Everything happened in a flash.
From the moment Ning Qi took out the Blood King Gu to the moment he struck, it was all but the blink of an eye—too fast to react.
The Skinny Elder had only just begun to summon the power of Heaven and Earth by his side when the giant handprint shattered it.
Fortunately, his face flushed red, and a faint screech echoed from within his body. In that hair-thin instant, dark iron armor emerged on his skin, covering his entire body.
"Boom!"
A violent shockwave rang out.
The Skinny Elder was blasted away by the explosive force, crashing through stone pillars and smashing through a wall.
Ning Qi squinted.
He could feel that the blow hadn't dealt the decisive damage he'd expected. Though effective, the Skinny Elder's aura hadn't dropped much—he still had considerable combat strength. It wasn't like with the Fat Elder, who was half-dead after just one hit.
"What is that armor?" Ning Qi grew wary.
In the next moment—
He entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state. The False Core at his heart pulsed continuously, gathering immense Heaven and Earth energy.
He hadn't used Heaven and Earth force earlier only because it was a sneak attack. Now that the fight had broken out, he naturally unleashed everything—no holding back.
A dark green aura surged all over Ning Qi's stocky body, making him appear somewhat demonic.
He waved lightly, and wisps of poisonous Qi spread out.
The once-stunned Core Formation Realm experts trembled violently, their faces filled with horror. Their Core Formations quaked as they summoned their own Qi to resist—but the gap was too great. Ning Qi's force dwarfed them all, especially with the added support of Heaven and Earth power.
Screams rang out one after another.
Those at the Core Formation Realm were already seriously injured, their bones all shattered. They lay on the ground barely clinging to life, staring at Ning Qi in terror.
Ning Qi sent several more venomous giant handprints crashing down at where the Skinny Elder had fallen.
"Who the h*ll are you?!"
A furious, sinister roar came from the broken ruins.
The Skinny Elder charged out with his hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched.
His eyes were filled with a cold, murderous glare. If not for his Iron Armor Gu—his life Gu focused entirely on defense—he might have been gravely wounded by that sneak attack.
Even so, he hadn't come out of it unscathed.
He had taken the blow head-on.
His Iron Armor Gu was severely weakened and would need serious time to recover.
At this point, how could he not understand?
The person before him was clearly not the Fat Elder he knew. The real one was most likely already dead. After all, he knew that the Fat Elder's life Gu had no defensive capabilities. If someone like himself attacked him, the Fat Elder wouldn't have had the slightest chance.
Both furious and alarmed, the Skinny Elder was growing increasingly uneasy at the mysterious shapeshifting abilities of the man before him.
Ning Qi stared at him coldly and let out a raspy laugh:
"You want to know my name? You're not worthy!"
As he waved, waves of venomous handprints surged forward. Green toxic mist spread in all directions, filling the air with a rancid stench. Even if the Demonic Sect's Elder Wang rose from the grave, it wouldn't look more grotesque than this.
The Skinny Elder raged:
"Fine! Fine! Fine! Today I'll rip off your mask and see what kind of freak you really are!"
The two clashed again.
The power of Heaven and Earth shook the hall as their battle escalated.
The ground trembled and the mountains quaked.
The terrifying ruckus left everyone outside stunned.
They stared at the main hall nervously, completely clueless about what was happening inside.
Then—
They saw two figures burst into the sky, locked in fierce combat.
"It's the Fat Elder and the Skinny Elder?!"
None of them could believe their eyes. Why would the two Elders suddenly start fighting?
Waves of Heaven and Earth energy shook the air, and even the aftershocks turned the entire stronghold into a ruin. Many were caught in the crossfire—some died on the spot.
Ning Qi felt no guilt whatsoever. These people deserved to die.
The Skinny Elder roared coldly:
"Everyone listen up! The Fat Elder has already been killed and replaced. This man is an imposter. Help me take him down!"
The more he fought, the more alarmed he became.
At first, he thought he could handle the sneak attack, but now that they were actually clashing, he realized he had underestimated his opponent.
Even at full strength, he probably wouldn't be a match for this man.
Having lost the initiative and weakened, he was already coughing blood and being overwhelmed. If not for pushing his life Gu to the limit, he would've been crushed already.
He was ready to retreat.
