Recruit demons to become heroes, hunt demons to become gods

Chapter 270 Playing the long game to catch the big fish
Dou Eqing suddenly stood up, and the other three looked at him, puzzled.

The sixth-level merit was so stimulating to Dou Eqing that he couldn't help but stand up.

Fifth-order merit is not too rare for Dou Eqing now, but sixth-order merit is extremely rare.

Back in the territories, we joined forces with a mid-stage sixth-tier spirit mother to kill a mid-stage sixth-tier demon shark, and only then did we barely gain some sixth-tier merit.

That time, it took everyone's combined efforts to outwit the Mad Shark. Heaven only awarded him a little sixth-level merit because it was his first time participating in the extermination of a sixth-level demon.

Otherwise, Dou Eqing contributed the least to the killing of the demon shark, and should not be considered to have earned any sixth-level merit.

He had already gathered quite a few cultivators at the Refinement Realm under his command, but he only managed to obtain sixth-tier merit on that one occasion, which shows that sixth-tier merit is not easy to obtain.

If the merit of Dou Eqing is to be counted as the merit of killing demonic cultivators by the Minotaur, then at least three Void Refinement demonic cultivators must be killed to count as one sixth-level merit.

Dou Eqing was shocked by the Minotaur's victory and was even more pleased that he was receiving six levels of merit every day.

These sixth-tier merits reminded him of another shortcut to breaking through to the Void Refinement Realm: exchanging six sixth-tier merits for an opportunity to break through the realm with an Immeasurable Merit Bead.

When Dou Eqing broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, he was unable to use the Boundless Merit Pearl to advance because he cultivated too quickly, causing him to forget about this method for a long time.

To break through to the Void Refinement stage in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, no amount of preparation is necessary; it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Exchanging Heavenly Merit for a breakthrough not only guarantees a 100% instant breakthrough, but also reduces the lightning tribulation following the breakthrough.

Originally, given Dou Eqing's special circumstances, the Tribulation of Refining Void would definitely be more intense than the Tribulation of most geniuses.

Even though Dou Eqing possessed extraordinary good fortune and various life-saving trump cards, the Refinement Thunder Tribulation still put him in a situation where he had a slim chance of survival.

This is also the key reason why Dou Eqing has been delaying his breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm.

Given Dou Eqing's current conditions, he already possessed the ability to break through, but the power of his subconscious prevented him from doing so.

The sixth-tier merit allowed him to see a real opportunity for a breakthrough.

When Dou Eqing stood up, Luo Dayou was annoyed because Luo Daling had ignored him.

He suddenly blocked Luo Dayou's view of Luo Daling, which made Luo Dayou even angrier.

Luo Dayou felt a surge of anger, believing that Dou Eqing was deliberately provoking him and trying to anger him.

He clenched his fists, trying to control his emotions, but the anger inside him grew stronger and stronger.

Meanwhile, Luo Daling remained indifferent, standing aside as if none of this concerned her, which made Luo Dayou feel even more helpless and angry.

"You shameless bastard who dares to lay a finger on my woman! Today I'll show you why flowers are so red! I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death!"

Luo Dayou's eyes flashed with a cold light, as if he were talking to himself, about to take action against Dou Eqing.

He suddenly raised his right fist high above his head, and in an instant, the wind from the fist howled, like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, and slammed straight into Dou Eqing's face.

Luo Daling and Zhou Zhixiu, who should have intervened, unexpectedly chose to stand by and watch.

Luo Daling instantly activated the courtyard's strongest defensive formation—"Heavenly Net"—by forming hand seals!
Instantly, golden light radiated outwards, enveloping the entire courtyard, both isolating it from outside observation and preventing the aftershocks of the battle from leaking out.

Zhou Zhixiu smiled slyly and pretended to swing her palm at Luo Daling, seemingly to stop Luo Daling from joining the battle, but in reality, she was putting on a good show.

This "feint to the east while attacking the west" tactic was designed to completely lower Dou Eqing's guard, so that they would fight with no other thoughts in mind!

