Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, and his brows furrowed.
Great Demon Luo and his grand plan for a Ghost Dynasty had become a thorn in his heart.
But the most urgent matter was to eliminate the Soul-Seizing Black Demon first, lest that creature make a comeback.
Li Qingqiu stood up and turned to Huang Shan. "Continue guarding this place. I'll go and wipe that fellow out."
Through the split soul's memories, Li Qingqiu had obtained certain clues that gave him confidence he could find the Soul-Seizing Black Demon.
Although these evil ghosts were powerful and their ghostly techniques strange and unpredictable, they lacked experience in navigating the cultivation world. At least, neither the Desolate Nether Ghost King nor the Soul-Seizing Black Demon had such experience.
Perhaps the Soul-Seizing Black Demon had never imagined that Li Qingqiu could seize its memories.
After giving his instructions, Li Qingqiu lifted the Soul-Refining Banner, leapt into the air, and transformed into a streak of sword light that vanished into the horizon.
Several hundred disciples looked at one another, not expecting the matter to be resolved so smoothly.
"Did you see clearly what happened earlier?"
"No, I only saw the Sect Master wave that banner. What kind of artifact is that?"
"As expected of the Sect Master—truly formidable. What do you think he was doing when he sat there just now?"
"The Sect Master is proficient in ghostly Dao techniques. How could we possibly fathom his methods?"
The disciples discussed among themselves. Many resolved to cultivate ghostly Dao techniques in the future. Even if they did not become ghost cultivators, they at least needed to master techniques effective against ghosts.
Gu Changping gazed in the direction Li Qingqiu had departed, his eyes firm with resolve.
He would become a cultivation expert like the Sect Master.
…
At dawn.
Within a village nestled among the mountains, miasma filled the air. The houses loomed faintly within the haze, resembling demons and ghosts.
A black fox darted out from the miasma—it was the Soul-Seizing Black Demon.
Agile and swift, it leapt over bamboo fences in rapid succession before jumping into a courtyard and landing before a bamboo pole.
The bamboo pole was planted in the earth. At its top hung a hand bone, missing the middle and ring fingers. The entire skeletal hand was curled like a claw, creating a chilling sight.
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon circled the bamboo pole, anticipation filling its eyes.
Suddenly—
Footsteps sounded. Four youths—two boys and two girls—pushed open the courtyard gate, each holding flowers and fruit, and entered cautiously.
When they saw the Soul-Seizing Black Demon, their faces changed drastically. They hurried forward, set down the flowers and fruit, and prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in extreme fear.
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon glanced at them coldly.
"I told you to lure passersby here. Why did you fail? I did not sense any new souls," it asked casually.
But its words only deepened the youths' terror. They begged desperately for mercy.
"I originally intended to give you a chance—to become my ghost slaves. Unfortunately, your hearts are too soft, your dispositions too weak. Since you cannot seize the opportunity, then become nourishment for the Immortal Bone."
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon spoke coldly. Ghostly qi began to emanate from its body, spreading rapidly, as if a gigantic black fox were slowly rising.
The two girls were so frightened that they burst into loud sobs. The two boys kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads striking the ground with resounding thuds.
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon let out a shrill, piercing laugh, growing ever more arrogant. It delighted in the despair and struggle of the living, believing this to be the most exquisite moment.
Souls that died in despair were the most exquisite of all.
"Even if one must die, one should not die in a way that fulfills the enemy's wishes."
A voice drifted into the courtyard, startling the Soul-Seizing Black Demon into spinning around. Yet it saw nothing.
The four youths instinctively looked up—and saw Li Qingqiu. They froze in astonishment.
Li Qingqiu stood behind the Soul-Seizing Black Demon, his gaze icy.
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon instinctively turned its head. Catching sight of Li Qingqiu from the corner of its eye, it was so terrified that it immediately dispersed into soul fragments. Rolling ghostly qi spread and churned violently.
Li Qingqiu directly took out the Soul-Refining Banner and infused it with vital energy. The banner erupted with powerful suction, dragging the Soul-Seizing Black Demon's ghostly qi into it.
Even though Qingxiao Sect was developing its own path of refining artifacts, not a single artifact thus far could compare to the Soul-Refining Banner. The stronger the vital energy infused into it, the greater the power it unleashed. Moreover, it was a growth-type artifact, with no visible upper limit for now.
Li Qingqiu had seen many evil ghosts, but none were more terrifying than the one currently slumbering within the Soul-Refining Banner.
"No—!"
The Soul-Seizing Black Demon let out a miserable scream. It could not resist the power of the Soul-Refining Banner at all.
Compared to when he had dealt with the Desolate Nether Ghost King, Li Qingqiu had grown considerably stronger. Furthermore, the Soul-Seizing Black Demon was weaker than the Desolate Nether Ghost King.
To the four youths, Li Qingqiu's figure—holding the Soul-Refining Banner as it devoured the Soul-Seizing Black Demon—seemed divine. Their eyes widened, shimmering with astonished joy, as if gazing upon an immortal deity.
Soon, the Soul-Seizing Black Demon was suppressed within the Soul-Refining Banner. It arrived in a space within the artifact filled with countless ghosts, as if floating in the heavens.
Looking around, it saw ghosts darting in every direction. To its horror, it realized it could not move at all. The sensation filled it with dread.
Then its gaze was drawn to a sun in the distance. Within that blazing sphere lay a mysterious evil ghost curled up in slumber.
Its eyes widened as it muttered in a trembling voice, "This is… how could this be…"
In the real world, Li Qingqiu lowered the banner. From his storage pouch, he took out some dried rations and placed them on the ground, then removed the skeletal hand from the bamboo pole and tossed it into his storage pouch.
