I Have an Omen System-Chapter 38 - 37: Promotion to Steward

Qin Xuan picked up the jade slip.

He had thought it might be some kind of treasure, but upon closer inspection, he discovered it contained the last words of Li Cang.

"Young friend Qin Xuan, when you see these words, it means that I am already dead."

"It is a great regret that I failed to possess your body.

I joined the Holy Sect thirty years ago. I have met prodigies who cultivated faster than you and taught Demon Disciples more brilliant than you.

But the impression you gave me was more stunning than all of them combined.

To be honest, I secretly set many traps for you... you could say I used every trick in the book, but I never expected you to dodge every single one!

When a man is about to die, his words are good; when a bird is about to die, its cry is mournful.

Let me tell you a secret. My real surname is not Li, but Mo. I joined the Holy Sect even earlier than the likes of Zheng Qi and Wang Jian.

Outer Sect Elder Dan, Sun Yuan, and Inner Sect Incense Master Ghost Child, Xie Qing—they were my contemporaries. If they hadn’t conspired against me twenty years ago, I would be a Foundation Establishment Great Demon by now. The hatred... I hate them!

Every night, I dream of devouring their flesh and swallowing their bones!

...

Sigh, but enough of that. I have practiced Demon Cultivation my entire life, and my hands are stained with the blood of countless innocent lives. This end is not an injustice.

Victory and defeat are common in war. For me, it is merely a chance to start over.

My only worry is for my mortal wife and daughter.

The Holy Sect strongly promotes reincarnation, but in my next life, will I still be me?

My Mo Mansion is located in Jiyin City of Anping County, in the Daqian Jade Wind Country. Inside, there is an opportunity for Foundation Establishment that I hid twenty years ago.

Young friend Qin Xuan, this jade can serve as a token. Let us make a deal: you protect my wife and daughter, and I will help you ascend to immortality and reach Foundation Establishment. What do you say?

The martial world is a long road. I hope we do not meet again in the next life.

Mo Cang, his final words.

Instructor Li... no, I should call him Instructor Mo now.

The jade slip Mo Cang left behind wasn’t a treasure, but it contained a huge amount of information.

’Instructor Mo joined the sect even earlier than Incense Master Zheng?’

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but be amazed.

’No wonder he looked so old but was still just an Instructor. I always thought he was simply too weak.’

As for that so-called opportunity for Foundation Establishment...

CRACK!

With a loud noise, Qin Xuan made a fist and squeezed lightly. The jade slip, the supposed token, turned to dust and scattered in the wind.

’You floundered for thirty years and were still just an Instructor, while I killed you in three months.’

’And now you’re telling me you can help me with my Foundation Establishment?’

’Only a fucking idiot would believe you.’

Although Qin Xuan had crushed Mo Cang’s head, his Gilded Copper Hammer Spiritual Artifact and his headless corpse remained intact.

The reason he had chosen to decapitate him with a single sword strike was because he found Li Cang’s methods too bizarre. Qin Xuan could refine Bone Shadow Soldiers himself, but refining one’s own body was something he believed was far beyond his capabilities.

To be safe, Qin Xuan would rather have just half a Bone Shadow Soldier than take his head.

And sure enough.

As Qin Xuan collected Li Cang’s headless corpse...

...a moment of inspiration struck.

This was the evolving opportunity mentioned in the divination from before!

[Copper Bone Shadow Soldier (Incomplete): An advanced version of the Bone Shadow Soldier, refined with the aid of consumed Sun Essence. It fears neither scorching flames nor the blazing sun, can traverse extreme fire-elemental regions, and is a natural counter to baleful Yin Qi.]

"What a great find," Qin Xuan said, pleased. Just as he finished cleaning up the battlefield, a sharp, infantile voice suddenly exploded from the horizon. It was a wail like that of ghosts and wolves, almost piercing his eardrums.

"Audacious Fierce Soldier, how dare you murder my Junior Brother Mo Cang! Surrender your life!"

An Evil Spirit Child, who looked to be about seven or eight years old with pitch-black eyes, appeared completely deranged. He swept in from the horizon, riding a wave of roiling Demonic Qi with immense momentum and astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Qin Xuan, leaving a chaotic, bloody afterimage in the air. His fingernails grew explosively long, and his hands, cloaked in thick, foul blood and a pungent, metallic stench, shot straight for Qin Xuan’s heart.

