“A life debt must be repaid.” It was a logical sentiment, yet Wen Qiwu’s voice held a hint of gritted teeth.
She didn’t know much about the Qingluan Princess of the Primordial Spirit Domain, but the daughter of the Qian Yue Sword Sect leader… thanks to Zuo Lan, she was quite familiar with the people and affairs of that place. In fact, this whole situation was inextricably linked to Zuo Lan.
That sect leader’s daughter was one of the few who knew the true history between Zuo Lan and Immortal Master Lin Shu. From supporting each other as children to their eventual falling out, one cultivating the path of detachment and the other leaving the Qian Yue Sword Sect. After hearing their tale of love and hate, the girl seemed to have an epiphany, suddenly declaring one day that she had found someone she admired.
Zuo Lan had mentioned this unintentionally in a letter. As for who captured her heart, Wen Qiwu’s expression said it all.
“That daughter of the Qian Yue Sword Sect leader… did she only say she wanted to repay your life-saving kindness?” Wen Qiwu asked Lu Qiaoyi, feigning nonchalance.
“Let me think…” Lu Qiaoyi deliberately drew out her words, waiting until Wen Qiwu was a little anxious before saying, “Probably nothing else.”
Lu Qiaoyi winked at Wen Qiwu. “She definitely didn’t say she’d repay your kindness by offering herself.”
As long as it wasn’t anything outlandish…
Wait.
Lu Qiaoyi’s words suddenly made Wen Qiwu suspicious. Why would Elder Lu say something like that?
Elder Lu was always observant. Had she discovered something?
Wen Qiwu glanced at Lu Qiaoyi with some wariness. The latter’s eyes held the usual gentle glow. This hazy “light” made it impossible for others to pry into the emotions at the depths of her eyes, lending Lu Qiaoyi an air of elusiveness.
“I’ve heard about that young lady from the Qian Yue Sword Sect… Cough, relax, the Sect Master doesn’t have such intentions. No one can snatch your Senior Sister away.” Elder Lu seemed to assume Wen Qiwu only felt platonic camaraderie for her Senior Sister.
Wen Qiwu couldn’t quite grasp Lu Qiaoyi’s thoughts. However, her own feelings were far from ordinary. If Elder Lu had truly discovered them, she wouldn’t be reacting like this… Wen Qiwu told herself she was probably overthinking.
“But I heard that the Qian Yue Sword Sect Master plans to bring his daughter to personally express their gratitude once she has recovered…” Lu Qiaoyi watched Wen Qiwu’s ever-changing expression, finding it immensely amusing.
“A’Que? Where are you going?” Lu Qiaoyi quickly followed Wen Qiwu, who had turned to leave.
“To find Senior Sister.” Wen Qiwu’s gaze flickered, and she finally mumbled vaguely.
She found an excuse to temporarily part ways with Lu Qiaoyi. Once no one else was around, Wen Qiwu immediately released a paper crane. This letter was a request for Zuo Lan’s help. If all went well, that sect leader’s daughter should be too busy to come.
It was a pity she didn’t know that the helper she sought had already been sent to the Yu Xi Sect’s inheritance tower by the Sect Master herself, at her Senior Sister’s deliberate arrangement. Therefore, she wouldn’t be able to receive her message anytime soon.
Just as Wen Qiwu was about to leave, she suddenly overheard two disciples discussing nearby. As soon as they mentioned the Sect Master, Wen Qiwu stopped.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Sect Master so angry. What did Elder Zhu possibly do?”
“It definitely wasn’t a minor offense. I think I just heard Elder Zhu’s screams. The Sect Master had the head of the Disciplinary Hall use the Discipline Whip. I’ve been in the sect for centuries and have never seen that whip before! Later, I overheard a bit. It seems Elder Zhu colluded with external enemies, possibly even the Demon Realm!”
“Heavens, Elder Zhu has been in the sect for thousands of years, and he actually betrayed the sect…”
The Discipline Whip? A traitor?!
When the head of the Disciplinary Hall personally apprehended someone earlier, Wen Qiwu already felt something was amiss, but she hadn’t expected Elder Zhu to be a traitor. And for him to anger her Senior Sister, what could he have possibly done?
