The event occurred so suddenly that Lü Qi resorted to unconventional methods, playing a melody that resounded throughout the entire Fengqing Sect, startling all the sleeping disciples awake.
However, even after searching every corner of the sect, they could not find any sign of the Old Sect Master.
It was not until dawn that another faction of the Orthodox Faction in Yuanzhou arrived at the Fengqing Sect. They were carrying a stretcher with a body on it, completely covered by a white cloth.
Under the worried gazes of the numerous Fengqing Sect disciples, Lü Qi slowly approached the stretcher.
She bit her lip and reached out to lift a corner of the white cloth.
Appearing before her eyes was the Old Sect Master. His eyes had become massive bloody holes, and all signs of life were gone.
Lü Qi covered him with the white cloth again and turned around to face the disciples of the Fengqing Sect. After a long silence, she shook her head.
Instantly, the entire area fell into a dead silence.
Several younger disciples finally could not hold it back and burst into tears.
The elder disciples, meanwhile, had red eyes and gritted teeth, their fists already clenched tight.
For all the disciples of the Fengqing Sect, the Old Sect Master was their only elder. He had a gentle temperament and never put on airs of superiority.
Regardless of whether they were outer or inner sect disciples, they could privately call him “Grandpa.”
Yet on this day, their kind and amiable Grandpa would never again smile and stroke their heads while praising their progress as he had before.
Yun Qianxue was a sensitive young girl. She hated seeing people cry over the loss of a loved one because it made her want to cry as well.
But Yun Qianxue was also a strong child. She suppressed her emotions and comforted them one by one, saying, “Please accept my condolences.”
Yu Yi’s heart felt heavy due to the current atmosphere, but at that moment, she noticed that Lü Qi seemed to have become a different person.
“Where… did you find him?”
Lü Qi spoke through gritted teeth, her expression hideous, looking like a vengeful spirit from hell.
She questioned the orthodox practitioners carrying the Old Sect Master’s body, and with every word she spoke, the sound of her teeth grinding could be clearly heard.
However, those orthodox practitioners seemed used to such sights. They were only momentarily startled by Lü Qi’s sudden change in expression before calmly answering.
“In a haystack near Qingxu Town. The defense line set up at Qingxu Town was lost last night. We are currently unsure of the enemy’s numbers or exactly what they took from the town.”
Lü Qi’s teeth chattered involuntarily, and her two emerald-like eyes darted back and forth, appearing as though she didn’t know where to fix her gaze.
Although she looked as if she had lost her mind, in reality, this state was when she was at her calmest.
Lü Qi murmured under her breath, “It seems… things are looking grim for Cangjin Cave as well…”
As the Successor Disciple of the Fengqing Sect, Fu Yi was one of Lü Qi’s most trusted partners in Yuanzhou, and her administrative abilities had always been outstanding.
If the defense line at Qingxu Town had been broken, it was impossible for Cangjin Cave to be safe.
Since Fu Yi had not sent a signal to the Fengqing Sect, it meant that at this very moment, she might have already…
Just then, someone cried out in joy.
“Big Sis! Big Sis is back!!”
Lü Qi looked forward and indeed saw a battered and bruised Fu Yi limping up the many steps to enter the mountain gate.
“Big Sis! Big Sis, are you okay!?”
The Fengqing Sect disciples rushed to surround her. Some disciples responsible for healing had even opened their medicine chests, preparing to treat Fu Yi’s wounds.
While Fu Yi accepted the concern of her brothers and sisters, she sneered repeatedly in her heart.
This Fu Yi was not the real Fu Yi.
It was Shang Zhai, one of the Seven Apostles of the Demon Sect, who had used the face-changing art to take her place.
Although Shang Zhai was the most frivolous among the Seven Apostles, he had always been cautious in his actions.
Before openly entering the Fengqing Sect, Shang Zhai had made a special trip to Cangjin Cave to confirm that the bodies of Fu Yi and the others were still lying there quietly.
This meant the Orthodox Faction had not yet learned the news of their deaths.
If the bodies of Fu Yi and the others had been moved or buried, Shang Zhai would not have come directly to the Fengqing Sect. Instead, he would have first confirmed the location of Fu Yi’s body.
Fortunately, luck was on his side. As long as the bodies of Fu Yi and the others remained at Cangjin Cave, Shang Zhai could skip many unnecessary steps.
After setting up a magic energy formation around Cangjin Cave, he disguised himself as Fu Yi and walked boldly into the Fengqing Sect.
The magic energy formation he had set up was extraordinary; it could only be broken from the inside.
But everyone inside was dead, so how could they possibly break his formation?
“Fu Yi.” Lü Qi approached Shang Zhai, her expression cold and harsh as she reprimanded him. “Where is your signal arrow? Why didn’t you fire it for so long?”
Shang Zhai was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had finally ‘returned with his life,’ yet the other party didn’t care and instead questioned him.
He reacted quickly, answering weakly, “The signal arrow I fired was intercepted in mid-air by people of the Demonic Path. Not only that, but my bow was also destroyed. I truly had no way to send a signal…”
Lü Qi followed up, “How did you get back?”
His answer was flawless and airtight.
Soon after, he saw Lü Qi let out a meaningful sigh and say, “Go treat your injuries first. Come see me again once you’ve recovered a bit.”
“Yes,” Shang Zhai responded.
From the beginning until now, he had been observing Lü Qi.
Whether it was her face, her body, or her voice, Lü Qi was absolutely top-tier.
Shang Zhai had rarely seen such a high-quality woman in his life.
‘Ah… I really want to press her onto the bed and toy with her as I please. But since she is so excellent, would she be better suited to bear children for the Holy Sovereign?”
“If so, she would become the Shadow Race Matriarch. If I touch her beforehand, I’m afraid the Holy Sovereign would have my head…”
Just as Shang Zhai was torn with indecision, a beautiful figure suddenly walked past, instantly capturing his gaze.
“This, this is!!!”
The one who had caught Shang Zhai’s attention was an exquisitely beautiful woman he had never seen before.
She was so beautiful that Shang Zhai temporarily forgot what words to use to describe her.
Calling her a Capital Beauty was no longer enough to describe her beauty; it would not be an exaggeration to say she was world-shaking.
Shang Zhai dared to swear in his heart that from ancient times to the present, there would likely never be a second person whose beauty could rival hers.
This beauty was, of course, Yu Yi.
It was worth noting that in the entire Demon Sect, only the Holy Sovereign himself had seen Yu Yi’s true face. The Seven Apostles under him had never seen her.
When Old Fifth, who previously pretended to be an envoy to Among the Colorful Clouds, met Yu Yi face-to-face for the first time, he was blind.
However, with his incredible sense of smell, he caught the scent of an “extremely powerful person” from her and confirmed she was Yu Yi.
But Shang Zhai was different. He had neither that level of sensitive perception nor had he seen Yu Yi’s appearance.
Thus, he naturally began to plot his own schemes.
‘This woman… she’s mine! As for that green-haired one just now, let her bear the Holy Sovereign’s children! Although this one is better suited to propagate the Holy Sovereign’s lineage… I simply can’t help myself!’
At the very moment Shang Zhai’s greed for Yu Yi surfaced, she seemed to sense something. Her gaze, sharp as lightning, turned toward him.
I’ve started working hard on the updates, everyone.
A total of thirty-four chapters need to be added. Currently, twenty have been added, leaving fourteen remaining.
Go, go, go!