Ku Yi walked to the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the snowy plain below. He watched as the Azure Firmament Sect members gathered around Yang Jueding and the other two. His eyes then shifted forward, and suddenly he frowned, squinting.
He saw seven figures walking shoulder to shoulder through the snow mist toward the Azure Firmament group. His expression shifted.
"They're here... not good!"
Ku Yi immediately turned and hurried back up the mountain.
Xu Ning and the crowd of Azure Firmament disciples gathered near Yang Jueding and the others. Xu Ning even moved past everyone, walking to the very front.
"Those seven aren't simple." Zhang Yuchun came to Xu Ning's side and said quietly.
Xu Ning was only slightly taller than his shoulder, but the aura she now projected far surpassed his. Her gaze was calm, as if she paid the approaching seven no mind.
She merely acknowledged Zhang Yuchun's warning with a soft "Mm."
Zhang Yuchun turned and saw disciples continuously descending the mountain in the distance. A smile appeared on his face.
Besides the true successor disciples who cultivated the Chaos Genesis Scripture, the other disciples practiced martial arts year-round and ate well every day. Yang Jueding hadn't held back; he'd passed on his powerful internal techniques to them, allowing their martial arts to improve rapidly. Even if they couldn't compare to first-rate experts, they were far beyond ordinary people.
In Zhang Yuchun's view, this battle wasn't a crisis. He felt Azure Firmament Sect needed such training opportunities.
What martial artist never experienced fighting and killing? What martial arts sect could devote oneself practice without ever witnessing the skill of true experts? Seeing the caliber of real martial artists would help them set greater goals.
Qin Ye, gripping his iron staff, came to Xu Ning's side. He hesitated a moment, then chose to step back—not stealing his senior sister's spotlight.
The Seven Sons of Azure Firmament had also arrived. Huang Shan, who had just achieved the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage, was excited, eager to display his skills. However, seeing only seven enemies ahead, he calmed down.
When enemies were numerous, there were bound to be weaklings among them. When enemies were few, they were likely all experts.
Huang Shan had trained down the mountain and knew a fair bit about the martial world.
Judging by the bearing of those seven figures ahead, they were certainly terrifyingly strong.
One by one, Azure Firmament Sect disciples stepped forward, lining up behind Qin Ye. Watching this, Li Yang suddenly felt how much Azure Firmament Sect had changed. Some disciples, when he'd last visited, still bore children. Now they had the courage to face enemies.
Soon, the seven figures emerged from the snow mist. Six men and one woman, each wielding different weapons, wearing ghostly masks, looking like soul-reapers walking out from the underworld.
"Brothers, I didn't expect a bunch of children to block our path."
"Don't underestimate that girl. She actually managed to sever my flying dart. Though much of the force on the blade had dissipated, it still shows her martial arts aren't low."
"If the legendary divine technique really is here, that would be an unexpected delight."
"It seems our Crown Prince, seemingly at leisure, actually has his own purposes wherever he goes. Not to be underestimated."
These seven discussed among themselves, completely disregarding the Azure Firmament Sect crowd.
Yang Jueding stared intently at the seven, racking his memory. Suddenly, his expression shifted dramatically. He murmured to himself, "Could it be them..."
Li Yang turned to look at him, surprised. "You recognize them?"
"They might be the Demon Sect Seven Evils. Legend has it the Demon Sect Seven Evils are six men and one woman, each using different weapons, all possessing skill rivaling a prefecture's number one martial artist. One of them even won the title of Yuzhou's number one. After the imperial court annihilated the Demon Sect, they vanished without a trace. I never imagined that twenty years later, they'd still be alive..."
Yang Jueding's expression grew ugly, his voice heavy.
As a member of an ancient clan, Li Yang knew more about the Demon Sect than ordinary martial artists. He was equally terrified.
Since the Great Li Dynasty's founding, the most powerful martial arts sect had been the Demon Sect. Even the Three Sects of the Dynasty's Founding couldn't compare.
