Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

The Nascent Soul-level sword light subsided, and a figure walked out.

Dressed in a Gold Embroidered Profound Robe, with black hair cascading like a waterfall, he was handsome and otherworldly.

Who else could it be but Su Ye?

It was exceedingly obvious.

The Han Tiantong from before was, in fact, his shadow clone.

With a calm expression, Su Ye approached Jiang Wenyuan’s corpse.

RIP.

He took out a fire talisman and tore it.

Fierce flames, like a serpent of fire, instantly engulfed Jiang Wenyuan’s corpse.

A moment later, the body was reduced to ash, leaving behind nothing but a single Golden Core.

At the same time,

Su Ye’s Divine Sense stirred.

His Fifth-rank Divine Sense Power swept across the area,

making sure that any remnant soul had been utterly annihilated.

’Mm.’

’Now he’s well and truly dead!’

Su Ye chuckled, bending down to pick up the Golden Core and a damaged Storage Ring.

Thanks to its small size and durable material, the Storage Ring was still usable.

’Given Jiang Wenyuan’s status, his Storage Ring must be loaded. Add this Golden Core to the mix... I’ve really made a killing this time!’

A brilliant smile on his face, Su Ye took out a handkerchief, carefully wiped the Golden Core clean of dust, and put it away.

Then,

he picked up the Storage Ring.

As he stared at the Brass Storage Ring, his eyes began to glow with an icy silver light, and his Divine Sense power surged forth.

As Jiang Wenyuan’s property, the Storage Ring was protected by numerous restrictions. If Su Ye’s Divine Sense were still at Tier Four Perfection,

it would have taken him several days to wear down the restrictions and open it. But now, his Divine Sense was at the fifth rank and had developed unique properties. Things were different.

CRACK.

A quarter of an hour later,

with a CRACK, the restrictions on the Brass Storage Ring shattered.

Su Ye’s Divine Sense flowed inside. The space within the Storage Ring was quite large, filled with all sorts of pills and Spiritual Objects, neatly categorized and stored!

Of course, there were no Secret Technique manuals from the Jade Void Sword Sect.

’What kind of idiot would carry his sect’s secret manuals with him on a ruin expedition? You’d have to be a spy, right?’

Su Ye had already anticipated this, so he wasn’t disappointed.

Besides, the haul of Spiritual Objects alone was incredibly bountiful!

In fact,

this was the most lucrative Storage Ring Su Ye had ever opened!

However, the thing Su Ye was most concerned about at this moment wasn’t some treasure.

HUM.

His expression turned solemn as he took a Spirit Stone out of the Storage Ring.

It was a Detection Stone.

"So this is what the Jade Void Sword Sect used to lock onto my aura?"

Su Ye murmured, his eyes glinting.

Using the Detection Stone wasn’t difficult. After a bit of tinkering, Su Ye figured out how it worked.

He even tested it on himself, and the results made his expression turn grim.

"Dammit!"

’This thing actually works so well?’

Su Ye’s brow furrowed, his expression dark.

According to his tests, the Detection Stone could easily find him if he made no attempt to conceal his presence.

But even when he used his full power to conceal himself, the stone would still detect something and light up with an alarm if it came within ten feet!

’This is just...’

Su Ye winced, a muscle in his cheek twitching.

He closed his hand and crushed the Detection Stone, with its glaring alarm light, into fine powder.

Then,

a sinister look appeared in his eyes.

"Dreamwardens."

"Send me the locations of the other cultivators."

Su Ye’s tone was calm, but his words were laced with killing intent.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Don’t waste time. Refining the Dao Source is the priority!"

a Dreamwarden said in a deep voice.

To them, having Su Ye and the other Golden Core cultivators fight each other,

a dog-eat-dog affair,

was certainly a good thing.

However,

they knew that these Golden Core cultivators were merely a minor nuisance.

Killing them meant nothing to the Li Huo Divine Kingdom.

The Nascent Soul experts lurking outside Volcano State, eyeing the divine kingdom, were the real threat!

"This is part of my preparation for refining the Dao Source."

"Or do you think refining the Dao Source won’t consume any of my energy?"

"Hunting these Golden Core cultivators is one way to replenish it."

Su Ye said dismissively, offering a flimsy excuse.

This explanation contradicted what he had said before,

but Su Ye didn’t really care.

