Two days later.

Qingping City.

Inside a secluded quiet room.

Brilliant light erupted from Qi Yuan’s form, blinding and intense. A surging tide of spiritual pressure blasted outward, slamming into the walls and causing the layers of defensive formations reinforcing the chamber to groan and tremble violently.

It took a long while for the turbulence to subside. Qi Yuan gradually stabilized his boiling mana, slowly waking from his deep trance.

He turned his senses inward. The Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul within his dantian had become even more pristine and condensed. Divine intent swirled around it, currents of light flowing across its surface, radiating a faint aura of terror that would make ordinary cultivators palpitate with dread.

Late-stage Nascent Soul!

Feeling the torrential energy coursing through his meridians, Qi Yuan exhaled a breath of turbid air, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.

In just half a year, his cultivation had skyrocketed from the early stage to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Such speed was unprecedented; if word got out, countless cultivators would dislocate their jaws in shock.

It had to be noted that back in the Foundation Building realm, it took him over a year to bridge the gap from early to late stage—and even that pace was considered the gold standard for top-tier geniuses.

Breaking through in the Nascent Soul realm was infinitely more difficult than Foundation Building. Yet, his current speed was more than double his previous record. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Moreover, the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul was a bottomless pit; the spiritual energy required for its advancement far exceeded that of an ordinary Nascent Soul, making the feat even more impossible!

“Sure enough, even if the System is a bit brain-dead, it’s still better than having no cheat at all.”

Qi Yuan muttered to himself, his expression complicated. “If I didn’t have the System’s assistance and relied solely on grinding, I’d probably just be consolidating my initial Nascent Soul right now.”

After a brief moment of sentimental sighing, his brows furrowed, and a calculating glint entered his eyes.

“At this rate, it will take at most three months to reach the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Then, I can start preparing for Soul Formation.”

“However, I still don’t have a source for the Heavenly Dao energy required for a perfect breakthrough. Instead of passively waiting for the System to dispense a relevant quest, I should proactively search for it.”

“And before I find someone to refine the Heaven-Mending Pill, I need to secure that item from the Slaughtering Daoist’s tomb. I can’t let anyone else beat me to it.”

“According to the memories I pulled via Soul Searching, the Slaughtering Daoist rigged his cave abode with vicious traps to prevent his lair from being raided. Going alone would be genuinely dangerous… fortunately, I have two ‘enthusiastic helpers’ ready to clear the path for me.”

“The only thing that needs to be wrapped up immediately is this new task…”

Gathering his thoughts, Qi Yuan steadied his mind. With a peculiar expression, he summoned the System interface.

[New Main Quest Released]

[Background]: After enduring countless hardships to avenge the extermination of the Qi family, you were severely injured by the culprit. Upon recovering, you felt your cultivation was insufficient. You resolutely canceled your trip to the Exquisite Sanctuary to seek opportunities in the wider world.

[Trigger]: In a marketplace, you heard rumors that strange phenomena have lingered over Qingping City for days, suggesting a heavy treasure is about to emerge. You decided to investigate.

[Current Situation]: Upon arrival, you found Qingping City bustling. Tens of thousands of rogue cultivators, sharing your idea, have gathered from all directions, searching the city day and night.

[Insight]: However, watching the increasingly frenzied crowd, you vaguely realized this matter is not simple…

[Quest Objective]: Arrive in Qingping City before dusk today and survive the upcoming events.

[Additional Objective]: Take measures to maximize the number of survivors.

[Difficulty]: Four Stars (Difficult)

[Rewards]: 1,500 Counterattack Points, 20 Top-Grade Essence Nourishing Pills. Talent update: [Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing] upgrades to [True Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing]. (Note: Once activated, the Host can actively conceal cultivation base and spiritual root aptitude. No existence within the scope of the Heavenly Dao can see through it.)

[Bonus Rewards]: For every cultivator who survives due to your actions, +5 Counterattack Points. For every mortal, +1 Counterattack Point.

Staring at the glowing text, Qi Yuan fell into deep contemplation.

