The Clue is Broken

A day passed quickly.

Night fell once more.

Zhou Wanqing, who had kept watch during the first half of the night, had just withdrawn when she fed Lin Fan a Foundation Replenishing Pill.

This type of pill could effectively restore the vital energy Zhou Wanqing had lost.

"You're so good to me..."

Zhou Wanqing's eyes reddened, her heart deeply moved.

She had been at the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for some time now and had roughly guessed the reason behind the disappearance of many Dual Cultivation partners who had been "drained."

In the eyes of some cold and ruthless old Menial Disciples, a cohabiting partner was more of a tool to climb higher; once used up, they were left to fend for themselves.

But Lin Fan was different with her. Though there was no romantic feeling between them, Zhou Wanqing could sense that Brother Lin cared about her.

Even if it was just a sliver of concern, it warmed her heart immensely.

"Brother Lin, thank you."

Zhou Wanqing slipped into the bedding and spoke softly.

"Sleep peacefully."

Lin Fan said.

Zhou Wanqing nodded and closed her eyes. The slight furrow between her brows gradually relaxed as her body unwound.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, her breathing became steady.

Watching Zhou Wanqing's sleeping face, Lin Fan suddenly took a medicine bottle from his bosom—it was the Dream Soothing Powder he had obtained earlier from Wu Hai's cloth pouch.

A colorless, odorless gas drifted out, entering Zhou Wanqing's body with each breath she took.

Zhou Wanqing fell into an even deeper slumber.

"Tonight, I should go out and take a look. Just what is that bizarre Bloodthirsty Demonic Insect?"

Lin Fan's eyes gleamed with sharp light as he muttered to himself.

Then, he activated the Blood Gathering Art to suppress his own aura, and with a sudden yank on the door, he shot outside like a ghost.

Blood Mist shrouded the area. Blackwood Cliff, usually bustling, was now utterly empty.

Palm-sized insects crawled out from the darkness, skittering across the ground and walls.

"So these are the Bloodthirsty Demonic Insects?"

Lin Fan was startled. He swept his gaze around—the insects were densely packed, almost covering the entire Blackwood Cliff.

Sensing Lin Fan's presence, the surrounding blood-colored insects suddenly surged toward him.

Lin Fan paused but didn't act in haste. He immediately suppressed his aura to the utmost limit.

He had previously raised the Blood Gathering Art to the proficient stage, greatly enhancing his ability to conceal his cultivation and aura. But could it fool the perception of these demonic insects?

The next second, the insects rushing toward Lin Fan suddenly stopped, losing their target and milling about in place.

"So the Blood Gathering Art can block the insects' detection."

Lin Fan felt a secret joy.

Just then, a door creaked open.

Lin Fan followed the sound and saw a house not far away open, with a figure in a night suit darting out.

She warily surveyed her surroundings, and after confirming no one else was there, she vanished into the night before the surrounding Bloodthirsty Demonic Insects could react.

"Who is that?"

Lin Fan stepped out from behind a pillar, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"It seems that besides the spies from the Thousand Hands Sect, scouts from other sects have also infiltrated."

Curious, Lin Fan used the cover of night to stealthily follow her.

In the darkness, a line of prison wagons rumbled over the rugged mountain path, heading toward an extremely secluded location within the Blood Demon Sect.

A figure silently hid in a tree, gazing at the direction the wagons were moving.

"Continuing in this direction will take them out of Blood Soul Peak's territory."

"It's not Blood Bone Peak or Blood Fiend Peak either. It seems to be the Forbidden Land at the back of the demon sect."

"Could it be that the demon sect's rear mountain holds a massive dungeon housing the sons and families of the Feudal Princes?"

Her beautiful eyes flickered as she continued muttering, "That must be it. The rear mountain of the demon sect is extremely mysterious. If I can confirm the exact location of the dungeon, I might find traces of that person."

She felt a secret thrill. If she could seize this opportunity to uncover clues about that person, it would be a great achievement.

Seeing the prison wagons moving farther away, she confirmed there was no danger around and continued to creep forward.

But before she had gone far, her delicate body suddenly trembled as a bone-chilling sense of dread washed over her.

"This friend, your skills are impressive. To think you could sneak this far right under my nose."

