Chapter 328: I Have No Interest; You Have No Talent

"Demon Scourge Eye."

"Soul-Imprisoning Banner."

"Soul-Stealing, Soul-Shattering Lamp."

Gu Qing browsed through them one by one; when he saw the "Heavenly Demon Banner," he paused slightly.

More than a hundred years ago, during the abbotship of Master Tiancheng, Wan Jianyi and Daoxuan Zhenren had just begun to make progress when Qiu Wangyu, leader of the Demon Cult, led the Four Great Demon Cults in an assault on Qingyun Mountain; in that battle, Qiu Wangyu used the "Heavenly Demon Scripture," the "Heavenly Demon Banner," and the circulating "Dark Yin Ghost Qi" to overwhelm Tiancheng at every turn, until Tiancheng finally drew the Zhuxian Sword and slew him.

The Heavenly Demon Banner was seized by Shang Zhengliang during that great battle and came into Qingyun Sect's possession.

As for the method of circulating Dark Yin Ghost Qi, it was recorded within the Heavenly Demon Banner—a set of "Ghost Dao" incantations formed by absorbing the vital essence of the living and the ghostly qi of the dead; once perfected, black qi churned like ink, unpredictable and shifting.

In the future, after Daoxuan Zhenren was backlashed by the Zhuxian Sword during the Beast God battle, he began cultivating Dark Yin Ghost Qi; relying on his raw power, he defeated Qingyun's third-rank Tian Buyi, the Shangqing-level Lu Xueqi, and Zhang Xiaofan with the Four Heavenly Books—truly strange and unfathomable.

"Vital essence of the living, ghost qi of the dead..."

Gu Qing studied the Dark Yin Ghost Qi recorded in the Heavenly Demon Banner and felt it was coincidental: the Soul-Eating Rod had been forged from the Blood-Sucking Pearl and the Soul-Stealing Rod, so it lacked neither vital essence of the living nor ghost qi of the dead; once Dark Yin Ghost Qi was formed, he could convert it into merit points—or later, when reaching the Wanfa Chaozong realm, convert it directly through cultivation energy...

After a cursory glance, he had finished reading the Dark Yin Ghost Qi.

Gu Qing pondered carefully and realized the Ghost Dao contained much brilliance.

"Heavenly Demon Scripture... this too came from the Heavenly Demon Scripture."

At the thought of the name, Gu Qing smiled faintly; he had fully collected all ten scrolls of the Heavenly Demon Scripture from the Tang world and memorized every detail, and now, seeing "Dark Yin Ghost Qi," he conceived new ideas.

"Have you made your decision?"

Daoxuan Zhenren arrived very early.

"With only this little, I can't accomplish anything."

Gu Qing had thoroughly read all the demon cultivation texts here; the most outstanding among them was naturally Dark Yin Ghost Qi—the rest were incomplete, offering only fragments; as for demon artifacts, nearly all were battle-damaged.

"Heh..."

Daoxuan Zhenren chuckled twice and said, "All things have right and wrong; human nature has black and white; all things merge within the Taiji, endlessly turning. To persuade you, I spent an entire night crafting my arguments—but in the end, it wasn't righteousness, but interest."

Daoxuan Zhenren's face bore a peculiar expression.

Throughout Qingyun Sect's history, disciples had always held righteousness in their hearts and possessed proud bones; for someone like Gu Qing to come to the abbot demanding benefits was truly rare.

Gu Qing's gaze was peculiar as he said, "All things have right and wrong; human nature has black and white; all things merge within the Taiji, endlessly turning—that's your prepared speech, isn't it?"

"..."

Daoxuan fell silent.

"I just feel this phrase is redundant."

Gu Qing waved his hand, brushing the matter aside easily.

"Qingyun Sect has four sword techniques."

Daoxuan Zhenren suddenly said, "Aside from the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique, the remaining three are all on Tongtian Peak; one is called the Seven Stars Sword Form—I feel it has a special affinity with you."

Gu Qing's gaze flickered slightly; the Seven Stars Sword Form was essentially the abbot's direct lineage, identical to Xiao Yicai's Seven Stars Sword. Daoxuan Zhenren was severing Gu Qing's connection to the Zhanlong Sword while simultaneously bestowing the Seven Stars Sword Form—this too was "all things merging within the Taiji."

Changhe City.

A strategic hub in the eastern seas, frequented by merchants and travelers; even cultivators passing through often stopped here to rest.

