"Shouting Evil Fruit?"

Qi Xiu was startled upon hearing this; he was all too familiar with that thing.

If he hadn't accidentally stumbled upon the secret meeting where the Flood Dragon King's foster son was distributing the Shouting Evil Fruit, he wouldn't have been hunted by yaksha, a chase he eventually turned around. In the end, he inadvertently entered the Shenxiao Sect's examination site and, by a stroke of luck, became a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect.

"Indeed. While I and two fellow sect members were eliminating a group of Water Demons, we accidentally learned that the Nu River Great Demon, the Flood Dragon King, had died, and the Nu River Dragon Palace had fallen into disarray. The entire Dragon Palace had been looted by those Water Demons. The source of the Shouting Evil Fruit was also taken. Now, that group of Water Demons has been spotted near the Yu Tanghe. If we could intercept and kill them, it's highly likely we could find the source of that evil fruit and permanently eliminate a future threat!"

After blurting out his secret, the man's expression eased considerably. Once he and his two sect members learned this news, they immediately wanted to report it. However, before they could, they were pursued by the Hundred-Eyes Demon Lord. His two sect members were tragically killed, one after the other. He, too, was seriously injured and on the brink of death. If Qi Xiu hadn't arrived in time, this news would have been buried forever with his death.

"Is that so?"

Rubbing his temples, Qi Xiu showed a hint of contemplation. The Flood Dragon King died suddenly. With their leader gone, his subordinate demons wreaked havoc in the Flood Dragon Palace, and even the source of the Shouting Evil Fruit was stolen. It sounds plausible.

"One hundred and fifty li from here, there is a secret post where cultivators of this province can rest. You can go there and release the news. This matter concerns the source of the evil fruit; someone higher up will surely take an active interest."

Handing the man a dozen Spirit Pills and a stack of Suppressing Talismans for protection, Qi Xiu pointed him in the right direction.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist. I, Wei, will remember the life-saving grace you've shown today. May I ask how to address you?"

Accepting the Spirit Pills and Talisman Scripts Qi Xiu offered, Wei City looked grateful. If it weren't for Qi Xiu, he would probably have become a disgusting pile of blood and flesh in the stomach of the Hundred-Eyes Demon Lord by now.

"Qi Xiu of the Shenxiao Sect."

Quietly committing Qi Xiu's name to memory, Wei City cupped his hands and turned to leave. The matter of the evil fruit's source had to be reported as soon as possible. If the Shouting Evil Fruit could be eradicated root and stem, it would be a promising turn for the current situation. After all, the [Evil Domain] caused by the Shouting Evil Fruit had a profoundly detrimental effect. If it were allowed to develop further, once the tide of war turned and lost territory was reclaimed, eliminating the [Evil Domain] would be another significant challenge they would have to face.

I hope this matter can be handled properly.

Watching Wei City's figure recede into the distance, Qi Xiu transformed into a streak of Lei Mang and sped away across the land.

The Shouting Evil Fruit was a crucial method for the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to maintain their foothold in Dianchuan Province. That was why it was entrusted to the Flood Dragon King, who was at the peak of the Dao Body Realm. However, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains could never have imagined that the Flood Dragon King—a peak Dao Body Realm expert, unrivaled as long as no Primordial Spirit manifested—would suffer the terrible misfortune of dying at the hands of Elder Shui and Qi Xiu. Consequently, the source of the evil fruit, which should have been secure, was plundered by a group of Water Demons and lost.

The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains will definitely not abandon such a high-level treasure; they will surely dispatch a Dao Body Realm Leader to retrieve it.

As this thought crossed his mind, Qi Xiu, riding the Lei Mang, descended into a deep mountain range.

About a hundred meters from the mountain, several imperceptible rays of light swept over Qi Xiu's body. Upon detecting the pure Thunder Magic aura on him, these rays vanished.

Just as he entered the mountains, the scene before Qi Xiu's eyes suddenly blurred. The originally barren, rugged, and desolate stone mountains instantly transformed into a paradise-like land with rows of pavilions and gurgling streams.

"Senior Brother Qi."

"Good to see you, Senior Brother Qi."

"Junior Brother Qi is back."

"Martial Uncle Qi."

Arriving at this Shenxiao Sect secret post, the Shenxiao Sect disciples he encountered all nodded and greeted Qi Xiu.

In the Blood-Stained Realm, even in a major sect like the Shenxiao Sect, one was considered a pillar of strength. Some Blood-Stained Realm cultivators who had joined the sect earlier had already begun taking disciples, so Qi Xiu's seniority was already at the level of a martial uncle.

Nodding with a smile to these fellow sect members, Qi Xiu walked slowly towards the depths of the secret post.

「A month ago.」

Sect Master Dongfang Qing had issued the Salvation Order, commanding the sect's disciples to descend from the mountain to save the world by subduing demons and fiends. One-third of the Outer Sect disciples, seventy percent of the Inner Sect Dao-Entering Realm disciples, and sixty percent of the Blood-Stained Realm disciples had responded. The total number reached nearly thirty thousand. Furthermore, fifteen Dao Body Realm Leaders were dispatched to oversee the secret posts. It could be said that this time, the Shenxiao Sect had given considerable face to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Such a massive deployment of personnel was a first in nearly a thousand years. Of course, besides giving face, a larger reason was Dongfang Qing's own pro-war stance. Otherwise, a mere Crown Prince of Great Xuan would not have been enough to command an ancient sect like Shenxiao Sect, which had stood for several eras.

Reaching the depths of the secret post, Qi Xiu saw an old man with white hair and a robust build, wearing a light white apron. He stood before a wine jar, over ten meters tall, and was slowly stirring the liquid inside with a long bamboo pole, his expression serious and focused. A faint, rich, and mellow aroma of wine permeated the air.

"Preceptor Yunming."

Standing at the base of the colossal wine jar, Qi Xiu called out softly.

Yunming. He was one of the fifteen Dao Body Realm Leaders dispatched down the mountain by the Shenxiao Sect this time. Older than Daoist Yunxiong, he was nearly two thousand years old this year and was considered a veteran Dao Body Realm Leader within the Shenxiao Sect. In terms of raw power, he might not be comparable to Daoist Yunxiong.

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