Inside the Mystic Heart Hall, all the Hall Masters, Deputy Hall Masters, and Elders had gathered. The hall was silent. Every single person looked grim.
Xu Ning and Xue Jin were absent—they were still recovering from their injuries.
Li Qingqiu stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the sect's senior members, and began, "Today, seventeen disciples died, and two were seriously injured. If not for Xu Ning and Xue Jin stalling the enemy, the casualties would've been unimaginable."
The dozens of people in the hall couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
In the grand scheme of things, this wasn't a huge loss, especially during chaotic times. But this time, the attack happened inside the Taikun Mountain Range, which made it far more alarming. It stirred up both worry and anger.
Li Qingqiu gave a glance to Zhang Yuchun, who immediately stepped forward and relayed all the intel the sect had gathered on the Qi Clan—including their connection to the Lingtian Sect.
When everyone heard that the Qi Clan had been raising demons, all the senior members were visibly shaken. After the case with Zhao Zhi, no one dared to doubt it this time.
Zhang Yuchun said solemnly, "We had no grudge with the Qi Clan or the Lingtian Sect. It was Lingtian Sect who first slaughtered Elder Jiang's family, then threatened us with the family of disciple Li Yang. They even sent people to assassinate Elder Li Sifeng. And now, they've sent a demon avatar to invade Qingxiao Sect. Everyone, this hatred cannot be resolved—it's either them or us!"
The dozens of senior members roared in agreement. Emotions ran high. They all knew the sect's decisions well. Among the sects of the world, none was more peaceful than Qingxiao Sect. Yes, Qingxiao Sect had destroyed many sects—but those sects had all started the conflict.
Countless sects had come to visit Qingxiao Sect, and Qingxiao Sect had always received them with proper courtesy, never bullying others. Even setting aside the martial world at large, everyone within the sect could feel the generosity of its leadership and the grand vision of their Sect Master.
But this was the martial world. This was the world. No matter how kind or how strong one was, there would always be ambitious people eyeing them.
Zhang Yuchun raised his hand, and just then, footsteps echoed from behind. The high-ranking members turned to look, and saw two disciples rushing in, carrying a stretcher. Everyone made way.
The two disciples set the stretcher down in the middle of the hall. Everyone leaned forward to get a closer look. What they saw was a white-haired youth's corpse—flesh mangled, body covered in vine-like tendrils. Clearly, this thing was no human.
"This demon is a tree demon in human form. Its flesh is extremely tough. Go ahead, try for yourselves—see what kind of enemy we're dealing with," Zhang Yuchun said.
The high-ranking members exchanged uneasy glances, none of them eager to be first.
Yang Jueding stepped forward and drew his blade, slashing the corpse. Sparks flew, his blade snapped in half—and the corpse didn't gain a single new wound.
That scene piqued the others' curiosity. They quickly surrounded the stretcher.
Li Qingqiu remained standing at the top of the stairs, quietly observing. His mind was already turning over how to handle the Qi Clan and the Ancient God.
Seventeen people had died this time. Even if he could retain some of their souls, living people and wandering spirits were fundamentally different. He had no method to bring them back.
This matter had already spread within the sect. If he didn't take revenge, it would absolutely affect how the disciples viewed the sect.
And more importantly, he couldn't wait any longer—or more disciples might die.
Once the commotion calmed and everyone returned to their places, Shen Yue stepped forward. Everyone turned their eyes to him.
None of them had been able to pierce the demon's skin. That terrified them—no wonder even Xu Ning had been gravely wounded.
If even Shen Yue couldn't break its defense, what hope did they have?
Shen Yue's expression was calm. He stepped in front of the white-haired youth's corpse, extended two fingers from his right hand, and pointed at its waist. A streak of sword qi shot out and pierced straight through the corpse's side.
Everyone let out a breath of relief. Shen Yue turned calmly and walked back.
Li Qingqiu thought to himself, 'What a show-off.'
He could tell at a glance that Shen Yue had gone all-out—concentrating his sword soul into his fingers, afraid he wouldn't pierce the demon's skin.
Still, the fact that Shen Yue had managed to do it genuinely pleased Li Qingqiu.
Shen Yue was still only at the fifth layer of Nurturing Essence, but his destructive power already surpassed Xu Ning, who was at the eighth layer. He was truly worthy of being called the number one sword cultivator in the sect—and in the world.
Li Qingqiu was finding Shen Yue increasingly useful. The man didn't covet fame, didn't fight for power, and didn't try to win favors for others.
Back when the Demonic Sect and the three great orthodox sects attacked, it was Shen Yue alone who held them off. If they'd broken through, who knew how many would've died?
The more Li Qingqiu looked at him, the more pleasing he found him.
Shen Yue noticed Li Qingqiu's gaze. He didn't respond, but he did straighten his posture slightly.
Li Qingqiu suddenly made a decision.
"From today on, raise the alert level. Put the land-selling business on hold. Minimize disciples leaving Qingxiao Mountain and Ziyang Peak," Li Qingqiu said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Facing his sect's high command, Li Qingqiu didn't intend to keep secrets. He continued, "I will personally lead a team to destroy the Qi Clan and exterminate the demon."
If Qingxiao Sect focused entirely on defense, with so many disciples at the fourth and fifth layers of Nurturing Essence working together, even if another white-haired demon came, they'd be able to fend it off.
That was the strength built up over eleven years.
Hearing the Sect Master's vow, all the senior members were filled with excitement. This was the domineering spirit of the number one sect under heaven.
Any force that dared oppose them would be wiped out.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended. Everyone gradually departed, and Li Qingqiu called Shen Yue to stay behind.
