Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1369 Bloodstained Forbidden Land!

Inside the Qingxu Hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The Taoist Master Xuanzhen sat in the main seat, his blue Taoist robe embroidered with the cloud patterns unique to the Qingxu Sect. He was smiling as he looked at the burly young man standing in the hall.

"Junior Nephew Zhang's safe return has truly relieved your uncle." Xuanzhen Daoist's voice was gentle, but a hint of scrutiny flashed in his eyes.

Qin Hao bowed respectfully, his rugged face full of gratitude: "I am deeply grateful for your concern, Uncle-Master."

Xuanzhen Daoist waved for him to rise, but his gaze never left his storage bag: "Nephew, did you gain anything from your travels this time?"

Although he asked that question, everyone knew what he was really concerned about.

Qin Hao understood immediately, took out three crimson talismans from his storage bag, and presented them with both hands: "This disciple dared not slack off, and while I was away, I devised this improved version of the 'Flame Bullet Talisman'."

"Oh?" A glint flashed in Xuanzhen Daoist's eyes, and with a flick of his finger, three talismans flew into his hand. The talismans were entirely crimson, and the patterns on their surfaces were much more complex than those of ordinary fireball talismans, with faint flames flickering within them.

Xuanzhen Daoist infused a wisp of magical power, and the talisman instantly ignited into a crimson fireball. The core of the fireball was pale gold, and its intense heat caused the temperature inside the hall to rise sharply. Even more astonishingly, the flames that erupted after the fireball exploded were nearly 30% larger than those of an ordinary fireball talisman.

"Hmm, this talisman..." After examining it carefully, Xuanzhen Daoist suddenly burst into laughter: "A batch of 'Flame Bullet Talismans' suddenly appeared in the Seven Sects Market. Compared to ordinary 'Flame Bullet Talismans,' their explosion range is wider and their flames are more powerful. I wondered who was behind it, but it turns out it was my nephew. That explains it."

Qin Hao chuckled inwardly. Training a talisman master was indeed extremely expensive, and it was rare to find a talisman master among independent cultivators who could draw basic to advanced talismans, let alone an improved version. Rather than hiding it, it was better to admit it openly.

He scratched his head, feigning ignorance, and said, "It was just a sudden inspiration, so I gave it a try, and I didn't expect to be so lucky—it actually worked!"

"Nephew, there's no need for you to belittle yourself." Master Xuanzhen's expression turned serious as he carefully put away the talisman. "Your talent for talisman-making is evident to all. If you can successfully establish your foundation..."

At this point, Xuanzhen Daoist paused suddenly, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Qin Hao knew what he was thinking, and immediately cupped his hands and said, "Uncle-Master, I have a favor to ask of you upon my return, and I hope you will grant it."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Xuanzhen Daoist frowned slightly, a bad feeling creeping over him.

"This disciple wishes to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land!"

"What?!" Xuanzhen Daoist's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his teacup down on the table. "Nephew Zhang, why are you doing this? Didn't I say I would help you get a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Qin Hao took a deep breath, his gaze resolute: "Uncle-Master, I possess the aptitude of three spiritual roots. A single Foundation Establishment Pill may not be enough to guarantee a successful Foundation Establishment. I truly do not wish to waste time; perhaps I should venture into the Crimson Forbidden Land and take a gamble."

A hush fell over the hall. Xuanzhen Daoist's expression was uncertain; he understood perfectly well that Qin Hao's words were true. The probability of a person with three spiritual roots successfully establishing their foundation with just one Foundation Establishment Pill was extremely low. If the foundation establishment failed, it would be very difficult for him to obtain a second Foundation Establishment Pill for Qin Hao.

As the sect leader, he appeared glamorous, but in reality, he was constrained at every turn. Above him were Golden Core Ancestors, and behind each Golden Core cultivator was a powerful cultivation family. If he couldn't distribute Foundation Establishment Pills fairly, his position as sect leader would be unstable.

"The Crimson Forbidden Land is extremely dangerous," Xuanzhen Daoist finally spoke, his tone heavy. "Your talent in the art of talismans is extraordinary. If anything were to go wrong, it would be a tremendous loss for our Qingxu Sect."

Seeing that Xuanzhen Daoist's tone had softened, Qin Hao immediately pressed his advantage: "Thank you for your concern, Uncle-Master. Although the Crimson Forbidden Land is dangerous, with my Qi Refining Level 12 cultivation, plus several top-tier magic artifacts and talismans for protection, as long as I don't get greedy and my luck isn't too bad, I should have a good chance of returning safely after collecting enough spiritual herbs and hiding away."

The Taoist Xuanzhen sighed, "Alas, very well, since you are determined to leave, I will not say anything more."

Before Qin Hao could thank him, Xuanzhen Daoist took out a jade token from his sleeve and tossed it to him: "Leave behind the methods for drawing the three improved talismans you just learned. Take this token and go to the treasure pavilion to choose a treasure to keep for yourself."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master!" Qin Hao solemnly accepted the token, secretly delighted.

Master Xuanzhen waved his hand, indicating that he could leave. After Qin Hao left the hall, the sect leader murmured softly, "I hope you won't let this sect leader's painstaking efforts go to waste and return safely."