At noon, the tavern was full when a bell rang; a black-clad man entered wearing a grotesque bronze mask, his temples slightly gray, a golden bell hanging at his waist, its jingling sound produced solely by his footsteps.

This man carried a chilling aura of ghostly energy; his exposed arms were withered and stiff. Upon entering, the waiter dared not approach.

"Ginseng soup. Porridge and rice."

The man's voice was low and commanding; he ordered several dishes without regard for whether the tavern could prepare them. The waiter stepped closer to Gu Qing, intending to explain—but as he neared, he smelled the scent of incense and burnt paper, as if he'd stepped out of a funeral, sending shivers down his skin; he dared not speak further and cautiously relayed the order to the kitchen.

The oppressive atmosphere brought by the black-clad man gradually silenced the entire tavern; diners and drinkers instinctively lowered their voices, afraid of disturbing him.

"Brother Nian, why are we afraid of him?"

At a table on the second floor, a man holding a folding fan, his face sinister, stared curiously at the black-clad man.

"Young Master Lin, watch your tongue."

Brother Nian immediately silenced him, glancing furtively at the black-clad man, then said fearfully, "This one is likely Tong Mr., the rising star of the demon path."

"Tong Mr.?"

Lin Feng's spine stiffened at the name; his attention sharpened.

It was said this Tong Mr. came from the Central Plains and preferred sleeping among corpses in mortuaries; originally an obscure cultivator, but over a month ago, Li Xun of the Fenxiang Valley provoked him while chasing a fox spirit—and the famed disciple of Fenxiang Valley fell to him in a single blow.

"At the time, more than a dozen Fenxiang Valley disciples were felled by Tong Mr. in one strike, and he mocked them: 'The Fenxiang Jade Scripture is a complete mess.'"

Lin Feng leaned in, whispering as Brother Nian spoke: "I heard the Huanhuan Sect's Meiniangzi somehow clashed with Tong Mr. he struck her once, she spun several times in his grasp, then collapsed into a human skin on the ground."

"And the Ghost King Sect too."

Brother Nian said, "We're most familiar with the Ghost King Sect; among their young talents, two stand out: Yan Hui and the Killing Monk. Somehow, they entered Tong Mr.'s mortuary and were pulled out—so it's said, when Tong Mr. pulled out Yan Hui, he sneered: 'Who are you scowling at? Don't you know you don't hit a smiling face?'"

"The Killing Monk laughed loudly upon seeing Yan Hui pulled away—then Tong Mr. slapped him down and roared: 'How dare you laugh?'"

Lin Feng silently glanced at Tong Mr. across the room; he felt this man's temperament was capricious and unpredictable, and with his high cultivation, he was truly difficult to deal with.

Better to keep one's distance.

As Lin Feng pondered, he suddenly felt a chill on his back; he turned and saw the 【Tong Mr.】 staring directly at him—he must have overheard their conversation.

Meeting his gaze, Lin Feng's mind raced, searching for a way to defuse the awkwardness; he was about to bow and apologize when several more people entered the inn, surrounding Tong Mr. from all four directions. Lin Feng, standing beside Brother Nian, recognized many Ghost King Sect members; seeing Tong Mr. now surrounded, he felt greatly relieved and even sneered at him.

"Shhh!"

The Mountain-River Fan unfurled; Lin Feng calmly lifted a cup of wine and sipped slowly.

"Green Dragon Holy Envoy."

Brother Nian hurried down to greet him; beside the Green Dragon Holy Envoy stood a middle-aged scholar with thin eyebrows and a square face, and the Ghost Master—a figure like a dark shadow, of the highest rank in the Ghost King Sect.

"Ah, Brother Nian."

The middle-aged scholar, seeing Brother Nian's greeting, gently helped him rise and said, "Back at Kongzang Mountain, when we hunted Ye Fan, your Lianxue Hall suffered greatly under the Holy Envoy's orders."

Lin Feng had heard from Brother Nian that, during the hunt for Ye Fan at Kongzang Mountain, the Green Dragon had used his Holy Envoy status to forcibly absorb the Lianxue Hall—this was how the Lianxue Hall became familiar with the Ghost King Sect.

"Not at all, not at all."

Hearing the scholar's greeting, Brother Nian was so moved tears nearly welled up; under the scholar's reassurance, he stood beside the Green Dragon Holy Envoy, united in hostility against Tong Mr..

The last time he'd fought shoulder to shoulder like this was during the hunt for Ye Fan...

"Tong Mr.."

The thin-browed, square-faced scholar studied him carefully and said, "Might I ask, sir, have you ever seen the Heavenly Demon Banner?"

