Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 221 I've Become a Taoist Priest (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The wisps of black mist drifted and rapidly spread into the void, seemingly about to completely dissipate into the rain in the blink of an eye.

Xu Zhiwei chuckled and said, "Crimson Heaven Demon King, it's a bit too late for you to leave now."

Before she finished speaking, her hands were already rapidly forming a hand seal in front of her chest.

As her fingers flew across the paper, specks of green light emanated from her fingertips. Then, she suddenly raised both hands into the air.

In an instant, amidst the heavy rain, a cyan array disc emerged from the void, its surface swirling with intricate runes, rapidly pressing down upon the wisps of black mist.

The black mist was suddenly stagnant under the pressure of the array plate. After churning a few times, it condensed into a humanoid silhouette, which was none other than the Crimson Heaven Demon King.

He said coldly, "Xu Zhiwei, do you want to fight me to the death?"

Xu Zhiwei slowly walked from the tavern entrance to the center of the street, her hands still in a mudra. The raindrops fell and automatically dispersed in all directions, not a single drop landing on her.

As she walked, she chuckled, "A fight to the death? Do you even have the strength for that now? You might as well go back to the Jade Purity Sword and wait to die."

If it were the Crimson Heaven Demon King who was previously in the Demon-Suppressing Well of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Xu Zhiwei would naturally be helpless and could only ensure that her Dao heart would not be affected by the Crimson Heaven Demon King. However, the current Crimson Heaven Demon King is not even in the most basic state of demonic seed. Although Xu Zhiwei cannot kill it, she can seal it. Before long, without the replenishment of external will, the Crimson Heaven Demon King will perish.

It was precisely because Xu Zhiwei possessed this ability that Zhang Daoji arranged for her to search for the Jade Purity Sword.

At this moment, the black mist suddenly surged, and the Crimson Heaven Demon King said in a deep voice, "Very well, very well, it's truly a case of a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs. How could I have fallen to such a state? There's no point in living such a miserable life anymore, so let's perish together!"

Before the words were finished, the black mist suddenly expanded, violently churning and impacting the array plate.

The runes on the surface of the array plate began to flicker and even cracks began to appear.

Faintly, Xu Zhiwei sensed that strands of spiritual energy were about to break free from the black mist.

She immediately realized that the Crimson Heaven Demon King was actually going to abandon his greatest trump card, the Corpse Immortal Qi, and break through the restraints with his spiritual power.

However, Xu Zhiwei was unsure whether the Crimson Heaven Demon King truly intended to perish together with her, or if he was merely making threats while actually trying to escape.

Based on her understanding of the Crimson Sky Demon King, this guy would not let go of any chance of survival, but it is also possible that he was truly exhausted and wanted to have a glorious death.

Immediately, Xu Zhiwei rapidly changed hand seals, his palms radiating a brilliant azure light, before pressing down. A second array plate appeared out of thin air, overlapping with the first, further compressing the black mist.

Then, she turned her head and looked at Shen Qingqiu and Qian Sansi on the rooftops on both sides of the street, and said, "Governor Shen, Alliance Leader Qian, do you have a way to deal with spiritual power? I have sealed this guy's Corpse Immortal Qi, but his spiritual demon seed may escape."

If the Crimson Demon King were to fight to the death, Xu Zhiwei would not be afraid at all. Even though she was currently in control of the formation, she was confident that she could eliminate the Crimson Demon King's weakened spiritual demonic seed if it dared to get close.

But she was worried that the Crimson Demon King was determined to escape.

At this moment, Qian Sansi, standing on the rooftop, looked troubled and cupped his hands, saying, "Master Xu, I know absolutely nothing about spiritual power!"

Xu Zhiwei frowned, looked at Shen Qingqiu, and asked, "Where is Governor Shen?"

Shen Qingqiu leaped down from the rooftop, planted his twin swords in the ground, and said, "Master, leave the demonic seed to me. The Six Doors have special methods to suppress spiritual power."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiwei's lips curled slightly, and she replied, "Alright, then I'll let him out!"

