Chapter 232: Silent Nether Ghost King
Watching this Tempering Hall disciple get beheaded and then turn into a puddle of blood, Xiao Wuqing was frightened stiff. He had also gone down the mountain for tempering before, but he had never seen such a scene.
The other party’s words kept echoing in his ears, intensifying his fear.
Just what kind of demon or ghost wanted to eat everyone in the Clear Sky Sect?
Li Qingqiu, however, did not panic. His gaze fixed on that pool of blood, and he saw wisps of black energy surging out, interrupting Xiao Wuqing’s train of thought.
Xiao Wuqing immediately drew the Clear Sky Sword and stood on full alert.
Those strands of black energy rapidly condensed into a human figure, a pitch-black silhouette with three heads and six arms. Its true form could not be seen clearly, yet just this shape alone was enough to bring boundless horror.
Before this pitch-black figure even moved, streams of sword energy burst forth from within its body, as though more than a dozen sword shadows were embedded in it.
This scene made Xiao Wuqing widen his eyes. He subconsciously looked toward the Sect Master.
Sword energy cast by different people was different. Especially for immortal cultivators, their perception of sword energy was extremely keen. He could be certain that this sword energy came from the Sect Master.
Li Qingqiu was naturally not killing demons casually. What he used was the sword energy of the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword.
Relying on “Tempered Through a Thousand Trials,” each time he practiced the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword, he gained new insights, and it remained in a constant state of improvement.
Now it could be said to have reached the realm of perfection. He could inject the profundities of the Soul-Seizing Flying Sword into every strand of sword energy, fusing them seamlessly.
“You…”
The mysterious ghost clearly had not expected that his split soul would be immobilized and unable to disperse. His tone was filled with shock and fury.
Li Qingqiu could not be bothered with further nonsense. He directly raised his hand and cast the Soul Restraining Curse. His pupils turned purple, and as he began chanting the incantation, the mysterious ghost’s split soul started to tremble.
Seeing the change in his eyes, the shock and fear in Xiao Wuqing’s heart lessened, replaced instead by curiosity.
He did not know what kind of curse technique this was.
He suddenly realized that the Sect Master was truly omnipotent, as though there were no spells the Sect Master did not know.
Although the terror of this mysterious ghost was beyond his comprehension, it was clear that the Sect Master was far superior.
He began to wait patiently, while also pondering the doubts in his heart.
If the Tempering Hall disciple had been impersonated, how could the mysterious ghost have spoken the names of Li Sifeng, Zheng Yunqiao, and others?
Could it be possession, stealing memories?
Xiao Wuqing developed a strong interest in the Ghost Path.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu ended the Soul Restraining Curse and directly summoned Lin Chuan and Nangong E, letting them divide and devour this ghost’s split soul.
“Silent Nether Ghost King…”
Through the memories of this split soul, Li Qingqiu learned the true name and origin of its main body.
The Silent Nether Ghost King had come from the north. From the moment he began creating split souls, his memories showed that he had created nine such split souls. These nine split souls followed him southward, eating people wherever they went.
It was worth mentioning that at the beginning of this memory segment, it seemed to be within a sect. The disciples of that sect were devoured by the Silent Nether Ghost King, and the white bones within the sect piled up into small mountains, even becoming the Silent Nether Ghost King’s nest.
Within that memory, Li Qingqiu saw a banner, embroidered with two characters.
Xuanji!
It was unclear what relationship the Silent Nether Ghost King had with the Xuanji Sect. Perhaps the reason the Silent Nether Ghost King set his sights on the Clear Sky Sect was related to the Xuanji Sect, only for the Xuanji Sect to suffer a backlash from the Silent Nether Ghost King.
Even Li Qingqiu felt his scalp tingle upon seeing the bone mountains within the Xuanji Sect. This was even more cruel than the actions of the Demonic Cult back then.
Yet when he thought of those Tempering Hall disciples who had been brutally harmed by the Silent Nether Ghost King, the wariness in his heart was replaced by fury.
This evil ghost had to be dealt with as soon as possible!
Li Qingqiu looked at Xiao Wuqing and said, “Go ring the Lingxiao Bell.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Wuqing immediately set off, while Li Qingqiu continued staring at the pool of blood on the ground, not moving his feet.
The Lingxiao Bell soon rang.
In the time that followed, the Hall Masters arrived one after another. When they saw Li Qingqiu standing before a pool of blood, their expressions darkened, realizing that this meeting likely had nothing to do with the sect’s development.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Li Qingqiu sat down.
Zhang Yuchun, Clear Sky Daoist, 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 around once, then recounted what had happened earlier.
Upon hearing of Li Sifeng’s disappearance and Zheng Yunqiao’s tragic death, everyone’s expressions changed drastically. Especially Xue Jin, the killing intent in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
After learning that the Tempering Hall disciple had been possessed by the Silent Nether Ghost King and had come to provoke the Clear Sky Sect, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
No one present had experience fighting ghosts or monsters. Faced with unknown power, they naturally felt apprehensive.
Li Qingqiu also described the memories he had extracted. The slaughter of the Xuanji Sect by the Silent Nether Ghost King did not make anyone feel pleased; instead, it made them even more uneasy.
They all felt that a great calamity was approaching.
After Li Qingqiu finished speaking, Xue Jin was the first to say, “I am willing to head north to investigate the Silent Nether Ghost King!”
“Li Sifeng was no match for him. What would you go for?” Yang Jueding glared at Xue Jin and said. He had already guessed Li Qingqiu’s thoughts.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling them not to argue.
“This time, I will go personally. I am telling you all this so that you can be prepared and prevent the Silent Nether Ghost King from infiltrating again.”
