Seeing that Ning Qi was fully prepared, Daoist Longshan finally relaxed, then solemnly said:
"Good. Then we'll go down the mountain together, as Master and disciple, and do our best to wipe out these scoundrels in one swoop!"
But Ning Qi slowly shook his head and said:
"No, I can handle it alone. Master, you should stay on Zhenwu Mountain."
Daoist Longshan was stunned.
Ning Qi smiled and explained:
"If Master comes with me, wouldn't that leave Zhenwu Mountain without a guardian? Even though the Demonic Sect has been quiet lately, it's still better to have a Heaven-Man Realm expert here just in case. We don't know if those Southern Frontier forces will dare to come up the mountain again."
"Besides, tracking the gold-ranked killer 'Thunder' isn't about having more people—it's about being able to read the trail clearly. I know some tracking and disguise techniques, so going alone is actually more flexible."
There was something he didn't say.
With Ning Qi's current strength, if he couldn't handle it alone, bringing Daoist Longshan wouldn't help either.
Worse yet, if they ran into an unbeatable enemy, Ning Qi could still escape using his many methods. But if Longshan were there, he might be forced into a desperate fight.
So going alone was actually the best choice.
Daoist Longshan hesitated slightly. What Ning Qi said made some sense, but he had promised long ago that he would help Ning Qi destroy the Blood Rain Pavilion.
More importantly, he was worried about Ning Qi's safety.
"Even though you've surpassed your Master now, Little Nine, if I went with you, I could at least watch your back. Those Southern Frontier forces almost certainly have a Heaven-Man Realm expert behind them." He still couldn't let go.
Ning Qi simply smiled.
The next moment.
His Jade Liquid Sea stirred within, and strands of Qi erupted, swirling around them.
Daoist Longshan's expression changed slightly. He immediately drew upon the power of Heaven and Earth to resist the pressure. But no matter how much strength he mustered, the terrifying Qi around them always maintained a slight edge over his, vast and unfathomable. 𐍂АΝȫꞖʧ
Even when he had gone all out, Ning Qi still looked calm and composed.
Daoist Longshan finally gave a bitter laugh and waved his hand:
"Fine, fine. Just be careful, Little Nine."
His heart was both bitter and proud.
Just last year, he had used the power of Heaven and Earth to gauge Ning Qi's strength. But now it was Ning Qi using Qi to measure his.
How quickly things had changed.
He hadn't expected the roles to reverse so fast.
And now he understood.
With his disciple's current strength, following along would not only be unhelpful—it could actually become a burden.
With that in mind.
Daoist Longshan stopped insisting. Just like Ning Qi said, staying at Zhenwu Mountain would make it safer.
Ning Qi smiled and nodded:
"Don't worry, Master. No one cherishes his life more than I do."
Daoist Longshan added:
"If it's convenient, cut down the one who destroyed the Divine Sword Sect too. It'll serve as justice for Brother Divine Sword's soul in heaven."
Ning Qi nodded seriously.
That had been his plan all along.
…
The next day.
Ning Qi declared he was going into seclusion—but in truth, he slipped quietly down the mountain.
Aside from Daoist Longshan, no one knew.
At this moment.
Ning Qi had transformed into a black-clad middle-aged man, walking along a stone-paved street.
He watched the crowds coming and going, felt the mundane bustle of the world, and couldn't help but feel emotional.
He had been in this world for nine years.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had traveled so far from Zhenwu Mountain.
The farthest he'd gone before was Zhenwu City.
Still, the novelty faded quickly.
After a few more strolls, Ning Qi felt it was nothing special.
He wouldn't waver in his Dao heart just because of some worldly splendor.
This trip down the mountain was solely to settle a matter from nine years ago.
Locking onto the direction of Canghe Prefecture City, Ning Qi stepped into the air unnoticed.
…
Canghe Prefecture City.
A well-known city within Qingzhou, ranked among the top five in terms of prosperity.
