Chapter 171: Burial Companion
Xu Ning sensed a strange aura from the white-haired boy, as if she had felt it somewhere before.
Very quickly, she understood.
This was demonic aura!
Little Eight and Little Nine also carried such demonic aura on them.
Could it be a demon raised by the Qi Clan?
Xu Ning thought rapidly, and she had already roughly understood this demon’s fighting method.
She spread her arms, waves of lightning erupted from within her body, causing her robes to billow violently.
The strands of hair at her cheeks danced along with it.
As lightning overflowed, she actually lifted off the ground, her entire body radiating an immense pressure.
Seeing this scene, Xue Jin could not help but widen his eyes.
His heart was filled with shock, as he did not know what kind of spell this was.
This was the first time Xu Ning had displayed her self-created secret art.
She had not even used this move against Jiang Zhaoxia.
As lightning coiled around her body, the pain at her waist disappeared.
The white-haired boy was also startled by Xu Ning’s secret art.
He could feel an overbearing spiritual energy gathering toward Xu Ning, and he actually sensed danger from her.
His gaze sharpened, and he immediately charged at Xu Ning.
Boom!
He leaped up, his feet smashing the snowfield apart, sending accumulated snow flying in all directions.
Facing his approach, Xu Ning did not retreat but advanced instead.
The two collided midair, lightning bursting forth.
Tree vines expanded, only to be shredded by the lightning.
The white-haired boy’s right palm was blocked by Xu Ning’s sword, and this time, Xu Ning withstood his brute force.
Xu Ning’s gaze was so cold that it caused the white-haired boy’s anger to surge.
“Even a mortal dares to block me!”
The white-haired boy roared furiously.
His other hand suddenly thrust forward, terrifying demonic aura erupting like exploding black mist, violently blasting Xu Ning backward.
Xu Ning transformed into a streak of lightning and landed on the snowfield, then sprang away, dodging the white-haired boy who fell from the sky.
He was like a meteor from beyond the heavens crashing down, smashing the snow upward and making the ground tremble.
The two chased and clashed, unleashing fierce attacks across the snowfield.
Even someone as strong as Xue Jin could not keep up with their speed with his eyes.
Xu Ning was not merely dodging.
Her sword swings grew faster and faster, repeatedly cleaving into the white-haired boy.
“Such a mortal weapon cannot possibly hurt me. Struggle on—your kind of secret art must greatly damage the body. After exhausting everything, you will still have to accept a tragic fate. Such an ending suits you very well!”
The white-haired boy laughed wildly, his fists and kicks like the wind, occasionally striking out vine-like wooden tendrils as sharp as spears.
Xu Ning was no longer struck by him, yet her attacks were ineffective.
Even so, she did not stop swinging her sword.
Her blade was wrapped in Heavenly Thunder vital energy.
Every strike carried lightning, sharp to the extreme.
Xue Jin wanted to crawl up, but he simply could not.
He could only watch Xu Ning fight the enemy to the death.
His heart was filled with unwillingness, feeling that he should not be like this.
At this moment, a group of Clear Sky Sect disciples came running from afar.
When they saw the corpses of the Tempering Hall disciples, all of their expressions changed drastically.
They quickened their pace and rushed to support Xu Ning.
“Do not come closer!”
Xu Ning’s voice rang out, clearly entering their ears, making them instinctively halt.
The group of disciples calmed down.
They carefully watched the figures of Xu Ning and the white-haired boy, the fear in their eyes intensifying.
The white-haired boy would occasionally unleash dozens of wooden vines, like a demon extending its tentacles, looking horrifyingly terrifying against the vast white snowfield.
The disciples could only pray that Xu Ning would win.
They still had great confidence in her—Xu Ning was the Clear Sky Sect’s senior disciple, undefeated in battle.
However, the longer they watched, the more that confidence weakened.
No matter how Xu Ning attacked, she could not break through the white-haired boy’s skin, let alone sever limbs or take his head.
“What kind of monster is this……”
“A demon…… it must be a demon!”
“Be ready to act at any time. Even if we are not his match, we must stop him. Someone has already gone up the mountain to seek reinforcements!”
“Who exactly is he, and why has he come?”
The disciples whispered among themselves, their tones almost all filled with fear.
The white-haired boy’s offensive grew more and more ferocious.
In contrast, Xu Ning was clearly slowing down.
“To be able to fight my avatar to this extent—what is your name? You are worthy of being remembered!”
The white-haired boy sneered while attacking.
As his words fell, blood splashed into his vision.
His pupils suddenly dilated as he saw that Xu Ning had actually slashed through the skin of his throat with a single sword strike.
“How is this possible……”
The white-haired boy revealed an expression of utter disbelief.
Xu Ning’s expression did not change.
She continued to swing her sword rapidly, and her voice rang out, “It seems you are not indestructible after all.”
The white-haired boy immediately leaped back.
However, Xu Ning pursued relentlessly, forcing him to use his left hand to cover his throat, fighting her with only his right hand.
“Most of her previous attacks landed on my throat. I never thought she would actually succeed……”
The white-haired boy was both shocked and enraged.
