Chapter 108: The Sect Master’s Marvelous Art
At dusk, Li Qingqiu returned to Lingxiao Courtyard with Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen followed beside him, talking endlessly.
Today, Zhao Zhen had instructed Li Yang in cultivating the Divine Dragon Transformation, and the process went smoothly, leaving the young man quite pleased with himself.
However, in Li Qingqiu’s view, it wasn’t because Zhao Zhen taught well—it was because Li Yang possessed remarkable comprehension.
Perhaps it was the influence of the Dragon Soul; Li Yang was indeed well-suited for cultivating the Divine Dragon Transformation.
Zhang Yuchun was already waiting in the courtyard.
Seeing him, Zhao Zhen immediately walked away, not wishing to interrupt their conversation.
“Today, some disciples were ambushed at the foot of the mountain. Five were injured. Fortunately, the thief was captured, but on the way back up, he secretly took poison and killed himself, cutting off our lead.”
Zhang Yuchun frowned as he spoke.
Though such incidents were inevitable, each occurrence still weighed heavily on him.
Li Qingqiu said, “Bring the corpse in. Let me take a look.”
Zhang Yuchun nodded and left at once.
Li Qingqiu sat down at the long table, habitually opening his Dao Lineage Panel.
Every day new disciples joined; aside from reviewing new recruits, he also checked whether any disciples’ portraits had disappeared.
After a while, Zhang Yuchun returned with several people.
Two disciples from the Free Spirit Hall carried a stretcher, upon which a corpse lay covered by a white cloth.
Li Qingqiu tilted his head slightly—he could already see the soul floating above the body.
After death, a soul had to wait seven days before entering reincarnation.
Once the stretcher was set down, Li Qingqiu stood before the corpse and directly cast the Soul Restraining Curse.
His pupils turned purple.
This startled not only the two Free Spirit Hall disciples but also Zhang Yuchun.
Li Qingqiu intentionally revealed the Soul Restraining Curse to them.
In the past, he had concealed this ability because Clear Sky Sect’s strength was insufficient—and because it was the only soul spell he knew.
But now things were different.
The Clear Sky Sect was growing stronger, and he had obtained the Human Ghost-God Fate.
In his spare time, he had even developed soul-related spells of his own creation.
He intended to gradually let the sect realize one thing—to reshape their mindset.
Clear Sky Sect was not a martial sect, but an immortal cultivation sect.
He wanted his disciples to shift their pursuit from fame and fortune to the quest for immortality.
Only then would their hearts remain steadfastly aligned with the Clear Sky Sect.
Of course, this process could not be too direct.
It had to be done step by step.
He would begin by revealing it to disciples of high loyalty—like these Free Spirit Hall members, whose loyalty exceeded ninety.
Zhang Yuchun stared at Li Qingqiu’s violet eyes, inwardly shaken.
He had always believed his senior brother had once been enlightened by an Immortal in a dream, but the sight of those eyes was too striking—it stirred fear within him.
It was humanity’s instinctive terror of the unknown.
After their brief shock, the two Free Spirit Hall disciples looked at Li Qingqiu with burning reverence.
The tale of the Sect Master being enlightened by an Immortal had long spread throughout the sect.
Some disciples doubted it, others believed—but the Sect Master’s power and actions increasingly proved that the legend might indeed be true.
Now, as they gazed upon their Sect Master, they could be certain—this was definitely not martial arts!
Soon, Li Qingqiu’s eyes returned to normal, the purple glow gone.
He spoke: “This man came from the Taiwu Sect. He was after our Primordial Unity Scripture.”
At the mention of Taiwu Sect, Zhang Yuchun’s brows furrowed deeply.
Taiwu Sect, one of the Three Founding Sects of the Great Dynasty, was a true powerhouse—far beyond the former Seven Great Sects of Guzhou.
One Free Spirit Hall disciple couldn’t help asking, “Sect Master, how did you know his origin and purpose? Just now, your eyes…”
Li Qingqiu smiled at them.
“My eyes can see through all things. It’s a marvelous art. One day, I’ll pass it on to you and to other disciples. But until then, can you keep it a secret for me?”
The two disciples were thrilled and immediately swore never to tell a soul.
Zhang Yuchun, meanwhile, pondered Li Qingqiu’s intent.
Ever since his senior brother assumed the position of Sect Master, everything he did carried deeper meaning.
Zhang had long tried to learn from him, yet could never fully see through his plans.
“All right, take the body away and find a place to bury it.”
Li Qingqiu ordered.
The Free Spirit Hall disciples bowed and carried the corpse away.
Zhang Yuchun asked, “Senior Brother, you’re not planning to send someone to destroy the Taiwu Sect again, are you?”
Li Qingqiu shot him a glare and said irritably, “Do you think I’m some god of slaughter? Incidents like this are inevitable. There will always be people scheming to steal the Primordial Unity Scripture. As for preventing leaks, that’s for you to think about.”
With that, Li Qingqiu returned to his seat at the long table.
At present, the Clear Sky Sect faced no shortage of troubles—both overt and hidden.
Many forces had their eyes on them.
As long as these threats did not endanger the sect’s survival, Li Qingqiu preferred to leave them for the Hall Masters to handle—an opportunity for them to hone their abilities.
Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu, smiling.
This time, he understood his senior brother’s intent—part trust, part opportunity to show his worth.
“Oh, and the six disciples who captured the thief—they deserve a reward. As for how to reward them, you decide.”
Li Qingqiu added, making Zhang Yuchun frown slightly.
Rewarding them would be tricky, for one of those six disciples was Chu Jing.
…
The uprising across the land spread like wildfire.
With King of Weizhou Zhao Qi leading the charge, rebellion flared across the Nine Provinces—some among commoners, others among noble families seeking power.
