Soul-Searching Technique!

"Hahaha! Good! What a magnificent Nine-Turn Golden Body Art! The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd is truly heaven-defying!"

Li Qingshan could not help but feel thrilled in his heart; the feeling of opening a blind box and discovering a peerless treasure was truly intoxicating.

He immediately decided that, aside from the Longevity True Art, this Nine-Turn Golden Body Art must also be cultivated as a core technique!

By cultivating both body and spirit, his foundation would become unimaginably profound!

At the same time, he took the time to practice the Soul-Searching Technique recorded in the jade slip.

This technique was quite sinister and harmful to the natural order, but when dealing with demons and heretics, it was a supreme tool for extracting intelligence.

Just as he had initially mastered the Soul-Searching Technique and began contemplating how to infiltrate the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion to investigate, an opportunity arose.

At dusk that day, the side gate of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion opened, and a disciple at the middle stage of Qi Refining led several carriages covered in black cloth, sneaking into the mansion.

The moment the black cloth was lifted, Li Qingshan's divine sense clearly saw that the carriages were filled with young boys and girls, drugged unconscious and dressed in rags!

There were dozens of them!

The tear stains still visible on the children's innocent faces caused a nameless rage to surge in Li Qingshan's chest, and killing intent instantly filled his heart!

"Young boys and girls? Only demonic and evil cultivators would use children to practice their arts. What kind of wicked technique is that Imperial Preceptor Xuanming cultivating?"

He suppressed the urge to charge in immediately to slay the demons and remained calm.

It was not until midnight that the disciple responsible for receiving the children emerged alone from the side gate, seemingly having finished the handover and preparing to return to his quarters.

Li Qingshan followed him like a shadow into a secluded alleyway.

The next moment, the disciple felt the world go black as a terrifying, irresistible force instantly sealed his entire cultivation base and even his soul, preventing him from even letting out a cry before he was dragged into an endless darkness.

On a barren hill outside the city, Li Qingshan stood expressionless, one hand pressed against the man's crown.

Soul-Searching Technique activated!

A shrill, silent scream echoed in the depths of the disciple's soul as his memories were forcibly flipped through like pages, countless images and fragments of information flooding into Li Qingshan's mind.

The fragments of information brought by the Soul-Searching Technique flooded Li Qingshan's mind, causing his brow to furrow tightly.

"Corpse Refining Sect? I have never heard of such a demonic sect in the Eastern Wasteland! Is this Xuanming an outsider? To escape his enemies, he snuck into the territory of my Spring Autumn Sect and dared to usurp the position of Imperial Preceptor, using such vicious methods to cultivate, hoping to reach Foundation Establishment using the essence, blood, and souls of young boys and girls? He truly deserves to die!"

The information revealed that the original Spring Autumn Sect disciple stationed there, who was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, had been tricked and ambushed by Xuanming three years ago when he first arrived. His soul was extracted and his spirit refined, turning him into fuel for demonic arts; he had died a miserable death.

For the past three years, Imperial Preceptor Xuanming had been scouring the area for young boys and girls to practice his evil arts, and those three disciples were his accomplices.

"On the night of the full moon, when the yin energy is at its peak, he will refine the children in his secret chamber using evil arts..." A cold light grew in Li Qingshan's eyes. "Today is the full moon!"

Learning that the opponent was only at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and was at a critical moment in his cultivation, Li Qingshan felt assured.

"At the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, I have the Ice Sword and several other top-grade spiritual artifacts in hand, plus a talisman treasure as a trump card. Even if he has some hidden means, self-preservation should be no problem. If I don't act now, when will I? If I let him succeed, these children..."

A trace of killing intent flickered in Li Qingshan's eyes.

With his killing intent set, he no longer hesitated!

Li Qingshan moved like lightning, no longer hiding himself, and charged directly toward the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion!

The pathetic defensive formation outside the mansion was like paper before his Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivation; with a flash of the Ice Sword, it shattered with a roar!

"Who dares to trespass in the mansion?!"

Two middle-stage Qi Refining disciples rushed out in shock and anger.

