"I don’t know what method he used, but he seemed to have broken through the limitations of his current realm. He actually performed the Red Heart Sect’s Talisman Seal Technique. His Primordial Qi condensed into the form of the technique, causing a fundamental shift in the power of his attacks. He was covered in blood, which intertwined with his Golden Fire. With a single strike, he seemed to successfully inflict immense damage on the source statue. Afterward, the Blood Moon in the sky cracked and shattered. Then we all felt a wave of dizziness and found ourselves outside the Ghost City."
Zhuang Li said slowly.
"So it was him?!"
"Indeed. Only someone with his unfathomable power could have carved out a path to survival in such a desperate situation!"
"If it was Senior Brother Zhao, then it’s both unexpected and perfectly logical."
"..."
Hearing Zhuang Li’s words, the surviving Miaoyin Hall disciples began to murmur excitedly among themselves. Even Li Zhilin and Deng Mingsheng wore expressions that said, ’I knew it.’
After the Ghost City incident, all the disciples from the various sects were filled with sincere admiration for Zhao Xuanqi.
Seeing the disciples’ reactions, the upper echelons of Miaoyin Hall exchanged glances, and a flicker of surprise crossed the Miaoyin Hall Master’s eyes.
They had a decent understanding of their own disciples. Those who could enter the Ghost City were all exceptionally talented, the cream of the crop, and usually quite proud. They had never seen them hold a peer in such high esteem, let alone a disciple from another School.
’Zhao Qi? Is that the mysterious figure from the rumors? The one who mastered Golden Fire while still in the Blood Strengthening realm and was suspected of leaking intelligence about the Ghost City?’
’It seems he truly is a rare talent. But why have I never heard of him before? Is he a trump card the Red Heart Sect has been cultivating in secret?’
’The Red Heart Sect may be in decline now, with even their Dao Source Marvelous Treasure shattered for unknown reasons, but they were once world-renowned. They’re a School that produced a Seal Master, after all. It’s only normal they’d have some foundations and secret methods.’
The Miaoyin Hall Master mused, his eyes glinting.
Meanwhile, similar scenes were playing out in the other sects.
The disciples of the various sects woke up unexpectedly early, and their sect elders questioned them about the specifics of what happened inside the Ghost City. No matter who told the story, Zhao Xuanqi’s name was impossible to avoid.
Zhao Qi of the Red Heart Sect!
And so, this name entered the awareness of the upper echelons of Heqing’s Five Sects.
「South Mansion, Celestial Net Department’s Garrison Command in Heqing Dao.」
"Zhao Qi of the Red Heart Sect..."
Governor Yang Zhongyuan, who had been closely monitoring the situation, immediately received the initial reports. A detailed account of the entire Ghost City incident had been compiled in the dossier he held.
And throughout the report on the incident, the name Zhao Qi stood out above all others.
There had been multiple turning points within the Ghost City. Without him, it was likely that few of the disciples who had entered would have made it back alive.
Strength that surpassed the most powerful Blood Strengthening disciples of every sect; exceptionally decisive judgment; and the powerful confidence, courage, and resolve to gamble everything without fear of death...
Compared to his performance, even the strongest Blood Strengthening disciples from the other sects seemed far too immature.
But what intrigued him most was Xu Jingtian’s account.
He had used the Celestial Net Department’s Xiezhi Observation Skill to view the man’s true form and had apparently discovered something extraordinary, something that hinted at a massive secret.
"What was the Red Heart Sect’s reaction?"
Yang Zhongyuan pondered for a moment, then closed the dossier and looked to his subordinate, asking the question aloud.
"The Red Heart Sect wasn’t the first to contact us. And although Qiu Qing did his best to hide it, we could tell he was fishing for details about what happened. The Red Heart Sect probably has no idea what transpired at the end of the operation. I suspect this Zhao Qi isn’t someone they’ve secretly cultivated. At the very least, Qiu Qing likely doesn’t know the man’s true identity."
The subordinate said in a low voice.
"Interesting. Is there a way to find out his identity?"
