Spirit Realm

“Eh? I see you have some nerve!” Miao Meiyu exclaimed in a low tone, giving Qin Lie an intense stare. She waved her hands and shouted, “Miao Liang!”

A small youth of the Miao Family leaped out, nimble as a spirit monkey, suddenly blocking Qin Lie’s path forward.

The Xing brothers frowned. Instead of rushing into the valley, they calmly watched Qin Lie.

Within the valley, at the peak of the tallest palace, the five valley masters of Blue Moon Valley focused their attention on the battle that would soon be taking place below.

“Just as I thought!” Miao Kang sneered. “Blood Fiend Sect’s strength has definitely fallen. I can’t believe they sent a brat in the Netherpassage Realm to visit us. Hmph! They can’t possibly think that things are the same as they were a thousand years ago, can they?”

“If Blood Fiend Sect still wants our Miao Family to submit to them, it might be prudent of us to teach them a lesson so they won’t keep dreaming of their former glory,” Miao Wenfan said.

“First let’s see what a member of this generation of Blood Fiend Sect is capable of,” Miao Yangxu said calmly.

Back at the entrance to the valley, Qin Lie glanced at Miao Liang then shook his head.

“You’re not a match for me,” he said. “Go get someone else for me to fight.”

Miao Liang was only in the middle stage of the Netherpassage Realm. Qin Lie believed that an opponent of this caliber was no match for him, so he didn’t want to waste his time.

“We’ll see about that once we’ve fought!” Miao Liang snorted.

“Whoosh!”

Miao Liang flashed toward Qin Lie with a resounding roar, instantly shortening the distance between them like a being of light.

As he moved, indistinct figures blurred into existence.

Over a dozen figures appeared, each one shrouded in an aura of raging wind.

At first glance, it seemed as if Miao Liang had launched an impressive attack at Qin Lie from every direction at once.

“Bang bang bang!”

Miao Liang’s fists rained down upon Qin Lie’s body, landing scores of fierce punches in an instant.

Yet Qin Lie stood as immovable as a mountain, not even bothering to channel any spirit energy to protect his body. He left himself completely defenseless, weathering Miao Liang’s attacks with just his indomitable body.

Every strike of Miao Liang contained a burst of wind energy that entered Qin Lie’s body like a tornado, attempting to hurt him and throw his internal circulation into chaos.

However, an attack of this level was nothing to Qin Lie.

“This kid… can’t be made of stone, can he?” a Miao Family clansman exclaimed.

“His body is as tough as stone and far stronger than that of an ordinary Netherpassage Realm martial practitioner,” another Miao Family clansman said, a gloomy expression on his face. “He might be even tougher than some people in the Fulfillment Realm.”

“Thump thump thump thump thump!”

Miao Liang attacked Qin Lie over and over, each of his punches creating a miniature tornado wherever they landed.

But Qin Lie just stood there, not moving a muscle.

Qin Lie didn’t so much as look at Miao Liang, instead continuing to stare at Miao Meiyu.

“Why don’t you call someone stronger?” he asked calmly.

“Miao Kui!” Miao Meiyu exclaimed softly.

A muscular, nearly two-meter-tall youth in the late stage of the Netherpassage Realm emerged from amidst the other clansmen. With a guttural roar, he charged at Qin Lie like a gigantic metal beast.

The moment Miao Kui took action, Miao Liang abandoned his failed assault and retreated.

“Violent Flame Rolling Rock Fist!”

Miao Kui’s fists bulged unnaturally as he roared. Sparks flew from the back of his hand.

“Whoosh!”

Miao Kui punched the air, sending enormous fists of molten iron hurtling toward Qin Lie like meteors.

The space around Qin Lie instantly went ablaze with a ferocious, domineering aura.

“Now this is passable,” he said.

Qin Lie lifted a hand into the air with a smile on his face, grabbing at the flaming fists punching at him.

Bloody light condensed at the tips of his fingers, instantly transforming them into a Blood Weeping Ghost Claw. Sparks of lightning leaped across the space between each bloody digit of that claw, making it seem like the electricity had a mind of its own.

Qin Lie reached out with his Blood Weeping Ghost Claw, pushing it directly at the onslaught before him instead of avoiding it. In that instant, lightning flashed as the claw unleashed its ruthless, fiendish blood aura.

“Bang!”

Fire and electricity collided in a shower of sparks, transforming the area around Qin Lie and Miao Kui into a space of rampaging energy.

Qin Lie’s bloody rays of light blasted Miao Kui’s flaming fist-shaped meteors, making them explode and scatter.

Bolts of lightning shot past those meteors, crossing the chaotic space between the Qin Lie and Miao Kui in an instant, striking Miao Kui’s chest in a burst of electricity!

Electricity rampaged throughout Miao Kui’s brawny body, flashing from his eyes, nose, and ears. It surged deeper within him, coursing through his nerves, bones, and blood.

Miao Kui’s charge suddenly slowed to a stop, the electricity clearly paralyzing him and making his body seize up. He could no longer throw molten fists at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie just smiled and walked past Miao Kui, advancing further into the valley.

