Slash—
The Tianhong Sword pierced through Gui Bei's throat. Pitch-black ghost blood splattered between Li Qingqiu and Gui Bei.
Gui Bei instantly transformed into streaks of blood arrows, shooting off in different directions, distancing himself from Li Qingqiu.
After the blood arrows struck the ground, they rapidly expanded, condensing once more into Gui Bei's body. In an instant, he split into 36 clones, all staring at Li Qingqiu like tigers eyeing their prey.
"What a fast sword. You must be Li Qingqiu, Sect Master of the Qingxiao Sect, correct?"
One of the Gui Bei clones spoke, his tone filled with wariness.
He had been unable to dodge that sword just now. No wonder Great Demon Luo held Li Qingqiu in such high regard.
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze around but did not answer Gui Bei.
The Sixteen Evil Ghosts sought to establish a ghost dynasty. They and the Qingxiao Sect already stood on opposing sides, with no room for reconciliation. Compared to talking, Li Qingqiu preferred to end this evil ghost quickly.
Seeing Li Qingqiu refuse to respond, Gui Bei was greatly enraged. Another of his clones let out a roar, and all 36 clones charged at Li Qingqiu simultaneously.
"So be it!"
Unable to discern the true body with the naked eye, Li Qingqiu decided to finish him in a direct and forceful manner.
The thought flashed through his mind. He immediately raised his sword. Sword light rose from below upward, illuminating the night sky and even cleaving a gap through the falling snow above.
Gui Bei felt his vision flooded by dazzling sword light and instinctively blinked. When he opened his eyes again, he saw countless figures of sword qi before him—each bearing Li Qingqiu's form.
Almost in an instant, all 36 of Gui Bei's clones were slain by Li Qingqiu's sword qi avatars.
At last, Li Qingqiu's divine sense captured the aura of Gui Bei's soul. He appeared out of thin air behind one of the bisected clones. With his left hand, he drew out the Soul-Refining Banner, infused it with vital energy, and swiftly waved it, intending to seize the soul.
A domineering force suddenly dragged Gui Bei's soul into a grand hall ahead, causing Li Qingqiu's Soul-Refining Banner to grasp at empty air.
Li Qingqiu halted and turned to look toward that great hall.
Shen Yue and the four-armed old man, who were still fighting, were both shocked by Li Qingqiu's strength.
"Was that Jiang Zhaoxia's divine ability? He's mastered it so quickly. His sword has also become even faster…"
Shen Yue was inwardly astonished. He had already trained with all his might, yet he found that the gap between himself and Li Qingqiu was only widening.
Had it not been for Jiang Zhaoxia and the others as witnesses, he would truly have suspected that Li Qingqiu was some centuries-old monster in disguise.
The four-armed old man felt even more fear. He knew Gui Bei's strength well. Among the Sixteen Evil Ghosts, their rankings were determined entirely by real combat. The top three were unshakable existences.
That man had nearly destroyed Gui Bei in just two moves!
The four-armed old man realized that this Sect Master of the Qingxiao Sect was no ordinary figure. No wonder he dared to found an immortal cultivation sect upon the land of Jiuzhou.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yue stomped his right foot and unleashed Ten Thousand Swords Return to One. Sword shadows condensed in all directions around the four-armed old man, piercing into his body and rendering him unable to move.
Li Qingqiu glanced back at Shen Yue and asked, "Don't overexert yourself. Do you need me to intervene?"
With his back to Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue replied, "Your opponent is inside. Don't steal mine. Perhaps my end will be miserable, but I believe I can destroy him."
Li Qingqiu looked deeply at Shen Yue, then strode toward the massive palace hall.
Inside the palace hall.
Gui Bei collapsed to his knees beneath the steps, gasping heavily. His face was filled with terror, and the wolf-like half of his face was no different.
Though Great Demon Luo had saved him, Li Qingqiu's divine ability had inflicted tremendous damage upon him.
Seated above, Great Demon Luo slowly opened his eyes. His gaze turned toward the hall entrance, deep and inscrutable.
