Chapter 245: The Road to Li Changsheng Is Long, Time Is Like a Heavenly Blade

Red blood stains the demon in the fire, how can one escape when the killing intent suddenly rises?

In the vast night, that flash of fire was like a knife, that red blood was fluttering, and in an instant, beauty was destroyed.

The beauty who was still fresh and charming just a moment ago, suddenly, her head was thrown high, her wide-open eyes filled with boundless terror. However, this brilliance lasted less than a moment before that beauty's head exploded in Li Kongxing's shocked gaze.

Hum...

Zhang Fan reached out his hand and grabbed a soul aspect alive from the dissipating embers of the true fire.

"Kongxing, save me."

Liu Piaopiao's soul aspect roared in terror. Her original body was a long snake, currently coiled in a ball, held in Zhang Fan's palm.

"Who exactly are you? Let her go," Li Kongxing roared in a low voice.

"You haven't told me yet, how does he taste?"

Zhang Fan seemed not to hear, holding that soul aspect, and knocked it in front of the incomplete corpse of the Black Rat.

"No... not..."

Liu Piaopiao's soul aspect trembled, already completely dominated by fear.

She didn't expect that the young man who suddenly appeared before her was so terrifying. On Li Kongxing's territory, without a word, he used killing methods. In an instant, he destroyed her body, imprisoned her soul aspect, and she was caught between life and death, unable to control herself.

Such methods, appearing in the hands of such a young man, even though she had been a demon for many years, she couldn't help but lose her composure at this moment.

"If you don't speak, then go die."

Zhang Fan didn't even look, his five fingers crossed, true fire surged, like rolling heavenly thunder, vast and drowning.

"I'll speak..."

Liu Piaopiao's soul aspect hurriedly shouted, but Zhang Fan didn't leave her any way out. True fire burned, and in an instant, it burned the soul aspect to ashes, turning it into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating.

"Young man, who exactly are you? Daring to break into a private residence and kill people publicly?"

Li Kongxing calmed down, his gaze fixed on Zhang Fan without blinking.

He could naturally see that the young man's methods just now were Daoist true fire, the orthodox profound gate.

Being able to kill Liu Piaopiao in an instant, such methods were naturally not those of a weakling.

"Killing? If I kill a person, what did you kill?" Zhang Fan sneered, his cold gaze looking at the incomplete corpse of the Black Rat.

"I am killing a demon."

As he spoke, Zhang Fan stepped directly on the remains of Liu Piaopiao lying in a pool of blood and walked toward Li Kongxing.

"If you want to run wild, you should see what kind of place this is."

Just at this moment, Li Kongxing gave a violent shout. With a wave of his hand, black smoke surged from his cuffs, like a poisonous snake, pouncing toward Zhang Fan.

In an instant, a pungent, fishy smell permeated the courtyard. The surrounding soil turned scorched black, and the withered yellow grass rotted away.

Spirit Snake Spitting Pearl, Poison Smoke Forming Miasma.

This 【Spirit Snake Miasma】 was refined by Li Kongxing from the essence extracted from the other party's inner alchemy during his profound cultivation with Liu Piaopiao.

Once it enters the body, it can infect the soul aspect, muddy the five internal organs and six bowels, and even with high merit cultivation, one would instantly retreat and become a useless person.

Such power was Li Kongxing's biggest trump card, and except for harming people on ordinary days, he rarely used it.

Just now, Zhang Fan had taken the lead and had already shocked Li Kongxing, so he didn't leave any room and went all out.

Hum...

The Spirit Snake Miasma dispersed in the air, leaving no trace. The next moment, it gathered again in front of Zhang Fan, black light like stars, directly drilling into the center of his brow and spirit platform.

"Young man, your Dao practice is still a bit green," Li Kongxing saw this and couldn't help but sneer.

However, Zhang Fan's footsteps did not hesitate at all, still vigorous, and in the blink of an eye, he had approached within ten steps.

"See a ghost, why are you completely fine?"

Li Kongxing's eyes widened, simply unable to believe it.

The Spirit Snake Miasma entered the body, yet he is actually unscathed?

You must know, this kind of power is something even a master at the High Merit Realm cannot withstand, especially the soul-aspect; once infected by that poisonous miasma, one's entire cultivation is considered ruined.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Fan let out a cold snort, and from his mouth and nose, he expelled a mass of black Qi—it was precisely that constantly wriggling Spirit Snake Miasma.

