"Ten years?" Li Qingqiu's tone sharpened as he fixed his gaze on Mo Jiuhong. "Then why did you go into seclusion ten years ago?"
Ten years ago—he had just taken over Qingxiao Sect. If he had crossed paths with Mo Jiuhong back then, it could've been disastrous. Thankfully, the sect had kept a low profile in those early days.
"I know."
A voice suddenly echoed from within the Tianhong Sword. In an instant, Chu Jing's ghostly form emerged, his eyes locking coldly onto Mo Jiuhong.
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "You know?"
Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning both turned to stare at Chu Jing, their expressions uneasy. Though they had long known of his existence, seeing a ghostly figure hovering behind their Sect Master—especially in broad daylight—still sent chills down their spines.
Mo Jiuhong blinked in confusion when he noticed Li Qingqiu glancing at what appeared to be empty air beside him.
"Ten years ago," Chu Jing said with a snort, "this fool tried to assassinate Emperor Zhao Zhi. He infiltrated the imperial palace—and I was the one who severely wounded him."
Li Qingqiu's brows rose. "You were stronger than him before?"
"Ten years ago, he wasn't half as strong as now," Chu Jing replied. "Back then, his cultivation was only around the second layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm."
Now, Chu Jing himself was at the fourth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, and even he could tell Mo Jiuhong had grown considerably stronger.
Mo Jiuhong frowned, confused. "Who are you talking to?"
Everyone here was a cultivator—what kind of trick was this supposed to be? Trying to scare him?
Li Qingqiu replied calmly, "I'm talking to my sword's spirit. He says the reason you went into seclusion was because you broke into the imperial palace ten years ago—and he was the one who wounded you."
Mo Jiuhong jumped back in alarm. "Nonsense! What sword spirit?"
Li Qingqiu's lips curved slightly. "His name is Xuan Gong. Do you remember that name?"
With a mere thought, Li Qingqiu released Chu Jing's soul from the Tianhong Sword. Now that Chu Jing was a ghost cultivator, he could manifest even under sunlight.
The ghostly figure materialized before them, and Mo Jiuhong's eyes widened in shock.
Then his face twisted with rage. "You abomination! You destroyed the Great Li Dynasty's foundation—you deserve death!"
He drew the enormous blade from his back and raised it high, ready to strike at Chu Jing.
Clang!
A crisp sword-drawing sound cut through the air. A gleaming sword was already at Mo Jiuhong's throat before he could move, forcing him to freeze on the spot.
Mo Jiuhong broke into a dry laugh. "Ah… I must be out of my mind. He's already dead—just a sword soul now. Whatever happened in life should stay in the past, right?"
Xu Ning's expression turned odd, while Jiang Zhaoxia's face darkened, his eyes filled with disapproval.
Chu Jing looked at Jiang Zhaoxia, admiration flashing in his spectral gaze. If he'd had such loyal and brave subordinates back in his lifetime, perhaps his fate would have been different.
Li Qingqiu teased, "It seems, my friend, your cultivation isn't as deep as you think. Can't even see a ghost?"
Ten years and only two layers of progress. That meant the place where Mo Jiuhong had secluded himself must be extraordinary.
As for that so-called 'Ancient God' he'd mentioned before—perhaps the creature had targeted that very spot.
After all, he had gone into seclusion in the northernmost region—Cangzhou, the Great Li's frontier province.
Mo Jiuhong's expression grew awkward as he cursed inwardly. Damn it. Of all people, why did I have to run into Jiang Zhaoxia?
Their battle hadn't even been necessary. Both had the same goal—to eliminate Ling Tian Sect. But when he'd seen Qingxiao Sect disciples slaughtering enemies, his righteous instincts had gotten the better of him. He couldn't just watch and do nothing. Unfortunately, he'd misjudged the situation and almost lost his head to Jiang Zhaoxia. He'd dropped to his knees and begged for mercy before he even realized what was happening.
