Chapter 1206: The Unexpected Person

Chapter 1206: The Unexpected Stranger

Qian Jun Bi Yi’s face twisted in alarm, his expression shifting drastically!

Xing Huan Zi furrowed his brows, his gaze icy and sharp as he fixed it upon the newcomer, his voice cold as frost.

“Begone!”

A single word—yet a chill wind rose instantly.

Murderous intent surged inward, converging from all directions.

Such was Xing Huan Zi’s nature—unchanged even after being slain once by Xu Qing. Reborn, he remained precisely as before:

Arrogant. Frigid. His bearing etched into his very soul.

Even facing another quasi-immortal, even outnumbered, even with that near-peak quasi-immortal elder present—

His cultivated Order would rather shatter than bend!

Hearing Xing Huan Zi’s retort, the middle-aged cultivator merely chuckled.

“Quite the temper.”

A flicker of eerie light flashed in his eyes. He turned and bowed respectfully toward his leader.

The elder he bowed to frowned slightly—but nodded nonetheless.

In the next instant, the middle-aged cultivator’s aura erupted violently, as though borrowing power from elsewhere!

He raised his hand and pressed downward. Immediately, the Black Sea churned—and from its surface emerged countless black flying insects.

Grotesque in form, hideous to behold, and not truly corporeal.

Their numbers swelled in mere moments, dense beyond measure, stretching endlessly across the void.

Rising from the Black Sea, they charged suddenly toward Xing Huan Zi.

Xing Huan Zi’s eyes glinted with cold fury. In the next heartbeat, countless iron chains materialized around him, their clinking echoes filling the air as they spun into spiraling vortices, then burst outward.

The might of Order suppressed all.

The Dao of Balance extinguished everything.

At that same moment, Qian Jun Bi Yi joined the fray, unleashing sword qi in perfect coordination with Xing Huan Zi, giving their utmost.

Wherever their divine abilities swept, the black insects shattered one after another.

Especially where Xing Huan Zi’s chains coiled into storm-like whirlwinds—raging tempests surging skyward.

From afar, those grotesque black insects seemed utterly powerless.

Shattering continuously.

Yet—the collapsing insects did not vanish entirely. Instead, they left behind clouds of black ash, fine as powder, drifting like mist in every direction.

Then, at the middle-aged cultivator’s incantation and pointed finger—

All that floating black ash roiled in unison, rushing back toward him as if drawn by an invisible force, layering over his body until he was completely shrouded.

Even his face was covered—

As though reforging his very form.

In the blink of an eye, his original features disappeared—as if draped in a maskless shroud.

Then, the area where his face should be warped—and in the next instant, new facial features emerged.

But they were no longer his own.

They had become… Xing Huan Zi’s!

Not only his visage and expression, but even his aura and soul—identical in every way.

And as this transformation completed, more black ash gathered on either side of his head, swiftly forming two additional faces—

Both bearing the likeness of Qian Jun Bi Yi.

This sight sent a heavy weight crashing into the hearts of the ascended cultivators.

Then, with this horrifying three-headed, single-bodied form, the middle-aged cultivator smiled gently—at Xing Huan Zi and his companions.

Without another glance at them, he turned and walked toward his own group.

His comrades watched without surprise—clearly accustomed to such phenomena. Even their leader, the elder, didn’t spare them a look, already striding away into the distance.

The entire group seemed intent on leaving just like that.

But then—an uncanny scene unfolded.

As the middle-aged cultivator walked away, he subtly pulled Xing Huan Zi and Qian Jun Bi Yi along with him.

The three of them… as if puppeteered, lost control of their own bodies, moving in perfect sync.

Even Qian Jun Bi Yi’s expression grew vacant—as though his very soul had been stolen.

Xing Huan Zi, though his body advanced step by step, his eyes blazed with fierce resolve. With each stride, a grinding sound echoed within him—as if the control over him was steadily fracturing.

This drew a soft “hmm?” from the middle-aged cultivator. Even the elder leader glanced back at Xing Huan Zi, thoughtful.

“Quite impressive. Take him with us.”

The elder spoke calmly.

At his words, three of his companions immediately stepped forward, flying straight toward Xing Huan Zi.

Watching this unfold, Zhou Zheng Li narrowed his eyes thoughtfully; Xie Ling Zi licked his lips; Yuan Shan Su frowned deeply; while the other ascended cultivators stood in silent tension, their eyes sharp with restrained fury.

Every cultivator who had ascended through slaughter possessed their own pride.

To witness a fellow ascender treated thus—though perhaps not close enough to warrant intervention—still stirred deep discomfort within them.

Yet that group was clearly stronger: multiple quasi-immortals, and above all, that terrifying elder whose presence alone dwarfed them.

The gap between them was vast.

