Chapter 31: The Demon King, Xiu Snake!
"Ahem… I never expected that Hongyun's self-explosion would cause me to perish three times. However, amidst great danger lies great opportunity, and I, Xiu Snake, have seized a tremendous advantage!"
Beneath the epicenter of Hongyun's explosion, billions of miles deep within the earth, a Demon King lay hidden in slumber. It possessed the body of an ox, the tail of a dragon, and six heads, though three of those heads had been severed, leaving its aura gravely weakened.
Yet, before its many eyes now floated nearly ten innate spiritual treasures, three of which were top-grade. The Xiu Snake Demon King's lips curved into a rare, human-like smile.
The Hongyun's self-explosion had swept across an unfathomable stretch of land, even killing dozens of Quasi-Sages from powerful factions. Xiu Snake had not escaped unscathed; the blast had heavily injured him. But as the direct descendant of the Nine Infants Demon Saint, he possessed an innate magical power - resurrection.
Each head represented one chance to return from death.
The price was steep: every revival reduced his strength to only 50% of its previous peak. After three consecutive revivals, his power had plummeted to less than 20% of his prime.
Even so, the treasures scattered before him were beyond anything he could have hoped for - greater even than what those fallen masters had wielded.
Buzz!
With a thought, a red gourd with hairline cracks appeared before him - the Nine-Nine Soul-Dispersing Gourd that had once belonged to Hongyun.
To his astonishment, it still contained the ray of Primordial purple Qi. Though the explosion had shattered it into eight fragments—three long, five short—it remained a supreme divine object. Each fragment was worth no less than a top-grade innate enlightenment treasure.
"What a fortune! If I offer these eight fragments to the Supreme Demon Emperor, the reward will be unimaginable. My father may even offer his essence and blood to help me regrow a head!"
The Xiu Snake Demon King coughed up blood, his aura flickering weakly, yet his expression brimmed with excitement.
With his cultivation at its lowest, he dared not use his escape techniques to leave publicly in the Primordial World. Fortunately, his earth-traveling ability allowed him to move safely through spiritual veins underground. This place was desolate and devoid of life—perfect for avoiding trouble.
Gathering the treasures, the Demon King transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the depths.
Meanwhile, within the Primordial earth veins, Xuantian sat cross-legged on Xiao Jin's back, slowly opening his eyes. At this moment, four of the five Qi within his chest—wood, metal, fire, and earth- had reached perfection.
If he could perfect the final one - water, he would achieve the complete Five Qi, and with one push, step into the realm of the Primordial Spirit Daluo Golden Immortal.
In addition, he had successfully refined the Seven Star Swords of the Big Dipper, each one humming with a terrifying power. Each sword was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, and when used together, their essences linked, pushing their power close to the level of a supreme innate treasure.
This set was now his most potent killing weapon - second only to the Kongtong Seal. But the Kongtong Seal was a sacred treasure of the human race, not to be summoned lightly. Thus, the Seven Star Swords held even greater day-to-day importance.
Rumble!
Just as Xuantian was about to return to cultivation, the entire earth vein trembled violently. Such a phenomenon could mean only one thing - a spiritual treasure was emerging.
Not only Xuantian but also Xiao Jin, with his treasure-hunting instincts, had sensed it early. In moments, they reached the source.
It was a junction of the earth veins, where a pool of milky-white liquid pulsed with pure primordial power - Earth Vein Jade Marrow. Each drop contained immense energy, a boon for body cultivation.
But Xuantian's gaze was quickly drawn upward - to a book-shaped treasure radiating a profound aura.
"What is this?"
With one decisive grasp, Xuantian seized the treasure and refined it. His eyes widened in surprise, then lit with joy.
It was the Myriad Spirits Nursery - a rare ancient treasure.
Unlike most treasures, this one had two special properties:
Firstly, it contained a self-sustaining internal space that could nurture spiritual roots and materials, vastly accelerating their growth. Secondly, it was a continuously evolving treasure, starting as a low-grade acquired spiritual treasure but capable of growing in rank as it nurtured more and better spiritual roots.
With enough quantity and quality, it could theoretically evolve into a supreme treasure.
Without hesitation, Xuantian transferred all the spiritual roots from the Pot of Heaven World into the Nursery's Space. Immediately, the space expanded, spiritual energy surged, and the treasure's rank climbed rapidly:
Low-grade acquired spiritual treasure…
Mid-grade…
High-grade…
Low-grade innate spiritual treasure!
The growth-boosting effects had increased a hundredfold. For example, the Yellow Middle Plum - one of the ten supreme spiritual roots - normally requires 99 Primordial Era to mature, but here, it would ripen in under three.
"What a treasure!" Xuantian smiled. For physical cultivation, which consumed vast amounts of resources, this was a priceless boon.
Without delay, he also absorbed the pool of earth vein jade marrow, a hazy, clear light surrounding him as his body's strength more than doubled. Yet, he was still far from reaching the fourth level—the Physical Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.
"Time to leave."
But just as he turned to go, a chilling voice rang out from the shadows.
"A spiritual treasure… and wait, is that a Treasure-Hunting Mouse? And a Taiyi Golden Immortal? Hah! I never thought I'd find such an opportunity while fleeing!"
For 5-10 Early access of chapters, please visit the link: https://www.patreon.com/c/immortal9god
(End of Chapter)