Chapter 689: Demon Cult Evil
The blue-robed man grasped the teapot handle, personally pouring a full cup for Qi Feiyu before refilling his own. With a warm smile, he said, "At the Liangyi Sect, it must be hard for you to get your hands on Qin Dragon Tea. I brought some from the cult for you. Try it—did I steep the tea too long?"
The blue-robed man's voice was magnetic; any woman hearing it would likely feel her whole body go numb and involuntarily fall for him.
Qi Feiyu lifted the teacup, took a gentle sip, and savored it carefully. With a neutral tone, she said, "Not bad."
A palm-sized Red Flame Winged Dragon flew out from the blue-robed man's sleeve, flapping its fiery wings as it approached Qi Feiyu, acting very affectionate.
Although the Red Flame Winged Dragon wasn't a true dragon, it was an extremely powerful seventh-rank barbarian beast. Once fully grown, its combat strength could even tear a Saint in two. The fact that someone could raise a dragon was naturally quite astonishing.
The blue-robed man's gaze never left Qi Feiyu as he smiled slightly. "See? Fire Cloud is so happy to see you, just like I feel."
Qi Feiyu extended a snow-white jade hand to hold the Red Flame Winged Dragon, still maintaining her cold demeanor. "Let's discuss business first. A variable has appeared at the Liangyi Sect. Recently, a sword prodigy suddenly emerged. He should have climbed to the third level of the Ancient God Mountain."
The blue-robed man said, "Lin Yue?"
"Mm!"
Qi Feiyu nodded and continued, "Since you've already heard his name, you should know his progress is too fast. If the Liangyi Sect invests heavily in training him, it could affect the plans of the Divine Cult and the Four Symbols Sect."
The blue-robed man smiled faintly. "It's less than half a year until the ninth day of the ninth month. No matter how talented he is, it's unlikely he'll achieve much. With that person from the Four Symbols Sect's strength, seizing the Sword Pavilion shouldn't be difficult."
"As long as the Four Symbols Sect takes the Sword Pavilion, our cult can naturally reclaim the treasure sealed within it. Then, we'll deal with the Four Symbols Sect slowly—they'll have no choice but to obey."
Qi Feiyu said, "What if something goes wrong? You should understand how crucial that treasure in the Sword Pavilion is to the Divine Cult. Not a single mistake can be tolerated."
The blue-robed man's expression turned serious. "Is that Liangyi Sect disciple named Lin Yue really that strong? Are you overestimating him?"
Qi Feiyu replied, "The Lin Yue now is not the Lin Yue of before. I suspect he's still hiding his strength. If he truly represents the Liangyi Sect in battle, it could render decades of our preparations meaningless."
"What do you plan to do?" the blue-robed man asked.
Qi Feiyu said, "To be safe, I've decided to stop hiding my strength and participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly as well. If Lin Yue's sword path realm is truly profound, at least I can suppress him."
The blue-robed man pondered for a moment. "The more outstanding you perform, the more dangerous you become. I'd rather you not take the risk..."
Suddenly, the blue-robed man's ear twitched slightly. His warm, gentle eyes instantly turned sharp with a cold gleam as he looked upward. "Who's there? Come out!"
Qi Feiyu was startled. She hadn't expected anyone to follow her all the way to the Wusheng Daoist Temple. If her identity were exposed, not only would she suffer, but the Qi Clan would face disaster as well.
"Whoosh!"
The blue-robed man pointed a finger toward the temple's roof. A black beam shot from his fingertip, blasting a three-meter-wide hole through the structure.
Xu Changsheng lay prone on the bamboo tiles of the temple roof, quickly channeling all his Saint Qi into the Invisibility Pearl. Patterns surged from the pearl, forming thirty-six Saint Qi chains that intertwined into a sphere, enveloping his body.
The black beam instantly shattered the thirty-six Saint Qi chains. With a "crack," the Invisibility Pearl in Xu Changsheng's hand shattered into powder.
His body then became visible in the air.
Xu Changsheng had been investigating Qi Feiyu. Tonight, sensing her leave the sect, he had used the Invisibility Pearl to secretly follow her, hoping to uncover the truth.
Qi Feiyu's identity shocked him deeply.
She was actually a Saintess of the Demon Cult!
Even more shocking was the alliance between the Demon Cult and the Four Symbols Sect, and their plan to seize something from the Sword Pavilion. He had to get this information back to the sect no matter what.
"What a formidable expert."
Xu Changsheng stared at the blue-robed man in the temple, fear flashing in his eyes.
The Invisibility Pearl had been bestowed upon him by a Saint of the Liangyi Sect. When held and activated, its invisibility patterns could fool the five senses of a Half-Saint. The blue-robed man was certainly no Half-Saint, yet he had easily detected Xu Changsheng's position—a testament to his incredibly sharp senses.
"The Qi Clan is colluding with the Demon Cult—they're digging their own grave. I need to return to the sect immediately and report to the Sect Leader."
