20-30

Zhu Xiaotian organized his thoughts. He did not have the time to care about Li Yu.

The Hidden Dragon Rankings was only one of the rankings.

What was more important was how he could obtain more rewards from the Heavenly Dao through the Divine Weapon Rankings. And how to control the overall situation of the world to pave the way for himself.

Before the Divine Weapon Rankings get announced, I must plan carefully. Zhu Xiaotian pondered.

He had just received a piece of news today. The Netherworld Demon Sect colluded with the Northern Desert Wolf King Clan and occupied vast territories in the Mo Prefecture.

The Ye family guarding the Mo Prefecture, Ye Gusheng, had died in battle.

According to his previous life's memories, many earth-shattering events were about to occur.

As for the Great Xia Dynasty, it gradually progressed towards a century-long civil war.

However, with such information in his new life, Zhu Xiaotian naturally had to change a few things for everything to develop in his favor.

At the same time, he could obtain more opportunities and lay the foundation for his rise.

He still remembered most of the divine weapons on the Divine Weapon Rankings then.

Especially the top ten divine weapons.

In first place was the Netherworld Demon Sect's Master—Mo Lin's Demonic Carnage Sword.

In second place was the Three Purities Sword that originally belonged to Perfected Yu Hua.

However, when the rankings were announced, it already belonged to Mo Lin.

This was the first major event that was about to occur.

Perfected Yu Hua had fallen, and the Demonic Carnage Sword had appeared!

Judging from the timings, Zhu Xiaotian believed that now was probably the crucial moment for Mo Lin to secretly forge the Demonic Carnage Sword.

He only found out about all of this a hundred years later in his previous life.

It was said that this Demonic Carnage Sword was a peerless demonic sword forged by Mo Lin according to the sword casting method on an ancient mural.

It could manifest a powerful Demon God power that was extremely terrifying.

However, to forge this demon sword, he would still need to use the blood essence of people with Five Elements Spirit Physiques as sacrifices.

The Five Elements Spiritual Physiques were five people that possessed the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Spiritual Physiques separately.

At the moment, Mo Lin should have already found four of them, and he was only missing the final metal spirit body.

That last person was Perfected Yu Hua of the Jade Pure Dao Sect.

In Zhu Xiaotian's previous life, Perfected Yu Hua went to the Mo Prefecture to negotiate with Mo Lin in order to save his sect's elders and disciples.

However, he did not know that this so-called negotiation was part of Mo Lin's scheme.

Perfected Yu Hua eventually died in battle.

His Three Purities Sword fell into Mo Lin's hand, and his blood essence became the material Mo Lin used to forge the Demonic Carnage Sword.

The Demonic Carnage Sword was born.

The Netherworld Demon Sect would dominate over the Great Xia Dynasty.

As a result, the Jade Pure Dao Sect suffered an unprecedented blow, and everyone in the orthodox sects felt threatened.

One thing leads to the other.

With the death of Perfected Yu Hua, the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, Murong Cang, lost his backing and good friend. His illness aggravated because of it, and he died not long after.

Therefore, not long after the Divine Weapon Rankings was announced, the Third Prince, Murong Taisheng, who had always been secretly in cahoots with the members of the Netherworld Demon Sect and covered for the Demon Sect, began to act. With the help of the Netherworld Demon Sect, he combined forces with the family behind his mother, the Luo Family, and the current Grand Commandant to rebel and usurp the throne.

After that, the various lords eventually declared independence, and the Great Xia Dynasty began a civil war that lasted for a hundred years.

Consequently, the chaos in the world forced the Zhu family to spend a lot of resources on the power struggle between the lords.

This greatly hindered his growth, even taking his father's life in battle. His access to many opportunities was cut off as a result.

Hence, he wanted to change everything in this life.

As long as I stop Perfected Yu Hua from meeting Mo Lin for negotiation talks and tell him about the Demonic Carnage Sword, I can prevent the tragedy and change the trajectory of history!

Zhu Xiaotian thought.

As long as Perfected Yu Hua did not die, the Jade Pure Dao Sect could prevent the Demonic Carnage Sword from becoming a reality.

The strings of events afterward would not have happened.

Furthermore, without the Demonic Carnage Sword.

The Frozen Water Sword that was ranked seventh in the past could move up by one rank.

At the same time, weakening the Netherworld Demon Sect was equivalent to undermining the enemy of the Zhu Family—the Luo Family.

This way, the Zhu family could smoothly support Murong Xingqiao to the throne after Murong Cang's passing.

It would allow the Zhu family to expand their influence further and control the imperial court and the Great Xia Dynasty, obtaining more wealth and resources.

Not only that, he could also use this opportunity to find an appropriate time to expose the truth about Murong Xingqiao's gender. And he would find a way to make her marry him.

Zhu Xiaotian knew that Murong Xingqiao was the daughter of the heavens, the reincarnation of the Mystic Bird, and the person blessed by providence.

In his previous life, in that chaotic world, everyone thought that Murong Xingqiao had been killed.

However, she would skyrocket into a peerless expert later on. She would restore the Great Xia Dynasty and unify the nation.

So, in this life, he must ride Murong Xingqiao's coattails.

Of course, there was also Yi Caidie. She was the descendant of the first Linglong Holy Lord and possessed the qualifications to open the Linglong Treasury.

These two women are hugely valuable to me, so I must make good use of them. I must use them to rise up in this life.

It's a pity that Shi Potian has been eliminated, and I don't know where the Scarlet Copper Hammer ended up. Otherwise, it should have been mine! Zhu Xiaotian thought.

But it doesn't matter if there's one less Scarlet Copper Hammer. What's important right now is to obtain the top weapon on the Xi Liang Dynasty's Divine Weapon Rankings—the Reverse Scale Sword.

Zhu Xiaotian remembered that the Reverse Scale Sword was the sword of Ji Qinglan, the Thirteenth Prince of the Xi Liang Dynasty.

Ji Qinglan was also the top-ranked genius of the Xi Liang Dynasty's Hidden Dragon Rankings.

This fellow was similarly a person with great karmic luck. That Reverse Scale Sword was obtained in the ruins of an immortal abode, and it was said to be an Immortal Artifact.

Such an immortal artifact-level divine weapon could definitely be ranked ahead of the Three Purities Sword in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Therefore, as long as he obtained the Reverse Scale Sword, he could stop Mo Lin from casting the Demonic Carnage Sword at the same time.

In that case, he would have the chance to become the first on the Divine Weapon Rankings.

I remember that after a while, Ji Qinglan and the other geniuses in the top ten of the Xi Liang Dynasty's Hidden Dragon Ranking will come to Nan'an City during the Lantern Festival and challenge the top ten of the Great Xia Dynasty's Hidden Dragon Rankings!

Although I lost to Ji Qinglan back then, my cultivation and strength are far beyond my previous self. I can definitely beat him. At that time, I'll take a page from that Li Yu's book and bet with Ji Qinglan to win that Reverse Scale Sword of his! If there's really no other way, I'll think of a way to kill and snatch the sword!

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Xiaotian's eyes while he slowly clenched his right hand.

He had to obtain the Reverse Scale Sword no matter what.

There's also Murong Cang's Tianwen Sword, the Blood Spirit Monarch's Blood Spirit Sword, and the Black Flood Dragon War Halberd of the Black Sea Mystic Flood Dragon. I must obtain them too!

He remembered that the Tianwen Sword, the Blood Spirit Sword, and the Black Flood Dragon War Halberd were respectively the third, fourth, and sixth-ranked divine weapons.

Until here, Zhu Xiaotian already had the big picture in his mind. He was filled with confidence and high spirits.

"Uncle Zhong, accompany me to the Jade Pure Dao Sect!" Zhu Xiaotian walked out of his room and called for his guardian.

He was about to head to the Jade Pure Dao Sect to meet Perfected Yu Hua.

"Yes, Young Master!" An old man with shriveled skin but eyes as sharp as an eagle bowed and replied.

He then took out the flying boat and summoned 20 Zhu Family secret guards to escort Zhu Xiaotian to the southeast.

In the Jade Pure Dao Sect's Clear Jade Hall.

Perfected Yu Hua's face was filled with shock after hearing what Elder Hu and the rest had reported.

"This kid is the real deal!"

"What a pity, what a pity. If only he could become a disciple of my sect for us to fully nurture him. Although he cultivates a martial arts body refinement technique, he'll probably be able to inherit my sect's orthodoxy in less than a hundred years and surpass us to become the hope of my sect's rise!" Perfected Yu Hua sighed repeatedly.

"Yes indeed. It's a pity that this child is a stubborn one. Sect Master, do you want me to kidnap him here?" Elder Hu said.

That was what he wanted to do the most now.

"No, we stand for what's right. How can we do such despicable acts like those demon sects!" Perfected Yu Hua said seriously.

Elder Hu sighed indignantly.

"Elder Hu, although this child did not join our sect, he is still part of our orthodox path. We must protect and help him. We can't let this child be harmed by the demon sects and die young.

"If this child can one day fulfill his potential in the future, he would become the hope of our Great Xia Dynasty's orthodox sects!" Perfected Yu Hua said earnestly.

"Understood!" Elder Hu cupped his hands. He knew that the sect master was concerned about the world's welfare, and everything was in the interest of the bigger picture.

"Sect master, sect master, it's bad news!" At this moment, an elder ran inside in panic with a wooden box in his hand.

"What happened to Elder Ma?" Perfected Yu Hua's heart palpitated as his expression tensed.

He had received too much bad news over the past few days.

First, the Heavenly Water Pavilion was destroyed by the demonic child.

Then, he heard that a Demon Mystic Flood Dragon had appeared in the Black Sea of the Yun Prefecture, flooding three cities and causing misery and suffering to all life.

Not long ago, he heard that the Netherworld Demon Sect colluded with the Northern Desert Wolf King Clan to invade the Grand Xia Dynasty's Mo Prefecture.

The last thing he wanted to hear was the word "bad".

Of course, the thing that worried him the most was the devil child that had disappeared after destroying the Heavenly Water Pavilion.

He could vaguely guess that the demonic child's strength had been greatly reduced after being sealed for countless years.

Although he had destroyed the Heavenly Water Pavilion, it was likely that he would be heavily injured by the sword might after Shan Ruoshui used her Essence Soul's blood essence as a sacrifice.

Therefore, he might have temporarily hidden somewhere to recuperate, or he might have left the Great Xia Dynasty.

However, as long as the devil child was not eliminated, he would feel as if there was a thorn in his back.

Therefore, every time he heard Elder Ma shout, "Bad news!"

His first reaction was that the demon child had arrived.

