Chapter 253: Trap
After all the disciples setting out had gathered, Li Qingqiu did not say any words to stir morale. In the previous days, the sect had already assigned the leaders. There were a total of ten of them, and they stepped forward one after another to report to Li Qingqiu on the status of the disciples’ assembly.
After confirming that everyone had arrived, Li Qingqiu spoke: “Set off!”
As he spoke, the Tianhong Sword left its scabbard. He leaped smoothly, stepping onto the sword and flying into the sky. The others successively took out their own Clear Sky Swords and followed by sword flight.
More than a thousand disciples flew by sword—how spectacular it was. They blasted apart the snow mist between the mountain ranges, their momentum vast and majestic.
The disciples standing along the mountain cliffs watched as figure after figure passed through the clouds and mist, all of them filled with excitement.
“So fast. I heard that everyone participating this time are true transmission disciples.”
“Since the establishment of the sect, this expedition’s scale is the largest.”
“Before I joined the Clear Sky Sect, I heard about the Sect Master leading disciples down the mountain to exterminate demons. Now I see such a grand feat again. It’s a pity my cultivation is insufficient. If I had known earlier, I should have cultivated even harder.”
“I wonder what kind of evil entity could draw so many people to confront it.”
“Look, it’s Senior Brother Sword Solitary. He went as well!”
……
Flying amid wind and snow, Li Qingqiu’s speed was not particularly fast, mainly considering the disciples’ vital energy. This trip to Cangzhou was not short. It was impossible to fly all the way without stopping; they would certainly need to alternate between flying and resting. There were still half a month until year’s end—more than enough time to arrive.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Shen Yue flew behind him. On the surface, the two appeared calm, but inwardly they were just as surging with emotion.
It was not that they had never gone out on missions before, but such a grand display as this was their first time.
The vast vital energy behind them gave them tremendous confidence. In the past, they always felt they were protecting the sect’s disciples. Now, with so many disciples carrying out the mission alongside them, they did not feel any burden—only boundless courage and anticipation.
They were already imagining the scene of leading so many disciples into battle against the Ghost Army.
If even they felt this way, there was no need to mention the other disciples.
The disciples had long known that the sect was large, filled with experts and countless geniuses. But when more than a thousand true transmission disciples truly gathered and flew by sword together, the feeling it gave them was completely different.
Shock!
Excitement!
Sword-flying figures filled all directions. The vital energy gathered together was unimaginably vast. Even disciples with the strongest aptitude felt that their own vital energy was insignificant by comparison. Under such circumstances, a powerful sense of expectation and pride toward the sect arose in their hearts.
Yun Cai flew among the crowd, gazing at Li Qingqiu at the very front, her eyes filled with admiration.
Such a powerful Clear Sky Sect had been built by Li Qingqiu alone. How could such a Li Qingqiu not inspire awe and fervent devotion among the disciples?
Li Qingqiu could feel the gazes behind him. He spoke: “Have the ten command disciples pass down all the evil ghost intelligence collected so far. Tell it to every disciple.”
The command disciples had been temporarily established by Li Qingqiu to be responsible for leading combat. A thousand disciples could not possibly rush forward all at once.
In Li Qingqiu’s vision, in the future the disciples would also be reasonably arranged according to their strengths.
Not every disciple excelled at ghostly path spells or healing spells. Gathering disciples who mastered different spells together could produce far greater results.
“Yes!”
Behind him, Xiao Wuqing immediately turned around and flew toward the ten command disciples to convey the Sect Master’s order.
……
On the snow-covered wasteland, vast numbers of troops were advancing against the wind and snow.
Qin Ye rode at the front, holding a golden staff in his hand. It refracted bright light amid the flying snow, dazzling and glaring. His expression was solemn, his gaze sharp.
Years of warfare had long stripped him of youthful immaturity, forging him into a towering, indomitable man.
At thirty years of age, he was already the foremost general under Liu Jing, commanding the three armies. This time, he led three hundred thousand troops northward.
Beside him, half a horse-length behind, was the young general Li Yuzhong.
Li Yuzhong held a Fangtian Halberd, his features handsome. His heavy silver armor made him even more eye-catching than Qin Ye.
On Qin Ye’s other side followed a strategist named Jia Guang. Wearing ordinary armor, he looked ahead and stroked his beard as he smiled. “After traveling day and night for months, we’ve finally reached Cangzhou. The northern scenery is truly vast and desolate. I still prefer the landscapes and alleys of Southern Chu.”
Qin Ye replied, “We didn’t come to Cangzhou for sightseeing. Once we step into Cangzhou territory, we must stay alert and maintain strict vigilance. Months have passed—perhaps the Northern Barbarians’ evil entities have already entered Cangzhou.”
Hearing this, Jia Guang followed up by asking, “Great General, you are the disciple of the Clear Sky Sect Master. You should have cultivated methods to deal with ghosts, right?”
When he mentioned the Clear Sky Sect, Li Yuzhong could not help but listen more closely.
Li Yuzhong had already arranged for his wife and children to stay at the Clear Sky Sect—first for his son’s future, and second for their protection.
Deep down, he also yearned for immortal cultivation. He had even thought that once the Age of Chaos ended, he might go to the Clear Sky Sect to cultivate.
“The Clear Sky Sect naturally has methods against ghosts, but I have not cultivated them,” Qin Ye answered.
After being down the mountain for so many years, he truly missed his days in the sect, yet he was also somewhat afraid of returning.
Over these years, he occasionally encountered Clear Sky Sect disciples. As the Sect Master’s second disciple, he naturally treated them well. Through these disciples, he also learned of the sect’s development.
