Chapter 173: Master of Ten Thousand Demons
Li Qingqiu heard the giant serpent speaking in such a soft, feminine voice, and his expression turned slightly strange. Hovering midair, he pointed his sword at the serpent coiled around the tree trunk and asked, "How many years have you been here?"
The giant serpent quickly replied, "This little demon has been cultivating here for 300 years. I've never harmed a human. Please, Immortal, see clearly!"
Li Qingqiu teased, "With how articulate you are, don't tell me you've never had a master?"
A serpent was still a serpent. Even though its tone was full of fear, that snake face still looked terrifying.
"To tell the truth, 300 years ago, two immortals came here to live in seclusion. I learned from them. But rest assured, Immortal, I have no ties to them. A hundred years after they left, I finally managed to barely become a spirit."
The giant serpent answered quickly, afraid that if it spoke too slowly, Li Qingqiu's sword would fall.
Li Qingqiu stared at its massive body. Its demonic aura was hidden very well, but he could still tell this serpent wasn't simple. Its strength was at least equivalent to the fifth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm—maybe even stronger.
Something this powerful begging for mercy the moment they met?
Li Qingqiu grew wary. He figured this snake was cunning.
"Immortal, those people by the sea—they're yours, right? I've always avoided them, never dared to disturb or harm them," the serpent quickly added.
Li Qingqiu asked, "Where did those two immortals come from? When did they arrive? How long did they stay here?"
"They came from the inland 300 years ago. One man, one woman. They had a falling out. They stayed a few years, then left one after another and sailed out to sea. They never came back."
"One after another?"
"Yes. The man left first. The woman left a few months later. Before she left, she even taught me a method to absorb qi. That's how I became a spirit."
The giant serpent spoke with sincerity. Hearing this, Li Qingqiu relaxed a little.
If those two cultivators had come from overseas, it would mean there were cultivation forces across the ocean. But if they'd come from inland, and considering there were no cultivation factions there now, it probably meant they were fleeing from something.
Still, he couldn't fully trust this demon just yet.
But casting the Soul-Binding Curse on someone who was so polite right off the bat? That would be too tyrannical.
Li Qingqiu asked instead, "Are there any other demons in this area?"
The giant serpent replied, "None like me. But I did raise three little monsters. Like me, they stay hidden deep in the forest and never cause trouble."
Li Qingqiu suddenly had an idea. "Qingxiao Sect will soon establish a Demon-Subjugation Hall. Would you be willing to join, along with your three little monsters? Or do you really want to live in hiding here forever?"
The giant serpent hesitated.
Li Qingqiu raised his sword. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, landing on the blade. The gleam of reflected sword light fell upon the serpent's body, making it shudder in fear.
"I'm willing! I'm willing!" the giant serpent cried out at once.
Li Qingqiu immediately pulled up the Dao Lineage panel and searched for the serpent.
He'd always wondered if demons could join Qingxiao Sect as disciples. Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu hadn't been accepted yet—probably because, unlike this serpent, they couldn't speak human language, so they didn't qualify.
He scrolled to the bottom of the disciple list. Sure enough, he found a snake icon.
[Name: Baizhi]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 334 years]
[Loyalty (To Sect Master / To Sect): 45/4 (Max: 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Unranked]
[Comprehension: Fair]
[Fates: Timid as a Mouse, Master of Ten Thousand Demons]
[Timid as a Mouse: Timid by nature, afraid of conflict and killing, but deeply emotional.]
[Master of Ten Thousand Demons: Due to unique encounters, has a passion for guiding wild creatures in cultivating into spirits. Her teaching talent will grow with her cultivation.]
...
So she wasn't cunning after all—just genuinely timid.
Still, having deep emotions was a good trait. At least it meant she wouldn't easily betray others.
The [Master of Ten Thousand Demons] fate made Li Qingqiu's eyes light up. A flood of plans instantly filled his mind.
What a lucky find!
Li Qingqiu raised his left hand, made a quick calculation with his fingers, and asked, "Baizhi? That's a nice name. Did you come up with it yourself, or did that female cultivator give it to you?"
At the question, Baizhi widened her eyes in a very human-like expression of shock and quickly replied, "I named myself. That female immortal once said that baizhi herbs drive out cold and relieve pain. I've always felt this place is too cold. I'm also scared of pain."
Li Qingqiu chuckled and teased, "You're a serpent demon… and you're afraid of the cold?"
"Loneliness is the coldest thing," Baizhi murmured.
That line caught Li Qingqiu off guard. He hadn't expected this demon to say something so poetic.
He landed on a tree branch and looked at Baizhi. "You've cultivated for 300 years. Don't you want to know how strong you really are?"
Hearing that, Baizhi recoiled, her massive body making the trees around her shake.
"No!"
Baizhi responded firmly.
Li Qingqiu grinned. "Relax. I won't hurt you. Come on."
"No—!"
The forest trembled violently, birds flapping away in a panic.
A stick of incense's time passed.
Fallen leaves swirled through the forest as Li Qingqiu stood atop a sword-light, looking down at the trembling Baizhi. He sighed, "Three hundred years of cultivation really isn't simple. You're stronger than I thought. I doubt an average seventh-layer Nurturing Essence cultivator could beat you."
Baizhi didn't understand what "seventh-layer Nurturing Essence" meant. She just stared at Li Qingqiu in fear, terrified he might continue.
