Chapter 244: Notes on the White-Robed Man (6k)

"This grudge, I, Zhou Qing, will never forget! Qingyu Immortal Sect, just wait—I will settle this score! This matter is far from over!"

Countless disciples of the Outer Sect heard this roar and looked up in unison.

Seeing the awe-inspiring Jin Chida, the disciples could not hide their shock, whispering among themselves, utterly unaware of what had transpired.

But the name “Zhou Qing” was heard clearly by all.

Especially several disciples, stewards, and Elders holding important positions, their expressions subtly changed.

They quickly slipped away, rushing to report the situation to their respective masters at top speed.

“Old bull eating tender grass—this is bad, I feel it!”

The white-robed man still faced away, then vanished in a flash, swiftly following the direction Zhou Qing had fled.

“Pursue!”

Seeing this, Xuan You Immortal Lady grew frantic and immediately activated her body technique to chase after him.

The three old women were equally panicked.

If Zhou Qing escaped and revealed today’s events to Taiqingmen, it might directly spark a full-scale war between the two sects.

And that white-robed man—who knew where he came from—had ruined their entire plan; he was utterly despicable.

At this moment, Zhou Qing’s Jin Peng true form flared its wings to full power, flying at maximum speed toward the Outer Sect’s mountain gate.

Now, he could unleash the Emperor’s Radiance Scripture without restraint.

Previously, his main concerns had been Peng Huang and Xuan Yuan Shuo.

One was dead; the other believed the scripture was a gift from Second Uncle and was, to some extent, dependent on him.

So what was there left to fear?

“Their mountain gate is closing—you have only ten breaths!” The white-robed man’s voice suddenly exploded in his ear.

Zhou Qing’s heart clenched sharply.

Immediately, a streak of white light outpaced him, racing toward the mountain gate and vanishing from his sight in an instant.

Zhou Qing’s expression was complex—he had not expected this man to appear at Qingyu Immortal Sect at such a critical moment, secretly whispering to him.

And the price for his aid? Only a strange talisman that had plagued him for three days back at the academy.

He was deeply curious about that thing.

Zhou Qing naturally agreed—but when it would reappear again was entirely up to luck.

Shhh!

As Zhou Qing’s thoughts churned, the three Supreme Elders caught up first.

One old woman’s gaze was dark and cruel; her spiritual power rapidly coalesced in her hands.

In an instant, over a hundred shimmering, icy-blue wind blades materialized midair and hurled themselves at Zhou Qing’s back.

Sensing the deadly threat rushing toward his back, Zhou Qing’s heart contracted—he immediately drew upon the spiritual power stored within the golden flowers.

Instantly, his body was engulfed in a brilliant golden glow, his speed surging as he narrowly evaded most of the wind blades.

Yet several blades still struck with precision, piercing his back.

Sparks flew; Zhou Qing let out a muffled groan.

After all, he was only at the early stage of Soul Transformation, while his opponents were renowned Great Perfection cultivators—the gap in strength was immense.

“Old hag, you’re past your prime—this attack barely tickles me!”

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth, forcing a casual tone despite the pain.

At the same time, his internal spiritual power surged faster—he became a golden streak, racing forward.

The three old women’s eyes burned with intensified killing intent.

The course of events had completely slipped beyond their control.

At this moment, they had no time to care for Xuan You Immortal Lady’s condition—only one thought remained: Zhou Qing must not escape.

“Kill!” They exchanged glances, a flicker of resolve in their eyes, then charged after Zhou Qing without hesitation.

But Zhou Qing’s Jin Peng form was astonishingly swift—even all three of them pushing to their limits could not close the distance in this brief time.

Fortunately, they had already sent a message via their transmission tokens to the Boundary Elder at the mountain gate, ordering him to seal the barrier.

Thus, if they trapped Zhou Qing inside the gate, they could catch him like a fish in a barrel.

