Chapter 288: Backstab

The newcomer was none other than Mo Lingwei of Qingxiadao.

Originally, the Mo family had pledged allegiance to Zhao Wuji, but after the events on Qianye Island and Zhao's defeat, they were placed under warrant by the shattered alliance.

After she successfully escaped, no one knew where she had taken her clan—entirely vanished from the spiritual energy Archipelago.

This time, the old steward Mo Lao stood beside her, also having advanced to Foundation Establishment.

Mo Lao must have encountered some rare fortune; otherwise, at his advanced age, achieving Foundation Establishment would have been exceedingly difficult.

Mo Lingwei had also disguised her appearance, concealing her famed beauty as the first immortal maiden of the spiritual energy Archipelago.

What startled Qin Ming was this:

The two companions accompanying Mo Lingwei were three demonic cultivators!

Though they concealed their magic power and qi signatures well, Qin Ming's powerful spiritual sense pierced through their illusions at a glance.

These people had come to Qianye Island and headed straight for the location of the demonic cave—they must have had a specific agenda.

When Mo Lingwei served Zhao Wuji, she must have known every secret of Qianye Island, including the hidden location of this demonic cave.

"Mo sister, are you certain this is the place? Don't get it wrong."

Among the three demonic cultivators, a gaunt middle-aged man with a sinister face smiled faintly.

Mo Lingwei's face was icy, her tone steady: "Correct. This is the place—I entered it once with Zhao Wuji of the Zhao family."

"Excellent!"

Upon hearing this, the gaunt man's eyes lit up with excitement: "The legacy of the Bloodbone Demon Lord must be inside!"

"Hahaha! Brother Yuan Feng, even if the other sects break their heads, they'd never suspect it's here!"

"Exactly! They say Lin Zixiao even searched Qianye Island before—came up empty-handed."

"They say he suffered a major setback on the way back, near Fangcun Mountain!"

"If he got beaten, that means Wei Country still hides dragons and tigers."

"Do you know who did it?"

"Lin Zixiao won't say—so who knows?"

"Enough of this."

"In the end, it's all for the benefit of our Ten Thousand Souls Valley, hahaha!"

The other two cultivators chimed in.

"No time to waste, Mo sister—lead the way!" The sinister, gaunt man gestured.

"Never thought my first collaboration with Mo sister would yield such a reward!"

Mo Lingwei said calmly: "Each takes what they need—I only want the Corpse Pearl. I claim nothing else."

"No problem! Happy cooperation!"

"Let's begin—where's the entrance?"

The three demonic cultivators' faces glowed with eagerness—they could hardly wait.

If they truly obtained the Bloodbone Demon Lord's legacy, they'd soar beyond imagination!

Then—

Mo Lingwei produced a blood-red talisman in her hand and cast it toward the ruins.

The entrance, previously concealed by the Shi Tian Rat, reappeared.

Seeing the entrance, everyone surged with excitement as if infused with stimulant.

One after another, they entered the dark tunnel.

Yet as Mo Lingwei stepped inside, she paused, scanning the surroundings carefully, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in thought.

Then she shook her head and followed them in, sealing the entrance once more.

Qin Ming watched this, pausing to consider.

"How has Mo Lingwei allied herself with demonic cultivators again? And become a disciple of Ten Thousand Souls Valley—one of the Six Demon Sects?"

"It's utterly baffling."

"Forget it—for now, I'll follow and see."

He called to the Shi Tian Rat and stealthily trailed behind them.

After a stick of incense burned out:

Qin Ming and the Shi Tian Rat moved slowly along a dark, spiraling downward corridor.

Suddenly, combat sounds echoed ahead. He activated his spiritual sense—below, at the corridor's end, lay a vast, pitch-black cavern.

Within, chilling yin energy swirled, howling with bone-deep winds, the floor piled high with corpses—beast and cultivator alike.

At the center stood a black stone coffin, its lid already opened, empty inside.

Mo Lingwei and Yuan Feng of Ten Thousand Souls Valley were battling a black corpse covered entirely in black iron.

Qin Ming's brief probe revealed the grotesque black corpse's power had reached late-stage Second Rank.

Moreover, the demonic corpse was impervious to blades and spears—unlike ordinary zombies, immune to fire and lightning spells.

For now, the demonic cultivators had no way to counter it.

Coupled with the black corpse's endless stamina and the interference of several other Second-Rank ghostly entities and numerous low-rank spiritual forms:

The five within began to show fatigue, sweat pouring from every brow.

Especially Mo Lao, the lowest in cultivation—he bore fresh wounds, crimson blood seeping out, making the Second-Rank Black Iron Corpse rage even more wildly.

"Mo sister, what's going on?"

"You said this place was safe—only low-rank ghostly entities!"

"How did a late-stage Second-Rank demonic corpse appear?"

Yuan Feng of Ten Thousand Souls Valley stormed at Mo Lingwei.

"Brother Yuan, I didn't know either! When Zhao Wuji brought me down, this corpse was only early-stage Second Rank—why did it ascend so fast?" Mo Lingwei's eyes flashed urgently.

Qin Ming watched the group below and instinctively sensed something off.

At that moment—

Sudden chaos erupted in the cavern! Mo Lingwei seized the moment while Yuan Feng battled the black corpse, pulling out a gray pearl pulsing with dark, malevolent energy.

The instant the pearl appeared, a jet of ink-black light surged into the black corpse's body—prompting it to react violently.

Thick black mist erupted from it, its aura surging dramatically.

Roar! The corpse spat a torrent of black mist at Yuan Feng—he instantly paled, abandoning his spirit weapon.

Just as he tried to leap backward—

Pfft!

Clang! "Ahh!"

A flash of cold light.

A blue spirit sword stabbed out, severing Yuan Feng's arm—the blade's wielder: Mo Lingwei.

Yuan Feng staggered to a halt, his sinister face twisted in fury, teeth grinding: "Bitch! You were treacherous all along!"

"Had I not secretly guarded against you, kept a trick up my sleeve—"

"I'd have fallen for your trap!"

Mo Lingwei had struck successfully, yet her face remained icy, showing no triumph. She had assumed that, with the demonic corpse's aid and her surprise attack,

she could kill Yuan Feng, a late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator.

But he wore a life-saving inner armor—her full-force strike had only severed one arm.

The Corpse Pearl couldn't control the late-stage Second-Rank corpse for long. Once it awoke, disaster would follow.

The chance to kill Yuan Feng had vanished in an instant.

The other two Ten Thousand Souls Valley cultivators now realized what had happened.

But they were pinned down by ghostly entities and could not aid Yuan Feng.

Qin Ming and the Shi Tian Rat watched in stunned silence.

"Tsk tsk tsk—what an education."

"Truly, the most venomous hearts belong to women."

"These human cultivators won't live long."

The Shi Tian Rat commented.

"Is that gray pearl in Mo Lingwei's hand the Corpse Pearl she mentioned?"

"It can briefly control the demonic corpse—interesting."

……

(End of Chapter)