"Well," Mo Jiuhong said with a strained smile, "compared to your Qingxiao Sect, I'm just a wandering cultivator. Everything I learned, I figured out on my own."
Li Qingqiu couldn't help but chuckle. This man truly knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
Still, he didn't underestimate him. After all, Mo Jiuhong had dared to storm the imperial palace at only the second layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm.
"Tell me," Li Qingqiu said evenly, "how much do you know about this 'Ancient God'? If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll have no choice but to search your soul."
Soul search?
Mo Jiuhong's skin prickled as goosebumps erupted down his arms. The mere mention of those words sent a chill through his bones.
He hurried to explain, "My Dao law originates from a cave I found long ago. Inside, I discovered several manuals. One of them mentioned that across the Nine Provinces, there exists a type of demonic tree—ancient and eternal. No matter how many times it's cut down, it grows back. Even in places devoid of spiritual qi, it can survive by devouring flesh and blood, drawing qi from living beings themselves."
"This demonic tree is insatiably greedy. Feeding it flesh only makes it hungrier. Worse still, it's cunning—it can manipulate minds and corrupt hearts. At first, I thought the book was nonsense. But then, its vines reached into my secluded cave and devoured the spiritual tree I cultivated for years."
"That thing is evil beyond comprehension. Though it cannot move, its roots spread for hundreds of miles. If it continues unchecked, it will drain all of Great Li dry. That's why I wanted to destroy the Qi Clan—to starve the creature by cutting off its human sacrifices and kill it slowly."
At the mention of a spiritual tree, Li Qingqiu finally believed Mo Jiuhong's words.
Roots that stretched for hundreds of miles—just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
What kind of monstrous being was this?
No wonder the Qi Clan dared to act so arrogantly.
Not only Li Qingqiu, but also Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Chu Jing all frowned deeply.
"That demonic tree may strengthen the Qi Clan's cultivation," Mo Jiuhong continued, "but it consumes their lifespan in return. Though the Qi Clan remains grateful to it, they still fear earning too dark a reputation. So they feed it flesh and blood only in secret. The tree, however, grew resentful of their hesitation. It plans to possess one of the Qi Clan's Divine Sons, to regain mobility. Then, through its avatars, it'll collect flesh to nourish its true body. I've already slain seven of those Divine Sons myself. The remaining two vanished without a trace."
Mo Jiuhong's voice grew heavier. "The tree deceived the Qi Clan, telling them it would help them conquer the realm and bring peace. It claimed to be merciful to all living things, saying that once it recovered its strength, it would resurrect the people it had consumed. What a load of rubbish! And the Qi Clan actually believes it!"
As he spoke, his anger flared again, his eyes burning with hatred.
Mo Jiuhong's chest rose and fell rapidly, his breath heavy. Even when the edge of Jiang Zhaoxia's sword accidentally scraped his neck, he didn't flinch.
Li Qingqiu's gaze remained calm as he said, "Tell me more about that demonic tree. I want to know exactly how strong it is."
Mo Jiuhong's eyes lit up. "Fellow Daoist, are you planning to deal with that thing?"
Li Qingqiu's tone grew solemn. "A creature so vile and destructive cannot be allowed to roam unchecked. The Qingxiao Sect may not be regarded as righteous by the world, but we will always stand to protect the common people. Whether righteous or evil, only our own hearts can decide."
Those words made Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning's eyes burn with admiration. A rush of heat surged through their blood, stirring a deep sense of purpose.
Even Chu Jing, floating silently beside Li Qingqiu, found himself unsure whether his Sect Master was truly sincere or simply acting. Yet, if it was all an act, why would Qingxiao Sect continue to defy Emperor Zhao Zhi again and again?
Mo Jiuhong, deeply moved, spoke fervently. "Fellow Daoist, let me join your Qingxiao Sect! It's only been eleven years since you took charge, but with my strength and knowledge, I can help you greatly!"
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly. "Very well. I'll allow you to start as an Inner Disciple. After all, you've provided us with vital intelligence."
