With Ning Qi's current cultivation and strength, if he were to charge out directly, he could have easily subdued the attacker before him. The only reason he went through such trouble was to ensure absolute safety.
Like right now.
Caught off guard, the assailant hadn't expected the pitiful little white rabbit to suddenly turn into a ferocious tiger.
Ning Qi fixed his gaze on the attacker, and with a wisp of Qi, he lifted her veil, revealing her true face. To his surprise, the attacker was a stunningly beautiful woman.
But Ning Qi didn't hesitate. He gripped her neck and held her up before him. A boundless sea of Qi surged from his body, suppressing her in an instant. Even the Qi within her body was forcibly sealed.
"Definitely at the Core Formation Realm."
Ning Qi sensed the woman's cultivation and his eyes narrowed slightly.
The seductive woman was trembling inside. The young Daoist's cold gaze made her shiver, and the overwhelming strength he displayed was simply unfathomable to her.
"Who is this man? Heavenly Sword True Person? Could he really be that young? Or is this just not his real face?"
Her mind screamed in disbelief. She hadn't even made a move before being discovered by the Heavenly Sword True Person. But then she quickly denied her own assumption.
"No! He might not be the Heavenly Sword True Person!"
"My Heart-Sensing Gu didn't react at all. That means there wasn't the slightest ripple of Heaven and Earth power!"
That discovery shocked her even more.
"Just with his own Qi, he completely suppressed me? Not even a top-ten Heaven-Man Ranking powerhouse could do that, right?"
"How could such a terrifying person exist? Who is he really? Why didn't he appear during any of Zhenwu Mountain's earlier crises? Or… maybe he's not from Zhenwu Mountain at all?"
Her mind raced with countless theories.
Then the young Daoist across from her finally spoke slowly:
"Who are you?"
Her body flinched instinctively. She realized she could speak again—but just barely. Threads of Qi continued to swirl around her, watching her every move.
She let out a cold snort and turned her head away.
While silently cursing Zhao Dong, she was already thinking of how to end her own life.
As for escaping?
She had already given up that idea.
"Very well." Ning Qi chuckled lightly. "Just so happens I know a bit about interrogation. You can give it a try."
The woman's pupils contracted sharply, and her heart shuddered.
Though she was a well-trained death warrior, the man before her was just too mysterious and terrifying.
Ning Qi continued walking while gripping her neck. Suddenly, his eyes locked with hers, and his voice carried a strange, hypnotic tone:
"Look into my eyes."
Caught off guard, her gaze instinctively met his. A sense of dread surged in her heart—but it was already too late. It felt like she was staring into an endless, dark abyss. She fell into confusion, her eyes losing focus. ᚱà₦οΒË𝐒
The corners of Ning Qi's mouth curved into a slight smile.
This was a hypnotic eye technique he had developed in his spare time.
"What's your name?" Ning Qi's voice retained its unique magnetism.
"Shen Yubing." The woman responded instinctively.
Several tests followed, but nothing seemed unusual.
Ning Qi cut straight to the chase.
"Why did you sneak into the Zhenwu Sect in the middle of the night?"
"For the Innate Sword Bone."
Ning Qi's spirit jolted. He had really lured out a big snake.
"Why do you need the Innate Sword Bone?"
"It's a key ingredient in refining the Blood King Gu."
"What is the Blood King Gu?"
"Don't… know."
Her brows furrowed tightly as if struggling to recall. Ning Qi quickly switched the question. The eye technique wasn't omnipotent—if the memory was too deeply buried or tied to personal danger, it could cause backlash and awaken her. If that happened, her mind might be damaged to the point of becoming a complete idiot.
"Was your group responsible for destroying the Divine Sword Sect?"
"Yes."
"What's the name of your organization?"
"Nameless."
"What's your relationship with the Blood Rain Pavilion?" Ning Qi asked the critical question.
"We come from the same place."
"Then where are you from?" Ning Qi's gaze sharpened.
The woman's brow creased tightly. This question had clearly touched a deeply buried and sensitive part of her psyche.
"Sou… Southern Frontier."
"Where in the Southern Frontier?"
Ning Qi pressed further.
But she showed signs of breaking free from the eye technique. She didn't answer and instead began to struggle. Fear had clearly been triggered deep in her mind.
Ning Qi focused his will and instantly entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state.
He intended to use the power of Heaven and Earth to reinforce the eye technique. But this method was too forceful—he feared the woman wouldn't survive long and her mind would collapse. That was why he hadn't used Heaven and Earth power at the start.
But the moment Heaven and Earth power stirred at his side—
The woman's body suddenly jolted. She snapped awake, stared at Ning Qi in horror, and realized what she had just revealed. The man before her was no human—he was a monster!
Sensing the shattered Heart-Sensing Gu in her heart, she felt both bitter and relieved.
Deadly poison erupted from her heart and surged through her entire body.
