Hearing Ming Qi's question, Qin Zhao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
This man, so cruel!
These few words were all that could be swirled in Qin Zhao's mind.
Putting away the Yellow Dragon Spear, Ming Qi glanced at Qin Zhao lying on the ground. He smiled, reached out and took Qin Zhao's space magic weapon, then turned and disappeared into the dense forest.
Regardless of whether Qin Zhao was telling the truth or not, he could not be let go. This was irreversible.
Shortly after killing Qin Zhao, the Dikui Demon Fox, true to its word, directly broke through the seal of the Beast Taming Cube. This made Ming Qi somewhat worried, but the Dikui Demon Fox's appearance was not as ferocious as Ming Qi had imagined.
Having failed to transcend the tribulation, the Dikui Demon Fox could only maintain its demonic form, but it could speak normally like a human.
"Once we, the Sky Fox clan, make a vow, we will never betray it. It seems you don't understand us."
The Di Kui Demon Fox stood beside Ming Qi, gazing at the distant mountains, and spoke calmly.
…
Ming Qi remained silent. After all this talk, could he still deny it?
"Is that tree truly a sacred relic of your Sky Fox clan?"
Ming Qi thought of the strange plant he'd taken from Old Man Lin. According to Dabai, it should be called the Loulan Sacred Tree, but Ming Qi had never heard of that name and still considered it an unknown plant.
"Yes, the Loulan Sacred Tree is a sacred relic of our Sky Fox clan. According to our ancestors, the ancient Loulan tree has been growing in our homeland since the birth of our Sky Fox clan, and it possesses divine power."
"Divine power?"
Although the Loulan Ancient Tree appeared to be an immortal tree, how could it possess divine power?
"Yes, it's divine power. Bathed in the divine tree's radiance, our Sky Fox clan's cultivation speed is significantly accelerated. This is also a key reason why we, the Sky Fox clan, have become the royal family of the Demonic Spirit Realm."
The Dikui Demon Fox replied, mentioning a term Ming Qi had never heard of: the Demonic Spirit Realm.
"Where is the Demonic Spirit Realm?"
Ming Qi asked.
"The Demonic Spirit Realm is a world parallel to the Great World of Tianhuang. While not as fertile and vast as the Great World of Tianhuang, it boasts beautiful scenery, a blend of reality and fantasy. It's a world inhabited by demonic beasts, devoid of humans."
...
Ming Qi pondered for a moment, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. Could it be that Dabai also came from the Demonic Spirit Realm? Otherwise, how would it know about the Loulan Sacred Tree?
"Can the Demonic Spirit Realm and the Great World of Tianhuang travel freely?"
Ming Qi was surprised and curious. Since it was a world parallel to the Great World of Tianhuang, traveling between them surely wouldn't be as simple as traveling from Xilan Prefecture to Donglan Prefecture.
"The only passage connecting the Demonic Spirit Realm and the Great World of Tianhuang is called the Cave Heaven Gate. It opens every hundred years, allowing weaker demonic beasts to pass through for seven days."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Ming Qi nodded, finally gaining a general understanding of the Demonic Spirit Realm.
However, the key right now is to find a way to uncover the secrets of the mysterious treasure on Mount Osho. As for the Demonic Spirit Realm, I can explore it later in my free time.
After a moment's thought, Ming Qi asked, "You said earlier that this place smelled of the Origin Formation. Are you sure you're right?"
The Dikui Fox raised its head and said affirmatively, "Our Celestial Foxes' perception is countless times stronger than yours, and I happen to know some of the secrets of the Origin Formation. Someone must have set up a heaven-defying Origin Formation for rebirth in this area, and it's a massive undertaking. I can sense that the core of the Origin Formation is atop that highest peak."
"Oh?"
Following the Dikui Fox's gaze, Ming Qi shifted his gaze and locked onto the highest peak mentioned.
Yes, it was Mount Osho, the main peak of the Imperial Mountain Range!
"That's Mount Osho, the main peak of the Imperial Mountain Range."
"The Origin Formation seizes the blessings of heaven and earth, absorbing the vital energy of any living being nearby. Since they've placed the Origin Formation at the highest peak, I imagine that whoever seeks rebirth, if successful, will be at least a Martial King. "
Compared to Ming Qi, the Di Kui Fox Demon clearly knew more about the Origin Formation.
Absorbing the vital energy of living spirits?
Could it be that the purpose of luring so many mercenary groups here was to provide energy for the Origin Formation?
This was truly a grand gesture!
Ming Qi was filled with emotion. However, this was only his speculation; perhaps the reality wasn't the case. However, one thing was certain: the arrival of so many mercenaries would undoubtedly provide the Origin Formation with abundant fire spirit vitality, accelerating its rebirth.
"What are you going to do?"
Seeing Ming Qi's silence, the Di Kui Fox Demon asked.
"I'm very interested in the Origin Formation, and I hear there's a huge treasure on Mount Osho."
Ming Qi said, gazing at Mount Osho in the distance.
"You humans are always so greedy."
The Di Kui Fox Demon looked visibly disdainful at Ming Qi's desire for treasure.