After leaving the main hall, Qin Hao followed the bluestone path to the foot of the main peak. With his token, he passed through seven checkpoints, each guarded by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Finally, a simple, four-story pavilion came into view. The entire pavilion was grayish-blue, with upturned eaves and intricate patterns carved on its surface, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

"The token can only open one level of the restriction," the Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the gate warned sternly. "If you are greedy enough to try and go to the second level, the restriction will instantly obliterate you."

Qin Hao nodded in agreement and respectfully handed over the token. After the guard checked it and confirmed it was correct, he used a hand seal to open a layer of restrictions. Qin Hao only felt a blur before his eyes and was already teleported inside the treasure pavilion.

The interior space was much larger than the exterior, clearly due to the use of spatial expansion magic. Dozens of light shields were neatly arranged, each containing a treasure, including magical artifacts, talismans, and spiritual materials.

Qin Hao wasn't in a hurry to choose; instead, he first observed the array formation within the building. His AI was operating at full speed, recording every array pattern it saw. Unfortunately, there was no complete array diagram; he could only record the surface patterns and couldn't analyze the core principles.

Crimson Flame Sword: A fire-attribute attack magic weapon. The sword body glows with a crimson light. When infused with mana, it can release fiery sword energy. It is suitable for fire-attribute cultivators.

Mystic Water Shield: A water-attribute defensive magic weapon. The shield is light blue and can form a water curtain shield. Its defensive power is 10% stronger than the Mystic Turtle Shield Talisman, but it is not suitable for Qin Hao's metal-attribute cultivation technique.

Wind Chaser Boots: A support-type magic item that can increase movement speed by 40%, stronger than Qin Hao's Flowing Cloud Boots. However, Qin Hao already has Flowing Cloud Boots, so there is no need to replace them for the time being.

Next is the materials area, where various refining materials are displayed on the shelves: Xuan Iron Essence: a fist-sized black metal block, which is the core material for refining top-grade magic weapons and is worth two thousand low-grade spirit stones;

Golden Crystal Sand: Golden powder that can enhance the sharpness of metallic magic weapons; one pound costs five hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Fire Crystal Core: The inner core of the level 2 demon beast "Crimson Flame Fox", which can be used to refine fire-attribute magic weapons or talismans, and is worth 300 low-grade spirit stones.

Qin Hao examined the explanatory jade slips beside the light barrier one by one, his gaze finally settling on an inconspicuous corner. There floated an ancient talisman, its surface painted with a golden halberd.

Golden Halberd Talisman: A metal-attribute talisman, its shape is a three-inch-long golden halberd. When infused with magic power, it can transform into a ten-foot-long golden halberd, with the "Golden Halberd Armor-Piercing" effect, possessing extremely strong penetrating power, suitable for dealing with powerfully defended demonic beasts.

Qin Hao's gaze lingered on the Golden Halberd Talisman—one of his main targets in this Blood Forbidden Land was the level-two demon beast "Ink Dragon." The Ink Dragon's scales were extremely strong, and ordinary attacks could not penetrate its defenses. Although his improved Inverted Five Elements Formation could trap the Ink Dragon, it lacked a powerful means to kill it.

The "Golden Spear Armor Piercing" skill of the Golden Spear Talisman Treasure can penetrate the scales of the Ink Dragon, and it is of the metal element, which matches his "Sharp Metal Technique" cultivation method perfectly. It is simply tailor-made for him.

After making his selection, Qin Hao affixed the token to the light barrier. The barrier opened immediately, and the "Golden Halberd" talisman floated into his hand. The moment he held it, he felt the surging golden aura it contained, far surpassing the "Gray Sword" talisman.

"Such a powerful aura of metal and steel!" Qin Hao exclaimed inwardly, carefully storing the talisman into his storage bag. The next moment, the scene before him changed, and he was teleported out of the treasure pavilion.

"As expected of an ancient restriction, it can be controlled with such precision." Qin Hao couldn't help but admire the designer's ingenuity.

For the next three months, Qin Hao went into a state of frantic preparation.

During the day, he drew talismans in his cave. With the help of the AI, he used his improved "Flame Bullet Talisman," "Golden罡 Talisman," and "Armor-Piercing Golden Arrow Talisman" simultaneously, achieving a stable success rate of around 50%. After three months, his storage bag had accumulated more than three hundred talismans of various kinds.

At night, he diligently cultivated using the improved version of the "Sharp Metal Technique." With the aid of Qi Gathering Pills, he finally pushed his cultivation to the peak of the twelfth level of Qi Refining before the forbidden area opened. His internal mana had already reached a semi-liquid state, and he was only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

On this day, twenty-five Qi Refining stage cultivators who were participating in the forbidden area gathered in the square in front of the main hall of Qingxu Sect.

Among these cultivators, some formed cliques, discussing their plans after entering the forbidden area; others stood silently in a corner, vigilantly observing those around them. Qin Hao was one of the latter.

He leaned against a pillar at the edge of the square, closed his eyes to rest, but his consciousness quietly spread out, paying attention to the movements around him.

