Chapter 232: Startling the World with a Call

And so, the slaughter continued to erupt throughout the night. This was a major battle between the Homicide Department and the Night Sparrow, an event closely watched by all the arriving foreign races and allies.

Indeed, the Homicide Department's curfew this time covered a vast area, and the killings were brutal. What was even more astonishing was that the name "Sister-in-law Yanyan" spread throughout the Homicide Department; anyone who called her "sister-in-law" would receive elixirs and spirit stones from her.

Whenever danger arose, she would immediately arrive on her giant octopus. With a Core Formation cultivator present, everything went smoothly.

After the night passed, the Homicide Department's casualties were not extensive, thanks to Yanyan's involvement.

The number of Night Sparrows killed was quite astonishing. Over four thousand Night Sparrow members, who had gathered from across the entire Southern Phoenix Continent, were either captured alive that night or had their heads cut off in resistance and hung on the city walls.

By the next morning, when the main city resumed normal operations, the lingering scent of blood could still be detected in many areas. That night's slaughter had made the Homicide Department the focal point of attention for all factions within the Seven Blood Eyes.

Although most Night Sparrows were Qi Condensation cultivators, and the Homicide Department consisted of similar ranks, these foreign races were not observing the cultivation levels of these low-tier cultivators. Instead, they were focused on the inherent savagery born from the Gu-raising system.

This savagery prompted many foreign races and allies to elevate their assessment of the Seven Blood Eyes. If even the lowest-ranking disciples were so ruthless, then the core and high-level figures who had risen from such an environment would undoubtedly be even more formidable in their ferocity.

After all, one who rises from a pack of wolves is surely a wolf king.

Simultaneously, they prepared to observe Xu Qing.

However, Xu Qing was too low-key. He hadn't appeared since his battle with Sima Ling and rarely left the Homicide Department's dungeon, making it difficult for the various factions interested in him to investigate.

And last night, due to Yanyan's participation, Xu Qing did not need to act.

Regarding this, Xu Qing felt a bit strange. Yanyan had repeatedly sought him out for a period before, but after his repeated rejections, she had vanished. Xu Qing had assumed she wouldn't bother him again.

He hadn't expected Yanyan to be involved in the Night Sparrow crackdown.

As for Yanyan's remarks, they reached his ears, but given her enthusiastic assistance, Xu Qing didn't dwell on them too much.

He was waiting for his last two Dharma Apertures to open and for his third Life Fire to ignite. He was also waiting for his little black bugs to grow stronger through continuous cultivation.

Furthermore, he was waiting for the Homicide Department's continuous crackdown to force out the Night Sparrow's headquarters, which were hidden within the Seven Blood Eyes. At that point, it would be his time to strike and utterly destroy them.

Therefore, Xu Qing, like one in hibernation, no longer sought attention but instead focused entirely on enhancing his combat power and cultivation.

The destruction of the Night Sparrow strongholds could not be completed in a single night, so this operation continued for several days and nights.

And so, as the Homicide Department responded to the Night Sparrow's previous provocations with ferocity and iron discipline, days passed. The Sea Corpse Race, as the defeated party, finally arrived!

The arrival was Dark Left Marquis of the Sea Corpse Race, a Nascent Soul cultivator. As the defeated party, this was his only permitted outing during the next sixty years.

Accompanying him were Ying Ling, the Core Formation child whom Xu Qing had met previously, and Miao Chen, who would remain as a hostage, imprisoned within the Seven Blood Eyes.

He did not wish to come, but he had no choice; only his status as a direct descendant qualified him to be the Sea Corpse Race's hostage. The humiliation and madness within him were intense.

He could only endure.

At the same time, he harbored a deep hatred for Xu Qing but was helpless.

The arrival of the Sea Corpse Race brought the celebration to its peak. As the sect's bell resonated, Bloody Refiner's face appeared in the sky, looking down.

