Chapter 230: Horse Doesn't Grow Fat Without Grazing at Night

"Taboo."

Xu Qing was startled. He had never heard this word and didn't know what a taboo was.

But soon, through the communication between Patriarch Vajra Sect and the Shadow, and what was revealed to him, Xu Qing learned about the taboos that existed on magical artifacts.

As for how the Shadow knew all this, Patriarch Vajra Sect thoughtfully inquired. The Shadow's reply was that it didn't know why itself; it seemed to just know upon seeing them.

At the same time, the Shadow emitted strong emotional fluctuations, filled with an intense desire to devour them.

This made Xu Qing thoughtful, but he didn't immediately agree to the Shadow's request. Unless he had complete certainty, he wouldn't easily allow the Shadow to absorb such a treasure.

He wasn't sure if the Shadow might rebel during the absorption process. So, after pondering, Xu Qing put away the wooden box, despite the Shadow's reluctance.

Then he glanced at the Shadow and suddenly spoke. "If you perform well, I'll consider letting you absorb it in the future."

The Shadow immediately conveyed excited emotions. Patriarch Vajra Sect, standing by, was startled and felt even more vigilant toward the Shadow. He felt he needed to display more of his abilities, otherwise, the 'little fart shadow' could easily win favor.

Ignoring Patriarch Vajra Sect and the Shadow, Xu Qing continued to examine Sima Ling's storage ring. He searched for a long time among the remaining items, finding only miscellaneous junk, with nothing good hidden inside.

Giving up the search, he finally took out the five pills. After sniffing them, Xu Qing's eyes showed resolve. He took one directly and threw it into his mouth. The next instant, as the pill dissolved, Xu Qing's entire body trembled violently.

He felt a surge of violent power rapidly converging within his body.

This was not soul power; it was more like a pill specifically formulated by a high-grade elixir recipe to open spiritual apertures.

Now, with this continuous convergence, the numbing sensation in the location of Xu Qing's unactivated eighty-fourth spiritual aperture grew stronger. In a flash, this violent power surged with a roar, rushing directly towards the eighty-fourth spiritual aperture, and burst open.

Xu Qing's entire body shook, his eyes gleaming with purple light, revealing surprise. "Just one pill actually opened a spiritual aperture for me!"

This effect surpassed the soul pills Xu Qing had previously bought in the black market. It could be said that, so far, it was the most effective pill he had encountered, apart from the high-grade soul pills refined from the White Fiend Soul.

Feeling the rumbling operation of his eighty-four spiritual apertures, he didn't hesitate to take out the second pill and swallow it. A moment later, Xu Qing's body trembled again, and his breathing became rapid.

The eighty-fifth spiritual aperture also opened!

"The effect hasn't diminished!" Xu Qing now fully realized the preciousness of this pill. He figured its value must be immense, and he also gained a profound understanding of the wealth possessed by the Seven Sect Alliance's chosen ones.

"Three more left." Xu Qing's eyes gleamed as he swallowed the third pill. Soon, the eighty-sixth spiritual aperture instantly opened.

Xu Qing didn't stop, swallowing the last two pills one after another. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his eighty-eight spiritual apertures generated astonishing magical power, fiercely circulating within his body like fire dragons, emitting a fiery energy stronger than before.

"Only two more spiritual apertures remain to activate the third Life Fire!" Xu Qing's eyes showed excitement.

So, in the following days, he began collecting soul pills within the Seven Blood Eyes to try and break through the last two spiritual apertures. However, soul pills were difficult to acquire quickly, requiring some time to purchase.

As for the two divine flesh-and-blood samples, Xu Qing tried them as well, but their effect was unsatisfactory. So Xu Qing still chose to place them back into the magic vessel.

However, Xu Qing had an alternative method. He moved from his berth and went to the Bounty Hunter Division's prison.

There were a large number of Night Raven cultivators there. Although their cultivation was weak, their numbers were vast. Xu Qing thought that by accumulating them, perhaps with a sufficient quantity, he could also open a spiritual aperture.

Moreover, during this soul refinement process, Xu Qing was continuously adapting to the toxicity of the Poison-Banned Pill, allowing himself more time to study it. He even considered how to merge the small black insects with this poisonous pill.

This was a new research topic, and Xu Qing felt that significant progress would require extensive experimentation. Thus, time slowly passed.

The Seven Blood Eyes' celebration banquet continued, with foreign tribes arriving daily, making all the ports incredibly lively. However, the mood of the Seven Blood Eyes disciples grew increasingly heavy.

This was because the challenges from the Seven Sects, although delayed for a few days due to Xu Qing's actions, quickly resumed.

It seemed the Seven Sect Alliance intended to extend this challenge for a full three months. As for Sheng Yunzi of the Lingyun Sword Sect, although he only made one move and didn't act again, he had taken up residence on the First Peak.

Outside his residence, the canopy formed by the Seven-Colored Wind-Chime Lamp was awe-inspiring, suppressing the aura of the disciples on the First Peak, causing all arriving foreign tribes and allies to fall silent.

The Seven Sect Alliance's attitude was very clear.

This 'beating' was no longer a simple statement but a profound warning.