"Sect Master, Elder Xu, Elder Chu, and Elder Liu have been captured by the Netherworld Demon Sect. Just now, the Netherworld Demon Sect had sent over… Elder Liu's head!" Elder Ma said with a grim expression.

Then, he handed over the wooden box in his hand, which contained a head.

"What!" Perfected Yu Hua only felt a bolt of lightning strike his mind.

Looking at Elder Liu's head, he was overwhelmed with grief.

"Bastard! Mo Lin, that bastard!" Perfected Yu Hua could not restrain his anger as he clenched his fists tightly.

Rich spiritual power exploded from his body, his Daoist robe flapped, and his eyes surged with anger.

Elder Xu, Chu, and Liu were originally leading a group of disciples.

They had gone to the Yun Prefecture to subdue the Demon Mystic Flood Dragon and save the commoners from evil. Little did they expect the Netherworld Demon Sect to launch an attack at this moment. They even killed Elder Liu.

How could Perfected Yu Hua not be angry?

"Mo Lin, are you declaring war on Jade Pure Dao Sect?" Perfected Yu Hua's gaze seemed capable of killing.

Although he did not want to start a war with the Netherworld Demon Sect, he did not want people to die in misery and increase bloodshed.

In addition, the world was not peaceful. Great demons were rampant, and there was the threat of the birth of the demon child.

Obviously, the Netherworld Demon Sect could not restrain themselves anymore.

War was inevitable!

"Curse that Mo Lin! Sect Leader, I'm willing to bring people to save them!" Elder Hu's eyes were red, and he was fuming mad.

"Um… Sect Master… Mo Lin also said that you should go to the Northern Boreal City of the Mo Prefecture to negotiate with him. If you don't go… he'll send you a head every day!" Elder Ma's voice became softer and softer as he spoke.

However, he hurriedly shouted, "Sect Master, this is definitely part of a scheme. You must not fall for Mo Lin's trap!"

"That's right. Sect Master, there's probably a trap here. Let's not be anxious first. Let's take our time and think about it!" Another elder by the side, Chen, hurriedly advised.

He knew that Perfected Yu Hua was very protective of his sect. When he saw Elder Liu being killed and his sect's disciple captured, he would not suppress his anger.

"If I don't go, Elder Xu and the rest will all die! Even if that Mo Lin sets up an ambush, I have to go too. Otherwise, how can I face the entire sect's disciples in the future!" Perfected Yu Hua was enraged.

He could not bear to see his sect's elders and disciples being killed one by one.

"Sect Master, you can't go. Allow me to do it. I'll bring disciples to meet that Mo Lin. If there's really a trap, I'll accept my death!" Elder Hu said.

"Elder Hu, don't add to the chaos. At this time, we must calm down. We must not fall for Mo Lin's trap!" Elder Chen shouted.

Elder Hu harrumphed and fell silent.

The hall fell into a long silence.

Perfected Yu Hua was struggling internally. If he went, he might jump into a trap.

If he did not go, he would not be able to get over his conscience. He would probably have problems with his Dao heart in the future if he did nothing and watched his own sect members being killed.

He would no longer bring himself to face all of his disciples.

He did not want to be seen as a coward, nor did he want to be despised.

Right at this moment, another disciple reported that Zhu Xiaotian from the Liang Prefecture's Zhu family was here to seek an audience. He had something to tell Perfected Yu Hua.

"Bring him over at once!" Perfected Yu Hua ordered.

Not long after, Zhu Xiaotian was brought into the hall. After exchanging greetings, Zhu Xiaotian went straight to the point. "Sect Master Yu Hua, you should have heard about the Netherworld Demon Sect colluding with the Northern Desert Wolf King Clan to attack the Mo Prefecture, right?"

"Indeed!" Perfected Yu Hua nodded with a serious expression.

"Zhu Family's intelligence network has also inquired about a shocking piece of news. It's regarding the Netherworld Demon Sect, so I've come to inform the sect master!" Zhu Xiaotian continued.

"Please speak, Young Master Zhu!"

"It's said that Mo Lin is casting an unrivaled demonic sword…" Zhu Xiaotian told Perfected Yu Hua in detail about Mo Lin casting the Demonic Carnage Sword.

"And he's currently short of one person with a metal spirit body!"

Upon hearing this, Perfected Yu Hua, Elder Chen, Elder Hu, and the rest looked at each other in shock.

"Sect Master, I knew that there was definitely a conspiracy in this negotiation. He kidnapped Elder Xu and the others to lure you over. Sect Master, you can't go no matter what!" Elder Chen advised again.

Everyone knew that Perfected Yu Hua had a metal spirit body. Mo Lin's motive was clear.

Perfected Yu Hua fell silent. He was also weighing the pros and cons.

If he really fell into a trap and allowed Mo Lin to complete the Demonic Carnage Sword, then the world would really suffer.

"That's right. Sect Master Yu Hua, you must calm down at this moment. A small sacrifice is better than slaughtering all the living beings in the world.

"Now that the Netherworld Demon Sect and the Wolf King Clan occupied the Mo Prefecture, it would surely incur the wrath of the heavens and the resentment of everyone. All the heroes of the world would swarm over to attack them.

"Why don't Sect Master Yu Hua take this opportunity to ally with all the orthodox sects of our Great Xia Dynasty to suppress the Netherworld Demon Sect?

"Moreover, according to my knowledge, His Majesty is preparing to send an elite army to the Mo Prefecture. At that time, the Xia Dynasty's cavalry will restrain the Wolf King's clan's army, and Perfected Yu Hua could take the opportunity to lead the orthodox sects to attack the Netherworld Demon Sect. Even if we can't destroy them in one go, we can at least inflict severe damage to the Netherworld Demon Sect and even prevent the Demonic Carnage Sword from completion!"

…The news that the Netherworld Demon Sect conquered most of the Mo Prefecture with the help of the Northern Desert Wolf King Clan spread like wildfire in the Great Xia Dynasty.

The world was shaken as panic spread.

Since the disciples of the Netherworld Demon Sect had practically occupied half of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. It was a constant reminder to everyone how terrifying and powerful the Netherworld Demon Sect was.

The Heavenly Dao Rankings seemed shrouded in terrifying dark clouds. It enveloped the entire dynasty and the commoners, making them feel uneasy.

In addition, the news of the demonic child destroying the Heavenly Water Pavilion had already cast a shadow over the hearts of the people of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Now, the Netherworld Demon Sect had encroached on the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty with the Northern Desert Wolf King Clan, killing the famous general of the Great Xia Dynasty, Ye Gusheng, and his army.

To the commoners, this was simply the sign of the collapse of their world.

Moreover, the Wolf King clan had always been a thorn stuck in the hearts of the citizens of the Great Xia Dynasty. Their presence was like a sword that was hanging above their heads.

Therefore, it was easy to imagine their panic when they heard that the Wolf King's clan had invaded Mo Prefecture.

Thus, insecurity and fear swept the nation.

In the imperial palace of the Grand Xia Dynasty, in the emperor's chambers.

"Cough, cough, cough… Is Ye Guxiong's injury serious?"

On the bed, the sickly and weak Murong Cang asked feebly.

He had almost died on the spot from anger when he heard about Mo Prefecture's situation.

Ye Gusheng had died in the battle, and Ye Guxiong was also severely injured.

It meant that the Great Xia Dynasty had lost two of its prominent generals at once.

The loss of most of the Mo Prefecture's territory was a heavy blow.

"Currently, we have already sent him back to the Ye Residence. His life is no longer in danger, but it will probably be difficult for him to enter the battlefield soon." The Grand Commandant, Zhao Qiu, said, "The only person who can lead the army to war now is Ye Guxing of the Ye Family, but he is currently guarding the borders of Qing Prefecture…"

"Then send Ye Guxing!" Murong Cang said.

"Your Majesty, then the Xi Liang Dynasty might take the opportunity to attack!" Prime Minister Zhu Hongyuan said.

"Qingzhou's Jade Peak Pass is easy to hold and difficult to invade. Even if the Xi Liang Dynasty wants to attack, they won't be able to breach the border in a short while. The war in the north is more urgent now… We must stop the Wolf King clan from advancing south no matter what!" Murong Cang said weakly, then coughed violently.

In the recent hundred years, the Xi Liang Dynasty's military power had become far superior to the Great Xia Dynasty.

More than a decade ago, the Xi Liang Dynasty invaded the Great Xia Dynasty and annexed large areas of territory.

In the end, the Great Xia Dynasty had no choice but to cede the entire Wen Prefecture to the Xi Liang Dynasty and compensate them with a large amount of gold, silver, and treasures.

He even sent away many princesses through political marriages in exchange for more than ten years of peace.

However, in recent years, the Xi Liang Dynasty seemed restless and eager to make trouble.

The current Great Xia Dynasty was facing both internal and external threats.

However, Murong Cang knew he did not have much time left. He could not do much.

Zhu Hongyuan fell silent. He had no say concerning the war, and he had no better idea at the moment.

The north was more urgent than the west.

They could cede more land in the west in exchange for temporary peace.

On the other hand, invaders in the north wanted to eat meat and drink blood. They killed, robbed, and committed all kinds of notorious crimes. They were savages impossible to reason with.

…

The Grand Xia Dynasty's Mo Prefecture, Netherworld Demon Sect.

The Sect Master of the Netherworld Demon Sect, Mo Lin, took off his mask and walked towards a middle-aged man restrained by a piece of magic equipment. He said with a cold smile, "Qingyun Zi, it's probably been a long time since someone addressed you like this!"

The man turned his head at the sound, and a tinge of surprise surfaced on his handsome face. "It's you!"

This man was none other than Li Yu's father, Li Qingyun.

Li Qingyun was in Qinghang Town, located around 30 kilometers from Luo Water Town, tricking a large family into investing in his Daoist temple.

In the end, he had only just swindled a large sum of money when he was kidnapped by the Netherworld Demon Sect.

At first, he was slightly surprised. Had the Netherworld Demon Sect taken the wrong medicine?

What was the point of kidnapping a nobody like him who had nothing but a handsome face?

However, when he saw the true face of Netherworld Demon Sect's Sect Master, Mo Lin, he came to a sudden realization.

Enemies were indeed bound to meet on a narrow road!

"What's wrong? You couldn't stay in the Netherworld Cult anymore and came to the Great Xia Dynasty to form your own faction?" Li Qingyun asked with a grin.

Mo Lin coldly snorted as he looked at Li Qingyun with a mocking expression and said, "What right do you have to speak ill of me here? As the mighty and illustrious Holy Son of the Divine Firmament Holy Land, you actually slaughtered your way into the Clear Void Holy Land and killed many orthodox experts for a demonic girl. No matter how I think of it, such a deed of yours sounds like it's something only we are capable of doing."