The Heavenly Demon Banner was the flag of the Demon Cult a century ago, the artifact of its leader Qiu Wangyu; it was under its command that the Demon Cult's followers surged forward to attack Qingyun Mountain.

Tong Mr.'s gaze was cold, silent.

"Tong Mr., no need to resist so strongly."

The thin-browed scholar bowed and said, "I am Wan Renwang, humbly holding the position of Ghost King Sect leader—I feel ashamed, but from my limited knowledge, I recognize the cultivation you practice: the Dark Yin Ghost Qi that once shook the world a century ago."

Tong Mr. remained silent.

The scholar smiled again, candidly saying, "Tong Mr., no need to resist—we merely heard of your extraordinary power and wished to make your acquaintance... Sir, the bell hanging at your waist—isn't that the Huanhuan Bell, lost for eight hundred years by the Huanhuan Sect?"

Upon hearing the name Huanhuan Bell, nearby cultivators turned to Tong Mr. with eager eyes—as if they could seize it themselves.

"What's it to you?"

Tong Mr.'s voice was dry and hoarse.

"It concerns all my sect's disciples."

The scholar named himself and said, "During that great battle a century ago, I was stationed below the mountain and knew the sect leader's Heavenly Demon Banner was left behind at Qingyun, and the Dark Yin Ghost Qi vanished. Now that you cultivate Dark Yin Ghost Qi, our sect's disciples must seek the Heavenly Demon Banner."

The scholar first issued a veiled threat, then prepared to offer incentives.

"Shhh!"

The seated Tong Mr. suddenly moved; a chilling aura of ghost qi surged toward Brother Nian at the front. The Green Dragon, beside him, instantly countered with a palm strike; in this exchange, Gu Qing's hand moved thrice—six grabs in rapid succession, each aimed at vital points, swift beyond compare.

As the Green Dragon blocked the six grabs, he felt the chilling ghost qi—but then Gu Qing's other hand, now free, descended upon Brother Nian's head.

"Stop!"

"No way!"

From behind the tavern, two more figures struck suddenly; the entire inn trembled, flames erupted, black smoke filled the air, chaos reigned above and below.

At that moment, Gu Qing vanished into the smoke; within the haze, he struck left and right, the bells jingling incessantly, inducing dizziness—then suddenly, a hurricane rose. When the Green Dragon and others turned back, they saw Tong Mr. standing outside the tavern, holding two men: Brother Nian and Lin Feng, who had provoked him earlier.

"I am the disciple of Fengyue Laozu..."

Before Lin Feng finished speaking, he felt his body pierced with holes; boundless true energy began draining away, all his blood and essence flowing out. In Brother Nian's gaze, Lin Feng saw his own appearance three or four hundred years hence.

Utterly aged!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Tong Mr. tossed them aside; as they fell, they finally understood the manner of Meiniangzi's death.

After this clash, the Ghost King and Green Dragon realized Tong Mr.'s methods were unfathomable, his cruelty absolute; Lin Feng had merely provoked him slightly—and he was killed without mercy, no room for reconciliation.

"Shhh..."

Silent and invisible, the Ghost Master appeared before Lin Feng and Brother Nian; seeing their essence and cultivation utterly drained, he raised his head and stared at 【Tong Mr.】, asking, "What cultivation is this?"

Though the demon path had methods to drain blood and energy, 【Tong Mr.】's technique seemed to completely plunder a person's cultivation and vital essence—no such method existed in demon cultivation.

"Heaven-Devouring Demon Art."

【Tong Mr.】 said coldly beneath his bronze mask.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Art...

The Ghost King was certain he had never heard of this demon art; the Ghost Master was equally startled—but both looked at Tong Mr. and clearly noticed his hair had darkened slightly.

"Tong Mr.."

The Ghost King bowed to Tong Mr. and said, "Tong Mr., your methods are astonishing—you are a true wonder of the world. Wan Renwang apologizes for his earlier disrespect."

In this brief period of testing, the Ghost King had seen many of Master Tong's abilities and was greatly impressed.

Master Ghost stared at Master Tong, his voice hoarse, and said: "Since we are both of the Ghost Dao, why not join forces and pursue great ambitions together?"

Master Ghost could not yet fathom Master Tong's true origins, but he was confident that with prolonged association, he could fully understand him.

"Pursue great ambitions?"

Master Tong gave a cold smile and said: "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I have no interest—and you have no talent!"

(End of Chapter)