One Against Forty, Blocking the Lair and Killing

Inside the main hall.

There were only two people.

It seemed somewhat empty.

Ning Qi was quietly observing the silver-haired old man in front of him. He was tall and had a slight smile on his lips. He looked like an ordinary old man next door, with an unassuming demeanor. But it was precisely this that made Ning Qi dare not underestimate him.

"It should be a powerhouse at the level of the Blade Demon," he guessed. Although he could win with certainty, taking him down easily wouldn't be so simple; he would need a certain opportunity.

The elder smiled and pointed to the seat next to him, "Tianming, sit down. There are only the two of us here, so there's no need to be so polite."

Ning Qi was not surprised.

Qu Tianming is Ghost Face's real name, but very few people in the Demon Sect know this. Most people call him Ghost Face because he is used to wearing a bronze ghost mask.

"Was the trip successful?" the elder asked directly.

Ning Qi cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Elder, this is somewhat unexpected."

The Grand Elder took a sip of tea, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Qin Yun intervened to save Jiang Baishan?"

Ning Qi said, "Elder, your foresight is truly remarkable. However, they have already been captured by me and are now in another branch. I would appreciate your guidance on how to proceed."

This was the reason he had prepared, but now that the Grand Elder had brought it up himself, Ning Qi naturally took advantage of the situation.

The Grand Elder rose and sighed softly, "What a pity."

As he spoke, the other person walked out of the hall, and Ning Qi followed behind. In just a few steps, the two of them arrived at a garden in the back hall, which was full of flowers Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs.

The Grand Elder continued, "Qin Yun is ultimately unable to let go of his past. It's a pity. He has exceptional talent and remarkable character. If he could be used by our Holy Gate, he might very well achieve Major Completion in the future."

A sigh was visible in his eyes.

He did indeed think highly of Qin Yun; in fact, it could be said that the reason Ghost Face treated Qin Yun so well was because of the Grand Elder.

A hint of doubt appeared in Ning Qi's eyes at just the right moment.

The elder glanced at him but said nothing.

The two walked slowly toward the back of the hall. Unexpectedly, what appeared before them was not a magnificent building, but a dilapidated mud house with a courtyard. There were several plots of land in the courtyard, where vegetables were planted, and some farm tools were displayed nearby. It looked exactly like a farmer's house.

Step into the courtyard.

The elder took off his outer robe, picked up a hoe, and began to turn over the soil.

His voice was filled with emotion. "People should never forget their roots."

Ning Qi asked the question that had been bothering him, "Why do you favor Qin Yun so much?"

This was a question that Ghost Face had never been able to figure out, and given the current situation, Ning Qi was also somewhat curious.

Instead of answering, the Grand Elder asked, "Don't you think the Holy Gate has changed? It has become rife with intrigue, power struggles, and corruption. How many people still remember their original aspirations? Passing down the tradition through generations may have its advantages, but after a thousand years, the drawbacks are far greater."

"Qin Yun's greatest advantage is that he didn't grow up in the Holy Gate. He has no ties, and if he could wield a sword, he could cure some stubborn ailments."

Ning Qi's spirits lifted, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that the Demon Sect has also noticed its own problems and has been trying to find a solution, but the various factions within the sect are fighting each other and intertwined, making it impossible to eradicate the problem completely.

"Back then, I found you and helped you become the deputy sect leader, which worked very well. You have done a great job of balancing Xiang Tianxing and Lin Xueshuang over the years. Now that Lin Xueshuang's faction has been suppressed, you can continue my work when you become the Grand Elder."

"And if Qin Yun can become the Holy Son and further succeed as the Sect Master, with the two of you working together, our Holy Gate will surely be able to regain its glory!"

His voice was filled with expectation and fervor.

Ning Qi respectfully replied at the opportune moment, "Tianming will follow the Elder's arrangements."

The Grand Elder waved his hand. "It's a pity that such a promising talent as Qin Yun is not up to the task. However, if he really kills Jiang Baishan, I will have to look down on him again."

Ning Qi asked, "According to the Grand Elder, we should not deal with Qin Yun for the time being?"

The Grand Elder nodded slowly. "Give him another chance. Place him under house arrest, then destroy the True Martial Sect. Once the sect leader emerges from seclusion, give him a fresh baptism. At that time, he will have no more attachments and will naturally be able to settle down."

