In the dim night, Murong Tiancheng leaned against a rock, staring blankly at the magnificent starry sky as he reflected on his life.
From the moment he was born, a Daoist had declared that his destiny was extraordinary. At 3 years old, he had already memorized the family's classics. At 5 years old, when he began practicing martial arts, he already knew that one day he would become the number one under heaven.
By the age of 16, Murong Tiancheng had mastered all the martial arts of his family. Even his grandfather had said he had the hope of becoming the strongest figure in the family's history.
Having never encountered hardship, he had been proud.
Until the moment he was cut in half at the waist…
Even now, recalling the process of being severed at the waist, fear still gripped his heart.
He had not seen clearly what that thing looked like at all. But after being cut in half, he distinctly felt something lingering nearby, scrutinizing him with extreme malice.
As the night grew deeper, his thoughts became heavier.
Looking at the mangled flesh at his waist, he felt that he was finished. Death was drawing closer and closer. He even wished he would die quickly.
He no longer had the strength to comfort his younger sister. He could only numb himself and wait for the final moment of his life.
Just then, a series of footsteps came from the darkness nearby, causing Murong Tiancheng's eyelids to twitch.
Murong Tianxuan, who had been crying, trembled in fright. She hurriedly raised her head and looked toward the source of the sound, instinctively grabbing the sword at her side.
Murong Tiancheng could only glance sideways. He saw a figure walking out from the darkness, drawing closer to them.
"Who… are you human or ghost?"
Murong Tianxuan asked cautiously, her voice trembling with tears.
As soon as her words fell, Li Qingqiu stepped out of the darkness. Raising his hand, he flicked 3 needles toward Murong Tiancheng.
Seeing that the newcomer was human, Murong Tianxuan let out a sigh of relief. Though her fear subsided somewhat, her vigilance remained. Meeting someone in such a wasteland was not necessarily a good thing.
Murong Tiancheng's vision rapidly cleared. He even felt some sensation returning to his body. The experience left him dazed.
Li Qingqiu looked at Murong Tianxuan and asked, "Was he cut down by something invisible?"
Murong Tianxuan snapped back to her senses and quickly stood up, nodding. "Yes. You also know about that thing?"
"It did not devour you. That counts as good fortune."
Li Qingqiu spoke calmly. Because of the earlier example of a Training Hall disciple being possessed, he had already used his divine sense to examine the siblings. There was nothing abnormal.
In the memories of the Desolate Nether Ghost King's split soul, it had been exceptionally greedy and would never spare its prey. Judging by the man's injuries, at least nearly 2 hours had passed. Could it be that the Desolate Nether Ghost King had already left?
In addition, Li Qingqiu was curious about their background. Being able to halt such a massive wound at the waist was not something simple internal martial arts could achieve.
"What exactly is that thing? A ghost?" Murong Tianxuan asked cautiously.
Li Qingqiu answered, "Yes, a ghost. It likes to eat people. Before eating them, it will torment its prey endlessly. There is no more terrifying torture in this world than encountering it."
His words caused Murong Tianxuan to recall her earlier terror.
It was not that she had not wanted to flee with her second brother. First, Murong Tiancheng's injuries were too severe. Second, she had constantly felt that thing lingering nearby.
"Brother… thank you for treating me… I cannot survive… I beg you to take my fifth sister back to Cangzhou. Our Murong family will certainly repay you…"
Murong Tiancheng looked at Li Qingqiu and spoke weakly.
Under the night sky, with only his upper body remaining, he appeared utterly miserable.
Li Qingqiu raised a brow. "Murong family? What is Murong Xi to you?"
Murong Tianxuan asked in surprise, "You know my elder sister?"
Li Qingqiu had never met Murong Xi. He was simply concerned about Zhang Ping and knew that such a woman had been entangling herself with him.
"I merely know of her. Carry your brother back. I have already stopped his bleeding. As long as you give him water from now on, he will survive."
After speaking, Li Qingqiu stepped forward, passing between Murong Tiancheng and Murong Tianxuan.
After taking 2 steps, he suddenly stopped. With his back to Murong Tiancheng, he said, "Do not abandon yourself. As long as you are alive, there is hope. If you truly wished to die, you would not have endured until now. There must be something you are unwilling to let go of. Think about why you are unwilling."
Hearing this, Murong Tiancheng's pupils widened.
Seeing him about to leave, Murong Tianxuan hurriedly asked, "What is your name? At least let us know the name of our benefactor."
"Li Qingqiu."
With those words, Li Qingqiu plunged into the darkness and vanished from sight.
"Li Qingqiu?"
Murong Tianxuan frowned, murmuring the name softly. It sounded strangely familiar, yet she could not recall where she had heard it.
Murong Tiancheng, however, stared with widened eyes, shock filling his face.
One of the reasons he had come to the northern border for training was precisely because of Li Qingqiu.
The family had feared he might clash with disciples of Qingxiao Sect, so they had sent him north, also to suppress the northern barbarian tribes.
In the past, he had scoffed at the legends of Li Qingqiu. He had believed that the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect, Li Qingqiu, must be an ambitious man, and that the so-called good deeds were merely propaganda by Qingxiao Sect.
Tonight, Li Qingqiu had saved him casually without seeking any reward. It filled him with shame.
If it had been him, he might not have saved a stranger—especially someone who appeared certain to die.
