Yin Lihuo led the gray-robed Daoist and Qin Yun to a pavilion where they sat down. Maidservants served them tea and pastries while the Ximen family clan elders stood outside the garden to await further instruction. They did not dare disturb Qin Yun and company.
“I’m relieved that fellow Daoist Qin is here,” said Yin Lihuo with a smile.
“Daoist Yin, with your strength and the famous Physical Establishing Sage being extremely capable of life preservation, you would even be able to fight existences at the Paramount realm. How were you seriously injured by the great fiendish demon?” Qin Yun asked puzzledly. “Is his strength greater than that of a Paramount realm existence?”
“In terms of strength, he was at best Senior Brother’s equal,” said the gray-robed Daoist.
“Equal?” Qin Yun was surprised.
Practitioners of the Physical Establishing Sage were well known for being difficult to kill! If someone stronger could not even kill him, why was someone equal in strength able to severely injure Yin Lihuo?
Yin Lihuo nodded and said, “Yes, that mysterious great fiendish demon’s strength is indeed my equal. However, he has a strange Dharma spell that I have never seen or heard of before. While engaging him in combat, I could not prevent him from absorbing my body’s lifeblood. The closer I was to him, the more powerful the absorption! You should know that we Primordial Chaos Sect disciples focus on cultivating our bodies. We typically fight in close proximity, so while I was gritting my teeth to fight him, lifeblood was constantly being drained from my body. I eventually got to a point where I couldn’t endure it and had to flee.”
“Your lifeblood was absorbed?” Qin Yun frowned. “I have never seen or heard of anything as powerful as you describe either.”
“That’s right. It’s too strange.” Yin Lihuo nodded solemnly.
“A Physical Establishing Sage expert, and one at the Connate Golden Core intent domain realm at that, can actually have his lifeblood absorbed away.” Qin Yun shook his head. “This Dharma spell is too horrible. If there exists such a powerful Dharma spell, it shouldn’t be so unknown.”
“But even so, I felt it myself,” said Yin Lihuo. “By the way, there’s more to it. The Ximen family clansmen were all in the compound with array formations isolating them from the outside world. However, the mysterious great fiendish demon… was able to forcibly suck the flesh and blood off the Ximen family clansmen from outside the Ximen family manor and across the array formations. They were sucked dry to literally skin and bones, causing the Ximen family clansmen to die one after another. After their bodies are sucked dry of their flesh and blood, their corpses all end up the same. All that’s left is skin and bones.”
“Sucking their flesh and blood from outside an array formation?” Qin Yun murmured, “Such means are truly unimaginable.”
“When he killed the Ximen family clansmen, did you not use your intent domain to probe?” inquired Qin Yun.
“Of course I did,” said Yin Lihuo. “When I first arrived in the Ximen family, he killed a Ximen family clansman right in front of me. I probed with my intent domain and felt that a mysterious and sinister energy was seeping in from afar, sucking away the clansman’s flesh and blood!”
“But the mysterious power can only be detected with an intent domain,” continued Yin Lihuo. “I also took control of the Ximen family’s array formation and even used my psyche perception but failed to detect the mysterious power. Only the intent domain could sense it.”
Qin Yun nodded.
One could pull the wool over someone’s eyes!
Psyche perception could even be insulated.
But to prevent detection from intent domain was just too difficult. Even most immortals and fiendcelestials were incapable of doing so.
“And even sensing it didn’t solve anything! My intent domain only has a range of eighty feet. I could barely determine that the mysterious power comes from the southwest. But no matter how I probed, I could not find any great fiendish demon in the southwest,” explained Yin Lihuo. “My intent domain is too small, so there was no way for me to fully investigate the matter! Later, that great fiendish demon deliberately provoked me and lured me out to do battle.”
“Back then, I thought he was a fool. Who knew that during the battle, if I had not escaped as quickly as I did, my lifeblood would have been sucked dry, ending my life in the process?” Yin Lihuo was still feeling pangs of lingering fear.
Qin Yun nodded. “I think this is not the work of some Dharma spell or divine power.”
“I felt it myself,” remarked Yin Lihuo immediately.
“I believe what you say, Daoist Yin,” said Qin Yun. “However, the means of sucking out the lifeblood of others should not be some Dharma spell or divine power. How can such powerful means be unheard of? I’m of the opinion… that it’s a special Dharma treasure. It might even be at the level of a transcendent-grade Dharma treasure.”
Yin Lihuo nodded immediately when he heard that. “That makes sense! The world would only have one such powerful Dharma treasure with the capability of sucking lifeblood. However, his ability to conceal his aura is redoubtable as well. Although I know he is secretly watching the Ximen family, I just can’t find him. Daoist Qin, do you have any solutions?”
Qin Yun shook his head. “When I arrived, I searched Yanglai County City with my intent domain but failed as well. I believe he should be in the city, but he avoided me the moment he discovered me.”
“Then, what can be done?” asked Yin Lihuo.
“If the first attempt to capture him fails, it’s highly possible we will frighten him away. There will be no second chance,” said Qin Yun. “The best outcome would be to achieve success on the first try. In that case, I will need the Primordial Chaos Sect’s help.”
“Oh?” Yin Lihuo’s eyes lit up and said with a smile. “By the way, my Primordial Chaos Sect’s Elder Guo wants to meet you now, Sword Immortal Qin.”
“Of course, where is the Elder?” asked Qin Yun.
Yin Lihuo waved his hand.
A phantom appeared in midair. It took the form of a frosty-looking elder. He looked at Qin Yun and said with a smile, “Sword Immortal Qin.”
