Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Led Astray
The two didn’t show a hint of sadness; in fact, their expressions were slightly pleased.
The man from the Red Flame Sect named Xiao went straight in and stripped the Storage Bag from the corpse.
"The Storage Bag is mine. The rest is yours."
Even though she was obviously displeased, the woman beamed and nodded, her hands deftly moving—Soft Armor and other Magical Artifacts were quickly scraped off the corpse.
Shen Hao witnessed the entire process from not far away. While it seemed the two in front treated him as air, in truth, those two vicious auras had already locked onto him from the start.
"Hehe, little gentleman, judging by your attire you’re from the Xuanqing Guard—how long have you been trapped here?" The woman walked over with swaying steps, not flaunting her charms yet her whole body radiated a breathtaking allure.
The Red Flame Sect man followed a few steps behind, his gaze fixed entirely on Shen Hao.
"I am Hundred Households of Shen from Black Banner Battalion of Xuanqing Guard, Named Disciple under Old Tree Peak of Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute. Greetings to the both of you." Shen Hao cupped his hands and declared his background loudly.
The woman didn’t approach any closer, stopping a bit over four yards away. She laughed, "Heh, someone from Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute? Little gentleman, don’t try to fool me. Even as a Named Disciple, you’re not supposed to mix with the Xuanqing Guard, are you?"
Shen Hao didn’t know for sure if this rule the woman mentioned really existed; he could only flash the Little Gourd Nie Yun gave him as proof once again.
Truth be told, the Little Gourd that the Celestial Toad Sect guy ignored now appeared and instantly made the woman’s expression shift, however slightly. The Red Flame Sect man behind her grew more wary, quickly scanning the surroundings. Their brief panic did not escape Shen Hao’s notice.
It seemed Nie Yun was right—his gourd could indeed suppress most people who came in here.
"Heh, so Hundred Households of Shen really is a disciple of Old Tree Peak. Didn’t expect Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute to be so enlightened these days. By the way, since you arrived early, how much do you know about this place?"
The woman took a few more steps toward Shen Hao until she stopped just a yard away; Shen Hao could now smell a faint fragrance on her, familiar—the scent of a sachet. He remembered Lian Xiang carried the same aroma.
"I haven’t been here long. This place is strange—just entering, you get eroded by the Illusion Realm. Fortunately, it’s not hard to escape, but there are hidden dangers that test Soul Strength. Many of my companions died escaping the Illusion Realm.
Also, there are many weird clouds here, like those around us. They move slowly and don’t provoke you, but if you touch them, you’ll be sucked inside. Before you two arrived, someone died that way."
Shen Hao’s face stayed tense, fitting right into the mood. The woman from Valley of Love Flowers and the Red Flame Sect both believed him. They seized upon his last sentence: someone came before them—but died?
"Where’s the body?"
The woman from Valley of Love Flowers’ chest heaved a few times, seemingly taking deep breaths, then maintained her smile as she moved two steps closer and stared straight at Shen Hao.
"Right over there." Shen Hao turned and pointed, the corpse lying behind a small dirt mound.
As soon as he finished speaking, the two moved toward the mound. Shen Hao followed at an unhurried pace; there were plenty of things he still had to explain to them. As long as he kicked off this story properly, when more cultivators showed up later, he wouldn’t have to repeat himself—he’d cleanly remove himself from suspicion.
When Shen Hao came around the mound, the Red Flame Sect and Valley of Love Flowers folks were already standing by the Celestial Toad Sect corpse. Their faces were a mix of surprise, shock, worry, greed, and even hesitation.
"Master Xiao, you’re sure this guy is Yu Shengjue from the Celestial Toad Sect?"
"Yes, I’m sure. I’ve seen him in the Market before—arrogant, domineering, left a deep impression. I wouldn’t mistake him."
"Tsk tsk. They say Yu Shengjue is the great-grandson of Celestial Toad Sect’s Great Elder Yu Ao Feng, dearly beloved and exceptionally talented. He was famous alongside Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute’s Nie Yun as the ’Jingxi Double Eagles’. Didn’t expect him to die here."
"He’s covered in sword wounds—five fatal ones, all precisely to vital spots. Whoever killed him was definitely a formidable Sword Cultivator, and their Cultivation was extremely high." He paused, then pointed to the clean Long Sword still clutched in Yu Shengjue’s hand: "He didn’t even manage to injure the other party."
"How high?"
"I don’t know, but rumors say Yu Shengjue reached the Primordial Pill Realm Ninth Layer, just a hair’s breadth from Perfection. So whoever killed him must be at least in the Profound Sea Realm."
"Hiss!" The woman drew in a sharp breath.
Neither of them dared touch the corpse, nor did they loot it like they did with Chang Baifeng earlier.
After a brief inspection, the Red Flame Sect man turned to Shen Hao and asked, "Kid, you said this guy was killed by a cloud?"
Shen Hao didn’t rush to answer; instead, he cupped his hands and asked, "May I know your names?"
As a "disciple" of Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute—even as a Named Disciple—that status wasn’t ordinary. Shen Hao knew he had to show some attitude if he didn’t want to be suspected. Namely: hinting that you two not telling me your names shows you don’t respect Gui Mountain’s reputation.
"Hehe, I’m Wind Bell from Valley of Love Flowers."
"Red Flame Sect, Xiao Hai."
After polite greetings, Shen Hao continued, "This guy’s Yu Shengjue? He arrived before you two, wandered around for a while, then tried to probe one of the clouds. He got sucked in, and that was it—he died."
"Clouds? Are you sure he wasn’t killed in a fight?"
"How to put it... He really was sucked in by the cloud, but the scene was bizarre—golden light flashed inside, and two figures appeared. But aside from him, no one went in. In the end, only his corpse was left here."
Shen Hao had carefully rehearsed his words, weaving truth and falsehood—anything to pin Yu Shengjue’s death on his own reckless behavior.
"Clouds, Illusion Realm, Sword Cultivators... Could it be this place is..." Wind Bell was silent for a long while, then her face changed dramatically.
"Have you thought of something?"
"Master Xiao, have you heard of the name Feng Bubai?"
"The Sword Emperor from a thousand years ago? You mean..."
"According to legend, Feng Bubai fought the eight sect leaders at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Books, fled badly wounded, then died years later. He placed all his life’s learning and treasures inside a tomb. This place... I’m afraid it’s the Sword Emperor’s Tomb." Wind Bell’s eyes gleamed, wild joy overtaking her face.
"Cloud Sword Domain! That’s it! The Sword Emperor’s ultimate technique, Cloud Sword Domain, matches this place exactly! Those clouds must be the legendary Cloud Swords from the Cloud Sword Domain!"
Shen Hao kept listening, curious about the "Sword Emperor" he knew nothing about—clearly a famous figure in the sects. These two, who’d been clueless earlier, now quickly reported the origin of the place with just a few words.