Never mind that he is at the Great Being Realm; even if he were still at the High Merit Realm, given the strength of his soul-aspect and the wonder of his cinnabar arts, he would have no fear of this technique at all.

Boom—

Zhang Fan raised and lowered his large hand, directly imprisoning that mass of Spirit Snake Miasma between his five fingers.

This mind-boggling scene left Li Kongxing staring in dumbstruck silence.

He had never imagined that someone could forcefully resist his Spirit Snake Miasma and remain unscathed; not only that, but the other party was actually able to forcibly restrain this poisonous miasma with a mere flesh-and-blood body.

"You... who exactly are you?"

At this moment, Li Kongxing was finally afraid; his voice could not stop trembling.

If the young man before him were only a sliver stronger than him, perhaps he would not have ended up like this.

However, the strength Zhang Fan displayed completely overturned his understanding; it was a gap like a chasm, a gap so wide that it was beyond Li Kongxing's ability to comprehend.

Precisely because of this, he truly realized that in front of this young man, he was nothing more than an ant.

"No... don't kill me, she is a demon, she deserves to die, but I am a human..." Li Kongxing said with a trembling voice.

"Do you count as a human?"

Zhang Fan's expression was indifferent; with a wave of his hand, he struck that mass of 【Spirit Snake Miasma】 into Li Kongxing's Spirit Platform.

"You..."

Li Kongxing's eyes widened, and with a startled roar, his soul-aspect suddenly left his body, intending to abandon this physical shell.

Boom—

However, at almost the same moment, Zhang Fan let out a cold snort, and a terrifying pressure crushed down from all directions, directly forcing Li Kongxing's soul-aspect back in.

In front of Zhang Fan, he could not even manage to sacrifice the chariot to save the commander, let alone fight for that sliver of survival.

"Ah, ah, ah..."

Li Kongxing let out a miserable scream; his skin and flesh instantly necrotized and turned pitch black, and immediately after, his body gradually swelled as if being inflated, with foul-smelling pus constantly seeping out.

His aura also gradually withered, and his painful cries were heart-rending, as if coming from purgatory.

The next moment, Li Kongxing's soul-aspect withered slowly like a dying flower.

His body turned into a pool of pus, flowing wantonly within the cold, small courtyard.

"Truly a fine Daoist technique," Zhang Fan said expressionlessly.

The moonlight was full, the night was long, and the quiet little courtyard returned to silence, with only the stench of blood lingering.

That crimson-black Great Demon Inner Core shimmered with a lustrous glow under the illumination of the moonlight.

"Come out."

Zhang Fan did not look back, stooping to pick up the Great Demon Inner Core from the ground.

From the shadows, Fang Changle walked out, holding the unconscious Shi Shougong in his hands.

Not long after Zhang Fan left, he had followed; just now, he had found the severely injured Shi Shougong in the basement and brought him out.

At this moment, Fang Changle looked at Li Kongxing, who had already turned into a pool of pus, and then looked at the remains of the black rat hanging in mid-air; his gaze narrowed slightly, but he said not a word.

"Old Fang, you shouldn't have come," Zhang Fan whispered in a solemn voice.

"What does this count as?" Fang Changle said lightly. "Dark night, high wind, killing and arson..."

"Don't forget, I am not only a successor of Maoshan, but I have also licked blood from the blade's edge within the Wu Wei Sect."

"Good fellow Daoist."

Zhang Fan was expressionless, looking at the Great Demon Inner Core of the black rat in his hand.

"For a cultivator, this is a sacred item for practice; it gathers the essence within and is comparable to a rare medicinal treasure," Fang Changle said in a low voice.

"Old Fang, this road is truly long..."

Just at this moment, Zhang Fan spoke; he looked at the shimmering Great Demon Inner Core in his hand, his gaze gradually becoming distant.

"What?" Fang Changle was stunned for a moment.

"From ancient times to the present, from emperors and generals down to commoners, how many people have sought that ethereal immortality, but who has truly reached the end of this road?" Zhang Fan murmured softly.

His voice was like a whisper in the wind, his figure like a lonely mountain in the night.

At this moment, Fang Changle looked at Zhang Fan's back, feeling somewhat dazed; he only felt that Zhang Fan had become completely different, a distinct temperament emerging spontaneously, revealing the desolation of heaven and earth, hiding the loneliness of the ages.

The road to immortality is long, time is like a blade, loneliness is like a blade, cutting down commoners without mercy. Looking back, who among fellow Daoists remains, and how many have stepped onto the heavenly bridge?

"Zhang Fan..." "This road is too lonely!"

