The Name Li Qingqiu
Inside the collapsing underground world, Li Qingqiu's robe flapped violently in the wind. Holding the Tianhong Sword, he faced the Ancient God, who loomed before him like a mountain, without a trace of fear.
Chu Jing emerged from the sword blade, eyes filled with terror as he looked at the Ancient God.
In his vision, the Ancient God was half-hidden in darkness. The portion of its massive tree-body that was visible already stood over 100 zhang tall. Its ancient face took up a third of that size. Chu Jing had lived for nearly 200 years and had never seen anything so wicked.
Just the thought that, throughout all those years he stirred storms and played power games, this evil entity had been silently watching, laughing at his petty struggles with Zhao Zhi—it sent a chill straight to his bones.
He finally understood how foolish he'd been. Even if Li Qingqiu had never appeared, he was doomed to fail.
This world wasn't ruled by power or politics. It belonged to the extraordinary—those who cultivated immortal strength.
"To walk alone into a dragon's den… What boldness. You must be the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu?"
The Ancient God's voice echoed through the underground cavern like muffled thunder.
Li Qingqiu?
Qi Tianquan heard the name and his heart shuddered.
In today's world, that name rang louder than almost any other. Even before the Qi Clan emerged from seclusion, Qi Tianquan had already heard of him.
Back then, Qi Tianquan viewed martial artists as nothing more than dogs and chickens. But after Li Qingqiu singlehandedly slew Zhao Zhi and cut through Zhongtian Prefecture, his perspective changed. He came to understand just how terrifying a true martial master could be—and he never forgot that name.
What he never imagined was that the same Li Qingqiu would now walk straight into the Qi Clan's stronghold.
He couldn't believe it. If Li Qingqiu were to slay the Ancient God too, how high would his fame soar?
"Demon… You dare call yourself an Ancient God? You've deceived the Qi Clan, fooled the world, and slaughtered the innocent. Today, I'm here to cut you down."
Li Qingqiu's voice rang out. A massive broken tree trunk came crashing down toward him—but before it could land, it was sliced cleanly in half by invisible sword energy and scattered to both sides.
Qi Tianquan caught a glimpse of a sword shadow surrounding Li Qingqiu. He could feel the pressure radiating from him.
This man was no ordinary person!
"Cut me down?"
The Ancient God sounded amused, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. His aged face twisted into a snarl. The earth shook. Huge wooden vines burst up from the ground, like dragons awakening beneath the soil. They coiled and twisted, towering over Li Qingqiu.
In an instant, Li Qingqiu was surrounded.
Qi Tianquan backed away quickly. Watching Li Qingqiu, he felt a wave of anxiety.
He didn't even know who he was worried for. But one thing was clear—he was no match for what was about to unfold, even as an elite cultivator.
Each of the giant vines, with a diameter over 1 zhang, lashed toward Li Qingqiu from all directions. The winds they stirred up alone were enough to shake him.
Li Qingqiu leapt into the air. Sword energy exploded around him, forming a ray of sword light as he shot forward. Every vine in his path was sliced apart. It looked like he was ripping through the underground darkness itself.
Sensing the attack, the Ancient God's massive tree-body trembled. Countless leaves flew at him like a torrential storm.
But no matter how many leaves came his way, Li Qingqiu didn't stop for a second.
Pchkk!
The Tianhong Sword, wrapped in sword energy, pierced the Ancient God's forehead. Its pale eyes widened in shock.
Countless shredded leaves drifted behind Li Qingqiu. His expression remained cold and unshaken.
Suddenly, the Tianhong Sword burst with lightning. In a flash, it expanded, blooming like a flower made of thunder. It lit up the Ancient God's entire face.
The ground trembled even harder. Dirt and rocks began falling from above. The Ancient God's expression turned even more monstrous.
Then—
Toxic black mist poured from all five of its facial orifices. Li Qingqiu quickly pulled back his sword and leapt away, landing over 100 zhang back. His feet slid slightly, but his body stayed tall and firm.
He watched closely as the Ancient God's body shook violently. It rose higher and higher, as if trying to break through the surface.
Li Qingqiu jumped again, disappearing into the darkness above.
Qi Tianquan realized things were going south and immediately turned to flee.
Li Qingqiu shot out from the massive pit. As he ascended, he stepped on falling leaves and broken wood, using them to climb like he was flying. He landed back on the tall city wall.
Turning back, he saw one after another of the giant vines rising from the pit. Under the night sky, they looked like evil demons surging from the earth—horrifying to behold.
Soldiers rushed toward him from both sides of the wall, eyes full of panic as they stared at Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu glanced at them and said, "A demon's being born, and you still want to fight me?"
The soldiers instinctively turned to look. When they saw the terrifying mass rising from the pit, they were all terrified.
"Hurry and evacuate the civilians! The tree demon raised by the Qi Clan is about to emerge. If you move too slowly, its vines will tear through the streets and devour the people of this city. And it'll devour you too. Turn you into its strength."
Li Qingqiu spoke quickly, his eyes never leaving the pit.
This mission was about killing the Ancient God and crushing the Qi Clan. He didn't want to drag innocents into it. But if even after his warning people still refused to listen, then they could die with the Qi Clan and the Ancient God.
