CHAPTER 258: CHAPTER 253: ISLAND MASTER XINGJI! A MILLENNIUM OF HERITAGE!_1

Not a bad haul!

The Insect External Incarnation looked out towards the distant sea, seeing no sign of disturbance and hearing no bizarre sounds.

To prevent the risk of exposing the Bizarre Sound Talisman, Jia Ren waited until the Corpse Demon Sect was thousands of miles away from the Qunxing Archipelago before making his move.

If you don’t court death, you won’t die.

Jia Ren planned to distance himself from the Qunxing Archipelago after this affair to avoid trouble. The Corpse Demon Sect Master had openly threatened him, and he didn’t want to be constantly monitored by the Sect or worry about defending against their stealthy assassinations. Therefore, Jia Ren decided to take a risk and use the Bizarre Sound Talisman to eliminate future troubles for good.

The Insect External Incarnation remained in the area, with many cultivators as witnesses. If the sound of the talisman leaked, trouble wouldn’t find its way to him.

The disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect cannot be spared.

Ordinary disciples had been brainwashed by the Corpse Demon Sect; they were a hidden danger. With control over Puppet Demon Insects, he was destined to become the sworn enemy of the Corpse Demon Sect—an enmity until death.

Kill them directly?

Just as the Insect External Incarnation was about to make a move, its gaze shifted towards the cultivators on a distant island who were watching, their eyes filled with awe, shock, and disbelief.

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator had managed to repel the Corpse Demon Sect and slew a Golden Core Cultivator, causing two Golden Core Cultivators, along with their disciples, to flee.

The battle was utterly shocking!

They suspected that Xu Yi was a Golden Core Cultivator, or even a Nascent Soul Cultivator, disguised as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. After this battle, Xu Yi would surely become famous overnight.

"You lot, come here," the Insect External Incarnation called out. "There are too many cultivators from the Corpse Demon Sect. Help me slaughter them."

The few hundred unconscious Corpse Demon Sect disciples could be easily dealt with by deploying Corpse Refiners; there was no need for outside help. However, Jia Ren didn’t plan to take action personally. Instead, he wanted the people of the Qunxing Archipelago to act and submit a pledge of fealty. By killing the Corpse Demon Sect cultivators, they would all be in the same boat. Only by having a common enemy could they advance and retreat together.

The pledge of fealty was a farce. Jia Ren was sending a subtle message. He wasn’t certain... the Corpse Demon Sect would be annihilated. If there was any problem with the Bizarre Sound Talisman’s outbreak, he could wash his hands of it.

Jia Ren controlled five Flying Stiffs and over 4,000 Corpse Refiners. He would also find a way to control over 5,000 more. With such forces, he could easily seize control of the Qunxing Archipelago. The risk would be shouldered by the Insect External Incarnation, while his true self remained hidden, acting as the de facto island master to ensure his safety.

This was a good plan.

Jia Ren didn’t truly want to develop his power; rather, he was making a move out of caution towards the Corpse Demon Sect. Adopting an attitude of certainty regarding the Corpse Demon Sect’s annihilation was bound to arouse suspicion. After annihilating the Corpse Demon Sect, the vast number of unused Demonic Sect Magic Artifacts would need to be dealt with. Alone, it would take him hundreds of years to sell them all. By rallying a group to form a faction, ostensibly to oppose the Corpse Demon Sect, he would actually be getting help to dispose of useless demonic artifacts and elixirs.

The downside of being the Qunxing Island Master was obvious. The island was filled with hastily recruited personnel, with no loyalty to speak of. Even if he were willing to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills and Corpse Demon Sect resources, he might end up nurturing traitors and ingrates. With cultivation as his priority, Jia Ren didn’t want to be burdened with trouble, nor did he want to guard against backstabbing and plots from his subordinates. Once the Corpse Demon Sect matters and the Demonic Sect Magic Artifacts were handled, he could go into hiding.

Being a Lone Cultivator was more refreshing and straightforward.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, swiftly analyzing the pros and cons.

"Slay the cultivators of the Corpse Demon Sect?"

The cultivators of the Qunxing Archipelago looked ashen. They were just onlookers, yet they had stumbled into such a predicament? This was some seriously bad luck. Many wanted to flee, but the scattered Corpse Refiners gradually surrounded the area.

You have to board the pirate ship whether you want to or not.

"If not for Lord Xu Yi taking action, we would have been slaughtered by the Corpse Demon Sect cultivators and turned into Corpse Refiners!"

