Dark clouds gathered above the prefectural city, swallowing what little light remained of dusk. The constant flashes of lightning lit up the sky, and within that brilliance stood Li Qingqiu—calm, unshaken, untouchable.
Bolts of thunderous light struck down one after another, yet not a single one could make him waver.
On the city gate, Wei Daozhang's expression grew more frantic by the second. The disciples of Qingxiao Sect, on the other hand, were overflowing with excitement. Their admiration for their Sect Master burned hotter than ever.
Li Qingqiu came to a halt. Slowly, he raised his head, locking eyes with Wei Daozhang. The moment their gazes met, the Daoist's arm stiffened mid-swing, his banner frozen in place.
Then—
Wei Daozhang abruptly turned to flee.
But he had barely taken a step before a silver needle shot forth, piercing the back of his neck. His entire body froze where he stood.
His arms went limp. The wooden sword and crimson banner slipped from his hands and fell, clattering to the ground right in front of Li Qingqiu.
Seeing the demon Daoist's weapons fall, the crowd finally realized what had happened. The fear that had gripped their hearts for so long vanished all at once.
"Did he… subdue the demon Daoist?"
"Qingxiao Sect truly has an immortal among them!"
"If he weren't an immortal, how could he have found us? If he weren't an immortal, why would he save us?"
"Qingxiao Sect is hidden deep within the Taikun Mountain Range—it's a true celestial sanctuary! Not like this demonic Daoist who brings disaster upon the mortal world!"
"I swear, I'll go to Qingxiao Mountain myself to offer incense!"
Voices rose everywhere, trembling with joy. For the citizens of Guzhou, the past month had been a living nightmare. They hated Wei Daozhang and the Demonic Sect down to their very bones. Now, watching Li Qingqiu strike down their tormentor—it felt like salvation itself.
Li Qingqiu bent down and picked up the crimson banner. Turning, he smiled at Xu Ning. "Ning'er, take this for your master."
He tossed the banner lightly, and Xu Ning hurried to catch it with both hands.
Then, with one smooth motion, Li Qingqiu leaped onto the city gate and landed beside Wei Daozhang.
"You… what are you?" Wei Daozhang stammered, his voice trembling with genuine fear. "Are you man… or ghost?"
Li Qingqiu gave a cold smile. "Weren't you the one who claimed to be an immortal? Then why should it matter what I am—man or ghost? Why are you afraid?"
Before Wei Daozhang could answer, Li Qingqiu raised his hand and performed the Soul-Binding Curse.
Lin Chuan hovered nearby, his eyes gleaming hungrily. The moment he saw his master cast the curse, his spectral body began to tremble with excitement. He could hardly restrain his urge to devour Wei Daozhang's soul.
Though Lin Chuan had regained human awareness, instinct still ruled his ghostly form. A ghost's hunger for souls was no different from a man's need for food.
Wei Daozhang's face twisted in agony as a blood-curdling scream tore from his throat. Even paralyzed, his body convulsed violently, trembling from head to toe.
His screams echoed through the city, but to the survivors below, it was not frightening—it was cathartic. The sound of his suffering brought them an indescribable sense of relief. Some even clapped, cheering through their tears.
Overhead, Xiao Ba circled vigilantly, watching for any danger while Li Qingqiu focused on the curse.
Xu Ning, still holding the crimson banner, could feel a strange spiritual energy coursing through it—one that resonated with her own inner energy. Most surprising of all was the subtle pull within the flag—an attraction not toward her, but toward the lightning in the sky.
She hesitated for a moment, then swung the flag forward.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning crashed down, striking the stone-paved street and shattering the slabs to pieces. Shards of rock scattered in all directions.
The Qingxiao Sect disciples around her flinched at the sudden thunderclap. Dozens of eyes turned toward her in awe.
Even Xu Ning could summon lightning? Then it wasn't Wei Daozhang's skill that had called the thunder—it was this flag!
Li Sifeng stepped closer, grinning slyly. "Little niece, why don't you let your Sixth Uncle borrow that flag for a bit of fun?"
Xu Ning shook her head immediately. "Sixth Uncle, you can't handle it. You'll die."
