Chapter 351: Qi Xiao's Returned News

"Rumble!"

Three figures, two men and one woman, appeared atop a low hill on the Qiubei Plain, riding three magnificent exotic beasts.

Under a sky full of stars, the three-foot-deep snow-covered plain shimmered with an eerie glow. Countless gravestones, like chopsticks stuck in the ground, revealed only short sections. All the grave mounds, no longer so terrifying, were covered in a thick layer of white snow.

Zuoqiu Hongting stood in the center, clad in a loose-fitting green Taoist robe with her hair fastened by a wooden hairpin. Her skin was flawless and fair, her eyes sparkled like stars and flashed like lightning. Holding a spiritual folding fan, she possessed extraordinary beauty and a free, heroic spirit.

"Whoosh!"

"Zuoqiu Qingting" flew out from her sleeve, heading into the darkness to scout.

To her left, Cang Li gazed into the distance. "Fuzhou is straight ahead! Since the great earthquake, the cultists and evildoers have become increasingly active. It seems the old ancestor of the Zuoqiu clan was right in his conjecture—the underground immortal mansion must have another entrance, and the cult's main headquarters is very likely beneath it."

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "There's also another theory! The entrance to the underground immortal mansion was created by Qilin Zang's bombardment. Many older generation experts believe that the talk of a cult headquarters is a deliberate fabrication. The true purpose is to lure and slaughter an endless stream of human experts inside. Just like Tang Wanzhou and that person!"

In the cold wind, she sighed softly. "It's been a full year! After the great earthquake, everyone withdrew, but there's been no news of him since."

Yin Jiu stood on the other side, his severed arm having been regenerated. His new arm was covered in golden dragon scales, having been reattached by the Abbot of Due Guan using the arm of a monstrous Long Life Realm giant. It possessed incredibly potent power.

Cang Li sighed, "With his talent, how could he be content with his martial arts stagnating at the Dao Seed Realm? He must have wanted to enter the underground immortal mansion to seek heaven-defying opportunities. If I were him, I would also fight desperately for it. Even if he were buried underground, at least he would have no regrets."

Yin Er, riding a seven to eight-meter-long black exotic bird, swooped down from the sky. While still ten zhang above the ground, he dismounted using his movement technique. He quickly walked towards Yin Jiu, his expression urgent.

Yin Er had not used the Hidden Gate's exclusive channels but had instead rushed overnight to see him, indicating that something truly earth-shattering had occurred. Yin Jiu quickly dismounted his exotic beast and went to meet him.

"The Divine Hidden Order has appeared!"

Yin Er took out a newly received letter from his pocket, handing it over. Seeing Zuoqiu Hongting and Cang Li nearby, he transmitted the message using spiritual energy.

Yin Jiu was startled at first, then quickly unfolded the letter. "The secret mark is correct, and the token's imprint is genuine."

"The rune sealing the letter is a secret rune from the Hidden Gate. The letter was sent with extreme urgency from Nanyan Pass, traveling a thousand li, which shows the situation is unimaginably grave," Yin Er said.

Yin Jiu frowned deeply. "Have you contacted Lord Yin?"

"Lord Yin's whereabouts are secretive. We must first send a message back to the Jiuli Insect Valley and only then can he be found through the Hidden Elders. Going back and forth would cause too much delay," Yin Er replied.

Zuoqiu Hongting and Cang Li both realized that the newcomer must be an important figure from the Jiuli Hidden Gate. Cang Li asked, "Nine Axes, what happened?"

Yin Jiu pondered for a moment, deciding there was no need to hide it from them. At this point, he could only discuss it with them, so he handed over the letter. "He has appeared!"

The two read the contents of the letter. Zuoqiu Hongting's eyes flickered. "It couldn't be a fake, could it?"

"Everything matches up. No matter what, I must depart immediately for Lingxiao City to confirm," Yin Jiu stated.

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "Don't rush. There are still ten days until the first day of the twelfth lunar month. We should first figure out his purpose for summoning a large number of experts to Lingxiao City. Qingting has returned; she seems to have made a discovery."

Forty li away.

Qi Xiao crawled out of a large river, utterly exhausted, and collapsed by the ice-laden water, gasping for breath.

