Recruit demons to become heroes, hunt demons to become gods

Chapter 258 A grand gift to bribe Luo Kui backfires?

When Dou Eqing went to see Luo Kui, he specifically invited Zhou Yutong along, asking her, a Void Refinement Realm expert, to support him.

Zhou Yutong wore a purple dress with delicate cloud patterns embroidered on the hem. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, and her eyes exuded a cool and confident aura.

Her powerful aura seemed to intimidate all enemies, giving Dou Eqing more confidence.

As the two walked along, the air around them seemed to become heavy because of their arrival, and passersby turned their heads away, not daring to look directly at them.

Dou Eqing spent a short time in the Demon Hunter Sect and has been gone for a long time, so very few cultivators in the sect know him.

However, he ran into an acquaintance on his way to Luo Kui's residence.

This acquaintance is Luo Qian, whom I met in the Foundation Establishment Trial Zone for Elite Disciples of the Demon Hunter Sect.

Although Luo Qian is also a prodigy among his peers, his current cultivation level is only at the peak of the Golden Core stage, which is no match for Dou Eqing.

He achieved a perfect Golden Core during his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, demonstrating extremely high cultivation potential, making him someone his peers almost all look up to.

However, when he participated in the Foundation Establishment Elite Disciple Trial with Dou Eqing, his achievements seemed somewhat overshadowed.

Dou Eqing's cultivation had already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and now he was at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. His whole body exuded an awe-inspiring power, as if the laws of heaven and earth had to submit to him.

However, Dou Eqing did not judge people by their cultivation level and took the initiative to greet them.

His voice was like a gentle spring breeze, warm yet firm. His eyes revealed appreciation and respect, and the joy of a long-awaited reunion was naturally evident.

He smiled slightly, extended his palm, and said:
"Senior Brother Luo, it's been a long time! How have you been lately? I see that your cultivation foundation is very solid, and you've formed a perfect Golden Core! You have a bright future ahead of you!"

"Master Dou...Senior Dou..."

Before Luo Qian could finish speaking, Dou Eqing interrupted him.

“We don’t judge seniority by cultivation level. You are Senior Brother Luo, and we’ve been through thick and thin together. You can just call me Junior Brother Dou.”

As Dou Eqing spoke, he affectionately put his arm around Luo Qian's shoulder and they entered Luo Kui's villa together.

With Luo Qian present, the gatekeeper let them through without asking any further questions.

Zhou Yutong, who was following behind, deliberately used magic to conceal herself, making it extremely difficult for others to notice her.

"Who is this?"

As Luo Kui spoke, Luo Qian quickly introduced Dou Eqing to him:

"Sect Master, he is Dou Eqing, Junior Brother, and the last disciple of Uncle Liao."

Luo Kui naturally knew Dou Eqing, but he was asking about Zhou Yutong, not Dou Eqing himself.

Because Luo Qian failed to find Zhou Yutong, a misunderstanding arose.

Dou Eqing first bowed to Luo Kui as a disciple, and then said:
“Master, this is my bodyguard Zhou Yutong. She originally joined the Dongwu Kingdom, but later the Ninth Princess of Dongwu Kingdom gave her to me as a bodyguard.”

Dou Eqing casually recounted Zhou Yutong's background, making it impossible for outsiders to tell that he was making things up.

Even if Luo Kui sends someone to investigate Zhou Yutong in the future, it cannot be said that Dou Eqing is lying; he simply did not explain Zhou Yutong's background in detail.

He did this to get Luo Kui's attention to Zhou Yutong, but without making Luo Kui pay too much attention to her.

"Ah."

Luo Kui snorted in response to Dou Eqing, but did not ask him any questions, intending to let Dou Eqing confess on his own.

He knew that Dou Eqing's visit to him was not merely to pay his respects to him, his nominal master.

Dou Eqing didn't take Luo Kui's attitude to heart and briefly recounted some things that had happened to him after he left the Demon Hunter Sect.

He intentionally or unintentionally pointed out the process of the development and growth of the Hezong sect, as well as the connection between the Baishan sect, the Dongwu Kingdom, and the Hezong sect.

The implication is that these forces have a close relationship with Dou Eqing, and he intends to bring them all under his control.

Dou Eqing simply stated the facts without clearly expressing his intentions.

However, the fact that he reported to Luo Kui in such detail clearly showed that he hoped to gain Luo Kui's support.

After all, Luo Kui was nominally Dou Eqing's master. He held a high position and great power in the Demon Hunter Sect and was Dou Eqing's powerful backer.