Calling for backup wasn't to win—just to buy a little time.
Everyone in the stronghold looked at Ning Qi in shock. At first, they didn't know whether the Skinny Elder was telling the truth. But once Ning Qi began using Elder Wang's techniques, some recognized them.
That wasn't the Fat Elder's martial style.
"The Fat Elder is a fake! Quick, help the Skinny Elder!" someone shouted.
But a venomous finger seal struck instantly. That Jade Liquid Realm expert dropped dead on the spot, while the others fell into terrified silence. Some threw themselves into a suicidal attack—but it was like ants trying to topple a tree.
Ning Qi's eyes were calm.
He had roughly gauged the Skinny Elder's strength—slightly weaker than Elder Wang back then.
If he weren't holding back the Ape King True Form, the Heavenly Sword Technique, and several other secret arts, the man before him would already be dead. But even now, it was a one-sided beatdown. Feeling the energy of the Virtual Sword Core inside him, Ning Qi decided not to waste any more time.
The Skinny Elder seized the opportunity while the others fought and died to delay Ning Qi. A faint screech echoed from within him, and his entire body erupted in a black glow.
The surge of power filled everyone with hope.
This attack would be extraordinary!
But then—
His aura abruptly collapsed, the black light condensing tightly around his body. In a flash, he bolted toward the horizon at extreme speed.
"This grudge won't be forgotten! The Southern Frontier will have its revenge! Just wait—your fate will be miserable!" the Skinny Elder's sinister voice echoed from afar.
He ran away!
Everyone in the stronghold went from hope to despair.
Some, trapped in mortal peril, began cursing out loud—they had clearly been abandoned.
Ning Qi was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected the man to flee so decisively.
If his strength was only what he'd shown earlier, the Skinny Elder really might have escaped. But unfortunately for him, Ning Qi still had plenty of cards to play.
Above the Jade Liquid Sea—
The Virtual Sword Core, blazing like the sun, suddenly shattered.
A tremendous surge of Qi erupted—power enough to shake the heavens and the earth. Ning Qi's aura surged wildly, and a thick green toxic mist exploded around him, making him look like a demonic overlord.
With a thought—
The venomous mist condensed into a massive dark green toad, towering like a mountain.
That day, Elder Wang had used this move—only to be crushed by a punch from the North-Stabilizing King.
Now that Ning Qi had reproduced it, its power was even more terrifying.
The Giant Toad devoured the sky, shocking everyone.
Just as the Skinny Elder turned into black light and fled into the distance, he sensed something monstrous behind him. Looking back in horror, he saw the massive toad opening its mouth in a silent roar. A beam of dark green light shot out at unbelievable speed—
Like the tongue of the toad, it was unimaginably fast.
The Skinny Elder let out a shrill cry.
He no longer cared about damaging the Iron Armor Gu's core. He pushed it to the limit, layering armor over his entire body.
But the fear wouldn't go away—he trembled.
Gathering Heaven and Earth force before him, he gave up on fleeing. At that speed, he couldn't outrun it. All he could do was block.
"Block it! BLOCK IT!!"
His hair and beard bristled.
But the green beam showed no mercy. It pierced through layers of Heaven and Earth power, shattered his armor, made his life Gu wail, and kept going—drilling through his body. His limbs went numb, and a crushing force of Heaven and Earth smashed into him, making him cough blood endlessly.
Like a toad's tongue, the green light dragged the Skinny Elder back, flinging him into a valley—
Like tossing away a piece of trash.
Everyone who saw it was seized by fear. The Skinny Elder was dragged back, yes—but that didn't mean they'd be spared!
Run!
That thought rose in nearly everyone's mind.
But could they escape?
Ning Qi's gaze remained calm. With a slight motion, the giant toad in the sky rained down green beams of light. Strangely beautiful—yet to everyone else, they were the scythes of death. No one could resist.
Screams echoed endlessly.
Combined with Ning Qi's freakishly powerful senses, not a single one survived.
From beginning to end, Ning Qi's expression remained cold and still.
These people deserved to die.
Only his body was slightly shocked, his flesh tingling. Though the Virtual Sword Core Shattering Technique had minimal side effects, it wasn't without cost. Ning Qi figured he'd need a few days' rest to return to peak condition.