Murong Tianxuan turned back and walked to Murong Tiancheng. She crouched down and asked carefully, "Second Brother, shall I carry you back?"
Looking at her second brother, reduced to only half a body, she did not even know where to begin.
Murong Tiancheng took a deep breath and said, "Yes. Take me back. He is right—I cannot die like this."
Afterward, Murong Tianxuan carefully lifted Murong Tiancheng onto her back. She only dared to hold him by the waist, afraid of touching the mangled flesh.
After finally steadying herself, she began moving forward.
Murong Tiancheng recovered a bit of strength and barely managed to grip the torch.
"Second Brother, who was that man just now? Have you heard of him?"
"You don't even remember the name Li Qingqiu?"
"Could he be a martial arts master famed throughout the world?"
"He is the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect."
"What?"
Murong Tianxuan was stunned. Her eyes widened as Li Qingqiu's face surfaced in her mind.
Once the fear and panic subsided, she suddenly realized that Li Qingqiu looked very young and quite handsome.
She had not expected the legendary Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect to possess such a refined appearance.
Wait—had there been a mantis on his shoulder?
…
Elsewhere.
Under the cover of night, Li Qingqiu advanced rapidly. Following the memories of the Desolate Nether Ghost King's split soul, he headed toward the Xuanji Sect.
Lin Chuan and Nangong E moved underground, able to keep pace with him.
The northern border was desolate. From that point onward, Li Qingqiu encountered no one—not even wild beasts.
It gave him the feeling of having strayed far from the mortal world.
On such barren land, it was no wonder the northern barbarians always sought to move south.
Not until dawn was near did Li Qingqiu finally arrive at the Xuanji Sect.
The Xuanji Sect was built atop a towering mountain. Beneath it stretched an endless wasteland. From afar, it seemed as though this single mountain stood alone between heaven and earth. The mountain rose straight upward, as if piercing beyond the sky.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Lin Chuan and Nangong E emerged from underground.
"The mountain gives me a very frightening feeling," Nangong E said with a grave expression.
Lin Chuan nodded as well, equally uneasy.
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu frowned.
Under normal circumstances, he would have Lin Chuan and Nangong E scout ahead. But this enemy was different—a powerful and malevolent ghost. He could not force his two ghost servants to investigate recklessly.
After some thought,
Li Qingqiu decided to take the risk himself.
There was no choice. He was deeply worried about Li Sifeng.
The thought that Li Sifeng might have met the same fate as Murong Tiancheng made it difficult for him to restrain his emotions.
He immediately headed up the mountain, communicating with Nangong E and Lin Chuan through voice transmission, instructing them to spread out on both sides and remain vigilant.
As he ascended, Li Qingqiu continuously released his divine sense. He could perceive the ghostly qi lingering along the path.
The ghostly qi had not completely dissipated, which meant that even if the Desolate Nether Ghost King had left, it had not been long. It was even very possible that it was still hiding above.
Xuanji Mountain rose several hundred yards high. The path up was not particularly rugged; the Xuanji Sect had constructed a mountain road. Bloodstains marked the steps along the way, and occasionally severed limbs could be seen.
When Li Qingqiu reached the summit, the first ray of sunlight of the day swept across the horizon, passing through the ruined mountain gate of the Xuanji Sect. The buildings stood in utter disrepair, clearly having endured a terrifying battle.
Li Qingqiu leapt onto a tall tower and looked ahead. Beyond the rows of buildings lay a spacious martial practice field. In its center stood a mountain of bones, 10 yards high, densely packed and horrifying to behold.
He did not sense the presence of the Desolate Nether Ghost King, but he did see living beings.
The Prison Qilin was confined within an iron cage at the edge of the martial practice field. Its limbs had been severed. It lay on the ground, barely alive, stripped of its former auspicious aura.
Its miserable state caused Li Qingqiu to frown.
The Prison Qilin had been in Qingxiao Sect for many years. Li Qingqiu had formed a certain bond with it. Seeing it reduced to this condition, he could not suppress the killing intent in his heart.
Nearby stood other iron cages. Some held living people, others held ferocious beasts. Without exception, every captive was missing arms or legs. Some had even been cut in half at the waist like Murong Tiancheng, bleeding to death within their cages.
The living humans in the cages were numb. Living day after day among corpses, they could no longer see hope of survival and could only wait for death to arrive.
Li Qingqiu leapt forward, vanishing midair, and reappeared inside the Prison Qilin's cage. What he had used was a divine ability movement technique.
He appeared behind the Prison Qilin, crouched down, and used the Secret Technique — Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles to treat it.
Sensing something, the Prison Qilin instinctively lifted its head.
"It's me. Don't move for now. I'll hide behind you and wait for that thing to return," Li Qingqiu said in a low voice.
He cultivated the Heavenly Firmament Golden Body Art. Within that technique was also a method of concealing one's aura. He could make his presence disappear.
Upon hearing Li Qingqiu's voice, a spark returned to the Prison Qilin's eyes. It lowered its head again, letting out faint breaths like a wronged kitten.
Li Qingqiu's heart ached, and at the same time he worried about Li Sifeng.
He had to kill the Desolate Nether Ghost King and also find Li Sifeng. Therefore, he could not simply take the Prison Qilin and leave.
The Xuanji Sect was silent. Occasionally, groans and wails echoed through the air, making the ruined sect appear even more eerie and terrifying.