"Master, these are my gifts to you."

After he finished speaking, he immediately took out the gifts he had prepared and introduced them one by one.

The grand gift was divided into five portions, the largest of which was the best shark skin from the belly of the Mad Shark, a sixth-tier material of extremely high quality.

The sharkskin is smooth and tough, with a faint bluish-gray sheen, as if shimmering in the sunlight.

Its texture is delicate and complex, every inch revealing the power and speed of a raging shark swimming in the deep sea.

This sharkskin is not only huge, but also has a uniform texture and no flaws, making it an excellent material for making Tier 6 inner armor.

Because of its large size, it could be crafted into the famous inner armor: the Thousand-Layer Helmet.

The greatest function of the Thousand-Layered Armor is equivalent to a heart-protecting mirror. Although it is a sixth-tier top-grade item, its defensive power is comparable to a seventh-tier inner armor.

Therefore, although the shark skin may look like just a large piece of skin, it is equivalent to a seventh-tier treasure that Dou Eqing gave away, making it extremely valuable.

After all, it is no easy feat for a cultivator at the Void Refinement stage to hunt down a deep-sea predator like the Mad Shark and remove its belly skin intact.

The second great gift was also taken from the Mad Shark: all of its teeth. These teeth were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a cold light, as if they could cut through anything.

The sharpness of the Shark's teeth is not the sharpness forged by weapons, but rather the fact that the Shark's teeth are equivalent to a sixth-grade high-quality treasure, containing a natural law of breaking through sharpness.

Whenever a monstrous shark opens its gaping maw, its sharp teeth seem capable of cutting through anything in its path as it tears at its prey.

This innate sharpness is not only reflected in its physical form, but also in the power of its inherent edge-breaking law, which causes any weapon that tries to resist it to shatter instantly.

The three hundred and thirty-three shark teeth were contained in an exquisite storage box.

The treasure box is made of fifth-grade top-quality purple spirit wood. Because of the addition of space crystals, the space inside is equivalent to a large independent space of a storage ring. However, due to the unique craftsmanship, it is possible to see through the space with the naked eye and see the contents of the treasure box.

Therefore, to retrieve something from inside, it is still necessary to control it with divine sense.

The surface of the box is engraved with intricate and exquisite patterns, giving it an antique and noble appearance.

Each tooth has been carefully cleaned and arranged to resemble the gaping maw of a raging shark, as if the shark has opened its blood-red jaws, showcasing its ferocity and power, as if it is about to devour its prey at any moment.

If a giant toothed dagger were forged from 333 shark teeth, it would surely bring unexpected results and definitely bring some of the shark's lethal attributes.

After all, it has collected all of the shark's teeth, and even preserved the vitality of the dental pulp inside the teeth.

If it were just a complete set of the shark's teeth, it wouldn't be anything special.

Dou Eqing specially delivered the demon soul of the Mad Shark intact as well.

This is the third big gift.

Back then, Zhou Yutong and the others killed the Mad Shark and originally planned to let the Soul Refining Evil Armor devour the Mad Shark's demon soul, but Dou Eqing deliberately preserved it and put it in a Soul Binding Bottle.

Dou Eqing knew that there was a practice in weapon crafting where demon souls were used as weapon spirits, and the demon souls of high-level demon beasts were quite valuable.

When he was preparing a grand gift for Luo Kui, he thought of the demon soul from the mad shark's teeth, so he decided to give it to him as well.

If one possessed a giant, monstrous blade forged from 333 teeth, and then transformed it into scissors, with the demonic soul of a monstrous shark as its spirit, its power would be unimaginable. Weapons of the same rank would likely need to be cautious in its presence.

The fourth item was also made from a Mad Shark, but it looked very ordinary; it was just a piece of sixth-tier demon beast meat.

However, this piece of meat is the heart-encasing meat outside the shark's heart.

The Soul-Packed Flesh of the Demon Shark is an excellent spiritual material for making sixth-tier spiritual food, the best of the best.

If cooked into a delicacy by a sixth-level spirit chef, it would be comparable to a sixth-level high-grade spirit-nourishing pill, enough to enhance a cultivator's cultivation by a thousand years.

The flesh of an ordinary sixth-tier demon beast or spirit beast cannot compare to the heart-filled meat of the Mad Shark.

The heart-shaped meat of the Mad Shark is the essence of the entire Mad Shark, sublimating from demonic to spiritual, achieving a fundamental transformation.

The fifth treasure came from the treasury of the fish-men.

