"This... this Demon Poison has actually dissipated!"

Tan Fu was both shocked and overjoyed. "As expected of you, my lord! I heard that the two Incense Masters from the neighboring Blood Spring Mountain and Withered Marrow Cliff joined forces and still couldn’t deal with this terrifying Demon Poison. Yet in your hands, it was resolved with ease!"

"I dislike flattery. Just speak plainly,"

Qin Xuan said, "Can we replant the Blood Marrow Rice now?"

"Yes, of course we can."

Tan Fu nodded vigorously. He quickly realized this was Qin Xuan’s doing, and his eyes filled with deep admiration and joy.

"We won’t have to worry about Heart Rot Valley’s field tax this year!"

But Qin Xuan said, "Don’t stop cultivating the new rice variety. Continue. I’ll have a use for it in the future."

"As you command!"

Tan Fu took out a Spiritual Hoe and immediately knelt on the ground to carefully examine the Spiritual Soil.

This wasn’t just for show.

In his fifteen years as a Spiritual Farmer in Heart Rot Valley, his Cultivation had never improved, but when it came to tending Spiritual Plants, very few in the entire valley could compare to him.

During this time, Qin Xuan would secretly cast Starlight Rejuvenation from time to time.

The Spiritual Fields, once devoured by the Blood Marrow Golden Insects, became fertile again at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The second crop of Blood Marrow Rice grew even better than the first!

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan gradually turned Heart Rot Valley into an impenetrable fortress, sealed off from the outside world. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Anyone who tried to investigate Heart Rot Valley simply vanished without a trace.

Likewise, no information could get out.

The reason was simple: under the combined power of his Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles and Cyan Silk Entwined Soul, not a single Demon Cultivator could stir up trouble right under his nose.

...

「One day.」

Qin Xuan was in the Spiritual Field, reclining on a chair woven from Ghost Wood Vine and basking leisurely in the Sun.

A group of Demon Cultivator Spiritual Farmers worked with fiery enthusiasm.

Blood mist billowed.

From a distance, the entire rice paddy was shrouded in a faint, scarlet haze.

THUMP, THUMP!

A deep, resonant sound, like a collective heartbeat, echoed as one.

The rice stalks faintly pulsed with a glow of rushing blood and qi, tinting the horizon a deep crimson.

"My lord is truly amazing. I’ve never seen the Blood Marrow Rice flourish like this."

"This year’s harvest is expected to exceed ten thousand jin—more than double last year’s!"

A Demon Cultivator added, "It’s not just the Blood Marrow Rice. The yields for the Ghost Wood Vine and Yin Luo Flower have also increased by over thirty percent. Something like this was absolutely impossible in past years!"

Qin Xuan was very satisfied. He decided to fan the flames, shouting, "Keep up the good work! After the harvest, all of your Contribution Points will be doubled! On top of that, everyone gets twenty jin of Blood Marrow Rice to sample!"

At these words, the Demon Cultivator Spiritual Farmers grew ecstatic.

The Blood Marrow Rice produced by these stalks was a supreme treasure for Body Cultivators.

Consuming it over a long period could lead to Bone Strengthening and Muscle Forging, fortify one’s qi and blood, and repair the damage to the Flesh Body caused by practicing External Cultivation.

A single grain was equivalent to three days of arduous cultivation.

Furthermore, it was the main ingredient for refining Blood Returning Pills and Red Sun Pills. For Demon Cultivators like them, who spent years bleeding themselves and carving out their own bones, it was the perfect restorative.

Someone couldn’t help but cheer, "Long live Heart Rot Valley! Long live Valley Master Qin!"

"Long live Valley Master Qin!"

A tsunami of cheers erupted. Qin Xuan’s status in Heart Rot Valley was more secure than ever, earning him the deep adoration of the Demon Cultivators.

’Yes, this is much more satisfying,’ Qin Xuan thought. ’Once the Blood Marrow Rice is harvested, I can harvest another batch of Demon Cultivators...’

’The Holy Sect truly is a place you never want to leave!’

Just then, a streak of demonic light appeared on the horizon, arriving in an instant.

"Junior Brother Qin, you lead quite the comfortable life. Even while relaxing, you don’t forget to supervise your workers. No wonder you’ve become a rising star in Yinluo Country."

The words came from a middle-aged Demon Cultivator with a sallow complexion, who looked to be in his forties. He spoke in a sneering, passive-aggressive tone.

The immense Demonic Essence of the Foundation Establishment Tenth Level surged forth, kicking up a sinister, demonic gale!

WHOOSH!

The Spiritual Farmers’ faces paled. They spat up mouthfuls of blood, pinned to the Spiritual Field by the pressure. Their qi and blood roiled, and it felt as if their very organs were being displaced.

