Chapter 268: Urgent Killing Intent
Various whispers and news rose and fell from everyone's mouths, continuing through the night.
Because each person had different information, the topics of discussion also varied.
Was the killer really Ji You?
How could a rustic private cultivator from Tianshu Academy be so strong?
All the conjectures had their believers, and naturally, their disbelievers. In places where arguments were heated, one could often see flushed faces.
However, despite the differences in details and varying viewpoints, one question was discussed by everyone.
That was why that person had to kill all the Bu family Disciples.
One must know that the bodies they had found over the past few days were increasing, and it seemed that all twenty-something members of the Bu family were about to be accounted for.
Yet, the motive and purpose of the other party remained unknown to anyone.
Amidst the sounds of confused questioning, everyone suddenly felt a warmth at their waists. Looking down, the Sect jade tokens at their waists began to light up one after another.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chenfeng, lying in a tent, slowly opened his eyes.
He had woken up two hours earlier, but due to his injuries, he couldn't speak, and his Divine Thought couldn't gather.
It wasn't until this moment that his eyes showed signs of life.
And after his consciousness recovered, he asked Jiang Yan, who was beside him, for some water.
At the same time, a stifled sound came from the valley outside, followed by the wind of figures soaring into the air, gradually reaching Jiang Chenfeng's ears.
“What happened outside?”
“Someone found a clue to the whereabouts of the Bu family’s Family Head.”
Jiang Yan handed him the water, then turned her head to look outside the tent.
The Sect Disciples who had been resting earlier had all left the valley, and various Elders had also risen into the air, soaring away under the gloomy sky towards the southwest side of the Dongping Mountain Range.
The previous search had been disrupted by the Evil Seed pouring out of the mountains, and the major Immortal Sects suffered heavy losses.
But only those great figures at the Elder level knew that they were not without gains.
The location of the ruins could not be moved, and they had previously locked onto that area.
The other party should have used a secret technique to hide all their auras, but based on the analysis of the ruins' location, some searching Disciples had still spotted them with their naked eyes.
At this moment, the Tianshu Academy group was also speeding westward.
Among them, Elder Fang flew at the very front, gazing at the vast and Chaos mountain range, his eyes filled with urgent desire.
Whether what the injured Immortal Sect Prodigies said was true, whether the killer was truly the Ji You they knew—to him, these were all trivial matters.
In his heart, the most important thing was to capture the target before others.
Thinking of this, Elder Fang narrowed his eyes and looked at Elder Shang Yang of Asked the Dao Sect, Elder Yan Rong of Tianjian Peak, and Elder Huo Ku of Mountain and Sea Pavilion, who were not far away.
He knew that what these old fellows, just like himself, wanted was Bu Qirong, the collateral Family Head of the Bu family.
“Go, escape!”
“If you can escape, hide deeper; if you are caught, you can only resign yourself to fate.”
At the mouth of a dark cave deep within the Dongping Mountain Range.
A thin middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, watching the few remaining young Disciples of his Family scatter in two different directions. He couldn't help but murmur, his goatee twitching slightly.
From escaping into the mountains to hiding until now, all the Disciples who had been sent out had fallen silent.
His two sons had also died not long ago, which made him realize that the Bu family's path had reached a dead end.
Letting them scatter and flee amidst the Chaos was the best option when there was no other way.
In his view, if one or two could miraculously escape and leave behind descendants, it would mean they hadn't hidden like stray dogs for nothing.
In fact, Bu Qirong still had doubts, specifically about Dou Yuankong, who had exposed them to the open.
Although the Bu family had declined, their collateral branch was forced to make a living by running a winery.
But in the end, they were still an Immortal Family with a name in the Immortal Registry, and in Anyuan City, a small, remote city, they were a powerful presence.
After obtaining the Opportunity, they had always been very cautious, and the road to the winery was strictly sealed.
If it were truly as the outside world rumored, that Dou Yuankong had only traveled the Qingyun World with an old servant, then even if he had twice the ability, he couldn't have appeared on that road.
Even if he had appeared, they couldn't have been completely unaware, to the point of not even reacting in time.
However, since things had come to this, dwelling on them was useless.
“Damn Immortal Sects—!”
“What qingyun immortal rules? They’re nothing but a facade!”
“Why is it that in this Qingyun World, only you get to decide everything?!”
