Although Ming Qi had some memories of Zi Yuan's silhouette, he had previously seen another woman who looked exactly like her but had a completely different personality. This made him unsure whether this suddenly appearing woman was actually Zi Yuan.
After a moment's thought, he finally followed the fleeting figure.
The figure's movements were strange, turning almost every few steps, as if deliberately avoiding something.
Further perplexing Ming Qi, after chasing for a while, he realized that the figure ahead seemed to be deliberately guiding him, always maintaining a pace that he could keep up with.
Could it be a trap?
At this thought, Ming Qi hesitated, but in the moment of hesitation, he noticed that the figure ahead had stopped.
This was a very remote location, but the forces behind Qinglong Town were currently encircling a magical formation, making it impossible to discern his location. He could only vaguely sense that this place was not far from the outskirts of Qinglong Town.
Recovering his composure, Ming Qi looked toward the shadow in front of him.
Just then, the woman who had been running turned around, their eyes meeting. Sure enough, it was Zi Yuan, still clutching the pair of cicada-wing-thin short blades.
Ming Qi was now preoccupied. Although he saw that Zi Yuan was holding the same blades he had seen in Wild Wolf Ridge, he still had some doubts about whether it was the same person he had encountered in Qinglong Town a few days ago. So, he didn't speak first, simply looking at her calmly.
The girl remained the same as before. Although she had seen Ming Qi, she didn't seem surprised.
"You're finally here."
Zi Yuan spoke, and her words completely caught Ming Qi off guard.
Ming Qi could tell that her words were filled with deep regret, as if he shouldn't have come to Qinglong Town in the first place.
But that wasn't the most important thing. Ming Qi had already received an even more shocking message from Zi Yuan. If that was the case, could it be that she had known I was coming to Qinglong Town?
"Did you know I was coming?"
Ming Qi couldn't contain his surprise and asked. He was now certain that the girl before him was the real Zi Yuan.
"Have you forgotten Zheng Yao?"
"That child?"
Of course, Ming Qi hadn't forgotten the little boy named Zheng Yao who had followed Zi Yuan the last time.
"Zheng Yao has the ability to control the Heavenly Secret Stone."
Heavenly Secret Stone!
Ming Qi was immediately shocked. No wonder the last time he saw that boy manipulating a mysterious stone, he had immediately predicted the Black-backed Gray Wolf's sneak attack. Clearly, that stone was the Heavenly Secret Stone, endowed with precognitive powers.
"Are you doing all this just to get that Zi Yuan feather back?"
Ming Qi had figured it out.
Ziyuan, using Zhengyao's precognitive abilities, found Yanzhuang, but unfortunately, she was away. She then pursued Mingqi all the way to Wild Wolf Ridge, but Mingqi deliberately refused to give it to her. Suddenly, a pack of wolves attacked, leaving no one to think about the matter. Ziyuan and Zhengyao left first, while Mingqi arrived at Santai Town later, and they were never found again.
To this day, the Purple Yuan Feather is still in Mingqi's possession.
"Yes, but I didn't expect it would cause you any trouble."
Ziyuan gave Mingqi an apologetic look.
"Are you involved in the disaster in Qinglong Town?"
At this point, Mingqi naturally understood.
Ziyuan had originally intended to find Mingqi in Qinglong Town and retrieve the Purple Yuan Feather, but she hadn't expected that her arrival would turn Qinglong Town into a dead city.
At Mingqi's question, Ziyuan nodded without denying it.
"Who is that woman? If I'm guessing correctly, she's the one who killed the entire population of Qinglong Town," Ming Qi said.
As he spoke, Ming Qi had already pulled the Ziyuan Feather from his ring. This little thing was so entangled in so many things that Ming Qi would have felt a bit embarrassed if he had kept it in his hands.
Ziyuan seemed quite emotionally disturbed and didn't even bother to take it. She bit her lip and pondered for a moment before saying, "She's my sister, Ziyue. You guessed right, it was she who orchestrated this evil spirit gathering array."
"Evil spirit gathering array, and Ziyue is a demonic cultivator?"
Ming Qi was stunned. He hadn't expected these seemingly twin sisters to be so different.
One was a graceful beauty, the other a demonic heart.
"No, my sister is a good person."
Ziyuan seemed distressed, but there were some things she didn't want to talk about.
Ming Qi didn't continue. Now that things had come to this, the best strategy was to figure out how to escape.
"You'd better hurry up and leave. Keep walking in one direction and you'll be out."
Zi Yuan seemed to have made a decision, her words resolute.
"You're not leaving?"
"I can't leave. My sister..."
Just then, a cold voice echoed nearby.
It was so sharp and cold that it sent a chill down one's spine.
"Leave?"
"None of you can leave."
As she spoke, Zi Yue emerged from behind a tall building not far ahead.
