Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 267 Military Merits and Gains

"We underestimated the power of the Five Elements Sword Domain. A single sword strike was enough to kill this Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Sect!"

The Five Elements Sword Domain in the air dissipated, and Zhou Ling's body fell to the ground again, but his face was pale.

His internal magical power was almost completely exhausted.

Only by activating all the spiritual power within his body could he successfully unleash the Five Elements Man and Sword Unity, condensing the Five Elements Sword Domain.

However, this also came at a considerable cost to Zhou Ling, as his internal magical power was almost completely depleted.

After all, the one killed was a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

However, this also proves the terror of the Five Elements Sword Domain.

Originally, he was just thinking that he should do his best to stall for as long as possible, since such strong fluctuations would surely attract the Golden Core Xuan Ting Guards or the palace courtyard that had already received his message.

But to his surprise, the Five Elements Sword Domain actually killed the man instantly.

With the hidden danger that had been weighing on his mind for more than half a month gone, Zhou Ling was completely relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"However, there are still considerable hidden dangers in forcibly unleashing the Five Elements Sword Domain this time."

At this moment, he looked inward at his meridians, and his face immediately froze.

This forced use of the Five Elements Sword Domain consumed too much energy.

Some injuries were visible in his meridians, but fortunately, his meridians were incredibly strong due to years of tempering by spiritual flames.

If it were the meridians of other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would probably have been severed long ago.

It will be difficult to gather magical power again in the future.

Zhou Ling thought to himself, "What a stroke of luck!"

From now on, the Five Elements Sword Domain must never be used rashly unless it is a matter of life and death.

Given the current situation, a recovery should be possible in one or two months if things continue to improve gradually.

With the nourishment of the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame and the consumption of some spiritual medicines, it should be even faster.

Then, with a thought, he took the blood ring into his hand.

Although the Blood Phoenix fused within the Blood Ring was destroyed, the Blood Ring itself remained intact.

After being refined and infused with the blood and soul of other demonic beasts, it remains a formidable weapon.

Store the blood ring in your storage ring.

Then, Zhou Ling put away the evil cultivator's storage ring.

With a flick of his hand, five spiritual flames condensed and emerged.

Under the burning of the five spiritual flames, the already somewhat damaged marks on it quickly dissipated.

Zhou Ling's consciousness then entered into it.

"Fifteen high-grade spirit stones... three bottles of Yuanhun Pills...!"

"Soul Dao Treasure Soul Pearl... Numerous Tier 3 Ores and Herbs..."

Zhou Ling scanned the area with his divine sense and found quite a few good items, befitting his status as a Golden Core cultivator.

However, he also knew in his heart that this person was a prodigy of the Blood Soul Cult, and some things still needed to be kept and handed over.

It's impossible for them to take it all for themselves.

Then, with a thought, Zhou Ling collected all the valuable items that he could use.

Leave a portion behind.

This way, the injury can be justified.

Zhou Ling put the items into his storage ring without carefully counting them.

After all, safety cannot be guaranteed here, and it is unknown whether any Blood Soul Cult prodigies will arrive.

Of course, someone from the Xuan Ting Division will definitely come.

How should I handle the aftermath?
As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he naturally knew that killing this Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Cult would earn him tremendous military merit.

But Zhou Ling was also worried, as the Blood Soul Cult was a cult that was vengeful and vindictive.

This period of time has had a significant impact on me.

Of course, if it were him alone, he wouldn't be afraid.

But bringing trouble to his family is not what he wants.

"Why don't we give the credit to Qingchang?"

"Now that I have the identity of a Heavenly Guard, the military merits of the Demon Slayer Division are no longer so important!"

"Moreover, in this way, the Blood Soul Cult will no longer target us."

"Given Qing Chang's identity and background, the Blood Soul Sect probably wouldn't dare to provoke her easily!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

After all, no one could have imagined that he, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, could kill a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Sect.

"Zhou Ling, are you alright?"

Just as Zhou Ling was pondering, a surprised voice came from inside.

Zhou Ling looked up and saw a figure rapidly approaching.

The newcomer was Wang Qingshang, who was dressed in a blue dress and had an exceptionally beautiful appearance.

His face was full of concern.

Zhou Ling hadn't expected that she would be the first person to arrive.

But that's just right, he said with a smile, "It's alright!"

Wang Qingshang nodded slightly, then her gaze swept around, growing more and more shocked.

With the clash between the two Golden Core cultivators, the surrounding area had already been razed to the ground.

a mess.

Finally, Wang Qingchang's gaze lingered on the golden core corpse, her eyes widening in disbelief.

