Lian Ji had perished without ever understanding how, for Qin Xuan had no leisure to pay him any mind.
Recalling his sword talisman with one hand, Qin Xuan shouted toward Captain Lu, "Monsters of the Xieling Sect are openly slaughtering a royal temple deity inside the city! Does Captain Lu intend to turn a blind eye?"
Lu Zongyi glanced sideways at Qin Xuan, the veins at his temples bulging.
Spurred into action, he swept his arm wide, already brandishing a Black Eagle Banner. Divine array runes surged forth from the cloth, and wherever the magic power passed, the ground instantly turned hard as cast iron, spreading directly beneath the feet of the Xieling Sect cultivators to cut off their earth escape route.
On the other side, Yan Lu struck as well, tossing out her City God token.
From the token flew four white-clad bailiff spirits, all incorporeal souls. The four ghosts took positions at the four corners and swung their intimidation batons, which inherently possessed the power to suppress the yin qi of evil wraiths.
Incense divine power churned in all directions, engulfing the entire Xieling contingent in a flash.
In a duel between Qi Refining cultivators, life and death hung on a single heartbeat.
The members of the Xieling Sect were no fools; once trapped within a divine incense grand array, their sinister yin arts would be thoroughly countered.
Though Xu Dong's primary objective was Qin Xuan, he spotted a vulnerability at this moment and lunged straight toward Captain Lu.
The remaining Xieling disciples summoned their yin spirits to entangle Qin Xuan, while the other three elders, rich in combat experience, followed close behind Fourth Elder Xu.
Sure enough, Lu Zongyi had the weakest will to fight of anyone present. Unwilling to risk his life, he gladly seized the excuse to yield, withdrawing his Black Eagle Banner and retreating sharply. Yan Lu, stationed beside him, was not even given a chance to coordinate.
The Xieling elders had merely feigned their assault; the moment Captain Lu pulled back, they immediately turned into four ghostly silhouettes and pounced directly at Qin Xuan.
A streak of emerald light flashed before everyone's eyes, and three more Xieling disciples screamed as their heads were severed from their shoulders.
The remaining disciples were filled with horror!
Fourth Elder Xu let out a furious roar and whipped out a chain linked from corpses' bones. "Boy, surrender!"
Xu Dong's magic power was inferior to that of a protector deity, but it was far above Qin Xuan's.
Not daring to clash head-on, Qin Xuan channeled his qi to dart away, but the bone chain pursued him relentlessly.
While Xu Dong pressed the attack, the other three elders hurriedly released yin spirits from their sleeves, cutting off all directions and driving Qin Xuan into a dead end.
Qin Xuan had no choice but to push his sword light to carve out an escape path.
The guardian elder who had accompanied Xu Dong to Pingyuan Commandery had been waiting for this exact moment. Seeing that the trap was sprung and sensing that Qin Xuan's sword art was losing its momentum, he immediately unleashed the flying corpse technique!
Pouring his soul into a yin spirit, he instantly transformed into a yin fiend. Relying on his formidable magic power, he summoned roiling black mist that engulfed his surroundings, first breaking the Day Wandering Spirit's City God token. Then, a massive claw nearly five feet long, accompanied by a biting yin wind, reached out to seize Qin Xuan in its grasp.
Qin Xuan slipped into the neighboring courtyard, vanishing from sight.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Swirling with black wind, the elder transformed into a flying corpse and gave chase without hesitation. With his level of magic power, he was certain he could take this core disciple of Yuansong Temple.
Yet the moment he crossed the separating wall, the guardian elder saw the silhouette of a fiend suddenly scatter into fine threads of black mist, which were involuntarily sucked into the flying corpse's body.
"Argh—!"
Before anyone else could comprehend what was happening, the elder let out a bloodcurdling shriek. His eyes turned crimson, and his two massive claws clamped onto his own throat as he rode the flying corpse technique straight into the sky.
Not far away, Lord Gutless was dumbfounded.
He had thought Qin Xuan was doomed and had been rejoicing internally, believing he had eliminated a future trouble for General Manager Black Catfish—a great merit indeed. Who could have expected this Xieling elder to suffer a mishap while circulating his art? Lord Gutless asked urgently, "What happened?!"
Captain Lu said in horror, "His flying corpse technique was unrefined. When his soul left his body to commune with heaven and earth, an inner fiend seized his mind, and he was corrupted."
*Boom—!!*
Before his words had even settled, the flying corpse's soul exploded midair, its countless fiendish thoughts scattering into the world, impossible to trace.
A chill ran through everyone's heart.
Tribulations along the path of cultivation were everywhere. Without reaching the level of an indestructible soul, one was as fragile as bamboo paper before heaven and earth.
*Clang—!*
Emerald light swirled in the air as Qin Xuan returned unscathed.