"Think you can escape? Not so easily!" An old woman roared, suddenly producing an ancient, plain alms bowl.

She gripped the bowl with both hands, raised a bone hammer, and struck it hard.

Dong!

With each strike, a visible ripple expanded outward from the bowl.

Wherever it passed, space twisted, and all motion slowed.

Zhou Qing’s eyes widened—he was instantly reminded of Third Senior Brother’s “Tui Tui Tui” drum.

No time to think—he rapidly formed hand seals.

Instantly, a massive Jin Wu materialized, wreathed in golden flames, let out a piercing cry, and surged backward with unbearable heat.

Upon contact with the ripple, it detonated.

A powerful energy wave erupted, shaking the surrounding air.

Zhou Qing used the blast’s thrust to accelerate further.

Soon, Zhou Qing finally saw the silhouette of Qingyu Immortal Sect’s Outer Sect mountain gate—and the slowly closing protective barrier.

At that moment, the white-robed man raised his hand and struck the gatekeeper, sending him flying, then vanished himself.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing’s eyes lit with surprise—he pushed his spiritual power to its limit, instantly shifting into Jin Peng’s second form.

Now, golden light blazed from his entire body; he drew his wings tightly inward, becoming a golden lightning bolt aimed straight at the gate.

“Stop him! Absolutely no letting him out!”

Seeing this, the three old women turned ashen, their eyes filled with terror and despair.

They accelerated, launching every possible interception technique at Zhou Qing without restraint.

Zhou Qing ignored them entirely—his eyes fixed only on the closing gate.

In the instant before the gate sealed completely, Zhou Qing gave everything—he slammed his wings downward, unleashing a violent hurricane, and shot out at unmatched speed.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed as Zhou Qing’s body slammed violently into the mountain gate.

Instantly, the gate’s defense array flickered wildly, trembling violently, shaking the entire structure.

Thud—

Outside the gate, Zhou Qing, moving too fast, crashed uncontrollably into a mountain peak, leaving a human-shaped depression.

Rocks rained down; Zhou Qing spat out a mouthful of blood.

But as he stared at the now fully sealed gate, a flicker of relief crossed his eyes—followed by torrents of rage.

“Almost got trapped here—Qingyu Immortal Sect, the humiliation I suffered today, I, Zhou Qing, will repay a thousandfold!”

Zhou Qing’s killing intent surged; he wiped blood from his lips and fled at top speed.

“Hurry, hurry!”

The old women arrived at the gate, saw the array sealed, and panicked—they immediately reactivated it.

But reactivating the defense array required at least ten breaths.

That time was more than enough for Zhou Qing to vanish without a trace.

Xuan You Immortal Lady finally arrived.

She stared helplessly at the sealed gate and the disciples peeking out from every corner—a deep sense of powerlessness washed over her.

“This is over…”

…

Taiqingmen!

Soul Lamp Tower!

When Jiang Pu Elder saw the soul lamp of Li Bin, Director of the Spirit Field Bureau, extinguish, he snapped open his eyes, disbelief flooding his gaze.

Without time to think, he urgently contacted Sect Master Cao Zhengyang.

At that moment, Cao Zhengyang and the three Supreme Elders, along with multiple Peak Masters, were excitedly arranging the dual-colored array Zhou Qing had crafted.

Upon receiving Jiang Pu’s message, Cao Zhengyang froze instantly.

“Impossible? Are you certain?” Cao Zhengyang immediately sent a message back.

Soon, Jiang Pu replied with absolute certainty.

“What’s wrong?” Master Tong Min of Jade Clear Peak asked.

Cao Zhengyang frowned; his good mood vanished instantly. He looked at the group and said gravely: “Li Bin is dead.”

“Impossible! I saw him return just days ago—how could he suddenly die?” Master Ling Yuexiao of Hundred Battles Peak retorted immediately.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

Ling Yuexiao added firmly: “Definitely true—he went to Qingmu City to handle affairs and returned the very night Zhou Qing emerged from seclusion. I even greeted him then.”

