Ji Ling.
He could be considered above average among the Empyrean Sword Sect's younger generation of disciples. It could be said that he had always been in the minds of the various major elders in the sect. After all, in this era, having disciples with potential within a sect was extremely important. This would reflect the quantity and quality of powerful aces that the Empyrean Sword Sect would have in the future.
However.
Ji Ling was bewitched by that vile entity and then turned into a demon. He even murdered his brethren in secret, absorbed their life force, and turned them into his own Cultivation Base.
"He stepped into the Liberation stage already?"
"Yes, and I think he's already at Middle-stage Liberation. It is I who failed to educate him well…" At that moment, Elder Mo's face was full of guilt and pain. The group of elders sighed likewise. What else could they possibly say? Now that things had already taken place, they could see Elder Mo's pain. Thinking about this in another way, if it was their favored disciple who had been charmed by a vile entity and turned into a demon…
All of a sudden, Zhang Sanjian snorted, seemingly thinking of someone whose name was Changge.
Forget it. He's unworthy.
"No matter the case, it is very dangerous now that Ji Ling is lurking around in the Empyrean Sword Sect. Tonight, no disciple is allowed to exit their quarters… Elders, you and I will patrol the Empyrean Sword Sect during the night." His face was not looking too good.
Should this be left alone with no intervention, if Ji Ling's growth in power was too terrifying…
The consequences would be disastrous!
Judging from the fact that Ji Ling had even attacked his master in such a ruthless manner, should he grow in power and become a massive demonic figure, it was certain that he would not show any mercy to the Empyrean Sword Sect. By then, he may even treat the Empyrean Sword Sect as fodder!
"Master Sanjian, if possible, when we capture that scoundrel, I would like to finish him off myself!"
Elder Mo took a deep breath with complex emotions in his eyes.
…
At that moment, the entire Empyrean Sword Sect was filled with horror.
The source of the dried-up corpses was identified.
Several disciples knocked on door after door to deliver a warning message.
The disciples learned that Ji Ling had turned into a blood-sucking demon and that the dried-up corpse that had appeared within the Empyrean Sword Sect was his doing!
"Oh gosh! In that case, isn't the situation really dangerous for people like us who've just come from the Sol Sword Sect? I'm positive that Ji Ling must've retained some of his sanity. For that reason, people like us who've just joined and can't be considered his brethren just yet will be his most likely target!"
"Dang it. One problem arises after another. Can't this dark mist give us a break?"
For a while, it could be said that all the disciples in the Empyrean Sword Sect gathered their companions and snuggled up in one room, guarding each other. They were steadfast in not going out!
At that moment, Mo Qingchen had an ominous hunch.
"I haven't seen Junior Sister today. I wonder if she's been informed of the news."
Looking at the darkening sky, he felt that something was about to happen. He went to his junior sister's dormitory following the path he knew well and knocked on her door.
"Hmm?"
Even after a long time, no one opened the door.
He faintly heightened his senses. Junior Sister was not inside the house.
His face quickly became solemn.
"Junior Sister Rouyu, did you see Junior Sister Qingxian?"
"Senior Brother Qingchen, after Senior Sister Qingxian came back this afternoon, she went to wash a bucket of clothes. It has probably been an hour since she left. The guy who came to deliver the news couldn't find Senior Sister Qingxian either… we're very worried too." At that moment, Mo Qingchen knocked on the door of his other junior sister who lived next door and saw a few of his junior sisters all with tense expressions on their tiny faces. Evidently, they were slightly panicking.
Mo Qingchen nodded faintly.
"I'm going to look for her now," he said.
The place where Senior Brother Changge lived was not far away from the great master. The great master should be able to take care of him… but boy I wish that he would die. If he dies, I'll become the eldest senior disciple.
The person I need to be worried about now is little Junior Sister. She went out alone and wasn't informed of the ban on going out…
She's in great danger!
He had a bad feeling about that.
People would only ever do their laundry at the small brook under the Empyrean Peak.
He hurried toward the laundry spot with his Assaulting Sword gripped firmly in his hand.
…
Whoosh——
The stream was gurgling. Under the reflection of the dark mist, even the waters turned black in color. At that moment, Lin Qingxian slowly got up and rubbed her head gently. Because of the prolonged squatting, she was struck by faint dizziness when she suddenly stood up. She took a deep breath in.
In all honesty, even she could not understand why she would listen to her eldest senior brother so much.
Her eldest senior brother had told her, "Just go ahead and wash my clothes. Nothing will happen to you."
This sentence was seemingly infused with a very convincing might!
Senior Brother Changge had changed!
He was not the same as before!
Moreover, when Shen Changge was answering her questions about the incident that took place in the dark mist, Shen Changge's answers were all very ambiguous. He had not provided her with any concrete answers at all…
Besides, her senior brother emphasized several times that she must go out and wash his clothes and that she would be fine…
She felt that her elder brother was trying to insinuate something.
Therefore, here she was, washing his clothes.
Besides, she also knew that since she was already marked, wherever she was, that demon would come and find her.
Basically, if no true ace was able to vanquish that demon, her death would be inevitable!
However, when she was washing those clothes just now, after thinking for a very long time, Lin Qingxian felt like she could still be saved. She could still go to the great master and the elders. Hence, she decided that she would go to the great master and the elders right now. With their protection, she should be able to survive!
"Senior Brother Changge… is he the mysterious ace?"
Lin Qingxian sighed. She was still kind of looking forward to her eldest senior brother… if not, she wouldn't have stupidly come to the brook. At that moment, she was holding the clothes basket behind her back with one hand. Inside of it was a pile of clean white clothes…
The astonishing plumpness in front of her was, at that moment, squeezed into an irregular shape.
She was about to go back.
The place where she had washed the clothes was not too far away from where the elders were.
However, she still was not aware that the incident with the demon in the sect had developed into such a severe state.
And at that very moment.
All of a sudden.
A chilling sensation arose, giving Lin Qingxian goosebumps all over her body. A gust of cold air abruptly blew past, inciting blade-like ripples on the surface of the brook…
This was not good!
Lin Qingxian felt that something was not right and she immediately began running. There was panic in her beautiful eyes. She felt as though a pair of cold eyes were constantly staring at her from within the darkness…
What the hell is that?!
A vague figure, seemingly that of a human, was following Lin Qingxian from amid the darkness like a devil!
A cold aura spread and swept over the area like a horde of ghosts. The surrounding space gradually darkened. The dark mist became denser and denser. Within the darkness, there was a pair of scarlet eyes that shone like red lanterns!
"Riding Art: Sword Barrier!"
Clang!
A massive barrier abruptly emerged behind Lin Qingxian! It was constructed from accumulated Sword Qi and was extremely sturdy!
Ka-boom!
But in the very next moment, what pushed Lin Qingxian into despair was that a palm, full of marks that looked like skulls and belonged to an entity that looked neither like a human nor a ghost, suddenly tore her barrier apart. Her fragile Sword Qi instantly crumbled!