Qin Xuan’s heart felt as if it had been seized by a giant hand, and his expression changed abruptly.

’When did I provoke a Foundation Establishment Incense Master?!’

...

"Junior Brother Xie, can’t afford to lose, so now you want to flip the table?" A man’s smooth, cold laugh came from the distant horizon.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Senior Brother Ji flicked his finger.

Three streams of condensed Sword Qi, silent yet carrying a biting chill, instantly struck the Evil Spirit Child’s small body, sending him flying backward even faster than he had arrived.

A young man dressed in a dark robe, with a handsome face that was almost demonic in its beauty, now stood silently before Qin Xuan with his hands behind his back.

Qin Xuan let out a long breath, having survived the close call.

The Evil Spirit Child let out a shrill scream. With his hair disheveled, he crawled on all fours like a wounded beast, glaring viciously at the handsome, almost demonic young man.

"Surnamed Ji, don’t you dare slander me! This kid killed my dearest Junior Brother Mo. I’m going to avenge him!"

The Evil Spirit Child’s black nails grew long again. His voice was torn and hoarse, like millions of infants wailing in one’s ear.

This Evil Spirit Child was none other than Xie Qing, the Inner Sect Incense Master who, a month ago, had gone all-in with ten times leverage on Wang Feng, Zhou Kai, and Chen He.

It was unclear if Xie Qing had gone mad from his losses.

Dried, blackened bloodstains remained at the corners of his eyes, nostrils, and mouth. The intense emotional turmoil had completely shattered the "rosy-lipped, white-toothed" child-like appearance he deliberately maintained.

His skin was no longer fair but was covered in a web of dark red cracks, like porcelain on the verge of shattering.

Senior Brother Ji’s thin lips pursed, his long, narrow eyes as deep as an abyss. "Junior Brother Xie, you know the real reason for this perfectly well. If you continue to be obstinate, don’t blame me for requesting a ruling from the Saint Venerable."

The moment his words fell... RUMBLE! ...a clap of thunder seemed to boom across the horizon!

Hearing this, Xie Qing was horrified, his expression shifting from dark to pale.

"Surnamed Ji, I’d like to see how long you can protect this kid! He cultivates the legacy technique of my Ten Thousand Corpses Hall, the Netherworld White Bone Yin Talisman, which is naturally opposed to your Vast Qi Tower."

"You’d better recruit him into your Vast Qi Tower right now, or I’ll have plenty of opportunities to take his life in the future!"

Xie Qing had come quickly, and he left just as fast. After spitting out a vicious threat, he finally fled, wrapped in a foul wind.

Qin Xuan was completely dumbfounded.

He racked his brain but couldn’t for the life of him figure out when he had offended this temperamental Ghost Child, Xie Qing.

As for this so-called revenge for Mo Cang?

’What a load of bullshit! Instructor Mo made it crystal clear before he died that this Ghost Child, Xie Qing, was his mortal enemy.’

’Not to mention, this is the Demon Sect.’

’You’re trying to talk to me about brotherly love... Fucking hell, who are you trying to fool?!’

Senior Brother Ji smiled at Qin Xuan, looking more and more pleased. This was the kid who had helped him earn eight million Contribution Points in one go!

"Junior Brother Qin, don’t be afraid. Congratulations on passing the Blood Pool Trial. Come with me to receive your Steward Token."

"Take these 800 Contribution Points as a gift. Let’s form a good connection."

"However, you might be a bit disappointed in a moment. The roster for my Vast Qi Tower is already full. You’ll have to choose from the other Magic Altars. I think the Ten Thousand Laws Altar is a good option."

BUZZ!

With a faint tremor, the Contribution Point balance in Qin Xuan’s Identity Token shot up to 1,037.

Senior Brother Ji waved his large sleeve, and Qin Xuan felt the world suddenly shift. After a moment of dizziness, he opened his eyes to find himself back at the bottom of June Valley.

But Senior Brother Ji, who had brought him back, had already disappeared.