The Demon Sect had spread across several prefectures, sweeping through the martial world. Its countless experts had seized the title of number one in multiple prefectures, their demonic might overwhelming heaven and earth.
The most crucial point: the Demon Sect wasn't destroyed by righteous martial sects. The current Emperor had raised a great army to slaughter them, and it was said he paid a considerable price to do so.
It was no exaggeration to say the most recent martial arts legend was the Demon Sect. But the imperial court strictly forbade discussion of the Demon Sect and destroyed all records concerning them, so the younger generation rarely heard of their deeds.
"The Demon Sect Seven Evils were top-tier existences within the Demon Sect, in no way inferior to the Four Dharma Protectors. This won't be an easy fight." Li Yang said quietly.
Yang Jueding stared intently at the Demon Sect Seven Evils. "If we turn and run now, we'll die even faster."
His gaze involuntarily shifted to Xu Ning at the very front. Xu Ning had always seemed unfathomable to him, but facing the Demon Sect Seven Evils, he felt deeply uncertain.
He clenched his teeth, stepped forward, and prepared to fight alongside Xu Ning.
The Demon Sect Seven Evils stopped five zhang from Xu Ning. They paused, studying her with amusement.
The only woman among them let out a charming laugh. "Little girl, not bad martial arts. Want to join our sect? If you agree, you can choose any supreme technique in the world. We have all kinds of precious medicines to help temper your body. Within five years, you'll reach the peak and become a true supreme expert."
Xu Ning didn't answer. She drew her sword and pointed it at the Demon Sect Seven Evils. Her stance made her intentions clear.
The Seven Evils all wore ghostly masks, hiding their true faces. But from the way they gripped their weapons, Xu Ning had angered them.
Yang Jueding had just reached Xu Ning's side when a screech echoed between the two mountains. He instinctively looked up.
He recognized that screech. More accurately, all Azure Firmament Sect disciples recognized it. Everyone looked up—even Xu Ning.
"What's this? Praying to heaven?"
The axe-wielder among the Seven Evils laughed coldly. His build was massive, like an iron pagoda.
They had all heard the eagle's screech but paid it little mind. Could Azure Firmament Sect possibly command eagles to fight them?
Just then, a fierce wind descended from above, dispersing the snow mist over their heads. The Demon Sect Seven Evils looked up in shock. In the next instant, they all assumed combat stances, terrified.
A shadow descended, plunging them into darkness. Only their eyes were visible through their ghost masks, and now every pair was wide open, filled with shock and fear.
A colossal black eagle with a wingspan of five zhang hovered before them, wings constantly beating. Its talons hung in the air, sharp and gleaming coldly—far sharper than the Seven Evils' blades.
Having roamed the martial world for decades, the Demon Sect Seven Evils considered themselves the most terrifying existence in the world. But upon seeing this enormous black eagle, they were all frightened. They immediately leaped backward, distancing themselves from it.
Sunlight pierced through the snow mist, shining on the huge black eagle. The Seven Evils stared and discovered, to their horror, that a man stood on the eagle's back.
A very young, handsome man.
The Azure Firmament Sect side was also startled by Xiao Ba's sudden appearance. But when they saw Li Qingqiu's figure on its back, they erupted in excitement.
Yang Jueding breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure the Demon Sect Seven Evils exerted on him had been immense. Fortunately, Li Qingqiu had arrived.
But then again—how could he descend from the sky standing on an eagle's back?
Li Qingqiu's entrance made Yang Jueding's blood boil with excitement. He clenched his fists within his sleeves.
Li Yang gazed up at Li Qingqiu, mouth agape, eyes staring straight.
"What kind of sorcerer are you?"
The whip-wielder among the Seven Evils asked, his voice trembling. The sense of oppression from Li Qingqiu and Xiao Ba was too strong, putting immense pressure on them.
Li Qingqiu didn't reply. He raised his right hand. Instantly, the sound of blades being drawn rang out repeatedly. Over a dozen iron swords flew from the Azure Firmament Sect disciples' sheaths, hovering around him.
