The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

Crossing through layers of jungle.

Shen Qing could already smell a faint scent of blood, mixed with a strong stench of decay.

Even the ground was stained with a faint blood color, and scattered bones, some human and some animal, could be seen all around.

Through the gaps in the trees, Shen Qing could vaguely see a dark red shrub, about the height of a one-story building.

"Why does this look so familiar..."

Shen Qing muttered to himself and strode forward.

As Shen Qing approached the tree, she circled it once, and some things in her mind gradually became clearer.

Years ago, when I was in Beijing, I read many books, and it seems that some of them contained information about the small tree in front of me.

"The Blood-Swallowing Tree grows over ten feet tall, feeds on blood, and has a pure and strong fragrance that is not turbid. Its branches and leaves are sparse, and its fruit is dark red. Eating it can break through realms, or it may be addictive..."

Shen Qing took a sniff. As a martial artist at the Acquired Realm, his sense of smell was greatly enhanced. Through the heavy stench of decay and blood, he could still smell a faint fragrance.

It was exactly as described in the book; it was indeed the Blood-Swallowing Wood.

Then, Shen Qing recalled some more descriptions.

"Not born of nature, but created by human hands; the essence of a demon lies in its heart..."

This Blood-Swallowing Wood is not something naturally grown, but a peculiar seed created by blood cultivators through secret methods.

The Blood Cultivator spent a great deal of effort creating this thing not for the fruit on it, but for its core.

After all, blood cultivation is a faster way to increase cultivation level by directly absorbing blood.

Why bother doing something pointless, especially since this fruit is highly addictive?

A flash of cold light appeared in the air as Qinghe emerged from his body, instantly shattering the Blood-Swallowing Wood with a chop, sending dark red wood chips flying everywhere.

One could see a huge piece of wood wrapped around a blood-red crystal.

Shen Qing reached out and crushed the broken wood, holding the red crystal in his palm.

Shen Qing examined it closely. The crystal was about the size of a fist. It was worth mentioning that although it was formed by being nourished by a large amount of blood, it did not have a trace of bloody smell on it.

At this moment, Zhang He, who had been lying behind Shen Qing pretending to be dead, stared wide-eyed at the Blood-Swallowing Wood core in Shen Qing's palm.

He had a gut feeling that as long as he swallowed that crystal, he could immediately break through to the Innate Realm.

At the same time, he was extremely regretful, having guarded a treasure mountain but only taken the dregs.

Shen Qing scoffed.

"What are you looking at? Do you even know what this is?"

Zhang He's voice was hoarse, revealing his resentment.

"I hate it..."

Shen Qing squatted down, grabbed Zhang He by the face, and lifted him up.

"I'll tell you."

"This thing is called the Blood Devouring Wood Core among the Blood Cultivators. This one looks pretty good."

"If you eat it, you'll probably be able to break through to the third or fourth level of the Innate Realm directly."

"But unfortunately, you not only couldn't protect your own family, you're also blind."

Zhang He completely broke down.

"I hate it! Aaaaaaah!!!"

The next moment, the roar stopped abruptly, and Zhang He's head was crushed by Shen Qing.

[Slay a ninth-level Acquired Realm martial artist and plunder the attribute: Proficiency in Fist Techniques (Green)]

I originally wanted to investigate the cult behind Zhang He and see if we could wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

However, the moment I saw the Blood-Swallowing Wood, I gave up that idea.

Even among blood cultivators, the Blood-Devouring Wood isn't some common commodity; there's absolutely no way it would be given to trash like Zhang He.

This Blood-Swallowing Wood was probably accidentally left here, and it just so happened that Zhang He came across it.

Shen Qing examined the core in his hand; it was indeed a good thing.

Eat it? That's impossible. After all, it's something from blood cultivation, and whether I'll have any side effects from eating it is unknown.

Even if it can't be taken, it's still a very good thing.

The planting of Blood-Devouring Trees has always been forbidden in the Great Wu Dynasty, so in the open, Blood-Devouring Tree cores have always been extremely rare.

Therefore, the price has never been low.

If you take it to the Zhenfu Division to exchange for it, the price won't be low; it's enough to exchange for another Crimson Jade Fruit for a breakthrough.

Shen Qing picked up a jade box from the ground, carefully put the crystal core inside, and kept it close to her body.

Suddenly, another sentence appeared before my eyes.

[Your subordinate has killed a martial artist at the third level of the Acquired Realm and successfully plundered the attribute: Exceptional Intuition (Green)]

[Exceptional Intuition: Your sixth sense is stronger than others, allowing you to instinctively sense whether things are good or bad.]

