Shock to the Mind

Wu Youdao did not believe a word of Qin Sang's nonsense. In a fury, he barked, "Sneaking rat! Not only did you trespass on our mountain, but you dared to slaughter a disciple of my sect right before my eyes! I will see you dead today!" Qin Sang chuckled. "If you were in my shoes, Fellow Daoist Wu, would you simply surrender without a fight? Besides, that Wen Yanjie and this old man had an old grudge between us; I merely lacked the time to deal with him before. Go back and investigate, and you will see what sort of man he was. You could even say I helped cleanse your sect of filth, saving your Qingyang Sect from offending powerful enemies and bringing calamity upon yourselves later." "Still twisting logic with that glib tongue!" Wu Youdao's fury blazed, yet doubt stirred in his heart. Qin Sang had named Wen Yanjie without missing a beat, and his tone did not sound feigned. Could they truly have crossed paths before? Cultivators at the Core Formation stage and those at Foundation Establishment existed in two different worlds. Unless Wen Yanjie had been utterly blind and committed some grave offense, why would a Golden Core expert ever pay him any heed? Even as the thoughts ran through his mind, Wu Youdao showed no sign of stopping. If anything, his assault grew fiercer. Qin Sang gave a cold snort. "It seems there is no avoiding a proper battle with you today. Let us see if you have what it takes to keep this old man here!" Wu Youdao was not a veteran Golden Core cultivator. That he possessed two magic treasures was thanks to the legacy left by the elders of the Qingyang Demonic Sect. Other cultivators who had reached Core Formation around the same time might still be racking their brains, struggling to gather spiritual materials just to forge their life magic treasures. After clashing for so long, Qin Sang had gained a thorough grasp of Wu Youdao's life magic treasure. Unless Wu Youdao held other cards up his sleeve, Qin Sang was confident he would not be suppressed before his true essence ran dry. Throughout the fight, he had even picked up quite a few flame-manipulation techniques from Wu Youdao. The Ten Directions Yanluo Banner swelled in size until it stood several tens of feet tall, planted upright before Qin Sang. As the banner fluttered, Nine Nether Demonic Fire surged forth, blotting out half the sky. The other half was claimed by Wu Youdao's Qingyang Demonic Fire. Black and azure, the two seas of flame whirled violently, crashing and colliding with each other. Wave surged over wave, piling into an azure-black volcano in the heart of the conflagration. The aura of demonic fire swept in all directions, driving the birds and beasts of the mountains into frantic flight. *** At the Qingyang Demonic Sect. Li Qing emerged from the forbidden area and flew toward Divine Astral Peak, a trace of doubt lingering in his eyes. Upon returning to Divine Astral Peak, Li Qing saw his fellow sect members gathered around the vortex without making a move to rescue the trapped disciples. Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he spotted an elderly man and asked, "Senior Brother Ji, why haven't you moved to save them?" "Junior Brother Li, you've returned," the elder surnamed Ji said, hurrying over with concern. "How are things in the forbidden area? What treasures did that thief make off with?" Li Qing hesitated before replying, "I followed Uncle-Master Wu's orders and thoroughly inspected every corner of the forbidden area. There were no signs of anyone sneaking inside. The vital sites and the treasures within are all untouched. Even... even the defensive spiritual array of the forbidden area shows no sign of breach." Hearing this, the elder surnamed Ji looked equally astonished. He turned to glance at the swirling vortex of wind and clouds. "I had people patrol everywhere, and they found nothing amiss either. Why would an esteemed Core Formation expert sneak in just for a single piece of astral jade? If he had simply come up the mountain to ask for it, Uncle-Master Wu likely wouldn't have refused, would he? Why go to such great lengths and put himself in harm's way?" "Not necessarily!" Li Qing shook his head. "Some time ago, I overheard the Sect Master mention something to Uncle-Master Wu. The Ancestral Holy Fire will soon enter a new period of dormancy. Once it awakens, it will be even harder to placate, requiring even more astral jade. Meanwhile, those of us at the False Core stage and above must absorb the pure astral qi within the astral jade to temper our demonic fire. As one waxes, the other wanes; sooner or later, a day will come when we can no longer keep the Ancestral Holy Fire suppressed." The elder surnamed Ji sighed softly. "In the past, our ancestors left behind the holy fire to protect their descendants. Who could have imagined it would one day become our greatest peril?" Even as they spoke, sudden cries of alarm broke out nearby. The vortex of wind and clouds swelled abruptly, doubling in size in the blink of an eye. The lightning within brandished its claws, churning with wild arrogance. The surrounding disciples were nearly sucked in and hurriedly scrambled backward. The two flashed over to inspect it closely. Only when the vortex ceased expanding did they breathe a collective sigh of relief. The elder surnamed Ji spoke with a grave expression. "Our two junior brothers have been trapped for too long. The power of wind and thunder at the outer edge of the vortex has gathered to a terrifying degree. Fortunately, the Ancestral Holy Fire at the center has not yet spiraled out of control, or their fates would already be sealed. We dare not force a breakthrough with the Azure Fire Banner Gate Formation; if we cannot control the flame's power, we might only end up harming them. To save them, Uncle-Master Wu must act in person. Moreover, if this drags on much longer, I fear it will trigger a chain reaction. If the other astral jades shatter under the strain, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Li Qing trusted Senior Brother Ji's judgment and declared decisively, "Repair the flying boat at once and summon the junior brothers holding azure banners..." The elder surnamed Ji gave Li Qing a look and hesitated. "Junior Brother Li, in my humble opinion, perhaps we should report the situation here to Uncle-Master Wu before making a decision." Li Qing frowned. "What do you mean, Senior Brother Ji?" Using voice transmission, the elder surnamed Ji said, "Junior Brother Li, earlier I sent several disciples to assist Junior Brother Yang with repairing the flying boat, but word came back saying the damage is severe and cannot be mended in short order." Li Qing let out a cold snort, his expression darkening instantly. The elder surnamed Ji waved his hand. "Watching Junior Brother Wen's head blown apart with a single palm, his blood splattered across the sky—such a sight would deal a tremendous shock to the mind of anyone who witnessed it. Even now, thinking back on it leaves me shaken; we cannot truly blame them. But that is not my main point. Consider this, Junior Brother Li: had that man stolen a prized treasure from the forbidden area, we could never let him get away with it, and we would have to exhaust the sect's full might to slay him. Yet now it turns out our only loss was a small piece of astral jade..." Pausing slightly and noting Li Qing's thoughtful look, the elder shifted his tone. "Of course, whether to kill or release him is for Uncle-Master Wu to decide, and we must still make whatever preparations are required. That is why I suggest you convey the news to Uncle-Master Wu first. Once he knows the full picture, he can act with clear purpose." Having said his piece, the elder surnamed Ji stepped aside and directed the others to inspect the surroundings for any abnormalities among the astral jades. Li Qing lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned and descended the mountain alone. *** Deep in the wild, desolate mountains. Qin Sang and Wu Youdao were locked in fierce combat. The Ten Directions Yanluo Banner and the fire gourd clashed head-on, neither yielding an inch. Their battlefield had already shifted across more than a dozen mountaintops, leaving swathes of scorched earth in their wake. Qin Sang felt entirely exasperated. No matter what he said, Wu Youdao acted as though deaf to his words, showing no sign of relenting. Qin Sang could not tell whether the man had seen through something. As he fought, Qin Sang carefully budgeted his true essence, estimating he could hold out for another hour at most. If he could not force Wu Youdao to retreat within an hour, his only choice would be to use the Xutian Thunder. He would have only one shot.