Chapter 375 The Demon King’s Fear

Before the monstrous sea of fire, the Chariot Lion Demon King—whose shoulder height exceeded five hundred zhang—appeared incomparably tiny.

The beast armor on his body rapidly melted away, while even his fur turned into ashes.

The vast ocean was covered by firelight. The sea surface seemed to boil as water vapor rose skyward, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Li Qingqiu remained motionless.

Blazing flames continuously erupted from the Extreme Yang pattern on his forehead. The Extreme Yang True Flame distorted the entire world itself.

The demons surrounding the Chariot Lion Demon King wailed miserably. Some demons even attempted to flee, yet once touched by the Extreme Yang True Flame, they were utterly incapable of extinguishing the fire on their bodies and could only die rapidly amidst agony.

The Chariot Lion Demon King’s flesh began splitting apart as blood burst outward like molten lava.

He gritted his teeth and resisted with all his strength—

Yet he simply could not block it.

Never in his life had he encountered such terrifying flames.

“Just what kind of existence is he…”

The Chariot Lion Demon King thought despairingly within his heart.

He had never imagined that pursuing a monk at the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm would result in provoking such a terrifying existence.

The three lion heads beneath the vortex of demon clouds roared simultaneously.

Li Qingqiu clearly felt a mysterious power descend, attempting to erase his Extreme Yang True Flame.

Fortunately, the Extreme Yang True Flame completely feared no such mysterious power.

Li Qingqiu’s eyes turned cold as he completely released the Extreme Yang True Flame within his body.

Boom——

The sea of fire instantly surged explosively, immediately swallowing the Chariot Lion Demon King’s massive body and covering the vast ocean.

Divine Monk Ruran stood beside Li Qingqiu, his kasaya robes fluttering violently.

Shock completely filled his young and handsome face.

Even his body began trembling.

At that moment, he felt incomparably weak and tiny, as though Li Qingqiu’s Extreme Yang True Flame could reduce him to ashes at any moment.

A sense of reverence involuntarily emerged within his heart.

Within his eyes, Li Qingqiu’s figure grew increasingly towering, resembling an Immortal Lord of the heavens who governed the Dao of Fire descending into the mortal world.

A heaven-shaking lion roar rang out.

This roar possessed even greater penetrating force and was filled with agony.

Under Divine Monk Ruran’s gaze, the Chariot Lion Demon King’s body rapidly shrank until it completely dispersed, vanishing utterly within the endless sea of fire.

The Extreme Yang pattern upon Li Qingqiu’s forehead flashed red once more, and the Extreme Yang True Flame rapidly withdrew back into his forehead.

If this blazing inferno were not withdrawn, it might very well cause a catastrophic disaster upon heaven and earth.

The surging Extreme Yang True Flame rolled back toward the island, generating scorching heat waves that forced Divine Monk Ruran to subconsciously retreat and widen the distance between himself and Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu rapidly recalled the Extreme Yang True Flame.

Because the fire had spread too widely and too fiercely, it took him dozens of breaths before he completely withdrew all the Extreme Yang True Flame that had spread outward.

Looking ahead, the two halves of the island had already transformed into scorched earth.

The seawater boiled like an overheated cauldron.

Dense mist covered the sea surface, and no trace of demons could be seen anymore.

Li Qingqiu raised his eyes.

The demon cloud vortex had already disappeared, though traces left behind by the raging Extreme Yang True Flame still remained across the heavens.

He frowned slightly.

His intuition told him the Chariot Lion Demon King had not died.

It seemed the Three Souls Converging into the Sea Realm still contained mysterious profundities he did not yet understand.

Although he had recovered much of the Extreme Yang True Flame after this battle, the amount consumed was still equivalent to five days of accumulation.

He could not help but feel somewhat pained.

Turning toward Divine Monk Ruran, Li Qingqiu said, “I advise you to return to Crossing World Immortal Island as soon as possible. Those demons may continue pursuing you.”

Different opponents required different considerations.

Even though the wealth Divine Monk Ruran provided exceeded what Zhou Linghuan had given, Li Qingqiu still would not escort him back to Crossing World Immortal Island.

