426: Chapter 425 Golden Entry Inspires

[traits: Immortality, Substitute Death, Breath Concealment, Exchange, Sharing, Rebirth, Instant Spellcasting, Body Refining, Teleportation, Disease, Teleportation, Poison Resistance, Alchemy, Heart Demon, Insight, Armor Break, Disguise, Disguise, Sensing, Photographic Memory, Affinity, Detection, Spirit Stone]

[Heavenly Dao Traits: Cultivation, External Incarnation, Intelligence, Divine Sense, Source of Mana, Mana Absorption, Fire God, Thunder God, Innate Divine Strength, Blood Qi, Storage Space, Sword God, Enhancement, Blade God, Repair, Bleeding, Sword Domain, Copy, Slow Cultivation, Dharma Image, Speed, Spirit Seed, Spirit-Severing Seed, Command]

After taking a glance at his attribute panel, Qin Changsheng began this year's Golden Trait extraction.

[Ding, extracting this year's Golden Trait]

Light flowed through the void of his Sea of Consciousness, and the light and shadows of various traits flashed by rapidly. Cyan, white, and purple traits flashed past, and finally, a warm and dazzling golden light broke through the layers of light, landing steadily in the center of his Sea of Consciousness.

[Ding! Extraction successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Golden Active trait: [Inspiration]]

As the System notification faded, the complete attributes of the trait immediately appeared in Qin Changsheng's mind.

[Inspiration, Golden Trait]

[trait Effect: Actively release the trait to instantly clear all negative status effects of friendly Cultivators in battle, completely restore the low morale, loss of Battle Intent, and battlefield timidity of the entire army, and increase resistance to Pressure by 30%. At the same time, the overall combat power of all personnel is increased by an additional 20%.]

Seeing the trait's effects clearly, a glint flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes, and he was quite satisfied in his heart.

His Heavenly Dao Command trait was a passive, all-encompassing attribute boost, covering the five dimensions of combat power, defense, Speed, recovery, and strength, making it suitable for crushing enemy armies in normal group battles.

And this brand-new Golden Inspiration trait was his trump card for turning the tide at critical moments.

If he could upgrade this Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait, the effect would be even stronger.

In the future, if he faced the Yao Race's army, he would definitely be able to crush them and achieve victory.

...

Flowing Fire Sect.

Liuhuo Hall.

Numerous Yao Race experts had gathered here.

However, no one spoke. Everyone was frowning, their faces gloomy and ugly.

Over the past year, things had not gone well for the Yao Race, with one disaster after another.

First, the Rat Demon King's entire army in Port County was wiped out, and the blood sacrifice plan that had been prepared for a long time completely collapsed. After a full year of investigation, they still could not find any clues about the culprit.

Furthermore, the Spiritual Root of the younger generation across the entire Yao Race had plummeted, the clan's Luck had inexplicably declined, and the overall strength of the Yao Race was weakening day by day.

The constant stream of bad news made all the Yao Race experts feel breathless. Sitting on the supreme Yao King throne, Shen Guhong's face was completely sullen, and his eyes were full of anger.

After a long silence, Shen Guhong finally spoke: "Shen Hu, over the past year, how many descendants with Spiritual Roots were born in our entire Yao Race territory?"

Shen Hu cupped his hands: "Reporting to the Yao King, the statistics for the entire Yao Race territory last year have been completed. There were only over three thousand newborns with Spiritual Roots."

He paused and added: "Furthermore, throughout last year, not a single descendant with a Heavenly Spiritual Root was born."

As the words fell, the silence in the hall instantly intensified, followed by a collective gasp. All the Yao Race experts turned pale, their eyes filled with despair.

In previous years, the Yao Race's Luck was prosperous, with at least thirty thousand descendants with Spiritual Roots born every year, and Heavenly Spiritual Root Prodigies appeared every year, continuously supporting the future combat power of the Yao Race.

But now, the number of descendants with Spiritual Roots had shrunk to one-tenth of what it used to be, and the birth of Heavenly Spiritual Root Prodigies had been completely severed. In the long run, within a few decades, the Yao Race would inevitably decline completely, with no capital left to contend with the Human Race.

Shen Guhong slammed the table hard, and the incredibly hard black iron table cracked directly.

After a full half-quarter of an hour of silence, Shen Guhong turned to look at Shen Bing: "Bing'er, has the Empress found the root cause of the Yao Race's decline in Luck and the severance of Spiritual Roots?"

Shen Bing walked out of the queue slowly, her expression solemn, and she replied respectfully: "Reporting to Father, the Empress has been investigating for a year and has not found any abnormalities."

"Did the Empress send any orders?" Shen Guhong asked.

Shen Bing cupped her hands and said: "The Empress told us to prepare with all our might for the Southern Region Golden Core Tournament and must win the championship."

"Among the rewards for the Golden Core Tournament is a supreme treasure, the Heart of the Yao Race. This object gathers the Luck of the ancient Yao Race. As long as we seize the Heart of the Yao Race, the Empress can use the power of the supreme treasure to forcibly stabilize the Yao Race's Luck, reverse the trend of decline, Repair the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence of the entire Yao Race, and reawaken the Spiritual Roots of the Yao Race descendants!"

