The residual divine sense restriction in the air immediately put Mu Wenyan on high alert.
He instantly withdrew his presence, cautiously extending his divine sense toward the courtyard.
When his divine sense swept through the room, his pupils constricted sharply—Wen Qianhui was already dead, his bulging eyes frozen in a mask of terror and resentment.
Dead?!
Just then, a dark shadow darted out from the courtyard.
Mu Wenyan immediately performed a hand seal to hide himself. Under the moonlight, his figure merged directly into the night.
The black-robed man's cold gaze swept over his hiding spot but failed to notice anything unusual—as a fellow Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and one with a dark spiritual root to boot, Mu Wenyan found it effortless to conceal his presence in the darkness.
After confirming no one was there, the figure turned to depart.
It was at that exact moment that Mu Wenyan noticed a faint glimmer at the person's waist—an unremarkable green jade token with the faint sword-pattern mark of the Sword Heart Sect.
"So it really is someone from the Sword Heart Sect..." A sharp glint flashed in Mu Wenyan's eyes, but he did not act rashly.
He only slowly revealed himself once the black-robed man had turned into a streak of light and completely vanished into the horizon.
The courtyard was terrifyingly silent.
Mu Wenyan formed a seal with his fingertips, and three concealment talismans unfolded silently, enveloping the entire courtyard in an isolation array. He pushed the door open slightly, and a heavy scent of blood rushed toward him.
Wen Qianhui’s corpse lay sprawled on the bed, a single scarlet dot on his brow particularly striking.
Mu Wenyan examined the wound carefully, a hint of surprise crossing his eyes.
Why would the Sword Heart Sect use something as sinister as a blood-soul talisman? Those struck by it wouldn't even have a chance at reincarnation.
"This is a total silencing..." Mu Wenyan frowned slightly, his divine sense meticulously scanning Wen Qianhui’s body.
Finally, at Wen Qianhui’s dantian, he discovered a nearly imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy—the hidden move Jiang Yifan had left behind on the arena during the day.
It had likely been left behind because the killer was in too much of a hurry.
"Thankfully..." Mu Wenyan’s fingertips glowed with green light as he completely erased that faint trace of spiritual energy.
He then carefully checked Wen Qianhui’s storage bag and the room. Only after confirming there were no items related to the Five Elements Dao Sect did he breathe a small sigh of relief.
Taking one last look at Wen Qianhui’s hideous death mask, Mu Wenyan sighed softly and reached out to close the eyes that refused to shut in peace.
As he turned to leave, he swept away every trace he had left in the room.
At the Five Elements Dao Sect residence, the candlelight flickered slightly.
"Dead?!" Duan Xianxing’s eyes widened. "This... this is too sudden!"
Feng Qingping toyed with her array flags. "What is the Sword Heart Sect trying to do? Killing to silence him?"
Zhu Yinxi lightly stroked his jade flute. "Wen Qianhui... what did he know?"
Jiang Yifan said coldly, "Trash, not worth mentioning."
Li Nanzhu held Suisui, the little skeleton's soul fire jumping uneasily. "I’m afraid the Sword Heart Sect wanted to get rid of him even during the match."
"That makes sense..." Feng Qingping nodded. After all, everyone had seen the referee's attitude clearly.
"However," Feng Weilan said seriously, "will the Xuan Tian Sect take this opportunity to cause trouble?"
Mu Wenyan pondered. "Everyone act carefully tomorrow. If the Xuan Tian Sect comes to make a scene..." He looked at Jiang Yifan. "Fourth Junior Brother, do not show yourself for the time being."
Jiang Yifan nodded. "Understood."
"Go and rest, everyone." Mu Wenyan looked around at them. "This matter has nothing to do with us. We will act as if we know nothing."
...
The next morning, the Xuan Tian Sect residence was in an uproar.
"Senior Brother Wen is dead!" A young disciple scrambled into the courtyard. "Elder! Senior Brother Wen... he..."
Elder Ming stood up abruptly. "What happened?!"
When everyone rushed to the secluded small courtyard, they saw Wen Qianhui lying quietly on the bed as if he were asleep, except for the scarlet dot on his brow that proclaimed an unnatural cause of death.
"A blood-soul talisman..." Elder Ming’s fingertips trembled slightly. "This is far too cruel!"
The other elders looked at each other, their eyes filled with alarm.
Everyone present knew that someone capable of silently infiltrating the Xuan Tian Sect residence to kill and using such a high-level talisman was no ordinary power.
"Could it be..." one elder lowered his voice, "that Jiang Yifan from the Five Elements Dao Sect? Yesterday he..."
Elder Ming shook his head. "It’s true the Northern Territory Jiang family excels at refining, but they have always disdained using such methods." His eyes flickered. "Furthermore, Jiang Yifan was at his residence all day yesterday. He wouldn't have had the time..."
As soon as he spoke, the elder who had raised the question fell silent. Everyone simultaneously looked toward the Sword Heart Sect residence before quickly averting their eyes.
"Disperse." He gritted his teeth, then suddenly lowered his voice. "This matter... will be suppressed for now."
"Elder!" a young disciple protested. "Senior Brother Wen can’t die for nothing!"
"Shut up!" Elder Ming barked. "Do you want the entire Xuan Tian Sect to be buried with him?" He looked around at everyone. "No one is allowed to spread word of today’s events! Enough! Everyone out!"
Once the crowd retreated, Elder Ming stood alone in the courtyard and took a memory stone from his sleeve.
A disciple on duty last night had happened to leave a memory stone in the corner. The image was blurred, only catching a dark shadow leaping over the wall.
But in the corner, a familiar green sleeve was faintly visible—it was the color of the robes Mu Wenyan most often wore.
"Two sects..." He narrowed his eyes. "The Sword Heart Sect kills, and the Five Elements Dao Sect cleans up?"
His fingers rubbed his storage bag. Since the Sword Heart Sect wanted to kill with a borrowed knife, he might as well beat them at their own game.
It was just a pity for Wen Qianhui; he had originally planned to have him play the victim to gain sympathy. He hadn't expected the Sword Heart Sect to move so quickly.
Elder Ming raised his hand and stored Wen Qianhui’s body into his storage bag.
At least he could still make use of the waste.
...
At the competition arena, the Five Elements Dao Sect group stood ready, yet the Xuan Tian Sect was nowhere to be seen.
"Strange..." Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "Why isn't there any movement?"
"Something’s wrong." Feng Qingping tapped her array disk. "Someone is dead; there’s no way they haven't noticed. Or are they planning to just endure it..."
Li Nanzhu held Suisui, the little skeleton's soul fire jumping anxiously. "Master Senior Brother, should I go gather some news?"
Mu Wenyan shook his head. "No need." He looked around. "I investigated earlier. The Xuan Tian Sect residence is abnormally calm. They haven't even hung funeral banners, and the disciples aren't showing any signs of distress."
Zhu Yinxi spun his jade flute. "Abnormal..."
Jiang Yifan sneered. "There's a trick."
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "So are we still competing?"
As he spoke, he surreptitiously glanced toward the Sword Heart Sect. "Should I go over there and listen for news?"
Li Nanzhu was about to say something when a bell suddenly rang from the referee's stand.
Everyone looked up as the massive matchup light screen slowly unfolded—Zhu Yinxi of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Jiang Yifan of the Five Elements Dao Sect; Pei Ji of the Sword Heart Sect versus Lin Xiuyuan of the Red Rock Sect.
"What?!" Duan Xianxing’s eyes widened. "They actually paired Second Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother against each other?!"
Rate on N.U.
