Having thoroughly searched the Demonic Sect's underground palace inside and out, Ning Qi finally stopped, fully satisfied that nothing had been overlooked.
At this moment, inside the Yu King Bead, combined with some treasures previously placed by the Grand Elder, the space almost filled an entire pavilion in size.
"The Demonic Sect's foundation is truly profound. If the Zhenwu Sect could fully assimilate this foundation, it would only be a matter of time before it became the world's top martial sect," Ning Qi mused with some emotion.
He even found several treasures among them that could aid him.
The Blood Demon Flower was just one of them.
This treasure helped condense the Essence Flower, and there were others that aided in condensing the Qi Flower and the Spirit Flower, though none were as outstanding as the Blood Demon Flower. Nevertheless, they could still greatly shorten Ning Qi's time to reach the Heaven-Man Realm's perfection.
This pleased him immensely.
Ning Qi looked at the ruins of the underground palace before him; his qi force gradually transformed, and strands of flames rose up, then swept across everything like a fiery dragon.
In an instant, the underground palace ruins became a sea of fire.
His pupils reflected everything before him as he contemplated the information about the Martial Sage Realm he had learned from the Grand Elder:
"According to the Grand Elder, after the Great Yu was destroyed, all Martial Sage legacies were erased. The remnants of the Great Yu royal family barely survived and established the Demonic Sect, preserving only two Martial Sage treasures and a method for producing the Sacred Pills."
"One of the two treasures is the Yu King Bead, kept by successive Grand Elders. The other treasure and the Sacred Pill method are held by the Demonic Sect's successive sect leaders. To become the Demonic Sect leader, one must have the demeanor of a Martial Sage!"
"The Grand Elder said this is because the Great Yan Dynasty sought eternal dominance over the world, so they wiped out the Martial Sage legacy to prevent others from entering the path. The Demonic Sect's leaders have always relied on the Sacred Pill method to produce Martial Sages, but unfortunately, every Martial Sage born was destroyed by the Great Yan Martial Sages."
Ning Qi's gaze flickered slightly.
Both Wu Jianghe and the Demonic Sect's Grand Elder had pointed the finger at the Great Yan Dynasty.
His wariness of the Great Yan Dynasty deepened.
"I must stay vigilant. Until I have absolute strength, I shouldn't lightly reveal my comprehension to the Great Yan court."
"Additionally, the biggest gain is that the Demonic Sect still retains a small amount of records and descriptions about the Martial Sage Realm. When I return, I will study them carefully. This realm will become even closer to me. The Yu King Bead contains ready Martial Sage power I can use for extrapolation and comprehension, making it easier for me to create a Martial Sage method!"
After tallying all his gains and information and confirming no details were missed, he exhaled softly.
He sat cross-legged in the void.
Then, using the Dharma Gate, he refined the Yu King Bead once more, his control becoming more natural, before standing up tall.
Next, he would start the wait-and-see phase.
...
Outside the Ten Thousand Flames Cavern, two powerful old men came together. They wore elegant robes, their expressions wary as they constantly observed the surroundings.
One of them, with a grim face, transmitted his voice:
"Old Ghost Wang, why do you think the Grand Elder suddenly urgently summoned us back? Could it be… the Sacred Pills are complete?!"
He guessed, a trace of joy in his eyes.
The old man surnamed Wang shook his head:
"That's unlikely. The Grand Elder said earlier the Sacred Pills would take at least a year and a half. I guess it might be to select the sacred heir. It's not just us two; Old Ghost Jiang was summoned too. I didn't ask about the others, but I suppose those of similar rank were all summoned."
The grim old man nodded slightly:
"Makes sense. Anyway, we're at the doorstep now. We'll know soon enough."
He strode forward.
Old Ghost Wang laughed and scolded:
"You old thing, you don't know to be more cautious even at the cavern. This is no place to act casually."
The grim old man chuckled:
"It's my own doorstep. How could I be ambushed here?"
But no sooner had he spoken than both men's expressions changed abruptly, terror flooding their pupils. A terrifying sword intent surged, and peerless sword qi darted through. They didn't even have time to scream before their consciousness plunged into darkness. Faintly, a young Daoist stepped slowly out of the darkness.
Ning Qi calmly looked at the corpses of the two Demonic Sect's Heaven-Man Realm elites before him.