A sinister voice suddenly rang out.

"Run!"

The black-clad figure broke out in a cold sweat on their forehead and decisively turned to flee.

A sharp weapon whistled through the air, instantly grazing the black-clad figure's shoulder and splattering a large spray of blood.

She frowned deeply, but her movements only grew faster, vanishing into the vast darkness within a breath or two.

From the shadows, a Formal Disciple of the demon sect emerged, clad in dark robes. Gazing at the direction where the black-clad figure had disappeared, he didn't rush to pursue but muttered to himself, "Let's see how many cockroaches I can flush out tonight."

Lin Fan followed the mysterious figure at a steady distance, soon leaving the bounds of Blackwood Cliff.

"If I keep following, it'll get dangerous."

Seeing how far they were from Blackwood Cliff, Lin Fan felt the urge to retreat.

Though he was curious about the other's identity and purpose, continuing onward would take him into the core area of Blood Soul Peak, where not only Formal Disciples but even demon sect elders might be present.

He had some cultivation and could conceal his aura, but if discovered, death would be certain.

Just as Lin Fan was about to give up, the figure ahead suddenly stopped.

A sound of something cutting through the air came, growing closer.

Before Lin Fan could react, he saw a bloodstained figure burst out from the trees ahead.

The veil on her face was torn, revealing a pale, delicate face—it was the young girl named "Qiao'er."

"Senior Sister Qiao'er!"

Upon seeing her, the mysterious figure immediately called out and rushed forward.

"That voice sounds familiar... it's Feng Ling."

Lin Fan's heart jolted.

He had completely suppressed his aura, hiding behind a rock. As long as he didn't deliberately expose himself, almost no one would notice him.

"Junior Sister? Why are you here?"

Qiao'er was startled and asked.

"I was worried about you, so I came to check."

Feng Ling looked at Qiao'er's injuries and quickly asked, "Senior Sister, how badly are you hurt?"

"Not badly wounded, but I've been poisoned."

She shook her head, then said urgently, "You need to leave now. I've been exposed."

"If we go, we go together."

Feng Ling grabbed her arm firmly and said with resolve.

"Don't be stubborn. I can't escape. Take this note—it has the intelligence I gathered tonight."

"It's up to you now."

The delicate girl smiled bitterly.

She thought she had been careful enough, but she hadn't expected the demon sect to discover her.

In her current state, there was no way to break free.

If Feng Ling insisted on taking her, the end result would be both of them suffering together.

"So, two cockroaches."

"Neither of you is leaving tonight."

A Formal Disciple in dark robes appeared, raising his hand as countless flying needles shot toward the two.

"Go!"

The delicate girl shoved Feng Ling away, then charged forward without fear.

Her seemingly frail body erupted with astonishing power, blocking most of the projectiles.

"Senior Sister..."

Watching the figure resolutely standing in front of her, Feng Ling's eyes reddened. She gritted her teeth, turned, and fled.

At that moment, several weapons broke through the delicate girl's defenses. Guided by the Formal Disciple's energy, they shot swiftly toward Feng Ling.

In an instant, Feng Ling crushed a talisman in her hand, releasing a pale yellow light that deflected a few of the weapons.

But then another weapon flew at her, catching Feng Ling off guard and throwing her into panic.

Suddenly, a pebble shot through the air, knocking aside the unstoppable needle for Feng Ling.

Feng Ling's heart raced, but she had no time to figure out what had happened. Her lithe body stretched and exploded with power as she vanished into the darkness moments later.

After a short while, the delicate girl lay on the ground, her body pierced through by flying needles, barely clinging to life.

"One got away."

The Formal Disciple in dark robes wore a grim expression, but as he looked at the blood-soaked, delicate girl, he snorted coldly: "No matter. Once I perform the Soul Searching Secret Technique on you, I'll uncover the identity of that fish that slipped through the net."

With that, he grabbed the delicate girl with his large hand and immediately began executing the Soul Searching Secret Technique.

Yet the delicate girl smiled, a look of relief spreading across her face.

Bang!

The next moment, her head suddenly burst open, leaving behind a headless corpse.

"A prohibition was planted deep within her mind in advance."

"The trail is broken."

This Formal Disciple's face darkened, his fury reaching its peak.