Bu Qirong's throat emitted a sinister sound, then he looked at his younger brother behind him, his eyes half-fear, half-excitement.
They said the Immortal Sects were high and mighty, sacred and inviolable.
And they were merely a minor collateral branch of a declining Sect, now being hunted by the combined forces of the major Immortal Sects, naturally they were anxious and flustered.
But after hiding for so long, they also wanted to know how powerful they, who possessed the Immortal Opportunity, had become.
Especially when he thought that he might be able to tear apart those high and mighty Elders, the excitement could suppress half of the fear.
Thinking of this, Bu Qirong looked back at the mountain forest, and a series of sounds began to approach from afar.
Then the sounds became denser, turning into a rustling of footsteps. At the same time, on the northwest side of the Dongping Mountain Range, Ji You and his group rested near a broken mountain after leaving the eastern valley of Zhuiying Gorge.
The deeper one went into the Dongping Mountain Range, the thicker the dense vegetation cover became. Coupled with the consistently gloomy weather, the boundary between night and day was not clear.
After staying in such a place for a long time, it was difficult for people to clearly perceive what day it was.
Especially since none of the three had slept soundly, this feeling was even more pronounced.
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu didn't sleep for fear of dreaming of something good and having the other party hear it.
Ji You's reason for not sleeping was much purer: first, he maintained vigilance against the Immortal Sect's search, and second, he was afraid of missing the whereabouts of the Bu family members. If his killing in the Dongping Mountain Range was exposed, the major Immortal Sects should all know by now, and the risk of being targeted was extremely high.
He wasn't afraid of being pursued, but once he was stuck, it would be quite troublesome to act later.
So he didn't want to wake up with annoying tails following him.
After finishing this job, he would go back and sleep a big one.
Ji You put the money bags he had collected over the past few days back into his storage gourd, then held his breath and concentrated. Golden Divine Thought began to surge in his eyes, spreading from him as the center to the surrounding mountain forest.
At the same time, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were roasting fish not far from where he was meditating, yawning from drowsiness while their hearts pounded.
Whenever they rested, they liked to clear their minds and then recall the scenes of drawing their swords. It had always been like this, but until this time, they suddenly realized that they seemed to have called him 'Guye' in an emergency earlier.
The term itself was nothing big, but the problem was that they were the personal maids of Lingjian Mountain's Young Master Jian.
Most importantly, many people were present at the time.
“You think they heard it?”
“It seems so.”
Zhuo Wanqiu frowned with some solemnity: “This is troublesome.”
Ding Yao looked at her: “Master Jian didn’t say anything before because she was afraid something would happen to the Young Master. Now, the Young Master shouldn't easily encounter danger, and even if they heard it, they might not really dare to spread it.”
“I'm afraid Master Jian will blame me if she finds out.”
“No, she won't. Master Jian clearly wanted to say it too, and saying it might not necessarily be a bad thing.”
Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help but look up after hearing Ding Yao's words: “What do you mean, Senior Sister Ding?”
Ding Yao raised her pretty face: “Didn't you notice that Junior Sister Yan and Jiang Yan from Asked the Dao Sect looked at the Young Master a bit strangely?”
Zhuo Wanqiu looked at Ding Yao after hearing that, thinking that no matter how strange Yan Qiubai and Jiang Yan's gazes were, they probably weren't as strange as Senior Sister Ding's dreams.
Of course, she might also be strange, but she didn't dare to try sleeping.
Just then, Ji You emerged from the mountain forest, and the sound of his footsteps on the soft fallen leaves instantly startled the two. “Guye, the food is ready.”
Ji You came before the two: “It seems we won't have time to eat this time.”
Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao immediately stood up: “Guye, have you found the remaining members of the Bu family again?”
Ji You nodded, then looked up at Ding Yao: “Tell me again about the usual deeds of the Bu family.”
He had no burden when killing Evil Seeds, but these Bu family Evil Seeds were, after all, transformed from humans, different from pure Evil Seeds.
Without witnessing their evil deeds firsthand, he would inevitably hesitate a bit when killing them.
So he often used Ding Yao to increase his killing intent.
According to Ding Yao's investigation reports from the mountain Disciples, none of the Bu family, high or low, were good people.
Although their Family had declined, they still had an Immortal Family background.
Bullying men and oppressing women, exploiting the common people—such things were already considered commonplace in their eyes.
Rape and pillage, seizing by trickery and force, such things are not uncommon.
