The storm rages on, showing no signs of letting up.

  In the darkness, the twinkling lights swept across, which was the treasure in the hands of the Qingyun disciples. With the help of the treasure's faint light, they searched in the wind and rain. This place was already close to the outer periphery of the back mountain of Qingyun Mountain, with dense forests, ancient trees growing together, and extremely lush vegetation. The weather was extremely bad, with thunderstorms and lightning illuminating the sky, and the sound of thunder rumbling continuously. From time to time, a bolt of lightning would strike down from the sky, hitting the forest and often splitting open a tree trunk, truly startling and frightening.

  In the face of this mighty power, even the slightly weaker disciples of Qingyun couldn't help but feel their hearts racing and trembling with fear. In the midst of darkness, those tiny lights seemed to be like fireflies that flickered and danced ceaselessly, only illuminating a small area around them.

  Rumble...

  The dark clouds in the sky, another loud thunder exploded, and the people on the ground only felt a buzzing sound in their ears, and they couldn't help but change color. The search for Gui Li has been going on for two hours now, but still no trace of him has been found, and many people are starting to whisper that he might have been driven away by this demon.

  It's not unreasonable to think that he might come, after all, Gui Li is the vice sect master of the Demon Sect, and his cultivation is naturally extraordinary. Although it seemed like he was injured by the ancient sword two hours ago, who knows how severe his injuries are? As long as they're not life-threatening, Gui Li should be able to quietly slip away.

  This idea has been secretly circulating in the minds of many young disciples, but the master's urging and scolding from behind made them dare not give up, so they continued to search. Unbeknownst to them, just ahead in the dark depths, Gui Li was severely injured and nearly dying, unable to escape, clinging to his last bit of luck, crawling on the muddy ground.

  In the dim light, someone suddenly shouted loudly: "Halt, everyone halt!"

  His voice echoed far away in the darkness, even the thunder at the horizon seemed unable to overpower his voice, clearly a senior with extremely deep skills. Gui Li lay motionless on the ground, letting the rain hit his body, but upon hearing this voice he felt a few parts of familiarity, yet for a moment couldn't recall who this person was.

  However, the Qingyun disciples around him were extremely convinced and respectful of this person. Almost as soon as his loud voice was heard, the Qingyun disciples who heard it immediately stopped in their tracks, standing still on the spot, no longer speaking. In the wind and rain, what was originally a noisy and chaotic search suddenly quickly quieted down, with only the faint sound of someone's heavy breathing coming from within the dense forest.

  The wind and rain are getting stronger!

  It seems like someone is listening carefully to something.

  Gui Li only felt a chill suddenly seep into his heart and lungs, his whole body icy cold, with an eerie feeling that made his hair stand on end. It seemed that this strange silence was even more terrifying than the loud shouting and searching from earlier.

  After a moment, a voice suddenly whispered: "Father, what's wrong? Did you hear something?"

  Gui Lian's heart skipped a beat at this voice, which he was very familiar with. It was his former good friend Zeng Shu Shu. After a moment, he knew who the elder in charge of this area was - it was Feng Hui Peak's leader Zeng Shu Chang, also known as Zeng Shu Shu's father. And most of the Qing Yun disciples searching in this area were probably also from Feng Hui Peak.

  Zeng Shu had long been famous, and indeed he was no ordinary person. In the midst of this stormy weather, he could still hear a faint unusual sound coming from the ghostly figure. However, at this moment, in front of him, the dark forest was so dense that one couldn't see their own fingers when stretching out their hand, and there was no other news except for the wind and rain. Even Zeng Shu himself couldn't help but doubt whether he had misheard the extremely faint unusual sound earlier, or if it was caused by the many people searching together, startling some animal to run away.

  After a moment of contemplation, Zeng Shu Chang furrowed his brow in the darkness, waved his hand and said: "All disciples separate, form a line, keep a distance of no more than three feet apart, slowly search forward, not allowing any gaps."

  Gui Lie's heart skipped a beat, such a meticulous search, he almost had no chance of escaping. Just as he was shocked, he heard Zeng Shu Shu's voice with a hint of anxiety, saying: "Father, this forest is so big, you have dispatched so many disciples to search so densely here, what about other places, won't they be searched?"

  Zeng Shu said calmly: "I have my own reasons, you don't need to say more, go quickly."

