I'm determined to become an immortal!

He Sheng never expected that his first attempt at crafting a top-grade magic weapon would result in a fine-quality top-grade magic weapon with some spiritual power!

Perhaps it's because the materials used are too luxurious. After all, this magic artifact uses several kinds of demon beast materials that are comparable to second-grade high-quality spiritual materials, and even the auxiliary materials are second-grade spiritual materials.

Or perhaps it was because, when outlining the forbidden patterns, with the blessing of the subtle ripples, even the void forbidden was replicated without the slightest error.

Or perhaps the design of this blade was so ingenious that it created a wonderful reaction between various spiritual materials and forbidden patterns.

and many more...

Reasons such as these.

Ultimately, this resulted in a spiritual artifact of extremely high quality.

Seeing the perfect results he had achieved after nearly five months of hard work, He Sheng couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

Even more strangely, when he held the Blood Poison Mother-Child Blade, he vaguely felt that there was some kind of power within the blade resonating with him.

However, just like the problem he encountered when he was trying to comprehend the "Qinglan Water Control Technique," he lacked a bridge to communicate with this power.

"It seems the mysteries of these Blood Poison Mother-Child Blades are even greater than I anticipated; I'll need to study them further."

With a flick of his wrist, the blade transformed into a streak of dark blue light and burrowed into He Sheng's arms, finally settling against his chest like a giant worm.

Because this artifact was sentient, and because several blood seals were used in its creation, with He Sheng's essence blood incorporated into it, it was connected to his mind and spirit, so he didn't feel anything unusual.

On the contrary, the silly monkey who had been hiding in He Sheng's arms finally reacted when it saw the blade so close to it.

He leaped out of his arms in a flash, jumped onto He Sheng's forearm, and pointed at the Blood Poison Mother-Child Blade, making strange "chirping" noises.

He Sheng was not surprised but delighted upon seeing this, and asked the silly monkey:

Are you afraid of it?

The little monkey looked up at He Sheng, nodded and then shook its head, as if trying to express something, while gesturing with its hands.

"It's not that I'm afraid of it, it's that I'm afraid of the poison?"

It's poisonous, so should we let it go?

He Sheng tried hard to understand what the silly monkey was trying to say, and the little guy actually understood, nodding vigorously.

But perhaps because expressing himself had taken too much energy, the little guy's eyelids drooped after he nodded, and he fell asleep.

"That's interesting."

Finally confirming that the intelligent water ape was not mentally challenged, He Sheng was overjoyed, as today was a day of double happiness.

After putting the little monkey back into his arms, He Sheng communicated with the Blood Poison Mother-Child Blade and moved it to his right arm.

"This weapon forging has far exceeded expectations; it's time to return."

With that, He Sheng soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of azure light and heading towards the Wanshou Pool Water Palace.

But upon returning to the Water Palace, another pleasant surprise awaited them.

"Master, more than half a month ago, the He family sent someone to deliver the annual tribute again."

"Last time we were unprepared, but this time we strictly followed 'Lord Xuan Gui's' instructions and prepared for several months to gather everything we needed."

As soon as He Sheng returned to his residence, Green Snake presented him with a storage bag on its head.

This time, the He family did not disappoint He Sheng. They raised more than 10,000 spirit stones, and also had more than a dozen kinds of spiritual materials, all of which were of the middle and lower grades of the second rank, worth nearly 10,000 spirit stones.

"It's barely passable."

He Sheng naturally accepted these materials with a smile.

"In this way, I will have 260,000 to 270,000 spirit stones in my possession."

If all the Cold Moon Arc Swords consigned to the Sitong Chamber of Commerce are sold, raising 300,000 spirit stones before the auction should not be a problem.

He Sheng had already sold out the two Bright Water Spirit Pearls and six Cold Moon Arc Light Swords that he had consigned to the Sitong Chamber of Commerce, and later ordered ten more Cold Moon Arc Light Swords in one go.

He currently possesses more than ten Cold Moon Arc Swords. Apart from the four high-quality ones which he doesn't plan to sell for the time being, selling all the others would indeed allow him to break through the 300,000 spirit stones mark.

Because the forging of the Blood Poison Mother-Child Blade had delayed things, He Sheng hadn't been to Yuanxia Immortal City for more than half a year and didn't know what the situation was like there.

"If you calculate the time, there are still two months until the auction begins."

but..."

As the saying goes, money talks. Since the He family had already collected all the offerings, He Sheng had no reason to delay any longer. He immediately summoned the Green Snake, gave him some instructions, and then left the Water Mansion again, heading towards the Silver Sand River region.

......

For months, Hunan side

On a remote island near the lake.

The night wind was fierce, carrying the damp, cold, and fishy smell from the lake, scraping across the isolated island called "Island of Sin" like a knife.

In the center of the island, a drafty shack shivers in the wind.

Inside the shack, He Linxue's hair was disheveled, and her once fair face was now covered in dirt and tear stains.

With trembling hands, she held a chipped, broken bowl to the mouth of the child beside her, saying:

"Okay, sweetie, just one more bite, just one more..."

The child was about eight years old, curled up in a pile of rotten grass, so thin that he was just skin and bones, except for his bulging belly.

