51: Chapter 51 Yin Shi Sect

"Everyone, get back! The power of this explosive Talisman is extremely strong, be careful not to get caught in the blast!"

Ouyang Yuexi warned loudly, the yellow Talisman in her hand already glowing with a blinding flame light.

Xiang Tian, Xiahou Yu, and Yan Qingyu hurriedly retreated several yards, focusing their attention and standing guard.

Seeing this, Ouyang Yuexi flicked her finger, and the explosive Talisman shot toward the black treasure vault door.

As soon as the Talisman touched the door panel, it exploded with a roar.

"Boom!"

Violent flame energy swept in all directions, and dust filled the air.

The gate made of black Ore was instantly shattered, and the shielding runes on the door vanished under the impact of the energy.

The dust gradually dissipated, and the scene inside the treasure vault came into view.

There were no rare treasures as expected, only a thick, nauseating scent of decay rushing toward them, identical to the corpse Qi in the main house, but even purer and colder.

"The corpse Qi is actually this heavy?" Yan Qingyu frowned, her Spiritual Qi surging around her body to form a barrier to isolate the corpse Qi. "I'm afraid this treasure vault has also become a place for evil cultivators to refine corpse puppets."

Xiang Tian's gaze instantly pierced through the gloom and landed in the depths of the treasure vault.

A familiar red figure was curled up there; it was Duanmu Hongdie!

Her red dress was tattered, faint corpse Qi lingered around her body, and her breath was weak; it was unknown whether she was alive or dead.

"Hongdie!"

Xiang Tian's heart tightened, disregarding Yan Qingyu's attempt to stop him.

He rushed over and carefully took Duanmu Hongdie into his arms.

She felt ice-cold to the touch, her face was pale, her lips were devoid of color, and she had already fainted.

"Young Master, be careful! The concentration of corpse Qi on her is extremely high and highly contagious. Once it invades your Meridians, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Yan Qingyu hurriedly chased after him, purple Spiritual Qi condensing in her hands as she tried to isolate the corpse Qi for Xiang Tian.

"Hehehe—"

Just at this moment.

A cold and eerie laugh suddenly came from the shadows of the treasure vault, making one's hair stand on end.

Immediately after, a figure slowly walked out, also surrounded by corpse Qi.

However, unlike those corpse puppets, his skin was fair, his face was handsome, and he looked no different from an ordinary person.

"To think there are still living people? That is beyond my expectations." The young man licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over the group, finally landing on Xiahou Yu, revealing a playful smile.

"Ling Tian!" Xiahou Yu's face changed drastically when she saw the person, and she exclaimed in shock.

"You know him?" Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow, his arms tightening around Duanmu Hongdie.

"Of course!" Xiahou Yu gritted her teeth and said, "He was the champion of the Haotian Sect's outer Secret Realm trial last year! At that time, he hunted over a hundred Second-Tier Spirit Beasts in the Secret Realm. His methods were ruthless, his strength was extremely strong, and he rose to fame among the younger generation!"

"Oh? Secret Realm champion?" Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow; this was that tenth expert!

Ling Tian seemed completely indifferent to their conversation.

His gaze turned to Xiang Tian, "Xiang Tian, of course I know you."

"Since you know me, then you should know my temper." Xiang Tian's eyes turned cold, killing intent surging around him, "Speak! Why did you slaughter the Duanmu Family? If anything happens to Hongdie, I will definitely make you wish you were dead!"

"Wish I were dead?" Ling Tian sneered, the morbidity in his eyes deepening, "Don't wrongly accuse me. Such a large Family like the Duanmu Family, how could I possibly slaughter them alone? I just came to 'take' a few things."

"Cut the crap!" Yan Qingyu could no longer suppress her anger.

Her figure flashed, and she pointed her finger, aiming straight at Ling Tian's glabella, "Phantom Spirit Finger!"

This finger strike was fast and ruthless, containing the full-force blow of a Middle Stage Martial Emperor Realm, making it impossible to dodge.

"Puchi!"

The purple finger force pierced through Ling Tian's chest without any suspense, and blood splattered.

However, Ling Tian seemed not to feel any pain at all.

A strange smile still hung on the corner of his mouth as he looked at Xiang Tian and slowly said, "Xiang Tian, we will meet again. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."

His body turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated into nothingness before everyone's eyes.

"Damn it! It was actually just a Clone!" Yan Qingyu snorted coldly.

She could feel that this Clone's strength was only at the Peak of the Supernatural Realm.

But the opponent's methods were too strange, actually managing to escape unscathed under her full-force blow.

"Let's ignore him for now." Xiang Tian looked down at the unconscious Duanmu Hongdie in his arms, his heart filled with anxiety, "The most urgent matter is to save Hongdie."

He carefully examined Duanmu Hongdie's body and found that her Meridians were filled with a large amount of corpse Qi.

This corpse Qi was slowly eroding her internal organs, bones, and blood.

If not cleared in time, it wouldn't be long before she completely turned into a corpse, becoming a mindless corpse puppet.

"Young Master, the corpse Qi has already invaded her Origin, ordinary means simply cannot clear it." Yan Qingyu also came over.

After carefully investigating, her expression became even more serious, "This kind of corpse Qi is extremely evil; once contaminated, it is difficult to eradicate for a lifetime."

"It's fine." Xiang Tian interrupted her.

His eyes were firm, "I will definitely be able to save her."

He moved his consciousness, "System, I know you have a way, hurry up and think of a way to save Hongdie!"

[The Host is indeed smart! This System certainly has a way to clear the corpse Qi, but everything has a price~]

"What price? As long as I can save Hongdie, even if it means going up against a mountain of blades or down into a sea of fire, I will not refuse!" Xiang Tian was overjoyed; as long as there was hope, he would not give up.