Xu Dong reacted the fastest. Just as he moved to wield the bone chain once more, a dark figure suddenly burst from the earth, and Zhao Huaimin struck him with an overwhelmingly powerful fist infused with yellow light!
Xu Dong spat blood, hurled backward into several walls that collapsed upon him.
Zhang Laosan, lurking beneath the earth, was about to make his move when he detected a disturbance in the sky. Like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, he heard the beating of white crane wings and feared a repeat of what had happened at the Geng residence. In his hesitation, he did not dare activate the Xieling Sect's secret corpse puppet grand formation.
He Wushuang swooped down from the air, shouting, "Zhang Laosan, where are you hiding? The temple head is looking for you!"
Xu Dong vomited another mouthful of blood and roared, "Brother Zhang, activate the formation at once!"
Zhang Laosan hesitated for only a few breaths, but the white crane had already struck. Taking advantage of Fourth Elder Xu being grievously wounded by Zhao Huaimin, its talons swept through as a burst of demon qi sliced cleanly in an instant like a dragonfly skimming the water, before the crane flew upward with Fourth Elder Xu's head in its grasp.
"Zhang Laosan, where are you?!"
Another shout from the crane shattered the resolve of the remaining Xieling cultivators.
Zhang Laosan still made no move.
Qin Xuan's sword light did not rest either, slaying three more Xieling disciples. Seeing this, one of the two remaining elders escaped into the earth, while the other was injured by Day Wandering Spirit Yan Lu. Zhao Huaimin had wanted to take him alive, but the man fought desperately to flee, leaving Zhao Huaimin no choice but to strike him dead.
Qin Xuan spared several disciples, managing to knock one unconscious to secure a captive.
With the rest of the Xieling Sect in retreat, Lianyun Manor was finally on the verge of returning to calm.
However...
Just as the white crane was about to land, a multicolored, slime-coated spiderweb emerged in the distance. Trailing a rainbow mist and shimmering like flowing light, it abruptly descended toward the spot where Qin Xuan and Zhao Huaimin had converged.
Massive as the web was, its speed was astonishing!
Moreover, the attacker seemed to have calculated that they would gather beside the captive; the web locked onto their qi, intent on enveloping both of them.
Sensing the terrifying toxicity within it, the white crane cried out, "Quick, dodge!"
Before its words could fade, a grand beam of golden Buddhist light moved faster than any of them could react. It swept past Lord Gutless, turning his smiling face deathly pale, and struck the spiderweb with peculiar Buddhist runes, blasting a massive hole through it.
"Curse you! My precious web!"
Pained to the core, the ambusher in the darkness shrieked and hastily reeled in the web. Turning toward the source of the Buddhist light, the figure roared in suppressed fury and sheer bewilderment, "These... these are the Buddhist runes of the Five Rafts and Eight Chans! Exactly which elder of Xiniuhezhou has graced us with his presence?! Why intervene?!"
In the darkness, the Buddhist light seemed about to flare once more.
The speaker was terrified and fled at maximum speed. Zhang Laosan, who had been waiting for an opening underground, now plunged straight into an underground river. He was utterly terrified—a powerhouse of the Western Religion was actually nearby!
This expert had acted once before at the Geng residence for unknown reasons.
Now, it appeared the figure was protecting that disciple from Yuansong Temple.
Unable to make sense of it, Zhang Laosan had no intention of lingering. Leaving his sect members behind, he sped toward the borders of Pingyuan Commandery. This place was too perilous; staying even a moment longer might cost him his life.
The crowd stared in the direction of the Buddhist light, but no one appeared for a long time.
Qin Xuan transmitted his voice: "Huaimin, do you have any ties to the Western Religion?"
Zhao Huaimin shook his head and asked Qin Xuan in return, receiving the same reaction.
"Just now, when that monster tried to strike at us, that Western Religion figure seemed to step in solely to aid you. The one who intervened that night at the Geng residence was likely this same person."
Zhao Huaimin's words plunged Qin Xuan into thought; he had no recollection of ever establishing karmic ties with the Western Religion.
Captain Lu's expression darkened as he said to Qin Xuan, "A thousand years ago in Pingyuan Commandery, a sword-wielding monk joined the Western Religion and cultivated at Thousand Buddha Mountain. Perhaps someone from Thousand Buddha Mountain has taken an interest in you and intends to convert you into their fold. Young Master Qin, what fine fortune you possess."
His words concealed malice.
For someone of the Dao Sect to be converted into a Buddhist Arhat was undoubtedly a humiliation to a great sect.
"Captain Lu, I fought side by side with the protector deity of Hawk's Beak Mountain, yet you stood by and watched him be slain by demon sect monsters. You had best consider how you will explain that to the mountain god."
Lu Zongyi snorted coldly, unwilling to engage in a war of words.