Ning Qi sensed the faint fluctuation from the woman's heart. His expression changed and he extended his Qi—but it was too late.
She barely managed a hate-filled glance at Ning Qi before collapsing dead.
Ning Qi silently looked at her corpse, then let out a long breath.
"People from the Southern Frontier… their methods are truly bizarre."
When he had first captured her, he had used his Qi to scan her body, confirming there was nothing abnormal. He never expected she would still manage to kill herself.
"Is this some kind of special Gu worm? Fused into the heart, undetectable by Qi, and it instantly breaks upon sensing Heaven and Earth power, releasing poison?"
Ning Qi speculated and figured he was likely right.
"She was probably a disposable pawn. Coming to the mountain prepared to die if a Heaven-Man Realm expert intervened. If not, she could've kidnapped Tenth Junior Brother, used the Innate Sword Bone, and even intimidated Master—killing two birds with one stone."
There was no need to search—her body would be clean, without a trace of identity.
No doubt about it.
This mysterious force from the Southern Frontier operated dangerously but within tight control. They just hadn't counted on facing a freak like Ning Qi.
Even so, they still managed to catch him slightly off guard.
At this moment—
Ning Qi could only be grateful that he hadn't used Heaven and Earth power from the start, or he wouldn't have gotten even this much information.
He took a deep breath, pondering the answers the woman had given.
"This Nameless group and the Blood Rain Pavilion both hail from the Southern Frontier. That region has the Ten-Thousand Mountains, filled with powerful exotic beasts. Fifth Senior Brother once said there might even be Beast Kings rivaling Martial Saints. Beyond that, there are also mysterious tribes."
"These tribes practice occult arts, Gu techniques, and beast taming. They usually remain secluded from the outside world. I never imagined they'd secretly control factions and commit such vile acts within the Great Yan Dynasty!"
A cold glint flashed in Ning Qi's eyes.
Perhaps his parents were slaughtered because they had uncovered a trace of these secrets.
"All for the Blood King Gu? What kind of thing is that?"
Even that woman only knew its name and not its true purpose. Clearly, the secrecy surrounding the Blood King Gu was extremely high.
Ning Qi suspected it might be a tool for some kind of advancement.
But that wasn't important. What mattered was that he now knew who was behind the Blood Rain Pavilion.
Now that he knew both the Blood Rain Pavilion and the Nameless group that destroyed the Divine Sword Sect came from the Southern Frontier, he had a direction. Since they raised the Blood King Gu in the Human Blood Pool, they would surely be kidnapping or buying people in secret. That trail would leave clues—it was only a matter of time before he found them.
"I need to send a message to Master right away and have him return."
Putting things in a letter was too risky. If intercepted by Nameless agents, it would be a disaster. But having Daoist Longshan make a brief return wouldn't take much time, and it was much safer.
...
A nameless town.
Secret chamber.
Several black-clad men gathered. One meditated, one was deep in thought, and one stared at a Gu worm on the table.
It was the mother of a Heart-Sensing Gu, a twin Gu.
If the mission succeeded, they could use the mother to track the child and ensure safety. If the child died, so would the mother.
The moment the Gu in the seductive woman shattered—
The mother Gu let out a mournful cry and instantly perished.
Everyone felt the shift and looked over. A trace of surprise flickered in their eyes, followed by silence.
"Looks like the Heavenly Sword True Person made a move. Lady Yu is dead." One of them sighed.
The mission was always a gamble—on the chance that the Heavenly Sword True Person wasn't at Zhenwu Mountain, or wouldn't act over something small.
But clearly, they lost the bet.
Still, the loss was bearable. Losing Lady Yu wouldn't compromise anything critical.
Zhao Dong, the leader, exhaled deeply.
"In that case, let's cancel the operation targeting the Innate Sword Bone. I'll report the situation. Maybe we'll try again another time. For now, lie low. Lady Yu dying at Zhenwu Mountain isn't entirely useless."
"At least it serves as a warning to Daoist Longshan."
That was their only comfort.
They had thrown away a Core Formation Realm expert—surely that would make Daoist Longshan reconsider the costs of pursuing them.
Everyone nodded.
No one mourned Lady Yu. They were just glad it hadn't been them on the mission. They weren't afraid of death—but they still wanted to live a little longer.
Someone asked:
"What about the quotas from above?"
Zhao Dong's eyes flickered slightly.
"I'll consult on that. If we must, we'll split up and stay under the radar. Let Blood Rain Pavilion take more of the load this time. If they hadn't backed out of the Divine Sword Sect operation, we wouldn't be dealing with all this mess."
He snorted, displeased with the Blood Rain Pavilion.
If they had sent more Core Formation Realm fighters, even the Divine Sword Elder wouldn't have escaped after using his secret technique. None of this trouble would've happened.
The others nodded.
Then left.
In an instant, the secret chamber was empty.