Chapter Seventy-Three: The Invisible Sword Formation

  "How hateful, leaving me here all alone!" Watching Lu Qing and his group disappear into the distance, Ming Xue'er pulled the little girl, her two rows of silver teeth clenched tightly, but after catching a glimpse of the bloody scene on the village path, her face turned pale again, and she quickly turned her head away, not daring to look again.

  Lu Qing and his group maintained a steady, rapid pace. In comparison to others who relied solely on their cultivation and footwork to move swiftly, Lu Xingyu and the woman following closely behind Yi Ruoyu and Su Yun had a relaxed, leisurely gait, as if they were taking a casual stroll in a courtyard. However, with each step, they covered a distance of several meters. This led Lu Qing to speculate about the woman's identity. Apart from Ming Xue'er, this woman also seemed to possess the Light Body Technique, and judging by her posture, she appeared to be using the same set as Ming Xue'er had used in the past.

  This made him aware of the existence of the Earth Step Body Method, and he also had a hint of expectation for the future contact with the Earth Sword Yuan Gong Wind and Thunder Formula. The group left Wolf's Mouth Village, following the wolf tracks left in the snow as they retreated, and since Wolf Tooth Mountain was only a few miles away from Wolf's Mouth Village, the wolf pack ran very fast, leaving the village, and could only be seen far away, with the shadow gradually disappearing at the foot of Wolf Tooth Mountain.

  Everyone's heart is heavy at this moment. If it's discovered that the Beast Ruins' riot was a deliberate conspiracy, it would be a severe slap in the face to the accumulated reputation of the Purple Mist Sect over the past thousand years. For more than a hundred years, how many innocent sect members have died in the Beast Ruins' riots? It's feared that there are tens of thousands of them.

  Tens of thousands, the bodies piled up could form a mountain of corpses, the blood gathered could dye red a hundred-meter-wide river. The slaughter over the past century has caused how much loss to the people of Luoshan City, no one knows.

  But Lu Qing and others knew that once the person behind was discovered, it would not be solved by simply defeating him. Even if he was destroyed in body and spirit, it would still be light for Lu Qing and his party at this moment.

  After the fragrance of incense, everyone arrived at the foot of Wolf Tooth Mountain. Wolf Tooth Mountain was located outside the Beast Wastes' outer perimeter but was one of the few high mountains in the area, with a height of about 500-600 zhang. The mountain was covered in lush green trees, all of which were evergreen species. However, what made Lu Qing vigilant was that the entire Wolf Tooth Mountain was shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, giving off an eerie feeling from its base. It's said that one should not enter a forest alone, but Lu Qing and his group were skilled and fearless, so they didn't take it to heart.

  At this moment, the wolf pack has entered the mountain, and the muddy mountain road quickly covered up the footprints of the wolves.

  Luoxin Yu's eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "This mountain is very large, we'll split up and act separately. Once we find the target, we'll use a long whistle to alert each other, and everyone will gather at the fastest speed possible. We absolutely cannot let that person escape." At this point, Luoxin Yu's face also revealed a thick killing intent. Although there were differences in status within the Zixia Sect, they were all members of the same sect after all. This domain, which spanned over 200 miles, was the home where everyone had lived and thrived for thousands of years. Now, having been humiliated for over a hundred years, even Luoxin Yu's calm nature had suppressed a surge of anger.

  The crowd soon split into two groups, still with Lu Qing and Duan Qingyun's group of five, while Yi Ruoyu's three people went with Luo Xin and Lie Feng. The two groups took the mountain path that was clearly trodden from both sides, searching for wolf tracks along the way. However, the mournful flute sound stopped after the wolves entered the forest. Judging by Lu Qing's cultivation level, it could be inferred that the flute sound came from a high place above the middle of the mountain, and it was very likely that the person was at the summit.

  At this moment, on the peak of Wolf Tooth Mountain, a cliff with perennial snow and ice, a woman in a white long dress stood quietly at the edge of the cliff. What was astonishing was that the woman looked about twenty years old, but had a full head of white hair, just like the color of the snow on the ground. The woman's face was extremely beautiful, but her eyes were devoid of any color, just like the snow-capped peaks that had been frozen for thousands of years, revealing a chilling intent that pierced to the bone.

  In her hand, she was grasping a foot-long short sword. The sword was entirely black, and strangely, it was covered with many perforated holes. As the mountain wind occasionally blew through them, it suddenly emitted intermittent flute sounds.

  This is a flute-like sword, unknown what material it was cast from, giving people an eerie feeling. Even the mountain wind blowing through it seems to want to enthrall one's soul, filled with a kind of mysterious and terrifying power.

  "Has it arrived?" The woman suddenly opened her mouth and muttered, at this moment, behind her, there were two long-toothed wolves. These two wolves were snow-white all over, with fangs like snow, and their bodies emitted waves of cold air, as if they were even colder than the ice and snow accumulated on the mountain cliff.

