58: Chapter 58 Blood Bone Forest

Qi Yang coldly looked at the two corpses on the ground without the slightest bit of pity.

He skillfully squatted down and pulled the Storage Pouches off the two of them.

Afterwards, he pulled out a jade bottle from his chest, poured out a few drops of corpse-dissolving water, and precisely dripped it onto the two corpses.

Chi chi chi...

Accompanied by a burst of pungent white smoke, the corpses of the two Qi Condensation 9th Layer Cultivators, along with their bones and clothes, turned into a puddle of foul-smelling bloody water in just a dozen breaths.

Qi Yang formed hand seals with both hands, turning his water-attribute spiritual power into a drizzle that evenly watered the roots of the surrounding nether grass with this puddle of bloody water.

"Since you wanted me to die from the cold poison, you might as well turn into spring mud and thoroughly nourish my cold-poison Spiritual Plants."

Qi Yang sneered.

He turned around and returned to the thatched cottage, lit an oil lamp, and began to tally his spoils of war.

The net worth of the two Qi Condensation 9th Layer trusted aides was quite substantial, adding up to nearly a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, along with a few bottles of ordinary healing Medicinal Pills.

But what truly caught Qi Yang's attention was a sheepskin map flipped out from Scarface's Storage Pouch.

The map detailed a market town on the outer periphery of the Xuantian Sect's jurisdiction, where a remote valley called Blood Bone Forest had a heavy red circle drawn around it.

"Blood Bone Forest... It seems this is the final meeting place for Deacon Pan Ping's smuggling route."

Brilliant light flashed in Qi Yang's eyes.

The people sent by Deacon Pan Ping had died; that grandson would definitely notice tomorrow.

Once he discovered his trusted aides were missing, the risk of the smuggling route being exposed would surge dramatically, and he would definitely be driven to desperation!

"We must eradicate the roots completely!"

Qi Yang rubbed his chin. He couldn't make a move against Deacon Pan Ping within the Sect; a Qi Condensation 11th Layer deacon dying in the Inner Sect would definitely cause a massive earthquake.

But what if Deacon Pan Ping's smuggling network was uprooted outside the Sect?

Qi Yang already had a ruthless plan in mind.

...

One early morning a few days later, Su Qinghan came to the Nether Grass Field once again.

Today, she was dressed in martial attire with a long sword hanging at her waist, her cold and aloof face exuding an aura of solemn killing intent.

She walked up to Qi Yang, who was working in the field, and without any nonsense, directly pulled three yellow Talismans emanating dense Spiritual Qi fluctuations from her sleeve, stuffing them into Qi Yang's hands.

"Fairy, this is..."

Qi Yang looked at the Talismans in his hands, deliberately putting on a panicked appearance.

"Second-grade intermediate defensive Talisman, Golden Light Shield."

Su Qinghan's tone was cold, but deep within her eyes, a trace of imperceptible concern was hidden.

"I've accepted a mandatory Sect mission to clear out a demonic Cultivator stronghold on the outer periphery of the jurisdiction. It will probably take half a month before I return."

"Recently, the case of stolen Materials in the Inner Sect has been making a huge fuss. You old bones, be careful yourself. If you encounter danger, directly tear open the Talisman; it can block a full-strength strike from a Qi Refining Tenth Layer Cultivator."

Qi Yang's heart stirred slightly.

A second-grade intermediate defensive Talisman; this thing cost at least several hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones per piece in the market town, yet Su Qinghan casually handed over three.

Although this lass looked ice-cold on the surface, acting as his nominal umbrella of protection, she was truly competent.

"Many thanks to the Fairy for the reward! This old man will definitely cherish his life and wait for the Fairy's triumphant return!"

Qi Yang repeatedly bowed with cupped hands, carefully tucking the Talismans into his chest.

"Stay alive and wait for my return."

Su Qinghan gave him a deep look, then turned into sword light and headed straight outside the Sect.

Watching the direction where Su Qinghan disappeared, the silly smile on Qi Yang's face slowly faded, and brilliant light burst forth from his turbid old eyes.

"Outer periphery of the jurisdiction? Clearing out a demonic Cultivator stronghold?"

Qi Yang immediately connected all of this together.

There were extremely many market towns on the outer periphery of the Xuantian Sect's jurisdiction, where Mortals and low-level Loose Cultivators intermingled.

The mission Su Qinghan accepted was most likely to clear out Deacon Pan Ping's contact point in the Blood Bone Forest!

"This is getting interesting now."

Qi Yang rubbed his chin, his brain spinning rapidly.

If Su Qinghan really wiped out the Blood Bone Forest, Deacon Pan Ping's smuggling chain would completely break.

