Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

Volcano Grotto Heaven.

A barren land.

Pillars of Obsidian stood tall and imposing, exuding a mysterious aura.

A pure white mask, representing the Guardians, materialized on the surface of a pillar.

The mask’s gaze fell upon a mirror-smooth altar before the pillar. The image reflected within the altar was none other than a complete view of the Volcano Grotto Heaven!

And now, the layer of flames encircling the edge of the mirrored surface was showing signs of weakening.

The Guardians conversed with one another, their tones laced with worry.

"The Divine Kingdom’s barriers are gradually weakening."

"Suppressing a Dao Source has consumed too much power... The cultivators’ exploration of the Divine Kingdom has also affected our authority."

"They cannot remain for long. This is the Li Huo Divine Kingdom, a realm belonging to us gods. In one or two years at most, the Divine Kingdom will once again seal itself off in the void," another Guardian said.

"But..."

"Before that happens, the power protecting the Divine Kingdom will be drastically depleted. Gods from other lands... those Nascent Soul cultivators will be able to set foot in our realm."

Outside the Li Huo Divine Kingdom, a layer of power shrouded it, containing a potent fire poison. Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would have to keep their distance, finding it difficult to enter.

But now, this layer of fire poison, accumulated over a vast period, would be difficult to maintain for long.

And after the fire poison dissipates, there is still a considerable period before the Divine Kingdom closes.

This period is a gap in the Divine Kingdom’s defenses, a time when outside Nascent Soul cultivators can enter unscrupulously and attempt to seize the Volcano Grotto Heaven!

The Guardians were worried about this.

"There’s no need to worry. This isn’t without precedent... In the past, haven’t all the Nascent Soul cultivators who dared to barge into the Li Huo Divine Kingdom met their end here?"

"Past examples are difficult to apply now."

"This time the Divine Kingdom opened, it attracted a great number of Nascent Soul powers... Of the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea, more than half have dispatched Tier Four beings to explore the Divine Kingdom."

"Previously, with the Blood Moon Demon Monarch as a deterrent, at most one or two Loose Cultivator Nascent Souls would come here."

The Guardians thought helplessly of the Blood Moon Demon Monarch. Although this Divinity Transformation Ancestor of the Blood Moon Demon Palace had forcibly borrowed the Sun-Shining Divine Spear, his influence on the Li Huo Divine Kingdom ultimately did more good than harm.

"The Sun-Shining Divine Spear... The disciples of the Blood Moon promised to return it."

"As long as we can get the spear back, we will have nothing to fear, even if Nascent Souls from other lands invade... The might of the divine spear is not something a mere Nascent Soul can withstand!"

"There’s also the sea-descendant... As long as he keeps his promise to refine a Dao Source, it will also alleviate the pressure on the Divine Kingdom."

"He will keep his promise." The Guardian was very confident—not in Su Ye’s character, of course, but in the binding power of the promise itself.

At the Guardians’ request, Su Ye had sworn a Heart Demon Oath, promising to help refine the Dao Source after reaching the Late-stage Golden Core realm, and provided it was within his capabilities.

Otherwise, the Guardians were no fools.

Why would they allow Su Ye to take the Crimson Tears without any cost?

They naturally needed some kind of guarantee.

Of course, this Heart Demon Oath had no other effect.

In fact, if Su Ye was willing to stop at the Golden Core realm and not attempt to advance to Nascent Soul, he could completely disregard this promise.

However, if he wanted to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and actively broke his oath, the negative consequences would be fatal!

Among the Nascent Soul Tribulations, there is one called the [Boundless Heart Demon Tribulation]. Even for one with a flawless state of mind, the probability of passing it is not very high.

To face it with a Heart Demon Oath hanging over one’s head was certain death!

"Given his age, he absolutely has a chance at reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Therefore, he will definitely fulfill his promise."

The Guardians had little faith in Su Ye’s character, but they had immense faith in his potential.

Not yet sixty years old, a Tier Four Mid Stage cultivator of his age was exceedingly rare, even among the gods of the Divine Continent!

’The disciples of the Blood Moon, the sea-descendant...’

Thinking of these two safeguards, the Guardians felt a little more at ease.

"However, we can’t be careless. Adding another measure would be safer."

"Right, that cultivator we rescued in Volcano State a while ago—his constitution is quite compatible with an ownerless divine spark."

"I think we can increase our investment in him, cultivate him to advance to a Tier Five god, and have him serve as a Guardian of the Divine Kingdom to bolster our defenses."

"Agreed."

"At this juncture, a free Tier Five combatant is very valuable."

"Even after the battle, we can arrange for him to serve as a warden. It won’t be a waste."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Su Ye was trying to overcome the hurdle of Magical Power.

Of course, Su Ye’s method was anything but diligent closed-door cultivation.

As everyone knows, plundering is better than painstaking work.

Compared to arduous cultivation and polishing one’s Magical Power, refining worldly Spiritual Objects and consuming Spirit Pills was countless times more effective!

But even more effective than those two methods was Refining the Spiritual Spring—devouring the Spiritual Spring Origin at the cost of permanently damaging a Spirit Vein!

’Just two Tier Four Spiritual Springs, or maybe a few more, and my Magical Power accumulation will meet the standard for advancement.’

Su Ye calculated inwardly. He had already used the pretext of closed-door cultivation to leave Volcano State.

This didn’t arouse any suspicion. For any cultivator who had obtained a treasure like the Dragon Fiend’s Heart, going into seclusion to refine it was a perfectly normal thing to do.

What’s more, Su Ye had already revealed his physical cultivation level when he fought Yuanshan Xinglun.

A body at Tier Four Perfection was certainly qualified to refine the Dragon Fiend’s Heart, so it didn’t attract any undue attention.

WHOOSH.

The Ghostly Flood Dragon changed its form, retracting its masts and sails. Its hull became oval, resembling an all-black Sakaban Turtle as it sped through the depths of the sea.