Ming Hunzi, along with all the energy generated by his self-destruction, had been completely compressed into a tiny, dark-red crystal that no longer had any energy fluctuations.
It floated quietly in a corner of the space, no longer a threat.
Only then did the two women in the room let out the breath they had been holding.
Their gazes toward Lu Li were filled with complexity.
Especially Feng Lingshuang, whose jade-like hand under the veiled hat clenched slightly.
‘Master… his control over the Dao of Space has actually reached such a supernatural level? With just a casual gesture, he neutralized the death struggle of a Foundation Establishment cultivator… can this really be done at the Nascent Soul Stage?’
Lu Li acted as if he had only brushed away a grain of dust.
He looked at Zhou Ruoxi and Feng Lingshuang, his brow furrowed slightly.
“The Yin Corpse Sect is plotting something massive. They are collecting bones, intending to use the opportunity of the opening of the Jin Kingdom Secret Realm to open a portal to the Magic Realm inside the secret realm. Unfortunately, a very strong self-destruct restriction was planted in this person’s sea of consciousness. I wasn’t able to obtain more core intelligence.”
Inside the quiet room, Lu Li’s words were like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake.
In the hearts of Zhou Ruoxi and Feng Lingshuang, as well as Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu, who were hidden in the shadows, they immediately set off stormy waves.
Their respective thoughts began to churn at an alarming speed.
Beneath her veiled hat, Feng Lingshuang’s heart was racing.
Her originally calm state of mind was now filled with waves.
The mission the Sect had given her was clear and simple: track down the Demonic Cultivator Ming Hunzi who had stolen ancestor bones, and maintain the peace of the North Region and the reputation of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
She originally thought this was just a grave-robbing case of a serious nature, but she never expected that hidden behind it was such a massive scheme by the Yin Corpse Sect to open the Gate of the Demon Realm!
Every word felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it hard for her to breathe.
This had already far exceeded the scope of her personal mission and had risen to a level concerning the survival of the entire cultivation world, and even this world itself!
She subconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.
The icy touch calmed her slightly, but a heavier sense of responsibility and urgency had already replaced her initial thoughts of completing the mission.
‘I must immediately report this to the Sect Leader and the Elders! The Jin Kingdom Secret Realm… we absolutely cannot let them succeed!’
The light in Zhou Ruoxi’s eyes hidden behind the ghost mask also deepened after hearing Lu Li’s words.
‘Mo Qingyou… what exactly do you want to do?’
Unlike Feng Lingshuang’s shock, when Zhou Ruoxi heard “Yin Corpse Sect” and “Gate of the Demon Realm,” what surged in her heart was a sense of “as I expected” understanding and a deeper solemnity.
She knew better than anyone present that behind the current Yin Corpse Sect, it was highly likely that her Fourth Junior Sister, Mo Qingyou — whose actions were treacherous and whose mind was hard to fathom — was standing there!
‘Collecting cultivator bones as fuel or coordinates… using the secret realm’s spatial fluctuations to forcibly open the door…’
‘Has she… really gone completely mad? Or did she receive some instructions we can’t understand from that so-called Demon Emperor’s inheritance? Destroying this realm? What benefit would it be to her?’
Zhou Ruoxi’s brow furrowed tightly under the ghost mask.
She was well aware of Mo Qingyou’s paranoia and ability.
Once she made up her mind, the destruction she could cause would be devastating.
The crisis before them was no longer a simple struggle between the Righteous and Demonic paths, but a necessity to stop Mo Qingyou’s mad behavior that could lead to self-destruction and take the entire world with her!
In the shadows further away, Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu, who were eavesdropping, were equally restless.
The moment Gu Qingying heard the four words “Gate of the Demon Realm,” her delicate body shuddered violently, and her purple eyes were instantly filled with disbelief and massive panic.
‘Gate of the Demon Realm?! How does Mo Qingyou dare?! Is she really going to drag everyone to hell with her?!’
The catastrophe that swept through the entire cultivation world in her Former Life — the scenes of mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and sects being overturned — instantly flooded into her mind, making her shiver.
She could no longer stay hidden peacefully.
She suddenly stood up, wanting to leave.
“What are you doing?!”
Gong Shangyu, who was nearby, was quick and grabbed her arm.
Her pink eyes were also filled with horror, but she still retained a hint of reason.
Gu Qingying turned back urgently, her voice kept extremely low but carrying an unquestionable anxiety.
“Let go! I must immediately notify my family and have them send reinforcements at any cost and at the fastest speed! We can’t wait any longer! Once Mo Qingyou successfully opens the Gate of the Demon Realm, even if it’s just a crack, the consequences will be unimaginable! It will be too late to mobilize manpower then!”
She stared fixedly at Gong Shangyu, her tone heavy.
“Gong Shangyu! You also personally experienced that war in your Former Life! You should know better than anyone what opening the Gate of the Demon Realm means! That will be true misery for all living beings, a disaster for the entire world! We cannot repeat the same mistakes!”
Gong Shangyu was affected by the determination and fear in her words.
The hand grabbing her loosened slightly but then tightened again.
She took a deep breath, a trace of decisiveness flashing in her pink eyes.
“You’re right… we can’t wait. I’ll go with you!”
She added quickly,
“I also need to immediately contact Pill Cauldron Pavilion and activate the highest level of emergency response. Pills, supplies, and even the manpower we can use must be mobilized and assembled immediately! This matter is no longer something a few of us can handle alone!”
At this moment, the two Senior and Junior Sisters, who usually dug holes for each other and fought happily, temporarily put aside their grudges in the face of a massive threat to survival and reached an unprecedented agreement.
The two of them exchanged a glance and hesitated no longer.
Their figures were like ghosts, silently and quickly retreating into the deeper darkness, racing in different directions, preparing to use the forces behind them to deal with the coming storm.
Inside the quiet room, Zhou Ruoxi perceived the movement in the distance, and the corner of her mouth curled into a deep, meaningful arc that was barely detectable.
“Heh… they ran quite fast.”
Because System Holders were immune to each other’s abilities, coupled with her extremely high insight, she had already noticed Gu Qingying and Gong Shangyu, who were hiding in the distance using the Cognitive Modifier to conceal their figures.
Their brief exchange and small movements, although she didn’t hear the specific content, were enough to explain everything.
‘Second Senior Sister, Junior Sister… it seems you couldn’t sit still either.’
‘It’s just as well… the muddier the water, the easier it is to catch fish. Mo Qingyou, let’s see how you plan to play this game? And how we, your “good Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters,” will… play along with you.’
She retracted her gaze that had been secretly cast toward the distance and refocused on the heavy atmosphere in the room.
No one could see the expression under her ghost mask, save for a cold and sharp light that flashed in the depths of her eyes.