Chapter 60: Fifth-Ninth Chapter: A Lonely Shadow in the Night Rain

Time passed, and the wind and rain grew stronger.

The wailing of the wind, sounding like weeping, swirled within the main city of Seven Blood Eyes, wandering through every street and every alley, meeting and embracing the rain from the sky time and time again.

It also fell upon Banquan Road, all around Xu Qing.

The rain struck the bricks and tiles nearby, making a tapping sound, and the wind, not to be outdone, whipped up his long robes, causing them to snap loudly.

Standing under the eaves, Xu Qing seemed undisturbed by the wind and rain; he merged into the darkness, motionless like a hunter, watching coldly.

He was very patient, his breathing steady, neither hurried nor impatient.

Just like that, another hour passed. When the thousands of households had long since extinguished their lights and the entire city had fallen into darkness and silence, with only the rustling of the rain remaining, a figure slowly poked its head out from the inn.

It was a middle-aged cultivator wearing a red robe. The body beneath the robes appeared very sturdy, with extremely broad shoulders; standing there, he gave off a sense of oppression. It was none other than Qing Yunzi.

The spiritual energy fluctuations on his body were also quite decent, reaching the level of the ninth layer of Qi Condensation; he seemed quite strong.

But this strength was only relative to small sects and minor factions. For disciples of Seven Blood Eyes, the difference in cultivation arts already widened the foundation between the two sides, and having grown up in the brutal environment of the Seven Blood Eyes main city, even someone at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation could suppress a ninth-layer cultivator from a small sect like him.

This made him very cautious within the Seven Blood Eyes main city.

At this moment, inside the inn doorway, he first poked his head out to scan the surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, he attempted to take a step. The moment he stepped out of the inn, his whole body suddenly flickered, and he prepared to leave in the rainy night.

But having walked less than five steps, Qing Yunzi’s expression changed. It was as if he possessed a natural talent for identifying danger; though he did not see Xu Qing, he seemed to sense a crisis and abruptly turned around, heading straight back to the inn.

Xu Qing’s brows furrowed slightly. He had intended to wait for the opponent to run a bit further before making a move, but the opponent’s vigilance was too high. At this moment, a cold, sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he stepped out.

His speed was so fast that he was like a bolt of lightning, weaving through the rain.

The falling rain became incomparably slow before him, and the entire street erupted with a sonic boom in that instant.

Amidst the rain shattering with rhythmic thuds, Xu Qing’s figure was like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for Qing Yunzi outside the inn with unstoppable force.

Qing Yunzi’s expression changed drastically. He saw Xu Qing and felt the terror of that speed, and even more, he felt the aura of the Forbidden Sea from the opponent’s spiritual energy, which suppressed his entire body and caused his own spiritual energy to stagnate. His heart shook violently, and the crisis of life and death erupted in that instant.

His eyes turned blood-red in a flash, and he bit the tip of his tongue, seemingly stimulating a secret technique to forcibly circulate his cultivation base, causing his speed to surge instantly. He was just about to rush into the inn’s gate.

At this moment, inside the inn gate, the old man smoking a pipe also appeared, looking at Xu Qing, who was heading straight for this place, amidst the flickering light of the tobacco.

The next instant, with bloodshot eyes, Qing Yunzi was only half a step away from the inn gate. Just as he lifted his right foot and was about to land it to step inside, a black glint arrived in an instant with even greater speed. Carrying a cold light and dense Forbidden Sea spiritual energy, it broke through Qing Yunzi’s cultivation protection and pierced through the calf of his raised right leg.

The speed was so fast and the impact so strong that Qing Yunzi let out a miserable, shrill scream in the silent night.

He could not land his right foot, his body was deflected by the impact, and he staggered, unable to stand steady. Just as he was forced to take a step back, a second black glint whistled over; it was a dagger.

With a bang.

The dagger’s speed was astonishing. It arrived in an instant and pierced directly into Qing Yunzi’s left arm. Terrifying spiritual energy erupted within his body, destroying his meridians while also pinning his body fiercely to the ground, face-down, only an arm’s length away from the inn gate.

Amidst his screams, the veins on Qing Yunzi’s forehead bulged as he struggled to pull out the dagger and crawl toward the inn, but it was too late. Xu Qing’s figure had already arrived, and he stepped onto Qing Yunzi’s back.