The group exchanged glances.

Li Bin was a mid-stage Soul Transformation powerhouse, holding the critical position of Director of the Spirit Field Bureau, overseeing Taiqingmen’s entire food supply.

He had clearly returned to the sect—why then had his soul lamp gone out?

Could it be internal—

At this thought, Cao Zhengyang lost all interest in arranging the array. He immediately sent a message via token to Li Bin—but received no reply.

“This is truly bad.”

Currently, six peak masters are fully secluded, striving to break through to the peak of Soul Transformation, while one Supreme Elder is refining the Nine You Lotus Seed, bearing everyone’s hopes.

With a threat lurking within the sect—someone capable of silently slaying a Soul Transformation cultivator—the gravity of the situation is clear.

Cao Zhengyang instantly transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Spirit Field Office.

The others also sprang into action, investigating everyone Li Bin had met and every place he had visited since his return.

Including whether anyone had sensed any fluctuations in spiritual energy.

Half an hour later, Tong Min arrived with Elder Wu Zhu, their faces filled with terror, finding Cao Zhengyang just stepping out of the Spirit Field Office.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing their unnatural expressions, Cao Zhengyang’s heart sank sharply, a dreadful premonition surging into his mind.

DONG! DONG! DONG…

Soon after, a series of urgent, thunderous bell tolls suddenly echoed across heaven and earth.

Disciples immersed in cultivation were startled awake, instinctively halting their practice, raising their heads, and staring in shock toward the source of the sound.

When the ninth bell toll rang, their faces turned pale with horror.

During the last great war among the five sects, when Qingyu Immortal Sect sent messengers for aid, only eight tolls had sounded.

Nine tolls had never been rung before—because that bell signaled a crisis threatening the sect’s very survival.

In an instant, countless disciples sprang into motion.

At the same time, a deep, commanding voice rang out across the entire Taiqingmen.

“All disciples, listen! Our junior sect master, Zhou Qing, departed four days ago with Spirit Field Office director Li Bin. His route is unknown, and he remains missing.”

“Just now, Li Bin’s soul lamp has gone out—he is dead.”

“All disciples, immediately enter battle readiness. Follow your peak master’s orders—or act independently—to search for Zhou Qing and Li Bin.”

“Any useful lead will be rewarded handsomely!”

Upon hearing Sect Master Cao Zhengyang’s words, everyone’s faces filled with disbelief.

The five-sect war had barely ended—could another war be starting already?

Who dared be so bold as to target our junior sect master?

And Li Bin was the director of the Spirit Field Office—a true mid-stage Soul Transformation powerhouse—how could he die so inexplicably?

In an instant, many disciples abandoned all caution, leaping into the air as streaks of light, racing toward the mountain gate.

Yan Xiaohu, who had been discussing business matters with Niu Guangmo, now turned pale.

Fourth brother had just come out of seclusion—when did he leave again?

Remember, there are no soul lamps for our Xiao Ling Peak members in the Soul Lamp Tower.

“What are you standing around for? Go find him now!” Yan Xiaohu, frantic, gave quick orders and sprinted toward Zhou Qing’s residence.

Alas, outside the courtyard, only a leisurely wandering old hen remained—no other trace.

As he turned, he saw Lu Yaoyao, face anxious, landing swiftly on her sword.

"Isn't Senior Brother Zhou here? When did he leave?" Lu Yaoyao asked urgently.

Yan Xiaohu shook his head repeatedly, face filled with worry: “I don’t know—he didn’t tell me anything.”

They quickly sent messages via their communication tokens—no reply came.

Probably too far—the message couldn’t reach.

“Go!”

Yan Xiaohu hurriedly called to Lu Yaoyao, and they swiftly departed Xiao Ling Peak.

…

Now outside Qingyu Immortal Sect’s mountain gate, Zhou Qing pushed himself to his limit, fleeing at top speed.

