Qingjun

Heavenly Demon Transformation, Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, Sword Qi Thunder Sound... Qin Sang unleashed every skill at his disposal, fleeing toward the Sword Path without looking back. If this person was not Qingzhu, then who was he? Where had Qingzhu gone? Why had Qingzhu become like this? What was he planning to do, remaining on the eighth floor? Despite the myriad questions swirling in his mind, Qin Sang did not hesitate for a second. Having sensed ill intent in Qingzhu's tone, Qin Sang—cautious by nature—made his first reaction to extricate himself from danger before considering anything else. With his current strength, he was nowhere near qualified to bargain with a Nascent Soul expert. There were Nascent Soul cultivators of both races on the seventh floor. Escaping there might offer a slim chance of survival. Events proved that Qin Sang had made the right choice. Seeing Qin Sang flee so decisively, Qingzhu's expression showed a flicker of surprise, but it quickly turned into a cold sneer. Without any visible movement, he vanished from where he stood, only to traverse hundreds of zhang in the next instant and appear directly above the external incarnation. The external incarnation paused slightly, then raised the blood sword without hesitation, transforming into a streak of crimson light that struck straight for Qingzhu's vitals. The screech of the blade was piercing, and the momentum of the crimson rainbow was terrifying. The external incarnation's cultivation was formidable in its own right, and wielding a mid-grade magic treasure like the blood sword, his strength placed him among the pinnacle of Core Formation cultivators. Yet facing such an assault, Qingzhu neither dodged nor parried. "Ignorant fool!" Qingzhu gave a cold snort. Glancing at the crimson rainbow, he turned his palm downward and struck out with what seemed like an effortless slap. A surge of black light erupted from Qingzhu's palm, condensing into a square black seal. Rolling with dark miasma, the seal plummeted from the sky with thunderous might. *Boom!* After an earth-shattering roar, the crimson rainbow shattered on impact. The blood sword let out a mournful wail, and the figure was thrown backward even faster than he had charged, smashing through several black boulders in succession before staggering repeatedly to barely regain his footing. The external incarnation's face turned deathly pale. He could not even withstand a single blow from Qingzhu. Witnessing this, Qin Sang's eyelids twitched, his heart sinking instantly to the very bottom. "*Hiss...*" Bai's anxious voice came from the corpse puppet pouch. "Run! This man's strength is definitely no weaker than the one who cornered you before! Why are you always provoking foes like this?" Bai now deeply regretted accompanying Qin Sang. Not even a single day had passed since they swore their pact, yet here he was, trapped in such dire straits with no way to flee. He was suddenly seized by an ominous premonition that he was going to be dragged into a catastrophic mess. Qin Sang gave a bitter inward grimace, feeling completely wronged. He had always kept a low profile and focused solely on arduous cultivation. How could he possibly seek out such formidable enemies on his own? They were the ones who kept coming after him! The encounter outside the Ghostland was at least understandable. Qingzhu's appearance, however, had come with no warning at all; no one could have anticipated such a development. He had thought it would be a blessing, never imagining that this Qingzhu was not that Qingzhu. Senior Qingzhu had not merely broken through to the Nascent Soul stage—he was at least a mid-Nascent Soul expert. Yet for some unknown reason, he had ended up like this. Having repelled the external incarnation with a single strike, Qingzhu suddenly frowned deeply. For some reason, his arm began to tremble violently, and the black seal that was about to smash into the incarnation again abruptly fractured and dissolved. A vicious look surfaced on Qingzhu's face, and he gritted his teeth. "Your oil is nearly spent and your flame is almost extinguished, yet you still dare to stir up trouble! It seems this brat really does share quite a close connection with us. Very well. Once I capture him, I will make you watch with your own eyes as your dearest kin is tortured to pieces. Let us see how long you can hold out!" Strangely, there was no one in front of Qingzhu. *Whoosh!