Chapter 186: The Dragon Demon Golden Body and the True Demon Transformation

Seeing Master Chi Lian’s current actions, it was clear he was preparing to attack with his Talisman Sword again. Qin Haoxuan grew anxious and, without hesitation, launched a spiritual sense attack at him.

After obtaining Introduction to Spiritual Sense and cultivating it, his application of his spiritual sense had clearly become much more formidable. In that split second, he condensed his spiritual sense into a small sword and shot it at Master Chi Lian.

Struck by the attack, Master Chi Lian’s hand, which had been driving the Talisman Sword, visibly faltered. He clutched his forehead as a sharp pain shot through his head.

Taking advantage of that moment of pain, Qin Haoxuan unhesitatingly took out the Thousand-Mile Talisman from his robes and immediately activated it. Although his control of the talisman was not yet skilled, its speed was undeniable. Seeing him activate a talisman, Master Chi Lian, who thought he was preparing a powerful offensive spell, immediately took a defensive stance. If it had been any other new disciple, he would have been completely dismissive, but Qin Haoxuan was different. This kid was mysterious and full of treasures.

The moment the Thousand-Mile Talisman was activated, a violent fluctuation of spiritual energy made Master Chi Lian’s heart tighten. But the scene that followed left him dumbfounded. After activating the talisman, Qin Haoxuan’s figure shot into the darkness. Before he could even react, his shadow had vanished.

“That little bastard can actually run!” When Qin Haoxuan had taken out the talisman, Master Chi Lian had treated him as a major enemy, preparing to withstand a blow before capturing him alive. He never expected the fellow to flee so shamelessly, and it left him seething with frustration.

He immediately drove the Talisman Sword in his hand. Although its power and speed were no match for a true flying sword, it was still much faster than chasing on foot. He stepped onto the sword, and it transformed into a streak of light, rapidly chasing in the direction Qin Haoxuan had disappeared.

After crossing a mountain, he saw the fleeing Qin Haoxuan in the distance. His speed was like a meteor, and in the blink of an eye, the distance between them had widened considerably. Master Chi Lian was horrified. What kind of talisman was he using? Even with his Spirit Tree Realm strength, driving his Talisman Sword at full power, he couldn’t catch up to a Fourth-Leaf junior. This fellow seems to have quite a few treasures on him, he thought. At this thought, his heart surged, and his desire to capture Qin Haoxuan grew even stronger.

He was an old enemy now. From stealing his Spirit Liquid in the Aqueous Manor, to breaking his Soul-Transfer Technique and costing him ten years of his lifespan, and now forcing him to expend another year to cast the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, Master Chi Lian’s hatred for him was deep.

As Qin Haoxuan’s figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Master Chi Lian almost coughed up blood in anger. To have gone to all this trouble only to let him escape was something he could never accept. No, I can’t let him get away! Just as he was on the verge of losing him, he suddenly remembered a tracking art: the Great Luo Tracking Art.

Casting it required a huge amount of spiritual energy, but since he couldn’t catch up to or hit Qin Haoxuan anyway, this was the only way to mark him and avoid losing his trail. Although the cost was great, he couldn’t worry about that now. He directly condensed his spiritual energy and shot the art at Qin Haoxuan from a great distance.

A faint blue light struck Qin Haoxuan. He was alarmed but discovered he was not injured.

After successfully marking him, Master Chi Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief. The energy in his own Talisman Sword was almost depleted. As long as he had the tracking art, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing him. He stopped and watched Qin Haoxuan run farther and farther away, sneering, “Let’s see you run from the palm of my hand!”

Relying on the speed of the Thousand-Mile Talisman, Qin Haoxuan fled for several hundred li in one breath, leaving Master Chi Lian far behind. He finally stopped when the spiritual energy of the stones within the talisman was nearly exhausted. The escape had left him completely drained, and he collapsed onto the ground without a care for his image.

He looked around and found himself by a small stream. In front of him was a wide grassland, and on the other side were some low shrubs. “Where are we? Do you know?” he asked Xing, who was still wrapped around his arm.