Zhang Fan whispered, flicking his fingertip, and that crimson-black Great Demon Inner Core disintegrated instantly, turning into specks of fluorescent light that scattered into the mortal world and returned to heaven and earth.

"Let's go," Zhang Fan said lightly.

"Back to Yujing?" Fang Changle asked.

This Li Kongxing was no small character; as a disciple of Qiyun Mountain, he seemingly had some connection to the Qin family, a family of the Xuan Sect. Dying suddenly in his own home would inevitably cause trouble.

Cultivators possess vast power; the deeper their realm, the less they are bound by worldly rules and laws.

Some cultivators even no longer consider themselves human; distinguishing themselves from those commoners, they believe that since they possess extraordinary power, they should possess extraordinary privileges.

It is precisely because of such dangerous thinking that the Daoist Alliance exists.

Even for a cultivator, one cannot kill just anyone; if it is traced back to you, it means endless trouble.

"Go back?" Zhang Fan shook his head. "Isn't there still one more?"

As his voice fell, Zhang Fan raised his hand, and the Crimson Burning True Fire soared into the sky, stirring a dragon's roar; in an instant, it set the entire courtyard ablaze.

Not one mistake, not one word, not one hair, not one content—look at it all!

The night was endless, and this great fire turned half the sky red.

Two-thirty in the morning.

The Qin family mansion.

Qin Shi was woken from his sleep; this young master, who had been pampered since childhood, had not yet had time to throw a tantrum when the news from below hit him like a bucket of cold water, making him instantly sober.

"What? You say Li Kongxing is dead? How is that possible? I just saw him tonight, when did this happen?" Qin Shi roared in disbelief.

Just tonight, just a moment ago, he had seen Li Kongxing; returning from his house, the two had even agreed that once Li Kongxing refined the inner cores of those two demons, they would hold a cinnabar-art party and have fun together.

How could Li Kongxing be gone in the time it took to take a nap? And it happened in his own home, too.

Dark night, high wind, killing and arson.

Whose hands are so dirty, and whose guts are so big!?

"Last night, around eleven o'clock," the person below reported.

Li Kongxing's house caught fire at about that time.

"Around eleven?"

Qin Shi's expression changed abruptly, and he was instantly covered in a cold sweat.

He had left Li Kongxing's house around ten-thirty; it was only about half an hour difference.

Just half an hour later, he might have ended up like Li Kongxing, dying in that courtyard.

"So close, truly so close; the ancestors protected me, the ancestors protected me..."

Qin Shi shivered twice in shock, and then his expression tightened, gradually calming down.

Li Kongxing was a disciple of Qiyun Mountain with no weak cultivation, and this was his own territory; who on earth would dare to kill in his house!?

Qin Shi paced back and forth in the room, suddenly stopping.

"Where is my father?"

Qin Shi's father was the current head of the Qin family, Qin Wangdu.

"The Master is in the reception hall."

As soon as the words fell, Qin Shi rushed out of his room, bypassed the long corridor, passed through the main hall, and arrived at the reception hall tucked away in a corner.

"Father..."

Qin Shi pushed the door open abruptly, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.

Qin Wangdu was sitting in the main seat, his gaze, which commanded respect without anger, sweeping over; to his right sat two young men.

These two were none other than Song Yunqi and Ji Huanshan of the Supernatural Association.

This time, they were here on official business representing the Daoist Alliance Headquarters.

"No manners; who taught you that?" Qin Wangdu raised an eyebrow, showing displeasure, and reprimanded him severely.

"Father, I was wrong, but just now..." Qin Shi lowered his head, but the anxiety in his eyes could not be hidden.

He also knew that these two young men had huge backgrounds, representing the Daoist Alliance in coming to Huizhou Province to investigate the 'Ren Xiao' who had appeared here twenty years ago.

In such an occasion, he should have already withdrawn.

But Li Kongxing's death made him completely unable to sit still; after all, he had a hand in many of that man's dirty deeds. If it were truly a vendetta by an enemy, they might even come looking for him.

If it were an ordinary enemy, Qin Shi would not be afraid; after all, with the prestige and power of his Qin family, as long as it was within Huizhou Province, second or third-rate characters could not really threaten him, the young master of the Qin family.

However, Li Kongxing's death made Qin Shi's nerves completely tense.

You must know, Li Kongxing was no small figure; to be killed in his own home in the dark of night and burned clean by a great fire—if such a maniac really went crazy and ruthless, would they care which family's young master you are?

Precisely because of this, Qin Shi suddenly lost his composure and rushed in, completely forgetting the occasion and the etiquette.

