That Fiend Qin Xuan's Doing!

In the first month of autumn, the summer heat gradually began to recede. The verdant hue of Hawk's Beak Mountain had not yet faded, though a touch of pale yellow had started to tint the foliage. On this day, fierce winds whipped up, ushering in several swathes of clouds as dark as concentrated ink. The ghostly mist in the mountains grew steadily denser, accompanied by the occasional prolonged wails of spirits carrying wave after wave of yin qi steaming up from deep underground. The villagers of Daoxiang Hollow at the foot of the mountain had long since relocated elsewhere. Lately, many Qi Refiners had climbed the mountain in search of the tomb, yearning to uncover the treasures left behind by the Pingyuan King. Yet whenever they reached the western side of Hawk's Beak Mountain, these people vanished without a trace. "Sect Master, look!" Astride a gloomy cloud, Zhang Laosan, both arms wrapped in bandages, pointed downward toward the undulating mountains and streams. The deeper one's cultivation ran among the people of the Xieling Sect, the keener their perception of earth qi became. Inspecting terrains and watercourses, seeking dragons, and surveying mountains were their core trade, after all. "A dragon vein underground has died!" "The Spirit-Corroding Cold Evil truly lives up to its name as the evil qi of accumulated demon corpses—it is genuinely extraordinary. This place is of grave omen!" Zhang Laosan wore a look of deep wariness. "Three thousand years ago, this Pingyuan King was also a supreme figure. He cultivated an immortal method that drew the attention of numerous factions across Great Yan, only to meet a bizarre end. Heaven knows what strange secrets lie beneath this tomb. For the Huanyin Sect and the Renmao Sect to choose this place as their base, they truly have gall." Feng Wen let out a cold snort. "They don't have gall—they're cowards. A grand tomb in an ominous land often gathers tribulation qi. If supreme experts from Guanjiang Mountain come here, they'll hesitate and have more misgivings. Those two sects are merely using the king's tomb as cover for themselves." Zhang Laosan asked again, "Sect Master, must we truly join forces with them?" "We have no other choice." Feng Wen's brows knit tight. "Yuansong Temple and the Divine Way factions have already pressed us hard enough, and now Liangfeng Temple actually wants to deliver me into their monastery. Those people from the Western Religion are utterly foolish. What good does acting like this do them?" Zhang Laosan was equally bewildered. Instead of sitting back and watching the show, the monks of the Western Religion were actually stepping in to aid the Dao Sect. The bloody world had truly gone mad. Just as he was about to speak, an aura hurtled toward them through the distant sky at high speed, the voice arriving even faster than the person: "What friends have entered the mountain?" Zhang Laosan shouted, "Sect Master Feng of the Xieling Sect has arrived!" Instantly, the black mist hanging like curtains throughout the mountains parted. "Friends from the Xieling Sect, please enter—!" Steering his dark cloud, Feng Wen entered the encampment of the Renmao and Huanyin Sects alongside Zhang Laosan. It was precisely the place where Qin Xuan had slain the band of Renmao Sect disciples days before. The moment Zhang Laosan set foot there, he felt a wave of profound ill fortune. He saw rows of tombstones, all newly erected. At the very front stood a grave marked: *Tomb of Junior Brother Shi Biao*. The person who had erected the stone was none other than Qiu Bailu, the local leader of the Renmao Sect. The monument he had put up was quite simple, devoid of empty titles. Had Shen Yunfei been here, he surely would have conferred upon Shi Biao the title of Wood Xiao Immortal. Even so, Qiu Bailu had built the grave very neatly, the mound smoothed and level, showing a degree of respect for the deceased. The largest grave among them naturally belonged to Qiu Bailu's beloved disciple—the one captured and interrogated by Qin Xuan. As Zhang Laosan looked down the row, his heart sank. With so many dead, it seemed the Renmao Sect's situation was far from optimistic as well. Nearby, a good number of Foundation Building and Qi Refining cultivators were bustling back and forth, setting up a formation. Several evil-refining cultivators stood off to the side. Zhang Laosan kept his mouth shut. Feng Wen looked toward the gaunt figure standing before the tombstones and asked, "Mr. Qiu, who did this?" Beside Qiu Bailu stood two short, stocky, grotesque men shaped like tree stumps. Like Shi Biao, whom Qin Xuan had killed, they were Qiu Bailu's junior brothers. The two spoke in unison: "We've already investigated. It was Qin Xuan's doing." Feng Wen's and Zhang Laosan's expressions shifted slightly. First came astonishment: *How could it be him?* Then came resignation: *Of course it's him again!