The next moment, she suddenly clasped her hands together.

The two array plates suddenly merged into one, and the runes on the edges spun rapidly, emitting a dense buzzing sound, instantly suppressing the surging black mist completely.

The black mist struggled violently beneath the array plate, but was compressed layer by layer.

In that instant, a powerful spiritual force surged forth from the black sphere, spreading in all directions like an invisible torrent.

That spiritual power carried a chilling, bone-deep coldness, and wherever it passed, even the rain seemed to freeze.

Just as Xu Zhiwei had predicted, the Crimson Heaven Demon King shouted loudly, but as soon as his spiritual power surged out, he immediately tried to escape.

In that instant, a pure white jade pen appeared in Shen Qingqiu's hand.

The jade pen was no more than half a foot long, its body warm and smooth, with a faint luster.

With a flick of her wrist, she threw the jade pen away. The pen flew out and then hovered in mid-air.

The jade pen emitted a golden light, transforming into strands of golden silk as fine as hair, which coiled around the surging spiritual energy.

The golden threads weaved and intertwined within that mass of spiritual energy, and wherever they passed, the Crimson Demon King's spiritual energy suddenly weakened.

Xu Zhiwei's eyes lit up, and she said, "Huh, it's actually the City God's Brush! It's been lost for many years, and it's actually in the Six Doors."

Shen Qingqiu channeled his inner energy to control the jade brush, saying, "Daoist Master has excellent eyesight; it is indeed the City God's Brush!"

The City God's Brush is a highly renowned divine weapon in the martial arts world, specifically designed to suppress spiritual power. It was once the weapon of a grandmaster known as the City God, hence its name.

That grandmaster was a master of spiritual power, but the City God's Brush was lost after his passing.

Shen Qingqiu only learned that the City God's Pen was in the Six Doors after he became the Grand Supervisor of the Six Doors.

As the Grand Supervisor of the Six Doors, her cultivation level was actually somewhat insufficient. Although she received various divine pills from the Six Doors and had Gu Guanqi unblock her meridians and guide her cultivation, in terms of personal cultivation, she was only at the level of an ordinary grandmaster in the martial arts world.

Therefore, after discussions among the high-ranking members of the Six Doors, a large number of divine weapons and artifacts were provided to Shen Qingqiu to make up for her lack of cultivation. These included her current twin swords, the soft armor she wore, the hidden arrows on her arms, and so on, all of which were top-tier divine weapons. Among them were some divine weapons specifically designed to target unorthodox methods, such as the City God's Brush, which was specifically designed to target spiritual power.

At this moment, Shen Qingqiu activated the City God's Brush.

A shrill scream echoed from the void. The sound was sharp and piercing, lasting for about two breaths before abruptly ceasing.

Immediately afterwards, the fluctuations in mental energy completely disappeared.

Shen Qingqiu reached out and beckoned; the jade pen twirled in the air before landing back in her palm, which she then quietly slipped into her sleeve.

At the same time, Xu Zhiwei also guided the corpse immortal energy into the Jade Purity Dao Sword.

The thick layer of blood energy on the sword suddenly receded, retreating into the sword like a tide. The dark red luster on the blade quickly dimmed, revealing the original bluish-gray sword body and the densely packed runes.

Xu Zhiwei clasped her hands together, and a wisp of green light entered the sword, causing the sword to completely dim.

Immediately, Xu Zhiwei picked up his sword, cupped his hands to Shen Qingqiu, and said, "Governor Shen, I am Su Chen of the Heavenly Dao Sect, and my secular name is Xu Zhiwei!"

Shen Qingqiu cupped his hands and said, "So you are Master Xu, the Vice Headmaster of the Heavenly Dao Sect. I have long admired your name. It is an honor to meet you!"

