Chapter 523: Returning the Favor

Xiao Qiwu's figure, like a great eagle, darted out from the mottled yellow entrance of the Cave Abode and dove into the mist-churning valley.

The moment he flashed out of the cave entrance, his Divine Sense suddenly expanded, shrouding the surroundings to confirm that no one was spying nearby.

Xiao Qiwu flew horizontally through the valley, and within a few breaths, he hovered at a certain spot on the cliff face, holding an Array Tablet and pointing it into the void before him.

As the scenery before his eyes blurred and shifted, a cave entrance appeared abruptly on the previously bare cliff face.

Xiao Qiwu flickered past and had already slipped into that cave entrance. After his figure vanished, the situation on the cliff face blurred and shifted once more, immediately returning to the appearance of a bare cliff, merging with the surrounding scenery without the slightest anomaly.

Xiao Qiwu walked into the cave; he couldn't help but yawn, rubbing his temples with a weary face.

The light within this space was very dim; he glanced at the Everbright Lamp before the stone wall, seeing its flame was only the size of a mung bean, appearing as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Xiao Qiwu walked over slowly, picked up the wooden pick placed beside the stone bowl, and pulled out some of the cotton thread soaked in oil from within the large stone bowl, letting it hang over the edge of the stone bowl.

The flame, which had originally been only the size of a mung bean, suddenly brightened, instantly leaping to the size of a soybean, and the light in the space brightened by a few degrees as well.

Only then did Xiao Qiwu walk to the Shrine, glance at the God-Striking Whip inside the Shrine, and without a second thought, reach out and grab it.

Xiao Qiwu took the God-Striking Whip and arrived at the entrance of Wanxiang Cave, holding the Array Tablet and pointing lightly into the void before him.

The darkness before him suddenly rippled like water, floating light appeared, and then a patch of light and shadow emerged.

Xiao Qiwu took half a step and crossed into that patch of light and shadow.

Standing at the edge of the entrance to Wanxiang Cave, Xiao Qiwu stared intently.

He saw Duan Rong lying motionless in his original position, with several flickering Ghost Eye Light Spots flashing around him.

Xiao Qiwu was a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm with keen senses; in this deathly silent Wanxiang Cave, he could hear clearly that Duan Rong's breathing had stopped.

Xiao Qiwu was not surprised by this; Duan Rong was merely a cultivator of the Qi Cyclone Realm, so how could he withstand six strikes of the God-Striking Whip? Not to mention, he was in this Wanxiang Cave, which was filled with turbulent Artistic Conception.

Xiao Qiwu sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Kid, it is not that I want to take your life. It is truly that someone wants you dead, and I am merely the hand they borrowed. When you reach the King of Hell, don't report the wrong enemy."

As Xiao Qiwu spoke, he had already stepped into Wanxiang Cave.

Although he could hear that Duan Rong's breathing had ceased, he still had to get close to check his heartbeat and pulse before he could be completely at ease.

If he had really called Zhu He, and then discovered that this kid wasn't dead yet and had been saved by Zhu He's spells, his deep scheming would have all been in vain.

He absolutely could not let such a blunder occur, letting the cooked duck fly away again.

He would rather go through the trouble of wading through these Ghost Eye attacks in the turbulent Artistic Conception to confirm it clearly before making a decision.

If it weren't for the restriction in Wanxiang Cave that dissipates Divine Sense probing, it wouldn't have been so troublesome. He would only need to sweep his Divine Sense over to know Duan Rong's true condition.

The moment Xiao Qiwu stepped into Wanxiang Cave, two Ghost Eye Light Spots instantly launched an attack at him.

With the powerful Divine Sense of a Dongming Realm cultivator, the attacks of these two Ghost Eye Light Spots were simply like an itch.

The Ghost Eye Light Spots in Wanxiang Cave were originally meant to temper cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm, and for a cultivator of the Dongming Realm, they were still a whole major realm apart.

Xiao Qiwu naturally paid no attention to this bit of Divine Soul attack. He walked forward completely unfazed, heading toward the place where Duan Rong had passed out.

Xiao Qiwu turned a blind eye to the Ghost Eye Light Spot attacks along the way; he stared fixedly at the unconscious Duan Rong in the darkness, seeing that he was only half a zhang away from Duan Rong.

Just at this moment, he suddenly stepped into another area.

In the areas he had walked through along the way, there were mostly two or three Ghost Eye Light Spots; before stepping into this area, Xiao Qiwu had also seen two Ghost Eye Light Spots flickering there.

