Those Who Offend Qingfeng Temple Must Die: Killing a Member of Xuanwu Divine Hall

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

Qingfeng Temple remained tranquil as usual until the sound of heavy, dragging wheels from the foot of the mountain broke the mountain's peace.

Zhao Qishan is back.

He was pushed back to the mountain gate by an old farmer from a village at the foot of the mountain in a dilapidated wooden cart.

The old farmer, panting heavily, hurriedly explained the situation: early in the morning, he found Zhao Qishan, barely alive, in a ditch beside the official road.

The man was covered in blood and lay on the ground, barely clinging to life. Knowing that this was Qingfeng Temple territory, he kindly took the man back along the way.

On the cart, Zhao Qishan lay quietly, his pitiful appearance sending chills down one's spine.

His Daoist robe was torn into tattered strips, hanging on his emaciated body, which was covered with crisscrossing old and new scars.

Some wounds had barely scabbed over, while others remained festering and oozing pus, their blood turning black and covered in dust.

However, after many years, he had become emaciated, with prominent cheekbones, sunken eyes, a deathly pale complexion, and chapped lips devoid of any color.

But those eyes remained stubbornly open.

As the dilapidated cart traversed the mountain path and came into view of the familiar Qingfeng Mountain plaque, his chapped lips twitched with difficulty, revealing a smile more sorrowful and unsightly than a wail. He murmured softly, his voice barely audible:

"I'm back."

Seeing this, several young disciples in the temple felt a pang of sorrow and quickly surrounded him, carefully lifting him from the cart back to his room to rest, bringing him hot porridge and taking meticulous care of him.

When Chen Du rushed over upon hearing the news, he saw Zhao Qishan leaning against the headboard, struggling to drink porridge from a porcelain bowl.

His arms were weak and trembling uncontrollably. Most of the hot porridge spilled onto his clothes and bedding, and only a small portion was left to eat.

Even so, he stubbornly insisted on eating, clinging to his broken body and his last breath.

Sensing the arrival of the newcomer, Zhao Qishan struggled to lift his eyes. The moment he saw Chen Du, a flicker of light suddenly shone in his dull, lifeless eyes, and his voice was hoarse and dry. "Junior Brother..."

Chen Du slowly walked to the bedside and sat down. Without saying much, he quietly extended his Divine Sense and instantly and thoroughly scanned Zhao Qishan's meridians, blood, internal organs, and sea of consciousness.

The next moment, his brows furrowed sharply.

Zhao Qishan's meridians were completely disordered and damaged, his qi and blood were exhausted to the extreme, his internal organs were severely damaged, and the foundation of his physical body was almost destroyed.

But all these physical injuries can still be treated with medicine and have a cure.

The truly deadly hidden danger lies in the deepest part of his consciousness.

A strange, dark crimson mark, like a Lie Dormant, curled-up venomous insect, clung tightly to the core of the soul.

Wisps of Black Qi continued to spread, greedily gnawing at his divine soul essence and life foundation, day and night, without end or resolution.

This soul imprint technique is mysterious and of an extremely high level, and is by no means something that ordinary cultivators can do. Even top cultivators in the Middle Stage of the Twelfth Realm may not be able to imprint such a domineering and insidious soul seal.

"Senior brother, what exactly happened to you after you went down the mountain?" Chen Du raised his eyes and asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Qishan put down the bowl of porridge in his hand, leaned against the wall and breathed heavily for a long time. His chest rose and fell slightly before he slowly opened his mouth and told about all his experiences after coming down the mountain over the years.

He had previously entered the Capital and, using the Daoist magic he had learned at Qingfeng Temple, secured a stable job in the Imperial Guard, which initially went smoothly and peacefully.

However, in recent years, the Ling Dynasty court has been rife with undercurrents, with princes secretly vying for the throne, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. Everyone in the court and the public has chosen sides, and factions have sprung up everywhere.

Born in a mountain Daoist temple, he was pure of heart and unwilling to curry favor with the powerful or get involved in the struggle for the succession. He remained neutral and self-reliant, neither taking sides.