With his identity exposed, Xu Changsheng didn't dare linger. He immediately activated a Ghost-level lower-rank movement technique, his body shooting like an arrow from a bow, turning into a streak of light as he fled into the sky.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Wu Ba and Que Jiu, outside the temple, simultaneously soared into the air to pursue Xu Changsheng.
Wu Ba's body rapidly expanded, transforming into a two-hundred-meter-long black centipede, radiating surging barbarian beast aura. Faint electric light could be seen flowing across its body.
Que Jiu's wings expanded quickly, turning into two massive green clouds. They mobilized the wind energy within three hundred li, forming a green vortex that swept Xu Changsheng's body into it.
The next moment, Xu Changsheng was pulled back by the powerful wind, landing outside the Wusheng Daoist Temple.
"Trying to escape? Where do you think you're going?"
Que Jiu chuckled, his slender arms transforming into two sharp claws that thrust straight at Xu Changsheng's chest.
The claws emitted scorching flames, turning into hundreds of fiery feathers that spun rapidly, all stabbing toward Xu Changsheng's chest.
Xu Changsheng reached to his waist, drawing a golden soft sword. With a flick of his wrist, the air filled with golden sword energy.
He immediately executed a Ghost-level mid-rank sword technique, the Demon-Breaking Sword Art.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
The sword technique shattered all hundreds of fiery feathers Que Jiu had sent, turning them into wisps of flame scattering in all directions.
The golden soft sword clashed with Que Jiu's claws, forcing Que Jiu back.
As a top-tier talent of the Liangyi Sect, Xu Changsheng's strength was formidable. Having recently refined the Glazed Treasure Pill, his cultivation had reached the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, placing him among the strongest below the Half-Saint level.
After repelling Que Jiu, Xu Changsheng didn't pause. He kicked off the ground, shooting up like a cannonball, and fled into the distance.
"Come back."
The blue-robed man stood at the top of the temple steps, reaching out a large hand and grasping at the void.
The once refined man now exuded a powerful aura. His eyes were deep, cold, and domineering, like a world-dominating Demon Emperor.
As his palm struck out, the world's spiritual energy rapidly converged above Xu Changsheng's head, forming a massive demon hand. Its fingers spread wide, closing in on him.
"Azure Heaven Demon Hand, you are..."
Xu Changsheng seemed to recognize the blue-robed man's identity, terror spreading across his face.
But before he could speak the name, his body was completely enveloped by the massive demon hand.
A cracking sound came from within the hand, and blood began to flow.
With a "bang," Xu Changsheng's corpse fell from midair, landing in front of the Wusheng Daoist Temple. His body was mangled, bones ground to powder.
The blue-robed man withdrew his hand, picked up the oil-paper umbrella by the door, and remained elegant, his gaze softening. "Feiyu, go back first. Leave the rest to me."
Qi Feiyu glanced at Xu Changsheng's corpse, then took the oil-paper umbrella. She walked to the nearby cliff edge, stepped forward, and slowly drifted down the mountain, disappearing into the misty rain.
The blue-robed man watched her leave, a warm smile still on his handsome face.
On his shoulder perched a palm-sized winged dragon, its eyes fixed on the direction Qi Feiyu had gone.
...
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen, dressed in a Daoist robe and wearing a mask, moved swiftly through the dense forest, following Xiao Hei's guidance to pursue Qi Feiyu.
Halfway there, Xiao Hei crawled out from Zhang Ruochen's chest, flew ahead, and sniffed the ground.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, glancing at him doubtfully. "Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Who knew it would rain so hard? The rain has washed away her scent."
Xiao Hei wagged his tail incessantly, his round eyes darting around in frustration.
"Forget it. Since we've lost her, let's head back."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to return to the Liangyi Sect, his spiritual power sensed the world's spiritual energy rapidly contracting in the distance.
"Wait."
Zhang Ruochen immediately leaped upward, landing atop a pine tree. He stood on the pine needles and released his Heavenly Eye from his brow, turning it into a beam of light that looked toward the source of the spiritual energy fluctuation.
In the distance, a massive wind vortex had formed in the sky, pulling up trees and boulders from the ground.
"An expert is fighting. Let's go check it out."
Zhang Ruochen used his movement technique, rushing toward the wind vortex.
Moments later, Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped, noticing that the intense spiritual energy fluctuation had vanished completely, leaving only silence.
"The battle ended that quickly?"
Zhang Ruochen activated his Heavenly Eye again to search. Soon, he spotted a Daoist temple atop a nearby mountain peak.
The sky was pitch black, with only lightning flashing. Yet the temple on the peak emitted a faint glow from candles, making it seem eerie in this desolate wilderness.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power, executing the Thunderbolt Technique, and flew to the mountain peak, landing outside the temple.
The air carried a scent of blood.
Not far away, a mangled corpse lay on the ground, its Daoist robe torn to shreds.