Once the hall had cleared and only the two of them remained, Shen Yue looked at Li Qingqiu with confusion in his eyes and asked, "What is it, Sect Master? Do you want me to lead a team to wipe out the Qi Clan?"
"I can accept that. But I'll only slay demons—I won't kill innocents."
Shen Yue's reputation as the Sword God, and as the acknowledged number one under heaven, came largely from the fact that he rarely killed people. At the very least, he never harmed the innocent, and he had never participated in exterminations.
Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "You're not a match for that demon."
Shen Yue raised his brow, clearly unconvinced. But then he remembered who was speaking—Li Qingqiu. If Li Qingqiu said so, then he had surely seen something deeper than Shen Yue had.
Within Qingxiao Sect, the only person Shen Yue admired was Li Qingqiu.
Not just because Li Qingqiu was stronger than him, but also because his ideals about cultivating disciples and growing the sect matched Shen Yue's own views.
When it came to cultivation, any time he asked, Li Qingqiu would freely guide him, never withholding anything, never afraid that Shen Yue would outgrow the sect and leave. That kind of openness made working with him comfortable—there was no need to worry about schemes.
"So just say it. What do you want me to do?" Shen Yue asked.
Li Qingqiu said, "You and I—let's save the world together."
Shen Yue arched a brow and teased, "You and me, huh? Let's not end up like Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia. They always succeed when working alone, but every time they team up, something goes wrong. If the number one under heaven and the Sword God teamed up and failed, the whole world would laugh."
Li Qingqiu simply smiled without replying.
…
The Qi Clan's demonic attack, the brutal deaths of seventeen disciples, and the critical injuries of Chief Disciple Xu Ning and Training Hall Deputy Hall Master Xue Jin—these messages struck Qingxiao Sect like waves crashing one after another.
The sect immediately ordered all disciples to return to Qingxiao Mountain and Ziyang Peak, forbidding anyone from leaving.
The seventeen fallen disciples were buried behind Ziyang Peak. Li Qingqiu personally oversaw the sendoff.
He looked at the disciples' families, friends, and children, heart heavy.
Of the seventeen, only six chose to enter the Soul-Refining Banner. As the effects of the Clear Heart Incantation wore off, they drifted above their tombstones, dazed and unaware of the world of the living.
Li Qingqiu noticed Jia Yi's three children.
Before leaving, he found Madam Zhen and said, as repayment for Jia Yi's contributions, she and her three children could join Qingxiao Sect as outer disciples. Madam Zhen tearfully thanked him.
When Li Qingqiu returned to his cave residence, he opened the Dao Lineage panel and found Jia Yi's three children. Their cultivation aptitudes were all poor—even worse than Jia Yi's—but one of them had inherited the [Ancestor of the Immortal Emperor] Fate.
Good enough!
Li Qingqiu made sure to remember that child's name—Jia Ming, Jia Yi's eldest son.
Next, Li Qingqiu took out the Soul-Refining Banner and sent his spiritual sense inside.
Inside the banner was a dreamlike space above the clouds, where countless ghost souls floated. The mysterious Ghost King remained curled up within a sphere of red light, like a blazing sun.
Even after possessing the Soul-Refining Banner for so long, Li Qingqiu still had no idea where this Ghost King had come from. When Daoist Jiang first obtained the banner, the Ghost King was already inside.
As long as Li Qingqiu didn't disturb it, the Ghost King stayed dormant. His instincts told him—this Ghost King had a terrifying background.
Li Qingqiu directed his spiritual sense toward the soul fragment of the white-haired youth.
That soul fragment was still pinned in place by multiple Soul-Stealing Flying Swords. He couldn't move. His blank gaze remained fixed on the distant Ghost King.
After being sealed by the flying swords and pulled into the banner, his connection with his true body had been completely severed.
Li Qingqiu didn't bother questioning him. He simply cast the Soul-Binding Curse to search his memories.
The white-haired youth let out a wretched scream. The countless ghost souls drifting around the Ghost King paid no attention and continued circling in silence.
However, the six recently deceased, including Jia Yi, turned their heads to look. Seeing the youth in such pain, they all showed looks of satisfaction.
A while later…
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, frowning.
The soul's memories were short—he couldn't access the main body's thoughts. Only the memories from its creation to its arrival at Qingxiao Sect were available.
Still, that was enough. It gave Li Qingqiu a way to locate the true body.
That Ancient God couldn't move—at most, it could send projections. Now he could prepare ahead of time.
As for the Fortune Opportunity triggered by this incident, Li Qingqiu didn't plan to use it just yet. He'd wait until the Ancient God was destroyed to decide.
Tomorrow, he'd first go to the Source Iron Blessed Land to find the mysterious entity Shen Yue had mentioned. Once the Blessed Land was secured, he'd call Jiang Zhaoxia back to Qingxiao Mountain and take Shen Yue with him to Cangzhou.
…
After searching for an entire day, Li Qingqiu finally found the mysterious being that had once spied on Shen Yue, deep within the dense forests of a remote mountain range.
It wasn't a human. It was a demon beast.
A giant serpent, over eight zhang long, coiled in the damp, shadowy woods. Its body was as thick as a water barrel. Its scales matched the bark of surrounding trees, making it almost invisible. Most critically, it could hide its demonic aura completely.
When Li Qingqiu appeared before it and drew the Tianhong Sword, the serpent was so terrified it immediately spoke in human tongue:
"Spare me, immortal! Spare me, immortal!"
The voice it uttered was female—soft, delicate, just like a frail woman. The kind that stirred up all kinds of wild thoughts.