Chapter 294: Sis, Let Me Explain—It

“Good. Be careful on the road. Once you reach the border, don’t get too close to Xuan Yuan Shuo and those imperial family members!” Mo Xingjian warned.

Zhou Qing nodded and quickly asked, “Has my uncle not returned yet?”

Mo Xingjian shook his head. “The journey to Lingyun Mansion is far—round trip takes at least half a year.”

“If any items on your list are missing, the delay will only grow longer.”

“But don’t worry—I sent your Master Tong Min to Lingyun Mansion to meet you a few days ago.”

“The sect has more matters ahead. If he lingers there any longer, it won’t do.”

Before he finished speaking, two streaks of light shot through the sky.

Ling Yuexiao, peak master of Bai Zhan Peak, and Ruan Mingxiu, peak master of Yunyin Peak, landed with anxious expressions.

Mo Xingjian frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Ling Yuexiao immediately pulled out an image stone. After activating it, the scene showed corpses strewn everywhere, limbs and severed body parts scattered across the ground.

The corpses’ condition matched exactly the carnage caused by the dried corpse driven out by Tianji Sect.

But judging by their attire, they belonged to various major and minor sects.

“Did Jin Leizong do this?” Mo Xingjian’s pupils shrank sharply.

Ling Yuexiao’s voice was hoarse. “In just five days, six sects have been wiped out—every last person, every dog and chicken.”

“Among them was Yangyang Sect, once a vassal of Tianji Sect, who recently offered us a top-grade fire spirit stone seeking protection.”

Ruan Mingxiu added, “Wang Shixiong, who stayed behind at Tianji Sect, investigated and found traces of arrays surrounding every destroyed sect’s mountain gate.”

Zhou Qing’s expression turned grim. “So they were trapped inside the arrays, slaughtered like fish in a barrel.”

Both nodded simultaneously. “Just as we suspected, Brother Mo—what do we do now?”

Mo Xingjian rubbed his chin, silent for a long while before speaking slowly.

“When we first went to war with Tianji Sect, we publicly claimed it was because they controlled dried corpses, slaughtered our mine disciples, and tried to cover it up.”

“That excuse was weak to begin with, and many outsiders questioned it—but back then, the situation was urgent, and we had no time to explain further.”

“Yet we’ve never formally confronted them about Jin Leizong’s midnight transport of coffins, or the image stones left behind by Tian Shu Zi and Ling Xu Zi.”

Mo Xingjian’s gaze burned. “In other words, Lei Wuji and the others don’t know we’ve already discovered the desert cave.”

“Even when Shen Yunzhou accidentally stumbled in, he couldn’t penetrate the core. And the self-destruct array Jin Leizong left behind nearly buried us all alive.”

Ling Yuexiao frowned deeply, his voice heavy with concern. “That’s right. My younger brother is worried—the dried corpse from Tianji Sect is currently locked with Ling Xu Zi and the others, guarded by several uncles.”

“But we’ve surveyed that cave—fifteen octagonal altars, each bearing the imprint of eight coffins.”

“Excluding the one that escaped, that means Jin Leizong controls at least one hundred and nineteen dried corpses!”

Ruan Mingxiu nodded solemnly. “Though ancient, these dried corpses evolve rapidly. But based on our study of the one we’ve seen, their upper limit is only Nascent Soul realm.”

“If we were facing a hundred mindless Nascent Soul dried corpses, it’d be a mere slap away.”

“But what if the ones behind these sect massacres aren’t them at all?”

Mo Xingjian fell silent, but his mind returned to the image stone Tian Hong had brought when pretending to defect—the terrifying figure of Lei Wuji captured within.

Worse still, according to Ling Xu Zi and Tian Shu Zi’s confessions, the corpse-cultivation manual left by Shi Yin Sect in the cave had been altered.

It had been twisted from a dangerous forbidden art into a “shortcut” to break through the Severing Spirit realm, successfully misleading Lei Wuji down a false path.

“Lei Wuji probably believes that false method wholeheartedly—that’s why he’s turned into that monstrous thing,” Ling Yuexiao said, voice filled with dread.

