"Why are you sneaking into my True Martial Sect so late at night?"
"What is your intention?"
The voice was calm and faint—yet in Qin Yun's ears, it exploded like a thunderclap.
His pupils shrank violently.
He stared at the unfamiliar middle-aged Daoist who had turned around, a storm surging in his heart.
When did such an expert appear in True Martial Sect?
I can't see through him—at all.
Qin Yun's expression hardened instantly.
Within the sect, his Master, Dragon Mountain Daoist, was unquestionably the strongest. As for his Senior Brothers and Sisters—even Senior Brother Luo Wentian and Fifth Brother Jiang Baishan—Qin Yun believed he could still exchange several moves with them.
But this man—
He had never seen him before.
Yet the pressure was real.
Oppressive. Heavy.
Qin Yun spoke coldly, testing the waters.
"You are not from True Martial Sect. Neither Dragon Mountain Daoist nor the True Martial Nine Sons include you. Who are you?"
Opposite him, Ning Qi nearly laughed.
This middle-aged Daoist was naturally himself—disguised.
He had already sensed the black-clad intruder earlier. The man's aura carried a faint strangeness, neither righteous nor demonic, yet unstable. Originally, Ning Qi intended to suppress him directly, but after observing how familiar this person was with the sect's layout, he chose to reveal himself instead.
Now, hearing these words, Ning Qi was even more certain.
This intruder knew True Martial Sect extremely well.
A dangerous possibility formed.
If someone like this could freely infiltrate the sect, the consequences would be severe.
Ning Qi said indifferently,
"How could you possibly know the full depth of True Martial Sect?"
"Since you came uninvited tonight—stay."
Qin Yun's body trembled.
An intense sense of danger surged in his heart.
Yet along with it—
A strange, bitter emotion emerged.
He appeared only when I approached Ning Qi's residence…
Does that mean Ning Qi has been secretly protected all along?
The thought pierced him like a blade.
Jealousy, bitterness, resentment—
All surged violently.
Black qi suddenly erupted from Qin Yun's body, rolling like smoke. His eyes turned pitch-black.
"Then let me test this so-called foundation of your True Martial Sect!"
He let out a low, distorted laugh.
His body shot forward like lightning.
He wielded no weapon, yet thick, malevolent black energy coiled around his fists, vicious and fierce.
Ning Qi's gaze sharpened slightly.
Such heavy malevolence.
Demonic cultivation?
He had heard Ye Qinghe mention before—many Demonic Sect techniques produced Inner Strength like this.
To condense such characteristics, this man had to be at least at Inner Yuan Great Accomplishment.
But Ning Qi was not alarmed.
As long as it wasn't the Gang Yuan Realm—
He feared nothing.
In fact, he felt calm enough to observe.
Qin Yun closed in rapidly.
Seeing the middle-aged Daoist standing still as if frozen, he sneered inwardly—
Then his heart plunged.
Ning Qi finally moved.
He acted later—
Yet arrived first.
His right palm extended casually.
Like a true dragon stretching its claw.
Physical body and Inner Strength erupted together.
Qin Yun's eyes widened.
There was no obvious fluctuation of Inner Strength—yet in his ears, a terrifying roar echoed.
That palm seemed to suppress heaven and earth.
Within it, he saw towering mountains, divine elephants trampling the void.
He could not resist.
Not even a fraction.
Bang!
Qin Yun was sent flying like a broken kite.
Bones shattered audibly.
His body smashed backward, crashing heavily into the ground.
Two completely different thoughts arose.
So weak?Ning Qi was momentarily stunned. Had he not restrained himself at the final moment, that palm alone would have killed this man.
So strong?!Qin Yun was utterly shaken.
Gang Yuan Realm!This person is definitely Gang Yuan Realm!
He never imagined that besides his Master, True Martial Sect had a second Gang Yuan expert.
No wonder—
No wonder he dared call himself the sect's foundation.
Bitterness flooded Qin Yun's heart.
A Gang Yuan Realm expert… guarding Ning Qi.
Yet that single palm also dispersed much of the black malevolence in his body. His mind cleared slightly, and regret surged.
What have I done…?
Pretending to raid Ning Qi at night—
Testing him like this—
Shame burned his chest.
But it was too late.
Seeing the middle-aged Daoist approach step by step, Qin Yun knew he stood no chance. If captured, he would have no face to meet his Master, his Seniors—
Or Ning Qi.
Gritting his teeth, he reached into his robes and hurled two black spheres forward.
Ning Qi instinctively withdrew.
Boom!
White smoke exploded outward, instantly engulfing the area.
A warning rang in Ning Qi's heart.
He wants to escape.
He stepped lightly, passing through the smoke in an instant.
Ahead, the black-clad figure was already fleeing.
Catching him would be effortless.
Yet—
After several breaths, Ning Qi stopped.
His gaze darkened.
He had recognized the person.
With the malevolence temporarily dispersed, Qin Yun's Inner Strength circulation became obvious. Running at full speed without concealment made it unmistakable.
"…Eighth Senior Brother."
Ning Qi's heart sank.
So it was him.
He really came for me.
Combining this with the records on inner demons he had read earlier, everything aligned.
Qin Yun had likely been driven by obsession—wanting to confirm Ning Qi's true strength.
And was suppressed by a single palm.
Ning Qi felt a chill of lingering fear.
If he had struck a little harder—
He would never forgive himself.
Though Qin Yun harbored jealousy, he had no killing intent.
These injuries would heal.
"When inner demons arise, one often doesn't know what one is doing."
"He wants True Martial Sect to flourish under his hands."
"He can accept geniuses… but not someone more talented than himself."
Ning Qi sighed.
Qin Yun was no threat to him.
But to himself—
He was extremely dangerous.
After a long moment, Ning Qi made his decision.
He had to inform Dragon Mountain Daoist.
Only Master could resolve this.
He dispelled the disguise, returning to his original form.
Patrolling Disciples soon arrived. Ning Qi merely smiled and said he had accidentally caused a disturbance while testing a martial art.
Meanwhile—
Qin Yun.
Sensing that the terrifying expert had not pursued him, he quietly exhaled.
"Why didn't he chase me…?"
Perhaps, he thought, that person could not leave his post.
But Qin Yun would never imagine—
The one who suppressed him with a single palm—
Was Ning Qi.
Regret crushed him.
"That cultivation method… it affected me again."
"How could I do something so despicable to Xiao Jiu…?"
"I am unworthy of being a Senior Brother."
Pain wracked his body.
Bones shattered. Organs bleeding.
Yet the pain in his heart was far worse.
That fragmented scroll—
It was never meant to suppress inner demons.
It fed them.
The more he cultivated, the stronger they grew.
And if he stopped—
They would devour him entirely.
"I can't stay in True Martial Sect anymore."
"If I lose control again… I might hurt Xiao Jiu."
"I would never forgive myself."
After tending to his injuries, Qin Yun looked toward the Mingwu Pavilion.
He knelt.
Kowtowed heavily.
Tears streamed down his face.
Then, under the cover of night—
He descended the mountain.