Chapter 142 — Calamity
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 6
Qinglong was taken aback. He had seen from the first that the monster had three pairs of wings, but for so vast a shape to truly take wing—the menace of it was startling indeed. For a moment that enormous body came crashing down, blotting out sky and earth.
But Qinglong was no ordinary man after all. First among the Four Holy Envoys of the Nether King Sect, he naturally had gifts beyond others. He twisted his body and squeezed clean through the gaps of the white-boned demon serpent's writhing bulk, flying off in the direction opposite Qili Dong.
The white-boned demon serpent hissed again and again and beat its wings in pursuit.
Qinglong flew on a while. His cultivation was deep, after all, and he gradually drew far ahead of the white-boned demon serpent and the other monsters. Seeing the distance had grown considerable, he wondered whether he ought to shake off these creatures and turn back toward Qili Dong to see how the Miao were faring.
Just then, a sweep of the corner of his eye caught, in a patch of the forest below, a flash of purple radiance, and then blood spraying up and the hissing of demon beasts rising one after another, until beasts from every direction came rushing toward the place beneath him.
Seen from the air, countless hideous demon beasts came leaping and clawing, like the surging swell of a boundless sea of evil—truly breathtaking.
And amid it all was mingled a woman's angry shout.
Qinglong's heart stirred; thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, and at last he folded his body and dove down to investigate.
Scarcely had he entered the forest when a reeking stench assailed him, foul enough to turn the stomach. Everywhere lay the carcasses of demon beasts, torn limb from limb upon the ground, blood splashed on every side. Not far off, sure enough, a figure in the shape of a woman was battling countless demon beasts, in her hand a treasure gleaming with purple radiance, its edge flashing in and out—at a glance no common thing.
Qinglong's eyes narrowed, and he blurted out, "The Purple Radiance Blade... you are Jin Pingyue?"
The woman seemed startled too. She glanced back, her body drifting over, yet her hands never paused; where the purple radiance flashed and lengthened, three more demon beasts were slain.
"Who are you?" Jin Pingyue alighted beside Qinglong and said coldly.
Qinglong was puzzled. With Jin Pingyue's cultivation at this moment, why did she not rise into the air and fly? Once in the sky, only a scant few of these demonic beasts could follow; would that not make things simple?
Though such thoughts ran through his mind, Qinglong still made ready to answer. Yet before he could open his mouth, he and Jin Pingyue both shuddered at once, as though struck by some premonition, and together they raised their heads and looked ahead.
The countless demonic beasts that had been sunk in a frenzy only a moment before suddenly receded like the turning tide. But from deep within the forest ahead, a cold killing intent came sweeping toward them, and the chill of that formless intent was such that even two figures of their lofty cultivation could not help but shiver.
A shock ran through Qinglong's heart. In the southern borderlands there could still be such a terrifying thing as this!
Even as they stood frozen in dread, the next instant, behind a giant tree ahead, a figure flickered abruptly into view, and a man came slowly walking out.
He was clad in garments of vivid silk, his black hair falling loose upon his shoulders, his hands long and white. His features were handsome beyond measure; he was a youth so beautiful as to verge on the bewitching.
Qinglong stared, somewhat dumbstruck. But almost at that very moment he suddenly sensed that Jin Pingyue's body beside him, for some unknown reason, had begun to tremble faintly after the youth appeared.