Chapter 586: Release This Child

As Xu Qing’s words rang out, a black storm roared, enveloping the area. Bolts of lightning crisscrossed within it, forming countless arcing electric currents that spread across the ground.

The powerful aura caused the sky and earth to change colors.

The Shadow, meanwhile, was incredibly agitated and trembling intensely.

It was filled with emotion.

At this moment, it felt that all its past efforts and sacrifices had been worthwhile. Its master hadn't abandoned it. Even though three of the white-robed figures who had trapped it were at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and their leader had even reached the Spirit Repository Nurturing Dao stage, its master still chose to come and rescue it.

So it quickly transmitted its emotional fluctuations, releasing all its gratitude, grievance, and pain, and struggling even more fiercely.

Meanwhile, the blurry figure within the storm walked forward step by step. As it approached, the terrifying oppressive aura grew stronger. White storms were common in the Azure Sand Desert, but black ones had not descended for hundreds of years.

But now, this black storm clearly appeared before the eyes of the white-robed figures, filling their minds with surprise and doubt.

They especially noticed that both the desert flora and the sand particles instantly changed color the moment they approached the storm, becoming part of it.

Everything was exactly like the legendary Black Wind.

Everyone was alarmed. They all looked at the blurry figure within the storm, instinctively retreating.

Their clan was different from other groups; they bore the mission of guarding the desert, and most of the fierce beasts in the Azure Sand Desert were their pets.

This was why they targeted the Shadow.

For the past six months, the Shadow had continuously captured fierce beasts within the desert, which caused dissatisfaction among their clan. However, since the White Wind had not appeared, they were bound by an ancient pact and could not easily venture out.

Therefore, they had continuously monitored the Shadow from beneath the desert. Through ancient texts, they had also determined the Shadow's abilities. Thus, after the White Wind appeared, a special squad targeting the Shadow received a mission from the clan: armed with a bestowed holy artifact, they pinned the Shadow to the ground.

Originally, at this point, their mission was complete; they only needed to take the Shadow back for punishment.

However, the leader of the white-robed figures didn't want to stop there. He saw that the Shadow had a master, so he wanted to seize this rare opportunity to capture both the Shadow and its master.

But the appearance of the black storm raised an unsettling feeling in all of them.

Having lived beneath the desert for generations, they possessed the talent to disregard the White Wind's incursions, and their understanding of this great desert far surpassed that of outsiders.

They understood very well the significance of the black storm.

The leading white-robed figure stared intently at the blurry figure within the storm. The opponent's cultivation fluctuations didn't seem very high in his eyes, but that black storm made him somewhat apprehensive.

Thus, he did not act rashly. Instead, he made a hand gesture that only his clan members could understand, then spoke in a low voice.

“Your Excellency, for the past six months, you have been driving your evil spirit, continuously preying on our clan's pets, destroying the desert environment, and taking our food.”

“Such behavior is an unforgivable offense to our clan. Therefore, we are ordered to capture this evil spirit. At the same time, on behalf of our clan's ancestors and others, we ask Your Excellency, what exactly is your intention?!”

“Our clan has no old grudges with you. You must give us an explanation for this matter!”

The blurry figure within the storm paused its steps upon hearing this.

Xu Qing was a reasonable person, and the other party's words seemed to have some logic to them. So he thought for a moment and spoke calmly.

“Very well, what price do you demand?”

The white-robed figure narrowed his eyes, a little surprised. He hadn't expected the other party to actually agree. After a moment's thought, he immediately stated his terms.

“First, all the pets of our clan that you seized, a total of 531, are valued at 100,000 spirit stones each!”

“Secondly, we must take this evil spirit with us.”

Upon hearing this, the Shadow was instantly startled and exuded fear. But the next instant, it seemed to realize something, quickly sensed its surroundings, then pretended not to notice, continuing to radiate fear and howl.

The blurry figure within the storm fell silent upon hearing this, then shook its head. “I can't afford that. Can it be less?”

The white-robed figure glanced at the storm, then swept his gaze over the blurry figure within it.

“Tell us how you formed this storm, and we can reduce the price for each pet by thirty percent. But we must still take this evil spirit.”

Xu Qing remained silent. This compensation was also beyond his means.

In that case, it wasn't that he was being unreasonable, but that the other party was inflexible.

Since they were being inflexible, there was no need to compensate them.

Xu Qing felt at ease, and the figure beneath the storm took a step forward.

But just as he stepped forward, the white-robed figure suddenly leaped up. More than ten of his companions simultaneously formed hand seals, and instantly, the surrounding white wind and sand surged, converging from all directions and slamming towards the black storm.

“It's been a long time since we ventured out. Are cultivators outside truly so foolish now that they'd give us a chance to set up a formation?” The white-robed figure sneered inwardly. The white storm formed by him and his kin was astonishing. In mid-air, it faintly formed the shadow of a giant worm, roaring and devouring the black storm and the figure within it.

As the two sides collided, a roar echoed.

However, none of the white-robed figures, whose attention was entirely on the black storm, noticed the unusual change with the Shadow.