So, even without considering their inevitable connection to the infants used as vessels, the evil deeds they committed in Anyuan City alone were enough for them to die.
Listening to Ding Yao's description, Ji You couldn't help but pull out the piece of paper he had written earlier from his Pregnant.
After several days of long journeys, the tally marks on the paper had been crossed out one by one, and now only the last two tally marks remained.
A Family of over twenty members was about to be reunited.
Thinking of the harmonious scene the next Family would welcome, a hint of emotion welled up in Ji You's heart.
Afterward, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu packed the roasted food into their Storage Gourds and followed Ji You.
However, they hadn't gone far when they felt countless auras soaring into the sky, rushing in the opposite direction of their travel.
Seeing this, the two immediately stopped and looked at Ji You with some confusion.
Having personally experienced the feeling of being torn apart by their Young Master, they no longer doubted the accuracy of Ji You's Divine Thought.
But they didn't know why those Immortal Sects were now chasing in the opposite direction.
Ji You looked at them at this moment: "There are three locations this time."
"Why are there three?"
"The people of the Bu family probably realize this is their last chance, having given up on hiding and planning to escape in batches, without any plan or cover, likely gambling on their Luck."
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu exchanged glances after hearing this: "So, the Immortal Sects chased the wrong way? Are we going to Bu Qirong's location?"
Ji You shook his head: "Quite the opposite."
"?"
"The location where Bu Qirong's aura was previously found is behind us, and Immortal Sects are searching to the east, west, south, and north. So the place where the Immortal Sects are going should be Bu Qirong's hiding place."
Ding Yao's mouth slightly opened after hearing this: "Then why don't we just go directly to capture Bu Qirong?"
Ji You looked up in the direction the Immortal Sects were chasing: "Bu Qirong must have used some Magical Artifact or secret technique, making his aura difficult to lock onto. However, even if he is locked onto, he won't be immediately captured. We should still be able to catch up after killing those others."
Whether the Bu family's hidden secret was an Opportunity or a disaster, naturally varied depending on each person's perspective and position.
For Ji You, leaving no survivors was the best way to handle it.
But now there were auras in three directions, and he was only one person, unable to Clone himself.
So his only chance was to find a time difference.
The place where the Immortal Sects swarmed must be Bu Qirong's location, but he might not be captured immediately.
Especially since Bu Qirong was already at the Innate Realm in the intelligence, and with his Evil Transformation, he might not be so easy to catch. However, the Bu family members who left in batches truly had a chance of escaping.
The Qingyun World is vast, and it is extremely easy to hide a person. If one were truly let go, it would not be so easy to find them again.
So he felt that he should kill those who were escaping, and then chase back, he would still be able to catch up, as long as his speed was fast enough—
Amidst the whistling night wind, Ji You traversed the mountains, his figure sweeping past the dense tree canopy.
His brilliant gaze, like a guiding lamp, flowed freely as he flew. Not long after, with the rustling of the wind and the cry of cranes, Ji You's golden pupils locked onto a group of fleeing figures.
Suspended high in the sky, he reached out and drew his sword, suddenly condensing Sword Qi that shot straight into the heavens, then slashed down fiercely!
Amidst the furious roar of the sword, the cliff facing him was directly shattered, and the figures rushing below were instantly engulfed by the surging Qi wave.
Then, a series of terrified roars shook the surroundings, and figures surging with Evil Qi rose into the sky from within the Qi wave.
Ji You stepped down with the wind, his iron sword humming wildly in his hand.
Amidst the buzzing, Sword Qi, like surging waves, pressed down fiercely onto the figures surging with Evil Qi.
The several Evil Seeds that rose into the sky were not weak in combat power, but they still couldn't withstand the intense Sword Qi. With a thud, they were fiercely cut down, and the scorching sword blade directly sliced open their hearts.
At this moment, a sharp claw whistled over. Ji You stepped on the ground and turned, his toes creating a sonic boom, and a whip kick sent the Evil Seed attacking from behind flying.
"Young Master, behind you!"
"?"
With a "bang," Ji You stomped forward fiercely, simultaneously twisting his waist and turning, transforming from a forward lunge to a backward retreat with his head tilted up.
In front of him, a mass of Evil Qi rapidly approached, and a figure appeared within the black mist.
Ji You gripped his long sword with a "bang," his entire body's blood boiling, and a streak of Sword Qi slashed horizontally forward.