This kick had immense force. With a snap, his spinal column broke, and the intense pain caused Qing Yunzi’s whole body to shake violently, his screams becoming even more shrill.

Amidst his misery, the old man in the inn put down his pipe. In that instant, he seemed to radiate a dangerous aura, looking coldly at Xu Qing, who had appeared at the door.

"Are you trying to break my rules?"

His two eyes turned yellow, and one could see tentacles drilling out from within them; a crack even appeared in the center of his forehead, as if something within his body was about to crawl out at this moment—a shocking sight.

At the same time, strange sounds emerged from within his inn. A giant python, fully three people thick, actually hung down from the inn’s rafters, its vertical pupils revealing coldness and bloodthirst as it stared at Xu Qing.

Not only that, but a large number of centipedes also crawled out from the ground, each one pitch-black and highly venomous, all assuming an attacking posture. Furthermore, sharp auras radiated from the surrounding houses, locking onto Xu Qing, while ropes hung down from the roofs.

These ropes seemed to possess life, like hangman’s nooses; they circled slightly at this moment, as if they could entwine Xu Qing in the next instant. They exuded an endless aura of death, as if the number of people who had died on these nooses was countless.

They were all staring at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing stood at the doorway, stepping on the back of the person screaming beneath him, and looked up at the old man inside the inn.

The two locked eyes.

Regarding the strange beasts inside the inn, the auras locking onto him from all around, and those ropes, Xu Qing seemed not to see them; he simply gazed at the old man.

Behind him, a ghostly shadow manifested, pitch-black like a vengeful spirit, ferocious and ready to strike.

At the same time, Xu Qing’s Mountain Sea Art circulated at full power, and every inch of flesh and blood in his body was prepared for a total eruption at this moment.

The Sea Transformation Sutra was the same; the surrounding rain stopped in mid-air at this moment, circling around Xu Qing and echoing with the spiritual sea inside his body.

It seemed that he could form a killing technique at any moment.

The poison was the same, as was his shadow; at this moment, silent and undetectable, it had already spread into the inn, reaching the feet of that eerie old man.

Especially above his head, amidst the circling raindrops, there was an illusory long blade, appearing and disappearing, as if it contained vast power. It was now compressed, ready to slash down upon the earth like a heavenly blade at any moment.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, looking at the old man before him. He was not intimidated by the tentacles in the man’s eyes or his forehead that was about to split open. He knew the opponent was very strong, but he also had a way to retreat unscathed, so he spoke with a calm expression and a serious tone.

"He did not step inside, so it does not count as breaking the rules."

A ghostly light flickered in the old man’s eyes. After staring at Xu Qing for a long while, he suddenly laughed.

"What you say makes sense."

As the laughter emerged and the words echoed, all the auras locking onto Xu Qing outside the inn vanished in an instant. The python inside the inn retreated to the rafters, and the centipedes on the ground disappeared into the earth with a rustling sound.

The ropes also blurred and soon vanished without a trace. As for the old man himself, the tentacles in his eyes and the crack on his forehead all dissipated, and he returned to the appearance of an unremarkable old man, picking up his pipe and taking a puff.

"Are you selling the corpse?"

Xu Qing shook his head, grabbed Qing Yunzi by the hair, and spoke calmly while the other man trembled.

"Where is the woman you captured two days ago?"

Qing Yunzi’s hair was disheveled, his face covered in blood, looking extremely wretched.

He trembled at this moment, but seemingly wanting to be stubborn, he prepared to spit blood at Xu Qing, but Xu Qing pressed his head onto the ground and wiped it earnestly.

As the screams became even more shrill, Xu Qing raised his hand and pressed it onto Qing Yunzi’s right arm, crushing all the bones bit by bit, then switched to the other arm. This intense pain made Qing Yunzi shiver, unable to even scream properly.

Xu Qing’s expression was calm. After checking carefully and punching Qing Yunzi’s dantian to destroy his cultivation, confirming the opponent was no longer a threat, he stood up, put away his dagger and black iron skewer, grabbed Qing Yunzi by the foot with one hand, and dragged him forward.

The friction of flesh and blood against the ground, even with the rain as a buffer, created a sensation of skin slowly tearing and rolling, causing Qing Yunzi’s screams to become even sharper.