Although this treasure came from the treasury of the fish-men, it was a halberd used by cultivators.

The weapon used by Luo Kui was a halberd.
This halberd may have reached the seventh rank.

Perhaps due to a lack of proper maintenance, its quality has declined, appearing to be only equivalent to a top-tier sixth-order treasure.

Its surface is covered with tiny cracks, and its once shining luster has become dull and lifeless, as if it has lost its former glory.

When you hold it in your hand, you can feel the powerful energy it once contained, but now its power seems very restrained, as if it may completely lose its spirituality at any moment.

The once-powerful black iron blade, capable of cleaving through flowing clouds, now gleamed with a bluish tinge. Fine cracks spread from the hilt's mouth to its tip, which resembled the fissures on a dried-up riverbed.

The stardust inlaid on the ancient ebony halberd shaft has faded and lost its luster, with only a few tiny, fingernail-sized sparkles remaining near the handguard, faintly revealing the power that once summoned thunder and fire from the heavens.

One-fifth of the dragon relief on the halberd has peeled off, and only half of the ice stone inlaid in the dragon's eyes remains on the right eye, while the left eye socket is filled with years of dust.

It wasn't that Dou Eqing didn't want to clean it before giving it as a gift, but rather that the grime had already become fused with the halberd's body, requiring a high-level weapon refiner to remove it without damaging it.

When light shines through the broken window and falls on the blade, the ancient, dusty inscriptions on the weapon will glow with a faint golden light, making it easy to tell that the halberd is no ordinary object.

What's most unexpected is that it can actively absorb spiritual energy. When Dou Eqing channeled spiritual energy into it, he vaguely sensed that there was a spirit inside feeding on it.

The halberd emitted a hoarse groan under the gaze of the three.

The long-term neglect caused the black iron to develop dark red spots, like old blood seeping into its bone marrow.

Luo Kui became very interested in the halberd because of its condition, completely ignoring its worn appearance.

But he remained expressionless.

As the leader of the Demon Hunter Sect, Luo Kui was a shrewd and calculating man. His sharp eyes, like those of an eagle, seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

He understood a principle: the more valuable the gift, the more important the request must be.

Although Dou Eqing only sent five gifts, each one was extraordinary and must have contained profound meaning.

Please accept this, Master.

After introducing the five treasures, he put them all into a storage ring and handed it to Luo Kui.

Luo Kui did not suppress his greed, nor did he immediately take the storage ring. Instead, he asked Dou Eqing:
"If you have any requests, just say so. If it's feasible, I'll do my best to fulfill them for you as soon as possible. If not, I'm not worthy to receive these valuable items from you," Luo Kui said bluntly.

Although that's what he said, as a junior, Dou Eqing couldn't possibly take back a gift he had given.

Luo Kui's unspoken message was a warning to Dou Eqing not to take advantage of these treasures to make exorbitant demands.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, and his tone carried a hint of warning, as if reminding Dou Eqing that although these treasures were valuable, they still had to be handled according to the rules and regulations of the sect.

Seeing how quickly Dou Eqing had expanded the Hezong sect to its current size, Luo Kui knew that Dou Eqing, like himself, coveted power and feared that Dou Eqing would return to the Demon Hunter Sect to compete for the future position of sect leader.

Not to mention that the next sect leader is most likely to be his daughter Luo Chuyan, Luo Kui would not have traded away just these five treasures.

Even if Luo Chuyan is not the next sect leader, Luo Kui does not really want Dou Eqing to have any intention of vying for the position of the next sect leader.

After all, to a certain extent, Dou Eqing was not a complete disciple of the Demon Hunter Sect.

He is not a true member of the Demon Hunter Sect.

Moreover, even the Shadow Division of the Demon Hunter Sect couldn't figure out Dou Eqing's true background, leading some to suspect that he came from the righteous path.

This is one of the reasons why Dou Eqing was so easily dismissed from the Demon Hunter Sect and sent to take charge of the Joyful Union Sect.

Zhou Yutong was displeased as soon as Luo Kui said that.

She believed that Zhou Yutong was openly robbing Dou Eqing, so she immediately used her divine sense to lock onto Luo Kui to express her dissatisfaction.

The practice of locking onto targets with one's consciousness is usually an action taken by opposing sides before a battle begins.

Zhou Yutong's actions were tantamount to a provocation against Luo Kui.

Dou Eqing quickly interrupted her and pleaded with Luo Kui to divert everyone's attention.

He was really afraid that Zhou Yutong and Luo Luo would fight.