Bu He was Bu Qirong's nephew, a cousin to Bu Yao, Bu Sheng, and Bu Hui.
In fact, he had never understood why, when the Immortal Sects clearly wanted information about their immortal Opportunity, his Family members kept dying one after another.
What made him even more confused was that those Immortal Sect Elders were clearly visible, so who could have killed Bu Yao and Bu Sheng?
Until this moment, Bu He looked at the Sword Qi slashing horizontally towards him.
He recognized him; this person was named Ji You.
There had been many rumors about him in the Qingyun World back then.
Later, he went with Bu Yao and Bu Sheng to watch the Tiandao Conference and saw him win the top spot in the Tiandao Conference.
Li!
The sharp Sword Qi cut down fiercely. Before the blade even arrived, the tough flesh on his chest had already split open, and large gushes of blood sprayed out.
Bu He reacted quite quickly. His two Evil Qi-shrouded sharp claws fiercely clamped onto the descending sharp sword, blocking the Sword Qi at the cost of his hand bones shattering, but then he saw that scorching body come with the sword, pressing down like a mountain cliff.
With a "bang," an iron fist came with the sword.
Bu He felt suffocated for a moment, instantly feeling as if his internal organs had been torn through.
At this moment, Ji You held the sword in his right hand, and taking advantage of the distance created by the punch, the sound of the sword rose again.
When!
The iron sword cut into his neck, and a harsh clang sounded as it severed the tough bone—
On the west side of the Dongping Mountain Range, Bu Yingxiong, Bu Qirong's clan uncle, and his group were also fleeing. As they reached a riverbank below a solitary peak, they suddenly heard a series of chaotic screams, so they turned their heads to look.
Right at the location where they had previously run from, countless crimson eyes appeared from within the forest.
At the same time, Sword Qi and magical techniques began to whistle under the gloomy sky.
Seeing this, a hint of cunning appeared in Bu Yingxiong's eyes.
He knew that the mountains were already in Chaos, and his two nephews had also appeared. The gazes of countless cultivators were now gathering towards the depths, making his chances of escape even greater.
The Bu family was almost wiped out; they had to leave a successor for the Family.
Although he was already nearly a hundred years old, he was willing to bear this responsibility.
In fact, this old clan uncle never had great ambitions from the beginning. He didn't even understand why the Immortal Sects wanted to hunt them down.
Finding a way to make themselves stronger, in his opinion, was their Family's ability.
Those Immortal Sects, each claiming to have a clear Dao Heart, yet they mercilessly killed them for this, it was simply shameless.
At this moment, his mind was filled with the thought of escaping quickly, finding a secluded place, and continuing to act tyrannically, personally working to re-proliferate and expand the Family.
However, just as his beautiful dream was in full swing, he noticed that his son Bu Zun's eyes suddenly narrowed.
Bu Yingxiong was extremely fond of women and had harmed many respectable women in Anyuan City.
It was precisely because his Dao Heart was mottled that his cultivation was not as high as his son's.
If it weren't for the immortal Opportunity that restored him to full strength, he might have already died of old age by now.
Therefore, what his son could sense, he, as the father, could not feel at all.
"What happened?"
"Bu He's aura is gone—"
"?"
Bu Yingxiong looked in the direction his son was looking and saw continuous sounds coming from the mountain forest in front of them.
Because Spiritual Qi surged in the Dongping Mountain Range, strong winds whistled from all directions, gushing out from the west side one after another, causing the ancient trees in the forest to rustle loudly.
And as the wind rose and fell, a trace of heat suddenly emerged from the wind coming towards them.
Before Bu Yingxiong could react, he saw a figure approaching at extreme speed, and at the same time, a heavy light soared into the sky.
His son, Bu Zun, instantly became extremely vigilant. His entire body's Evil Qi instantly spread out, and his flesh stretched in tremors. He let out a sharp cry and swung his claw.
That was Sword Qi. Although Bu Yingxiong was not very knowledgeable, he had seen it on his escape route.
And at this moment, in his eyes, he saw the reflection of his son being sent flying by a sword as heavy as a mountain.
Bu Yingxiong looked bewildered and saw the person wave at him without even turning his head.
He was certain he hadn't moved, but for some unknown reason, his vision shifted wildly until, at the moment it stopped, he saw a solitary body standing on the ground.