Ming Qi knew that the unfortunate events in Qinglong Town must be orchestrated by someone behind the incident, and instantly understood why the evil spirit had suddenly become so aggressive.
He possessed a spell that could suppress ghosts and evil spirits, so ordinary ghosts wouldn't dare approach. However, the demonic spirit before him, which was significantly more powerful, showed signs of fear but ultimately didn't retreat. This meant there was only one possibility:
Someone was controlling the demonic spirit, intentionally manipulating it to attack.
You have to understand that whether it was a weak demonic spirit or a stronger one, their intelligence wasn't fully developed; they were still in a state of confusion, which made them the easiest to control.
While the weaker demons didn't seem necessary for the mastermind behind the incident, this obviously powerful demonic spirit was destined to be manipulated and used as a puppet.
Ming Qi didn't care anymore. Seeing the massive creature charging towards him, he immediately fought back.
He directly integrated the profound power of the Wolf Fist into his sword energy, wielding streams of sword energy. As they struck the evil spirit shrouded in black mist, a resounding sound like the clashing of metal and stone rang out.
Where the sword energy pointed, the evil spirit's attacks were largely neutralized. With little remaining force, Ming Qi easily dodged them.
Roar!
As if profoundly provoked, the evil spirit finally let out an unusual roar. Its unusually massive arms began to wave, stirring the surrounding black, murderous energy.
The murderous energy flew across the sky like a blade.
Stepping on the Nine Steps of the Taixu Technique, Ming Qi methodically unleashed streams of Heavenly Official Sword Qi from his Nifeng sword.
The Nifeng Sword was, after all, a spiritual weapon-level treasure. Even in the hands of Ming Qi, a cultivator at the eighth level of the Postnatal Stage, it could unleash terrifying power.
Despite its massive size and the protection of its rage, the evil spirit was repeatedly blocked by Ming Qi's raging sword energy, unable to move forward.
The evil spirit roared and attacked relentlessly, but it could not get even a step closer.
This was Ming Qi's first battle in the hellish Qinglong Town.
Swish!
A phantom blue dragon, formed from seven strands of sword energy, roared out, finally engulfing the evil spirit.
Ming Qi now stood with his sword in hand, the battle now a sure thing.
However, just when Ming Qi thought the danger was over, a series of evil spirit roars erupted from behind many buildings around him, almost simultaneously!
And then, as Ming Qi watched in astonishment, countless evil spirits rose from behind the buildings, drifting out and closing in on him at an astonishing speed.
Ming Qi took a closer look and gasped. This time, the demons were even more ferocious and terrifying, even larger. There weren't just three or five of them; a cursory glance suggested at least twenty or thirty!
So many demons were in Qinglong Town!
With over thirty powerful demons, Ming Qi felt completely powerless and had to flee immediately.
Without a word, Ming Qi turned and ran. Though skilled and daring, forcing his way forward at this moment would be foolish.
But Ming Qi soon realized he had completely underestimated the aggression of these monsters. It was clear that the aggression of these disgusting, ferocious creatures was immense. Even though Ming Qi was miles ahead, they continued to chase him relentlessly.
Even worse was the fact that these monsters began to accelerate.
Their pupils were bloodshot, dripping blood, and sharp, piercing cries emanated from their throats.
The demons ran faster and faster, and Ming Qi grew increasingly tired.
"This won't work!"
After running frantically for several minutes, Ming Qi finally understood that he couldn't outrun these creatures.
Leave?
The cause of the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map's fluctuations hadn't been found yet, and nothing had come to mind. Wouldn't it be a shame to leave?
Don't leave?
The only outcome would be a beating to death, a far more tragic outcome.
He wasn't afraid of a few evil spirits, but with so many of them, he was truly helpless. He couldn't defeat them, and judging by the current situation, it seemed he couldn't even run away.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, Ming Qi consciously shifted his focus from investigating the source of the Mountain and Sea Map's fluctuations to finding a way to escape these ferocious monsters.
At this moment, he was running, thinking.
The evil spirits, emitting a sinister aura, seemed to be on steroids. Their eyes were red, and they were determined to crush Ming Qi completely, not missing a single opportunity. What worried Ming Qi was that they seemed to never tire, and their speed was increasing!
"Meng Ling!"
Ming Qi had no choice but to summon Guqin Meng Ling once again.
Although Meng Ling's combat prowess was immense, he felt uneasy about releasing her in such a precarious situation. After all, corpses lay everywhere, and the surging blood energy, tormented by the intense heat, was already emitting a foul stench.
