Chapter 0706: Destruction of the Burning Demon

Chapter 0706: Annihilating the Blazing Demon

Jian Linglong brought Qin Yun to the third floor.

At the center of this level stood a magic array formed by ritual pillars.

Jian Linglong was eager for action. "Toss that demi-immortal into the array. I'll suppress him first before finishing him off!"

Qin Yun hefted the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron and grinned. "Elder Linglong, you really get off on this sort of thing!"

"Quit stalling! Move it!"

Jian Linglong snapped, producing a wicked-looking cleaver—clearly a weapon of her own forging.

Qin Yun released the middle-aged demi-immortal from the cauldron.

This Dragon Clan elder had once wounded Qi Meilian, making him someone Qin Yun desperately wanted dead.

The moment the demi-immortal landed in the array, he shrieked in panic: "Qin Yun, you little bastard! What did you do to me? Why is my power draining away?"

"Idiot. Your power isn't draining—it's being suppressed to the Martial King realm!"

With that, Jian Linglong activated the array, releasing arcs of lightning.

Rainbow-hued electricity erupted from the pillars, sizzling as it scorched the demi-immortal's flesh.

The man howled in torment.

"What do you want? Kill me, and the Dragon Clan of the Spirit Barrens will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"

Undeterred, Jian Linglong laughed. "Qin Yun, that cauldron of yours is damn impressive. You can't even use its full power yet, but it still trapped a demi-immortal!"

"He's Dragon Clan—weaker prey. Other demi-immortals wouldn't be so easy."

Qin Yun examined his cauldron. "This specializes in suppressing those with draconic bloodlines."

Jian Linglong cycled the array's attacks between thunderbolts and searing mystical flames, torturing their captive.

"Fucking exhilarating! I've always wanted a demi-immortal to test my killing array on!"

"Elder Linglong, just kill him already! I need his core crystal!" Qin Yun pressed.

Had Qin Yun not spoken, she might have forgotten.

As the array deactivated, the enraged demi-immortal lunged.

Jian Linglong blurred forward, her executioner's cleaver flashing as it lopped off the man's head.

"Elder Linglong, that cleaver's brutal... Shouldn't a demi-immortal have an Immortal Body? He died like a common bandit!"

"King Artifact grade, of course it's lethal." She dug out the demi-immortal's core and flipped it to Qin Yun. "Here. What's this for?"

"Has its uses!"

Qin Yun caught it, immediately sensing the monstrous energy within.

Suddenly, another tolling bell rang out from Sword Immortal Villa.

"That godsdamned psychically linked bell—must be another emergency." Jian Linglong snapped. With that, she strode from the tower.

Qin Yun swiftly absorbed the Immortal Blood from the quasi-immortal's body before incinerating the remains.

"Xiao Yun, focus on refining the alchemical shells!" Ling Yuner called out.

Nodding, Qin Yun expanded the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron and poured in copious amounts of beast oil.

He aimed to craft specialized projectiles that would blend extracted energy from the life-essence crystal with the beast oil, then fuse them with his *Hao Ran* (righteous qi).

"Those demonic cultivators still hesitate to strike against Jian Shitian's group. They'll only seize them once the poison takes deeper hold!" Qin Yun said. "The others should endure a while longer. Once these shells are ready, I'll intervene!"

As he worked, Qin Yun fought mounting urgency.

He yearned to wield the Demon Star Overlord immediately and execute a merciless purge.

But recognizing the demonic cultivators' strength, he knew premature action risked the Overlord's destruction—and with it, any hope of regaining the upper hand.

Though his pulse raced, Qin Yun steadied his breath, methodically refining each shell.

After less than an hour, Jian Linglong returned.

"Elder Linglong, report!" Qin Yun demanded.

"Dire! Medicine Immortal Valley, Canghuo Immortal Mountain, the Long, Yang, and Tian Clans—even minor sects—have allied with the demonic faction. All have been purged of their toxins!"

Elder Linglong's sleeve tore as she gestured violently. "Hypocrites! They dare claim righteousness while consorting with fiends!"

"They've always been demons at heart," Qin Yun growled.

"With their combined might, our faction could be annihilated in moments!"

The elder circled like a caged phoenix. "They demand your surrender within two shichen—or they begin executions!"

"Two shichen? Sufficient. Elder, assist me with these constructs!"

"Constructs?" She observed his frantic preparations.

"Hyper-compress the beast oil, extract the life-essence crystal's essence, then engrave Dao Runes... Better—I'll handle refinement; you inscribe the runes."

Elder Linglong examined the dense alchemical spheres.

"These lack runic activation... I planned flame sigils, but your upper-rank Dao Runes would amplify their potency."

"Which runic patterns?" Her stylus flashed into existence.

"Maximum yang-attuned volatility! Surely you possess upper-rank variants?"

"A single unsuitable one remains in my repository. The rest? Inferior-quality scraps."