"Li Qingyun, I think that you should have really joined our Netherworld Cult back then!" Mo Lin looked at Li Qingyun teasingly.

After the Heavenly Dao Rankings had exposed the top genius of the Grand Xia Dynasty was Li Yu, he coincidentally heard Li Qingyun's name during his investigation of 'That's Quite A Large Sect'.

He did not expect that Li Qingyun, who was as dazzling as the stars, as powerful as a god, and who shook the world and led an era, would turn out like this.

Appearing in a small place like this in the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Back in his glory days, Li Qingyun had fought against the world by himself for the sake of the woman he loved. Although it had caused a stir, it was limited to the cultivation world's circles, and few people in the secular world knew about it.

There were probably some people in the Great Xia Dynasty who had heard of this event. Still, not many knew of Li Qingyun.

Mo Lin was from the Netherworld Cult in the Great Zenith Domain and was a core member. Therefore, he had met and fought Li Qingyun many times.

They knew each other too.

As the Divine Firmament Holy Land's Holy Son, Li Qingyun had led the charge in the past and killed countless disciples of the Netherworld Cult.

His beloved junior sister had died under Li Qingyun's sword that year.

Therefore, he and Li Qingyun could be considered irreconcilable.

However, Li Qingyun was too powerful back then. Even ten of himself was not his match. He had even once lived in fear of being under this guy's mercy.

Who would have thought that the world was fickle and that this blessed son of heaven would fall from grace overnight?

Li Qingyun became a scum despised by the people of the orthodox path, and his reputation was ruined as he was driven out of the Great Zenith Domain.

From then on, he disappeared and gradually faded from everyone's memories.

Mo Lin did not expect to meet him here in the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Ptui, don't flatter yourselves. You guys aren't worthy!" Li Qingyun snapped.

Mo Lin grabbed Li Qingyun's collar and yelled angrily, "Li Qingyun, stop f*cking around with that arrogance here. Do you think you're still that Qingyun Zi from back then?

"Your cultivation level has been crippled by the Divine Firmament Holy Lord, and your meridians have been snapped by members of your orthodox sects. What's the difference between you and trash now? Anyone of my disciples can easily crush you to death!"

"If you want to kill me, then kill me. Cut the nonsense!" Li Qingyun looked impatient.

Having experienced the ups and downs of life, he had long been indifferent to life and death.

Now that he was in the hands of Mo Lin, he never thought of leaving alive.

"Hmph, then you might have to wait. When you and your son reunite, I will personally send you both on your way. With your son Li Yu by your side, you won't be lonely anymore traveling to the underworld!" Mo Lin said with a cold smile, his gaze icy.

"You want to use me to lure Li Yu over here!?" Li Qingyun's expression changed as he revealed a shocked expression.

"Haha, so what about it? Are you afraid?" Mo Lin laughed. He was immensely pleased with Li Qingyun's reaction.

He wanted Li Qingyun to feel what it felt like to be overwhelmed by fear.

"No, just that your Netherworld Demon Sect is finished!"

Li Qingyun's reply startled Mo Lin.

"What? Do you mean by some chance Li Yu can annihilate my Netherworld Demon Sect? Hahaha! Li Qingyun, are you trying to intimidate me? You should come up with a decent reason first! You really thought that a mere brat like Li Yu could overturn the heavens?

"Even if he was the first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, that was only the ranking among a group of kids. Did you think he's really invincible?

"And don't you think it's shameful to use your son to scare others? Li Qingyun, you're really becoming more and more delusional the longer you live. I really look down on you!"

"Humph, there are plenty of people who look down on me. Who do you think you are? You'd better think hard about your last words!" Li Qingyun could not be bothered to talk nonsense with Mo Lin.

He had thought that Mo Lin had kidnapped him to take revenge for what happened back then.

He did not expect that this fellow would want to involve Li Yu.

Foolish people of the demonic path, you know nothing of my son's powerNan'an City's Ye family, the General's Estate.

"Mother, let me out, let me out! The imperial decree has already been issued. If you continue to lock me up, that would be disobeying the imperial decree!" Ye Qiu kept shouting inside his locked room.

"I'm doing this for your own good. No matter what, I won't let you enter the front line. In a while, I'll go and beg His Majesty. If it's not possible, I will go there to fight in your place!" Ye Qiu's mother, Yang Shengnan, said firmly.

After Ye Qiu returned from Luo Water Town two days ago, he kept clamoring about entering some Qingyun Sect.

He claimed that the sect was filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and the sect's Eldest Senior Brother was the first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, Li Yu.

And Li Yu had also killed the demon child who had destroyed the Heavenly Water Pavilion.

Logically speaking, she should be aware of the person ranked first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

However, no one had heard of Li Yu and that unknown sect before.

How did her son find Li Yu?

Moreover, the first thing Li Yu demanded was 1000 silver taels as Ye Qiu's fees. Ye Qiu could enter any sect in the Great Xia Dynasty without spending any money with his talent. And 1000 silver taels all at once was simply a daylight robbery.

It was more ridiculous that Ye Qiu claimed that Li Yu had killed the demon child with a single strike.

If the entire Heaven Water Pavilion was no match for the demonic child, how could a child like Li Yu kill the demon child casually?

It certainly seemed like a scam.

Thus she felt that something was wrong. All kinds of signs pointed to the possibility that Ye Qiu had encountered swindlers.

She believed that the so-called killing of the demon child was either a lie they fabricated or an illusion created by their tricks.

In short, there was something fishy about the matter, so Yang Shengnan locked Ye Qiu up to prevent him from going astray.

However, tragedy struck in the north. Her younger brother-in-law, Ye Gusheng, had died in battle while her husband, Ye Guxiong, was severely injured.

The Ye family was immediately shrouded in sorrow and gloom.

Yang Shengnan let Ye Qiu off to visit his father, and he stopped mentioning joining the Qingyun Sect.

Little did she expect that her kid would actually say that he wanted to go to the front line to fight the Wolf King clan to avenge his third uncle and father.

Yang Shengnan did not want her son to die like that, so she locked him up again.

To her disbelief, Emperor Murong Cang had issued a decree ordering Ye Qiu to follow Ye Guxing to suppress the Wolf King Clan.

In Yang Shengnan's opinion, this was simply sending Ye Qiu to his death.

Although Ye Qiu was not young, he had no experience on the battlefield. Sending him to deal with such a dangerous enemy was simply sending him to his death.

Moreover, the Grand Commandant must be behind this, using this opportunity to continue undermining the Ye family.

After all, the Ye Family's experts were not the only generals in the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Ye Family disciples, loyal to the emperor, were basically sent to the most dangerous place up north, where they had a slim chance of survival.

As for those who clung to Grand Commandant Zhao Qiu, they were all carefree.

Yang Shengnan felt that it was unfair. Even if she had to take the risk of infuriating the emperor, she had to protect her son.

"Mother, don't go. Military orders cannot be disobeyed. You can't change anything even if you do that. You'll only enrage His Majesty!" Ye Qiu shouted.

Yang Shengnan did not reply. Instead, she left the estate resolutely and headed for the palace.

She would protect Ye Qiu no matter what.

However, Yang Shengnan was chased back without even seeing the emperor.

She was unwilling to accept this fate, and she repeatedly asked for help through connections. She even begged the prime minister and the crown prince.

However, other than Murong Xingqiao, no one else agreed to help.

In the end, although Murong Xingqiao went to see the emperor and pleaded on behalf of Ye Qiu, it did not change anything.

After all, there was too much interest involved in this. It was difficult for Murong Xingqiao to affect anything by himself.

Ye Qiu's life and death seemed too insignificant in this power struggle.

In her despair, Yang Shengnan thought of Li Yu, the likely swindler Ye Qiu had mentioned.

A drowning person was willing to struggle even if he only caught a straw.

"Qiu'er, since that Li Yu you mentioned is so powerful, why don't you find him and ask him for help? Since he can kill the demon child with a single strike, he can also easily repel the Wolf King Clan!" Yang Shengnan said.

She already had the mindset of making a Hail Mary effort.

Trying anything was better than sitting around and watching Ye Qiu die for nothing. And something told her that Li Yu might help her son to stay safe.

"Mother, how am I supposed to ask for help regarding this matter? He doesn't have the obligation or responsibility to repel the Wolf King Clan. Ultimately, I'm not a member of the Qingyun Sect yet. So what qualifications do I have to ask for his help?!" Ye Qiu said.

"If he's really as strong as you say, then let him prove it. If he can defeat the Wolf King's clan, Mom will allow you to enter the Qingyun Sect. You can spend as much money as you want, even if it means going broke!" Yang Shengnan said impatiently. She seemed haggard at the moment.

Ye Qiu did not reply.

He felt that Li Yu definitely could defeat the Wolf King Clan.

However, this was not his duty. He had no obligation to help the Great Xia Dynasty clean up their mess, nor did he need to prove anything to the Ye family.

Ye Qiu knew that his mother was too worried and had already lost her mind, and he could understand why she said such things.

He had planned to bid farewell to Li Yu and explain the situation before leaving for the front line. A man had to honor his promise, and he could not just leave without a word like this.

Now that his mother would finally let him out to find Li Yu, he could not tell her his thoughts.

"Alright. Mom, I'll give it a try!" After a moment of silence, Ye Qiu nodded and said.

The next day, before the sun rose, Ye Qiu rode his flying spirit beast and flew in the direction of Qing Prefecture.

When he arrived at the Nine-tailed Mountain of Luo Water Town, it was already afternoon.

At this moment, a group of craftsmen was expanding the Daoist temple.

Apart from the original main hall, almost all the walls and buildings of the Daoist temple were rebuilt.

After all, Li Yu wanted to construct a sect that could accommodate a thousand people. At the same time, he also had to consider further expansion after the sect became stronger. Therefore, he revised the overall layout of the sect's buildings.

Of course, the plan was designed by professional craftsmen. It could satisfy the current functional needs as well as facilitate expansion in the future.

According to the current plan, the sect's facilities would be essentially complete.

The Hall of Mount Gate, the square, the bell tower, the front hall, the main hall, the east and west deputy hall.

The Sect Leader's Court, the Elder's Court, the Dao Comprehension Room, the Martial Arts Arena, the Alchemy Pavilion, the Refining Pavilion, the Technique Pavilion, and so on, were all part of the plans.

Even the mountain gate at the foot of the mountain was in renovation.

Li Yu took the initiative to change the sect's name to Qingyun Sect.

The entire sect would also expand to more than ten times its original size, not inferior to the standard of a middle-tier sect in the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Of course, this was costly. It was not a big deal since Li Yu looted the Juyi Hall.

