Chapter 139: Chapter 133: Ye Jingzhou’s Return
Ye Zhihan and his entire group were dead!
By the morning of the third day, the news had already spread throughout the Market. The reason was simple: the Primordial Sect couldn’t keep sending disciples to their deaths.
Aside from investigating clues, Ye Zhihan and his men were also meant to act as bait.
The real main force of the pursuit consisted of three Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
And yet.
Overnight, thirteen disciples, including Ye Zhihan, had gone missing. Naturally, their sect couldn’t remain indifferent. Jinyun Valley, being the only power in the vicinity, was also called upon to assist. They eventually discovered traces of a battle in a desolate patch of wilderness.
Lu Yi stood deferentially, making himself appear small.
Before him stood three elderly men. They were currently gazing at a dilapidated courtyard in the mountain wilderness. Although the scene had been tampered with, it was still possible to discern the ferocity of the original battle.
"Yes, this is the place!"
The man in the lead, an elder with a gaunt face and three long wisps of beard on his chin, paced around to inspect the area with his hands clasped behind his back. After a moment, he bent down in a corner and picked up a semicircular piece of white paper from the ground.
"This is from our sect’s Bright Moon Technique. It transforms paper cutouts into a radiant moon. They must have disappeared from this very spot..."
He paused for a moment, and a cold glint appeared on his otherwise benevolent face.
"With no news for this long, I fear they’ve all been silenced!"
Silenced!
Lu Yi’s eyelid twitched. ’Thirteen disciples from a Major Sect... He had seen their strength for himself. Had not a single one managed to escape alive?’
’That Evil Cultivator... he’s truly terrifying.’
"Valley Master Lu, I hear you’re skilled in the art of analysis. What do you make of this battlefield?"
The elder looked over at him just as Lu Yi was reeling from the thought.
"You honor me, Senior Cao!"
Lu Yi was filled with trepidation. The elder’s name was Cao Xiong, a genuine Foundation Establishment Cultivator—the kind of figure who could command immense respect throughout Yunzhou. Lu Yi, being sharp-eyed himself, could naturally tell that Cao Xiong held the highest status in the group.
"The battle in the courtyard was incredibly fierce."
After a deep bow, Lu Yi took his time, sometimes glancing at the immediate surroundings, other times looking up at the wider area. Only after a long while did he cup his hands and speak:
"Judging from the tracks, the assailant likely used the heavy rain to hide nearby. They must have stormed the courtyard, taking your disciples by surprise. The disciples of your esteemed sect fought fiercely but were no match for the villain. In the end, not a single one escaped. They all perished within the courtyard..."
"As for anything else..."
Lu Yi shook his head.
"Forgive my incompetence, but I cannot make out anything further."
Cao Xiong nodded slightly.
The traces had been tampered with, and on top of that, the heavy overnight rain had washed much away. Not much was left. Even he could only discern this much. After a moment of contemplation, he added,
"The killer used a sword!"
The two other Foundation Establishment Cultivators accompanying him frowned at his words.
"Was that Rebel Disciple’s swordsmanship ever that good? Back at the sect, his swordsmanship was merely average! Could it be that someone else was responsible?"
"It’s highly possible..."
Lu Yi remained silent, but he was secretly alarmed.
’A sword?’
’I couldn’t tell at all.’
’Then again, he’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It’s only natural that he’d be able to pick up on some minute clues.’
"Do you think he couldn’t have been hiding his true strength?"
Cao Xiong cut off their debate with a sneer.
"Xiao Chan came to the mountain at the age of five. For fifteen years, he was right under our noses. Who could have predicted he would one day become an Evil Cultivator? The man is cunning. His movements have been erratic, and he vanished completely upon reaching Yunzhou."
Cao Xiong paced about the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back.
The others trailed closely behind.
They heard him say:
"This villain deliberately used a sword, clearly trying to hide his identity. But he didn’t stop to think: who else would dare to attack disciples of our Primordial Sect? Now, sense the area again, carefully. Can you feel the faint residual presence of Yin Sha Qi?"
The other two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were taken aback. They immediately closed their eyes and extended their Divine Sense to probe the area.
Watching them, Lu Yi held his breath, his eyes filled with envy. This was Divine Sense, an ability only Foundation Establishment Cultivators possessed.
Sure enough.
The air in this part of the forest did feel distinctly colder and more sinister.
And that was the telltale sign of an Evil Artifact having been used.
"In my view, Ye Zhihan and his group must have discovered his trail, and that’s what brought this disaster upon them!"
The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators glanced at each other, then cupped their hands in unison. "Senior Brother is truly perceptive!"
"Mm."
Cao Xiong stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.
Just then.
A figure streaked across the sky above Jinyun Valley. The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked up simultaneously, their eyes narrowing.
Only Lu Yi’s face lit up with joy.
"The Valley Master is back!"
...
...
’Ye Jingzhou is back too? By that count, Jinyun Valley now has four Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The world of cultivation is a meat grinder of fame, fortune, and death. You have to kill when it’s time to kill, and you can’t hesitate for a second when it’s time to run...’
Inside the Pill Shop, the sounds of a clacking abacus and rattling Jade Bottles filled the air. Chen Che watched the streak of light in the sky, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
However.
What Chen Che found even more bizarre was this:
This morning, when he passed through the Market, he discovered that Xiao Chan hadn’t run at all. He was still there, selling tofu pudding.
’Is the guy not afraid of death, or does he have some other ace up his sleeve?’
The more Chen Che thought about it, the weirder it seemed.
"The Valley Master is back! The moment he left, we had Evil Cultivators, Demon Beasts, and the Primordial Sect all showing up at our doorstep! They were bullying Jinyun Valley, thinking we didn’t have a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold the fort!"
"Exactly! The Primordial Sect is the worst! They even dared to wreck Tributor Chen’s Pill Shop. But I guess they got what they deserved. The Evil Cultivator took care of them all..."
"Now that the Valley Master is back, no one should dare to bully Jinyun Valley again!"
Cultivators chattered amongst themselves on the bustling street.
Of course.
The most excited were naturally the disciples of Jinyun Valley and the Loose Cultivators of the Market.
In this realm, the Mortal World is ruled by dynasties.
The world of Cultivation does not, but it has its sects and families. The death of every Major Cultivator triggers a shift in power. Some shifts are silent, while others cause rivers of blood to flow.