The speed at which the Clear Sky Sect had grown left him shocked. He even felt that what he had been doing was meaningless—far too shallow and childish compared to his Master. He also felt that he could no longer keep up with the sect’s pace, that far too many disciples had already surpassed him.
Qin Ye’s thoughts began to drift, while Jia Guang, upon hearing that he did not possess ghost-extermination techniques, also fell into silence.
Jia Guang’s intuition told him that this northern campaign was likely fraught with danger.
Li Yuzhong wanted to ask Qin Ye more about the Clear Sky Sect, but he did not know how to begin.
The relationship between the two of them was not particularly good; there was even some private rivalry between them. However, in private they both held each other in high regard. Their competition was always open and upright, never involving schemes.
The three hundred thousand troops behind them advanced in silence. Years of constant warfare had made them indifferent to where they were going—they only wanted to survive until tomorrow.
The wind and snow grew heavier, and the road ahead became increasingly blurred.
As evening approached, Qin Ye suddenly saw a swaying figure ahead.
Li Yuzhong noticed it as well and immediately tightened his grip on the Fangtian Halberd.
Although there were three hundred thousand troops behind them, encountering a lone person in the desolate wilderness required caution.
In this world, human hearts were unpredictable.
As the person drew closer, Jia Guang also sensed that something was wrong.
“Who goes there ahead?”
Jia Guang called out. Anyone daring to approach a great army was certainly not simple—either they sought something, or they plotted something.
In an age of chaos, who would dare seek help from an army?
Nine times out of ten, it was the latter.
Facing Jia Guang’s question, the person did not respond and continued walking toward them.
In response, Qin Ye did not order the army to stop. How could three hundred thousand troops be frightened off by a single person?
However, to guard against accidents, he flicked his horsewhip, urging his mount forward, taking the lead.
Li Yuzhong immediately followed. He shifted his grip on the Fangtian Halberd, ready for battle at any moment.
When they drew closer, Qin Ye and Li Yuzhong finally saw the person clearly.
It was a ragged middle-aged man with disheveled hair. His legs were twisted into unnatural angles, his hands clawed, his head tilted to one side. His face was cyan-colored, his eyes vacant, black blood dripping from his mouth.
Seeing such a bizarre appearance, how could Qin Ye and the others not understand that the man was no longer human?
The middle-aged man’s gaze met Qin Ye’s, and his face instantly became ferocious as he lunged directly toward Qin Ye and Li Yuzhong.
……
Setting out from Clear Sky Mountain, they flew by sword during the day and rested to absorb energy at night. After a total of six days, they finally reached Cangzhou.
After entering Cangzhou, Li Qingqiu slowed down and dispatched Jiang Zhaoxia to gather intelligence.
Jiang Zhaoxia quickly tracked the movements of Liu Jing’s army. Li Qingqiu thus maintained a distance of several dozen miles, following behind Liu Jing’s forces.
Another four days passed.
As night fell, Li Qingqiu led the disciples to halt on the snowfield. The disciples were not packed tightly together. Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, Li Yang, and Xue Jin were positioned along the outer edges in different directions.
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged before a fire. Jin Lang was practicing blade techniques beside him, while Yun Cai absorbed energy as she watched.
Suddenly, Nangong E emerged from the ground and came to Li Qingqiu’s side, speaking softly, “Master, two more corpses have been discovered. They’re the same as the previous Corpse Ghosts.”
After entering Cangzhou territory, they had seen Corpse Ghosts wreaking havoc. A single Corpse Ghost could devastate an entire village. Aside from the Corpse Ghosts they had exterminated, they had also encountered Corpse Ghost corpses. Li Qingqiu guessed it was Qin Ye’s doing.
Li Qingqiu responded, “Go rest.”
Nangong E nodded and burrowed back into his body.
Yun Cai, already at the sixth layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, could see ghosts. She had also heard Nangong E’s words. Looking at Li Qingqiu, she asked, “Sect Master, those Corpse Ghosts don’t look very powerful. They’re only at the level of first- or second-rate martial artists. Shouldn’t the army be able to suppress them?”
Li Qingqiu replied, “What you’re seeing are merely farmers and hunters who transformed. If they can grant ordinary people strength equivalent to ten or twenty years of martial training, do you still think the threat is insufficient?”
Yun Cai continued, “I saw a strange power inside them, almost like poison, surging out from their hearts. Would you say that counts as the Corpse Ghosts’ fatal weakness?”
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu opened his eyes. He had not expected Yun Cai’s All-Law Spiritual Eyes to have such an effect.
“Correct. If you notice anything else in the future, tell me immediately,” Li Qingqiu praised. He then waved to Xiao Wuqing and relayed this information to him.
“Tell the command disciples that when encountering Corpse Ghosts next, they can try stabbing the heart to see if it’s a weakness.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Wuqing immediately accepted the order and departed.
Against ordinary Corpse Ghosts, chopping them into pieces would suffice. But if they encountered powerful Corpse Ghosts, accomplishing that would not be easy.
Seeing that Li Qingqiu was willing to adopt her suggestion, Yun Cai felt delighted.
Although she was close to Li Qingqiu, when it came to such major matters, she lacked seniority and worried that her words would carry little weight.
Yun Cai stopped disturbing Li Qingqiu and continued cultivating.
After some time.
Jiang Zhaoxia descended from the sky and landed beside Li Qingqiu, speaking in a low voice, “Something is wrong with the provincial capital. I’m afraid it’s a trap set for Liu Jing’s army.”