89: Consolidating his cultivation and Lin Feng's "good news"

Inside the temporary Immortal Cave, time passed quietly.

Liu Qingtian cast aside all distracting thoughts, his mind sinking completely into Cultivation. The immense Demonic Power of the Late-stage Kai Shan Realm surged and flowed within his body like rivers converging into the sea, washing over his Meridians time and again, nourishing his demonic body. The spiritual ripple vortex at his tree heart rotated steadily, slowly harmonizing the newly integrated Natal Poison Power, the Shadow Devouring characteristics, and the Power of the Stars, making them fit more perfectly with the Dao rhythm of Life, Death, Wither and Flourish.

He focused on tempering the newly born Shadow Devouring Willow Branch. With a slight movement of his thoughts, the willow branches could be commanded like an extension of his own arm, shifting freely between a solid entity and a phantom, with excellent concealment effects. He even attempted to attach a trace of the "Return to Void" silent annihilation Dao rhythm to it; although the consumption was immense and difficult to sustain, the instantaneous destructive power it unleashed was terrifying, sufficient to serve as a hidden trump card.

The "Formless Poison Barrier" from the incomplete Myriad Poisons Gu Scripture was also something he practiced repeatedly. Now, he could quite skillfully condense a Poison Barrier area covering a radius of about ten zhang, with the toxicity being more restrained and harder to detect. When combined with the Wither and Flourish Domain, its power was doubled.

After several days of arduous Cultivation, Liu Qingtian's Realm had completely stabilized. His aura was deep and restrained, and his strength was thirty percent stronger than when he had first entered the Late-stage Kai Shan Realm. His control over his own power had also become increasingly exquisite, especially his application of poison power; it was no longer merely crude erosion, but had added a few more devious and unpredictable variations.

That day, just as he woke from his meditation and was preparing to think about his next course of action, an unassuming jade talisman in his embrace, inscribed with a simple Eight Trigrams pattern, suddenly grew slightly warm. Immediately, Lin Feng's familiar and somewhat cunning voice rang directly in his mind:

"Hello? Hello? Old Liu? Can you hear me? You didn't die in the Secret Realm, did you?"

Liu Qingtian frowned slightly and took out the communication jade talisman. This was something Lin Feng had forced upon him earlier, calling it the "Fellow Villager Mutual Aid Hotline," though in reality, it was just to facilitate contact (and loan sharking) at any time. He injected a trace of Demonic Power and responded coldly: "What is it?"

"Hehehe, listening to that vigorous voice, it seems you had quite a harvest!" Lin Feng seemed to be in a very good mood on the other end. "How about it? After that trip to the Star Remains Secret Realm, are you feeling overwhelmed with gratitude towards your brother? If it weren't for me having foreknowledge and getting that kid Ye Chen to go look after you, I'm afraid you would have long since been slapped into firewood by some old monster jumping out from a corner, right?"

Liu Qingtian sneered in his heart and directly exposed him: "Ye Chen's 'remuneration,' I suppose that's been added to my tab again?"

"Aiyo, look at you, how distant you're being!" Lin Feng laughed it off. "Investment, this is called strategic investment! Besides, that kid Ye Chen might be a bit expensive, but the service quality is guaranteed! Otherwise, would you have been able to come out unscathed? And even turn a misfortune into a blessing, playing around with the 'Wither and Flourish Poison Dao' until it blossomed?"

Liu Qingtian felt a shiver in his heart. Lin Feng's intelligence network was truly terrifyingly well-informed! He even knew clearly about his Fusion of deadly poisons in the Secret Realm and the establishment of his new path! This "Heavenly Knowledge System" was simply too terrifying. He even suspected whether the appearance of that Wang Gou was also related to Lin Feng?

"Stop talking nonsense, get straight to the point." Liu Qingtian didn't want to beat around the bush with him.

"Fine, fine, fine, let's talk business." Lin Feng's tone became slightly more serious. "Two pieces of news, one good and one 'bad,' which one do you want to hear first?"

"The bad one."

"Tsk, still not playing by the rules." Lin Feng smacked his lips. "The bad news is that the matter of you slaughtering the Yunlan Sect Grand Elder's own grandson has already spread. The Yunlan Sect has issued a 'Cloud Sea Kill Order' for you; they want to see the tree if you're alive, and the tree roots if you're dead. Now, quite a few desperate outlaws in the Myriad Realms Battlefield are looking for you, and the bounty is enough to buy several Profound Void Realm Magic Treasures."

Liu Qingtian's tree eyes turned cold. This was within his expectations, but he hadn't expected the other party to act so quickly, or for the bounty to be so high. It seemed that he would have to be even more careful in the Myriad Realms Battlefield from now on.

"And the good news?"