“Junior Brother Zhang, we are the ones with the highest cultivation levels this time. Why don’t we form a team to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land so we can look out for each other?” Three cultivators dressed in Daoist robes walked up to Qin Hao. The leader’s tone was arrogant. The thirteenth level of Qi Refining was the peak of the Qi Refining stage, only one step away from Foundation Establishment. It was quite intimidating among low-level cultivators.

Qin Hao opened his eyes and said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, senior brothers, but I have no experience in combat and I'm afraid I'll hold you back. It's better to act alone."

The leading cultivator was displeased when Qin Hao refused, but he didn't say anything more. Qin Hao's talent for making talismans was well-known in the sect, and they didn't want to offend him easily, so they could only leave reluctantly.

Before long, a series of black dots suddenly appeared on the horizon. As the dots drew closer, a powerful pressure swept over them, making it difficult for the Qi Refining cultivators on the plaza to breathe.

"A Golden Core cultivator!" a cultivator exclaimed in surprise, and quickly bowed in greeting.

"It's our Qingxu Sect's Ancestor Fuyunzi!" another cultivator exclaimed excitedly, his eyes filled with awe.

Fu Yunzi stood on the rainbow bridge, hovering above the plaza, looking down at the cultivators below. He sneered, "What kind of behavior is this, all this noise and commotion? Entering the Crimson Forbidden Land is to fight to the death, not to go sightseeing. If you don't even have this much self-control, you might as well quit now!"

"Greetings, Ancestor!" The crowd bowed in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Fu Yunzi nodded and said loudly, "The Crimson Forbidden Land is dangerous, but it is also an opportunity. Find spiritual herbs, hunt demonic beasts, and acquire resources to prepare for Foundation Establishment. Outside rogue cultivators don't even have the chance to enter. You must cherish this opportunity. As for whether you can come back alive, that depends on your own fate."

"I will heed the teachings of the Ancestor!" Fu Yunzi's gaze swept across the plaza, finally landing on Qin Hao, a smile appearing on his lips: "So you are Zhang Tie?"

"Disciple Zhang Tie greets Ancestor." Qin Hao bowed respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.

“That kid Xuanzhen mentioned you to me, saying you have extraordinary talent in talisman making.” Fuyunzi stroked his long beard. “You’re at the peak of the twelfth level of Qi Refining, and you could even get a Foundation Establishment Pill quota within the sect. Why did you risk entering the Crimson Forbidden Land?”

"Ancestor, cultivating immortality is inherently defying the heavens." Qin Hao raised his head, his eyes resolute: "Although the Crimson Forbidden Land is dangerous, as long as the benefits outweigh the risks, it is worth the gamble. This disciple does not want to miss the best opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage because of limitations in aptitude."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunzi laughed heartily: "Good lad, you have guts! But guts are one thing, you still have to come back alive."

"Your disciple will keep in mind the teachings of the Ancestor."

Fu Yunzi said no more, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go!" With that, he took the lead and rode the Rainbow Bridge, flying towards the Blood Forbidden Land.

Forbidden Zone Entrance

Three days later, at the entrance to the Crimson Forbidden Land, the Huangfeng Valley group was reorganizing their ranks under the leadership of Li Huayuan when suddenly a silver light streaked across the sky, like a galaxy falling from the heavens, causing the Huangfeng Valley disciples to gasp in surprise.

Finally, after being reprimanded by Li Huayuan, they quieted down.

Qin Hao landed with the Qingxu Sect disciples, his eyes searching through the crowd. He soon met a familiar gaze—Han Li was standing in the Huangfeng Valley group. The two looked at each other across the distance, nodded slightly in tacit understanding, but did not make any further moves. They quickly looked away as if they were strangers.

Just then, Li Huayuan and Fuyunzi started their betting game, and then Qiong Laoguai from the Yanyue Sect joined in.

As they were speaking, the main force of the Hidden Moon Sect arrived. Qin Hao immediately recognized Nangong Wan among the female cultivators of the Hidden Moon Sect and couldn't help but subconsciously look at Han Li.

Han Li looked completely bewildered, having no idea what Qin Hao's strange smile meant.

"The courtesy of Xiangzhi..."

Qin Hao's gaze lingered on an old man in Huangfeng Valley for only a moment before quickly shifting away; this was a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xiang Zhili clearly noticed Qin Hao's gaze, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

In an instant, Qin Hao felt as if his blood had frozen, and he couldn't help but secretly curse, hoping that he would not be targeted by this old monster.

Before long, disciples from the other four sects, led by their Golden Core stage elders, arrived at the entrance to the forbidden area.

With the Golden Core stage cultivator of the Giant Sword Sect using a mid-level spell that turns mud into stone, the outer restrictions of the Crimson Forbidden Land were activated.

The seven Golden Elixir Masters each displayed their supernatural abilities to secure the entrance to the barrier.

About three or four hours later, a circular passage about ten feet high appeared.

"Why aren't you all inside yet? What are you waiting for?!"

Qin Hao and Han Li exchanged a glance, then blended into the group of disciples from the seven sects and plunged into the dark passage. (End of Chapter)