Chapter 105: Kill

Chapter 105: Kill

The man in gray paled, no longer concerned with attacking Lu Miaoying. He quickly channeled his spiritual power to maintain his defense.

Lu Miaoying finally realized that someone was helping her, and she glanced to the side.

Not far away, a figure in green held a wooden longbow.

Chu Ning?

Lu Miaoying was surprised to see that it was Chu Ning who had been struck by the black light.

She finally reacted and was about to cast another spell.

Just then, a green light shot out from Chu Ning's bow and struck the gray-robed man's defensive shield once more.

This time, the gray-robed man couldn't withstand the attack.

His protective shield shattered, and the two green lights pierced through his body.

"Seeking death!"

Seeing this, the black-robed man who had just killed Luo Yipeng shouted and changed direction, rushing towards Chu Ning.

At the same time, he waved the staff in his hand, and a gray mist emerged, enveloping Chu Ning and the area within a few yards, completely blocking the view from the outside.

When Chu Ning saw the black-robed man rushing towards him, he chose to put away the Divine Wood Longbow, as it required a bit of time to channel and charge. While it was suitable for long-range attacks, it was a bit time-consuming in close-quarters.

As he was enveloped by the gray mist, Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat.

His instincts kicked in, and he held his breath, flashing to the side to leave his original position. He immediately activated a mid-grade lower-level defensive talisman to protect his body.

Just as he finished these actions, the sound of a spell hitting his protective shield rang out.

However, this time, the spell's lethality was clearly not as strong as the red and black light, and it failed to break through the defense.

At the same time, Chu Ning realized that aside from blocking his vision, the gray mist didn't seem to have any other negative effects.

The black-robed man, for some unknown reason, was unaffected by the mist and had accurately targeted Chu Ning even after he had moved.

Understanding this, Chu Ning's heart stirred, and he attempted to release his spiritual sense.

Immediately, his spiritual sense easily penetrated the gray mist.

Although he didn't immediately find the black-robed man's figure, Chu Ning was overjoyed.

The black-robed man thought that he was blinded by the mist, and this might be an opportunity for Chu Ning to exploit.

He quickly moved towards the direction from which the black-robed man had cast his spell, and soon, the man's figure appeared within the range of his spiritual sense.

At this moment, the black-robed man was in the process of channeling another spell with his staff, aiming it at Chu Ning.

However, now that Chu Ning had located him, he wouldn't let the man have his way.

Thunderstep! Chu Ning swiftly closed in on the black-robed man.

At the same time, two True Fire Talismans formed from the Crimson Flame Talismans in his left hand's talisman ring and shot out.

The black-robed man was startled as he saw this.

He never expected Chu Ning to locate him so quickly and launch a spell attack in such a short time.

Without time to dodge, he hastily activated his defensive shield!

"Chi! Chi!"

The Crimson Flame Talismans struck the black shield, and in the blink of an eye, half of it was consumed.

At the same time, Chu Ning had closed in, right in front of the black-robed man.

Heavenly Canopy Fist!

Riding on the momentum of the Thunderstep, Chu Ning threw a punch with his right hand, aiming directly at the black-robed man's heart.

"Kacha!"

"Puchi!"

Accompanied by the sound of cracking bones, the black-robed man spat out a mouthful of blood.

His body went soft, and he collapsed to the ground.

"A body cultivator!"

Only in death did he realize that Chu Ning was a body cultivator, but what he couldn't understand, even in death, was how Chu Ning had found him.

With the black-robed man dead, the staff lost its spiritual power support, and the surrounding gray mist quickly dissipated.

Chu Ning's heart stirred, and he casually waved his hand, sending out a Metal-attributed Sword Talisman that beheaded the black-robed man.

Just as he finished this action, the gray mist completely disappeared.

Chu Ning's gaze fell on the scene not far away.

He saw Shen Zhengquan and Lu Miaoying attacking another black-robed man, clearly having the upper hand.

On the other side, a tall and thin black-robed man and a cultivator in yellow robes were continuously attacking Gu Xiaqing, who was at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. Despite her skill, she was gradually becoming unable to withstand the assault.

Seeing this, Chu Ning didn't hesitate any longer.

He took out the Divine Wood Longbow once more and channeled the Azurewood Sword Art into an arrow. With the enhancement of the Divine Wood Longbow, he locked onto the cultivator in yellow robes and released a green sword beam.

The cultivator in yellow robes, who had been besieging Gu Xiaqing, saw that Chu Ning was trapped in the gray mist, only to have it dissipate soon after.

He assumed that his companion had succeeded in taking Chu Ning down.

He never expected that Chu Ning would launch an attack at this moment.

By the time he tried to activate his defense, it was too late.