"Master, I have no other request. Even if we merge the sect, we will still be members of our own Demon Hunter Sect. I hope that the sect can take care of us on the battlefield in the future."

His words puzzled Luo Kui greatly. He thought that Luo Kui would have arranged for the Demon Hunter Sect to take care of the He Sect on the battlefield simply by saying that he didn't need to send gifts.

Because the Demon Hunter Sect has always taken care of the He Sect.

However, there was no news of Dou Eqing for more than a hundred years afterward. Guo Jia had offended some cultivators of the Demon Hunter Sect, which led to the incident. After that, it was difficult for him to obtain timely protection and benefits from the Demon Hunter Sect.

Now that Dou Eqing has appeared as the sect leader's disciple, the old grudges have been largely resolved.

Therefore, it is only natural that Hezong would return to the protection of the Demon Hunter Sect, and there is no need for Dou Eqing to offer such a generous gift.

However, Luo Kui didn't care about all that. He glanced at Zhou Yutong and quickly accepted the strange gift from Dou E.

"From now on, the Hezong Legion will be the thirty-seventh battle group of the Demon Hunter Sect, operating together with the sect. I'll have Luo Qian take you to the Battle Hall with my order in a moment to handle this matter."

Luo Kui took out a blank jade slip, left a message on it with his divine sense, and finally activated the sect master's seal to touch the jade slip.

After he finished doing all this, he tossed the jade slip to Luo Qian.

Clearly, this was his way of seeing the guest off, fearing that Dou Eqing might continue to make demands or change his mind.

As Dou Eqing and Luo Qian were about to leave, Luo Kui said to Dou Eqing's retreating figure:
"By the way, from now on you will be my official disciple and enjoy the same treatment as a direct disciple of the sect."

Upon hearing this, Dou Eqing had no choice but to turn around and bow in gratitude.

He slowly turned around, bowed deeply to Luo Kui, and his eyes shone with gratitude.

His movements were solemn and devout, as if expressing the deepest gratitude in his heart, but in reality, it was just an act.

Dou Eqing originally wanted to ask some more questions about Luo Chuyan, but since Luo Kui had already made a gesture to "see him out," he couldn't insist on asking any further questions.

Therefore, his opinion of Luo Kui lowered even further.

After Dou Eqing and the other two left Luo Kui's villa, Luo Kui couldn't wait to take out the five gifts that Dou Eqing had given him and examine them.

Luo Kui seemed to cherish each item he took out.

"These three items can be combined to create a powerful treasure, which will increase my combat power by at least 10%."

His gaze was simultaneously fixed on the monstrous shark's flesh, teeth, and the soul-binding bottle containing the demon's soul.

In Luo Kui's mind came a secret treasure that combined a puppet and a weapon.

This secret treasure is called the Puppet Scissors.

The Puppet Scissors are shaped like a demonic crocodile, and were created by a weapon refiner and a puppeteer by refining a sixth-order demonic crocodile.

The main materials include all the teeth, bones, demon soul, and blood essence of the demon crocodile.

The three items that Dou Eqing gave us could be combined to create a puppet scissors shaped like a demon shark.

The Puppet Scissors can be controlled by a cultivator to fight against enemies, making it highly usable.

Especially when it comes to destroying magical artifacts, they are virtually invincible.

Among those of the same level, no matter how powerful the magic weapon is, as long as the Puppet Scissors make a move, it can be easily destroyed, as if those magic weapons are countered by the Puppet Scissors.

Rather than cooking the stuffed meat into a delicious dish, Luo Kui was more concerned with enhancing combat effectiveness.

After deciding how to use the third-tier treasure, the Mad Shark Tooth, Luo Kui turned his attention to the Fangtian Halberd.

As for the shark skin used to refine the Thousand-Layer Pouch, they simply put it away.

He took out his natal halberd and fell into deep thought.

"If only you had appeared sooner!"

He murmured to himself as he looked at the halberd.

Although the halberd was of the sixth rank, Luo Kui felt that it was not as good as the old halberd that Dou Eqing had given him.

Clearly, Luo Kui had seen through the secret of the Fangtian Halberd.

Legend has it that there once lived a powerful being in the land known as the Sea God, who fought a ten-thousand-year war against the Black Sea Demon God using a trident.

In the bloody battle of that time, the Sea God's trident pierced through the ninefold abyss, and fought the Black Sea Demon God so fiercely that stars shattered.

For a full ten thousand years, the two powerful beings fought so fiercely that the vast Black Domain was plunged into darkness, and in the end, they both perished in the raging torrents.