Thus, Luo Dayou and Dou Eqing engaged in a fistfight on the open ground, while Luo Dayou and Zhou Zhixiu faced off on the roof of the Yayuan Pavilion.

Dou Eqing knew he was in the wrong—after all, he had taken away someone else's former Daoist partner—so he pushed the Youlong Step to its limit, his figure moving like a ghost across the field, leaving Luo Dayou unable to even touch a piece of his clothes!

Seeing that this fellow was as slippery as an eel, Luo Dayou's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he suddenly pulled out a silver spear from his storage ring.

The spear tip gleamed coldly, drawing a dazzling silver line in the sunlight—as the saying goes, an inch longer, an inch stronger; the moment this weapon appeared, the situation changed instantly!
How could Dou Eqing allow him to run rampant?

However, they were unwilling to draw their weapons and fight Luo Dayou, fearing that swords and spears would have no eyes and escalate the battle.

He immediately roared and pounced on Luo Dayou like a hawk, his hands forming claws as he aimed for the silver spear.

His eyes were bright and piercing, and his muscles were taut, like a beast ready to pounce.

Luo Dayou was not to be outdone. He wielded his silver spear like a dragon, creating a series of spear shadows and flashing cold light as he tried to force back the enemy.

The two instantly became entangled in combat, and the powerful winds they generated caused the surrounding tiles to rattle loudly!
A tense atmosphere filled the air. Every time the silver spear clashed with Dou Eqing's hands, it produced a crisp metallic clang, as if Dou Eqing possessed iron fists and bronze arms.

The two women watching the show from the rooftop didn't make a sound, afraid of disturbing this exciting contest.

Suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared, and Luo Daling, dressed in a brocade robe, burst out laughing: "A silver spear with a wax head! You dare to show off this piece of junk?"

Before he could finish speaking, the gun barrel was already vibrating and humming as Dou Eqing struck it with his palm!
"Ha! Sister should thank me for being the matchmaker. Having been served by the legendary Fire Dragon Drill, she naturally wouldn't be interested in Luo Lang's Silver Dragon!"

Zhou Zhixiu's calm words made it difficult for Luo Daling to tell whether she was envious or sarcastic. Her indifferent tone seemed to hide some deeper meaning, making people wonder about her true feelings.

However, Luo Daling took it as Zhou Zhixiu showing off her triumph—triumph that she had plotted against him.

"I know perfectly well that you, my sister, are also a little man's demon slave. Others may not know your thoughts, but I know them all too well. You yourself are infatuated with his Fire Dragon Drill, yet you were afraid that Luo Qian would hinder your good fortune. Now, aren't you willingly becoming his demon slave yourself?"

To put it bluntly, the younger sister is stealing her daughter's man! If the Demon Slayer Mark were on Qianqian, don't you think he would eventually become Qianqian's man?

Luo Daling quickly transmitted a long message, and Zhou Zhixiu tried several times to interrupt her but failed.

"They're even!"

Zhou Zhixiu blurted out a sarcastic remark, but immediately realized it was inappropriate, as it had implicated her.

But the words had already been spoken, and fortunately no one else heard their conversation.

Otherwise, others might mistakenly think that Zhou Zhixiu's words were an admission that she had taken a liking to Dou Eqing and wanted to steal Luo Qian's man.

That would truly make one a shameless person.

Dou Eqing not only took away Luo Dayou's silver spear, but also knocked Luo Dayou down.

This result angered and frustrated Luo Dayou.

Because Dou Eqing defeated him so thoroughly, Luo Dayou realized that he was far inferior to Dou Eqing.

Unless he uses his most treasured life-saving item against Dou Eqing, Dou Eqing has overwhelming strength against him.

However, if he wanted to use his most treasured possession to kill Dou Eqing, Luo Daling would definitely intervene, thus preventing him from actually killing Dou Eqing.

With this in mind, there's no need to waste his trump card for survival.