Both Qin Yun and Yin Lihuo stood up.
“Elder Guo.” Qin Yun also knew that Elder Guo was an Essence Soul immortal of the Primordial Chaos Sect.
“I’ll have to thank you, Sword Immortal Qin. If not for you, this matter would be a continuing headache even for my Primordial Chaos Sect,” said the elder with a smile. “My Primordial Chaos Sect will be indebted to Sword Immortal Qin.”
“It’s only right to help one another when dealing with great fiendish demons,” replied Qin Yun.
“How can my Primordial Chaos Sect turn a blind eye to the help you are rendering us? By the way, I still need to request your help in finding my Primordial Chaos Sect disciple, Ximen Feng,” said the elder. “Ximen Feng disappeared recently. His transmission mark has yet to dissipate, but there’s no way of contacting him. With the mysterious demon attacking the Ximen family recently, killing up to a hundred clansmen a day, I believe there must be some feud. We can also assume that Ximen Feng’s disappearance is very likely related to the mysterious great fiendish demon. Sword Immortal Qin, when you deal with the great fiendish demon, please investigate Ximen Feng’s whereabouts too.”
“Alright, I’ll try my best to. However, it can’t be helped if my investigations are fruitless,” said Qin Yun.
“We are already very grateful that Sword Immortal Qin is willing to help,” said the elder with a chuckle.
Those at the level of immortals and fiendcelestials thought highly of themselves.
However, due to the restrictions of the heavenly rules, they still had to be very courteous to top Connate Golden Cores, especially people like Qin Yun, who was invincible beneath immortals!
“This great fiendish demon has strange and unpredictable means. He’s also good at concealing himself,” said Qin Yun. “I will also need the Primordial Chaos Sect’s help.”
“Oh? Feel free to speak, Sword Immortal Qin,” said the elder.
“I require an array formation. It doesn’t need to be powerful but it needs to be good for searching. In addition, it has to have a huge range. It must at least cover the entire Yanglai County City,” said Qin Yun.
“You do not need it to be powerful? That’s doable. I’ll send a disciple over with one,” said the elder.
“Alright.”
Qin Yun nodded.
…
An array formation that was used for searching was very simple. That day, the Primordial Chaos Sect sent a disciple to set up a Mist Lock Array in the Ximen family manor. Once triggered, a light mist would emanate the surrounding forty-five kilometers! In that radius, a search could be done thoroughly. However, it could not attack or trap enemies.
“Daoist Qin, do you want to give this array formation a try?” asked Yin Lihuo.
“No, it cannot be tested. Once it’s activated, the great fiendish demon will learn of the array formation,” replied Qin Yun.
“To be honest,” said a worried Yin Lihuo. “That great fiendish demon is adept at concealing his tracks. This array formation might not actually find him.”
“Don’t worry. The sole purpose of this array formation is to aid me. I will still have to depend on my flying sword when actually dealing with him,” said Qin Yun with a smile. “However, with this array formation, I gauge success to be seventy percent at the very least.”
“Daoist Qin, it’s good that you have the confidence. What do we do now?” asked Yin Lihuo.
“Let all the Ximen family members live in the main ancestral building!” said Qin Yun. “We just need to wait.”
“Alright.” Yin Lihuo nodded with a smile. “Then, Daoist Qin, I’ll be looking forward to seeing your capabilities.”
Qin Yun rested in a yard in the middle of the Ximen Manor’s ancestral building. His intent domain covered a thousand feet around him, completely immersing the ancestral building! The Ximen family clansmen lived in the house , constantly under his watch.
Qin Yun would detect the enemy the moment he took action.
“Time to wait. I hope he hasn’t been scared off,” thought Qin Yun.
If the enemy had escaped thousands of miles away never to return, there would be nothing he could do.
…
Two days passed.
No clansmen from the Ximen family died! The great fiendish demon did not take action again.
“As expected of Sword Immortal Qin. The great fiendish demon turned frightened the moment he arrived.”
“Not a single person has died. That great fiendish demon does know fear.”
“I wish Sword Immortal Qin could kill that great fiendish demon.”
The Ximen family clansmen were happy but worried at the same time.
They worried that if the great fiendish demon continued hiding, Sword Immortal Qin would eventually leave. What would happen if the great fiendish demon came for them again?
…
On the third day of Qin Yun’s arrival.
Twenty-five hundred meters south of the Ximen family, in a VIP room of a three-storied restaurant, a middle-aged man pushed the windows open and looked to the north where the Ximen family was.
“It’s the third day. He has yet to leave,” said the middle-aged man with a snort. “However, even Qin Yun cannot stop me.”
“Yu Shiqi, can’t you bear with it? Just for a few more years? I refuse to believe that Qin Yun will guard the Ximen family for years,” said Jade Bottle with a voice transmission.
The middle-aged man said coldly, “I can’t bear with it!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll let you drop the idea forever.” Jade Bottle could not do a thing either.
The previous Azure Wing Demon King was too careful.
This cultivator, Yu Shiqi was insane but easy to make use of. However, when he was having a bout of insanity, Jade Bottle could not control him.
“Then, I’ll begin,” said Jade Bottle with a voice transmission.
“Alright.” The middle-aged man looked coldly towards the Ximen family.
“Phew.”
Jade Bottle sensed the living beings in the Ximen family. It marked one of the clansmen and began absorbing their lifeblood from a distance! Sucking the lifeblood of a mortal—one who had yet to knock open the gate of immortality—across twenty-five hundred meters was Jade Bottle’s present limit.