Zhu Xian: The way of heaven collapses, and I only have one sword!

Chapter 82 Ghost Flute Chen Qing, ten years later!
As Mr. Ghost finished speaking, the swirling dark clouds grew thicker, like a massive black mountain about to collapse, bearing down heavily on the Undead Abyss. In the blink of an eye, a purple bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, struck down with devastating force, aiming directly at the newly formed black jade flute.

Ji Zai's expression was solemn, and his magic power was circulating frantically, forming an indestructible magic shield in front of him. At the same time, he guided the flute to withstand the tempering of the heavenly thunder.

The moment the thunder struck the flute, a blinding burst of light erupted. The powerful impact caused fine cracks to appear in the surrounding space. The spirits in the Necromancer Abyss were awakened by this force and roared in anger, but were too intimidated by the thunder's might to dare approach.

As soon as the first thunderbolt passed, the second and third thunderbolts followed, converging in mid-air into a combined force, smashing down fiercely. Ji Zai groaned, his magic shield shaking violently, nearly shattering, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, Bi Yao was extremely anxious and wanted to rush forward to help, but was held tightly by the Ghost King.

"Yao'er, don't be impulsive. This is the calamity of the magic weapon, and Ji Zai must deal with it alone." The Ghost King's voice was also a little nervous, and his eyes were fixed on Ji Zai and the thunder in the sky.

Thunderbolts fell one after another, forty, fifty... Ji Zai's magic power gradually depleted, and his body was on the verge of collapse. But he relied on his control over the power of the Supreme Magic Flower to hold on. With each thunderbolt, the flute absorbed more pure power.

When the sixty-first thunderbolt struck, the previously silent Azure Dragon suddenly spoke up: "Thunderbolts of this strength far surpass those of ordinary magical weapons. It seems this treasure will surely shock the world."

Everyone nodded silently, their eyes filled with shock and anticipation.

Eighty, ninety... The power of the thunder increased exponentially. Ji Zai's body was already riddled with wounds, his clothes stained red with blood. But he remained fixed on the flute, the Supreme Demon Flower within him unleashing its final strength to counter the force of the thunder.

The one hundred and eighth thunderbolt, carrying an aura of boundless majesty and destruction, struck directly towards the flute. At that moment, the entire Dead Soul Abyss fell into a dead silence, and all the spirits ceased their roars, as if awaiting the final outcome of this calamity.

Ji Zai exhausted his last bit of strength, channeling all his magic power and the power of the Supreme Demon Flower into the flute, charging forward against the thunderbolt. With a loud bang, a light illuminated the entire Dead Abyss, and everyone subconsciously closed their eyes.

When the light dissipated, Ji Zai was seen kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily. The black jade flute in his hand exuded an unprecedentedly powerful aura. It shimmered with a purple-black light, and each rune seemed alive, swimming across its surface. The magical fluctuations it emitted distorted the surrounding space.

"From now on, your name is Ghost Flute—Chen Qing!" Ji Zai slowly stood up, holding Chen Qing tightly in his hand.

The lingering magical fluctuations seemed to resonate with his heartbeat. He could clearly feel the tremendous power contained in Chen Qing, as if this was no longer a simple magic weapon, but a part of his body.

Seeing this, the Ghost King and others hurried forward.

Bi Yao's face was filled with heartache. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Ji Zai's mouth: "Husband, you are finally safe. You really scared me to death just now."

Ji Zai gently touched Bi Yao's head to comfort her, then looked at the Ghost King and said, "Father-in-law, this time, thanks to your refining materials, otherwise, I would not have been able to forge this Chen Qing."

The Ghost King nodded with satisfaction: "It is a blessing for my Ghost King Sect that you can successfully refine such a powerful magic weapon."

A moment later, Ji Zai and his group, carrying the newly refined ghost flute Chen Qing, passed through the space crack and returned to the Ghost King Sect.

As soon as they landed, the Ghost King brought Ji Zai and the others back to the main hall. Inside the hall, the Ghost King sat in the main seat, Ji Zai and Bi Yao stood below, and Mr. Ghost, Qinglong, and You Ji sat on either side.

"Ji Zai, this trip to the Dead Soul Abyss successfully refined the Ghost Flute Chen Qing. This is truly a great blessing for our Ghost King Sect." The Ghost King's voice echoed in the hall. "This Chen Qing is extremely powerful. It will surely help our Ghost King Sect rise in this troubled world."

Ji Zai nodded slightly, "Everything depends on the support of my father-in-law, and Ji Zai will definitely live up to your expectations." As he spoke, he gently stroked the Chen Qing in his hand, and a hint of confidence flashed in his eyes.

Bi Yao stood aside and looked at Ji Zai. She knew that her choice was not wrong. Even though the person in front of her was not the complete Chen Qiye in her memory, the familiar aura and powerful strength on him were enough to make her feel at ease.

"Ji Zai, although this ghost flute, Chen Qing, has been successfully refined, you still need to practice more to unleash its full power." Mr. Ghost spoke slowly, his gaze falling on Ji Zai through the black mask. "This treasure is closely related to the Yin spirit power of the Dead Abyss. You need to study it in depth before you can control it with ease."

Ji Zai nodded and said, "Mr. Gui is absolutely right. Ji Zai will definitely work hard to cultivate."

Elsewhere, Lu Xueqi locked herself in her room at Xiaozhu Peak for three days, refusing food or water. The Autumn Water Sword lay beside her, its blade reflecting her haggard features. Wen Min and the others waited outside, anxious but helpless.