This trump card was a protective measure tailored for Luo Dayou by the founding emperor to ensure the continuation of his male lineage, combining both offense and defense.

Once used, it would surely be discovered by the Taizu Emperor, causing a great deal of trouble.

In the brief exchange of words between the two women, sparks flew!

Dou Eqing moved like a ghost, and with a "clang" of a dragon, the silver spear in Luo Dayou's hand was snatched away! Before he could react, he was struck in the chest with a heavy palm, and his whole body was smashed into the stone wall three zhang away like a broken sack!

"Pfft—" Luo Dayou spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes flashing with a venomous light.

What a disgrace! The dignified direct descendant of the Luo family was publicly humiliated by having his troops confiscated!
What's even more infuriating is that he clearly saw Dou Eqing use only 70% of his power in that move "Azure Dragon Playing with Eagle"!
Luo Dayou's right knuckles cracked so hard that his gums bled from biting them.

Unless he uses the "Heaven-Turning Seal" bestowed by the founding emperor, he cannot last more than ten moves against Dou Eqing!
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the blue light dancing on Luo Daling's fingertips on the roof of the attic. She would definitely stop her!
However, Zhou Zhixiu, Luo Dayou's current Daoist partner, made no comment and let him be defeated by Dou Eqing.

Luo Dayou was torn between his inner thoughts and his own conscience.

That Heaven-Turning Seal was a life-saving treasure crafted by the Great Ancestor using Luo Dayou's life essence blood. Once activated, it would inevitably trigger a wide-ranging phenomenon, which would surely alarm the Great Ancestor of the Luo family.

If Dou Eqing emerges unscathed, I fear I will face serious trouble, or even be punished.

"You pretty boy, you just wait!"

Luo Dayou squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his spiritual energy surging but he managed to suppress it.

The humiliation of today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!
As the only one in the Blazing Cave, the great ancestor of the Luo family crafted the Heaven-Turning Seal for Luo Dayou because his lineage had always been passed down through a single son. Although Luo Dayou had two daughters, he still had no son.

Once Luo Dayou uses the Heaven-Turning Seal and alarms the Emperor Taizu, he will surely come to check on his physical condition.

However, he developed serious health problems and was no longer able to have offspring.

Luo Dayou didn't want the ancestor to know that he had lost the ability to reproduce, otherwise, his good days would be over. It turned out that in order to improve his cultivation, he had been engaging in dual cultivation with many female cultivators, but because his strength in dual cultivation was insufficient, he would lose before he could absorb the female cultivator's essence during the dual cultivation, resulting in a great loss of his primordial yang essence and a significant reduction in his ability to reproduce.

After each failed dual cultivation session, his body would become severely weak and exhausted, sometimes even causing internal injuries that required a long period of recuperation to recover. In more serious cases, his body's essence would gradually be depleted.

However, he did not give up. Instead, he became even more obsessed with finding female cauldrons for dual cultivation, hoping to break through the bottleneck through the dual cultivation method of absorbing yin to replenish yang.

In the end, he still couldn't break through to the Refinement Realm, so he began to cultivate the forbidden dual cultivation technique that the Great Ancestor had explicitly forbidden him from practicing: Guiding Yang and Peering into the Precious Mirror.

This forbidden technique is said to originate from an ancient secret text and is only used in extreme circumstances, because it is not only dangerous but also has extremely serious consequences.

This technique is known among cultivators as the "Infertility Technique," and it has extremely strong backlash and side effects.

The cultivator uses a secret technique of drawing yin energy from yang to absorb a large amount of primordial yin energy from the female furnace in a short period of time, transforming it into his own cultivation.

This method is almost a devouring way of absorbing nourishment, but it also consumes the cultivator's essence and yang essence. In severe cases, it may damage the source of life and even completely lose humanity, turning the cultivator into a demon.

Nevertheless, Luo Dayou decided to take the risk, because he had no other choice but to hope that this forbidden technique could bring about a breakthrough.