Moments later—
The stronghold fell completely silent. Only the wind passed through, carrying the stench of blood.
The Skinny Elder shivered in fear. Knowing he couldn't escape, he croaked out:
"Who...who are you? Our Southern Frontier holds no grudge against you!"
Frantically, he tried to recall the man's moves. The world was vast, filled with hidden experts—he couldn't possibly recognize them all. Suddenly, he remembered—
Last year, a mysterious expert from the Demonic Sect had appeared out of nowhere, leading four Heaven-Man Realm fighters to assault Zhenwu Mountain. Rumor had it the leader used similar techniques. He had seen the intel once and now, racking his brain, it came back to him.
That man had survived even against the North-Stabilizing King. The power fit.
"You're one of the Demonic Sect!" the Skinny Elder's eyes went wide.
Ning Qi sneered:
"I'm no freak from your Demonic or Ghost Sects. You people used the Blood Refining King Gu to wipe out the family of my old friend's great-granddaughter. Of course I came to settle the score."
The Skinny Elder coughed up more blood at this absurd explanation and cursed:
"Bllsht! The Southern Frontier and the Demonic Sect have always kept to themselves. Now that you've wiped out our Qingzhou branch, aren't you afraid we'll settle accounts later? Two tigers fighting only benefits the Great Yan!"
Ning Qi let out a raspy laugh, utterly unrestrained:
"If you've got the guts, come at me."
A hand formed of Qi grabbed the Skinny Elder. Ning Qi used the same method again, seizing on the man's emotional instability to activate the Soul-Grasping Eye Technique.
Moments later.
The Skinny Elder struggled awake, horrified as he stared at Ning Qi. His mind felt like it had been stirred with a blade.
"You... you..."
He wanted to say something, but Ning Qi gave him no chance. With a squeeze of his forceful hand, the Skinny Elder's body was torn apart.
Ning Qi let out a deep breath.
He recalled the information he'd just pulled from the Skinny Elder's mind using the Eye Technique.
"Besides Qingzhou, the Southern Frontier Alliance also has positions in several other states within the Great Yan territory. However, not every state has one, and the Skinny and Fat Elders were only in charge of affairs in Qingzhou, with no communication between the states."
"As for the Southern Frontier Alliance... the intel is still limited. All I know is that it's led by several major clans, seemingly formed for some shared objective?"
Ning Qi shook his head.
It wasn't that he didn't want to investigate further, but even the optimized version of the Soul-Grasping Eye Technique had its limits. The more vital the information, the stronger the subject's instinctive resistance—especially when the subject was a genuine Heaven-Man Realm expert.
In truth.
Ning Qi's eye technique was already heaven-defying. He had never heard of anything like it within the martial world. If it did exist, it had to be an ultimate secret art never passed down.
As for the Southern Frontier Alliance, Ning Qi didn't plan to dig deeper for now.
Though it was ultimately the root cause of his parents' deaths, a behemoth that could rival the Demonic Sect was not something he needed to clash with just yet.
Give it time, and he would crush it with ease.
He knew how to prioritize.
Vengeance had to be served, but there was no need to rush.
Just like now—he only went after Blood Rain Pavilion because he was already strong enough to suppress Lord Wind. Ning Qi had always been patient in such matters.
He began to collect the loot from the Skinny Elder's corpse.
There was a nearly identical purple jade bamboo tube, clearly custom-made for the Blood King Gu.
Ning Qi chanted a special incantation, and a Blood King Gu crawled out.
It also had three pairs of wings on its back, though the third pair was still weak and feeble—similar to how it had been when the Fat Elder first retrieved it.
But Ning Qi wasn't worried.
After today's massacre, with so many powerful martial artists' corpses and even a Heaven-Man Realm expert, there were plenty of nutrients. That would be enough to help this Blood King Gu fully mature.
Aside from the bamboo tube, there were a few miscellaneous items—several jade bottles containing pills and Gu insects.
Ning Qi's eyes showed some curiosity.
But after a moment of thought, he decided to discard them all. He already confirmed through the eye technique that the Blood King Gu had no resonance marks or tracking mechanisms. But he couldn't be sure about the other items.
To be safe, he chose not to take anything else.
Without hesitation, Ning Qi used Qi to drag the Skinny Elder's body toward the ruined remains of the hall.