After all, he remained wary of Crossing World Immortal Island.

Judging from Divine Monk Ruran’s methods and attitude while killing Han Cheng, Crossing World Immortal Island was definitely no benevolent faction.

After speaking, Li Qingqiu gave Divine Monk Ruran no opportunity to respond and directly departed using the Extreme Movement Technique.

Only after Divine Monk Ruran regained his senses did he realize Li Qingqiu’s aura had already vanished completely.

Turning his head toward the apocalyptic heaven and sea before him, the shock within his heart remained impossible to calm for a long time.

“Could it be he truly isn’t at the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm…”

Divine Monk Ruran muttered softly.

Suddenly, he found himself beginning to believe Li Qingqiu’s earlier words.

This man might truly be a wandering cultivator.

His Master had once mentioned that some great cultivators possessed cultivation so transcendent that even sects could no longer restrain them.

Such individuals no longer bound themselves to worldly rules. Instead, they wandered the heavens and earth freely in pursuit of their own Dao Fate of longevity.

Viewed this way—

He had encountered a true immortal!

He firmly engraved the name Li Bai into his heart, looking forward to meeting him again someday.

……

Beneath the rolling demon clouds, thunder flashed while monstrous waves surged across the ocean.

A cluster of islands lay scattered like fallen leaves upon the sea, appearing incomparably tiny.

Within one of those islands, deep inside a volcano—

Inside a cave chamber illuminated by volcanic firelight—

The Chariot Lion Demon King suddenly opened his eyes before violently coughing out a mouthful of blood.

His fur continuously fell away while terror filled his face.

“That fellow…”

Recalling the earlier battle, the Chariot Lion Demon King became filled with lingering fear.

He had actually been suppressed in a single exchange without the slightest ability to resist.

Li Qingqiu’s strength terrified him to the core.

He could not even muster the slightest thought of revenge.

One of his Three Souls had been destroyed, and he had also lost one avatar.

His cultivation would plummet drastically, requiring several hundred years to recover.

He hesitated over whether he should report this matter to the Demon Emperor.

Yet once he thought of the Demon Emperor’s violent temperament, he felt that fewer complications were better.

He had also witnessed and heard the scene of Divine Monk Ruran seeking Li Qingqiu’s assistance.

Divine Monk Ruran had paid Li Qingqiu for help, proving the relationship between the two was not deep.

They might even have merely been strangers meeting by chance.

The Chariot Lion Demon King firmly remembered the name Li Bai, along with Li Qingqiu’s appearance and voice.

If he encountered him again in the future, he absolutely had to take a detour.

If there was an opportunity to befriend him, that would be even better.

After personally experiencing the Extreme Yang True Flame, the Chariot Lion Demon King no longer wished to become enemies with Li Qingqiu.

Battling such an overwhelmingly powerful existence was simply too terrifying.

……

At dawn—

Li Qingqiu returned to Clear Sky Mountain.

He slowly walked upward from the mountain’s base.

Three days had already passed since he rescued Divine Monk Ruran.

Although the Extreme Yang True Flame within his body had not yet reached its fullest state, he felt it was sufficient.

Too much was not necessarily a good thing.

During this period, no disturbances had appeared within the Clear Sky Sect. The disciples did not even know the Sect Master had left.

Upon seeing the Sect Master walking along the mountain path, disciples along the way continuously greeted and saluted him.

Li Qingqiu smiled and nodded. Occasionally, he also chatted briefly with some lively and enthusiastic disciples.

Only after noon did Li Qingqiu finally arrive within the Lingxiao Courtyard.

Zhang Yuchun had already been waiting for quite some time.

“Senior Brother, you’ve finally returned. Where exactly did you go during this period? I tried contacting you with the Clear Sky Token, yet the connection failed. You didn’t go out to sea, did you?”

Zhang Yuchun stepped forward and asked.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “That cannot be told to you, otherwise it may bring you trouble.”

Zhang Yuchun thought about it and found the reasoning sensible.

Given Senior Brother’s current capabilities, the matters he dealt with were definitely not things Zhang Yuchun could involve himself in.

Moreover, preserving Senior Brother’s mystery was also beneficial.

