Qingyun Mountain

  Tongtian Peak, Ancestral Temple Hall.

  The old man guarding the ancestral temple still held his tattered broom in hand, standing at the entrance of the main hall, looking outwards. His face, full of wrinkles, revealed a hint of unusual expression, as if with a few parts of expectation, and seemingly with a little excitement.

  Outside the grand hall, on the empty ground, there was not a single person in sight. However, if one looked closely, they would notice that this empty space had many more strange talismans than usual around its perimeter, either stuck to the tree trunks or hidden among the grass and rocks. Each paper talisman was about half a zhang apart, seemingly unrelated, but actually forming a mysterious magical array that isolated this empty ground from its surroundings.

  The warm sunlight shines down from the sky, and within the formation, it's impossible to see any difference, just ordinary sunlight shining everywhere.

  Just the next moment, a sharp sound suddenly came from the empty space above. The old man standing at the gate of the ancestral hall looked up and his hand holding the broom also tightened unconsciously.

  A strange darkness suddenly appeared above the empty space, enveloping the sky in an instant and dyeing the surroundings with a heavy killing intent. But this darkness only existed within this empty space, to be precise, only within the magical array formed by the talismans around it. It was clear that this outermost mysterious array was set up by a master to bind this power within.

  Only to see the black air in mid-air growing thicker, making one feel as if they were in the nine layers of hell. But just at that moment, a sudden dragon's roar echoed out from within the black air. Suddenly, a bright light flashed forth, bursting out from the black air and illuminating everything. In an instant, the radiance was boundless, driving away all the black air.

  Lin Jingyu held the Dragon-Slaying Sword, appearing in mid-air with a burst of emerald light radiating from his body. His eyes shone brightly as he merged with the sword, charging straight down from the sky.

  The Dragon-Slaying Sword emitted a brilliant light, releasing a deafening roar, its aura was boundless. Even from high above, the ground below was already filled with swirling dust and flying sand and rocks. As Lin Xingyu's body shot down like lightning, his surroundings seemed to spontaneously ignite into flames due to his extreme speed and momentum.

  He looked like a reckless and warlike god of war swooping down in a fierce attack.

  The old man's lips in the ancestral hall suddenly began to tremble slightly.

  "Boom!"

  A deafening roar suddenly came, the ground that was struck by the power of this mysterious true method let out a pained moan. In an instant, the surface of the earth within the formation cracked and split open, large and small rocks broke away from the ground and shot up into the sky. And that power had already deeply pierced into the depths of the earth, right in the middle of the dazzling emerald light sphere.

  The various talismans around the empty space, including the mysterious incantations drawn on them, suddenly lit up together. The air was filled with the faint sound of mystical incantations, like a low hum, and an invisible force spread out, enveloping the massive destructive power within, preventing it from spilling out.

  Outside the law array, the sun shines warmly and the grass and trees are at ease, while inside the law array, it is as if the sky has turned upside down, like a raging storm.

  This is the magical scene outside the ancestral hall of Qingyun Mountain at this moment.

  In the distance, a dark green figure stood still, gazing far into the distance with hands clasped behind its back.

  The storm in the law array gradually subsided, and the sand and dust that had been stirred up by the enormous power fell back down to the ground. The cracks on the ground and the huge deep pit still bore witness to the earth-shaking blow from just a moment ago.

  The old man standing at the gate of the ancestral temple hall, his mouth moved slightly, and finally revealed a faint smile. In the depths of his eyes, there seemed to be a deep sense of relief.

  After a loud whoosh, Lin Jingyu leapt out of the deep pit with the Dragon-Slaying Sword in hand, his body covered in dust, and even his handsome face had some stains on it. As soon as he landed on the ground, he started panting heavily, but his expression still couldn't hide his excitement and agitation.

  He looked up and gazed at the old man standing in front of the ancestral hall.

  An old man's mouth was curved with a hint of a smile, slowly raised his hand towards him, and gently beckoned.

  Lin Jingyu caught his breath and quickly walked up to the old man's side, a smile spreading across his face as he called out: "Senior, I..."

  The old man smiled and nodded, his eyes lingering on him, full of warmth and affection, saying in a low voice: "You're doing great, really great."

  As he spoke, he slowly raised his head and gazed at the sky, saying leisurely: "Even if I were to cultivate this 'Ghost-Slaying Divine Sword Manual' back in my day, it wouldn't be much faster than you."

  Lin Jingyu "brushed" the sound, inserted the Dragon Slayer Sword back into its scabbard, and his face still had an excited expression, saying: "Senior, if it weren't for your guidance, I really wouldn't know when I could cultivate this extraordinary true method!"

  The old man snorted, a hint of disdain on his face, and said lightly: "Nowadays in the Qingyun Gate, except for Daoxuan, only Tian Nanyi and your former master Cangsong are decent. The other elders and leaders are all useless people."

