Ye Qin was no stranger to Minor Arcana artifacts; his personal storage pouch contained one such artifact, the ancient mirror named "Xunlei Gu..." although this mirror lacked an artifact spirit.

Bing'er possessed a Minor Arcana level Crimson Flood Dragon Sword, within which resided the soul of a Crimson Flood Dragon acting as its spirit.

The power of Minor Arcana artifacts was formidable. A Golden Core cultivator’s own cultivation base was insufficient to drive such a tier of artifact with mere mana; one had to expend the vital essence of their Nascent Soul to activate the artifact and its spirit, unleashing its true might.

Ye Qin’s divine sense could not independently manipulate thirty-two blades simultaneously.

He only needed to control the Silver Flood Dragon spirit, allowing the spirit to command the silver blades, thus avoiding the need to split his divine sense to control each individual silver blade.

This set, the Silver Flood Dragon Flying Blades, a Minor Arcana artifact set, was forged from thirty-two silver blades crafted from the Silver Flood Dragon’s fangs, assembled into a sphere, and incorporating the original demon soul as the artifact spirit, making the entire set perfectly cohesive. With a mere thought from his divine sense, the thirty-two small blades danced fluidly in his grasp.

The true might of this artifact set would only be known after personal testing in the future.

Ye Qin was greatly enamored with this dazzling set of silver bladed artifacts.

This Silver Flood Dragon Flying Blade set could not be used for now; he would hold onto it as an auxiliary attack method once he reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Even if he chose not to use them, they could fetch a considerable price if sold.

“To forge these several sets of artifacts in such a short time, Steward Wang has truly taken great pains! Let’s settle the outstanding fees,” Ye Qin said with a smile.

“Elder Ye, please wait. The eleventh and twelfth-tier spirit elixirs consigned last time, after deducting the cost of forging these artifact sets, still leave a substantial surplus. It has all been settled; this storage pouch contains nothing but high-grade spirit stones. Elder Ye, please verify the amount,” Steward Wang said quickly, nodding with a smile as he handed over a small storage pouch.

After settling the fees, Ye Qin departed the Merchant Pavilion and returned to his residence within the city.

Of the three sets of Silver Bream Scale Armor, he and Bing’er each took one set. The remaining set was surplus; since it was an artifact requiring mana to operate, Bai Xiuer could not use it and it was kept in reserve.

That superior Silver Flood Dragon Bow, along with a quiver full of Silver Flood Dragon Arrows, being weapons of the Earth Clan, were given to Bai Xiuer. She already possessed the Azure Ancient Halberd and had mastered the high-tier Strongman Secret Arts of the Shaman Tribe, making her close-combat strength immensely oppressive. Now, with the Silver Flood Dragon Bow in hand, her long-range offense could also exert formidable combat power, making her even more formidable.

Several days after Ye Qin retrieved the artifacts from the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, news that shocked the entire East Sea Cultivation World spread out from the Celestial Palace cities of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Demonic Alliance headquarters, quickly reaching all the major immortal cities of the East Sea.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Demonic Alliance—the two largest cultivation forces in the East Sea—jointly and formally issued the "Demon Extermination Edict" proclamation.

The Demon Extermination Edict was widely posted and announced in the most conspicuous locations of the major immortal cities, such as city gates and grand squares.

Linhai City, being the immortal city closest to the Blood Sea, posted the proclamation immediately.

Ye Qin, while out procuring materials by chance, overheard several cultivators discussing the sensational news on the street. A sense of gravity struck him, and he hurried toward the East Gate of Linhai City.

He saw thousands of cultivators already gathered at the proclamation posting site near the East Gate of Linhai City—a massive crowd hotly debating the matter. The dazzling, enormous Demon Extermination Edict posted on the city wall was clearly visible even from a distance.