Li Sifeng's grin froze in place, and the disciples around him burst out laughing.
Jiang Zhaoxia, standing nearby, looked at Xu Ning thoughtfully. He had long suspected there was something different about her inner energy—it carried the nature of lightning itself.
All of them practiced the same Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra, yet Xu Ning's energy was unlike anyone else's.
Could it be tied to her innate constitution?
The more Jiang Zhaoxia thought about it, the more he felt that the Sutra wasn't an ordinary martial art at all. Its cultivation effects differed from person to person—an impossibility for normal techniques.
He looked up toward the city gate where Li Qingqiu stood. A strange feeling welled within him. His senior brother… was far more mysterious than he'd ever realized.
Li Qingqiu finished his incantation. This time, the Soul-Binding Curse worked with perfect precision.
Wei Daozhang, it turned out, wasn't a cultivator. He was just a martial artist with some light-footed skills. He and his senior brother had stumbled upon an ancient cave in their youth, where they discovered a manual and two mystical artifacts.
They had tried to follow the manual's teachings but failed miserably. In the end, they resorted to using the artifacts to deceive others, pretending to command supernatural powers.
As Li Qingqiu delved into Wei Daozhang's memories, he caught glimpses of the emperor himself.
The emperor was indeed searching for an elixir of immortality. Around him gathered many so-called mystics and warlocks, and Wei Daozhang and his brother were among them. They gained favor precisely because they had offered the discovered manual to the throne.
At first, they had thought the manual was useless—until the emperor himself began to practice it. To their astonishment, it worked. The emperor was overjoyed and rewarded them richly.
But after that, his nature changed. His temper grew monstrous, and his presence became so terrifying that no one could stand before him without trembling.
From Wei Daozhang's memories, Li Qingqiu retrieved the full content of that manual.
Zixia Gong—the Purple Cloud Art!
It was, indeed, a method of immortal cultivation.
But something about it was wrong. It was incomplete—missing crucial passages that disrupted the entire flow of energy circulation. Anyone who practiced it risked losing control and descending into madness.
Even if it were whole, Li Qingqiu judged, it could never compare to his own Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
The Sutra could harmonize with all spiritual roots, accommodating every elemental nature. Its structure and capacity far surpassed the Purple Cloud Art.
However, the manual did contain certain forbidden techniques—methods of stealing others' life force and blood essence...
Li Qingqiu remained immersed in Wei Daozhang's memories. As time passed, the Daoist's screams faded. His eyes rolled back, his body twitching faintly before falling still.
Night fully descended. Down on the main street, the disciples of Qingxiao Sect and the rescued townsfolk all stared up at the city gate where Li Qingqiu stood, their faces tense with unease.
Why hadn't he come down yet?
Could he have fallen prey to some dark sorcery?
Jiang Zhaoxia hesitated, torn between rushing forward and holding back—until suddenly, Wei Daozhang's body collapsed. He tumbled from the top of the city gate, crashing heavily onto the stone-paved street below.
Li Qingqiu turned around, his calm voice echoing through the night. "Let's go. It's time to leave the city."
At his words, everyone exhaled in relief and surged toward the gate together.
As they passed the demon Daoist's corpse, no one could resist looking. Wei Daozhang's eyes were still open, his face frozen in terror—as though he had witnessed something far more dreadful than death itself.
Li Qingqiu lifted his gaze to the dark silhouette of Guzhou City. The results of this mission were beyond expectation. Not only had he destroyed the Demonic Sect's plot within the prefecture, eradicating a hidden threat to Qingxiao Sect, but he had also gained a powerful artifact and a manual of immortal cultivation.
Though the Purple Cloud Art was incomplete, its miscellaneous techniques could still be recorded for study. Perhaps, someday, a disciple might even be able to restore it.
More importantly, he had learned something about the emperor.
If there were no other immortal sects behind the throne, then the situation was far simpler than he had feared.
The lands ruled by the Great Li Dynasty contained ancient caves of cultivators, yet no cultivators themselves could be found. That was strange. Something must have happened here long ago—something worth investigating carefully in the future.
Still, the absence of other cultivation powers within the Great Li Dynasty was excellent news for Qingxiao Sect.
