My Wife Is The Leader Of A Demonic Cult-Chapter 221 - : Promotion 2 - Terrifying Air Sword

Chapter 221 -221: Promotion 2 – Terrifying Air Sword

Dongluo Pass, inside the gloomy and damp dungeon.

Because it rarely saw sunlight, it even carried a sense of eeriness.

Inside the cell, Ma Xing, pale as a piece of paper, was bound by iron chains, his head slightly drooping, clearly tormented to a state of confusion in the past day or two.

Outside Zhao Qingmei’s cell, her brows carried a touch of indifference.

Behind her stood Lin Tianhai, the head of the Azure Dragon Sect.

Mu Xiaoyun took a few steps forward, his face solemn as he said, “Sect Hierarch, he has confessed.”

...

“Speak.”

Zhao Qingmei said.

Mu Xiaoyun clasped his fists and said, “This man, named Ma Xing, is a secret spy from the Soul Seeker Mansion. According to him, not only is the Flying Horse Banner approaching Dongluo Pass, but the Heavenly Martial Banner is also gathering at Sanfeng Pass, waiting for orders to attack our Demon Sect. Moreover, Ma Xing and the Soul Seeker Mansion communicate daily, which means they are already aware of our detainment of Ma Xing.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Tianhai was somewhat shocked and said, “Both the Flying Horse Banner and the Heavenly Martial Banner?”

It was known that Houjin had deployed only two banners of troops against the Northern Wilderness Dao of Great Yan. Now, facing his Demon Sect, not only was the Soul Seeker Mansion involved, but also two banners of troops, which nearly confirmed their determination to strike at the Demon Sect.

Even Lin Tianhai, upon hearing about the two banners consisting of hundreds of thousands of troops, couldn’t help but shudder inside.

Zhao Qingmei’s beautiful eyes narrowed into slits, “Elder Lin, you stay at Dongluo Pass. As for this matter… nevermind, Chief Yi, follow me out of the pass.”

“Sect Hierarch…”

Both Lin Tianhai and Mu Xiaoyun were slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

What was Zhao Qingmei doing going out of the pass?

Could it be that she was heading to Sanfeng Pass, where Houjin’s hundreds of thousands of troops were stationed?

A murderous look flashed in Zhao Qingmei’s eyes, “Qin Bin has been waiting at Sanfeng Pass for a long time now. Paired with a covert assassination by the experts from the White Tiger Sect, what does it matter if there are hundreds of thousands of troops?”

“If we do not take the initiative to strike now, by the time the two banners reach Dongluo Pass, we will find ourselves in a situation of forced defense.”

Having said this, Zhao Qingmei walked out of the dungeon.

She could not let the vast army before her stall her, because there was another more important enemy waiting for her.

Lin Tianhai and Mu Xiaoyun exchanged glances, both recognizing the determination in Zhao Qingmei’s eyes.

With Zhao Qingmei’s orders, the entire Demon Sect began to mobilize, particularly the experts from the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Sects.

The Azure Dragon Sect was responsible for defending Dongluo Pass, a task of paramount importance that allowed no errors.

Meanwhile, Yi Daoyun of the White Tiger Sect followed Zhao Qingmei out of Dongluo Pass towards Sanfeng Pass.

Sanfeng Pass was not far from the Demon Sect’s main hall at Dongluo Pass; a day’s march for troops would suffice. When Houjin blocked Dongluo Pass, the Flying Horse Banner’s army was already stationed there.

Zhao Qingmei had also ordered Qin Bin to keep an eye on the Flying Horse Banner, ready to strike immediately at any sign of movement and wipe out this banner.

This time, not only was there the Flying Horse Banner’s eighty thousand troops, but also tens of thousands from the Heavenly Martial Banner.

Together, they were a force comparable to the Golden Eagle and Black Feather Banners.

Their intentions were clearly evident. Now that Ma Xing was captured, the Soul Seeker Mansion must have realized something.

To strike first was essential, especially before they were fully prepared.

Zhao Qingmei, leading Yi Daoyun and other experts from the White Tiger Sect, soon reached the Black Armored Army’s camp.

“Sect Hierarch!”

Upon seeing Zhao Qingmei, Qin Bin quickly bowed in respect.

Zhao Qingmei asked, “Has there been any movement from the Houjin army these past two days?”

Qin Bin replied, “No, all has been quiet.”

“Quiet? Quiet is the biggest problem.”

Zhao Qingmei felt a chill in her heart, “Immediately mobilize all the troops. As soon as there is chaos in the Houjin camp, strike immediately.”

A moment’s careful thought would reveal that both the Flying Horse Banner and the Heavenly Martial Banner seemed to be waiting for orders, likely from within the Russell Clan. Once an order was issued following a realization of a large presence of Demon Sect masters, they would attack Dongluo Pass.

If they did not detect any Demon Sect masters, then it would be perfect to eliminate Duanmu Xinghua and many experts from the Heavenly Sect.

Zhao Qingmei intended to annihilate these two armies before that moment.

“As you command.”

Qin Bin took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

…….

At Sanfeng Pass, inside the Flying Horse Banner’s camp.

Inside the tent, Xiong Chunxiao, the chief of the Flying Horse Banner, sat high on his command seat.

Below him was a middle-aged man dressed in leather, exuding an unruly aura, his eyebrows shining with a hint of cold light.

This was none other than Tang Dali, the eldest disciple of Houjin’s Great Dharma King.

As a disciple of the second highest master in Houjin, he was quite a prominent figure, wielding considerable authority and having reached the Second Qi Grandmaster level, which made him very proud, looking down on anyone except his own master and the Holy Master.

