Chapter 285: The Legendary Demon

By the time the meeting in the Lingxiao Courtyard concluded, it was already late into the night.

Wei Tianxiong did not leave; he sat in his seat, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Once only the two of them remained in the courtyard, Li Qingqiu finally looked at him and asked, “What is it you want to say?”

Wei Tianxiong looked at him and said, “The current Qingxiao Sect is by no means a match for Ziyang Island. You are indeed very strong, but you are ultimately only at the Spiritual Consciousness Realm.”

Li Qingqiu was amused and laughed, “I never said I wanted to go to war with Ziyang Island; I am merely taking precautions in advance.”

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“I can help you.”

“What, with you added to the mix, we can defeat Ziyang Island?”

Li Qingqiu looked at Wei Tianxiong, asking with a half-smile.

He had gathered just now that Wei Tianxiong held a grudge against Ziyang Island.

Wei Tianxiong took a deep breath and said, “To defeat or even annex Ziyang Island, we must rely on the development of the sect. I can help you develop the sect. I also know where several undiscovered treasure lands and Legacies are hidden within the Tianming Sea.”

After speaking, he stared intently at Li Qingqiu.

Although his life was already in Li Qingqiu’s hands, he could feel Li Qingqiu’s respect for him, so his eyes were filled with expectation.

“What do you want in return?” Li Qingqiu asked directly.

Wei Tianxiong’s loyalty had been rising over the past three years; it seemed he could completely win over his heart tonight.

“Revenge. I hope that after the Qingxiao Sect replaces Ziyang Island, it will not follow their example and bow its head to the Longevity Immortal Alliance of the Tianming Sea,” Wei Tianxiong said seriously.

“Longevity Immortal Alliance? Is that the overlord of the Tianming Sea that wiped out your Shenyuan Cult?”

“Exactly. The Longevity Immortal Alliance acts with tyranny. Any power that steps into the Tianming Sea is coerced by them. The cultivation resources Ziyang Island offers to the Longevity Immortal Alliance every year are more than what they invest in their own Disciples. Even so, Ziyang Island dares not utter a single word of complaint.”

“If the Qingxiao Sect goes to war with Ziyang Island, will it provoke the Longevity Immortal Alliance?”

“That is impossible. That is precisely why the Longevity Immortal Alliance is so unpopular. They are greedy and only exploit immortal cultivation sects; they do not aid their subsidiary sects.”

At the mention of the Longevity Immortal Alliance’s conduct, Wei Tianxiong gnashed his teeth.

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu felt relieved instead.

The Longevity Immortal Alliance was still too far away for him. Ziyang Island alone was enough of a headache; he did not want to face the Longevity Immortal Alliance at the same time.

Li Qingqiu looked at Wei Tianxiong and smiled, “Then I shall watch your performance. I hope the Qingxiao Sect can make you feel the way you did back in the Shenyuan Cult.”

Wei Tianxiong’s heart was touched; he truly felt that way.

“I need a certain amount of authority,” Wei Tianxiong said seriously, staring at Li Qingqiu.

“From this day forth, you are the Deputy Hall Master of the Tiangong Hall.”

Li Qingqiu directly assigned Wei Tianxiong’s authority, causing a smile to bloom on Wei Tianxiong’s face.

His favorability toward Li Qingqiu surged instantly. With the fate control talisman in place, Li Qingqiu could have simply ordered him around without such courtesy, yet Li Qingqiu chose to treat him this way.

Perhaps by following such a Sect Leader, he could see an unprecedented immortal cultivation sect… The addition of a Deputy Hall Master to the Tiangong Hall did not cause a stir within the sect, but the interior of the Tiangong Hall was filled with cheers, for Wei Tianxiong had already won over the Tiangong Hall Disciples.

In the following six months, the Tiangong Hall successively introduced over ten types of Formations. The number of people required for the Formations varied, and there were even single-person Formations. Once released, they were highly sought after by many Disciples.

Wei Tianxiong’s name gradually spread, and more and more Disciples learned that a Grandmaster of Formations had arrived at the Tiangong Hall.

Li Qingqiu had worried if Wei Tianxiong’s name would bring trouble, but Wei Tianxiong said that very few people knew his real name. After so many years, they were likely all dead. Only if he brought out the shen yuan azure thunder banner would he be recognized by the Cultivators of the Tianming Sea.

Wei Tianxiong had been sealed within the Taijue Sect for four hundred and twenty-seven years, enough time for ninety percent of his old acquaintances to have passed away.