Soon, he received another voice message from the white-robed man.

After brief hesitation, he immediately changed direction.

He landed in a quiet valley, where the white-robed man stood calmly with his hands behind his back, as if gazing upward in admiration.

As soon as Zhou Qing landed, he swiftly pulled out a pill, swallowed it, and activated the Yin-Yang Scripture, rapidly absorbing its power.

“When did you return from Haomiao Mansion?” Zhou Qing asked while healing.

The white-robed man replied calmly: “A few days—about the same time as you.”

Zhou Qing glanced at the man’s head—no annotation of 【Fish】 from Sikong Yan—his guess was wrong; the two had no connection.

But—

Zhou Qing stared at him, silently thinking: “Bind Lin Jin!”

Instantly, the original 【???】 above the man’s head began to be replaced by two golden annotations—【Weird】.

Zhou Qing was stunned.

Was he seen as a weird person?

What kind of bizarre perception was this?

Yet faced with such an annotation, he couldn’t fathom the man’s true intentions.

“Thank you sincerely,” Zhou Qing said.

The white-robed man waved his hand: “You did it all yourself—I barely lifted a finger.”

“Merely drawing attention and blocking attacks—those two alone mean I owe you a debt,” Zhou Qing said seriously.

The white-robed man replied flatly: “You owe me nothing. We’re merely trading.”

Zhou Qing nodded: “The ‘Unlucky Sticker’ is extremely complex to craft, and its materials are scarce. I can’t guarantee when I’ll finish it—but if I do, I’ll deliver it to you immediately.”

“No rush. Are you Sanhua Juding?” the white-robed man asked curiously.

Zhou Qing’s heart leapt—but he burst into loud laughter, raising his hand solemnly: “I, Zhou Qing, swear by the Dao of Heaven: if I am Sanhua Juding, my cultivation will never advance again.”

The white-robed man was taken aback by Zhou Qing’s directness.

Zhou Qing muttered curses: “Who knows what those women were thinking—calling me Sanhua Juding, saying I need healing? I think they just want to steal my virginity.”

The white-robed man’s lips curled slightly into a faint smile, teasing: “You do have a very fair complexion, I must say.”

“I’m not some pretty boy!” Zhou Qing shot back.

The white-robed man turned and walked away: “I’ll find you when you’ve finished it.”

Zhou Qing watched his retreating back, frowning slightly.

“Binding successful—it really is Lin Jin. This Consort Chen has given the current emperor a green hat!”

Zhou Qing clicked his tongue.

But according to Ba Wei Lu Yuanjiu, Lin Jin had once sacrificed himself to give Consort Chen a way out of certain death.

Now it seemed he hadn’t died—he’d survived through sheer willpower.

Too bad, fate is fickle; all past things have changed beyond recognition.

Consort Chen had married the current emperor and given birth to a daughter, Xuan Yuan Muqian.

That’s why he hadn’t recognized her that night at the academy—he’d likely been heartbroken.

For a moment, Zhou Qing felt a pang of sympathy for him.

But he quickly shoved those gossip thoughts aside—right now, his priority was returning to the sect as fast as possible.

“Qingyu Immortal Sect has space ships—if I head straight for the sect, they’ll likely intercept me mid-journey, trapping me in a dead end.”

Zhou Qing frowned, lost in thought.

Relations among the five sects of Lingyun Prefecture’s eastern region were tangled, deeply intertwined, with spies everywhere.

Especially Li Bin’s case—utterly unexpected.

Who could have imagined that the director of Taiqingmen’s Spirit Field Office, holding such a high position, was a Qingyu Immortal Sect plant?

But now that he’d transformed into Jin Peng and loudly declared his identity, news of his escape would soon spread to other sects.

“Master’s uncle should have received word that I escaped!” Zhou Qing felt slightly reassured.

After careful thought, he decided to take a detour—safer that way.