By late September, great upheaval struck the Guzhou State Capital.
Inside the Inspector-General’s Residence, Fan Xi sat in the hall, his face dark and trembling as he gripped his teacup.
Bang!
From the courtyard came the sound of the main gate being kicked open, followed by a thunderous boom that made Fan Xi flinch.
Turning his head, he saw black-clad men with blades rushing in, quickly surrounding the hall.
Then, a yellow-robed old man strode in with the bearing of a dragon.
Seeing him, Fan Xi frowned bitterly and growled, “Qin Meng, it’s you. You bribed Jiang Yan?”
The yellow-robed elder, Qin Meng, grinned.
“Inspector Fan, you’re upright—you don’t love wealth. But others do. And they’re smarter than you. They see chaos coming and want to build a little nest egg. You? You parachuted into this post—no foundation, no gold, no troops. Do you really think that chair suits you?”
Fan Xi took a deep breath.
“And how can you be so sure chaos will come? If His Majesty quells the unrest, your Qin Family will have no chance to rise again.”
Qin Meng raised his hand.
A black-clad man wielding a long sword entered and advanced toward Fan Xi.
“I’m not sure,” Qin Meng said with a sneer.
“But I know opportunities are rare. If you want to climb higher, you need courage. Inspector Fan, it seems you’ve nothing left to say. Then die.”
Killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Fan Xi felt despair.
He knew no martial arts—there was no escape from the Inspector-General’s residence.
“Oh, right. Hall Master Zhang Yuchun of the Clear Sky Sect asked me to tell you—your attempt to assassinate their Sect Master is finally settled today.” Qin Meng chuckled darkly as he spoke.
Fan Xi’s eyes widened, but before he could respond—
Pfft!
Blood splattered across the hanging painting on the wall.
Thunder roared outside as light flickered in the storm.
Qin Meng failed to notice the black-robed man wearing an Evil Ghost Mask perched on a distant rooftop, silently observing him.
It was Xuan Gong.
Beneath the rolling thunderclouds, the eerie mask reflected a cold glint.
His gaze was icy.
As Qin Meng turned to leave, Xuan Gong’s figure vanished from the rooftop.
…
In Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu sat at the long table pouring tea.
Yuan Qi entered with Ma Yu and Jia Yi.
The moment Jia Yi saw Li Qingqiu, he hurried forward and fell to his knees, crying, “Sect Master, you must save me! The Forbidden Martial Guards are hunting me down! I have nowhere else to go but here!”
Li Qingqiu’s gaze shifted—not toward him, but toward Ma Yu.
Understanding, Ma Yu stepped forward and handed over a letter.
Yuan Qi glanced at Jia Yi, finding him oddly familiar, but did not linger.
He quietly withdrew.
Jia Yi remained kneeling, his forehead pressed to the ground.
Li Qingqiu finished reading the letter from Feng Dai and was relieved to learn the man was unharmed.
His satisfaction with Feng Dai deepened—this man truly had some skill.
The letter also detailed the situation in Zhenyang City.
Since His Majesty had regained control of the Imperial City, the Forbidden Martial Guards patrolled every night.
Rumors spread that many commoners’ children had gone missing— even unmarried women vanished from their boudoirs.
Panic filled the city.
Feng Dai suspected it was tied to His Majesty and planned to find a way into court service.
After sheltering Jia Yi, Feng Dai discovered the Forbidden Martial Guards were circulating Jia Yi’s portrait and had to find a way to smuggle him out.
When Li Qingqiu finished reading, he gestured for Ma Yu to sit and have some tea.
Ma Yu hesitated, but eventually stepped forward to accept the cup.
Li Qingqiu turned toward Jia Yi and asked, “Have you married or had children these years?”
Having lost his status as a member of the Imperial Guardian Army, Jia Yi’s only remaining value lay in his Ancestor of the Immortal Emperor Fate.
Jia Yi raised his head cautiously.
“These years, I’ve lived in constant fear—I dared not marry or have children.”
“If you neither take a wife nor bear children, how can your heart find peace? And if your heart is unsettled, how can I rest easy with you?” Li Qingqiu said casually.
Jia Yi quickly replied, “I have a betrothal in my hometown. I was planning to bring my parents back, to prevent the Forbidden Martial Guards from finding them. Once I return, I will marry and bring my wife here to Clear Sky Sect. I beg Sect Master’s permission.”
Ever since witnessing the cruelty of the Forbidden Martial Guards, Jia Yi had been truly terrified.
To him, only Clear Sky Sect felt safe.
Besides, Li Qingqiu had placed a curse upon him that required regular suppression—he could not flee, not even to the ends of the earth.
“Very well. Go, then.”
Li Qingqiu replied.
As he spoke, he flicked two silver needles into Jia Yi’s forehead.
Jia Yi froze, not daring to move, feeling a cool energy spread within his body.
He assumed Li Qingqiu was helping suppress the curse and felt overjoyed.
When Li Qingqiu withdrew the needles from afar, Jia Yi kowtowed in gratitude.
“Sect Master Li, please wait for me. In at most half a year, I shall return with my family.”
Jia Yi rose, saluted, and hurriedly departed.
Ma Yu watched in confusion, unsure why Li Qingqiu had given Jia Yi acupuncture.
Yet the technique of retrieving the needles from afar amazed him—he was eager to learn it.
Li Qingqiu turned to him.
“Feng Dai asked me in his letter to look after you. Would you be willing to stay in Clear Sky Sect?”
At this, Ma Yu’s face changed.
He immediately stood and said, “My lord saved my life—how could I abandon him? I thank Sect Master Li for his kindness, but I must take my leave!”
He cupped his hands toward Li Qingqiu and quickly left—faster even than Jia Yi.