The Art of Chaotic Divinity-Chapter 786: The Demon Lord Returns

"This... uh..."

The High Priest broke out in a cold sweat. "This lowly one doesn't know either! The Master—bah! That demon Blood Sword Heavenly Lord would just give us the Blood Soul Pearls and order us to establish branch temples in nearby cities. We'd convert the ignorant masses into followers, then harvest their soul essence."

"Exactly!" The remaining enforcer chimed in eagerly. "That demon would distribute the pearls, teach us how to control the Blood Spirit Corpses, then disappear. He'd only return periodically to collect the pearls—and punish us severely if we didn't gather enough soul essence."

Ling Feng stroked his chin. As the Despicable Donkey guessed—the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord is harvesting all this soul essence to repair that demon sword.

Every Blood Spirit Corpse would eventually become nourishment for the demon sword. Once restored to a certain level, the sword could simultaneously drain the vital essence from millions of corpses in an instant.

By then, every Blood God Cult member—including the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord himself—would become sacrificial offerings to the sword.

These fools actually believed they'd gain immortality. What a joke.

"Hmph!"

Ling Feng's gaze turned even colder. "Think carefully. Did your Master have any alchemy labs or meditation chambers in this stronghold?"

"Oh! I remember now!"

The High Priest slapped his thigh. "Young Hero, there's one place the demon used for cultivation—forbidden to everyone else! I'll take you there!"

"Smart choice." Ling Feng sealed both men's dantians with a wave of his hand. "Lead the way."

"Young... Young Hero, I have one... one request."

The High Priest trembled as he spoke.

"Stay obedient, and I might spare your lives if I find what I need." Ling Feng raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't forgotten—capturing these cultists alive yielded far greater rewards than killing them. Whether handed over to the Northwestern Army or Tianwei Academy, he stood to gain substantially.

"Yes! Yes!"

The two men nodded frantically. "Right this way, Young Hero!"

"Wait."

Ling Feng paused. "Gather all the Blood Soul Pearls—including those from the corpses—and hand them over."

Turns out, that Despicable Donkey couldn't resist any longer. Through the spirit animal pact, he contacted Ling Feng—the Blood Soul Pearls were simply too valuable to leave behind.

He'd been lying low in the Five Elements Heavenly Palace this whole time, biding his time to lure the enemy into the open. If not for that, he would've shown up long ago to snatch the Blood Soul Pearls himself.

The pearls contained vast amounts of soul essence—a delicacy the Despicable Donkey had developed quite a taste for.

Though undeniably evil, the refined soul essence was still valuable. Since it had already been harvested, wasting it would be a shame!

Neither the donkey nor Ling Feng had any moral qualms about this. After all, Ling Feng's own Eye of Plunder—evolved from the Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl—was an inherently sinister power.

With the hundred-meridian limit nearly broken and his breakthrough to the Spiritual Element Realm on the horizon, Ling Feng would soon begin delving into the mysteries of the soul. When that time came, these pearls might just come in handy.

(Author's Note: The Eye of Plunder can extract vital essence and soul vigor from living beings to enhance one's own soul essence source. However, frequent use risks losing control to bloodlust—as seen during the Asura's Eye rampage. Hence Ling Feng rarely employs it. See Chapter 270: Berserk for details.)

With his Sacred Mystical-Heaven Art now tempering his killing intent, Ling Feng could safely use the Eye of Plunder on deserving enemies.

"Yes! Yes!"

The High Priest and enforcer scrambled to collect every pearl, even carefully wiping blood off the one retrieved from their splattered comrade before presenting them to Ling Feng.

"Good. Now lead on."

Ling Feng nodded, confident they wouldn't dare withhold anything.

"Yes!"

The High Priest swallowed hard, then quickly led Ling Feng and Tuoba Yan down a side corridor toward a more secluded area.

Unbeknownst to them, one "corpse" on the floor had eyes rolling unnaturally—not real eyes at all.

Everything it saw was being transmitted through a mystical mirror to the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord, currently deep in the mountains recovering his strength.

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"So that brat Ling Feng has come after all!"

Li Qingling glared at the mirror, though the absence of the black donkey provided some relief.

"Master, with the demon sword in hand, why fret?" The demon sword's spirit manifested as a shadowy figure, its grating voice like sandpaper on stone. "That black donkey's attack only perfected our fusion. You're now strong enough to defeat it."

"I simply dislike wasting power."

Li Qingling's lips curled. "Ling Feng possesses extraordinary medical skills. If he finds the Imperial Bloodshade Orchid in my sanctum, he'll develop an antidote for the corpse poison—ruining months of planning."

"Troublesome indeed. What will you do, Master?"

The shadowy spirit circled Li Qingling. Though addressing him as "Master," this demonic sword's nature ensured it would eventually turn on its wielder, transforming him into a sword puppet.

"I have a plan."

Li Qingling grinned viciously. "Sword, retract your aura into my dantian."

"Why, Master?"

"That Ling Feng humiliated me with his medical prowess last time. Today, I'll repay him tenfold—and play him to his death!"

As Li Qingling's eerie laughter echoed, the demon sword spirit nodded and withdrew into the blade. The demon sword's tendrils retracted into Li Qingling's body, restoring his original human form.

In an instant, the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord was gone—replaced by the outwardly refined Lay Practitioner Qingling, with not a trace of his true, sinister nature!