Xu Zhiwei raised the Jade Purity Dao Sword in his hand and said, "Governor Shen, this sword was originally a murder weapon and should be handed over to the Six Doors for disposal. However, a large amount of Corpse Immortal Qi is sealed within this sword. I don't know if Alliance Leader Gu has told you that this Corpse Immortal Qi is unique to the Crimson Heaven Demon King and cannot be dealt with by ordinary means. If it is left outside, it will easily cause trouble. Therefore, I need to bring it back to the Heavenly Dao Sect to seal it and then slowly cleanse the demonic energy within it."

Shen Qingqiu said, "Alliance Leader Gu mentioned to me that there is indeed no one more suitable than the Heavenly Dao Sect to deal with this evil sword. The Heavenly Dao Sect is the leader of the righteous path, and the Six Doors also trust the Heavenly Dao Sect!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Governor Shen."

Xu Zhi smiled slightly, then subtly glanced at Shen Qingqiu, thinking to himself, "Hmm, her martial arts aren't as good as mine, and she's not as pretty, but her breasts are bigger—is that natural, or—I've heard that they grow bigger with sex—was she always like this, or did they grow bigger after she got together with Gu Guan? Do I also have a chance to grow that big? Then I won't be inferior to her in any way!"

Shen Qingqiu noticed Xu Zhiwei's gaze, frowned slightly, and thought to himself, "Why do I feel like there's something off about the way Xu Zhiwei is looking at me?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She thought to herself, "Could it be that that scoundrel Guanqi has been up to his old tricks again? Those few days at the Heavenly Dao Sect—he even tried to seduce those monks! But that can't be true. Knowing his character, it's hard to say!"

"Master Xu!" Shen Qingqiu said, "Do you have any guidance for me?"

Xu Zhiwei quickly said, "It's nothing, I—"

Just then, Xu Zhiwei and Shen Qingqiu suddenly turned to look at the street corner, where a person appeared. It was an old man with a full head of white hair, wearing a tattered gray Taoist robe, with a jade hairpin in his hair, but his hair was very messy, his face was full of wrinkles, he walked unsteadily, and he was muttering to himself, looking very mentally unstable.

The old man looked unremarkable; his white hair was soaked by the rain and stuck to the sides of his face, and his eyes were cloudy and dull.

Xu Zhiwei, Shen Qingqiu, and Qian Sansi all immediately became alert.

Because none of the three of them noticed when the old man appeared. He just suddenly appeared at the street corner, as if he had always been there, or as if he had just arrived.

All three of them were experts: Shen Qingqiu was a grandmaster, Qian Sansi was a grandmaster on the Earth Ranking, and Xu Zhiwei was a great cultivator who had entered the Dao. They didn't even realize when the old man had appeared.

This forced them to be on their guard.

Qian Sansi gripped his sword tightly and said in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

The old man seemed not to hear, tilting his head and looking around unfocusedly, muttering incoherently, "Where's my grandson? Where did my grandson go? He was just here a moment ago—"

He staggered a couple of steps toward the side of the street, his steps unsteady. Suddenly, he saw a stone in the corner of the wall. A glimmer of light appeared in his cloudy eyes, and he quickly bent down and ran over, grabbing the stone and hugging it to his chest, shouting, "My treasure, my treasure has been found! Hahaha, I've found it—"

But as soon as he picked it up, he froze, frowned, tilted his head to examine the stone, and muttered to himself, "No, no, I came here to eat, where's the food? Where's the food? Why would I take a broken stone? No—"

He casually tossed the stone to the ground, then looked up and glanced around aimlessly across the long street before his gaze suddenly settled on the Jade Purity Dao Sword in Xu Zhiwei's hand.

"Sword!" He exclaimed, his eyes widening urgently, "Yes, yes, this is my sword, mine—mine!"

Before he finished speaking, he ran quickly toward Xu Zhiwei, running haphazardly without any strategy, but at an unimaginable speed, as if ignoring the distance, and arrived in front of Xu Zhiwei in the blink of an eye.

Xu Zhiwei's pupils contracted slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Shrinking the earth to an inch!"