Furthermore, he had faked his death within the Taijue Sect back then, so no one should remember him now.

Thus, with Wei Tianxiong’s assistance, the Tiangong Hall began to soar. Not only that, but he would occasionally go to the Cultivation Hall to teach some arts of Alchemy and Talismans.

His greatest specialty was Formations, but his attainments in other Daos were also far beyond what the Qingxiao Sect Discipless could compare to.

Li Qingqiu was very satisfied with his performance, and at the same time, he grew more expectant of Bai Ninger’s ‘Lucky One’ destiny… As autumn arrived, the land of the Northern Barbarians grew even more desolate, the earth withered and yellow, and the setting sun was as red as blood.

Cloud Color, dressed in black, stopped on a ridge. She wore a bamboo hat, followed by seven female Qingxiao Sect Discipless, all of whom also wore bamboo hats and carried qingxiao swords at their waists.

“This area should be the Jurong Plain marked on the map. Why can’t I see a single village?” a purple-clad woman holding a map spoke up, her face filled with confusion.

Cloud Color gazed ahead and said, “Let’s go take a look first. Although the view is open in this area, we must still be careful. The demons we are facing might know earth-tunneling or transformation techniques.”

The seven female Disciples nodded one after another. This was their first time performing a demon-hunting mission, and they were nervous, not daring to let down their guard.

The eight of them walked down along the ridge. From the perspective of an eagle in the sky, they looked like eight ants moving across the boundless Jurong Plain, incredibly tiny, as if they could never walk out of this wasteland.

After traveling over ten miles, they finally saw a dilapidated village behind a ridge.

The village gate had been smashed through, and many courtyard walls had collapsed; clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here previously.

Cloud Color waved her hand, and the seven female Disciples immediately spread out to surround the village. Each of them took out a Talisman paper, sandwiching it between their palms. As they injected Origin Qi, the Talisman papers began to burn.

They struck the ground with their palms simultaneously. Raging flames extended from their palms to both sides, eventually connecting end-to-end to form a line of fire that encircled the entire village.

This was the Evil-Suppressing Talisman, which could suppress wicked forces and prevent ghosts and monsters from escaping.

Cloud Color stepped forward, crossed the fire line, and entered the village alone.

The village was not large, with only a dozen or so houses. Dried bloodstains were visible everywhere. Her gaze was quickly drawn to a well.

Behind the well lay a person who was still breathing faintly.

Cloud Color first searched the entire village with her Spiritual Sense. After confirming there was no danger, she approached the person. She raised her hand to perform the Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needle, giving this person a final breath of life.

This was a middle-aged man as thin as a skeleton. His chest was a bloody mess, and his right leg was missing. It was hard to imagine what kind of terrifying existence he had encountered.

The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Cloud Color, but his eyes held no joy of being saved, only endless terror.

“He… has gone south…”

Cloud Color raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected this middle-aged man to speak with a Nine Provinces accent. His physique was different from ordinary people; he must have been a martial arts master living in seclusion.

“Who is he?” Cloud Color asked in a low voice.

“Candle Shade…”

“Is it a demon?”

“Yes… the legendary demon. He will bring disaster to the Nine Provinces Land… Run, run quickly…”

The middle-aged man grew more agitated as he spoke. His eyes bulged, and then he breathed his last.

He was already a dying man; Cloud Color’s Rejuvenating Ghost Immortal Needle could only give him enough strength to speak.

Seeing this, Cloud Color frowned. She stood up and looked toward the south.

They had been in the Northern Border for some time. They hadn’t come straight from the south; after entering the Northern Border, they had wandered around seeking information on demons. So, it was indeed possible they had missed Candle Shade as he headed south.

“Come in and bury these bodies, then head south immediately!”

Cloud Color spoke. Upon hearing her, the other female Disciples entered the village one after another.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, they left the village, stepping onto their qingxiao swords and rushing south.

“If that demon really is heading south, it will surely be exposed. By then, the Qingxiao Sect Discipless scattered across the world will definitely take action. Would our mission be considered a success or a failure?” one female Disciple couldn’t help but ask.

Cloud Color stood against the wind, her face calm as she said, “Our mission is to capture it or kill it. If we let it kill our fellow Disciples, then the mission is a failure.”

Rumble—

Rolling thunderclouds appeared on the horizon ahead. The world grew increasingly dark, as if they were rushing toward the night.

The other female Disciples all felt an aura they had never encountered before, making them very uncomfortable and filling their hearts with unease.