Hou Qing brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves, his movements as dashing as ever.
He gently placed a warm, jade-like bone flute into Li Xingyun's hands.
The flute was pure white, its surface carved with dense, ancient patterns. It felt warm to the touch, yet exuded an indescribably chilling aura.
"Keep this safe," he said. "Blow it if you find yourself in a life-threatening crisis."
He didn't explain further, only mentioning that it was time for him to settle some old scores.
Li Xingyun opened his mouth but didn't try to make him stay. Zhang Zifan and Lu Linxuan's faces were also filled with reluctance to part.
Hou Qing's departure meant their hastily assembled team was losing its top-tier combatant.
"Take care."
A thousand words ultimately merged into this simple phrase.
Hou Qing waved his hand. His figure blurred into an afterimage, vanishing into the valley's mist after a few leaps.
Li Xingyun withdrew his gaze and looked down at the bone flute in his hands.
He slowly curled his fingers, gripping the flute tightly in his palm.
From this moment on, he would have to rely on himself for the road ahead.
Outside, at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
The Witch King stood atop a field of ruined rubble, letting out a hoarse, maniacal laugh.
Behind him stood hundreds of monsters covered in dark green keratin. Their eyes were blood-red, completely devoid of reason, standing in perfect unison.
The aura radiating from each monster was incredibly formidable, faintly touching the threshold of the Great Heavenly Position.
They knew no pain and feared no death; they were ultimate weapons born purely for slaughter.
A force capable of making every faction in the world tremble had already taken shape.
He needed an opportunity—a chance to announce his ambitions to the world.
He knew Li Xingyun wasn't dead, and he intended to force him out of his turtle shell.
An order echoed throughout Miaojiang.
"Three days from now, at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, a grand wedding will be held for the Holy Maiden of Miaojiang, Chi Meng, and the current Emperor."
As soon as the news spread, the world was in an uproar.
Inside the valley of the Twelve Dong, Li Xingyun sat cross-legged.
The profound methods of the *Qi Sutra* circulated slowly within him, blending with the overbearing *Tiangang Art*. An unprecedented sense of clarity spread through his limbs and bones.
His aura was sometimes as heavy as a mountain, and other times as ethereal as a gentle breeze, as if he could merge with the surrounding grass, trees, and rocks at any moment.
Just then, a clansman of the Twelve Dong responsible for gathering intelligence approached him.
"Latest news. The Witch King will hold a wedding for the Holy Maiden and the fake Emperor in three days."
When the word "wedding" reached his ears, the perfectly harmonious aura surrounding Li Xingyun shattered instantly.
He snapped his eyes open, an uncontrollable fury erupting from the depths of his pupils.
Chi Meng, that quirky, endlessly energetic Miaojiang girl—the girl who had repeatedly risked her life for him.
Now, she was going to be married off to that imposter?
"How dare he," Li Xingyun squeezed the icy words through his gritted teeth.
The Second Dong Master quietly appeared. Looking at the furious Li Xingyun, he let out a long sigh.
"This is a trap."
"The Witch King is doing this solely to lure you out," he said gravely, detailing the situation outside.
The current Ten Thousand Poisons Sect had already been laid out as an inescapable net by the combined forces of the Witch King, the fake Li Xingyun, the Mobei Khitan, and the Western Regions' Zoroastrian Cult.
Not only were there a massive number of invulnerable, incredibly strong Weapon God Altars, but top experts from various factions were also lying in wait.
There might even be several Great Heavenly Position experts hiding in the shadows, waiting to deliver a fatal blow.
"This journey is a near-certain death," the Second Dong Master concluded.
A dead silence fell over the valley.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Xingyun slowly stood up. The anger on his face had faded, replaced by an unprecedented calmness and resolve.
"I have to go."
"Chi Meng fell into this perilous situation because of me."
"Even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I must brave it."
Zhang Zifan stepped forward, his folding fan snapping shut with a sharp thwack.
"I'm coming with you, Xingyun."
Lu Linxuan also gripped her longsword tightly. Though a trace of fear lingered on her face, she didn't take a single step back.
"Me too, Senior Brother."
The three exchanged glances; no more words were needed.
Some things had to be done, even knowing they were impossible.
Inside the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, the air was thick with a bizarre stench—a mix of heavy blood and strange medicinal herbs.
Inside and outside the heavily guarded gates, countless pairs of faintly glowing eyes monitored every corner from dark shadows, underground burrows, and overhead canopies.
Poisonous insects, mutated beasts, medicine thralls, and elite Miaojiang soldiers formed a multi-layered, deadly defense network.
Yet, three figures blended into this darkness as silently as ghosts.
Li Xingyun pushed the *Qi Sutra* to its absolute limit.
His breathing, his heartbeat, and even the scent of his body completely merged with the damp soil and rotting leaves around him.
He seemed to become a part of the earth itself.
Zhang Zifan and Lu Linxuan followed closely behind him. The trio narrowly avoided wave after wave of patrols.
As they ventured deeper, a familiar figure appeared before them without warning.
It was the Holy Child of Miaojiang, Youchuan.
He still wore his cold, stern expression, though his face was much paler than before.
Zhang Zifan's heart instantly leaped to his throat, the internal energy of the Five Lightnings Heavenly Heart Art already gathering in his palm.
However, Youchuan didn't raise the alarm.
He merely made a "follow me" gesture to the three of them, then turned and melted into the deeper shadows.
Zhang Zifan furrowed his brows tightly and lowered his voice.
"Careful, it might be a trick."
Li Xingyun looked in the direction Youchuan had vanished and remained silent for a moment.
He chose to follow.
Inside a hidden side hall, Youchuan came to a halt.
He turned around and looked at the vigilant Zhang Zifan, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"I know you don't trust me."
He didn't try to defend himself much, only slowly recounting his recent experiences.
The Witch King had gone completely mad.
Not only was he refining the Weapon God Altars, but he even intended to turn all his loyal subordinates into those mindless monsters that only obeyed his commands.
Youchuan, naturally, was among them.
"If it weren't for a strand of the senior's sword aura still lingering in my body, I'm afraid I would have..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the lingering fear in his voice resonated deeply with the three listeners.
A flash of absolute determination crossed Youchuan's eyes.
"The Witch King's conspiracy must not succeed."
"Otherwise, all of Miaojiang—no, the entire Divine Land—will be plunged into absolute misery."
To prove his sincerity, he pulled out a map drawn on animal skin from his robes.
It was a detailed deployment map of the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
It even clearly marked the exact locations where Chi Meng and the Gu King were being held.
Relying on the map, the group quickly bypassed the guards and arrived at the core area of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
Suddenly, a cold, hoarse laugh echoed from outside the hall without any warning.
"What a brilliant inside job."
"I was almost moved to tears by you all."
*Boom.*
The heavy doors of the side hall slammed shut.
The ground around them began to crack, and hideous arms covered in dark green keratin burst forth from the earth.
Countless Weapon God Altars crawled out like demons from hell, completely surrounding the side hall and sealing off every possible escape route.
As it turned out, the Witch King had long discovered Youchuan stealing the deployment map.
This entire situation was a trap he had set by playing along.