considered intelligent creatures with souls.
Qin Lie had the Soul Suppressing Orb in which he could store the Blood Progenitor's body and disguise the thick stench of iron that came from it. Xue Moyan didn't have a such a treasure. Since it couldn't be carried in a spatial ring and it weighed thousands of kilograms, she had no way to covertly transport it to Blood Fiend Sect without being discovered.
Because of that, Xue Moyan left the others early on.
She needed to see the sect master of Illusory Demon Sect and explain everything that had happened inside the Graveyard of Gods. She also needed to go see her father, Xue Li, and bring his soul along with other members of Blood Fiend Sect to Qin Lie.
With Gao Yu and Xue Moyan's departures, only Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, Xie Jingxuan, and Song Tingyu remained with Qin Lie.
In the days that followed, the Xing Family and Xiang Xi's faction held secret meetings at the Setting Sun Islands to mend their relationship.
Qin Lie neither asked about the proceedings nor paid any attention to them. Instead, he focused on using soul crystals to replenish his soul energy and absorbed fiendish bloody energy from the Demon Sealing Tombstone to generate blood.
Ten days later, the Xing siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong coexisted harmoniously once again. It appeared as though both sides had completely forgotten the conflict that had just occurred.
The day after their relationship seemed to have miraculously mended, Qin Lie summoned the the six of them to the island he resided on. Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang were present as well.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Qin Lie bluntly asked, "Has news of us commanding the god corpses been leaked yet?"
"It's quite strange, actually. We have yet to receive any information about that matter," Xing Yuyuan answered. He still looked a bit pale, and his wounds hadn't completely healed. "However, many will notice the strange details about this region eventually. For example, the patriarch of the Pan Family and their main force haven't contacted the main family for a long time. The people of Black Cloud Palace and Heavenly Sea Pavilion have been missing as well. This has caused Black Voodoo Cult and Illusory Demon Sect to send people to investigate."
"We killed the Pan Family," Qin Lie said nonchalantly.
The Xing siblings and Xiang Xi's trio exchanged knowing glances as if they had already guessed this.
"Since it seems as though news hasn't spread…" Qin Lie paused for a moment, then said, "That should be enough."
"What did you summon us for, little brother?" Xing Shengnan asked.
Qin Lie smiled at everyone and said, "I summoned you here for a good matter."
As he finished speaking, the Demon Sealing Tombstone emerged from his spatial ring and flew up to hover above them.
Soon enough, the splash of movement in the water could be heard near the island. Everyone turned to look at the sea and watched as the eight god corpses emerged from it. They took great, earthshaking strides ashore, the boom of their slow steps echoing throughout the island.
An enormous basket woven from tree branches soaked with saltwater came into view. Gargantuan bodies of ancient elites from the Asura Race, the Giant Spirit Race, the Wood Race, and other ancient beasts lay within that basket.
"The remains of ancient elites!" Everyone's eyes shone with a burning light.
Qin Lie continued to send commands to the god corpses, and they soon pulled the twenty three bodies of ancient elites onto the island.
This unnamed island covered thousands of square meters, yet once the twenty three bodies had been spread out, they took up nearly all of its space.
Some of the ancient elites were small, the size of normal humanoids like humans and the Wood Race. Some, on the other hand, were extremely large when laid out. Like ancient beasts and members of the Giant Spirit Race, many were hundreds of meters tall and resembled mountains.
Twenty three bodies of ancient elites were spread throughout the island, radiating all kinds of ancient, wild auras. These auras pressured everyone present, making their very souls tremble.
"These are our spoils from the Graveyard of Gods," Qin Lie said. "Seven of us came out of there together. We don't know if Chu Li is dead or alive, but… I'll be keeping his share for him."
Qin Lie summoned a crystalline war chariot with a wave of his hand and boarded it. He then waved for Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, Song Tingyu, and Xie Jingxuan to join him.
Surprise tinged Xing Yumiao's face. He mirrored Qin Lie's actions, getting into the chariot they had arrived on and directing it into the sky. Xiang Xi and the others did the same as well.
Soon enough, all of their crystalline chariots hovered above the island, and everyone surveyed the bodies of the ancient elites.
