"The intuitive type!"
Yun Qing's heart jolted. He had only just stepped out of the Yun Clan Territory, yet his chaos dao embryo had already been "seen through" twice in succession!
This time was even more outrageous. The bewildered youth had even exposed the divine power mark Yun Huang had left on him with a single remark.
That mark contained the aura of an Immortal Emperor's origin and stood at an exceedingly high level. Even Xia Zhan could not possibly have detected it earlier. This youth...
The vast world truly harbored crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
"Stone! Don't talk nonsense!" Yun Lie's expression shifted slightly, and he hastily rebuked him.
Yun Qing merely waved a hand, vigorously ruffled the youth's hair, and smiled with easy grace. "Your name is Yun Shi? A sturdy name. Your intuition is remarkably sharp, little fellow."
His tone was relaxed, but inwardly he warned himself: Never grow arrogant. There is always someone beyond you.
Yun Lie explained with a wry smile, "You must find this laughable, Eldest Young Master. This boy is just like his father-he has no other abilities, only an uncanny intuition for danger and certain unusual auras. A foolish talent passed down through the family, I suppose, though it does come in handy when scraping out a living in Desolate City."
Yun Qing shook his head. "Not at all. Your grandson has exceptional talent. Polish him well, and his future will be bright."
In a world where danger lurked on every side, such intuition could sometimes save lives better than cultivation.
He said no more. After briefly asking Yun Lie about the recent abnormalities in the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain, he turned and ordered, "Move out."
"Yes!"
Dark Xuan led the way, followed closely by dozens of silver-armored figures. Like a sword leaving its sheath, they plunged straight toward the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain shrouded in blood-colored mist.
Half an incense stick later.
Beneath the shadows of Desolate City's walls, several black-robed figures with obscure, terrifying auras flitted past like ghosts and silently vanished into the ancient domain's blood-colored mist.
Three days later, at dusk.
At the edge of the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain's core region, Demon Beast carcasses littered the ground.
Yun Qing slowly withdrew the Silent Abyss Spear. The dark-gold patterns along its shaft trembled faintly, devouring every last trace of the final Red-Eyed Demon-Faced Spider's savage, baleful essence. This peak-stage Demon King spider had a tough carapace and bone-corroding venom, and it had taken some effort to kill.
With that, the clearing mission was largely complete.
He raised his eyes to the sky-the blood-colored mist churned violently, and an enormous blood moon was emerging clearly within it.
Beneath the crimson moonlight, baleful energy boiled throughout the ancient domain, and the roars of countless beasts shook the heavens.
"Blood Moon Devours the Heavens... the time has come."
Turning toward the Cloud Valor Guards behind him, whose gazes had grown ever sharper after three days bathed in blood, Yun Qing said gravely, "The mission is complete. Withdraw immediately and report to the Young Lord!"
"Eldest Young Master!" the commander said urgently. "With the blood moon overhead and the savage beasts driven mad, leaving you here alone..."
Yun Qing raised a hand to interrupt him, his voice gentle yet brooking no argument. "Return at once."
The Twelfth Elder would undoubtedly have made thorough preparations for the ambush to come.
In a struggle at that level, keeping these Cloud Valor Guards here would accomplish nothing beyond adding needless casualties.
They were all elite disciples the Lineage had painstakingly nurtured. Losing them to infighting among their own clansmen would be far too regrettable.
The Cloud Valor Guards clasped their fists and bowed deeply, then formed ranks and sped away in streaks of light.
Watching them disappear, Yun Qing slowly turned around and planted the Silent Abyss Spear against the ground. His Black Robe snapped in the blood-reeking wind, lending him a cold elegance honed through slaughter. A little dust and blood stained his clothing, but none of it could obscure his extraordinary bearing.
"Come out," he said calmly to the deserted, blood-colored mountain forest. "You've followed me for three days. The blood moon has arrived. Don't let this fine hour and lovely scenery go to waste on a night for murder."
As his words fell, the surrounding air abruptly froze.
It was no metaphor-space itself had truly frozen!
"Humm!"
An immense formation, cold and sinister, instantly unfolded, enveloping an area a thousand zhang in radius around Yun Qing!