Xiao Qiwu stepped in without much concern.

The moment he stepped in, the previously dark area suddenly had countless dense Ghost Eye Light Spots that lit up abruptly, all opening wide and staring fixedly at him.

In that instant, the hair all over Xiao Qiwu's body stood on end, and his scalp felt numb, as if an electric current had rolled through it.

Within this small area, there were countless Ghost Eye Light Spots filling it, crowded and dense; at a glance, there were actually over a hundred of them, almost filling the entire area.

Yes, the Ghost Eye Light Spots in Wanxiang Cave were indeed for tempering cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm, and for a cultivator of the Dongming Realm, this level of attack could be called pathetic!

But that was for two or three Ghost Eye Light Spots!

What if there were dozens!

What if there were over a hundred!

If it weren't for the underlying rules of Wanxiang Cave having regional restrictions, Duan Rong could even have used all the Ghost Eye Light Spots in the entire Wanxiang Cave to focus their fire on him!

Even if you are a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm, you would be annihilated in an instant!

Over a hundred Ghost Eye Light Spots, filling the area, launched an attack on Xiao Qiwu simultaneously!

Within his Spirit Sea, killing intent filled the sky, heavy and endless!

This turn of events came too suddenly; in his haste, the sky-filling killing intent had already struck, and Xiao Qiwu's body couldn't help but tremble. Just at this moment, Xiao Qiwu suddenly felt his right hand loosen; it seemed a ghost shadow flashed by his side, and the God-Striking Whip in his hand had already slipped away.

Xiao Qiwu was greatly shocked!

In Wanxiang Cave, besides him, there was only one other person.

Duan Rong!?

How is that possible?!

But Xiao Qiwu had already glimpsed in the darkness that, half a zhang away, the unconscious figure on the ground was no longer there.

Just at this moment, Xiao Qiwu suddenly heard a clear humming sound ring out in the darkness.

He was all too familiar with that clear humming sound; that was clearly the humming of the God-Striking Whip when it was activated!

Why!?

Why would Duan Rong know how to use the God-Striking Whip!?

This is impossible!?

If the method of using this God-Striking Whip hadn't been taught by the Ancestor, even he wouldn't know it!

Duan Rong clutched the God-Striking Whip; in the darkness, the Ghost Eye Light Spots reflected off his face, and the talismans on the God-Striking Whip spun around, emitting a clear humming sound.

After he devoured the Spirit Tools of those old components, and after some attempts at deduction, he had already mastered the usage of the God-Striking Whip.

Xiao Qiwu stood there; after his body trembled for a moment, he barely steadied himself. After the concentrated attack of over a hundred Ghost Eye Light Spots in the area, his Divine Soul felt a tearing pain.

His face twitched as he looked at Duan Rong, who was a zhang away, illuminated by the Ghost Eye Light Spots. In the darkness, the talismans on the God-Striking Whip in Duan Rong's hand were spinning around...

In the darkness, Duan Rong suddenly gave an evil, charming smile, and the God-Striking Whip in his hand swung out abruptly; a whip shadow that looked as if it were solidified whistled toward him.

Just as Xiao Qiwu was about to dodge, the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots that had already attacked him once suddenly launched another attack.

Xiao Qiwu was suddenly terrified!

The pain in his Divine Soul had not yet subsided, and a second wave of attacks was already descending from the sky!

His body could not help but tremble, and as his movements faltered for a moment, he was struck by the whistling shadow of the whip!

As one whip shadow passed, that soul-chilling, clear ringing sound rang out once more.

"Old thief, do you know? What it means to use one's own methods to pay them back?"

In the darkness, Duan Rong's voice rose, the God-Striking Whip in his hand ringing incessantly; judging by the technique, it was far more proficient than Xiao Qiwu's!

Things mastered through a Devouring Artifact Spirit were never something a novice could compare to.

Although Xiao Qiwu knew the techniques for using the God-Striking Whip, he had barely used it a few times in total!

Whip shadows that looked as solid as reality followed one after another, whistling toward Xiao Qiwu from both left and right!

Xiao Qiwu's body began to tremble like chaff...

For some reason, the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots in the area were attacking him incessantly, and with the added help of the God-Striking Whip, they were beating his Divine Soul until it felt like it was splitting apart!

Xiao Qiwu's eyes were already blood-red, and his hair was disheveled!

His messy hair suddenly exploded upward in the darkness, standing on end like chaotic thorns!

"Brat! You have some tricks! But do you really think you can kill this old man?!"