With a wave of his hand, the bodies immediately dissolved into blood mist, which then condensed into blood pills and were stored inside the Yu King Bead.
"Ten days' time, plus these two, sixteen people have come."
"Counting carefully, it's about right. The rest don't have the qualification to know the Ten Thousand Flames Cavern headquarters. One or two stragglers aren't worth me waiting around here forever."
Ning Qi's mouth curved slightly.
With this, the Demonic Sect's high-level combat strength was almost entirely wiped out by him.
The remaining few Heaven-Man Realm warriors were not worth fearing and could be left to the court to handle. Ning Qi planned to quietly send out intelligence on these branches.
"Lin Xueshuang has also been given an option out of respect for Fifth Sister. I suppose she won't interfere with this matter anymore. The Demonic Sect's threat is mostly gone. The only one to watch out for is the sect leader, whose whereabouts remain unknown."
"But no need to worry excessively. Without these subordinates supplying Beast Pills, the Sacred Pills will definitely be delayed for a long time. My goal is achieved, it's time to return."
Compared to rushing about outside, Ning Qi preferred to stay inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard, reading scriptures and comprehending the Dao every day.
With a thought, he could no longer hold back.
Having done everything he needed to do, he quietly left.
No one knew that the Demonic Sect, which had been entangled with the Great Yan Dynasty for two thousand years, had just been quietly extinguished by Ning Qi.
...
Zhenwu Mountain.
More than ten days had passed since Ning Qi descended.
During this time, many things had happened.
Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua's return could not be kept secret from Xiong Shi and others, so naturally an explanation was needed. Continuing to hide it would be unfair to Qin Yun, who had already been turned into an ice sculpture and might never awaken. Luo Wentian did not want the senior brothers to have misunderstandings about Qin Yun.
Therefore, after reporting to Daoist Longshan and receiving permission, Ning Qi finally told all his junior brothers and sisters everything.
He began with Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua's encounter with the Demonic Sect attack, then the dangerous situations that followed, Qin Yun's arrival, and finally Ning Qi's suppression of Ghostmask.
Naturally, Ning Qi's identity could no longer be hidden.
Everyone was sad and upset. Seeing Qin Yun's frozen body, their eyes reddened, and tears fell. Especially Ye Qinghe and Song Cheng, who had the closest relationship with Qin Yun, caressing the ice sculpture with pain and sorrow. Fortunately, Qin Yun was not dead, so they still held hope.
But at the same time, they were deeply shocked.
They could hardly believe the world-renowned Heavenly Sword True Immortal was Ning Qi!
Even though they had expected Ning Qi's strength to some extent, this far exceeded their imagination. They wouldn't have dared dream in that direction.
Thus, when Ning Qi returned to Zhenwu Mountain, he was met with many resentful looks:
"Xiao Jiu (Junior Brother Nine), you really made us suffer hiding this from us!"
Ning Qi looked at Luo Wentian and, seeing his helpless expression, knew what had happened. He actually felt relieved; this was a perfect chance to confess to his brothers and sisters.
Keeping it hidden wasn't good either. The reason he didn't tell them before was that Ning Qi hadn't had enough strength to protect himself. There were too many people in this world who could threaten him.
But now, Ning Qi truly stood at the peak of the world.
Since Luo Wentian and Jiang Baishan already knew, there was no need to hide it from the others anymore.
Ning Qi shrugged and smiled:
"You can't blame me for that."
He gave Luo Wentian and Daoist Longshan a pleading look, but they only smiled and stepped back, looking helpless.
Ye Qinghe circled Ning Qi several times, clicking her tongue in admiration, finally snorting lightly:
"Xiao Jiu, quickly transform into the Heavenly Sword True Immortal's form and we'll let you off!"
Everyone nodded repeatedly, showing 'indignant' expressions, but their eyes were full of anticipation. Even though Luo Wentian and Jiang Baishan had told them before, they still found it hard to believe and wanted to see it with their own eyes.
Facing the 'siege' of his brothers and sisters, Ning Qi smiled helplessly.
He waved his hand slightly; his qi condensed, and in an instant, a cold-eyed man in a black robe appeared before everyone. If not the Heavenly Sword True Immortal, then who else?
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Even Luo Wentian and Daoist Longshan were the same. Although they knew the Heavenly Sword True Immortal was a trick of Ning Qi's, this was their first time seeing him use such a method. Such a miraculous secret technique was truly astonishing.