He no longer had any mood for mockery as killing intent filled his heart.
He suddenly stopped and stomped his right foot.
In an instant, wooden vines far thicker than before burst out of the snow, densely packed beyond counting, occupying an area of a hundred zhang in all directions.
The momentum was so vast that even the disciples watching from afar felt the ground trembling.
Xue Jin was blown away, smashing into the snowfield and nearly fainting from the pain.
Xu Ning had no time to dodge.
Above her head, a gigantic net woven from interlaced wooden vines had already covered the sky.
“I will make you regret this!”
The white-haired boy stared at Xu Ning and shouted coldly.
Fresh blood continued to flow through the gaps between his fingers.
He could feel a special vital energy wreaking havoc inside his body.
“Cry—”
A shrill screech rang out.
The snow mist in the sky was suddenly dispersed, and a pair of gigantic claws descended from above, gripping the vines converging in the air.
With a single tear, the claws ripped the vine net apart.
The white-haired boy looked up.
Darkness enveloped his figure, and shock appeared in his eyes.
Such a huge eagle demon!
Xu Ning did not relax because of this.
Taking advantage of the white-haired boy’s momentary distraction, she closed in again.
On the other side.
Far away inside a cave dwelling, Li Qingqiu, who was seated in meditation cultivating, opened his eyes.
He heard Little Eight’s voice and sensed the urgency within it.
Huff—
Li Qingqiu vanished from the stone bed without a trace.
Spiritual energy surged within the cave dwelling, causing the medicinal herbs beside the spiritual pool to sway gently.
……
The white-haired boy’s face was ferocious.
He stared at Xu Ning before him, his eyes filled with killing intent.
At this moment, the tip of Xu Ning’s sword was less than ten centimeters from him, yet her wrist and sword were bound by slender wooden vines, as was her body.
The lightning around Xu Ning began to dissipate.
She frowned.
Not only was she unable to move, but the vital energy within her body was also being siphoned away.
Behind her, massive wooden vines broke through the earth one after another, endlessly.
Segments of wooden vines also rained down from the sky.
Little Eight was still assisting her from the air, but he was never able to approach the ground.
The white-haired boy raised his right palm, intending to sever Xu Ning’s head.
Whoosh—
A piercing sound tore through the air as it descended from above.
The white-haired boy still maintained his ferocious smile, time seeming to nearly freeze.
A streak of silver light gradually illuminated his face.
His arm was actually severed, slowly spinning, its blade-like fingertips turning toward his own face.
Facing him, Xu Ning saw this scene and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Boom——
A powerful surge of force blasted the white-haired boy backward.
A silver sword shadow was embedded at the spot where he had just been standing, and his right arm fell to the side.
The wooden vines binding Xu Ning scattered away.
Her body went limp.
She immediately plunged her sword into the snow to support herself so that she would not collapse.
In the distance, the disciples only saw a streak of silver light descend from the sky, piercing through the wooden vines along its path and landing between Xu Ning and the white-haired boy.
They were extremely tense, unsure of what exactly had happened.
Little Eight let out another shrill cry, drawing everyone’s gaze upward.
Immediately after, they were all filled with joy.
Even Xue Jin, lying far away, let out a sigh of relief after seeing Little Eight.
They saw a figure standing atop Little Eight’s head.
Sunlight shone upon him, dazzling to behold.
It was Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu looked down at the white-haired boy from above, his gaze icy cold.
The white-haired boy looked at the silver sword shadow that had severed his arm.
His heart pounded in fear.
He raised his head and caught sight of Li Qingqiu’s figure.
“Who are you?”
The white-haired boy gritted his teeth as he asked.
The opponent’s sword move had been too fast—so fast that he did not dare to act rashly for the moment.
Li Qingqiu did not answer.
Dozens of silver sword shadows condensed around his body, all pointing toward the white-haired boy.
The white-haired boy felt humiliated.
He stomped his foot again, and massive wooden vines rushed out of the snow one after another, surging toward Little Eight.
A cold glint flashed through Li Qingqiu’s eyes.
The dozen or so silver sword shadows around him shot forth like arrows released from a bowstring.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh……
The sounds of tearing through the air merged together, shredding the massive wooden vines blocking the way, unstoppable as they killed toward the white-haired boy.
The white-haired boy was terrified.
He instinctively leaped up, trying to dodge, but the speed of those silver sword shadows was simply too fast.
The sound of blades piercing bone and flesh rang out.
Unable to evade, the white-haired boy was struck by more than a dozen silver sword shadows.
He was slammed down onto the snow, trembling as he staggered backward.
Xu Ning raised her head and looked over.
Seeing the white-haired boy covered in embedded silver sword shadows, she finally let out a breath of relief.
“You……”
The white-haired boy’s entire body trembled.
A silver sword shadow was also embedded in his face.
Blood poured along the blade, rapidly turning his entire face crimson.
His shoulders, chest, abdomen, thighs, knees, and calves were all pierced by silver sword shadows.
Terrifying vital energy rampaged within his body.
He sensed a vital energy similar to Xu Ning’s, yet this energy was far more powerful than hers.