In chaotic times and a corrupt court, not taking sides is a mistake.

Over time, all factions came to regard him as an outsider, a thorn in their side, and a nuisance.

Until one late night, several masked powerful men suddenly attacked the alley, surrounded and killed him, severely beat him and destroyed most of his cultivation, and forcibly planted this strange scarlet curse mark deep in his sea of consciousness.

Once the cursed seal entered the body, the nightmare began.

His cultivation level plummeted day by day, his vital energy rapidly declined, his whole body felt weak and sore, he couldn't eat or sleep, and his cultivation, vitality, and soul were being silently devoured.

He struggled for months, exhausting all his resources, and with his last remaining strength, he broke free from the Prison Cage of the Capital. He wandered aimlessly, enduring excruciating pain as his soul rotted away, fleeing thousands of miles, all for the sake of returning to his roots and dying in the Daoist temple.

After hearing the whole story, Chen Du's gaze deepened as he stared at the dark red, venomous mark in Zhao Qishan's sea of consciousness. He slowly spoke, succinctly revealing the crux of the matter:

"Senior brother, this mark is definitely not something an ordinary Twelfth Realm cultivator could plant."

"This was done by a top-tier expert, at least in the Middle Stage- Late Stages of the Twelfth Realm."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty. "The person who planted this curse mark... is far more powerful than you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qishan froze, a deathly stillness instantly settling into his eyes. After a long silence, he managed a bitter, utterly repulsive smile, "So that's how it is... I knew it. I'm afraid my life is completely beyond saving."

"It can be saved."

Chen Du's tone was firm, without the slightest hesitation, then his gaze sharpened slightly. "But I must find out who did it."

He looked at Zhao Qishan and asked softly, "Senior brother, think carefully. Among those in the Capital, whether you unintentionally offended or deliberately targeted, were there any people close to the palace, backed by hidden forces, or with unfathomable origins?"

Zhao Qishan frowned, deep in thought, his mind racing through every detail. After a long while, his eyes suddenly lit up, a chill and lingering fear appearing in his remaining pupils:

"Have!"

"Among the masked men who surrounded me that night, someone whispered something!"

He said, "Do you think Qingfeng Temple can protect you forever? Let me tell you the truth, Qingfeng Temple can barely protect itself!"

These words, though several months later, remain clear and piercing.

They knew his background and the existence of Qingfeng Temple, yet they still acted recklessly and openly, even stating that Qingfeng Temple was in grave danger.

Chen Du did not respond, but he already knew the whole truth in his heart.

This is not a personal grudge at all.

The other party has never been targeting just Zhao Qishan.

This Soul-Devouring Seal is a blatant test, a condescending intimidation, and a show of force to the entire Qingfeng Temple.

They are openly declaring, "I can kill your disciple whenever I want."

Your mountain gate, I can overthrow it at will.

Qingfeng Temple can't protect anyone.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Chen Du's sea of consciousness trembled violently.

[Calamity Warning triggered.]

[Simulation in progress... Simulation complete.]

[The soul seal within Zhao Qishan's body originated from an undercover cultivator planted in the Capital of the Ling Dynasty by the Xuanwu Divine Hall. This person had already submitted to the Xuanwu Divine Hall, possessed the cultivation level of the Stellar Eighth Metamorphosis, and had consciously discovered clues, monitoring and assassinating disciples of the Qingfeng Temple who were leaving, secretly eliminating the temple's influence.]

[If this person is not eliminated, Zhao Qishan's soul will dissipate and his life force will be extinguished within three days. Moreover, the opponent has already targeted Qingfeng Temple, and subsequent calamities will be endless, the temple will never have peace, and more disciples will be tragically murdered. This curse seal is the first killing move by the Xuanwu Divine Hall to test Qingfeng Temple.]

[Recommendation: Follow the trail to the source, strike against the current, quietly eliminate this mole, cut off all investigative leads, divert outside attention, and prevent future troubles.]