  Zeng Shu hesitated for a moment in the darkness, not daring to say more, and had to turn around and move forward. In the darkness, no one spoke for a while, but saw the lights twinkling, advancing slowly in the wind and rain, gradually turning into a long snake, slowly pushing forward.

  Somehow, the atmosphere in this forest suddenly became a bit eerie. Just now when everyone was excited and no one was afraid, but at this moment it's so quiet that it makes people feel a little creepy.

  Due to the affinity of Tao, Xing, Fa, and Bao, the faint glow of the magical instruments in Qingyun's disciples' hands could not shine very far, and their brightness was also quite limited. They were only connected to each other, slowly advancing, and soon they were only two zhang away from where Gui Lian was hiding.

  "Wait!"

  Suddenly, Zeng Shu's uncle let out a loud shout, and dozens of Qingyun Mountain Fenghui Peak disciples who were scattered around stopped in their tracks. Zeng Shushu was shocked and walked to his father's side, using the faint light of his magic treasure to see that his face was unexpectedly filled with a solemn expression.

  "What's wrong, Father?"

  Zeng Shu's eyes were deep and profound, gazing straight into the dark depths ahead, but what his eyes were thinking of was not a place where ghosts and evil spirits hid, on the contrary, it was looking towards the distant and mysterious depths of the forest in front.

  In the deepest darkness, it seems as if nothing exists, yet it is filled with countless eerie shadows and ghosts, howling and dancing wildly in the wind and rain.

  "There's something wrong..." Under the faint light, the wrinkles on Zeng Shu's face seemed to deepen suddenly, and his eyes showed a hint of doubt. But he was no ordinary person, after years of cultivation, his will was firm. He let out a cold snort, and had already made up his mind.

  "Clang", a soft whistle, everyone was shocked, Zeng Shu Chang had actually drawn out his personal immortal sword, the sword's edge presented silver white, in the dark wind and rain it swallowed and flashed, bright and dazzling, completely different from those Qingyun disciples around him.

  But he fell silent for a moment, then said loudly: "I'll go ahead, you don't change, still follow what was just said, form a line to search, but must stay one zhang behind me, cannot get close."

  Many people at this moment knew that something was wrong, but with Zeng Shu Chang around, everyone's heart had a mainstay. At the moment, only Zeng Shu Chang's face was solemn, holding his sword and walking in front of the team, while the surrounding crowd remained the same, only keeping a distance of one zhang from Zeng Shu Chang, not daring to get close.

  This strange team continued to move forward slowly like this.

  A strange breath, as if in this windy and rainy night's dense forest, softly panting...

  "Wooo... Wooo..."

  Like the howling of wind and rain, like the roaring of beasts, but suddenly startling, it turns out to be as if one's own heartbeat.

  That heart, seems to be beating faster and faster!

  Zeng Shu's old face reflected the brilliant light of the immortal sword, becoming increasingly solemn. From the depths of the forest ahead, a mysterious and faintly discernible sense of hostility was emanating, although it felt somewhat vague, as if even whether it was an enemy or not could not be confirmed. However, this wave after wave of eerie palpitations in his heart still made him unable to take it lightly.

  That feeling, it's been a long time since I've had it. I still remember the last time, but it seems like it was already a hundred years ago. He and Tian Naiyi and several others followed Longmen Wanjian, one of the senior brothers, as they charged into the Barbaric Lands, straight to the lair of the Demon Sect... Time flies, and it's already been so long...

  But I don't know if Wan Shixiong, who died young, can be reincarnated now?

  Such a strange idea suddenly popped up in his mind, and even he himself couldn't help but feel a little surprised and amused. He took a deep breath, shook off the feeling, and somehow today really felt different from usual!

  "Rumble!"

  Another thunderclap, suddenly bursting forth, the power of heaven and earth shook for a moment, as if the ground beneath one's feet also trembled slightly. Almost at the same time, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky above, breaking through the clouds and descending to the mortal realm.

  Like a heavenly blade, slashing towards the mortal world!

  Everyone was shocked, the disciples were frightened and some of them couldn't hold themselves back. Suddenly, someone stumbled and almost fell to the ground, nearly shouting in anger. But when he turned his head to look around, he saw under the lightning's glow that the figure in front of him was a muddy and dirty body lying motionless on the ground.

  "Ah!......" The voice was shrill and sudden, "This, this place......"

  "Ah!" A muffled sound, the disciple's cry was suddenly cut off, but in this brief moment, it had already startled everyone, and they all turned around and rushed over.

