BOOM!

A mysterious aura empowered the blue flame, causing it to surge violently.

Within the deep blue flames, a peculiar Spiritual Plant was growing!

The Spiritual Plant was no taller than half a foot, with three leaves—cyan, red, and green—at its apex. Its stem was a dark red, and it bore a single red fruit about the size of a longan.

The red fruit was mostly unripe and green, as if it hadn’t fully matured, but a hint of vermilion showed at its tip, translucent and crystalline.

’So there really is something special about this... It’s actually a Tier Three High Grade Spiritual Plant!’

Qin Xuan clicked his tongue in amazement, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The red fruit emitted a strange, sweet fragrance.

Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Qin Xuan couldn’t identify what kind of Spiritual Plant it was; he could only roughly determine its grade.

"You’ve lived on Wing Mars for a long time. Do you know what this is?"

Qin Xuan asked.

"Of course we know! Congratulations, Star Envoy Liu! Congratulations!"

A Cultivator to the side was trembling with excitement, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"This is a specialty of our Vermilion Bird Star Domain, the sacred Red Snake Vermilion Fruit! It takes three hundred years to sprout, three hundred years to bloom, and three hundred years to bear fruit. It’s a holy treasure that only a Golden Core True Monarch is worthy of tasting!"

’The sacred Red Snake Vermilion Fruit?’

Qin Xuan felt the man was exaggerating.

Although it was a Tier Three High Grade Spiritual Plant, claiming only Golden Core True Monarchs were worthy of tasting it was a bit absurd.

In the Holy Sect, even Purple Mansion Altar Masters could obtain Tier Three Spiritual Plants.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’this is the backwater Winged Fire Snake Star, where combat strength is low. I suppose it makes sense here.’

"It’s certainly not bad."

Qin Xuan plucked the still-unripe, greenish Red Snake Vermilion Fruit.

The moment the Vermilion Fruit left the stem, the dark, snake-like patterns on its surface seemed to slither slightly, and its unusual fragrance intensified.

Just inhaling a whiff of the strange aroma made his whole body feel warm, and the Magical Power within his Purple Mansion grew a bit more active.

"Let me see how this fruit tastes."

Confirming it wasn’t poisonous, Qin Xuan took a bite.

The fruit melted in his mouth, its juice sweet and fragrant.

A gentle, warm current, like a tiny fire snake, shot down his throat.

"Hmm? It can actually increase my cultivation?"

A brilliant light erupted in Qin Xuan’s eyes.

"Star Envoy Liu, you mustn’t! You... you’re committing a terrible waste!"

An elderly, decrepit Cultivator from the Liaoyuan Division looked on in horror, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

"This fruit doesn’t grow naturally! It’s nurtured over countless years by absorbing the pure Blood Evil Qi from the Beacon Tower."

"This particular one is likely over eight hundred years old! Its medicinal power is at its peak, just on the verge of ripening..."

"If refined into a Red Snake Pill, it could increase a Purple Mansion Cultivator’s cultivation by fifty years! Eating it raw like this... you risk your body exploding from the power!"

Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

’What is this old fool blabbering about?’

’Sacred Vermilion Fruit, my ass.’

After eating the fruit, Qin Xuan did feel his Magical Power become significantly more robust, and his Divine Sense cleared up slightly.

His Magical Power took a steady step toward the Purple Mansion Second Level, and it even had a slight nourishing effect on his flesh and blood.

Upon careful calculation, it had increased his cultivation by roughly one year.

But that was nowhere near the exaggerated fifty years of cultivation!

’It must be because it wasn’t refined into a Pill and also because it wasn’t fully mature.’

A glint of light flashed through Qin Xuan’s eyes, and he was quite satisfied.

’Even if it only saves me a few months of bitter cultivation, it’s still a great find!’

He looked toward the distant pillars of light from the other Beacon Towers, and a bold plan began to form in his mind.

...

「A few days later, somewhere in the Nanli Ancient Battlefield.」

The scene beneath a certain Beacon Tower was bizarre.

The flame atop the tower was unlit, but below, more than a dozen Demon Cultivator corpses lay scattered about.

All of them had been killed in a single blow.

Qin Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, flanked by three Demon Beasts with ferocious auras. His foot was even resting on the mangled corpse of a Purple Mansion Third Level Demon Cultivator from the Viper Division.

"It’s not enough. Just one Purple Mansion Third Level Demon Snake isn’t sufficient to spawn the Snake Vermilion Fruit at the thirteenth Beacon Tower."

Qin Xuan clicked his tongue, very dissatisfied.

He had deliberately left this Beacon Tower unlit, using it as bait to ambush the Demon Cultivators from the four divisions who would come to light it after hearing the news.

Over the past few days, he had already lit three Beacon Towers and obtained four ripe Vermilion Fruits.

Several groups of Demon Cultivators had become spirits slain by his sword, but they were all just minor grunts at the Early-stage Purple Mansion. Zhao Youliang and the other two could have handled them alone.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted in the distance.

Another group of Demon Snakes was approaching.

"Form the array... Defend!"

Qin Xuan’s reaction was instantaneous.

The Liaoyuan Division Cultivators behind him quickly gathered, linking their Magical Power.

A cyan-and-red barrier of light rose up.

The Cyan-arm Stone Ape and Purple Extreme Thunder Eagle at his side were about to charge forward but were stopped by Qin Xuan.

"Hold on. I’ll handle this myself. These two are not opponents you can block."

BOOM!

A searing blade of fire slashed against the light barrier, exploding into a shower of sparks.

The attacker was none other than the Purple Mansion Sixth Level elder from the Zhuyin Division whom Qin Xuan had encountered just after entering the Nanli Ancient Battlefield—Xuanlin.

With him was the snake demoness from the Wing Fire Division, Red Feather.

"Damn you! I was wondering who was slaughtering my Zhuyin Division clansmen here. So it was you!" Xuanlin roared in anger.

Qin Xuan gave a faint smile, too lazy to waste words.

He stomped his right foot hard, his body advancing instead of retreating, and the longsword on his back flew from its sheath with a ZING.

BUZZ!

A deep, scorching hum reverberated, like the surging of telluric fire!

Scorching Sword Qi radiated outwards, as brilliant as a great sun appearing in the sky, instantly dispelling the surrounding cold and sinister Evil Qi.

Great Sun Sword Scripture, Heaven-Burning Shadow! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"The Liaoyuan Division actually managed to invite a prodigy from the Star Mansion this time?!"

A flicker of astonishment crossed Red Feather’s bewitching face. She hadn’t expected his Sword Momentum to be so tyrannical.

She let out a sharp cry, crossed her twin daggers to block, and her innate Demon Fire surged around her, forming a Flame Shield.

CLANG—!

A deafening crash erupted against the Flame Shield.

Red Feather felt an immense force mixed with scorching Sword Intent penetrate her defenses, rattling her qi and blood and throwing her Demon Power into disarray.