The next instant, the old man reached out and grabbed the Jade Purity Dao Sword.

Xu Zhiwei spun around quickly, sliding to the side to avoid the attack.

But the old man's movements were so strange that he appeared behind Xu Zhiwei in an instant and reached out to grasp the blade of the Jade Purity Dao Sword.

Although the Jade Purity Sword is a heavy sword, its blade is extremely sharp, making it easy to cut hair and slice iron like mud.

So, the moment the old man grasped the sword blade, blood gushed from his palm, flowing down the sword and dripping onto the bluestone pavement mixed with rainwater.

But the old man seemed to feel no pain, only gripping the blade tightly, muttering, "It's mine—it's the Jade Purity Dao Sword—it's mine—"

Xu Zhiwei's pupils shrank suddenly. This person was able to recognize the Jade Purity Sword, so he was definitely not an ordinary person.

She gripped the sword hilt and asked, "Old Taoist priest, who are you? Why are you putting on this act of superstition here?"

Upon hearing this, the old man froze.

He actually loosened his grip on the sword, took two steps back, then squatted down, covered his head with his hands, curled up into a ball, rain dripping from his hair and mixing with the blood from his palms onto his body.

"Who am I? Who am I—"

The old man clutched his head, shaking it violently, muttering, "My name is Hu Xiaoxiao—I'm about to have a baby? No, I'm Gao Ang, my grandson is a month old today—no, my name is Zeng Pan, I'm about to successfully enter the Four Directions Sword Sect—no, no, no, I'm Long Jia—no, no, who am I really?"

He suddenly raised his head, his face a mixture of blood and rain, making his old face look eerily stained.

"Huh?" He looked at Xu Zhiwei, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You're Junior Sister Su Chen—I—I'm Su Qingzi!"

He then shook his head violently, his face contorted in a grimace, and cried hysterically, "No, no, no, I am not Su Qingzi, I am the Crimson Heaven Demon King! I need to find my sword—where is my sword? Where is my sword?!"

He suddenly roared, sprang up, and reached out again to grab the Jade Purity Dao Sword in Xu Zhiwei's hand.

Xu Zhiwei's expression hardened. He gripped the Jade Purity Dao Sword in his left hand and unleashed a palm strike with his right.

The old man immediately changed his claws into a palm and slapped Xu Zhiwei with it.

The two palms collided violently in mid-air.

"boom!"

A muffled thud exploded, and the rain was shaken into a sky full of white mist by the two streams of true energy.

Xu Zhiwei felt an overwhelming force surge through her palm, and she was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

At the same time, the old man struck again with his palm, and Xu Zhiwei, holding the sword hilt with her left hand, thrust out her sword.

The old man grabbed the Jade Purity Sword without any hesitation. The blade instantly cut his palm, but he seemed oblivious and even used his true energy to pull it forcefully.

Immediately, Xu Zhiwei sent out a stream of true energy.

The two streams of true energy collided, and the old man's hand was shaken away. However, Xu Zhiwei was also unable to hold onto the Jade Purity Dao Sword. It flew out of her hand, twirled several times in the air, and flew away.

Almost simultaneously, the old man darted out and grabbed at the flying Jade Purity Dao Sword.

However, in that instant, a transparent thread shot out from the side, precisely wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and with a sudden tug, the Jade Purity Dao Sword immediately changed direction and flew away.

It was Shen Qingqiu who made the move. On her raised left wrist was a hidden weapon containing dragon scale spider silk, which could be used to bind enemies or as an offensive weapon.

The old man suddenly turned to look at Shen Qingqiu and shouted angrily, "You're trying to steal my sword!"

As he spoke, he pointed out.

That finger, imbued with a boundless killing intent, pierced through the air, tearing the rain curtain of the long street in two.

"Governor Shen, retreat immediately!"

At this moment, Qian Sansi roared and slashed his longsword horizontally, unleashing a powerful sword aura to meet the finger strike.

