Chapter 240: Wielding the Blade to Slash the Night Demon

His momentum was astonishing, as a tremendous force, like a golden crow descending, shook all directions. He raced directly toward the distress signal. This unparalleled individual, with a face more captivating than a demon's, brought fire that scorched the sky. He was nearing the location where the Crime Suppression Division had called for aid! His fire was supreme, surging like a roaring tide and flashing lightning, covering the sky and obscuring the sun.

Flames surged like massive tides, carrying infinite power, pouring down onto four of the Night Raven organization's five headquarters. A deafening roar instantly shook the heavens, and as the earth trembled, a sea of fire swept through the area. Figures of Night Ravens trying to escape instantly let out bloodcurdling screams, their bodies visibly turning to ash. The sounds of collapsing buildings echoed as numerous structures crumbled upon Xu Qing's arrival.

This location was a large, three-story pavilion within the Fifth Peak's main city district. During the day, it sold formations, and while not directly affiliated with the Fifth Peak, it had some covert dealings. Xu Qing didn't care whether the Fifth Peak knew this pavilion was controlled by the Night Ravens; after tonight, this place would cease to exist.

With his arrival and the sweeping sea of fire, the Crime Suppression Division members surrounding the area became excited and invigorated, paying their respects to Xu Qing.

In the distance, amidst the collapsing buildings and spreading sea of fire, two battlefields stood out. One involved seven or eight Deputy Captains from the Crime Suppression Division, who, coordinating with each other, had summoned the power of the sect's formations to suppress an old Night Raven. This elder wore luxurious robes and had numerous brown spots on his face. His eyes filled with shock and fury, he struggled with all his might. Three fires blazed within him, indicating considerable power. Originally, he could have instantly killed several Deputy Captains at the One-Fire Foundation Establishment stage. However, with the combined power of the sect's formations, he was temporarily unable to kill or escape. Yet, the Deputy Captains had limited authority, and the summoned formation power wasn't enough to completely suppress him. Thus, they were in a stalemate, with each side sustaining injuries. Despite this, the disciples of the Seven Blood Eyes sect were all raised like wolves, forged through trials. Their ferocity was tied to their experiences; even when disadvantaged or injured, their murderous intent remained strong.

The other battlefield involved four Crime Suppression Division Captains at the Two-Fire stage, who, with hundreds of disciples, used the Five Peaks Formation to trap one individual. This person wore a golden Daoist robe, appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old, had a handsome face, and eyes like stars, appearing quite extraordinary. Around him, nine flying swords rapidly rotated, forming streaks of sword energy that shook all directions. Three life fires blazed within him. His expression filled with anger as he tried to break through the formation and kill. Moreover, the Seven Blood Eyes sect's primary formation was ineffective against this person. So the Crime Suppression Division could only use the Five Peaks Formation, amplified by hundreds of disciples, to barely trap him. But it clearly wouldn't last long; at this moment, everyone's face was pale, seemingly nearing their limit.

Xu Qing's arrival struck the area like a clap of thunder. The surging sea of fire made both the Three-Fire black-robed elder and the disciple from Lingyun Sword Sect change their expressions. The latter, especially, was deeply shaken; he knew Xu Qing and understood his formidable power.

At that moment, realizing Xu Qing was ignoring the Night Raven elder and heading directly for him, the young man from Lingyun Sword Sect found the sword energy around his flying swords becoming somewhat erratic. He rapidly spoke: "Xu Qing, I was just passing by! Your subordinates' actions against the Night Ravens implicated me. I have nothing to do with the Night Ravens!"

Almost at the same time the young man spoke, the Captain of the Third Peak's Crime Suppression Division, who had been surrounding him, interjected quickly, blood at the corner of his mouth and injuries on his body. "Xu Qing, during the encirclement just now, this person was conversing with that Night Raven chieftain. The content is unknown, but he was definitely not just passing by!"

Xu Qing nodded and stepped forward. With a wave of his hand, the Crime Suppression Division cultivators besieging the Lingyun Sword Sect youth were gently dispersed, and the formation was instantly dismantled. Xu Qing then strode towards the Lingyun Sword Sect youth.

The Lingyun Sword Sect youth's expression drastically changed. He spoke sharply, his breathing rapid: "Xu Qing, Sheng Yunzi is my senior brother! If you harm me, he will surely kill you, I..."

While the youth's voice was still echoing, Xu Qing, expressionless, instantly appeared before him. His speed was so great that he ignored the opponent's flying swords. The Lingyun Sword Sect youth couldn't even see or react. In the next instant, Xu Qing's right hand seized the man's neck and slammed him violently towards the ground.

With a deafening crash, the ground shattered. The Lingyun Sword Sect youth bled from all seven orifices, and two of his three life fires instantly extinguished. His eyes widened in horror. He tried to struggle and summon his flying swords, but their speed was too slow. The next moment, Xu Qing lifted the youth from the ground and flung him backward. Cracking sounds instantly echoed from the youth's body, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped his lips. Many parts of his body shattered at that moment. Amidst the mingling blood, his last life fire could not sustain itself and abruptly extinguished. When he landed, he spat out blood, severely injured.