This sight terrified the Demon Sect Seven Evils. Their expressions shifted dramatically. They turned and fled.
The Azure Firmament Sect disciples' eyes went wide. Except for Xu Ning, even Zhang Yuchun and Yang Jueding were stunned by the scene of Li Qingqiu controlling the swords. Some even looked down at their own sheaths, wondering if they were dreaming.
Standing on the eagle's back, Li Qingqiu waved his right hand forward. In an instant, the dozen-plus hovering iron swords transformed into streaks of cold light, shooting forth.
One of the Seven Evils, wielding twin blades, heard the sound of something tearing through air behind him. He immediately spun around, slashing his twin blades forward to block the incoming flying swords.
Squelch—
Blood sprayed. This Evil's head was severed cleanly, his body still maintain the stance of holding his blades, while his twin swords shattered like broken mirrors, scattering in the air.
This scene terrified the remaining six Evils. Knowing they couldn't outrun the attack, they all turned, attempting to combine their strength to block.
One flying sword after another struck with inconceivable speed. Their movements seemed so slow in comparison. They were pierced through, one after another. The female expert, last in line, was dragged backward over ten zhang by a flying sword before being pinned to the snowy plain. Her limbs hung limply, and behind her ghost mask, her eyes were filled with despair.
In the space of a breath—from Li Qingqiu's strike to the Demon Sect Seven Evils' sudden deaths—less than two breaths had passed.
So fast that the Azure Firmament Sect members had no time to react.
In the distance, Su Xiling hurried to the cliff's edge just in time to witness this scene. Her eyes went wide. She instinctively rubbed them, making sure she wasn't mistaken.
Li Qingqiu withdrew his hand. The flying swords detached from the corpses and rapidly flew back toward him. He waved his hand backward, sleeves fluttering. The swords shed their sword energy, returning to ordinary iron blades as they slid back into their sheaths. The Azure Firmament Sect disciples only felt a vibration in their sword hands; looking down, their swords had returned to their scabbards.
"Elder Yang, remember to collect the bodies."
As Li Qingqiu's words fell, Xiao Ba beat its wings, stirring up a fierce gale. It shot upward and vanished into the wind and snow.
Even after he left, the Azure Firmament Sect disciples still hadn't processed what they'd witnessed.
Li Yang collapsed to his knees in the snow, gazing at the sky as if in a dream. What had he just seen?
"Was that martial arts... or immortal arts?"
Xu Ning, however, looked into the distance. She sensed Zhao Linglong and Dian Ming's auras. Before the Azure Firmament Sect disciples could come to their senses, she lifted her sword and rushed forward, quickly disappearing into the snow mist.
...
In the guest courtyard, Yan Lan held a book. Ku Yi had been down the mountain for some time. For some reason, Yan Lan felt restless, unable to focus on reading.
"Could this calamity be more than just Azure Firmament Sect's?"
Yan Lan murmured to himself. He set down his book and rose, walking toward the courtyard exit.
Ku Er, still recuperating, rose as well and followed his steps.
Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, a fierce wind arrived, pressing down the snow on the trees. Yan Lan raised an arm to shield himself from the falling snow. Suddenly, darkness passed before his eyes, then light returned in an instant. He instinctively turned his head—and his eyes went wide.
He saw an enormous, demonic-looking black eagle sweep past above the trees. And on its back was a figure, his back to Yan Lan.
Yan Lan froze, wondering if he'd seen wrong.
Ku Er emerged from the courtyard. He didn't see Li Qingqiu—only Xiao Ba. Xiao Ba's wings momentarily blocked Li Qingqiu from view.
"Such a huge eagle. There's a creature like this in these mountains?" Ku Er came to stand beside Yan Lan, his voice tinged with fear.
At that same moment.
Li Qingqiu stepped on Xiao Ba's head and muttered, "Can you not be so mischievous?"