As Xu Qing moved forward, the screaming continued incessantly, and a trail of blood slowly appeared on the ground. Although it was being washed away rapidly by the rain, the traces could still be seen.

These scenes caused the innkeeper’s eyes to shrink fiercely. He watched the youth walking away in the rainy night, listening to the inhuman screams of Qing Yunzi being dragged along, and after a long while, he muttered to himself.

"This kid is ruthless..."

Just like that, Qing Yunzi’s screams continued the whole way. Everyone walking in the dark night who saw this scene felt their hearts shake, and they were left with a deep impression of the expressionless youth.

Even some patrolling disciples heard the noise and rushed over. Upon seeing it and recognizing Qing Yunzi’s identity, their expressions changed as they looked at Xu Qing.

To be able to kill a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator—even if it was just a rogue cultivator from a small sect—and to capture him alive and torture him to this extent showed such combat prowess and ruthlessness that no one was willing to provoke such a person easily.

This battle earned Xu Qing some fame in the main city.

As for Qing Yunzi’s toughness, it vanished completely after an hour of persistence. In a state of semi-consciousness, he told Xu Qing a location and also told Xu Qing the secret regarding the informant.

That informant was actually a pawn raised by Qing Yunzi. He did not know that the person had told Xu Qing clues about him, but he had a habit: after using any pawn for a period of time, he would discard them.

This time, it was simply that informant’s turn.

Following the address provided by Qing Yunzi, Xu Qing went there and checked carefully to ensure there was no ambush before truly stepping inside. Finally, in a sealed dungeon filled with countless foul odors, he saw the informant, who was on the verge of death.

Having lost her spirit coins, with the scent of the residual poison powder on her body masked, and locked in this sealed place, Xu Qing had not found her earlier.

But she was not dead yet; all around her were rotting corpses, both male and female.

The methods of these people’s deaths were all extremely miserable; clearly, they had been cruelly tortured before death, and a formation seemed to have been drawn on the ground, as if their deaths were some kind of ritual.

Xu Qing’s arrival caused the informant to open her eyes weakly. When she saw the unconscious Qing Yunzi beside her, she found strength from somewhere unknown and went mad. Ignoring Xu Qing standing nearby, she pounced like a wild beast to bite and tear, alive, until she bit the unconscious Qing Yunzi awake, causing him to scream shrilly. In the end, she bit into Qing Yunzi’s neck, one bite after another.

Not until Qing Yunzi was a bloody mess, his body twitching as he breathed his last, did she stay there, instinctively raising her head to look at the expressionless Xu Qing nearby.

In her eyes, Xu Qing, in his gray robes, had a tall, upright posture, and his handsome face revealed a coldness she found difficult to fathom; the aura radiating from his body made her feel somewhat breathless.

Thus, the madness on her face was slowly suppressed. After becoming calm, under Xu Qing’s gaze, she gradually revealed a submissive look. Her body trembled instinctively, and as if remembering something, she hurriedly rummaged around.

Finally, she found a jade slip, looked up at Xu Qing, and slowly knelt in worship, as if surrendering, offering it to Xu Qing with both hands.

Xu Qing took the jade slip. Inside, it recorded an evil formation, and the description matched the ritual, which, once activated, would bring down incredible power.

But the conditions for activating this formation required the emotions of living beings—extreme emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Silently watching the human misery within the dungeon, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time. He dragged Qing Yunzi’s corpse away, and before leaving, his voice echoed in the woman’s ears.

"From now on, be a diligent informant for me."

Along with the voice came another spirit coin and a dose of the antidote.

The woman held the spirit coin and the antidote, staring blankly at the departing Xu Qing. His back, in her eyes, was gradually carved into her soul, and she bowed her head in agreement.

At this moment, it was not long until dawn outside. Xu Qing took out a black paper umbrella and, dragging Qing Yunzi’s broken corpse, walked silently through the streets.

Clouds piled up in the firmament, seemingly reflecting his mood. Until he delivered Qing Yunzi’s corpse back to the department and left amidst the astonishment of his colleagues, Xu Qing looked at the morning sun in the sky and at the remnant face of the god in the distance, resilience appearing in his eyes.

"In this cruel, chaotic world, only by becoming stronger can one avoid... becoming fish and meat on someone else’s chopping block!"