Shen Qing sheathed Qinghe and raised an eyebrow.

Another entry? It seems Zhang Zhi has already been killed by Black Dog and his gang.

But looking at it this way...

There's a reason why the Zhang family, despite not being particularly powerful, has been able to live a carefree life to this day.

It's amazing that having a young son provides such a useful entry.

Although it's only a green entry, I reckon most blue and purple entries can't compare to this.

Since that's the case, let's go all in!

Consume four entry upgrade opportunities.

Exceptional Intuition (Green) upgrades to: Amazing Intuition (Blue) upgrades to: Instinct for Good Fortune (Purple) upgrades to: Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune (Gold) upgrades to: Innate Six Senses (Red)

In an instant, Shen Qing felt as if the whole world had changed, as if a strange feeling had been added.

It seemed as if a sense had arisen out of nowhere, mysterious and profound, which Shen Qing could not describe verbally.

At this moment, Black Dog and the others also arrived deep in the jungle.

The scholar bowed and paid his respects.

"My lord, the interrogation is over. We didn't get anything useful out of them."

"According to Zhang Zhi, they were just lucky to have encountered that so-called sacred tree. They probably don't have any blood cultivators backing them up."

Shen Qing glanced at the scholar and had a gut feeling that what the scholar said was true, and he saw admiration in the scholar's eyes.

Looking around, Shen Qing could see through the eyes of the Imperial Guards. Most of them were filled with admiration, while a small number were filled with fear.

Looking at the black dog again, the black dog's eyes were filled with resentment, but not at Shen Qing, but at Zhang He's corpse on the ground.

It's likely that he has some grudge against the Blood Cultivator.

Suddenly, a cold gaze pierced Shen Qing's nape.

Shen Qing turned around abruptly, his gaze quickly locking onto a man named Huang Yuan, a minor officer sent by Luoshui City to supplement manpower.

His eyes were unusually fierce, as if he wanted to tear Shen Qing apart.

When Huang Yuan saw Shen Qing turn around, he immediately lowered his head.

After carefully recalling the events, Shen Qing was certain of one thing: she and Huang Yuan definitely had no grudges against each other.

Two days ago, Huang Yuan was transferred to his subordinate's position, and this was the first time they had met.

Could they be from the capital?

That's even more inappropriate. He was secretly sent to Baiyun County, and apart from the royal family and his own relatives, very few people knew about it.

If it were someone they sent, they definitely wouldn't be such trash.

Shen Qing narrowed her eyes slightly.

Then there's only one possibility: the remnants of those families that Shen Qing recently offended, either from the White Dragon Cult or those whose homes were raided by Shen Qing.

Shen Qing's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

The next moment, he grabbed Huang Yuan by the neck.

"Speak, what are your plans for infiltrating the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

This scene stunned all the Imperial Guards around, who were unsure of what to do.

However, Lin Zikai and his men acted swiftly, drawing their swords and subduing Huang Yuan's Imperial Guards.

Huang Yuan looked flustered and struggled to speak: "Sir...is there...something...misunderstanding?"

Shen Qing wore a mocking expression.

"Trying to get away with it? What misunderstanding? I had your hand on your neck!"

"You think you don't have any of our people on your side? Just tell me, and I might give you a quick death."

Shen Qing used a classic interrogation technique: deception!

Huang Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then his expression darkened, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Shen Qing!"

"You will die! We will definitely come back stronger!"

After saying that, Huang Yuan was about to bite down on the poison hidden in his mouth.

But how could he be faster than Shen Qing? Shen Qing grabbed Huang Yuan's chin, and the black dog, who also had sharp eyes, immediately stepped forward and pulled the poison out of Huang Yuan's mouth.

Shen Qing exerted a little force, and Huang Yuan's chin made a piercing cracking sound before he quickly lost consciousness.

Soon someone used iron chains to tie Huang Yuan up tightly.

"Old Li, take him back to the cell and interrogate him properly. Use the same trick we talked about before, with small red chilies."

Shen Qing then glanced at the group of Imperial Guards under Huang Yuan's command.

They immediately knelt down, trembling, and kept kowtowing.

"Sir, we really have nothing to do with Huang Yuan."

"My lord, you are wise and discerning..."

Shen Qing withdrew his gaze; his innate sixth sense indeed did not detect any malice from these people.

With a wave of his hand, the Imperial Guards immediately kowtowed on the ground.

Shen Qing's eyes lit up; this innate sixth sense was even more useful than she had imagined.

Perhaps it will prove very useful in the future.