Riding the Sword on the Wind! Resentment Soaring to the Heavens! People of the Demon Sect?

At this moment, Liu Ruyan and the other disciples had already summoned their flying swords and followed Elder Liu Mu through the air.

Seeing this, Chen Changqing took a deep breath and rapidly formed hand seals with his fingers.

"Cheng Ying! Rise!"

"Clang!"

Accompanied by a ringing sword cry, the Cheng Ying Sword Elder Liu Mu had just gifted him flew from its sheath and hovered before Chen Changqing, its blade glinting with a cold, eerie light.

Without giving it much thought, Chen Changqing tapped off the ground, leaped up, and landed steadily upon the sword.

The vital essence within his body circulated, and the sword trembled faintly.

In the next instant, he had turned into a streak of silver light, riding his sword through the skies.

"So this is... flying on a sword?"

Chen Changqing's heart surged with excitement as he felt the wild wind howl past him, clouds rushing against his face, and the mountains and rivers below swiftly receding.

He was both tense and exhilarated.

After all, this was his first time truly flying on a sword.

"I'd only ever seen this in television dramas before. Who would've thought that one day, I too could ride a sword across the skies?"

Before long, Chen Changqing had adapted to riding Cheng Ying.

He easily kept pace with Elder Liu Mu and the others.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Chen Changqing's calm and composed appearance, a flicker of surprise passed through Liu Ruyan's eyes.

"It's his first time riding a sword, yet he's so steady?"

"Why do I feel like he doesn't look like someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

At that thought, Liu Ruyan furrowed her brows slightly. She vaguely felt that there was something extraordinary about Chen Changqing that she had yet to discover.

Otherwise, Elder Liu Mu would not have treated him so well.

He had even given Chen Changqing a top-grade artifact.

The other disciples were filled with envy when they saw this.

Although they all possessed flying artifacts, none could compare to Chen Changqing's top-grade Cheng Ying Sword, and they could not help feeling somewhat jealous.

"Why him? A disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining is using a top-grade artifact?"

"Many Foundation Establishment disciples don't even have an artifact like that."

"Elder Liu Mu is being far too biased."

"What exactly is this kid's relationship with the elder?"

Though they were dissatisfied, none of them dared show it outwardly.

Chen Changqing casually controlled the Cheng Ying Sword, and everything felt as natural as moving his own arm.

Though it was his first time flying on a sword.

The Sword Control Technique he had cultivated on autopilot for more than two months had already reached perfection.

After extracting it, every principle of the Sword Control Technique seemed to have been engraved into his heart as though he had been born with it.

After flying on their swords for a while, Liu Ruyan studied Chen Changqing curiously.

"Junior Brother Chen, why have I never seen you in the Seven Courtyards before?"

Chen Changqing smiled faintly and replied,

"Senior Sister Liu."

"I usually guard the mountain gate."

"You are occupied with cultivation, Senior Sister. It is not strange that you have not seen me."

Hearing Chen Changqing's answer, Liu Ruyan's mind shook, her face full of disbelief.

She had never expected that Chen Changqing was merely a disciple who guarded the mountain gate.

The others grew even more dissatisfied upon hearing this.

They could not understand why Elder Liu Mu treated a mere gatekeeping disciple so well.

Time slipped away.

Before they knew it, a day had passed.

At this moment, Elder Liu Mu led Chen Changqing and the others to their destination—Green Creek Village.

Before they had even descended, a dense stench of blood rushed toward them.

Beyond that, they could see black clouds pressing down over Green Creek Village. Thick resentment had condensed into tangible gray mist, shrouding the entire area as though even the sunlight had been Devoured.

"What heavy resentment!"

One disciple cried out in alarm, his face turning somewhat pale.

The others were not faring much better.

Clearly, they had all been affected by the resentment blanketing the village.

Seeing this, Elder Liu Mu's expression turned grave as he said in a deep voice,

"Descend. Stay alert!"

Chen Changqing and the others nodded, then rode their swords toward the village.

Before long, the group landed within Green Creek Village.

The instant they saw the scene before them, everyone's pupils suddenly contracted.

Looking closely, they saw corpses strewn everywhere throughout the village, blood flowing like a river!

The villagers' bodies lay scattered across the roadside and inside the houses. Every corpse was shriveled like dead wood, their skin gray-white, their eye sockets sunken, all the blood drained from their bodies.

"Elder, these people have all had their blood essence drained."

One disciple suppressed his nausea as he examined the corpses and reported his findings.

Liu Mu's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression exceedingly ugly as he said coldly,

"This method... does not seem like the work of ordinary demons or evil spirits!"

At that moment, Chen Changqing's gaze sharpened, and he shouted in a low voice,

"Elder, look over there!"

Hearing Chen Changqing's words, Liu Mu and the others were startled and hurriedly followed Chen Changqing's gaze.

There, beneath an ancient tree in the distance, several shadowy figures were gathered furtively together. They held something in their hands and seemed to be collecting something.

"Those are... Blood Refining Gourds?"

Liu Mu's heart trembled at the sight.

At a glance, he recognized the objects in the shadowy figures' hands as Blood Refining Gourds.

These artifacts were unique to the Demon Sect.

"The sect thought demons and evil spirits were causing trouble. Who would have thought it was demonic cultivators slaughtering a village to refine blood!"

Elder Liu Mu said in a deep voice, fury blazing within him.

Chen Changqing was startled when he heard this.

"People from the Demon Sect?"

"They slaughtered all of Green Creek Village and drained the villagers' blood essence."

"This is simply too cruel."

"They truly... deserve death!"

As Chen Changqing and the others observed those demonic cultivators.

The demonic cultivators also noticed their presence.

One of them suddenly turned around!

Upon seeing Chen Changqing and the others, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out uncontrollably,

"Not good! They're from a righteous Dao Sect!"

At his words, the remaining men also turned in shock, terror and unease filling their eyes.

"Damn it, how did they get here so quickly?"

"From the looks of it, they seem to be from the Mount Shu Sect."

"They're certainly well-informed!"

"..."

As he spoke, the leading demonic cultivator let out a sinister laugh and said coldly,

"Since they've run into us, don't let them leave."

"Kill!"

In an instant, the demonic cultivators all attacked. Blood light soared into the heavens, and demonic qi roiled.

They charged straight toward Chen Changqing and the others.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Elder Liu Mu roared in fury,

"Wretches, die!"

Before his words had even fallen.

He swept his sleeve.

"Boom!"

"Whoosh!"

Immediately afterward, a dazzling streak of Sword Qi, like the Rainbow Piercing Sun, slashed straight down toward those demonic cultivators.

"Bang!"

In less than a moment, the demonic qi charging at the front was cleaved apart by Elder Liu Mu's Sword Qi.

"Kill!"

Then Liu Mu spread his figure and took the lead in charging toward the demonic cultivators.

Seeing this, Liu Ruyan and the other disciples also attacked one after another.

"Whoosh!"

Liu Ruyan lightly tapped with her jade-like finger, and a frosty Sword Qi froze the air as it shot straight for a demonic cultivator's throat.

The remaining disciples each unleashed their own methods. Talismans, spells, and sword light interwove into a net!

Within a few breaths, Liu Mu and the others were locked in fierce battle with the demonic cultivators of the Demon Sect.

Seeing this, Chen Changqing's gaze turned fierce, and the Cheng Ying Sword hummed and trembled.

"My first real battle... I'll use you to test my sword!"