“The war against the Demon Race is finally starting. I have cultivated bitterly for over three hundred years in Panhe Ridge; I must seize this opportunity to break into the top one thousand on the Demon Slaying List and make a name for myself throughout the East Sea! Brothers, while the East Sea cultivators are launching a massive expedition to the Blood Sea, let’s go try our luck there and snatch a Nascent Soul Pill for ourselves. Once I become a Nascent Soul Ancestor, brothers, you’ll eat well and drink richly with me—I won’t treat you poorly!”

A burly man with a bare chest and the nose of an eagle proclaimed loudly, flexing his fists, clearly eager to act.

“Boss is right!” “When the Boss becomes a Nascent Soul cultivator, we’ll raise the banner of Panhe Ridge and form our own faction…”

The more than ten fierce-looking cultivator-thugs following him were all boiling with excitement, shouting in unison, as if they had already slain the demon cultivators and the boss had obtained a Nascent Soul Pill and become a Nascent Soul Ancestor.

“They are cultivators who fled from those desolate, isolated islands. More than ten mid-stage Golden Core cultivators want to hunt demon cultivators? Do they think the demon cultivators in the Blood Sea are easy prey?” “I fear they won't even meet a demon cultivator before being swallowed by the countless sea beasts in the Blood Sea.” This scene drew the attention of surrounding Golden Core cultivators, who all sneered in low voices.

Scenes like this were common at the city gate.

Ye Qin felt a touch of bewilderment.

Although the situation had grown increasingly tense over the last few decades, and he knew a grand Immortal-Demon War was imminent, the announcement of the Demon Extermination Edict still shocked him.

This formal declaration meant that the East Sea Cultivation World was once again declaring war on the Demon Race.

Ye Qin could not get close to the city gate, but even from afar, he could clearly make out the characters on the notice.

It openly announced that the East Sea Cultivation World was officially declaring war on the Demon Race, and cultivators at the mid-stage Golden Core level and above were subject to conscription. Starting immediately, a batch of vanguards would be mobilized to exterminate demon cultivators and high-tier demon beasts in the Blood Sea.

Once the Demon Extermination Edict was issued, any East Sea cultivator who hunted demon cultivators or beasts of various tiers could claim rewards of varying amounts from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Demonic Alliance using the demon cores and materials obtained, which would be far more lucrative than selling them to a merchant guild.

Simultaneously, a vast array of rewards was listed.

These rewards included numerous rare and unique secret techniques, artifacts, magic treasures, and materials that were simply unobtainable in the merchant guilds. Certain Nascent Soul cultivators would undoubtedly be extremely interested in these rare items.

Even the spirit elixir known as the Nascent Soul Pill, which was almost never sold publicly, was listed among the open rewards. Any cultivator could exchange demon cores for it by killing demon cultivators.

Beyond these extremely practical benefits, the proclamation also detailed certain reputational advantages. Both Great Immortal Alliances would simultaneously establish the Demon Slaying List, divided into the Golden Core Cultivator Demon Slaying List and the Nascent Soul Cultivator Demon Slaying List. Every month, the Elder Councils of both Immortal Alliances would collate all combat merits and conduct a ranking. All cultivators would be ranked according to the scale of their demon slaying achievements. The rankings would be publicly announced in conspicuous locations in every immortal city across the East Sea. Golden Core cultivators would be ranked based on the number of seventh to ninth-tier demon beasts they killed.

Of course, if a Golden Core cultivator managed to kill a tenth-tier or higher demon cultivator, their ranking would undoubtedly soar to the top.

As for Nascent Soul cultivators, their combat merits would be solely based on the number of tenth-tier demon cultivators they slew.

The more they killed, the higher their ranking naturally.

This was a list established openly by the two Great Immortal Alliances, recording every single meritorious act of a cultivator. If a cultivator’s name appeared near the top of the list, it was certain to bring instant fame throughout the East Sea Cultivation World.

It must be remembered that East Sea cultivators were as numerous as river fish, making fame an exceedingly difficult thing to achieve. Who had superior combat power, who possessed stronger spells, whose artifacts and magic treasures were mightier, whose innate bone structure and talent were better—these were not matters that could be settled by mere words. Only by achieving great deeds on the Blood Sea battlefield and gaining renown could true hard power be demonstrated.

