Chapter 1091: Meeting Little Mo Li Again
Over these past days, many astonishing rumors had gradually emerged in the Heiya Realm, spreading wider and more intensely with each passing day.
"I heard that several thousand more Soul Sect disciples died under Ling Yun's hands yesterday. It's been just over half a month, and the Soul Sect has already lost at least fifty or sixty thousand disciples. They dispatch large forces every day, yet they haven't even managed to touch a single hair on Ling Yun's head. I've also heard that they still don't even know what Ling Yun looks like."
"Bah! That's utter nonsense! The Soul Sect has already lost at least several hundred thousand disciples to Ling Yun. Just yesterday alone, no fewer than fifty thousand died. Corpses litter the fields, blood flows like rivers... My eldest uncle's eldest son is a Soul Sect disciple, and he told me himself. Now, whenever the disciples hear the name 'Ling Yun', they shiver all over."
"Speaking of which, what exactly is Ling Yun's background? The Soul Sect has really stirred up a living King of Hell this time."
"Latest news: as of today, the Soul Sect has issued a prohibition! All disciples must stay firmly within the sect and are forbidden from leaving. This is absolutely true! The mighty Soul Sect has been scared into hiding like a turtle. How satisfying! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Be careful not to let the Soul Sect hear you."
"They're too scared to even leave their dens now. What's there to fear?"
The Soul Sect, notorious for its evil deeds in the Heiya Realm yet wielding absolute authority, had been repeatedly slaughtered by someone, losing countless disciples, and was now forced to issue a prohibition, causing panic within the sect. For the profound practitioners of the Heiya Realm, this was more than just satisfying. At first, people only dared to discuss it in secret, but gradually the talk grew more heated. When news of the Soul Sect's prohibition spread, it was met with widespread joy and celebration. Within just a few days, the entire Heiya Realm was stirred into a peculiar, lively atmosphere... as if a grand festival had arrived.
And the name "Ling Yun" had long become known to young and old alike, thundering in everyone's ears.
Black Soul Divine Sect.
Boom!!
A stone table was shattered into pieces. Lei Qianfeng's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot: "Who leaked these rumors? This is outrageous!"
"It must be that Ling Yun."
"No." Lei Tiangang shook his head. "These past days, Ling Yun has absolutely not left the vicinity of a thousand li. And relying on him alone, it's impossible to stir public opinion to this level in such a short time. He might have accomplices! And those accomplices are likely people from the Heiya Realm!"
"More precisely... these rumors seem to have started spreading from Heiya City. His accomplices are very likely some force within Heiya City, and definitely not a small one!"
"The Chief Hall Master speaks sense! But for the moment, I can't think of which sect or force in the Heiya Realm would have such audacity!"
"Stop talking about useless things!" Lei Qianfeng roared angrily. "Once we catch Ling Yun, those rabble will naturally shut their mouths! If he really has accomplices in the Heiya Realm, then we'll make sure they die without a burial place!"
"We still have half a month!" Lei Qianfeng's eyes were terrifyingly sinister. "I don't care what methods you use, you must find him for me! I want to personally break every bone in his body and make his life worse than death!"
The Soul Sect's Grand Elder, Lei Qiandu, said, "Judging from Ling Yun's methods these past days, the people he kills are all disciples below the Divine Tribulation Realm. He has never dared to strike at those in the Divine Tribulation Realm, which indicates his profound strength should not be high. Each time, he kills at most two hundred people, yet he never leaves any trace. Combining all this, his profound strength is likely not great, but he is extremely skilled at concealment—perhaps even capable of completely hiding his aura. But his most astonishing trait is his mental strength...
"These past days, I have consulted various texts and found many records of killing people invisibly with mental strength. However, such methods are extremely difficult to master and carry great risks. Moreover, they all originate from true god inheritances of upper and middle star realms. The Putichan Realm's Mindless Purification Killing Curse can erase all of a person's consciousness in just a few breaths. The Yan Shen Realm has a special domain that can merge flame into soul power to burn and annihilate enemies' souls over a wide area. The Xi Shen Domain's Qinglong Realm's Ice Soul Absolute Domain is even more..."