Intense pain, suffocation, and coldness surged from all parts of his body.
The white-haired boy had not felt such agony for a very long time.
He could not even remember whether he had ever experienced such pain before.
Instinctively, he wanted to end this avatar.
Yet he discovered in horror that he was unable to disperse the divided soul occupying this avatar.
How could this be……
Li Qingqiu descended from the sky and landed before him.
The white-haired boy stared at Li Qingqiu, his eyes filled with resentful hatred.
Gritting his teeth, he asked, “You are…… Li Qingqiu?”
His mouth was full of blood, dark in color.
Li Qingqiu looked at him and said, “You should not have come.”
The white-haired boy endured the pain, yet it was impossible to suppress.
His face twisted in agony as he forced a smile.
“Li Qingqiu…… do you know who you have provoked?”
Li Qingqiu did not answer him.
Instead, he spoke to himself.
“Very soon, I will appear before you.”
As his words fell, the dozen or so sword shadows embedded in the white-haired boy suddenly pierced through his flesh.
His entire body exploded into a mist of blood that scattered across the ground.
He instantly became a blood-soaked figure and then collapsed.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand and took out the Soul Refining Banner.
Although the white-haired boy’s body had fallen, his soul still floated behind it.
Only Xu Ning could see it.
The other disciples, seeing the sect master slay the enemy, all cheered and then ran toward Li Qingqiu.
The white-haired boy’s soul was still impaled by silver sword shadows, unable to move.
These silver sword shadows were precisely Li Qingqiu’s self-created spell, the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword.
At this point, the white-haired boy was completely panicked.
“You……”
Li Qingqiu could not be bothered to waste words with him.
He directly raised the Soul Refining Banner and took his soul into the banner.
【Given that your Dao Lineage has encountered a demonic attack for the first time, although it resulted in casualties, you fortunately slew the demon in time and averted a sect-destroying crisis. You have obtained one Fortuitous Fate Chance】
Li Qingqiu did not feel happy because of the prompt before his eyes.
He raised his head and looked into the distance at the corpses, his mood heavy.
He suddenly realized that a sect being too large might not necessarily be a good thing.
Without complete communication methods and formations, it could instead become a breach for enemy infiltration.
He did not sink into regret.
He raised his hand and inserted two needles into Xu Ning, then walked toward the distant corpses.
Along the way, he also applied two needles to Xue Jin in the distance.
The disciples rushed over and surrounded Xu Ning, asking about her condition.
“Go check on Xue Jin. I’m fine,” Xu Ning said in a deep voice, then sat down.
Seeing her begin to meditate, the disciples immediately hurried over to Xue Jin.
Li Qingqiu came before the corpses of the Tempering Hall disciples, his expression dark.
The souls of these disciples had already left their bodies.
They drifted about in a daze, waiting for the order of yin and yang seven days later to pull them away.
In the process of developing the sect, casualties were unavoidable, and this was not the first time.
However, this time it had happened within the Ancient Great Mountain Range, making Li Qingqiu feel somewhat self-blaming.
At the ninth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, he was very strong, yet there were still people he could not protect.
He began to chant an incantation.
This was a soul curse he had researched, named the Clear Heart Incantation.
It could allow the souls of the dead to briefly recover their consciousness from when they were alive.
The souls of the fifteen Tempering Hall disciples quickly regained clarity.
They looked at Li Qingqiu and instinctively bent down to salute, but when they lowered their heads and saw their own corpses, all of them froze.
They were dead?
Li Qingqiu spoke, “Seven days from now, you will be able to enter reincarnation. I can give you a choice. That is, your souls may temporarily be put to my use. Perhaps in the future I can let you live in another way, but that is only a possibility. I may not be able to achieve it. So the decision is yours. If you are willing to return to reincarnation and need me to pass on words to family or friends, speak freely. I will definitely convey them.”
The disciples looked at one another.
Everything had happened too suddenly, making it difficult for them to make a decision right away.
Li Qingqiu continued, “You can think it over carefully. Later, I will come back to find you.”
He turned and walked into the distance, soon disappearing into the snow mist.
Li Qingqiu went all the way to Liu Jie’s corpse.
Seeing Liu Jie beheaded, his expression did not change.
He stepped forward, picked up Liu Jie’s head, and placed it back before the body, piecing together the complete corpse.
He likewise cast the Clear Heart Incantation on Liu Jie’s soul.
Liu Jie seemed to awaken from a nightmare, suddenly jolting awake.
He opened his eyes, and Li Qingqiu’s figure crowded into his vision.
Like the previous disciples, Liu Jie bent down to salute, then saw his own corpse.
He was also stunned.
After realizing that he had already died, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
I am already dead—why am I still saluting?
The sect master surely cannot see me.
Liu Jie raised his head and looked at Li Qingqiu.
In a helpless and aggrieved tone, he asked softly, “Martial Uncle…… did I disappoint you……”
Li Qingqiu looked at him and said, “No. You did very well. Very soon, many people will be buried alongside you.”
Liu Jie froze again, staring at Li Qingqiu in shock, unable to believe his own ears.