  Lin Jingyu was taken aback, he had been learning from this mysterious old man in the temple for over ten years. As his cultivation deepened, his admiration and reverence for the old man grew deeper. He truly felt that the old man had opened up a whole new world for him, one that he never knew existed before.

  As time passed, Lin Jingyu got along with the old man for a long time, and the old man gradually grew fond of him. The words he spoke to Lin Jingyu every day also increased, which naturally involved some comments on people in the world. Whenever this happened, the old man's tone was unexpectedly arrogant, as if he looked down on everyone in the world, and there were only a few people who could enter his eyes.

  At first, Lin Jingyu didn't dare to refute him, but in his heart, he was also somewhat unconvinced. However, as his cultivation deepened, he increasingly felt that this old man was truly unfathomable and that his arrogance must have its reasons. With such a high level of attainment, how many people in the world could be considered worthy by him?

  He had always been displeased with the fat and arrogant Master Tian, who was also partly responsible for scolding Zhang Xiaofan in the past. This time, he couldn't help but say: "Senior, I think that Tian Noyi is quite ordinary, what's so special about him?"

  That old man looked at him and shook his head, saying: "You young people know what, Tian is not easy to look at, but in the cultivation of Taoism, he has a special talent, and his character is firm and persistent, which is beyond ordinary people. This point is especially important after deepening one's practice. In those years when he first entered the door, he was always mediocre, but once he got pointed out and enlightened, his Taoist practice progressed rapidly, and his achievements were even better than those of his senior brothers and sisters who looked down on him."

  He coldly snorted and said: "The people of this world, ten out of ten are mediocre, like the useless people from before, Tianyun, Shang Zhengliang and the others, what do they know?"

  Lin Jingyu was silent, but looking at the old man's arrogant expression, his words treated Tianyun Dao people and several other former famous Qingyun First Seats as if they were useless. If this got out, it would be a shocking joke, but for some reason, Lin Jingyu didn't even have a hint of doubt when he heard it.

  The old man turned his head to look at Lin Jingyu and said, "You can already use the 'Ghost Slashing Sword' technique, but the true sword intent of this technique is fierce and masculine, with great power, yet it also greatly consumes one's own vital energy. You have a rare talent, and at such a young age, you've already cultivated this technique, but you still need to continue cultivating in order to use it freely. Unless it's an emergency, don't use the true sword intent."

  Lin Jingyu knelt down in front of him and said respectfully: "Yes, disciple understands."

  The old man helped him up, looked at him a few times, and a hint of pride flashed across his face. He said: "Today, both inside and outside the Qingyun Gate, they all say that the 'Divine Sword Thunder True Formula' is the supreme true method of our Qingyun Gate. In fact, when I sent Qingye Zushi in those years, what kind of person was he? The old man sorted out the Taoist methods passed down by his predecessors and gained insight from the unnamed ancient scrolls, and a total of four styles of true formula sword formulas were passed down. Which one is not an unparalleled supreme true method?"

  "What?" Lin Jingyu was shocked and said, "There's such a thing, my master... he never told me before."

  The old man slightly shook his head and said, "Your master doesn't know either."

  Lin Jingyu's shock was not trivial, as the old man Cang Song Dao Ren had once been in a position of power within Qing Yun Men, where he was second only to one person and above all others. Yet this old man claimed that even he didn't know, but in reality, Cang Song Dao Ren had indeed never told him either.

  As for the old man's identity and background, Lin Xingyu couldn't help but feel even more curious.

  The old man's eyes, filled with the weight of years of experience, swept across his face, and he knew the young man's thoughts. However, he didn't say anything, but instead suddenly furrowed his brow, as if he had sensed something, and his gaze suddenly turned to look into the distance.

  After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, his face with a somewhat strange expression, and said faintly: "It's getting late, you should go back first."

  Lin Jingyu was somewhat reluctant to part with him, but he had always revered the old man as a god and did not dare disobey his words. He knelt down again and kowtowed three times before turning around and leaving.

  Soon, only the old man was left in the field. He remained silent for a long time, his body resumed its hunched shape, and he walked unsteadily to one side, sweeping with his broom, raising dust. As he swept up the stone dust, the mysterious talismans hidden in secret places were also swept away by him, floating into the dust.

  ※※※

  After tidying up the empty land, he randomly filled those stones into the big pit that Lin Jingyu had punched out, and barely leveled it. The old man seemed to be a bit short of breath and tired, standing still for a while before slowly turning around and walking back into the main hall of the ancestral temple.

  Inside the temple's grand hall, it was as quiet and dim as usual. In front of the countless spirit tablets at the back of the hall, tiny flames flickered silently.

