From Qingxiao Sect to Tianshan Spirit Pool in Yuzhou, Li Qingqiu took only 1 hour. He came alone.
Under the cover of night, Tianshan Spirit Pool shimmered with a faint glow. Beside the spirit pool stood a row of pavilions. At this moment, all the Qingxiao Sect disciples stationed there were meditating outside, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.
Li Qingqiu descended from the sky, drawing the disciples' attention. When they saw that it was him, delight spread across their faces.
"The Sect Master is here!"
"It's the Sect Master!"
"He came so quickly?"
"Wonderful! That demon is no match for the Sect Master!"
The disciples were extremely excited and quickly rose to their feet.
Huang Shan, who was in charge of Tianshan Spirit Pool, swiftly stepped forward and bowed.
Li Qingqiu walked past him and headed toward a row of white cloths laid out in the distance. Beneath the cloths lay corpses. They had not yet been buried. Huang Shan had intended to await the sect's instructions, knowing that the Sect Master was proficient in ghostly Dao techniques and might have other arrangements.
When he reached the fallen disciples, Li Qingqiu lifted the cloths one by one, examining their faces.
His expression grew incomparably dark, for he discovered that the dead were nothing but empty shells. He did not even have the opportunity to let them become ghost cultivators.
The other disciples gathered around in silence, their faces filled with anger and grievance.
Before Li Qingqiu arrived, they had been anxious and fearful. But once he was here, all fear vanished. They believed the Sect Master could resolve any trouble.
After examining the last body, Li Qingqiu stood up and turned to Huang Shan behind him. "Tell me everything. Do not omit a single detail."
Huang Shan immediately began recounting the events.
Two nights ago, a pitch-black demon resembling a fox suddenly attacked. At first, they thought it was a monster. Only after realizing it had no physical body did they conclude it was a ghost.
The demon was incredibly fast and could attach itself to disciples, catching them completely off guard. Those who died were killed while the demon possessed other disciples. This was also why morale had plummeted.
Their techniques were useless against it. If the demon had not withdrawn of its own accord, the casualties would have been even greater.
After listening, Li Qingqiu's brows knitted tightly.
If that were the case, Huang Shan and the others truly could not be blamed.
"Sect Master, I believe it did not deliberately spare us," a voice said from the side.
Li Qingqiu turned his head and saw Gu Changping step out from the crowd.
Gu Changping was a Law Enforcement Hall disciple and one of the top 10 in the first spell-fighting tournament. His cultivation had now reached the 7th layer of the Nurturing Essence realm.
By sending him here, Li Qingqiu had shown how much he valued Tianshan Spirit Pool. It was precisely because heavy forces had been deployed that such losses enraged him even more.
Gu Changping continued, "Perhaps it used some kind of long-range technique that consumed too much. Even now, it may still be recuperating."
Li Qingqiu felt that this was indeed possible.
"Disperse," Li Qingqiu said. "Continue cultivating and tend to your injuries. Pretend I am not here. I will remain for several days and wait for that demon to show itself."
The disciples were overjoyed. They saluted him and then scattered.
After the others left, Li Qingqiu looked at Huang Shan. "This matter was indeed beyond your capabilities. But you hold authority over Tianshan Spirit Pool. With such a grave incident, there must be an explanation."
Huang Shan's voice was heavy. "Please punish me, Sect Master. I am willing to bear all responsibility."
Shame filled his heart. He felt he had failed in his duty.
Those who died had families, friends, wives, and children. Their deaths were not something that could be resolved by burial alone.
They could not simply tell their families, "We encountered a demon. There was nothing we could do."
"We will settle this after I return," Li Qingqiu replied.
He did not truly intend to punish Huang Shan, but there had to be accountability.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu turned and left. He intended to survey Tianshan.
Even though it was midsummer, Tianshan remained a world of ice and snow. Fortunately, no snowstorm obscured the view.
Upon arrival, Li Qingqiu had already sent Lin Chuan and Nangong E to investigate the surrounding area. He had resolved that he would not return to Qingxiao Sect until he found and eliminated the demon.
…
The moon set and the sun rose. Li Qingqiu remained at Tianshan Spirit Pool for a full 2 days without encountering the demon. Lin Chuan and Nangong E likewise found no clues.
His determination did not waver. He decided to stay longer.
Another night descended.
Clouds veiled the sky, but the glow of Tianshan Spirit Pool shimmered, keeping the area from sinking into darkness.
Li Qingqiu sat in meditation by the pool, cultivating just like the other disciples.
Suddenly—
He opened his eyes and looked in a certain direction. He sensed an evil aura. Though not as powerful as the Desolate Nether Ghost King, it was not far off. It was rapidly approaching.
He immediately activated his divine sense. His vision sharpened, and he saw a mass of ghostly qi sweeping in from the distant horizon.
It was not a complete soul!
It was very similar to the state when the Desolate Nether Ghost King had possessed a Training Hall disciple.
It seemed Gu Changping had guessed correctly—this demon had used some kind of technique.
Unlike the Desolate Nether Ghost King, this demon's split soul could not only possess people but also transfer between hosts and devour souls.
Li Qingqiu waited for the demon to approach, not acting immediately.
The disciples lacked divine sense and did not notice the split soul drawing near.