Once his body had recovered sufficiently, Zhou Qing wasted no time and set off immediately.

But he hadn’t expected that less than half an hour later, while rushing forward, he suddenly spotted a blurred figure speeding toward him at incredible velocity.

“It’s her!” When he recognized the old woman’s face, Zhou Qing’s eyes instantly flooded with killing intent.

Ji Xuan, Supreme Elder of Qingyu Immortal Sect—the same one who killed the discarded pawn, Li Bin.

She must have taken Li Bin’s corpse to mislead Taiqingmen—yet now she’d returned, and they’d crossed paths.

“After being humiliated like this, I won’t slink away quietly—that’s not my style!”

Zhou Qing hardened his resolve, eyes filled with determination and ruthlessness.

“Even if I can’t kill you, I’ll tear off a piece of your flesh!”

Thinking this, Zhou Qing silently landed, tore his clothes, smeared them with blood, then collapsed onto the ground as if gravely wounded and unconscious.

Meanwhile, Ji Xuan was frantic, flying swiftly while constantly extending her spiritual sense, frantically scanning the surroundings.

Halfway there, she received an urgent message from the sect master, ordering her to return immediately.

“What the hell? How did a living man vanish right before everyone’s eyes? Are you all idiots?”

Ji Xuan cursed inwardly but didn’t slow down.

SHOO!

Lying on the ground, Zhou Qing watched as she flew directly overhead—her spiritual sense swept over him fully, yet she noticed nothing.

Zhou Qing was speechless—she’d completely ignored him.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing gritted his teeth and shouted to the heavens: “I, Zhou Qing, swear eternal enmity with Qingyu Immortal Sect!”

As expected, Ji Xuan, still muttering curses, froze mid-flight—her eyes instantly flashed with delight.

“No way—”

She muttered in disbelief, then shot downward.

Soon, she followed the sound and saw Zhou Qing lying prone on the ground, his aura dim and motionless.

“They actually fought!” Ji Xuan saw this and felt great joy within.

A mere Nascent Soul beginner escaping from Qingyu Immortal Sect—admittedly, he has some skill.

But that’s all he has.

Until she reached Zhou Qing’s side, Ji Xuan could no longer hold back her loud laughter.

“Run, keep running! See where you can flee today!” Ji Xuan extended her foot and kicked Zhou Qing hard.

Just as she reached for her identity token to contact her sect, she suddenly remembered Zhou Qing’s Golden Peng Legacy, and a flicker of greed passed through her eyes.

She hastily reached out to search through Zhou Qing’s storage bag.

At that moment, Zhou Qing’s tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, a flash of cold light in them.

The Broken Wound in his right hand slashed toward Ji Xuan with lightning speed.

This happened far too quickly—Ji Xuan had no time to react; Broken Wound pierced straight through her abdomen.

She cried out in shock and instantly recoiled backward.

Seizing this chance, Zhou Qing pushed off the ground with both feet and bolted forward at full speed.

He then transformed into the second form of the Golden Peng true body and shot toward the sky, swiftly putting considerable distance between himself and Ji Xuan.

“At your age, still so greedy? Your Nascent Soul awareness must have been eaten by dogs.”

Zhou Qing laughed loudly in midair, dripping with mockery.

He could fight across realms, but he was far from arrogant enough to clash to the death with a Nascent Soul peak cultivator.

Besides, this place was too close to Qingyu Immortal Sect—any misstep and reinforcements would arrive.

Having finished laughing, he did not linger, flapped his wings harder, and fled at top speed toward the distance.

Watching Zhou Qing strike and immediately retreat, Ji Xuan trembled with rage.

For so many years, she had always been the one scheming against others—never had she imagined today that a Nascent Soul beginner would trick her and inflict such a heavy loss.

“I’ve hunted geese all my life, yet today I’ve been pecked in the eye—this is utter humiliation!”

Ji Xuan snarled through gritted teeth.

(End of Chapter)