The System was practically shouting the answer. The treasure hunting craze in Qingping City was obviously a long-conspiracy.

Qingping City was a remote backwater. Calling it a ‘city’ was generous; it was barely a glorified town with a population of less than twenty thousand.

More interestingly, it was tens of thousands of miles from the nearest cultivation sect. And that sect was weaker than Falling Cloud Valley—a bottom-feeder among bottom-feeders.

Despite the rumors of a treasure, the vast majority of cultivators who had flocked here in the last two days were rogue cultivators. There were barely any disciples from legitimate sects.

Stacking these suspicious factors together, Qi Yuan had already pieced together seventy or eighty percent of the truth.

Most likely, some heretical cultivator was ‘chumming the waters’ here, using the treasure rumors as bait to lure foreign cultivators into a trap.

As for the motive? Either blood sacrifice or robbery. Probably both.

As the thought crossed his mind, Qi Yuan’s eyes narrowed, a cold smile playing on his lips.

The fact that this evil cultivator only dared to target such a remote, insignificant city proved their appetite was small and their strength was mediocre. If they were truly powerful, they could have simply refined the entire city—mortals and cultivators alike—into ash with a snap of their fingers. They wouldn’t need such a convoluted setup.

As for the additional rewards… with him, the Holy Scion of the Exquisite Sanctuary, present, the only person dying in this city today would be the mastermind.

Tens of thousands of Counterattack Points were about to drop into his lap. This mastermind wasn’t a villain; he was a ‘Gift-Giving Child’—a courier delivering a fortune right to Qi Yuan’s doorstep.

Mind made up, he didn’t waste another second. He stood up, smoothed his robes, and stepped out of the room.

Not long after.

Dusk was settling in, yet the streets remained choked with people. beams of multi-colored escape lights streaked across the sky, painting a picture of a booming, prosperous cultivation hub.

Gradually, however, the clear evening sky began to dim. Black clouds rolled in, swallowing the light, turning the world murky and oppressive. A sinister wind began to howl.

Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, looking up at the sudden shift in weather with confusion written on their faces.

“Why did it get so dark? Is it going to rain?”

“The weather shouldn’t change this fast… this doesn’t feel right…”

“Wait, could it be? Is the treasure finally appearing?”

…

In the next moment.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amidst the chatter, dozens of pillars of gray array energy shot into the sky. Like a gigantic hand closing its fingers, the energy curtain rapidly enveloped the entire small city.

At that instant, even mortals with zero cultivation felt a thick, suffocating dread press down on their hearts.

Suddenly, a voice echoed over Qingping City—sinister, icy, and dripping with malice, sounding as if it had crawled up from the Nine Serenities.

“Don’t struggle! The Ten Directions Soul Absorbing Array is already active. You have no wings to fly, so obediently enter my Banner of Ten Thousand Souls and become my ghost soldiers!”

As the voice faded, a figure floated into view on a cloud of murky qi. Clad in black robes with a deep hood, the cultivator was gaunt and skeletal, his body radiating wisps of bone-chilling, poisonous black mist.

An early-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator.

He held a small, ghost-black banner in his hand. As he waved it, it whipped up waves of weeping wind and mournful fog.

“It’s over! It’s really the Ten Directions Soul Absorbing Array!”

“Hiss… I never expected a Nascent Soul-level evil cultivator to be hiding here. We’re dead!”

“Spare me! I don’t want to die! Senior, please, spare my worthless life!”

Panic erupted. Countless people scrambled like headless flies, running in all directions, only to find themselves firmly trapped by the formation barrier. Cries of despair, begging, and terrified screams blended together, creating a cacophony of apocalyptic hopelessness.

But right at the peak of the despair, a clear, calm voice cut through the noise from within the city.

“So, you’re the one delivering the wealth… Hello, goodbye!”

“What?”

The demonic cultivator paused, confused.

Before he could even process the sentence, a blinding streak of sword light tore through the air. It shredded his protective aura, his body, and his soul in a single instant, reducing the terrifying Nascent Soul cultivator into a shower of bloody confetti.