Chapter 584 - 593: The Desert North’s Riot

"What do we do now?" Qingg Ruo’ai asked in a low, nervous voice, staring at the menacing, illusory Qilin.

"Subdue it!"

Wen Qingye took a deep breath and said slowly.

He had come here for this very Qilin Fire. Of course, his goal was to subdue this wisp of the Qilin’s Origin Fire.

"ROAR!"

Qingg Ruo’ai was about to speak when the illusory Qilin’s massive eyes slowly opened. A moment later, an icy chill surged forth from them. It threw its head back and let out an earth-shattering roar. The purple-gold flames covering its body suddenly erupted, like a fire scorching the heavens, enveloping the entire magma-filled space.

Here, it was as if it were the sovereign, ruling over everything.

Without hesitation, the illusory Qilin charged directly at Wen Qingye, leaving only a roiling, purple-gold afterimage in its wake.

BOOM!

The Qilin, an illusion manifested from the wisp of Origin Fire, plunged directly into Wen Qingye’s body and surged into his Sea of Consciousness.

The boundless Sea of Consciousness was a vast, empty void.

"ROAR!"

A cold, vicious glint erupted from the Qilin’s eyes as it stared death at Wen Qingye. The purple-gold flames on its body flared, growing stronger and stronger.

Facing the Qilin manifested from the wisp of Origin Fire, its gaze filled with vicious light, Wen Qingye’s heart tightened. ’The most dangerous moment has arrived,’ he knew. ’Either I refine it, or this wisp of Origin Fire will incinerate my Sea of Consciousness.’

"Today, you will submit!"

At that moment, Wen Qingye’s spiritual phantom slowly materialized in the sky above his Sea of Consciousness, dressed in white robes with a purple crown, his eyes bright and clear.

"ROAR!"

The illusory Qilin’s body suddenly erupted with a dazzling purple-gold light, as if it were a sun. In the next instant, countless purple-gold flames centered on the Qilin swelled madly before surging toward Wen Qingye like a tidal wave. The momentum was terrifying, threatening to burn all creation to ash.

Gales howled from within the purple-gold flames. The Qilin’s body slowly ascended from the sea of fire, coiling in the sky as it stared coldly at Wen Qingye, who was now trapped within the inferno.

Wen Qingye gave a cold smile. His form began to expand, and rings of white light started to radiate from his body, pushing back the purple-gold flames.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, a major event that would shock the entire Eastern Profound Domain had occurred.

The Tomb Guarding Sect’s Immortal Coffin had suddenly undergone a strange transformation. The entire Desert North region, already a vast sea of sand, was now in a complete uproar, spawning one sandstorm after another.

Within the chaotic sandstorms, treasures like a great number of Nascent Vein Flowers appeared. But beyond that, what was most shocking was the emergence of countless ownerless corpses, each carrying a Sumeru Mustard Seed packed with treasures.

A member of the Feiyun Sect found one of these ownerless Sumeru Mustard Seeds and discovered an Emperor-grade High-level Magical Artifact inside. In an instant, the entire Eastern Profound Domain was thrown into a frenzy.

However, a bucket of cold water was soon thrown on everyone’s excitement. The sandstorms were exceedingly dangerous; the disciple who had obtained the Emperor-grade High-level Magical Artifact was now decapitated, as dead as could be.

But even so, wave after wave of dauntless Martial Artists, unafraid of death, continued to flock to the Desert North.

"That kid... where on earth is he? Why hasn’t he returned to the Celestial Profound Sect?"

The ancestor from the Desert North Ancient Land couldn’t help but frown as he emerged from the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain.

He had stayed in the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain for five days, and the people of the Celestial Profound Sect had treated him with great hospitality. But Wen Qingye never appeared, and he couldn’t very well tell the Sect to send Wen Qingye into the current chaos in the Desert North.

Everyone knew that numerous Evil Lands had appeared within the sandstorms. And what were Evil Lands? They were exceptionally dangerous and fatal places. Only desperate fugitives would be willing to seek opportunities there; anyone with a decent future wouldn’t gamble with their life like that.

Although Wen Qingye’s meridians were supposedly severed, it was undeniable that he was one of the most sought-after disciples in the entire Celestial Profound Sect. With his skill in the Alchemy Dao alone, his future status would be unshakeable.

Neither his fame nor his prestige could be matched by any ordinary disciple.

The old man from the Desert North Ancient Land considered his own power to be considerable, but he wasn’t powerful enough to dare order a True Disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect to brave an Evil Land.

’Forget it. I’ll go back and have that kid Jun Buwu give it a try. I just don’t know if his old man will agree,’

the ancestor from the Desert North Ancient Land muttered to himself. Then, his body transformed into a gentle breeze and dissipated at the border of the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain.

「Meanwhile, in the Hundred Bamboo Forest on the other side.」

Two men sat opposite each other in the forest. Both were dressed in the attire of the Taiyi Pavilion, and their expressions were unusually guarded, as if they were waiting for something.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Wen Qingye: Lim Tian.

The man opposite Lim Tian asked doubtfully, "Elder Lim, why do you think Wen Qingye still hasn’t shown up? Could he have gotten word of this?"

Lim Tian shook his head. "I’m not sure about that either. But this is the most direct route from the Jade Maiden Sect to the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. According to conventional thinking, Wen Qingye should pass this way. Still, we can’t rule out the possibility that he thinks differently from others. However, even if he doesn’t come this way, haven’t the other Elders already set up at the various intersections? As long as he returns to the Celestial Profound Sect, it will be the day he dies."

"Mm, you’re right." The Taiyi Pavilion Elder beside him nodded in deep agreement, then asked, "Elder Lim, do you think the rumors about Wen Qingye’s severed meridians are true or false?"

Lim Tian’s expression darkened slightly. "I’ve always found this matter rather strange. I never actually destroyed Wen Qingye’s meridians, yet his name was removed from the Cyan Cloud List. There are only two possibilities. First, something happened in the Purple Nether Swamp and his meridians were truly severed. Second, the Celestial Profound Sect used some powerful technique to block the Cyan Cloud List’s detection."

"I feel like this whole thing is a bit bizarre. The people of the Celestial Profound Sect are not simple characters..."

Just then, the Jade Token at Lim Tian’s waist suddenly lit up. He immediately took it out and immersed his Heart Spirit within it.

The other Taiyi Pavilion Elder saw Lim Tian’s expression change drastically and quickly asked, "Elder Lim, what’s going on? Did something unexpected happen?"

Lim Tian’s face grew grim. "In the Dayan Dynasty, a young man killed the Red-haired Ghost, Wu Hao, with a single sword strike. People from the Mountain River Sect are saying that man bears a strong resemblance to the rumored Wen Qingye."