  But at this moment, there was still a figure standing in front of those spiritual positions, tall and upright.

  That person wore a dark green Taoist robe, with an otherworldly air and a refined demeanor, precisely the current leader of the Qingyun Gate, Daoist Master Xuanzhen.

  Daoxuan Zhenren heard the footsteps, turned his head to glance at the old man, but didn't say anything. He then turned back to face the ancestral tablets and took a step forward. From the offering table in front of the tablets, he picked up three thin incense sticks, lit them with the candle flame beside him, and respectfully held the incense for three bows before inserting it into the incense burner.

  "It's been a while since I last came to the temple," said Dao Xuan Zhen Ren in a calm and slow tone, as if speaking to an old friend, "I don't know if the ancestors will blame me."

  The old man standing behind him walked up shakily, leaned the broom against one side, picked up a rag, and gently wiped away the incense ash on the altar table. He said in a low voice: "You have made Qingyunmen so lively, the ancestors are delighted to come back, how can they blame you?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled faintly and turned his head to look at him, suddenly saying: "You seem to have aged a bit more."

  The old man paused for a moment, then continued wiping the table, without looking back and said: "People who have lost their hearts naturally age faster."

  Daoxuan Zhenren silently gazed at the old man, not speaking again. The elder slowly and carefully wiped the altar clean, put down the cloth to one side, turned around to face Daoxuan Zhenren, looked at him for a while, then suddenly said: "You saw everything just now?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren nodded silently, sighed and said: "That child's talent is indeed very high, but," his voice seemed to be a bit louder, "I didn't expect you would pass on the 'Ghost Slashing God' to him."

  The old man hummed and said, "This child's heart and nature are all good. Since that's the case, why not pass it on? Are you going to keep it secret like you do, taking it to your coffin when you die?"

  Daoxuan Zhenren's face changed, seemingly with a hint of anger, but for some reason, towards this old man, the leader he respected and revered together with the orthodox path of heaven, he was unusually tolerant. Even such sarcastic words, he only changed his expression and then endured it.

  "By the way, there's one more thing I want to tell you," said Daoxuan Zhenren calmly.

  The old man raised his head and said, "I'm just an old man in the twilight of my years, what's going on?"

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren said: "Just today, a little later, the master of Fengxiang Valley, Yun Yilun, will lead his disciples to come to Qingyun Mountain to pay homage."

  The old man suddenly frowned and said: "Yun Yiluan?"

  Daoxuan Zhenren smiled and said: "You still remember him?"

  The old man let out a cold laugh and turned his head away. His voice suddenly took on a deeper meaning as he said, "That person is quite the sly old fox..."

  ※※※

  Southern Xinjiang, the Qilitag mountain range.

  Here is a continuous mountain range, with the Qili Valley as its center, extending in all directions. Since ancient times, these mountains have been lush forests and green waters, but now they have completely lost their original appearance.

  A chill wind descended from the sky, howling through the mountains like a ghostly wail. The sky was filled with dark clouds that hung low, somewhat resembling the day when the Li tribe invaded Qili Valley, but its might was far beyond comparison to that day.

  The forest, which was originally full of various birds and beasts, has now completely turned into a human hell. Everywhere is filled with all kinds of strange and bizarre demons and monsters, everywhere is filled with the corpses of slaughtered birds and beasts, a scene of blood and carnage.

  With a long whistle, a clear shadow flew from afar and arrived in front of him after a few ups and downs. It was the Green Dragon.

  His face was stern, his clothes were already stained with blood. The strong wind blew over, he stopped on a horizontal branch, looked around hastily, and then looked back.

  In the originally peaceful forest, a shrill and long howl suddenly echoed between the trees. With a loud flapping sound, a huge white skeleton snake burst into the air, its two giant eyes instantly reflecting the shadow of the green dragon in front. The snake let out a loud roar and pounced forward. Closely following behind it, black smoke billowed and wailed like a tide, as countless demonic beasts swarmed forth, all pouncing towards the green dragon together.

  Not long ago, the place where the Miao people lived in Qili Village was suddenly surrounded by countless monsters, led by this extremely terrifying white-boned snake. The white-boned snake's body is huge, and wherever it passes, bones fly about, humans and animals are beaten out of the way, and it can also spit out poisonous gas, which kills anyone who inhales it. As for other ordinary monsters, they are also incredibly powerful and extremely cruel.

  The Miao people were brave, but they were no match for these monsters. In the blink of an eye, Qiliang Village became a hell on earth, a slaughterhouse. Qinglong saw that the situation was not good and made a quick decision to let the Miao tribe's chief, Tu Ma Gu, withdraw the remaining Miao people into the altar. The shamans in the altar still knew some southern shamanic magic and could resist for a while. He then rushed forward, launching a surprise attack on the White Bone Snake, using his swift movements to strike repeatedly, killing the monsters and drawing most of their attention to himself.