In the darkness, one could see faint spatial ripples flashing above Xiao Qiwu's head.

Xiao Qiwu was actually willing to risk severe damage to his Divine Soul just to kill Duan Rong.

Duan Rong pursed his lips, his expression grave, but the God-Striking Whip in his hand continued to whistle without pause, his mind connected to the countless Ghost Eye Light Spots in the surrounding area.

Just at this moment, Xiao Qiwu's figure suddenly flickered!

But the instant his figure moved, the clear ringing of the God-Striking Whip in Duan Rong's hand suddenly paused; at the same time, within a distance of one zhang between Xiao Qiwu and Duan Rong, dense clusters of Ghost Eye Light Spots suddenly appeared, like a shattered galaxy, blinding Xiao Qiwu.

The sky-filling Divine Soul attacks, heavy and endless, crashed down with a boom!

Just a moment ago, it had only been the hundred or so in one area!

This time, it was thousands of Ghost Eye Light Spots attacking simultaneously!

Because he had moved with such speed, he had instantly flashed through more than ten areas.

Duan Rong had long been on guard; the moment Xiao Qiwu flashed, he had manipulated the Ghost Eye Light Spots to launch an attack on him. Because there were too many Ghost Eye Light Spots, Duan Rong had no time to attend to anything else, so the God-Striking Whip in his hand suddenly ceased its ringing.

Xiao Qiwu had originally been charging toward Duan Rong, but halfway through his charge, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, and a miserable, bone-chilling scream echoed through Wanxiang Cave.

"Ah!"

Xiao Qiwu slammed his head against the ground, clutching his head and screaming!

The simultaneous attack of thousands of Ghost Eye Light Spots had nearly scattered his soul!

Duan Rong seized the opportunity to retreat, putting a distance of over a zhang between himself and Xiao Qiwu again, and the clear ringing of the God-Striking Whip in his hand sounded once more.

"Old thief, I was afraid you wouldn't come! Let me let you taste the feeling of your Divine Soul exploding!"

As Duan Rong spoke, he swung the God-Striking Whip in his hand, and a whip shadow whistled toward Xiao Qiwu.

At the same time, the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots in the area where Xiao Qiwu was located launched another attack on him!

Xiao Qiwu felt as if ten thousand Arrows were piercing his heart, his body trembling in waves.

Although he was a cultivator of the Dongming Realm, he was now facing a dilemma.

Duan Rong was merely a cultivator of the Qi Cyclone Realm; Xiao Qiwu had never expected that this person could force him into such a state within this death trap.

At this moment, if he did not move, he would eventually have his soul scattered under the continuous attacks of the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots in this area and the God-Striking Whip in Duan Rong's hand!

If he moved, every area between him and Duan Rong contained hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots; if he moved recklessly, he would be subjected to the concentrated fire of thousands of Ghost Eye Light Spots from several areas!

Just that one movement earlier had nearly caused his soul to scatter directly!

Is this a dead end?

Could it be that I, this old man, am truly to be killed in this Wanxiang Cave by a brat in the Qi Cyclone Realm?

Impossible!?

Xiao Qiwu raised his head, his eyes fierce, and under the continuous attacks of the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots and the whip shadows, he actually struggled to stand up!

During this process, the spatial ripples above his head appeared faintly once again!

In the darkness, Duan Rong gripped the incessantly ringing God-Striking Whip in his right hand, while his left hand had already grasped the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade; as he drove his intent, Blade Radiance suddenly appeared on the blade's edge!

The Blade Radiance at this moment was completely different from the previous one, which had looked like solid flame!

The Blade Radiance of the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in Duan Rong's hand was like dense, flickering barbs, circling the blade's edge; at the same time, within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, at the center of the Clear Glass Body's brow, a blurry cloud mass rolled incessantly, with faint bright light flashing within it.

At this moment, Xiao Qiwu finally struggled to stand up a zhang away, though his body continued to tremble under the continuous attacks of the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots and the whip shadows.

Just as he stood up, seemingly on the verge of collapse, the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in Duan Rong's hand was suddenly thrown!

It pierced toward Xiao Qiwu's brow!

Above Xiao Qiwu's head, the fluctuations of the spatial ripples were becoming increasingly obvious!

That Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade was thrown through the air, and on its edge, the Blade Radiance flickered like chaotic thorns!

The moment Xiao Qiwu struggled and swayed to stand, the Blade Radiance shot over!

