Qin Ming was slightly surprised when he heard the news.

Unexpectedly, the ancestor of Lihuo Palace is still alive and seems to have made great progress in cultivation.

However, all of this was irrelevant to him.

What he cared most about now was quickly acquiring the opportunity for ascension and making plans for Divinity Transformation.

His Nascent Soul Dharma Power had now reached its limit, and it wouldn’t take much longer. After a few more rounds of compression, he could reach the perfect realm without hindrance.

Then.

Qin Ming immediately asked, "Where is the Dragonbone Reef that Fellow Daoist Lii mentioned located in the outer sea? What is the situation there?"

Seeing Qin Ming ask about the main matter, Lii Qianjie didn’t hide anything and replied:

"The Dragonbone Reef is located in the southern part of the outer sea in the Dark Sea. It is said to be a reef formation created by the remains of an ancient dragon. Now, two Tier Four Late Stage Great Demons occupy this chain of island reefs, each claiming half of the Dragonbone Reef territory."

"These two major demon clans are the Merfolk Race and a mutation Blood Flood Dragon."

"Oh? The Merfolk Race?" Qin Ming showed a hint of surprise.

"That’s right. Just these two Tier Four Late Stage Great Demons alone are not something I’m afraid of. However, the Dark Sea’s environment is complex, and the number of demon beasts is terrifyingly vast."

"Even if we are surrounded, there is a risk of falling."

"The Dragonbone Reef Group is covered by the ’Profound Nether Mist’ all year round. The mist contains the powerful resentment of an ancient flood dragon, which can erode the divine thought of cultivators. If inhaled for a long time, even Nascent Soul Cultivators would fall into a frenzied Heart Demon Illusion Realm, unable to extricate themselves."

"If we two go this time, we must be well-prepared." Lii Qianjie explained slowly, "Fellow Daoist Qin, it would be best to purchase some treasures to resist the demon mist at the Celestial Edge Sea Pavilion."

"Besides that, the mutated Blood Flood Dragon at Tier Four Late Stage is exactly what Fellow Daoist Qi desires. When the time comes, if Fellow Daoist Qin wants to take action against it, I would be more than happy to assist. If we succeed, the essence blood and materials will be yours, and the demon pill will be mine, hehe!"

Lii Qianjie’s calculations crackled loudly, as the most precious thing in a demon beast’s body is the demon pill.

Qin Ming did not directly agree to this matter and instead asked:

"The Dragonbone Reef is such a dangerous place. Fellow Daoist Lii didn’t mention this to Qin before..."

He could see that with a territory occupied by two major demon beast clans, Lii Qianjie alone was completely unable to enter and retrieve treasures.

After seeing his strength, the other party intended to recruit him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

No wonder Lii Qianjie was so easily willing to exchange the whereabouts of the Divinity Transformation Opportunity with him.

Moreover, that Molten Fire Abyss containing Deep Sea Profound Iron was probably not a pleasant place either.

Seeing a hint of displeasure on Qin Ming’s face, Lii Qianjie showed a trace of embarrassment.

He immediately took out a cyan-blue orb and handed it over, exuding a special and peculiar aura of the demon race.

After handing the orb to Qin Ming, he explained with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist Qin, please be patient; since Lii is inviting you, of course, there is a plan."

"This item is the Merfolk Race’s natal demon treasure—the Merfolk Pearl. It cost me a lot to buy it from the ’Blood Tears Sea Market,’ which occurs once every sixty years."

"With this Merfolk Pearl, we can disguise ourselves as the Merfolk Race and sneak into the Dragonbone Reef. I will then design a plan to provoke disputes between the Merfolk Race and the Blood Flood Dragon Race. By luring them away, we can seize the opportunity to obtain the Heart Inquiry Fruit."

Qin Ming examined the Merfolk Pearl in his hand and indeed sensed an aura vastly different from other demon races.

Lii Qianjie, this old fellow, having lived for thousands of years, was truly a deep schemer, planning the Heart Inquiry Fruit long ago.