Not only could it increase hidden trump cards, but it could also intimidate the various factions within the sect.

Li Qingqiu sat down and asked, “What happened?”

Zhang Yuchun sat down as well and said, “Sixth Junior Brother took his wife, children, and members of the Pei Clan westward. They plan to carve out territory outside the Western Region Perilous Land and contribute toward strengthening the western side for the Clear Sky Sect. Though he speaks nicely, I think he’s simply unable to stay idle. And those two boys, Shouzheng and Shoumin, are also extremely ambitious.”

After hearing this, Li Qingqiu did not frown.

Whether it was Li Sifeng or Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin, all had already reached the Spirit Perception Realm and could independently shoulder responsibilities.

He could not demand that others remain within the sect forever.

“Did disciples follow them?” Li Qingqiu asked.

“Yes, and quite a lot. At least one hundred True Transmission Disciples. More than ten disciples at the Spirit Perception Realm also followed,” Zhang Yuchun answered.

Only because it was Li Sifeng.

If it had been anyone else secretly taking so many disciples away, Zhang Yuchun would definitely have mobilized the power of the Sword Sect to suppress them.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “Perhaps those disciples are following his two sons instead.”

Zhang Yuchun nodded.

Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin possessed excellent popularity within the sect. The brothers both loved making friends.

In terms of personal connections, Li Sifeng could not even compare to them while riding a horse.

“Let them go venture outward. However, it’s best to keep people monitoring them at all times and ensure they don’t travel too far,” Li Qingqiu instructed.

Zhang Yuchun replied, “I’ve already arranged that. I simply felt this matter needed to be reported to you personally, so once I learned you had returned, I waited here.”

Although Zhang Yuchun’s cultivation had not yet reached the Spirit Perception Realm, his authority within the sect ranked among the highest.

As long as he wished to monitor someone, no matter who it was, the moment they stepped into the Ancient Great Mountain Range, he would know immediately.

Toward his junior brothers, Li Qingqiu never harbored suspicion or vigilance.

He even hoped his junior brothers and sisters could establish even greater influence.

In his eyes, although the Clear Sky Sect was the source of his own strength, it was also the shared foundation built together with his junior brothers and sisters.

Zhang Yuchun continued reporting other matters from this period.

The western side was steadily constructing strongholds, continuously dispatching more disciples there.

The southern side was currently handled by the aristocratic families and Wei Tianxiong, expanding territory without problems for the moment.

As for within the Clear Sky Sect itself, the primary focus now lay upon nurturing disciples.

Zhang Yuchun had already obtained the Spiritual Root detection method from Wei Tianxiong.

He was currently hesitating over whether to fully implement Spiritual Root testing.

As for the Primordial Unity Scripture, he felt there was no longer any need to continue teaching it to all new disciples. He believed cultivation of the Primordial Unity Scripture should now possess higher requirements.

After decades of development, the Scripture Repository already contained more than one hundred cultivation methods.

Although none surpassed the Primordial Unity Scripture, they were sufficient to guide new disciples onto the path of immortal cultivation.

“Spiritual Root testing can be opened, but primarily for detecting Spiritual Root attributes. As for the Primordial Unity Scripture, keep things unchanged for now. I’ll consider it further.”

Li Qingqiu answered softly.

He knew such actions would inevitably leak the Primordial Unity Scripture further, but he had already done everything possible to compensate for it.

After all, there was no absolutely perfect strategy.

And to him, preserving a single cultivation method was not the most important matter.

The most important thing was the development of the Clear Sky Sect.

Of course, he also hoped Yun Cai would successfully research cultivation methods related to the Primordial Unity Seal.

With Li Qingqiu’s current strength, no opponent facing him could bridge the gap through merely possessing a Primordial Unity Scripture.

Zhang Yuchun had become much steadier than before.

Seeing his suggestion rejected, he did not become anxious and merely nodded.

The two senior and junior brothers chatted for quite a while longer.

Only after Xiao Wuqing arrived did Zhang Yuchun finally take his leave.

Xiao Wuqing stepped before Li Qingqiu and saluted.

“Sect Master, news has arrived from the north. It concerns the Land of Demons and Devils.”