On the morning of the fourth day, a soft ray of sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick clouds, shining through the window lattice onto Lu Xueqi's face. She slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. After a long moment, as if suddenly coming to her senses, she gently sat up. "Husband, since you said you would return, I believe you. But I can't be so depressed. I must become stronger so that when you return, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you." Lu Xueqi murmured softly, picked up the Autumn Water Sword, and slowly walked out of the room.

When Wen Min and others saw her come out, their eyes were full of surprise and heartache.

"Xueqi, you..." Wen Min started to speak, but was interrupted by Lu Xueqi raising her hand.

"Senior Sister, I'm fine. I want to practice in seclusion. During this period, please don't let anyone disturb me." There was determination in Lu Xueqi's eyes, and after she finished speaking, she walked towards the Moon Viewing Platform on Xiaozhu Peak.

.........

Eight hundred years ago, in the ancient caves of Ten Thousand Bats, Mount Kongsang, the Black-Hearted Elder ushered in the heyday of the Blood Refining Hall, commanding the Demonic Sect and achieving its peak of power. However, with the decline of younger disciples, the sect is no longer as prosperous as it once was.

Currently, the Undead Soul Abyss, hidden deep within the Ancient Ten Thousand Bat Caverns of Kongsang Mountain, is being invaded by a large number of foreign enemies. Beside a boulder inscribed with the three characters "Undead Soul Abyss," the last few members of the Blood Refining Hall gathered, their backs against the boulder. A few steps back, they found themselves at the unfathomable depths of the Undead Soul Abyss.

The few who followed—the elder, Liu Hao, the beautiful woman, the wild dog Taoist, and others—were all wounded and terrified. Dozens of corpses lay scattered before them, and further away, a large number of enemies surrounded them. A closer look revealed a skull embroidered on each of their chests.

The elder looked utterly embarrassed, breathing heavily. He stared at the enemy in front of him, despair flashing in his eyes. He said, "We, the Blood Refining Hall, are just a small faction within the Holy Church. We never dare to offend our fellow disciples, and we have great respect for the Ghost King Sect. Why would Senior Ghost King treat us like this?"

"Why are you still pretending to be stupid now? The leader of the Ghost King Sect has sent you letters several times asking you to surrender, but you are dealing with us on the one hand, and expressing your loyalty to the Changsheng Hall on the other. Are you taking advantage of the fact that there is no one in my Ghost King Sect?" As soon as he finished speaking, a man with a golden skull embroidered on his chest walked out.

The elder's expression was particularly complex. Currently, within the Holy Church, the internal strife, led by the four major sects, was becoming increasingly brutal, and numerous smaller factions were suffering in the midst of it. If they did not align themselves with the major sects, they would face catastrophic disaster.

"I'll say it one last time. The Ghost King Sect Master is a man of great talent and strategy, and the unification of the Holy Church is just around the corner. He wants to recruit the Blood Refining Hall into his fold because he thinks highly of you. You'd better not be ungrateful." The man's voice was full of threats as he spoke.

Cold sweat was already pouring down the elder's forehead. The situation before him was immediately clear: the Blood Refining Hall was no match for the Ghost King Sect. But was this eight hundred year old foundation about to be destroyed in his hands? This decision was truly difficult to make.

Seeing that the old man was still hesitating, the man's face turned cold and he said, "Let me give you one last piece of advice. It's your luck that I'm standing here now. Do you know who is leading the attack on Kongsang Mountain this time?"

The old man raised his eyes and looked at the man. As if he had thought of something, his body trembled uncontrollably and the fear on his face could no longer be concealed.

The man sneered and said, "It seems you have guessed it. Yes, the person who came is our deputy sect leader Ji Zai..."

But just when he said half of his words, he heard someone cough lightly next to him. The man's face suddenly changed, and he stopped talking, fear showing in his eyes.

At this moment, a terrifying demonic aura instantly spread out from behind the Ghost King Clan, enveloping everyone present. Everyone in the Ghost King Clan immediately tensed, including the man who had spoken earlier.

A dark figure flashed out from behind the Ghost King Clan like a ghost, instantly arriving in front of the formation. It was none other than Ji Zai. Purple-black demonic flames swirled around him, and in his hand, he clutched the ghost flute Chen Qing. The flute shimmered with light, as if expressing endless resentment.

When they saw the newcomer, everyone in the Blood Refining Hall turned pale, and some of them even began to tremble uncontrollably.

Ten years ago, the Ghost King Sect didn't even have a figure like Ji Zai. However, rumors circulated within the Holy Church that after the battle at Qingyun Mountain, the Ghost King Sect leader's daughter, Bi Yao, had married someone. The Ghost King had passed on all his life's knowledge, even passing on the second volume of the Holy Church's canon, the "Heavenly Book." That person was none other than Ji Zai.

In recent years, internal strife within the Demon Cult has intensified, and Ji Zai has emerged as a prominent figure among the younger generation of the Ghost King Sect. Legend has it that he was known for his ruthlessness and decisiveness, leading the extermination of countless Ghost King Sect disciples and claiming countless lives at the hands of his magical weapon, "Chen Qing."

Similarly, the members of the Demonic Cult used a phrase to describe Ji Zai: "When the ghost flute expresses its feelings, a bloody rain and a foul wind will arrive." These words cast a shadow over the hearts of everyone who heard them. At this moment, Ji Zai appeared, and everyone in the Blood Refining Hall knew that today was a very dangerous day.

Seeing the black-robed figure, Nian Lao Da and the others were stunned. The reason was simple: they knew him. What surprised them was how someone long dead could be resurrected. Yes, this person was none other than Chen Qiye, the man who had faced the Heavenly Dao alone that day on Qingyun Mountain.

(End of this chapter)