Tang Dali impatiently said, “Chief Xiong, now that Houjin’s hundreds of thousands of troops are at the city gates, what are you waiting for?”

The Flying Horse Banner had been stationed here for several days, but there had been no action, which made the quick-tempered Tang Dali somewhat unbearable.

Xiong Chunxiao placatingly said, “The Soul Seeker Mansion sent a message at midnight. The spy Ma Xing has been captured, and our actions have been exposed. It’s still not appropriate to act hastily. We continue to wait for the news from Mansion Master Qiu.”

Tang Dali raised an eyebrow and said, “Qiu Fengsheng dealing with Duanmu Xinghua is not as easy as capturing her? When he sends a message for us to hold our forces, do we really just stand still?”

“Are our hundreds of thousands of troops just here to play house? And then all the credit goes to him alone?”

Coming down from Snow Mountain, his goal was to make a significant impact, and if he could annihilate the Demon Sect, that would be a momentous event that would shock the world.

But with these hundreds of thousands of troops just waiting idly, how could he bear it?

Especially since Qiu Fengsheng might have killed Duanmu Xinghua and earned great merit, he was even more anxious.

Suddenly, a disruptive noise arose outside.

“What’s going on?”

Xiong Chunxiao stood up and walked outside, only to hear a sharp noise and hissing sounds coming from the camp not far away.

“Someone is attacking the camp!”

A soldier from Houjin rushed over in a hurry.

Xiong Chunxiao quickly gathered his inner strength and shouted loudly, “Don’t panic; it must be the Black Armored Army of the Demon Sect. They aren’t many in number.”

As soon as Xiong Chunxiao finished speaking, a figure charged towards him.

“Seeking death!”

Tang Dali narrowed his eyes and then slapped his hand forward.

“Boom!”

A powerful burst of true qi shot forward, turning the soldier into a mist of blood, even splattering Xiong Chunxiao’s face with fresh blood.

“Puff puff puff puff puff!”

At the same time, several experts burst out from the middle, and countless soldiers fell to the ground, throwing the entire camp into chaos.

“Damn it, they are assassins from the White Tiger Sect of the Demon Sect.”

Xiong Chunxiao wiped the blood off his face and roared, “Calm down everyone!”

Tang Dali indifferently said, “Let’s kill all these infiltrating assassins first.”

As he spoke, his body flickered, launching two palms consecutively, and instantly two more mists of blood appeared.

Although a grandmaster was still in a mortal body, in comparison to ordinary Jianghu experts, they were much more formidable, especially in battle formations where they could often decapitate generals amidst thousands of troops.

Thus, during battles between nations, it was an unconscious rule not to deploy grandmaster-level experts because involving a grandmaster would mean a full-scale war between nations.

But the Demon Sect was different; their armies were made up of people from Jianghu, naturally not abiding by such rules.

The entire camp was in utter chaos, but upon closer inspection, Xiong Chunxiao, sitting in the center, remained as steady as Mount Tai, with no one able to get close within several meters.

Xiong Chunxiao sneered, “Demon Sect scoundrels, is this all you’ve got?”

Meanwhile, Tang Dali plunged into the group of expert assassins from the Demon Sect’s White Tiger Seat, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, effortlessly defeating opponents wherever his palms landed.

“Hmm!?”

Suddenly, Tang Dali felt a chill in his heart, his back hair standing on end.

“Swoosh!”

Just then, a streak of sword light sped from a distance.

Tang Dali turned his body, but the sword light still pierced through his clothes.

After the figures crossed, his heart started trembling violently; had he not reacted in time, that sword might have pierced directly through his heart.

“Phew…”

Tang Dali exhaled a breath and looked over to see a middle-aged man in white holding a longsword emitting a chilling white air.

“Yi Daoyun!?”

In the Demon Sect, the only one with grandmaster strength and such high-level swordsmanship was the White Tiger Sword Immortal, Yi Daoyun.

Yi Daoyun said lightly, “No grandmaster has ever survived my sword; you could be the first.”

Among the six great Sword Immortals of the world, Yi Daoyun and Cui Daoxian were both more renowned for reputation than skill, especially Cui Daoxian, who had been presiding over the Sword Tomb for thirty years and was acknowledged as a Sword Master.

Yi Daoyun’s title of Sword Immortal was also promoted by the Demon Sect, but his skill was not to be underestimated, though he had not proven himself yet.

“Thinking of using me as a stepping stone?”

Tang Dali’s expression turned icy, “You’re not leaving today.”

“Boom!”

Saying this, Tang Dali stomped his foot, and the ground instantly cracked open as he charged towards Yi Daoyun.

The collision of fist force and sword qi created shockingly violent storms, forcing the surrounding soldiers to retreat far away, daring not to get close.

Even the residual force from a battle between grandmasters could rip ordinary people to shreds.

“The Demon Sect has struck first…”

Xiong Chunxiao’s expression darkened as he suddenly thought of something and sprinted towards a tent in the distance.

The worst thing a commander could do was to expose their position among Jianghu experts.

“Since you’re out, don’t even think of going back.”

A detached voice sounded.

“Puff puff puff puff!”

A flash of red light passed, and the throats of the guards around Xiong Chunxiao burst with blood, spurting out like a fountain.

“You!”

Xiong Chunxiao looked at the suddenly appearing figure in front of him, his heart jumping to his throat.

It was an extremely beautiful woman, her skirt fluttering with the breeze, holding a pair of twin blades in her jade hands, each emitting a chilling cold aura.

Under normal circumstances, seeing such a stunning beauty would have thrilled him, but at this moment, his heart was filled with an immense coldness.