Along with the sixteen thousand spirit stones that he had won from the bet, it was enough to support him in building a proper sect.

At the moment, Li Yu was idling under a large tree.

He thought about the future of the sect and plans for dinner.

"Senior Brother!" Ye Qiu rode his spirit beast and flew over.

Then, he jumped down from the air and landed steadily in front of Li Yu.

Li Yu was delighted to see Ye Qiu return. He almost shouted, "Did you bring the money?After Ye Qiu greeted Li Yu, Li Yu could tell that he was troubled.

"What's wrong? Did something happen at home? If you don't have enough money for your school fees, you can owe me first. You only need to write an IOU!" Li Yu said with a smile.

"Senior Brother, no, Master Li, I'm sorry. I might not be able to enter Qingyun Sect for the time being!" Ye Qiu said with a guilty look.

"What's the matter?" Li Yu's heart tightened, and he thought to himself that he could not let this big fish slip.

"I'm going to the north to join the army!" Ye Qiu said after a moment of silence before he told Li Yu the truth about the northern war.

However, he still could not bring himself to open his mouth and request Li Yu's help. After all, Li Yu did not have such an obligation.

Li Yu felt helpless after hearing Ye Qiu's explanation. Ye Qiu had no choice as he was born into a family of generals. It only took one decree from the Emperor, and Ye Qiu had to serve in the army in his father's place.

It was a pity that he had finally managed to get a talented junior brother who was about to become cannon fodder on the battlefield.

However, everyone had their own fate. He could not force Ye Qiu, so he could only respect his choice.

"Since you called me Senior Brother, then I'm already your Senior Brother. I'll wait for you to return triumphantly from the sect. If you still want to become our disciple then, my Qingyun Sect will welcome you anytime!" Li Yu patted Ye Qiu's shoulder.

"Right, if I can come back alive this time, I will definitely return to join the sect!" Ye Qiu cupped his hands. "Senior Brother, it's getting late. I shall take my leave. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning to rush to the front line of the Mo Prefecture!"

"Alright, then I'll congratulate Junior Brother on your victory and triumphant return in advance!" Li Yu cupped his hands.

Ye Qiu cupped his hands and did not say anything else.

He jumped back onto the back of the flying spirit beast, waved goodbye to Li Yu, and flew in the direction he had come from.

Li Yu looked at Ye Qiu's back view and could not help but shake his head regretfully. "Sigh, changes run faster than plans. I thought Ye Qiu is bringing the hefty sum of payment over. This way, I can save up more spirit stones!"

At night, a figure in a black robe with strange patterns embroidered flew over from afar in silence.

However, just as he reached the temple, which was only left with a hall, Li Yu's figure appeared out of thin air as he stood in front of him.

"Who are you?" Li Yu asked coldly.

From the way this person was dressed, he did not seem to be a good person.

"Ghost Walk, Netherworld Demon Sect!" The man introduced himself. After all, he was not here to assassinate, so there was no need to hide his identity.

The Netherworld Demon Sect! Li Yu's brows suddenly knit together because the fiend sects had finally made a move.

"Are you here to kill me?" Li Yu asked calmly.

"No, your father is currently a guest in our Netherworld Demon Sect. Our Sect Master is a hospitable person, and he would like to invite you over. Oh yes, before you go, you must bring the baby divine bird and the Heavenly Spirit Pill with you!" Ghost Walk said eccentrically.

Bang!

A terrifying killing aura instantly erupted from Li Yu's body, scaring Ghost Walk to the point his expression changed.

However, before he could react, he realized that a hand seemed to have reached out from the void and grabbed his neck.

At the same time, Li Yu's murderous face appeared in his field of vision.

"Netherworld Demon Sect must be tired of existing. And you dare capture my father!" Killing intent and rage rarely seen surfaced in Li Yu's eyes.

If the Netherworld Demon Sect came for him, he would not be angry at all. He would treat it as killing monsters to level up and farm for equipment.

However, using his father as a hostage and threatening his family's safety had touched his bottom line.

Having his throat locked by Li Yu, Ghost Walk was scared out of his wits as cold sweat broke out on his back.

He never imagined such terrifying strength from Li Yu.

He did not even manage to see how Li Yu had arrived in front of him earlier.

Especially when he sensed the terrifying aura that he emitted, he felt that Li Yu was even more terrifying than their sect master.

Now that his life was in the other party's hands, Ghost Walk could only blabber, "That's, that's right. Y-your father is in our hands, don't you dare do anything rash, otherwise you…"

Crack!

Before Gui Xing could finish his sentence, his neck was broken by Li Yu.

"Netherworld Demon Sect. Playing dirty, huh? Then don't blame me for being merciless!" Li Yu said coldly.

Since the Netherworld Demon Sect had already threatened his father's safety, that sect could not be spared anymore.

It was also a chance to relieve the pressure on the orthodox sects of the Great Xia Dynasty.

At this moment, the system mission interface suddenly popped up: [Kill Mo Lin and eliminate the Netherworld Demon Sect. You can obtain 20 Prestige points.]

Good timing!

A wisp of a smile curved up the corners of Li Yu's mouth. He had just intended to eliminate the Netherworld Demon Sect for good, and the system issued the mission. Since he could earn some money from it, he had no reason to let the Netherworld Demon Sect off.

However, just as Li Yu was about to put away the mission panel, his gaze could not help but be attracted by Ye Qiu's name.

At this moment, his name had turned red with the word 'danger' at the side.

Ye Qiu's trip to the Mo Prefecture to fight the war is indeed dangerous! Judging from this notification, this kid is probably becoming cannon fodder!

Li Yu recalled that Ye Qiu had said that the Mo Prefecture had fallen because the Netherworld Demon Sect had joined forces with the Wolf King Clan.

The Wolf King clan slaughtered, robbed, and committed all kinds of crimes. Currently, the people there were in misery and suffering.

If the Wolf King's clan continued south and the Mo Prefecture fell completely, the Great Xia Dynasty would be completely exposed to the wolf cavalry army of the Wolf King Clan.

It could directly cause the fall of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Initially, Li Yu did not plan to interfere in this matter. After all, it was handled by the officials. He was not a saint, nor did he want to be a hero. There was no need for him to be a busybody.

However, now that the Netherworld Demon Sect had implicated him, he decided to head to the Mo Prefecture to eliminate the Netherworld Demon Sect. While he was at it, he would also eradicate the Wolf King Clan, who was in cahoots with the Netherworld Demon Sect.

Anyway, he could settle it with one sword!

In the end, Li Yu still could not bear to part with a possible cash cow like Ye Qiu.

After Ye Qiu left today, he regretted not taking action earlier.

If this guy really died, he would not only lose a genius junior brother, he would also lose a large sum of sect fees. There was also the tempting Ancient Emperor Qing Cang's hidden treasure mission.

If the war in the north was over, peace would return to the Great Xia Dynasty. While Ye Qiu would probably not need to fight in the war and he could enter their Qingyun Sect again.

After some thoughts and considerations, Li Yu called Tang Chi over and handed over the supervision of their sect's construction project to him.

Nan'an City's Ye Residence. It was just past three in the morning, and Ye Qiu was already prepared to set off.

After Ye Guxing received the decree, he had already headed straight for the Mo Prefecture from the Qing Prefecture border.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu would bring a group of light cavalrymen that escorted his father back and set out from Nan'an City. They head north to the Mo Prefecture to meet up with Ye Guxing.

In order to ease his mother's fear, Ye Qiu lied and said that Li Yu agreed to help him fight the enemy. And that they would surely emerge victorious this time and expel the Wolf King Clan from the country.

Perhaps the sign of a man's maturity was when he learns to tell white lies.

Besides their own countries, there were some things that they had to protect and defend with their lives. After all, they have to protect the hearts of their parents, wife, and children too.

Although Ye Qiu's flawless lie made Yang Shengnan skeptical, and she even thought that the 'Li Yu' that Ye Qiu spoke of was a cheat, she had no other choice. If she did not comply, her entire family would be executed.

Therefore, Yang Shengnan could only send Ye Qiu off with tears streaming down her face.

She held onto the slim hope that Li Yu was truly as capable as Ye Qiu had described him to be.

In a villa outside Nan'an City, in a pavilion in the middle of a lake, the Third Prince, Murong Taisheng, played Go with a woman.

"Your Highness, is it really worth it?" the woman asked as she put down a white stone.

She was the daughter of Grand Commandant Zhao Qiu—Zhao Xue.

"Back then, His Majesty ceded land to the West Liang Dynasty in exchange for a short period of peace. Do you think it was worth it?" Murong Taisheng said as he placed a black stone down.

"I'm only sacrificing a portion of the Mo Prefecture's territory so I can use the Wolf King Clan to eliminate the Ye Family completely. At the same time, it will relieve the pressure on the Luo Family due to the Wolf King Clan. Don't you think it's worth it!"

"I'm just worried that the Wolf King's family is not that compliant. If the Mo Prefecture really falls, I'm afraid that Jing Prefecture will be in danger too!" Zhao Xue smiled and said.

She understood the strength of the Ye Family's generals and their prestige among the army and the citizens.

The issue was that the Ye family was only loyal to the current emperor and had a good relationship with the Crown Prince. That was why Murong Taisheng needed to get rid of the Ye family at all costs.

As long as the Ye family was around, it was almost impossible for him to usurp the throne.

"Don't worry, between the Grand Xia Dynasty and the Wolf King's clan, the Netherworld Demon Sect will surely choose the Grand Xia Dynasty that can bring more benefits to their sect! The Netherworld Demon Sect will not allow the Wolf King's clan to invade the Grand Xia Dynasty!" Murong Taisheng said.

At this moment, a man rushed over and bowed. He looked at Zhao Xue and hesitated to speak.

"It's alright. Xue'er is not an outsider!" Murong Taisheng said.

That person continued, "Your Highness, the Netherworld Demon Sect has replied to you. They will help us get rid of Li Yu. In addition, Ye Qiu has already left the Jing Prefecture and is about to enter the Mo Prefecture! The Netherworld Demon Sect has already rushed over to intercept him!"

"Mm, very good. Li Yu, Ye Qiu, you two geniuses shall rest in peace!" Murong Taisheng placed his black stone down and could not help but laugh proudly. "Xue'er, you've lost!"

…

At the border of Jing Prefecture and Mo Prefecture, Ye Qiu led a group of light cavalry as they rapidly advanced through the mountain path.

He had to reach Tiger Forest Pass before night fell and meet up with his second uncle.

However, right at this moment, a silver stream of light suddenly flew out of the forest.