If the Luo family patriarch knew that Luo Dayou had practiced this technique, causing the male lineage of his family to die out, he would definitely skin him alive.

Therefore, Luo Dayou would not use his trump card unless absolutely necessary, lest he alarm the Luo family's founding ancestor.

During their fight, especially after Luo Dayou was knocked flying and ended up on his back, Dou Eqing noticed something suspicious about Luo Dayou.

Based on Kuan Hai's memory, Dou Eqing confirmed that Luo Dayou was infertile.

Dou Eqing recalled the situation of Luo Daling's great-grandfather and thought that Luo Dayou's hidden illness could be used as leverage against him.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, we're in the same boat, really. I didn't want to be a woman's gigolo either, but I'm weaker than her, so I'm at her mercy. It's not that I provoked Fairy Luo, but rather..."

Dou Eqing telepathically explained to Luo Dayou and complained.

He then changed the subject.

"Actually, as long as we improve our strength and gain power in the sect, our status can be reversed immediately. At that time, women will just be clothes to us, and we'll change them when they get dirty."

I once obtained an unknown divine artifact, which I felt was destined to be yours; it can enhance the attributes of all things. If you possess a sixth-tier breakthrough pill, I guarantee you will be able to break through to the Void Refinement Realm.

Dou Eqing paused for a moment, letting Luo Dayouxian process what he had just said.

Seeing that Luo Dayou understood, he continued, "Furthermore, I fully understand your infertility problem, but if Fairy Luo and I continue the family line for Fellow Daoist Luo, as long as neither of us says anything, the child will be yours. Wouldn't you be able to claim credit from the Supreme Ancestor? Then, wouldn't the position of Lord of the Blazing Flame Cave be yours simply by saying the word?"

Dou Eqing finished saying what he wanted to say, gritted his teeth, and exchanged a little bit of sixth-order merit for sixth-order Heavenly Origin Liquid, which he put in a jade bottle and showed to Luo Dayou.

He deliberately used a fifth-grade superior-quality Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle.

The jade bottle not only contains powerful spiritual energy, but also has a levitation array engraved inside, which allows the contents to float in the bottle without touching the bottle body. It is a treasure that alchemists and cultivators dream of.

The jade bottle was no more than three inches tall, and its entire body was as clear as ice. Fine silver patterns, as thin as hair, were wrapped around the bottle. These silver patterns shimmered faintly in the moonlight, as if they were alive.

It is said that the silver patterns were drawn with the blood of a rare silver fox spirit beast, which can enhance the jade bottle's ability to absorb moonlight and release a powerful protective barrier at critical moments.

Once Tianyuan Liquid reaches the sixth rank, it possesses the ability to autonomously strengthen all things, and almost no container can hold it, so it needs to be used immediately.

The suspended array engraved inside the Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle can prevent the Heavenly Origin Liquid from coming into contact with the bottle.

Therefore, Luo Dayou saw Tianyuan Liquid hanging at the mouth of the bottle.

Saying I saw it is inaccurate; it should be that I sensed the Tianyuan liquid suspended at the bottle opening.

At first glance, the place seems empty, yet it's so captivating that you can't look away.

As Luo Dayou focused his attention, his spiritual energy converged in his eyes, and countless stars were reflected in his eyelids—the droplets were clearly colorless, yet they seemed to have crushed the entire Milky Way within them, and the flowing light wove a dazzling spider web in the void.

It was the first time he had ever seen such an indescribable and mysterious object. Just one glance made him feel that his eyes were much brighter than before.

Therefore, Luo Dayou believed what Dou Eqing said.

"If you can help me break through to the Void Refinement Realm, we'll call it even."

Luo Dayou said magnanimously, completely unconcerned about the humiliation of being easily defeated by Dou Eqing.

In his view, it wouldn't be too late to settle scores after he broke through to the Void Refinement Realm.

Dou Eqing saw a sly glint in Luo Dayou's eyes and immediately understood his plan.

