The scorching flames soared six or seven zhang high, and Qing Wen, now engulfed in a colossal bird of fire, plummeted straight from the sky. Upon hitting the ground, he managed only two mournful screams before being reduced to a pile of white ash, utterly powerless to resist.
Even as Han Li looked on in astonishment, the flame bird let out a sharp cry, twisted its head, and lunged viciously at the two cocoons of light. A towering pillar of fire erupted between them, and in the blink of an eye, the two Blood Guards—still in the midst of their transformation—were swept into the inferno.
Han Li watched closely. The crimson glow of the two cocoons struggled against the raging flames for merely an instant before dissolving completely, leaving behind two hazy figures that flickered silently a few times before being utterly refined.
This fire, which appeared no different from ordinary flames, was actually so formidable, leaving Han Li horrified. He gained a newfound, clear understanding of the power possessed by a magical treasure wielded by a Core Formation stage cultivator.
Aside from sharing Han Li's shock, the faces of Song Meng and the others were filled with even more delight.
"This true treasure is too powerful!"
"This extermination of the heretical sect is entirely thanks to Senior Brother Liu!"
...
The others spoke excitedly, one after another.
In their eyes, once the Blood Guards were eliminated, wouldn't the Black Fiend Sect Master, still in seclusion, be easy to deal with? After all, with so many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators present, there was no reason they couldn't handle the cult leader alone.
Liu Jing watched the flames from the fire bird gradually dissipate below, his heart aching with loss! But hearing these words of praise, his spirits rose once more!
"Let's go! We've wasted too much time here. Let's go in and eliminate the Black Fiend Sect Master too!" Liu Jing declared, waving his hand with newfound boldness.
The others nodded in agreement. The group descended toward the ground.
Han Li smiled faintly and was about to follow when his gaze swept to the side, only to notice Senior Brother Wang staring downward at something, his expression somewhat peculiar.
This made Han Li pause, and he couldn't help but follow Senior Brother Wang's gaze. But on the ground, aside from the white ash left by the demonized Qing Wen and a fellow disciple who was respectfully collecting his Dao companion's remains with a grief-stricken face, there was nothing noteworthy at all.
"Senior Brother Wang, did you discover something?" Han Li couldn't help but ask, a hint of suspicion on his face.
"No, nothing at all! Junior Brother Han, you're overthinking!" Upon hearing Han Li's question, Senior Brother Wang immediately averted his gaze, his eyes shifting evasively.
Seeing this, Han Li understood immediately. This man had definitely discovered something important but didn't want the others to know, which was why he wore such an expression!
At this thought, Han Li felt somewhat annoyed, but outwardly he merely smiled faintly and said calmly:
"If there's nothing, let's hurry down. Senior Brother Liu is about to enter!" Pointing toward the gate of the Cold Palace, Han Li descended on his flying artifact without another word, leaving Senior Brother Wang alone in the air, his face alternating between shadow and light. But then, with a stamp of his foot, he helplessly followed.
But just as Han Li touched down, a delicate voice drifted down from the sky.
"Senior Brother Liu! Junior Brother Han! Wait for us!"
Han Li turned his head slowly. Liu Jing and the others, hearing the call, also stopped in their tracks, turning toward the voice with pleased expressions.
Under the gentle moonlight, Zhong Weiniang and Chen Qiaoqian descended slowly from the sky, accompanied by a middle-aged man whose face was deathly pale.
The middle-aged man wore golden-yellow attire, his expression one of utter terror. He was being held aloft by Zhong Weiniang, who gripped him by the collar, leaving him dangling outside her flying artifact. Upon seeing Han Li, Liu Jing, and the large group of cultivators, the panic on his face deepened threefold.
Liu Jing stepped forward with a faint smile.
"It seems the two junior sisters had a smooth journey. This must be the Emperor of Yue!" Once the two female cultivators touched down, Liu Jing's gaze swept over the middle-aged man's face before moving away nonchalantly.
"That's right! This fellow was holding an audience with some ministers in some hall or other. My senior sister and I knocked out the others and captured him. Two Qi Condensation stage Black Fiend Sect disciples rushed out to stop us, but Senior Sister and I dispatched them easily. Senior Brother Liu, I'm so glad you're safe too!"
Seeing Liu Jing unharmed, Zhong Weiniang seemed overjoyed, chattering away without pause, her concern for Liu Jing laid bare for all to see. This left Liu Jing slightly embarrassed under everyone's gaze, and Han Li found it secretly amusing.