According to the intelligence from the Soul Seeker Mansion, this person was the Sect Hierarch of the Demon Sect.

“Kill her for me! She is the Sect Hierarch of the Demon Sect! The reward is a hundred gold pieces and a position overseeing a thousand tribes!”

Xiong Chunxiao roared urgently.

“Kill!” “Kill!”

With such a heavy reward, the valiant soldiers of the Flying Horse Banner charged blood-eyed towards Zhao Qingmei.

Zhao Qingmei’s blades danced, and dozens fell with each swing, her figure flickering instantly before Xiong Chunxiao.

“Protect the Commander!”

The surrounding personal guards quickly blocked in front of Xiong Chunxiao, who also hurriedly fled to the distance.

Zhao Qingmei did not speak; her Mandarin Duck blades swung through the air.

The narrow sword light slashed across, and the sturdy iron armor was neatly cleaved in two, clean as if it were tofu.

However, the number of soldiers around was increasing, vaguely giving the impression that they were about to encircle Zhao Qingmei.

“If this continues, I’m afraid that Xiong Chunxiao will really escape.”

Even a Grandmaster, when surrounded by countless soldiers, would find it extremely difficult to escape, for even one person killing day and night would require tremendous effort.

Moreover, there would come a time when True Qi within the body would be exhausted.

Zhao Qingmei took a deep breath, lightly tapped her toes on the ground, and a black lotus flower blossomed at her feet.

This was exactly the Martial Arts Heart Method from the “Nine Nether Purgatory Demon Scripture” called Step by Step Lotus!

The next moment, she leapt forward, her Yuan Blade chopping towards Xiong Chunxiao not far away.

“Shi!”

The blade light directly struck Xiong Chunxiao’s shoulder, instantly causing blood to splatter.

“Ah!”

Xiong Chunxiao’s body staggered and fell to the ground, then hurriedly scrambled up.

But just that moment was enough for him to have been killed once over.

“Puchi!”

The blade light swiped again, slicing Xiong Chunxiao’s body in two.

Xiong Chunxiao’s eyes bulged, half of his body falling to the ground, his thighs still trembling. His blood-stained hand reached out frantically forward.

The scene was chilling and horrifying enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

Eventually, he couldn’t catch his breath and his life ended completely.

“The… the banner leader is dead!?”

A soldier of the Flying Horse Banner exclaimed in horror upon seeing this.

This panic spread quickly throughout the camp, as if the sky had fallen.

“Don’t panic!”

Tang Dali, who was fighting Yi Daoyun, cried out loudly, confident that as long as the massive army worked together, even a Grandmaster should not be feared.

But the soldiers of the Flying Horse Banner only recognized their banner leader and did not recognize the Great Snow Mountain expert before them.

“Boom! Boom!”

At that moment, the sound of rumbling arose in the distance, and a dense mass of troops attacked.

The Black Armored Army!

The sudden appearance of the Black Armored Army was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

The sounds of fierce killing echoed throughout the camp, with soldiers of the Flying Horse Banner falling and retreating, more being trampled to death than those who died in battle.

Seeing this, Tang Dali’s face turned red with anger, his mind momentarily losing its composure, and he became slightly distracted.

“Distracted in battle with me?”

Yi Daoyun sneered, his longsword flashing, and the cold light turned into a white tiger that charged majestically forward.

“Not good!”

In an instant, Tang Dali urgently channeled his True Qi to protect himself.

“Whoosh!”

A streak of sword light shot through, and Tang Dali’s heart suddenly tightened as everything around him seemed to quiet down.

“Thump!”

The Grandmaster from Great Snow Mountain fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

As Yi Daoyun held a strand of Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence in his hand, his heart surged with emotion.

His sword had slain a Grandmaster today.

The camp of the Flying Horse Banner was in complete chaos, countless soldiers terrorized and frantically fleeing towards the distance.

The body of Tang Dali lay on the ground, trampled into mud by the stampede.

Alive, a Grandmaster is revered by thousands; dead, he is nothing.

Zhao Qingmei stood under the command tent, her eyes calm and indifferent, her Mandarin Duck Twin Blades still dripping with fresh blood.

At this moment, a general from the Black Armored Army raced over, “Sect Hierarch, the assassination operation targeted at Tian Ye’s banner leader, Tian Ling, has failed, and Tian Ling has since gone into hiding. Now, countless armies from Tian Ye have counterattacked; some generals from the Flying Horse Banner have also led their forces to counterattack, seemingly planning to charge directly into Dongluo Pass. The battle situation is intensely critical.”

“Hmm!?”

Zhao Qingmei’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The banner leader of Tian Ye not only survived but also led a massive counterattack.

It’s known that Tian Ye’s army alone is larger than the Black Armored Army, not to mention the remaining forces of the Flying Horse Banner.

The fiercer the battle, the more unfavorable it became for the Demon Sect, especially since she was expected to help the Russell Clan at the moment.

Zhao Qingmei massaged her temples and thought silently, “With the Black Flood Dragon present, even if my husband is not a match for Qiu Fengsheng, escaping should be no issue.”

With this thought, her heart settled slightly.

Five miles outside Dongluo Pass, the sun was blazing, as if a giant fiery ball hung in the sky.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, sandstorms whirled up, and a massive flood dragon’s head emerged from the sands.

The Black Flood Dragon’s lantern-sized eyes looked towards the quiet Dongluo Pass, recalling An Jing’s instructions before he left to keep it protected at all times. Then, the Black Flood dragon moved its body and continued to hide beneath the sands.

…..

