Li Qingqiu waited inside the Xuanji Sect for more than half a day. After his treatment, the Prison Qilin's injuries gradually improved; at the very least, the wounds where its limbs had been severed no longer caused pain.
Behind Li Qingqiu, Jin Lang practiced its blade technique, unwilling to waste even a moment. It was even more obsessed than Xu Ning and Zhao Zhen.
By the afternoon, Li Qingqiu suddenly raised his brows.
He heard movement at the foot of the mountain.
Someone had arrived.
And not just one person.
With a thought, Lin Chuan immediately dove underground to investigate.
Before long, Lin Chuan emerged from the darkness behind Li Qingqiu and reported the situation.
A large army was sweeping in at the base of the mountain, already surrounding the entire peak. Lin Chuan had taken a look—an immense black mass stretching as far as the eye could see. It was impossible to count how many soldiers there were.
By rough estimation, there were at least 100,000 troops, and more forces were still approaching from the distance.
According to Lin Chuan's description, this army belonged to the northern barbarians—more precisely, the Beiting Army.
Why had the Beiting Army come?
Could this be the reason the Desolate Nether Ghost King had left?
Li Qingqiu frowned and decided to wait a little longer. If the Beiting Army ascended the mountain and the Desolate Nether Ghost King still had not returned, he would take the Prison Qilin and leave.
Time passed quickly.
Li Qingqiu waited patiently.
After about a quarter of an hour, his brows furrowed again. He sensed a powerful surge of ghostly qi ascending the mountain.
The Desolate Nether Ghost King!
Such ghostly qi reminded Li Qingqiu of the Ghost King within the Soul-Refining Banner. However, compared to the one still slumbering inside the banner, this one was somewhat inferior.
The Ghost King within the banner exuded an indescribably eerie sensation, whereas this ghostly qi carried a feeling of bloodlust, cruelty, and raw power.
Lin Chuan and Nangong E stood behind Li Qingqiu, already tense as if facing a natural enemy. Jin Lang also leapt onto Li Qingqiu's shoulder.
Li Qingqiu once again released his divine sense, peering at the buildings outside the iron cage.
Under his gaze, a hand appeared atop a distant tower. Then another hand followed. The body rose gradually, revealing its full form.
It was a vicious ghost with 3 heads and 6 arms. Bare-chested and wearing tattered black trousers, its face was dark green. Two fangs jutted outward from its mouth, each nearly 4 inches long. Long, blood-red hair draped down its back. The muscles of its 6 arms coiled like tree roots. Each of its 3 faces bore a different expression; the central face was the most ferocious, barely resembling a human male.
Standing atop the tower, the Desolate Nether Ghost King surveyed the Xuanji Sect. Seeing that its prey had not escaped, it turned and looked down the mountain.
Li Qingqiu used his divine sense to probe the Desolate Nether Ghost King, judging its strength in his heart.
Very strong—stronger even than Ancestor Suxing.
With such strength, how had Li Sifeng managed to escape?
Could it be that Li Sifeng had not returned to Qingxiao Mountain because he had been captured?
Li Qingqiu pondered silently. He did not act rashly, wanting to observe the relationship between the Beiting Army and the Desolate Nether Ghost King.
After waiting for roughly another quarter of an hour, soldiers finally appeared at the mountain gate of the Xuanji Sect. Leading them was a great general clad in heavy black armor. He was burly, like a black bear, with a curved blade hanging at his waist and a massive saber in his hand. He strode at the forefront with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, murderous intent radiating from him.
At a glance, Li Qingqiu determined that the man was an Innate Realm expert.
Even in this era, Innate Realm experts were rare within the martial world, let alone within the military.
No wonder Beiting dared to march south; perhaps this was the peak of their power.
Upon entering the mountain gate of the Xuanji Sect, the Beiting soldiers spread out. The great general advanced along the main road, coldly scanning the buildings on either side. Even when stepping on shattered bones along the way, he did not so much as frown.
This general was named Fang Tianshu, ranked among the top 3 generals in Beiting. Battle-hardened and seasoned by countless wars, he would not furrow his brow even when facing hundreds of thousands of troops. Yet this mission left him uneasy. He was merely forcing himself to appear calm.
Because what they were about to face was the legendary ghost.
In the northern border, tales of ghosts had always existed. Legend had it that this land was plagued by calamities because it was a gathering place for demons and ghosts—a living hell where evil spirits rampaged and horrors spread.
Several months ago, multiple tribes had been slaughtered. At first, Beiting had not paid much attention, merely dispatching officials to investigate. It was not until the Xuanji Sect was annihilated that they realized something was wrong.
A Xuanji Sect disciple who had narrowly escaped death had sought an audience with the Beiting Emperor and revealed the existence of a ghost, causing shock in the imperial court. After deliberation, Fang Tianshu was ultimately ordered to lead troops here.
Fang Tianshu had brought 100,000 elite soldiers, which demonstrated the seriousness with which the Beiting Emperor treated this matter.
More and more soldiers poured into the Xuanji Sect. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the Beiting troops felt uneasy. Bones littered the streets and alleys. Even the eaves of some buildings were hung with flesh and blood, indistinguishable between human and beast.
They even felt as though something was watching them. Though it was broad daylight, chills ran down their spines.
Little did they know—they truly were being watched by a ghost.