In his haste, Xiao Qiwu focused his mind and struck out with one hand; spatial ripples flashed in his palm, and with that strike, the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade instantly shattered, turning into dust.

But throughout this, Xiao Qiwu remained under the continuous attacks of the hundreds of Ghost Eye Light Spots and the whip shadows.

Under the force of this strike, his already struggling, swaying, and unstable figure could not help but retreat half a step.

But it was just that half step, and half of his foot stepped into another area behind him.

This meant that at this moment, one of his feet was in one area, while the other had already stepped into another area behind him.

At this very instant, the hundreds of Ghost Eyes in the other area also launched an attack on him.

At this time, he occupied two areas, and the attack from the Ghost Eye Light Spots immediately doubled.

Two hundred Ghost Eye Light Spots, combined with the whip shadows of the God-Striking Whip, attacked him in succession simultaneously.

Xiao Qiwu's body trembled like chaff, and white foam was already spilling from his mouth; he no longer knew what was happening, as the repeated, tearing pain to his Divine Soul had already caused him to lose the ability to think.

Seeing his body go limp, the spatial ripples above his head also retreated and vanished.

Duan Rong knew the critical moment had arrived; Xiao Qiwu could no longer hold on!

His soul would be scattered in an instant!

The God-Striking Whip in Duan Rong's hand swung even more ruthlessly, the clear ringing sound echoing incessantly, and it had even begun to hum. After all, this God-Striking Whip was an old object, and with Duan Rong using it so desperately, it seemed it could barely withstand it.

But at this moment, Duan Rong had no time to care about the God-Striking Whip in his hand, only sending one after another of the seemingly solid whip shadows whistling toward Xiao Qiwu.

Xiao Qiwu looked as if he were about to collapse like a pile of mud, yet Duan Rong's attacks showed no sign of stopping.

Suddenly, blood burst from Xiao Qiwu's eyes, and he let out a miserable howl like a fierce ghost; he knew he was going to die!

He was unwilling! He had never imagined that he would die in this Wanxiang Cave at the hands of a junior!

Suddenly disregarding life or death, Xiao Qiwu abruptly leaped up and pounced toward Duan Rong!

Duan Rong had not expected that Xiao Qiwu could still pounce at him at this time.

Immediately, he mobilized the thousands of Ghost Eye Light Spots along the way to concentrate their fire on Xiao Qiwu!

He thought it would be like last time, that Xiao Qiwu would be unable to bear the tearing of his Divine Soul midway and collapse to the ground!

When thousands of Ghost Eye Light Spots from more than ten areas along the way flashed simultaneously, even Duan Rong's eyes were blinded for a moment.

The instant his vision adjusted, he saw a black shadow flickering before his eyes, hair disheveled, eyes blood-red!

It was actually Xiao Qiwu pouncing over!

Duan Rong was greatly alarmed and leaped aside to dodge!

Yet he was grabbed by the legs by Xiao Qiwu!

The two of them fell down together!

Duan Rong's face turned livid, as if entangled by a ghost, and he kicked Xiao Qiwu away with one foot!

Only then did he discover that Xiao Qiwu was already motionless and had stopped breathing!

Duan Rong's heart finally settled; he looked at Xiao Qiwu, who resembled a demon from hell, and saw two lines of blood tears flowing from the corners of his eyes, his wide-open, blood-red eyes filled with malice!

"Is he dead?!"

Duan Rong still controlled the Ghost Eye Light Spots to attack Xiao Qiwu, but Xiao Qiwu's body remained motionless.

Duan Rong's gaze sharpened; with a flip of his hand, he pinched a Willow Leaf Flying Dagger between his fingers.

In the darkness, a Plum Blossom Afterimage suddenly bloomed beside Duan Rong's hand, and the Plum Blossom Willow Leaf Blade flew out silently, piercing straight into the center of Xiao Qiwu's brow.

The flying blade burst open a bloody hole in the center of Xiao Qiwu's brow, where red and white mingled, and something wriggling could be faintly seen.

Yet Xiao Qiwu still lay there on his back, motionless, his eyes wide open, hollow and vacant!

At this moment, Duan Rong finally confirmed that Xiao Qiwu was dead.

"Clang!"

Following a sound in the darkness, the God-Striking Whip in Duan Rong's hand dropped to his feet.

He collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat; having repeatedly swung the God-Striking Whip at high frequency with his right hand, his right arm could not stop cramping.

Gritting his teeth, Duan Rong pinched his right arm with his left hand, lying on the ground, hissing in pain while unable to help but chuckle.

(End of this chapter)