Yellow desert winds howled while warm breezes of Qingzhou flowed.
Sandstone mountains rose in layers, heat shimmering in waves. Below the sandstone lay a vast, tranquil lake, its shores shaded by lush green trees whose leaves rustled in the evening breeze, forming a picture of a hidden paradise in the Western Desert.
This was the blessed land headquarters of the Qing Family of the Western Desert, nestled within the oasis known as "Qingzhou."
Nearly all of the Qing Family's Gu Immortals had gathered in one place. On the cold stone floor of the great hall lay several Gu insect fragments, their presence fixing every Qing Family Gu Immortal's gaze.
"Qing Heng's Life Gu has shattered?!"
"How could this happen?"
"Qing Heng has fallen. He left the family on a mission to subdue the Southern Border Gu Immortal Ming You. Could he really have died at Ming You's hands?"
Qing Heng was a Seventh Transformation powerhouse of the Qing Family. Having been dispatched to subdue Ming You, he was naturally held in high regard by the clan. Recently, for reasons unknown, word of the Qing Family's acquisition of the secrets of the Bean God Palace had leaked, prompting frequent probing from other great powers. Qing Heng's death left the entire Qing Family suspicious of the truth—was this an assassination attempt by Western Desert factions?
"Report—! Confirmed battle reports indicate that it was indeed Ming You who slew Qing Heng. This individual possesses formidable strength, ruthless and cold-blooded."
The Qing Family Gu Immortals were enraged.
"Outsider Gu Immortals go too far!"
"Kill this Ming You! Grind his bones to dust and scatter his ashes, so that every other Western Desert faction can see the consequences of provoking our Qing Family!"
"Before killing him, it would be best to capture Ming You alive, then invite other Gu Immortals from across the Western Desert to witness the spectacle. Only by publicly flaying his skin, torturing and humiliating him until death can we assuage the hatred in our hearts!"
"Kill!"
"Kill him!"
"Just an outsider Gu Immortal, coming alone to our Western Desert, and daring to slay a Gu Immortal of our clan—he truly does not know the immensity of heaven and earth."
"Though Ming You was able to defeat Qing Heng, his cultivation is only at the Seventh Transformation. If the Grand Elder were to act personally, that would be giving him far too much respect and would invite talk of our Qing Family bullying the weak. In my opinion, we should send Qing Jing and Qing Hualan together."
"No. To ensure absolute certainty, send Qing Chen as well. With three Immortals working together, we can certainly capture that Ming You!"
"Let him taste the bitter sting of pain and regret."
"Make it quick! Don't let that little bastard escape."
"Kill Ming You and spread the glory of our Qing Family!"
"Ming You is as good as dead! Once our clan fully refines the Bean God Palace, the Qing Family will surely rise to the pinnacle of the Western Desert Gu Immortal world!"
……
Word after word echoed in Qing Chou's ears, scene after scene surfaced in its mind.
Unlike the fragmented memories of before, this time the memories displayed their complete picture. At the same time, the hatred in its heart surged like a raging tide, continuously sweeping through its entire being.
Hatred!
Hatred!
With ever-intensifying hatred, Qing Chou opened its eyes.
Time had slipped by unknowingly—ten thousand years had passed.
Qing Chou's eyes were red as blood.
It immediately found itself lying on the ground, and quickly recalled that this was from its previous battle with the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, when it had been struck down and plummeted from the sky to the ground below.
"Roar!"
Qing Chou let out a tremendous cry and surged upright from the deep crater.
The aura of the Ninth Transformation Hatred Gu grew increasingly dense, the power of hatred once again flooding out and rapidly coursing through every part of Qing Chou's body.
"Ming You, Ming You!"
"Spectral Soul, Spectral Soul!"
Qing Chou roared toward the sky, its blood-red eyes fierce and wild, hair disheveled. Though the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable had already given chase toward the Dragon Palace, the power of the Hatred Gu allowed Qing Chou to sense the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable's location with perfect clarity.
Boom!
Qing Chou's body—a turtle shell like a mountain, tiger claws and a dragon tail, a serpentine neck and a human head—launched into the air, sweeping up the atmosphere and generating fierce wind pressure as it charged directly in the direction of the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable. As for Fairy Ziwei and the others setting up formations high in the sky, it paid them no mind whatsoever.
Among this group of Gu Immortals hovering aloft was an elderly Gu Immortal in a grey robe with wide sleeves, his white hair flowing in the wind—none other than Fang Yuan's Qi Sea Clone, Patriarch Qi Sea.
When Patriarch Qi Sea saw Qing Chou fly away, he quietly let out a breath of turbid air, his worry easing.
Back in the Western Desert, even though Fang Yuan had used the Familiar Meeting killer move to disguise himself, Qing Chou had still chased him directly.
Qing Chou possessed the Hatred Gu and had also been affected by the Karma Divine Tree killer move, granting it an intense sensitivity toward the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable as well as any friends, family, or subordinates connected to Spectral Soul.
Fang Yuan's true body could not escape Qing Chou's detection. Since Patriarch Qi Sea was Fang Yuan's clone, this connection meant he too would be sensed by Qing Chou.