* The external incarnation formed a sword incantation, channeling his true essence into the blood sword without reservation. The sword qi flared violently, turning into an extraordinarily thick bolt of crimson lightning that tore through the air in the blink of an eye. Qingzhu wrenched his trembling arm behind his back, reached out with his other hand, and clawed savagely toward the external incarnation. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...* Five black threads shot out, crisscrossing in the void in the span of a spark to form a massive black web. At the same time, the blood sword crashed headlong into the web. The web coiled inward, razor-sharp, and easily sheared through the sword qi. Following a harsh, grating shriek of clashing metal, the sword qi scattered to reveal the blood sword itself. Deep, fine score marks lined the blade as it darted frantically within the web like a headless fly, in mortal danger. A fierce glint flashed in Qingzhu's eyes, and he clenched his fist, causing the web to tighten violently inward. *Bang!* The blood sword went rigid, on the verge of being shredded to ribbons. Right at that moment, this arm of Qingzhu's also began to tremble, and the great web wavered with instability. Seizing the opening, the blood sword slipped through a gap and fled. Qingzhu let out a furious roar, forcibly suppressing the resistance within his body, and lashed out with a palm strike toward the external incarnation. The nearly collapsing web condensed into a cluster, violently whipping the external incarnation away, leaving his fate unknown. "You dare ruin my plans? I will make your successor taste agony worse than death!" Infuriated to the extreme, Qingzhu paid the external incarnation no further mind. Glancing toward Qin Sang's direction of flight, his figure flickered as he gave chase in hot pursuit. Qin Sang was already pushing himself to his absolute limits, yet he seemed agonizingly slow before Qingzhu; his movement arts were far inferior. The distance between them shrank rapidly. Qin Sang could practically feel the fierce wind bearing down on the back of his neck. Before he could even reach the Sword Path, Qingzhu was already upon him. Facing such an opponent, Qin Sang could not help but feel a twinge of despair. This was perhaps one of the most perilous situations he had faced since embarking on the immortal path, with not a shred of hope for victory. *Fellow Daoist, all we can do is stake everything and leave the rest to fate!* Qin Sang sent a voice transmission to Bai. Even in despair, he would not sit idly by and wait for death. His hand seals shifted in rapid succession, secretly preparing the Thunder Command Art. Then his escaping light came to a sudden halt, and he spun around to face Qingzhu, abandoning any attempt to run. The ebony sword flew out from between his brows, humming softly with a mournful resonance, as if feeling its master's state of mind. The sword wheel manifested, and sword qi crisscrossed the sky. "A mantis trying to stop a chariot!" Having suppressed the internal resistance by now, Qingzhu repeated his earlier technique. The great web reappeared, descending like a sky-blotting shroud. Qin Sang's swordsmanship was far superior to that of his incarnation, yet the outcome against the web was no different. Once the sword wheel was enveloped by the net, its momentum was immediately smothered. Qin Sang was not surprised in the least. Thunder rumbled within him, and the jade bottle containing the Three Lights Jade Liquid had already slipped covertly into his palm. Right at that razor's edge, an unexpected sight unfolded. Qingzhu's body suddenly convulsed. He clutched his chest with one hand, a flush rising to his face as he let out continuous furious bellows. The web wavered once more, allowing the ebony sword to seize the chance and break free. Qin Sang had noticed something peculiar earlier, and seeing this, a sudden realization struck him. Seeing that the trembling within Qingzhu's body was beginning to subside, a flash of inspiration hit Qin Sang. His spiritual sense swept into the Qianjun Ring, instantly locating an object. "Senior, do you still remember the person who carved this sword?" Qin Sang raised an ordinary-looking wooden sword high into the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. It was none other than the peach wood sword he had once chosen from Granny Jing's shop! Granny Jing's carving artistry was the greatest Qin Sang had ever seen in his life; even a simple wooden sword held her unique, unmistakable charm. "Qingjun!" A startled exclamation rang out from within Qingzhu's body—distinctly the voice of another person.