"You come to my Heart Rot Valley, and these are the only tricks you have?"

Qin Xuan chuckled lightly, not even moving an inch.

A peculiar wave of Divine Sense rippled outward, and the terrifying pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator instantly vanished.

Qin Xuan had known of the man’s presence the moment he set foot in Heart Rot Valley.

Fang Mingshan’s eye twitched, and his expression instantly became amicable.

"I am Fang Mingshan, Cliff Master of Withered Marrow Cliff. I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Qin’s great name. I came to Heart Rot Valley specifically to pay a visit and discuss the Dao. I hope Fellow Daoist Qin won’t misunderstand."

Seeing that Qin Xuan was no weaker than himself, Fang Mingshan changed his tune faster than one could flip a page.

But to his surprise, Qin Xuan shook his head. "I have no interest in discussing the Dao with men. If it were a Female Cultivator, I might consider it."

"Furthermore, you just injured twenty-seven of my Spiritual Farmers. Hand over thirty Merit Points, or we’ll consider this a grudge."

BOOM!

An aura even more formidable than Fang Mingshan’s burst forth. His Demonic Essence was as vast and inexhaustible as a raging sea!

Faint traces of starlight even flowed within it.

Fang Mingshan’s pupils shrank, his expression one of pure shock.

’How can this be? This kid’s Cultivation is clearly inferior to mine, so why is his aura even more profound!’

’Could it be because he participated in the Foundation Establishment Chaos War?’

Seeing that Qin Xuan was about to draw his Lifebound Longsword, Fang Mingshan remembered the purpose of his trip and feared he might fail his mission.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth, swallow the loss, and toss over thirty Merit Points.

"I was just making a casual remark, but Fellow Daoist Fang actually paid up!"

Qin Xuan beamed.

Fang Mingshan’s face instantly turned the color of a pig’s liver. He was no match for Qin Xuan in a fight and was so furious he nearly coughed up blood from the anger.

Hearing this, Wang Qianru, who stood to the side, shook with laughter.

’I never thought I’d see the day Senior Brother Fang would be put in his place.’

"And this is?"

Only then did Qin Xuan notice the alluring, slender-waisted, mature woman in a red dress beside Fang Mingshan, and his eyes lit up.

His cultivation of the True Sun Fire had long been stagnant, and he was just looking for a place to vent his excess heat.

"I am Wang Qianru, Mountain Master of Blood Spring Mountain. Greetings, Valley Master Qin."

Although Wang Qianru’s makeup was heavy and she had a slightly worldly air about her, her ripe, voluptuous figure possessed a unique charm.

’Of course, I’m not actually interested in her,’ Qin Xuan told himself. ’It’s purely for the sake of my cultivation.’

"What brings you two to my Heart Rot Valley?"

Wang Qianru replied, "Master Xiao of our Vast Qi Tower intends to forge a Dao Golden Core. He currently lacks a few Spiritual Fields to serve as the foundation for his Blessed Land. I was wondering if Valley Master Qin would be willing to register your fief’s Spiritual Field under the name of the Vast Qi Tower?"

It was the same spiel Jiaang Xiaofeng had given him before.

Qin Xuan frowned slightly.

Fang Mingshan added from the side, "Fellow Daoist Qin, rest assured. This arrangement won’t affect your share of the Spiritual Fields’ yield. We can even exempt Heart Rot Valley from ten percent of its field tax."

"I’ve heard that you, Fellow Daoist Qin, have manifested the same Positional Divine Technique as us: Flame Demon. You would simply need to cultivate our Vast Qi Tower’s Positional Divine Technique within your Spiritual Field."

Alarm bells went off in Qin Xuan’s mind.

He keenly sensed a conspiracy.

’One of them wants me to practice the Plague Poison Altar’s Cultivation Technique in the Spiritual Field, and now another wants me to practice the Vast Qi Tower’s Positional Divine Technique here...’

’There’s definitely a catch!’

However, his Golden Finger hadn’t produced a Divination to warn him. Though thunder was rumbling in his heart, Qin Xuan’s face remained as placid as a still well.

Instead, he followed up on Fang Mingshan’s words and coolly refused, "You’ve come too late. Master Jiaang of my Plague Poison Altar has already given me instructions. If Master Xiao has a problem with that, he can take it up with him."

Unexpectedly, Wang Qianru just gave a charming smile.

"Why play dumb, Valley Master Qin?"

Wang Qianru continued, "Without reaching the Golden Core realm, one cannot establish a Blessed Land. Therefore, the Earth Vein Qi in a Spiritual Field is useless to cultivators like us."

Fang Mingshan added, "It doesn’t matter whether it’s Master Jiaang or Master Xiao. After all, both Cultivation Techniques and Divine Techniques can absorb Earth Vein Qi. The two aren’t mutually exclusive."