The Merit Points from just a few derivative Evil Spirits in the Ghost City were already so generous. He could hardly imagine how bountiful the Merit Points would be after dealing with the source.
This was exactly what he needed; he couldn't let it fall into anyone else's hands.
'I still need to improve my strength. In the time I have left, I must reach the realm of Internal Organs Resonating. That shouldn't be a problem.'
'Hmm, as for my Technique, although I haven't reached the Refining the Internal Organs realm yet, I can go ahead and redeem the second part of the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill to study. I might gain something from it.'
Zhao Xuanqi pondered this internally, then his consciousness connected with the Rebirth Jade.
Merit: One Good Deed, Five Merits, One Gain
Last time, after redeeming the first part of the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill, his Merit Points had dropped to one Good Deed, one Merit, and four Gains. But after the last Ghost City incident, his Merit Points had increased by nearly three Merits and six Gains, meaning he'd already earned back the cost of the first part.
He then communicated with the Rebirth Jade to read the Cultivation Technique's information.
The second part of the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill.
Redemption Cost: Six Merits
'How expensive.'
Zhao Xuanqi's face twitched slightly, but he clicked to redeem it anyway.
「Two days passed quickly.」
Today was the day the Ghost City incident would begin again, and a solemn atmosphere permeated the various sects.
Zhao Xuanqi finished his daily extermination mission and returned to his room, immediately beginning his cultivation. Four hours later, he slowly opened his eyes.
'I finally finished before the Ghost City opens again.'
He let out a slight sigh of relief and gently exerted his strength.
GURGLE! GURGLE!!
His internal organs pulsed, and his Qi and Blood surged. For a moment, the sounds merged into one.
His Physical Ability had grown, and a divine light seemed to burst from his eyes.
'Unfortunately, even if I use a Secret Technique, it's highly unlikely I can reach the point of injuring people with Gang Qi like in my past life. Manipulating air currents can only be an auxiliary method.'
Zhao Xuanqi experimented briefly and understood his limits.
When he first arrived in this world, he had sensed that the concentration of Primordial Qi was far greater than in the world of Divine Generals, which meant this world was more resilient.
In his past life, by combining the Dragon Gate Secret Technique with the Black Tortoise Yin Sha, he could use Gang Qi to injure people from a distance and even block bullets while in the Internal Organs Resonating realm. But in this world, that was difficult to achieve.
Relying purely on physical strength, it was hard to manipulate air currents with high intensity to generate sufficient power. This was true even at the Divine General realm; it was difficult to directly diffuse Primordial Qi to create a strong impact like in his past life. It could only be achieved through a corresponding Technique. This was a consequence of the fundamental differences between the worlds.
'However, if I combine Gang Qi with Golden Fire, there might be some pleasant surprises. The real world isn't the place to test it. I'll see what happens inside the Ghost City.'
Zhao Xuanqi pondered for a moment, then sat cross-legged on his bed and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing to recover his Physical Ability. He waited for the Ghost City incident to arrive, feeling the faint sense of crisis steadily building.
「Elsewhere.」
「Inside the main hall of the Dianmao Office at the encampment.」
Qiu Qing, a group of Stewards, and some senior disciples were all gathered in the main hall.
In the center of the hall were about twenty cattail cushions, upon which sat disciples of the Red Heart Sect. He Xijun and Chen Zhanyun were among them.
Among these disciples were not only those in the Blood Strengthening realm, but also several who were top performers in the Refining the Internal Organs realm.
Among the Blood Strengthening realm disciples, besides He Xijun, a tall man was the most eye-catching.
He had a rugged face with a sharply defined bone structure. His eyes were wide like bronze bells, and his thick eyebrows angled steeply upwards. Even with a calm expression, he exuded a powerful, overbearing fury.
This person was Lu Dong, the strongest practitioner in the Blood Strengthening realm of the Red Heart Sect.
"Elder Qiu, the time is almost here."
A disciple went to check the water clock and said to Qiu Qing.
Qiu Qing nodded slightly and looked at the group on the cushions. "Be extremely careful. You must not let your guard down."
"Yes, Elder."
Everyone replied in unison, then said no more and waited quietly.
A golden light flashed in Qiu Qing's eyes, and Golden Fire suddenly blazed to life on the surface of his body.
"Go!"
He flicked a finger, and without using any Technique, the Golden Fire spread out like chains, wrapping around several of the disciples.