"I already know; Li Kongxing is dead," Qin Wangdu snorted coldly. "Fortunately, the Demon-Revealing Mirror he borrowed from Qiyun Mountain was kept at our Qin family."

"Such scum is better off dead."

"Hmm? Father..." Qin Shi was stunned for a moment, hearing something wrong in the tone.

"You probably don't know yet; quite a few unclean things were found in Li Kongxing's courtyard. He not only colluded with demons and practiced dual cultivation through plucking, but even secretly swallowed and refined soul-aspects..."

"How is this behavior any different from the Wu Wei demons? Such madness is simply a disgrace to our Daoist Sect, and everyone should join in punishing him."

Li Kongxing's courtyard had already been sealed off by the Huizhou Province Daoist Alliance. From the ruins, many skeletons of young girls were dug up, who should have been drained by Li Kongxing's plucking and buried in the basement; besides that, there were jade bottles for sealing soul-aspects and other items.

With dozens of staff members present, such things obviously could not be hidden.

The Huizhou Province Daoist Alliance had already notified Qiyun Mountain, which issued a notice overnight, expelling such scum from the sect and clearing the Daoist ranks.

"You associated with him quite often; did you not discover the tiger-leopard heart of such a person?" Qin Wangdu shouted in a deep voice.

"Father, he hid it too deeply; I didn't expect him to be this kind of person." Qin Shi appeared blank and full of regret.

"Failing to recognize a person is also a great mistake. From today on, you are grounded; you are not allowed to step half a step out of the house. Reflect behind closed doors and see what unclean things you have; otherwise, I will break your legs," Qin Wangdu said severely.

Qin Shi's heart trembled, and understanding the situation, he nodded repeatedly, bowed, and hurriedly retreated.

"The strictness of Senior Qin's family style is truly a model for our Daoist Sect."

Just at this moment, Song Yunqi spoke.

The Qin family was one of the local powers in Huizhou Province, possessing great energy within the Huizhou Province Daoist Alliance, and their ancestors were disciples of Qiyun Mountain who had produced figures at the Three Tian Shi level.

When they arrived, their superiors specifically instructed them to utilize local power and build good relationships with all parties.

"The legacy of the ancestors cannot be ruined by the unworthy descendants. If the family style were not strict, wouldn't everyone become scum like Li Kongxing?"

Qin Wangdu said with heartfelt pain.

"Enough, let's talk about the real business."

"We came this time because we still want to learn more about the Ren Xiao of the previous generation."

Song Yunqi and Ji Huanshan looked at each other before speaking.

"That woman from twenty years ago, I didn't expect her to be the Ren Xiao of the Wu Wei Sect," Qin Wangdu sighed.

"Speaking of which, our Qin family and that woman have a deep vendetta; our most outstanding successor of the Qin family was destroyed at her hands."

Qin Wangsun was hailed as the most outstanding disciple of the Qin family since their ancestor, and was also seen as the one with the most hope of reaching the ancestor's height and attaining the position of Three Tian Shi.

Even Qiyun Mountain had once extended an olive branch to him, bringing him into their sect and accepting him as a direct disciple.

"Back then, that woman ran rampant in Huizhou Province for a time, fighting several battles with my younger brother, with neither side able to win..." A look of reminiscence welled up in Qin Wangdu's eyes.

The Qin Wangsun of those years had talent that crowned half of the Jiangnan region.

The final battle was the most intense; originally, he could have firmly suppressed the other party and taken that woman down.

"But who knew that at this critical moment, someone would kill their way in, not only saving that woman but also destroying my brother's path of cultivation, with his soul-aspect nearly extinguished." Qin Wangdu gritted his teeth, hatred flashing in his eyes.

If not for this calamity, with Qin Wangsun's talent, he would definitely have been able to lead the Qin family to the height of their ancestors.

The position of Three Tian Shi would have returned to the Qin family in this generation.

However, all of this turned to nothing because of that person.

"What person?" Song Yunqi could not help but ask.

Although he was of the younger generation, he had also heard the names of Qin Wangsun mentioned by seniors of the Daoist Alliance Headquarters and the Supernatural Association.

This man was a heaven-favored child who had awakened supernatural powers and could suppress the Ren Xiao of the previous generation; at whose hands could he have been defeated?

"The Great Lingzong King, the Divine Demon Saint Fetus!"

Qin Wangdu gritted his teeth and spat out these eight words, his eyes flashing with bone-deep hatred.

(End of chapter)