Chapter 60

In the cave where flames rose from the ground, Bai Shi's body moved in sync with the shadow on the stone wall, his steps changing continuously. As he moved, he tightly gripped the Dragon Roar Sword, and the sound emanating from the sword seemed to activate some mysterious law of nature, causing green sword shadows to ripple out one after another within the cave.

His gaze focused ahead, the shadow on the stone wall seemed to be etched into his memory, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, like the reflection of the flames on the Dragon Roar Sword, emitting a subtle chill.

At the same time, as he practiced his sword techniques, a subtle flow of spiritual energy was invisibly pouring into his body, this spiritual energy coming from the mysterious cave...

The white fox had fully awakened at this moment, standing in a corner, watching Bai Shi practice his sword techniques with curiosity.

At the same time, in the council hall of Beigun Manor in Suxing City, Elder Qi Huang was smiling and conversing with someone, but his smile was tinged with arrogance, as if the other party was seeking something from him. The other person was Xiao Yishen.

Xiao Yishen suppressed his inner anger, sitting on a wooden chair, looking at Elder Qi Huang, and forced a smile, saying, "I hope my visit today... has not disturbed your cultivation, Elder Qi."

Elder Qi Huang seemed to already know the purpose of Xiao Yishen's visit, or perhaps he was certain about it. However, he pretended not to know, acting magnanimous, and gestured to an attendant to pour a cup of hot tea for Xiao Yishen. He then said with a faint smile, "Not at all, not at all. The visit of the Demon Blade Sect's leader to our Beigun Manor is indeed a great honor... Leader Xiao, you are too modest."

From this smile, Xiao Yishen could see Elder Qi Huang's satisfaction. His gaze shifted away from Elder Qi Huang, and he coldly snorted, "It seems, Elder Qi, you are quite eloquent... Since you know the purpose of my visit, why pretend?"

Elder Qi Huang slightly furrowed his brow, an expression that was clearly feigned, and said, "Leader Xiao, I really don't know why you have come this time, so how can I be 'pretending'?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yishen stood up from the wooden chair and said, "Since you, Elder Qi, don't know, I will tell you... Our Demon Blade Sect and your Beigun Manor have always coexisted peacefully. We each do our own business... without interfering with each other, and in some areas, we even have a cooperative relationship. But why, Elder Qi, are you cutting off our Demon Blade Sect's supply of medicinal herbs?"

Elder Qi Huang also stood up from the wooden chair, facing Xiao Yishen, his brows furrowing even more, as if even more puzzled, and said, "Leader Xiao, I am even more confused by what you are saying."

In recent days, the Demon Blade Sect had almost seized all of Beigun Manor's interests. So this time, Elder Qi Huang would not miss any opportunity to provoke Xiao Yishen.

Xiao Yishen knew that Elder Qi Huang was a cunning old fox and that his words were a mockery. But since he was seeking something, he could only suppress his anger and said, "I believe, Elder Qi, you cannot deny that in recent days, you have been buying Purple Dawn Spirit Grass, Chaos Flower Stamen, and Colorful Tiger Gall at high prices."

"That's right, we did buy a large amount of these herbs. What's the problem with that?" Elder Qi Huang admitted.

"Exactly, these herbs—Purple Dawn Spirit Grass, Chaos Flower Stamen, and Colorful Tiger Gall—are the ingredients for refining the Lotus Harmony Powder. Your Beigun Manor has no use for them. If this isn't cutting off our Demon Blade Sect's supply of herbs, what is it? However, the main purpose of my visit today is not to inquire about this. I only hope... that Elder Qi will sell these herbs to our Demon Blade Sect. The price will certainly not be to your disadvantage... After all, we have received advance payments from others, and now we cannot provide them with the elixirs. The penalty is small... but the reputation of the Demon Blade Sect is significant. I hope, Elder Qi, you will consider our long-standing relationship and give me some face..." After saying this, Xiao Yishen bowed respectfully, clearly putting aside his dignity this time.

But Elder Qi Huang had no intention of selling them the herbs. Instead, he seemed to have achieved a sense of inner satisfaction, looking at Xiao Yishen with a smug expression and laughing, "Ha ha, these herbs—Purple Dawn Spirit Grass, Chaos Flower Stamen, and Colorful Tiger Gall—are indeed the ingredients for refining the Lotus Harmony Powder... I believe that in recent days, the profits of the Demon Blade Sect have been sufficient to buy these herbs at a high price. But..."

At this point, a sharp light flashed in Elder Qi Huang's eyes, a light that was cold and resolute. Looking at Xiao Yishen again, he continued, "Even if you offer a sky-high price, I, Elder Qi Huang, will not sell these herbs to you!"

