Chapter 61
Li Sheng returned to the courtyard. His body, eroded by spiritual energy, was already rotting. His power was now completely suppressed. If he didn't find a way out, he would probably die here.
Just then, a sound came from outside. It was the little girl named Qu Lian. She pushed open the courtyard gate, carrying a plate of something she didn't recognize, and hummed an unknown tune. She looked very happy.
"Li Sheng! Li Sheng!" the girl called out as she pushed open the door.
Looking at the girl who walked in, Li Sheng smiled; she was practically delivered to his doorstep.
When Qu Lian saw Li Sheng lying on the ground covered in blood, she put a plate of food on the table and rushed over to help him up: "What happened to you? It's so dangerous at this time, don't run out. I'll go get someone!"
Li Sheng looked at the girl with an anxious expression and asked, "What are you doing here?"
“My mother was worried that you had just arrived and were busy tidying up the room, so she asked me to bring you some groceries.” Qu Lian was just a teenage girl and didn’t have much strength to lift up a burly adult man like Li Sheng. She said, “Wait a minute, I’ll find someone to help you.”
Li Sheng grabbed Qu Lian's wrist and said, "You can help me without anyone else."
"I don't have the strength to help you up."
Li Sheng smiled and said, "You can do it." As soon as he finished speaking, Li Sheng absorbed the essence from Qu Lian's body.
Qu Lian had no strength to run or call for help, so she could only watch helplessly as Li Sheng's wounds slowly healed, and his handsome face grew increasingly ferocious. For the first time, she felt fear. Unable to struggle, she eventually lost the strength to even open her eyes. As she closed them, she wondered if Li Sheng was a human or a demon.
After draining the last bit of life force from Qu Lian, Li Sheng stood up and stretched. Although he wasn't fully recovered, he now had enough strength to leave the capital. As for Yue Mingke, he could only accept his bad luck!
The essence of mortals is not only nourishment for demons, but it can also make the spiritual energy in this capital city mistakenly believe that they are mortals.
Qu Lian's mother was getting anxious because her child hadn't returned after being gone for so long. It had been quite a while since they were supposed to eat; wasn't she hungry?
Seeing his agitated wife, the man reluctantly went out to look for his daughter. People on the street said they had only seen her early in the morning. Thinking she was delivering vegetables to the neighbor, he wondered if she was still at the neighbor's house. The neighbor's house was quiet; the man knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered.
A sense of foreboding arose within him. He pushed open the door and ran into the room. Looking at the untouched dishes on the table, his bad feeling intensified. He finally stepped inside, only to find a corpse that had been sucked dry.
The clothes and the colorful rope on her wrist told him that his daughter had been murdered...
A mournful wail echoed throughout the alley.
Everyone saw the Qu couple weeping while holding a mummified corpse. They recognized her; she was Qu Lian, the Qu family's daughter. The Qu family had only one daughter among their three sons. Although born into poverty, she was cherished by her family, who even encouraged her to study and learn to read and write. The Qu family's daughter was cheerful, lively, filial, and sensible.
When new people moved in around the neighborhood, Qu Lian was always the first to greet them. Because of Qu Lian, the Qu family received a lot of carpentry work and could also repair roofs, doors, and windows.
The neighbors are finding it hard to accept that such a capable and sensible girl has died so tragically.
In the Exorcist Division, Zhou Xuanzhi woke up at night.
He got out of bed, dressed, and went outside, but saw very few people. Xiao Mu, however, came over carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi standing at the door, he said, "It's good that you're awake. Drink this medicine first!"
"How long have I been asleep?" Zhou Xuanzhi took the medicine bowl and drank the medicine in one gulp.
"How are you feeling after a whole day? Still dizzy?"
"I feel much better. Did you bring me back?"
Xiao Mu felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this and quickly shook his head, "It was Shen Junning from the Qingxu Sect, not me." In the end, if he had been there at the time, Zhou Xuanzhi wouldn't have been so badly injured.