Dozens of wounds on his body continuously seeped blood. Not long after leaving Nanyan Pass, he was pursued by masters from the Rice Sect. No matter how he tried to hide, they could always pinpoint his location.

He analyzed that the problem might be the cluster of death-spirit flames within his body, which had been planted when he left the Rice Sect's headquarters. It was one of the Rice Sect's methods to prevent betrayal. This also indicated that Li Weiyi had likely met with misfortune! Otherwise, why would the Rice Sect masters be pursuing him? Nanyan Pass must have been a trap, and Li Weiyi had very likely... died inside.

"Tuoba probably couldn't escape either... Is all hope now resting on me? Can I do this... Can I make it back alive?" Qi Xiao lay on the ground, chuckling bitterly, then stared blankly at the starry sky above, a painful urge to wail welling up within him. In his ears, the nightmarish barks echoed once more.

The enemies were catching up!

"They truly are like lingering ghosts."

He gritted his teeth, painstakingly propped himself up, and stumbled into the snowy forest.

From his ancestral field, he summoned his spiritual artifact battle saber and his last remaining Divine Mobility Talisman. It was thanks to the Divine Mobility Talismans given by Li Weiyi that he had been able to traverse the entire Fuzhou, running for thousands of li, and fleeing all the way to the Qiubei Plain. Each Divine Mobility Talisman represented a life. Now, he only had one life left!

Behind him, over the wide expanse of water, dense black clouds of departed spirits surged forward, containing grotesque human figures and colossal beast shadows. Leading the charge was a fierce dog burning with blue ghostly flames. On the dog's back sat a black-robed, white-haired figure with four eyes on his face, holding a staff, resembling a specter from hell. The spirit battle-soul of the Scaled Lion Behemoth from Qi Xiao's shield artifact had been swallowed whole by that dog.

On the bank, countless human figures ran in pursuit through the snowy forest, each moving incredibly fast, making rustling sounds. Before long, Qi Xiao was overtaken by the dense crowd in the forest.

These tattered-clothed humans had skin like cast bronze. A blood-red curse mark adorned their chests, their pupils were crimson, and their entire bodies were filled with malevolence. They recklessly charged at Qi Xiao, attacking him in waves. They were the Blood Curse Cultists of the Twin Rice Sect! Through the curse marks in their bodies, they could unleash several times their strength and speed in a short period. The only drawback was that once the curse mark was activated, they would inevitably die from exhaustion.

The forest echoed with cries of battle, and Blood Curse Cultists continuously fell. Qi Xiao chopped until his arms were numb and weak, but he couldn't kill them all.

Four Godslayer Knight Servants, riding departed spirit mounts, charged from four different directions. One of the Godslayer Servants said in a deep voice, "A new order has come from above: no need to capture him alive, just kill the traitor directly."

"Who the hell is a traitor? You're trying to force me to betray the divine sect, aren't you... Ah..." Qi Xiao was struck in the back by an arrow imbued with fire energy. The arrow pierced through his body, causing a large amount of blood to gush out, and the pain nearly made him pass out.

Sticking the Divine Mobility Talisman to his body, he continued to run frantically, his eyes bloodshot. Behind him were countless footsteps and the beast-like roars of the Blood Curse Cultists.

Ahead, the dense forest vanished, finally revealing the snow-covered Qiubei Plain—he was back in Qizhou territory...

The moment Qi Xiao burst out of the snowy forest.

"Swish!"

From the forest behind, the four-eyed elder riding the departed spirit dog launched four strands of light from his pupils. They shot through the jungle, spanning a hundred zhang, and wrapped around Qi Xiao's neck, waist, and arms, pulling him backward.

Qi Xiao watched himself being pulled further and further from the Qiubei Plain. Ignoring the pain in his neck, he let out a defiant roar. The roar startled the snow piled on the trees, which then drifted down.

Falling with the snowflakes was a giant axe enveloped in scriptures. The axe, appearing from nowhere, spun rapidly, its blinding light severing all four strands of spiritual light wrapped around Qi Xiao.

"Boom!"

The giant axe landed, and the earth trembled. Trees fell in swathes, and the spiritual energy blast sent dozens of the nearest Blood Curse Cultists flying. The departed spirit dog, its body burning with ghostly flames, sensed something and barked uneasily.