It was a web of tangled powers—aside from the government, it also housed several first-rate factions.
The Iron Fist Gang was one of them.
Ning Qi found an inn and sat down.
His appearance was ordinary, and his aura was restrained—almost no one noticed him.
He ordered a few small dishes and quietly listened to the surrounding chatter, filtering for useful information.
"Hey, did you hear? The Iron Fist Sect's Grand Elder's son was kidnapped by the Black Wind Bandits. That kid was his precious late-in-life baby, and he ended up tortured to death..."
"What? For real? Those two factions are definitely going to war!"
"You don't say. I heard they tried to negotiate several times, but all talks fell through. Now both sides are livid. The Iron Fist Sect even swore to wipe out the Black Wind Bandits, grind their bones to dust!"
"The Black Wind Bandits are holed up in that treacherous Black Wind Mountain. They won't be easy to eliminate."
…
Ning Qi listened, a bit surprised.
Only two or three days had passed, and the clash between these two top factions was already out in the open.
Clearly.
Someone was fanning the flames.
This likely involved some power struggles behind the scenes—possibly even the Demonic Sect or the authorities.
But Ning Qi didn't care.
With his strength now, fights between Qi Origin Realm warriors were like children playing house.
The Great Yan Dynasty was vast.
Heaven-Man Realm experts were not that common.
"If that 'Thunder' is targeting the Black Wind Bandits' boss, then I'll just wait for him there."
Ning Qi's plan was simple.
As long as he saw 'Thunder', the rest would be easy.
His Soul-Grasping Eye Technique had advanced further.
With the support of Heaven and Earth power, he could extract a lot of information.
He didn't believe that someone like 'Thunder' would always carry self-terminating Gu worms like that woman last time.
If he accidentally ran into a Heaven-Man Realm expert, it'd be suicide.
No one would be that dumb.
Such things were only used on high-risk missions with a strong chance of death.
Ning Qi wasn't in a hurry.
He quietly soaked in the splendor of Canghe Prefecture City.
A rare trip down the mountain—it wasn't about attachment, but changing one's mindset.
That shift, in turn, offered new insights into the Dao.
In the blink of an eye.
Another four days passed.
Ning Qi silently made his way toward Black Wind Mountain.
During these days, he hadn't been idle.
He had already scouted out the terrain in secret.
It was deep in the night.
He had changed his appearance and suppressed his aura, drifting through the treacherous back cliff like a ghost.
He expanded his senses and waited in silence, calm and composed.
Before long.
Suddenly, a burst of shouts and killing cries erupted in the night sky.
"Zhao, you old dog! Give me back my son's life!"
A furious, grief-stricken roar signaled the beginning of the night battle.
A carefree laugh followed:
"Tsk tsk tsk, your son was quite the treat. My brothers and I played with him for three whole days and nights. Even better than the courtesans at Snowflake Pavilion. Too bad, really—if only he had lasted longer, you might've gotten to see for yourself, Old Man Sun!"
A chorus of unrestrained laughter echoed all around.
Fierce martial artists burst onto the scene.
Fresh grudges, old vendettas, tangled interests.
Two factions clashed in this treacherous terrain.
And it wasn't just the two of them—other powers were betting on the outcome.
Among the fighters.
Most were Body Tempering Realm martial artists.
The backbone consisted of Inner Origin Realm experts.
And a few rare Qi Origin Realm warriors would ultimately shape the battle's outcome.
Ning Qi stood silently in the shadows.
No one could sense his presence.
With his current strength, this deadly fight looked like kids horsing around.
Like a max-level boss roaming the newbie village.
He was waiting for 'Thunder' to appear.
Right now, the two sides were evenly matched.
Only an assassin from the Blood Rain Pavilion could tip the scales.
The battle grew fiercer.
Ning Qi waited patiently.
Suddenly.
His brows lifted as he focused on the most intense part of the fight.
The Iron Fist Sect's leader and the Black Wind Bandits' boss were locked in battle.
