Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 420: Chapter 191: Double Kill

Chen Qing pulled his long spear free. Expressionless, he quickly searched the bodies of Feng Shuhao and Zuo Feng, taking anything of value.

Then, he hoisted Feng Shuhao’s corpse and strode back to the forest clearing.

’This is a serious matter. I should discuss how to handle it with Du Lingchuan first.’

"Brother Chen is back!"

The others had heard the fierce battle nearby. Just as they breathed a sigh of relief at Chen Qing’s return, they saw he was carrying a corpse.

When they got a clear look at the corpse’s face, everyone’s pupils constricted as they gasped in shock.

"Is that... Feng Shuhao!?"

"Feng Shuhao from Qixia Manor!? H-how did he die!?"

Shi Ziyi, Fang Rui, and the other Xuanjia Sect disciples cried out in alarm, their faces etched with disbelief.

Feng Shuhao, who had so recently been basking in glory as the first to reach the Astral Force realm and was seen as the paragon of Yunlin Prefecture’s younger generation, was now a cold corpse being carried by Chen Qing?

The shock was simply too great!

Even the heavily injured Du Lingchuan snapped his eyes open at the sight, his gaze filled with shock and bewilderment.

Chen Qing dropped Feng Shuhao’s body on the ground. His expression grave, he recounted in a low voice what had just transpired.

He naturally omitted the details about the Azure Wave Profound Flood Dragon Armor and the Fusion True Gang. He claimed only that he and Feng Shuhao had joined forces to kill Zuo Feng, but Feng Shuhao had then launched a sudden sneak attack. Forced to retaliate, Chen Qing had killed him. Before dying, Feng Shuhao had revealed a secret: his Demon Skill was taught to him by the Great Manor Master of Qixia Manor, Zhou Nianchu.

"What!?"

"Manor Master Zhou... Manor Master Zhou is also practicing a Demon Skill!?"

"How is that possible!?"

The words struck like a bolt from the blue, sending a chill down everyone’s spines and shaking them to their core.

Du Lingchuan shot upright, aggravating his wounds. He coughed up a mouthful of dark, congealed blood, and all color drained from his face as a look of utter horror flared in his eyes.

He instantly understood the countless implications, his voice trembling with urgency and shock. "Quick! We must report this to Sect Leader He and Valley Master Leng at once! Zhou Nianchu... Zhou Nianchu is within the Xuanjia Sect right now! If he’s really a Demon Sect mole with malicious intent... and if the sect leaders separate, he could easily ambush and assassinate them one by one!"

For this relief mission, the experts from the Wutai Sect and Cold Jade Valley had not come in full force; each sect still needed powerful cultivators to defend their headquarters.

If a Sect Leader-level expert like Zhou Nianchu were to strike from the shadows, the consequences would be unthinkable!

’It’s even possible he’s the mysterious Heart Devourer himself!’

The thought made Du Lingchuan break out in a cold sweat.

Chen Qing nodded gravely. "We can’t delay. I’ll go find the Sect Leader!"

Forcing himself to endure the pain of his grave injuries, Du Lingchuan grabbed a nearby disciple’s arm and struggled to his feet. "This is too important, and words alone won’t be enough proof. I’ll go with you! These old bones can still take it! We must get Sect Leader He and the others to be on guard against Zhou Nianchu immediately!"

His gaze swept over Feng Shuhao’s corpse. That was the most powerful evidence of all.

"Master..."

Chang Xing said worriedly.

"It’s nothing!"

Du Lingchuan waved a dismissive hand, his tone resolute. "This matter is too important. There is no room for even the slightest error."

He knew he was in poor condition, but he knew even better what Zhou Nianchu’s identity and power signified.

A deeply hidden, Sect Leader-level Demon was far more dangerous than ten Zuo Fengs!

He had to get this information, along with his own deductions, to He Yuzhou and Leng Qianqiu as soon as possible.

Seeing Du Lingchuan’s determination, Chen Qing hesitated no longer. "Alright! Let’s go!"

Without further delay, Chen Qing lightly supported Du Lingchuan and pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit. They transformed into two blurry figures, racing toward the gates of the Xuanjia Sect, from which the sounds of battle were gradually fading.

They had to deliver this earth-shattering news as quickly as possible!

Every moment of delay increased the danger.

Along the way, they still saw sporadic fighting and fallen bodies, but the large-scale slaughter had clearly ended. Under the guidance of Xuanjia Sect survivors, experts from the Wutai Sect and Cold Jade Valley were clearing the battlefield, treating the injured, and hunting down the last remnants of the Demon Sect.

The pair paid no heed to their surroundings, pushing their speed to the absolute limit.

「....」

At the Xuanjia Sect’s main gate, the chaos had gradually subsided, replaced by a temporary calm.

Amid the ruins and rubble, disciples silently cleared the battlefield. The corpses of many Xuanjia Sect members had been drained of their True Qi and Essence Blood by the Demon Sect, leaving them in a ghastly state.

Shi Kaishan, having suffered grievous injuries, had been rushed away by his trusted disciples to be treated. The Xuanjia Sect’s affairs were now being precariously managed by the surviving Elder, Shi Zhenyue.

「Inside the Council Hall.」

The three Sect Leaders, He Yuzhou, Leng Qianqiu, and Zhou Nianchu, sat in the main seats. The atmosphere was grave.

The experts who had accompanied them from their respective sects, along with the two elders temporarily managing the Xuanjia Sect’s affairs, were arrayed on either side, their expressions all grim.

Leng Qianqiu took a deep breath. "Jin Poyue... that was truly unexpected. He and Sect Leader Shi were said to have been friends for decades. To think he concealed his true nature so deeply."

He Yuzhou nodded slowly, his expression grave. "If he hadn’t turned traitor at a critical moment and ambushed Sect Leader Shi, and if he hadn’t leaked the Xuanjia Sect’s entire defense layout, right down to its secret passages... then even with Heart Devourer leading the attack personally, the Demon Sect could never have breached the gates so easily and caused such... a catastrophe."

The betrayal of Jin Poyue alone caused far more damage than an assault from five Demon Sect experts at the Astral Force realm.

He knew everything about the Xuanjia Sect. More importantly, he delivered a fatal blow to Shi Kaishan at the most critical moment, nearly shattering the core of the Xuanjia Sect’s resistance in a single stroke.

The Demon Sect had also mobilized all the experts from the Yunlin Sub-Pavilion, and even brought in powerful reinforcements like Jiangchuan Bridge and Mei Kun from the Lin’an Prefecture Sub-Pavilion. Heart Devourer’s plot was vicious and resolute; he had clearly intended to uproot the Xuanjia Sect entirely.

"If Sect Leader He hadn’t received word in advance and rushed here at full speed, despite the cost to his True Astral, the consequences... would have been unthinkable." Shi Zhenyue, feeling a wave of relief, gave He Yuzhou a deep bow.