A fully concealed figure, imperceptible to others, was crouching beside the Shadow, observing the dagger plunged into it, having studied it for a while.

This person was Xu Qing.

As for the presence within the storm, it was the Vajra Sect Ancestor transformed.

Xu Qing knew that anyone capable of trapping the Shadow was certainly no simple opponent. He also guessed that a trap might be present, so he had long ago instructed the Vajra Sect Ancestor to appear within the storm in his place to attract attention.

He himself had arrived in stealth.

He had originally intended to quietly rescue and retrieve the Shadow, but the golden dagger was extraordinary. The aura it exuded not only suppressed the Shadow but also made Xu Qing's heart pound.

He could sense that the dagger seemed to be driven by bloodline power. Without the corresponding bloodline, it would be difficult to affect it. Moreover, dark light flickered on it, seemingly able to sense the outside world. If its usage requirements were not met, it would instantly reject the wielder.

Therefore, he had been squatting there, continuously studying how to pull it out.

“Without the bloodline, touching it would not only prevent it from being pulled out but would also lead to detection and backlash.”

“The dark light flickering on it senses the wielder, alternating between bright and dark in an instant. At my speed, I cannot guarantee completing the extraction in that fleeting gap.”

“There's only one chance, so I'll have to use the power of time-stasis!”

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with determination. As a roar echoed in the distance, and the black storm was torn apart by the white worm, the figure within it retreated, transforming into fish bones, and disappeared into the desert. At that very moment, the power of the sundial erupted within Xu Qing.

He locked onto the dagger, freezing it in time.

The next instant, the dagger's dark light suddenly paused in its flickering alternation. In that momentary gap, when the dagger had no dark light, Xu Qing swiftly raised his right hand and seized the dagger.

His cultivation base erupted, and physical strength surged forth. He yanked it upward with fierce force.

In the blink of an eye, the dagger was pulled out by him. The Shadow let out a joyful cheer and shimmered all over, its dandelions instantly vanishing. It swiftly returned to Xu Qing's feet and rapidly concealed itself.

Having done all this, Xu Qing immediately put the dagger into his storage bag. Without looking back, he turned and ran, exerting his full strength with astonishing speed. The Vajra Sect Ancestor also returned swiftly.

Meanwhile, the white-robed figures in the distance, at the moment the black storm shattered, noticed the abnormality with the Shadow. Their expressions instantly changed drastically.

“It's a fake!”

With a low growl, these white-robed cultivators suddenly pursued Xu Qing. At this moment, the earth itself began to undulate, and terrifying Spirit Repository Grand Perfection fluctuations emanated from beneath the desert.

The strong cultivators of this clan had clearly sensed what was happening outside and were rushing over.

At this critical juncture, the parrot suddenly shimmered, about to flee for its life.

It didn't care about Xu Qing's fate. It was secretly pleased, thinking that it had already delivered the message. *How dare Xu Qing poison me? Don't expect me to save him. If he seeks death, it has nothing to do with me.*

But just as it was about to teleport, Xu Qing raised his hand, seized it firmly, and spoke calmly.

“Teleport!”

The parrot cried out in pain, cursing inwardly. Helpless, it quickly teleported, but it was still a bit slow.

Xu Qing frowned and squeezed harder. The parrot instantly squawked, and one of its feathers turned to ash, unleashing a burst of teleportation power.

Ignoring all surrounding environmental factors, it instantly vanished with Xu Qing without a trace.

Only the feather's ashes drifted down, scattered by the wind.

The next moment, a roar filled the area as a huge vortex appeared on the desert. Astonishing fluctuations, brimming with anger, emanated from within it, sweeping across the surroundings.

Not only here, but similar vortices also appeared in other directions across the desert, conducting a full-scale search.

The parrot's teleportation, it seemed, was not as grand as it once boasted; its range was not very wide. At this moment, it was forced to reappear hundreds of miles away.

But it didn't matter; Xu Qing had anticipated this. Almost the instant they reappeared, he squeezed hard again.

The parrot shrieked, shedding feathers onto the ground, and teleported again.

Thus, at Xu Qing's insistence and actions, every time the parrot reappeared, it would cry out in misery and shed feathers. Its instantaneous teleportations continued without end, carrying Xu Qing rapidly towards the edge of the great desert.

Finally, the parrot's wails grew weak, and it began to curse.

“You're no son of man! You're deranged! You're more of a beast than I am!”

“You, you, you're not even human! You're like a dog biting a shadow—no human decency at all!”

“This is too much! You're a menace, you scoundrel! I'm dying, Daddy, help!” After dozens of teleportations, the parrot, which had reached the edge of the Azure Sand Desert, was barely breathing.

“Please don't do this, I'm still a child, I really can't take any more!”

Its body trembled violently, its inner fear having reached its peak. Its feathers were almost entirely gone, and its body looked completely bald.

Looking at Xu Qing now, its small eyes were filled with terror. It felt that this expressionless figure before it was the greatest demon on this land, the most terrifying source of nightmares beneath the sky.

“Bastard.”