Beware of Cang Dongqing

The two groups quickly went their separate ways.

On the Sword Heart Sect's side, Elder Xuan Shuang led Pei Ji, Cang Dongqing, and the others deeper into the Blackwater Marsh to continue their investigation.

"Second Senior Brother," Cang Dongqing said softly, "what do you think Li Nanzhu and the others are hiding?"

"Elder," Pei Ji suddenly spoke up, "the force of that explosion didn't seem like a simple mother nest self-destruct."

Daoist Master Xuan Shuang's expression was grim. "Indeed. It looked more like a deliberate act of destruction."

Cang Dongqing's eyes flickered slightly. "Junior Sister Li and her companions... did they really escape purely by luck?"

"Hmph." A cold light flashed in Daoist Master Xuan Shuang's eyes. "The Five Elements Dao Sect has been silent for years. Now, a few disciples suddenly emerge out of nowhere, accompanied by a strange bone spirit. How could things be so coincidental?"

Pei Ji frowned. "But they did save the people from the Hehuan Sect..."

"Save them?" Daoist Master Xuan Shuang sneered. "Who knows if they were just putting on a show for us?"

Cang Dongqing lowered her eyes submissively, but a hint of calculation flashed deep within them. "Elder, the patterns on that bone spirit... they seem to be related to a certain forbidden art mentioned in the ancient records."

Daoist Master Xuan Shuang paused in her tracks, her sharp gaze sweeping toward her. "Are you certain?"

Cang Dongqing bowed her head slightly. "I wouldn't dare speak recklessly, but I once saw a similar description in a fragmented scroll within the sect's Library Pavilion."

Pei Ji's frown deepened. "If that's truly the case, then the Five Elements Dao Sect..."

"Don't alert the enemy just yet," Daoist Master Xuan Shuang said deeply. "Continue searching the Blackwater Marsh. Let's see if we can find more clues."

On the other side of the swamp, Li Nanzhu and her three companions followed the group from the Hehuan Sect along a muddy path.

Rong Yuying folded her round fan and exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Finally, they're gone. If that standoff had lasted any longer, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from sewing Li Nanyi's mouth shut."

"Thank you for your help, Elder Hua and Senior Sister Rong," Li Nanzhu thanked them sincerely. She noticed that the ice-blue patterns on Suisui's bones had brightened slightly.

She quietly pressed the little skeleton closer to her chest. Feng Qingping immediately caught the hint and shifted half a step to block the view of the others.

Elder Hua gave them a meaningful look. "Let's leave this place first." She glanced at the lingering demon qi and evil energy in the distance. "Staying here too long is detrimental to one's cultivation."

...

The muddy path wound through the swamp, and the group trudged through the sludge. Rong Yuying held up her skirt and walked at the front, her round fan occasionally sweeping away blocking poison vines.

"Tell us," Rong Yuying asked as she walked. "What exactly happened after we separated? That mother nest..." She paused, a trace of lingering fear in her eyes.

Li Nanzhu's boot sank into the mud. Suisui took the opportunity to poke its head out from her collar, its jawbone clicking as it bit a poison mosquito that was trying to sting her.

"We were following the marks left by our fourth senior brother from the Five Elements Dao Sect..."

She recounted the events from encountering the tentacles to discovering the mother nest, though she omitted the details of the homemade bombs. Instead, she attributed the explosion to energy instability, likely caused by the mother nest consuming the flesh and blood of an evil cultivator.

"So that means the research on the mother nest by the evil cultivators wasn't yet perfected," Elder Hua pondered. "That would explain it..."

Feng Qingping suddenly interjected. "The strangest part was those evil cultivators." Her fingertip brushed over the array disk. "Their upper ranks seem far too fanatical... and they treat their subordinates as complete disposables."

Yu'er leaned in to add, "The disciples we rescued said they heard those people discussing some sacred object. It sounded like they intended to take it to the Northern Territory..."

"The Northern Territory? What does this have to be with the Northern Territory?" Jiang Yifan's face suddenly turned grim.

Li Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat. The Northern Territory—Jiang Yifan's family was there. No wonder he reacted so strongly.

"I'm not sure." Yu'er shook her head. "They only heard fragments. Those evil cultivators wouldn't let them hear anything specific."

"If there's a chance, you can just go back and see for yourself," Feng Qingping sent a voice transmission to Jiang Yifan. "Since you want to investigate, don't let the Hehuan Sect get involved."

Hearing this, Jiang Yifan fell back into silence.

Rong Yuying observed their expressions, her eyes shifting slightly. It seemed they were hiding something.

Jiang... could it be the Jiang family she was thinking of?

"Speaking of which, the Jiang family of the Northern Territory is quite famous for their refinery arts, comparable even to the Water Moon Sect."

Jiang Yifan's fingertips trembled slightly, and a faint metallic clinking came from the storage bag at his waist.

Li Nanzhu noticed Elder Hua's gaze linger on Jiang Yifan for a moment longer than usual. She immediately spoke up to divert them. "I wonder how much longer it will take us to leave the Blackwater Marsh..."

"At our current speed, there's about half a day's journey left," Yu'er said with a smile. "The commotion from the mother nest's explosion was quite large; it actually helped clear away a lot of dangers. In a way, we should be thankful for it."

The group conversed as they traveled. Unknowingly, the mud beneath their feet grew firm, and the lingering stench of rot in the air began to dissipate. The silhouette of Chishui City in the distance became clear.

Yu'er breathed a sigh of relief. "We're finally out of that wretched place."

Rong Yuying twirled her round fan and smiled. "It seems the explosion truly dispersed most of the foul things. This journey was smoother than expected."

Feng Qingping quietly put away her array disk and sent a voice transmission to Li Nanzhu. "Stay alert. This is exactly when people tend to let their guard down."

"Little Friend Li." Elder Hua suddenly looked at the four from the Five Elements Dao Sect. "I'll speak plainly."

Li Nanzhu's heart tightened. "Please, Senior, go ahead."

"That bone spirit..." Elder Hua's gaze landed on Suisui. "Although Immortal Venerable Feng Yi said it is your sect's dao-protecting bone spirit, still..."

Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan tensed simultaneously, their hands moving toward their respective magic tools.

Seeing this, Rong Yuying let out a light laugh. "Don't be so nervous. If we really wanted to harm you, we wouldn't have helped you just now."

Elder Hua continued, "I only want to remind you that the Sword Heart Sect will not let this go easily. Especially... that young girl named Cang Dongqing."

Li Nanzhu frowned. "Cang Dongqing?"

"She acts gentle on the surface, but I've always felt she isn't as simple as she appears." Rong Yuying toyed with her fan, a dark glimmer in her eyes. "I made her use up every single talisman Mu Zeting gave her, yet she still maintains that perfect facade... That is not the behavior of a normal, fragile cultivator."

Li Nanzhu's fingers twitched. She hadn't expected Rong Yuying to notice this as well.

She had always felt that as the original heroine of the story who eventually achieved ascension... reaching such heights in the dog-eat-dog cultivation world couldn't be explained by a simple heroine's halo or immense fortune alone. There had to be something else unusual about her.

"Thank you for the warning, Senior Sister Rong." Li Nanzhu nodded slightly, indicating she had taken note of it.

As they spoke, they had already reached the vicinity of Chishui City. Li Nanzhu was thinking about how to handle the Hehuan Sect's subsequent investigation when she saw Rong Yuying suddenly stop in her tracks...