Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

WHOOSH.

It was like a gust of wind blowing past.

A slender figure materialized on the chair in front of Su Ye. She was a peerless beauty with a vermilion mark between her brows, and her every gesture exuded the aura of a superior who held the power of life and death in her hands!

Paired with her brilliant, golden, slit pupils, she was all the more breathtaking.

Wait a minute...

’Brilliant, golden, slit pupils?’

Su Ye’s gaze shifted, sweeping over her.

On either side of the female cultivator’s forehead grew a pair of magnificent and imposing jet-black dragon horns. They had a metallic sheen and looked incomparably sharp.

At the same time, a long, elegant, and unearthly tail swayed leisurely behind her, irresistibly drawing one’s gaze.

But aside from these features, she looked no different from a human female cultivator.

’Not some draconic hybrid, but... a True Dragon Transformation?’

’A Dragon Maiden?’

’And... a Nascent Soul-level Dragon Maiden?!’

The Nascent Soul pressure of the Spiritual Mechanism Immortal Dao blended with a draconic might, flowing from this Dragon Maiden and filling the study with what felt like immense pressure.

It was as if a block of thrice-forged steel was crushing a paper box, causing ripples to spread through the void!

’I can’t beat her.’

’Definitely can’t beat her.’

Su Ye made his judgment in a single breath’s time.

"Greetings, True Monarch."

Su Ye cupped his fist, his etiquette impeccable.

’I have always been cautious. I only go all-out on soft persimmons!’

’This persimmon is a bit too hard. I can’t squeeze it. Not even a little!’

In fact, if he hadn’t had a vague guess as to her identity, Su Ye probably would have already used every trick up his sleeve and fled a thousand miles away by now.

"Heh..." The Dragon Maiden gave a slight, unreadable smile. Her golden eyes narrowed as she sized up Su Ye with great interest, as if she had spotted something fascinating.

"Senior..."

Her gaze made Su Ye’s hair stand on end.

With a flicker of thought, the light of his Golden Core shifted, and he used the Netherworld Skill for Concealment in shadow.

At the same time, his heart beat, pumping out Divine Blood. This caused a nearly imperceptible fluctuation in his aura, making him seem like he possessed a top-tier bloodline Dao Body.

She watched him for a long moment.

"Not bad."

The Dragon Maiden said with a nod of approval.

"A Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect truly is extraordinary."

"To reach Mid-stage Golden Core in just two years... Tsk tsk, it took me thirty years to take that step back in the day."

"On top of that, your divine soul and physical body have both reached the level of late-stage Tier 4... Is this a wonder of your Dao Body? I’ve never seen a bloodline constitution like yours before."

With the insight of a Nascent Soul cultivator, she had exposed most of Su Ye’s secrets in just a few breaths!

Fortunately, his Netherworld Skill hadn’t been exposed, which allowed Su Ye to relax slightly.

"Heh..." the Dragon Maiden said with another laugh.

"With such strength, it’s no surprise you defeated a true disciple of the Star Casting Hall and killed her two followers."

’Damn it.’

’How does she know everything so clearly?’

Su Ye’s eyelid twitched. He was about to feign ignorance. "Senior..."

"Don’t worry."

The Dragon Maiden cut him off.

"Neither of the two Late-stage Golden Core cultivators you killed had any significant background."

"One was a prisoner from the Demon-Suppressing Tower... Oh, the Demon-Suppressing Tower is where the Star Casting Hall imprisons demonic cultivators. They’re all heinous villains with countless bloody crimes to their names."

"The other Late-stage Golden Core was much the same—a pirate lord they had recently recruited."

"Since they were scum with no backing, killing them is no big deal."

The Dragon Maiden waved her hand dismissively, speaking of it as if it were nothing.

Hearing this, Su Ye felt a strange sense of unease.

’After all, judging by her casual tone and disregard for human life, this Dragon Maiden True Monarch doesn’t seem like a cultivator from the Lawful Faction...’

’Of course, it’s not like I am, either.’

’In this world, how many high-level cultivators could possibly be lawful good?’

As Su Ye was pondering this, the Dragon Maiden clapped her hands, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs.