He knew all too well that people like Luo Dayou, who rose to power by relying on a strong background, always liked to use their influence to bully others, and acted one way in public and another way in private.

He didn't expose the other party, but instead set a trap according to his own plan, determined to ensnare Luo Dayou.

The more Luo Dayou indulges in his own petty schemes, the more he will overlook the schemes others have against him.

Once Luo Dayou willingly accepts the Demon Slave Seal, he can only become Dou Eqing's demon slave, a puppet at Dou Eqing's beck and call, with no chance of turning the tables.

So Dou Eqing put away the Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle. Luo Dayou pretended to try to snatch it, but Dou Eqing dodged it with his Dragon-Swimming Step.

Dou Eqing gave a sinister smile, his five fingers, like hooks, rubbing together inside his sleeve:
"Fellow Daoist Luo, please don't be angry. This divine object is indeed wonderful, but we still need to establish a sound plan."

Luo Dayou's thick eyebrows furrowed, and his bushy beard bristled: "Speak up!"

"Words are meaningless; I just want some assurance."

Dou Eqing suddenly adopted a sincere demeanor, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "I've heard that Fellow Daoist Luo recently massacred the Blackwater Alliance—and afterwards even silenced his own envoys."

Upon hearing this, Luo Dayou burst into laughter: "I always keep my word!"

Dou Eqing knew the time was ripe and immediately asked, "..."

"The Lord of Luo Cave guarantees that he will not seek revenge later."

Dou Eqing's address of Luo Kuzhu pleased Luo Dayou greatly.

"I, Luo Dayou, guarantee it..."

"I already said that words alone are not enough. I'll be at ease once I plant a small restriction on the soul of the Lord of Luo Cave. This restriction is called the Lie-Detecting Soul Restriction. I need to guarantee that the conditions you promised me weren't lies. After the Lie-Detecting Soul Restriction is planted, you won't be able to escape its constraints even if you lie to me..."

……

The witty banter between the two made Zhou Zhixiu and Luo Daling see right through them.

It is really a fan of the authorities, and a bystander is clear.

Before Dou Eqing could even state his purpose, the two women already guessed what he was going to do next.

They looked at one as cunning as a fox and the other as dull-witted as a blockhead, finding it hard to believe that they had ever followed such a useless person as Luo Dayou.

As the two women guessed, Dou Eqing was led by the nose by Luo Dayou and was eventually implanted with the Demon Slave Mark.

Luo Dayou was not as knowledgeable as Zhou Zhixiu and the other two women; he had no idea what the Demon Slave Seal was.

Under Dou Eqing's deliberate cover-up, the Demon Slave Seal entered Luo Dayou's soul, and Luo Dayou actually believed it to be the soul-binding seal that Dou Eqing had mentioned for verifying lies.

"What kind of guarantee do you want me to make? Hurry up and ask, and give me the Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle."

Luo Dayou finally urged Dou Eqing impatiently.

"Here you go, that's fine. You can go back and get the sixth-tier breakthrough pill."

Dou Eqing tossed the Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle directly to Luo Dayou, catching the latter off guard.

However, now that he had the treasure, Luo Dayou didn't want to bother figuring out what Dou Eqing was up to. The deal was huge, and he was sure to make a profit.

Because the Demon Slave Mark was planted through concealment, it can only subtly change Luo Dayou's consciousness of Dou Eqing over time, and it may take quite some time for it to take effect completely.

However, Dou Eqing is willing to wait, it is worth waiting for, and it is worth investing in, even if it is a sixth-order Heavenly Origin Liquid.

In the future, he will also support Luo Dayou to sit on the throne of the Lord of the Blazing Cave, while he will just issue orders from behind the scenes.

Luo Dayou took the Suspended Cloud Jade Bottle and left the Elegant Garden, as if he had completely forgotten about Zhou Zhixiu and Luo Daling.

Then, Dou Eqing noticed that both women were staring at him with eyes that looked like they wanted to devour him.

(End of this chapter)