Chapter 76: The Number One Sect of Guzhou
Li Qingqiu cast the Soul Restraining Curse upon the Black Fox’s spirit beneath Lin Chuan, completely sealing it.
After that, Lin Chuan actually began to devour its soul.
Although it seemed strange, Li Qingqiu could sense the desire within his heart, so he did not stop him.
The Demon Emperor had committed countless atrocities, so the demonic soul within him was naturally far from pure.
When the Black Fox’s soul completely lost consciousness, Li Qingqiu finally turned around to look.
The Demonic Cult was not made up entirely of supreme or first-class experts—most of them were merely stronger than common martial artists.
Even if they all attacked together, they could not break through the outer perimeter of the Clear Sky Sect.
Aside from Bai Ning’er and the others guarding the spiritual mine, the forty-four true disciples who had stepped into the First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm were now displaying their strength.
One-on-one, the demonic warriors were no match for them.
Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Wu Man’er, Li Sifeng, Li Sijin, the Thirteen Sword Fiends, the Seven Sons of Clear Sky, Qin Ye, Cheng Canghai, Su Xiling, Li Yang, and Zhao Linglong interspersed among the true disciples, greatly reducing their pressure.
The demonic warriors appeared fearless and crazed, but the death of the Demon Emperor had dealt a heavy blow to their morale.
They were only pretending to be unafraid.
As more of them fell, those behind lost their courage; their momentum waned, and their steps grew slower.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect fought ever more bravely.
They were surprised to discover that their inner energy had become extraordinarily strong—those demonic warriors could not withstand it at all.
So this was the power of the Clear Sky Sect’s supreme arts?
If they continued cultivating, could they one day, like their Sect Master, slay that terrifying Demon Emperor with a single palm strike?
By the time Lin Chuan finished devouring the Black Fox’s soul, the demonic warriors had already begun to flee.
The long street was filled with corpses.
Li Qingqiu merely watched from afar.
Even when disciples were injured, he did not intervene.
Disciples of the Clear Sky Sect had to descend the mountain for worldly experience someday; they could not avoid injury in their journeys through the martial world.
Better to train now—under his supervision—than to die in another’s hands.
Training in martial arts and fighting in real combat were not the same thing.
The fleeing of the demonic warriors soon spread rapidly.
Li Qingqiu seemed to hear something and turned around, his gaze falling upon the distant Taixing Divine Monk.
That man had fallen from such a height and suffered such severe wounds—yet he had survived.
Li Qingqiu immediately walked toward him.
……
Clang!
As her horizontal blade struck the ground, the demonic warrior before Liu Yan collapsed.
His mask split in half, and his brow and nasal bone were cleaved open, the wound running down to his chest—a terrifying sight.
Seeing no one behind him, Liu Yan finally exhaled in relief.
From childhood to now, under Liu Fanzhou’s protection, she had never done any labor, let alone killed anyone.
When she followed the Clear Sky Sect to battle, she thought her father would stop her—but unexpectedly, he supported her.
It was her first time killing, and she had slain so many at once.
The fear and dread she had imagined never came; instead, she still felt a strange excitement.
Turning around, she saw that the other disciples were also exhilarated—even those who were injured did not cry out.
At this moment, pride welled up within her—not just for herself, but for her fellow disciples, for the Clear Sky Sect.
The Demonic Cult was strong, yes—but so what?
They had still been defeated by the Clear Sky Sect, despite outnumbering them.
The long street was covered with corpses—a sight that should have been horrifying—but the disciples felt no fear.
Their eyes turned toward Li Qingqiu.
They recalled the moment when Li Qingqiu had slain the Demon Emperor with a single palm, and their hearts surged with boundless fervor.
After being treated by Li Qingqiu’s Ghostly Immortal Needle of Rejuvenation, the Taixing Divine Monk opened his eyes with difficulty.
Looking at Li Qingqiu, he asked weakly, “You… who are you?”
Li Qingqiu glanced at him and said, “Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Li Qingqiu. Your injuries have been stabilized, but we cannot take you with us. We must continue deeper into the province.”
Having spoken, Li Qingqiu departed.
The Taixing Divine Monk fell silent.
With the cry of a great eagle above, Li Qingqiu leapt onto Little Eight’s back.
The monk watched a giant eagle soar overhead—a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.
“Now is not the time to rest, nor to collect spoils. Do not forget our mission—to annihilate the Demonic Cult! Not only for the common people, but for the future of the Clear Sky Sect!”
“Everyone, move out!”
Standing atop a courtyard wall, Zhang Yuchun shouted loudly so that all the disciples could hear him.
Cheng Canghai continued to lead the way, filled with fighting spirit.
Whether it was Li Qingqiu’s overwhelming power or the disciples’ unyielding will, both filled him with pride.
If the Clear Sky Sect truly crushed the Demonic Cult and saved the province, their renown would be unimaginable.
The so-called Five Great Sects?
Guzhou’s Number One Sect was about to have a new master!
He was already imagining Clear Sky Mountain adorned with towers and palaces, bustling with countless disciples—a scene of unmatched prosperity.
Jiang Zhaoxia walked ahead, his expression solemn, recalling the moment when Li Qingqiu and the Demon Emperor had exchanged palms.
He had once believed that upon reaching the Sixth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, he could dominate the martial world.
But the Demon Emperor’s power had shattered that illusion—he could not even be certain of victory.
Yet when his senior brother acted, that Demon Emperor had seemed utterly insignificant.
Just how vast was the gap between them?
Xu Ning harbored the same thought.
Xue Jin, the foremost of the Thirteen Sword Fiends, likewise replayed Li Qingqiu’s commanding figure in his mind, and a burning desire grew within him.