Thus, despite the turmoil in their hearts, none dared step forward.

Xu Qing, too, felt uneasy.

Those two swords—they were his.

As for Xing Huan Zi…

Xu Qing pondered. Something about this situation felt wrong.

If this had occurred outside, perhaps it would make sense—but this was the Guiding Star.

They, the newly ascended, were merely awaiting assignment of their duties.

If someone could be so casually conscripted like this, then this so-called Guidance was far too frivolous.

“Something unnatural is afoot!”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he stepped forward.

The moment his foot touched down, his aura exploded forth. The Constitution of Space-Time instantly blanketed heaven and earth—and from his forehead shot out a small bell.

In the next instant—the bell rang.

A chime rang out—ethereal, hollow—and echoed through the world, reverberating deep within the minds of everyone present.

All faces paled in an instant.

Whether they were Xu Qing’s fellow ascenders or the members of that small squad of cultivators, every single one of them underwent a sudden shift in expression.

To their ears, the sound of the bell struck like thunder, shaking their very souls, rippling through their flesh, halting their cultivation mid-flow, and rendering all their spells… utterly useless!

In the next heartbeat, many plummeted straight from the sky.

The three cultivators who had charged toward Xing Huanzi trembled violently, eyes wide with terror, unable to advance another step.

As for Qian Jun and his brother Pi Yi, their bodies shuddered under the chime’s influence, showing clear signs of breaking free from whatever trance held them.

Xing Huanzi himself had already teetered on the edge of awakening—and now, beneath the toll of the bell, snapped fully awake in a flash!

Murderous intent blazed fiercely in his eyes.

Yet compared to them, the one most grievously affected was the middle-aged cultivator.

All three of his heads collapsed instantly. His body, wrought from black ash, shattered into pieces in a breath, scattering countless motes of darkness—and revealing his true form beneath.

His pupils contracted sharply as he whipped his gaze toward Xu Qing, his expression grave beyond measure, as though facing a mortal foe, his heart roiling with the tempest of one who had narrowly escaped doom.

For right before him—when and how, he could not say—a single iron skewer now hovered!

That skewer was lethally sharp, radiating such chilling aura it suppressed the very soul of the middle-aged man.

He did not know when it had appeared—but he knew with chilling certainty that but for a hair’s breadth, it would have pierced straight through his brow.

Now, two fingers pinched the skewer firmly, halting its deadly thrust.

Those fingers belonged to none other than his leader—the ancient elder who stood infinitely close to the peak of quasi-immortality!

Slowly, the elder turned his head, fixing his gaze upon Xu Qing.

Xu Qing met it without flinching, calm and composed, and spoke softly:

“That sword is mine. And so is that person.”

The elder’s eyes held profound meaning. Then, withdrawing his gaze, he looked up toward the heavens and bowed deeply.

“Venerable Immortal,” he intoned, “our squad has fulfilled your additional task. May we now depart?”

At those words, every heart around him stirred. All lifted their eyes upward.

Xu Qing, too, gazed at the sky.

The tranquil firmament suddenly churned. The dim vault of heaven bloomed anew with vivid hues—brilliant, variegated colors that swiftly wove together into dazzling, shifting patterns.

From within that kaleidoscope, a figure gradually emerged, striding forth.

It was an unremarkable old man.

Clad in coarse hemp robes, he resembled nothing so much as a humble farmer, gripping in his hand a rough wooden staff.

Cracks webbed across the staff, mirroring the deep wrinkles etched into his face.

The moment he appeared, the elder—who stood on the cusp of quasi-immortal perfection—immediately lowered his head. Every member of his squad followed suit without exception.

And the instant Li Mengtu laid eyes upon this newcomer, his face contorted in shock, his eyes flew wide with disbelief—and whether by accident or design, he cried out aloud:

“Master!”

Xu Qing’s spirit trembled in that same instant.

From this old man, he sensed something hauntingly familiar.

It came from the covenant he had once renounced!

This was none other than Li Mengtu’s master—the Daoxian Sect’s immortal from the Western Star Domain!

The Poison Sovereign!

In that moment, Xu Qing’s wariness surged to its utmost peak.

He knew full well this man was no benevolent figure. The covenant he had once bestowed was never born of kindness—it carried within it the karmic chain of borrowing and repayment.

Had Xu Qing not comprehended the Covenant of Space-Time back then, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

His very Dao would have been borrowed away.

That was precisely why he had severed it without hesitation.

Yet no matter how he reckoned it, Xu Qing never imagined he would encounter this man here…

And judging by his station—it was clear the Poison Sovereign was far more than merely a Daoxian Sect inspector. He bore other, weightier duties!

“I am the Lord of the Bureau of Procurement,” the Poison Sovereign said, his voice rasping yet calm as his gaze swept over the assembly.