When the waves subsided, the once mighty trident was found to have only one sharp edge remaining in the middle!
As the saying goes, divine weapons possess spirits. This broken blade wandered into the cultivation world and was reforged by the Thousand Refinement Master using Nine Nether Profound Iron.

At this moment, the Fangtian Halberd in Luo Kui's hand emitted a cold light, which was exactly the same as the "Sea-Severing Halberd" recorded in ancient books!
Luo Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his spiritual power surged, and his robes fluttered without wind.

This halberd still retains a trace of the Sea God's aura, clearly concealing a great opportunity left behind by the Sea God!

When Luo Kui saw Dou Eqing take out the Fangtian Halberd, his first thought was that it was the "Sea-Splitting Halberd".

Only then did he eagerly let Dou Eqing and the other two leave so that he could examine the halberd carefully by himself and confirm whether it was the legendary treasure halberd.

Now that it's confirmed, he really wants to thank Dou Eqing properly, but he knows that this secret must not be revealed at all. On the contrary, he worries that Dou Eqing might remember this halberd in the future, causing unforeseen complications.

Luo Kui was torn between two conflicting thoughts. On one hand, he wanted to kill Dou Eqing to silence him and prevent the endless turmoil that might result from the possible leak of the "Sea-Breaking Halberd" secret. On the other hand, he was worried that Zhou Yutong was by Dou Eqing's side, making it difficult to succeed easily.

However, while Luo Kui hesitated, Dou Eqing had already secretly spread the news that he had given Luo Kui five great gifts.

Dou Eqing did this for two reasons: first, to increase his own fame within the Demon Hunter Sect; and second, to confirm that Luo Kui had accepted his generous gift, thus binding their relationship in the eyes of the outside world.

There are many unspoken rules in the sect. If Dou Eqing wants to get things done, he doesn't need Luo Kui's direct intervention. Dou Eqing can get things done by using the name of Sect Master Luo.

He went to great lengths to expose the gift-giving affair through Luo Qian, all in order to facilitate things under the unspoken rules.

For this, he gave Luo Qian a reward of one hundred million high-grade spirit stones.

Under normal circumstances, even a hundred million high-grade spirit stones might not be enough to get Luo Qian to cooperate; he would need to consult Luo Kui first.

But Dou Eqing's situation is special.

First and foremost, his demonstrated talent for cultivation led Luo Qian to believe that Dou Eqing was truly deserving of being Luo Kui's disciple and would eventually become his personal disciple.

Secondly, Luo Qian knew that Dou Eqing and Luo Chuyan had a close relationship, and that Dou Eqing would not only be Luo Kui's disciple in the future, but also his son-in-law.

These two reasons made Luo Qian feel that Luo Kui could easily reveal Dou Eqing's gift.

Dou Eqing spoke frankly to him, his purpose being to let the rest of the sect know about the close relationship between Dou Eqing and the sect leader.

Luo Qian still suffered from the difference in cultivation level.

During Dou Eqing's gift-giving process, the confrontation between Zhou Yutong and Luo Kui made Luo Qian cautious throughout the entire process, and he did not observe Luo Kui's attitude towards Dou Eqing.

Therefore, Luo Qian did not realize that Luo Kui had a rift with Dou Eqing.

However, Dou Eqing's high-profile actions had both advantages and disadvantages.

Because he has enemies in the Demon Hunter Sect.

Moreover, this enemy has a certain foundation in the Demon Hunter Sect.

For example, the warlord had someone pass on a message reminding Dou Eqing to go and deliver gifts, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the warlord's chief, Shi Hao.

Dou Eqing was now in a difficult position.

If it were just a random gift, Shi Hao would definitely have more objections compared to Luo Kui.

But if Dou Eqing were to give Shi Hao the same gifts he had given Luo Kui, he would feel it would be too unfair.

Therefore, this matter put Dou Eqing in a dilemma.

In addition, there are rumors circulating that Dou Eqing's cultivation speed is abnormal, and that he may be a spy from another force, who has provided him with special resources to help him reach his current level in such a short time.

As a result, Dou Eqing's reputation was greatly affected, and his "special cultivation resources" naturally attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Because Dou Eqing had no connections within the Demon Hunter Sect, this news never reached his ears.

Originally, these rumors were gathered and relayed to Liao Yinshu by Liao Dishu, but Liao Dishu is no longer with us.

Therefore, Dou Eqing's attempt to leverage the Demon Hunter Sect's power yielded no benefit, but instead sowed the seeds of future troubles.

(End of this chapter)