* Zhang Laosan said with bitter hatred, "That fiend Qin Xuan is steeped in evil. To think he has committed yet another vile atrocity." As he said this, his gaze swept over the row of tombstones. A chill ran through his heart. He knew nothing of the little fox's wrist-bell ghost art, leaving him bewildered as to how a mere Qi Refining lad could slaughter so many people from a demon sect. It defied heaven. The Renmao Sect was among the more renowned branches of the demon sects, yet they had been massacred like this. Listening to Zhang Laosan's words, the surrounding crowd of demon sect cultivators couldn't help but nod. To them, Qin Xuan truly was a fiend. Before his beloved disciple's grave, Qiu Bailu turned around. It was the first time Zhang Laosan had seen this Mr. Qiu. The man radiated dense yin qi. His long, shoehorn-shaped face looked as if it had been drained of all blood, deathly pale. His long hair hung loose, and while his frame possessed an almost feminine quality, an Adam's apple protruded prominently from his throat. Rumors said the Renmao Sect's Wood Demon Great Method was extraordinarily sinister, and it seemed the rumors were true. "Sect Master Feng, you have finally arrived." The effeminate voice gave Zhang Laosan a layer of goosebumps. Feng Wen nodded. "The commandery's Divine Way, Yuansong Temple, and Liangfeng Temple seem to have joined hands. Though our sects each seek our own ends, we ought to unite as one." "That is precisely the logic." The speaker was not Qiu Bailu, but an old man emerging from an earthen burrow of a burial hollow. His face was densely dotted with age spots, and he was so emaciated he was practically skin and bones, which allowed him to walk with remarkable lightness even without driving his qi. Zhang Laosan and Feng Wen glanced down at the ground. This old man cast no shadow. Yet behind him followed an illusory form like a ghostly silhouette, identical in stature to the old man. The Huanyin Sect's demonic arts could commune with yin spirits and possessed all manner of bizarre techniques. Qiu Bailu made the introduction: "Sect Master Feng, this is Daoist Zuo Wei of the Huanyin Sect." Feng Wen's background was not as prestigious as the old man's, but both were at Core Formation and had refined evil qi, so he did not act subservient. "Daoist Zuo." Zuo Wei offered a friendly smile. "Sect Master Feng comes at just the right time. We are currently laying out a formation, and we require your flying corpse technique." Feng Wen glanced around. "May I ask what formation this is?" Qiu Bailu's effeminate voice rang out once more: "The Hundred Ghosts Marching Formation." Feng Wen couldn't help but look toward the great tomb. "You intend to draw out the yin creatures within the king's tomb?" "Correct." "This tomb rests atop the evil qi of accumulated demon corpses and has gathered many ancient yaksha ghosts spanning hundreds, even thousands of years. Tempered by evil qi and capable of breathing dark yin ghost winds, these ancient ghosts are practically troublesome little demons in their own right. Unleashing them will be enough to plunge the entire commandery into chaos!" "Faced with such a calamity, whatever arrangements the factions in the commandery have prepared will all be forced into the open." "Once turmoil breaks out, it will be easy for us to act." Feng Wen nodded repeatedly. "A brilliant plan. However, Daoist Qiu, Daoist Zuo, have you prepared yourselves? Once those ancient ghosts run rampant, our location at the source will certainly face a fierce assault." Qiu Bailu reached out and produced a command flag. "My master, Gao Tuoweng, brought this from the sect. It was refined by a supreme protector of our order. It can lay down the Wood Demon Spirit Formation across a ten-li radius. Unless an old monster above Nascent Soul from Guanjiang Mountain comes in person, holding out for over a month will be effortless for us." "During that time, the ancient yaksha ghosts will be more than enough to turn the commandery seat completely upside down!" As Qiu Bailu spoke, a sinister look surfaced on his pale face. Some time ago, he had stepped out on business, only to return to his campsite and find it in complete ruins. His favorite disciple had been slain, his gathered evil qi taken, and most infuriating of all, even the wooden door to his earthen burrow had been dismantled and carted off. Such behavior had enraged this old demon to the verge of bursting. Feng Wen found no fault in Qiu Bailu's arrangements. Suddenly, Qiu Bailu asked, "Sect Master Feng, I hear you have crossed paths with Qin Xuan of Yuansong Temple?" At the mention of Qin Xuan's name, Feng Wen gritted his teeth in hatred. "That brat is thoroughly detestable, yet he does possess a fair share of talent. Despite having only Qi Refining cultivation, he can execute sword talismans and wield sword arts. Old Daoist Wu of Yuansong Temple serves as his Dao protector." "He also carries a true fire bestowed by a great Golden Core cultivator. That fire is extraordinary, and the background of the person behind him is by no means beneath Guanjiang Mountain's." "I don't know how the boy cultivated such robust magic power, but he can drive that true fire for a considerable duration. Because of that, he is like a wretched rolling hedgehog—capturing him within the commandery is truly no simple feat." When Feng Wen described the Divine Quail True Fire in detail, both Qiu Bailu and Zuo Wei realized what it was. "I see. It is the Secret Demon True Fire of Chongjin Pass!" "That fire specifically breaks all kinds of evil qi." A cold sneer appeared on Zuo Wei's skin-and-bones face. "We cannot concern ourselves with him for the moment. Let us lay down the Hundred Ghosts Marching Formation first." "Once the ancient yaksha ghosts sweep across the land, let us see what moves they have..."