The remaining Core Formation experts trembled in fear.
They had lost all ability to move. Witnessing Ning Qi slaughter the Skinny Elder with their own eyes had shattered their courage. As Ning Qi approached, each of them wanted to beg for mercy.
But none of them could speak.
Because Ning Qi didn't want to hear any useless begging.
With one hand, he opened the underground palace. The Blood Pool was laid bare before them. Then, manipulating Heaven and Earth energy, he summoned corpses from around the stronghold and dropped them into the pool. The bodies began to dissolve at a visible rate.
This was work they'd all once been familiar with. But now, the sight made their scalps crawl.
Especially when the Skinny Elder's body was also tossed in.
Their terror reached a new peak.
Ning Qi clapped his hands, smiling as he looked at the injured men.
"Let's start with you." Ning Qi casually pointed at one of them.
The rest were pinned to the ground by Qi and couldn't move. The chosen man was lifted into the air.
Ning Qi activated the Soul-Grasping Eye Technique.
Although it was unlikely these people knew much about the Southern Frontier Alliance, they at least knew which local branches they worked for. That alone might yield some useful intel.
For example, there was the Divine Sword Sect traitor—Dong He. Ning Qi hadn't seen him here today. He had promised Daoist Longshan to kill those responsible for the Divine Sword Sect's destruction. Capturing Dong He would be ideal.
The questioning was plain and efficient.
But in the others' eyes, the scene was terrifying.
From their perspective, the man who was caught fell into a strange puppet-like state. His mouth opened and closed, but no one could hear what he said.
The unknown is always terrifying.
Moments later.
Ning Qi casually tossed the man into the Blood Pool.
Then grabbed another.
Repeating the same process.
It was an agonizing ordeal.
Everyone knew they would die, but watching each colleague die one by one in that puppet-like state made the dread indescribable. Even for executioners who had taken countless lives, having it turned on them filled their hearts with tremors.
Some of them—
Were already praying to be next.
The longer the wait, the greater the mental torment.
And without question—
Lord Wind suffered the most.
He screamed silently in his heart again and again. But Ning Qi kept ignoring him, making him witness his comrades die in agony, one after another.
At last.
After questioning Zhao Dong and learning the full details of the Divine Sword Sect's annihilation—and that the seductive woman who had attacked Zhenwu Sect was sent by him—
Only Lord Wind was left.
"Kill me! Just kill me already!"
Lord Wind screamed inwardly.
But then, shock appeared on his face.
Because the words didn't just echo in his mind—they came out of his mouth. He had suddenly regained the ability to speak.
His eyes trembled as they locked onto Ning Qi—who spoke lightly:
"You really want to die that badly?"
Lord Wind shivered all over.
"Please, my lord, spare me!"
But Ning Qi had already activated the Eye Technique.
He wanted to know everything about the destruction of Xue Mei Manor.
Moments later.
Ning Qi sighed inwardly.
As he had suspected, his father had accidentally discovered a small Blood Pool, which led to the massacre—just like what happened to the Divine Sword Sect.
At that moment.
Lord Wind convulsed violently, spasming uncontrollably. The dual torment of body and mind had reduced him to a wreck. From the interrogation, he vaguely understood the truth. Trembling, he pointed at Ning Qi—but couldn't form a word.
Ning Qi's gaze remained calm.
He pointed a finger, and countless Sword Qi petals bloomed. In Lord Wind's wide eyes, he was sliced into pieces.
Strands of regret were shredded and drifted through the air.
This was the Night Plum Sword Technique—his mother Jiang Xuemei's ancestral art, placed beside him when he was still in swaddling clothes.
Ning Qi had mastered it long ago. He had never sought to optimize it—choosing instead to preserve it as it was.
Using the Night Plum Sword Technique today to kill the man who destroyed Xue Mei Manor—this could count as a small comfort to his parents' spirits.
An unprecedented calm settled over Ning Qi's heart.
The stronghold was utterly silent.
Only the bubbling sound of the Blood Pool remained.
Ning Qi didn't let himself linger too long in that eerie mood.
Killing Lord Wind was only a temporary closure.
There were still accounts to settle—later, when he was stronger.
In the end.
Lord Wind and the other black-clad men were merely executioners.
The true root of all this tragedy was the Southern Frontier Alliance and its cultivation of Blood King Gu.