Looking at the deserted courtyard, Zhou Xuanzhi asked, "Why is the Exorcism Division so quiet?"
"The Phantom Demon has been captured."
These words disturbed Zhou Xuanzhi's composure. He grabbed Xiao Mu's wrist and asked, "When? Where are we now?"
"Don't worry," Xiao Mu put Zhou Xuanzhi down and led the way. "I'll take you to see it."
The Phantom Demon was not imprisoned, but instead placed in the training ground in the backyard.
This location has been activated with layers of formations, making it probably even safer than the imperial city. The Illusion Demon is bound to the central pillar. Zhou Xuanzhi recognized the central pillar as a magical artifact, one he hadn't seen in the training grounds before; it must have been recently erected.
Zhou Xuanzhi also recognized this Illusion Demon; he was the one who killed his master back then—Yue Mingke.
Two hundred years ago, the Immortal Alliance Conference was being held at Tianyu Mountain, making the back mountain of Lingqiu Peak unusually quiet because everyone had stopped attending classes.
On this auspicious day, Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou were copying the sect rules. Not long ago, they had been fishing and playing in the sea with their fellow disciples. There was nothing wrong with playing, except that they were quite close to the Ten Directions Barrier. According to the Tianyu Mountain sect rules, Tianyu Mountain disciples are not allowed to approach within five li of the barrier without permission.
As a result, they were seen by Cheng Yaojun, who sent all the disciples back to their homes and explained the situation, hoping for severe punishment.
Although Shi Wanqing was a free spirit, she was even more so when she was a disciple. However, she was never caught when she was naughty and broke the rules of the sect. Now that her senior brother had come to her door, she felt a little embarrassed. So, the two children had to copy the sect rules a hundred times.
The two of them wrote while listening to their master's chanting.
"I didn't get caught even when I picked herbs from Yangjia Peak, but you guys got caught just for playing around at the edge of the Ten Directions Barrier? Didn't any of you keep watch?"
"If you see me next time, run for your life. If you get caught, don't say you're my apprentice. Seriously, I can't bear the shame."
"If you can't cultivate, then you can't! Running away won't get you anywhere. If you encounter demons later and can't beat them, are you just going to stand there and die?"
"Tomorrow you two will run around Tianyu Mountain with sandbags strapped to your legs. I refuse to believe we can't make a name for ourselves!"
Hearing their master's angry scolding, the two lowered their heads as low as they could, but dared not stop what they were doing, for if they did, the scolding would become even harsher.
Both of them were used to it, and the master would only scold them for a couple of minutes before stopping when he got tired.
When Shi Wanqing stopped, the two were a little surprised. Why did she stop after just a couple of sentences? They followed their master's gaze and saw black waves churning on the sea they watched over every day.
What? I've been here for so long, and the sea has always been calm thanks to the Ten Directions Barrier. Even storms couldn't disturb it. What's going on today?
Shi Wanqing signaled an approaching enemy, summoned a plain-colored longsword, and stood on the railing at the edge of the cliff. She turned her head slightly and said, "Go to the front mountain. Don't come back unless I tell you to."
The master's voice was gentle and calm, yet exceptionally firm.
"Master, we..." Zhou Xuanzhi was about to say something when Shi Wanqing interrupted him, saying, "Listen to me, go to the front mountain."
Seeing that Cheng Yaojun had already arrived with his sword and was standing on the railing with his master, the two of them headed towards the front of the mountain.
The front mountain was not yet in chaos, and everyone was orderly activating the defensive formations. Upon seeing the newly initiated disciples, the senior brothers and sisters escorted them into the main hall.
Shi Yunzhou looked at everyone in the main hall with some worry, "Senior brother, will Master be alright?"
Although Zhou Xuanzhi was also worried, as his senior brother, he still comforted him, saying, "Nothing will happen, Senior Uncle Cheng is here too."