  It's not just other demons, that white bone demon snake is not to be underestimated. With Qing Long's cultivation base and the possession of the "Qian Kun Qing Guang" treasure, he was still unable to gain the upper hand. Moreover, the surrounding demons were gathering more and more, putting increasing pressure on Qing Long. After his initial shock, he also had the intention of luring these monsters away, so he flew towards the mountain, and indeed managed to lure many of them, including the white bone demon snake, over.

  He only wanted to lure away the monster, so he didn't want to fly in the sky and instead flew over the forest floor. However, unexpectedly, it seemed that all the wild beasts and birds in the mountains had undergone strange changes, either being killed or transformed into ferocious monsters with strong attacking power, appearing everywhere and attacking him wherever he went, making it difficult for him to cope.

  At this moment, the green dragon flew up again, dodging the huge tail of the furious white bone snake. However, it saw three or four giant trees that had been alive for who knows how many years being swept aside like withered branches, making a loud rustling sound. In the process, many smaller demon beasts were directly hit, and the sound of their mournful cries echoed everywhere.

  The white-boned serpent gazed at the ascending green dragon, its snake head thrusting towards the sky, letting out a furious roar. Suddenly, three pairs of wings shook violently, and its enormous body actually took to the air, pouncing on the green dragon in mid-air.

  The Azure Dragon was shocked, although he had seen the monster's three pairs of wings from the start, but such a huge shadow actually flew up, and its momentum was really shocking. For a moment, only the giant body covered the sky and rushed down.

  However, the Azure Dragon was not an ordinary person after all. As the first of the Four Holy Envoys of the Ghost King Sect, he naturally had extraordinary abilities. He twisted his body and forcibly squeezed through the gap in the White Bone Serpent's body, flying in the opposite direction of the Seven Li Caverns.

  The white-boned snake let out a shrill howl and chased after him with flapping wings.

  The Blue Dragon flew for a while, and his Taoist skills were indeed profound. He gradually shook off the white bone snake and other monsters, and when he looked back, they were quite far away. In his heart, he was thinking whether he should get rid of these monsters and return to Qiuli Gorge to see how the situation with the Miao people was developing?

  At this moment, he suddenly swept his eyes to the side and saw a purple light flashing through the forest below, followed by a burst of blood and the beast's wailing voice, as if all the beasts from all directions were rushing towards him.

  Looking from the air, countless ferocious beasts pounce with bared teeth and brandished claws, like an endless evil sea wave crashing and foaming, really startling and heart-pounding.

  Among them, there was also a woman's angry shout.

  The green dragon's heart stirred, and several thoughts flashed through its mind like lightning. Its body eventually bent down to take a closer look.

  As soon as I entered the forest, I could only smell a foul odor that made me want to vomit. Everywhere were the corpses of ferocious beasts, torn apart and lying on the ground, with fresh blood splattered all over the place. Not far away, there was indeed a woman-like figure fighting against countless ferocious beasts, holding a purple-hilted treasure in her hand, its blade flashing with a sharp edge, looking extraordinary at first glance.

  Qing Long's eyes narrowed, and he involuntarily exclaimed: "Zi Mang Blade... you are Jin Ping Er?"

  The woman seemed to have been startled as well, turned her head and glanced back, her body floated over, but her hands didn't stop for a moment, the purple awn flashed and retracted, killing three more demon beasts.

  "Who are you?" Jinpinger fell beside Qinglong and said coldly.

  The Azure Dragon was puzzled, with Jinpinger's current cultivation level and Dao heart, why didn't he rise into the air, once in the sky, only a few of these demonic beasts could ascend to heaven, wouldn't that be simple?

  Although he thought so in his heart, Qinglong was still preparing to answer. Just as he hadn't opened his mouth yet, he and Jinpinger both felt a sudden shock, as if they had sensed something, and simultaneously lifted their heads to look forward.

  Just a moment ago, countless ferocious beasts were still in a state of frenzy, but suddenly they retreated like a tide. However, from the depths of the forest in front of them, a chill killing intent surged forth. The coldness of this formless killing intent was so intense that it made these two individuals, who were at such a high level of cultivation, involuntarily shiver with fear.

  Qing Long's heart was shocked, in the southern border, there was actually such a frightening thing!

  Just as they were shocked, the next moment, from behind a giant tree in front of them, a figure suddenly flashed and slowly walked out.

  That person wore a bright silk shirt, with black hair scattered over his shoulders, long and white hands, and an extremely handsome face, surprisingly being a beautiful boy with a hint of femininity.

  The Azure Dragon was stunned, but almost at the same time, he suddenly felt that the body of Jinpinger beside him had somehow begun to tremble slightly after the young man appeared.