The four-eyed elder on the dog's back and the four Godslayer Servants all became vigilant, activating their spiritual artifacts and unleashing their Dao Heart Manifestations and Psychic Spirit Gods.

"Boom!""Boom!"

Cang Li and Yin Jiu, wearing invisibility cloaks, suddenly materialized. Their Dao Heart Manifestations burst forth as they attacked from left and right, overwhelming the four Godslayer Servants.

After only three breaths, the four Godslayer Servants were thrown back, all heavily wounded, and fled in panic.

The four-eyed elder on the departed spirit dog's back stared intently ahead. He saw a graceful figure in a green Taoist robe approaching under the myriad stars, her skin glowing with fairness, like an immortal descended to the mortal world.

"Origin Lamp!"

Zuoqiu Hongting formed a hand seal, and the spiritual realm at her glabella opened, revealing a mysterious and vast world where fragments of an ancient lamp floated.

"Rumble!"

A brilliant light, like divine radiance, erupted from her glabella. The night sky turned to day, and terrifying energy flattened the entire snowy forest. Everything, including the four Godslayer Servants and the Blood Curse Cultists, was obliterated. The four-eyed elder and the departed spirit dog held on a little longer, but they too disintegrated into dust as if made of sand.

Cang Li and Yin Jiu had already taken Qi Xiao and swiftly retreated to the snowy plain to help him heal his wounds and stop the bleeding.

Zuoqiu Hongting quickly stepped forward. "Qi Xiao, where have you been these past two years?"

Qi Xiao lay on the ground, his eyes wide with ecstasy as he saw Zuoqiu Hongting approach. He wanted to speak, but blood continuously gushed from his mouth.

"Don't speak. Heal first."

Zuoqiu Hongting took out a pill and gave it to him.

Qi Xiao swallowed the healing pill, and his injuries gradually stabilized. He said urgently, "Something terrible has happened... The Demon Clan and the Rice Sect... the Netherworld of the Departed, are about to attack Lingxiao City..."

The expressions of all three present drastically changed. They instantly thought of Li Weiyi's Divine Hidden Order. Cang Li asked, "Why were the cult experts pursuing you? This matter must be top-secret. How do you know about it?"

"Li Weiyi asked me to bring back the message... For the past... year, we've been at the Rice Sect's headquarters... We fell into a trap. He might have already died at Nanyan Pass..." Qi Xiao's chest heaved violently, and his face was pale.

Cang Li asked, "Is the Rice Sect's headquarters in the underground immortal mansion?"

Qi Xiao nodded and looked at Cang Li. "A battle involving Long Life Realm giants broke out at Nanyan Pass. The one who attacked was Yang Shenjing, the Sect Master of Sui Sect. Tuoba said the person being attacked might have been your father... He had sensed your father's psychic fluctuations at that engagement banquet two years ago..."

Cang Li stumbled back three steps as if struck by lightning, his face even paler than Qi Xiao's. After steadying himself, he turned and rushed towards the Zouwu exotic beast without looking back.

He believed that since Li Weiyi had appeared at Nanyan Pass, the person killed by Yang Shenjing must have been his father. Even if the old man was strong, he was only in his sixties, but Yang Shenjing had lived for hundreds of years. How could there have been any chance of escape?

"Where are you going?" Zuoqiu Hongting demanded coldly.

Cang Li, mounted on the Zouwu, turned his head, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes. He said, "Back to Lizhou, to rally all the armies... for revenge!"

"Come back. This matter must not be publicized," Zuoqiu Hongting said.

Cang Li's tiger-like eyes blazed. "You Zuoqiu clan intend to sit back and watch the tigers fight, don't you? Once Lingxiao City falls and the imperial court collapses, the Demon Clan, the Evil Cult, and the Netherworld of the Departed will surely sweep across the world with their momentum of victory. Can your Zuoqiu clan withstand them? Zuoqiu Hongting, if you won't fight this battle for Lingxiao City, my Jiuli tribe will!"

Zuoqiu Hongting replied, "Can't you be more rational? Why did Li Weiyi only summon experts from the Jiuli Hidden Gate instead of publicizing the news directly? There's a lot we don't understand yet. Acting rashly will surely lead to heavy losses."