Gou can devour and become a saint in the cultivation world.

Chapter 452 Returning to Zhongzhou

Chen Yi did not take over all the remaining core disciples of the Miaoyin Sect, but instead chose a more prudent approach.

He summoned all the disciples of the Miaoyin Sect to his cave, stood with his hands behind his back, and gestured for Qin Chengcheng to come forward.

Qin Chengcheng understood, took a deep breath, and took out the dragon-tail zither.

Sit cross-legged, place the guqin across your knees, and gently pluck the strings with your fingertips.

Buzz—

A deep and chilling zither melody instantly spread out, carrying a thunderous power originating from the depths of the soul, as if the judgment of heaven had descended. This was the Soul Thunder Zither Melody, specifically designed to subdue evil spirits and cleanse the mind.

In the square, hundreds of disciples of the Miaoyin Sect displayed a variety of expressions.

As the music swept by, most of the disciples only paled slightly before returning to normal.

They were either steadfast in their resolve and untouched by demonic influence, or they had been tainted by demonic energy during their previous resistance. However, under the cleansing influence of the Soul Thunder Melody, wisps of black energy overflowed from their crowns and were immediately dissolved into nothingness by the invisible thunder, turning into wisps of green smoke.

Chen Yi nodded slightly to these people, gesturing for them to stand aside. These people, whose foundations were intact and whose moral character remained, were worth saving.

However, as the music faded, several disciples let out mournful screams.

Their bodies trembled violently, their faces contorted with painful, black lines, and the light of reason in their eyes was quickly replaced by madness and violence.

The demonic intent had not only tainted their physical bodies, but had also become like a leech, deeply imprinted on the depths of their souls.

For them, the Soul Thunder Melody was no longer a purifying force, but a deadly poison.

"ah!!"

A disciple suddenly clutched his head and roared, his body exploding into a dense cloud of demonic energy. However, under the even more domineering influence of the Soul Thunder Qin music, the demonic energy struggled for less than a breath before being completely annihilated.

Qin Chengcheng turned pale at the sight, and the movement of her fingers froze.

Chen Yi's calm voice came through: "Continue, don't hold back. They are no longer your fellow disciples."

Qin Chengcheng gritted her teeth, a trace of grief flashing in her eyes, but the force under her fingers became even more determined.

Chen Yi was telling the truth. These people are beyond redemption; forcibly taking them away would only bring trouble.

Ultimately, after rigorous selection by the Soul Thunder Melody, Chen Yi chose to abandon those disciples who had been completely corrupted by demonic intent.

He led Qin Chengcheng and the more than one hundred survivors he had selected, preparing to leave.

Before leaving, Chen Yi made one last trip to the capital of Qi Kingdom to ask the Qi Emperor how so many people would fly back to Zhongzhou.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, this journey has been rushed, and I have nothing much to give you. I will bestow this fourth-class flying boat upon you for your transportation." Emperor Qi smiled, but his heart was bleeding.

Chen Yi glanced at him and said calmly, "No need to give it to me, I just need to borrow it."

The Emperor Qi's face twitched violently.

You only said you were borrowing it, but you didn't say when you would return it.

A moment later, a magnificent flying boat, hundreds of feet long and shaped like a giant whale, crafted entirely from jade crystal, hovered above the imperial palace. The flying boat was surrounded by swirling spiritual light and densely covered with runes, radiating the powerful aura of a fourth-tier magical artifact.

The disciples of the Miaoyin Sect had never seen such a spectacle before. They all looked up at the flying boat, their eyes filled with shock and relief at surviving the ordeal.

Chen Yi, along with Qin Chengcheng and a group of disciples, boarded the flying boat. Without exchanging another word with Emperor Qi, he directly propelled the flying boat into the sky, transforming it into a streak of azure light and heading towards the Monster Mountain Range in the Central Plains.

On the flying boat, the disciples looked down at the rapidly shrinking territory of the Qi Kingdom, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Their homeland is destroyed, and the road ahead is long, but at least they are still alive, and there is still hope for rebuilding their sect.

A day had passed since Chen Yi, along with Qin Chengcheng and a group of disciples from the Miaoyin Sect, left the Qi Kingdom and ventured deep into the Monster Mountain Range.

In the capital of Qi, in that secret royal chamber that only emperors of past dynasties could enter.

Space distorted, and a figure appeared without warning.

The newcomer was a handsome young man, but his bald head was particularly striking.

He wore a simple monk's robe, but his aura was strangely intertwined with two completely different moods: one was the compassion and solemnity of Buddhism, and the other was the cold and domineering nature of the demonic path.

It was the Demon Show.

At this moment, he looked down at Emperor Qi on the throne with the imposing aura of a mid-stage fourth-order body refiner. His eyes, which should have been filled with compassion for all living beings, were now filled with chilling indifference.

"Emperor Qi." Mo Xiu's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"You released the successor of the Demon Thunder Melody designated by the Demon Lord."

Do you know your crime?