After all,

leverage not used was leverage wasted.

Right now, the Dreamwardens were constrained by the Dao Source and needed his help.

But once he refined the Dao Source and solved their problem, their attitude might not be so accommodating!

"Oh, and besides hunting Golden Core cultivators, I also need to kill a certain number of monsters. That’s another part of my replenishment."

This part was actually true. Su Ye really did need to kill a certain number of monsters in the ruins to gain experience points, so he said it with complete conviction.

"Don’t worry."

"Once my preparations are complete, I’ll refine the Dao Source."

"I swore a Heart Demon Oath on this matter. I won’t go back on my word."

Su Ye said earnestly.

The Dreamwardens were silent for a long moment.

"We agree to your request."

"We hope you remember what you promised."

"Of course."

"I am a man of my word!"

Su Ye patted his chest in assurance, inwardly pleased.

’Just as I expected, the Dreamwardens gave in!’

HUM.

A ripple of divine thought washed over Su Ye.

Su Ye’s Divine Sense stirred, absorbing it.

Instantly,

a map appeared in his mind.

It was an overhead view of the ruins, with the locations of both monsters and cultivators clearly marked.

"Excellent..."

A grin spread across Su Ye’s face as he began to hunt, following the map.

...

「Meanwhile.」

The Desolate Land.

A screen of light flickered.

On it was a view of the ruins’ interior.

At that moment,

the Dreamwarden stone pillars were arguing amongst themselves.

"I have no objection to you giving him the map."

"But..."

"Why did you also mark the Blood Moon disciple for him to hunt?"

"If this Blood Moon disciple dies here, how are we supposed to retrieve the Sun-Shining Divine Spear?"

a Dreamwarden asked worriedly.

She didn’t much care if Qinghua lived or died.

But the Sun-Shining Divine Spear was crucial!

"There is no need to worry,"

another Dreamwarden replied,

their tone cold and severe.

"This Blood Moon disciple is also being difficult... This is a good opportunity to use the sea-spawn’s hand to put her in her place."

"Let her know we have other collaborators. This will put some pressure on her. At the same time, we can save the Blood Moon disciple at a critical moment to earn some goodwill."

"But..."

"What if he actually kills her?"

"This sea-spawn’s power has taken another leap. Even back in the age of the Divine Continent, he could rival a minor deity."

"Are you sure the Blood Moon disciple won’t be killed?"

"It’s fine."

"Even if she dies, it doesn’t matter..."

"Based on my observations, I am almost certain that the ’Mrs. Qinghua’ identity the Blood Moon disciple is using is just an avatar!"

"Her true self has likely already reached the Nascent Soul Realm!"

"She’s probably wandering the sea right now, spying on the divine kingdom!"

"And the Sun-Shining Divine Spear is in her possession!"

the Dreamwarden said with conviction.

"Is that... so."

"Very well."

The other Dreamwardens agreed.

They fell silent, their gazes turning back to the screen of light, watching the events unfold in the ruins.

...

「Several days later.」

In a corridor within the ruins.

Two Golden Core Realm cultivators in the robes of the Star Casting Hall lay dead on the ground, their faces covered in blood, their eyes wide with disbelief.

They were a man and a woman. Both cultivators’ Dantian Qi Seas had been forcibly ripped open, blood still flowing freely. Their Golden Cores were gone.

Su Ye stood nearby, his expression calm, his clothes immaculate.

He wiped clean two Golden Cores that pulsed with a Divine Power Qi Mechanism and placed them carefully into a jade box for safekeeping.

Just moments ago, he had "reasoned" with the two cultivators, "persuading" them to give him their Golden Cores.

’That’s the seventh Golden Core.’

’The resources needed for the Ghostly Flood Dragon to advance to quasi-Tier Five are almost gathered...’

’Thank you, my fellow Daoists. I will remember you.’

Su Ye put his palms together in a mock gesture of thanks.

Ever since he received the map, he had been in full-on hunting mode.

During this time, he had gone on a killing spree, obtaining seven Golden Cores. As for his experience points, he had accumulated over 20,000 and was about to break the 100,000 mark!

’A few more days of hunting, and then I’ll go refine the Dao Source...’

Su Ye thought to himself.

Then,

his eyes shifted as he opened the map again.

’Let’s see... where is my next target?’