With the warning over, Chen Du's expression remained calm and composed; he had already made his decision.

He looked up at Zhao Qishan, whose face was ashen, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "Senior brother, rest and recuperate. I'll be back soon."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Du made a clenching motion in the air with his right hand.

With a whoosh, a divine sword appeared out of thin air and landed steadily in the palm of one's hand.

The sword was covered with layers of ancient tribulation patterns, concealing its age-old killing intent. A wisp of extremely cold, dark golden light flowed from the blade. It was his Twelfth-Tier Divine Sword.

He no longer concealed his aura and slowly activated his newly attained Thirteenth-Tier Universe Life Realm cultivation.

The vast and boundless cosmic Dao Resonance erupted from within his body, and the Ninefold Tribulation Source Laws were fully poured into the sword. Instantly, the surface of the sword was enveloped in a faint yet powerful dark golden halo that was enough to suppress all the heavens.

There was no violent pressure leaking out, no earth-shattering phenomena or roars.

But that is a crushing defeat beyond dimensions, the supreme Dao Resonance at the cosmic level, an ultimate power that the mortal realm can never reach.

Immediately afterwards, he focused his mind on tracing the source, his Spiritual Power following the dark red curse mark in Zhao Qishan's sea of consciousness, flowing upstream and extending in reverse.

This curse mark was originally a spiritual link left by the caster.

A single thread, spanning countless miles of mountains and rivers, travels from a small room in Qingfeng Temple, through mountain gates and mists, through mountains and wilderness, through towns and official roads, all the way to the depths of the Capital, finally locking onto a quiet, inconspicuous residence hidden amidst the bustling city.

Deep within the courtyard, a middle-aged man in a gray robe sat cross-legged in a secret room, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

He was a spy planted by the Xuanwu Divine Hall in the Ling Dynasty court. He possessed the cultivation of the Stellar Eighth Metamorphosis, remained hidden in the shadows, and never failed.

At this moment, he was leisurely and at ease, quietly waiting for news of the Qingfeng Temple disciples' souls shattering and their bodies and souls being destroyed, waiting for the result of testing the bottom line of Qingfeng Temple.

He was certain that a declining Daoist temple in the mountains could not cause any trouble.

Inside the side rooms of Qingfeng Temple.

Chen Du slightly closed his eyes, and the sword intent of the Primordial Tribulation-Extinguishing Sword quietly condensed in his sea of consciousness.

First move – Tribulation Birth!

The sword intent is born, and the seeds of eternal tribulation sprout.

In an instant, the sky above Qingfeng Temple suddenly darkened, the wind and clouds froze silently, and all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth came to a standstill.

A wisp of formless and intangible, pure and supremely clear sword intent took shape in the void. It did not cleave the heavens and earth or cut mountains and rivers, but instead followed the thread of the divine soul incantation that spanned billions of miles, flowing upstream and breaking through the air.

Zhao Qishan, who was standing to the side, froze completely at the head of the bed at this moment, as if the blood in his body had instantly frozen.

He clearly, vividly, and with extreme intuition felt the terror of this power.

That was not the spiritual energy of a cultivator, nor the pressure of laws, nor the roar of a star.

That was the vast, heavy weight of a collapsing galaxy and the ancient, oppressive sky.

All his years of arduous cultivation, his proud Daoist skills, and his worldly experience paled in comparison to this power, making him as insignificant as a speck of dust or a firefly compared to the bright moon.

He seemed to stand alone in the crater of an ancient volcano about to explode, with the ground beneath his feet a bottomless abyss and the world around him engulfed in destruction.

The extreme disparity overwhelmed his soul, causing his breath to stop, his heart to halt, his body to stiffen, and even his lips to be unable to tremble, leaving him unable to utter a single sound.

Horror, shock, and disbelief filled his mind.

He never imagined that in just a few years, his junior brother, whom he used to protect, would have reached such an unbelievable and transcendent realm.