That's right, Cheng Yaojun is here. He is also a sword cultivator, and his strength is comparable to that of his master at his peak. With him here, his master will definitely be safe.
The sounds of fighting outside never stopped, even at night. Some people stood, some sat, all listening quietly to the sounds outside.
Zhou Xuanzhi's heart was in his throat. His master was different from the people outside; her spiritual palace could no longer withstand any more damage.
As dawn broke, the doors of the main hall were suddenly opened.
The fighting was still going on outside, and no one knew who had forced the door open. Shi Yunzhou suddenly ran out, and seeing his junior brother running out, Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't ignore it and ran out after him.
The two of them hid and fro on the path leading to the back mountain, encountering danger several times but being rescued by their senior brothers and sisters. They stumbled and staggered their way to the back mountain.
As if he knew something, Shi Yunzhou summoned the sword his master had given him. He then fought against the demons in the back mountain, but he was no match for them. Fortunately, Zhou Xuanzhi joined the battle with his sword, and the two of them survived the perilous situation in the back mountain.
From the hole in the Ten Directions Barrier, demons have been pouring into the mortal realm, breaching line after line of defense. The immortal sects on the sea are the last line of defense; if this line is breached, the three cities behind them will be in danger.
Without a second thought, Shi Yunzhou rushed straight to the location of the Ten Directions Barrier. His intuition told him that his master was there, and it would be too late if he didn't go soon.
When the two arrived at the location of the Ten Directions Barrier and stood with the disciples of the immortal sect, they realized it was truly too late.
Shi Wanqing's white robes were stained crimson with blood, making it impossible to tell whose blood it was. She turned around, sensing her disciple's arrival, and smiled at the two brothers, speaking softly, though no one could hear what she said.
Seeing Shi Wanqing lost in thought not far away, Li Sheng leaped forward and stabbed her with his sword. The sword pierced through her body, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Master!" Shi Yunzhou shouted, trying to go to his master's side but was stopped by the people around him.
Zhou Xuanzhi knelt on the ground, weeping. He wanted everyone to come forward and save their master, but this was a defensive line. His and his junior brother's arrival had disrupted their plans, and if anyone else went to save their master, this line of defense would be breached. What to do? What should they do? They weren't capable enough.
Upon hearing Shi Yunzhou's voice, Cheng Yaojun immediately rushed to Shi Wanqing's side, turning his back to the enemy. A demon slashed at his back, but Cheng Yaojun countered with a swift sword strike. Then, as the sword was about to strike Li Sheng, Li Sheng drew his sword and engaged Cheng Yaojun in combat.
Another young demon appeared beside Shi Wanqing, but she ignored him.
Zhou Xuanzhi saw his master walk step by step toward the broken hole, then turned around and struck the young demon with a palm.
Because of this palm strike, Shi Wanqing's spiritual energy dissipated, and starlight scattered from her body.
The demons cheered as they killed an elder of Tianyu Mountain, one of their enemies. More importantly, her spiritual palace was shattered, making it difficult for her to cultivate again in her next life.
"Master." Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't hold back any longer; he wanted his master to come back.
Shi Yunzhou broke through the arms that were blocking him and ran towards Shi Wanqing, shouting, "Master, don't go!"
Zhou Xuanzhi understood that his master was telling him, "Live well and take good care of your junior brother." He had been given a task by his master: to take good care of his junior brother.
"Master!!!" No longer caring about what his master had told him, Zhou Xuanzhi rushed forward without thinking.
Shi Wanqing's body and soul began to dissipate, and the starlight and soul emanating from her body repaired the Ten Directions Barrier. The demons behind the barrier were blocked, and no matter what magic they used, they could not break through the barrier...
"Master!" Why, why did you abandon me? Shi Yunzhou knelt before the Ten Directions Barrier, motionless as if his soul had been extracted.
The void was repaired by Shi Wanqing's body and soul, and the demons could no longer enter the human world.
Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou no longer have a master...
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