Chapter 577 68: Qingxing's Return to the Clan (Part 2)

He was now second only to the Sect Leader. Once Hex Tai passed away, he would have complete control over the Lieyang Sect. Why should he risk his life at a time like this?

And so, Zhang Hongguang outright ignored Hex Tai's orders and continued to do as he pleased.

With the acting Sect Leader, Zhang Hongguang, choosing to slack off, his subordinates naturally followed suit. The Lieyang Sect disciples under his command grew increasingly lax. At first, they would at least go through the motions each day, but now, they couldn't even be bothered to keep up appearances.

This, however, left Song Changrong and his men completely baffled. Being a naturally cautious man, he suspected Zhang Hongguang was plotting some kind of scheme and immediately tightened the Marketplace's defenses even further.

Three days passed like this. Late at night, Song Changrong stood in the main hall of the Garrison Mansion, staring intently at the map on the wall and wondering if there were any oversights in his arrangements.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed past the doorway.

"Who's there!" Song Changrong barked. He was about to give chase, but he stopped abruptly at the doorway. He lowered his gaze in thought. 'He seems to have let me see him on purpose. Is this a ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain lair?'

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a hoarse voice spoke from behind him, "No wonder they put you in charge of the Marketplace. You've certainly got more brains than that Song Lutong fellow."

The hairs on the back of Song Changrong's neck stood on end. He whipped around to see a mass of black mist with indistinct features floating not far from him.

"What are you!" Song Changrong demanded, drawing his Magical Artifact.

"You don't need to know what I am," Wujie said flatly. "You can call me Wujie. I'm here to deliver a message."

"A message?" Hearing this, Song Changrong didn't lower his guard, but he didn't dare to act rashly. He couldn't discern what this creature before him truly was.

"He said you'll understand when you see this." Wujie then opened its mouth and spat out a pale green Jade Token, upon which an eye-catching clan emblem was engraved.

"A clan Identity Token?" Song Changrong's expression shifted. He reached out, pulling the Jade Token into his hand. Seeing the character "Xing" inscribed on the front, he blurted out, "This is Qingxing's?"

"Correct. Everything he wants to tell you is inside."

Hearing this, Song Changrong hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto the Token. A green light flashed, and the information within instantly flooded his mind.

After absorbing the information, Song Changrong's brow furrowed deeply. He was certain the message was from Song Qingxing. Leaving a message in an Identity Token required a special technique known only to the clan's Elders. Furthermore, it required the user's own Essence Blood as a catalyst, making it virtually impossible to forge.

On the other hand, he found it hard to believe it was from Song Qingxing, because the message in the Token seemed utterly insane to him.

Seeing his hesitation, Wujie said coldly, "I'm starting to think that big oaf of a Body Refiner wasn't so bad. If it were him, he wouldn't be hesitating like you are.

It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. He will make his move at the appointed time. If you join him, he'll have a fifty percent chance of breaking this stalemate. If you don't, he'll find his own way to fight his way back to Vast Mist Peak."

Hearing Wujie's words, Song Changrong couldn't help but give a wry smile. "That really does sound like something he would do."

After a moment of thought, Song Changrong gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Qingxing I will cooperate with him completely."

"Finally, something a human would say," Wujie sneered, and dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, disappearing into the night.

Only after Wujie had left did Song Changrong look down at the Token, a startling question dawning on him. 'If Song Qingxing is still outside the Marketplace, how did that Wujie creature get through the Array?'

The question that so baffled Song Changrong was, in fact, a simple matter for Wujie. As an Artifact Spirit, a mere Tier Two top-grade array was practically nonexistent to it, something it could pass through at will.

After all, what Tier Two Array Master would ever consider defending against an Artifact Spirit when designing an array?

Wujie passed through the barrier of the array and, under the cover of night, traveled dozens of li to a remote hillside. There, in the moonlight, an imposing figure sat cross-legged. A sheathed, pitch-black long sword was stabbed into the ground beside him, glinting strangely under the bright moon.

