Feng Jiu hesitated no longer. Raising his staff, he thrust it directly toward Qin Xuan.
This forced Qin Xuan to chant the seal incantation once more, holding him off with the true fire.
The Xieling Great Elder's onslaught was terrifying, setting the entire protective barrier formed by the Willow Constellation Earth Rock Fire Evil trembling incessantly. Only the Divine Quail True Fire stood unyielding and unscathed, incinerating every bit of magic power Feng Jiu hurled at it.
Qin Xuan realized that Senior Mao Yan truly had not boasted.
This true fire, refined for over a sexagenary cycle, was indeed extraordinary.
Even this old bastard from the Xieling Sect who had suddenly appeared could not breach it.
Feng Jiu's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "What formidable true fire! The one backing you is indeed remarkable, but how long can you hold out?"
With those words, knowing he could not afford delay, he flicked his sleeve, sending two yin souls flying out.
These two yin souls were likewise imbued with the Gui Yin Corpse-Refining Divine Evil, and under the Xieling Sect's flying corpse technique, they transformed into two towering monstrous shadows seventy to eighty feet high, hurling themselves like moths to a flame toward the Divine Quail True Fire.
The Secret Demon Evil-Dispelling Great Method was by no means empty talk.
Even such terrifying evil arts could still not pierce Mao Yan's magic.
At this moment, Qin Xuan was filled with longing for the sixteen secret treasuries of Chongjin Pass. Yet Old Man Black Corpse was targeting him directly; though unable to breach the spell, the assault had drained most of Qin Xuan's magic power.
"You can still hold on?!"
Feng Jiu showed a rare flicker of astonishment, but right then, a sudden chill struck his spine.
Riding a cloud in midair, Old Daoist Wu saw Qin Xuan's predicament. Reaching into the Flowery Pool of his dantian, he drew out a golden lotus, shimmering between illusion and reality, entwined with Xuan Yang evil qi.
This was the manifestation of a Qi Refining cultivator's foundational reserves!
One of the three flowers cultivated by a seeker of the Dao!
"Fellow Daoist Wu, have you lost your mind?!"
Feng Jiu barked in a low voice, ready to flee at any moment. Vice Sect Master Feng looked on in disbelief, while Zhang Laosan's eyelids twitched madly.
"If you destroy your dao flower just to unleash a moment of might, your cultivation will plummet in the future, and you will never again have the chance to condense a Golden Core in this lifetime! Fellow Daoist Wu, you are only a hair's breadth away—why go to such lengths for a mere junior?"
Yet in the air, Old Daoist Wu simply glanced at Qin Xuan, paying no heed to Feng Jiu's words.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan could not help trembling.
He knew the consequences of destroying one's dao foundation; he could never allow such a thing to happen! Taking a sharp breath to steady himself, his mind raced furiously.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through him!
Without hesitation, he revoked the seal incantation and stowed the earthenware pot Mao Yan had given him into his hundred-treasure pouch.
The evil qi dissipated, and the true fire vanished instantly.
"Hahaha! How truly moving!" Old Man Black Corpse chuckled in triumph. Snatching Qin Xuan, he held him before Old Daoist Wu as a shield.
This forced Old Daoist Wu to halt his movements.
Qin Xuan called out to Old Daoist Wu, "Temple Head, this senior is terribly lonely, and I enjoy nothing more than chatting with elders like him! Allow the two of us a moment to speak in private, and the matter will surely be resolved."
"Well said, quite sensible." Feng Jiu's wrinkled old face broke into a broad smile, and he patted Qin Xuan on the head. "I like juniors who know their place. You might as well become my true disciple."
In the next instant, taking Qin Xuan with him, he escaped deep underground.
Seeing that the deed was done, Zhang Laosan and Vice Sect Master Feng also moved to follow.
Yet Old Daoist Wu understood Qin Xuan's intention and moved to entangle the two. Before long, another figure came flying through the mist from the direction of Yuansong Temple.
The cultivator from the Scripture Pavilion had arrived...!
A great battle erupted within the city. Many were astonished to discover that the Xieling Sect still had numerous hidden cards, joining the fray one after another.
To capture Yuansong Temple's sword art genius, the Xieling Sect had mobilized more than half of its forces from Mount Tong. Never in centuries had they launched such a massive operation; the secrets behind it were beyond reckoning.
Old Daoist Wu's eyes turned red. He slew several Xieling elders in succession and severely wounded another master who was a martial senior to Vice Sect Master Feng.
He pursued relentlessly, buying time for Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan still had the talisman on him. At the moment, the Xieling Great Elder had fled underground near the Netherworld, where the dark yin ghost wind would disrupt the talisman's connection. Once they returned to the surface, the pursuit could resume.