Perhaps she should go take a look. She could return with her Senior Sister afterward.
Wen Qiwu walked up the mountain. The Disciplinary Hall was located behind the main hall, quite far from other buildings. Due to its special nature, it always exuded a solemn atmosphere.
But today, the Disciplinary Hall was even more oppressive than usual. An unsettling power was being suppressed by another, more potent force. As she reached the Disciplinary Hall’s entrance, Wen Qiwu felt as though her heart was being choked by a suffocating sensation.
Disciples with lower cultivation levels had temporarily evacuated the area. The lowest cultivation among those remaining had reached the Nascent Soul stage. The two disciples guarding the Disciplinary Hall’s entrance immediately gave her a wry smile and opened the door for her.
The gate was exceptionally difficult to guard today. They had to mobilize all their spiritual energy just to withstand the invisible, intangible pressure in the air. This was merely the residual effect; if it continued for a longer period, their spiritual energy would be depleted. Therefore, someone was urgently needed to persuade the Sect Master inside!
At this moment, the only one in the sect who could persuade the Sect Master was likely Elder Wen. Fortunately, she had arrived in time.
Wen Qiwu nodded her thanks to them and then entered the Disciplinary Hall. She heard from the disciples at the door that her Senior Sister was interrogating the traitor in the prison with the head of the Disciplinary Hall. The further she walked, the more apparent the violent energy of the Discipline Whip became in the air.
The Discipline Whip was an immortal artifact forged by the first head of the Disciplinary Hall. When used correctly, it could even exert power comparable to a divine artifact.
The head of the Disciplinary Hall held the Discipline Whip, and Elder Zhu before him had already become a bloody mess. Yet, even at this point, the traitor remained stubborn, only admitting to trading a cultivation technique with the Demon Realm out of greed. He denied any other involvement.
“I’ll ask you one more time, is Elder Jin’s death related to you!” The blood on the Discipline Whip slid down the whip’s body. The light-gold whip seemed to be stained with something dirty, its color subtly darkening.
This was the miraculous nature of the Discipline Whip; its change testified to the person’s guilt.
“It’s unrelated, truly unrelated! Sect Master, please see! I admit I wanted to make a move on Elder Jin, but he died before I could even do anything!” The traitor, covered in blood, glared with cloudy eyes, desperately explaining.
“When Elder Jin met with misfortune, was there anyone who could prove you weren’t by his side?”
A stiff expression crossed the traitor’s face. At that time, he had been attracted by a spiritual beast, and no one was with him. Therefore, no one could vouch for him.
The interrogation reached an impasse. The head of the Disciplinary Hall helplessly looked to Yun Heng for instructions on the next course of action.
Yun Heng, standing behind the Hall Master, raised her eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. Time was growing late. She had promised to return before her junior sister took her medicine tonight. Since this person was confirmed to be a traitor, there was no need to employ merciful methods any longer.
“Soul search,” she commanded.
This was the most effective method, eliminating the need to listen to the traitor’s lies. Although the one whose soul was searched had to bear an immense price, this was clearly not something she needed to consider for a traitor.
Perhaps it was the word “soul search” that instilled fear in the traitor. The blood-soaked figure twitched.
Boom!
An explosion suddenly occurred near the prison. Demonic energy erupted with the force equivalent to a Golden Immortal’s self-detonation. The incident was sudden, and the surrounding disciples were caught completely off guard.
The surrounding buildings instantly turned to ash. Some individuals had no time to dodge, watching helplessly as the power approached them.
Just moments before several tragedies were about to unfold, the explosive force suddenly halted, then miraculously dissipated.
However, during the commotion, a bloodied shadow was pushed out by the force. With disheveled hair, he resembled a malevolent spirit. Even though he knew he couldn’t escape from Yun Heng, a True Immortal, he still broke free and rushed directly toward Wen Qiwu, who had just entered the Disciplinary Hall.
Wen Qiwu’s gaze met the bloodied figure’s vacant eyes for just a moment. An uncanny sense of dread immediately washed over her. Was this person still conscious?