"Ungrateful wretches, you don’t know how to seize a good opportunity!"

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator voluntarily stepped forward, using his Magic Sword to decapitate a Corpse Demon Sect cultivator as a display of loyalty. Then two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators jumped out, acted swiftly, and respectfully handed over their Storage Bags. The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators were familiar faces—the same three who had robbed the Tianxing Trade Association four years ago.

With someone taking the lead to show loyalty, others quickly stepped forward, continuously attacking the Corpse Demon Sect disciples. With Xu Yi having gained the upper hand against the Corpse Demon Sect, anyone who dared to be a troublemaker now was simply courting death.

There were many cultivators in the Qunxing Archipelago, with about 2,000 gathered here, their strengths varying. They effortlessly took down the unconscious Corpse Demon Sect disciples as if slaughtering chickens. In a short span of time, the several hundred unconscious disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect all fell under the blades of the Qunxing Archipelago cultivators.

The Insect External Incarnation collected the surrendered Storage Bags and released Spirit Insects to prevent anyone from secretly pocketing items.

"My thanks, Brother Turtle."

He took out dozens of Ancestral Turtle Holy Pills and stuffed them into the Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle’s mouth. The displeasure in the Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle’s heart vanished in an instant.

Although the master was a swindler who occasionally used it as a shield, he was also generous with benefits. Dozens of Ancestral Turtle Holy Pills were equivalent to hundreds of years of accumulation, and it had only suffered some insignificant minor injuries. This deal was a sure profit; it wouldn’t mind a few more like this.

The Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle didn’t withdraw. Now that it was exposed, it had to serve as a deterrent against opportunistic villains.

The Insect External Incarnation headed straight for the three Flying Boats without delay. The Flying Boats were warships standard to the Sect, significantly larger than ordinary Flying Boats, requiring over ten times the resources to create. Although the Flying Boats had crashed, their internal resources remained; the Corpse Demon Sect Master had only taken the most crucial parts: Spirit Stones, Spiritual Medicines, Cultivation Techniques, secret technique Jade Slips, elixirs, and a variety of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

The three Flying Boats were like three treasure vaults.

This time, I’m truly going to hit the jackpot!

Jia Ren first searched for Elixirs, rare Spiritual Medicines, Golden Core Formation Pills, and Thousand-Year Snow Lotuses.

None?!

The Elixirs were all Demon Pills, not very usable, and among the Spiritual Medicines, there wasn’t a single Thousand-Year Spiritual Medicine. It was unclear whether the Corpse Demon Sect had no Thousand-Year Snow Lotus or if the Corpse Demon Sect Master had taken it.

How disappointing!

Without the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, his interest faded by a third. He gathered a large amount of Spiritual Medicines into the River Mountain Bag, planning to tally his gains after dealing with the current troubles.

"The Qunxing Archipelago cannot be without a leader. I will establish Star Pole Island. Who among you wishes to join?"

Star Pole Island? Specifically to oppose the Corpse Demon Sect?

Many had already boarded the pirate ship and had no choice in the matter. No one knew if there were any Corpse Demon Sect spies among them. After killing Corpse Demon Sect disciples, could they still hope to cultivate in peace? Escaping from the Qunxing Archipelago would be useless; they would likely die mysteriously at the hands of the Corpse Demon Sect.

Instantly, all the Loose Cultivators who had participated eagerly joined.

Jia Ren appointed the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had acted first as Deputy Island Masters. He then threw out hundreds of useless Demon Cultivator Magic Artifacts as rewards, leaving them to establish the rules for Star Pole Island.

「 」

Salvaging is really troublesome! Had I known, I should have let them fly to an island before killing them... But with no islands for a thousand miles of sea, how could he have killed them on an island?

He dived into the seabed, killing the sleeping Corpse Demon Sect cultivators one by one, seizing their belongings, and obliterating all traces of their corpses.

Does the number match the cultivators who escaped?

Jia Ren confirmed that no one from the Corpse Demon Sect had escaped, returning with an abundance of Storage Bags.

Several hours later, his Insect External Incarnation and original body met on another private island, activating a Formation to block any probing.

What a huge harvest!

Over 1,000 Storage Bags were laid out, their contents pouring out: Magic Artifacts, Spiritual Medicines, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Spirit Stones, Demonic Beast Materials... All sorts of treasures piled up, dazzlingly splendid.