Li Qingshan did not even look at them; he pointed his fingers like a sword, and two condensed, emerald-green Longevity Sword Qi beams shot out, faster than they could react!

Puff! Puff!

With two soft sounds, the two demonic disciples were instantly pierced through the center of their brows. With expressions of disbelief, they fell straight down, their breaths extinguished.

Instant kill!

Li Qingshan swept his divine sense and immediately locked onto a secret chamber deep within the mansion where the yin and demonic energy were thickest.

However, just as he approached the courtyard of the secret chamber, four black shadows lunged out from the darkness, carrying a thick stench of corpses and yin wind!

They were four zombies, refined to be pitch-black with sharp claws and blood-red eyes!

The ferocious aura they emitted had clearly reached the level of the Great Perfection of Qi Refining!

"Black Zombies? The disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect are skilled at refining zombies. It seems this Imperial Preceptor Xuanming is indeed a disciple of the Corpse Refining Sect!"

Li Qingshan let out a cold snort, completely unafraid.

If he were still at the Qi Refining stage, dealing with four zombies of the same rank would have taken some effort, but he was now at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and he held the top-grade spiritual artifact, the Ice Sword!

The sword light erupted like an ice and snow storm sweeping through the courtyard!

The freezing sword qi was specifically designed to counter yin and evil entities. The tough bodies of the four Black Zombies were like rotten wood under the Ice Sword; wherever the sword light passed, limbs froze and shattered, and the foul black blood was frozen into ice shards before it could even splatter!

In just a few breaths, the four Black Zombies at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining were reduced to a pile of icy, shattered remains!

However, the door to the secret chamber remained tightly shut, protected by a thick, blood-colored light barrier. Runes flowed across the barrier, emitting fluctuations far exceeding the Qi Refining stage!

"A second-tier formation?"

Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow; this Xuanming certainly had some resources.

Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed the top-grade Ice Sword, which transformed into a heaven-shaking rainbow and slashed fiercely against the blood-colored light barrier!

BOOM!

The barrier shuddered violently, its crimson light flickering erratically, yet it did not shatter immediately.

Simultaneously, Li Qingshan waved his hand to cast several top-grade Golden Blade Talismans, which morphed into a sky full of blade light that rained down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Under the relentless barrage of attacks, the second-tier formation finally let out a groan of unbearable strain, and the blood-colored light barrier burst like a popped bubble!

The door to the secret chamber was pulverized by the shockwaves of the Sword Qi!

Instantly, a stench so thick with blood and rotting corpses that it was nauseating rushed out to meet him!

Li Qingshan fixed his gaze upon the scene, and even with his century-tempered state of mind, he could not help but gasp in horror!

The secret chamber was shockingly spacious, featuring a massive blood pool in the center where viscous blood churned, causing countless white bones to rise and fall.

In iron cages scattered around the room, dozens of trembling, pale-faced young boys and girls were held captive.

Right in the center of the blood pool, a middle-aged man in black robes sat cross-legged, his body surging with demonic energy; he was clearly at a critical juncture in his cultivation.

However, what drew Li Qingshan's attention even more was the silver figure guarding the edge of the blood pool!

It was a zombie with a body of silver-white, its muscles withered yet gleaming with a metallic luster, and the aura of Sha it radiated had reached the level of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

"ROAR!"

The Silver Zombie let out an inhuman howl, transforming into a streak of silver lightning as it lunged straight at Li Qingshan, its sharp claws tearing through the air and bringing with them a foul, fishy wind!

"A Foundation Establishment Late Stage Silver Zombie?! No wonder he was so confident!"

Li Qingshan's heart tightened; daring not to be careless, he immediately swung the Ice Sword to engage it in battle.

The clash of sword and claws rang out like the striking of gold and iron!

This Silver Zombie possessed a body of incredible hardness, possessed infinite strength, and felt no pain, making it exceptionally difficult to deal with.

Although Li Qingshan could hold his own by relying on his cultivation techniques and spiritual artifacts, he found himself unable to take it down in the short term, becoming tightly entangled by the creature instead.