  A dark shadow sprang up from the ground, but before he could steady himself, his body had already swayed several times and almost fell. In an instant, dozens of magical treasures were brought over with wind and rain.

  His heart was icy cold, but he didn't want to give up yet, gritted his teeth and rushed forward, but unexpectedly only took a few steps, his chest suddenly hurt violently, and he couldn't hold on, falling headfirst.

  The crowd behind him erupted in cheers as several Qingyun disciples rushed forward and reached out to grab Gui Li.

  At this moment, suddenly, the darkness in the depths of the dense forest seemed to swell abruptly, like a strange beast letting out a silent roar, and a flash of light burst forth from the depths of the darkness.

  Zeng Shu's eyes suddenly widened and he rushed forward, shouting loudly: "All disciples retreat, quickly!"

  The crowd of young disciples hadn't reacted yet, and suddenly Zeng Shu Chang had already charged forward alone into the dark depths ahead. Originally, the light from Zeng Shu Chang's sword was dazzling, but after he rushed into that darkness, his sword's light could no longer be seen, only angry roars and whistling sounds kept coming over.

  At the moment when the Qingyun disciples were at a loss for what to do, a strange figure shot out from the darkness in front of them, flying towards the place where Gui Li fell, which was also where the Qingyun disciples were. With the help of that faint light, it could be seen that this figure was wrapped in black shadows all over his body, with only a pair of eyes exposed, shining brightly.

  The Qingyun disciples shouted loudly and rushed up with their swords, but unexpectedly, this person's cultivation was extremely high. Without seeing him extend his hand or cast a spell, he suddenly approached and directly grabbed at the nearest Qingyun disciple with empty hands.

  The Qingyun disciple was shocked but not chaotic, the sword in his hand cut down, and the black-clothed man didn't make a sound, as if he didn't see it, his grasp unchanged, suddenly appeared in front of everyone, and forcibly grabbed the sword in his hand. Everyone was shocked, and before they could react, they saw that person use force to shake off, and the Qingyun disciple who was fighting with him had already flown out, and the sword was actually snatched away by this person.

  This person's moral integrity is extremely high, yet he is also extremely powerful. In the darkness ahead, Zeng Shu was constantly shouting in anger, but it seemed as if he was being held back by someone and couldn't come to their rescue. On this strange night, there were unexpectedly many mysterious experts lurking about.

  Although the enemy's path was extremely high, these Qingyun disciples were all from famous families and not ordinary sect disciples. In shock, not one of them ran away, but instead they all mounted their magical treasures and rushed forward.

  The black-clad man seemed somewhat anxious and impatient, his hand tightening its grip on the sword. The sword's light suddenly intensified, far surpassing the light it had emitted when held by that young disciple earlier. However, all that could be seen was a flash of light and a loud whooshing sound as he slashed downwards in mid-air, unleashing a magnificent ring of light that hurtled straight towards the crowd. The Qingyun disciples cried out in alarm, their voices filling the air as they retreated to defend themselves. But unexpectedly, despite his intimidating display, the man's move was merely a feint, and after forcing the crowd back a few steps, he didn't engage them further. Instead, he swiftly picked up Gui Li, who lay limp and unconscious on the ground, and flew off into the darkness behind him.

  The Qingyun crowd was shocked and angry, shocked by the mysterious person who suddenly appeared and had such a high level of Taoism, and angry that the ghostly fierce that they had obtained was snatched away again. The ghostly fierce was a major threat to the Qingyun Gate, and because of its long-standing connection with the Qingyun Gate, the people of the Qingyun Gate had long wanted to get rid of it. This time, being robbed halfway, how could they swallow this breath? They immediately chased after him in succession.

  Just after a brief chase, suddenly a whistling sound was heard, and a bright light flashed out from the darkness, shooting towards them. Everyone's eyes widened as if the sword light was heading straight for themselves. They hastily stopped in their tracks to face the enemy, but only Zeng ShuShu rushed forward, flying up with one sword to deflect it. However, he felt a great shock in his palm and involuntarily retreated a step. The incoming sword also changed direction under his blow, shooting straight up into the sky. After a brief moment, it fell back down, plunging into the muddy ground with a "plop" sound. It was that very same divine sword that had been snatched away, still humming with energy.