He too wanted to become someone like the Sect Master!
With different thoughts in their hearts, the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect pressed onward.
Along the way, they began to encounter disciples of Chan Meditation Temple and Profound Heart Hall—some slain on the streets, others hanging from eaves, some barely clinging to life.
Li Dongyue and her disciples acted swiftly—saving those who could be saved, and not lingering where they could not.
Occasionally, demonic warriors launched ambushes along the route, but the disciples reacted in time, preventing any casualties.
Under Cheng Canghai’s guidance, they arrived before a large mansion compound.
“That night, I saw the Demonic Cult herding many children of the common folk into this place. There are likely powerful guards inside. Everyone, be careful.”
Cheng Canghai spoke loudly, unafraid of alarming those within.
In fact, he hoped to—forcing them to panic and expose flaws.
Just then, Li Qingqiu descended from the sky, landing before Jiang Zhaoxia.
He strode to the mansion gates and kicked them open with a single blow.
Seeing him appear, the disciples felt their confidence surge and quickly followed.
The mansion was vast, with many courtyards.
Out of the corner of his eye, Li Qingqiu glanced at Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan immediately floated up and dove into the ground, vanishing.
Li Qingqiu waited where he was as the disciples entered, crowding the courtyard.
Zhang Yuchun stepped up beside him and said, “Senior Brother, there are too many buildings here. We shouldn’t let the disciples scatter—it might be dangerous.”
Li Qingqiu looked ahead and said, “Let everyone rest here first and await my command.”
Zhang Yuchun nodded and turned to give the orders.
Jiang Zhaoxia came over and said, “Why does it feel like the Demonic Cult people have vanished?”
They had slain many, yes, but many had escaped too—and then, mysteriously, disappeared.
If not for the wounded disciples of Profound Heart Hall and Chan Meditation Temple they encountered along the way, they might have thought they had entered an empty city.
“Observe the situation. Before nightfall, we’ll leave the city. Watch over the disciples.”
Li Qingqiu’s voice was soft, but his satisfaction with the disciples’ performance was clear.
From the sky earlier, he had seen the battlefield outside the city—two armies clashing, with the reinforcements gaining the upper hand.
Together with their own slaughter of so many demonic warriors, the Demonic Cult’s power was collapsing.
To completely wipe them out was impossible.
The Emperor could always create another cult.
What Li Qingqiu wanted was to ensure that the Demonic Cult could never take root in Guzhou again.
As long as they could not establish a foothold, they would never again invade the Clear Sky Sect unannounced or on a large scale.
At this moment, Li Qingqiu’s only wish was to save as many as he could.
He had never sought to bear the burden of the world upon his shoulders.
This operation had only been launched after Cheng Canghai’s prior investigation confirmed that the demonic Daoist here was not overly powerful.
He would never recklessly endanger his disciples for the sake of blind heroism.
In his heart, the Clear Sky Sect always came first.
Only after ensuring its safety would he extend kindness to save others—and he did so without hesitation.
Just like now—having purged the sect’s potential threat, Li Qingqiu was still willing to save lives.
That was one of the reasons he had brought so many disciples: one always needed hands to rescue people.
After a while—
Lin Chuan emerged from the ground and floated before Li Qingqiu, gesturing with both hands as he recounted what he had seen.
After listening, Li Qingqiu’s expression turned grim.
He turned to Zhang Yuchun and said, “Stay here and guard against encirclement by the Demonic Cult. I will go see for myself.”
Then, under Lin Chuan’s guidance, he turned down several narrow paths until they reached a grand hall.
He stopped before a wall hung with a huge portrait.
With a wave of his hand, the portrait flew aside, revealing a secret door.
Pushing it open, he stepped into a hidden passage, Lin Chuan floating ahead to lead the way.
Truly, raising a ghost was quite convenient.
Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly—but as he listened to Lin Chuan’s explanation, his mood grew heavier.
Following the passage downward, after several turns, he entered a vast underground chamber.
Oil lamps hung along the walls, illuminating everything.
He saw rows of large water vats.
His face darkened as he approached—and inside each vat was a child, boys and girls alike, all with eyes closed, their bodies bloated and pale.
Lin Chuan floated in the air and pointed toward one direction, motioning for Li Qingqiu to look.
Li Qingqiu quickened his pace and came to another vat.
Inside, a young boy, though his eyes were closed, trembled as he hugged his own arms.
Seeing this, Li Qingqiu extended his hands, channeling vital energy to lift the boy from the vat of medicinal fluid.
The boy looked only eleven or twelve.
Instinctively, he curled up in Li Qingqiu’s arms, clutching at his robe.
As Li Qingqiu infused vital energy into him, warmth spread through the boy’s body.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, gaze dazed and unfocused.
Although Li Qingqiu did not know what kind of potion filled these vats, the fact that so many had died while this child survived meant his body was unusual—or perhaps he had gained some fortuitous encounter.
“Are your parents still alive?”
Li Qingqiu lowered his head slightly, asking softly.
The boy parted his cracked lips and said, “They… were beaten to death…”
Ever since being brought here, Li Qingqiu was the only person he had seen without a demonic mask.
Instinctively, he wanted to trust him.
“Do you have any other family?”
“They were… beaten to death too…”
“In the future, join my sect. I will give you a home. Are you willing?”
“I’m… willing…”
After speaking, the boy buried his face into Li Qingqiu’s chest.
Li Qingqiu did not fear a sneak attack—he had already sealed the boy’s meridians while healing him.
Seeing the boy’s agreement, Li Qingqiu summoned the Dao Lineage Panel and began searching for the child’s portrait.
Found it!