Watching the Training Hall disciple be beheaded and then dissolve into a pool of blood, Xiao Wuqing stood frozen in shock. He had gone down the mountain for training before, yet he had never witnessed such a scene.
The creature's words echoed endlessly in his ears, deepening his fear.
What kind of demon or ghost would dare claim it wanted to devour everyone in Qingxiao Sect?
Li Qingqiu, however, showed no sign of panic. His gaze remained fixed on the pool of blood. Threads of black qi began to seep out from it, snapping Xiao Wuqing's thoughts back to the present.
Xiao Wuqing immediately drew his Qingxiao Sword, standing on guard.
The strands of black qi rapidly gathered, condensing into a figure—a pitch-black silhouette with three heads and six arms. Its true form could not be seen clearly, yet that shape alone was enough to evoke boundless dread.
Before the black figure could even act, streams of sword qi burst from within its body, as though more than a dozen phantom swords had been thrust into it.
Xiao Wuqing's eyes widened at the sight. Instinctively, he glanced at the Sect Master.
Sword qi varied from person to person. For cultivators especially, the perception of sword qi was extremely keen. He could confirm that this sword qi originated from the Sect Master.
Li Qingqiu had not casually slain the demon. What he had used was the sword qi of the Soul-Stealing Flying Sword.
With the aid of Hundredfold Tempering, each time he practiced the Soul-Stealing Flying Sword, he gained new insights. It had been in a constant state of improvement.
Now it could be said to have reached the pinnacle of mastery. He was able to infuse the profundity of the Soul-Stealing Flying Sword into every strand of sword qi, integrating them seamlessly.
"You—"
The mysterious ghost clearly had not expected its split soul to be pinned in place, unable to disperse. Its tone was filled with shock and fury.
Li Qingqiu had no interest in further talk. He directly raised his hand and cast the Soul-Binding Curse. His pupils turned purple. As he began chanting the incantation, the split soul of the mysterious ghost started trembling violently.
When Xiao Wuqing saw the change in his eyes, the shock and fear in his heart eased, replaced by curiosity.
He did not know what kind of curse technique this was.
He suddenly realized that the Sect Master truly seemed capable of anything, as though there was no spell he did not know.
Although the terror of this mysterious ghost was beyond his understanding, it was clear that the Sect Master was a step superior.
He began waiting patiently, while also pondering the suspicious points.
If the Training Hall disciple had been impersonated, how had the mysterious ghost known the names Li Sifeng and Zheng Yunqiao?
Had it possessed him and seized his memories?
Xiao Wuqing developed a strong interest in the ghostly Dao.
After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Li Qingqiu ended the Soul-Binding Curse. He directly summoned Lin Chuan and Nangong E, allowing them to devour the split soul of the ghost.
"Desolate Nether Ghost King…"
Through the memories of this split soul, Li Qingqiu learned the true name and origin of its main body.
The Desolate Nether Ghost King had come from the north. Its memories began from the moment it created this split soul. It had created 9 such split souls. These 9 split souls followed it all the way south, devouring anyone they encountered.
Notably, at the beginning of this memory fragment, it seemed to be within a sect. The disciples of that sect had been eaten by the Desolate Nether Ghost King. Piles of white bones had accumulated into small hills within the sect grounds, even becoming the Desolate Nether Ghost King's nest.
In that memory, Li Qingqiu saw a banner embroidered with two characters.
Xuanji.
It was unclear what relationship the Desolate Nether Ghost King had with the Xuanji Sect. Perhaps the reason it had set its sights on Qingxiao Sect was related to the Xuanji Sect, only for the latter to suffer backlash from the Desolate Nether Ghost King instead.
Even Li Qingqiu felt a chill crawl across his scalp when he saw the mountain of bones within the Xuanji Sect. It was even more brutal than the actions of the Demonic Sect in the past.
But when he thought of the Training Hall disciples who had been slaughtered by the Desolate Nether Ghost King, the wariness in his heart was replaced by fury.