"Is there some grievance between the Blood Flood Dragon Race and the Merfolk Race? Does Fellow Daoist Lii have such confidence in sowing discord?" Qin Ming asked.

Lii Qianjie let out a sinister laugh: "Naturally, the Merfolk Race has occupied the Dragonbone Reef for tens of thousands of years. It is said they feed on flood dragon blood, being half-human half-beast monsters."

"And that mutated Blood Flood Dragon was originally a Deep Sea Ink Flood Dragon. It sneaked into the Dragonbone Reef during a Merfolk Race internal strife thousands of years ago. After devouring nine dragon bone remains, its cultivation soared, stepping into the Tier Four Late Stage Realm, almost breaking through to Tier Five."

"It’s fair to say the enmity between these two clans is significant. By disguising as a Merfolk and killing the only offspring of the Tier Four Blood Flood Dragon while leaving some traces, directing clues towards the Merfolk Race, it’s hard to believe they won’t end up fighting, hehe!"

Upon hearing Lii Qianjie’s vicious plan, even Qingyang the Old Demon from the Blood Massacre couldn’t help commenting:

"This guy is full of deceit; Fellow Qin, it would be wise to remain cautious when working with him."

Qin Ming naturally understood this, but given his current cultivation and strength, he naturally wasn’t afraid of these little tricks.

The two conversed in the tavern for half a day, and Qin Ming gained a general understanding of the basic situation of the outer sea.

Lii Qianjie needed to handle some matters on the island, and Qin Ming also planned to go out and look around. The two agreed on a time and then went about their separate businesses.

The main island where the Celestial Edge Sea Pavilion is located is called "End of the World," surrounded by over a hundred small and large islands, each with a minimum of a Tier Three Spirit Vein.

Its vast regional scope and profound heritage are even comparable to the Divinity Transformation Sects of the East Sea.

Strolling around the Immortal City at the outskirts, Qin Ming surprisingly found that the trade of demon beast materials dominated over half of the main goods here.

With his aura concealed, he walked the streets lined with shops and stalls selling demon beast materials.

The variety of demon beasts on display was dazzling, ranging from Tier One to even Tier Three and Tier Four.

Moreover, the cultivators walking along the street were filled with Evil Qi, as if they had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

These Demon Hunting Cultivators who frequent the outer sea engage with demon beasts year-round, boasting cultivation far surpassing that of the same-tier cultivators from the East Sea.

Their cultural customs were also somewhat different from those of the Five Great Cultivation Realms.

There are also demonic cultivators walking within the city here, as long as there’s no fighting on the island, nearly no one will interfere.

On the contrary, outside, whenever the demon race and human race meet, it’s inevitable that a life-and-death battle ensues.

...

Meanwhile.

At the topmost palace of the Celestial Edge Sea Pavilion, within an antique-looking pavilion.

Lii Qianjie was conversing with a cultivator.

The room was divided by a purple screen, with spiraling spirit incense softly unveiling the silhouette of a female cultivator, a barrier so profound even Late-stage Nascent Soul Divine Thought couldn’t penetrate it to see the person behind.

Merely.

On the bed, a wispy aura of Nascent Soul Great Perfection’s spiritual pressure faintly exuded, even Lii Qianjie dared not act rashly.

A melodious and gentle female voice came faintly from behind the purple screen:

"So it’s Fellow Daoist Lii, what wind has blown you here?"

"I’ve heard you brought back a fellow practitioner from the East Sea with profound Nascent Soul cultivation?"

"Pavilion Master Xiao, please do not blame me. Indeed, Lii made the decision to bring back a fellow cultivator autonomously. Fellow Daoist Qin, though young, is at the Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and possesses astonishing divine techniques. Originating from the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, his background and origin are clear, there is no worry." Lii Qianjie explained.

"My efforts here are all for the purpose of plotting over the Heart Inquiry Fruit matter at Dragonbone Reef."