It warned the Seven Blood Eyes not to harbor thoughts of independence. Furthermore, there were rumors that after this celebration banquet, all seven peak masters of the Seven Blood Eyes would be replaced by the Seven Sect Alliance, with new peak masters appointed.

For a time, even though the Seven Blood Eyes had won the battle against the Sea Corpse Tribe and their morale was high, they were being suppressed by the Seven Sect Alliance in this manner, while the Ancestor of the Seven Blood Eyes remained unresponsive.

Xu Qing also felt the suppression within the sect, but he didn't think the matter was that simple. Especially what the Captain mentioned seeing on the Sixth Peak gave Xu Qing a premonition that the sect seemed to be waiting for something.

"Regardless, this is a decision and a game among the higher-ups," Xu Qing shook his head, paying no mind, and continued to immerse himself in cultivation. The Captain had also returned during this period; after sending a message to Xu Qing, he became busy with unknown matters.

As for Xu Qing, during these days, with continuous soul refinement, although he still hadn't successfully opened a spiritual aperture, he gained a deeper understanding of the Poison-Banned Pill. Not only did his body adapt better, but he also determined a new approach for refining it.

Additionally, he was attempting to guide the small black insects to merge with the Poison-Banned Pill. However, this process caused significant attrition among the insects; often, an entire swarm would attempt to merge, but not a single one would succeed.

All of them died upon nearing it.

But Xu Qing was not discouraged. Sitting cross-legged in the prison cell, he took out all the bottles containing the small black insects from his person.

Thanks to Xu Qing's continuous replenishments, he now had eight bottles of small black insects.

Each bottle contained countless small black insects. Previously, he had tried to integrate the contents of one bottle into the poisonous pill, and all of them died. Now, he took out the second bottle and opened it.

Then, with a hand seal and a gesture, a dense black mist immediately rose from the small bottle, incredibly thick, enveloping Xu Qing. If an outsider were to witness this scene, they would surely be alarmed.

Due to the threatening nature of these small black insects, even Golden Core cultivators would be wary of them.

However, Xu Qing was clearly still not satisfied with their power. So, he opened the Wish Box, and with a gesture, the surrounding black mist immediately surged towards it.

But the moment they approached, the black mist dispersed, and all the small black insects within instantly rotted and died.

Xu Qing frowned and continued to try. Soon, the third bottle, the fourth bottle, the fifth bottle...

Countless small black insects died repeatedly, until only the last bottle remained, yet not a single one successfully survived; all perished.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly. He dared not continue with the last remaining bottle, as it needed to serve as the seed for cultivating more small black insects. Therefore, he arranged for the Bounty Hunter Division to send Night Raven prisoners from other jails to supplement his small black insect cultivation.

Only after the number of small black insects was cultivated again using the flesh and blood of those Night Ravens did Xu Qing resume his attempts to make them adapt to the poisonous pill.

During this cultivation process, he also added many detoxifying herbs and even incorporated more of his own fresh blood.

After all, his body had gained more resistance to the poisonous pill. Thus, another seven days passed.

Xu Qing, who continuously drove the small black insects towards the Poison-Banned Pill, finally succeeded in getting eight of them to survive the first wave of deaths.

Although they became very weak after surviving, Xu Qing was greatly encouraged.

He knew that these first eight survivors would be the seeds, and the new swarms of small black insects cultivated from them would have better resistance.

He also noticed that these eight small black insects seemed to have undergone some mutation after passing through their weak period; their color was no longer so pitch black.

"With this method, I will eventually be able to cultivate small black insects that can completely withstand the Poison-Banned Pill, allowing them to parasitize within it, evolving day and night, their power naturally becoming even more astonishing."

As Xu Qing's heart was filled with anticipation, that evening, under the glow of crimson clouds in the sky, an uninvited guest arrived outside the Bounty Hunter Division where he was, before the mansion-like yamen building. This person wore a red glove on his right hand.

This individual was a young man, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, arriving as if treading on the evening glow. He wore a purple Daoist robe embroidered with gold threads, and faint traces of a gluttonous beast pattern could be vaguely seen near the cuffs.

As he walked, waves of magical power emanated from his Daoist robe, spreading in all directions, while also making his handsome, prominent forehead appear even more imposing and domineering.

As he approached, many small pebbles on the road outside the Bounty Hunter Division's mansion seemed to be pulled by his aura, slowly floating up and circling around him, gradually forming a swirling storm. This amplified his imposing presence.

Especially the evening glow in the sky and the surrounding afterglow seemed to dim slightly upon his arrival, while his right hand's glove became even more strikingly vibrant and eerie in the fading light.

This scene caught the attention of the disciples on duty outside the Bounty Hunter Division. Each of them looked solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy, as they watched the approaching young man.

As the individual drew closer, the storm swept across all directions, blowing against the disciples, causing them to uncontrollably step backward until they reached the main gate. One of them, breathing heavily with veins bulging on his forehead, let out a low shout.

"Halt! Who goes there!"

The purple-robed youth raised his right hand, and a purple orb rapidly formed outside his glove. With a slight wave, this purple orb shot straight towards the on-duty disciples.

"Don't be nervous. Give this item to your Commander Xu Qing. Tell him I'm here to offer him a great opportunity."