"Haha, if humans weren't greedy, they wouldn't be able to survive." "
Ming Qi didn't deny it at all.
"Indeed, humans are inherently weak. If it weren't for our inherent greed, we would have been extinct long ago." "
The Dikui Fox Demon also agreed with Ming Qi's opinion.
Now that it was clear that Mount Osho would be the final destination of this Imperial Mountains expedition, Ming Qi returned with the Dikui Fox Demon.
Late in the evening, when Ming Qi returned to the agreed-upon cave, the others had also returned, though several mercenaries had been attacked and killed by demonic beasts during the search.
As for the results of the search, there was no need to ask; it was clear that Dragon Thief Ye Qizong did not exist.
While Ming Qi encountered members of the Blood Sword, most of the others came up empty-handed. While many mercenary groups had reached the Imperial Mountains, the range stretched for thousands of miles, and a single day's search meant that encountering them by chance was a matter of luck.
However, after a day of exploration and the Dikui Fox Demon's introduction to the Origin Formation, Ming Qi felt that the acquired cultivators he had brought with him were no longer useful in this grand scheme of things.
"Follow me for the rest of your actions." Ming Qi took command without hesitation, and no one objected. The Imperial Mountains were extremely dangerous. Without a shrewd leader to coordinate and lead, even hundreds or thousands of them, let alone a few dozen, would be devoured by the countless demonic beasts, leaving no trace.
The next day, in accordance with Ming Qi's instructions, all the acquired cultivator mercenaries remained in the cave and did not venture out to search.
Wei Silong, Mo Changli, Xiao Qi, and Su Yuan joined Ming Qi in heading towards Mount Aoxiu.
The Dikui Demon Fox behaved normally. It did not flee or slaughter them all, as Ming Qi had predicted. Instead, it loyally stayed by Ming Qi's side.
Currently, the most powerful creature on Ming Qi's side was the Dikui Demon Fox. Its appearance had the others somewhat worried. After all, even though it was a Level 6 demon beast that had failed its tribulation, it still possessed the formidable strength of the eighth level of the Innate Realm. They were all deeply skeptical of how Ming Qi could control it.
However, no one questioned the issue. On the way, Ming Qi briefly explained the Origin Formation and outlined the information he had received from Blood Sword regarding the treasure on Mount Osho and Blood Sword's current situation.
"It seems this plot wasn't Blood Sword's," said Wei Silong after hearing Ming Qi's words.
"Yes, now that I think about it, it's indeed true. Blood Sword wouldn't pull off such a grand scheme."
"Wait, someone's involved!" "
As they were talking, Ming Qi suddenly felt a powerful aura approaching rapidly, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
Everyone immediately restrained their auras and quickly hid deep in the vegetation.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, a figure streaked across the sky in the distance.
Everyone glanced up into the sky. They saw an ordinary-looking figure, standing on empty space, but on his back was a sword of unimaginable magnitude.
"It's him! "
Seeing the unimaginably massive sword, Ming Qi suddenly remembered the man he had encountered on the road when he was escorting Mo Qingchen back to the Biyou Sect. He had even asked Ming Qi and the others for directions to the Divine Realm. Ming Qi had never expected to encounter him again in the Western Wasteland of the Imperial Mountains.
Ming Qi had no idea who this man was. The previous time they met, since they had no prior experience, he hadn't considered the question at all. But now that this man had appeared in the Imperial Mountains, he had to consider him.
The man with the greatsword seemed in a hurry to get going, suddenly taking off into the distance. Ming Qi followed his trail and discovered he was heading towards Mount Osho, the main peak of the Imperial Mountains.
Ming Qi was shocked. This man's strength was unfathomable. If the Blood Sword didn't have the ability to set up the Origin Formation, allowing someone to defy fate and be reborn, then this man would be the most likely to have done so!
"Di Kui, can you sense how powerful this man is?" "
Watching the figure in the sky fade into a black dot, Ming Qi asked Di Kui Demon Fox.
"Stronger than me, but not yet at the Martial King level."
Di Kui Demon Fox's seemingly simple answer surprised everyone. Stronger than Di Kui Demon Fox?
That would be at least the eighth level of the Innate Realm. Ming Qi knew Di Kui Demon Fox's strength. Although he had failed in his tribulation and his strength had been diminished, he had been able to hold his own for a long time against Yan Dongliu and Yue Tianhe, two masters of the tenth level of the Innate Realm, in the Valley of Despair. It was easy to imagine how powerful this person must be.
"It seems that Mount Osho is truly a den of dragons and tigers."
Ming Qi sighed, gazing at Mount Osho, hidden in the mist in the distance.
There are treasures on Mount Osho, but there are also masters there. To obtain the treasure, they must confront that mysterious master head-on. Ming Qi was truly unsure about this.
"Let's go, we'll see what happens!" Ming Qi had no intention of giving up. With so many large mercenary groups in Killing Star City, it was impossible to suppress the news of the Blood Sword. Moreover, there was another sect that knew this secret: the Jinchuan Biyou Sect!