Xing said irritably, “If we were in the Netherworld, I could tell you where we are with my eyes closed! But this is the mortal realm. If you don’t know, how could I?”

After resting for a while and recovering some of his strength, he replaced the spent spirit stones in the talisman. Thinking of Master Chi Lian still searching for him, he said to Xing, “I’m sure he won’t give up. You know a transformation art, don’t you? Teach it to me. That way, if he finds me, he won’t be able to recognize me right away.”

Xing agreed quite readily. “I can, no problem. But I have a condition.”

“What condition?”

“Let’s make a trade. You know the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, right? I will trade you the complete incantation of my True Demon Transformation for it!” Fearing Qin Haoxuan would disagree, he added, “My art is considered an extremely high-level technique in both your cultivation world and the Netherworld. Its uses are great. When I was being hunted in the Netherworld, it helped me a great deal…”

Before he could finish, Qin Haoxuan cut him off. “Fine, no problem. I’ll trade you.”

Xing was overjoyed. He thought to himself, What a bargain! Although the True Demon Transformation is profound, the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art… that is one of the supreme secret arts! When my divine art is complete, I will return to the Netherworld… and let them all know how powerful I am!

Qin Haoxuan continued, “I will trade you one line of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art’s incantation for your entire set of the True Demon Transformation. And you have to give me some Shape-Fixing Pills.”

The smile on Xing’s face froze. It was replaced by him jumping up and roaring, “Are you insane?! My art is also an extremely high-level one! It would be a fair trade for the full version of yours! To think you can get my entire art for just one line of yours is a complete fantasy!”

“Are you sure your True Demon Transformation is more valuable than the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art?” Qin Haoxuan said, staring directly into his eyes. “Didn’t you tell me last time that you didn’t know what my incantation was? How is it that you know now?”

Being stared at like that made Xing’s old face flush. He said bluntly, “Did you forget? I just saved your damn life! What? Are you turning on me now?”

His words stunned Qin Haoxuan into silence. If not for Xing… he would have been finished. And he never expected his body to be so strong as to withstand that sword strike.

“Is your body really that tough?” Qin Haoxuan asked with curiosity.

“Tough, my ass…” Before Xing could finish his sentence, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the sound of bones cracking came from within his body. He looked at Qin Haoxuan with a pale face. “I was just putting on a brave face…”

A wave of warmth spread through Qin Haoxuan’s heart.

“Stop getting all emotional!” Xing said irritably. “If I had known that old thing’s sword was so fierce, I wouldn’t have blocked it for you. Of course, damn it, I don’t know why my brain went haywire and I subconsciously went to block it! Just remember the spirit stones you owe me! Don’t you dare try to welch on your debt later!”

“How about one and a half lines…” Qin Haoxuan proposed a new offer, thinking to himself, It’s not that I’m unwilling to give him the whole thing. I know he wouldn’t use it to harm me. But what if he masters it and uses it on other cultivators?

Xing stared at him. Qin Haoxuan lowered his head with some difficulty. He could give him the whole thing, but he needed to have enough power to stop him if he ever got any impulsive, hot-headed ideas.

“How about this? My True Demon Transformation for your Dragon Demon Golden Body,” Xing said, staring at him. “That should be fair, right?”

“What is the Dragon Demon Golden Body?” Qin Haoxuan asked, looking puzzled.

Xing’s eyes went wide with astonishment. “Weren’t you using the Dragon Demon Golden Body from the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art when you were running? You don’t even know what it is? How the hell are you cultivating it?”

It was a sudden realization for Qin Haoxuan. “So that’s what it’s called. It has a pretty domineering name.” His expression nearly made Xing vomit blood.

Xing continued to persuade him. “My True Demon Transformation is one of the seven great transformation arts of the Netherworld. To trade it for your Dragon Demon Golden Body, you’re not losing out at all!”

Qin Haoxuan still shook his head, his voice firm as steel. “Fine. But you must swear an oath. After you master it, you will not be an enemy of the cultivation world, nor will you be an enemy of my Taichu Sect.”