Saint Yue didn’t know how to respond. Gu Qinghe immediately flew off without a sword.

His Nascent Soul ability made it easy for him to manipulate qi.

"Wait for me, Qinghe!"

She quickly followed him, leaving the light-element stone altar and heading toward the banyan tree altar.

His increased strength also boosted his flying speed.

From his crimson pupils, Gu Qinghe could clearly see several cultivators moving through the forest.

They were still busy searching for fairies.

Some had already found one, while others had not. Gu Qinghe had no idea how long it would take them.

When he arrived at the banyan altar, Gu Qinghe landed roughly, sending out a strong gust of wind. Several cultivators were startled and jumped back, activating their protective qi.

As the smoke faded, they clearly saw Gu Qinghe standing there in black armor like a demon.

The veins on his hands, neck, and cheeks glowed crimson, and his eyes radiated thick red qi.

Gu Qingyin was there, alone without her sect companions.

When she looked at her brother, she felt a strong killing intent coming from him.

"Brother?" Gu Qingyin asked.

Gu Qinghe turned his head and narrowed his eyes sharply, seeing that she had not yet found a fairy.

"Hurry and find your fairy before you rot and die here, Qingyin!" Gu Qinghe said firmly.

His voice was firm, heavy, and unstable. Gu Qingyin immediately felt an intimidating pressure from him.

She quickly lowered her head and cupped her hands. "Of course, Brother Qinghe."

"All of you, listen to me!" Gu Qinghe shouted, releasing his cultivation pressure over all the Core Formation cultivators present.

The twelve cultivators instantly dropped to their knees, coughing up blood as their qi became unstable. Everyone felt it except Gu Qingyin.

"No one is allowed to disturb Gu Qingyin!"

"If you do, I will come back and kill all of you!" Gu Qinghe declared, clenching his fist and sending a wave of qi across the area.

"We will obey, Senior."

Right before leaving, Gu Qinghe activated a protective technique and shot a crimson orb into Gu Qingyin’s forehead.

Gu Qingyin was shocked and felt her heart race, but she did not collapse or cough blood.

"I’ve attached my consciousness to you. If you die, I’ll know who killed you," Gu Qinghe explained.

"Thank you, Brother Gu Qinghe."

Without wasting time, Gu Qinghe and Saint Yue stepped into the tree trunk portal and disappeared in an instant.

The cultivation pressure vanished, and the cultivators returned to normal.

Gu Qingyin felt confused. She didn’t understand why Gu Qinghe was being so protective of her.

Before, he had never acted like this. It was completely different from what she had imagined.

Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and looked ahead. He and Saint Yue had arrived at the Star of the Abyss of Demon Screams.

The massive dark qi and corrupted energy in that place made things easier for Gu Qinghe.

He could use any technique or ability without draining the dark qi in his body.

Efficient and beneficial.

Saint Yue was still uneasy. She flew beside Gu Qinghe, whose body was filled with dark qi, the complete opposite of her principles that valued natural qi.

However, she believed that Gu Qinghe was only using dark qi as a last resort to escape the Seven Northern Mountains.

She was certain he was not the kind of cultivator who used dark qi recklessly for pleasure.

"HAHAHA!" A loud laugh echoed from the demon mountain ahead.

"I can smell the dark qi from your body, envoy of the Heavenly Emperor Palace!"

"I didn’t expect... that you would eventually walk the path of demonic cultivation!" the demon said.

Gu Qinghe raised his head, his eyes sharp and glowing crimson.

He lifted his hand, summoning a red magic rune behind his back.

A demonic finger attack formed and shot forward, targeting the demon hidden within the black smoke.

BLAST!

A massive explosion erupted, dominated by crimson light. The demon fell silent, leaving behind only fading black smoke.

Saint Yue witnessed the terrifying power within Gu Qinghe’s demonic energy.

She knew demonic cultivation was incredibly powerful, but its effects were also frightening.

If a cultivator lost control, they could be consumed by destruction and darkness.

Gu Qinghe stepped forward, ignoring the cultivation pressure pressing against him.

His Mid Nascent Soul cultivation allowed him to withstand it.

From the black abyss on both sides, monsters emerged with horrifying appearances and black wings.

"Yue! Get into my bag of holding," Gu Qinghe ordered.

"O-Okay."

Saint Yue obeyed without hesitation, entering his bag of holding and watching the battle without interfering.

Gu Qinghe stretched out his hand, summoning the Golden Sky Energy Sword.

He ran his hand along the blade from base to tip, transforming it into the Demonic Sky Energy Sword.

"Come at me!" Gu Qinghe challenged.

Hundreds of monsters charged at him violently and savagely.

Gu Qinghe moved instantly, flashing in crimson light as he slaughtered them mercilessly.

His sword pierced their stomachs, cut off their heads, and split their bodies in two.

His attack speed increased rapidly, making Saint Yue shudder as she watched the terrifying scene.

One by one, the monsters fell in gruesome deaths, their blood staining Gu Qinghe’s sword.

Gu Qinghe took a deep breath, absorbing the dark qi essence from the monsters he had killed, strengthening himself.

"This isn’t enough!" Gu Qinghe said firmly.

Hundreds turned into thousands of monsters, filling the sky in front of him as if blocking his path.

He did not hesitate. Gripping his sword tightly, he swung it sideways.

A powerful crimson slash shot forward, its edge tearing through space itself.

The attack struck the monsters directly. A second explosion occurred, instantly killing hundreds of them in a single strike.

Gu Qinghe absorbed all their dark qi again. His energy recovered and became even stronger.

He flew forward quickly along the mountain path.

His goal was only one, to reach the lava crater at the sixth peak.

When he arrived, a massive monster was already waiting for him, its entire body covered in lava.

The qi it emitted was equal to Nascent Soul level.

"I underestimated you. You’re stronger than I expected!" the monster said.

"But that doesn’t mean you can defeat me!"

Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes, gripped his sword, and rushed forward, "You’re courting death!"