Chapter 167: Coming Clean With Fellow Disciples
Ning Qi searched the Demonic Sect underground palace inside and out, ensuring nothing was missed, before finally stopping with satisfaction.
At this time, within the King Yu Bead, if adding the treasures previously placed by the Great Elder, the pavilion-sized space was almost completely full.
“This Demonic Sect foundation is truly rich. If True Martial Sect can fully digest this foundation, becoming the world’s number one martial arts sect would just be a matter of time,” Ning Qi said with some emotion.
He even discovered several treasures among them that could also aid him.
The Blood Demon Flower was just one of them.
This was a treasure helpful for condensing the Essence Flower, and there were others helpful for condensing the Qi Flower and Spirit Flower, though not as outstanding as the Blood Demon Flower. Even so, they could still greatly shorten the time for Ning Qi to step into the Heavenly Human Perfection Realm.
This made him extremely satisfied.
Ning Qi looked at the underground palace ruins before him, his Gang Qi gradually transforming, strands of flames rising, then sweeping over everything like fire dragons.
In an instant.
The underground palace ruins became a sea of fire.
His pupils reflected everything before him, pondering the information about the Martial Saint Realm he had learned from the Great Elder:
“As the Great Elder said, after Great Yu was destroyed that year, all Martial Saint inheritances were erased. The remnants of the Great Yu Imperial Family barely survived and established the Demonic Sect, preserving only two Martial Saint secret treasures and one Saint Pill Method.”
“One of the two secret treasures is the King Yu Bead, kept by successive Great Elders. The other secret treasure and the Saint Pill Method are held by successive sect leaders. To become the Demonic Sect Leader, one must have Martial Saint bearing!”
“The Great Elder said that Great Yan wanted to last for thousands of autumns and dominate the world alone, so they erased the Martial Saint inheritances, preventing others from entering the gate. The Demonic Sect people have used the Saint Pill Method to produce Martial Saints generation after generation, but unfortunately, each time a Martial Saint was just born, they were destroyed by the Great Yan Martial Saint.”
Ning Qi’s gaze flickered slightly.
Whether Wu Jianghe or the Demonic Sect Great Elder, both pointed their spears at Great Yan.
He felt increasingly wary of Great Yan in his heart.
“I must maintain a certain vigilance. Before having absolute strength, I must not easily reveal my comprehension in front of the Great Yan Dynasty.”
“Additionally, the greatest gain is that the Demonic Sect still has a very small amount of records and descriptions about the Martial Saint Realm. After I return and study them carefully, this realm will be even closer to me. Within the King Yu Bead, there is ready-made Martial Saint Power for me to deduce and comprehend, making it even easier for me to create the Martial Saint Method!”
Ning Qi tallied all the gains and information, confirming nothing was missed, then lightly exhaled.
He sat cross-legged in the void.
He refined the King Yu Bead again with a method, gaining even more control at will, before standing tall.
Next.
He was about to start waiting idly for prey.
……
Outside the Myriad Flame Grotto.
Two elders with powerful auras came together, dressed in fine robes, vigilant expressions on their faces, constantly observing their surroundings.
The grim-faced elder sent telepathic communication:
“Old Ghost Wang, what do you think the Great Elder suddenly summoning us back so urgently is for? Could it be… the Saint Pill is ready?!”
He guessed, a hint of joy in his eyes.
The Wang-surnamed elder shook his head:
“It shouldn’t be. The Great Elder previously said the Saint Pill would take at least a year and a half at the fastest. I guess it might be to select the Holy Son. Not just us two, Old Ghost Jiang also received the summons. I didn’t ask the others, but those similar to us should all have received it.”
The grim elder nodded slightly:
“Makes sense. Anyway, we’re almost home, we’ll know soon enough.”
He strode forward.
The Wang-surnamed elder couldn’t help but laugh and curse:
“You old thing, can’t you be a bit cautious even at the grotto? This isn’t some easy place.”
The grim elder chuckled:
“At our own doorstep, how could we be robbed?”
But just as the words fell.
Both men’s expressions changed, terror surging in their pupils. A terrifying Sword Intent rose, peerless Sword Qi pierced through. They didn’t even have time to scream before their consciousness fell into darkness. Vaguely, they saw a young Daoist slowly stepping out from the darkness.
Ning Qi calmly looked at the corpses of the two Demonic Sect Heavenly Humans before him.
With a wave of his hand, the corpses turned into blood mist, then gathered into a Blood Pill, which he stored in the King Yu Bead.
“Ten days’ time, plus these two, makes sixteen people who have come.”
