Chapter 268: Urgent Killing Intent

Whispers rose and fell among the crowd, unceasing through the night.

Because each person held different information, their discussions varied widely.

Is the killer truly Ji You?

How could a rustic cultivator from the Heavenly Book Academy reach such strength?

Every speculation found believers—and just as many skeptics; in heated arguments, flushed faces were common.

Yet despite differing details and conflicting opinions, one question had been discussed by all.

Why had the killer slaughtered every single Bu family disciple?

The corpses they'd found these past days kept multiplying; soon, all twenty-odd members of the Bu family would be accounted for.

But no one knew the killer's motive or purpose.

Amidst a chorus of bewildered murmurs, the crowd suddenly felt warmth at their waists—they turned to see their sect jade tablets flickering to life one by one…

Inside a tent, Jiang Chenfeng slowly opened his eyes.

He had awakened two hours earlier, but his injuries left him unable to speak or gather his spiritual sense.

Only now did life return to his gaze.

Once his consciousness returned, he asked Jiang Yan for water.

At the same time, a rustling sound came from the valley outside, followed by the rush of wind as figures took to the sky—gradually reaching Jiang Chenfeng's ears.

"What's happening outside?"

"Someone found a clue to the Bu family patriarch's hiding place."

Jiang Yan handed him water, then turned to look beyond the tent.

The sect disciples who had been resting had all left the valley; elders soared into the air, howling toward the southwest of Dongping Mountains under the gloomy sky.

The last search had been disrupted by the surge of demonic seeds from the forest, costing major sects heavy losses.

But only the elders knew they hadn't come away empty-handed.

The ruins' location was fixed; they had already pinned down the region.

The culprit must have used a secret technique to conceal all traces, yet analysis of the ruins' position suggested at least one searcher had spotted them with the naked eye.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Book Academy's group was racing westward.

Among them, Elder Fang flew at the front, gazing at the vast, chaotic mountains, his eyes brimming with urgent longing.

Whether the injured sects were genuine or whether Ji You was truly the killer—he saw these as trivial nonsense.

In his heart, the most urgent matter was to reach the target before anyone else.

Thinking of this, Elder Fang fixed his gaze on the distant elders of the Wenda Sect, Shanjian Peak, and Shanhai Pavilion: Shang Yang, Yan Rong, Huo Ku…

He knew these old men, like himself, sought only Bu Qirong, the collateral head of the Bu family.

"Run…

If you escape, hide deep. If caught, leave it to fate."

At the mouth of a dark cave, deep within Dongping Mountains.

A thin middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, watching his few remaining young disciples scatter in two directions, murmuring softly, his goatee twitching.

Since fleeing into the mountains and hiding until now, all disciples sent out had fallen silent.

His two sons had died not long ago; he realized the Bu family had reached its end.

Letting them flee chaotically in the chaos was the only option left.

In his view, if even one or two survived to carry on the lineage, it would mean they hadn't died like stray dogs hiding in terror.

Yet Bu Qirong still harbored doubt: who had exposed them to the open sky—Dou Yuankong?

Though the Bu family had declined, their collateral branch had been forced to run a wine shop to survive.

But fundamentally, they were still an immortal family listed in the Celestial Roster, a power in the remote town of Anyuan.

After gaining the Immortal Affinity, they had always been cautious; every path to the wine shop was tightly sealed.

If the rumors were true—that Dou Yuankong had merely traveled with an old servant—then even doubled, his ability couldn't have brought him to that road.

Even if he had appeared, they couldn't have missed it entirely, leaving them no time to react.

But it was too late now to dwell on these questions.

"Damned sects…"

"What 'Qingyun Immortal Rules'? Just decorations!"

"Why should this world be ruled by you alone?"

Bu Qirong's throat emitted a venomous hiss, then he turned to his younger brother, his eyes half-fearful, half-excited.

They said sects stood above all, sacred and inviolable.

Yet they were merely a fringe branch of a fallen family, now hunted by every major sect—naturally trembling and panicked.

But after hiding so long, they longed to know how strong their Immortal Affinity had made them.

Especially when imagining he might tear apart those lofty elders, excitement half-suppressed his fear.

Thinking of this, Bu Qirong turned back toward the forest—a rustling sound drew nearer.

The noise grew denser, transforming into a thunderous rush of footsteps…

Meanwhile, on the northwest side of Dongping Mountains, Ji You's group rested near a broken cliff, having left the eastern valley of Zhuoying Gorge.

The deeper they entered Dongping Mountains, the thicker the vegetation became; coupled with the unbroken gloom, day and night blurred.

Staying here long made it hard to tell what day or night it was.

Especially since none of them had slept.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu avoided sleep fearing they'd dream of something good and be overheard.

Ji You stayed awake for purer reasons: one, to remain alert for sect searches; two, to not miss the Bu family's trail…

His killing in Dongping Mountains had been exposed; every major sect now knew, and the risk of being watched was immense.

He wasn't afraid of being chased—but once tracked, his next strike would be far more difficult.

So he didn't want to wake up with annoying tails trailing him.