The Desolate Nether Ghost King crouched atop the tower, overlooking the soldiers below. The left face displayed a greedy smile, while the right face was filled with hatred. The 4 arms behind it swung restlessly, as though it could hardly wait to charge down.
Li Qingqiu understood now—the Desolate Nether Ghost King had deliberately waited for the Beiting Army to enter the mountain.
Could it be that the Desolate Nether Ghost King had planted a split soul within Beiting, inciting the Beiting Emperor to send troops to slay ghosts?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"What exactly is this thing—a demon or a ghost…"
Li Qingqiu grew even more puzzled. At most, ghosts harmed people. After all, ghosts had no physical bodies; so-called eating was merely swallowing victims into their bellies to torment them.
But the Desolate Nether Ghost King was different. It was truly gluttonous, actually luring in an army of 100,000 troops. Its appetite was far too great.
Could it be that this creature could grow stronger by devouring flesh and blood?
A sudden interest in the Desolate Nether Ghost King arose within him. His intuition told him this was no ordinary ghost.
Fang Tianshu led his soldiers onto the martial practice field. At the sight of the horrifying mountain of bones, none of them could remain calm. Even sweat began to bead on Fang Tianshu's forehead.
Even the grim mounds of corpses after a great battle were nowhere near as terrifying as this bone mountain, because some of the skeletons still clung to flesh and recognizable faces.
The living people inside the iron cages noticed the soldiers' arrival and grew agitated, crawling toward the edges of their cages.
Watching them drag their mutilated bodies out from the darkness made the soldiers' scalps tingle. Let alone stepping forward to question them, they did not even dare approach.
Fang Tianshu took one glance and knew these people were beyond saving; there was no need to rescue them.
"All units, stay alert! Set fire to every building—no one is to enter them without permission!"
Fang Tianshu shouted loudly. In ordinary understanding, ghosts hid in dark places, which was why they had chosen to ascend the mountain during daylight.
At his command, the soldiers drew torches and dispersed toward the nearby buildings.
At that moment, a scream suddenly rang out. Startled, everyone turned their heads. Fang Tianshu had just turned when his eyes widened. He saw a soldier cut in half at the waist, collapsing to the ground. The man did not even have time to react, staring in shock at his lower half lying beside him. The scream had come from the soldier next to him, terrified by the gruesome sight.
Before Fang Tianshu could speak, more soldiers ahead were severed at the waist. Upper bodies flew into the air as blood erupted from their midsections. The scene struck him with an impact unlike anything he had ever experienced; even his eyeballs trembled.
The undefeated great general of Beiting froze in place, hands and feet icy cold, utterly at a loss.
The other soldiers scattered in panic, fleeing from those who had been cut in half. They could not see the ghost at all, and precisely because of that, their fear reached its peak.
"There really is a ghost! There's a ghost!"
"How can this be… it's broad daylight…"
"Run! Run!"
"Raise the torches—maybe… ah!"
"Where is it? Where is the evil ghost?"
The Xuanji Sect plunged into chaos. Screams, shouts, and cries intertwined, turning the place into a living hell.
Order collapsed in an instant.
Fang Tianshu struggled to steady himself. He leapt onto a rooftop, staggering a step and nearly falling. His face was pale. Watching his elite troops flee in disarray, anger surged within him. The anger replaced his fear, restoring the fierce expression he once wore.
"Hold! No one is to act rashly! Watch carefully and track that thing's movement!"
Channeling his internal qi, Fang Tianshu roared like a thunderclap.
His authority manifested at once. The soldiers halted and turned back.
Watching soldier after soldier be cut in half, even though they could not see the Desolate Nether Ghost King, they could roughly deduce its trajectory.
Those closer raised their weapons and slashed forward blindly.
Fang Tianshu charged directly ahead, gripping his massive saber like a tiger descending the mountain.
The great general of Beiting had fully conquered his fear and prepared to fight the Desolate Nether Ghost King to the death.
Though the living could not see the Desolate Nether Ghost King, Li Qingqiu saw it clearly.
The Desolate Nether Ghost King had already fixed its gaze on Fang Tianshu. All 3 pairs of eyes stared at him intently.
Li Qingqiu sensed that it was not anger that drew the ghost's attention, but Fang Tianshu's vigorous vitality.
Fang Tianshu landed and immediately unleashed his saber technique. The blade's assault was like a raging storm, unstoppable. Unable to see the Desolate Nether Ghost King, he could only strike blindly.
Bang!
Hearing a sound behind him, Fang Tianshu's heart tightened. Before he could think further, a streak of sword qi brushed past his ear, slicing his cheek painfully.
The sword qi shot forward and shattered a pavilion.
Fang Tianshu instinctively turned around, as did the Beiting soldiers.
They saw that a massive iron cage had been blasted open. Inside lay a Qilin without limbs. When they first arrived, the Qilin had drawn their attention, but the danger had prevented them from observing further.
Under their gaze, a man stepped out from behind the Qilin.
He wore a wanderer's outfit, a bamboo hat shading his face, and held a long sword in his hand.
At a single glance, the Beiting soldiers could sense the aura of a powerful expert emanating from him.
In that instant, the entire Xuanji Sect fell silent, all eyes turning toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu stepped out of the iron cage and slightly raised his head. The brim of his hat cast his face in shadow, making his expression appear somber. His gaze passed over rows of Beiting soldiers and met the Desolate Nether Ghost King, which stood upon a heap of ruins.