On the other side of the desert, the Russell Clan.

An Jing and Yu Qiurong arrived unobstructed at the Extreme Flame Land.

The dark red smoke drifted around, the surrounding temperature extremely high, even hotter than the exterior of Beili Volcano. The sand underfoot was scorching…

The air was filled with that hot Qi mechanism, like a wildly roaring beast, as a hot wind swept through, seemingly ready to devour anyone in its path.

Looking ahead, everything was hazy and unclear, but the closer one moved towards the center, the richer and more intense the Yang energy became.

“Hmm…”

Yu Qiurong felt the hot air sweeping across her face, and instead of feeling discomfort, she found it rather comfortable.

The Qi mechanism here was very different from that of Beili Volcano; there, it was the essence of the volcano, while here, it was the Yang energy nurtured by the sun above in the sky.

Comparedly, this was easier to absorb.

Seeing this, An Jing said, “The Yang energy here is very abundant. If the Ice Soul Poison in your body can be balanced, I think your cultivation can improve significantly.”

Yu Qiurong blinked and asked, “How should we do it?”

“Right here.”

An Jing glanced around and pointed at the sandy ground, “You sit down first, and initiate the ‘Earth Demon Technique.’

Yu Qiurong nodded, sat down, and started circulating the ‘Earth Demon Technique’ within her body. The Yang energy surged around her like a tide, entering her Dantian.

An Jing said, “Channel this Yang energy successively into the Baihui acupoint, Heavenly Spirit acupoint… finally, forming a cycle, and then absorb it back into the Dantian.”

Following his words, Yu Qiurong began absorbing the Yang energy from the air.

After a full cycle, she had completely absorbed the Yang energy into her body, even feeling a warm sensation.

Experiencing the benefits, Yu Qiurong involuntarily began to absorb more of the surrounding Yang energy.

Seeing this, An Jing felt relieved. Maintaining this cycle, if she absorbed for a few more hours, some of the Ice Soul Poison in Yu Qiurong’s body could be neutralized.

To completely neutralize it would still take more time.

“This Extreme Flame Land, truly worthy of being the Russell Clan’s forbidden land.”

The Yang energy here, the essence of the sun, was much stronger than the volcanic essence of the Beili Volcano. This place could gather a vast amount of the sun’s essence, surely there was a secret to it.

Feeling the blue light emanating from the Earth Book, An Jing walked towards the front.

The sandy ground under his feet was as hot as flames, scorchingly hot.

Yang energy rushed at his face, bringing with it waves of heat.

An Jing circulated the ‘Nameless Heart Scripture,’ and immediately, the rushing Yang energy seemed to be guided in some way, being directly absorbed into his Dantian.

This Yang energy was directly absorbed, even comparable to a trace of nature’s spiritual energy entering the body.

After the surrounding Yang energy thinned, the temperature suddenly dropped, and then the Yang energy from afar surged over once again.

An Jing stepped forward, his Dantian forming a massive vortex, continuously absorbing the surging Yang energy from around him.

Without the support of the ‘Nameless Heart Scripture,’ even with his Grandmaster cultivation, it would be difficult for him to continue moving forward.

After walking several hundred steps forward, it seemed as if a beam of light fell from the sky above, gathering at a spot with an extremely pure bundle of Yang energy.

“What is this!?”

An Jing furrowed his brows; the beam of light falling from the sky was the essence of the sun, seemingly absorbed and then transformed into Yang energy by something mysterious ahead.

What is that thing that can absorb and transform the essence of the sun?

“Rustle rustle!” “Rustle rustle!”

An Jing circulated the “Nameless Heart Scripture” with all his heart and soul. The thick and extremely pure Yang energy was all absorbed by him, and only then did the scene in front of him emerge into his view.

It was a smooth stone, dyed a bright crimson, seeming to have something flowing within it.

The beams from the sky fell upon the stone. The crimson stone absorbed all the essence of the sun and then transformed it into Yang energy.

Since it was past noon, the sun was no longer at its hottest, so the essence of the sun was not at its most explosive. The release of Yang energy was also slowing down.

An Jing stepped forward, staring unblinkingly at the crimson stone.

It seemed as though there were meridians inside the red stone, something flowing within them, which made it all the more wondrous.

“Hiss—!”

An Jing touched the red stone, and immediately felt as if his fingers were being roasted in fire. Simultaneously, the blue light from the Earth Book reached its peak.

“Hint Three: There is a blue opportunity (essence of the sun) near the host.”

An Jing looked at the stone in front of him and realized that this stone must contain the essence of the sun.

The True Dragon Treasure Blood was a blue opportunity, and now the essence of the sun was also a blue opportunity.

All in all, items designated as blue opportunities should not be mediocre.

“No wonder there are Grandmaster-level experts in the Russell Clan. It must be because of this stone. Maybe the essence of the sun could help me break through to the Second Qi.”

An Jing’s heart surged with heat, and his eyes narrowed slightly, “But absorbing this essence of the sun seems to be quite challenging.”

Although the stone contained the essence of the sun, to absorb it, one had to be in contact with this red stone.

An Jing took a deep breath and then leaped directly onto the red stone, sitting cross-legged.

Immediately, he felt flames spouting from below, as if they wanted to burn his body to ashes.

As the “Nameless Heart Scripture” was set into motion, a strand of golden light surged from the red stone below towards An Jing’s body.

The pale golden light appeared inside An Jing’s body and then transformed into a gentle glow.

This absorption of the sun’s essence was very likely to elevate An Jing to a Second Qi Grandmaster, so he concentrated fully, not daring to be careless.