At this moment, the sun was at its highest. Under its brilliant light, the bodies of the ancient elites seemed to have a metallic shine to them and even released potent waves of power.
—All of that was pure fleshly power!!
In ancient times, every expert focused a great deal of their efforts on the refinement of the flesh and blood. They made it so vast power flowed through their blood, flesh, sinews, bones, and every fiber of their being. Even if their souls were destroyed, the bodies would persist.
Everyone aboard the crystalline chariots closed their eyes and tried to sense the bodies with their soul consciousnesses.
An instant later, all of them opened their eyes, expressions of shock covering their faces.
Upon closing their eyes and examining the bodies on the island below, they discovered that all of them still possessed life force. The power contained in every single body was enough to make them boil over with madness.
"Luo Chen. Du Xiangyang. The six below us belong to you. You can choose which ones you'd like now, or pick once your elders arrive," Qin Lie said with a smile. "Once you've chosen, I will help you remove the seals on them and you will be able to absorb the power directly from each body. You can also take the bodies and use their flesh and bones to refine powerful spirit artifacts, of course. That is your decision to make."
His words made Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang tremble, their eyes shining with joy. Both of them looked at Qin Lie and spoke up at the same time.
"May I send word to Heavenly Sword Mountain?"
Qin Lie nodded. "I welcome the elders from Heavenly Sword Mountain and insist that they come and take the spoils that belong to you!"
"Are you sure?" Luo Chen asked.
"Yes," Qin Lie replied confidently. He paused for a moment to think, then said, "I only hope that Blood Fiend Sect will receive the friendship of Heavenly Sword Mountain in return."
"I don't think there'll be any problems." Du Xiangyang smiled.
"Qin Lie!" Xie Jingxuan exclaimed, pointing to a particular body. "I only need that one!"
The body she pointed out was that of an elderly Wood Race man. He was only around a hundred and eighty centimeters tall and had grayish brown skin that resembled the bark of a tree.
From his wrinkle-ridden face alone, this Wood Race clansman seemed astonishingly old, but he radiated astonishing waves of wood and life energy.
The Demon Sealing Tombstone had been hovering in the air beside Qin Lie, and when he moved, its seven godly lights suddenly shot out from within it.
As they did, everyone instinctively turned to look.
The seven dazzling, godly lights resembled a rainbow that silently descended upon the body of this Wood Race clansman.
If one were to look closely, they would discover that some sort of liquid power seemed to float within each godly light. That power flowed within each light like divine flashing runes that seemed to jump around erratically.
A pale emerald light rose from the Wood Race clansman and formed a thin shield of light. Leafy patterns spread across the surface of that shield, clearly defending the body of this Wood Race clansman.
Yet when the rays of godly light made contact and the divine runes flowed forth, that shield of light slowly eroded. It soon dissolved into drops of verdant liquid, and a potent aura of life energy emanated from it.
These drops of verdant liquid landed on the body of the Wood Race clansman and resembled early morning dew on leaves, but they didn't soak into it.
At that moment, Qin Lie looked at Xie Jingxuan. He spoke up hesitantly.
"S… Sister Jingxuan. I want to discuss something with you."
A thread of shock flashed through Xie Jingxuan's clear eyes when he called out to her, but it only shone for a moment. She immediately calmed down and said, "I know what you want to talk about."
This time, it was Qin Lie's turn to be shocked. "You do?"
Xie Jingxuan hesitated and gritted her teeth.
"That verdant liquid, the distillation of the power that protected the body of that Wood Race clansman, is pure life energy," she reluctantly exclaimed. "It is essentially water from the Spring of Life. Xue Moyan must offer something of equal value to trade for it!"
Her declaration made Qin Lie freeze, but soon his worries dissipated.
He smiled and said, "Many thanks, Sister Jingxuan."
"And now?" Xie Jingxuan snorted softly.
"The seals on him have been destroyed," Qin Lie said. "He now belongs to you."
The seven mysteriously godly lights withdrew into the Demon Sealing Tombstone once again, and the tombstone fell silent.
The pale emerald shield of light surrounding the Wood Race clansman had been distilled into potent drops of water from the Spring of Life.