"roll!"

The old man roared at Qian Sansi, and a powerful, invisible sound wave surged towards Qian Sansi like a tsunami, instantly shattering Qian Sansi's sword energy.

Immediately afterwards, Qian Sansi felt a roar in his head, his vision suddenly went black, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the shop door behind him, shattering the door and sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The old man's shout sent Qian Sansi flying, but he didn't even look at Qian Sansi properly, his finger still pointing at Shen Qingqiu with terrifying force.

Upon seeing this, Shen Qingqiu immediately retreated quickly, while simultaneously throwing the Jade Purity Dao Sword in his hand into the air.

The old man's gaze was instantly drawn to the Jade Purity Dao Sword. He immediately abandoned his attack on Shen Qingqiu, and with a powerful push of his feet, he soared into the sky, chasing after the Jade Purity Dao Sword.

He spread his five fingers and instantly grasped the hilt of the Jade Purity Dao Sword.

But in that very instant, "Roar!"

A long and deep dragon roar exploded from the depths of the void, wrapped in a powerful golden energy, like a raging tide falling from the sky, overwhelming everything.

A figure in white descended from the sky; it was Gu Guanqi.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms: Flying Dragon in the Sky!

With a powerful palm strike, the falling rainwater evaporated into a sky full of white mist.

The old man had just grasped the Jade Purity Dao Sword when he felt an overwhelming pressure from above, as if a mountain were collapsing. He suddenly looked up, and the white-clad figure was reflected in his crimson eyes.

"Gu Guanqi, you're here too!"

A strange smile appeared on his face, his lips parting into a wide grin that no ordinary person could manage.

"Hahahaha—I'm invincible! I've been looking for you!"

He roared and slammed his left palm towards the sky, the gray true energy in his palm surging like a tide, meeting Gu Guanqi's palm strike.

The two palms collided violently in mid-air.

At that moment, it was as if the entire long street had been pressed into a still instant.

The raindrops hovered in mid-air, the roof tiles floated slightly, the air was compressed into a visible, transparent ripple, and then, "Boom!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, like a thunderclap in the middle of the street.

A terrifying shockwave swept outwards in all directions, ripping off tiles and sending them crashing down, shaking rainwater into a fine mist, shattering doors and windows, smashing shop signs to the ground, and creating spiderweb-like cracks on the walls.

The old man's body suddenly sank, his knees sinking into the ground, and then his whole body sank in. The soil churned and stones flew everywhere, embedding him completely into the ground, with only his chest and above exposed.

But strangely enough, the old man was completely unharmed, still grinning at Gu Guanqi and laughing loudly: "Hahahaha—"

I am immortal, you cannot kill me, I am invincible—I will be remembered for eternity—

He roared, then suddenly leaped up from the ground, raising the Jade Purity Dao Sword and charging towards Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi immediately prepared to deliver another blow.

However, the old man suddenly knelt down, his eyes filled with terror, and said, "You...you...you...you are the Sword Immortal Gu Guanqi? I am Feng Yaodong of the Four Directions Sword Sect. I greet Alliance Leader Gu. What brings you to my Four Directions Sword Sect?! Eh!"

The old man suddenly raised his head, looked around blankly, and asked in confusion, "Where is this? This isn't the Four Directions Sword Sect, how did I get here—"

"idiot!"

Suddenly, the old man's demeanor changed, and he roared, "Fool! I told you to find my sword! Where is mine?"

"The sword is here!" The old man's aura changed again. He suddenly stood up, raised the Jade Purity Dao Sword, and said, "Hahahaha, the Jade Purity Dao Sword is here! Hahahaha, my Golden Core Dao is complete! I've succeeded! I've succeeded! Daoist Master, I've succeeded!"

"No, no—it's not done yet. What should I be doing?"

The old man suddenly looked at Gu Guanqi, his aura instantly becoming calm again. He smiled slightly and said, "Alliance Leader Gu, we meet again!"