Inside a secret chamber in the Capital the Ling Dynasty.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe, who was leisurely adjusting his breathing, suddenly felt his scalp tingle and the hairs on his body stand on end!

An extreme fear, originating from the very soul, devoured my entire body without warning!

That's too fast!

It was so fast that his Divine Sense couldn't keep up, and his reaction couldn't keep up for even a second!

He had no idea where the crisis came from, where the enemy was, or where the power came from!

An endless, deathly chill enveloped his entire sea of consciousness, a sense of apocalypse descending, the insignificance and despair of an ant gazing at the sky, gripping the very essence of his soul.

He was filled with shock and rage, and dared not slacken in the slightest. He poured out all his cultivation, and the vast laws of the Stellar Eighth Metamorphosis surged wildly, condensing a thick, mountain-like law shield in front of him, trying to resist this unknown and terrifying attack.

But the next moment!

Silently.

That seemingly gentle wisp of nascent sword intent pierced through the void and traversed billions of miles.

The thick shield of laws, like thin ice meeting raging fire, or rotten paper meeting a sharp blade, offered no resistance or obstruction whatsoever, instantly penetrating, melting, and shattering it!

The sword intent, like an inextinguishable flame of calamity, pierced through his brow and sea of consciousness with unparalleled precision.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe's pupils shrank to their maximum size, his face filled with extreme fear and bewilderment.

He looked down at his unharmed body; there were no wounds, no bloodstains, and no pain.

But his sea of consciousness was collapsing and disintegrating at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The laws he had cultivated throughout his life, the foundation of his soul, and the cultivation he had accumulated over hundreds of years were being devoured inch by inch by an incomprehensible, irresistible, and insurmountable supreme power!

Soul torn apart, Dao root destroyed, life force severed!

Boundless fear overwhelmed his reason; his eyes were filled with utter horror and disbelief.

Thirteenth Realms!

A supreme powerhouse at the Thirteenth Tier Cosmic Realm?! He actually came to kill him personally!

He never imagined that he would detonate the power of one of the top giants in the heavens!

He wanted to scream, to send a message, to warn the shrine, to beg for forgiveness and repent.

But he was completely deprived of even the right to speak, and he died without ever knowing who had attacked and killed him.

Consciousness rapidly dissipated, and the soul was annihilated at an alarming rate.

Until his death, he never knew what kind of terrifying being he had provoked.

He died without ever understanding who had killed him.

In the end, his body turned into a wisp of green smoke and completely dissipated into the void of the secret chamber. He died and vanished without a trace.

At the same time, inside a side room of Qingfeng Temple.

The dark red poisonous insect curse mark that had lingered in Zhao Qishan's sea of consciousness for so long, devouring his life force, was completely dissipated from its source along the trace-of-origin thread.

The shackles that bound his soul shattered with a crash, the oppressive and suffocating feeling vanished, and the withered vitality slowly returned.

All calamities have been eradicated.

Zhao Qishan stared blankly at the young man before him, his lips trembling violently. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a broken sentence from his dry throat, filled with shock and awe:

"Junior Brother... what... what level have you reached now?!"

Chen Du raised his hand and sheathed his sword. The pitch-black divine sword was absorbed into his sea of consciousness, and the vast and boundless cosmic Dao Resonance around him was completely contained, restoring his usual gentle and calm appearance.

He turned to look at his senior brother, whose face was filled with shock, his expression gentle, and smiled faintly:

"Senior brother, just focus on recovering from your injuries."

We'll talk about the rest later.

Zhao Qishan opened his mouth, still deeply shocked, with countless questions stuck in his throat, but ultimately swallowed them all back.

Only at this moment did he fully understand.

Having spent several years in the secular world and court, I thought I had seen the wickedness of human nature and the vicissitudes of life, and that I had learned a great deal and had a broad perspective.

But in front of this young junior brother, all his struggles, all his experiences, and all his pride seemed insignificant and not worth mentioning.

The mountains and seas are vast, and the sky and earth are high and far.

He could no longer understand Qingfeng, his junior brother, as he was now.