This evil ghost must be eliminated as soon as possible!
Li Qingqiu looked at Xiao Wuqing and said, "Go strike the Lingxiao Bell."
"Yes!"
Xiao Wuqing immediately set off, while Li Qingqiu remained standing before the pool of blood, unmoving.
Soon, the Lingxiao Bell began to toll.
Over the following period, the Hall Masters arrived one after another. When they saw Li Qingqiu standing before a pool of blood, their expressions darkened. They realized that this council likely had nothing to do with the sect's development.
After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Li Qingqiu took his seat.
Zhang Yuchun, True Person Qingxiao, Li Dongyue, Li Sijin, Wu Man'er, Xu Ning, Xue Jin, Zhu Yan, Yang Jueding, Zhang Yu, Cheng Canghai, Shen Yue, Yan Daozong, and Chu Jing sat around the long table, all looking at Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze over them and recounted what had just occurred.
Upon hearing that Li Sifeng was missing and Zheng Yunqiao had died tragically, everyone's expressions changed drastically. Xue Jin in particular could not conceal the killing intent in his eyes.
When they learned that the Training Hall disciple had been possessed by the Desolate Nether Ghost King and had come to provoke Qingxiao Sect, chills ran down their spines.
No one present had experience battling ghosts or demons. Faced with an unknown force, fear was only natural.
Li Qingqiu also described the memories he had extracted—the Xuanji Sect being massacred by the Desolate Nether Ghost King. This did not bring them any satisfaction. Instead, it made them even more uneasy.
They all felt as though a great calamity was approaching.
After Li Qingqiu finished speaking, Xue Jin was the first to rise. "I am willing to head north and investigate the Desolate Nether Ghost King!"
"Even Li Sifeng was no match for it. What would you accomplish by going?" Yang Jueding glared at Xue Jin. He had already guessed Li Qingqiu's plan.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand, signaling them not to argue.
"This time, I will go personally. I told you all about this matter so that you can make preparations and prevent the Desolate Nether Ghost King from infiltrating again."
He spoke directly, then turned his gaze to Xu Ning and Shen Yue. "Ning'er, Shen Yue, during this period, do not focus solely on closed-door cultivation. Keep some attention on the sect."
Hearing this, Xu Ning and Shen Yue immediately nodded.
"Do not spread this matter for now. You may listen more to Jing Gong's thoughts. He is proficient in matters of the ghostly Dao. If he senses anything amiss, all of you must cooperate."
Li Qingqiu continued issuing instructions. Everyone could not help but turn their gazes toward Chu Jing. Only a few among them knew Chu Jing's true identity. Hearing that he was proficient in the ghostly Dao, they could not help but look at him with newfound respect.
"Senior Brother, when do you plan to depart?" Li Dongyue followed up with a question.
Li Qingqiu replied, "There is no time to delay. The sooner, the better. I will leave today to prevent other disciples from being harmed by the Desolate Nether Ghost King."
Yan Daozong looked at Li Qingqiu, his eyes filled with admiration.
When it came to other troubles, Li Qingqiu would not personally intervene, instead allowing the sect members to resolve them. Yet when faced with such an extremely dangerous and cruel ghost, Li Qingqiu chose to confront it alone. Such responsibility left him deeply impressed.
Placing himself in that position, if he were to face the unseen Desolate Nether Ghost King, he feared his chances of survival would be slim.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu gave a few more instructions and then declared the meeting adjourned.
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, and Li Sijin remained behind, surrounding him, all visibly worried.
"If you encounter trouble, you can call Zhen'er out. You need not treat him as a child anymore," Li Qingqiu said as he looked at Zhang Yuchun.
Zhang Yuchun nodded, concern evident in his eyes.
He wanted to persuade Li Qingqiu not to take the lead personally, yet he also felt that Li Qingqiu was right. Each additional day of delay could mean another disciple being killed—and subjected to torture worse than death.