Qin Xuan turned his gaze to the crab demon. "You hold the talisman of the Yishui River God's Mansion, yet you looked on as demon sect members committed murder, and you even colluded with a spider demon to harm disciples of my Yuansong Temple. It seems both the Yishui River God's Mansion and the Lan River Water Mansion are in league with the demon sect. This matter must be reported to the Upper Court."
"You—!" Lord Gutless dearly wished to curse, but remembering the Buddhist light from moments before, he reined himself in.
"This is no place to speak. Another day, I will visit Yuansong Temple so we may have a detailed talk."
"There is no need. When I find the time, I will personally visit the Lan River Water Mansion to speak with you."
Threatened in turn, the crab demon's face turned livid. Recalling General Manager Black Catfish's instructions, he had no choice but to take his leave. Captain Lu followed right behind him.
Yan Lu picked up a fragment of earth left by the protector deity. "I must report this matter to Lord City God. The Xieling demon cultivators have murdered a divine official of our commandery; they must be hunted down to the end."
Having said that, she bade them farewell and departed the manor.
The commandery's Lord City God was also a divine spirit under the dynasty's governance. Unlike the surrounding mountain gods and earth deities, he held equal rank with the Yingyang Prefecture and commanded the incense of the entire commandery, standing as the mightiest divine entity in the territory.
Though Protector Shi's death was connected to Qin Xuan, the deed had ultimately been done by the Xieling Sect.
Yan Lu's parting words made her stance clear.
Zhao Huaimin lifted the captive from the Xieling Sect, signaled to the white crane, which was quickly clearing the battlefield, and turned to Qin Xuan. "Zihou, leave this one to Brother Crane and me. Go speak with them."
"All right," Qin Xuan agreed.
Without wasting words, Zhu Jinting led him straight toward the rear courtyard.
Although there were Qi Refining cultivators at Lianyun Manor, Qin Xuan had long sent a voice transmission telling Zhu Jinting to have them hold back under the pretense of keeping a reserve. The Xieling Sect was after him; had Lianyun Manor been dragged into a post-battle reckoning, not only would Qin Xuan have felt indebted, but the matter regarding Madam Wei would have been ruined as well.
"Brother Zhu, I am sorry that this incident caused the destruction of your courtyard..."
"Ah—!" Zhu Jinting hastily cut him off. "Even if the entire manor were torn down, it could not compare to the debt of saving my life, Brother Qin.
"Furthermore..."
At this point, he let out several sighs in succession. Qin Xuan did not press him, waiting for him to speak on his own.
"Brother Qin, do you know what connection Zhu has with Madam Wei?"
Qin Xuan shook his head.
"My ancestor was once an honorary disciple of Patriarch Wei Heng, one of the Seven Friends of Longmen."
Hearing this, Qin Xuan found it hard to believe; no matter how one looked at it, Lianyun Manor hardly seemed to possess such an illustrious background.
Seeing his expression, Zhu Jinting stood beneath the veranda and sighed. "According to the records left by my ancestor, the Nine Provinces sit at the pinnacle of the three thousand worlds, the place where the Great Dao flourishes the most. Among the myriad living beings, families with formidable roots are beyond count, yet eight or nine out of ten eventually wither away.
"How could innate bone structure and comprehension be passed down generation after generation? The severance of an orthodox lineage requires only a single natural disaster or man-made calamity. How many ancient clans could endure from before Chaotic Antiquity through the struggles among the great sects down to the present day?"
Qin Xuan caught the implication. "Is that patriarch currently at Chongjin Pass?"
He asked obliquely, but Old Zhu shook his head outright.
"He is not. It is said Patriarch Wei passed away during the Great Tribulation of Chaotic Antiquity; once an enlightened one is dissolved by the Great Dao, not even reincarnation can bring them forth. Thus, my ancestor left instructions never to seek his traces again; future generations could only rely on themselves.
"Our family severed contact with the patriarch's line long ago. In the entire Pingyuan Commandery, only Temple Head Wu originally knew of it.
"Later, when Mr. Zheng of Chongjin Pass arrived, I knew my chance had come. He brought a mischievous cat, which I treated as a priceless treasure."
Zhu Jinting slapped his thigh. "Brother Qin, to tell you the truth, though my son lacks a steadfast will, his innate bones are not poor. If we handled this matter properly, relying on this favor, he would have an opportunity to enter Chongjin Pass. That is a major power in the East Sea, and Madam Wei can even contact several of the other patriarchs—an unimaginable fortuitous encounter.
"However..."
Qin Xuan finished the thought for him: "The cat went missing, didn't it?"
Old Zhu made a tearful face. "After the cat went missing, I didn't dare tell that hot-tempered Mr. Mao right away, so I had to search Hawk's Beak Mountain myself. In the end, I stumbled into a patch of yin mist and fell unconscious..."
Unwilling to dwell further on the sorrowful details, he fixed his eyes on Qin Xuan and said, "Brother Qin, if you help retrieve the cat, Zhu will give you an item left behind by my ancestors..."
Chapter 41