Gu Guanqi frowned as he looked at the white-haired old man, then turned to Shen Qingqiu and asked, "Qingqiu, what's wrong with this madman?"

Shen Qingqiu shook his head and said, "We don't know who this madman is either!"

At this moment, Xu Zhiwei spoke up: "This person should be Su Qingzi. He can recognize the Jade Purity Dao Sword and has also used the Daoist supernatural power of Shrinking the Earth into an Inch. When I fought with him just now, I could feel the power of the Golden Core."

Gu Guanqi said, "You felt it too. I thought I was mistaken. I didn't directly fight him back in the Heavenly Dao Sect, so I don't have a very clear understanding of the power of the Golden Core."

"I'm certain it's the power of the Golden Core," Xu Zhiwei said, "but I don't know how this guy got like this."

Xu Zhiwei slowly walked towards Gu Guanqi, glancing at the old man as she went, and asked, "Su Qingzi, what happened to you? Why are you in such a terrible state?"

The old man's full head of white hair slowly began to turn black, the wrinkles on his face began to smooth out, and his appearance gradually changed, becoming younger and younger until he slowly transformed into Su Qingzi's appearance. He slowly spoke, "I'm nothing special, Junior Sister Su Chen. Senior Brother has succeeded. My Golden Core Path has been achieved. I—"

Just then, Gu Guanqi, Xu Zhiwei, and the others all had strange expressions.

Because Su Qingzi's face, which had just regained its true appearance, began to change again, becoming extremely distorted, as if a face had turned into a lump of dough, with her features seemingly kneaded together, and then the face kept unfolding and twisting.

"Suqingzi, what's wrong with you?"

"Die—all must die—" Su Qingzi uttered a strange voice: "All those who dare to peek into the path of immortality must die—they deserve to die—"

He was trembling all over, his features contorted.

"Junior sister—no—no—ah!"

Su Qingzi was emanating streams of golden core power, but it was different from the majestic golden core power she had displayed at the Heavenly Dao Sect. This time, the golden core power was sinister and exuded a chilling aura.

"Come, I will guide you to comprehend the Great Dao of the Golden Core!"

Then, he suddenly raised the Jade Purity Dao Sword and actually shoved it directly into his own mouth. With a forceful slap, he forced the heavy Jade Purity Dao Sword into his body.

Gu Guanqi frowned and said in a deep voice, "Let's see if you're really crazy or just pretending!"

Immediately, Gu Guanqi began to form hand seals.

"Om Mani Padme Hum"

Suddenly, a chanting of Buddhist hymns arose in the void. At the same time, a golden Buddha appeared behind him, gazing at the chess pieces. Buddhist light poured down like a tide, filled with peace and compassion.

Countless golden Buddhist swastikas gathered around Gu Guanqi's arm, instantly coalescing into a giant Buddha's palm several meters wide, releasing boundless righteous intent as it struck towards Su Qingzi.

"Hehehehehehe————"

Su Qingzi grinned, her mouth splitting open so wide it reached her ears, as if her entire jaw had dislocated.

He let out a series of strange laughs.

A layer of turbid golden core power surged from his body, but it was no longer pure and righteous energy; instead, it carried a strange and evil aura. He actually crashed straight into the Buddha's palm.

"Boom—"

'

A loud bang rang out, and the blast wave sent the rubble on both sides of the long street flying, shattering it into powder and scattering it everywhere.

In the next instant, Su Qingzi shot out with a "whoosh," crashing through the walls of several small buildings, then smashing through several stone walls, rolling out of an alley, and finally embedding herself in the outer wall of a two-story teahouse at the end of the street.

Looking at the mess on the floor, Gu Guanqi couldn't help but slap his forehead and exclaimed angrily, "What a mess! We're going to have to pay for this now!"

"The Six Doors will be responsible for compensation!"

Shen Qingqiu said something and quickly chased after them.

Xu Zhiwei and Qian Sansi followed closely behind.

