However, the air above the Taoist temple was chaotic, with fallen leaves still spinning in mid-air.
Sun Qinglu raised his hand and caught a leaf. His body suddenly trembled, and the leaf shattered in his palm.
The old Taoist priest's eyes were glazed over. "I've lived my whole life, and just now, I finally saw the sky beyond the sky, witnessed the scene after breaking through the void. I truly didn't live in vain."
Qin Yexuan looked at the corpses of Taoist disciples scattered on the ground, contemplating a solution.
Should he let Jun Mengyao's Night Demon organization handle it? This matter was of great importance. Any trace left behind would attract the attention of the Taoist sects.
As he was thinking, the mysterious power within him sent out a consciousness: "I'll teach you a method, specifically for handling such situations. It's called Corpse Demon Insects. Those insects are born in the dark world, purely composed of dark energy. The best part is they like to eat corpses and other such things, perfectly eliminating any traces."
Qin Yexuan immediately became wary. "Hold on, let me examine your technique carefully first."
Qin Yexuan's righteous immortal techniques were all inherited from ancient times.
The evil arts he mastered, however, were taught by the mysterious power within him.
But that mysterious power was quite detestable, sometimes setting traps and deliberately making him learn methods that disturbed his mind and generated inner demons.
Therefore, Qin Yexuan was very cautious about any teachings from the mysterious power, approaching them with suspicion.
The mysterious power scoffed: "Boy, you need me right now. Our thousand-year pact is very clear: I cannot step into the human world, and can only use your body to do certain things. Now that the mission at Lingmeng Mountain has reached such a critical juncture, can I still harm you?"
Qin Yexuan sneered inwardly: "Stop with the nonsense. Open the technique so I can see it."
Corpse Demon Insects were creatures from a dark world, invisible and undetectable by any beings in this world. Only their summoner could control them.
Qin Yexuan repeatedly examined the technique and, after confirming it was sound, slowly performed it.
Sun Qinglu and the old Taoist priest only saw him clasp and then open his hands, as if performing a spell, but they felt nothing from the scene.
But then, Sun Qinglu instinctively covered his mouth. Even with his strong will, he almost let out a scream.
Because the Taoist disciples around them were "disappearing."
Strangely, without any warning, they were vanishing bit by bit, as if being devoured by some creature in the void.
...
After a long time, everything returned to peace.
All traces were wiped clean.
"Sun Qinglu, what are your plans from now on?" Qin Yexuan walked over slowly.
At this moment, Sun Qinglu was utterly devoted to him. He hesitated, then said with a hint of melancholy, "I don't know. Perhaps, I should take my master to the countryside and live a good life. I need to support him. After he passes away, I'll find a real Taoist temple and continue being a Taoist priest."
Qin Yexuan looked at him. "And you have no interest in your own origins?"
Origins?
Sun Qinglu nervously scratched his head. "The people at the temple lied to me, but I was indeed found and raised by my master by the roadside. My origins shouldn't be a concern."
Qin Yexuan smiled. "Do you know that you are special?"
Huh?
Sun Qinglu was confused.
Qin Yexuan raised his hand and placed it on his head. "The disciples the Taoist sects are after are not of ordinary talent. Do you know about the concept of a Three Yin Child?"
The so-called Three Yin Child refers to an infant whose three major meridians are filled with yin energy, making them a delicacy for demons. Su Dan Fiction Network.
For example, the soft-shelled turtle demon from the Zhuo River branch was preparing to find a Three Yin Child as a gift for the Lion Camel Ridge Club.
"An infant with yin energy entering the body is already frail and prone to illness. Three Yin Boys and Girls are already rare, but you, you are a Nine Yin Body, rarely seen in a thousand years, and most surprisingly, you are still perfectly healthy."
Qin Yexuan's words made Sun Qinglu tremble all over.
He vaguely felt something. Perhaps his origins were not that of an orphan after all.
"Your master also said just now that everything was an act, all to make you let go of all attachments and serve the Taoist sects. This time, they made you a mole, essentially treating you as tribute, offered to the demons."
Sun Qinglu turned around blankly and looked at the old Taoist priest. "Master, this, this isn't true, is it? I'm an orphan, you found me by the roadside."
The old Taoist priest's lips trembled, and then he let out a mournful sigh. "No, what this Senior Qin said is the truth."
He said with bitterness and regret, "At the time, there was a debate about whether to offer a batch of Three Yin Children to the demons as a gift for the alliance. Many within the Taoist sects opposed it. After all, they were ascetics with compassionate hearts. Such a thing sounded inherently wicked."
"However, after much argument, a grandmaster-level figure issued a strict order: the plan must be carried out. Thus, various Taoist temples began searching for Three Yin Children."
"Qinglu! You were, you were stolen from a hospital by me!"
Sun Qinglu felt as if struck by lightning and collapsed to the ground, his body devoid of strength.
"My parents, are my parents still alive?"
The old Taoist priest was in tears. "They are alive, and they are in Chaoge, and are important figures. You were born into a prominent family. I, I felt guilty back then, so I kept your birth certificate with me, thinking that someday, when this matter was over, I would let you search for them."
"Search for them?" Sun Qinglu let out a desolate laugh. "You make it sound like you were benevolent? Kind? You bastard, you're no different from those Taoist people, even more despicable! And I, I treated you as my master, as my father!"
The old Taoist priest closed his eyes in pain and spat out a mouthful of blood.
He suddenly raised his hand and repeatedly struck his own chest.
Qin Yexuan appeared like lightning and, with a remote flick, snapped the old Taoist priest's arms.
Qin Yexuan looked at him coldly. "Trying to commit suicide? It's not too late to die after you've finished speaking."
The old Taoist priest shook his head incessantly, his heart ashen, only wishing for a quick death.
"Which grandmaster of the Taoist sects ordered such a wicked deed back then?"
The old Taoist priest bit his lip. "I am a sinner, but that grandmaster is a venerable figure of the Taoist sects, and I cannot betray him."
Qin Yexuan's hand gripped his neck. "Very well, you are still so loyal to the Taoist sects? Unfortunately, you met me!"
The Mind Controlling Technique was immediately activated.
The old Taoist priest saw countless illusions. Suddenly, he felt a sense of relaxation, as if he had arrived in paradise.
He forgot all his worries, only his secret burdens, which he was eager to reveal.
It felt like holding one's breath and having to exhale.
"The leader of the Zhengtian Dao, that Grandmaster, found me and gave me an address, a Sino-foreign joint venture private hospital in Chaoge. He said there was an infant there who was critically ill at birth and wouldn't live for three months, and asked me to bring it to the Taoist sects to raise."
"Master Xu also said that since the child wouldn't survive anyway, why not hand it over to us to accomplish something!"
"I was so foolish back then, I actually believed him and stole the child."
Qin Yexuan's expression turned terrifyingly grim upon hearing this.
"How many children in total did you bring to the Taoist sects as tribute?"
"A total of, a total of over three hundred children. That's all I know."
Sun Qinglu listened, feeling a chill run through him, his hair standing on end.
He couldn't believe that the Taoist sects would do such a thing.
"Who was that Grandmaster?!" Sun Qinglu rushed forward, grabbing the old Taoist priest and roaring.
Qin Yexuan patted his shoulder, his expression cold. "I know who it is. The leader of the Zhengtian Dao, the only Grandmaster in China, Xu Chunyang!"