Chapter 296: Odd Occurrence

In the woods of Seven Fiends Valley.

Shi Jingyun was leading a group of martial practitioners that rushed from Seven Fiends Valley to where Gu Tong and the others had been killed.

They had originally assumed that, with Gu Tong, Shen Meilan, and Jia Songlin personally involved, they would be able to easily capture the Lin Family and then could take them back to the valley for questioning and execution.

Yet, after waiting for a long time, they did not see any of the three return. They also could not get in contact with the trio which ended up worrying the people in the valley.

Consequently, Shi Jingyun was sent out with orders to find out what happened.

Four hours after Qin Lie and the others left, Shi Jingyun finally arrived at the place where the fighting had occurred. Looking at the enormous pits and the corpses that were burnt black, Shi Jingyun’s expression changed drastically. “Terminator Profound Bomb! This is the work of the Terminator Profound Bomb!”

He was alarmed and couldn’t help but scream due to his deep fear of the Terminator Profound Bomb.

The power of the Terminator Profound Bomb when it exploded at Armament Sect was like a recurring nightmare in his mind.

When he saw the enormous holes, he immediately understood that this was Qin Lie’s handiwork!

“Qin Lie has not died. He is still alive. He’s the one that rescued the Ling Family!” Shi Jingyun searched around the enormous pits and quickly found the corpses of Gu Tong, Shen Meilan, and Jia Songlin.

When he saw their corpses, Shi Jingyun’s limbs felt cold and his expression was as ugly as it could get.

“Elder Shi, should we… keep pursuing?” a subordinate asked from the side.

“Pursue what!” Shi Jingyun glared and then said angrily, “Three valley masters have been killed. Do you think that we are stronger than the three of them combined?”

People murmured and did not dare to answer.

“Return to the valley! Notify Profound Heaven Alliance of what happened here. Just say that Armament Sect’s Qin Lie has killed many people of Seven Fiends Valley!” Shi Jingyun’s expression was dark. He turned to look at his amputated finger and felt that it was in pain again.

……

“You are coming with me to the poisonous bog?” Qin Lie suddenly stopped. He turned his head to look at Song Tingyu with a puzzled expression.

This was a winding mountain path towards the poisonous bog. Along the path there were dense woods and curving little streams. Qin Lie was rushing with the Ling Family.

Song Tingyu did not ride the Flowing Cloud Rainbow Butterfly and calmly followed behind him.

This puzzled Qin Lie. He had thought that Song Tingyu would be in a hurry to return to Profound Heaven Alliance to report her experience in the Nether Realm rather than waste time on him.

“After we deliver the people of the Ling Family to the poisonous bog, you need to go with me to Profound Heaven City to see my father.” Song Tingyu had changed into a long, white dress at some point in time. This caused her to look clean and elegant and have less of a blinding beauty.

There was a faint smile at the corner of her lips. She glanced at Ling Yushi at the front of the procession and purposefully went closer to Qin Lie. She said in a soft voice, “The problem of the Ling Family has to be resolved. All of the trouble will not just end when they reach the poisonous bog.”

“Qin Lie, she is right. The Ling Family has a major problem,” Ling Yushi inserted from the front of the group. She said a few words to Ling Feng, and then, Ling Feng led the clansmen forward.

She slowed her pace and waited for Qin Lie and Song Tingyu to catch up before looking deeply at Song Tingyu. “Miss Song, what do you think?”

“The bias my father has against foreign races is not one that I can resolve. I need Qin Lie to summon Senior Xue Li and have Senior Xue Li explain to my father.” Song Tingyu did not dare to underestimate Ling Yushi now. Since the matter concerned the Ling Family, she did not avoid Ling Yushi and explained in detail. “Senior Xue Li comes from another continent. Senior Xue Li’s true cultivation realm and strength… is enough for my father to pay attention. His words will be more effective than mine, Qin Lie’s, or yours, Ling Yushi.”

Qin Lie’s eyes brightened slightly. “Miss Song, you have been inspired by Xue Li. You think that Profound Heaven Alliance can be like the other major continents and interact normally with foreign races?”

“Yes, Senior Xue Li’s speech greatly motivated me.” Song Tingyu had an expression of deep thought. “According to Senior Xue Li, there are many little realms around our Spirit Realm which have beings that are different from us. There are races of high intelligence among them, and in their world, they have powers that we do not have in this main world. They also have special materials for cultivation that do not exist here. I feel that, if the two sides can create a relationship, it will be beneficial to both sides.”

“You have a more open mind than your father,” Qin Lie praised. Then he nodded and said, “I understand what you mean. After I take the Ling Family to Armament Sect, I will go with you to Profound Heaven City.”

“Miss Ling, now that you know what I think… may I ask where your Ling Family comes from? In the future, you… what benefit can you bring to Profound Heaven Alliance?” Song Tingyu asked again.

Qin Lie also looked at Ling Yushi and asked the question he had, “What happened?”

