Ghost King Ridge!
This was the name of the forbidden zone the Desolate Nether Ghost King had entered. Legend had it that long ago, a Ghost King from the netherworld had come to this place. He resided there year-round, his ghostly qi permeating the land and turning the surrounding region into a mortal forbidden zone where no living beings dared tread.
In the Desolate Nether Ghost King's memories, he had indeed encountered that Ghost King.
He had suffered torment at the Ghost King's hands, a living hell, enduring agony for a full 100 years before transforming into a demon-ghost. Afterward, he followed the Ghost King in cultivation, turning martial artists who mistakenly wandered in into demon-ghosts like himself.
It had been 800 years since the Desolate Nether Ghost King first stepped into Ghost King Ridge.
Within Ghost King Ridge, he had been nothing more than an insignificant underling. It was not until several decades ago that he found an opportunity to escape. However, he suffered backlash from the Ghost King. His physical body dispersed, leaving only his soul, forcing him to recuperate in a cave for several decades.
To call it recuperation was generous. In truth, he had no other choice.
After more than 700 years had passed, the Northern Frontier had long distanced itself from Ghost King Ridge. Unable to find living beings, he was effectively in a state of slumber.
It was not until several years ago that a Xuanji Sect martial artist calling himself Ghost Elder found him, claiming he could turn him into an immortal god. To that end, Ghost Elder continuously sent living people to help him restore his fleshly body.
Several months ago, Ghost Elder approached him again, wanting him to head south to annihilate Qingxiao Sect. Hearing that Qingxiao Sect was also a cultivation sect stirred unpleasant memories in him, so he directly killed Ghost Elder and began wandering the Northern Frontier.
The hatred from 800 years ago still lingered in his heart. His former enemies had long been buried in the yellow earth, and the Northern Frontier had changed dynasties, yet he loathed everyone upon this land.
Of course, he did not act solely for revenge. He also sought to grow stronger.
He yearned to become as powerful as the Ghost King, so he renamed himself the Desolate Nether Ghost King.
The Desolate Nether Ghost King had indeed failed to capture Li Sifeng. The power unleashed by the Millennium Sword Soul of the Emperor Xuan Sword had startled him—he could not keep up with its speed.
Through the Desolate Nether Ghost King's memories, Li Qingqiu also learned many ghostly Dao techniques.
At the same time, a presence arose that made him wary.
Ghost King Ridge—the Ghost King!
Although that Ghost King's methods were equally cruel, he differed from the Desolate Nether Ghost King. He remained within Ghost King Ridge, and in the Desolate Nether Ghost King's memories, he was always in closed-door cultivation.
More than 1,000 evil ghosts roamed Ghost King Ridge. The vast majority were even stronger than the Desolate Nether Ghost King.
Li Qingqiu was certain that within Qingxiao Sect, aside from himself, no one could deal with the Desolate Nether Ghost King. There were over 1,000 such evil ghosts in Ghost King Ridge, and with the unfathomable Ghost King on top of that, Ghost King Ridge was absolutely not to be provoked.
Fortunately, in the Desolate Nether Ghost King's memories, the Ghost King had never expressed any ambition. He even disliked ghosts leaving Ghost King Ridge.
Li Qingqiu still harbored doubts. He was unsure whether the Land of Demons and Monsters mentioned by Patriarch Suxing referred to the same place as Ghost King Ridge. His intuition told him that the Land of Demons and Monsters lay even farther north.
He withdrew his awareness, deciding to slowly explore the Desolate Nether Ghost King's memories after returning.
Nearly 1,000 years of memories were far too vast; he needed time to sift through them.
Not to mention the Desolate Nether Ghost King—even the ancient god's memories he had obtained earlier remained only partially explored. Most of the ancient god's memories consisted of dwelling in darkness, unbearably monotonous.
Seeing Li Qingqiu stow the Soul-Refining Banner into his storage pouch, Nangong E drifted over and asked, "Did you find Li Sifeng?"