After this job, he'd sleep like a dead man…

Ji You returned the money pouches he'd collected these days to his storage gourd, then held his breath, his eyes flooding with golden spiritual sense that spread outward from him into the surrounding forest.

At the same time, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu roasted fish nearby, yawning from exhaustion, their hearts pounding.

When resting, they always emptied their minds and recalled the sword-drawing scenes—always like this, until today, when they suddenly realized they'd called him "Gongye" in their panic.

The word meant nothing, but the problem was—they were personal maids to the Little Master of Lingjian Mountain.

Most critically, many had been present.

"Do you think they heard?"

"They probably did…"

Zhuo Wanqiu frowned heavily: "This is troublesome."

Ding Yao glanced at her: "The Little Master didn't say anything before because she feared the Young Master's safety. Now, the Young Master isn't easily endangered. Even if they heard, they wouldn't dare speak out."

"I'm afraid the Little Master will blame me."

"No, the Little Master wanted to say it too. And it might not even be bad."

Zhuo Wanqiu looked up at Ding Yao's words: "What do you mean, Sister Ding?"

Ding Yao lifted her pretty face: "Haven't you noticed how Miss Yan and Jiang Yan from Wenda Sect look at the Young Master?"

Zhuo Wanqiu turned to Ding Yao, thinking: Even if Miss Yan and Jiang Yan's glances were odd, they couldn't be stranger than Sister Ding's dreams.

Of course, she might be odd too—but she dared not test it by sleeping.

Just then, Ji You emerged from the forest; the crunch of his footsteps on soft leaves instantly startled them.

"Gongye, the food's ready."

Ji You walked to them: "We won't have time to eat this time."

Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao stood at once: "Did you find the remaining Bu family?"

Ji You nodded, looking at Ding Yao: "Tell me again about the Bu family's usual deeds."

He felt no burden killing demonic seeds, but these demonic seeds were once human—different from pure demonic entities.

Without witnessing their evil firsthand, hesitation was inevitable.

So he often used Ding Yao to sharpen his killing intent.

According to Ding Yao's reports from the sect disciples, every member of the Bu family was vile. Though their family had declined, they still carried an immortal lineage.

Oppressing men, bullying women, exploiting the people—these were routine to them.

Rape, abduction, theft, extortion—common occurrences.

So regardless of any link between them and the infants used as vessels, their crimes in Anyuan alone were enough to warrant death.

As Ji You listened to Ding Yao's account, he pulled out the sheet of paper he'd written days ago.

After days of travel, the "zheng" characters on it had been crossed out one by one; now only two remained.

Twenty-odd souls of the Bu family would soon be reunited.

Thinking of the Bu family's harmonious end, Ji You felt a flicker of emotion.

Then Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu packed the roasted food into the storage gourd and followed Ji You.

But before they'd gone far, they felt countless spiritual auras surge skyward, flying in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, they halted, puzzled, looking at Ji You.

Having felt the agony of being torn apart by his spiritual sense, they never doubted his precision—but they couldn't understand why the sects now chased the opposite way.

Ji You looked at them: "There are three locations this time."

Why are there three locations?

The Bu family likely knew this was their last chance; they had abandoned all pretense of hiding and were fleeing in batches, with no plan, no cover—just gambling on fortune.

Ding Yao and Ding Wanqiu exchanged a glance: "Then does that mean the Immortal Sects got it wrong? We went to the right place—where Bu Qirong is?"

Ji You shook his head: "Precisely the opposite."

"?"

"The location where we first detected Bu Qirong's aura was behind us. The Immortal Sects are searching in all four directions—so the places they're heading to must be where Bu Qirong is hiding."

Ding Yao opened her mouth slightly: "Then why don't we just go capture Bu Qirong directly?"

Ji You looked up toward the direction where the Immortal Sects were chasing: "Bu Qirong must be using some artifact or secret technique to make his aura hard to lock onto. Even if they do lock it, he won't be captured immediately—killing those fleeing ones should still let us catch up."

What lies hidden behind the Bu family—fortune or calamity—depends entirely on each person's perspective and position, so their thoughts naturally differ.

For Ji You, leaving no survivors was the best course of action.

But now there were auras in all three directions, and he was only one man—he couldn't split himself.

So his only chance was to find a time gap.

The place where the Immortal Sects would swarm was surely where Bu Qirong was, but he wouldn't necessarily be captured right away.

Especially since Bu Qirong, according to intelligence, had already reached the Heavenly Realm and was corrupted—hard to capture. But the fleeing Bu family members truly had a chance to escape alive.

The Qingyun Realm was vast; hiding one person was easy. If even one slipped away, finding them again would be far from simple.

So he believed he should kill those fleeing first, then return—still in time, as long as his speed was fast enough…

Amid the howling night wind, Ji You walked across the mountains, his figure darting through dense shadows.

His brilliant gaze, like ghostly lanterns, spilled molten gold as he raced forward…

Not long after, as the wind carried cries of alarm, Ji You's golden pupils locked onto a group of fleeing figures.