—He didn’t move to kill Miao Kui in his paralyzed state.

Xing Yuyuan’s eyes lit up.

Half a month ago, when Qin Lie assisted Gold Sun Island in dealing with Black Cloud Palace and Heavenly Sea Pavilion, he mainly relied on the eight god corpses and the power of the Blood Progenitor’s body.

The Xing brothers weren’t actually aware of Qin Lie’s true strength. When Miao Meiyu demanded that he defeat Miao Family martial practitioners in the same realm as him before they allowed him into the valley, both of them secretly grew worried.

—They were worried that Qin Lie wouldn’t be able to enter Blue Moon Valley.

Seeing him defeat Miao Kui and continue forward calmly, Xing Yumiao and Xing Yuyuan slowly relaxed, thinking, “He truly is a member of Blood Fiend Sect!”

This turn of events came as a bit of a surprise to Miao Wenfan, who was still sitting atop the tallest palace in the valley.

“I didn’t think that he’d be able to defeat even Miao Kui. However...” Miao Wenfan shook his head. “That won’t be enough. Miao Tai still has yet to enter the fray.”

“How strange,” Miao Yangxu said in astonishment. “He didn’t use just the Blood Spirit Art. He cultivates multiple spirit arts aside from it, at least two other ones.”

“He’s just biting off more than he can chew!” Miao Kang exclaimed. “It’s better to be an expert in one area than knowing a bit of everything!”

“That’s right,” Miao Wenfan said. “The martial way emphasizes the depth of one’s mastery, not the breadth. Spreading your efforts usually results in failure.”

“Let’s keep watching. Maybe this kid will be able to give us a pleasant surprise,” Miao Yangxu said, his curiosity piqued. “If he can beat Miao Tai, I will personally see him and see what he has to say.”

Back at the entrance to the valley, Miao Meiyu wore a frown on her face. However, she still put on a calm face as she shouted, “Miao Tai!”

A brawny youth at the peak of the Netherpassage Realm walked out from the crowd of Miao Family clansmen.

“Leave it to me,” he grunted.

The moment Miao Tai appeared, Miao Kui went somewhat pale. Although he was just about to take action again, he reluctantly moved to the side.

“The Miao Family served Blood Fiend Sect a thousand years ago!” Miao Tai yelled as he strode toward Qin Lie. “This is a mark of shame for all Miao Family clansmen! I’ve always wanted to cleanse our history of that shame and have Blood Fiend Sect serve us as a vassal force instead! I will have them treat us as their master, and if everything goes smoothly, our Miao Family will become a Silver rank force in a hundred years! Once that happens, we will need a few Copper rank forces to support us. I think Blood Fiend Sect will do quite nicely. What say you?”

“That’s a pipe dream if I ever heard of one.” Qin Lie smiled.

“A pipe dream? Hehe, I doubt it. What honor could a sect that hasn’t dared to reveal itself for a thousand years, constantly struggling at death’s door, possibly have?” Miao Tai sneered.

“We’re here now, aren’t we?” Qin Lie asked calmly.

“Here to commit suicide!” Miao Tai exclaimed, laughing as he finally launched his attack.

Wisps of purple spirit energy had begun glowing in the palms of his hands without anyone noticing, tinging them with purple light.

Smoke and haloes, both purple as well, slowly rose from his body. They gave him a hazy appearance, almost as if he were a mirage.

“Purple Illusory Heavenly Mirror,” Qin Lie said, frowning slightly. “You must have cultivated in Illusory Demon Sect.”

As he reflected on that information, the purple light in Miao Tai’s slowly expanded to form an enormous purple mirror.

Light reflected from that mirror, creating multiple Miao Tais out of thin air. Every single one of them had a soul, blood, and an aura.

Miao Tai appeared to have multiplied himself thousands of times.

This was a spirit art unique to Illusory Demon Sect that made it difficult to target its user, keeping their opponents from locking on to them with even their soul consciousness.

Miao Tai had clearly cultivated in Illusory Demon Sect when he was younger. The only way he could have executed Purple Illusory Heavenly Mirror so skillfully was if he had been taught by an Illusory Demon Sect expert.

“That’s correct,” Miao Tai snorted coldly. “I consider Illusory Demon Sect a true Silver rank force. Blood Fiend Sect… doesn’t deserve that title!”

“Whoosh!”

All of a sudden, the twisting and warping purple copies of Miao Tai suddenly transformed into purple streams of energy that rushed Qin Lie.

These cold streams of purple energy flooded toward Qin Lie, and long before they could even touch Qin Lie’s skin, he could feel a bone-chilling cold wash over him.

“I don’t think you’re aware of this, but your senior sister, Xue Moyan, is also a member of Blood Fiend Sect,” Qin Lie said nonchalantly. “She has probably left Illusory Demon Sect by now.”

All of a sudden, dozens of bloody threads burst from Qin Lie’s body. They resembled sinister bloody snakes that snarled as they rushed at Miao Tai in return.