Gu Guanqi chuckled lightly, then stepped forward and transformed into a wisp of breeze, flying towards Su Qingzi.

Just then, a strange laugh suddenly came from the ruins at the end of the street.

"Gaga gaga—————— Hehehehe———— Hahahaha————"

The laughter was very strange; it started as a deep, rough male voice.

"It's done—it's done—the Three Flowers Gather at the Top—"

Then, her voice suddenly rose to a shrill, high-pitched female tone, filled with a frenzied madness: "Hahahaha, I've become an immortal! I've become an immortal!!"

Then he suppressed it again, his voice turning into that of an aged man: "No—it can't be—it's fake, it's all fake—"

The voices all came from Su Qingzi's mouth, sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes old, sometimes young, as if dozens of people were crammed into the same body, vying to speak from the same mouth.

Su Qingzi's figure also staggered up from the ruins, covered in mud and blood, but she didn't look tired at all.

His facial features were still blurry, like a kneaded dough.

Xu Zhiwei exclaimed in amazement, "He can still stand up? Has this guy really become an immortal?"

"Hahaha, I've become an immortal!"

Su Qingzi suddenly turned around and took a step forward.

Shrinking the earth to an inch.

His figure seemed to be swallowed by the void in that instant. With one step, he was already at the alley entrance; with the second step, he had already crossed the street; with the third and fourth steps, he appeared far away with each step, without any pattern, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Gu Guanqi flew into the void to investigate, but this was in the city, full of tall buildings and residential houses, and his line of sight could not lock onto Su Qingzi at all.

He focused his mind and used his powerful mental strength to lock onto Su Qingzi. However, every time Su Qingzi changed direction, her aura changed as if she had shed a shell and become a different person, making it impossible to lock onto her.

Xu Zhiwei, Shen Qingqiu, and Qian Sansi gave up after chasing for a short while and headed towards Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi slowly floated down onto the street, shook his head slightly, and said, "Troublesome. This guy is too strange. Every time he changes, his aura and consciousness are completely different from the same person. And this is in the city, with many houses and even more people, so I can't lock onto him."

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Zhiwei and asked, "Weiwei, don't you know tracking techniques? Can you track down Su Qingzi?"

Upon hearing Gu Guanqi's affectionate address, Xu Zhiwei smiled sweetly. Then, she subconsciously glanced at Shen Qingqiu, feeling inexplicably guilty. She said, "Su Qingzi's cultivation is far superior to mine. I can only pinpoint a general area, whether he is inside or outside the city. It's impossible to pinpoint his exact location."

Gu Guanqi frowned and said, "This guy is too strange. It would be best if he could leave the city; otherwise, if a fight breaks out in the city, who knows how many people will die!"

At this moment, Shen Qingqiu spoke up: "That guy's state seems to be that he has the thoughts of many people in his head. Among the identities he mentioned many times before, they all seem to be related to a sect called the Four Directions Sword Sect. We can start investigating in this direction."

Qian Sansi said, "The Hai Sha Gang is the local bigwig in Baiyi County. They are very familiar with all kinds of forces in Baiyi County. I will go to the Hai Sha Gang now to inquire about clues about the Sifang Sword Sect."

"Alright," Shen Qingqiu said, "I'll immediately have the government and the Six Doors search the entire city for this madman!" As he spoke, Shen Qingqiu looked at Xu Zhiwei and said, "In addition, I'll have to trouble Master Xu to keep track of whether the madman has left the city."

Xu Zhiwei nodded and said, "No problem."

Qian Sansi cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll take my leave first!"

After saying that, he quickly left, leaving Gu Guanqi, Xu Zhiwei and Shen Qingqiu behind.

Gu Guanqi turned to Xu Zhiwei and asked, "Weiwei, do you know anything about Su Qingzi's current situation?"

Xu Zhiwei shook his head and said, "I don't know how this guy became like this. Although our Tianyi Sect has documents about the Golden Core Dao, the Golden Core Dao is incomplete and very rudimentary."