“Calculating carefully, it’s about enough. The rest are basically Heavenly Human Realm experts without qualification to know the Myriad Flame Grotto headquarters. One or two fish that slipped the net aren’t worth me waiting here forever.”
Ning Qi’s lips curved slightly.
At this point, the Demonic Sect’s high-end combat power was almost entirely wiped out by him in one fell swoop.
The remaining few Heavenly Human Realm experts were not a concern; he could leave them to the Imperial Court. Ning Qi planned to quietly send out the intelligence on these Demonic Sect branches.
“On Lin Xueshuang’s side, for Fifth Sister-in-law’s sake, I also gave her a choice. Presumably, from now on she won’t get involved in this matter anymore. The Demonic Sect’s threat is gone by eight or nine tenths. The only one to guard against is that sect leader who doesn’t know where he is.”
“But no need to worry excessively. Without these subordinates supplying beast inner cores, the Saint Pill will inevitably be delayed for a long time. My goal has been achieved, and it’s time to go back.”
Compared to traveling outside, Ning Qi preferred staying in the Seeker’s Courtyard, reading scriptures and enlightening daily.
With a thought, he could no longer hold back.
Having done everything he needed to, he quietly departed.
No one knew that the Demonic Sect, which had entangled with Great Yan for two thousand years, quietly perished in Ning Qi’s hands just like that.
……
True Martial Mountain.
More than ten days had passed since Ning Qi went down the mountain.
Quite a few things had happened during this time.
Ginger Baishan and Lin Ruhua’s return certainly couldn’t be hidden from Xiong Shi and the others, so naturally an explanation was needed. Continuing to hide it would be unfair to Qin Yun. He had already turned into an ice sculpture, perhaps never to wake again. Luo Wentian was unwilling for the senior brothers to still misunderstand Qin Yun.
Therefore.
After consulting Dragon Mountain Daoist and getting permission, he finally told all the junior brothers and sisters everything one by one.
Starting from when Ginger Baishan and Lin Ruhua encountered the Demonic Sect attack, then the perilous situations that followed, Qin Yun’s arrival, and finally Ning Qi suppressing the Ghost Mask.
Naturally.
Ning Qi’s identity could no longer be hidden.
Everyone was sad and grieved. After seeing Qin Yun’s ice-sealed body, their eyes reddened with tears of sorrow, especially Ye Qinghe and Song Cheng. The two had the best relationship with Qin Yun. After learning everything Qin Yun had done in secret, they stroked the ice sculpture, filled with heartache and pain. Fortunately, Qin Yun had not truly perished, so they still had hope in their hearts.
But at the same time, they were extremely shocked.
They could hardly believe that the world-shaking Heavenly Sword True Person was actually Ning Qi!
Even though they had long had some expectations of Ning Qi’s strength in their hearts, this still far exceeded their imagination. They wouldn’t dare dream in that direction even in their dreams!
Therefore.
When Ning Qi returned to True Martial Mountain, he was greeted by those resentful gazes:
“Little Nine（ Ninth Senior Brother）, you hid it from us so bitterly!”
Ning Qi looked at Luo Wentian. Seeing his helpless expression, he knew what had happened, but instead he felt relieved. This was a good opportunity to come clean with the senior brothers.
Hiding it forever wasn’t good. The reason he hadn’t told them before was that Ning Qi didn’t have enough self-protection ability back then. There were too many people in this world who could threaten him.
But now, Ning Qi truly stood at the pinnacle of the world.
Since Luo Wentian and Ginger Baishan already knew, there was no need to hide it from the other senior brothers.
Ning Qi spread his hands with a smile:
“This isn’t my fault.”
He gave a pleading look to Luo Wentian and Dragon Mountain Daoist. The two just smiled and stepped back, looking helpless.
Ye Qinghe circled around Ning Qi several times, exclaiming in admiration, then lightly hummed:
“Little Nine, quickly transform into Heavenly Sword True Person’s appearance, and we’ll let you off!”
Everyone nodded repeatedly, showing ‘indignant’ expressions, but their eyes were full of anticipation. Even though they had heard Luo Wentian and Ginger Baishan describe it, they still found it hard to believe and had to see it with their own eyes.
Faced with the ‘siege’ of the senior brothers, Ning Qi smiled helplessly.
He waved his hand slightly, Gang Qi condensing. In an instant, a cold-gazed black-robed Daoist appeared before everyone. Who else but Heavenly Sword True Person?
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Even Luo Wentian and Dragon Mountain Daoist were the same. Although they knew Heavenly Sword True Person was Ning Qi’s technique, this was the first time they saw how Ning Qi performed such a technique. This divine secret technique was truly astonishing.
