Daoist Master Qingshi was taken aback when I handed him the enchanted rope.
Then he quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, no, Nephew Qin, you captured this demonic cultivator. I can't steal such great credit. The Alliance Leader is inside, come with me to see him!"
Hearing this, I was also surprised. As far as I knew, the Alliance Leader hadn't arrived yet.
"The Alliance Leader is here too?"
"Yes, the Alliance Leader and the experts from various sects arrived secretly five days ago. They just haven't shown themselves. Tonight, the Black Demon forces even tried to sneak attack us. Truly suicidal!"
At this point, my heart sank again. It seemed the high-ranking officials of the Dao Alliance had made preparations. They had arrived secretly, not giving the demonic forces a chance.
After a slight hesitation, I spoke, "Alright, let's go!"
Daoist Master Qingshi nodded, and then led me, under the gaze of the royal banner, into the Dry Wood Temple.
Upon arriving at the main entrance, Daoist Master Qingshi knocked on the door and said, "Alliance Leader, I, Qingshi, have an important matter to report!"
As soon as Daoist Master Qingshi finished speaking, the tightly closed door creaked open. Then, Daoist Master Qingshi turned to me and said, "Let's go in!"
"Senior Qingshi, please!"
With that, we both walked into the main hall.
In the hall, I saw many old men seated. At first glance, they were elders and sect leaders from various factions. I recognized quite a few of them. Leading them was the Wudang Sect Leader, True Man Cangsong. Qingcheng Mountain's Grand Elder, Daoist Qingyun. Longhu Mountain's Sect Leader, Daoist Qingshan. Maoshan's Elder, Bai Daozi, and others.
Besides them, my Martial Uncle was also inside. Seeing me enter, my Martial Uncle directly called out, "Little Qin!"
Seeing my Martial Uncle, I quickly replied, "Martial Uncle!"
After speaking, I turned to the seniors present and said, "Junior Qin Ze, pays his respects to the Alliance Leader and all seniors."
I cupped my fists in greeting. The seniors present all nodded in response.
Beside me, Daoist Master Qingshi also called out, "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate, Alliance Leader and fellow sect leaders, Qin Ze has brought back the soul of the Black Demon's left envoy."
He finished by pointing to the ghost behind me. Everyone in the hall had already seen the ghost. They just didn't know its identity or why it was brought here.
Hearing Daoist Master Qingshi speak, they all became restless. Elder Bai Daozi of the Maoshan sect stood up with a "whoosh."
"What, this is the Black Demon's left envoy?"
"The Black Demon's left envoy?" An elder from the Kongtong sect also exclaimed. The other seniors around also turned their heads in surprise.
Only my Martial Uncle burst into laughter, "Hahaha, not bad, not bad. See, this is our junior nephew, how about that? Impressive, isn't he?" my Martial Uncle said proudly.
However, he was promptly retorted by Daoist Qingshan, the Sect Leader of Longhu Mountain, "It's not your disciple, why are you so excited? Besides, it's not confirmed if he's the Black Demon's left envoy yet!"
My Martial Uncle was instantly displeased by this retort, "You effeminate fellow, don't find fault with everything. It's sour grapes. Earlier on the battlefield below, it was this demon cultivator who kept protecting that Black Demon Saint Son. Oh, by the way, Little Qin, did you escape or kill the Black Demon Saint Son?"
"Reporting to Martial Uncle, I killed him! His physical body turned to ash, and his soul scattered." I replied again.
"What, the Black Demon Saint Son is also dead, and died by your hand?"
"Heavens! Is it true?"
"Is this young friend so powerful?"
"Brother Qian, he's that top-ranked young generation disciple from the Dao Alliance assembly, incredibly talented!"
"..."
The surrounding Dao Alliance high-ranking officials started chattering again. I was getting a little embarrassed hearing it.
Meanwhile, the Alliance Leader, True Man Cangsong, walked over. "Nephew Qin, it's only been a short while, and your Dao cultivation has improved again!"