His attention was primarily focused on He Xijun and Chen Zhanyun.
He wanted to use this opportunity to see if he could trace the source of the Evil Spirits at the very moment the phenomenon occurred.
Although the others had made ample preparations, it was still uncertain if they would be drawn into the Ghost City incident. Only He Xijun and Chen Zhanyun, the survivors from last time, had the highest probability.
Time passed, second by second.
At a certain moment, the group of Blood Strengthening realm disciples sitting on the cushions with their eyes closed in meditation were suddenly struck by a powerful sense of daze, their bodies swaying uncontrollably.
It's here!!
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Qiu Qing's pupils contracted as he tried his best to sense what was happening.
The next moment.
THUMP! THUMP!!
One by one, the bodies of the Blood Strengthening realm disciples sitting on the cushions slumped over as if they had fallen asleep, silently drawn into the Ghost City incident.
Meanwhile, the few Red Heart Sect disciples from the Refining the Internal Organs realm showed no reaction at all.
"As expected, it only affects the Blood Strengthening realm for now? Our previous speculations and deductions were correct."
A Steward spoke.
"Elder Qiu, did you find anything?"
Everyone looked toward Qiu Qing.
"Nothing. I didn't even sense anything abnormal."
Qiu Qing shook his head, his expression grave. He then used his Primordial Qi to check the condition of each disciple.
"They've lost consciousness, and the Primordial Qi in their bodies is in a very peculiar state, as if hovering between existence and nothingness. Strange. This is just too strange."
Qiu Qing couldn't help but shake his head. Even though the Evil Spirits' power had taken effect right in front of him, he still couldn't sense anything.
The strangeness of this thing was beyond imagination. It seemed he could only place his hopes on those little ones to resolve this incident in one fell swoop.
...
...
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi, who was in his room, also felt his consciousness blur. His eyes closed, and he uncontrollably fell into a deep sleep.
An unknown amount of time passed.
His dazed consciousness suddenly cleared, and he opened his eyes.
Beside him, a faint light flickered as figures gradually solidified from illusion into reality.
At the same time, the memories that had been sealed after leaving the Ghost City were naturally unlocked.
Zhao Xuanqi's expression shifted slightly. The first thing he did was ripple the skin on his face, controlling his muscles to alter his original features.
It seemed that because his Intent was stronger than the others, he was the very first to regain consciousness. No one had completed their arrival before him or had a chance to see his face.
A moment after he awoke, the bodies of the others solidified one after another, and they too regained consciousness. The first thing they saw were the people around them as memories surged forth, and the experience from last time resurfaced.
The very instant she appeared, He Xijun's gaze fixed on Zhao Xuanqi, burning like fire.
"That information, were you the one who passed it on?"
He Xijun immediately asked Zhao Xuanqi.
Hearing this, Zhuang Li and the others also turned their gazes toward Zhao Xuanqi.
They had also heard the rumors about a mysterious person passing on information. At the time, they hadn't thought much of it due to their missing memories, but now that their memories were restored, they all felt that Zhao Xuanqi was the most likely candidate.
But how on earth did he avoid that memory seal?
"It wasn't me. Don't talk nonsense."
Zhao Xuanqi denied it flatly, his face devoid of expression.
Then, he saw looks of knowing realization dawn on everyone's faces, and his own face couldn't help but twitch slightly.
Forget it, it was only natural they'd guess.
'This person… he gives me a strange feeling.'
At that moment, a cool, detached voice suddenly echoed in Zhuang Li's consciousness.
Her expression sharpened slightly. Her previous arrangements had succeeded. This thing had followed her consciousness into the Ghost City, breaking through that seal.
'Do you know him?'
Zhuang Li asked in her mind.
'I don't know him, but I seem to recognize a certain feeling about him. Forget it, let's observe him a while longer.'
The voice spoke faintly and then fell silent, which only made Zhuang Li even more curious.
"Wait!! Something seems wrong!"
Suddenly, Qi Ziliang, who was standing to the side, spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
Everyone looked at him and saw that he was staring up at the sky.
So, everyone else immediately looked up at the sky as well, and all their expressions changed.
That round Blood Moon had actually appeared at the zenith of the sky the very moment they entered.
The next moment.
HUMMM!!
The Blood Moon showered down a thick, crimson light, which fell upon every single one of them.