Especially for Li Ling, the impact was even greater.
He had followed Heavenly Sword True Person to learn swordsmanship for a time. Only now did he realize that the Heavenly Sword True Person he admired most was Ninth Senior Brother. The joy and excitement in his heart overflowed.
“Ninth Senior Brother, you…”
He was so excited he was incoherent. Exchanging a glance with Zhuang Chen, they both saw the adoration in each other’s eyes, wishing they could prostrate themselves.
Ning Qi smiled:
“From now on, if you want to learn swordsmanship, just come directly to the Seeker’s Courtyard.”
Since he had revealed his identity, he naturally wouldn’t be stingy.
Teaching the two junior brothers wouldn’t take much time.
He waved his hand, dispersing the clone, and said:
“This secret technique is called Formless Gang Body. The requirements are still a bit high now, but after some time, I’ll study it carefully to lower the requirements. Then you can all learn it.”
Everyone was invigorated.
Ning Qi just smiled and nodded.
The many secret techniques he created before were tailored for himself, but as his cultivation grew stronger and his foundation deepened, he would gradually improve them into more universal secret techniques. This would gradually strengthen True Martial Sect’s foundation.
After a bout of laughter and fun.
The matter of Ning Qi hiding his identity was thus brushed aside.
In truth, everyone was just joking. They were happy beyond measure, how could they be angry.
They entered Mingwu Pavilion.
Everyone’s originally relaxed expressions gradually turned somber.
The ice-sealed Qin Yun lay quietly on the bed. Even after so many days, though everyone had accepted this reality, seeing Qin Yun’s aged face and body still made them feel a pang of sadness.
“Little Nine, how did the trip go?” Dragon Mountain Daoist asked softly. Luo Wentian had already told him Ning Qi went to the Demonic Sect Headquarters.
Ning Qi nodded:
“Everything went smoothly. From now on, the Demonic Sect’s threat is mostly gone.”
He began recounting what happened after he went down the mountain, though some parts he glossed over.
After hearing that Ning Qi alone had taken down the Demonic Sect Headquarters and killed fully fifty or sixty Heavenly Human Realm experts, everyone was stunned, staring blankly at Ning Qi.
Heavenly Human Realm—that was a martial artist one in a billion. In their eyes, it was a realm they needed to expend endless effort to climb.
But in Ning Qi’s understated tone, it was as simple and effortless as slaughtering chickens and sheep.
They exchanged glances and all gave bitter smiles.
The gap between them and Ning Qi was truly too great.
But more than that, they were happy.
The threats of the Demonic Sect and Southern Border had always loomed in everyone’s hearts. Now, half had finally been removed, making things much easier going forward.
“However, according to what you said, Little Nine, the Demonic Sect still has a sect leader in closed-door cultivation. We still need to be cautious,” Luo Wentian said.
Ning Qi said:
“No worries. I’ve already passed the intelligence on the many Demonic Sect branches to the Imperial Court. The Demonic Sect’s momentum is gone.”
He then said to Lin Ruhua, whose eyes faintly showed worry:
“Fifth Sister-in-law, I’ve already sent a message to your mother, but for insurance, you’d better personally write to her. Have her take the Lin Clan main line and seclude themselves, staying away from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, to avoid battling Imperial Court experts. If she doesn’t want to seclude, True Martial Sect can provide them a safe haven.”
Lin Ruhua immediately showed joy. This matter had always weighed on her heart, but she hadn’t wanted to speak up. Now that Ning Qi brought it up proactively, she felt endlessly grateful.
“Thank you, Ninth Junior Brother! I’ll write to Mother right away!”
Everyone was gratified.
They knew Lin Xueshuang doted on her daughter. Before, because of Lin Ruhua, she had voluntarily distanced herself from the Demonic Sect’s power center and gone to the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Now with Lin Ruhua personally persuading, she should come to True Martial Mountain. This would invisibly strengthen True Martial Sect’s foundation further.
Of course.
They were even happier that from now on Ginger Baishan no longer had to face a dilemma.
With the Demonic Sect matter concluded.
Everyone’s gazes turned to Qin Yun again. Ginger Baishan couldn’t help asking:
“Little Nine, Little Eight he…”
Ning Qi reassured:
“Don’t worry. In the future, I will definitely wake Eighth Senior Brother! If Martial Saint Realm won’t do, then above Martial Saint Realm. I’ll strive in that direction!”
Everyone nodded firmly:
“We’ll work together to search for ancient methods and secret recipes. We will definitely save Little Eight（ Eighth Senior Brother）!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled with relief:
“Take it slow. At least… now we’re all together again.”