"It's all thanks to Martial Uncle's excellent guidance." I knew my Martial Uncle valued his reputation, and by speaking like this in front of everyone, he felt proud.
"Hehehe, don't be arrogant. You still need to work hard in the future!" My Martial Uncle said, looking at the Sect Leader of Longhu Mountain. This greatly displeased Daoist Qingshan of Longhu Mountain. After all, his chief disciple, Wang Qi, had been defeated by me and Old Mo consecutively, causing him to lose face.
True Man Cangsong ignored the banter and simply smiled, "If this is the Black Demon's left envoy, then he must know some important information about the Black Demon forces."
As he spoke, he began to observe the demonic cultivator. Then he turned to an old man beside him and said, "Brother Qian, your soul-capturing technique is unrivaled in the world. I'll entrust the soul of this demonic cultivator to you to see if you can extract any useful information."
The old Daoist who was called, was about the same age as True Man Cangsong, seemingly a renowned figure in the martial world. He nodded, "Alright! Let me see if I can get any useful information."
At this moment, everyone fell silent, quietly watching the old Daoist. I also stepped back two paces, standing beside my Martial Uncle.
The old Daoist was dressed in plain clothes, appearing frail and stooped. However, as he approached the ghost of the demonic cultivator, his whole body trembled, and a powerful aura emanated from him. His entire being seemed to be reborn; his clouded eyes instantly shot out sharp glints. Then, he raised his hand and grabbed the Black Demon's left envoy by the forehead, continuously chanting complex incantations.
My Martial Uncle tilted his head and whispered to me, "Watch closely, this is the top-tier soul-capturing technique of the术道 (Shù Dào - path of sorcery/techniques)."
I repeatedly nodded, my eyes wide open. But in the next second, the Black Demon's left envoy's eyes widened, showing a pained expression.
"Ah! You, you're casting a curse on me, what are you trying to do?" The Black Demon's left envoy said fearfully, looking at Daoist Qian.
"Nothing much, just want you to explain some things."
"Never! You won't succeed!" The Black Demon's left envoy spoke defiantly.
But Daoist Qian merely smiled coldly, "You don't need to agree, you'll speak for yourself soon!"
With that! Daoist Qian snorted coldly again, "敕!" (Chì! - an incantation to command or enforce). With this sound, a black misty head appeared above his head. The head materialized, its eyes emitting red light.
The Black Demon's left envoy, however, trembled all over, "No, don't!" He seemed extremely afraid of the black misty head.
But Daoist Qian remained unmoved. He pointed his sword finger, and the black misty head swooped down, instantly merging into the Black Demon's left envoy's head. His body stiffened, and he stopped moving.
Daoist Qian stepped back two paces and said, "Introduce yourself first!"
At this moment, everyone's eyes were wide open, watching the soul of the Black Demon's left envoy. They all wanted to see what was so special about Daoist Qian's soul-capturing technique.
As Daoist Qian finished speaking, the Black Demon's left envoy's ghost spoke mechanically, "My name is Wang Dexi, born in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu, the left envoy of the Black Demon Cult, a guardian of the Saint Son. My master is Elder Black Heart, who cultivates the Heart Devouring Demonic Art..."
The Black Demon's left envoy mechanically introduced his background. Everyone present was stunned. They marveled at Daoist Qian's extraordinary sorcery; such a technique was perfect for interrogation.
After confirming the identity of the subject, the people present weren't too interested in what he had done. So, they asked Daoist Qian to continue the interrogation. Daoist Qian did not hesitate and continued to ask, "What was your purpose in attacking the mountain this time?"
The Black Demon's left envoy replied mechanically, "This attack on the mountain was because we received intelligence and the exact location that a thousand-year-old ice corpse was sealed within the Dry Wood Temple. Therefore, the Cult Master ordered me to accompany the Saint Son to feign an attack on the front, while the Black Demon's right envoy led his men to sneak attack the Dry Wood Temple, release the thousand-year-old ice corpse, and use corpse control techniques to our Black Demon Cult's advantage, thereby striking the various sects of the Dao Alliance..."