...
"Senior, your earth escape art is truly astonishing. I have never seen anyone employ earth escape to such perfection."
"Heheheh..."
Feng Jiu chuckled sinisterly. "Does it feel hopeless? With my speed underground, even the great cultivator backing you could never catch up. Remember my words: if you wish to secure a foothold in the cultivation world, you must have a skill of your own."
"I am enlightened," Qin Xuan said with genuine agreement.
Seeing that he was not in the least panicked, Feng Jiu frowned. "Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I am. But Senior said you would take me as your true disciple, and I took it to heart."
"Hahaha!"
Feng Jiu laughed heartily. "Intriguing. It seems your skill is knowing how to behave. Not bad at all—that truly gives you a chance to stay alive. So long as you play no tricks with me, there is no harm in keeping you as a disciple."
Qin Xuan cupped his hands. "I will tell you everything I know without holding back a single word."
Deep underground, Feng Jiu's expression turned cold, and he suddenly reached out a hand toward him. "First, hand over the talisman you carry that allows them to track you."
As he said this, he keenly sensed a trace of panic in Qin Xuan, along with a hesitant reluctance to answer.
This made him even more pleased with himself.
Reaching out, he clamped down on Qin Xuan's arm. "What, refusing to listen to me?"
A piercing pain shot through Qin Xuan's arm as the old man's five fingers dug into the flesh. Instantly, a wave of spirit-harassing corpse poison surged forth, invading his soul with a bizarre, heart-bewitching technique.
However, the fiend dwelt within Qin Xuan's Taiyin aperture, breathing essence in and out; such minor soul-controlling magic was useless against him.
Even so, playing along with the mental suggestion, he produced the Talisman of Conferment.
The old man's soul-controlling technique was not particularly adept—certainly far below Gu Mei'er's level.
Qin Xuan had originally intended to answer along with the flow, but to his surprise, the old fellow did not even use the bewitching method to interrogate him.
After handing over the Talisman of Conferment, Feng Jiu saw Qin Xuan sigh and clutch his wound, looking as if he had resigned himself to his fate.
"Moo—!"
Right then, what sounded like the lowing of a bull resonated from the subterranean depths, piercing straight through the dark yin ghost wind. Feng Jiu's eyes filled with horror, and Qin Xuan was equally startled to sense a gaze from the depths fixed upon the two of them.
A demon of the Netherworld!
Feng Jiu had been overly cautious, escaping all the way beneath the underground river, right to the brink of the Netherworld.
Above the nether soil of the Nine Nethers flowed the Huangquan River—an underground world inhabited by demons.
Feng Jiu put away the talisman, stabbed his staff through the bed of the underground river, and seized Qin Xuan, escaping to the surface at top speed.
This time, Qin Xuan felt genuine lingering dread.
In his current state, meeting a demon would make him nothing more than rations.
The demon did not give chase. Feng Jiu regained his composure. They were now outside Pingyuan Commandery City, with Hawk's Beak Mountain visible in the distance.
"Tell me about Geng Zhi."
"Yes."
Qin Xuan complied. Seeing the old man extend his hand, he surrendered the hundred-treasure pouch, though not before taking out a poison-avoiding pill and swallowing it to counter the corpse poison in his arm.
Feng Jiu did not stop him. At this point, Qin Xuan posed not the slightest threat to him.
Qin Xuan walked alongside him, recounting the matter of Geng Zhi in detail without omitting a word, every detail drawn from what he had witnessed with his own eyes.
Even so, he deliberately left a few loose ends, letting Feng Jiu see that he was playing petty tricks and holding something back.
This, ironically, put Feng Jiu at ease; the old man nodded repeatedly, listening in silence.
Only when he reached the treasure of Hawk's Beak Mountain did Qin Xuan begin to elaborate slightly.
Great Elder Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks, fixing him with a sharp gaze. "You claim Geng Zhi left treasures in the false tomb on Hawk's Beak Mountain?"
Qin Xuan replied, "Senior may inspect my hundred-treasure pouch. Inside is an iron plaque, which serves as the key to controlling that false tomb."
Hearing this, Feng Jiu indeed searched through it.
He drew out the iron plaque and examined its patterns. "Indeed, this iron plaque is truly an item of the Juetian Sect."
"The Juetian Sect? I have never heard of such a name," Qin Xuan asked curiously.
"It is a sect of Zhongzhou. With the myriad dharmas and sects possessing ancient lineages, even I cannot recognize them all. What is so strange about you not knowing?"
Feng Jiu was unwilling to say more. "Come, let us go see that false tomb..."
...
Chapter 57