"Alright."

"Enough with the small talk for now."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Jinhua, and as you can see, I am a daughter of a True Dragon..." Li Jinhua’s tone was relaxed as she pointed to her dragon horns.

"At the same time, I am also one of the current attending members of the True Treasure Pavilion’s Seven Sages Council."

As she spoke, Li Jinhua paused for a moment.

She looked at Su Ye.

"Are you surprised?"

"Do you find it unbelievable that a daughter of a True Dragon can serve as one of the Seven Sages?"

Su Ye shook his head, his expression calm. "How could I be? Ever since the Reversed Moon War, the Cangyuan Dragon Palace and the True Treasure Pavilion have become one, practically indivisible."

"For a Cangyuan Dragon Maiden who has become a Nascent Soul True Monarch to attend the Seven Sages Council is both what the people wish for and a matter of course."

Su Ye had some understanding of the Central Sea Region, especially of the True Treasure Pavilion, his backer in name!

During the Reversed Moon War, a massive naval free-for-all swept across the entire Yaoguang Sea, making it impossible for any power to remain uninvolved.

Thus, many Golden Core sects, along with some weaker factions with only one or two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, were forced to band together for warmth under the pressure!

At the same time, after adopting a policy of cooperation, the strength of these sects increased dramatically.

They became more than capable of self-preservation and even gained the ability to launch external campaigns. What followed was predictable: conquering Tier 5 Spirit Veins and cultivating new Nascent Soul cultivators.

Step by step, they began to snowball.

After the war, the Blood Moon Demon Palace was annihilated, and upon its corpse, the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea rose.

Among the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea, the powers that comprised the Lower Six Sects were almost all this kind of Nightmare fusion monster, born from the merger of two or three, or even six or seven, different sects.

Of course, this kind of fusion had its own hidden dangers.

Internal strife could be suppressed during wartime, but it would spin out of control in times of peace.

Two hundred years ago, Mixed Element Mountain, one of the Nine Sects that was destroyed by the Star Casting Hall, was one such example.

—Fierce, irreconcilable conflicts between internal factions led to a civil war within Mixed Element Mountain!

Cultivators from several factions came to blows, resulting in heavy casualties.

Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch fell, and another was severely injured.

Mixed Element Mountain’s vitality was greatly damaged, and the sect fell into decline.

Furthermore, the losers of the civil war did not wait for death but chose to flee and defect to an outside power.

—That is, the Star Casting Hall!

The claims they brought with them gave the Star Casting Hall an opportunity to bypass the Treaty of the End of War and interfere in Mixed Element Mountain’s internal affairs!

The two sides hit it off immediately, destroyed Mixed Element Mountain, and renamed it Immortal Peak Palace, taking its place!

However, compared to Mixed Element Mountain, the True Treasure Pavilion—another of the Lower Six Sects and also a Nightmare fusion monster—was far better at handling internal disputes.

Several powers established the True Treasure Pavilion in the form of a merchant guild. Although there were conflicts among them, most were reconcilable, and they had developed well over the past eight hundred years.

"Tsk..." Li Jinhua clicked her tongue, looking at Su Ye’s calm face.

’This guy’s a bit of a killjoy...’ Still, Li Jinhua’s golden eyes glinted as she admired Su Ye’s face. ’With a face like that, it’s hard to stay mad at him.’

’A Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect, plus this special, top-tier bloodline Dao Body... He’s extremely valuable for a marriage alliance. My good-for-nothing old man has sired so many Dragon Maidens and dragon consorts. I can just package a few up and send them his way later...’

Li Jinhua mused to herself.

But there was no need to rush such matters.

’A chosen cultivator like him has his pride and is extremely vigilant. It’s better to take things slow and gradually cultivate feelings.’

’The most pressing matter right now is...’

Li Jinhua’s golden eyes glinted as she picked up the jade slip on the table, which contained intelligence on Volcano State.

"Su Ye."

"Gather the elites of the Flame Alliance and accompany me to Volcano State to expel the forces of the Candle Python Cave!"

Li Jinhua’s expression was grave, a hint of solemnity in her eyes.