Emperor Qi trembled, cold sweat instantly soaking his dragon robe. He said, "Fellow Daoist Mo Xiu, please let me explain! It's all because of Chen Yi—he's too strong, I... I simply couldn't stop him!"

He naturally shifted all the blame onto Chen Yi.

"Heh." Mo Xiu let out a cold, ambiguous laugh. "Useless."

He strode forward, his disdain undisguised.

"What has allowed your Qi royal family to survive to this day? You possess a national treasure and have your Grand Marshal working together, yet you can't even withstand a single move from a Nascent Soul cultivator who came from humble beginnings?"

Mo Xiu's voice grew increasingly cold: "What face do you have left to say you're willing to share the Demon Lord's burdens?"

"I will report today's events to the Demon Lord truthfully."

"Do you know what fate awaits you, and your Qi royal family?"

Emperor Qi's face turned from white to green, then from green to ashen. He knew that Mo Xiu was not exaggerating; he knew the Demon Lord's methods better than anyone else.

"Fellow Daoist Moxiu! Let's talk this out!" Emperor Qi panicked. "This is my fault! I beg you, Fellow Daoist, to put in a good word for me for the sake of our long-standing friendship. I'm willing to offer a generous gift, just please show mercy!"

As he spoke, he frantically rummaged through his storage ring.

Finally, Emperor Qi spent a large amount of Nascent Soul stage cultivation resources, worth almost 500,000 spirit stones, piling them up in front of Mo Xiu, only to get a "reluctant" nod from Mo Xiu in return.

"Since you're somewhat sensible, I can keep this matter quiet for ten years. If the Demon Lord asks about it again after ten years, you'll have to figure out how to explain it yourself."

With a wave of his hand, Mo Xiu collected all the resources and disappeared into the secret room.

Emperor Qi let out a long breath, feeling that cultivating life was extremely difficult.

After leaving the palace, Mo Xiu hovered high in the sky, looking towards the direction of the Monster Mountain Range, the direction Chen Yi had left in.

He remained silent for a long time, and the coldness and domineering aura that belonged to a demon gradually faded from his eyes, revealing a complex and unfathomable emotion.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I am currently trapped in the Demon Prison. Being able to delay you for ten years is already the limit."

"I wonder what it will be like when we meet again in the future, after the battle between our realms will have us as enemies?"

A soft sigh escaped, carried away by the wind. Mo Xiu's figure completely disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, Chen Yi's journey back to Zhongzhou was much smoother than his journey there.

With his current cultivation level at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, he only needs to release a slight aura on the flying boat, and the powerful demon beasts that occupy a certain area in the Demon Beast Mountain Range will immediately lie low, not daring to have the slightest thought of provoking him.

-

In just a few days, the flying boat traversed hundreds of thousands of miles of vast mountain ranges and returned to the territory of Qingyun Cave.

Instead of returning directly to his own cave, Chen Yi personally selected a mountain peak for the disciples of the Miaoyin Sect on the outskirts of Qingyun Cave.

This peak is rich in spiritual energy and is the location of a fourth-order spiritual vein, enough for them to rebuild their mountain gate and recuperate.

After settling everyone from the Miaoyin Sect in, Chen Yi took Qin Chengcheng to the core of Qingyun Cave Heaven—the Cave Heaven Secret Realm, which was his cave dwelling with a top-tier fourth-order spiritual vein.

He was thinking about how to settle Qin Chengcheng.

However, the moment he led Qin Chengcheng into the main hall of the cave, he was completely stunned.

In the spacious and bright hall, four stunningly beautiful figures had been sitting comfortably on either side of the main seat for quite some time.

Ning Bu'er, Xuan Yin Fairy, Hu Mingyue, and Yue Qingqingqiu were all dressed up in unison today, their hair piled high and their skirts trailing on the ground, making them breathtakingly beautiful.

They seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

Just as Chen Yi brought Qin Chengcheng in...

Ning Bu'er was the first to react, a captivating smile blooming on her face as she gracefully stepped forward to meet him.

Without any hesitation, she stepped forward and naturally took Chen Yi's arm, pressing her soft body tightly against him, and said in a sweet voice, "Husband, you're finally back. You must have had a long journey."

"We've specially prepared a top-quality herbal bath for you, along with a massage to relax your muscles and improve circulation. Would you like to experience it now?"

As she spoke, Ning Bu'er's alluring peach blossom eyes seemed to glance casually at Qin Chengcheng behind Chen Yi, but her entire body leaned even closer to Chen Yi.

The implication of this assertion of sovereignty couldn't be clearer.

The other three women—Xuan Yin Fairy with a cold expression, Hu Mingyue with a smile on her lips, and Yue Qingqing with a calm demeanor—simply sat in place, quietly watching the scene, their gazes all fixed on Chen Yi and Ning Bu'er's tightly pressed bodies.

Clearly, they didn't seem interested in what Chen Yi had experienced or what dangers he had encountered in the State of Qi.

But at this moment, they were very interested in who Chen Yi's rightful Daoist partner was.