Hovering high above, he drew his sword, instantly condensing sword qi that surged straight to the heavens, then slashed downward with brutal force.

BOOM!

Amid a furious sword howl, the cliff face ahead shattered outright, and the figures racing below were instantly swallowed by a torrent of rushing air.

Then, terrified screams shook the land as figures wreathed in malevolent energy surged upward from the airwaves.

Ji You descended on the wind, his iron sword roaring.

With a hum, sword qi piled like crashing waves, slamming down upon the swirling malevolent figures.

The corrupted ones rising up were no weaklings, yet they still couldn't withstand the fierce sword qi—they were smashed down with a thud, the searing blade slicing straight through their chests.

At that moment, a claw howled in from behind; Ji You stomped the ground, spun, his toe creating a sonic boom, then delivered a whip-like kick that sent the attacking corrupted one flying.

"Young Master, behind you!"

"?"

Ji You slammed his foot down and lunged forward, twisting his waist and shifting from a forward dash into a backward aerial retreat.

Before him, a mass of malevolent energy rushed closer; within the black mist, a grotesque figure emerged.

Ji You gripped his long sword tightly—his blood boiling—and slashed forward with a horizontal streak of sword qi.

Bu He was Bu Qirong's nephew, cousin to Bu Yao, Bu Sheng, and Bu Hui.

He had never understood why, if the Immortal Sects only wanted information about the Immortal Fate, so many of his family kept dying.

What puzzled him even more: the Immortal Sect elders were all visible—so who had killed Bu Yao and Bu Sheng?

Now, as Bu He stared at the sword qi slashing toward him—

He recognized this man: Ji You.

There had been many rumors about him across the Qingyun Realm.

Later, he had gone with Bu Yao and Bu Sheng to witness the Heavenly Dao Assembly, where he'd seen Ji You seize the top rank.

ZHENG!

The sharp sword qi slashed down; before the blade even touched, his hardened chest skin split open, spurting a torrent of blood.

Bu He reacted quickly, clamping his two claws wreathed in malevolent energy onto the descending blade, blocking the sword qi at the cost of shattered hand bones—yet the searing body came with the sword, like a mountain crashing down.

With a bang, the iron fist arrived with the sword.

Bu He gasped for air, feeling as if his five viscera had been pierced through.

At that moment, Ji You held the sword in his right hand and, riding the momentum of his punch, unleashed another strike.

CLANG!

The iron sword sliced into his neck, severing the tough bone with a piercing, screeching ring…

On the western side of the Dongping Mountains, Bu Qirong's uncle Bu Yingxiong and his group were also fleeing. As they reached a riverside beneath a lone peak, they suddenly heard chaotic shrieks and turned to look.

In the very spot they had just come from, countless crimson eyes emerged from the forest.

Simultaneously, sword qi and spell energy began howling beneath the gloomy sky.

Seeing this, Bu Yingxiong's eyes gleamed with cunning.

He knew the mountains were in chaos—his two nephews had revealed themselves, and countless cultivators' attention was now drawn inward. His group's chance of escape had just increased.

The Bu family was nearly wiped out; someone had to survive to carry on the line.

Though he was nearly a hundred years old, he was willing to bear this responsibility.

In truth, this old clan uncle had never harbored great ambitions—he didn't even understand why the Immortal Sects were hunting them.

Finding a way to grow stronger, in his view, was simply their family's talent.

Those Immortal Sects, all claiming pure Dao hearts, slaughtered them without mercy—utterly shameless.

Right now, his mind was filled with one thought: escape quickly, find a quiet place, resume his indulgences, and personally rebuild and expand the family.

But as he luxuriated in this dream, he noticed his son Bu Zun's expression suddenly freeze.

Bu Yingxiong was insatiable in lust, having ruined many virtuous women from Anyuan City.

Because his Dao heart was corrupted, his cultivation base was lower than his son's.

Had it not been for the Immortal Fate restoring his youth and strength, he might already be dead of old age.

So whatever his son sensed, he himself could not feel at all.

"What's wrong?"

"Bu He's aura… is gone."

"?"

Bu Yingxiong followed his son's gaze and saw the forest ahead erupting with sound.

Because the Dongping Mountains were flooded with spiritual energy, gales roared from all directions, one after another surging from the west, making the ancient trees rustle violently.

Then, as the wind died down, a sudden warmth emerged in the oncoming breeze.

Before Bu Yingxiong could react, a figure shot toward him at blinding speed, while a heavy radiance surged skyward.

His son Bu Zun instantly went on high alert, spreading his malevolent energy across his body, his flesh stretching and trembling as he let out a shriek and lunged with his claws.

That was sword qi—Bu Yingxiong had little knowledge, but he'd seen it during their escape.

In his eyes now, he saw his son flung away by a sword strike as heavy as a mountain.

Bu Yingxiong stared in shock, then saw the man, without turning his head, wave at him.

He was certain he hadn't moved—but for some reason, his vision twisted violently, and when it finally stilled, he saw only a solitary body standing on the ground.

(End of Chapter)