Hidden Schemes

"Rumble—"

The ground shook violently. The commotion erupting from the depths of Blackwater Marsh was clearly felt even by those in Chishui City! This finally broke the tense, sword-drawn standoff.

Rong Yuying huffed, finally withdrawing her piercing gaze from Cang Dongqing. She turned to the Hehuan Sect disciples and barked, "Prepare to move out!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cang Dongqing still standing there, wiping away tears. She sneered, "Junior Sister Cang, now is not the time for crying." She deliberately raised her voice, "Weren't you the one who wanted to slay demons and uphold the Dao? Here is your chance."

Cang Dongqing bit her lip, a flicker of viciousness crossing her eyes, but it transformed into teary vulnerability the moment she looked up. Even her trembling lips turned a shade paler.

She quickly wiped her tears and whispered, "Senior Sister Rong is right. Now is not the time to dwell on personal grievances."

But in her heart, she hated her. "Rong Yuying, just you wait..."

Li Nanyi shielded Cang Dongqing and glared at Rong Yuying. "Stop with the sarcasm!"

Rong Yuying couldn't be bothered with him. She turned to Daoist Master Yu Heng and said, "Elder, the location where the evil qi erupted is exactly where we left the evil cultivators' lair. It is very likely the commotion caused by Junior Sister Li and the others."

Daoist Master Yu Heng's brow furrowed. "They might still be alive. We must go in and save them immediately!"

Daoist Master Xuan Shuang of the Sword Heart Sect said in a heavy voice, "We will head in together and split up to search once we arrive!"

Pei Ji nodded. "Sword Heart Sect will take the east side, Hehuan Sect the west."

Rong Yuying's red lips curled slightly. "Fine by me. However—" Her gaze swept over to Cang Dongqing. "Since Junior Sister Cang is so righteous, why doesn't your Sword Heart Sect take the lead?"

Pei Ji's face darkened. "Rong Yuying!"

"What?" Rong Yuying arched an eyebrow. "Weren't you just talking about facing the great enemy? Are you suddenly afraid?"

"Enough!" Daoist Master Yu Heng interrupted sharply. "If you keep arguing, they'll all be dead!"

He turned to Daoist Master Xuan Shuang. "Blackwater Marsh is dangerous. We go in together!"

Daoist Master Xuan Shuang huffed and said no more, leading the Sword Heart Sect group as they quickly sped toward Blackwater Marsh.

Rong Yuying watched their departing backs, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Cang Dongqing, don't you dare die too early..."

"Senior Sister!" Yu'er anxiously tugged at her sleeve. "We should go too!"

Rong Yuying retracted her gaze and nodded. "Let's go!"

On the outskirts of Blackwater Marsh, thick malevolent energy churned like fog, obscuring most of their vision.

Rong Yuying led the Hehuan Sect disciples close behind the Sword Heart Sect as they stepped onto the land corrupted by evil qi.

"Watch your step," Daoist Master Yu Heng warned in a low voice. With a wave of his whisk, a burst of clear light swept across the ground, revealing writhing black slime beneath. "The malevolence has gained a form of sentience; it will actively attack living creatures."

As soon as he finished speaking, several tentacles condensed from malevolent energy suddenly shot out from the ground, striking at the group!

"Form the array!" Rong Yuying barked. The Hehuan Sect disciples quickly shifted positions, their magic tools glowing as they wove a pale pink light net that shredded the incoming tentacles.

On the other side, the Sword Heart Sect group encountered the same attack.

Pei Ji unsheathed his sword, the blade light flashing like snow and instantly severing three tentacles. Daoist Master Xuan Shuang simply waved her sleeve, and the pressure of the nascent soul stage erupted, shattering all the malevolence within ten feet!

Cang Dongqing hid behind Li Nanyi, clutching a high-grade defense talisman—the life-saving item Mu Zeting had given her. Though she appeared panicked, a hint of calculation flashed in her eyes.

"Once we get deep inside, maybe I can find a way..."

"These are just small fry on the outskirts." Rong Yuying fanned herself with her round fan. "If Junior Sister Cang is using high-grade talismans now, what will you do when we go deeper?"

Cang Dongqing's face turned pale. She quickly tucked the talisman away and forced a smile. "Senior Sister Rong must be joking. I was just..."

"That's enough," Pei Ji interrupted, frowning as he looked ahead. "Blackwater Marsh is full of peril. Everyone stay alert."

Daoist Master Yu Heng and Daoist Master Xuan Shuang exchanged a glance and simultaneously performed hand seals. The spiritual energy of the six nascent soul elders linked into an array, creating a pale gold barrier that shrouded the group, temporarily isolating them from the encroaching malevolence.

Rong Yuying walked in the middle of the formation, scanning her surroundings.

The state of Blackwater Marsh far exceeded her expectations—strange bulges rose from the ground from time to time, and the trees were withered and twisted as if their life force had been forcibly sucked dry. This was completely different from how it looked when they had left.

"What did the people from the Five Elements Dao Sect do to cause such a massive change... or is this the thing the evil cultivators were feeding?"

She narrowed her eyes, keeping her questions to herself for now. She did not trust the Sword Heart Sect, and she wasn't foolish enough to share more sensitive intelligence with them.

The group moved quickly along the outskirts. The six nascent soul elders took turns striking, destroying every malevolent tentacle that emerged.

Rong Yuying continued to scan the area. The geography of the marsh had completely changed; familiar paths were now covered by twisted, dead wood and writhing black slime. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of decay.

She thought to herself, "It's only been a few hours, and it's already like this... it must be related to that explosion..."

Because they were so far from the explosion's epicenter and their target was the evil cultivators, Rong Yuying had to follow the elders' arrangements despite her worry for Li Nanzhu.

In the end, they followed the original plan, aiming to enter the underground tunnels through a subterranean entrance to wipe out the evil cultivators' nest in one go.

An hour later, the group finally reached the cave entrance where Rong Yuying had previously led the Hehuan Sect underground.

However—

"This..." Yu'er's eyes widened as she stared at the scene in disbelief.

The once deep cave entrance had completely collapsed. Boulders and earth blocked the path entirely, and the surrounding ground was covered in strange cracks, as if shattered by a massive force from within.

"The underground has collapsed as well." Daoist Master Yu Heng's face was grim. He waved his whisk, sending a burst of spiritual energy into the rubble, but it only kicked up a cloud of dust. "It is completely sealed off."

Daoist Master Xuan Shuang of the Sword Heart Sect stepped forward with a frown. Gathering the thick spiritual energy of the nascent soul stage in her palm, she struck the collapsed entrance—

"Boom!"

She only managed to blast a small breach. Daoist Master Xuan Shuang shook her head helplessly.

"I can do no more." She sighed. "Even if we all strike together, the underground is complex and vast. It won't be easy to clear a path."

Rong Yuying's expression was grim as her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of her round fan.

"The entrance is blocked, and the underground must have caved in... Is Little Zhu'er and the others still alive? If they are dead..."

She closed her eyes, the ribs of her fan leaving red marks in her palm. Now was not the time to weigh interests, but—