Chapter 42: Fire Burns Golden Vajra Sect

"How are you here?!" The Vajra Sect Master's eyes narrowed sharply, his mind reeling in disbelief.

The young man he saw was wearing a black leather jacket, his hair disheveled and his face smudged. But... the jacket's color revealed dried bloodstains, exuding a chilling aura.

Though his messy hair and dirt-stained face obscured his features, the venomous wind that blew past lifted his hair, revealing eyes that could not be concealed.

The sharpness and indescribable coldness in his eyes were strikingly evident, even amidst the dense, anomalous mist.

The moment their gazes met, a chill ran down the Vajra Sect Master's spine.

"Kid!!"

Even without having seen Xu Qing's portrait, the nickname "Scavenger" immediately flashed through the Vajra Sect Master's mind. He knew the Old Ancestor, two elders, and numerous disciples were hunting this person. Yet now... the Old Ancestor and elders hadn't returned, but the very child they were pursuing had appeared inside the sect.

This scene sent shivers down the Vajra Sect Master's spine, but there was no time to ponder. He quickly formed a hand seal, and a storm instantly swept outwards, dispersing the venomous wind while also sending a powerful blast of air directly towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing cast a cold glance, ignoring the Vajra Sect Master. He retreated instantly, evading the attack, then sharply changed direction and sped away, continuing to throw black pills from his hand.

A booming sound reverberated. The Vajra Sect Master, sensing the strange nature of the black pills, his expression changing again, stomped his foot and pursued Xu Qing, intent on stopping him. But Xu Qing avoided direct confrontation, dodging again. Using the speed of a flight charm, he continued to move through the sect, forcing the Vajra Sect Master to also use a flight charm.

From a distance, the Vajra Sect Master and Xu Qing appeared, one behind the other, their path marked by continuous rumbling. Moreover, black pills were continuously thrown by Xu Qing amidst the booming.

"Damn it!" Rage surged within the Vajra Sect Master. He wanted to stop Xu Qing, but since both were using flight charms, their speeds were surprisingly equal, making it impossible for him to catch up quickly. Soon, amidst the rumbling, the entire Vajra Sect was filled with more and more swirling anomalies generated by the black pills. The concentration of these anomalies rapidly reached astonishing levels, gradually approaching the forbidden zone.

By the time Xu Qing had few black pills left, the entire Vajra Sect... had transformed into a colossal vortex. This vortex spun ceaselessly, drawing in endless anomalies. The sky was obscured, and the extreme concentration of these anomalies formed a churning mist that seemed to blot out the sun and engulf everything in all directions.

From afar, the Vajra Sect, shrouded in mist, echoed with continuous roars and screams. All the disciples inside were utterly terrified.

Meanwhile, due to a lack of manpower, though some of the venomous wind had been dispersed, more toxic dust, carried by the wind, fully arrived, blanketing the area and blowing into the Vajra Sect's main gate, merging with the mist. Wherever it passed, all vegetation instantly withered, and even rocks hissed as if corroded. Agonized screams immediately reverberated at that moment.

The entire Vajra Sect was a scene of utter devastation. Dense anomalies permeated everything, contaminating all living things. The toxic dispersion, carried by the wind, covered every area, combining with the anomalies to create a terrifying spectacle. All of this unfolded within a mere hundred breaths, happening so quickly that people had little time to react. The Vajra Sect was plunged into chaos.

Some disciples inside desperately tried to escape, but the poison here was too potent; even antidotes proved largely ineffective. Soon, some began bleeding from all seven orifices, their wails horrific. Another group swiftly sought cover, but to no avail. The remaining disciples, spurred on by the Sect Master's enraged shouts, pursued Xu Qing.

However, with the sect in disarray and Xu Qing's speed, he vanished without a trace after a few swift movements amidst the chaos. As others prepared to search for him, firelight suddenly flared up nearby. This sight sent shivers down everyone's spines, and the Vajra Sect Master was utterly horrified. Forgetting his pursuit of Xu Qing, he immediately summoned disciples to extinguish the fires.

But... the fires weren't limited to one spot. Soon, one hotspot after another continuously appeared throughout the sect, and fierce flames began to rage.