"I don't want to hear this useless talk!" Lei Qianfeng interrupted roughly. "Even if Ling Yun is not from the Jingyue Realm, he absolutely cannot be from a middle or upper star realm; otherwise, he wouldn't be skulking around like this. I just want to know how much longer you need to catch him!"
"Well..." Lei Tiangang said cautiously, "Sect Master, last night I arranged for the sixty-four halls to disperse into two hundred teams. Each team has at least two Divine Tribulation Realm cultivators stationed in it. They quietly set up ambushes in the dead of night at some of the places Ling Yun is most likely to appear. We should... get some results."
The last two sentences were clearly lacking confidence. He quickly added, "But the best method is still to find Ling Yun's family or some leverage to force him out. However, the Jingyue Realm is not the Heiya Realm, and its territory is several times larger. The people we sent are investigating day and night without rest. So far, there are no results. Sect Master, please be patient. I believe in a few more days, we will definitely have good news."
"It better be so." Every word Lei Qianfeng uttered carried a terrifying killing intent. "Otherwise, when the Shenwu Realm comes down on us in half a month, if I don't have it easy, none of you will!"
——————————
Black Soul Mountain Range.
Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie, the two deputy hall masters of the Soul Sect's Thirty-Sixth Hall, had followed Lei Tiangang's orders the previous night. They led a hundred elite disciples from the Thirty-Sixth Hall, taking advantage of the night's darkness and thick fog to quietly arrive at Black Soul Mountain. They dispersed and hid among the withered grass, fully restraining their auras, and repeatedly issued strict orders that no sound whatsoever was to be made.
In the pitch blackness and silence, they waited throughout the entire night.
Although this had the feel of waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit, after being tormented for half a month without even catching a glimpse of the enemy's shadow, they could think of no better method.
As the morning light gradually brightened and the gray mist began to dissipate, it came as no great surprise that they had once again waited in vain. However, Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie remained crouched in their spots until the sky was fully bright and the mist had completely cleared. Only then did they telepathically communicate with each other and leap up from the grass.
"Fall back! Return to the sect!" Lei Kuangfeng bellowed.
But in response, there was only a terrifying silence. The disciples' auras were all present, but after his shout, no one replied.
Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie's expressions changed drastically. Lei Kuangfeng quickly soared into the air and struck down with his palm. The grass within several li around was violently lifted into the air... along with the bodies of all the disciples they had brought with them.
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
The bodies of the Soul Sect disciples fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Their eyes were wide open, devoid of any spirit, as if they were dead. Yet their auras were still completely present.
Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie stood frozen on the spot. Although they had personally experienced something similar before, Lei Kuangfeng's entire body still ran cold. As for Lei Qinglie, even if the number of dead Soul Sect disciples were ten times greater, it wouldn't have brought the same level of shock as this scene.
"Could it be... that there really... is a ghost?" As a dignified deputy hall master of the Soul Sect, Lei Qinglie's voice was actually trembling.
Just then, a faint trace of blood Qi came from ahead. Lei Kuangfeng sensed it faintly, strode forward quickly, and turned over a disciple's body. On its back, he was shocked to see several lines of small blood characters:
"Go back and tell Lei Qianfeng: I am giving him three days to cripple his own profound arts and cut off his own hands and feet to atone for his crimes! Otherwise, I will make him regret it for the rest of his life!"
"—Ling Yun."
"It really... really is Ling Yun!" Lei Qinglie still hadn't recovered from the immense shock.
But Lei Kuangfeng's face darkened: "The bloodstains aren't completely dry. He couldn't have acted long ago, which means he definitely hasn't gone far! Let's search quickly!"
The two deputy hall masters immediately soared into the air, releasing their spiritual senses and wildly scanning in all directions... Everyone in the Soul Sect was convinced that "Ling Yun" must possess an extremely powerful ability to conceal his aura, and that he was cunning and cautious, only acting when he was sure of absolute safety, and then immediately fleeing far away. They would never have dreamed that Yun Che could not only perfectly conceal his aura but also completely hide his figure.
Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, a divine profound technique originating from the ancient Ice Phoenix, of a level even higher than the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon. Even Mu Xuanyin had been unable to cultivate it to the great circle realm that allowed shadow concealment. How could profound practitioners of a lower star realm possibly comprehend it?