As the essence of the sun entered An Jing’s body, it then burst out with dazzling light, rushing towards all the meridians in his body.

Just as the essence of the sun entered An Jing’s body, he suddenly felt a surging and uplifting Qi mechanism.

This stone had been in this place for who knows how many years. Although most of the essence of the sun had transformed into scorching Yang energy, the remaining essence of the sun was still enormously vast.

Afterward, the essence of the sun started rushing towards An Jing’s Dantian.

Just as the essence of the sun neared the Dantian, a very powerful resistance suddenly surged out from within it, strong as if it were moving mountains and overturning seas. Caught off-guard, An Jing’s eyes suddenly opened wide, and a spray of blood spewed out.

“This essence of the sun is too overbearing.”

An Jing gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Even though I possess the ‘Nameless Heart Scripture,’ absorbing this essence of the sun is still very difficult.”

With that said, he closed his eyes again.

If the people of the Russell Clan knew that An Jing was directly absorbing the essence of the sun from their holy stone, they would be so shocked their jaws might drop.

In his Dantian, True Qi tightly wrapped around the Sun Essence, moving towards the center of the Dantian. In an instant, a powerful and overbearing backlash continued to come from the Dantian.

An Jing suppressed that kind of pain, and little by little, he moved the Sun Essence towards the center of his Dantian using True Qi.

“Sizzle, sizzle! Crunch!”

At that moment, a large amount of fresh blood violently sprayed out from the surface of An Jing’s skin, followed by the sound of twisting bones.

Such pain would be unbearable not only for ordinary Grandmasters but also for An Jing, whose body was verging towards becoming as hard as jade; he almost fainted from the pain.

An Jing bit his own tongue tip, keeping himself calm and alert.

Time slowly passed, and the Sun Essence gradually moved towards An Jing’s Dantian, while immense pain continuously tormented An Jing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a series of explosions occurred inside An Jing’s body, centered on the Dantian a terrifying wave of air burst forth, rushing towards his body’s meridians, bones, and blood.

In just an instant, his vigorous and robust inner body was severely damaged. An Jing felt his mind become chaotic, and the smell of blood reached his mouth and nose.

Almost as a natural reaction, the “Nameless Heart Scripture” began to operate, and a huge amount of True Qi fed back continuously flooding into his body, fixing the injuries within.

But even so, the terrifying pain continued unabated, and An Jing’s body visibly burst open, oozing fresh blood.

Only a thin membrane appeared between the Sun Essence and An Jing’s Dantian, blocking further fusion of the Sun Essence with the Dantian.

“Did it fail?”

An Jing opened his eyes, his body somewhat unstable.

At this moment, his body was completely drenched in blood, turning him into a blood-soaked figure, with red blood also covering the stone beneath him.

“As long as I absorb this Sun Essence, I have an eighty percent chance of reaching the Second Qi Grandmaster level,” An Jing muttered as he raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes again, planning to try once more.

……

The Russell Clan, as night gradually fell.

Duanmu Xinghua sat cross-legged inside a mud house, eyes closed in meditation.

“Sect Master Duanmu!”

Just then, the voice of the Russell Clan’s leader came from outside.

“Creak—!”

Duanmu Xinghua pushed open the old wooden door and walked out.

The pale-faced Russell Clan leader glanced up at the sky and said in a deep voice, “It’s about time.”

“Good, let’s get ready to move,” Duanmu Xinghua clapped her hands, and subsequently, many experts from the Heavenly Sect emerged from within the house.

In attendance were twenty-three Heavenly Sect experts, seven of them at the peak of Second Grade, among them ten were at First Grade, four had achieved Earth Flower, and two had reached Heavenly Flower level—this was the terrifying strength of the Heavenly Sect.

The Russell Clan leader scanned the group and asked in a low voice, “Sect Master Duanmu, Chuck has formidable backers behind him…”

Even though he had already investigated clearly earlier, he still couldn’t help but ask tentatively.

“Don’t worry, just two One Qi Grandmasters,” Duanmu Xinghua said lightly.

“Okay, then let’s go,” the Russell Clan leader took a deep breath and then walked outside.

Duanmu Xinghua followed with the many experts of the Heavenly Sect.

The group concealed their tracks, not moving too fast. It took them about the time of burning an incense stick to reach a secluded area within the Russell Clan territory.

It was a row of sturdy earthen towers, much larger than ordinary mud houses, surrounded by several guards of the Russell Clan standing on both sides.

The Russell Clan leader steadied himself and said, “Ahead is our Russell Clan’s tribal warehouse.”

Duanmu Xinghua’s aged face showed a trace of murderous intent.

“Sect Master!”

Suddenly, a Heavenly Sect expert stepped forward and whispered, “There’s something strange. There’s no movement inside, but there are uniform breathing sounds, as if a master is present.”

“Breathing sounds!?”

Duanmu Xinghua muttered to herself when suddenly a flash of cold light burst forth, speeding toward her throat.

“Swoosh!”

Duanmu Xinghua’s eyes narrowed to slits, and she struck with a palm toward the incoming shadow.

“Bang!”

At the collision of the palms, the figure was sent flying backward several meters.

“Truly formidable as the master of the Heavenly Sect,” the figure, now revealed to be the Russell Clan leader, flexed his arm that had become extremely rosy, showing no signs of the earlier pale frailty.

All experts of the Heavenly Sect were shocked, none had anticipated the Russell Clan leader to attempt a surprise attack.

However, Duanmu Xinghua’s expression turned incredibly grim, “Cha Wei, you really have some nerve.”

Cha Wei, which was the name of the Russell Clan leader.

“Hahahaha!”

