I Have an Omen System-Chapter 65 - 63: I Am Beset by Illness

After Huang Xu, Zhao Youliang also arrived.

As an Instructor personally promoted by Qin Xuan, Zhao Youliang was extremely loyal to him.

"Steward Qin, these are the Contribution Points collected while you were away."

Zhao Youliang respectfully handed over a dark purple Contribution Order. Shockingly, it was engraved with three full moons!

For safety’s sake, after meeting with Huang Xu, Qin Xuan had put on an act, appearing drained of vitality and on his last legs.

As if he had suffered an extremely severe injury during his mission away from the sect.

Qin Xuan’s face was pale. "COUGH, COUGH... Old Zhao, how did you collect so many Contribution Points?"

A crescent moon represented 100 Contribution Points, while a full moon was 1,000.

Zhao Youliang was just a minor Instructor, yet he had managed to squeeze out three thousand Contribution Points in the ten-odd days Qin Xuan was gone for his trial. Qin Xuan couldn’t help but be impressed.

"Don’t you remember, Steward? Before you left, you gave me a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact..."

Zhao Youliang began to explain.

Perhaps he truly was exceptionally talented in cultivating Poison Skills. Ever since obtaining the Vengeful Poison Dragon Fang, Zhao Youliang was like a tiger that had grown wings.

He had even stumbled his way into successfully cultivating a Magic from the Blood Poison Plague Scripture called Blood Poison Attraction.

"This Blood Poison Attraction is miraculously effective for controlling Demon Disciples. Anyone afflicted by it will feel an unbearable itch all over their body, and it even accelerates the growth of their Spiritual Marrow."

Zhao Youliang continued, "It’s because of this that the 23 Demon Disciples have been so productive."

"COUGH, COUGH... Not bad, not bad at all. You’ve done well!"

Qin Xuan nodded in satisfaction, a sickly flush appearing on his face. "Old Zhao, I’ll take you to the Plague Bone Altar later. I’ll introduce you to Incense Master Wen Xiang and try to get you appointed as the next Steward."

As he spoke, Qin Xuan’s coughing grew more severe, like a broken bellows leaking air from all sides.

"I am beset by illness; you must strive to carry on."

Hearing this, Zhao Youliang trembled with excitement, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed with loud thuds.

"Steward Qin’s great kindness is something I, Youliang, will never forget for all eternity!"

With that, Zhao Youliang didn’t forget to squeeze out a few sorrowful tears. "Brother Xuan, you have to take care of yourself! Who knows how many people out there have their eyes on you!"

"Alright!" Qin Xuan patted Zhao Youliang’s shoulder benevolently, his eyes flickering as if lost in thought.

...

It didn’t take long.

News that Qin Xuan had been gravely injured spread like wildfire among the Outer Sect Demon Disciples.

The story went that all the benefits from the Thousand Mechanisms Ancient Tomb had been snatched by an Inner Sect Demon Cultivator named Shi Huaizhong.

And that all three Outer Sect Stewards—Qin Xuan, Xiao Ran, and Hou Longtao—had been grievously wounded and didn’t have long to live.

’Old Zhao really can’t keep his mouth shut!’

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

Pushing the matter aside, Qin Xuan turned his attention to the Soul-devouring Banner he had just acquired.

With a flick of his wrist, a dark golden Soul Banner appeared in his palm.

The banner’s surface was pitch-black, covered with countless faces of souls that churned upon it as if they were alive.

The faces belonged to men and women, old and young, their mouths open in silent, agonized screams, twisted in despair.

However, they were all mortals. The only one with any Cultivation was the sinister, terrifying Ghost face right in the center.

"Chen Lixuan, awaken!"

Qin Xuan let out a low shout. He formed a hand seal, and a stream of pure, pitch-black Demonic Essence shot from his hand, landing on the Soul Banner.

BUZZ!

In that instant, the Soul Banner trembled lightly, emitting a buzzing sound.

A bloody light erupted from the banner. Countless fine, bloody threads intertwined as a dense aura of death spread, accompanied by the ceaseless wails of ghosts and howls of wolves.

A puff of green smoke rose and transformed into a small, pale black soul-figure with a face full of venomous hatred. "Damn you, Shi Huaizhong! I’ll kill you, you Demon... Aaargh!"

Chen Lixuan thrashed wildly, but before he could finish his words, he suddenly clutched his head, curled into a ball, and let out a piercing shriek, his face contorting in extreme pain.

"Tsk tsk, call me Master."

"How dare you, you insolent fiend! I am a Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment..."

Chen Lixuan was furious. He had just recovered from the pain, but the next moment, he was once again clutching his head, curled up and shrieking miserably.

"Aaargh!"

Qin Xuan said, "Tsk tsk, call me Master."

"You Demon Disciple, don’t even think I’ll..."