This vast country possessed countless natural treasures, most of which ordinary mortals could never make use of. And now, Qingxiao Sect could claim them for itself—an entire world's worth of spiritual resources, free for the taking.
Once everyone had exited the city gate, Li Qingqiu followed behind, his figure vanishing swiftly into the night.
Outside the gate, Wei Daozhang's body had already been reduced to a mangled mess. The people vented their rage upon him, kicking and striking what remained of his corpse. Not that it mattered—his soul had long been devoured by Lin Chuan, and he could no longer feel pain.
The moon sank, and the sun rose again.
By dawn the next day, after escorting the townsfolk to safety, Li Qingqiu led Qingxiao Sect back into the city once more. With Lin Chuan's help, they rescued many more citizens and soldiers imprisoned in the underground chambers.
The five children who had shared Ji Ya's dungeon, however, never found their parents. During this time, Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and several others continued to recruit new disciples—selecting only those who seemed fated to belong with the Sect.
By midday, a large military force entered the city. They encountered the Qingxiao Sect party head-on.
The army came from Dongling Prefecture, sent by its Prefectural Governor to exterminate the Demonic Sect and save the civilians.
After exchanging words, Zhang Yuchun and the leading general quickly came to an understanding. With the Martial Champion Li Yang vouching for their identity, there was no conflict between them. The commanders were deeply impressed by Li Qingqiu and the Qingxiao Sect.
The Demonic Sect had already been routed. The Dongling army would now take over the prefecture's defense.
Rumors spread that the Guzhou prefectural army had already surrendered outside the city. Many generals had defected mid-battle, bringing the entire conflict to an end within just one day.
With order restored, everything seemed to have settled. Qingxiao Sect did not linger. Li Qingqiu feared that the Demonic Sect might launch a retaliatory strike, so he immediately chose to withdraw.
After leaving the prefecture, he mounted Xiao Ba and flew ahead alone, returning first to Qingxiao Sect.
Xiao Ba's speed through the skies was astounding. In less than two hours, Li Qingqiu could already see Qingxiao Mountain in the distance.
He found Yang Jueding and asked about the Sect's situation. Once he confirmed that all was well, he prepared to return and escort the rest of his disciples safely home.
"Oh, right," Yang Jueding said suddenly, unable to hide his curiosity. "That disciple of yours, Zhao Zhen—what sort of secret art did he cultivate to transform into a dragon?"
Thinking of Zhao Zhen's Divine Dragon Transformation, Yang Jueding's expression turned complex.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "Interested, are you? Then go ask him yourself later."
He leaped high into the air as he spoke.
A powerful gust swept through the forest as Xiao Ba soared upward, catching Li Qingqiu perfectly before spreading its wings and speeding away into the horizon.
Yang Jueding stood amidst the swirling wind, watching his Sect Master vanish into the distance, his eyes filled with awe and envy.
"That kid just gets more and more incredible…" he murmured.
…
By the time Li Qingqiu reunited with the main Qingxiao Sect group, dusk was falling.
Seeing their Sect Master return, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Without him, the journey had felt dangerous—as though the Demonic Sect could strike at any moment.
The expedition to Guzhou had left every disciple awestruck. Li Qingqiu's display of power had elevated his authority to unprecedented heights.
During the flight back, he opened his Dao Lineage interface. Most of his disciples' loyalty values had risen significantly, which pleased him greatly.
When they landed, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun walked at the head of the group.
"This mission," Zhang Yuchun reported cheerfully, "we've recruited 32 new disciples and collected nearly 5,000 guan in funds. We found this money on the corpses of Demonic Sect fighters. Following the usual rules, we distributed a portion to the common folk. What's left totals 5,000 guan, plus about 300 weapons."
As he spoke, a satisfied grin spread across his face.
To him, the greatest gain wasn't just wealth or numbers—but reputation.
They had rescued cultivators from the Xuan Dang Sect, monks from the Chanding Temple, warriors of the White Emperor Mansion, and countless townsfolk. Even the Dongling army had expressed gratitude toward Qingxiao Sect.
After this campaign, Qingxiao Sect's renown across the Great Li Dynasty would surely soar to new heights.