With a crackle, the front legs of Ye Qiu's horse were chopped off.

The horse lost its footing and flipped forward, but Ye Qiu reacted instantly. His movements were quick as he jumped up immediately.

Then, he did a somersault and landed steadily on the ground.

At this moment, the silver light spun around and slashed toward Ye Qiu again.

It was a magic artifact in the shape of a crescent moon spinning at high speed.

Ye Qiu held the Azure Dragon Spear and swept it out. With a clang, he blocked the incoming magic artifact.

As a result, it landed in the hands of a black-robed person who had appeared out of nowhere.

This person's long hair scattered down, covering the left half of his face. His right cheek was pale as a zombie.

There were four other people following him: three men and one woman. All of them were wearing black robes with strange patterns embroidered on them.

Ye Qiu recognized this pattern.

"Netherworld Demon Sect!" Ye Qiu's brows furrowed tightly, and he was shocked in his heart.

They were afraid of being ambushed on the way, so they specially chose an extremely well-hidden path that few people knew. The light cavalry unit managed to send Ye Guxiong safely back to Nan'an City using this secret path.

Other than the soldiers present, no one else knew that they would be taking this path.

It seems like there's an enemy spy among us!

Wait, he should be an enemy from within the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Ye Qiu was well aware that he was only a minor character compared to this war.

Although his surname was Ye, he was still a greenhorn. He had never even been on the battlefield.

As for his combat power level, it seemed to be of little use in changing the outcome of the war.

It was reasonable if these people wanted to kill his second uncle.

The emperor ordered him to the front line only to groom him through learning from Ye Guxing. In the future, he could succeed his father and become another famous general of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Therefore, the only possibility was that someone wanted him to die. To be precise, that person desired for anyone from the Ye Family dead.

Ye Qiu knew that these people from the Netherworld Demon Sect appearing here was definitely a prearranged ambush.

It is impossible that I'm only unlucky and just so happen to encounter these killers.

It looks like someone was behind the Netherworld Demon Sect's colluding with the Wolf King Clan as well.

This is a planned massacre. And the target is the Ye family.

Ye Qiu instantly understood everything. He could even roughly guess who was behind this.

Even so, what could he do? He did not know whether he could escape today.

"Young Master, we are not far from the Tiger Forest Pass. We will cover your escape!" Ye Guxiong's deputy general, Zhang Zhizhong, got Ye Qiu behind him and said softly.

"Okay!" Ye Qiu nodded. He did not want to die here.

It was not that he was afraid of death. He was only unwilling to die in this manner and allow evil to prevail.

Therefore, even if there was a glimmer of hope, he had to fight for it.

"Fellow masters and experts, wait a moment. I'm one of the Third Prince's men. I'm one of his men!" A soldier suddenly rushed out and exposed his own identity.

He was afraid that the assassins would kill him along with Ye Qiu's company.

"Kong Jia! Why? Why did you do this?! General Ye has treated you well. How could you turn into a traitor?!" Zhang Zhizhong's eyes widened in anger. He had guessed that there might be a mole among his group of men. When it was confirmed, he still became furious.

However, Zhang Zhizhong believed that Kong Jia was probably instigated to turn against him and the Ye Family after arriving in Nan'an City.

Otherwise, General Ye might not have returned to Nan'an City safely.

"I… I don't want to either, but…"

Slit!

Before Kong Jia could finish, his head had already been sliced off by the crescent-shaped magic artifact.

"Attack!" The man with the loose hair ordered as the five of them rushed over.

"Protect our young master!" Zhang Zhizhong shouted. The soldiers were not afraid of death as they quickly responded to the attack.

They surrounded Ye Qiu and attempted to delay those five to buy time for Ye Qiu to escape.

However, the difference in their abilities was too great. Practically in a single exchange, half of Ye Qiu's men were killed.

Other than Zhang Zhizhong, who could barely hold on, the other soldiers were not their match at all.

At the sight of this, Ye Qiu's heart turned cold.

Those five from the Netherworld Demon Sect were no lower than the Nascent Soul realm.

Murong Taisheng had invested a lot in order to get rid of him.

These few could be considered top-notch experts in the Netherworld Demon Sect.

"Young Master, run!" Zhang Zhizhong shouted.

Ye Qiu also wanted to leave but was already stopped by the woman.

Her expression was cold, and her gaze was filled with cruelty.

The sword in her hand was like a venomous snake as it mercilessly slashed at Ye Qiu.

The sword was too quick. Ye Qiu had no time to dodge it and could only use his spear to block.

Still, their difference was too big.

The power of that sword blew away the Azure Dragon Spear in Ye Qiu's hand.

Ye Qiu's body also flew out uncontrollably.

At the same time, that woman approached again and aimed her sword at Ye Qiu's head.

"Young master!" Zhang Zhizhong cried out. He used all his strength to break free from his opponent and rushed towards Ye Qiu.

However, he was too far away to save Ye Qiu.

Seeing that Ye Qiu was about to die under that woman's sword, Zhang Zhizhong's eyes turned red.

If Ye Qiu died, even if he did not survive here, he would not have the face to see the ancestors of the Ye family.

As he looked at the sword that sliced through the air and headed for him, despair overwhelmed Ye Qiu.

He could not dodge or block it, and it would end with his head separated from his body.

However, just as the longsword was almost touching his throat, it instantly stopped.

At the same time, a muffled sound was heard, and the woman disappeared on the spot.

Replacing her was an upright figure in elegant green robes.

He held the woman's longsword and stood with his back facing Ye Qiu.

There was also a sword on his back.

Seeing the person's back, Ye Qiu was surprised while a smile surfaced on his lips.

A sense of security and relief seemed to envelop him like the warm and comfortable sunlight during springtime.

…Li Yu's punch had blown up the woman's chest.

She fell deep into the hillside and could not be more dead.

Then, Li Yu's figure flashed a few times. Three experts of the Netherworld Demon Sect, who the soldiers saw as powerful as gods and devils, had instantly died.

The last remaining expert with untidy hair and a zombie-like face watched in horror.

Knowing that Li Yu was someone he could not mess with, he immediately attempted to escape.

Run?

Li Yu was so quick that no one could see him coming.

After that, a shrill cry resounded as the fleeing expert of the Netherworld Demon Sect perished on the spot.

"This kid is a freak!" Zhang Zhizhong looked in shock as Li Yu trotted back to Ye Qiu.

For a moment, everyone forgot that they were half a step into the gates of hell not long ago.

The remaining soldiers looked at Li Yu and could not recover from their shock for a moment.

"Senior Brother, why are you here?" Ye Qiu was surprised, but he was more grateful.

"Just here to settle something! Look at you. How are you supposed to enter the battlefield like this? With such meager ability, you're going to die!" Li Yu pretended to be angry as he scolded Ye Qiu.

"Haha, I've embarrassed myself in front of my senior brother!" Ye Qiu was not angry. He knew that although Li Yu said that, he must have secretly followed him because he was worried about him.

Moreover, his objective for this trip was probably to eradicate the Wolf King clan.

I knew it! My senior brother is a great hero who cares deeply about the world.

That day I told him about the war in the north and the people's suffering. Although he did not say anything then, he still traveled here secretly. He must be planning to attack in secret.

If I hadn't encountered an ambush and almost lost my life, he wouldn't have made his appearance easily. He wanted to get rid of evil for the people, yet he did not want anyone to know about it. He's truly a hero, a true hero worthy of our admiration!

"Alright, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave!" Li Yu waved his sleeves and prepared to leave.

"Senior brother, aren't you coming with us?" Ye Qiu hurriedly asked.

"What? Do you want me to be your bodyguard? I told you I'm here to settle some matters, not to save you!" Li Yu said in annoyance.

"Haha, Senior Brother is right. Then your Junior Brother bids you farewell!" Ye Qiu did not say anything else and cupped his hands.

Li Yu waved his hand. With a tap of his foot, his figure disappeared on the spot again.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Zhang Zhizhong rushed forward and asked in concern.

"I'm fine. We are fortunate that my senior brother stepped in to save us just in time. Otherwise, we would have really died here!" Ye Qiu replied with lingering fear.

"Young master, who is this senior brother of yours? To have such power at such a young age is absolutely remarkable!" Zhang Zhizhong was also filled with curiosity.

"Well, he's a hermit expert. Once I return home after this war, I'll be preparing to go under their tutelage!" Ye Qiu said with a proud expression, though he didn't plan on saying much about Li Yu.

He felt that Li Yu must be someone who liked to keep a low profile. Otherwise, it would be impossible that not many have heard of him until now with his monstrous capability.

If not for the appearance of the Heavenly Dao Rankings, he probably would not have known about Li Yu, much less witnessed how he had killed the demon child with a single strike.

It was the same this time. Li Yu had clearly decided to come to the Mo Prefecture to deal with the Wolf King Clan, but he pretended to be indifferent.

Since his senior brother liked to keep a low profile, Ye Qiu could not do anything that displeased him.

Therefore, he did not tell Zhang Zhizhong too much about Li Yu.

Zhang Zhizhong was a clever person. Seeing that Ye Qiu did not elaborate, he did not ask further.

He only replied with an "oh" and continued, "Young Master, let's continue on our way. Let's hurry to Tiger Forest Pass and meet up with General Ye. We'll be safer over there!"

"Okay!" Ye Qiu and the others set off again. There were originally 30 people in the escort party. Now, only six were left.

When they arrived at Tiger Forest Pass, it was already evening.

It was not a big deal as they finally successfully met up with the army that Ye Guxing brought from the Qing Prefecture and set out for the Jade Peak Pass.

Meanwhile, Ye Guxing had already rushed to the front line at Elite Peak Pass on his flying spirit beast.

At present, the Wolf King's clan army had amassed outside Elite Peak Pass, ready to attack at any moment.

There was an urgent need for a general to oversee the battle, so Ye Guxing rushed over first.

…

To the north of Elite Peak Pass, the once prosperous cities had turned into a living hell in the human world. It was filled with desolation, corpses were everywhere, and blood flowed like a river.

The fire burnt the buildings in the city, and thick smoke filled the sky.

A portion of the men from the Wolf King's clan had stayed in the city. They were still plundering the remaining wealth and women. They cruelly killed the commoners who survived, not even letting children off.

The main army of the Wolf King clan had already headed south to Elite Peak Pass and was stationed there temporarily.

They were prepared to break through the newly established defense line of the Great Xia Dynasty at any moment.

At the entrance of the army camp, a group of tall and ferocious Wolf King clan soldiers escorted dozens of teenage girls and more than a hundred captured soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty into the army camp.

The few in the lead were riding steelback wolves with a body as robust as a cow.