The Peak Lord, representing the Seven Blood Eyes, summoned the defeated Sea Corpse Race entourage. Under the watchful eyes of countless foreign races and the Seven Sects Alliance, Dark Left Marquis of the Sea Corpse Race humiliatingly submitted the surrender document and compensation.

Also included were the oath slips of all Sea Corpse Race cultivators at or above the Core Formation stage.

Finally, the transfer of ownership of the Sea Corpse Ancestor statues was simultaneously carried out on the Sea Corpse Race's home territory.

On the Sea Corpse Race's home territory, two Peak Lords of the Seven Blood Eyes were still present and had not returned. They were tasked with receiving the Corpse Ancestor statues on the Sea Corpse Race's native land.

They were responsible for moving them from their original positions and simultaneously setting up a massive teleportation array.

The purpose of this array was to transport these two colossal Corpse Ancestor statues back to the Seven Blood Eyes' mountain gate, where they would be kept as war trophies.

Although all parties believed the statues would not be of much use once they left the Sea Corpse Race, it was clear that these were the most precious possessions of the Sea Corpse Race, making the Seven Blood Eyes' demand understandable.

Any other race would have made the same demand.

However, due to the great distance and the Seven Blood Eyes' desire to teleport the statues directly back to the Southern Phoenix Continent this time, bypassing the Mermaid Race's island, setting up the array would require some time.

This time wouldn't be excessively long; according to various parties' judgments, the teleportation array would surely be completed before the celebration concluded.

The surrender of the Sea Corpse Race elevated the Seven Blood Eyes' celebration to a higher level, becoming the main focus of attention for visiting foreign races and allies. For a time, even the fervor of the challenges issued by the Seven Sects Alliance to various peaks was overshadowed.

The combat rewards that had not yet been distributed were finally dispensed by the sect as the Sea Corpse Race delivered the war reparations. Xu Qing's spirit stone reserves, combined with his previous gains from Sima Ling, became unprecedentedly abundant.

He was also more cheerful than usual.

In fact, not only him, but all participating disciples felt greatly relieved after receiving their rewards and began purchasing numerous items to enhance their cultivation and combat power.

However, the joy of the disciples from various peaks lasted only a few days. As the Seven Sects Alliance's prodigies issued challenges again, the fervor reignited.

This time, the challenges weren't limited to the top prodigies of each sect.

When they arrived, with the exception of Huang Yikun from the Profound Nether Sect, all other parties were not alone; they were accompanied by guardians and some less prominent sect elites.

These less prominent elites from various sects began challenging disciples from various peaks who were not among the 'princes'. While there were wins and losses on both sides, overall, the Seven Sects Alliance still held the advantage.

However, no one challenged Xu Qing.

Meanwhile, during this period, as Night Sparrow strongholds were being extensively destroyed and a large number of people were arrested, Xu Qing's cultivation progressed even more smoothly. He was not far from opening his eighty-ninth Dharma Aperture.

He also bought a large quantity of poisonous herbs, attempting to refine the poison pill further. Simultaneously, his little black bugs continuously tried to integrate into the poison pill, resulting in a third batch of poisonous insects.

There were only six of these third-batch poisonous insects.

They were invisible to the naked eye; only Xu Qing could sense their presence through his perception and blood resonance. Furthermore, the surviving seed poisonous insects from this third batch showed a more noticeable color change.

Their color was very faint, and their size was significantly smaller, yet the toxicity they contained had greatly increased, even faintly possessing some characteristics of the poison pill's venom.

Xu Qing cherished this discovery like a precious treasure. He carefully began nurturing these six third-batch seed bugs, using the bodies of Night Sparrow cultivators.

At the same time, he also developed many new research ideas: planting more medicinal and poisonous herbs within Night Sparrow members to alter their flesh and blood, thereby making the third batch of bugs, which continuously regenerated through consumption, even more superior.