"AAARGH!!!!"

This repeated several times.

Qin Xuan said, "Tsk tsk, call me Master."

Chen Lixuan’s gaze was vacant, his eyes clear as he looked at Qin Xuan. "Master!"

Qin Xuan nodded in satisfaction. "Wouldn’t it have been easier if you were this obedient from the start? Now, come and teach me how to draw Talismans."

Chen Lixuan’s small soul-figure dazedly raised its head and began to teach Qin Xuan like a walking corpse.

"There are three secrets to the Talisman Dao: Runes, Talisman Ink, and talisman paper..."

Chen Lixuan murmured, completely devoid of self-awareness.

When he reached a point that was difficult to describe, he would even proactively reveal his own Divine Soul’s memories. Every action was completely at Qin Xuan’s command! 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

This continued until Qin Xuan grew tired and clapped his hands lightly.

Chen Lixuan abruptly came to his senses, his face filled with terror. "Demon, what did you do to me?!"

Then, he saw the Spirit Treasure Runes on the desk—runes he treasured so dearly he wouldn’t even teach them to his own wife—which Qin Xuan had drawn as hideously as a child’s scribble of an octopus. Chen Lixuan froze, stumbled backward, and completely broke down.

"Shi Huaizhong, you... you are shameless!"

The dignified Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment Cultivator, like a little maiden, knelt on the Soul Banner, beat his chest, stomped his feet, and began to wail.

Qin Xuan couldn’t help but sigh with feeling. ’The Holy Sect’s Soul-Exorcising Spell really is useful!’

...

After learning of Qin Xuan’s ’grievous injury’ and return, many Demon Disciples also came by to offer Contribution Points.

The generous ones gave one or two hundred, the stingy ones seventy or eighty.

’This shows that I’m still quite beloved in the hearts of my Demon Disciples!’

Qin Xuan gave himself a perfect score.

He felt he was very benevolent toward the Demon Disciples under him.

He only drained their blood and extracted their Spiritual Marrow, never stooping to murder. That was why, out of the 23 Demon Disciples, not a single one had died yet. It absolutely had nothing to do with the Bone-Transforming Corpse Beetles.

Although Qin Xuan basically didn’t remember who gave how much, or what their names were.

But he remembered very clearly who *hadn’t* come!

’So, Cao Da, you really are disloyal.’

Qin Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He heard that after learning of his severe injuries, Cao Da had excitedly run off to the Inner Sect to find that mistress of his, his senior sister.

Qin Xuan took out a thick ledger and wrote down Cao Da’s name.

The first entry in the ledger was already faded and illegible. Only one line could be faintly discerned: "Wang Jian... trick... June Valley..."

...

Time passed slowly.

One day, Qin Xuan, who had reached Minor Achievement in his Positional Divine Technique, Flame Demon, was suddenly jolted from a state of enlightenment.

He heard a CRACK, like the sound of shattering glass.

Qin Xuan’s eyes flew open, and he shot to his feet.

He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of Crimson Gold Demon Flame. Wielding the Ancient Bronze Sword and treading the Seven Star Step, he used the void as his canvas, dipped his blade in the surrounding Demon Flame, and wrote swiftly in the air.

"Flame Demon, manifest! Heed my command—Incinerate!"

RUMBLE!

It was like a sudden clap of thunder.

Wherever the tip of his sword passed, the trajectory of the Crimson Gold Demon Flame solidified without dissipating, outlining complex and profound golden flame Runes.

There was no gushing fire, no overwhelming heatwave.

There was only a pure, viscous "Crimson Gold" substance, like lava, flowing out from the exploding Runes.

"Haha, Crimson Gold transforms into a demon! Break for me!"

Qin Xuan laughed loudly, and with a flick of his wrist, he executed a beautiful and complex sword flourish.

WHOOSH!

The "Crimson Gold" lava suddenly took shape.

At one moment it formed into a furious dragon extending its claws; the next, it resembled a phoenix spreading its wings. At its core was a single point of pure white flame, refined to the absolute limit.

BANG!

Qin Xuan opened his mouth and inhaled. Like a great whale swallowing the sea, he drew all the strange, surging Crimson Gold energy around him into his body.

In an instant, Qin Xuan’s aura surged dramatically.

Qi Cultivation Eleventh Layer, breakthrough!

Qin Xuan’s eyes shone brightly, pulsing with a sharp light.

A radiant glow emanated from his body, and his aura became increasingly transcendent.

’No, it’s still not enough.’

Qin Xuan had a feeling that he could go even further. He might even be able to break through to the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer in one fell swoop and achieve Heaven Dao Foundation Establishment.

With a turn of his hand, a dark red jujube branch about half a foot long appeared. On the branch was a single remaining jujube, which had a faint metallic luster. Half of it was fiery red, and the other half was coppery gold.

"Again!"