Chapter 62: Ning Qingqing Arrives in Haste

Bai Shengyun maintained contact with the spirit of the Zijin Bell, using it to sense its precise location, while simultaneously channeling his spiritual power to ward off the ever more violent wind and sand. His pace was even quicker than when he had come, no longer measured and composed, but rather filled with urgency.

He could not explain why, but ever since learning that Shen Ruru had sent people to find Xie Yingying, a sense of impending crisis had taken root in his heart, as though countless hands were encroaching upon his right to make decisions, all trying to seize control of him.

Such a feeling left Bai Shengyun deeply unsettled. His instincts told him the cause lay with Xie Yingying. Almost as a means of self-preservation, he resolved to find her before Shen Ruru and the others, so as to avoid being bound by their schemes.

His decision to kill that man and woman was born from a desire to prevent them from exposing Xie Yingying’s whereabouts. As for the others he had slain, it was for the same reason: he would not allow anyone to use Xie Yingying to shake his resolve, nor would he suffer anyone to harm the first thing in years to truly pique his interest.

Ning Qingqing, upon learning that Shen Ruru and Bai Shengyun had both left Mount Gufeng in quick succession, hurried after them. She now ventured into the evil sect’s domain, risking her life to search for Bai Shengyun everywhere.

It was not just Shen Ruru who felt uneasy—Ning Qingqing was plagued by the same unrest, burning with the urge to find Xie Yingying as soon as possible, to kill her and be done with it, so that she would never again appear before Bai Shengyun.

She had walked silently for a long time, this time well supplied with concealing talismans, so she did not fear detection. Yet the shrill, piercing laughter of malicious spirits, or the weeping of women and children, made her hair stand on end.

The wind and sand roared around her. Squinting, Ning Qingqing spied several dark, indistinct shapes in the distance. The swirling yellow dust prevented her from seeing what they were, but her nose caught a faint aroma of roasting meat. The closer she drew, the stronger the scent became.

It was not until she was nearly upon them that her gaze pierced the sandy veil and she saw clearly what those black shapes were. She started, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground in fright.

They were charred human corpses! If they had merely been burned, perhaps she could have borne it, but these bodies showed signs of having been viciously gnawed by some beast, exposing white bone beneath the blackened flesh—a ghastly, horrifying sight.

Instinctively, Ning Qingqing glanced to either side. The ghosts around her continued their conversations, laughing uproariously at some unknown topic. Each time they opened their mouths, she could see flashes of blood between their sharp teeth, some even streaked with fresh crimson threads.

She swallowed hard, her pupils trembling. Even her breath stilled, as if she had forgotten she was using a concealing talisman.

Suddenly, a little girl giggled slyly, casting a suspicious glance around, then taunted the other ghosts, “I smell the scent of a cultivator—so delicious! I wonder where they are hiding, but...”

She spun around abruptly, her eyes deep and dark as the abyss, fixing on a patch of empty air in front of her. Her expression turned cold and sinister. “I’ll find you soon enough!”

To Ning Qingqing’s horror, the girl seemed to see her clearly, baring her pointed teeth as though she might devour her on the spot. Ning Qingqing scrambled to her feet and bolted away in a panic.

Behind her, the little girl’s laughter rang out, sly and wild. She even called loudly, “Oh my, where did they go? Ran off so quickly, just like that fox-faced man before, heading that way?”

She raised her chubby hand and pointed in the direction of the Blood River.

Hearing this, Ning Qingqing stopped in her tracks and glanced back, just in time to see the girl pointing toward the Blood River. She hesitated, but before she could think further, the girl leapt toward her, clawing at the ground with both hands. Those jet-black eyes, like polished obsidian, flashed with a cold light in the yellow sand, appearing like two black lanterns.

Ning Qingqing turned and ran in terror, fleeing in the direction of the Blood River, desperately hoping to find Bai Shengyun and have him rescue her.

When she reached the riverbank, her beautiful eyes searched anxiously, but she saw no sign of Bai Shengyun. Shivering, arms wrapped around herself, she edged forward, her voice trembling as she called softly, “Young Emperor, save me…”

She was on the verge of being driven mad by that terrifying girl!

From the moment she first called out, Bai Shengyun had already heard her. But he was unwilling to be distracted, intent on investigating the array that allowed the evil sect to remain so well concealed, hoping to find a way to break it.

He stood in the shadows before the sect, frowning in concentration as he attempted to sense the array.

“Young Emperor… are you there? Please, save me, I beg you…” Ning Qingqing was nearly in tears now.

Her wailing, like that of a wandering soul, shattered Bai Shengyun’s concentration. His expression grew cold as he strode toward her voice. When he found her close by, he did not hesitate—raising his hand, he struck, reducing her carefully applied concealing talisman to a pile of shredded paper.

Ning Qingqing trembled all over, about to scream, but Bai Shengyun silenced her before she could utter a sound.

What are you making a fuss about? If you’ve come here to die, then go throw yourself into the evil sect and perish there—don’t sully my sight. Bai Shengyun’s tone was harsh and impatient.

Hearing his voice, Ning Qingqing knew at once that his spell had succeeded. Though she was displeased, she put on a pitiful face, as if grievously wronged, and began to sob, “Young Emperor, I saw burned corpses on my way here, and ghosts feasting on the flesh. One even chased me for ages, I…”

She lowered her head, wiping tears from her face. “I’m just so scared…”

Bai Shengyun, hearing this, turned to leave, his irritation plain. “Don’t follow me.”

Hearing his voice recede, Ning Qingqing realized he was walking away. She immediately drew out a transmission talisman and quickly whispered, “The Young Emperor’s spell seems to have worked. He’s by the Blood River now.”

As she finished, the transmission talisman was about to take flight when, midair, its spiritual power abruptly faded, a flicker of flame consuming it until only ashes remained.

A wave of suffocation washed over her, and Bai Shengyun’s voice sounded once more, now close at hand: “Who were you planning to send that talisman to, hmm? Shen Ruru, or Qi Sicang?”

She dared not answer, the sensation of suffocation tightening its grip. Driven by a desperate will to live, she managed to open her mouth and rasp, “It… it was Shen Ruru, I was going to give it to her…”

The moment Shen Ruru’s name left her lips, the pressure intensified, draining her face of color, her eyes rolling back, crystalline tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Young Emperor…” she managed to choke out, coughing several times, “I did it all… for your sake!”

“Oh? For my sake? Does that mean I should bow to you three hundred and ninety times, or perhaps offer my life in gratitude for your boundless kindness?” Bai Shengyun sneered, his voice cold and mocking.

Though his words were sharp, Ning Qingqing noticed the grip on her throat loosened somewhat. Clinging to her hope of survival, she continued, “Young Emperor, I was worried about you entering the evil sect alone. I thought Shen Ruru’s help might be useful… I… I just didn’t want to see you die.”

Bai Shengyun listened to her words, his expression growing complicated and unreadable. After a moment, his fingers loosened.