He seemed to have expected this, showing no surprise that Qin Yun would help Jiang Baishan, and even appeared quite satisfied.

Ning Qi immediately understood.

This test for Qin Yun was not what it seemed on the surface. If Qin Yun really killed Jiang Baishan, he might offend the Grand Elder. However, the Grand Elder was unaware that Qin Yun had burned away all his remaining lifespan in order to block the Ghost Face.

"Tianming knows." Ning Qi slowly bowed his head.

He listened for a long time and walked to the side of the Grand Elder. He was looking for an opportunity to make a move, but he knew that although the Grand Elder seemed kind, he could unleash his full power in an instant. Now was not the best time to make a move.

The elder chuckled and patted his aching back, then naturally handed the hoe to Ning Qi.

"As people get older, they sometimes become nostalgic. Long ago, I spent a wonderful period of my life in this very place, and sometimes when I come here, my heart becomes Ning Qi."

Ning Qi wielded his hoe, carefully contemplating his State of Mind, as if gaining some insight.

The elder lay on a rattan chair.

He slowly closed his eyes, and only a faint voice sounded, "Tianming, go inside and get me a raincoat."

Ning Qi's eyes flashed, he put down his hoe and slowly walked towards the earthen house. This might be a good opportunity. His thoughts were slightly turbulent, but Ning Qi remained calm and composed on the surface.

step.

Two steps.

Ning Qi paused at the door of the earthen house, but hesitated to step inside. The low earthen house seemed to harbor some kind of raging flood or ferocious beast.

The elder's slightly cold voice came from behind. "Why don't you go in?"

Ning Qi turned around, his gaze no longer respectful as before. "When did you find out?"

--

He knew he had been exposed. Although he didn't know where he had slipped up, the earthen house in front of him was unusual. There was a faint sense of danger emanating from it, and if he stepped inside, he would probably be in trouble.

Under the discerning golden eye, all pretense vanished; this was no ordinary mud house, but a deadly killing formation!

The Grand Elder had opened his eyes at some point, his gaze gleaming with a sharp, intimidating light. He scrutinized Ning Qi before him and finally sighed, "Your methods are truly remarkable. Even this didn't fool you. Where is the real Tianming?"

Everything that just happened was, of course, an act.

He poured his heart out, even offering glimpses of the Demon Sect's secrets, yet he couldn't lure the person before him into the killing formation, demonstrating the profound shock he felt.

He knew that the person in front of him was no ordinary person. This was the first time in history that an outsider had quietly set foot in the headquarters of the underground palace, and even impersonated one of the deputy sect leaders. This was no small matter. If he could not find out the reason and the origin, he would not be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Ning Qi said, "You haven't answered my question yet."

The Grand Elder slowly rose, his body already swirling with the power of heaven and earth. "Your secret technique is unparalleled. Even if the real Tianming stood before you, I wouldn't be able to tell who was the real one. However, my Holy Gate possesses a secret treasure, and a wisp of Tianming's Essence Blood is connected to this treasure. I saw this the moment you entered."

His frankness surprised Ning Qi.

"Are you a member of the imperial court? Since you are so familiar with Tianming, he must have already fallen into your hands. In that case, Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua are just a trap you set?" The Grand Elder sighed softly, as if Ning Qi with an old friend.

Ning Qi looked at the Grand Elder again and sensed an unusual aura, a faint sense of threat.

He immediately realized that what seemed like a few good opportunities earlier were actually not. The Grand Elder had been on guard all along, and his casual conversation with him was just a deliberate delaying tactic.

Fortunately.

Ning Qi wasn't stupid.

The Sword Formation he set up yesterday also required some time to communicate with, and he secretly rejoiced that he had been cautious enough yesterday.

Despite their own hidden agendas, the two reached a tacit understanding.

Ning Qi said calmly, "That's right, the Ghost Mask is in our hands."

The Grand Elder sighed, "As expected. How about this: I'll let you go, and you bring Tianming back?"

Ning Qi chuckled, "With someone like me lurking in the shadows, aren't you all having trouble sleeping and eating? Do you dare let me leave?"