One soldier couldn't help asking, "Who are you? Why should we believe you?"
"Qingxiao Sect. Li Qingqiu. If you don't believe me, then go ahead and die."
Li Qingqiu said impatiently. He knew questions like this would come up.
"What? Li Qingqiu!"
The soldier cried out in shock, and the rest were just as stunned.
Then something happened that even Li Qingqiu hadn't expected—those soldiers immediately turned and ran toward the city wall. Moments later, he heard their shouting:
"Qi Clan's demon is coming out! Run for your lives!"
"Immortal from Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu, has come to slay the demon! Everyone, get out now!"
"There's a demon causing chaos—run! Your houses are about to collapse!"
"Get out fast! The tree demon is going to eat everyone in the city!"
Li Qingqiu hadn't expected his name to carry this much weight. He hadn't even proven he was really Li Qingqiu.
Chu Jing floated behind him and chuckled. "That's the power of reputation. Just from killing Zhao Zhi, you've already reached a point where there's no one in the world who doesn't know your name. Whether you're righteous or wicked, people have already made up their minds. Even if someone wants to smear your name, it'll take time."
Li Qingqiu didn't respond, but there was a hint of comfort in his heart. It was a pleasant surprise.
He didn't make any sudden moves. He waited for the Ancient God to emerge. That would buy time for the people in the city to escape.
As for whether the Qi Clan might try to flee in the chaos—he wasn't worried. He'd already sent Mo Jiuhong ahead. With the Fate "Way of Concealment," Mo Jiuhong had infiltrated the Qi Clan many times and knew their layout. And unlike Shen Yue, Mo Jiuhong didn't hesitate to kill when necessary.
As giant wooden vines kept bursting out, the Ancient God's tree-body slowly rose.
The dark clouds in the sky scattered, revealing the bright moon. But then—snow began to fall.
The Ancient God's eyes emerged from the pit. Its pale eyes gleamed with cold light as it glared at Li Qingqiu from afar, its rage boiling over.
In all its over 1,000 years of existence, this was the first time it had been stabbed in the face with a sword. The humiliation burned deep.
It swore to kill Li Qingqiu right here in Yemíng City. It would devour his flesh and blood.
At this point, it no longer cared about staying hidden. In its mind, the Qingxiao Sect already knew about it and was spreading the word. There was no point in hiding anymore. As long as it destroyed the Qingxiao Sect, the world would still be its playground.
"Li Qingqiu—!"
The Ancient God let out a piercing screech that echoed through the night sky, loud enough for everyone in the city to hear.
Before the words had even faded, the ground inside the inner city wall cracked open. Vines shot out, aiming straight at Li Qingqiu.
He jumped up, dodging them, while the wall beneath him shattered into pieces. Against the power of the Ancient God, the inner city wall was like paper—completely useless.
As the wall collapsed, the civilians, nobles, and martial artists nearby turned to look. All of them saw those terrifying vines. Shouts and screams exploded across the city.
Yemíng City descended into chaos. More and more people began fleeing toward the outskirts. Even those who didn't know what was happening followed the panic.
Li Qingqiu moved along the wall, evading attacks as the Ancient God rampaged, smashing everything in its path.
Chu Jing floated behind him, nervous. "Master, this thing's not easy to kill!"
The Ancient God was too massive. Even with Li Qingqiu's strength, it would be hard to destroy it completely.
Even with a sword—how many times would he have to strike to cut it all down?
The size difference was too obvious.
Li Qingqiu didn't reply. He just kept moving. He wanted the Ancient God to fully reveal itself to the world.
Elsewhere—
Shen Yue stood on a rooftop, fending off waves of attacking martial artists. None of them could withstand even one move from him. Around him, all down the streets, in the courtyards, and on the rooftops, Qi Clan martial artists lay groaning or unconscious—their numbers growing fast.
Shen Yue loved being outnumbered. The more enemies he had, the more excited he became. But now his attention was drawn by the distant commotion. He could see those swaying, monstrous vines in the distance. He felt a jolt of unease.
He was truly curious—how would Li Qingqiu handle such a terrifying demon?
...
When the last section of the inner wall collapsed, Li Qingqiu landed atop the rubble. This time, he didn't dodge.
"You think exposing me to the world will save it?"
The Ancient God's voice was full of mockery.
"Even if you destroy the Qi Clan, other noble families will seek me out. Others will cover up the truth for me. As long as you can't kill me, I'll keep spreading my shadow over this land. That's human nature—something cultivators can't change!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Countless leaves came flying in from several li away. They came like a storm, too fast to track—unstoppable under the cover of night.
Li Qingqiu raised his sword with one hand. Sword qi surged forth, forming a massive shield that surrounded him, blocking the waves of incoming leaves.
The ruins around him were torn apart. Dust filled the air. But Li Qingqiu didn't move an inch.
"Chu Jing."
Li Qingqiu suddenly spoke, catching Chu Jing off guard. He didn't know what Li Qingqiu was about to do.
"Now, I'll show you what it means to be a cultivator. It's time for you to let go of your martial mindset."
Li Qingqiu's tone was calm, but when his words entered Chu Jing's ears, they hit like thunder. His pupils trembled.