Li Qingqiu said directly. His gaze turned to Xu Ning and Shen Yue as he continued, “Ning’er, Shen Yue, during this period, do not focus solely on seclusion. Keep some attention on the sect.”
Hearing this, Xu Ning and Shen Yue immediately nodded.
“For now, do not publicize this matter. You can listen more to Lord Jing’s thoughts. He is proficient in matters of the Ghost Path. If he senses anything amiss, you must all cooperate.”
Li Qingqiu continued issuing instructions. Everyone could not help but turn their gazes toward Chu Jing. Only a few people knew Chu Jing’s true identity. Upon hearing that Chu Jing was actually proficient in the Ghost Path, they could not help but look at him with newfound respect.
“Senior Brother, when do you plan to depart?” Li Dongyue followed up and asked.
Li Qingqiu said, “This matter should not be delayed. The sooner, the better. I will leave today, to prevent other disciples from being harmed by the Silent Nether Ghost King.”
Yan Daozong looked at Li Qingqiu, his eyes filled with admiration.
When facing other troubles, Li Qingqiu would not intervene, instead letting sect members resolve them. Yet when encountering such an extremely dangerous and cruel ghost, Li Qingqiu chose to face it alone. Such responsibility made Yan Daozong deeply impressed.
Putting himself in that position, if he had to face the unseen Silent Nether Ghost King, he feared there would be little chance of survival.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu gave a few more instructions and then announced the meeting adjourned.
Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, and Li Sijin stayed behind, gathering around him, all of them somewhat worried.
“If you encounter trouble, you can call Zhen’er out. You do not need to treat him as a child anymore,” Li Qingqiu said as he looked at Zhang Yuchun.
Zhang Yuchun nodded, worry visible in his eyes.
He wanted to persuade Li Qingqiu not to take the lead personally, but he also felt that Li Qingqiu was right. For every extra day of delay, another disciple might be harmed and subjected to torment worse than death.
Li Dongyue reminded him, “Senior Brother, if the opponent is difficult to deal with, do not force it. At worst, the Clear Sky Sect can recall all disciples and face it together.”
Li Sijin and Wu Man’er did not speak, but their gazes were likewise filled with concern.
Li Qingqiu waved his hand and smiled. “What are you all doing? Do you not trust me? This is not my first time going down the mountain.”
Thinking of the past, the four of them felt somewhat reassured, yet the Silent Nether Ghost King was far too bizarre and cruel, and they still could not completely dispel the worry in their hearts.
Half an hour later.
Li Qingqiu changed into a wanderer’s outfit, wore a bamboo hat, carried Jin Lang on his shoulder, and departed on his sword.
He left Chu Jing within the Clear Sky Sect. Hanging at his waist was a Clear Sky Sword.
With Lin Chuan and Nangong E present, he could also gather intelligence, and Jin Lang, with cultivation at the fifth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, was more useful than hidden weapons.
The reason Li Qingqiu was in such a hurry was that he wanted to follow the memories of the Silent Nether Ghost King’s split soul to search. Perhaps he could find the Silent Nether Ghost King sooner.
Of course, the most important reason was that he was worried about Li Sifeng.
Within the memories of the Silent Nether Ghost King’s split soul, Li Sifeng and the Prison Qilin had only restrained him for less than half an hour. After Li Sifeng was heavily injured, he escaped with the Thousand-Year Sword Soul, while the Prison Qilin had his limbs torn off by the Silent Nether Ghost King and was captured back to the Xuanji Sect, imprisoned in an iron cage.
Why the Silent Nether Ghost King did not kill the Prison Qilin made Li Qingqiu feel that perhaps he was not merely satisfying his appetite, but also harbored ambitions of his own.
…
As dusk fell, Li Qingqiu had already arrived in Cangzhou.
The last time he came to Cangzhou was to deal with the Qi Clan.
Li Qingqiu’s vital energy was abundant, and he prepared to fly straight to the Northern Border in one go.
Present-day Cangzhou was controlled by the Zhu Xian Group led by the Li Clan. There were no scenes of warfare and chaos. In fact, the Li Clan was in an extremely awkward situation. With Li Sifeng not returning, they dared not act rashly, while Liu Jing’s strong rise made them uneasy.
The entirety of Cangzhou was enveloped in a strange atmosphere.
By the time he flew past Cangzhou, night had already fallen.
Heaven and earth were dim. Li Qingqiu decided to land and proceed on foot, taking the opportunity to let Lin Chuan and Nangong E scout the surrounding area.
Although the Silent Nether Ghost King had built his nest in the Xuanji Sect, his activity routes were not fixed. Only after eating his fill or catching demonic beasts or auspicious signs would he return.
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 the summer wind carried a chill here.
The stars in the night sky were dazzling, so beautiful it seemed one could pluck them with an outstretched hand.
Yet Li Qingqiu had no mind to appreciate the scenery along the way. His pace seemed unhurried, yet each step spanned several zhang.
At this moment, the advantages of the Hundred-Refinement Demonic Body were fully displayed. Even after long-distance travel, Li Qingqiu’s vital energy remained abundant.
The night grew deeper.
In the latter half of the night.
Li Qingqiu suddenly heard someone moaning in pain, clearly enduring unimaginable suffering.
He immediately followed the sound. He arrived at a hillside strewn with jagged rocks and saw two figures leaning against a large boulder. One was male, the other female. A fire was set before them, but on this vast land, the firelight was as faint as fireflies.
From afar, Li Qingqiu saw that the man had only his upper body left, a pitiful sight. The woman sat beside him, arms wrapped around her legs, her face buried between her knees.
They seemed to be waiting for death.
At a glance, Li Qingqiu could tell that the man had been injured by the Silent Nether Ghost King. What was strange was why the Silent Nether Ghost King had not eaten them?