Chapter 609: The Man Carrying a Corpse

Chapter 609: Chapter 618: The Man Carrying a Corpse

Wen Qingye shook his head and said, “I don’t know either. Such things are only passed down in legends. When it comes to the truth, basically no one knows except the Phoenixes themselves. But this feather is definitely a treasure.”

Qing Ruo’ai let out a disappointed sigh, then nodded vigorously. “I think it’s all just a rumor. How could it be that magical? To be reborn from just a feather? If that were true, wouldn’t it mean the Phoenix Clan is basically immortal?”

Wen Qingye said slowly, “This feather is from a Divine Phoenix Bird, and its spiritual essence hasn’t faded. Who knows what might happen in the future? There’s bound to be some benefit to keeping it. Besides, I’m truly not lacking for Immortal Martial Arts.”

Qing Ruo’ai looked at Wen Qingye, her brow furrowing slightly. “Just who are you, really? It’s like you know everything, and you don’t even care about Immortal Martial Arts.”

“What identity could I have? A Core Disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect’s Life Peak. Don’t you already know that?” Wen Qingye looked at Qing Ruo’ai’s furrowed brow and laughed, tilting his head back.

With that, Wen Qingye shouldered his sword and began walking away, one step at a time.

Qing Ruo’ai watched his retreating back in frustration, grinding her teeth as she yelled, “Leaving me in suspense again! You’re always so mysterious! You bastard! Fine, don’t tell me! You think I’m dying to know? I was just trying to give you a kind reminder, and you won’t even tell me?”

On the desolate desert, only a trail of footprints, one step after another, remained, deeply impressed upon the vast expanse.

…

「Two days later.」

The moon was bright, the stars sparse. The night in the Desert North was silent and cold.

Wen Qingye looked ahead. Bathed in the faint moonlight, he could make out rows of faint silhouettes—that must be the gate of Sanjing Pass. It was clear he would soon be out of the Desert North.

SHUFFLE… SHUFFLE…

He continued onward under the moonlight, the only sound being his feet sinking into the sand.

Suddenly, in the distance, a swift figure rushed toward him under the moonlight. Wen Qingye’s gaze snapped toward the movement.

He saw a young man in a hat, covered in blood and carrying a body on his back, stumbling toward him in a panic, as if something terrible was in pursuit.

“Brother Wen!”

Seeing Wen Qingye, the young man shouted out.

“Jun Buwu?”

As the moonlight illuminated the man’s face, Wen Qingye recognized him and asked in surprise, “What’s going on?”

“The monk behind me… Brother Wen, I have to rely on you this time.”

Jun Buwu spoke between gasps, then came to a heavy stop beside Wen Qingye, his feet sinking deep into the sand. He then gently lowered the body from his shoulders onto the ground.

The body was that of a young woman, but she was now completely devoid of life.

Before Wen Qingye could ask another question, a streak of yellow light shot toward them from the distance. The light slowly took form, revealing an acquaintance of Wen Qingye’s: Jieling from Baoling Temple.

Jieling didn’t notice Wen Qingye, who was silhouetted against the moon, and barked coldly at Jun Buwu, “Brat, hand over the girl’s corpse, and I’ll let you live!”

Jun Buwu said nothing, still panting heavily as his body rapidly recovered its Primordial Qi.

Jieling then looked at the person beside Jun Buwu. Upon seeing who it was, he cried out in shock, “Wen Qingye, is that you?”

“Jieling. Long time no see,” Wen Qingye said, his voice clear as he looked up at the levitating Jieling.

‘He’s changed completely.’ Wen Qingye was inwardly surprised. The Jieling before him was worlds apart from the one he’d seen on Xuwang Mountain in the Glazed Ancient Country. His cultivation had actually reached the Third Layer Heaven of the Life and Death Realm.

The Third Layer Heaven of the Life and Death Realm—that was the same cultivation level as Jiechen. And who was Jiechen? The foremost expert of Baoling Temple’s younger generation.

Jieling’s expression turned cold. His voice was low as he said, “Wen Qingye, I’d advise you to stay out of this. It’s not something you can handle.”

Wen Qingye gave a placid smile. “Are you threatening me?”

“And what if I am?” Jieling replied, his gaze cold.

The moonlight flowed like water. Jieling floated in the air, meeting Wen Qingye’s gaze from above, his eyes filled with arrogant disdain.

The air crackled with tension.

Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s lips parted. “You must have some kind of Supreme Treasure, don’t you? To raise your cultivation this quickly in such a short time… it must be quite remarkable.”

Ever since Feitian had told him, Wen Qingye had suspected Jieling possessed a Supreme Treasure from the Buddhist Sect. Seeing Jieling’s explosive leap in cultivation now only confirmed his theory.

Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Jieling’s expression changed drastically, as if his deepest secret had just been unearthed. His face twisted as he stared at Wen Qingye. “I was going to let you live, but since you’re looking for death, you have no one to blame but yourself!”

As Jieling spoke, countless golden rays erupted from behind him. The light was like a volley of ten thousand arrows, illuminating the pitch-black desert. He himself shone like a rising sun.

“Wen Qingye, you think you’re some kind of genius? In my presence, you are nothing!”

BOOM!

A colossal golden palm materialized in the inky night sky and descended, pressing down with overwhelming, destructive force.

The giant golden palm was hundreds of feet wide, making Wen Qingye below seem utterly minuscule, almost invisible.

Wen Qingye clenched his right fist. The very air seemed to shatter between his fingers, emitting a sharp crackling sound. He then threw a ferocious punch toward the golden palm descending from the sky.

Seeing this, Jun Buwu knew things were bad. He hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and scrambled for distance.

BANG!

The fist and palm met with a tremendous crash, as if two mountains had collided. In an instant, boundless Primordial Qi erupted outward, whipping up the desert sand into a frenzy.

Jieling felt as if his palm had slammed into a mountain. A numbing shock ran up his arm, and he staggered in the air, nearly losing his balance.

In stark contrast, Wen Qingye’s expression remained placid. The sand beneath his feet hadn’t even shifted.

Seeing how ferocious Wen Qingye was, Jieling’s heart tightened. He only knew that Wen Qingye had killed Lim Tian of Taiyi Pavilion; he was unaware of the battle between Wen Qingye and Wang Zhen.

“I refuse to believe you can defy the heavens!” Jieling shouted, his hands a blur as he rapidly formed a series of hand seals.

The boundless golden light began to converge, and a faint halo materialized behind his head, radiating an aura of great wisdom and compassion.

“Light of Wisdom!”