The Grand Elder remained silent for a few breaths, then smiled and said, "In that case, we can only invite you to make the most of your time here."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Waves emanated from all directions, and the power of heaven and earth swirled, sweeping in all directions. In an instant, powerful figures appeared inside the Chaotian Hall. The Grand Elder had somehow managed to notify all the Celestial Person Realm of the Demon Sect.

Ning Qi looked up.

All the dozens of the Celestial Person Realm I sensed yesterday were present. In addition, there were a few others I hadn't detected last night.

Upon closer inspection, it has already exceeded forty.

The combined auras of forty Celestial Person Realm experts were terrifying.

The entire underground palace was trembling.

The crowd gathered and, seeing Ning Qi and the Grand Elder facing off, their expressions changed. They were all wondering what had happened. They had just heard that the Ghost-Faced Vice Sect Master had been summoned to the Grand Elder's private residence, the Chaotian Hall, but judging from the current situation, could it be that the Ghost-Faced Vice Sect Master was plotting something sinister?

The next moment.

The elder's words left everyone speechless with shock.

"The person before us is not Ghost Face. You all follow me and take him down!" The Grand Elder's silver hair flew wildly, resembling a lion. His eyes shone with divine light, and his aura exploded without reservation, clearly showing that he was also a peerless expert at the peak of martial intent.

Jiang Tianlong and Ye Qin exchanged a glance, both seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

Yesterday, they even went into the headquarters with this imposter. If the other party had any malicious intentions, they would probably have already fallen into his trap. They clearly just had a close call with death.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

All eyes filled with murderous intent were fixed on Ning Qi. The fact that outsiders had set foot in the headquarters was an unprecedented event in his previous life. If the root cause could not be found, it would completely shake the foundation of the Holy Gate, and even lead to its demise!

Upon realizing this, no one in the world could remain calm.

"You scoundrel, reveal your true form at once!"

"Kneel down and bow your head now, and perhaps you may be spared a complete corpse!"

The Grand Elder stared at Ning Qi, and only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief. Ever since he realized that the masked man in front of him was an imposter, his heart had been in his throat. He couldn't see through the person in front of him at all.

Even now, he is not too relaxed.

The person in front of me was far too calm.

Ning Qi looked at the ferocious faces around him and smiled.

"Perfect, everyone's here now, saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."

Since taking shortcuts won't work, we'll have to fight head-on.

After wasting so much time with the Grand Elder, the sword seeds planted last night have finally established connections with all of them, and there's no need to waste any more time.

He slowly ascended into the air, and an unparalleled Sword Intent suddenly erupted. Endless Sword Intent arose in the void, making people's hair stand on end. In these moments, Ning Qi's Sword Intent had improved again. Since he had made up his mind not to leave anyone behind, he no longer cared about revealing his identity and directly used his strongest Sword Intent.

Someone recognized Ning Qi: "Heavenly Sword Real Person! You are Heavenly Sword Real Person!"

Another deputy sect leader, Xiang Tianxing, was utterly horrified. He suddenly remembered something. "You were the one who destroyed the Qingzhou stronghold in the Southern Frontier!"

People from the south say that the Qingzhou stronghold is most likely occupied by a person skilled in disguise, Shi Mie, which perfectly matches the description.

Everyone was both shocked and furious.

One after another, the power of heaven and earth pressed down, fist imprints, palm imprints, and Sword Qi, almost all of which were unleashed with full force, showing no sign of holding back.

A person's reputation precedes them; the strength of the Heavenly Sword Real Person is undeniable.

The Grand Elder's expression was more solemn than ever before.

Ning Qi did not answer.

He pointed, and countless celestial swords materialized, unleashing unparalleled Sword Intent. A surging wave of energy rippled through the underground world. This was not the True Martial Sect, so he had no need to hold back. With his full power, luxurious underground palaces shattered one after another, and those in the distance looked on in horror.

"Well!!"

Tianjian and many other Celestial Person Realm experts were together with Jingdi.

A deafening roar shook the earth, and then the whole world seemed to fall silent. The earth shook violently, stars "fell from the sky," and Celestial Person Realm were sent flying backward, their faces filled with horror.

They never expected this.

Even with over forty Celestial Person Realm experts joining forces, they were still at a disadvantage!

If it weren't for the Grand Elder and Xiang Tianxing and a few others diverting most of the pressure, the Heavenly Sword alone would have been enough to cause the direct demise of some Celestial Person Realm cultivators. Although they were all Celestial Person Realm, the gap between Ning Qi and them was simply too great.