Without Xu Qing's command, Crime Suppression Division disciples immediately stepped forward to shackle him and thoroughly seal his powers.

Just then, the old Night Raven trapped by the Deputy Captains unleashed some unknown life-preserving technique. With a roar, powerful fluctuations erupted from his position, forcing back everyone surrounding him. He then quickly took out a token and threw it. As the token shattered, the sect's suppression formation on him loosened. Seizing this opportunity, the black-robed Night Raven burst forth, his eyes filled with terror, fleeing into the distance. His escape route led towards the Seven Blood Eyes mountain peak.

Xu Qing turned his head and gave a cold glance. He didn't know who the opponent was, but he could sense that the person's appearance was an illusion, not their true face. The jade slip that loosened the sect's suppression formation on him was an identity token. The suppression formation, though generally powerful, wasn't easily loosened. Only one possibility existed for this: the opponent's true identity was a Seven Blood Eyes disciple. Xu Qing was well aware that the Night Ravens couldn't exist within the Seven Blood Eyes' main city without the involvement of Seven Blood Eyes disciples, and he had no intention of exposing or investigating it further. Watching the opponent's figure disappear into the distance, Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he stepped into the air. Gazing coldly from mid-air, he raised his right hand. The next instant, the colossal shadow of a Heavenly Blade abruptly manifested in the sky above his head.

This blade was astonishing, its aura magnificent. The moment it appeared, the winds and clouds changed colors, and waves of intense murderous intent spread overwhelmingly, causing all who felt it to change their expressions. Some Seven Sect Alliance disciples watching the battle immediately recognized it, exclaiming, "Grand Desolation Blade!" As the exclamations echoed faintly from all directions, Xu Qing watched the rapidly fleeing Three-Fire Night Raven elder, whose figure was almost out of sight. His right hand suddenly descended.

In an instant, the Heavenly Blade in the sky erupted with dazzling light. Amidst its brilliance, it slashed violently towards the Night Raven elder. Its incredible speed sliced through stars and moonlight, streaking across the sky like a rainbow, rapidly approaching. From a distance, this Heavenly Blade seemed to possess immense power, causing the sky to change color and winds and clouds to swirl, its brilliant light shining like a dazzling star in the night. With one strike, all directions trembled. The rapidly fleeing Night Raven elder's expression was one of terror. His life fires burned, erupting with full power, trying to resist, but it was futile. As the blade light pursued and then flashed before his eyes, his entire body trembled violently. Despair and bitterness appeared in his eyes as he mumbled: "So you can also use this Grand Desolation Blade..."

The next moment, a blood-red line appeared on his brow. This line rapidly spread past his nose, over his lips, past his chin, and then down from his chest, covering his entire body. Then, copious amounts of blood burst forth from the line. His body split directly into two in mid-air, and then, with a roar, these two halves shattered further, until they became a rain of fragmented flesh and blood, scattering across the ground. With Xu Qing's current cultivation, demonstrating the Grand Desolation Blade was far more incisive than before. With one strike, he had killed a Three-Fire cultivator. All who witnessed it in the main city fell silent.

At the same time, not far from where the Three-Fire black-robed Night Raven died, a team of Crime Suppression Division disciples was thoroughly inspecting everyone out on the streets at night. Their mission was to apprehend the Night Ravens who had scattered after their headquarters were destroyed. Under the Crime Suppression Division's sweeping search, these Night Raven remnants had nowhere to hide and could not escape. However, even under curfew, there would still be normal people who had to go out for various reasons. For example, currently, standing before this team of Crime Suppression Division disciples was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, his face full of tension, his body trembling slightly. This boy had only arrived at Seven Blood Eyes yesterday. Today, he had passed the assessment and become a new disciple of the Sixth Peak. Because his token was of a decent level, he was scheduled to report to the Sixth Peak's Crime Suppression Division next. On his way back to his residence now, he was stopped and searched by Crime Suppression Division disciples. During this search, he heard a bloodcurdling sound from the sky and witnessed the Night Raven chieftain being cleaved in mid-air by a single blade, his body disintegrating!

That single blade strike left him shaken to his core. His eyes revealed deep longing and an indescribable sense of awe. "That's Xu Qing, the Captain of the Seventh Peak's Crime Suppression Division," said the Crime Suppression Division disciple who was searching him, noticing the awe in the boy's eyes. The disciple gazed at the direction from which the blade strike came, his eyes filled with fervor, and then waved to his surrounding teammates. "This young one is one of us, ease up, don't scare him. Let's continue searching for Night Raven remnants. Lord Xu Qing's order is for there to be no Night Ravens left in the main city before dawn!" He then added to the boy, "And you, young one, hurry back. Tonight is not peaceful."

Only the boy remained standing, gazing at the slowly dissipating shadow of the Heavenly Blade in the sky. His eyes showed deep yearning. "I wonder when I'll be able to reach that level," he mumbled as he quickly departed. Unbeknownst to him, a seed of becoming a powerful individual had been planted deep within his heart. He then thought, "I hope I don't dream of a bunch of burly men tonight. A bunch of young ladies would be fine too!"