"Hehehe, the good news is that your brother has found you a great way to quickly repay your debts... ah no, I mean, a great way to make a fortune!" Lin Feng's voice carried a hint of temptation. "Do you remember what I told you about the 'Cleaners,' or rather, the 'Annihilation Beast Tide'?"

Liu Qingtian's heart stirred: "It's related to the myriad manifestations star disk fragment?"

"Smart!" Lin Feng praised. "Recently, the precursors of the 'Tide' have already appeared in some remote Realms. A Small World called the 'Flowing Fire Realm' has been invaded by a small group of Annihilation Beasts. Although they were barely repelled by the local Cultivators, the Realm wall was damaged and is in urgent need of repair and strengthened defenses. They have issued a high bounty, recruiting strong individuals to go and garrison there, and to mop up the remaining Annihilation Beasts."

"How is this good news?" Liu Qingtian frowned. Going to the front lines to fight Annihilation Beasts was extremely risky.

"Don't be in such a rush!" Lin Feng said slowly. "The point is, according to the calculations of my 'Heavenly Knowledge System,' there is a high probability that a fragment of the 'myriad phenomena star disc' exists near the Flowing Fire Realm! Moreover, because of the Annihilation Beasts' invasion, the space-time in that area has become very unstable, and certain ancient ruins or Secret Realms that are usually difficult to enter may appear. There are risks, but the opportunities are even greater!"

Lin Feng continued to up the ante: "More importantly, this act of resisting the 'Tide' and protecting the world itself will accumulate a special kind of 'Karma' or, in other words, 'World Favor.' This thing has immense benefits for your comprehension of the Dao, and even for dealing with certain karmic tribulations in the future. Furthermore, the remuneration obtained from completing the mission is solid, hard currency, enough for you to pay off a large chunk of interest."

Liu Qingtian remained silent, quickly weighing the options in his heart. Lin Feng's words could not be fully trusted, but there might be some truth to what he said about the myriad manifestations star disk fragment and 'Karma.' He was indeed in urgent need of resources right now, and he also needed to search for star disk fragments. Although the Flowing Fire Realm was dangerous, if managed properly, it might not be a bad Opportunity.

"How about it? Interested, aren't you?" Lin Feng laughed. "I can provide you with the detailed coordinates of the Flowing Fire Realm, intelligence on the known Annihilation Beasts, and even a relatively safe infiltration route... Of course, the old rules, the information fee..."

"How much?" Liu Qingtian asked directly.

Lin Feng quoted a number that made his eyelids twitch, with the unit still being "xuanxu realm origin."

"Why don't you just go rob someone?" Liu Qingtian said coldly.

"Hey, you can't say it like that. This is exclusive information, concerning your life and your Dao Opportunity; it is absolutely worth this price! Besides, you had a significant harvest in the Secret Realm this time—don't think I don't know. What's wrong with paying off some debt?" Lin Feng had the air of someone who had him figured out.

Liu Qingtian took a deep breath, knowing that bargaining with this unscrupulous merchant was useless. He glanced at Wang Gou, who was seemingly playing with pebbles nearby but was actually listening with his ears pricked up, and he formed a plan in his mind.

"I want the information. But as for the payment, wait until I return from the Flowing Fire Realm, and I will pay with my harvest." Liu Qingtian tried to secure a buffer period.

"Deal!" Lin Feng agreed readily, as if he was certain that he would definitely return alive and make a great harvest. "I'm sending you the information now. By the way, a word of caution: the Flowing Fire Realm is currently a mix of dragons and snakes. Besides the local Cultivators, there are observers and mercenaries sent by various major worlds, and there might even be some trash from the Nihility Cult mixed in, so be careful."

The communication ended, and a stream of information flooded into Liu Qingtian's mind; it was the detailed data regarding the Flowing Fire Realm.

Liu Qingtian digested the information, looked at Wang Gou, and suddenly spoke: "Wang Gou, there is a place with even bigger 'excitement,' dare you go?"

Wang Gou's eyes immediately lit up, and he threw the pebbles away: "Excitement? How big? Is it more exciting than being hunted by the Yunlan Sect?"

"It involves the survival of a world, an Annihilation Beast Tide, and there might even be ancient treasures hidden there." Liu Qingtian said briefly.

"Go! Must go!" Wang Gou rubbed his hands excitedly. "How can such a big scene be missing me, Wang Gou! brother, don't worry, I guarantee that with me around, we can sneak over without anyone noticing!"

Looking at the eager Wang Gou, Liu Qingtian thought to himself: Bringing along this guy with such low presence might actually play an unexpected role in the crisis-ridden Flowing Fire Realm.

Since he had decided, he would not hesitate any longer. He stood up and removed the Restriction on the Immortal Cave.

"Let's go. Target: Flowing Fire Realm."