From the shadows, a figure crept in—silent and unnoticed by anyone but Ning Qi.
"He's here!"
As the thought flashed through Ning Qi's mind—
Killing intent flared in the shadows.
A longsword shot out like thunder and lightning, stabbing at the Black Wind boss.
At the same moment, the Iron Fist Sect's leader launched a full-force attack.
The combined assault—
In just an instant, the Black Wind boss fell dead.
Everyone in the Black Wind Bandits was horrified.
The sudden turn left them in chaos.
The outcome was clear.
With two more Qi Origin Realm experts and a group of black-clad reinforcements, the slaughter became one-sided.
Screams echoed non-stop.
It wasn't long before the battle ended completely.
All the Iron Fist Sect members cheered.
But their leader and Grand Elder looked toward the black-clad assassins with wary eyes:
"Many thanks to Lord Thunder for your aid! Truly worthy of being a gold-ranked killer from the Blood Rain Pavilion. I am in awe!"
Thunder's voice was unreadable.
He replied calmly:
"Just follow the deal."
The Iron Fist Sect leader nodded, feeling a pang of regret.
Hiring a top killer from the Blood Rain Pavilion didn't come cheap.
"Understood."
Moments later, the loot was collected.
The Iron Fist Sect members withdrew.
As they descended the mountain, flames erupted atop Black Wind Mountain.
The Grand Elder asked in confusion:
"Why are they setting fires? Didn't they want Black Wind Mountain?"
The Sect Leader gazed up the mountain:
"Don't overthink it. The more you know, the quicker you die. We should avoid dealing with these people in the future. They give me the creeps."
…
Black Wind Mountain.
The fire roared.
But contrary to what the Iron Fist Sect assumed, not everything was burned to ashes—the corpses of the martial artists had been neatly stacked together.
'Thunder' gazed at the corpses with fervent eyes, clearly in an excellent mood.
Among them were two or three Qi Origin Realm corpses, and one had even reached the Core Formation Realm—high quality indeed.
Ever since realizing someone was secretly investigating them, the Blood Rain Pavilion had been acting with extreme caution, only picking up scraps here and there. Now, at last, they had managed to devour a big one!
"Cowards starve, the bold feast. With this accomplishment, the Blood Pool should be able to feed the Blood King Gu again. Those useless fools can't complain now—couldn't even destroy the Divine Sword Sect, and they dare blame us? Pathetic."
'Thunder' sneered inwardly.
This time, taking advantage of the chaos between two major factions, he'd swapped things out without anyone noticing. The corpses were brought back cleanly, a blazing fire wiping away all traces.
Since this was a normal martial sect conflict, no one would suspect a thing.
He gave a low command:"Take these bodies back."
"Yes, Lord Thunder!"
The black-clad assassins sprang into action.All the corpses had already received finishing blows—they were confident there'd be no surprises.
Prepared carriages loaded with the bodies began to roll out.
What they didn't know—In the shadows, a calm gaze had been watching them the entire time.
Ning Qi's expression was rather amused.
He had originally planned to capture Thunder directly, then use the Eye Technique to interrogate him before storming their base.
But now—he had a better idea.
…
Thunder sat cross-legged inside the carriage, eyes closed, resting.
The slaughter had drained him a bit.He couldn't shake a faint feeling of unease, though he couldn't pinpoint the cause.
"How far are we?" he asked in a low voice.
A respectful reply came from outside the carriage:"My lord, we're about an hour from the stronghold."
Thunder took a deep breath.
He stepped out of the carriage.
He felt the need to relieve the tension in his nerves.
"Take a break. Check the corpses—make sure none of them are still alive."
With that, he walked alone toward the dense forest.
Once he stepped into the woods, his gaze changed.
He hid in the shadows, eyes sharp, scanning the busy black-clad assassins.
He also probed the surroundings now and then, trusting his instincts—he knew he wasn't mistaken.
If someone really was spying on them, they had to either be disguised as a corpse, mixed into the group, or trailing in the dark.