Somehow, a serpent's eyes looked like they were brimming with tears, making Li Qingqiu feel a twinge of guilt.
He raised his hand and flicked seven silver needles into her body. Baizhi shuddered in shock.
"Don't move. I'm healing you," Li Qingqiu said calmly.
Baizhi instantly froze.
A moment later, she felt the pain all over her body rapidly disappear. She was amazed and quietly relieved. It seemed he really didn't intend to kill her.
'As long as I can survive…'
Baizhi wailed in her heart. She'd always known dealing with humans was a bad idea. She'd done everything she could to avoid them—so how did she still get caught?
Li Qingqiu landed in front of her and pulled out a Thousand Spirit Fruit from his storage pouch.
"Take it," he said gently.
Baizhi looked at the fruit. She could feel the spiritual energy radiating off it. After a brief hesitation, she opened her mouth and swallowed it.
Then Li Qingqiu placed five more Thousand Spirit Fruits on the grass.
"Stay here for now. I'll come back for you once I've arranged a proper place. Of course, if you don't trust me and want to flee, I won't stop you. I won't send anyone after you either."
With that, he leapt into the air and shot out of the forest.
Baizhi looked up for a while, then finally turned to stare at the five Thousand Spirit Fruits on the ground. She muttered, "Is he trying to reassure me… or threaten me…"
She flicked her tongue, savoring the fruit's lingering taste, lost in thought.
...
Li Qingqiu arrived at Ziyang Peak and landed outside Xu Ning's cave residence. He didn't leave until half an hour later.
Once he confirmed Xu Ning was okay, he finally relaxed. Now it was time to deal with the Qi Clan.
Before he fully understood the Ancient God's strength, Li Qingqiu had hoped to stall for time and gather more intel. But at this point, he couldn't delay any longer.
After fighting the white-haired youth, he had a good sense of their capabilities.
On the way back to Qingxiao Mountain, Li Qingqiu pulled up the Dao Lineage panel again and noticed Baizhi's loyalty had increased. He smiled.
Night fell.
Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, True Person Qingxiao, Shen Yue, and Mo Jiuhong all gathered inside Lingxiao Courtyard.
Mo Jiuhong had heard about the Qi Clan's demonic beasts attacking Qingxiao Sect and was furious. When he got word that the Sect Master summoned him, he was thrilled—finally, he had a real chance to contribute.
This was the key moment for him to secure his place in Qingxiao Sect.
He had always wanted to wipe out the tree demons raised by the Qi Clan. He just lacked the strength. But that desire had never died.
"Mo Jiuhong, come with me to the Qi Clan," Li Qingqiu said.
Those words instantly got Mo Jiuhong fired up. He accepted the order at once.
The others frowned. They had already learned about the white-haired youth's power. Even Xu Ning, who was in the eighth layer of Nurturing Essence, had trouble breaking his defense. Who knew how powerful the Ancient God guarding the Qi Clan really was?
But no one questioned Li Qingqiu's decision. They all understood there was no turning back.
Li Qingqiu looked at the others and said, "Keep our departure secret for now. The sect's priority will be defense. We'll be back within ten days at most. If we succeed, great. If we don't, we'll seal the mountain and focus on internal development. That Ancient God can't move. His avatars alone won't shake Qingxiao Sect."
Hearing that eased their worries.
"Senior Brother, be careful. Don't underestimate the enemy just because you've won before," Li Dongyue said seriously.
She felt awful. It wasn't the first time. Every time she saw Senior Brother leave, she felt so useless.
Li Qingqiu stood up and patted her head. Smiling, he said, "Don't worry. When Senior Brother takes action, nothing goes wrong. You just guard the sect for me."
Li Dongyue rolled her eyes. "Senior Brother, do you think I'm a child?"
Everyone watching them smiled, and the tense mood lightened a bit.
"Let's go, Elder Shen, Mo Jiuhong," Li Qingqiu said as he headed toward the rear mountain. Shen Yue and Mo Jiuhong followed immediately.
Jiang Zhaoxia looked at the three figures disappearing into the distance, wanting to speak but saying nothing.
Once they were gone, Zhang Yuchun patted Jiang Zhaoxia's shoulder. "Third Junior Brother, once this is over, focus on your cultivation."
For once, Jiang Zhaoxia didn't talk back. Even Xu Ning had been seriously injured. He knew if he went, he'd only be a burden to Li Qingqiu.
That left him feeling frustrated.
At the most critical moment, the person Senior Brother trusted most wasn't him—but Shen Yue.
Elsewhere.
Li Qingqiu and the others rode Xiao Ba, flying north.
The night wind was icy. Snow whipped at them constantly. Mo Jiuhong looked around excitedly. It was his first time riding such a powerful demon beast.
Shen Yue was just as curious, though he didn't show it on his face.
Li Qingqiu could clearly sense that Shen Yue's waist was stiff with tension.
Shen Yue asked, "When we get to the Qi Clan, do we eliminate the demon first, or go after the Qi Clan?"
Li Qingqiu said flatly, "We'll give them a taste of their own medicine. That demon tried to massacre my disciples—I'll return the favor."
Shen Yue frowned slightly but didn't argue.
Sometimes, he really couldn't understand Li Qingqiu. Most days, the man was noble, compassionate, and cared for the people. But the moment the sect was threatened, he turned into a ruthless killer—as if he were a different person.