Ouyang Villa.
The cold wind blew through the cracks in the window into the room, causing the candlelight to flicker and the shadows on the wall to sway, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
Ouyang Yun sat in the center with his eyes closed to rest.
When he heard a slight sound of footsteps from ahead, he slowly opened his eyes.
A woman appeared before him, draped in light gauze that partially veiled her face, her figure enchanting and seductive.
Upon seeing Ouyang Yun, the woman performed a respectful salute.
“Grandfather, you were looking for me?”
This woman was named Ouyang Yue, the youngest granddaughter of Ouyang Yun.
The Ouyang Clan had suffered a gap in its lineage.
Ouyang Yun’s son and daughter-in-law had passed away under various circumstances.
Adding to that, his eldest grandson had died five years ago during the Martial Arts Marriage Tournament, and news of his second grandson’s death had arrived just a few days ago.
Now, Ouyang Yue was the only descendant remaining in the Ouyang Clan.
“Yue’er, you know why I called for you, don’t you?”
Ouyang Yun asked.
“I know. That crazy, blind old woman came to our home today, didn’t she?”
Ouyang Yue crossed her arms and sneered.
“A God-Worshiping Ceremony to look for a sinner? Truly laughable.”
“Are you saying everything that old woman said is a lie?”
Ouyang Yun narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Grandfather, you don’t actually believe that the old woman is a messenger delivering words for the gods, do you? The end of that plague years ago had nothing to do with her. She is just an old hag whose mental state fluctuates between sane and mad,”
Ouyang Yue laughed disdainfully.
“Is this information given to you by That Person in The Palace?”
“Exactly. That Person sent someone to let me examine the Secret Palace Records. It contains a detailed account of the plague from back then. The old woman claims to be The Supplicant, but from beginning to end, she was merely praying to the gods. The one who actually did the work was her close friend.”
“Just who was this close friend of hers?”
“Unclear. It wasn’t recorded in the Secret Palace Records.”
Ouyang Yue shrugged, then continued with a cold smile.
“However, I thought the old woman was just a charlatan, but she does have some skill to be able to sense the approaching Mountain God’s Wrath. But what she would never suspect is that the day the so-called Mountain God’s Wrath descends will be the day my divine technique reaches completion!”
“And that so-called ‘sinner’ is actually the god she wants to worship! I wonder how she would feel if she knew the truth? Ah, I really look forward to it…”
“Yue’er, that day is finally coming.”
Ouyang Yun’s old face could not help but tremble with excitement.
“You have worked hard these past ten years.”
Ouyang Yue smiled at his words, stepped forward, and leaned against Ouyang Yun.
“If it weren’t for Grandfather’s heavy support, how could I have reached this step?”
“Alas… unfortunately, your parents and two brothers will not be able to see the day of your great success,” Ouyang Yun sighed, shaking his head.
Hearing this, a sense of grief and anger inevitably flickered in Ouyang Yue’s eyes.
She stood up straight again, a faint trace of Demonic Qi emanating from her eyes as she gritted her teeth and swore an oath.
“I will make that Demoness pay for the crime of murdering my brother!”
Bullying the weak while fearing the strong was a long-standing tradition of the Ouyang Clan.
Therefore, even though they claimed they wanted revenge against Yu Yi, the targets they were actually eyeing could only be Yu Yi’s Disciples.
“I am deeply gratified that Yue’er has such determination. However, now that your two brothers are no longer in this world, I worry that things might not go smoothly for you when the God-Worshiping Ceremony is held,”
Ouyang Yun said.
“Don’t worry, Grandfather. To ensure my success, That Person from The Palace has already sent many Martial Experts to assist us. According to the time, they should arrive by midnight,”
Ouyang Yue replied, her face full of composure.
“That is for the best.”
Ouyang Yun stroked his white beard with relief.
Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps came from outside, and a middle-aged man rushed in.
“Master, Miss,” the middle-aged man bowed to the two.
“Head Guard Cui, what is the matter?”
Ouyang Yun asked with a frown.
“Reporting to Master, the Miss previously ordered me to handle some business, and I have come to report my task.”
Guard Cui answered, then turned to Ouyang Yue.
“Miss, I have finished the headcount, but a problem has occurred!”
“What problem?”
Ouyang Yue asked.
“Two gatekeepers are missing! They seem to have vanished into thin air; I don’t know where they went!”
Guard Cui replied.
“No matter, it won’t have much impact,” Ouyang Yue waved her hand.
“Just have the girls in the courtyard work through the night to make two sets of new clothes.”
“Yes.”
Guard Cui bowed to the two again and withdrew.
“Yue’er’s ability to handle affairs is making me more and more satisfied,”
Ouyang Yun said with praise.
He had just understood Ouyang Yue’s intention.
By having the Martial Experts sent from The Palace wear the clothes of the Ouyang Clan’s servants, given their strength, it would be difficult for ordinary people to notice anything unusual as long as they hid their presence.
This way, they could avoid detection and blend into the God-Worshiping Ceremony as ordinary servants without anyone knowing.
“This is all thanks to Grandfather’s excellent teaching,”
Ouyang Yue smiled enchantingly.
“However, how could two people just go missing for no reason?”
Ouyang Yun was somewhat concerned about this.
“Perhaps they were scared off by that old woman’s talk of the ‘Mountain God’s Wrath’? There’s no need for Grandfather to worry. They are just lowly pawns; it’s only natural for them to be cowardly and afraid of death,” Ouyang Yue said, spreading her hands.
“Mm, that makes sense.”
Ouyang Yun nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter.
However, neither of them realized that the disappearance of those two gatekeepers was not so simple.
***
Just half an hour ago.
A slight, unusual movement near Ouyang Villa caught the attention of the two gatekeepers.
The movement seemed as if it were intentionally luring them over.
The two servants didn’t think much of it, assuming a wild animal had approached.
They alertly drew their weapons and followed the sound.
However, they didn’t see any wild animal.
Instead, they saw an orange-haired young girl squatting on the snowy ground, fiddling with some stones.
“Hey! Whose kid are you, and what are you doing sneaking around here!?”
“Do you know what place this is? Is Ouyang Villa a place where a wild brat like you can just come and play!?”
The two servants scolded her harshly.
The girl then turned around, her face full of innocence, and spoke to them pitiably.
“I… I can’t find my way home. Uncles, can you help me?”
When the two servants saw the girl’s face, their eyes widened instantly.
They never expected the girl before them to be so exceptionally beautiful.
Evil thoughts immediately arose, and they sneered:
“Hehe, it’s not that we can’t help you, but little sister, breaking into someone else’s home is something only bad children do, right? Bad children need to be punished!”
“Come! Follow your uncles into the house. Let us give you a good education on behalf of your parents before sending you home!”
The girl did not resist and was easily “captured” by the two servants.
The men couldn’t help but be overjoyed, licking their lips in excitement.
However, in the next second, the smiles on their faces froze.
Their bodies were rapidly petrified.
In the end, they couldn’t even make a sound before their entire beings turned into two Hand of Stone.
Immediately, cracks appeared on the surfaces of the Hand of Stone, and they soon shattered into a pile of debris on the ground.
Looking at the two piles of rubble at her feet, a subtle, chilling smile tugged at the corner of Su Cheng’s calm face.
“Now, this is enough.”
She used those two piles of rubble to fill the final gaps.
The Formation capable of enveloping the entire Ouyang Villa had been silently completed.