She was followed by several people, some of whom were the female cultivators Ming Qi had met in town that day. The other two men had gloomy, unpleasant expressions, making them look unpleasant.
However, Ming Qi could clearly sense that the middle-aged man with the sharp face and three-pointed beard exuded a powerful and eerie aura, giving off a strong sense of oppression. He was very likely an innate master.
"Innate human?"
Just as Zi Yue appeared with these people, Meng Ling's voice echoed in Ming Qi's mind.
Innate powerhouse!
Ming Qi's thoughts raced. Zi Yue definitely wasn't an Innate. That must be that slender middle-aged man!
No wonder he'd always felt that person's aura was so terrifying; it turned out to be an Innate powerhouse!
Zi Yue could actually command Innate powerhouses; her background must be extraordinary. Thinking of this, Ming Qi decided to stay out of this.
"Sister!"
Zi Yuan's expression changed instantly upon seeing Zi Yue appear. Ming Qi couldn't tell what emotion was on her face.
Surprise, worry, and a ton of confusion and doubt.
"Sister, why are you hanging out with a stranger? Come with me."
Zi Yue's tone was cold, completely devoid of expression.
"Sister, how could you! How could you help the people from the Wandering Soul Valley? They must have forced you to do this, right?"
Zi Yuan's tone was so anxious that tears were almost falling.
"Forced me? No, I'm working with the Wandering Soul Valley. This major event is simply not something we can handle alone. Don't you even know that?"
Zi Yue's voice grew colder and colder. "I really can't understand if Father has lost his mind."
"Sister! You!"
Zi Yuan finally couldn't hold back her tears. She had always believed that Zi Yue had been bewitched by the Wandering Soul Valley to do such a thing, but she had never expected Zi Yue to say such heartbreaking words right now.
"Father..."
Zi Yuan instantly burst into tears, her words stammering.
"Stop talking!"
Zi Yue was completely indifferent to her sister's tears and didn't want to hear her continue.
"My dear sister, if you don't want to go with me to the Wandering Soul Valley, that's fine. Just give me the Purple Yuan Feather, which holds the secret, and I'll let you go!"
The secret, the Purple Yuan Feather!
Hearing this, Ming Qi was shocked. No wonder Zi Yuan had been wanting this thing back; it turned out it was related to a secret!
Luckily, Ming Qi had put it away when she saw Zi Yuan's indifference to it. Otherwise, if Zi Yue and the others had seen it, they would have definitely tried to snatch it away.
Although Ming Qi was shocked, her face remained calm, not letting it show.
"No, sister, I will not give you the Purple Yuan Feather!"
Zi Yuan wiped the tears from her cheek, her tone becoming firm.
"Not giving it to you?"
Zi Yue's face suddenly broke into a playful smile.
"If you don't give it to me, then I have no other choice. You'll have to come with us to the Wandering Soul Valley."
Zi Yue's words sounded like an order. The five female cultivators standing behind her immediately drew their weapons and charged at Zi Yuan from different angles. Meanwhile, another young man, also with a stern expression and long hair, strode towards Ming Qi.
"Ninth level of the Acquired Realm, primarily cultivates the spirit, with a weak body."
At this moment, Meng Ling, who hadn't appeared, spoke again.
Although cultivators in the Acquired Realm primarily cultivate the body, a considerable number specialize in the spirit, with the spirit as the primary focus and the body as the secondary. Once such cultivators reach the Innate Realm, their mental strength is formidable, and their aura is much greater than that of ordinary cultivators, giving them a huge advantage in cultivating spiritual skills and magical powers.
Meng Ling's words directly revealed to Ming Qi the weaknesses and strengths of the person before him, which was clearly crucial information when facing a completely unknown opponent.
Without questioning how Meng Ling knew, Ming Qi quickly made his judgment and, with determination, immediately stepped on the Nine Steps of the Great Void, sending up a cloud of dust as he charged towards the long-haired youth.
The profound power of the Wolf Fist was unleashed, exuding an infinitely desolate and majestic aura. A ferocious wolf's head quietly emerged from Ming Qi's outstretched fist.
Using the profound power of the Wolf Fist right from the start, the wrath of the Wolf God, Ming Qi had absolutely pinpointed his opponent's vital points.
As expected, the long-haired youth's face furrowed when he saw Ming Qi preemptively strike, and with an unwavering offensive. He instinctively tried to dodge.
Of course, he wasn't just dodging. A black gust of wind suddenly rose from his feet, accelerating him at an incredible speed. As he dodged, he raised his left hand, sending a puff of black smoke emanating from it, flying towards Ming Qi.
At the same time, a wave of air, centered around his left hand, spread out like ripples on a lake.
The black smoke fluctuated, and Ming Qi suddenly felt his eyelids become heavy. In that instant, all his movements became slow.