Netherworld Sect; Crimson Cloud Sect Sends Someone Again

Ji Yunfan nodded.

"We caught two of them. They are currently imprisoned in our Ji Family dungeon, and we have not yet had time to interrogate them."

"Bring them here. I will interrogate them personally."

Ji Haoyuan spoke in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Ji Yunfan did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately agreed.

After Ji Yunfan temporarily departed, Ji Haoyuan turned to Ji Bochang and asked,

"Old Ancestor, what do you think about this matter?"

"I fear it does not bode well."

Ji Bochang's expression also grew solemn.

"If we are not careful, the relatively stable environment we currently enjoy may very well be shattered because of this."

This was neither alarmist talk nor baseless worry. It was something that could truly happen.

"I'll ask about the situation in the other prefectures."

Ji Haoyuan immediately took out a Message Jade Talisman and sent a message to Feng Wanqing of the Feng Family in Danyang Prefecture.

"Now, we can only see whether we can pry any information out of those two captured Demonic Cultivators."

As he spoke, Ji Yunfan, who had departed earlier, returned with two men dressed in black robes, their mana completely sealed.

Both men wore numb expressions.

Even upon seeing Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang, both Foundation Establishment cultivators, they displayed no fear whatsoever.

That was highly abnormal.

Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang exchanged a glance.

Then Ji Haoyuan said, "I'll do it.

"I want to see just what is going on with these two."

As his words fell, strange rings of light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

It was the Phantom God Effect of the Divine Sense Secret Art, the Phantom God Stab.

Not only could it plunge its target into an illusion, but it also possessed a certain degree of bewitching power.

"Tell me where you come from, who sent you here, and what your true purpose is."

The moment those questions were asked, the two black-robed men immediately showed expressions of extreme agony and struggle.

Perhaps the disparity in the strength of their souls was simply too great.

After struggling briefly, one of them finally spoke in a somewhat mechanical voice,

"We are cultivators under the Netherworld Sect. We came here this time under the Netherworld Sect's decree. As for our purpose..."

Just as he reached that point, the expressions on both men's faces suddenly twisted.

Ji Haoyuan's expression changed as well.

But before he could make a move, the two men's heads suddenly burst apart like smashed watermelons, exploding into countless pieces.

Red and white splattered across the ground.

"What happened?"

Ji Bochang and Ji Yunfan were also startled by the sudden sight.

They both looked toward Ji Haoyuan.

Ji Haoyuan's expression was grave.

He shook his head at them. "Restrictions had long been planted within these two men's souls.

"As long as our questions touched upon the core of the matter, it would have been fine if they said nothing. But the moment they showed any intention of revealing it, the restrictions within their souls would erupt.

"As expected of Demonic cultivators. Their methods are truly ruthless."

They truly did not regard these Qi Refining Stage Demonic Cultivators as human beings.

Ji Haoyuan could now basically be certain that every Demonic Cultivator appearing around them—

So long as they had come in response to the Netherworld Sect's decree, restrictions had surely been planted in their souls.

It was probably impossible to truly get anything out of them.

Thinking of this, Ji Haoyuan could not help looking at Ji Bochang and asking,

"By the way, Old Ancestor, do you know anything about the Netherworld Sect? Do you know what kind of Devil Dao Sect it is?"

Hearing this, Ji Bochang pondered briefly before slowly replying,

"I do not know much about the Netherworld Sect's specific circumstances.

"But I do know that the Netherworld Sect is a Golden Core Devil Dao Sect whose strength is in no way inferior to the Crimson Cloud Sect.

"It is said that there are two Golden Core True Persons within the sect."

"Two Golden Core True Persons?"

Ji Haoyuan's gaze darkened slightly.

Because if he remembered correctly, the Crimson Cloud Sect currently seemed to have two Golden Core True Persons as well.

But that was precisely the problem.

The high-level combat power of the two sects was clearly evenly matched, so why was the Netherworld Sect doing this?

They should know that with the Netherworld Sect alone—or rather, with only the cultivators under the Netherworld Sect—they could not possibly stir up any real storm within Crimson Cloud Sect territory.

Unless other Golden Core Devil Dao Sects were involved.

But that did not seem right either.

Devil Dao Sects were the mortal enemies of so-called Righteous Path sects like the Crimson Cloud Sect.

Once two or more Golden Core Devil Dao Sects sought to do something, the other Righteous Path Golden Core Sects outside the Crimson Cloud Sect would surely not stand idly by.

At that point, what would erupt would likely not be a war between the Crimson Cloud Sect and the Netherworld Sect, but a war that would sweep across multiple righteous and demonic Golden Core Sects.

Its scale would undoubtedly be many times greater than that of a conflict between two Golden Core Sects.

Just as Ji Haoyuan was lost in thought, a message talisman suddenly flew in from afar.

At first, Ji Haoyuan thought Feng Wanqing had sent a reply.

But when he caught the message talisman and glanced at it, his expression immediately turned grave.

Because this message talisman had not been sent by Feng Wanqing. It came from Ji Yunhai, the Elder responsible for the Ji Family's External Affairs Hall.

Ji Yunhai's wording in the message was rather urgent.

He told Ji Haoyuan and the others that a steward from the Crimson Cloud Sect External Affairs Hall had already arrived at the Ji Family and asked them to immediately head to the Guest Reception Hall.

Upon seeing this, not only Ji Haoyuan, but Ji Bochang and Ji Yunfan as well, all became extraordinarily solemn.

The arrival of a steward from the Crimson Cloud Sect External Affairs Hall at their Ji Family clearly did not bode well.

Perhaps it was related to the Demonic Cultivators who had appeared this time.

However, no matter what, since the steward from the Crimson Cloud Sect External Affairs Hall had already arrived at their Ji Family, they, as figures on the level of Ji Family Old Ancestors, naturally could not refuse to meet him.

With that thought, the three exchanged glances.

Without further delay, they immediately hurried toward the Guest Reception Hall at the foot of the mountain.

At the same time.

Within the Ji Family's Guest Reception Hall.

A man dressed in a Crimson Daoist Robe, with a hint of sharpness between his brows, sat there quietly.

Ji Yunhai, the Ji Family Elder of the External Affairs Hall, along with several other Ji Family Elders currently within the clan, stood by respectfully.

After a short while.

The Crimson-robed Man suddenly gave a cold snort.

"Your Ji Family certainly has quite the airs.

"So much time has passed, yet there is not even anyone capable of making decisions here.

"Do you take the Crimson Cloud Sect—or Ma—for a fool?"

The moment he said this, Ji Yunhai and the others felt their hearts sink.

As expected.

Not a single cultivator from the Crimson Cloud Sect was easy to deal with.

The moment he arrived, he wanted to give them—and their entire Ji Family—a show of force.

Fortunately, just then, three Escape Lights suddenly came to a stop outside the Guest Reception Hall.

Immediately afterward, Ji Haoyuan, Ji Bochang, and Ji Yunfan, the Clan Leader, entered together.