Li Dongyue reminded him, "Senior Brother, if the opponent is difficult to handle, do not force it. At worst, Qingxiao Sect can recall all disciples and face it together."
Although Li Sijin and Wu Man'er did not speak, their eyes were filled with the same worry.
Li Qingqiu waved his hand and smiled. "What are you doing? Do you not trust me? It is not my first time descending the mountain."
The four of them recalled the past, and their hearts settled somewhat. Yet the Desolate Nether Ghost King was too strange and cruel; they could not completely dispel their unease.
Half an hour later,
Li Qingqiu changed into a swordsman's outfit, wore a bamboo hat, carried Jin Lang on his shoulder, and departed riding his sword.
He left Chu Jing within Qingxiao Sect. At his waist hung a Qingxiao Sword.
With Lin Chuan and Nangong E accompanying him, he could gather intelligence, and Jin Lang, possessing cultivation at the 5th layer of the Nurturing Essence realm, was more effective than concealed weapons.
The reason Li Qingqiu was in such haste was that he intended to follow the memories of the Desolate Nether Ghost King's split soul to search for it. Perhaps he could locate it sooner.
Of course, the most important reason was his concern for Li Sifeng.
Within the split soul's memories, Li Sifeng and the Prison Qilin had only restrained it for less than half an hour. After Li Sifeng was severely injured, he was carried away by the Millennium Sword Soul and escaped, while the Prison Qilin had its limbs torn off by the Desolate Nether Ghost King and was taken back to the Xuanji Sect, imprisoned in an iron cage.
As for why the Desolate Nether Ghost King had not killed the Prison Qilin, Li Qingqiu felt that it likely sought more than mere satisfaction of its appetite. There was ambition behind its actions.
…
By dusk, Li Qingqiu had reached Cangzhou.
The last time he came to Cangzhou had been to deal with the Qi clan.
His vital energy was abundant, and he intended to fly straight to the northern border in one go.
Cangzhou was now controlled by the Zhu Xian faction led by the Li clan. There were no scenes of war and chaos. In fact, the Li clan was trapped in an extremely awkward situation. With Li Sifeng not returning, they did not dare act rashly, while Liu Jing's rapid rise filled them with unease.
The entire Cangzhou had fallen into a strange atmosphere.
By the time he flew past Cangzhou, night had already descended.
The world was dim. Li Qingqiu decided to land and proceed on foot, allowing Lin Chuan and Nangong E to investigate the surrounding situation along the way.
Although the Desolate Nether Ghost King had made its nest in the Xuanji Sect, its movements were not fixed. It would only return after it had eaten its fill or captured a demon beast or auspicious creature.
Walking through the night, Li Qingqiu did not light a torch. Jin Lang, standing on his shoulder, remained alert to the surroundings.
The northern border was desolate. Even in summer, the wind here carried a chill.
The stars in the night sky shone brilliantly, so beautiful that it seemed one could pluck them from the heavens with a raised hand.
Yet Li Qingqiu had no mind to admire the scenery. Though his steps did not appear fast, each stride covered several yards.
The advantages of the Hundred-Refined Demon Body manifested at this moment. Even after long-distance travel, Li Qingqiu's vital energy remained abundant.
The night gradually deepened.
In the latter half of the night,
Li Qingqiu suddenly heard someone groaning in pain, clearly enduring unimaginable suffering.
He immediately followed the sound. Arriving at a hillside strewn with rocks, he saw two figures leaning against a large boulder—a man and a woman. A small campfire burned before them, yet in this vast land, its flames were as faint as fireflies.
From afar, Li Qingqiu could see that the man had only his upper body left, in a pitiful state. The woman sat beside him, hugging her knees, her face buried against her legs.
They seemed to be waiting for death.
With a single glance, Li Qingqiu could tell that the man had been injured by the Desolate Nether Ghost King. What puzzled him was why the Desolate Nether Ghost King had not devoured them.