He was well aware that someone had been investigating them recently—no amount of caution was too much.
But after watching for a while—
He found nothing. Doubt crept into his heart.
"Could it be I really imagined it?" Just as that thought surfaced—Thunder's pupils suddenly shrank.
A ghostly voice echoed in his ears:"Were you… looking for me?"
A chill rushed up Thunder's spine. He was instantly paralyzed with fear.
He couldn't even cry out—a large hand clamped around his neck.A terrifying pressure engulfed every inch of his flesh and blood—he could even hear his own bones groaning.
No matter how alert he had been, he couldn't dodge such a dimensional-level beatdown.
Ning Qi was simply too all-rounded.
Staring at the fierce-looking middle-aged man before him, Ning Qi's gaze was deep as a bottomless pool:"Look into my eyes."
…
Moments later.
Thunder emerged from the forest again.
The black-clad assassins greeted him respectfully:"My lord, we've checked—no problems."
Thunder gave a slight nod.
He boarded the carriage.
When the curtains dropped, Thunder's eyes took on a strange gleam.
No one knew—the real Thunder had already died in that forest, not a trace left behind.
This Thunder was actually Ning Qi in disguise.
With his mastery of the Body-Altering and Bone-Changing Technique, even those who had spent every day with Thunder wouldn't notice the difference.
Back in the forest—
Ning Qi had come prepared. Using the Eye Technique, he had extracted everything he wanted to know.
With the experience from interrogating the seductive woman last time, Ning Qi had cleverly avoided certain dangerous topics.
Now he knew things like code phrases, organizational structure, whether there were experts backing them, and more—enough to convincingly impersonate Thunder for a while.
That was his new plan.
Killing them one by one would inevitably leave survivors.These people rarely gathered in one place—if "Lord Wind" caught wind and ran off, tracking him down again would be a pain.
But with Thunder's identity, he could come up with a pretext to gather them all.
Then—Wipe them out in one go. Beautiful.
No need to waste time.
"According to Thunder, the two major forces in Qingzhou are the Blood Rain Pavilion and an unnamed faction. Above them are two Heaven-Man Realm experts—Fat Elder and Skinny Elder."
"These two each carry a Blood King Gu. When there's a major haul, one of them brings the Gu to the site."
"The exact purpose of the Blood King Gu seems to be known only to them."
Ning Qi's eyes gleamed.
He suspected the Blood King Gu might be highly valuable—perhaps even a replacement for a Relic Pill in alchemy.
This wasn't idle speculation—It came from observing how the Gu was cultivated.
"A Gu nurtured by consuming human blood essence must hold tremendous life energy."
Ning Qi's interest deepened.
If he could get his hands on both Blood King Gus, he might be able to shorten the time needed to reach the Core Formation Realm.
Since he was already here, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity—it'd be a nice bonus while getting revenge.
"That Fat Elder seems weaker—let's use this harvest as an excuse to invite him first. Then we can use his name to summon the others."
"Otherwise, summoning everyone directly as Thunder would be too suspicious."
Ning Qi's plan was set.
The convoy moved swiftly.
An hour later—
They arrived at the stronghold.
It was extremely well-hidden, tucked between mountain valleys. Heavily guarded from the shadows.
The corpse-laden carriages were thoroughly inspected.Even Ning Qi was checked.
But with his perfect disguise, no one noticed a thing.
Inside the valley—The corpses were moved into the underground palace.
Then, they reached the deepest chamber.
Ning Qi stared at the Blood Pool before him, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
One couldn't imagine how many had died here.
The Black Wind Bandits were one thing—they killed and pillaged. But most of these victims were likely innocent.
The stench of blood was overpowering.Besides human blood, rare herbs had also been added.With a single sniff, Ning Qi identified several of them.
He watched as body after body was dumped into the pool, bubbling and dissolving in an eerie display.
As stronger martial artist corpses were added, the life essence in the Blood Pool grew more intense—until it turned crystal clear.