Cha Wei laughed loudly, “Duanmu Xinghua, you do not even know you are at death’s door?”

Duanmu Xinghua’s gaze turned icy, “To die at your doorstep, just with you alone?”

“There’s not just one clan leader.”

A cold voice spoke up.

Then, two figures walked out from the distant ‘warehouse,’ followed by several more figures.

The leaders were none other than Chuck and Sun Xiu from the Soul Seeker Mansion.

Three One Qi Grandmasters— even Duanmu Xinghua furrowed her brow tightly, as she had only recently reached the ranks of Second Qi Grandmasters and found it quite challenging to cope with three experts of One Qi Grandmaster.

Duanmu Xinghua took a deep breath and said, “Your Russell Clan is really something.”

From beginning to end, it had all been a play staged by the Russell Clan themselves.

What a great betrayal by the Great Elder Chuck and the injuries of the clan head—all were but traps specifically aimed at the Demon Sect.

Cha Wei said coldly, “You Demon Sect exploit our Russell Clan, treating us no better than pigs and dogs. We provide you with such precious gold, jade, and herbs, yet you repay us with worthless things like rice, meat, and vegetables. Do you really think we of the Russell Clan are fools?”

Duanmu Xinghua glanced at Cha Wei and after a long while, replied, “Rice, meat, vegetables… Aren’t these precisely what you need?”

“What we need?”

A vicious look appeared in Cha Wei’s eyes. “We need more than just these worthless things. I told you before that we wanted to exchange them for some martial arts heart methods from the Demon Sect, but you always made excuses and palmed us off with some inferior martial arts heart methods. Do you really take us of the Russell Clan for beggars?”

In today’s world, if you had some money and it bought you food, you could only eat for three days; but if it bought you a gun, you could eat indefinitely.

Such a simple concept was naturally understood by Cha Wei.

Duanmu Xinghua looked at the clan head of the Russell Clan, who was like a wild beast, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Sun Xiu licked his lips and sneered. “It’s hard to imagine the uproar in Jianghu if the head of the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sect of the Demon Sect were to be taken off.”

Duanmu Xinghua calmed down and said lightly, “My head is right here, but it won’t be easy for you three to take it away.”

“Then let’s find out!”

Chuck roared and his body shot towards Duanmu Xinghua like an arrow released from the bowstring.

Although his cultivation had reached the realm of One Qi Grandmaster, his understanding of martial arts was far inferior, and his skill in hand-to-hand combat had only barely achieved body and mind unity.

The Universal Benefit Bodhisattva had reached an untainted body right at entry into the Grandmaster Realm, a difference as stark as that between heaven and earth.

Shadows crisscrossed, and True Qi overflowed—within just a dozen or so moves, Chuck was already showing signs of defeat.

“I’ll help you!”

Upon seeing this, Cha Wei leaped and joined the fray, unleashing his True Qi, which whirled and kicked up sand and stones.

Yet, their combined efforts against Duanmu Xinghua were still excruciatingly inadequate.

“This is truly…”

Sun Xiu saw this and couldn’t help shaking his head.

Although these two were called Grandmasters of One Qi, their level of martial arts was exceedingly poor, fortunate only to be absorbing the Yang Energy of this land of Extreme Flame day and night, otherwise they might not reach even Half-step Grandmaster.

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

Sun Xiu leapt up, a domineering punch hurling towards Duanmu Xinghua.

“Bang!”

Their fists and palms collided, suddenly feeling as if mountains were collapsing and earth was splitting, causing the ground to shake.

“Sect Master!”

The other experts of Heavenly Sect also crowded around, blocking Sun Xiu.

The scene turned into a chaotic battle, with a group of Heavenly Sect experts and Duanmu Xinghua fighting against the three Grandmaster experts.

Duanmu Xinghua pushed her strength to the limits, overpowering both Chuck and Cha Wei, while Sun Xiu, though a Body Refining expert of the Grandmaster Realm and impervious to blades and spears, could not extricate himself from the Heavenly Sect experts.

“Bang!”

“Today, I shall wipe out your Russell Clan.”

Duanmu Xinghua moved her palm, shaking Cha Wei repeatedly backward as he spat out fresh blood.

Chuck’s face became very ugly. He had not expected Duanmu Xinghua to be so formidable.

Duanmu Xinghua advanced with large strides, intending to swiftly eliminate Cha Wei with a deadly palm.

“Mansion Master Qiu!”

Cha Wei suddenly cried out.

Duanmu Xinghua was startled by the shout. Just as she was about to withdraw her palm, it was already too late.

Her vision blurred suddenly, a gust of refreshing breeze faced her, followed by a massive handprint fiercely hitting upon Duanmu Xinghua’s palm.

“Boom!”

Duanmu Xinghua felt as if her own palm had struck a mountain, her arm creaking ominously as she continuously stepped back.

A figure appeared in front.

“Qiu Fengsheng!?”

Duanmu Xinghua, enduring the pain in her arm, felt a chill shoot from her spine to her Baihui acupoint.

Upon seeing the person who had appeared, Chuck and Cha Wei both breathed a deep sigh of relief.

The person who had appeared was none other than the Mansion Master of the Soul Seeker Mansion, Qiu Fengsheng.

Qiu Fengsheng said somewhat disappointedly, “Duanmu Xinghua, it seems your Sect Hierarch has sent you here to die.”

He had thought the Demon Sect Hierarch would send a strong reserve like Ouyang Ping, even if not coming in person.

He did not expect only Duanmu Xinghua and a group of Heavenly Sect experts, without a glimpse of any other Demon Sect experts.