  And in this delay, the black-clad man had already slipped away like a ghost, hugging his sword and disappearing into the darkness ahead. Meanwhile, Zeng Shu-Chang, who was fiercely entangled in battle within the darkness, suddenly let out a loud roar, and from the shadows came a muffled groan, followed by a flash of blood.

  Everyone was shocked, and they didn't know whether Zeng Shu had been injured or had hurt the enemy. The deep gratitude they owed him made them forget about everything else for the moment, and they rushed forward in a flurry. However, just as they were halfway there, Zeng Shu's figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, landing on the ground and blocking their path. Looking at his stance, although he seemed to be moving freely, his feet still stumbled slightly, and he was panting heavily with his mouth open wide. This brief moment of intense fighting seemed to have taken a huge toll on him.

  He gasped slightly and then said in a low voice: "The enemy ahead is extremely skilled and numerous, you must not act rashly!"

  Zeng Shu and the other young disciples were all shocked, never expecting to encounter such a situation in this place. Zeng Shu gazed at the darkness ahead and said in a low voice, "Who are you people? Why do you want to interfere with Qingyun Gate's affairs? With your abilities, you must not be unknown individuals. Why don't we talk face-to-face?"

  The wind was wild and the rain was urgent, with lightning flashing and thunder booming, yet somehow, in the depths of the dense forest, that patch of darkness was as thick as ink, refusing to dissipate even a little.

  No one answered Zeng Shu's question, only the sound of wind and rain and the heavy breathing of the Qingyun disciples. Zeng Shu quietly took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Father, what is their origin?"

  Zeng Shu often shook his head slightly and lowered his voice: "They deliberately concealed their identities, and the moves they made were not their own Taoist methods, so it's hard to see for a while."

  Frowning and raising his voice, he shouted loudly: "Are you all still not showing up?"

  The voice echoed far away in the dense forest, but still no one answered. Zeng Shu suddenly changed color and stomped his foot, saying: "It's over, we've been tricked!"

  As he spoke, he flew up and pounced, the holy sword's brilliant light bursting forth. This time, it shot straight out in all directions, with no shadows covering anything. It was clear that those people had already retreated. They came like the wind, snatched people away, and left immediately, clearly having planned this out beforehand and calculated everything carefully.

  Zeng Shu let out a long sigh, and his figure fell. Zeng Shu directed the other disciples to continue searching around, trying to find some clues, while quietly asking Zeng Shuchang: "Father, what's wrong?"

  Zeng Shu's face often showed a hint of disappointment, and he sighed: "Just now, although the fight was brief, I vaguely felt that these people were not using the magic teachings of the demonic sect. Moreover, if the demonic sect wanted to save Gui Li, they wouldn't have to hide and sneak around. But then, what kind of person would want to save this demon, and there are quite a few of them, with such high cultivation?"

  After finishing speaking, he furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. Zeng Shu remained silent, turning her head to look forward, but all she saw was a dense forest, the path ahead shrouded in darkness, what could be seen from there?

  But who were the people who kidnapped Gui Lie? Anyway, Zeng Shu Shu walked forward, whispering to herself, it's still better than falling into Qing Yun Men's hands...

  As he thought this way, on this stormy night, in the deep and dense forest, his mind seemed to recall the appearance of Gui Li when they first met at Tongtian Peak in Qingyun Mountain ten years ago.

  After a long time, he sighed in the darkness and continued walking forward. No matter what the future holds, for now, one must continue to move forward.

  ********

  In the depths of the unknown forest, in the dark distance, there was another eerie black figure watching Zeng Shu Chang and his group from afar, it was Mr. Gui.

  At this moment, his eyes were filled with a bewildered gaze, and he looked very confused. After deep thought, he still couldn't understand. After a long time, he saw that the search range of these Qingyun disciples was getting bigger and bigger, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was already a sign of giving up. Searching like this in such a vast forest, where else could they find people?

  As expected, after a while, Zeng Shu's voice rang out again: "Forget it, you all come back."

  The numerous disciples of Qingyun were apparently eager to hear this, and they all went back, Ghost Mr. watched from a distance as Zeng Shu counted the crowd in the field, then turned around and led the disciples towards the direction of Qingyun Mountain, gradually disappearing into the dense forest.

  He slowly emerged from the darkness and walked out, his eyes drifting towards the distance, gazing in the direction that the group of mysterious black-clad people had gone, lost in deep contemplation.

  In the wind and rain, a voice seemed to say in a low tone: "Is there still someone interested in him?"