She spoke bitterly. "Decades as a Mystic Rune Master, yet my collection stagnates. Others hoard their hidden patterns, doling out only surface markings for apprentices to trace."

This widespread practice treated premium Dao Runes as closely guarded treasures.

By reserving the hidden patterns while outsourcing surface markings inscription, senior masters conserved spiritual energy while controlling the craft's secrets.

"You bear the Dao Lord Rune Soul! Where are your tributes? Your rune repository should overflow!" Qin Yun found this inconceivable.

Here's the edited translation incorporating all expert suggestions:

Jian Linglong snorted lightly, "Precisely because I have the Dao Lord Rune Soul, they refuse to give me any runes! If I mastered a large number of runes, those old Mystic Rune Masters would become obsolete! The runes I carve are of extremely high precision, and I work much faster—I'm worth ten of them put together!"

"Now you see how useless the Dao Lord Rune Soul really is, huh?"

Qin Yun suddenly had an idea and smiled, "Elder Linglong, why don't you join our Immortal Armament City? I'll give you two top-grade Dao Runes. How about that?"

"You actually have top-grade Dao Runes?" Jian Linglong's gentle eyes flickered with surprise.

Qin Yun took out his runes, which were stored in the Nine Sun spirit. There were nine in total, but given his current power level, he couldn't use them yet. He only took out two.

"These two runes are called the Destruction Dao Rune and the Demon-Burning Dao Rune!"

The two runes Qin Yun presented had both the surface and core patterns clearly defined.

With her Dao Lord Rune Soul, Jian Linglong could memorize them at a glance, and she was instantly exhilarated.

Qin Yun grinned, "After this matter is settled, come with me to Immortal Armament City! Staying here is pointless anyway!"

"You must have heard of Liu Jingmeng, right? She's a young Runes Master in need of a Master to guide her. If you come to Immortal Armament City, you can help mentor her!"

Jian Linglong looked at the two runes and said without hesitation, "Deal!"

Qin Yun secretly rejoiced. Once Xiao Yuemei arrived, he could have her use the mirror to replicate Jian Linglong's Dao Lord Rune Soul and extract it later.

Meanwhile, Jian Shitian in the square was sweating bullets. His only strategy now was to stall for time.

Once the demi-immortals, Martial Kings, and Emperor Wu from Demon Immortal Grotto-Heaven and Immortal Armament City arrived, they could turn things around.

Of course, he had no idea that Qin Yun was scheming to steal Jian Linglong away from Sword Immortal Pavilion.

If Jian Shitian knew, he'd literally spit blood from rage.

Qin Yun and Jian Linglong were hard at work crafting the cannonballs.

"Elder Linglong, aren't you even a little attached to Sword Immortal Pavilion?" Qin Yun asked curiously. "How can you leave with me so decisively?"

"They treat me like a treasure, but only to use me as free labor!"

"Do you know? When they ask me to forge Dao artifacts or mystical artifacts, I prepare the foundations and the surface patterns, but they never give me the core runes!"

"I've wanted to leave for a long time!"

Jian Linglong was getting worked up just talking about it.

"Before we leave, let's leave them the Dragon Totem Rune. That way, I'll feel a bit better about poaching you. Jian Shitian will surely hate me for this!" Qin Yun chuckled.

"That's what he gets! He promised long ago to get me top-grade Dao Runes, but it was always just talk. You gave me runes, so I'll go with you—what's the big deal?"

Jian Linglong was secretly thrilled, as Qin Yun had given her two top-grade Dao Runes at once.

This was way more generous than those old Mystic Rune Masters from Sword Immortal Pavilion.

"Elder Linglong, if you ever have the chance to work with Dao-grade totems in the future, the precision of your carved totem runes will be even higher!" Qin Yun smiled. "Your Dao Lord Rune Soul is still very useful!"

As Qin Yun watched Jian Linglong inscribe runes on the cannonballs, he was quietly amazed at how swiftly she completed such complex patterns.

"Qin Yun, you gave me two top-grade Dao Runes, and in return, I'll join Immortal Armament City and mentor Liu Jingmeng. Don't ask for anything more!" Jian Linglong suddenly seemed apprehensive.

"Are you worried I might ask for something?" Qin Yun's hands never stopped moving as he continued refining the projectiles.

"Nothing!" Jian Linglong murmured, seeing Qin Yun's puzzled expression.

The two of them worked together and forged eight projectiles before the bell tolled again.

"Gods damn it, when will this stop? It hasn't even been two double-hours yet!" Jian Linglong was furious. She put down her work and rushed out.

Not long after Jian Linglong left, the bell stopped, but soon rang again.

"Could Elder Linglong have met with misfortune too?"

Qin Yun quickly stored away the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron and loaded the eight projectiles into the Mystic King Cannon.

Then he hurriedly left the tower, veiled himself from sight, and streaked toward the square.