"You guys send these girls to the wolf king's tent first!" The leader of the group ordered.

These were the women newly captured from the nearby cities, and they were preparing to offer them to their Wolf King and the various commanders for their enjoyment.

"Yes, sir!" Those few soldiers received the order and quickly escorted the frightened girls to the wolf king's tent.

"The rest of you will send these captives to feed the wolves!" the leader said.

The soldiers received the order and quickly escorted the captured Great Xia Dynasty soldiers towards the area where the wolves were kept.

In the wolf area, steelback wolves as strong as cows growled in excitement when they saw the Great Xia Dynasty soldiers being pushed in. Immediately, they opened their bloody mouths and pounced at those soldiers.

The miserable human cries and the howls of the steelback wolves echoed through the entire camp, but it did not cause any discomfort to the members of the Wolf King clan.

The group of teenage girls turned pale and shivered.

"The girl I slept with today is so fair and tender, and she has big breasts!"

"That's right, the women of this Great Xia Dynasty are so tender and lively. Their cries are pleasant too!"

"Haha, I heard that the ladies in the south are more beautiful. Once we conquer the imperial capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, we'll grab a few imperial concubines and princesses to play with. It'll definitely be awesome!"

The few Wolf King soldiers escorting the girls discussed loudly with lecherous smiles.

However, just as they brought these women to the wolf king's tent entrance, a figure suddenly appeared behind them.

A short sword as thin as a cicada's wing sliced through their throats in an instant, and they dropped dead in synchrony.

The teenage girls were also shocked to see how those Wolf King's soldiers escorting them had died.

However, none of them screamed or made any noise as they only looked around in fear and confusion.

Apart from the dead Wolf King clan soldiers and tent guards on the ground, there was no one else.

Meanwhile, at this time, singing and dancing were going on in the wolf king's tent, and everyone was toasting each other.

A group of captured dancers was dancing elegantly in the middle of the main tent.

As for Wolf King Tharman and the other commanders, they were sitting around in a circle, hugging young girls with tear-stained faces and fear written all over them.

They indulged in the wine and meat in celebration while no one noticed that Li Yu's figure was swaggering in from the tent's entrance.

As soon as Li Yu entered the Wolf King clan's camp, the system mission panel popped up again.

A new mission surfaced: [Kill the Wolf King Tharman and defeat the Wolf King Clan's army. You can obtain 10 prestige points.]

The Wolf King, Tharman, was in cahoots with the Netherworld Demon Sect!

Hence, he planned to bring the head of the Wolf King Tharman as a greeting gift to the Netherworld Demon Sect Master."Who's there?!" A commander sitting closest to the door was the first to notice Li Yu.

He immediately grabbed the saber beside him, pushed the woman in his arms away, and stood up.

His shout alerted everyone in the tent.

All the commanders drew their sabers and jumped up, looking at Li Yu on high alert.

The group of dancers quickly retreated to the side.

Those women, who were not fully clothed, also hid in the corner of the tent in a panic. They sized up Li Yu carefully, their eyes seemingly suffused with a trace of anticipation.

They could all tell that Li Yu was from the Grand Xia Dynasty, and his presence was like a ray of light in the endless darkness.

It reignited a glimmer of hope in this group of desperate and terrified women.

Li Yu played with the Cicada Sword in his hand as he walked to the center of the tent with a faint smile.

A group of commanders swiftly stood in front of the Wolf King, Tharman, and surrounded Li Yu.

"Don't move! If you do, we won't hesitate to kill you!" a commander yelled.

Actually, they were slightly afraid.

For this boy to enter their tent silently, his ability must be extraordinary.

Therefore, no one dared to act rashly.

Li Yu did not look anywhere else as he stared at Wolf King Tharman, who sat in the main seat. He treated the surrounding commanders as nobodies.

"You're Tharman?" Li Yu asked coldly.

"You're right, kid. You have the guts to barge into my tent alone. But since you're here, don't…" Tharman wanted to unleash another wave of verbal attacks.

However, Li Yu's figure vanished on the spot.

At the same time, the two tall and burly commanders who were blocking Tharman's path were blasted away by a powerful force.

Wolf King Tharman's expression switched drastically.

Although he could not see Li Yu's figure at all, he still kicked up the table in front of him in an attempt to stop Li Yu while he rolled to the side.

He moved as fast as lightning.

In the eyes of others, his actions were already unbelievably quick.

However, he was facing Li Yu.

Just as he drew his saber and stood up, he was pressed down by a hand.

A terrifying aura pressed down on him like a mountain, causing his hair to stand on end.

He tried to struggle, but he realized that his body could not move at all under the terrifying power.

"My King!" All the commanders looked in shock.

Everything had happened too quickly. By the time anyone could react, the two commanders had only just flown out of the tent.

Their Wolf King, Tharman, had actually been captured by that young brat.

It was simply unbelievable!

"Brat, you're formidable. I accept my defeat in your hands. I just want to know what kind of benefits the Grand Xia Emperor gave you that made you…"

Slit…

With a flash from the Cicada Sword, Tharman's head left his neck.

He was completely overpowered. The Wolf King planned to use the "Great Talking Technique" to give himself a chance.

Little did he expect Li Yu to not give him any chances.

Young people are too impulsive, after all.

Sprouting too much nonsense!

Li Yu thought to himself.

He had not come here to chat with the Wolf King. He was in a hurry because he had to rush to the Netherworld Demon Sect and save his father.

At this moment, the system's voice sounded.

"Ding… Tiger Soul Saber obtained successfully!"

At the same time, the mission progress of the divine weapon collection became 6 / 20.

Li Yu did not expect to find that the wolf king's saber was actually a spirit artifact.

Not bad. I actually got an unexpected gain!

…

The commanders shivered in fear when they saw the Wolf King killed, and they instinctively took a step back.

Their rough faces were filled with terror like the women they had humiliated earlier.

After all, their Wolf King was a late-stage Transcendent realm expert. He could thrash every commander present alone.

However, the strongest person in their clan, the almighty Wolf King… He was killed by this brat without any chance to fight back at all.

He was too terrifying.

At the same time, the girls who were squatting together in the corner seemed to have vented their hatred.

Their gazes upon Li Yu were filled with worship and admiration.

They now believed in miracles again!

At this moment, the brief shouting and fighting in the main tent attracted the attention of the surrounding Wolf King clansmen.

However, they only saw that the guards around the tent were all killed, and the two commanders who were punched out stopped breathing on the spot. Everyone knew that something big had happened as they hurriedly gathered people and surrounded the tent.

However, not knowing the situation in the tent, they did not dare to rush in at the moment.

Meanwhile, in the tent, the ten-odd commanders stepped back slowly.

They knew that they were no match for Li Yu, so they only had one thought in their minds.

Run!

Sensing that their men had already surrounded the tent, they planned to escape among the chaos.

Unfortunately, Li Yu did not intend to show mercy.

He put away the Cicada Sword, pulled out the sword on his back, and swung it horizontally without hesitation.

The terrifying sword might was like a giant and invisible blade that instantly cleaved the dozen or so Wolf King clan commanders into two from their waists.

The sword might did not stop after killing these commanders. It continued to cut through the surrounding cloth of the tent and swept towards the soldiers outside the tent.

Swoosh!

A huge hole was cut into the dense human wall.

Countless Wolf King clan soldiers were sliced in half.

Their corpses were even blown backward by the shockwave generated by the sword might.

The rest of the surrounding soldiers were instantly horrified at the sight of this.

What kind of terrifying divine power is this!

At the same time, Li Yu's figure walked out of the tent with the head of Wolf King Tharman in his hand.

"Wolf King!"

"He killed the Wolf King!"

"Our Wolf King is dead!"

Everyone from the Wolf King Clan was shocked, and their gazes at Li Yu were filled with horror.

Although they had a few thousand men surrounding the tent, Li Yu's oppressive aura made them terrified to the point of ceaselessly retreating.

Currently, Li Yu was not a young man in their eyes but a terrifying god of death!

"Kill him and avenge the Wolf King!" someone shouted.

Some men who were not afraid of death were daring enough to charge toward Li Yu.

Li Yu remained calm as he tapped his feet and jumped up into the air.

Then, he slashed down from the sky.

The might of the sword was vast and earth-shattering that could sweep through thousands of armies.

The strike seemed to have brought the sky down along with its immense pressure.

The tens of thousands of Wolf King clansmen below were pressed to the ground by the terrifying sword might.

Their bodies turned cold, and their hearts trembled.

As for the ones in the middle of the sword might, they could not withstand it at all.

Their bodies exploded with a bang, transforming into bits of flesh and blood.

The ground beneath their feet cracked under the terrifying sword might.

Thick, widening cracks spread in all directions.

The earth shook as if the sky was about to collapse.

A huge ravine appeared in the middle of the sword might, extending for hundreds of meters.

This strike from Li Yu petrified all the members of the Wolf King Clan in the camp.

They looked at the airborne Li Yu in horror, as well as the wolf king's head in his hand.

No one thought of putting up resistance anymore.

That single sword strike earlier was like the divine might of the Heavenly Dao. It was too horrifying.

This person's powers had already gone beyond their level of understanding. He could only be described as a god.

And how could a mortal resist a god?

They did not have the slightest doubt that as long as this man had the intent, he could kill these hundreds of thousands of people with a single move.

Run, run away!

The Wolf King's army was utterly scared out of their wits by this strike.

They immediately scattered and fled as if they were escaping from a disaster. No one dared to look back and kept sprinting north.

They only had one thought in their minds now—go home!

"The Grand Xia Dynasty is too scary!"

Jade Peak Pass, in the city tower. Ye Guxing looked at the sand table in front of him with a frown.

The other generals beside him were also silent with grave expressions.

The enemy had a 500,000-strong army and was brave and ferocious.

The Wolf King had the capability of a late-stage Transcendence realm. Coupled with his inborn divine strength, even Ye Guxing was not his match.

There were no more than 50,000 guards in Jade Peak Pass now. Even if they had the geographical advantage, it was still a mammoth task to stop the Wolf King's 500,000 men army.

As for the troops he had brought along and the reinforcements he had ordered to transfer over from other places, it would take at least two days for everyone to rush over.

If the Wolf King's army launched an all-out siege, then Jade Peak Pass might not be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.

Therefore, he had to think of a way to delay the Wolf King's army here.

Otherwise, if Jade Peak Pass fell, who knew how many commoners would be implicated.

"General! Our scouts have reported that an unknown expert has infiltrated the enemy's camp and killed the Wolf King Tharman, scaring off the Wolf King's army into retreat. Right now, the hundreds of thousands of Wolf King's men have already begun fleeing to the north in a panic! "A soldier ran in and reported.