Ruan Mingxiu’s face darkened. “Only someone who can set up such a meticulous array—surrounding every destroyed sect completely, then erasing all traces—could be behind this. Jin Leizong is clearly aiding the devil!”

He paused, sighed.

“Though the chaos hasn’t reached us yet, rumors have spread. People say we’re untrustworthy, that we’re settling scores with sects once loyal to Tianji Sect.”

“Minor sects are terrified. Many who already paid spirit stones have brought even more lavish gifts, begging us to spare them.”

Hearing this, Mo Xingjian’s expression grew grave.

Was Jin Leizong doing this deliberately—or by accident?

After a brief thought, he immediately devised a response.

“Only a dozen sects have paid top-grade spirit stones for protection. The rest still cling to the hope that ‘the law won’t punish the many,’ hiding in shadows, watching.”

Mo Xingjian lightly tapped the image stone with his fingertip. “As for these rumors, nine out of ten are deliberately spread by these people, trying to stir up the calm we’ve just achieved.”

Hearing Mo Xingjian’s analysis, both men’s eyes lit up.

“Brother Mo, you mean—”

They turned to Mo Xingjian.

“Taiqingmen has always upheld a promise worth a thousand gold,” Mo Xingjian snorted, sweeping his sleeve sharply.

"If we collect protection fees, we must guarantee their safety. As for those clinging to luck—mere clowns. They can't stir up any storm."

He pulled out a map, studied it carefully. “As I suspected, Jin Leizong’s secret sect-destroying campaign was just an accident—they stumbled upon Yangyang Sect by chance, collateral damage.”

“They know full well this isn’t the time to confront us directly, so they’re avoiding us.”

Mo Xingjian analyzed the locations of the destroyed sects.

“Brothers, compile a list of all sects who paid spirit stones. Send twenty Taiqingmen disciples to each.”

“But don’t enter their sects—just camp outside the mountain gates, and plant our Taiqingmen banners.”

“If Jin Leizong is wise, they’ll know these places are now under Taiqingmen’s protection.”

“If they still ignore it, don’t blame us for going hard on them!”

Both men bowed in unison. “Yes, Master!”

This strategy was a threefold strike: it intimidated Jin Leizong, solidified the loyalty of minor sects, and made the rumors collapse on their own.

It might even draw more powers rushing to pay tribute.

The two hurried to the teleportation array and headed straight for Tianji Sect.

Only then did Mo Xingjian turn his gaze to Zhou Qing, who had remained silent. “You look like you have something to say. Do you have doubts?”

“I’m confused,” Zhou Qing stepped forward, his expression grave. “The destroyed sects had thousands, even tens of thousands of disciples. This clearly wasn’t the work of dried corpses.”

“Such massive amounts of blood essence drained—I fear Lei Wuji—”

Hearing Zhou Qing’s words, Mo Xingjian nodded solemnly.

“Lei Wuji may have been trapped in a scheme, but he did use this opportunity to break through to Nascent Soul realm’s peak.”

“Now Jin Leizong is fully aiding him in slaughtering innocents. I worry they’ve accidentally stumbled upon a real shortcut.”

Mo Xingjian’s gaze turned icy. “For now, we can remain unscathed—but if we let this continue, this fire will eventually burn down on Taiqingmen.”

Zhou Qing deeply agreed.

Though countless cities remain, most of their inhabitants are mortals.

And Jin Leizong dares not touch the imperial throne’s foundation—otherwise, the consequences would be dire.

Only remote sects, far from civilization, are their targets for slaughter.

“Forget it. Don’t trouble yourself with this. Wait until your uncle returns, then we’ll deliberate further,” Mo Xingjian patted Zhou Qing’s shoulder.

Zhou Qing thought for a moment, asked his master for the names of the destroyed sects, then went to find Shen Huangmao.

During Zhou Qing’s cultivation seclusion, Shen Yunzhou had returned to the desert cave, hoping to find leftover corpse fluid—but found nothing.

