Aside from Ma Jingchuan at the Foundation Establishment Seventh Level, both Gan Tang and Xu Wenchang had higher Cultivation than him.

One was at the Foundation Establishment Tenth Level, and the other at the Foundation Establishment Eleventh Level—only a step away from Guiding a Life Star!

"Alright, no more beating around the bush. I wish to forge a Dao Golden Core, but I currently lack a few Spiritual Fields to serve as Blessed Lands. I need you to help me make some arrangements. Are you willing?"

Jiang Xiaofeng grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth.

"Rest assured, this will not affect your allotted share of the Spiritual Fields’ yield. I will simply be cultivating my Plague Poison Altar’s technique within them."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan’s pupils contracted.

’This old fox... He’s actually set his sights on my Spiritual Fields!’

Unexpectedly, the other four showed no reaction at all.

Jiang Xiaofeng nodded in satisfaction. "In one year, after the field taxes are paid in full, I will send people to your territories. Remember to uphold the agreement when the time comes."

The group cupped their fists. "We shall obey the Altar Master’s command."

Although Qin Xuan didn’t understand what was going on, he bowed and accepted the order all the same.

...

’What in the world is Jiang Xiaofeng plotting?’

「Back in Heart Rot Valley.」

A faint, dark light pulsed from the inner armor worn close to Qin Xuan’s skin.

The armor was woven from countless, fine vine threads, and phantoms of ghastly white pupils would occasionally flash across its surface before vanishing.

This was the Hundred-Eyed Vine Armor, a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact he had refined from the main stalk of a Hundred-Eyed Yin Vine.

Its physical defense was astounding, and it could even weaken Divine Sense attacks and Enchanting Mind Magic from cultivators of the same rank.

’Whatever. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll stop thinking about it. Jiang Xiaofeng wants to advance to the Golden Core realm, so he’ll most likely resort to another blood sacrifice. I must be careful not to let him get his way.’

Qin Xuan opened his hand. Three inch-long, hair-thin golden needles slowly spiraled above his palm.

Faint blood-red filaments were visible within the needles, which emanated a sinister, unsettlingly venomous aura. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

These were the Soul-Loss Golden Needles, which he had refined from the Secondary Eye Pupils of the Hundred-Eyed Yin Vine, mixed with Soul-Corrupting Gold.

They were also Low-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, designed specifically to shatter Protective Spiritual Light, damage a cultivator’s Dao Foundation, and corrode their Divine Soul.

Just then, Yu Qi’s figure appeared outside the meditation chamber like a phantom, dropping to one knee.

"Valley Master, we’ve ’questioned’ Wei Long’s two confidants who were hiding in the mine. It’s clear now. They were indeed in contact with Demon Cultivators from a branch altar of the Vast Qi Tower, attempting to track your movements."

Yu Qi’s voice was hoarse and deep, laced with an inhuman coldness.

"Good!"

Without so much as raising an eyelid, Qin Xuan flicked his finger.

WHOOSH!

One of the Soul-Loss Golden Needles vanished without a sound.

Almost simultaneously, deep inside a mine several miles away, the body of a meditating Cultivator suddenly shuddered. A barely visible red dot appeared between his brows, and he collapsed without making a sound.

His companion turned pale with horror. Just as he was about to cry out in alarm, another golden needle materialized from thin air and plunged into the top of his skull...

"Go take care of the bodies. Make sure it’s clean," Qin Xuan said nonchalantly.

"Afterward, secretly train a unit of Dark Guards under your command. Have them disperse throughout the valley to gather intelligence. You can recruit them from among the Demon Cultivators with clean backgrounds and resilient characters. Once you’ve made your selections, bring them to me for inspection."

"Understood!"

An eerie light glinted in Yu Qi’s eyes as he accepted the command without hesitation.

He shifted his right leg slightly. Beneath his trousers, the fused leg bone from the Copper Bone Shadow Soldier emanated a cold, unyielding presence.

Yu Qi was filled with gratitude toward Qin Xuan. It would be no exaggeration to say Qin Xuan had given him a new life.

Not only had Qin Xuan restored his Cultivation to the First-Layer of Foundation Establishment, but his Physical Strength and defense were now greater than ever, and he could even faintly channel a trace of Yin Death Qi.

"You are dismissed."

Qin Xuan waved him away, his gaze unfathomable.

...

「Late at night.」

In the section of the Spiritual Field where Qin Xuan had buried the Hundred-Eyed Yin Vine Demon Pill, the soil now had a strange, blackish-purple hue.

The newly planted Blood Marrow Rice Seedlings were growing with surprising vigor in this area.

Evidently, the power of the Demon Pill had subtly altered and improved the soil.

Occasionally, a reckless Blood Marrow Golden Insect would attempt to draw near.

But upon getting within thirty feet of the Demon Pill, they would freeze as if encountering a natural predator before frantically scrambling away.

One day, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator dressed in black stealth gear crept toward the field.

Under the cover of darkness, just as he raised a hoe-shaped Magical Artifact, the blackish-purple soil beneath his feet suddenly split open without a sound!

WHOOSH!

An incorporeal, formless, yet bone-chillingly cold Spiritual Spike shot up from the ground, instantly sinking into the space between the man’s eyebrows!

The man’s body stiffened, the light in his eyes instantly faded, and blood trickled from his nose and mouth. He fell backward, stiff as a board, as the Magical Artifact in his hand dropped to the ground with a CLANG.

By the time he was discovered at dawn, his Divine Soul had been shattered, and he had been reduced to a drooling, mindless imbecile.