Before the four youths could speak, Li Qingqiu leapt into the air, like a flying immortal sweeping into the miasma.
…
After suppressing the Soul-Seizing Black Demon, Li Qingqiu flew back to Tianshan Spirit Pool at full speed. In front of all the disciples, he released the Soul-Seizing Black Demon so they could see it clearly. Only after they had taken a good look did he retrieve it once more into the Soul-Refining Banner.
"Have the bodies of the deceased sent back to Qingxiao Sect. I will return first to prepare for the extermination of the ghosts."
Li Qingqiu instructed Huang Shan. Huang Shan immediately accepted the order and watched as Li Qingqiu departed.
The Sect Master came and went like the wind, decisive and swift, inspiring both admiration and yearning among the disciples.
The psychological pressure brought by the Soul-Seizing Black Demon dissipated accordingly, though they could no longer be as lax as before.
Approaching noon, Li Qingqiu was already seated within Lingxiao Courtyard. Zhang Yuchun, Zhu Yan, Shen Yue, Xue Jin, and True Person Qingxiao sat opposite him.
He had already recounted all the intelligence obtained from the Soul-Seizing Black Demon. After listening, everyone fell silent.
There were actually 15 more evil ghosts still active, all coveting the land of Jiuzhou.
Everyone felt the pressure. These evil ghosts clearly required Awakening Spirit realm experts to handle, and Qingxiao Sect currently had only 3 Awakening Spirit realm experts.
Li Qingqiu spoke directly, "Dispatch disciples to investigate areas where flowers and plants have withered. Remember—once discovered, withdraw immediately. Do not venture deeper."
Zhang Yuchun and Xue Jin nodded; they would arrange the matter.
"Great Demon Luo intends to establish a Ghost Dynasty. This will bring calamity to the entire land of Jiuzhou. He must be exterminated. We must prepare for war in advance. Select 1,000 disciples. When the time comes, I will personally lead them north to eradicate Great Demon Luo and his ghost army!"
Li Qingqiu continued giving orders. No one objected and all accepted their tasks.
This matter could not be rushed. Li Qingqiu merely told them to begin selecting candidates. He intended to wait for Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning to return before making further considerations.
No matter what, Qingxiao Sect must have at least one Awakening Spirit realm expert stationed to guard it.
In the days that followed, news of the Tianshan Spirit Pool being attacked by evil spirits spread throughout the sect. As the corpses were sent back one by one, the entire sect was shaken.
One evening, Yun Cai came to see Li Qingqiu.
"Sect Master, when we head north later, you must take me with you." Yun Cai stood before him and spoke earnestly, though her heart was far from as calm as she appeared.
Previously, she had recommended that Bo Zhao and two others go to Tianshan Spirit Pool, intending for them to enjoy a better cultivation environment. As a result, two yamen officers who had followed Bo Zhao were among the dead this time. This left her distressed and deeply self-reproachful.
Li Qingqiu had noticed this earlier, though at Tianshan Spirit Pool he had not shown special concern for the surviving Bo Zhao. In his eyes, all disciples were equal.
"Alright," Li Qingqiu agreed directly. He knew that if he did not give Yun Cai a chance for revenge, she might develop an inner obsession.
Yun Cai bowed and withdrew. Li Qingqiu remained standing in the forest, continuing to cultivate his divine abilities.
News that the sect was preparing for a large-scale operation spread rapidly without any official announcement. Though no notices were posted, disciples learned through their own connections that this mission would be extremely dangerous. Only those at the 4th layer of the Nurturing Essence realm were eligible to apply—and even then, approval was not guaranteed.
This sparked widespread discussion. No one knew whom the sect intended to confront, and this also made the various aristocratic families nervous, fearing their descendants might do something foolish at such a critical juncture.
Time passed into mid-June.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning finally returned.
The two entered Lingxiao Courtyard together. Li Qingqiu had Xiao Wuqing strike the Lingxiao Bell. Once all the high-level members had gathered, he allowed the two to begin recounting the intelligence they had gathered.
"I encountered an evil ghost at the border of Cangzhou. Those at the Nurturing Essence realm are absolutely no match for it. It excels at plunging people into illusions, causing them to lose awareness of their surroundings. I could only barely drive it back; I did not manage to exterminate it."
Jiang Zhaoxia spoke first. As he mentioned the matter, his expression was grave.
Only by truly facing such an evil ghost could one understand how terrifying they were. Each time Jiang Zhaoxia recalled the encounter, he thought of Li Qingqiu.
He could not fathom how his senior brother had so easily exterminated such powerful evil ghosts.
When everyone heard that even Jiang Zhaoxia had been unable to kill the ghost, they all frowned, including Shen Yue and Yan Daozong.
Jiang Zhaoxia continued, "The matter of the ghost soldiers is true. One night, I encountered them. Because there were two extremely powerful ghostly auras within the ghost army, I held my position and did not act rashly. At dawn, they vanished."
"The ghost soldiers I saw numbered over 1,000. Whether there are more, I do not know. But this force alone is already capable of threatening our Qingxiao Sect."
He turned his gaze toward Xu Ning. These were the two key pieces of intelligence he had gathered. He wanted to know whether Xu Ning had also encountered evil ghosts.
Though the two had returned along the same road, they had exchanged fewer than five sentences along the way.
Xu Ning spoke, "I also encountered two evil ghosts. Both possessed power not inferior to the Awakening Spirit realm. One of them had immense strength, capable of shaking the ground and altering the terrain. The other was extremely swift, with claws as sharp as blades. I only managed to exterminate the immensely strong one. The other was too fast and escaped."
The moment she finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed. The way they looked at her filled with awe, while Jiang Zhaoxia's expression visibly stiffened.