The spirit bone could not be reattached yet.
Attaching it now would surely be noticed by Shen Chen. That old bastard might actually go mad and pounce on him regardless of the consequences...
Therefore, it had to remain hidden for now.
The two of them carried umbrellas, returning to the inn in town amidst the pitter-patter of the rain.
Upon returning to the inn.
Pushing open the door, Ning Xian walked to the table and began packing their simple belongings.
Fang Xuan was in no hurry to pack. He walked to the window and pushed it open.
The rain had lightened, turning into a fine, dense mist.
Pedestrians hurried along the street, and the cries of vendors drifted through the veil of rain, a blurred sense of liveliness.
He picked up the coarse porcelain teacup on the table, took a sip, and fixed his gaze outside.
Ning Xian's voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"If we go back... and things aren't right, and Shen Chen acts out of desperation... you don't need to worry about me."
"I will find a chance to escape. You... you can certainly leave."
She knew that Fang Xuan should have the protection of a great family's status. Even if Shen Chen went insane, he might not actually dare to do anything to him in the open.
But she was different.
She still carried the restriction barrier placed upon her in the ancestral lands years ago.
That restriction barrier could not only instantly imprison her spirit power and heavily injure her, but it was also an inescapable tracking brand.
As long as the restriction barrier remained, even if she fled to the ends of the earth, the Qingyun Sect would have a way to find her.
Therefore, if Shen Chen truly tore off his mask and stopped at nothing, she would have almost no chance of escaping.
But she could not let Fang Xuan be burdened by her.
Fang Xuan’s hand holding the teacup paused slightly. He spoke playfully to lighten the mood.
"That is impossible. If Senior Sister doesn't cook for me, I'll starve to death in no time."
Ning Xian merely pursed her lips, walking to the window to stand beside him, also looking out.
"Do not do anything foolish."
Her voice grew softer, filled with deep concern.
"Okay..." Fang Xuan replied, sounding quite obedient.
But Ning Xian knew his temperament, so she still could not set her mind at ease.
Her junior brother was young, after all, and his cultivation had not yet reached the Golden Core Realm. A frontal confrontation would be too dangerous.
She pondered, trying to find some words to restrain him.
But after thinking back and forth, she found that the things she could use to admonish him... were pitifully few.
A rare look of distress appeared on her cold face.
Then, she finally thought of a weightier threat. She tilted her face up slightly and spoke with extreme seriousness and formality:
"Otherwise, I won't cook for you."
Fang Xuan could only bite his lip, trying his best to keep a straight face and stifle his laughter.
He turned his head to look at Ning Xian.
Her face still bore that expressionless, cold look, but her gaze was exceptionally earnest, even carrying a stubbornness that suggested "this is a serious threat, you’d better listen."
He eventually could not help himself, tilting his head with a shallow smile. "Fine."
Ning Xian's face turned red... then she seemed to realize that her threat was perhaps a bit... too childish.
The tips of her ears began to burn again, so she walked back to the table to continue packing, her movements slightly faster than before.
......
After a while, Ning Xian spoke again, her tone returning to its usual calmness. "Then there is the matter of the secret realm. Since Shen Chen’s plan failed and he suffered heavy losses, he will never let this go. He will certainly tamper with things within the secret realm, and might even personally set a death trap."
"I know." Fang Xuan nodded. "However, I still intend to enter the secret realm, and..."
Ning Xian suddenly spoke again. "I have a way to enter. When the time comes... can you let me follow you?"
In the secret realm, she was even more worried...
"Sure thing, Senior Sister..."
......
At the same time.
Deep within the Main Hall of Sword Peak in the Qingyun Sect.
With a crack, the jade talisman Shen Chen used for one-way communication with the evil cultivators was crushed into powder in his hand.
Before him, the Enforcement Hall disciple who had returned from the burial mound to report was kneeling on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
The hall was deathly silent, save for the Golden Core spiritual pressure leaking uncontrollably from Shen Chen.
All dead?
The group of late-stage Foundation Establishment evil cultivators he had secretly cultivated to carry out this accident was completely wiped out.
Shen Qingqing’s corpse had been found, shriveled beyond recognition, clearly after having her origin blood essence plundered by the evil cultivators.
The spirit bone... was also gone!
Even the black-grade high-rank artifact he had specifically provided to ensure success, along with the array map, had vanished without a trace.
Shen Chen’s voice was a low growl. "Where are the corpses of the evil cultivators?!"
"Re... reporting to the peak lord..."
The disciple was dripping with cold sweat. "The corpses of the evil cultivators... were... were all destroyed..."
"Who did it?!" Shen Chen turned his head sharply, his eyes bloodshot like a man-eating beast.
"It was... it was Fang Xuan. He said he was grief-stricken by Senior Sister Shen's tragic death and did not want the corpses of evil cultivators to defile the sect's territory, so he destroyed all the corpses..."
"Fang—Xuan—!"
Shen Chen squeezed these two words out from between his teeth.
He knew, of course, that it was Fang Xuan!
What 'evil cultivators turning on each other'? Bullshit!
Those people were death soldiers he had meticulously selected, controlled through both restriction barriers and the lives of their families. How could they have turned at such a critical moment?
And how could they have just happened to kill the most important Shen Qingqing and take the spirit bone?
All of this was clearly a trap set by Fang Xuan!
A trap that played him like a fool while causing him heavy losses, leaving him with a grievance he could not voice.
Shen Chen slumped back onto his meditation cushion, his expression so dark it seemed it could drip ink.
He had underestimated him too much...
He had always thought Fang Xuan was just a young genius with a bit more talent, a bit more pride, and some cleverness.
He thought that using a group of Foundation Establishment evil cultivators, combined with an array and artifacts, to deal with a Void Core cultivator whose spirit power was limited by an array was a sure thing.
Now it seemed he was dead wrong!
To be able to kill everyone in such a situation and do it so cleanly that even the Enforcement Hall could not find any evidence...
How was this the temperament of a youth? This was clearly someone decisive in killing and profoundly scheming!
Possession... or some old monster who underwent reincarnation?
All sorts of possibilities flashed through Shen Chen’s mind, and the chill in his heart grew even deeper.
Regardless of which it was, it meant that the threat Fang Xuan posed was far greater than he had imagined.
Now.
On the surface, Shen Qingqing had died at the hands of evil cultivators. The evidence at the scene was conclusive, and it was recorded by the Enforcement Hall.
If he forcefully suspected Fang Xuan without solid proof, it would only make him a laughingstock. Lu Qingsong might even use the opportunity to push one of his own people into the position of peak lord of Sword Peak.
As for the whereabouts of the spirit bone? The bodies had been "furiously" destroyed by Fang Xuan; there was no evidence left!
No matter how much he suspected, he could only keep it to himself.
It was suffocating! Incredibly suffocating!
The cultivation cauldron he had meticulously nurtured was gone, his hopes for a breakthrough were lost, and he had even lost a precious artifact and capable subordinates.
All his rage and killing intent finally converged on a single point—the Qingyun Secret Realm!
This was the last chance, and the best chance!
In the secret realm, any accident was perfectly normal.
Lu Qingsong’s reach could not extend into the secret realm, and the sect’s rules would be greatly diminished there.
Furthermore... he could still manipulate the slots for the secret realm.
This time, he would not show any more negligence.
He would use every bit of power he had to set a truly inescapable death trap for Fang Xuan in the secret realm!
Even if he had to pay a massive price!
Rate on N.U.