[The price is simple: become the Young Lord of the Xiang Family main lineage.]

Xiang Tian was stunned, and then his eyes lit up.

He remembered that the System had previously issued a task to "Gain Recognition from the Xiang Family," with a time limit of three years.

And now this task was highly overlapping with the previous one!

"System, you're going easy on me, right?" Xiang Tian couldn't help but complain, "These two tasks can obviously be completed together, why didn't you say so before?"

[Host, don't worry about these details~]

[However, there is an additional condition: you must complete the task within half a year and become the Young Lord of the Xiang Family. The previous three-year time limit is now shortened to half a year~]

"What?!" Xiang Tian almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, "Half a year? System, are you playing with me? The Xiang Family main lineage has vast power and fierce competition; how is it possible to become the Young Lord in half a year?"

[Keep it up, Host, this System has a lot of confidence in you~]

[Now, do you accept the task?]

Xiang Tian looked at Duanmu Hongdie, whose breathing was getting weaker and weaker in his arms, and gritted his teeth: "I accept!"

[Task confirmed! Now clearing the corpse Qi for Duanmu Hongdie~]

As soon as the words fell, a gentle golden light poured out from Xiang Tian's body, wrapping around Duanmu Hongdie's body.

The golden light was warm and pure.

The corpse Qi inside Duanmu Hongdie's body melted rapidly like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, and her pale complexion gradually regained its color.

"This... how is this possible?" Yan Qingyu widened her eyes, her face full of disbelief.

She knew well how stubborn corpse Qi was; even if it were a supreme purification treasure.

It would be impossible to clear the corpse Qi so quickly, but the scene before her overturned her understanding.

The golden light lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then gradually dissipated.

Duanmu Hongdie's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw Xiang Tian holding her, all her strength instantly collapsed.

She hugged Xiang Tian's neck tightly and burst into tears: "Xiang Tian... wuwuwu... Mom and Dad, and the clansmen... they are all dead... all of them are dead..."

Her crying was shrill and desperate, soaking a large part of Xiang Tian's clothes.

Xiang Tian's heart ached; he gently patted her back and comforted her softly: "Hongdie, don't cry anymore. I know you are very sad, but you still have me. From now on, I am your Family, I will protect you well, and I will never let you suffer any more grievances."

"But... those people were too powerful..." Duanmu Hongdie choked with sobs.

Her eyes filled with deep fear, "They killed my father in one move. I don't want you to take revenge for me; I just want you to stay by my side safely..."

"Rest assured." Xiang Tian lifted her chin.

Looking at her tearful appearance, his tone was firm, "Before I have sufficient strength, I will not act recklessly. But rest assured, I will definitely help you collect this blood debt. Moreover, I will rebuild the Duanmu Family for you, a Duanmu Family that no one dares to bully!"

"You..." Duanmu Hongdie was stunned.

Looking at the determination in Xiang Tian's eyes, her tears flowed even more fiercely, but it was no longer despair, but moving, "Okay... I believe you..."

"Alright, alright, you two, stop being lovey-dovey for now." Yan Qingyu walked up.

She interrupted their tenderness, her tone serious, "The most important thing now is to find out what force slaughtered the Duanmu Family. They could easily wipe out a Family, their strength must not be underestimated. If we don't take precautions in advance, I'm afraid there will be bigger trouble later."

"Qingyu is right." Xiang Tian also nodded in agreement.

"Hongdie, since you are the only survivor, you must know something. No matter what the secret is, you can tell us, and we will all help you."

"Hongdie, don't worry." Xiang Tian looked at her.

His tone was gentle, "You know Yan Qingyu, right! She is the Sect Master of the Meiying Sect and is my woman; this is my cousin Ouyang Yuexi, her Family has vast power in the capital of the Tianyun Kingdom and can help us a lot; and there is also Xiaoyu, you two are also close. They are all people who can be trusted, so feel free to say whatever is on your mind."

Duanmu Hongdie glanced at the three women.

She took a deep breath, nodded, and slowly said: "Actually... all of this has to do with my mother."

"Go on." Xiang Tian tightened his grip on her hand.

"Mm." Duanmu Hongdie nodded, "My mother was once the Saintess of the Yinshi Sect. Back then, in order to avoid the fiancé, the Saint, designated by the Sect, my mother secretly escaped from the Yinshi Sect and came to this remote town, where she met my father. The two fell in love and became husband and wife."

Xiang Tian frowned, "You mean that the Saint back then, in order to take revenge for your mother's escape, sent people to slaughter the Duanmu Family?"

"Mm." Duanmu Hongdie nodded again.

"Because this town is remote, it wasn't until half a day ago that they came to kill, slaughtering our Duanmu Family, and they even wanted to use my body to refine a corpse puppet. Fortunately, you arrived in time, otherwise..."

"My parents didn't even leave behind their corpses." Speaking of this, she couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"Yinshi Sect..." Xiang Tian repeated the name in a low voice.

He didn't expect that what seemed like an ordinary Family extermination case would actually involve such a powerful Sect.

"Hongdie, I will definitely take revenge for you." Xiang Tian gently patted her back.

"Since we know who the enemy is, it's easier to handle. When the time comes, I will take you to attack the Yinshi Sect, completely destroy this Sect, and avenge your parents and all the clansmen of the Duanmu Family!"

"Xiang Tian, you are my only reliance now, don't act rashly." Duanmu Hongdie looked up at Xiang Tian, who was holding her.

"Then you can rest assured; I cherish my life, at the very least I have to rebuild a Duanmu Family with you." Xiang Tian cupped her face and kissed her on the cheek.

Duanmu Hongdie's gloomy mood dissipated for the most part, and a wave of shyness welled up in her heart.