With Deacon Pan Ping's Qi Condensation 11th Layer cultivation and greedy nature, once his financial path was cut off, he would definitely go mad.

By then, he, the old farmer of the Nether Grass Field right near the entrance of the smuggling tunnel, would definitely become Deacon Pan Ping's primary target for venting his anger and silencing him!

More importantly, the demonic Cultivator stronghold must be hiding a large amount of top-tier poisonous plants and toxic evil Materials rare among Righteous Path Sects!

Those things were death warrants to others, but to his Qi Yang's Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art, they were supreme nourishing treasures!

"Deacon Pan Ping must die, and the poisonous plants of the demonic Cultivator stronghold must also be intercepted. Furthermore, Su Qinghan, this umbrella of protection, cannot be broken."

Having made up his mind, Qi Yang immediately returned to the underground secret room.

He took off his tattered hemp clothing, dug out a human-skin mask with a sallow face and prominent cheekbones from the depths of his Storage Pouch, and pressed it onto his face.

Changing into a grayish-black Loose Cultivator robe, he placed the three second-grade defensive Talismans close to his body, and finally swallowed a wuxiang pill, steadily suppressing his Qi Condensation 9th Layer cultivation down to the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer.

Qi Condensation Seventh Layer was a neither-high-nor-low safe Realm in the market towns on the outer periphery of the jurisdiction; it wouldn't arouse the vigilance of demonic Cultivators, nor would it be treated as a soft persimmon that could be pinched to death at will.

After making proper preparations, Qi Yang did not take the Sect's main gate. Instead, following the tunnel he had dug leading to the Spirit Spring Cave, he opened an implicit branch path halfway and directly escaped out of the Xuantian Sect's grand protective array.

Once outside the Sect, Qi Yang affixed a high-grade divine mobility talisman, transforming into a gray afterimage as he quietly trailed along the direction where Su Qinghan had left.

Half a day later.

Qi Yang arrived at a medium-sized market town on the outer periphery of the Xuantian Sect's jurisdiction.

Here, Mortals and Cultivators lived together, and the sounds of hawking echoed endlessly on the streets.

Several dozen li to the north of the market town was that Blood Bone Forest shrouded in miasma year-round.

Qi Yang did not rush into the forest; instead, he found an inconspicuous teahouse in the market town to sit down, quietly spreading out his powerful perception.

Very soon, he captured Su Qinghan's cold and sharp Sword Qi fluctuations inside an inn on the edge of the market town.

Aside from Su Qinghan, there were four other Qi Refining Tenth Layer Spiritual Qi fluctuations!

"Five Qi Refining Tenth Layer Inner Sect Disciples teaming up? It seems the strength of this Blood Bone Forest's demonic Cultivator stronghold cannot be underestimated."

Qi Yang took a sip of coarse tea, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Just at this moment, two people in black robes walked past the teahouse in a hurried manner.

Although they tried their best to conceal it, how sharp was Qi Yang's five-element perception? He immediately caught a whiff of pungent blood-evil aura from them.

"Secret outposts of the demonic Cultivators."

Qi Yang put down his teacup, tossed down a piece of broken silver, and quietly followed behind them.

...

With a high-grade qi-suppressing talisman affixed to him, Qi Yang hung behind Su Qinghan's team.

This ghost place of the Blood Bone Forest was shrouded in grayish-red miasma year-round, and the air was filled with the pungent, rotten stench.

His perception quietly spread out, tightly locking onto the five powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuations ahead.

Su Qinghan was dressed in martial attire, holding a long sword, walking at the very front of the team.

Following behind her were four Inner Sect Disciples, all uniformly at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer.

Placed in the market towns on the outer periphery of the jurisdiction, this lineup could definitely walk sideways.

But Qi Yang knew clearly in his heart that since Deacon Pan Ping dared to use this place as the smuggling contact headquarters, there must definitely be tough characters hidden inside.

Sure enough, less than ten li after the team penetrated deep into the Blood Bone Forest, an abnormal change suddenly occurred!

Boom!

The surrounding miasma violently roiled, and a dozen scarlet blood-evil blade radiances slashed out from the depths of the dense forest, directly sealing off all retreat routes for Su Qinghan and the others.

"Enemy attack! Form the array!"

Su Qinghan gave a crisp shout, and the spiritual power of her Three-element Profound Spiritual Root erupted with a roar.

The long sword in her hand transformed into a sky-filling sword shadow, forcefully shredding the blood-colored blade radiance that slashed down at her head.

Within the dense forest, more than a dozen demonic Cultivators wearing black robes revealed their figures.

The leader was a thin, emaciated middle-aged man with a sinister expression. He was toying with a pair of cyan short daggers in his hands, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanating from his body unexpectedly reached the Qi Condensation 11th Layer!