There’s so much! Just tallying the items is enough to exhaust someone to death...

"A mountain of treasures" was usually a metaphor, but this time, the treasures literally formed a mountain. All the resources the Corpse Demon Sect had accumulated now fell into his hands. A millennium of foundation belonged to one man—he was truly about to become rich overnight.

A large number of Spirit Insects were deployed, joining the tallying effort. Spirit Stones, Magic Artifacts, and Spiritual Medicines were all separated to facilitate the count.

The number of Spirit Stones was too great to count accurately, but the estimate exceeded 1,000,000.

There were four Magical Treasures: the Corpse Subduing Bell, the Black Mountain Jade Seal, the Black Demon Banner, and a bronze compass. The bronze compass had never been used, so its exact nature as a Magical Treasure was unknown.

There were over 200 Top-grade Magic Artifacts and over 1,000 High-Grade Magic Artifacts.

There was an enormous, uncountable number of Elixirs, mostly Demon Pills useless to him.

There were Second Order Alchemy Legacy Jade Slips, Second Order Array Formation Legacy Jade Slips, Second Order Talisman Script Legacy Jade Slips, and Second Order Artifact Refining Legacy Jade Slips.

There were thirty-seven different Cultivation Technique Legacy Jade Slips; aside from a few relatively common ones, the vast majority were Demonic Sect Cultivation Techniques.

The main Cultivation Technique of the Corpse Demon Sect was called ’Corpse Demon Transformation,’ with details up to the Late Golden Core Stage. Accompanying secret techniques included ’Corpse Control Technique,’ ’Corpse Refining Technique,’ and ’Filthy Spirit Corpse Flame.’

Jia Ren wasn’t interested in ’Corpse Demon Transformation’ and had no intention of changing his Cultivation Technique.

Corpse Control Technique? It couldn’t even compare to his insects...

The Puppet Demon Insects could easily outperform it, so there was no need to learn it.

He did have some interest in the ’Corpse Refining Technique.’ After a careful look, he shifted his gaze. The number of Corpse Refiners approached 10,000. However, 5,000 of these Corpse Refiners could not be effectively utilized. The Corpse Refiners he possessed would be sufficient for a long time to come.

’Filthy Spirit Corpse Flame’ was a demonic fire usable only by cultivators practicing ’Corpse Demon Transformation’ in conjunction with Corpse Refiners. It could contaminate a cultivator’s Spiritual Power, Magic Artifacts, and more.

There were even more Spells and secret techniques, over 200 types in total, including common ones for Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages, followed by various secret techniques. These were the most valuable treasures for Jia Ren.

He thought of a way to quickly master the Star God Art and immediately began searching among the secret techniques and Demon Pills. It wasn’t long before he made a discovery. Though he didn’t find it among the secret techniques, he did indeed find something among the Alchemy Recipes.

Technique Demon Pill!

It was a very special type of Elixir. It was crafted by an Alchemist who, unable to master a particular Pill Refining Secret Technique, had painstakingly created this unique pill. Taking the Technique Demon Pill was like receiving divine assistance, aiding in the initial mastery of spells. However, the Technique Demon Pill came with significant drawbacks. Any secret technique initially mastered with this pill would become several times more difficult to cultivate further. Due to this drastically increased cultivation difficulty and severe drawbacks, the Technique Demon Pill became an obscure Elixir, left to gather dust.

Jia Ren’s biggest fear was not being able to master a secret technique. He had been cultivating the Star God Art for over four years yet remained unable to even cross the threshold, a constant regret for him. He hoped the Proficiency Panel could mitigate the drawbacks of the Technique Demon Pill. He had now found a solution to cultivate the Star God Art.

What about the Golden Core Formation Pill?

Jia Ren searched among the Spiritual Medicines. The Thousand-Year Spiritual Medicines had indeed been taken by the Corpse Demon Sect Master—thirteen Thousand-Year Spiritual Medicines in total. Unfortunately, there was no Thousand-Year Snow Lotus.

The sect had many cultivators aspiring to form the Golden Core. If the Corpse Demon Sect had obtained a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, they would have used it to help their own members reach the Golden Core stage, making it unlikely any would remain unused until now. Jia Ren wanted to concoct the Golden Core Formation Pill, but his plan to find the necessary ingredients here seemed to have failed. He would have to find another way to obtain a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus.

First, I’ll refine the Technique Demon Pill and master the Star God Art as soon as possible.