After confirming that the other party was lifeless, he looked at Zhou Ling and asked with an incredulous expression, "Zhou Ling, did you kill this Blood Soul Sect Golden Core cultivator?"

Of course, as soon as she finished speaking, she realized that she had asked a bit too much.

These words merely expressed the shock she felt at that moment.

No one expected that Zhou Ling, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, would be able to kill a Golden Core early stage cultivator.

It should be noted that even in a large family like the Wang family, a Golden Core cultivation level is already considered an upper-class status within the family.

In Qingyun Immortal City, Golden Core cultivators are considered high-level beings.

And yet Zhou Ling, having killed a Golden Core cultivator, could still chat and laugh with her.

This person is far more powerful than her.

"Sister Qingshang, I killed her!"

"I didn't expect to be able to kill him!"

Zhou Ling nodded and said.

Although the Five Elements Sword Domain was powerful, the Blood Soul Sect Golden Core cultivator was still wearing a third-tier treasure robe, so his body was not completely destroyed.

However, the life force within his body had already been extinguished by the sword energy.

Rather than calling it sword energy, it would be more accurate to say that it is sword energy infused with spiritual flames.

Without integrating the Five Spirit Flames, Zhou Ling would never have been able to activate the Five Elements Sword Domain.

Moreover, Wang Qingshang also knew about his enlightenment of becoming one with the sword, and she could see the clues by examining the corpse.

Hearing this, even though Wang Qingshang had expected it, her beautiful eyes were still full of disbelief as she looked at Zhou Ling.

For some exceptionally talented cultivators, fighting against opponents of higher levels is a common occurrence.

Some scions of powerful families, even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, have the strength to fight against ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivators.

She could understand this, after all, some Nascent Soul and Void Refinement families possessed high-grade cultivation techniques.

The magical power cultivated will be extremely pure and its power will be even greater.

Therefore, it is sometimes enough to fight against opponents of higher ranks.

However, it is absolutely impossible for someone like Zhou Ling, who is in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, to kill someone in the early Golden Core stage.

Of course, the facts are now before her, leaving her no choice but to believe it.

"It seems Xin'er has a good eye; this kid's future achievements are likely to be quite remarkable!"

Wang Qingshang's beautiful eyes flickered as she thought to herself.

She was already overjoyed to have killed this remnant of the Blood Soul Cult's Golden Core stage.

However, compared to discovering Zhou Ling's formidable combat power, the fact that he killed a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Sect seemed rather insignificant.

Zhou Ling is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, yet he is able to kill a Golden Core cultivator; his potential is absolutely astonishing.

In addition to his unparalleled talent in weapon crafting, the relationship between the Wang family and him will likely need to be redefined in the future.

It was originally because of Wang Xin.

The Wang family's attention was always focused on Wang Xin, while they ignored Zhou Ling.

In their eyes, no matter how talented Zhou Ling was, his cultivation level would be at its peak if he could reach the Nascent Soul stage. Wang Xin, however, was completely different.

Wang Xin has the potential to reach the Divine Transformation stage in the future.

It now appears that Zhou Ling's potential is no less than Wang Xin's.

Maybe even higher.

This forced her to treat the matter with caution.

"Sister Qingchang, could you say that it was you who killed this Blood Soul Cult prodigy?"

"I'll give you a small reward."

Zhou Ling pointed to the corpse of the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core cultivator and asked Wang Qingshang.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingshang raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion appearing on her pretty face, and asked, "Why is that?"

Zhou Ling smiled, coughed, and said, "I'm just worried about retaliation from the Blood Soul Sect's prodigies in the future."

"For me, that doesn't matter, but if my family members were to get involved, it would be dangerous!"

Zhou Ling did not hide anything from Wang Qingshang and told her the truth.

Wang Qingshang then looked enlightened; she had thought Zhou Ling had become timid and fearful.

You dare to kill, but you don't dare to take responsibility?

Moreover, killing a Blood Soul Cult Golden Core cultivator would earn a huge military merit reward.

It seems I misunderstood him.

The main concern is the impact on family members, which is only natural.

After all, given the Blood Soul Sect disciples' bizarre methods, even Qingyang Immortal City couldn't completely prevent them from entering.

Therefore, Zhou Ling's concerns are understandable.

However, she quickly shook her head and said seriously, "Killing the remnants of the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core stage is a major event."

"You killed him, so it's your credit, and I can't claim it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling frowned. This won't work either?

Seeing Zhou Ling's puzzled expression, Wang Qingshang walked to the corpse of the Blood Soul Sect Golden Core cultivator and explained, "The sword marks on this corpse are enough to explain everything."

"After the body is brought back to the Xuanting Division, the Xuan Guards will examine it."