In the distance, an invisible shadow stared at the two figures flailing about in the sky like headless flies, sneered coldly, and unhurriedly headed west. The sights and spiritual senses of the two Soul Sect deputy hall masters swept past his location without the slightest pause.
After retreating to a sufficiently safe distance, Yun Che slightly increased his profound strength, accelerated, and his figure reappeared.
"The first step is almost complete. Time to deliver the second 'gift' to the Soul Sect." Yun Che placed his hand on his heart and murmured softly, "He Ling, I will make them repay the blood debt they owe your Wood Spirit Clan ten thousand times over!"
Just as he revealed his form and was about to accelerate away, he suddenly sensed a faint but familiar aura ahead.
This aura... could it be?
His figure dashed forward quickly. His gaze pierced through a patch of undergrowth below, and in one glance he saw a petite figure bouncing along. She was dressed in a particularly dazzling seven-colored long skirt.
It was actually Little Mo Li!
What is she doing here!?
Whether by coincidence or not, at the exact same moment Yun Che spotted her, Little Mo Li happened to look up and immediately saw Yun Che. Her eyes suddenly lit up brightly.
*Bad!* — Yun Che's heart lurched. He rushed down with lightning speed, but it was already too late. A delightful, crystal-clear shout rang out in the valley.
"Brother-in-law, I'm over here!"
Although Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie were far away, they were in a state of fully releasing their spiritual senses. Little Mo Li's shout was as crisp as crystal colliding—even if they hadn't been on alert, it likely would have been loud enough to hear.
Yun Che swooped down like a fierce eagle, grabbed Little Mo Li, and clamped his right hand tightly over her lips. He instantly used Flowing Light Thunder Concealment to lock down her aura, then skimmed low over the ground, flying swiftly. His eyes scanned around as he silently slipped with Little Mo Li into a crevice between two giant rocks.
"Don't make a sound!" Yun Che gritted his teeth, using his profound energy to immobilize her to prevent any struggling. He maintained the Flowing Light Thunder Concealment to seal her aura, and still kept his hand firmly over her mouth and nose.
*...* Little Mo Li couldn't move at all, nor could she utter a sound. She could only stare wide-eyed, looking utterly innocent.
Without a doubt, before long, Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie arrived with two gusts of wind like a storm, landing precisely at the spot they had occupied moments ago.
"That sounded like a girl's voice. Why did it suddenly disappear?"
"That girl was clearly shouting for someone. She must be nearby. Find her immediately!"
Yun Che's entire body felt as if frozen in ice. He dared not move a muscle.
With the dual concealment of Flowing Light Thunder Concealment and Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, even if those two came within ten zhang of him, he was absolutely confident he wouldn't be discovered. But that was for himself! Flowing Light Thunder Concealment could be used on others, but Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick obviously could not! Relying solely on Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, facing opponents whose profound strength surpassed his by more than a major realm, he dared not guarantee that they wouldn't be detected... more precisely, that Little Mo Li wouldn't be detected.
However, luck seemed to be on their side. Lei Kuangfeng and Lei Qinglie each headed in one direction—south and west respectively—gradually moving farther and farther away.
Yun Che breathed a faint sigh of relief. He glanced at Little Mo Li, whose starry eyes were wide with a pitiful expression, and whispered, "Those two are trying to kill me. If they find us, we're both dead, understand? So don't make a sound—don't even breathe loudly. If you understand, blink once."
*...* Little Mo Li blinked several times very forcefully.
Only then did Yun Che slowly release his hand. Maintaining the Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, he prepared to quietly take Little Mo Li away.
Sure enough, Little Mo Li didn't make a sound. She gave Yun Che a look full of grievance, then reached up to rub her nose, which seemed to be stinging from having been covered...
And then—
"Ah-choo!!"
A resounding sneeze. The sound made every hair on Yun Che's body stand on end in an instant.
"~!#$%^..." Without a second thought, Yun Che grabbed Little Mo Li, erupted with his full profound power, and shot away like an arrow.
At the same instant, two powerful auras locked onto him like soul-binding thunderbolts, impossible to shake off.
Recommended reading: Tian Can Tu Dou's new masterpiece *Yuan Zun*, Mao Ni's new work *Shen Yin*.
Recommended new book by urban god-level author Lao Shi.