"Kid!!" The Vajra Sect Master let out a mournful cry, his hatred reaching its peak. Unable to find Xu Qing immediately, he could only focus all his efforts on fighting the fires. Simultaneously, Xu Qing swiftly entered one splendid building after another within the Vajra Sect's main gate. After taking whatever he could loot, he set the place on fire and swiftly departed.

The entire process was swift. Before long, amidst the turmoil, Xu Qing arrived at a noticeably more luxurious building and saw the inscription on its plaque.

"Treasure Pavilion?" Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. Upon approaching, he raised his right hand and punched the door. The Treasure Pavilion's door instantly shattered, and the external toxic mist surged inside. Xu Qing followed, seeing rows of shelves within. On the shelves were various elixirs, spirit coins, and precious treasures. Xu Qing's heart pounded as he quickly scanned the items. He immediately went up and took everything he could carry.

Just as he finished looting and was about to leave, his eyes narrowed. He noticed that within the Treasure Pavilion, the toxic mist seeped through unseen cracks in the walls, subtly outlining the shape of a door, as if there was a hidden door there. Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, walked over, and kicked it directly. With a roar, the hidden door cracked but didn't shatter.

Xu Qing let out a soft exclamation, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. A clicking sound emanated from within him, and the shadowy figure behind him suddenly materialized, silently roaring as it merged with his right hand, transforming into a full-force punch. With a *boom*, the hidden door shattered, revealing a secret chamber. There weren't many items inside, only a palm-sized cloth bag.

Xu Qing was slightly surprised and reached out to grab it. Just then, a strong light emanated from beneath the cloth bag, forming complex patterns on the ground. As it glowed, it created swirling wind blades that rose into the air, blocking his outstretched hand. Xu Qing immediately withdrew his hand, looking at the cloth bag within the wind blades with a strange gleam in his eyes. He felt this item must be a treasure, so he scanned the pattern formed by the light beneath the bag.

"What is this?" Xu Qing frowned. After sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations on it, he snorted coldly, took out his last two black pills, and crushed them. Instantly, anomalies erupted, surging in from all directions and sweeping over, engulfing the secret chamber. The glowing pattern on the ground flickered violently but was inexorably corroded, eventually dimming and extinguishing with a crackling sound.

Without hesitation, Xu Qing grabbed the cloth bag. His body swayed, and he left the Treasure Pavilion.

Gazing at the Vajra Sect, now a scene of utter chaos, filled with wails, permeated by anomalies and venomous wind, and with flames rising, Xu Qing's expression was cold. His flight charm flashed, and he shot upwards, preparing to depart. He knew well that even without the Old Ancestor in the Vajra Sect, he only had the advantage of a surprise attack. Continuing would lead to danger. His purpose in coming was not merely to kill, but to destroy the Vajra Sect's main gate and loot as much as possible. His objective now achieved, he burst with speed, soaring straight towards the sky.

Just then, a roar echoed. From within the mist, the Vajra Sect Master, disheveled, charged rapidly towards him. Xu Qing, mid-air, looked down, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. The power of the seventh level of his Sea Mountain Art erupted within him. As the shadowy figure materialized behind him, he launched a punch towards the approaching Vajra Sect Master. A deafening roar erupted. The Vajra Sect Master, letting out a cry, stumbled back a few steps. Just as he was about to continue, a purple saber shadow formed behind Xu Qing the next instant.

The Heaven Saber descended. It directly slashed towards the Vajra Sect Master. The Vajra Sect Master's expression changed drastically. He suddenly retreated, returning into the venomous wind and anomalous mist, and the purple saber light instantly pursued him. Xu Qing did not pursue. His gaze flickered, and he immediately retreated, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky, heading towards the distant Thunder Mountain.

Just as he departed, seven or eight figures burst out from the mist where the Vajra Sect Master had retreated, each launching a full-power strike. The force of this attack was so immense that the air seemed to explode, creating a deafening roar and forming a concavity, comparable to the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If Xu Qing had not left and had continued to pursue, he would likely have been hit by this attack.

Those seven or eight figures were all old men. Their faces were now pale, and blood gushed from their mouths, clearly indicating that the previous strike was a secret technique they had executed in coordination. Now, seeing Xu Qing escape, they hesitated whether to pursue him.

