CHAPTER 431: CHAPTER 409: DISCIPLE WITH THE SURNAME ZHANG FROM QINGYUN_2

Among the trio from Chang’an, Yang Yuhuan and Jing An were indifferent to matters of love, yet it was Li Qing—whose heart overflowed with emotions thanks to his newfound beloved—who resonated the most with the Zhang-named disciple.

He glanced at Yang Yuhuan and couldn’t help but ponder: if the day truly came, would he be willing to die for her?

After recounting the sequence of events, Bai Mei sighed deeply and remarked, "Regardless of the Demon Sect’s Saintess’s initial intentions in approaching the Zhang-named disciple, their love was genuine. As for why the Zhang-named disciple’s cultivation has grown so astonishingly strong now, I have no idea."

Having gathered valuable information, Li Qing and his party did not linger on Shu Mountain but instead decided to investigate the Zhang-named disciple at the Qingyun Sect. Bai Mei did not impede them, but handed over his token to the trio, who headed directly to Qingyun Sect without delay.

After ten days of travel, the three arrived at this sect, once one of the foremost leaders of the righteous path in Sichuan. As they prepared to advance, they were stopped by several disciples in green robes. Only upon presenting their Demon Extermination Department insignia and the Shu Mountain Sect Leader’s token did their opponents lower their guard.

Perhaps out of respect for Bai Mei’s token, their reception was quite grand. Qingyun Sect comprises seven divisions, and six of the division leaders had personally come to greet them; notably absent was the Qingyun Sect Leader himself.

The current figure presiding over affairs was the Punishment Elder, Daoist Cang Song, the steward of Dragon Head Peak, Qingyun Sect’s second mountain.

Daoist Cang Song, known for overseeing punishment, appeared as a stern-faced man and went straight to the point: "What business brings you here, honored guests?"

Handling such situations was often left to Li Qing, whose Imperial Family background made him particularly adept at smoothing relations. He led the other two in a respectful salutation, then asked, "Honored elder, have you heard of Emei Sect’s recent annihilation?"

Having been sealed off from the world for some time, Qingyun Sect’s present circumstances were even worse than outsiders imagined. The news genuinely shocked them.

Master Gu Yue, a top figure among the righteous path, annihilated? How could her entire sect be destroyed so easily?

Seeing their stunned expressions, Li Qing continued, "According to the sole surviving disciple from Emei Sect, Xuantian Sect, the one who destroyed Emei was none other than a former disciple of Qingyun Sect. His surname is Zhang."

As soon as Li Qing finished speaking, a chubby man seated at the main table slammed the desk in fury, standing up and shouting, "Impossible! Old Seven would never do such a thing!"

True Master Cang Song’s face was full of anger: "Anyone who consorts with the Demon Sect is capable of any heinous act!"

The chubby master, now enraged, jumped up and bellowed, "Cang Song, you little brat! I’ll settle this with you today!"

With those words, he summoned an Immortal Sword and charged at Daoist Cang Song. Cang Song let out a cold snort, his hand emitting glowing light as he prepared to face him.

Seeing the two hotheaded individuals about to clash in the central hall, the other division leaders rushed to intervene and separate them.

The only female leader among them scolded loudly, "What is the meaning of this, Senior Brothers? Just because Sect Leader Senior Brother is absent, you bicker like this in front of outsiders? Where does that leave Qingyun Sect’s dignity?"

The two elders reluctantly ceased their argument. The chubby elder returned to his seat and demanded fiercely, "Young man, you claim Old Seven was responsible—do you have any evidence?"

Yang Yuhuan, disliking the aggressive tone of Tian Buiyi, immediately interrupted before Li Qing could reply, "Hmph, eyewitness testimony! What more do you need?"

Tian Buiyi glanced at the arrogant Yang Yuhuan and suddenly remembered the Demon Sect witch Old Seven had liked. His blood pressure surged instantaneously.

"You insolent brat! With your unruly behavior, you’re bound to become another demon witch one day!"

"You!"

Yang Yuhuan attempted to retort further, but Li Qing stopped her. Li Qing instinctively felt now was not the right time for an argument, though his intervention only annoyed Yang Yuhuan deeply.

Li Qing bowed again and said, "Zhang—uh—Zhang Laoqi reportedly declared during his assault on Emei: ’Since I cannot unite with demons, why should master and disciple relationships find favor?’ He spared Xuantian Sect just so he could experience the pain that Zhang Laoqi himself endured."

The chubby Daoist’s angry expression deflated upon hearing these words, replaced with bitterness and helplessness as he slumped into his chair, saying nothing further.

Li Qing saw this and inferred that the chubby Daoist tacitly acknowledged the perpetrator’s identity as Zhang Laoqi. He pressed on, "We’ve come to investigate Zhang Laoqi’s circumstances."