"You!" Xiao Yishen, hearing this, gritted his teeth, his hand subconsciously gripping his large sword. As he tightened his grip, a cold light flashed, but he quickly suppressed it.

He knew very well that with his strength alone, if he caused trouble in Beigun Manor today, he would not be able to leave.

"You are ruthless! But... even if we cannot refine the Lotus Harmony Powder, the Demon Blade Sect will still sell other elixirs!" Swinging his sleeves, Xiao Yishen looked at Elder Qi Huang's arrogant back and shouted, then turned and left.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you... A few nights ago, outside your Demon Blade Sect, a man in black robes and a hood killed someone from our Beigun Manor. I, Elder Qi Huang, have already killed him!" Just as Xiao Yishen was leaving, Elder Qi Huang suddenly turned around, a sly smile on his face, and said calmly.

After his words, he could see Xiao Yishen suddenly stop, his body trembling slightly.

...

As another ten days passed, during these ten days, the Demon Blade Sect in Suxing City suffered significant losses, all due to breach of contract. With their reputation damaged, many people would no longer buy from the Demon Blade Sect, including medicinal herbs... and would not place orders.

It was clear that the Beigun Manor, which had almost been crushed by the Demon Blade Sect, was now flourishing. The economic source of the Demon Blade Sect was now limited to the Treasure Seeking Pavilion and a few loyal customers. But the meager profits put immense pressure on Xiao Yishen. He knew very well that these profits would not sustain him for long...

But at present, he had no idea what to do. After all, the Beigun Manor was not inferior to the Demon Blade Sect in terms of financial and human resources. A rash war would not benefit him. He needed to use his intelligence.

Thus, in a chance encounter, he discovered that there was a rapidly growing economic force in Suxing City, and this force was centered around the tavern where Su Xuan was. With a firm resolve, Xiao Yishen headed towards the tavern.

In the cave, over these ten days, although Bai Shi had not mastered the sword techniques to perfection, he had made some progress. However, without the necessary strength, he could not incorporate the wind blades of the 'Devouring Abyss' into the fire cave. On the eleventh day, he stopped practicing the techniques and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes.

As he sat cross-legged, an invisible force emanated from his body, permeating the cave. Under the guidance of his consciousness, this force absorbed the spiritual energy from the cave.

"At the tangible... transforming into the intangible, merging with the soul, is the unity of man and sword... But with my current strength, I cannot achieve the unity of man and sword." At a certain moment, Bai Shi's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened. As he pondered, the invisible force around his body seemed to instantly return to him. Although he was still in the Cave Profound Realm, he could clearly feel that his strength had become much more substantial after these days of cultivation.

During these days, Bai Shi had tried multiple times to merge his soul with the Dragon Roar Sword. However, even when his soul merged with the Dragon Roar Sword, he still could not grasp the concept of 'unity of man and sword.' He could only control a part of the Dragon Roar Sword's power, which belonged to the sword itself.

"Perhaps... it is because my strength is not sufficient to achieve the unity of man and sword." Frowning slightly, Bai Shi did not stand up from the ground. The warm currents from the ground continuously seeped into his body. As these currents seeped in, his gaze turned to the location of the Soul Absorption Heart Sutra. After a moment, he memorized the entire Heart Sutra, then closed his eyes and slowly spread his hands. A white halo immediately appeared in his palms.

"Soul Absorption... is actually an attraction. If the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is transformed into force, it can attract the soul..." Bai Shi silently recited in his mind. As he spread his hands, he seemed to clear his mind of all distractions, using his consciousness to sense the spiritual energy in the void.

He knew clearly that to absorb another's soul, his strength must be on par with the other's, and the difficulty of soul absorption varied depending on the purity of the soul.

"This Soul Absorption Heart Sutra, although not a supreme sword technique, is still a peculiar mystical art..." As he sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Bai Shi suddenly opened his eyes. At that moment, he could feel that even though his strength had become much more substantial, he was still somewhat limited in absorbing the pure spiritual energy.

These limitations caused his eyes to suddenly open, emitting a strange light.

"If I can fully memorize these heart sutras and, in the future, as my strength increases, absorb others' souls... my strength will surely advance rapidly!" As he pondered, Bai Shi stood up from the ground, the light in his eyes becoming even more intense, as if he had reached a profound understanding or made a significant decision.

Taking out his storage bag, Bai Shi, in silence, used his consciousness to take out the Lingluo Flower from the storage bag.

The moment the Lingluo Flower appeared, Bai Shi's heart was slightly excited. This excitement made him turn his gaze back to the flames rising from the ground.

"Refining elixirs here, even though the Lingluo Flower is extremely difficult to refine, with these flames, it should not be too difficult... If I can refine the Bone Tempering Pill and take it, I wonder if it will lead to a significant... breakthrough in absorbing spiritual energy!"

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