To Xu Qing, this process was akin to scholarly research. He observed diligently and recorded comprehensively, always pleasantly surprised whenever he made a discovery.

However, for the Night Sparrow cultivators in the dungeon, his actions were an unparalleled scene of hell. Before this, most of them had considered themselves quite ruthless, but after witnessing Xu Qing's methods, they felt utterly insignificant.

And in their lives, the unruly treasure raisers they had tortured to death, along with the even more perverse games they had played for amusement, were now karmically reciprocated.

Thus, piercing screams and wails echoed repeatedly within the Homicide Department's dungeon. While the Homicide Department disciples outside were mostly accustomed to it, they still dared not get too close.

Especially since Xu Qing was the overall person in charge of the Night Sparrow operation this time, and had previously established his authority by suppressing Sima Ling and during the curfew, there would be no repeat of the previous situation where the Seventh Peak's Homicide Department ran out of prisoners and other peaks refused to provide more.

Thus, large numbers of prisoners were continuously sent from the Homicide Departments of various peaks every day. The main city remained sealed off, preventing Night Sparrows from escaping and forcing them to continuously hide, so arrests were still ongoing.

It was imaginable that after this, the Night Sparrow's losses in the Southern Phoenix Continent would be immense.

Thus, Xu Qing's research progressed rapidly with a sufficient supply of Night Sparrow cultivators. As for the souls of those Night Sparrows, Xu Qing didn't waste them either; even if their soul power was too weak individually, their sheer number still had some effect. After being refined by him, they became a force for opening Dharma Apertures.

His fierce reputation, due to the piercing screams within the Homicide Department's dungeon, had reached a terrifying degree within the main city, startling all hidden Night Sparrows.

Meanwhile, as Xu Qing proceeded systematically, opening Dharma Apertures and enhancing the power of his little black bugs, and waiting for his complete transformation after all his efforts succeeded, Sheng Yunzi stood on the massive combat training square atop the First Summit and spoke faintly.

"You are too weak."

His voice was calm but held a hint of disappointment. Around him, eight princes of the First Summit lay sprawled.

Wu Jianwu was among them. Each person was pale, with blood oozing, their expressions a mixture of complexity and shock, as they gazed at Sheng Yunzi, who stood under the moonlight, illuminated by the bright moon, appearing extraordinary and peerless.

A canopy of light hovered overhead, and a seven-colored wind chime resonated. Furthermore, a green-bodied, red-tailed Miemeng let out a sky-shattering cry, unleashing a black wind that swept in all directions.

Not far away was the Eldest Prince of the First Summit, who had just emerged from seclusion.

He was pale, with blood at the corner of his mouth as well.

His cultivation had broken through to Heavenly Palace Core Formation, but having just broken through, he hadn't had time to nurture his Divine Splendor Heavenly Palace. He had to emerge from seclusion to fight; there was no way to wait any longer, as the nurturing process would take a long time, and the First Summit had now been suppressed by Sheng Yunzi alone.

But the Eldest Prince still lost.

Most humiliatingly, Sheng Yunzi had proposed that all nine princes attack him together, and all nine were defeated.

He was unbeatable!

"Somewhat boring," Sheng Yunzi muttered.

Sheng Yunzi was expressionless. He found his visit to the Seven Blood Eyes quite boring, so his gaze fell upon the Seventh Summit, and after a glance, he shook his head.

He turned and vanished from the First Summit's peak, heading towards the distant Phoenix Sanctuary.

Behind him, three Core Formation guardians silently followed.

"That little sparrow knows how to lie low; he's got some brains," he mused. "I hope he grows quickly. Only then will he be a somewhat palatable little snack to swallow."

At this moment, on the Seventh Summit, which Sheng Yunzi had observed before leaving, Huang Yikun of the Profound Nether Sect, from the Seven Sects Alliance, walked proudly up the mountain steps under the moonlight.

"Today, I, Huang Yikun, challenge the Seventh Summit!"