Just this realization registered and astonished everyone present, Xie Jingxuan's eyes shone with emerald light. Right when the crystalline chariot was about to land, impatience got the better of her and she charged toward the body of the Wood Race clansman, carefully collecting the drops of springwater with a special container.
The breathing of both Luo Chen and Du Xiangyang grew ragged.
"Qin Lie!" both of them shouted at the same time.
"Take your pick." Qin Lie smiled calmly.
And the two of them instantly went mad.
Chapter 601: Absorb!
Xie Jingxuan landed next to the body of the Wood Race clansman and carefully gathered the drops of the Spring of Life. Her movements were precise and deliberate, almost as if she were afraid of disturbing the body.
The crystalline chariots carrying the others hovered above the island. The Xing siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong were extremely focused, the light in their eyes burning more and more clearly.
Even Xing Yuyuan's breathing gradually sped up.
Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, and Song Tingyu turned to look at Qin Lie, excitement gushing from their eyes. They hoped he would be able to help them take specific bodies of ancient elites by breaking the seals on them.
The three had decided on their targets a long time ago.
At this point in time, no more drops of liquid remained on the body of the Wood Race clansman. Xie Jingxuan, having collected all of them into her container, raised her head to look at Qin Lie. She hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "May I take this body?"
"Of course," Qin Lie said, a faint smile on his face.
Xie Jingxuan's eyes light up. The body of this Wood Race clansman contain an ancient inheritance and was filled with potent life energy. She grabbed it and quickly flew to the stone tower she currently resided and cultivated in.
"Boom!"
A power fluctuation visible to the naked eye spread from that stone tower like a sea of verdant trees. It carried the sound of ancient trees shaking along with the rustling of falling leaves. The souls of everyone that heard this became calm and peaceful.
Even someone as powerful as Xing Yumiao could feel the aura of the inheritance hidden within the Wood Race clansman's body from that strong power fluctuation.
If all of them were to enter that stone tower, they would discover that body radiating faint emerald light.
Xie Jingxuan sat in front of the body of the Wood Race clansman and released her soul consciousness, her hands making strange motions. Tree seedlings appeared in the palm of her hand and grew. Each branch and leaf that formed seemed to be filled with remarkable life energy. Ancient runes that resembled leaves emerged from the rough, barklike skin of that Wood Race clansman, churning in his blood and cheering as though they'd found where they belonged. Those runes floated toward the verdant seedlings in her hand, quickly they growing bigger and stronger as they did.
A potent aura of life energy surged from the tower and spread in every direction.
No vegetation could be seen anywhere on this island, but after this aura of life energy spread from the tower, small patches of grass began to stubbornly grow.
It was a miracle!
"She has already begun absorbing the energy from the body of the Wood Race clansman!" Xing Yumiao exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly. "She's started receiving the inheritance it contains!"
"Qin Lie!" Du Xiangyang shouted, turning his fiery gaze to him once again.
Luo Chen and Song Tingyu gradually found it difficult to control themselves.
Qin Lie nodded. "Go to the bodies you want, and I'll help you break the seals on them. The amount of energy you absorb depends your good fortune."
Du Xiangyang, Song Tingyu, and Luo Chen immediately leaped from the crystalline chariot and shot toward their respective targets.
Du Xiangyang landed beside to the body of a member of the Asura Race.
Members of the Asura Race were tall. Male Asura Race clansmen were savage and vicious, like monsters or ghosts. Females possessed uncommon beauty, bountiful chests, and shapely behinds. The elite that Du Xiangyang had picked was clearly male. He wore scarlet armor that seemed to have been made from natural pieces of unique crystal. Upon closer examination, the armor seemed to burn like flames.
The moment he approached the body, excitement overwhelmed Du Xiangyang. Wisps of scarlet flame erupted from his sleeves, his eyes, and even his ears.
He suddenly looked as though he had been swallowed by flames.
It only took Qin Lie a single glance to know that Du Xiangyang was already prepared. He nodded and said, "Wait until I have broken the seal!"
Seven dazzling prismatic lights emerged from the Demon Sealing Tombstone and struck the body of the Asura Race elite.
"Woosh woosh woosh!"