Zhou Qing actually felt a pang of guilt.

After all, his rise to become the Buddha Child’s “big dad” was largely thanks to Shen’s push.

Moreover, his understanding of the third Feng Dao pattern was greatly aided by the several wood spirit stones Shen had traveled far to deliver.

When he reached the VIP residence area, he heard Lu Yaoyao’s bright laughter echoing from within.

Zhou Qing halted, a frown forming.

When did these two become so close?

Entering, he saw Shen Yunzhou gesturing animatedly by the lake pavilion, while Lu Yaoyao laughed until she couldn’t straighten up, tears in her eyes.

“My big sister’s embarrassing stories are endless—you wouldn’t believe it. Once I sneaked into Grandpa’s place, intending to…” “Oh, Brother Zhou!”

Seeing Zhou Qing, Shen Yunzhou waved enthusiastically.

Lu Yaoyao jumped up, still with tears of laughter in her eyes. “Brother Zhou, come quick! You won’t believe how funny Sister Shen was as a child!”

Zhou Qing looked helplessly at Shen Huangmao—you’ve completely exposed your sister’s secrets. Be careful—she finds out, she’ll hang you up and lock you in the dark room again.

But then his expression sharpened. He immediately turned to look behind them and bowed. “Senior Shen Hanyi, when did you arrive? You didn’t even announce yourself.”

At these words, Shen Yunzhou’s smile froze. His throat bobbed violently. He turned stiffly, his legs trembling.

“Sis, let me explain… it’s not what you think—”

When he turned fully, there was no one behind him.

Zhou Qing couldn’t hold back his laughter, pointing at Shen Yunzhou as he shook. “Brother Shen! With your courage, you dare gossip about your sister behind her back?”

Lu Yaoyao burst out laughing too, then realized it was inappropriate.

After all, she’d been the one to ask about Third Mom—she quickly covered her mouth, but her shoulders still trembled with suppressed giggles.

Shen Yunzhou’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment. He immediately stuck his hands on his hips, stood tall, and let out a loud, snorting huff.

“Do you think I don’t know if my sister’s here? I was just teasing Little Lu to cheer her up!”

Shen Yunzhou forced his defense, but his eyes darted away, avoiding Zhou Qing’s half-smiling gaze.

“I’m the Shit Emperor—the one who crushes all enemies!”

“When I was little, I couldn’t beat my sister. Now, let her lower her cultivation to Soul Transformation realm and try!”

Shen Yunzhou shouted, face red.

Zhou Qing said, “I believe it. I noticed your sister likes white robes. When you unleash your realm, just splash a few yellow spots on her—she’ll flee in panic.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou shuddered involuntarily.

Because he’d actually tried it.

But the result nearly left him crippled, and he was locked in the black cell for two full years.

Seeing Shen Yunzhou’s face flushed red as if about to smoke, Zhou Qing cleared his throat and changed the subject: “Enough, enough. Stop standing there—come with me somewhere!”

“Where?” Shen Yunzhou, still dazed from embarrassment, asked instinctively.

Zhou Qing tossed him the image stone and said, “Six sects have been wiped out. This might help you.”

Shen Yunzhou swiftly scanned the images, his pupils contracting sharply, eyes instantly alight with excitement.

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously: “You didn’t do this with that dried corpse, did you?”

“Brother Shen, you’re insulting me,” Zhou Qing’s expression turned solemn, coldness flickering in his eyes. “Would the entire Taiqingmen commit such an act that defies heaven and incites mortal wrath?”

Shen Yunzhou scratched his head sheepishly: “True, true… Could it really be Jin Leizong? These people are too ruthless!”

“Let’s go—I’ll come along to take a look myself!” Zhou Qing turned and walked away.

Shen Yunzhou hurried after him, Lu Yaoyao sprinting behind, all three boarding a flying vessel as it raced toward Yi Yang Sect.

…

The sects Jin Leizong slaughtered this time were scattered in a fan shape, leaving a deathly silence across hundreds of li.

Formerly opportunistic cultivators who preyed on chaos now dared not approach—proof of the massacre’s terrifying Zhensheli .

