Chapter 252: Qilin Zang

Qilin has returned!

Zen Sea View Mist once said that about 2,800 years ago, she slew the Flying Dragon in the East Sea. However, she couldn't find Qilin, the son of the Flying Dragon, and thus failed to eradicate the threat. In other words, Qilin has lived for at least 2,800 years.

At the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, various demon king factions defected and pledged allegiance to Luan Shenglinyu, but this was naturally not because Luan Shenglinyu had subdued them. Instead, the great demon kings of the Cloud Heaven Realm behind them had already been secretly subdued by Qilin. He had returned long ago.

The elder powerhouses on Peach and Plum Mountain had actually already suspected this. However, no one expected Qilin to dare appear in Qiuzhou City, display such a domineering side, and attack the city's protective formation.

"Presumptuous! Qilin-zang, do you intend to make an enemy of Du'e Temple?"

The Immortal Master of Du'e Temple's brow glowed brightly as he formed a hand seal. Instantly, the "Jie" character symbol covering Qiuzhou City rapidly contracted and condensed, suppressing Qilin and Qingluan outside the city's great protective formation, above Bingzu Marsh. "Zang" is the name of the Flying Dragon's son.

Above Bingzu Marsh, Qilin-zang appeared in human form, proudly standing atop the almost solidified luminous image of Qilin, clad in dragon armor, his figure tall and exceptional. On the sea surface behind him, several other mystical and powerful figures stood. He looked towards the ninth heaven of Peach and Plum Mountain, completely disregarding the descending "Jie" character: "If I can gain the support of Du'e Temple, the Demon Nation can be established at sunrise tomorrow. Tonight, I can eliminate all those who oppose me, enslave the Immortals, and herd all martial cultivators in the world as livestock."

"Even without Du'e Temple's support, the establishment of the Demon Nation is inevitable; it will merely be a little more troublesome."

Whoosh! The "Jie" character tore through the dark clouds, crushed the sky, and descended with immense runic power. The space above Qilin and Qingluan's heads violently vibrated. The Phoenix Nest flew forth, its light illuminating all directions, filling Bingzu Marsh with colorful mist, and holding up the "Jie" character. Subsequently, crimson-gold flames erupted from the nest, igniting the void and burning the "Jie" character into blue smoke. The one wielding the Phoenix Nest was Qingluan.

Qilin-zang's voice resonated mightily: "Mere Zuoqiu, an unknown entity three thousand years ago, not of imperial blood, what right does he have to be the future master of this land?"

"The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is merely a child's game; surely Du'e Temple doesn't take it seriously? Only I can unify the world fastest, end the chaos, and establish a more vast and prosperous nation."

The Immortal Master of Du'e Temple replied: "Lost is lost! No one can change the rules, and you were not denied an opportunity. Everything is the will of Heaven; aligning with the will of Heaven is Du'e Temple's founding doctrine."

Whoosh! The Immortal Master, shrouded in runic light and mist, appeared above the sea near the Bright Moon Seven Star Pavilion, waving his staff to clash from a distance with the giant hand attempting to break through the city's protective formation's light veil. The immortal turtle suspended mid-air escaped Qilin-zang's lock, regained its ability to fly, and fled frantically.

"Du'e Temple is destined to pay the price for its wrong choice today. Tonight, I will first flatten the Zuoqiu Faction and then destroy the Cloud Palace. Then you will realize how ridiculous your so-called 'will of Heaven' is. My will is the will of Heaven!"

The giant hand in the sky suddenly erupted with auspicious divine radiance, shaking the earth and churning the sea.

Boom! The plains surrounding Qiuzhou City were riddled with countless cracks from this strike. The city's protective formation's light veil could not withstand it and was pierced by the giant hand. The tearing sound was incredibly piercing, instantly penetrating the eardrums of countless citizens in the South City. Fortunately, the "Jie" character had already been incinerated, and runic patterns were rising on all streets and buildings in the city, resisting the destructive force.

Splatter! The island-sized immortal turtle let out a tragic wail, its body exploding into a shower of blood. The Immortal Master of Du'e Temple, enraged, unleashed a formation plate from the spiritual realm in his glabella, which rapidly expanded. Thousands of runic patterns operated within the formation plate, striking the giant hand and obliterating it.

Qilin-zang and Qingluan, in their true human forms, entered through the pierced light veil of the formation. Behind the two were enormous luminous images of Qilin and Qingluan, and further back, countless demon shadows with flags obscuring the sky. Qilin-zang headed towards the Immortal Master of Du'e Temple, while Qingluan intended to seize the Dragon Palace.

"Qilin-zang, the Zuoqiu Faction has risen in three thousand years to become one of the Cloud Heaven's Four Factions. Do you truly believe you are the only one who underestimates us and seeks to suppress us? But the Zuoqiu Faction is growing stronger; its morning sun will surely rise and become an unstoppable blazing sun in the sky."

The old ancestor of the Confucian lineage of the Zuoqiu Faction, the elder in Confucian robes, ordered all formations to be activated. At the same time, a page from an ancient book flew out from the spiritual realm in his glabella. This page seemed torn from somewhere, its edges ragged. It was merely a page, but upon flying out, it transformed into an ocean of mysterious characters, surging towards the pierced section of the city's protective formation's light veil.

"Destroy the Cloud Palace? What big words! When Emperor Mist was alive, you didn't even have the courage to return to the Cloud Heaven Realm, did you?"

The Second Palace Lord's carriage had already burst forth from Peach and Plum Mountain, its wheels rolling, crushing the void, and its energy spreading throughout Qiuzhou City, then colliding violently with Qingluan. The suspended Dragon Palace, struck by the opposing forces of two terrifying powers, violently shook, overturning and flipping.

