Xu Qing didn't seem to notice the mutated beasts in the inn, the auras from the surroundings, or the ropes. He only looked at the old man.
The shadow behind him transformed into a pitch-black ghost that was ready to attack.
At the same time, Xu Qing circulated the Mountains and Seas Art at full force. Every single part of his flesh and blood was prepared to completely erupt at this moment.
The Sea Transformation Art was the same. The rain in the surroundings stopped in midair at this moment and surrounded Xu Qing, resonating with the spirit sea in his body.
It seemed like he could form a killing technique at any time.
It was the same for the poison and his shadow. At that moment, it was silent and undetectable. It had already spread to the inn and reached the feet of the strange old man.
This was especially so when an illusory long saber surrounded by water droplets appeared above his head. It was faintly discernible and seemed to contain vast might. Now that it was compressed, it could slash the ground like a heavenly saber at any time.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and looked at the old man in front of him. He wasn't intimidated by the tentacles in his eyes and his forehead that was about to split open. He knew that the other party was very strong but he also had a way to escape unscathed. Hence, his expression was calm as he spoke seriously.
"He didn't step in. It's not considered breaking the rules."
The old man's eyes flickered with a dark light. After staring at Xu Qing for a long time, he suddenly smiled.
The moment he smiled and his words echoed, all the auras that were locked onto Xu Qing outside the inn instantly disappeared. The pythons in the inn also retreated into the roof beams. The centipedes on the ground rustled and dissipated into the ground.
As for the ropes, they were also blurry and soon disappeared. As for the old man himself, the tentacles in his eyes and the crack on his forehead disappeared completely. He returned to his ordinary-looking old man appearance and picked up the pipe to smoke.
"Are you selling the corpse?"
Xu Qing shook his head and grabbed Qing Yunzi's hair. As the other party trembled, he spoke calmly:
"Where's the woman you captured two days ago?"
Qing Yunzi's hair was disheveled and his face was covered in blood. He was in an extremely sorry state.
At that moment, he was trembling. However, he seemed to want to be stubborn and wanted to vomit blood at Xu Qing. However, Xu Qing pressed his head to the ground and wiped it seriously.
When the screams became even more mournful, Xu Qing raised his hand and pressed it on Qing Yunzi's right arm, crushing all the bones bit by bit. He then switched to his other arm. This intense pain caused Qing Yunzi to tremble and he couldn't cry out.
Xu Qing's expression was calm as he carefully checked. He then punched Qing Yunzi's dantian and destroyed his cultivation. After confirming that the other party was no longer a threat, he stood up and kept his dagger and black iron stick. He then grabbed Qing Yunzi's leg with one hand and dragged him forward.
When his flesh and blood touched the ground, even with the rain as a buffer, the feeling of his flesh slowly shattering and rolling caused Qing Yunzi's screams to become even sharper.
As Xu Qing moved forward, the screams continued. A trail of blood slowly appeared on the ground. Although it was rapidly washed away by the rain, traces could still be seen.
This scene caused the old man's eyes to narrow fiercely. He looked at the youth who left in the rainy night and listened to Qing Yunzi's inhuman screams. After a long time, he muttered.
"This kid is ruthless..."
Just like that, Qing Yunzi's screams continued all the way. When everyone who was walking in the dark saw this scene, their hearts trembled. They had an extremely deep impression of the expressionless youth.
Even some of the patrolling disciples rushed over when they heard the commotion. After seeing it, they recognized Qing Yunzi's identity and their expressions changed as they looked at Xu Qing.
To be able to kill or capture alive or torture someone at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, although he was only a miscellaneous cultivator from a small sect, was impressive. From this, one could see his combat strength and ruthlessness. No one was willing to rashly provoke such a person.
This battle allowed Xu Qing to gain some fame in the main city.
As for Qing Yunzi, after persisting for two hours, he completely lost his will. While he was unconscious, he told Xu Qing a location and also told Xu Qing about the secret of that informant.
That informant was actually a spy raised by Qing Yunzi. He didn't know that the other party had told Xu Qing about his whereabouts but he had a habit. Any spy would cripple him after some time.
This time, it was the spy's turn.
According to the address provided by Qing Yunzi, after Xu Qing went there, he carefully checked to ensure that there were no ambushes before he truly stepped in. Finally, he saw the informant who was on the verge of death in a sealed dungeon that was mixed with countless smelly auras.
After losing the spirit coins, the smell of the remaining poison powder on his body was mixed up. Moreover, it was sealed in this sealed place, so Xu Qing couldn't find it.
However, she wasn't dead yet. She was surrounded by rotting corpses. There were men and women.
The way these people died was extremely miserable. Clearly, they had been cruelly tortured when they were alive. Moreover, there seemed to be an array formation drawn on the ground, as though their deaths were some kind of ritual.
Xu Qing's arrival caused this informant to weakly open her eyes. When she saw the unconscious Qing Yunzi at the side, she suddenly had the strength to go crazy. She didn't care that Xu Qing was at the side and pounced on him like a wild beast, biting him until the unconscious Qing Yunzi woke up. He let out a shrill cry and in the end, she bit Qing Yunzi's neck again and again.
It was only when Qing Yunzi's body was badly mangled and his body convulsed that he stopped breathing. Only then did she stand there in a daze. She instinctively lifted her head and looked at the expressionless Xu Qing.
In her eyes, Xu Qing, who was dressed in a gray robe, had a tall and straight figure. His handsome face revealed a coldness that was difficult for her to grasp. The aura he emitted also made her feel a little suffocated.
Hence, the madness on her face was slowly suppressed. After she calmed down, she gradually revealed an obedient expression under Xu Qing's gaze. Her body instinctively trembled as she seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly rummaged through the room.
In the end, she found a jade slip and lifted her head to look at Xu Qing. She then slowly knelt down and handed it to Xu Qing with both hands as though she was submitting.
Xu Qing took the jade slip. There was an evil array recorded in it. It described that after the ritual was activated, an inconceivable power would descend.
However, the conditions to activate this array formation required the emotions of living beings, including joy, anger, sorrow, and other extreme emotions.
He silently looked at the miserable state of the human world in the dungeon. After a long silence, Xu Qing dragged Qing Yunzi's corpse and left. Before he left, his voice echoed in the woman's ears.
"You have to be my informant seriously in the future."
Following the voice was another spirit coin and an antidote.
The woman took the spirit coins and antidote and stared blankly at the departing Xu Qing. His back view was gradually engraved in her soul as she lowered her head and agreed.
At that moment, it wasn't far from dawn outside. Xu Qing took out a black paper umbrella and dragged Qing Yunzi's broken corpse along the streets silently.
The layers of clouds in the sky seemed to reflect some of his emotions. After he sent Qing Yunzi's corpse back to the department and left under the shock of his colleagues, Xu Qing looked at the rising sun in the sky and the remnant face of the gods in the distance. His eyes revealed tenacity.
"In this cruel chaotic world, only by becoming stronger can we avoid... becoming meat on someone's chopping block!"