"Really? That's great news!" Ye Guxing was overjoyed, and the few generals were also surprised with joy.

However, after the surprise, Ye Guxing was also slightly shocked.

An unknown expert?

What kind of expert could scare off the Wolf King's army of 500,000 by himself?

The Wolf King's clan's army is battle-hardened, ferocious, and fearless.

To be able to scare these guys into fleeing for their lives, just how terrifying is that mysterious expert?

I never knew our Great Xia Dynasty had such a powerhouse!

It was true that he was stunned, but Ye Guxing was more elated. The huge rock that was weighing on his heart disappeared instantly.

He was incessantly worried about how to stop the Wolf King's army's advance as the entire Great Xia Dynasty was at risk.

He had not expected such a shocking turn of events.

He truly needed to thank that mysterious expert who had helped him.

With the Wolf King killed, the clan's army was without a leader and was already routed.

It presented them with the perfect opportunity to counterattack.

"Du Chao, listen up!"

"I'm here!"

"Lead 20,000 cavalry and follow me out of the city to pursue the Wolf King Clan. We must drive these guys out of the Mo Prefecture and reclaim the lost land!" Ye Guxing ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

…

Li Yu happily received the 10 Prestige Points from the system as he watched the Wolf King's army flee.

His Prestige had already reached 29 / 100.

As long as he eliminates the Netherworld Demon Sect, his progress would be half complete.

Li Yu did not loiter around after putting the Wolf King Tharman's head into the system's storage space.

He tapped his foot onto the air and flew off.

The Netherworld Demon Sect was located in the northwest area of the Mo Prefecture, close to Mingchang Mountain. It was unexplored and filled with demonic beasts.

As he had triggered the system mission this time, Li Yu found that place with ease with the system's guidance.

As soon as he entered the Netherworld Demon Sect's territory, a few disciples obstructed Li Yu's path.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into our Netherworld Demon Sect! Those people looked at Li Yu with vigilance.

The fact that this man could arrive here by himself was very telling of his abilities.

"Go report to your sect master that I, Li Yu, have come to give him a gift!" Li Yu said.

He did not intend to force his way in.

After all, his father was in their hands. It was not too late to attack after saving his father.

Those Netherworld Demon Sect disciples were shocked.

They had naturally heard of Li Yu's name. After all, everyone knew who topped the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

The few of them did not speak. One disciple quickly went to report while the others kept on guard.

After a while, that person flew back again and said, "Come with me!"

Li Yu followed that disciple directly to the main hall of the Netherworld Demon Sect, the Nether Hall.

There were quite a few people in the hall at the moment. Besides the Sect Master Mo Lin, there were a few elders and more than ten core disciples.

Li Qingyun was also among them, but his body was sealed by a piece of magic equipment that immobilized him.

However, his expression was relaxed and content as he looked at the hall entrance with anticipation.

When he saw Li Yu arrive, he immediately said with a grin, "Yu'er, I heard that you're the first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. You really make me proud!"

That day, he found out about the Hidden Dragon Rankings from Mo Lin, and he also found out that Mo Lin's true intention was to get rid of Li Yu and obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill and the Chongming Bird.

Hearing his father speaking, Li Yu could finally confirm that his father was safe and sound. He could not help but feel relieved.

Then, he smiled and said, "It's only the ranking within the Great Xia Dynasty. There's nothing to be proud of here.

"As for you, have you gotten any money after leaving the mountain for so long? Let me tell you, I've already taken the liberty of changing our sect's name. The original name was too awful. Now that our sect is pretty famous, we should give it a better name. So I used your name to change it to Qingyun Sect. This name sounds much better, isn't it?

"Oh, by the way, the bandits from the Juyi Hall came to rob us, and I got rid of them. I got a lot of money and treasures from their village. Also, a few days ago, I won a lot of spirit stones from gambling with various family clans and nobles.

"Right now, we have sufficient funds for the expansion of the sect, and construction works have started these few days too. I believe that when we return, the Hall of Mount Gate should be almost completed!"

"Haha, my son is amazing! I didn't expect that you would actually do so much when I'm not around!" Li Qingyun laughed heartily.

Li Yu and Li Qingyun began chatting.

Mo Lin, who was sitting in the front seat, grimaced.

Is there something wrong with this father and son's heads? They are about to die, and they don't even know it?

They even chat here as if they haven't met in a long time.

Do you two think you're here as my guests?

The elders of the Netherworld Demon Sect and the dozen core disciples at the side looked at Li Yu and Li Qingyun as if they were looking at fools.

"Li Yu, have you brought them?" Mo Lin asked.

He tried to interrupt Li Yu and Li Qingyun's conversation.

However, Li Yu completely ignored him and continued to speak to Li Qingyun. "Right, Dad, I did something pretty cool on the way here!"

"What is it?" Li Qingyun was curious.

Bang!

Mo Lin was so angry that he crushed the chair's armrest and stood up.

A terrifying aura spread out, and his gaze seemed like it could kill.

However, Li Yu only took a casual glance at him and continued, "I killed the Wolf King Tharman who invaded the Mo Prefecture and scared away the Wolf King's army while I was at it!"

"That's my good son. You look more and more like me back in the day!" Li Qingyun laughed again.

"You killed Tharman?" Mo Lin, who was about to flare up, looked at Li Yu in surprise.

The others in the hall were also startled before they scoffed.

Although Tharman's ability was not considered the best, he was still a late-stage Transcendent expert.

Furthermore, he had the protection of those hundreds of thousands of soldiers. How could it be that easy to kill him and even intimidate the Wolf King's army to retreat at the same time? It was rare to see someone brag to this extent!

The father and son were really ridiculous!

The surrounding disciples of the Netherworld Demon Sect looked at Li Yu with disdain.

If there was a ranking for bragging on the Heavenly Dao Rankings, they believed that Li Yu would probably top that too.

"Oh yes, speaking of which, I remember now—Sect Master Mo Lin, I've brought you a greeting gift!" Li Yu finally brought his attention to Mo Lin.

Immediately, he took out the head of Wolf King Tharman from the system storage and threw it to Mo Lin.

Seeing the Wolf King Tharman's head, Mo Lin's eyes widened.

He looked at Li Yu in utter disbelief.

He was also skeptical when he heard Li Yu's words earlier. And no words could describe how shocked he was at that moment.

This brat really killed the Wolf King Tharman.

How is this possible!

…

…He killed the Wolf King Tharman??

The Elders of the Netherworld Demon Sect could not believe it and quickly arrived beside Mo Lin.

Upon closer inspection, they were shocked.

It was really Tharman!

On the other hand, the expressions of the 10 plus core disciples changed drastically.

The disdain from before instantly transformed into shock.

When they looked at Li Yu again, their gaze was filled with fear and shock.

At this moment, someone appeared by Li Yu's side—Li Qingyun.

Li Yu had just taken the opportunity while Mo Lin and the others were distracted by the Wolf King's head to feel shocked.

He sped to Li Qingyun's side, crushed the magic treasure that bound him, and pulled him to retreat far away.

The entire process happened in a flash.

Before Mo Lin and the others could react, Li Yu and Li Qingyun had already retreated dozens of meters away.

Upon seeing this, Mo Lin's expression darkened, and he was even more stunned.

Li Yu really had some ability to have such a wicked movement technique and shocking speed that he could take Li Qingyun away from under his nose in a flash.

It seems that the only reason he could kill Tharman was because of his strange movement technique and speed.

Mo Lin naturally did not know it was all routine for Li Yu.

After all, he felt that Li Yu was a brat who was still wet behind the ears.

No matter how monstrous his talent was, how strong could Li Yu be?

Mo Lin was at the Soul Formation Intermediate Stage, and his physical body had reached the Soul Conduit realm. He was not afraid of even late-stage or peak-stage Soul Formation experts.

With such power, he could even kill ten Tharman in one slap!

Therefore, when he saw Li Yu save Li Qingyun, Mo Lin did not panic. This was their territory. Even if he managed to break Li Qingyun free, it was utterly impossible to leave here alive.

Not mentioning whether Li Yu could get through him, even if he was lucky to escape, he could forget about breaking out of their sect's Protective Mountain Array.

"Dad, when did you find out about my true strength?" Li Yu asked curiously.

From his father's attitude just now, he could tell that his father must have known his true strength.

It was no wonder that no matter where he went in the past, his father never said a thing.

He even suspected that his father did not care about him at all.

Now, it was just that his father was never worried about his safety.

"Hehe, I'm your father, and I watched you grow up. I'll know what kind of shit you had when you stick your butt out!" Li Qingyun laughed.

"Dad, we're cultured people. Can't you use some elegant adjectives!" Li Yu was speechless.

"I'm just afraid that you don't understand!"

"…"

Now I really want to send him back into Mo Lin's loving arms and leave!

However, Li Yu was already used to it.

Such was the daily mode of communication between him and his father.

This was how his father was. He was usually rude!

They were just short of calling each other brothers.

Yep, that's my father!

Li Yu did not doubt the authenticity of his father at all.

"Dad, Netherworld Demon Sect cannot be left alone!" Li Yu changed the topic.

"Yeah, so are you confident in destroying them?"

"En, more or less. As long as Dad doesn't hold me back!"

Li Qingyun: "…"

"I'll go first then!"

"Where can you go without me? You mean jog on the spot?"

Li Qingyun: "…"

That's definitely my son. When he starts speaking like this, he's not inferior to me back in my time in the slightest.

"You'd better stay here and watch my performance!" Li Yu stepped forward and loosened up his wrist and neck.

Mo Lin was so angry that his eyes were about to explode.

What are the two of you doing here, doing crosstalk?

Do you think we don't exist?

Not only did you not flee, you even said in front of us that you would destroy our sect.

Who gave you all the courage!

Do you really think that you're invincible just because you killed one Tharman?

I'm in the Soul Formation Stage!

One single slap from me is enough to turn Tharman into dregs, and a sneeze is enough to scare the Wolf King's army away. You're in my territory, and you're still so arrogant? Don't you know what the word death means?

"Li Qingyun, I really don't know where you and your son got the courage from. You must be making the most of your final chit-chat before you die. Alright, are you two done talking? It's time to die!" Mo Lin shouted angrily.

A powerful aura instantly spread out, and a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire hall.

The core disciples at the side could not help revealing their fearful faces, and their entire bodies seemed to become dispirited.

The pressure unleashed by a Soul Formation Stage cultivator was simply too terrifying.

However, Li Yu's expression did not change, nor did his heart skip a beat. He used his fingers to pick his nose and flicked the booger onto Mo Lin's clothes. He mocked, "This little pressure of yours is not even a tenth of the demon child's. Stop embarrassing yourself and keep that aura!"