When Zhou Qing and the others landed, only a handful of Taiqingmen disciples remained to investigate.

“Young Master! Miss Lu!” Dozens of disciples immediately gathered, bowing in unison.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping the crowd—he immediately noticed a dozen figures with three white rings embroidered on their sleeves.

He remembered his master mentioning that most Tianji Sect disciples had chosen submission, but they were still under evaluation.

Whether they’d be officially accepted depended on their future conduct.

Take these men now: when they saw Zhou Qing, their eyes were filled with fearful submission—yet one man, in the instant he lowered his head, flashed a dark, venomous hatred.

Though fleeting, such a gaze could not fool Zhou Qing—it was an insult to a Soul Transformation cultivator’s spiritual sense.

Zhou Qing glanced at him coolly, then pointed: “You. Come here.”

The Jin Dan disciple trembled involuntarily, then hurried forward: “Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou!”

*Slap!*

Before he finished speaking, a Taiqingmen disciple slapped him hard on the back of the head.

“How dare you call him Senior Brother Zhou? No manners—call him Young Master!”

The man staggered, barely avoiding falling, yet dared not show a trace of resentment—he bowed again.

This time his voice was deliberately soft and pleading: “Y-Young Master, forgive me! Your humble disciple spoke without thinking—I beg Your Young Master’s mercy.”

Zhou Qing suddenly smiled warmly—yet it sent chills down their spines. “Don’t be nervous.”

He stepped forward, patted the man’s shoulder: “Since you’re here, you might as well show us around. You know this place well, right?”

The man froze for a moment, then quickly recovered: “Yes, Young Master!”

Zhou Qing then turned to the others: “You don’t need to enter—don’t risk destroying any clues.”

“Yes!” They bowed in perfect unison.

The Jin Dan disciple immediately stepped aside, forcing a servile smile: “Young Master, please.”

“I can’t take it anymore—this stench is too intoxicating. I’m going in first!”

With that, Shen Yunzhou pulled out his dung beetle pet and rushed inside without hesitation.

Lu Yaoyao glanced at Zhou Qing, puzzled, but said nothing—only wrinkled her nose slightly.

As the two entered, a thick, nauseating stench engulfed them, making it hard to breathe.

Everywhere, mangled corpses lay scattered, blood long dried, the air thick with death.

Strangely, the buildings remained nearly intact, with no signs of destruction, and no traces of lightning remained on the bodies.

Clearly, Jin Leizong had covered their tracks perfectly—such meticulous cruelty sent a chill through the bones.

“Young Master, be careful. According to our findings, Yi Yang Sect’s Sect Master was only at the early Soul Transformation stage, and the rest were only Nascent Soul Elders…”

The Jin Dan guide now beamed, eager to explain.

Zhou Qing covered his nose, eyes icy—then suddenly asked: “You hate me, don’t you?”

“W-what?” The man’s voice trembled, his smile froze, his body shaking.

Zhou Qing suddenly smiled—cold, mocking. “From your perspective, I understand. Though I, Zhou, detest killing innocents—”

Before he finished, a streak of lightning flashed—piercing the man’s forehead instantly.

The man had no time to react—eyes wide, face still twisted in terror—he collapsed straight down.

“I won’t leave myself—or the entire Taiqingmen—any hidden threats,” Zhou Qing said calmly, his eyes utterly still.

He believed there were many others like him.

He hadn’t acted outside because he feared scaring those who truly submitted.

If they misunderstood, it might cause unrest within the sect.

Some things must be resolved slowly—time, to foster adaptation and belonging.

All he could do was crush those with ill intent with absolute authority, and eradicate the rot with thunderous force.

Watching Zhou Qing stride forward with hands clasped behind his back, Lu Yaoyao felt only surprise.

A complex emotion flickered in her eyes, but she asked nothing—only quickened her pace, pinching her nose, following him.

When they reached the sect’s inner grounds, they noticed Shen Yunzhou hovering midair, wreathed in a faint, nauseating aura.

