Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 224 A Thousand Years Later, Just Like Before

Within the Sword Pavilion of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

Zhang Qi was sitting cross-legged on a futon, eating a shiny chicken leg with relish in his left hand. His mouth was covered in grease, and he showed no trace of the otherworldly demeanor that the legendary "Number One Man Under Heaven" should have, nor any sign of the decline of a dying man.

Whether in the past or present, Zhang Qi has always been carefree and at ease.

But suddenly, Zhang Qi put down the half-eaten chicken leg and looked to the side in confusion.

As soon as he sighed, a spatial rift appeared in that direction.

Lu Xingzhou took a step and went from the Incense Burning Sect to the Qinghe Sword Sect.

Zhang Qi looked at Lu Xingzhou, who had suddenly appeared, and gave him a "I knew it was you" look. He casually asked, "Hey Lu, why aren't you sleeping on your own mountain in the middle of the night? Why are you here to freeload a meal?"

Lu Xingzhou ignored his teasing, simply took out an antique jade wine pot from his sleeve, casually tossed it toward Zhang Qi, and said in a low voice, "Have a pot with me."

Zhang Qi remained as lazy as ever, not even bothering to stretch out his hand. The jade wine pot traced an arc in the air, but as it flew towards him, it seemed to be held aloft by an invisible hand, hovering steadily in front of him. The spout automatically reversed, and a clear, mellow liquid poured down, falling into Zhang Qi's mouth.

Zhang Qi swallowed the wine with his Adam's apple bobbing. His eyes lit up and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He exclaimed, "Good wine! Good wine! Your Incense Burning Sect really knows how to brew wine!"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent, took out another wine flask, and took a swig.

Neither of them spoke, they just drank, one sip at a time, for several hours, watching the small wine pot.

It wasn't until dawn that Lu Xingzhou put down his wine jug and said to Zhang Qi, "My senior brother has broken free from the suppression of the Soul Cleansing Flower and will soon be back to life."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qi said without any surprise, "A thousand years. It's not easy to have survived this long. Are you here to beg me to kill him again?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head and said, "Your days are numbered."

Zhang Qi laughed and said, "You think I'm not as good as I used to be?"

Lu Xingzhou explained, "Of course not. I know you are stronger than you were a thousand years ago. This sword strike might completely kill my senior brother, but it will also exhaust your remaining strength. Back then, if my master hadn't lied to you, you wouldn't have destroyed his soul. Now, I have no face to ask you to strike again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qi scoffed and said nonchalantly, "I'm not as complicated as you think. Deception and grudges are irrelevant to me."

Zhang Qi took another sip of wine and said nonchalantly, "Whether the Incense Burning Sect is fair to your senior brother or not is your own sect's business, I can't be bothered with it. But I have no relationship with your senior brother. He killed people to practice his skills back then, poisoning living beings. I don't care if he is a disciple of your Incense Burning Sect or not, I will still draw my sword."

Lu Xingzhou remained silent for a long time, then drank the wine in the pot in one gulp before saying to Zhang Qi, "No wonder you live a more relaxed life than any of us. In your eyes, the world is black and white, extremely simple. Your sword is as simple as you are, hence its ultimate nature."

Zhang Qi waved his hand impatiently and said, "I hate people like you who like to exaggerate. My sword is powerful because I have a high talent and I practice swordsmanship very hard. It has nothing to do with my character and conduct. Your Incense Burning Sect just likes to do mysterious things. Spirit and sword energy have absolutely nothing to do with each other."

Zhang Qi never believed that swordsmanship was divided into good and evil, nor would his stance or ambition affect the sharpness of his sword.

His swordsmanship was so formidable not because of his righteousness or lofty ambitions, but simply because he was Zhang Qi. Even after becoming a demon, his sword would still dominate the world, making him invincible.

Lu Xingzhou was so angry at Zhang Qi that his eyes widened, but he had no way to refute him.

Because the one who said this was Zhang Qi, the number one swordsman in the world, the greatest sword immortal in the world, whose swordsmanship had long surpassed the limits of the mortal realm. On the matter of sword practice, what Zhang Qi said was the truth, and no one could refute it.

Seeing that Lu Xingzhou was angry, Zhang Qi smiled and said, "Alright, alright, stop with the beating around the bush. Lu Xingzhou, for the sake of that good wine, just say what you have to say. My time is almost up, and I don't have time to waste with your sentimental musings. If you don't speak now, you might really miss your chance!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingzhou's eyes narrowed, and he went straight to the point: "I used my senior brother's blood to create an embryo, which was then possessed by a disciple whose physical body had been destroyed."

Zhang Qi raised an eyebrow, revealing a surprised expression, and exclaimed in astonishment, "How ruthless! You're sending him to his death. The soul of the Demon Lord Wujiu will erode his mind; it's hard to say who will possess whom."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. His physical body has been destroyed, and his foundation has been damaged. If he wants to live forever, he can only do so in this way. Otherwise, he will eventually turn into nothing but dust."

Zhang Qi scoffed, "An excuse? You just want to test his hatred for the Incense Burning Sect. If your disciple is alive and kicking, you'll leave the body of this Demon Lord Wujiu alive, and even return the position of sect leader to him. If he wants to devour this unfortunate fellow, you'll seize his body and ascend to heaven with him, right?"