She immediately drew her weapon to defend herself. However, before the bloodied figure could reach Wen Qiwu, he was pierced by a sword intent.
Screech! Blood gushed out. The drops of blood that nearly splashed onto Wen Qiwu were all intercepted by Yun Heng.
The traitor, who had colluded with the Demon Realm, fell to the ground, sent flying. Yun Heng had delivered a fatal blow. Elder Zhu’s very soul was shredded. This person was clearly acting strangely, and he had been so close to her junior sister. Yun Heng dared not gamble on any uncertainties.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?” Yun Heng’s tone was not as calm as usual. The fringe of her eyelashes trembled slightly as she concealed her lingering fear. Yun Heng was letting her concern override her judgment; otherwise, a scan of her divine sense would have confirmed that Wen Qiwu hadn’t even lost a strand of hair.
“I’m fine.” Wen Qiwu quickly assured her that she was unharmed. However, looking at her Senior Sister’s hem, Wen Qiwu saw that her Senior Sister hadn’t even cared about herself to protect her. The traitor’s blood had splattered onto her white robes, resembling the bright moon in the sky stained with blood.
Wen Qiwu immediately used a purification technique to wipe away the dirt from her Senior Sister’s clothes.
“Were you frightened?” Yun Heng’s fingertip inadvertently brushed against her pale, sickly cheek. The Immortal Master always felt as though her frail junior sister could shatter with a single touch, so she usually protected her with utmost care. Yet, today, she had been startled by a traitor.
Wen Qiwu smiled and shook her head. “I’m not a child anymore, how could I be scared by such a small matter? Besides, Senior Sister is right here, what is there to be afraid of?”
“However… was that Elder Zhu just now? Did he really betray the sect?”
Yun Heng glanced at the corpse not far away, her eyes flashing with coldness, making one wonder if she was contemplating desecrating the body.
“Earlier, I discovered traces of demonic energy flowing within the sect. After Elder Jin’s death, he exposed himself. I was about to perform a soul search when the person behind him must have sensed it, and they hurried to silence him.”
“The person behind him… must be a Demon Lord.” Wen Qiwu’s tone also grew solemn.
The Cangwang Realm had six domains: the Dongzhao Region, the Azure Sea Domain, the Primordial Spirit Domain, the Myriad Forest Domain, the Source State Domain, and the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm was divided into three parts, controlled by three Demon Lords. Besides those three Demon Lords, Wen Qiwu couldn’t think of anyone who could silently control an Elder of the Earth Immortal stage from the Wen Shen Sect.
“It should be a Demon Lord, but he was silenced before he could reveal it.” Yun Heng frowned.
“Senior Sister, let me try,” Wen Qiwu suggested to Yun Heng.
Yun Heng hesitated for a moment before nodding. Her junior sister walked over to the corpse, and she stood nearby, carefully protecting her.
Wen Qiwu conjured a cluster of pale-white flames in her hand and threw it onto the corpse. The flames instantly engulfed the object on the ground but caused no damage to the body.
The flames gradually diminished, eventually coalescing into a cluster on the corpse. Wen Qiwu cast a rune onto the flames, and a contorted human face appeared within them.
He cried out in panic, begging Yun Heng for help: “Save me! Sect Master, save me! It’s the Myriad Souls Demon Lord! He’s the one who made me an informant! He has already broken through to the True Immortal stage, and his next target is…”
Elder Zhu, who was trying to prove his worth to Yun Heng, suddenly let out a piercing scream. Wen Qiwu was using her technique to gather Elder Zhu’s rapidly disappearing remnant soul. The remnant soul had been stabilizing, but a force that appeared from nowhere snatched that wisp of soul from her flames!
Wen Qiwu immediately tried to retrieve the remnant soul, but it was difficult to protect a soul on the verge of dissipation, yet incredibly easy to destroy it.
A surge of demonic energy erupted from the flames. Yun Heng immediately severed the spiritual energy connecting Wen Qiwu to the flames, preventing her from being corrupted by the demonic energy. However, the small amount of remnant soul she had painstakingly gathered had now completely vanished.
Thanks for the chapter