Whoosh! The Immortality Pills, Dragon Seeds, and Dragon Bones that Du'e Temple had placed in the Dragon Palace, encased in sparkling, ice-crystal-like solid substances, all spilled out mid-air. Under the impact of the Second Palace Lord's and Qingluan's spiritual energies, they rained down like meteors across the entire city.

Zuoqiu Ling, Yin Jun, and other Eternal Realm powerhouses from various major factions rushed towards Bingzu Marsh, against the direction of the meteor shower, to rescue the young generation's prodigies trapped near the battlefield. In the process, they seized the opportunity to act, each employing their own methods to collect some of the Immortality Pills, Dragon Seeds, and Dragon Bones. More Immortality Pills, Dragon Seeds, and Dragon Bones fell to various parts of the city, causing a scramble.

The moment the Second Palace Lord and Qingluan clashed, Li Weiyi could no longer bear it; his vision went black, and his consciousness blurred. He vaguely saw the Dragon Palace overturning and clusters of light scattering like a meteor shower. Over a dozen clusters of light fell diagonally, not far from him. The Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish was worn closely around his neck, hidden inside the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor. From the Buddha's sarira, Zen Sea View Mist unleashed a surge of power into the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor. Instantly, blood mist erupted from the armor, enveloping those dozen clusters of light and drawing them back. At this moment, Li Weiyi had completely lost consciousness and was falling towards the seabed.

Swish! Yin Jun arrived in the sea like a streak of light, embraced him, and then returned to Qiuzhou City with extreme speed, as if launched.

As for Cang Li, Yin Jiu, Li Ling, and Yin Shi'yi, other masters went to rescue them. The time window was very narrow. Even Eternal Realm powerhouses could only rescue one person, otherwise, there was a risk of falling.

Li Weiyi suddenly gasped and sat up from the bed, his head throbbing. His limbs were sore and weak, and his wounds burned. He had already sustained serious injuries from his encounter with Luan Shenglinyu. Later, he was struck by the residual power of the transcendents; even from over ten miles away and with the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor's defense, he couldn't withstand it.

Cang Li and Yin Jiu were both lying nearby. They were far worse off, their skin as pale as corpses, their breathing faint. Two elderly men of unknown origin were fully dedicated to their treatment, feeding them elixirs brewed from thousand-year-old potent herbs and continuously injecting spiritual energy into their bodies.

Li Weiyi heard faint sobbing and turned his head to look. Yao Yin was sitting beside the bed, her eyes fixed, her small face tear-streaked, her hands still tightly gripping his right hand.

"What's wrong?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yao Yin burst into a tearful smile, her mouth pouting, and whimpered: "I thought... I thought you, like them, wouldn't make it..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Those two aren't dead yet." Yin Shi'si, who had been pacing back and forth in the room, reprimanded Yao Yin coldly, then visibly relaxed when he saw Li Weiyi sitting up.

Yao Yin whispered: "When they were just brought back, they had no breath! I thought you were the same." The little girl seemed genuinely terrified; Li Weiyi gently patted her hand to comfort her.

The room was spacious, like an empty hall. Yin Shi'yi and Li Ling were also in the room; they, in contrast, were less severely injured. Yin Shi'yi had been chasing the great mentalists at the time and had not entered Bingzu Marsh, remaining further away. Li Ling, even earlier, had withdrawn from the battlefield due to a fractured right leg and depleted mental energy.

Outside the window, lights flickered continuously, branches shook violently, and roars echoed from all directions.

Boom! The room violently shook, and the beams groaned. Li Weiyi recalled the previous events, secretly feeling a chill of fear, then asked: "Where is this place? How long was I unconscious?"

"Only about a quarter of an hour." Yin Shi'si stood by the window, looking into the distance, but the horizon was a chaotic mess, and he couldn't see the transcendent figures at all. He could only feel terrifying auras, like gods clashing.

"Only a quarter of an hour... I feel like I've been unconscious for days." Li Weiyi vigorously hammered his forehead; the pain surged again.

Yao Yin stood up and massaged his head: "Yin Jun said that Qiuzhou City definitely wouldn't be peaceful tonight and that Humble Garden might not be safe, so he brought us all to Peach and Plum Mountain."

Li Weiyi discovered his bug pouch was destroyed, and his expression changed: "Oh no, where are the Seven Little Ones? And my sword, have you seen it?"

Yao Yin shook her head: "Yin Jun only brought you back at the time; he didn't see the seven little ones or the Yellow Dragon Sword."

Li Weiyi's eyes darkened suddenly, and he reached for his chest. Fortunately, the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish was still there.

Li Ling sat beside Cang Li, her eyes red and swollen: "Under those circumstances, simply surviving is a blessing. Senior, my brother... is my brother still savable?"

The elder treating Cang Li was thin as a stick, with a ghastly saber scar on his face and deeply sunken eyes. If encountered elsewhere, his appearance alone would be terrifying enough. The scarred elder chuckled with a hoarse voice: "Don't worry, he's already been saved."

The elder treating Yin Jiu was a variant human, possessing characteristics of various ancient immortal beasts: a tiger's head, monkey-like arms, a tail, and a hunched body. He said: "This one-armed boy has also been saved; he's truly resilient."

Li Ling stood on one leg, leaning on her crutch, and bowed in thanks: "Thank you, Seniors."

Yin Shi'yi also respectfully bowed: "May I ask if you two seniors are elders of the Zuoqiu Faction, and how should we address you? Your life-saving grace will never be forgotten."

It was these two individuals who had previously rescued Yin Jiu, Cang Li, Yin Shi'yi, and Li Ling.