"Seven Protectors, don't pursue him." From within the mist, the Vajra Sect Master staggered out, one arm clearly severed. As blood dripped, his face was pale, and his body swayed precariously. "That rogue is too cautious; he didn't even chase me inside. Our priority now is to quickly disperse the venomous wind and anomalies from the sect gate, and then wait for the Old Ancestor to return!"

The Vajra Sect Master was filled with resentment, grinding his teeth. He had risked injury to lure the opponent in, but had failed. The seven or eight old men fell silent. Some stepped forward to support the Sect Master. Looking at the still chaotic sect, their expressions were also bewildered. They sighed, knowing they could only try their best to disperse the chaos.

Time passed, and soon a day had gone by. By dusk that day, the Vajra Sect's poison and anomalies had finally mostly dissipated. The former required a large amount of wind-element spells from the disciples, while the latter... forced them to crush spirit coins, using pure spiritual energy to dilute it. The cost was enormous.

And the entire sect... was in ruins. Even the grand hall on the mountaintop was reduced to rubble, most buildings had collapsed, and signs of fire were everywhere. Restoring it would also incur immense costs. More seriously, the Vajra Sect disciples, each with dense anomalies within their bodies, were mostly covered in dark bruising. They would require large quantities of white pills and even clear dust pills to recover.

As the Vajra Sect Master and several Protectors felt exhausted and resentful, a long rainbow appeared on the distant horizon. The Vajra Sect's Old Ancestor had returned. He was equally disheveled, with multiple injuries on his body, his hair wild with suppressed rage. After escaping from the forbidden zone, he had already decided that he would kill that child, no matter the cost.

When he saw the sect gate from afar, he paused in mid-air, then instantly accelerated. Hovering above the gate, he looked down blankly at the ruins below his feet.

"Old Ancestor..." Upon seeing the Old Ancestor, the Vajra Sect disciples immediately began to wail and complain.

"Old Ancestor, that child wreaked havoc on our sect while you were away, and our disciples suffered heavy casualties."

"Old Ancestor, our Treasure Pavilion was also looted clean by that wretched rogue, and anything he couldn't take was contaminated by anomalies."

"Old Ancestor, that child is inhumane; many disciples are severely poisoned and cannot be cured."

Only the Sect Master and the Protectors remained silent. Listening to his disciples' lamentations, the Vajra Sect Old Ancestor looked at the ruined sect gate, the miserable disciples, and then at the Sect Master who had lost an arm and the injured Protectors. His body slowly began to tremble. His face changed from ashen to pale, then from pale to red, finally turning an extreme dark green. He staggered, uncontrollably spitting out a large mouthful of blood. His breathing was ragged. He clenched his hands tightly, his eyes bloodshot as if he wanted to devour someone, and let out a mournful roar to the sky.

"I will kill you!"

This roar reverberated in all directions like thunder, but it did not reach the teleportation array in Deer Horn City at that moment.

Inside Deer Horn City, beside the teleportation array, Xu Qing stood in line. In front of him was a massive teleportation array. This array was built on an altar, octagonal in shape, intricately carved with countless runes. Each time it flashed, it emitted a brilliant light, radiating an imposing aura. Around it were several skilled guards, who coldly observed those waiting in line, their eyes gleaming with a frosty light, as if any hint of ill intent would result in instant death.

Soon, as the person in front teleported away, it was Xu Qing's turn. He walked towards the altar where the teleportation array was located. After stepping onto the altar and entering the complex teleportation array, Xu Qing turned to look back at the land where he had lived for many years. It was sunset, and the afterglow bathed the earth. The July wind, warm and dry, swept through, lifting the hair from Xu Qing's eyes, allowing him to see this world more clearly. He looked towards the direction of the city ruins, then at the scavenger camp, and finally cast a cold glance at the location of the Vajra Sect.

"We'll meet again."

Xu Qing murmured, his gaze growing colder. The teleportation array beneath his feet began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter until a sea of light erupted, engulfing everything, including Xu Qing's figure. The next instant, when the light from the teleportation array dissipated, Xu Qing, who had been inside, was gone.