  This snow-white giant wolf, which was almost identical to the second-tier Wolf King that had been killed by Luoxing Yu earlier, seemed even larger than that Wolf King. At this moment, facing the woman at the edge of the cliff, it did not have the same ferocious aura as the Wolf King when it challenged Luoxing Yu. The two wolves were prostrate on the ground, their heads tightly pressed against the earth, and a clear look of reverence could even be seen in their eyes.

  "Since they're here, let's treat them well. You go--" The cold voice fell silent for a moment before sounding again, and the two wolf kings got up and quickly disappeared on this mountain cliff that was only about 30 feet in circumference.

  The woman turned her head, her icy gaze looking towards the distant Purple Misty Peaks. The cold intent in her eyes grew stronger and stronger, and around her, the originally soft snowflakes gradually solidified, becoming a transparent and crystalline ice-encased world on the mountain cliff.

  In the mountain forest, Lu Qing and five others rushed along a snowy path towards the summit. "Wait---" Yu Jihua suddenly stopped in his tracks, and the other four also stopped, looking at Yu Jihua. They saw him walk to a large tree, bend down to sniff, then stand up and say: "Let's go this way, it smells like wolf dung, very fresh, wolves have passed by not long ago."

  "Lupine dung?" Lu Qing was taken aback by the words, while Duan Qingyun's gaze at Yu Jihua became even more peculiar. Yu Jihua hastened to explain: "When I was young, I followed some hunters from the city into the mountains to hunt, and some of them were very skilled at catching lone wolves, so I also became familiar with the smell of wolf dung."

  "Alright, let's hurry and not let them get away." Zhao Qianye said in a low voice, the few of them got up again and turned into a dense forest, after a while, sure enough, the sound of wolves running could be faintly heard from ahead.

  The Rising Sun Heart Sutra rotated to the extreme, Lu Qing's entire person transformed into a purple and blue light that pierced through the forest, the passing branches and leaves were all shattered by his protective wind and thunder sword energy, forcibly opening up a path. The four people behind him, Duan Qingyun, exchanged a glance, their bodies simultaneously floating with layers of colored sword energy, following Lu Qing's opened path in pursuit.

  The sound of the wolf pack running grew clearer, and finally, after crossing this mountain forest, a snow-covered area leading to the summit appeared. A group of about dozens of long-toothed wolves were rushing towards the summit, as if they had discovered the sudden appearance of Lu Qing's five people. A loud howl rose up, and the wolf pack's speed suddenly accelerated. After all, it was a wild beast that grew in the mountain forest, facing the rugged mountain terrain mixed with rocks and pits, the wolf pack was not affected at all.

  The snowy ground was an obstacle for the five of them, but for the wolf pack it was like flat land, and they were suddenly dozens of feet away. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and Lu Qing's Heart Sword sliced through the air, instantly sending a fierce gust of wind and sword energy shooting towards the wolf pack.

  What!

  In Lu Qing's astonished gaze, two huge snow-white wolf heads suddenly emerged from the running wolf pack. The two wolf kings, who had been hiding in the wolf pack like before, turned their heads towards Lu Qing at this time. In the eyes of the wolves, which were as big as a baby's fist, a hint of mockery made Lu Qing's heart tighten involuntarily.

  Suddenly, under the astonished gaze of Lu Qing and others, the wolf pack disappeared into the snowy ground ahead, while the wind-thunder sword energy shot out by Lu Qing suddenly vanished in mid-air near the original position of the wolf pack.

  Several people stopped their footsteps where the sword energy disappeared, Zhao Qianye's eyebrows furrowed, thought for a moment, and said: "If my guess is correct, there is a sword array here."

  "Jian Zhen," Lu Qing murmured to himself, and he thought of the breathtaking Four-Sided Sword Bridge on Purple Mist Five Peaks, that legendary Four-Sided Extinction Sword Formation capable of shaking the heavens and splitting the earth. There was actually a sword formation here as well, but only the magical power of the sword formation could explain this bizarre scene before him.

  "An array of swords?" Duan Qingyun said, somewhat disbelieving, "But there's clearly nothing here!" As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to touch the empty space in front of him.

  "Halt!" - A loud shout came from behind Nie Qing Tian, while Lu Qingwen, who was standing beside Duan Qing Yun, hastily stretched out his hand to pull Duan Qing Yun back. However, it was already too late. Although Lu Qingwen managed to grab hold of Duan Qing Yun, he also felt an overwhelming suction force that made his body involuntarily lean forward. The power emanating from Duan Qing Yun's body was simply too enormous, leaving Lu Qingwen almost no room for resistance. He felt as if his body had entered the water, and the surrounding air rippled with a wave-like motion, transporting him to a strange and unfamiliar world.

  P.S. Although the click didn't work today, everyone's recommendation votes still made Ten Steps feel very comforted. Here, Ten Steps thanks everyone, and also asks friends who haven't collected to collect it, after all, collection is very important after the book is signed.