Even if they truly had to, wouldn't eating human blood be enough to cause severe diarrhea?
But perhaps Ming Qi's worries were unnecessary. Meng Ling spun rapidly in the air, and the moment she transformed into a humanoid form, countless red rays of light shot out.
These rays, as crimson as blood and filled with overwhelming power, actually emitted a puffing sound when they struck the relentless evil spirit.
When struck by the red rays, the towering evil spirit began to stumble, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
This red light was powerful!
This was Ming Qi's first feeling. He could sense that the power of any red light was far greater than his own sword formation.
This seemed to have completely surpassed the realm of acquired power.
Innate!
The only explanation was that Meng Ling's true strength had reached the innate realm!
And the red light she emitted as she spun was the pinnacle of her innate energy!
The difference between innate and acquired is as vast as heaven and earth!
Ming Qi, of course, had no time to dwell on these considerations. Seeing Meng Ling completely subdue these ferocious spirits with a single strike, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by. He immediately turned and charged forward, unleashing streams of sword energy from his Nifeng Sword. In the blink of an eye, he completely ripped apart the leading spirit, injured by Meng Ling's innate energy.
This was originally a promising situation, but then Ming Qi suddenly saw lines of blood once again flying from the surrounding corpses.
With the rising blood, the stench of decay carried on the wind.
Although Ming Qi had been prepared and reacted swiftly, he was ultimately too late. This time, Meng Ling seemed to have known Ming Qi would stop her again, and she moved with lightning speed.
Ming Qi had barely opened his mouth, his words barely escaping his lips, when he saw the flying blood lines suddenly gather in mid-air, rapidly condensing into a blood ball before rapidly shrinking.
Then, Meng Ling swallowed it all in one gulp.
However, the taste of this corrupted human blood was clearly unpleasant, and Meng Ling's beautiful eyebrows knitted together.
"Without refining blood, I can't maintain my perfect human form. I'm sorry."
Well, having said that, Ming Qi naturally wouldn't say anything else.
"Try to restrain yourself in the future."
Ming Qi said nothing else. His concern was that if Meng Ling entered the human gathering area and couldn't control her thirst for blood, she might go on a killing spree, ultimately becoming a demon.
After absorbing the human blood, Meng Ling's attacks became noticeably more powerful. Another surge of innate energy blasted out, sending the pursuing evil spirits falling one after another.
Ming Qi was also filled with fighting spirit. Together with Meng Ling, they completely eliminated the over thirty pursuing evil spirits in less than a quarter of an hour.
Sadly, after these evil spirits died, nothing remained, save for the resentment and hostility surrounding them, which lingered.
"Try to restrain yourself from collecting human blood. I think there will be a way to deal with this later."
Ming Qi warned her again before continuing his exploration deeper into Qinglong Town.
After defeating the evil spirits, Ming Qi's original thoughts resurfaced. What had caused the fluctuations in the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map? He still had no clue.
However, one thing was clear: the source of the fluctuations still existed, as the fluctuations had never ceased.
After walking for a while, Ming Qi suddenly saw a figure flash behind a nearby building. Without a second thought, he leaped in pursuit, but when he reached the back of the building, he found nothing.
But he clearly saw people!
Were there still people alive in Qinglong Town?
Were they surviving villagers?
That was Ming Qi's first thought, but he immediately dismissed it. Qinglong Town was now a dead city, teeming with ghosts and evil spirits. No mortal could possibly survive.
Then, the only possibility remaining was that the figure was a cultivator, and very likely connected to the catastrophic events that had occurred in Qinglong Town!
With this in mind, Ming Qi didn't hesitate and gave chase.
Aside from the bizarre ghosts and evil spirits scattered everywhere and the corpses strewn about, Qinglong Town's appearance remained unchanged. The streets and buildings remained in perfect order. It was clear that the catastrophic events had come suddenly, without any warning.
Turning a corner, Ming Qi's eyes flickered as the figure reappeared.
This time, he could see it clearly.
It was a petite figure dressed in black. Judging from her appearance, she was a woman, but unfortunately, Ming Qi only saw her back this time.
Just like last time, the figure quickly turned around the blind spot and disappeared from Ming Qi's sight.
That back? Why did it look familiar?
Ming Qi hesitated for a moment.
"It's Zi Yuan!"
After a few seconds, he finally remembered. The black figure was none other than the Zi Yuan he had encountered on Yeyelang Ridge. It was the real Zi Yuan!
"Meng Ling, go back first."
Ming Qi had Meng Ling transform into her true form again and hide inside the ring.