With the boost from the Divine Wood Longbow, the Azurewood Sword Art's attack power had doubled.

The sword beam directly pierced through the cultivator's protection and struck his body.

The yellow-robed cultivator's spiritual power quickly dissipated, and the Azurewood Sword Art grew brighter as it absorbed the power. In just one breath's time, the sword beam pierced through his body!

At the same time, another green sword beam had formed in Chu Ning's hand, and with the aid of the Divine Wood Longbow, it shot towards the tall and thin black-robed man.

Gu Xiaqing, who had been relentlessly besieged by the two cultivators, seized this opportunity as well.

Taking advantage of the black-robed man's focus on blocking Chu Ning's attack, she unleashed her flying sword, beheading him with a swift strike.

The tide of the battle turned in an instant, and the previously disadvantaged members of Qingxi Sect suddenly gained the upper hand.

The last remaining black-robed man attempted to flee, but Shen Zhengquan and Lu Miaoying joined forces to surround and kill him.

Only then did everyone relax their guarded expressions.

Lu Miaoying, however, let out a loud wail, her tears flowing freely.

Evidently, this external disciple of the Spirit Beast House had never experienced such a traumatic event before, and the narrow escape from death had left her emotionally overwhelmed.

But as she cried, her sobs turned sorrowful.

"Brother Luo..."

Chu Ning approached Luo Yiping's body, along with the others.

Seeing the grief on Gu Xiaqing and Lu Miaoying's faces, he sighed inwardly.

If only Brother Luo hadn't fallen behind earlier, allowing him to take the lead.

Perhaps the red and black lights would have targeted him, Gu Xiaqing, Shen Zhengquan, and the others instead.

It was difficult to tell if the black light that struck him was intended for himself or Brother Luo.

In the end, he had taken the brunt of the attack in their stead, ensuring their survival.

Brother Luo, on the other hand, faced the red and black lights alone and perished.

It seemed that fate had played a cruel hand.

As Gu Xiaqing comforted Lu Miaoying, and Shen Zhengquan stood by without saying a word, Chu Ning furrowed his brows and sighed, "Sister Gu, we should return to Fang City. If these people are indeed from the Yin Demon Sect, it's not safe for us to remain here."

Hearing Chu Ning's reminder, Gu Xiaqing snapped back to reality.

"Chu Ning is right. Let's leave immediately."

As she spoke, she supported Lu Miaoying, preparing to depart.

Chu Ning quickly interjected, "Wait, shouldn't we clean up a bit here?"

Without waiting for their response, he picked up the storage bag of the gray-robed man he had killed first, the one closest to him. He wanted to verify his suspicions about their identities.

Soon, a serious expression appeared on Chu Ning's face as he retrieved an iron plaque from within.

"Yin Demon Sect!"

The others exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the item in Chu Ning's hand.

They had all seen similar iron plaques at Lin Changqing's place a few months ago, so they instantly recognized it.

Chu Ning's brows furrowed deeply as his suspicions were confirmed. These people were indeed from the Yin Demon Sect.

"How did the people from the Yin Demon Sect find us again, and why would they attack us?"

Gu Xiaqing's delicate face contorted with a mix of shock and anger.

Chu Ning shook his head, choosing not to answer her question.

Instead, he walked over to the other cultivators' bodies, searching them for artifacts and storage bags.

After collecting their belongings, he set their bodies ablaze, one by one.

Only then did he rejoin the group.

Gu Xiaqing, Shen Zhengquan, and Lu Miaoying watched Chu Ning's actions, bewildered by his apparent familiarity with such situations.

Noticing their expressions, Chu Ning sighed inwardly once more and casually explained, "All of you are external disciples, unlike me, a menial disciple. So, I made sure to learn from others about potential dangers we might encounter outside the sect."

As he spoke, Chu Ning distributed the items he had collected.

He kept the artifacts and storage bags of the three cultivators he had killed, while handing over the belongings of the other two to Gu Xiaqing and Shen Zhengquan respectively.

Gu Xiaqing hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to accept them.

Chu Ning added, "Even if you don't want these items, Sister Gu, we need to bring them back to the sect.

At the very least, we must confirm the identities of these people through their belongings."

Hearing his words, Gu Xiaqing nodded slightly and took the items from him.

Shen Zhengquan, on the other hand, accepted the items without hesitation, his gaze towards Chu Ning filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"I never expected that Chu Ning, acting alone, could take down three of the assailants. That truly exceeded our expectations."

Gu Xiaqing, having regained her composure, looked at Chu Ning with her gentle and watery eyes.

"Indeed. If not for Chu Ning, we would have all perished here today."