Especially for Li Ling, the impact was even greater.
He had followed the Heavenly Sword True Immortal to learn swordsmanship for a while, and only now realized that the Heavenly Sword True Immortal he admired most was Junior Brother Nine. The joy and excitement in his heart were beyond words.
"Junior Brother Nine, you…"
He spoke excitedly and incoherently, exchanging glances with Zhuang Chen, both filled with admiration and ready to worship him.
Ning Qi smiled:
"From now on, if you want to learn swordsmanship, just come to the Seeking Dao Courtyard."
Since he had confessed his identity, he naturally wouldn't be stingy.
Teaching two junior brothers wouldn't take much time.
He waved his hand, dispersing the clone, then said:
"This secret technique is called Formless Qi Body. The current requirements are still high, but after some time, I will study it carefully and reduce the requirements. Then all of you can learn it."
Everyone was thrilled.
Ning Qi only smiled and nodded.
Most of the secret techniques he created were tailored for himself, but as his cultivation deepened and his foundation grew, he would gradually improve them, making them more universal. This would also deepen the Zhenwu Sect's foundation.
After some laughter and banter, the matter of concealing his identity was thus settled.
In fact, everyone was just joking; they were too happy to be angry.
Upon entering Mingwu Pavilion, the group's originally light expressions gradually darkened.
The frozen Qin Yun lay quietly on the bed. Although many days had passed and everyone had accepted the reality, every time they saw Qin Yun's aged face and body, their hearts ached uncontrollably.
"Xiao Jiu, how did this trip go?" Daoist Longshan asked softly. Luo Wentian had already told him Ning Qi had gone to the Demonic Sect headquarters.
Ning Qi nodded:
"All went smoothly. The Demonic Sect's threat is now mostly gone."
He began recounting what happened after he descended the mountain, though some parts he glossed over.
When they heard Ning Qi single-handedly took on the Demonic Sect headquarters and killed fifty or sixty Heaven-Man Realm elites, everyone was stunned, staring blankly at him.
The Heaven-Man Realm was a realm requiring tremendous effort to reach, one in a hundred million.
But Ning Qi's casual tone made it sound as easy as slaughtering chickens or sheep.
They exchanged bitter smiles.
The gap between them and Ning Qi was simply too vast.
But more than that, they were happy.
The Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance threats had always weighed on their minds, and now half of that was removed, making the future much easier.
"However, according to what Xiao Jiu said, the Demonic Sect still has a sect leader in closed-door cultivation. We still need to be cautious," Luo Wentian said.
Ning Qi replied:
"No worries. I've already sent intelligence on many Demonic Sect branches to the court. The Demonic Sect's situation is doomed."
He then looked at Lin Ruhua, who had a trace of worry in her eyes:
"Fifth Sister, I've already sent a letter to your mother, but just to be safe, you should write to her yourself. Tell her it's best for the Lin family branch to retire and live in seclusion, away from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, to avoid fighting with court elites. If they don't want to retire, the Zhenwu Sect can provide them with a safe place to settle."
Lin Ruhua's face immediately lit up with joy. This matter had long weighed on her heart, but she didn't dare speak. Now that Ning Qi took the initiative, she was deeply grateful.
"Thank you, Junior Brother Nine! I'll write to mother right away!"
Everyone felt relieved.
They knew Lin Xueshuang loved her daughter. Previously, due to Lin Ruhua's situation, she had voluntarily distanced herself from the Demonic Sect's power center and moved to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
Now that Lin Ruhua actively persuaded her, she would likely come to Zhenwu Mountain. This would further strengthen the Zhenwu Sect's foundation.
Of course, they were also happier that Jiang Baishan no longer faced a dilemma.
Having finished discussing the Demonic Sect matter, their gazes turned to Qin Yun. Jiang Baishan couldn't help but ask:
"Xiao Jiu, what about Junior Brother Eight…"
Ning Qi comforted him:
"Don't worry. I will definitely save Junior Brother Eight in the future! If Martial Sage won't work, I'll aim even higher!"
Everyone nodded resolutely:
"We'll work together to search for ancient secret methods. We will definitely save Junior Brother Eight!"
Daoist Longshan smiled with satisfaction:
"Take it slow. At least… now we're reunited."