However, slaying the Sect Master of Heavenly Sect, Duanmu Xinghua, also counted as a severe blow to the Demon Sect.

After all, Duanmu Xinghua held high prestige within the Demon Sect.

“Huff…”

Duanmu Xinghua exhaled deeply, having never faced such a perilous situation in her career; not even when she earlier faced the assassination from Leaf of the True One Sect or the ambush by Feng Lingyue that almost led to her death, was it as pressing as now.

Because in front of her stood three One Qi Grandmasters along with a Three Qi Grandmaster, and she was also surrounded by numerous experts of the Heavenly Sect.

She could neither run nor afford to run.

Duanmu Xinghua, feeling a chill in her heart, cautiously watched Qiu Fengsheng in front of her.

“You are no match for me.”

After Qiu Fengsheng finished speaking, his body appeared in front of Duanmu Xinghua the next moment, his robust True Qi instantly enveloping her like rolling mountains bearing down.

Boom!

The air ahead erupted with a piercing boom.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Duanmu Xinghua was frantically gathering True Qi within her body.

Her palm slowly lifted, and as it did, her hand visibly swelled at an observable rate, turning into a colossal hand that blotted out the sun within moments.

Atop this gigantic hand, a ferocious aura instantly gathered, and in that moment, the hand, like a mountain, descended towards Qiu Fengsheng below.

The True Qi from all directions boiled up at this moment.

Infinite Skill! Demon Shattering Hand!

Duanmu Xinghua’s eyes, resolute, watched Qiu Fengsheng, and then the giant hand suddenly struck down, carrying a chilling battle intent that spread throughout heaven and earth.

Qiu Fengsheng’s expression remained undisturbed as his palm swiftly changed into a fist that thundered forward.

“Thud!”

The True Qi ahead was completely penetrated, turning into a cloud of ash.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Duanmu Xinghua, as if severely struck, turned pale, repeatedly stepping back.

Meanwhile, Qiu Fengsheng stood unmoved, his expression as calm as still water.

“Too strong…”

Duanmu Xinghua watched the Qiu Fengsheng before her, with a deeply solemn expression.

In her view, the strength of Qiu Fengsheng was as unfathomable as the ocean, and considering his fist from before, he clearly hadn’t exerted his full strength.

Sun Xiu, with a sinister smile, looked at the Heavenly Sect behind Duanmu Xinghua and whispered lowly, “You two, first slay this group of Heavenly Sect masters.”

Cha Wei and Chuck exchanged a glance, each revealing a trace of grim killing intent in their eyes.

Duanmu Xinghua’s heart turned cold, only able to watch as two One Qi Grandmasters went to kill.

Qiu Fengsheng waved his robe faintly and said, “Duanmu Xinghua, today this old man shall borrow your head.”

…….

Extreme Flame Land.

Yu Qiurong suddenly woke up, staring astonished at the vortex forming in the distance, as if countless Yang Energies were madly converging towards it.

“What on earth is happening!? Could it be that doctor?”

She didn’t understand what had occurred, but it seemed like only she and that doctor had entered the Extreme Flame Land.

She also didn’t understand why a doctor could cause such disturbances.

What on earth is happening?

In the depths of the Extreme Flame Land, atop a red stone.

As the “Nameless Heart Scripture” operated, the Essence of the Sun once again wafted out from the stone, merging into An Jing’s body.

The red light from the Essence of the Sun rushed fiercely like a wild dragon. Instead of directly entering An Jing’s Dantian, it transformed into countless beams of light, flowing towards various meridians throughout his body.

Once the Essence of the Sun completely merged into An Jing’s body, it slowly circulated within him, adapting to this scorching light.

After about the duration of an incense stick burning, the Essence of the Sun, encased in True Qi, moved slowly towards the Dantian.

At the moment the Essence approached the Dantian, a powerful resistance burst forth from within, like a mountain-shifting and sea-overturning force.

However, An Jing had anticipated this rejection, biting down hard, steadfastly guarding his spirit.

Even though he knew refining the Essence of the Sun was difficult, he was determined to do so today.

In the Dantian, True Qi tightly wrapped around the Essence of the Sun, moving toward it. Instantly, a forceful, dominating backlash continued to emanate from within.

An Jing suppressed the pain, gradually moving the Essence with his True Qi towards the Dantian.

The intense force of rejection, like an unceasing river, harshly stimulated An Jing’s body. After enduring the pain from body refining, such pains were hardly significant to him now.

Not only on the surface, but his internal organs too were squeezed out blood due to the strong pressure. This was only because An Jing’s body was much stronger than that of an average Grandmaster; otherwise, he might have exploded from the pain and perished by now.

Time flowed like water, and again, half an hour unknowingly passed.

Boom!

Suddenly, An Jing’s body exploded like a bomb, with the Dantian at the center, emitting terrifying waves of Qi.

His whole body trembled, and at that moment, his consciousness became ethereal.

Just then, the Essence of the Sun entered the Dantian, transforming into a massive amount of red Essence, instantly filling all the spaces.

With his current foundation far from reaching the Second Qi Realm, but the continual influx of the Essence of the Sun broke through the barrier directly.

At that moment, the barrier was like a floodgate bursting open, tumultuous and unstoppable.

The red stone’s Essence of the Sun was being absorbed bit by bit.

An Jing’s cultivation also visibly increased at a rate perceptible to the naked eye, and the Divine Qi above his head began to settle.

Divine Qi settling!

The next moment, his cultivation reached the realm of a Second Qi Grandmaster.

Around him, a robust wave of True Qi burst forth, dispersing the thin Yang Energy in the vicinity.