The body of this elite suddenly erupted in blazing scarlet flames! Intense heat that seemed capable of setting the world on fire made even Du Xiangyang, a martial practitioner that cultivated the power of fire, instantly retreat.
Terror filled the faces of everyone aboard the crystalline chariots. All of them felt as though they were about to be enveloped in flames.
But that sensation only lasted for a moment.
In the face of the seven godly lights, the scarlet flames quickly receded and vanished within the body of the Asura Race elite.
The Asura Race elite's body glowed like heated metal, but it did not show any hostility.
"It's safe now." Qin Lie nodded.
Du Xiangyang rubbed his hands together in anticipation, finally moving closer and sitting next to the Asura Race elite's body. He channeled his spirit art and began absorbing the scarlet flames from it.
After watching Du Xiangyang do this for a while, Qin Lie looked at Luo Chen.
Luo Chen had decided upon a member of the Gray Wing Race.
This Gray Wing Race clansman had been grievously wounded before dying, and its wings had no feathers. If all the feathers of a Gray Wing Race clansman fell off, they would usually grow them back over time. This clansman, however, had been dead for countless years. Since it wasn't alive, the feathers hadn't grown back. In spite of that, the bones of its wings were still incomparably sharp. The surface of those bones held natural patterns, radiating a stunningly ancient and destructive aura.
"Him," Luo Chen said.
Qin Lie nodded and commanded the Demon Sealing Tombstone.
When the seven prismatic lights descended, strange energy formed feathers on the body of the Gray Wing clansman. The greyish brown wings took on a light, nimble aura, but the radiance of the prismatic lights gradually made that aura disappear.
Once the seal had been broken, Qin Lie didn't linger for long. He eventually directed the crystalline chariot and searched for Song Tingyu's trail.
"Ah!" Xing Shengnan exclaimed softly.
Qin Lie concentrated and found Song Tingyu's position. The moment he did, he froze and stared at her in shock.
Unlike Xie Jingxuan and the others, who had chosen bodies similar to humans in size, Song Tingyu had settled on an enormous skeleton. This skeleton belonged to some sort of beast that resembled a lion or a tiger, was almost a hundred meters long. Hundreds of bones of varying sizes made up this monstrous skeleton, all of them a grayish white. This skeleton didn't glow, but it did possess an ancient, savage aura.
The only part of this ancient beast's skeleton that radiated light were its eyes. In spite of the ravages of time, they still looked like flawless crystals and housed unknown flowing lights..
Song Tingyu' eyes quivered as she stared at the ancient beast's own strange pair of eyes.
Song Tingyu smiled and said, "This one!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Alright!" Qin Lie exclaimed, taking action.
He communicated with the Demon Sealing Tombstone and had its prismatic lights shine down upon the beast skeleton.
This enormous skeleton that hadn't shone with any light suddenly became a crystalline purple. Now this hundred-meter-long skeleton gave off a beautiful light and seemed as if it had been carved from a single piece of purple crystal.
At the same time that this transformation occurred, every bone of the skeleton unleashed relentless earsplitting howls.
Off in the distance, Du Xiangyang and Luo Chen suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked over in shock.
The seven godly lights flowed from the Demon Sealing Tombstone like a long, winding river. It grew larger and larger until, all of a sudden, it whipped the beast skeleton!
And the overwhelming primal roars resounding from the beautiful crystal skeleton slowly died away.
Song Tingyu's beautiful eyes lit up with happiness. She looked to Qin Lie, and when he nodded, she immediately approached the head of the skeleton.
Her eyes gazed into the beast's, and tiny meteoric lights shot into the beast's eyes like a flash of lightning.
An ancient, primal aura emerged from the bones of the skeleton, but it did not feel savage. Instead, it seemed as if it were shouting in excitement as it experienced something.
Everyone aboard the crystalline chariots focused on Song Tingyu and watched in amazement as she obtained a strange energy from the beast's eyes.
Xie Jingxuan, Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, and Song Tingyu had each chosen a body of an ancient elite for themselves and begun to obtain the wonders that lay within.
The Xing Siblings, Xiang Xi, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong had followed them every step of the way. They had seen everything. The envy that shone on their faces couldn't be hidden no matter how hard they tried.
They suddenly began thinking about the benefits that Qin Lie had mentioned.