Black-robed figures emerged as though rising from the shadows-twenty-four in all!
Every one of their auras was terrifying to the extreme, and their leader radiated energy fluctuations that made the heart quake!
Their black robes were loose and voluminous, their hoods pulled low. Their faces lay beneath the shifting light and shadow of the formation, concealing their true appearances. Their auras had also been masked by special means, mingling with the ancient domain's surging blood-baleful energy and making them exceedingly difficult to distinguish.
"Twenty-four Immortal Lords. Six at the late stage, one at the peak." Yun Qing swept his gaze over them. "The Twelfth Elder certainly spares no expense. Has he brought out every hidden pawn he's accumulated over the years?"
The black-robed figures remained as silent as iron. None answered; only cold, pure killing intent spread through the air.
"Professional." Yun Qing chuckled and shook his head, sighing as though talking to himself. "Who said villains always die from talking too much? Just look at them. So cautious, so decisive."
Before he had finished speaking-
"Clatter!!"
All twenty-four moved at once! Their movements were perfectly synchronized, meshing instantly like precision gears! Twenty-four chains inscribed with sinister runes shot from their sleeves and wove into a black net that blotted out the sky! The chains clashed with a sound like ten thousand ghosts wailing, and unholy light soared into the heavens!
Not only did it completely seal and freeze this space, it also began frantically drawing blood-baleful energy from the ancient domain, making the black net ever denser and heavier as it radiated suffocating pressure!
Faced with such a lethal opening, Yun Qing merely straightened his cuffs and stood calmly within the formation.
His Black Robe was as black as ink, his figure straight as a pine. Framed by the towering killing formation and the Crimson Moonlight, his composure was breathtaking.
Hidden at the formation's nexus, the Twelfth Elder watched this scene, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through his clouded old eyes.
This boy's temperament, talent, strength, bearing... all are unparalleled, he murmured inwardly. Had he been born into my branch... why would I need to take such a dangerous gamble? Just what did that useless clan head do to earn such heaven-flooding fortune?
He thought of Yun Qing's younger brother, Yun Shuo, born of the same father and mother. Among the Yun Clan's younger generation, where monstrous talents emerged one after another, he possessed only middling aptitude and was utterly unremarkable. The same father and mother-how can the gulf between them be so vast? Malice surged in the Twelfth Elder's heart. Heaven's Dao is unjust! Then I shall... defy heaven and seize him!
Within the formation, the killing trap had fully sprung!
Chains strangled like pythons! Curses poured down like rain! Saber flashes and sword shadows sealed every escape route! Demonic sounds flooded the ears and corroded the soul!
There was nothing flashy about this encirclement-only direct, crushing methods of certain death!
Using it to ambush a "young junior" was truly like using great timber for a trifling task.
At last, Yun Qing moved.
His footwork shifted with profound subtlety, as though he were strolling through a quiet courtyard, weaving through attacks packed so tightly that not even wind could pass. The dark gleam of his double pupils flowed at its utmost intensity. The paths of chains, the trajectories of curses, the angles of weapons, the flow of Blood Baleful Intent... everything lay within his sight, every detail laid bare.
Bearing the might of savage beast souls, the Silent Abyss Spear left trails of terrifying energy with every sweep!
"Clang!"
The spear tip struck precisely against the tip of a poisoned sword thrusting toward his back. A deft burst of force sent the sword askew, grazing past his robes, while the black-robed swordsman's movements faltered slightly.
Following the momentum, Yun Qing half turned, sweeping the spear shaft like a whip to knock aside three streaks of saber light. His toes touched lightly against the ground, and he slid three steps away like a swimming fish, evading the chains overhead and the venomous palm from the side with perfect timing!
He never stopped moving, flitting through the attacks like a phantom.
The Silent Abyss Spear jabbed and thrust, every strike landing precisely on the weakest point of an attack.
Until-his double pupils pierced through the sky full of killing moves and locked firmly onto the black-robed figure at the rear of the formation who had kept his aura concealed all along.
Under Yun Qing's double pupils operating at full power, the spirit-devouring body's ravenous hunger for the chaos dao embryo was as conspicuous as a firefly in the night.
"Found you, Cousin Yun Chi."
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