It had clearly reached some kind of limit.
Several trusted subordinates knelt and chanted in unison:"Congratulations, my lord! May you be richly rewarded by the Elders!"
Ning Qi laughed and waved his hand:"Someone—send word to invite Fat Elder, quickly!"
A glimmer of anticipation lit his eyes.
…
At the stronghold.
Ning Qi remained alone.
Even with the Body-Altering Technique, he knew talking too much risked exposure.
He quietly waited for Fat Elder's arrival.
The Blood Pool reaching its limit was standard procedure—Fat Elder would not suspect a thing.
One day later.
A figure stepped through the air above the stronghold.
Hands clasped behind his back, he was plump, with large ears and pale skin, pride glinting in his eyes.
Ning Qi had already gathered the subordinates to welcome him.
He secretly sized up Fat Elder, sensing his aura.
"Just a regular Heaven-Man Realm—probably on par with Lord Xiaoyao."
That thought passed through his mind, but his actions were smooth.
"We greet Fat Elder!"
Fat Elder snorted in acknowledgment.
His gaze lingered on Ning Qi, and he finally praised:"Thunder, well done. Keep this up, and I'll recommend you for Pavilion Master of the Blood Rain Pavilion."
That position had been vacant since the Pavilion was founded—much coveted by the four gold-ranked killers.
Ning Qi acted as if overjoyed, yet reined in his excitement:"Serving the Elder is my duty. I dare not hope for anything more."
Fat Elder waved his hand nonchalantly:"Take me to the Blood Pool."
Ning Qi promptly led the way.
They entered the deepest part of the underground palace.
All others respectfully withdrew.
The gates sealed behind them—Only Ning Qi and Fat Elder remained.
This was customary.
The others only knew they were collecting blood—but didn't know the Blood Pool's true purpose.
Only the core experts at the Core Formation Realm knew about the Blood King Gu.
Fat Elder stared at the pool, now filled with potent, eerie vitality, and his eyes burned with excitement.
"Good! Well done! Better than those useless ones like Zhao Dong!"
He didn't hold back his praise.
Ning Qi promptly flattered him in return.
Then—
He saw Fat Elder carefully pull out a bamboo tube.
It was extraordinary—Its surface glowed like purple jade, seemingly designed for nurturing.
Fat Elder began to chant rapidly, the words foreign—not the standard Great Yan tongue.
Ning Qi's mind sharpened.
He listened carefully to the rhythm of the chant, also noting the fluctuations in the man's aura.
A realization began to take shape in his heart—this was likely the Gu Mastery Technique, and it didn't seem too difficult.
He then saw a blood-red Gu insect lazily crawl out of the purple jade bamboo tube.
He got a clear look.
The Gu was about the size of an adult's thumb.
Its whole body looked like blood-colored agate, and its back was etched with strange patterns—like tiny eyes.
On its back were three pairs of translucent wings, though the final pair seemed smaller and weaker.
"So this is the Blood King Gu?"
The moment the Blood King Gu appeared, the overflowing vitality it gave off made Ning Qi's eyes light up.
He knew his guess was right—this thing could absolutely replace a Relic Pill, and might even be more effective.
At that moment—
Though the Blood King Gu had appeared lazily at first, it was immediately drawn to the sinister vitality within the Blood Pool.
With a flutter of its wings, it dove straight into the pool.
Then sank deeper.
Ning Qi could feel the eerie life force in the Blood Pool rapidly weakening—visibly consumed by the Blood King Gu.
Though he couldn't see the Gu anymore, he could sense that its internal vitality was growing at an astonishing rate.
There was even a transformation in its energy—a fluctuation of Heaven and Earth power.
"This Blood King Gu… it's acting as a kind of filter and purifier?"
Ning Qi vaguely grasped the purpose of the Blood King Gu.
If it matured—It might truly become a supreme treasure capable of helping someone break through to the Heaven-Man Realm.