"Weren't you so arrogant earlier? Get up at once. Stop embarrassing yourself!"
Great Demon Luo spoke, displeasure in his tone.
Hearing this, Gui Bei seemed to awaken from a dream and hurriedly rose to his feet, trembling.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance. Gui Bei turned to look, his expression still tense.
Li Qingqiu's figure appeared at the doorway, sword in hand, walking inward.
"May I ask, fellow Daoist, from which sect do you inherit your teachings?"
Great Demon Luo asked in a hoarse voice.
Standing within the darkness, Li Qingqiu countered, "And where do you think my inheritance comes from?"
"If not from the Azure Dragon Domain, then you must have obtained the inheritance of the Supreme Sword Sect."
Great Demon Luo's tone revealed no emotion—no anger, no unease, and no fear.
Supreme Sword Sect?
Li Qingqiu thought of the Supreme Sword Sword Control Technique that Yang Jueding had obtained. It seemed that the Supreme Sword Sect had once been an immortal cultivation sect upon the land of Jiuzhou—and perhaps even the sole hegemon. Otherwise, how could Great Demon Luo mention it so readily?
"You seek to establish a ghost dynasty. Why must it be upon this land?" Li Qingqiu asked. At the same time, his divine sense had already spread outward.
Great Demon Luo stared at Li Qingqiu and said, "For you to know of the ghost dynasty, it seems my brothers were slain by your hand. Yet the fact that you ask such a question shows that you understand nothing of this world."
He slowly rose to his feet. Surging ghostly qi spread from beneath him, covering the steps and rolling toward Li Qingqiu.
"Then I shall tell you. North of the northern frontier lies a land of deadly peril, where true terror resides. To the west is the Azure Dragon Domain, where immortal cultivation sects stand in great numbers. Place your Qingxiao Sect there, and it would not even rank as third-rate. As for sailing eastward across the sea, the waters are even more perilous than the land. I have no choice but to head south."
"Li Qingqiu, in consideration of the difficulty you faced in founding your sect, I shall give you a chance. Take your disciples and withdraw immediately. I can permit your Qingxiao Sect to continue standing upon the land of Jiuzhou, to share the resources of heaven and earth with the ghost dynasty. But if you persist in your delusion, then your Qingxiao Sect shall enter the ghost dynasty together as soldiers."
As Great Demon Luo spoke, his aura surged continuously. By the time he finished, it had reached its peak, causing the palace to tremble.
Vast ghostly qi stirred up raging winds and waves as it swept toward Li Qingqiu.
This was an incomparably terrifying ghostly qi!
At this moment, throughout the entire city, all Qingxiao Sect disciples could sense it. Their hearts trembled in fear as they turned to look.
The ghosts, on the other hand, grew frenzied, their assaults becoming even more ferocious.
Rumble—
Thunder suddenly roared across the night sky. Within the rolling dark clouds, a pitch-black and ferocious flood dragon emerged.
Feeling Great Demon Luo's terrifying aura, the unease in Gui Bei's heart dissipated. He felt a trace of delight, not having expected Great Demon Luo's cultivation to recover to such a degree.
He looked again at Li Qingqiu, the wolf half of his face twisted savagely, the human half mocking.
Shock appeared on Li Qingqiu's face, which made Gui Bei even more smug.
"The Awakening Spirit Realm cannot possibly shake this power. Why not kneel and beg for mercy at once?" Gui Bei laughed wildly.
Great Demon Luo stood atop the steps, his back straight. His aged body slowly grew taller. His white hair fluttered as he stood proudly within his own ghost domain like a demonic god.
The shock on Li Qingqiu's face swiftly vanished, replaced by icy killing intent.
The sudden change in his expression abruptly cut off Gui Bei's arrogant laughter.
"With such terrifying power, allowing you to remain in this world would leave me unable to sleep or eat in peace," Li Qingqiu's voice rang out. As his words fell, strands of sword qi overflowed from the Tianhong Sword in his hand, rapidly thickening. It was like blazing flames, the fire rising above his head.