Although the Desolate Nether Ghost King had been subdued by Li Qingqiu, his aura had been far too terrifying, filling her with wariness toward the Northern Frontier.
"I didn't find him. Next, we'll search together for 10 days. If we can't find him, we'll return."
Li Qingqiu spoke calmly. He could not neglect Qingxiao Sect for the sake of Li Sifeng alone.
The fact that Li Sifeng had survived until now meant he was temporarily safe.
Hearing this, Nangong E nodded and drifted aside, resuming her vigilance.
…
Within a dim underground space, Li Sifeng knelt before a soul.
The soul belonged to an elderly man in black robes, faint light radiating from his body. Numerous crystals were embedded in the cave wall behind him, refracting multicolored glimmers.
Li Sifeng pressed his forehead tightly against the ground, tears streaming down without cease.
The black-robed elder looked down at him with a smile and said, "Sifeng, do not grieve. I never truly belonged to the mortal world. I should have long ago sought reincarnation. Before departing, to lend you one last helping hand and pass on the inheritance—I consider that a good thing."
Li Sifeng raised his head, his face streaked with tears. His eyes were filled with remorse. Gritting his teeth, he said, "If I hadn't sought merit so greedily, if I had brought the disciples back earlier, Yunqiao wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have forced you to exhaust all your strength for me…"
The black-robed elder smiled lightly, as though untouched by worldly concerns.
"There are no such 'ifs.' No one can predict what tomorrow will bring. In my view, this was precisely my opportunity for release. Otherwise, I would have continued struggling with unwillingness and futile expectations."
Even though Li Sifeng had escaped with his life, the Desolate Nether Ghost King's power had still ravaged him, forcing the black-robed elder to exhaust all the strength of his soul body to dispel the ghostly qi within him.
Having done all this, the black-robed elder had reached his end. He could sense an inexplicable force between heaven and earth tugging at him, seeking to draw him into an unknown place.
Perhaps that was reincarnation.
The black-robed elder looked at Li Sifeng, his gaze growing gentle.
"I have followed you for many years and long understood your temperament. Though you are rash, impulsive, and prone to stubbornness—refusing to give up until you achieve your goal—you carry a streak of chivalry in your bones and righteousness in your heart. To help someone like you live on, even if I return to reincarnation, I will have no regrets."
"Before I leave, I wish to entrust you with one matter."
Li Sifeng immediately asked, "What is it? Even if I must walk through fire and boiling oil, I will accomplish it!"
"There's no need to exaggerate it that much. I come from Heavenly Sword Sect. As early as 1,000 years ago, Heavenly Sword Sect left Jiuzhou and journeyed west in search of immortal opportunities. If you ever encounter Heavenly Sword Sect in the future, go and take a look for me. See whether the descendants of my senior brother still remain. If they do, lend them a hand on my behalf."
"What is your senior brother's name?"
"Song Kejian."
"Alright. I will remember."
Li Sifeng accepted solemnly.
A smile appeared on the black-robed elder's face. His soul body then gradually dispersed, transforming into specks of light.
Li Sifeng hurriedly rose, trying to grasp him, yet caught nothing. He could only watch as the elder vanished within the underground space.
He did not know whether it was an illusion, but the place seemed to have grown even darker.
Gritting his teeth, Li Sifeng suddenly slapped himself across the face.
On this northern journey, he had cost the Prison Qilin its limbs and caused the black-robed elder to sacrifice himself for him. The price had been far too great, leaving him almost unable to breathe.
At the thought of the Desolate Nether Ghost King, hatred burrowed into his bones.
He forced himself to steady his emotions and calm down.
With his current strength, revenge was impossible. He could only return to Qingxiao Sect and cultivate diligently. At the same time, he needed to bring back information about the Desolate Nether Ghost King.
A being of such terror—his eldest senior brother might find it difficult to deal with as well.
If that evil ghost headed south before he returned, the consequences would be unimaginable.