“Actually, we don’t know. I, Xuanxuan, and Ling Feng only changed recently, and it happened very suddenly. Even now, we do not understand.” Ling Yushi pinched a lock of purple hair resting on her left shoulder and looked at the charming color. She said, “The one that knows the most about why the Ling Family experienced such a change… is your grandfather. He once said to Ling Feng…”

Ling Yushi explained what Ling Feng had said.

“My grandfather again.” After Qin Lie heard this, his expression was bitter. He shook his head and said with a sigh, “I have many questions. I also want to find him, but it is a pity that I have no idea where he is.”

“So this means that you do not know who you are?” Song Tingyu had a strange look on her face.

“Regardless of whether you believe it or not, that is the truth. At the very least, we do not know our history,” Ling Yushi said helplessly.

“It seems that you need a period of time to discover yourselves.” Song Tingyu’s brow furrowed slightly. Just as she was going to speak, she felt a ripple from her jade pendant.

She took out her pendant, and in front of Qin Lie and Ling Yushi, she created a mental connection.

A profound ripple spread from her body. The ripple passed through the jade pendant and instantly reached the distant Profound Heaven City.

“It is my father.” After a while, she put away the jade pendant. “He has already learned that Gu Tong, Shen Meilan, and JIa Songlin have been killed and thinks that you are the killer. He asked me about what was going on. I have not said much and told him that I will be taking you to Profound Heaven City in a few days to give him an explanation in person.”

“I will go,” Qin Lie agreed.

Four hours later.

Qin Lie and the Ling Family clansmen arrived at the shore of a curving river. Looking at the Demon Cleansing Orchids in the water and the demonic clouds that shrouded the land behind the river, his expression was one of shock.

“Right now, the evil races have taken over Armament Sect and the area within three hundred miles of that. They are slowly corroding and changing the area ahead with Demon Armor Insects and Spirit Corroding Beasts.” Song Tingyu pointed forward with a finger. “In just more than half a year, martial practitioners from Profound Heaven Alliance and Eight Extreme Temple have had numerous skirmishes with them. No one has won. We do not dare to stay too long in areas with nether demonic energy. They do not dare to step outside of areas with nether demonic energy to kill us.

“Currently, we have dug long rivers like this around the area they are corrupting and planted Demon Cleansing Orchids. These orchids can refine the nether demonic energy, so this long river is our first line of defense. The expansive rivers filled with Demon Cleansing Orchids surround all of their territory. In the short term, they are unable to increase the range of the nether demonic energy and continue to expand.

“Recently, the evil races have settled down. They have not gathered their strongest to charge at the defense line of Demon Cleansing Orchids, so there has not been any intense fighting between us and them. We are in a stalemate.”

Song Tingyu was able to communicate with Profound Heaven Alliance through the jade pendant. Soon after she came out of Purple Mist Sea, she learned the present state of affairs.

Seeing that Qin Lie was slightly shocked at the long river, she proactively explained the present situation to clear up his confusion. Then she said, “The people of Eight Extreme Temple are transporting things that can damage and consume nether demonic energy inside the Nether Battlefield. After a while, once they have been delivered, that will become the second line of defense.”

While Qin Lie and Song Tingyu were talking, Ling Yushi and the Ling Family clansmen suddenly stopped beside the river.

They had planned on going around this river that was filled with Demon Cleansing Orchids to the poisonous bog.

On this side of the river was the spirit energy of the world. The other side of the river was covered in nether demonic energy.

At this time, many Ling Family clansmen were standing next to the river. They looked at the land that was covered in gray nether demonic energy. As they looked at the area that even sunlight was unable to penetrate, many people had strange expressions.

“Qi-Qin Lie…” Ling Feng called lightly.

Hearing this, Qin Lie came over and asked, “What is it?”

“Look at the nether demonic energy on the other shore,” Ling Feng said in a deep voice.

Qin Lie focused and realized that the nether demonic energy, which had originally been thin, was starting to gather and increase in density for some unknown reason.

In the area opposite the Ling Family clansmen, the nether demonic energy quickly turned from gray clouds to black.

Those demonic clouds roiled as though they were being pulled by a certain power and started to head towards the members of the Ling Family.

Yet due to the presence of the numerous Demon Cleansing Orchids, when the demonic energy appeared above the river, it would become thin. After a while, it would be absorbed by the Demon Cleansing Orchids and disappear completely.

The thick demonic clouds gathered into balls and continuously headed towards the Ling Family clansmen.

But no cloud was able to stay in the air above the Demon Cleansing Orchids for long. They would quickly be consumed. When they came to the middle of the river, the energy would completely disappear.

Yet those demon clouds were unusually stubborn. Even though they repeatedly dissipated and were cleansed by the Demon Cleansing Orchids, they still did not give up. They continued to gather and flood over.

There seemed to be a force of attraction coming from the bodies of the Ling Family clansmen. It seemed that the Ling Family had formed a strong magnetic field that was irresistibly attracting the demonic energy.