After a long while, heaven and earth returned to tranquility.

Second Qi Realm!

An Jing opened his eyes, “Second Qi, is it?”

Compared to his breakthrough to Grandmaster, reaching One Qi, this promotion seemed the quickest—perhaps due to the continuous flow of the Essence of the Sun, perhaps due to his change in talent making breakthroughs much easier, or maybe it was because of the “Nameless Heart Scripture.”

An Jing stood up, at this moment the Earth Book emitted a purple glow.

“Reminder: Host, there is a purple opportunity nearby.”

An Jing’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the red stone he had been sitting on.

At this moment, because the Sun Essence within the red stone had been absorbed, it had turned into a pale cyan color.

An Jing gently touched the stone with his palm and muttered, “This stone turns out to be a Purple opportunity, but its ability to absorb the Sun Essence is indeed extraordinary.”

A Purple opportunity, that is comparable to the opportunities given by the three greatest heart methods surpassing the Heavenly Martial Level.

Although he knew this stone was a Purple opportunity, taking it away would still be extremely difficult. The first problem to solve was the Russell Clan.

This was the cause behind the formation of the Russell Clan’s secret land. Would they let him take the stone away?

“Forget it, let’s deal with the Russell Clan’s matter first.”

An Jing took a deep breath and walked towards the distance.

After about a hundred steps, he saw Yu Qiurong looking at him in astonishment.

An Jing asked, “Have you balanced the Ice Soul Poison within you?”

Yu Qiurong shook her head, “No, the Yang Energy has disappeared, but it seems to have been suppressed a bit.”

An Jing smiled, “The Yang Energy here will gather again. It will be alright next time; let’s head out for now.”

“That sounds good.”

Yu Qiurong nodded, and the two of them then left the Extreme Flame Land.

The moment they stepped out, the booming sounds of True Qi reached their ears, clearly indicating the intensity of the battle.

“Not good! We need to hurry.”

Hearing this, Yu Qiurong quickly followed the sounds and leaped forward.

“Seems like there’s a master here.”

An Jing’s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he muttered to himself and also hurried after her.

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

The ‘warehouse’ was not far from the Extreme Flame Land, and they soon arrived at the scene.

They saw Duanmu Xinghua with a pale face, collapsed on the ground, continuously spitting out fresh blood. Beside her, apart from dozens of Heavenly Sect master bodies, there were also seven or eight severely injured Heavenly Sect masters at death’s door.

Cha Wei and Cha Chuck each held a body of a Heavenly Sect master, their mouths curled with a cold smile.

Sun Xiu also had a face full of joy. Today, annihilating the Demon Sect Heavenly Sect and killing the Sect Master Duanmu Xinghua was a significant achievement.

Qiu Fengsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his face neither happy nor sad.

He had anticipated today’s results, so he did not feel overly excited in his heart.

“Sect Master Duanmu!”

Yu Qiurong quickly walked forward.

“You… you… sigh.”

Duanmu Xinghua looked at the arrivals, her lips moved, and her eyes showed a trace of dimness.

She had thought Yu Qiurong and An Jing might have escaped this calamity, but unexpectedly, they still came.

The numerous Heavenly Sect masters behind her also had ashen faces. Today, it seemed the entire Heavenly Sect might be doomed here.

Cha Wei coldly said, “These two, one is a tributor of the Demon Sect, and the other is the Hierarch’s personal maid.”

Qiu Fengsheng glanced over. There were no fluctuations of Qi mechanism in the young man’s body, and judging from his age, it was impossible for his cultivation to surpass that of an old monster. He must be an ordinary person, and the maid hadn’t even reached the Master Realm, so she was also not a threat.

“Unexpectedly, two more came to seek death.”

Sun Xiu raised an eyebrow, looking at Yu Qiurong with a cold smile curling on his lips, “The Hierarch’s personal maid, I’ve heard that your Hierarch is a woman. It seems you are still young…”

At this point, a beauty could no longer attract him, but a beauty with status and position could ignite the desire in his heart.

Just then, An Jing let out a light laugh, “You’re Sun Xiu, right?”

“Why did you come along?”

Seeing An Jing, Yu Qiurong was startled. She moved at a very fast speed; how could this ordinary man possibly keep up?

Sun Xiu sized up An Jing and chuckled, “Boy, want to beg for mercy?”

“I’ve heard of you.”

An Jing slightly nodded, “They say in Jianghu that you’ve trained in Cross-Training, which is quite formidable.”

Cha Wei scornfully laughed, “Boy, you do know how to flatter. Master Sun is a Body Refining expert, with iron head and arms, impervious to blade and spear—Isn’t that undeniable? But even with all your flattering today, you can’t escape death.”

An Jing bowed his head, the smile on his face fading away.

“Hmm!?”

Qiu Fengsheng suddenly sensed something; he wanted to speak but it was already too late.

“Surging Wave—!”

An Jing extended his palm towards Yu Qiurong’s waist at an extremely fast speed, pulling out the sword so quickly that only Qiu Fengsheng, among those present, noticed the sword light.

A cold gleam silently emerged within the world.

Unity Sword Technique! Sword Drawing Skill!

The sword light was imperceptibly quick, sweeping forward like thunder.

Between its opening and closing was no longer darkness and light but a birth and death anew.

“Puff!”

A line of blood appeared on Sun Xiu’s neck, blood gushing out like a fountain.

“Thump!”

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His body heavily fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust, his face filled with immense horror.

Clutching Yu Qiurong’s Water Stopping Sword, An Jing said indifferently, “Impervious to blade and spear, what does that have to do with a sword?”

……

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