Hearing this, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Shen Guhong's dim eyes, and the Yao Race experts below also regained their composure slightly.

Shen Guhong's expression remained heavy as he swept his gaze over the high-level Yao Race experts below and asked in a deep voice.

"Do you have a foolproof plan to securely win the championship of the Southern Region Golden Core Tournament next year?"

As the words fell, the Yao Race Elders and commanders below looked at each other, lowering their heads in silence.

With the Golden Core Prodigies of the Southern Region gathering at the venue, the Human Race had a large number of Prodigies with formidable strength. In a head-on collision, the Yao Race did not have an absolute certainty of victory, and for a moment, no one could come up with a safe strategy.

It was also at this moment that Gou Feng stepped out of the crowd and bowed.

"Reporting to the Yao King, this subordinate has a strategy that can help our Yao Race securely win the championship of this Golden Core Tournament."

Shen Guhong said: "Speak quickly, what is the strategy?"

Gou Feng stated the rules of the Golden Core Tournament in public: "The Southern Region Golden Core Tournament is divided into two rounds of competition. The first round is not a battle on the ring, but a mountain climbing trial. All participating Cultivators must reach the summit within one hour to successfully enter the second round of ring duels."

"We don't need to fight to the death with the Human Race Prodigies in the dangerous second round of the ring; we can completely make a move on the first round of the mountain climbing pass."

Shen Guhong nodded slightly: "Continue."

Gou Feng smiled and said: "This subordinate knows a Great Master of Formations. This person's Cultivation is not high, but his attainments in Formations are unparalleled in the Southern Region, and he is most skilled in setting up various Pressure Great Arrays."

"We can secretly send people in advance to let this Great Master of Formations quietly set up a high-level Pressure Great Array on Qingyun Mountain, silently adding to the mountain's Pressure. By then, the Pressure of the entire Qingyun Mountain will soar several times, and all Human Race participating Cultivators will face a sharp increase in burden, making it difficult to take a step."

"The vast majority of Human Race Prodigies will simply be unable to successfully reach the summit of Qingyun Mountain within the prescribed hour, and will be eliminated in the first round. By then, without the need for a second round of competition, we can securely win the Golden Core Tournament championship!"

As soon as Gou Feng's words fell, the eyes of many Yao Race experts lit up. This plan was insidious but extremely safe, avoiding the gap in frontal combat power and directly cutting off all the Human Race's qualifications to participate from the rules of the pass.

Even Shen Guhong smoothed his brows, and a rare look of joy appeared on his face, the frustration of the past few days dissipating by more than half.

Shen Guhong said: "Good plan!"

"Gou Feng, go and bring this Great Master of Pressure Formations!"

"This subordinate obeys!!" Gou Feng bowed to accept the order and quickly retreated.

Far away in the Heavenly Sword Sect, Qin Changsheng slowly withdrew his gaze.

Qin Changsheng did not take the Yao Race's increase in the Pressure of Qingyun Mountain to heart.

After all, Qin Changsheng possessed the Golden Trait Pressure.

All Pressure applied to Qin Changsheng would be reduced by more than 90%.

Even if the Yao Race increased this Pressure by half, it would not have much impact on Qin Changsheng.

Moreover, Qin Changsheng also had the Golden Trait Inspiration.

After releasing this Golden Trait, the resistance of all Human Race Cultivators to Pressure would increase by 30%.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand and summoned the Heavenly Dao Entry Intelligence.

In the next instant, a piece of information appeared on the attribute panel.

[heavenly dao fragment: A special treasure that can upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait!]

[Holder: Zhao Xun]

[Location: Qianhuo County, Zhao Family Village]

[Note: Zhao Family Village where Zhao Xun is located is under attack by demons, and Zhao Xun has gone to Qianhuo County to find experts to subdue the demons!]

Looking at the prompt on the attribute panel, a trace of joy flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes.

Originally, Qin Changsheng was still thinking about how to take the heavenly dao fragment from Zhao Xun's hands.

Now he could go directly to Qianhuo County and let Zhao Xun come to him voluntarily.

Then subdue the demons in Zhao Family Village, and finally take the heavenly dao fragment in Zhao Xun's hands.

...

Qianhuo County was not very far from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Qin Changsheng flew on his sword for more than three hours and arrived in Qianhuo County.

This place was just a Mortal city, with no Sect stationed, no rich Spiritual Qi lingering, and the pedestrians coming and going were all Mortals of flesh and blood. Street vendors hawked their wares along the street, carriages and crowds shuttled back and forth, full of the hustle and bustle of worldly life, without a trace of the Cultivation world.

Qin Changsheng walked slowly into the bustling city and scanned his surroundings.

He came to Qianhuo County this time only for the heavenly dao fragment on Zhao Xun.

From the Heavenly Dao Entry Intelligence, Qin Changsheng knew that the Zhao Family Village where Zhao Xun was located was being attacked by demons.

Zhao Xun would also come to Qianhuo County to find experts to subdue the demons.