...

「Heart Rot Valley, Law Enforcement Hall.」

Inside the gloomy stone hall, flickering firelight cast dancing shadows, making the mottled, dark stains on the walls seem all the more profound.

Qin Xuan was seated high at the head of the hall, his expression placid as he tapped a finger idly against the armrest of his Profound Iron Wood Chair.

Below, Tan Fu stood in attendance with his hands at his sides, his expression complex.

Even further below lay Wei Long, his Cultivation crippled, sprawled on the floor like a pile of filth. With him was a group of the valley’s Spirit Plant Cultivators and Spiritual Farmers, all deathly pale and silent with fear.

"Wei Long."

Qin Xuan’s voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly into everyone’s ears.

"What did your backer promise you that made you so willing to be his dog, planting that insect-luring Blood Evil Ink in the Spiritual Fields?"

Wei Long shuddered, struggling to lift his head. His lips trembled.

"Val... Valley Master, I swear, this subordinate doesn’t know... doesn’t know anything about Blood Evil Ink..."

"Oh?"

Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow. With no visible movement on his part, an invisible pressure, as immense as a mountain, crashed down from his Divine Sense and enveloped Wei Long.

"Aaaargh—!"

Wei Long’s eyes instantly bulged, shot through with blood. Veins popped all over his body as if countless steel needles were grinding their way out from the very core of his brain.

He convulsed violently like a fish out of water, a guttural, inhuman rattle escaping his throat.

"It’s... it’s Jin Wuhai!"

In less than three breaths, Wei Long’s mental defenses crumbled along with his Divine Soul. Snot and tears streamed down his face as he let out a piercing shriek.

"He gave me three Nascent Condensation Pills and promised that after it was done, he’d transfer me to the Contribution Hall as a registered aide! The Blood... Blood Evil Ink... he gave it to me..."

The hall fell deathly silent, the only sounds being Wei Long’s broken sobs and ragged gasps.

The scalps of every Demon Cultivator present tingled, and cold sweat drenched their backs.

They were shocked by the conspiracy, but they were even more terrified of Qin Xuan’s bizarre and horrifying interrogation technique, which could so easily shatter the will of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Qin Xuan slowly retracted his Divine Sense pressure, his gaze sweeping across the crowd below like blades of ice.

"Who else has taken things they shouldn’t have, or said things they shouldn’t have said?"

Hoping to reduce his sentence, Wei Long spilled the beans, giving up two more names.

Both were Demon Cultivators who had accepted Spirit Stones from Jin Wuhai in exchange for intelligence about the valley.

The two men’s faces instantly drained of color. They collapsed to the floor, kowtowing frantically.

"Valley Master, spare me... I... I wasn’t thinking straight..."

Qin Xuan remained expressionless, coolly uttering a single word: "Kill."

HUM!

Yu Qi surged forward. A flash of sword light streaked out, slicing across the two Demon Cultivators’ necks with absolute precision.

Two heads rolled to the floor. The Lifebound Longsword greedily drank the fresh blood, and the thick stench of it instantly filled the air.

In that instant, every Demon Cultivator held their breath.

They exchanged terrified glances, their hearts pounding with fear.

"I know that some of you are still in secret contact with other Incense Masters."

Seated high above, Qin Xuan said nonchalantly, "It doesn’t matter. From now on, if I find one, I will kill one. If I find a pair, I will kill them both."

"You can all test me. We’ll see if the faction you’re trying to defect to kills me first, or if I end your lives here in Heart Rot Valley first!"

A chill went through the Demon Cultivators, and their hearts filled with apprehension.

It is unclear who started it, but one by one, they all fell to their knees and prostrated themselves.

"We swear our loyalty to Valley Master Qin until death! We will never be disloyal!"

United as one, their voices shook the dust from the rafters.

Qin Xuan nodded, pleased, and beckoned with his hand.

A man immediately came forward, carrying a bulging sack. He opened it to reveal it was filled with translucent, sparkling Blood Marrow Rice.

"Since you are willing to follow me, I will naturally not treat you unfairly."

"Yu Qi, come and give each of them a pound of Blood Marrow Rice."

As soon as he said this, the eyes of every Demon Cultivator lit up, and a wave of excitement washed over them.

’Valley Master Qin is so generous! A pound of Blood Marrow Rice for each person! A single pound is worth ten thousand Contribution Points!’

Even the Foundation Establishment Spirit Plant Cultivators present could not hide their delight.

They weren’t powerful enough to acquire blood-essence meals, so this Blood Marrow Rice was the best substitute.

Watching the Demon Cultivators, who were so happy they were practically delirious, Qin Xuan smiled to himself.

’In every bag of Blood Marrow Rice...’

’...I’ve secretly planted Corpse Beetle Eggs. If they behave, then all is well. But if any of them have disloyal thoughts, I have ten thousand ways to kill them without anyone ever knowing.’

...

Time flowed on.

One day, Qin Xuan was in a Spiritual Field, performing the Starlight Rejuvenation technique.

Faint motes of starlight drifted past as a dense, Water-Attribute Spiritual Qi filled the air, enshrouding the area in a hazy mist.

The residual viridian Demon Poison in the Spiritual Field’s soil miraculously transformed into specks of starlight and dissipated.

The once withered, yellowed Spiritual Field was once again brimming with Vitality.

"Success!"

Qin Xuan heaved a long sigh of relief and sat down cross-legged to meditate.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Qin Xuan finally summoned Tan Fu.