Behind him, a vast, sickly yellow sky churned violently, thick filth writhing like living things.

The foul fluids oozing from the corpses turned into wisps of gray mist, rushing greedily into the sky.

Shen Yunzhou looked utterly blissful.

Seeing this, the two felt their stomachs churn—they hurriedly fled.

“By the way, have you decided what realm you’ll cultivate next?”

Outside, Zhou Qing gasped for breath, turning to Lu Yaoyao, eyes weary.

Lu Yaoyao’s face was pale, her stomach still churning; she wiped acid from her lips.

“I’ll never cultivate an aura as disgusting as Uncle… Brother Shen’s.”

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, helplessly: “Good. After a few sparring matches with Li Hanshan, his psychological trauma was severe—he’s been pretending to be in seclusion, refusing to ever meet him again.”

Lu Yaoyao nodded lightly, then gazed at the corpses, brows furrowed, voice filled with doubt:

“Senior Brother Zhou, do you really think Jin Leizong did this? Don’t they fear heavenly retribution?”

Zhou Qing’s eyes darkened. “Heavenly retribution? After the Battle of Canglan Mountain, nearly all the elites of the Eastern Region were dragged into the abyss. If Sikong Yan feared retribution, he’d have died hundreds of times over.”

Yet even as he spoke, Zhou Qing’s eyes were filled with worry.

…

Meanwhile, along a stretch of border wall!

Yan Sen’s fingertip pressed against Jiangpo Army’s forehead, black mist coiling around it, emitting a shrill, metallic hum.

Jiangpo Army’s pupils shrank, eyes rolled back, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

Moments later, Yan Sen released his grip—Jiangpo Army collapsed like mud from midair.

*Thud!* He landed on a pile of Longxiang Army corpses, kicking up dust.

Yan Sen licked his lips, eyes gleaming with excitement, like a wolf scenting prey.

“I assumed Shen Hanyi leading them across the border to that island would draw attention—but I didn’t expect Zhou Qing to be so famous.”

Yan Sen muttered low, a glint of greed in his eyes.

“Just randomly grabbing one person yields useful clues—Lingyun Prefecture, Eastern Region, Taiqingmen. Good, good, good!”

Yan Sen said “good” three times, a smug grin spreading across his face.

He glanced sidelong at the empty air, then swiftly pulled out a flying vessel, vanished in a flash.

Moments later, Xuan Yuan Shuo stepped slowly from the same void, hands clasped behind his back.

His gaze, sharp as an eagle’s, locked onto Yan Sen’s departing trail—brows knotted, face grim.

“Mid-Stage Severing Spirit—likely an outsider. Right now, I’m fully occupied refining the Tiger Emperor—I have no time to fight someone like him!”

Xuan Yuan Shuo murmured, voice tinged with helplessness.

Then he glanced down at the unconscious Jiangpo Army, and waved his hand lightly.

A spiritual energy chain shot out like a living serpent, wrapping precisely around Jiangpo Army’s ankle, then yanked—dragging him into the air, hovering before him.

Watching Jiangpo Army’s contorted face, drool and blood dripping from his lips, Xuan Yuan Shuo sighed.

A flicker of pity crossed his eyes: “To be soul-searched so brutally by a Severing Spirit cultivator—he’s finished for life.”

“I hope there’s still a chance to save him,” Xuan Yuan Shuo murmured.

With that, he turned, carrying Jiangpo Army’s body into the void—vanished in an instant.

…

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao waited two full days at Yi Yang Sect before Shen Yunzhou finally stepped out, licking his lips, from the stench-filled depths.

A faint, lingering aura of filth clung to him.

“Full?” Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow.

Shen Yunzhou nodded vigorously, then shook his head frantically: “Don’t phrase it like that—this isn’t eating, this is cultivating an insight!”

“Fine, fine—cultivating an insight.” Zhou Qing didn’t argue, urging: “Next one—hurry up, I’ve other matters.”

Zhou Qing led Shen Yunzhou and Lu Yaoyao toward the next crime scene.

…

(End of Chapter)