In the heat of the battle, they had been too flustered to realize that the one with the lowest cultivation among them, Chu Ning, had played the most crucial role in their survival. This realization left them all somewhat astonished.

Chu Ning expected their confusion and was prepared to address it.

Chu Ning continued, "In that gray mist, I was lucky again. I had plenty of talismans on hand, and one of them happened to hit that scoundrel. Otherwise, I might have met my end there."

Then, he took out the Divine Wood Longbow from his storage bag.

"Finally, it was all thanks to this high-grade artifact I just bought from Yunhai Pavilion."

Gu Xiaqing and Shen Zhengquan looked at each other, finally understanding. They had thought that Chu Ning had managed to withstand the black light's attack with his defensive talismans and the Silver Crystal Frost Bamboo Shield. They had also witnessed him using the Divine Wood Longbow earlier.

Seeing their expressions, Chu Ning didn't offer any further explanation. They naturally didn't know that, in addition to his defensive talismans and the shield, his success in blocking the red and black light attack was also due to his Nine-Layered Tempering Body Technique, which had already reached the Continuous Muscle stage. After all, it was a triple attack.

Speaking of which, Chu Ning was also very fortunate that the red and black light attacks seemed to be usable only once by each of those people. Otherwise, even he wouldn't have been able to withstand them.

As for what happened in the gray mist, they hadn't seen it, so Chu Ning could explain it however he wanted.

"Anyway, we were able to escape a calamity today thanks to Chu Ning," Gu Xiaqing said again, her face filled with gratitude. After all, she knew that if Chu Ning hadn't been there to face the most fierce attack first, she would likely have been struck down.

"Sister Gu is too kind. If it weren't for you blocking the attacks of the two scoundrels alone, I wouldn't have been able to use my skills even if I had them," Chu Ning quickly shifted the topic, pointing at Luo Yiping's body on the ground.

"We should take Brother Luo back," Gu Xiaqing said, then turned to Shen Zhengquan. "Brother Shen, your spirit boat can carry more people. Can you take Brother Luo's body with you?"

Shen Zhengquan nodded and brought out his flying boat again.

At this moment, Lu Miaoying silently picked up Luo Yiping's flying sword and then hugged his body, placing it on Shen Zhengquan's spirit boat.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaqing sighed softly.

She consumed a Recovery Pill and summoned her flying sword, soaring into the sky.

Chu Ning and Shen Zhengquan also took Recovery Pills and rode their respective flying artifacts, closely following Gu Xiaqing.

Due to the recent danger, no one spoke during the journey. Instead, they remained vigilant and on guard.

Fortunately, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

It wasn't until they landed in Fang Market that everyone truly relaxed.

"Should we go find Senior Brother Du now?" Gu Xiaqing turned to Chu Ning and Shen Zhengquan, her tone inquiring.

Chu Ning remained silent. When they had faced the crisis earlier, he had taken the lead in finding a solution, hoping to escape as soon as possible. But now that the danger had passed, he reverted to his usual low-key demeanor.

Shen Zhengquan took the initiative to respond, "Let's go directly. Something big has happened, and we should ask Senior Brother Du to contact Steward Lin."

With that, the group made their way to Du Han's residence.

This was Chu Ning's first time visiting Du Han's place, and it was quite different from where they lived.

Du Han resided in a two-story pavilion located in the center of Fang Market and built on the highest terrain.

From a distance, Chu Ning could tell that if one looked down from the second floor, they would likely be able to see the entire Fang Market.

Indeed, before they even reached the courtyard, a figure leaped down from the second floor of the pavilion. It was Du Han.

Du Han's gaze swept over the group, and when he spotted Luo Yiping's body, his expression changed drastically.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It was the Yin Demon Sect," Lu Miaoying, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up, her voice filled with grief and anger. "Brother Luo died at their hands."

"The Yin Demon Sect?" Du Han's face darkened at the mention of the sect.

At this moment, Lu Miaoying started sobbing again and couldn't speak.

Gu Xiaqing took over, briefly explaining what had happened, and then handed over an iron plaque from her storage bag to Du Han.

Du Han's face turned grim as he examined the iron plaque, his jaw clenched tightly. "Those demonic scoundrels! I can't believe they're back again just a few months after we wiped out a batch of them."

After a moment, he furrowed his brows and said, "I can't make any decisions about this matter on my own. I'll send a message to Steward Lin right now and ask him to come over. He shouldn't be too far away today, so it won't take long."

As he spoke, Du Han released a green spirit bird, a special messenger bird, into the air.

"I already know what happened. You weren't the only ones who were attacked. Over the past couple of days, some of our Qingxia Seven Peaks' outgoing Qi Refining disciples have been assaulted.