"The cause of death will be determined quickly, so there's absolutely no chance that anyone else will receive military merit!"

"Like this?" Zhou Ling couldn't help but rub his forehead.

In that case, he couldn't refuse this military achievement even if he wanted to.

Originally, he planned to give the credit directly to Wang Qingshang and get some other benefits from her, but now that's not possible.

However, he turned his gaze to the corpse and said to Wang Qingshang, "Sister Qingshang, how about I dismember the body and clean it up?"

"Just keep this storage ring and the identity jade token, and things will be much easier!"

Zhou Ling felt that this should be feasible.

But Wang Qingshang shook her head and smiled faintly, "Don't think about these useless things."

"I definitely need to record all these traces around me. These are all traces that indicate the killing of a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Cult."

"But don't worry."

You will be rewarded for your military achievements.

"Furthermore, we won't let the outside world know that you were the one who killed him."

Hearing this, Zhou Ling finally felt relieved.

However, we cannot be careless in the future; the family's magic arrays need to be further upgraded.

Family members should also strengthen their defenses.

Everyone needs to be equipped with a second-tier top-grade treasure robe.

Zhou Ling was making plans in his mind.

Then, Wang Qingshang took out the image-recording jade, infused it with magic power, and imprinted the surrounding situation onto it.

Zhou Ling frowned. Would this reveal his strength?
However, judging from the surrounding scenery, it shouldn't be that bad.

But I didn't think about it any further.

Since they've already admitted that they killed the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core cultivator, they're pretty much done with it anyway.

Everyone knows they possess the power to kill a Golden Core cultivator.

However, if the palace maid is willing to help, I can explain it to her.

He said that it was because of the sword pellet given to him by the palace maid that he was able to kill this person.

But after thinking about it, Zhou Ling felt it wasn't necessary.

After all, it wouldn't make sense for someone of Gong Yuanzi's status to cooperate with him in fabricating evidence.

Forget it, there's no need to think about it so much.

Be more careful in the future and improve your cultivation level as soon as possible.

Before long, a team of six Xuan Ting guards also arrived at the scene.

Wang Qingshang had already collected the corpse of the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core cultivator. After exchanging a few words with Xuan Tingwei, the two of them left the place.

······.

"Zhou Ling, are you alright?"

On the way, Zhou Ling's communication jade rang.

This was a message from Dean Gong, his tone revealing anxiety and concern.

"Dean, I'm alright!"

Zhou Ling replied hastily.

Even though it was a communication jade, he could still feel the dean's concern.

After entering the city, he realized that he had been teleported to the northwest region outside the city, which was still quite a distance from the Nine Heavens Sword Academy.

No wonder Dean Gong didn't sense it quickly.

It seems that the Golden Core cultivator of the Blood Soul Sect has made ample preparations.

Teleporting this far won't alert the people of the Nine Heavens Sword Academy.

But he never expected that he would be killed by Zhou Ling.

"It's okay!"

"I just searched the area, but I didn't find any trace of the Blood Soul Cult remnants."

"What exactly is the situation?"

Dean Gong's voice continued to come from the communication jade.

Zhou Lingxuan then briefly explained the situation to Dean Gong.

Upon hearing that Zhou Ling had killed a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Sect, Dean Gong also expressed his utter astonishment.

They clearly found it hard to believe that Zhou Ling could kill a Golden Core cultivator.

After learning about the situation, Dean Gong also told Zhou Ling to be careful.

······.

"This guy is indeed a high-ranking member of the Blood Soul Cult; he has quite a few good things!"

That evening, in the Zhou family's cultivation room, Zhou Lingqing counted his unexpected gains from the day, a satisfied smile on his face.

Upon returning home, he did not tell his family what had happened, but only explained that the demon of the Blood Soul Cult had been killed by the Demon Slayer Division.

He then took some nourishing pills from Wang Xin and entered the cultivation room.

Seeing that Zhou Ling's expression was normal, his family didn't think much of it.

After taking two nourishing pills, Zhou Ling circulated the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to assist the pills in repairing his meridians.

After the elixir was fully absorbed, the meridians also recovered significantly.

Zhou Ling then began to tally up today's gains.

Although this was a very risky trip, it was also very rewarding.

Fifteen high-grade spirit stones alone constitute a huge fortune.

There were also considerable quantities of other elixirs, ores, and medicinal herbs.

There couldn't possibly have been a single person collecting all these items.

It is clear that this person has a long history of bloodshed.

And these are only a portion that Zhou Ling selectively collects.

These are all treasures that Zhou Ling can use and is interested in.

Most of them are third-tier treasures, which would be worth two or three hundred thousand spirit stones.

(End of this chapter)