Chu Jing's soul form condensed into being, likewise gripping a sword shadow identical to the Tianhong Sword.
He stood behind Li Qingqiu, over 2 zhang tall, his aura erupting and scattering the surrounding ghostly qi.
"So this is the master's vital energy…"
Having entered the sword soul state, Chu Jing did not reveal his true appearance. Feeling the boundless and vast vital energy within his body, he was utterly shocked.
He had never seen such terrifying vital energy. In that moment, he found the schemes he had plotted in life utterly laughable.
Before such overwhelming power, no amount of intrigue or calculation would matter.
Seeing Li Qingqiu summon the sword soul, Great Demon Luo frowned. In an instant, four figures burst forth from the ghostly qi before him. Pitch-black in entirety, like ghost generals clad in armor, they wielded various weapons and slashed toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu raised his sword and pointed it toward Great Demon Luo.
Chu Jing felt an irresistible force of control compel him to swing his sword.
With one strike, terrifying sword qi pierced through the palace walls, annihilating everything before it, including the four ghost generals.
Boom—
Great Demon Luo raised his hand, using his own ghostly qi to block Li Qingqiu's sword qi. His brows knit together, and fury ignited in his eyes.
"Do you truly think I dare not kill you?"
For the first time, anger colored Great Demon Luo's voice. It rolled like heavenly might, reverberating through the shattered palace.
As soon as his words fell, the entire palace exploded. Billowing dust surged upward, rushing into the falling snow above.
Shen Yue, who had been battling the four-armed old man, was sent flying by the overwhelming aura. He was hurled out of the Prefect's Residence and finally landed upon a rooftop. His left hand gripped a roof beam tightly as he clenched his teeth and stared toward the residence.
"What kind of power is this…"
His blood and qi churned violently under the pressure, and even his sword intent was nearly scattered.
Even Jiang Zhaoxia turned his head in shock. Though more than a dozen miles from the Prefect's Residence, he could still feel Great Demon Luo's oppressive presence.
Just from sensing this ghostly qi, he knew he could not possibly defeat Great Demon Luo.
The Qingxiao Sect disciples likewise turned their heads in fear, not to mention the soldiers.
Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, Li Yang, Yan Daozong, Yun Cai, the three Xiao brothers, Jian Du, Xue Jin, and the others all revealed expressions of terror and disbelief.
Immediately afterward, all Qingxiao Sect disciples saw two figures burst out from within the Prefect's Residence and soar into the night sky, like two meteors colliding at high speed, continuously unleashing powerful shockwaves.
Li Qingqiu swung his sword rapidly, his moves fierce, sword qi surging in all directions.
Great Demon Luo wielded a sword condensed from ghostly qi. His swordsmanship was in no way inferior to Li Qingqiu's. At this moment, his body was covered in ghostly qi, his aged face melting away. Amid drifting sparks, white bones were being revealed.
Boom—
One man and one ghost descended from the sky, crashing through rows of buildings within the city, stirring up rolling snow and dust.
Li Qingqiu raised his left hand and unleashed the divine ability Moving Mountains to Suppress the Divine. The stone slabs and courtyard walls of an entire street rose into the air, pressing down upon Great Demon Luo like a collapsing mountain and overturning sea.
Great Demon Luo stared at Li Qingqiu. His ghost sword trembled, erupting with countless blood-colored bolts of lightning that pierced through the mountain-crushing assault.
He transformed into a streak of thunder and charged at Li Qingqiu, far faster than before.
Li Qingqiu directly used the Supreme Movement Art to evade the ghost sword. As Great Demon Luo swung his blade, a black sword qi swept across the long street, stretching half a mile. Many corpse ghosts hiding in the shadows were shredded by the sword qi, and even some of Liu Jing's soldiers were caught in its wake.
The might of Great Demon Luo's casual strike caused Shen Yue's and Jiang Zhaoxia's pupils to dilate.