Our Qingxi Sect has also suffered significant losses."

Speaking to this point, he paused momentarily before continuing, "I was just about to come to the market these few days to remind you all to be extra cautious when traveling outside. I never expected something like this to occur."

"Other sects have also been targeted?" The group listened with a hint of surprise.

"What is the Yin Demon Sect up to?"

Lin Changqing shook his head. "Their true intentions are not yet clear, but the seven major sects have already convened to discuss this matter.

If all goes as planned, we will soon launch a larger-scale sweep across the entire Qingxia Mountain Range."

Upon hearing Lin Changqing's words, the group exchanged uneasy glances, their faces reflecting a hint of anxiety.

Seeing their expressions, a rare look of comfort appeared on Lin Changqing's stern face as he said, "There's no need for you to worry too much. The Yin Demon Sect doesn't dare to deploy too many high-level cultivators at the moment.

Their primary targets are still outgoing disciples on missions from the various sects, and they haven't made any moves on the market yet.

The sect will soon dispatch members of the Enforcement Hall, along with Wind Canyon, to form enforcement squads in the market, entirely composed of sect disciples. So, as long as you stay here, there's no need to be overly concerned."

Chu Ning remained silent throughout, but he listened intently to Lin Changqing's words.

His expression turned solemn as he spoke, and Chu Ning couldn't shake the feeling that a storm was brewing.

Especially considering the infiltration of the Yin Demon Sect into the Qingxi Sect, he felt that there was a bigger plot at play.

He wondered if other sects had also been infiltrated by the Yin Demon Sect.

Although Chu Ning was already aware of this situation, he didn't dare disclose it to outsiders before understanding the specifics.

Even among the three stewards he had interacted with over the past two years, who could guarantee that there wasn't a member of the Yin Demon Sect among them?

Before Qi Chongmao made his move, Chu Ning had always believed him to be a cultivator who focused on spiritual farming.

Chu Ning heaved a soft sigh. This matter was clearly beyond the scope of an outer sect disciple like him.

If the Qingxi Sect, with its immense influence, couldn't detect the Yin Demon Sect's plot, then perhaps it was destined to face this tribulation.

It would be wiser to focus on ensuring his own safety.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning spoke up, addressing Lin Changqing, "Steward Lin, these Yin Demon Sect disciples aren't very high-ranked, but their methods are vicious.

Especially these disciples, who can all use a kind of red and black magical attack called the Yin Demon Slash. Its power is immense, but I don't know what it is..."

"It should be the Yin Demon Sect's Yin Demon Slash," Lin Changqing replied.

"Legend has it that there is a place in the Biyu Mountains where demonic flames are born. The Yin Demon Sect has a secret method that allows them to seal these flames within a magical artifact and unleash them during battles.

It is known as the Yin Demon Slash in the outside world.

While its power varies depending on the user's strength, it far surpasses the average cultivator's magical abilities and is extremely difficult to defend against."

As Lin Changqing spoke, his eyes fell upon the slightly charred round hole in Luo Yipeng's chest, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"I never expected them to equip even their Qi Refining disciples with the Yin Demon Slash.

It's fortunate that they only had one; otherwise, it would've been difficult for you to escape today."

"Steward Lin, they didn't just have one Yin Demon Slash artifact; they had four," Gu Xiaqing quickly interjected.

"If it weren't for Chu Ning blocking the attacks from the first three, we wouldn't have escaped unscathed."

Lin Changqing looked at Chu Ning with surprise, never expecting that Chu Ning, who was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, could have achieved such a feat.

Gu Xiaqing then recounted the details of the battle, and Chu Ning provided additional explanations, sticking to the story they had agreed upon.

After hearing their account, Lin Changqing gave Chu Ning an appreciative glance.

He then turned his attention to Chu Ning's damaged Silver Crystal Frost Bamboo Shield, saying, "It seems you were lucky. The first three Yin Demon Slashes weren't exceptionally powerful.

Additionally, your shield had an array specifically designed to defend against fire-attribute spells."

Chu Ning let out a bitter laugh upon hearing this.

"Next time, we might not be so lucky. My defensive artifacts are completely damaged."

Lin Changqing gave Chu Ning a thoughtful look.

"Now that you disciples are venturing outside, it's indeed wise to have more means of protection."

After a brief moment of contemplation, he continued, "Although you lost one of your members, you managed to kill five Yin Demon Sect disciples, which is commendable.

I will report this to the sect and request compensation for your efforts. If the sect has suitable artifacts, I'll see if we can provide you with another one."

Chu Ning heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this and quickly seized the opportunity to express his gratitude.

"You all must be exhausted after today's intense battle. Go and get some rest.

If there are any new developments, I will inform you."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end