Yang Zhongyuan asked.
"According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, injuries sustained within the Ghost City don’t manifest on a person’s physical body. However, injuries self-inflicted through the explosive use of a Secret Technique *do* manifest. Take Ren Fei from the Rebirth Palace, for instance. After he used Infinite several times, the changes to his body were obvious."
"The intel suggests that at the end of the Ghost City incident, this person unleashed power far beyond his current realm, causing severe trauma to his body. It’s highly likely this injury will manifest physically in the real world. If we put our minds to it, we should be able to identify him."
The subordinate said in a deep voice.
"I’ll leave this matter to you. The Celestial Net Department’s purpose is to catalogue every Martial Artist under heaven. For such a talent to be right under our noses without our knowledge is a dereliction of duty."
"Besides, his identity is likely complicated. If he’s one of *them*..."
Yang Zhongyuan said gravely, then trailed off.
"I understand. I will put everything I have into this investigation."
Though he hadn’t finished, his trusted subordinate seemed to understand exactly what he meant.
"Sir, based on the current situation, we can’t confirm that the source of the Ghost City was destroyed. We also can’t be certain the incident is truly over..."
The subordinate spoke up.
"This whole affair feels like a setup, a trap laid specifically to target our operation and wipe out all the sect disciples who entered the Ghost City. It makes me even more certain that an unknown force is pulling the strings, not just behind this Ghost City incident, but behind the Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County as well."
"These people are terrifyingly capable. They can meddle in the affairs of Evil Cultivation and, despite operating so openly, still manage to evade the gaze of the Celestial Secret. That alone proves the threat they pose. Mobilize every available asset in Heqing Dao. Investigate every faction and leave no stone unturned. I can’t rest easy with this hidden threat lurking within Heqing Dao."
Yang Zhongyuan said.
"Yes, I understand."
The man replied in a deep voice.
"Alright, you’re dismissed. There’s still fallout from this to manage."
Yang Zhongyuan waved his hand.
The subordinate nodded, bowed, and then exited the room.
Yang Zhongyuan remained silent for a long moment before slowly rising and walking to the window, where the bustling nightscape of the South Mansion spread out before him.
He slowly raised his head and looked toward the sky.
From his high position, he knew all too well how fragile this scene of prosperity was in the face of such terrifying entities.
...
...
「Guming County, New Disciple quarters, inside Zhao Xuanqi’s room.」
WHOOSH!
He abruptly opened his eyes, snapping out of a daze as his expression changed in an instant.
At that very moment, blood was seeping from his seven major acupoints, and fine trickles of it oozed from the pores all over his body, staining his clothes crimson.
He felt a twisting pain in his organs, and the agony centered around his heart was especially intense.
These were the injuries from his final, limit-breaking burst of power.
’So injuries from inside the Ghost City can actually affect my real body? Is it because this damage wasn’t caused *by* the Ghost City, but by my own explosive power?’
’It’s like a dream. Getting hurt in a dream doesn’t truly injure your body. But the body’s natural reactions during a nightmare—like twisting violently and spraining a muscle, or flailing an arm and hurting it—are real.’
’My own explosive burst was an action I willed my body to perform, so it’s the same principle.’
’This is a problem.’
Zhao Xuanqi’s expression was grim. In this condition, one careless mistake could easily expose his identity.
’Rebirth Jade!’
He had no time for anything else. His consciousness immediately connected with the Rebirth Jade, drawing upon the vast Life Primordial Qi within. He paid no mind to the cost, seeking only to heal his injuries as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he slowly rose from his bed and stripped off his blood-soaked clothes. With a twitch of his muscles, he shook the dried blood from his skin. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he quickly cleaned up any remaining traces in the room.
Fortunately, as a New Disciple, he didn’t live with the formal disciples and received little attention. Otherwise, the chances of his identity being exposed this time would have been high.
Once he had cleaned everything and found a way to discreetly bundle up the bloody clothes, he breathed a small sigh of relief and began to take stock of what he’d gained from his ordeal.