An inner disciple? That didn't sound bad at all. Mo Jiuhong agreed immediately, his expression bright with relief, before continuing to describe the demonic tree in further detail.
Time passed.
Eventually, Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning prepared to escort Mo Jiuhong down the mountain.
"Wait." Li Qingqiu suddenly called out to them. "How did your mission go?"
Jiang Zhaoxia paused, his expression stiffening slightly.
Xu Ning replied, "It can be considered a failure. We destroyed every branch estate of Ling Tian Sect, but we couldn't locate their Sect Master. We did encounter three Protectors, though—all of them are dead now. Once we learned about the Qi Clan's situation, we decided to return early. Tomorrow, we'll head out again. Even if we have to dig three feet into the earth, we'll drag their Sect Master out."
Li Qingqiu shook his head. "No need. The mission ends here. For the disciples who followed you, it counts as complete—make sure all their rewards are distributed. But as for you two, the mission is a failure. You'll receive no rewards."
"Understood."
Both Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning answered at once. Li Qingqiu waved his hand, signaling them to go.
The two bowed and left, taking Mo Jiuhong with them.
Li Qingqiu leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
"Master," Chu Jing said, "that demonic tree is too powerful to confront directly. It needs time to recover, and the Qingxiao Sect needs time to grow. As long as we can restrain the Qi Clan, we'll also delay the tree's recovery. In that sense, time favors us."
According to Mo Jiuhong's account, the demonic tree could strike with flying leaves sharp as blades. Its vines were as thick as dragons, its roots spread like mountain ranges, and once it began to move, the very earth would tremble.
At present, Chu Jing had never seen anyone within Qingxiao Sect capable of confronting such a being—not even Li Qingqiu himself.
Li Qingqiu sighed quietly. "Yes… time is on our side. But how many innocent people will die in the meantime?"
Chu Jing replied calmly, "People die every day. Even without that tree, the world is full of corrupt officials, tyrants, and scoundrels who harm the innocent. Gathering strength to save the people isn't shameful—it's necessary."
Li Qingqiu didn't need comfort. His heart had always been firm.
He wasn't wavering—he was reflecting. If he hadn't embarked on the path of cultivation, he too would be at the mercy of fate.
The Qingxiao Sect couldn't protect everyone—not yet. For now, all it could do was shelter its disciples and the commoners who lived under its mountain. But one day, if the sect expanded to cover the entire world, then it could truly safeguard all beings.
He didn't seek to dominate through political power. What he wanted was to build the sect until it spanned the world itself—its disciples establishing cave dwellings across every province, with teleportation arrays connecting every city.
Ruling by power was no different from the mortal dynasties. But if Qingxiao Sect's influence reached every corner of the land, even without holding authority, it could still deter those in power—standing as the "Heaven" in people's hearts, the pillar that upheld justice.
However, to achieve that would take far longer than ten or twenty years.
Li Qingqiu knew he couldn't rush it, or he'd risk plunging the sect into ruin.
He pondered how to counter the Qi Clan while quietly waiting.
As for Mo Jiuhong, his trustworthiness still had to be tested. If his loyalty was low, someone would need to keep an eye on him.
After about half an hour, Li Qingqiu finally opened the Dao Lineage panel and found Mo Jiuhong's profile.
[ Name: Mo Jiuhong ]
[ Gender: Male ]
[ Age: 42 ]
[ Loyalty (to Sect Master/Sect): 67 / 82 (Max 100) ]
[ Cultivation Aptitude: Mediocre ]
[ Comprehension: Mediocre ]
[ Fate: Ability to Bend and Stretch; Way of Concealment ]
[ Ability to Bend and Stretch: Willing to yield and swallow pride to survive, but holds unshakable principles that cannot be violated. ]
[ Way of Concealment: Skilled at infiltrating enemy forces, nearly impossible to detect, capable of earning their trust, and proficient in teaching infiltration methods. ]