Li Yu's words were simply like a sharp blade that stabbed into Mo Lin's heart, angering him to the verge of simply exploding on the spot.

And what made him even angrier was that the bragging was practically endless.

Demon child? No way you've fought the demon child before!

Mo Lin could no longer hold back. He released his aura and instantly rushed towards Li Yu, slapping out with his palm.

Demonic energy gathered in his palm, condensing into a giant palm print that seemed to carry the power of heaven and earth as it smashed toward Li Yu.

He could have used his magic power to slap Li Yu to death through the air, but he did not do that.

He wanted to use his palm to experience the feeling of his palm slapping Li Yu into meat paste.

This was the only way to quash the anger in his heart.

As Mo Lin rushed toward him, Li Yu's expression instantly turned serious. He blocked Li Qingyun behind him and didn't dodge while drawing his sword.

Boom!

The moment the longsword was swung, the world seemed to tremble.

Space twisted as a terrifying sword might poured out.

Sensing the power of Li Yu's sword, the expression of the charging Mo Lin changed. A chill instantly rushed up to his head.

The anger on his face was replaced by terror.

This strike instantly reminded him of the terror he felt when he was dominated by Li Qingyun.

That trauma made him sense the danger of death.

Having lived to his age, he had seen many experts and experienced countless life and death battles.

He was all too aware of how terrifying this strike of Li Yu's was.

He did not have the time to think about how Li Yu could have such terrifying strength at such a young age or if Li Yu had really fought the demonic child.

He only knew that this strike was enough to take his life!

Therefore, he immediately struck out with his palm, using the palm mark condensed by magic power to withstand the attack.

At the same time, he retreated rapidly and released all his magic power to protect his body.

He also summoned various life-saving magic treasures to form defensive barriers in front of him.

There were gigantic shield-shaped magic treasures, energy screens, and magic barriers formed by talismans.

There was also a magic treasure looking like a turtle shell that covered his chest.

Including the magic scale armor he wore, a black-scaled defense layer formed on the surface of his body, he was armed to the teeth!

However, all these defensive magic treasures were as fragile as clay sculptures before the might of Li Yu's sword.

Bang bang bang bang bang…

As the sword might advanced, all the protective magic treasures that Mo Lin brought out collapsed.

Yet, the sword might didn't slow down as it instantly penetrated Mo Lin's body.

Mo Lin felt as if countless sharp blades were stabbing into his body all at the same time, turning into boundless energy that exploded.

"No!"

He screamed as his body exploded, sending blood and flesh flying.

Silence rang out.

The elders of the Netherworld Demon Sect and the dozen core disciples at the side seemed as if they had seen a ghost, and they were dumbstruck while their entire bodies went cold.

Their sect master, the great Soul Formation Stage old monster with a powerful Soul Conduit realm body, was actually insta-killed by a single strike.

They were utterly petrified!

…Nether Hall. A strange black symbol suddenly appeared from the pool of flesh and blood of Mo Lin's remains. It seemed branded on the ground.

Li Yu looked over in surprise, but he heard Li Qingyun say from behind him, "Mo Lin isn't dead yet!"

"Huh!" Li Yu was astounded, and he was just about to execute another strike when he was stopped by Li Qingyun.

"This body is already dead. However, this fellow cultivates the Blood Soul Reincarnation Art. Every time he's killed, he will be resurrected in another body that has a demonic seed planted in it.

"That time, he used this method to escape from my sword twice. However, every time he resurrects, his strength will be greatly reduced! He might even directly drop by a major realm!" Li Qingyun said.

"Then how can we annihilate him for good?" Li Yu was slightly surprised.

He did not expect Mo Lin to have such a strange ability.

"Find the reincarnated Mo Lin and kill him. The Blood Soul Reincarnation Art can't be used twice in a row. Plus, the demonic seed he reincarnated with wouldn't be too far from him. Therefore, it is definitely in the body of one of the disciples here in this sect.

"For this spell to be successful, the person who got implanted with the demonic seed had to have high compatibility with his soul. It must be nurtured inside the body for at least 50 years. And it had to fuse with the body at a high level.

"After reincarnation, it will take at least an hour to completely fuse and control a new body," said Li Qingyun.

"But we still can't tell who the reincarnated Mo Lin is!" Li Yu frowned.

"After Mo Lin reincarnates, his appearance will not change. Also, there will be a mark on his forehead resembling the black symbol on the ground. Plus, the mark will not disappear for a short period of time!" Li Qingyun said.

In the past, he had carefully studied this technique in order to deal with those people from the demonic path who cultivated the Blood Soul Reincarnation Art.

This art could not be interrupted with a physical attack.

If one wanted to stop someone's reincarnation, he would have to first use a sealing-type spell or a magic treasure to seal him inside before killing him.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to stop the reincarnation process.

However, this reincarnation technique could not be used freely.

Every reincarnation would burn the user's lifespan while reducing his cultivation level considerably.

Furthermore, the higher the cultivation realm, the greater the burning of lifespan.

For someone like Mo Lin, who had a Soul Formation Stage cultivation, his lifespan would probably be reduced by four to five hundred years after this reincarnation.

As Li Yu and Li Qingyun spoke, the elders of the Netherworld Demon Sect and the dozen disciples recovered from their shock.

Without a word, he turned around and wanted to run.

If they could not even beat their sect master, rushing over was equivalent to seeking death.

However, a cold glint flashed through Li Yu's eyes. Another sword strike!

Rumble…

The enormous sound alarmed the entire Netherworld Demon Sect.

The once majestic Nether Hall collapsed with a bang under the shocked gazes of all the disciples.

Thick smoke sprang up as airwaves surged. Two figures flew out from within.

They were Li Yu and Li Qingyun.

At the same time, the other elders and disciples of the Netherworld Demon Sect rushed over from the surroundings and surrounded the two of them.

They did not know what had just happened in the Nether Hall.

However, when they saw the two strangers fly out of the ruins, everyone immediately drew their swords and looked at them with killing intent.

…

An underground chamber under the Nether Hall.

A middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a circular platform, strange black runes surfacing on his glabella.

At the same time, black patterns spread throughout his body from the symbol on his glabella.

A strange light lingered over his body as his skin and muscles squirmed.

It was as if countless small snakes were swimming around under his skin, a sight not for the faint-hearted.

After around ten minutes, the middle-aged man's appearance changed to Mo Lin's, and his body stopped twisting and squirming.

He opened his eyes. Although his face was expressionless, there was lingering fear in his heart.

The fear of death could not dissipate for a moment.

That sword strike from Li Yu was simply too terrifying. He even felt that the demon child had been killed by Li Yu.

Just who in the world is this kid? How could he possess such horrifying strength?

Mo Lin could not understand.

With the ability to kill him with a single strike, Li Yu's cultivation should at least be at the Rebirth Realm.

A 17-year-old Rebirth Realm expert!

If he did not see it with his own eyes, he would never believe that such a monstrous person exists in the world.

Of course, it was not the time to think about these questions.

Boom!

The earth shook as if there was an earthquake. The entire chamber trembled.

He knew very well that Li Yu was probably unleashing a massacre on the surface.

With his terrifying strength, his sect was probably doomed.

Mo Lin suddenly recalled his conversation with Li Qingyun that day.

"You want to use me to lure Li Yu over here!?"

"Your Netherworld Demon Sect is finished!"

It turned out that Li Qingyun was not bluffing.

Li Yu did have the strength to destroy their Netherworld Demon Sect.

He was really regretting it now.

His sect was probably really going to be destroyed by this boy.

He didn't even know if he could escape from the Netherworld Demon Sect alive after his reincarnation.

Although he had already successfully reincarnated, his soul and body still needed some time to fuse before he could control this body.

Moreover, even after complete fusion, his cultivation would directly drop to the Nascent Soul realm.

In front of Li Yu, he was as weak as an ant.

Right at that moment, the secret room's door was suddenly pushed open, and two figures walked in.

The one in front was a ghost-like figure.

His feet could not be seen under the black robe, and under the hood, two balls of ghostly lights gleamed.

Behind him was a young man with masculine facial features. He was Gu Cangming, who was ranked third on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

"Sect Master Mo Lin, you are indeed here. It seems like that brat has killed you!" A hollow voice sounded from the black-robed figure.

"Mister Wu Chang, how's the situation outside?" Mo Lin asked worriedly.

"No one could stand in his way. More than a hundred disciples have already died. As we speak, a group of Elders is leading all the disciples to protect the formation, temporarily trapping him within.

"However, we think he is at least at the Rebirth Realm, and the Protective Mountain Array will not likely trap him!

Our only hope lies in the Demonic Carnage Sword's completion!

Perhaps we can rely on the strength of the Demonic Carnage Sword to stop that kid.

"Let's fuse together and control the power of the Demonic Carnage Sword. Even if we can't kill him, we should at least force him back!" said Mister Wu Chang.

"Master, I'm willing to sacrifice my blood essence to the sword!" Gu Cangming stepped forward with a determined look.

He knew that he would definitely die today during the sect's calamity, so he might as well die with purpose.

As long as the Demon Carnage Sword is complete, it might help grasp a chance of survival for the sect.

Hearing Gu Cangming's proposal, Mo Lin went silent for a moment.

In fact, the Demonic Carnage Sword had long been forged. All there was left was for him to use the Five Elements Blood Spirit Array to refine the Demonic Carnage Sword, so he would be able to condense the power of demon gods in it.

It would become a true unrivaled demonic sword.

As for the five-element spirit physiques needed for the Five Elements Blood Spirit Array, he had already gathered them.

It was just that the metal spirit body was his most valued disciple, Gu Cangming.

Therefore, Mo Lin did not have the heart to sacrifice his blood essence to the sword, so he thought of Perfected Yu Hua.

Therefore, he secretly schemed with the Black Sea's greater demon, the Mystic Flood Dragon, and set up a trap to capture the elders and disciples of the Jade Pure Dao Sect.

He hoped to use this to draw Perfected Yu Hua over, who also had the Metal Spirit Body, and use his blood essence to sacrifice for the sword.

Initially, he had everything under control. He only regretted making a wrong move and provoked someone he shouldn't have.

It resulted in the catastrophe today.

Looking at Gu Cangming, Mo Lin hesitated again and again. Although he could not bear to part with this disciple, he didn't want to die just like this, nor did he want the Netherworld Demon Sect to be doomed in this manner.

Therefore, he made up his mind and nodded.

Gu Cangming cupped his hands with a firm look. He did not say anything else and followed Mister Wu Chang out of the secret chamber.