Only their Heavenly Sect knew about Su Qingzi's level of cultivation. However, when they had spoken with Su Qingzi before, he never mentioned that the Golden Core Path could drive a person insane.

"There's a detail you've overlooked," Shen Qingqiu said as he walked over. "Just now, in Su Qingzi's consciousness, there was a character called the Crimson Heaven Demon King. When he was playing Su Qingzi, he deliberately held onto the Jade Purity Dao Sword."

The Crimson Heaven Demon King is a master of the spiritual path, and Su Qingzi's madness is most likely related to him. Isn't the Crimson Heaven Demon King's greatest skill controlling others' Dao hearts with demonic seeds?

Xu Zhiwei said in a deep voice, "Are you saying that Su Qingzi might have fallen victim to the Crimson Heaven Demon King's trap?"

Shen Qingqiu said, "The Crimson Heaven Demon King's demon seed split into three. One of the Heavenly Dao Sects was erased, and the one in the Jade Purity Dao Sword was also erased. But the whereabouts of the Taiqing Jade Hairpin are still unknown."

Xu Zhiwei quickly said, "Yes, it's possible that Su Qingzi obtained the Taiqing Jade Hairpin and then, due to carelessness, was invaded by the demonic seed of the Crimson Heaven Demon King—but that doesn't make sense either!"

With Su Qingzi's cultivation level, the remaining demonic seed of the Crimson Heaven Demon King couldn't possibly affect her. The Crimson Heaven Demon King's demonic seed couldn't even cause a ripple in front of me, let alone Su Qingzi; it would be suppressed with a flick of her hand.

Shen Qingqiu shook his head and said, "It's not necessarily passive; it could be active. I heard Guan Qi mention before that Su Qingzi proposed an idea: to use his Golden Core power to fuse with the Crimson Heaven Demon King, which would allow him to glimpse a higher realm and thus perfect the Golden Core Dao."

Later, his plan was shelved due to Guan Qi's intervention, but that did not mean he gave up. If he had obtained the Taiqing Jade Hairpin, he might have willingly accepted the demonic seed invasion of the Crimson Heaven Demon King for the sake of the Golden Elixir Dao.

Furthermore, think back, didn't Su Qingzi just keep shouting that he had achieved the Golden Core Dao? Given Su Qingzi's situation, he either received the blessing of a thousand years of Daoist fortune, or he reached the realm of the Crimson Heaven Demon King; otherwise, he had no other chance to cultivate the Golden Core Dao!

"Governor Shen is right," Xu Zhiwei said. "Now that you mention it, it's quite possible. Su Qingzi is inherently mad; he's capable of anything for the Golden Core Dao."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's not discuss this for now. Let's go back to the government office. Qingqiu, you are in charge of coordinating the government office and the Six Doors to search for Su Qingzi's whereabouts. However, you must make it clear that if you find anything, do not act rashly. Given Su Qingzi's condition, no one but me should be able to deal with her."

"Yes, I understand," Shen Qingqiu replied.

Gu Guanqi then said to Xu Zhiwei, "Weiwei, just do as Qingqiu said and keep track of Su Qingzi in real time. Tell me immediately once he leaves the city."

Xu Zhiwei said, "I'll just follow you, okay? I'll let you know whenever there's any news."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "That's true."

Just then, Gu Guanqi suddenly felt a chill. He turned his head and saw Shen Qingqiu looking at him with a half-smile.

Immediately, Shen Qingqiu smiled, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He reached out and took Gu Guanqi's hand, saying, "Guanqi, how come I've never heard you mention before that you're so familiar with Master Xu?"

Gu Guanqi's brow twitched, and he thought to himself, "Oh no, I should have left right now!"

Just then, before Gu Guanqi could speak, Xu Zhiwei ran over and took his other hand, saying with a smile, "I've heard Gu Lang mention Governor Shen many times! He says Governor Shen is intelligent, generous, and reasonable—a really good person! He told me to get along well with you in the future!"

>