He looked at the porridge his mother handed him, a flicker of instinctive resistance in his eyes, and weakly shook his head, his voice barely a whisper:

"Mom, I can't eat anymore, my stomach... feels too full."

He Linxue felt a pang of sadness, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She knew perfectly well what was in that bowl.

That's Guanyin soil.

Since the island guards cut off their food rations, this clay has become the only food for the mother and son.

This stuff can fill you up, but it won't dissolve properly. It will accumulate in your stomach and eventually bloat you to death.

If we don't eat, we'll starve to death immediately.

"Okay, son, listen to me, you won't be hungry anymore if you eat."

He Linxue held back her tears, scooped up a spoonful of grayish-white mud with her fingers, and put it to her son's mouth.

Zhou Jingxing looked at the spoonful of mud and felt a spasm in his stomach.

He was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back, but his belly was bulging and as hard as a rock.

"Mom, I really can't eat anymore..."

Zhou Jingxing closed his eyes in pain, two lines of clear tears sliding down his cheeks.

He Linxue's hand froze in mid-air. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore and covered her face, crying silently.

She was born into the main branch of the He family in Changyang Mountain. Although she only had four mixed spiritual roots, she was still a proper cultivator.

More than ten years ago, clan chief He Shengqiang abducted Liu Yunxi. In order to ease the relationship between the He and Liu families, the clan elders decided to marry her into the Liu family.

But fate is cruel. Her husband died young, and when the news of the clan chief He Sheng's execution spread, her and her son's lives became more and more difficult.

More than a year has passed, and seeing that the Liu family has taken control of most of the He family's businesses, He Sheng still hasn't shown up. The Liu family, who had been severely oppressed by the He family in the past, completely used her and her son as punching bags and brought them directly to Liuzui Island.

This place was originally used by the Liu family to imprison convicted members of the Liu family, but she and her son were treated worse than even the guilty, and were on the verge of starving to death.

"Mother, don't cry..."

Zhou Jingxing stretched out his thin, bony hand and wiped away his mother's tears.

It was June, which should have been the height of summer, but when the lake breeze blew, Zhou Jingxing felt a bone-chilling cold, and then he began to shiver violently, his teeth chattering.

"I'm so cold... Mom, I'm so cold..."

He Linxue quickly hugged her son tightly, trying to warm his cold little body with her own body heat.

But the surface that you touch is scalding hot.

High fever, accompanied by undigested food in the stomach, is slowly eroding the child's life.

"Okay, hang in there..."

He Linxue frantically patted her son's back, tears falling like beads from a broken string.

Zhou Jingxing lay dazed in his mother's arms, his consciousness beginning to fade.

Tormented by alternating hot and cold, he murmured:

"Mother, is it...is it because if I had been born into the He family, we wouldn't have suffered like this?"

He Linxue was startled.

She looked down at her son, who was delirious with fever, in her arms, and her heart ached.

What family?

The He family of Changyang Mountain, who are high and mighty.

The He family, whose arrogance and domineering patriarch He Sheng caused them, mother and son, endless humiliation.

But at this moment, looking at her son's pained little face, He Linxue couldn't muster any hatred.

"yes..."

He Linxue nodded gently; all she wanted now was for her son to have an easier time.

"Mother, from now on I'll be called He Jingxing... that way no one will dare to bully us..."

Zhou Jingxing was talking nonsense, but it was also the truth.

Although his surname is Zhou, he has suffered bullying and cold treatment in the clan since childhood because of his connection with the He family. He doesn't want to be surnamed Zhou at all.

The teenager managed a weak smile that was more like a grimace, repeatedly murmuring the name:

"Then I'll be called He Jingxing... I'm from the He family... No one dares to bully me..."

The voice grew weaker and weaker until finally, Zhou Jingxing's eyes rolled back, his body convulsed, and he fell into a febrile seizure.

"Okay? Okay!"

He Linxue looked at her son in horror, not knowing what to do for a moment.

She was originally a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, but the Liu family destroyed her dantian and spiritual sea, completely ruining her cultivation. Now she is not even as good as an ordinary person.

Seeing her son dying right in front of her, she could do nothing.

despair.

Overwhelming despair instantly engulfed her.

He Linxue suddenly raised her head and let out a heart-wrenching cry towards the dark night sky:

"To the ancestors of the He family!"

Linxue begs you to protect my son's life; I am willing to give my life in exchange!

..."

The heart-wrenching cries echoed across the deserted island, mingling with the sobbing of the lake wind, making the scene all the more desolate.

He Linxue kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the hard muddy ground, bleeding profusely, yet she remained completely unaware.

Just as she was shouting herself hoarse, almost vomiting blood.

hum.

A strange buzzing sound suddenly rang out above the shack.

The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to resonate deep within the soul, instantly drowning out the howling wind.

He Linxue froze, abruptly stopping her crying.

She looked up in astonishment, only to find that the dilapidated shack roof had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a deep night sky.

In the night sky, a tall, slender figure stood with his hands behind his back.

The man was enveloped in a faint aquamarine halo, his robes fluttering, like a god descending to earth, looking down at everything inside the shack.