Rather than searching aimlessly for Zhao Xun, it was better to take the initiative to set up a plan and let the other party come to find him voluntarily.

With his mind made up, Qin Changsheng walked straight to the central street intersection with the largest flow of people in the city, found an open flat ground, raised a wooden pole with his hand, and a white flag with black characters unfolded with the wind. The handwriting was eye-catching, attracting passersby to look sideways.

On the flag was written a line of large characters: Professionally subdue demons, no money charged if the demons are not exterminated.

As soon as the flag was raised, in just a moment, the surrounding area was surrounded by Mortal commoners watching the fun, three layers inside and three layers outside, surrounding Qin Changsheng's small stall tightly.

Everyone looked at Qin Changsheng, who was young and plainly dressed, and immediately began to discuss, full of suspicion and incomprehension. One after another, gazes fell on him, pointing and whispering, and the sound of discussion rose one after another.

"Look, everyone, this young man actually says he can subdue demons?"

"Demons are cruel and terrifying. To subdue demons, one must be a true Immortal Cultivator."

"He doesn't have a trace of Immortal Qi on him, he's plain and unremarkable, how could he be an Immortal? He doesn't even draft his lies."

"I guess this person is a liar!"

"When he encounters a demon, he will definitely run away at the first opportunity!"

Facing the sky full of criticism, Qin Changsheng's expression remained calm and peaceful, unhurried, sitting quietly behind the stall.

The surroundings were full of skepticism and mockery. No Mortal believed that Qin Changsheng had the ability to subdue demons, and everyone concluded that he was just a swindler.

He didn't care about the Mortals' opinions, he just needed to wait for Zhao Xun's arrival.

It didn't take long for the crowded crowd to slowly separate, and an old man wearing coarse linen clothes and a face full of wind and frost walked out of the crowd.

The old man's face was full of worry, and there was a trace of terror in his eyes, obviously having been tormented by the demon disaster in the village for days.

He stopped, looked carefully at Qin Changsheng sitting in front of the stall from top to bottom, looked at the other party's too-young face, hesitated for a long time, but still cupped his hands and spoke, his voice filled with sincerity and trepidation.

"Little Daoist, do you... do you really have the ability to subdue demons?"

Qin Changsheng raised his eyes to look at the old man and just nodded gently, his tone firm: "Naturally."

Getting Qin Changsheng's affirmative reply, the old man quickly said: "To tell you the truth, I am from Zhao Family Village outside the city. Recently, a fierce pig demon came to the village, with powerful demonic power and extreme viciousness. That pig demon breaks into the village every night to hurt and eat people. Many people in the village have died or been injured. We have tried every means to drive it away, and have even found several groups of capable people to help, but all have returned without success, and some have even died tragically in the demon's mouth."

Speaking of this, the old man bowed deeply to Qin Changsheng, his words extremely sincere: "Please, Little Daoist, have mercy and come with me to Zhao Family Village to get rid of that pig demon and save all the old and young in our village!"

Listening to the old man's story, Qin Changsheng understood. The worried old man in cloth clothes in front of him was exactly the Zhao Xun he was specifically waiting for.

As long as Qin Changsheng successfully helped this old man kill the pig demon, he would be able to obtain the heavenly dao fragment.

The Golden Trait Inspiration he had just extracted could become a Heavenly Dao Trait.

He stood up immediately, put away the demon-exterminating flag beside him, and replied straightforwardly: "Okay, old man, I will go to Zhao Family Village with you now."

Upon hearing this, a look of undisguised joy instantly flooded onto Zhao Xun's aged face. He thanked him repeatedly, and then led Qin Changsheng quickly towards the ox cart parked outside the city.

Zhao Family Village was close to Qianhuo County, and the journey was not far. The two sat on the crude ox cart and moved slowly along the way. In less than half an hour, the ox cart drove into the desolate entrance of Zhao Family Village.

The village atmosphere was dead and oppressive, many houses were dilapidated, and claw marks left by Yao Beasts could be seen everywhere at the entrance of the village, revealing the traces of the demon disaster.

As soon as the ox cart stopped, several villagers waiting at the entrance of the village with anxious expressions walked up to meet them immediately.

A young villager in the lead looked at Zhao Xun and shouted hurriedly: "Uncle Zhao, Uncle Zhao, you're back. Did you find an expert who can exterminate demons?"

Zhao Xun nodded slightly, then pointed to Qin Changsheng and said: "This Daoist is the expert who can subdue demons!"

Everyone's eyes also turned to Qin Changsheng.

But after looking, everyone's eyes were full of distrust.

Obviously, they believed that Qin Changsheng could not possibly subdue the pig demon.

"Uncle Zhao, this person looks too young and doesn't look like he has any ability at all. He is clearly a swindler. How can he deal with the man-eating pig demon!"

"If the pig demon is angered, our village will definitely lose many people!"

Hearing the crowd's discussion, Zhao Xun wanted to explain.

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps came from afar.

Everyone looked up and saw a strong man arrive here.

This strong man was carrying a wide-backed long saber, and his Aura was also very sufficient.

At a glance, one could tell he was an expert.