Disaster of Annihilation (Three Chapters)

Time rewound to one month earlier.

Daoist Qingzhu, who had been meditating and cultivating, accumulating True Essence in preparation for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, suddenly opened his eyes. A worried look appeared on his face.

"Qingfeng still hasn’t returned to the sect. Could something have happened to him?"

He had entered the Core Formation stage three hundred years ago. Back then, full of youthful vigor, he believed his talent was exceptional and that he was no weaker than the disciples of major sects like Emei, Mount Hua, and Mount Wutai. Thus, he had never considered taking disciples.

It was only after traveling abroad that he discovered talent alone was useless. Compared to the superior cultivation conditions and abundant resources enjoyed by those major sect disciples, he was far too lacking.

He had formed his Golden Core in a hundred years, then cultivated bitterly for another three hundred years before reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage. Before his five-hundred-year lifespan ran out, he could indeed reach the Nascent Soul stage, perhaps even before turning four hundred and fifty—but that would be his limit.

Cultivation only grew more difficult the further one advanced. At his current pace, when his thousand-year lifespan was exhausted, he would likely be no more than a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, without even a chance to undergo the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

Dan Chenzi of Emei, who was his contemporary, had formed a Golden Core at seventy, reached the Nascent Soul stage at two hundred, and passed the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation before four hundred to attain the Earth Immortal realm. There was simply no comparison.

So he gave up on bitter cultivation and devoted most of his time to finding disciples to continue his sect’s legacy.

Fortunately, perhaps it had been a blessing granted by the heavens. Not long after leaving the sect, he found Li Qingfeng in a small mountain village. The boy’s aptitude was even better than his own, so he brought him back to the sect and taught him with great care.

After that, he went out five more times, but the disciples he brought back were all rather ordinary in aptitude, about on par with his three junior brothers who were still cultivating bitterly.

The spiritual energy at Little Bamboo Mountain was not dense enough to support too many disciples. Therefore, after accepting his sixth disciple, he stopped leaving the mountain gate. He cultivated within the sect in hopes of forming a Nascent Soul while taking time to teach his six disciples.

Two years ago, Li Qingfeng, the disciple in whom he had placed the greatest hopes, had reached the mid-stage Foundation Establishment stage after merely twelve years of cultivation. He specially permitted him to return home to visit his parents and sever his mortal ties, even granting him his own magical treasure, the Crimson Spirit Fire Pearl, to ensure his safety.

Unexpectedly, the agreed two-year period had passed more than a month ago, yet his disciple Li Qingfeng had still not returned to the sect.

"Mingyue, remain in the sect and supervise your junior brothers and sisters’ cultivation. I’ll go find out why your senior brother still hasn’t returned."

Still unable to put his mind at ease, Daoist Qingzhu gave his second disciple an instruction. Standing atop his green bamboo magical treasure, he left the sect and flew toward the small mountain village where he had encountered Li Qingfeng years ago.

The small mountain village was not far from the sect. He arrived in less than an hour.

Yet the small village that had once housed more than a hundred people had become ruins. According to the spell he used to examine it, everyone in the village had met with misfortune.

He also detected traces of spells left behind by Demonic Path cultivators.

His heart instantly skipped a beat. He immediately followed the traces, eventually finding a faint aura in a forest—an aura belonging to the Crimson Spirit Fire Pearl, his former magical treasure.

Based on his judgment, the village had likely suffered the misfortune of encountering low-level Demonic Cultivators, who slaughtered its people to sacrifice and refine a magical treasure. His disciple Li Qingfeng must have discovered this and pursued them into the forest.

He could not determine who had won the battle, but since Li Qingfeng had not returned to the sect, the odds were that he had met with grave misfortune.

Fortunately, he later discovered traces of lightning spells. His disciple Li Qingfeng did not know lightning spells, and Demonic Path cultivators were even less likely to use them. Thus, a third party must have intervened, giving him another sliver of hope.

So, using the forest as the center, he began asking around about Li Qingfeng in the surrounding towns, villages, and even some cultivation sects.

More than a month later, there was still not a single clue.

However, he did hear a rumor. Supposedly, Emei had produced another peerless genius who defeated a Blood God Son of the Blood Demon Palace. His name was also Li Qingfeng, the same as his disciple’s.

But he knew that could not be his disciple. His disciple was only at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment stage, was not an Emei disciple, and could not possibly defeat the renowned Blood God Son.

One day, while he was still unwilling to give up and was asking around in a small mountain village with Li Qingfeng’s portrait in hand, two middle-aged cultivators suddenly blocked his path.

"I heard you’re looking for a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Li Qingfeng?"

"Yes, that’s him. He’s my disciple. He went out to gain experience two years ago and vanished. Have you two seen him?"

Daoist Qingzhu could not see through the pair’s cultivation, but seeing that they seemed to have news of his disciple, he immediately took out Li Qingfeng’s portrait.

The two middle-aged cultivators carefully examined the portrait, exchanged glances, and strange smiles immediately appeared on their faces.

"We’ve seen him. Of course we’ve seen him. Two years ago, your disciple and I even fought. You really did raise a fine disciple."

A faint river of blood appeared behind the middle-aged cultivator on the left.

At this point, Daoist Qingzhu also realized something was wrong. He hurriedly retreated and summoned his magical treasure, the Five-Section Green Bamboo Staff.

"Who exactly are you? Where have you taken my disciple Li Qingfeng?!"

"Us?"

The two middle-aged men remained calm as they introduced themselves.

"Blood God Son of the Blood Demon Palace!"

"Yin Jiutian, sect master of the Xuan Yin Sect!"

"What?!"

Daoist Qingzhu’s pupils contracted. He immediately controlled his magical treasure and fled into the distance at top speed.

What a joke. Though he was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, those two were old fiends at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Even if his disciple Li Qingfeng had truly been killed by them, he could not avenge him.

However, Yin Jiutian, the leader of the Xuan Yin Sect, was not flustered in the slightest. He slapped the back of his head, and a black light rapidly flew out, caught up with Daoist Qingzhu, then transformed into a huge cauldron etched with all manner of ghosts and monsters, descending over him.

"Be taken in!"

As Yin Jiutian formed hand seals, the great cauldron directly swallowed Daoist Qingzhu. It then shrank and returned to his hand.

During that time, Daoist Qingzhu tried to summon his magical treasure to resist, but it had no effect whatsoever.

"Junior Brother Jiutian’s Great Sumeru Profound Yin Cauldron is becoming more and more formidable. But don’t truly refine him. We still need him to open Little Bamboo Mountain’s Thirty-Six Divine Bamboo Restriction of Heavenly Evolution, then kill Li Qingfeng to avenge ourselves."

Seeing Yin Jiutian capture Daoist Qingzhu in an instant, the Blood God Son smiled and offered a reminder.

Yin Jiutian responded with a trace of respect.

"You jest, Senior Brother. No matter how formidable my Great Sumeru Profound Yin Cauldron is, once it enters your river of blood, it will still lose its spiritual nature.

"And rest assured, Senior Brother. I did not activate the killing formation. I merely sealed his cultivation for the time being."

Two years ago, his junior brother had left the mountain gate to avenge his disciple, only to disappear without a trace. Later, he learned from the Blood God Son that his junior brother had actually been killed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Li Qingfeng.

This time, he had accepted the Blood God Son’s invitation to destroy Little Bamboo Mountain and Li Qingfeng together, avenging his junior brother.

"Good."

The Blood God Son nodded and flew with Yin Jiutian toward Little Bamboo Mountain.