From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 254 Trap
Once all the disciples who had set out for the expedition had gathered, Li Qingqiu did not say anything to boost morale. A few days ago, the sect had already assigned ten leaders to each team. They stepped forward one by one to report to Li Qingqiu on the arrival of the disciples.

After confirming that everyone had arrived, Li Qingqiu said, "Let's go!"

As he spoke, he drew his Heavenly Rainbow Sword and leaped into the sky, while the others drew their own Clear Sky Swords and followed suit.

The sight of thousands of disciples flying on swords was magnificent, breaking through the snow and mist among the mountains with an awe-inspiring momentum.

The disciples standing on the cliffs along the way were all excited as they watched the figures pass through the clouds.

"Wow, that was fast. I heard that all the people involved in this operation are true disciples."

"Since the establishment of the sect, this expedition has the largest scale of operations."

"Before I joined Qingxiao Sect, I heard that the sect leader had led his disciples down the mountain to eliminate demons. Now I have witnessed such a feat. It is a pity that my cultivation is insufficient. If I had known this earlier, I should have cultivated even harder."

"I wonder what kind of evil spirit could attract so many people to fight against it."

"Look, it's Senior Brother Jian Du, he went too!"

……

Flying through the wind and snow, Li Qingqiu's speed was not too fast, mainly because he was considering the disciples' energy. The journey to Cangzhou was not short, and it was impossible to fly all the way there. They would definitely have to fly and stop frequently. There were still half a month left until the end of the year, which would be enough time for them to arrive.

Jiang Zhaoxia and Shen Yuefei stood behind him, seemingly calm, but their hearts were also pounding with excitement.

They've been on missions before, but this is the first time they've ever seen such a grand display.

The vast energy behind them gave them immense confidence. In the past, they always felt that they were protecting the sect's disciples, but now, with so many disciples accompanying them on missions, they did not feel burdened, only filled with boundless courage and anticipation.

They were already imagining the scene of leading so many disciples to fight against the demon army.

If they were like this, one can only imagine how the other disciples were.

The disciples had long known that the sect had many disciples, experts, and geniuses, but the experience of actually gathering thousands of true disciples to fly on swords was completely different.

Shocked!

excitement!
All around were figures flying on swords, and the energy gathered together was so vast that even the most talented disciples felt that their own energy was nothing special. Under such circumstances, they felt a strong sense of expectation and pride for their sect.

Yun Cai flew among the crowd, gazing at Li Qingqiu at the very front with eyes full of admiration.

The powerful Qingxiao Sect was created by Li Qingqiu. How could the disciples not be in awe and fanatical towards such a Li Qingqiu?
Li Qingqiu could feel the gazes behind him. He said, "Have the ten disciples in charge pass on the information about the evil spirits that we have collected so far, and tell it to each disciple."

The commanding disciples were temporarily appointed by Li Qingqiu to lead the team in battle; it was impossible for a thousand disciples to charge forward all at once.

In Li Qingqiu's vision, he will make reasonable pairings based on the strengths of his disciples in the future.

Not every disciple is skilled in ghost magic or healing magic, so bringing together disciples who are proficient in different spells can achieve greater results.

"Yes!"

Xiao Wuqing immediately turned around and flew towards the ten disciples in charge of the orders to convey the sect leader's command.

……

On the snow-covered wasteland, a large number of soldiers are marching forward against the wind and snow.

Qin Ye rode ahead on horseback, carrying a golden staff in his hand that gleamed brightly in the swirling snow. His expression was serious, and his eyes were sharp.

Years of fighting have shed his naivety and transformed him into a true man.

At the age of thirty, he was already the head of Liu Jing's military generals, commanding the three armies. This time, he led 300,000 troops to the north.

Beside him, a young general half a horse's length behind him, was Li Yuzhong.

Li Yuzhong, wielding a halberd, was handsome, and his heavy silver armor made him even more eye-catching than Qin Ye.

Following Qin Ye on the other side was a strategist named Jia Guang, dressed in ordinary armor. He looked ahead, stroked his beard, and smiled, "After traveling day and night for several months, we have finally arrived in Cangzhou. The scenery of this northern country is truly desolate. I still prefer the mountains, rivers, and alleys of the southern Chu."

Qin Ye replied, "We didn't come to Cangzhou for sightseeing. Once we step into Cangzhou, we must be on high alert and on guard. In a few months, the demons and monsters of the Northern Barbarians may have already invaded Cangzhou."

After hearing this, Jia Guang asked, "General, you are the disciple of the Qingxiao Sect Master, so you must have practiced methods to deal with ghosts and monsters, right?"

Upon hearing him mention Qingxiao Sect, Li Yuzhong couldn't help but listen intently.

Li Yuzhong has already arranged for his wife and children to work at Qingxiaomen, partly for his son's future and partly to protect them.

In truth, he also yearned for cultivating immortality and had even considered whether he should go to Qingxiao Sect to cultivate immortality after the chaos ended.

"The Qingxiao Sect naturally has methods to deal with ghosts and monsters, but I have never practiced them," Qin Ye replied.

Having been away from the mountain for so many years, he really missed his days in the sect, but he was also a little afraid to go back.