"Junior Sister Chen, are you alright as well?" Chen Qiaoqian's two senior brothers also approached solicitously.
Chen Qiaoqian responded with a perfunctory remark or two, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. When her eyes landed on Han Li, they lingered only briefly on his face before she quickly looked away, her expression complex.
"Where is Senior Sister Xuehong?" Chen Qiaoqian frowned, a sense of foreboding in her voice.
At this question, the faces of those nearby darkened, their expressions turning somber.
"Senior Sister Xuehong has already perished in battle!" The Dao companion of "Senior Sister Xuehong" forced out the words, barely containing his grief.
At these words, Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang's faces turned extremely ugly in an instant.
Zhong Weiniang's face immediately flushed with anger, and she opened her mouth to say:
"How could you all—"
But this accusation was cut short by a sudden, shrill scream.
Han Li and the others were startled, immediately turning their gaze in alarm.
In a spot not far from the group, a figure in a blue robe had appeared at some unknown moment. One of his crimson-glowing arms was being withdrawn from Senior Brother Wang's chest—Senior Brother Wang, who had appeared there without anyone noticing—and then the corpse toppled straight to the ground, devoid of all life.
"I hadn't originally intended to kill him first, but this child really shouldn't have taken something that didn't belong to him," the blue-robed man said with a smile. He appeared to be around forty, with a clean-shaven, pale face and faint crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, giving him an exceedingly kindly appearance.
Having said this, he casually bent down and picked up a cyan bead, no larger than a thumb, from one of Senior Brother Wang's hands, the smile on his face growing ever more pronounced.
Upon seeing this man, Liu Jing and Han Li's faces darkened almost simultaneously, their expressions turning extremely wary.
"You must be the Black Fiend Sect Master!" Liu Jing said, a flicker of contemplation in his eyes as he ventured the question.
"Heh, clever indeed! It was I who founded the Black Fiend Sect. And you must be their leader?" the elder asked, his expression unchanged, still wearing a jovial smile.
Hearing that this man was the Black Fiend Sect Master—who was supposed to be in seclusion—even Han Li's face changed drastically, let alone the other Yellow Maple Valley cultivators, who each readied their magical artifacts, bracing themselves as though facing a formidable foe.
After a brief change of expression, Liu Jing took a deep breath, suppressing the alarm in his heart.
Then, he secretly gestured for the others to be cautious before asking coldly:
"That's right, I am Liu Jing! This extermination of your Black Fiend heretical sect was led by me! Now you stand alone, yet you still dare to commit murder—your courage is truly great!"
Liu Jing spoke these words with righteous indignation, showing no fear, and was quite satisfied with both his performance and his words, his momentum growing with each sentence.
Once this cult leader was eliminated, he, Liu Jing, would surely see his reputation among the seven sects reach new heights, and others would regard him with even greater respect!
At this thought, Liu Jing's heart burned as though doused with strong wine. With a flip of his hand, he produced two silver hooks and that round ring.
But before he could rally the others to strike together, the Black Fiend Sect Master across from him suddenly gave a strange smile. Then Liu Jing heard a soft whisper:
"Then you may die!"
Almost simultaneously, Liu Jing felt a sudden pain in his chest. Before he could understand what was happening, a blood-soaked arm pierced through his chest from the front, and five crimson fingers clutched a round, squirming object.
"What is this?" Liu Jing thought in bewilderment, perhaps understanding in his heart but unwilling to truly know.
Then he felt the world spinning, his vision darkening, and faint screams reached his ears. The voice sounded like the tearful cries of Zhong Weiniang, who had long harbored feelings for him—yet it sounded so strange, so distant!
"Heh, this little girl still cries so easily!" were Liu Jing's last, somewhat bitter thoughts before he plunged into the eternal darkness of eternal sleep.
Han Li's expression was grim, for before they had even begun fighting the Black Fiend Sect Master, their side had already lost two Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators to an unexpected assailant's single strike. Their expedition leader, Liu Jing, had fallen at this man's hands.
After his successful strike, the assailant stood with one arm through Liu Jing's corpse and the other through Chen Qiaoqian's senior brother's body. His figure flickered, and he appeared beside the Black Fiend Sect Master, then turned to face Han Li and the others with a savage grin. Han Li had been too slow to intervene.
When Liu Jing was killed, Zhong Weiniang had only let out a few heart-wrenching screams before falling completely into a stupor, lost in a daze. Beside her, Chen Qiaoqian hastily pulled Zhong Weiniang behind her, shielding her protectively, then stared at the attacker with a face full of rage and regret.