The immense power of heaven and earth left everyone in the world dumbfounded.

"Is this Heavenly Sword Real Person truly that terrifying!"

The Grand Elder was shocked. He had heard about the great battle between the Blade Demon and the Heavenly Sword Real Person before, and estimated that he might not be as good as the Heavenly Sword Real Person, but he wouldn't be defeated so badly. But now it seemed that this Heavenly Sword Real Person had clearly reached another level.

"Is he truly about to reach the Martial Saint?"

If he hadn't failed to sense the power of Martial Saint, the Grand Elder would probably have already been thinking about how to preserve his flame. But even so, the Heavenly Sword Real Person's combat power far exceeded his expectations, and more than forty Celestial Person could not suppress him.

The thought had just crossed my mind.

Ning Qi had already condensed the Heavenly Sword once again. Despite being surrounded by many Celestial Person, he was also condensing Sword Qi at an extremely fast speed, one sword after another, more and more, with increasingly terrifying sharpness.

Ning Qi laughed heartily, feeling an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

This was probably the first time he had ever expressed himself so recklessly.

"Thousand Star Sword Formation!"

The many sword seeds buried last night have been fully activated. After being mixed with the power of heaven and earth, they immediately transformed into celestial swords, which stretched across the four sides of the underground palace. Their sharp sword light fell down, and anyone who tried to get close would be torn to pieces.

The Thousand Star Sword Formation is Ning Qi's limit. If it weren't for the sword seed from last night, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to condense the Thousand Star Sword Formation while withstanding the siege of more than forty Celestial Person Realm.

But now.

It's different.

Caught off guard.

A thousand celestial swords streaked across the sky like countless stars, radiating an aura of ultimate power. The many Celestial Person in the realm felt a sense of impending doom, their hearts filled with panic, for this turn of events was far too sudden.

Although we were at a disadvantage before, at least we were able to fight back.

But to everyone's surprise, the situation changed drastically in just a few breaths. Streams of Sword Qi rose from the ground and merged with the power of heaven and earth, causing the number of heavenly swords to increase exponentially.

The pressure on everyone increased significantly.

A scream rang out as a weaker Celestial Person Realm finally succumbed to the overwhelming Sword Qi energy. He was forcefully swept away from the crowd's defenses and then sliced into a bloody mist by the Sword Qi. His gruesome death shocked everyone in the world.

What's even more terrifying is that those heavenly swords have already sealed off all the Exit from the mortal realm. The meaning is crystal clear: they intend to block their lair and wipe them out in one fell swoop!

The Grand Elder's expression was solemn.

He realized that the critical moment had arrived.

"Activate the Blood Demon Formation!"

His eyes narrowed, and before the Thousand Star Sword Formation was even fully formed, he shouted loudly.

Immediately, more than a dozen white-haired elders stepped forward. They were all old men from the Demon Sect whose lifespans were not so long, but at this moment, at the Grand Elder's command, they did not hesitate at all and instantly moved their bodies.

Bang bang bang bang!!

After a series of muffled thuds, more than a dozen Celestial Person perished.

However, the blood mist that transformed their physical bodies after they left the site did not dissipate. Instead, it condensed together in a strange way, with surging power. The remaining twenty-odd Celestial Person experts were all filled with rage, wishing they could tear Ning Qi to pieces.

One person stormed their lair and forced them into such a predicament that more than a dozen of their predecessors were forced to commit suicide.

A series of loud roars rang out.

All of their power was poured into those condensed and persistent wisps of blood mist, circulating in a peculiar way.

In an instant.

The blood mist froze for a moment, then suddenly began to writhe rapidly, as if it had come to life!

"Roar!!"

Accompanied by a low roar that seemed to come from hell, the blood mist began to expand and twist, eventually transforming into a ferocious monster!

The monster was blood-red in color, and after being formed from blood mist, it was dozens of feet tall. It had three heads and six arms, but none of its heads were faceless. Its entire body exuded an aura of slaughter and savagery.

Streaks of Sword Qi descended from the sky, like starlight.

But the blood mist monster reached out and grabbed them, swallowing them whole.

Ning Qi narrowed his eyes.

This Demon Sect has some tricks up its sleeve.