517 A Long-Dead Person Soars
“If you wish to be at the top, Brother Gou, I’ll gladly offer you a spot,” Qin Huai joked, maintaining a straight face. However, Gou Jie failed to share the humor.
“Brother Gou, do you regret it now? If you had surrendered along with the lord of the Thousand Divination Tower, perhaps you wouldn’t be so afraid,” Qin Huai probed.
Gou Jie chuckled. “We’ve come this far already. There’s no turning back now. We can only strive forward.”
Qin Huai, finding the sentiment strangely familiar, quickly refocused the conversation. “Help me investigate someone,” he requested.
“Who might that be?”
“Elder Wang Kun of the South Mythical Sect.”
“South Mythical Sect?” Gou Jie raised his eyebrows. “The one obliterated by the Sacred Heart Sect and demons?”
Qin Huai nodded.
“I remember that no one from the South Mythical Sect survived. Why the sudden interest in this person?”
“I met him in the sky.”
“In the sky? Someone ascended? But how?” Gou Jie blurted out, unable to mask his shock.
“Among us, we’ve privately debated the likelihood of ascending to the heavens, concluding it to be nearly non-existent. Only you, the anomaly, managed it,” Gou Jie continued, “And while the South Mythical Sect folks were devoted, they were generally mediocre in talent and combat strength.”
He went on, “Their ranks were filled with leftover talent from the five great sects or even higher-ranking sects. Even if those sect elders gave him top-notch spirit items, his body might not be able to endure it. There must be a problem with this person!”
“That’s why I asked you to investigate him,” Qin Huai confirmed. “He fought alongside me in the sky, and I couldn’t see anything wrong with him.”
“Rest assured, I’ll handle it,” Gou Jie vowed. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he set off promptly towards the ruins of the sect in the south of Qingzhou, promising, “No matter the results, I will return.”
Qin Huai had killed one of the five leaders of the Kun Peng clan, inciting their fury. With only Wang Kun left in the sky, the pressure Wang Kun had to face was enormous. His stay here had to be brief.
“Don’t worry,” Gou Jie’s fading voice reassured him.
…
Five days later, a disheveled Gou Jie returned to Qin Huai. He got straight to the point. “South Mythical Sect’s mountain is severely damaged, so I could only reconstruct the mountain’s structure from survivor accounts at the foot of the mountain. Anyway, there was indeed an elder named Wang Kun who lived on Bitter Cliff Peak.”
This news slightly lifted Qin Huai’s spirits.
“However…” Gou Jie continued, “According to these accounts, Wang Kun fell at the hands of a visceral prefecture realm expert in the initial stages of the battle. Many witnessed this scene.”
“Are you certain?” Qin Huai pressed.
“Yes,” Gou Jie confirmed. “It’s said that Wang Kun’s limbs were all torn off. His death was incredibly gruesome.”
“Is there any other news?” Qin Huai enquired.
“Well, he’s dead. What other news could there be?” Gou Jie chuckled bitterly.
“That’s true…” Qin Huai sighed.
Gou Jie proceeded to share details of Wang Kun’s past, aligning with what Qin Huai had heard from Wang Kun himself. Despite minor discrepancies, the general accounts matched. This assuaged some of Qin Huai’s suspicions, though a nagging sense of peculiarity lingered.
“If there is indeed resurrection in this world, then Wang Kun has surely seized an extraordinary opportunity,” Gou Jie mused.
“Yes, based on the current information, it seems Wang Kun has stumbled upon a heaven-defying opportunity,” Qin Huai concurred.
“Temporarily credible,” Gou Jie concluded.
“Thank you!” Qin Huai expressed his gratitude, cupping his fists with a solemn air.
After that, Gou Jie shared more information about the ten counties. The Sacred Heart Sect’s followers had infiltrated the Nine Dragons Sect, planning to behead them to destabilize the situation. Ultimately, they were killed by the guards, Uncle Yang and Uncle Feng. The culprits were a single visceral prefecture realm expert and fifteen bone pattern realm experts.
Their dead bodies were hung at the city gate as a public spectacle, boosting the Nine Dragons Sect’s reputation. The ten counties ceased their infighting and pledged their allegiance to the Nine Dragons Sect, with Lingjiang leading the ten counties.
Over time, more and more people migrated to Lingjiang. The capability to defeat a visceral prefecture realm expert offered reassurance in this volatile world.
Gou Jie also provided detailed information about the other prodigies. For instance, after Xiang Mingfeng’s pursuit of the sun, Hua Yanli grew fascinated with unique flames. He was committed to refining these strange flames into a guardian spirit item.
Le Ji’an embarked on an archaeological journey, intending to excavate the graves of important figures to summon their souls. His first target was the legendary Emperor of Qingzhou, the reputed number one individual in Qingzhou. Fang Huo planned to invade Lin Province, utilizing his demonic blood to strengthen his body.
Gou Jie was also planning to excavate ancestral graves but his approach was more dutiful compared to Le Ji’an. He targeted the graves of his Thousand Divination Tower ancestors, aiming to transform the bodies of the old undying men into guardian spirit items, or more precisely, divination sacrifices. He believed that using the bones of those proficient in divination as sacrifices would be significantly more effective.
In essence, the Qingzhou Alliance’s elites were beginning to flaunt their abilities, frantically exploring the limits of their visceral prefecture realm.
“Alliance Master, rest assured. We won’t hold you back,” Gou Jie pledged on the mountain peak, bidding farewell to Qin Huai.
“I look forward to the day when it will be uncertain who is stronger,” Qin Huai replied solemnly. The next moment, he surged into the clouds, his wings trembling powerfully.
The wind seemed to bend to his wings. The usual chill and sharpness, as well as the suppressive forces, were no longer a concern. His gray wings blended seamlessly with the sky, allowing him to ascend effortlessly.
So far, the ascent was smooth, with no element of weather posing a threat to Qin Huai’s wings. He reveled in this sensation, his eyes shining brighter with the aid of the Kun Peng seed. He now had the advantage of wings against the demons in the blood sea.
Qin Huai pierced through the sea of clouds at an extraordinary speed, arriving above the blood sea. He peered down at the sea of blood, his expression turning grave. A fierce battle was about to begin as he stepped into the blood sea once more.
…
Meanwhile, Wang Kun sprinted wildly across the blood sea’s surface. A pair of arm-sized wings flapped rapidly behind him, keeping him afloat.
Behind him, hundreds of Kun Peng clansmen, with murder in their eyes, pursued him by flapping their wings. Their gray feathers shot toward Wang Kun like sharp arrows, covering him in blood.
However, the feathers were consumed by his blood the next moment. The gruesome wounds visibly healed within seconds, keeping Wang Kun energetic as he continued his frantic escape.
Suddenly, he halted and soared into the sky with his gray feathers, charging at the demons. The moment he turned around, the pursuing demons recoiled in unison, creating distance between them and Wang Kun before attacking again.
The two sides were evidently familiar with each other, hinting at numerous previous encounters. Wang Kun ground his teeth and turned around to continue his escape.
“Brother Qin. Brother Qin…I can’t hold on much longer,” Wang Kun muttered.
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