Over the years, he would occasionally encounter disciples of the Qingxiao Sect. As the sect leader's second disciple, he naturally had to treat these disciples well. Through these disciples, he also learned about the sect's development.

The rapid development of Qingxiao Sect startled him. He even felt that what he was doing was meaningless, too shallow and childish compared to his master. He also felt that he could no longer keep up with the sect's pace, as far too many disciples had surpassed him.

Qin Ye's thoughts began to wander, and Jia Guang, upon hearing that he did not know the art of exorcising ghosts, also fell silent.

Jia Guang's intuition told him that this trip north was likely to end badly.

Li Yuzhong wanted to ask Qin Ye more about the Qingxiao Sect, but he didn't know how to bring it up. The two of them didn't have a good relationship, and even secretly competed with each other. However, they both had a high opinion of each other in private, and their competition was fair and square, without any scheming.

The 300,000-strong army behind them marched forward in silence. Years of fighting had made them indifferent to where they were going; they only thought about surviving until tomorrow.

The wind and snow grew stronger, and the road ahead became increasingly obscured.

As evening approached, Qin Ye suddenly saw a swaying figure ahead.

Li Yuzhong also noticed this, and he immediately gripped the halberd in his hand tightly.

Although he had an army of 300,000 behind him, he had to be careful when he encountered a lone traveler in the wilderness.

In this world, people's hearts are hard to fathom.

As the person drew closer, Jia Guang also sensed that something was wrong.

"Who is ahead?"

Jia Guang asked, "Anyone who dares to march towards the army must be extraordinary; they must have something to ask for or something to scheme for."

In times of chaos, who dares to ask the army for help?

Nine times out of ten, it's the latter.

The man did not answer Jia Guang's question and continued walking towards them.

Qin Ye did not order a halt; how could 300,000 troops be scared away by one person?
But to prevent any accidents, he cracked his whip, urging his horse to quicken its pace and take the lead.

Li Yuzhong immediately followed, changing his grip on the halberd, ready for battle at any moment.

As they got closer, Qin Ye and his companion finally saw the person clearly.

It was a middle-aged man in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair, his legs in a strange position, his hands in claws, his head tilted to the side, his face pale, his eyes lifeless, and black blood dripping from his mouth.

Seeing how strange this person looked, how could Qin Ye and his companion not understand that he was no longer human?

The middle-aged man's gaze met Qin Ye's, and his face suddenly turned ferocious as he lunged directly at Qin Ye and his companion.

……

Starting from Qingxiao Mountain, we flew on our swords during the day and rested and absorbed energy at night. It took us a total of six days to finally arrive in Cangzhou.

After entering Cangzhou, Li Qingqiu slowed down and sent Jiang Zhaoxia to gather intelligence.

Jiang Zhaoxia quickly detected the movements of Liu Jing's army, so Li Qingqiu kept a distance of several dozen miles and followed Liu Jing's army.

Four more days have passed.

As night fell, Li Qingqiu led his disciples to a stop on the snowfield. The disciples were not spread out closely, with Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, Li Yang, and Xue Jin located at the edges in different directions.

Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged in front of the fire, Jinlang was practicing his sword beside him, and Yun Cai was gathering her inner energy while watching it.

Nangong'e suddenly emerged from the ground and came to Li Qingqiu's side, whispering, "Master, we have found two more corpses, just like the previous corpse demons."

Upon entering Cangzhou territory, they witnessed the rampage caused by corpse demons. A single corpse demon could wreak havoc on an entire village. In addition to the corpse demons they had killed, they also encountered the corpses of corpse demons. Li Qingqiu guessed that Qin Ye was responsible.

Li Qingqiu replied, "You should rest."

Nangong E nodded and then entered his body.

Yun Cai, who was at the sixth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, could already see ghosts. She also heard Nangong E's words. She looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, "Sect Master, those corpse ghosts don't seem very powerful. They're only at the first or second level in the martial arts world. The army should be able to suppress them, right?"

Li Qingqiu replied, "What you see are just farmers and hunters in disguise. They can give ordinary people the strength they've gained after ten or twenty years of martial arts training. Don't you think that's a threat enough?"

Yun Cai continued, "I saw a strange, poisonous power emanating from their hearts. Do you think that's the fatal flaw of the ghouls?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingqiu opened his eyes, surprised that Yun Cai's Myriad Laws Eyes had such a miraculous effect.

“That’s good. If you discover anything else, just let me know.” Li Qingqiu praised, then beckoned to Xiao Wuqing and told him about it.

"Tell the disciples in charge that when they encounter corpse demons, they can try stabbing their hearts to see if that counts as a weakness."

"Yes!"

Xiao Wuqing immediately accepted the order and left.

To deal with ordinary ghouls, simply dismembering them into eight pieces is enough, but if you encounter a powerful ghoul, it's not so easy to do that.

Yun Cai was delighted to see that Li Qingqiu was willing to take her advice.

Although she was close to Li Qingqiu, she lacked the qualifications to handle such an important matter, and she worried that her words carried little weight.

The clouds stopped disturbing Li Qingqiu and continued their cultivation.

after awhile.

Jiang Zhaoxia descended from the sky and landed beside Li Qingqiu, whispering, "Something's not right in the prefecture. It's probably a trap set for Liu Jing's army."

(End of this chapter)