With that thought, he immediately began packing up, preparing to depart.
…
Li Qingqiu searched the Northern Frontier for 10 days but still failed to find Li Sifeng. With no other choice, he gave up and headed south with the Prison Qilin.
Having cultivated the Heavenly Firmament Golden Body Art, his physical strength was immense. Carrying the Prison Qilin, he felt no burden at all.
It took him more than half a day to return to Qingxiao Mountain at full speed.
He had Yuan Qi strike the Lingxiao Bell. The sect's upper echelons hurried over. When they saw that Li Qingqiu was unharmed, they all let out a sigh of relief. Yet upon seeing the Prison Qilin's miserable state, every one of them felt their scalps tingle.
Even an auspicious beast had ended up like this—one could hardly imagine what would happen if a person encountered that evil ghost.
Li Qingqiu had already healed the Prison Qilin's injuries. Having lost all 4 limbs, it refused to descend the mountain and chose to remain within Lingxiao Courtyard. Li Qingqiu could only allow it.
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Li Sijin all relaxed when they saw that Li Qingqiu was uninjured. Yet the thought that Li Sifeng had not been found made it impossible for them to feel at ease.
After everyone sat down, Li Qingqiu spoke.
"Hall Master Li Sifeng remains missing. I did not find him. The Northern Frontier is simply too vast. However, I can confirm that he is still alive."
"That evil ghost is named the Desolate Nether Ghost King. He has already been subdued by me. Once I finish searching through all his memories, I will destroy him."
As he spoke, he took out the Soul-Refining Banner and drew out the Desolate Nether Ghost King's ghostly soul.
When the three-headed, six-armed Desolate Nether Ghost King suddenly appeared, everyone was startled.
A terrifying baleful aura rushed toward them, making their scalps go numb.
Li Qingqiu immediately stored the Desolate Nether Ghost King back into the Soul-Refining Banner, yet the shock still lingered in everyone's hearts.
Yan Daozong's expression was peculiar. Since coming to Qingxiao Sect, he had witnessed far too many mysterious and unbelievable events. His convictions were beginning to waver.
He found himself wanting to cultivate immortality.
The moment that thought surfaced, he forcibly suppressed it.
"The Desolate Nether Ghost King is very strong. Without methods that specifically target souls, it is difficult to defeat him. Even Ning'er and Jiang Zhaoxia would not be his match," Li Qingqiu stated directly, causing everyone to take the matter even more seriously.
After hearing this, Xu Ning did not question it. She merely frowned slightly.
Zhu Yan then asked, "So that means we must cultivate spells that specifically target souls?"
"That's correct. This is the key point. Later, I will have Jing Gong take responsibility for creating ghostly Dao spells. When you have time, all of you should study them. The Desolate Nether Ghost King escaped from somewhere—above him stands a true Ghost King."
Li Qingqiu nodded and continued, introducing Ghost King Ridge and recounting the Desolate Nether Ghost King's origins.
When they heard that there were over 1,000 evil ghosts in Ghost King Ridge, each no weaker than the Desolate Nether Ghost King, everyone felt a heavy pressure descend upon them.
Yet after hearing about the Desolate Nether Ghost King's past while he was alive, many felt a trace of sorrow.
He, too, had once been a pitiable man.
Yang Jueding sighed. "Fortunately, in the early days of Qingxiao Sect, the Sect Master forbade us from descending the mountain and instead had us focus on training. Otherwise, our fate might have been even more tragic than his."
Everyone nodded. At that time, Zhao Zhi had still been alive. Zhao Zhi would surely have been even more vicious than the Son of Heaven of the Northern Frontier from 800 years ago.
Li Qingqiu said, "We must not merely feel fortunate about the past. Beyond Jiuzhou, even stronger forces exist. Qingxiao Sect must develop cautiously. Disciples sent for training must not leave Jiuzhou. Within the sect, we must remain clear-minded. Cultivation must always be the primary focus, development the secondary priority. All other matters must come afterward."