Lu Xingzhou did not refute, but said helplessly, "This is the only way."

The corpse of the Demon Lord Wujiu is both a treasure and a hidden danger to the Burning Incense Sect.

Lu Xingzhou actually understood that the Incense Burning Sect owed this senior brother a debt. As long as Demon Lord Wujiu still had even a shred of compassion for the Incense Burning Sect, Lu Xingzhou would do his best to help him recover and pass on the position of sect leader to him after his own ascension.

At that time, the Incense Burning Sect would still have a Dao Integration Realm expert in charge, and it would not decline because of this.

But if the Demon Lord Wujiu truly doesn't even spare innocent junior disciples, it means he has already completely fallen into demonic possession and can never turn back. Lu Xingzhou will then use his own soul to seize this body.

However, contrary to Chen Ye's expectations, Lu Xingzhou did not intend to use the body of the Demon Lord Wujiu to remain in the mortal realm forever. He simply wanted to ascend with the Demon Lord Wujiu to completely eliminate this hidden danger for the Burning Incense Sect.

The outcome depends on the choice of the Demon Lord Wujiu.

Zhang Qi neither confirmed nor denied it, considering this an internal matter of the Incense Burning Sect.

Zhang Qi shook his head and said, "What a pity, I only have one sword left."

Although he desperately wanted to completely destroy the Demon Lord Wujiu, he also understood that if he died, the world would descend into chaos, and that this sword strike would ultimately save more innocent people if it were used elsewhere.

Lu Xingzhou didn't try to comfort Zhang Qi. He knew his old friend's personality very well, and it was better to say something practical than to offer comfort. So he said to him, "According to my calculations, the Nirvana Sect is no longer a threat. It has probably been completely suppressed by that brat Chen Ye. Although I don't understand how he did it, I think Pang Duoduo's calculations are probably correct. The Nirvana Sect is nothing to worry about, but the other demons will be a big problem."

Chen Ye was able to encounter the demon deep underground because they could no longer hide.

The five major sects are not deaf and blind, so they naturally noticed something.

When the war between good and evil just ended, the five major sects already knew that many demons had fled underground.

However, the underground environment was too complex. They had sent disciples to investigate, but several times, just as they had grasped a clue, the demons escaped into deeper places.

A thousand years ago, the righteous path only managed a narrow victory, suffering heavy losses among its disciples and followers, leaving them with no strength to continue the pursuit.

Over time, the Demonic Sect turned this underground area into their own territory, making it not only harder to find, but also causing greater losses if they were to launch a forced attack.

No matter how powerful Zhang Qi is, he can't just sever the earth's spiritual energy along with it. If the earth's veins are cut off, there will definitely be a great disaster on the surface.

There were either floods or droughts, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary people died during those times.

It was precisely because of these many troubles that the exorcism of that year left hidden dangers, and now those demons are ready to make a comeback.

Lu Xingzhou said, "Those demons are very patient. They will reappear only after you are gone. Why don't you try to fake your death, trick them into coming out, and then kill them with a single sword strike, and then ascend to heaven in peace?"

Zhang Qi retorted, "Fake death? Who can you fool?"

As the number one person in the world, Zhang Qi's every move is closely related to the mortal world. The weight of this cause and effect is something that even ordinary cultivators who cannot perform divination can sense.

Anyone with a slightly higher level of cultivation can tell whether someone is truly dead or feigning death; it's impossible to fool anyone.

Lu Xingzhou said, "I knew you would say that, so I already discussed it with the other sects. We'll use the same method as back then to deceive these demons again. Back then, our five major sects were able to conceal the secrets of heaven when they joined forces. A thousand years later, we can do it again."

Zhang Qi looked at Lu Xingzhou with suspicion and asked, "Is this why you came to see me today, Lao Lu? You had this all planned out all along?"

Lu Xingzhou finally smiled and said to Zhang Qi, "It's not just you, Zhang Qi, who wants to eliminate demons and uphold justice. Although I am the head of the Incense Burning Sect, I am also one of the representatives of the righteous path. How can I stand by and do nothing while these demons run rampant?"

Looking at Lu Xingzhou, Zhang Qi seemed to see the young Taoist priest who had fought alongside him years ago.

A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the sea has turned into mulberry fields.

I thought my old friend had long been so filled with the words "Fenxiangmen" that he had forgotten what happened back then.

Unexpectedly, he was able to see Lu Xingzhou again before he died.

Zhang Qi patted Lu Xingzhou on the shoulder forcefully and said to him, "Alright, then let's fool these devils one more time."

Lu Xingzhou happily said, "That's right, let's fool them again, but this time, the advantage is on our side. Zhang Qi, I will make sure your final strike lands in the most opportune place."

“Of course I believe that you were the one with the most mischievous ideas back then.” Zhang Qi laughed, as if he had become ten years younger. But then he suddenly changed the subject and said to Lu Xingzhou, “Old Lu, I have a suggestion regarding the cooperation between the five major sects again.”

Seeing Zhang Qi's serious tone, Lu Xingzhou asked curiously, "What suggestion?"

Zhang Qi said, "Let's bring the Yellow Springs Sect along too. Chen Ye, this junior, is blessed with good fortune. With his help, we have a higher chance of winning."

(End of this chapter)