Otherwise, perhaps his life would've been filled with his parents' love, and he'd have had a warm, happy home.
He took a deep breath.
Pulled out the purple jade bamboo tube containing the Blood King Gu from the Skinny Elder.
Then chanted the special incantation to summon it.
After absorbing so much essence from the Blood Pool, the evil aura was now at an extreme.
The Blood King Gu immediately grew lively and eagerly burrowed into the pool.
Ning Qi waited quietly.
Having slaughtered so many people at once, he needed a moment to compose himself. Luckily, his Dao heart was firm. These were all people who deserved to die—it wouldn't weigh on his soul.
The dark vitality within the pool visibly weakened.
While the Blood King Gu's aura rapidly strengthened.
After some time.
The Blood King Gu surfaced from the pool. The three pairs of wings on its back were now full and radiant. A smile appeared on Ning Qi's face—it had matured.
On a whim, he released the previous Blood King Gu as well.
In an instant.
The two insects bristled with ferocity the moment they saw each other. Their wings quivered violently—about to fight.
Ning Qi quickly used Qi to suppress both and sealed them back into their respective containers.
He pondered.
"The Blood King Gu can't coexist. Is this the secret to cultivating the Blood Emperor Gu? Is this what it means to raise Gu?"
Of course, he knew—
Breeding the Blood Emperor Gu wouldn't be this crude. There had to be deeper secret arts involved.
But Ning Qi had no interest.
Whether it was the Blood King Gu or Blood Emperor Gu, anything that relied on external forces to break through was bound to be flawed—possibly fatally so.
That was unacceptable to Ning Qi.
Even just witnessing how these Blood King Gu were created was enough to prove their sinister nature. Giving one to his senior brothers would be a terrible idea—what if someone used them as leverage in the future? That would be a massive loss.
To Ning Qi, the Blood King Gu's greatest use was to be refined into a pill to help him break through to the Core Formation Realm.
Ning Qi estimated—
If he stepped into the Core Formation Realm, his strength would leap once again. At that point, few in the Heaven-Man Realm would even qualify to face him.
He was a little expectant.
Ning Qi flew into the air, his senses spreading out to make sure there were no survivors.
Then—
He began erasing traces of the battle.
Moments later.
Ning Qi looked at the unrecognizable stronghold, casually ignited a large fire, and finally nodded in satisfaction.
If no one in the Southern Frontier was capable, then the battle's traces couldn't be reconstructed—everyone would be happy.
If there were capable ones, even after thorough investigation, they'd only conclude that it was the work of someone from the Demonic Sect—not a loss either.
After all, Ning Qi hadn't used any other distinctive means from start to finish.
"Still, it's not like the Southern Frontier folks will notice right away. It'll take some time. They'll only realize something's wrong once they can't contact the Fat Elder and the Skinny Elder."
From the intel gained earlier through the Eye Technique, he knew—
Only the Fat Elder and Skinny Elder had direct contact with the Southern Frontier Alliance. As for the rest, they knew nothing.
There were still some grunts left in Qingzhou, but once they lost contact with Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, and Zhao Dong, even if they realized something serious had happened, they wouldn't be able to report it.
Ning Qi stared at the raging flames.
And quietly left.
One day later.
Ning Qi appeared at Dong He's hideout and silently abducted him.
Faced with Dong He's terrified, horrified gaze, he expressionlessly crippled him, then handed him over to Zhenwu Sect disciples to secretly escort him to Zhenwu Mountain. Dong He's fate would ultimately be decided by Daoist Longshan and Zhuang Chen.
Only after finishing all this—
Was the matter truly settled.
Looking out the window at the scenery, Ning Qi felt a touch of emotion. This was the first time he'd left the mountain in nine years—and it had been for vengeance.
Since it was such a rare opportunity, he planned to visit the Zhenwu Underground Palace that Daoist Longshan had previously mentioned.
Daoist Longshan had received the Zhenwu Inheritance there, but after several later visits, found the underground palace had vanished. Ning Qi wanted to see it for himself and find out what had really happened.
In addition—
There was also that small town Ye Qinghe had mentioned, rumored to be tied to a Martial Saint. He planned to swing by and see if he could find any useful information.
That was also why he didn't personally escort Dong He back.