Chapter 125: The Nine-Star Region

After distributing the spoils, Qin Chuan immediately activated Devour.

"Ding! Devour successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a 20% bonus to all attributes."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for reaching 100% resistance to the Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma."

Sharpness: 738 + 811.80 (110%) + 258.30 (35%) = 1800+
Toughness: 650 + 585 (90%) = 1235+
Speed: 680 + 612 (90%) = 1290+

After this haul, Qin Chuan’s core stats had swelled significantly, which felt even better than leveling up or evolving.

Having swallowed the Five-Colored Red Poison Pearl, Sleepy Bug began to doze off again, its body emitting a five-colored glow. Half an hour later, it opened its eyes, looking incredibly excited. "Big Brother, I’ve condensed a Five-Colored Pearl! I can now absorb the Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma comfortably!"

"Aha, congratulations to you. You’re truly becoming formidable. Once your poison arts are fully mastered, I reckon even ninth-tier spiritual entities will flee at the mere sight of you." Qin Chuan was naturally delighted to see his companion growing stronger.

Sleepy Bug nodded repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Mm-hmm! Big Brother, I’ll keep working hard."

"Don't dawdle, you two. Hurry up and go dig for treasure in the Nine-Star Zone!" Zizi had already run to the end of the passage and was waving at them, clearly impatient.

"Haha, let's go!"

With that, the three "great thieves" stepped into the Nine-Star Zone together. The area was filled with a faint, five-colored miasma, and the dense trees and shrubs were all highly toxic. As far as the eye could see, there was no end in sight.

Qin Chuan looked around and said with some surprise, "Tsk tsk, it’s fortunate that we are immune to the Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma; otherwise, even if we made it here, we’d have to turn back."

Zizi smiled slightly. "Mm, we really have to thank those spirit beasts on the Road of Life and Death. I wonder what kind of spiritual treasures might be nurtured here?"

"That’s hard to say. It could be poisonous insects or snakes, or perhaps powerful spirit beasts."

"Alright, enough, stop talking! Why do I feel like there are venomous snakes crawling nearby?" At the mere mention of snakes, Zizi’s hair stood on end, and she quickly cleared the nearby grass.

Qin Chuan, aided by his system notifications, knew there were no snakes around. Watching Zizi’s nervous state made him burst into laughter. "Relax, we have a little brother who is far more poisonous than any snake. I doubt those creatures would dare to approach."

"That’s true. When it comes to poison, who can compare to him?" Zizi felt a bit more at ease, only to notice that Sleepy Bug had been silent ever since they arrived. It turned out the little guy had silently wandered ahead, constantly inhaling and exhaling the miasma, looking utterly intoxicated and blissful.

"Ding! Detected a fourth-tier low-grade Five-Colored Blue Spirit Beast, excellent quality, level 30."

Just then, Qin Chuan heard the system prompt and noticed a rustling in the grass thirty meters away. He said calmly, "Friends have arrived. Be careful."

Once he sensed a threat, Qin Chuan set aside his playfulness. Sleepy Bug also stopped its inhaling and scurried behind Qin Chuan.

"Come out. Stop hiding."

Whoosh!

A Five-Colored Blue Spirit Beast leaped from the grass. It was significantly smaller in stature and wore a look of confusion on its face. "How did you discover me?"

"How I discovered you isn't important. I’m asking you, what are you doing sneaking around?"

"What am I doing? Ha!" The Five-Colored Blue Spirit Beast seemed to have heard a hilarious joke. It licked its sharp teeth and said, "I don't know how you got in, but I can smell the delicious scent of food."

"In that case, there is no need for you to exist." Qin Chuan said coolly, locked onto the creature, and launched a Flowing Strike.

*Splat!*

"Ding! Killed a level 30 Five-Colored Blue Spirit Beast. Gained 200,000 experience points. Bonus 100% experience for cross-level kill. Congratulations to the host for obtaining 400,000 experience points."
"Ding! Devour successful. Obtained 40,000 evolution points."

Although the Five-Colored Blue Spirit Beast was of the Speed type, it was killed instantly by Qin Chuan, who was simply too fast for it to react.

"Hmph, this one was clearly much weaker than the one guarding the gate."
"It seems the Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma has nurtured quite a few of these creatures. I suppose I’ll have to clear them out."

Judging from this encounter, Qin Chuan had a general idea of the situation in the Nine-Star Zone. "Let's go. Keep following me to farm experience, and we'll head toward the treasure mine along the way."

"Mm, okay."

Qin Chuan’s guess was correct; the Nine-Star Zone was indeed the domain of these Five-Colored Beasts, and they were numerous. Furthermore, a powerful leader had been nurtured here. This creature stood guard deep within the zone, behind a thick curtain of toxic miasma where nothing could be clearly seen. Since its birth, it had remained there, never leaving, as if it were its sole purpose. And behind it lay the entrance to the treasure mine.

The Nine-Star Zone was neither too large nor too small, and as Qin Chuan swept through, he claimed many "heads." Although these beasts were all fourth-tier, they were far inferior to the Five-Colored Red Spirit Beast and could not withstand the power of Qin Chuan’s blade.

As they pushed deeper, the leader finally received shocking news.

"Report, Great Lord! A Black Demon Sword has arrived from the outside, killing many of our brothers."

The Five-Colored Beast opened its eyes, and a fierce aura instantly permeated the area.

"Roar!"
"What is going on?"
"How did he get in?"
"Isn't the Red Spirit guarding the outside?"

The "Red Spirit" was the Five-Colored Red Spirit Beast that had guarded the eight-star entrance. The subordinate trembling as it reported was another of the same species. "I... I do not know. Perhaps Lord Red Spirit is already dead."

"Roar!" The Five-Colored Beast let out another furious howl. So many years had passed without a single incident. He never expected that a Black Demon Sword would break in silently.

"Needless to say, the other checkpoints have also been cleared."
"You all know the strength of the Red Spirit. If even he couldn't stop them, you’re just throwing your lives away if you go. Let him come."

"Yes!"

At that moment, the Five-Colored Beast’s heart was bleeding, and sadness clouded his eyes. "Countless years of careful planning, ruined just like this. Is Heaven determined to destroy my Spirit Realm?"

The Five-Colored Beast slowly closed his eyes, regaining his former composure.

Qin Chuan and his companions continued forward, only to discover that all the other spirit beasts had gone into hiding.

"Forget it, let's head straight to the treasure mine. Once we mine it, we can leave the Illusory Forest."

"Mm."

Not long after, Qin Chuan arrived at the spot where the Five-Colored Beast sat. The creature was two meters tall, its body covered in five-colored hues, but with one unique difference: it possessed a complete human form. It would be more accurate to call it a "Spirit Human." Beside it lay a Dragon Tooth Blade, emitting a faint orange glow.

"Five-Colored, he is here."
"Dragon Tooth, I know."

Spirit beasts capable of wielding spirit weapons were much like humans, yet the creature's spirit core remained in its beastly form. Thus, it was not truly human. Even so, for the Spirit Realm, this was an extraordinary achievement.

Qin Chuan strolled forward leisurely, stopping only when the system chime sounded.

"Ding! Detected a fourth-tier mid-grade Five-Colored Spirit Human, unique quality, level 31."
"Ding! Detected a fourth-tier low-grade Dragon Tooth Blade, unique quality, level 30."