The figure was a man dressed in tight-fitting black clothes. His face was cold, his eyes as deep as an abyss, and he exuded the air of a sharp sword poised to strike.

It was none other than Song Qingxing, who had been away from his clan for several years. Compared to a few years ago, he now carried a faint, almost imperceptible aura of Blood Evil Qi.

"It's done," Wujie said as it materialized before Song Qingxing.

Song Qingxing nodded slightly. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a lit stick of incense and planted it in the soft earth. "We move when it burns out."

"Have you thought this through?" Wujie couldn't help but warn. "Inside that camp, besides one Early-stage Purple Mansion Cultivator, there's also one Late-stage Foundation Establishment, two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and two Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. One mistake, and you will die a miserable death."

"I've even made it through the Abyss. What's this in comparison?

Besides, the main force in this battle is you and the [Black Star Ship]," Song Qingxing said calmly. "I'm just the bait."

"You trust me that much? If something goes wrong, you're a dead man for sure."

"My uncle once taught me a saying," Song Qingxing said earnestly. "'When you use someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt them, don't use them.' I trust you."

Wujie froze for a moment. Although it hadn't been human for many years, it could still be moved by certain "human" emotions.

The incense stick soon burned to its end. Song Qingxing rose in silence, hefted his [Traceless Sword], and melted into the darkness, heading straight for Zhang Hongguang's camp...

Zhang Hongguang was meditating on a soft couch when suddenly, a faint, almost imperceptible hum of a sword reached his ears.

He snapped his eyes open.

The next moment, a brilliant flash of Sword Light descended from the heavens, shredding his tent in an instant as it slashed down at him.

"How audacious!"

Zhang Hongguang let out a long roar as Mana surged from his body. He thrust out a palm, and the Sword Light instantly shattered.

Slapping both hands on the couch, he shot into the sky like a sharp sword. Once airborne, he instantly locked his gaze on the culprit behind the sneak attack.

But to his astonishment, the attacker was merely a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"You are certainly courageous," Zhang Hongguang said, his expression grim. 'An ant-like Foundation Establishment Cultivator dares to invade my camp. If word of this gets out, it will be a massive blow to my prestige!'

Sensing the pressure radiating from Zhang Hongguang, Song Qingxing's gaze remained indifferent, as if he didn't even register his opponent's existence.

"Insolence! Sect Leader, allow me to take his head!" the only other Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator present requested loudly.

But Zhang Hongguang, with a dark look in his eyes, said, "Stand down. I will crush him myself!"

With that, he cast aside his status and attacked Song Qingxing himself!

Purple Mansion Cultivators are incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Hongguang appeared before Song Qingxing. Grinning savagely, he reached for Song Qingxing's neck with a large hand shimmering with an eerie light, moving too fast for any reaction.

Zhang Hongguang expected to see fear or shock on Song Qingxing's face, but to his disappointment, the man's expression remained unchanged—that same look of utter indifference.

'He hated that expression. It was as if it was mocking him.'

"Die!"

Just as his hand was about to close around Song Qingxing's neck, a crack-covered Bronze Mirror suddenly appeared between them.

In an instant, the eye on the back of the Bronze Mirror seemed to come alive. An invisible force carrying an immense pressure erupted from the mirror. Zhang Hongguang's vision blurred, and his mind plunged into Chaos.

"Now!" Song Qingxing roared.

From within the Marketplace, the [Black Star Ship], which had been lying in wait, immediately unleashed a full-powered strike at Zhang Hongguang in the air.

A pillar of white light tore through the black night, arriving in an instant.

At the critical moment, a brightly shining golden Compass appeared before Zhang Hongguang and forcibly blocked the fatal blow.

Seeing this, the color drained from Song Changrong's face. 'Not good, a Magical Treasure activating to protect its master! Qingxing is in danger!'

...