The top one hundred, top one thousand, top ten thousand, top one hundred thousand on the Demon Slaying List—these represented the most authentic measure of strength. The top one hundred were destined to become the most dazzling cultivators and powerhouses. The top one thousand would command renown in their respective regions. If one could not secure a spot within the top tens of thousands on the list, they would fade into obscurity, unknown to all.

Once established on the Demon Slaying List, not only would all East Sea cultivators know their name, but they would also qualify to have their names recorded in the history of the East Sea Cultivation World, becoming figures of legend sung about in biographies for thousands or tens of thousands of years to come, revered by countless junior cultivators.

Which of the mighty cultivators celebrated throughout the history of the East Sea Cultivation World did not emerge from the slaughter fields of the Blood Sea? Every ten thousand years, a new cohort of great powers rose from the Blood Sea battlegrounds, their combat strength so terrifying that it made countless East Sea cultivators and demon cultivators tremble. Not to mention ordinary cultivators, even a cultivator like Ye Qin, who had always focused solely on diligent cultivation, felt his heart stir with excitement upon seeing this Demon Extermination List, despite his initial surprise.

Ye Qin considered himself quite capable, but his reputation was minimal, confined mostly to the Purple Sword Palace and a few cultivators he knew in the Northern Immortal Palaces. If he moved to a different immortal city, virtually no one would know who he was.

Unless he could secure a spot in the top one hundred or top one thousand of this Golden Core Demon Slaying List, no one would take him entirely seriously.

“If I continue as before, silently and low-key, diligently cultivating, then I will certainly have no part in this Demon Slaying List. If I wish to have a name on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List, I must unleash my full combat strength to compete for a spot on the list; I cannot continue cultivating in silence.”

Ye Qin’s thoughts raced.

He had originally planned to focus on quiet cultivation, striving to avoid becoming cannon fodder for the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Purple Sword Palace in this Immortal-Demon War, where he might perish without even a chance to appeal injustice.

However, seeing the appearance of the Demon Extermination Edict and the Demon Slaying List, he realized his previous thinking had been somewhat skewed.

This Immortal-Demon War was absolutely not just for cannon fodder to take to the battlefield. On the contrary, it was a proving ground for the strongest cultivators of the East Sea Cultivation World. The two Great Immortal Alliances intended to use this list to maximally stimulate the participation of East Sea cultivators in this massive conflict.

Ye Qin couldn't help but offer a wry smile at this realization.

It was clear that from the moment the “Demon Slaying Edict” was issued, the East Sea Cultivation World was beginning a large-scale ranking of prowess. All merits, prestige, and the immense influence that spread throughout the East Sea would be recorded in history for millennia, destined to belong only to the small cluster of cultivators at the very top of the Demon Slaying List. The countless ordinary cultivators would be like fleeting clouds, existing only to accentuate their strength.

Perhaps some ancient hermits or hidden recluses who had not emerged for millennia were uninterested in common material rewards. But the chance to have their names etched into the annals of the East Sea Cultivation World history would surely cause their hearts to pound. An Immortal-Demon War occurring only once every few thousand or ten thousand years was not an opportunity every long-lived being would encounter. Whether it was the various Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance or the major figures of the Demonic Alliance, in order to leave their own great names in the history of the East Sea Cultivation World, they would certainly exert themselves fiercely on the Blood Sea immortal-demon battlefield. As leaders and prominent figures, if they failed to enter the top one hundred of the Nascent Soul Demon Slaying List, they would likely lose face.

Any cultivator with even a little ambition, and any cultivator unwilling to fade into anonymity, would fix their gaze upon this Demon Slaying List.

Ye Qin’s eyes flickered as he looked at the just-issued, currently blank Demon Slaying List. After a long moment, he turned and left the bustling East Gate of Linhai City. Indeed, he had always been low-key and silent. But this did not mean he was content to be ordinary.