"Has Pavilion Master Xiao made any considerations? Could you lend me your ’Cyan Solid Jade Ruyi’ spiritual treasure?"

"If we succeed in obtaining the Heart Inquiry Fruit, I promise to share one with you, allowing you to reap without sowing, needing not to join us in the risky endeavor." Lii Qianjie continued.

A languid figure reclining on the bed behind the purple screen casually remarked: "I assume that Fellow Daoist Qin, your collaborator, is unaware of this matter, correct?"

"The Heart Inquiry Fruit carries the trait of ’rotting upon picking’ and cannot be harvested with conventional means; otherwise, the medicinal power disappears instantly... If carried with a container infused with the power of the Five Elements, it burns upon meeting fire, dissolves upon encountering water, and melts upon contact with earth..."

"Indeed... I have not mentioned this to him..." Lii Qianjie admitted honestly with indifference.

Pavilion Master Xiao let out a light laugh: "Hmph! As expected of Fellow Daoist Lii...how could I not know what you’re up to? Isn’t it just looking to grab a couple more Heart Inquiry Fruits on the sly?"

"Hehehe! Lii has prepared so long for the Spirit Fruit, naturally, I should claim a few more. Putting in the most effort, it is both fair and reasonable." Lii Qianjie replied with a grin that barely masked his true intentions.

Even as his scheme was revealed, Lii Qianjie, with thick skin, straightforwardly admitted it.

"However, this Cyan Solid Jade Ruyi of mine is a Tier Four Top-Grade special spiritual treasure. If entrusted to you so easily, what happens when there’s only one Heart Inquiry Fruit, Fellow Daoist Lii? How would it be divided?"

"Though extremely precious, I will not engage in such a losing deal with you." Pavilion Master Xiao stated flatly.

Having sought out the counterpart, Lii Qianjie was naturally prepared, pulling out a small bag of spirit stones, flicking it over to land before the screen.

"Hehe! How about Lii pledges these five top-grade spirit stones as collateral? If the retrieval fails or there’s only one spirit fruit left, the spirit stones will be yours, Pavilion Master Xiao."

"Though the Cyan Solid Jade Ruyi’s spatial characteristics are rare, with potential to grow into a Spirit Communication Treasure, five top-grade spirit stones should sufficiently match this Tier Four Top-Grade spiritual treasure."

"Of course, if Pavilion Master Xiao is uneasy, you may join us on the journey with the treasure. Your inclusion would be most welcome."

"The choice lies with Pavilion Master Xiao on how to proceed."

Pavilion Master Xiao pondered for a moment, not immediately consenting, merely saying: "I have a few matters yet to address, allow me two days to ponder before replying to you, Fellow Daoist Lii may rest in the pavilion during this time."

"Very well, I shall await your answer patiently." Lii Qianjie said, taking his leave after bidding farewell.

A while later.

After Lii Qianjie had gone far, Pavilion Master Xiao summoned a white-robed elder into the room and instructed:

"Elder Tong, please gather some detailed information on Wangyue Island Master from the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm for me."

"As you command, Pavilion Master!" The elder promptly set to work after receiving the order.

...

Elsewhere.

Qin Ming wandered aimlessly on the island for two days, broadening his horizons.

However, the Outer Sea was particularly oppressive, with dark clouds seeming to have never dispersed overhead, the sun hardly seen.

Spirit pets like the Heaven-Devouring Rat could barely contain themselves, given that everywhere in the Outer Sea was brimming with novelties.

Nonetheless, Qin Ming still instructed them to stay obediently within the Little Spirit Realm, not permitting them to come out.

After all, the human race and demon race here were at irreconcilable odds; he wished to avoid further trouble.

After acquiring the Heart Inquiry Fruit and Deep Sea Profound Iron, he planned to use the Nine Heavens Cyan Yuan Marvelous Response True Talisman to secretly teleport back to Wangyue Island, where everything would be well.

Even Lii Qianjie could not have anticipated.

That he had no interest in the affairs of the Outer Sea.