The six division leaders remained silent, their gazes eventually shifting to the chubby Daoist, who sighed and began speaking again, "It all began years ago, when Spiritual Energy revived, and demons began to wreak havoc. Qingyun Sect has always upheld the mission of eliminating evil and guarding the righteous path.

Eighteen years ago, I happened upon a village massacred by demons—Zhang Family Village. Not a single soul survived except for a baby found in a deep well. The child was born extraordinary, with innate talent far beyond mortals. But for cultivators, living peacefully and simply is the true way, so I took him in as a disciple and named him Zhang Xiaofan.

Xiaofan was intelligent and sincere, a prodigy in cultivation. Yet, yet—who could have foreseen that he’d be so deeply moved by feelings of love? It was precisely his pure-hearted nature that made him fall victim to that demon witch’s deceit."

"After that, after that..."

The chubby Daoist hadn’t finished his words when Qingyun Sect’s rear mountains suddenly trembled.

The six division leaders’ faces changed drastically. They summoned their flying swords and transformed into rays of light, heading toward the rear mountains. Yang Yuhuan and the other two followed suit, each employing their own techniques to catch up.

At the rear mountains, they saw a young man clad in a black robe, his blood-red hair framed by strikingly handsome features that were otherworldly. In his hand, he wielded a massive stone spear, over two meters long, emanating tendrils of Demonic Qi.

In stark contrast, his opponent—a plainly dressed Daoist—held an ordinary standard-issue Immortal Sword, locked in a tense standoff with the youth.

Seeing the young man for the first time, Yang Yuhuan and the others found themselves unexpectedly understanding why the Demon Sect Saintess would sacrifice her life to shield him from harm.

Li Qing stared intensely at the youth’s face, lost in thought over unknown emotions.

Ultimately, the chubby Daoist’s furious yell snapped them back to their senses.

"Old Seven! Stop this madness! The old you wasn’t like this!"

The youth coldly snorted, his enormous black spear aimed directly at the chubby Daoist. "Old Seven? Zhang Xiaofan died beneath Daoxuan’s God Slaying Spear; only Blood Demon Youquan remains in this world!"

Cang Song’s gaze was fixated on Zhang Xiaofan’s large black spear, his expression grave as he asked, "Where is Senior Brother Daoxuan?"

The youth sneered and flicked his sleeve, releasing a burst of blood-red light that revealed a withered corpse. Judging by its attire, it was none other than the Sect Leader’s Daoist robe. The six division leaders let out gasps of shock.

Ignoring their reactions, the youth swept his black spear horizontally, releasing a black, annihilating spear energy that reduced the corpse to ashes.

"Hahahaha! Ah Yao, did you see? I’ve avenged you!"

His deranged action completely enraged Qingyun Sect’s remaining leaders. Su Yi Daoist recited, "Heaven and Earth’s Righteous Energy, enduring through time; I do not seek to exterminate immortals but to slay ghost gods," before raising his longsword, unleashing terrifying sword light as he charged at Zhang Xiaofan.

Zhang Xiaofan showed no fear, gripping his oversized spear tightly and countering without any flair. As the black light of annihilation clashed with the fearsome sword energy, Zhang Xiaofan was sent airborne but remained unscathed, while Su Yi Daoist was thrown back, coughing up blood.

Shui Yue called out "Senior Brother!" before raising her sword to join the attack. Behind Zhang Xiaofan, a blood mist expanded quickly, and seven blood shadows wielding blood-spears emerged, engaging the six division leaders and Su Yi Daoist in fierce combat.

At this moment, Yang Yuhuan could no longer suppress his rage. Activating Divine Power from the **Third Scroll of Heavenly Number**, he charged at Zhang Xiaofan to kill him. In the middle of the battle, Su Yi Daoist urgently cautioned, "Beware! That weapon is the God Slaying Spear!"

Having never suffered defeat from youth to present, Yang Yuhuan showed no concern for the so-called God Slaying Spear. In his mind, it was insignificant. Zhang Xiaofan’s expression remained cold and indifferent as he watched Yang Yuhuan approach. There was no trace of soft sentiment in his heart—women, to him, were classified as either Ah Yao or mere others.

With a sharp thrust, the massive black spear unleashed a dark gun light filled with annihilating energy straight at Yang Yuhuan. Realizing he couldn’t match the destructive power of the gun light, Yang Yuhuan poured all his mana into the jade ring at his wrist. The jade ring flew off, gleamed brightly, and captured the gun light, vanishing completely.

Yang Yuhuan attempted to manipulate the jade ring to seal the God Slaying Spear, but his mana was depleted, and he began to fall. Fortunately, Li Qing caught him in his descent. Jing An let out an enraged roar as golden Vajra Dharma Form enveloped his body, delivering a powerful punch toward Zhang Xiaofan.