When it came closer, Li Qingqiu saw clearly that it truly had the shape of a fox, enormous in size—like an elephant.
As it approached, the disciples finally noticed it.
"The demon is here again!"
A disciple cried out in terror, his voice ringing sharply through the night and alerting everyone.
Soon, however, the disciples steadied themselves. This time, the Sect Master was with them to confront the demon.
Gu Changping silently drew his sword and stepped forward.
Just as the demon was about to reach the disciples, Li Qingqiu's figure flashed, appearing out of thin air before it.
The demon did not dodge and continued lunging at him.
Li Qingqiu unsheathed his sword and slashed. With a single strike, he dispersed the demon.
Surging ghostly qi spread in all directions. Immediately after, it began to gather again, attempting to envelop Li Qingqiu's body.
But the ghostly qi was shattered again the instant it neared him.
"How is this possible!"
A sharp scream rang out, filled with shock and fear.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand and took out the Soul-Refining Banner. With a sweep, he drew all the surrounding ghostly qi into the banner.
The winds stirred up by the demon continued to rage. Li Qingqiu's robes billowed violently. The disciples behind him had not seen clearly what had happened. They only saw him charge forward, slay the demon, and then collect all the ghostly qi with a black banner.
Gu Changping frowned. He had faintly glimpsed a layer of white qi flashing around the Sect Master's body, dispersing the demon in an instant.
Previously, once disciples were entangled by ghostly qi, they could not break free. Even someone as strong as Gu Changping could only evade it.
He was merely curious about the Sect Master's methods and did not feel surprised. No matter how strong the Sect Master was, it felt only natural.
'It seems I need to prepare a ghostly artifact,' Gu Changping thought to himself.
That earlier night had filled him with humiliation. Watching his fellow disciples die one after another while he was powerless made him feel he had failed the sect's cultivation and the resources invested in him.
Li Qingqiu sat down cross-legged on the spot, placing the Soul-Refining Banner across his knees. He directly cast the Soul-Binding Curse on the demon's split soul.
"No one is to approach!"
Huang Shan immediately shouted, afraid the disciples might disturb Li Qingqiu.
Meanwhile—
Several hundred miles away, in a forest at the foot of Tianshan, a black fox lay beneath a tree. It was only the size of a rabbit.
It suddenly opened its eyes, rose to its feet, and looked toward Tianshan, which loomed like a heavenly wall beyond the forest. A trace of astonishment flickered in its gaze.
"To think someone could break my technique. Qingxiao Sect is indeed extraordinary—worthy of being the only cultivation sect in the world."
The black fox muttered to itself before turning and fleeing, disappearing into the depths of the forest.
…
Li Qingqiu explored the memories of the demon's split soul and confirmed that this demon had indeed escaped from Ghost King Ridge.
Its name was Soul-Seizing Black Demon. In its memories, it had followed 15 evil ghosts out of Ghost King Ridge. The leader among them was called Great Demon Luo. His strength surpassed the other evil ghosts, and all of them obeyed his commands.
After learning that the Desolate Nether Ghost King had escaped, Great Demon Luo and the other evil ghosts had planned their own escape. Unfortunately, like the Desolate Nether Ghost King, even after leaving Ghost King Ridge, they suffered backlash from a curse. Among them, Great Demon Luo's injuries were the most severe.
They had originally been recuperating when they were found by the Ghost Elder of Xuanji Sect, who used living humans as offerings to them.
After the Ghost Elder disappeared, they sent one evil ghost into the human world to investigate the situation. That ghost was the Soul-Seizing Black Demon.
At that time, the Soul-Seizing Black Demon was very weak and deeply wary of the mortal world, for in life it had been chased all the way to Ghost King Ridge by a Daoist priest.
Once it learned that there were no cultivators in the Northern Barbarian lands, it acted without restraint, devouring living souls while returning to report to Great Demon Luo.
Later, the 16 evil ghosts descended together, bringing calamity upon Beiting.
These evil ghosts had no fixed abode and wandered everywhere. Besides restoring their own strength, they were also helping Great Demon Luo build a ghost army.
Using his curse power, Great Demon Luo transformed living people into corpse ghosts. Corpse ghosts felt no pain and possessed terrifying regenerative abilities, able to regrow severed limbs. Their blood turned into deadly poison. At the same time, they would fear sunlight, lose their sanity, and become monsters that knew only killing and devouring.
In the Soul-Seizing Black Demon's memories, corpse ghosts were extremely fast. The stronger a person had been in life, the more terrifying they became after turning into a corpse ghost.
Great Demon Luo's target was the land of Jiuzhou. He intended to establish a Ghost Dynasty there.
This Great Demon Luo seemed burdened with a blood feud as deep as the sea. Even after sinking into Ghost King Ridge for over 1,000 years, he had not let it go.
Li Qingqiu guessed that his enemy was most likely a cultivation force. Otherwise, there would be no need for Great Demon Luo to establish a Ghost Dynasty.
The split soul's memories were not vast and even appeared fragmented, but they were enough for Li Qingqiu to understand its identity and the goals of the other evil ghosts.
He also captured a crucial piece of information.
Great Demon Luo's injuries were the most severe. Combined with his continuous consumption of ghostly power, wherever he stayed, within dozens of miles, all vegetation would wither and die.