An Even Worse Piece of News

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan's expression suddenly turned ugly.

At the Special Capture Division, he had just asked an important question: What had happened to that Corpse Demon? Was it dead?

The scene from earlier was still vivid. Spirit Master Zong Lin's expression had been unnatural, while Young Commander Chu Han had evaded the question and told him not to interfere.

Although neither of them had said anything, they had said everything.

If the Corpse Demon had died, they could have announced it to the world. There would have been no reason to hide it.

Yet now, the Special Capture Division was being evasive and vague. That could only mean one thing... the Corpse Demon was still alive.

Something had gone wrong.

That day at Changgan Inn, Zong Lin had confidently told everyone that with a True Essence Realm martial artist and the Attendant Spirit Master of Jiujiang Commandery striking together, they would certainly be able to capture the Corpse Demon. Yet things had not developed as she said they would.

A top-tier Evil Warrior was active around Jiujiang Commandery. That was bad news.

Two supreme experts had already acted, yet they had still failed to capture their opponent. That was even worse news!

"Not good..."

"I feel like the people from the Special Capture Division can't be relied on!"

Li Yuan muttered inwardly. Something had definitely happened to the two martial artists who had pursued the Corpse Demon that day.

And this matter had indeed unfolded exactly as Li Yuan had guessed. Not long after Li Yuan left the Special Capture Division, Chu Han and Zong Lin fell silent.

After a long while, Chu Han spoke. "Zong Lin, how much longer until your grandfather wakes up?"

"The Corpse Poison in his body has almost been neutralized. He should recover and wake up in another half a month." Zong Lin looked somewhat sorrowful, her tone low.

Yes, something had happened to Zong Wencheng.

Back then, he and Xu Zhe had blocked the Corpse Demon. The three of them had clashed, and the Corpse Demon's strength had been truly astonishing. Its body was sturdier than anyone could imagine—perhaps not much weaker than the legendary Golden Armored Corpse. Relying on its physical body alone, it had forcibly broken through several of Zong Wencheng's spirit arts before striking him with the Thousand Corpses Ten Thousand Poisons Palm.

How could a Spirit Master's physical body compare with a martial artist's? Zong Wencheng had suffered severe injuries on the spot, while the Corpse Demon's Corpse Poison had invaded deep into his body!

The situation had already become extremely critical!

Xu Zhe had been horrified. He had also clashed head-on with the Corpse Demon, forcing it back and rescuing Zong Wencheng.

This True Essence Realm martial artist had never imagined that even with an Attendant Spirit Master striking alongside him, they would still be unable to capture the Corpse Demon.

After Zong Wencheng was injured, the Corpse Demon repeatedly targeted the wounded man, and Xu Zhe had become much more constrained.

If Zong Wencheng were truly killed by the Corpse Demon, Xu Zhe would not even know how to explain himself to Chu Han.

After a fierce battle between the three of them, the Corpse Demon withdrew with minor injuries. Xu Zhe was guarding a wounded man and did not dare to pursue recklessly. If the Corpse Demon suddenly doubled back, Zong Wencheng would truly die.

Xu Zhe could only watch helplessly as the Corpse Demon's figure vanished into the endless mountain wilderness. His face had turned frighteningly dark.

Their plan to lure out the enemy had succeeded. The Corpse Demon had truly been drawn out.

But it had not completely succeeded.

Not only had they allowed the opponent to escape, they had also lost a Spirit Master to injury.

The Corpse Demon's Corpse Poison was no ordinary poison. Its toxicity was exceptionally fierce, and it was mixed with a hidden power of cursing. It was no longer a simple toxin.

By the time they sent Zong Wencheng back to the Special Capture Division, the Spirit Master had already fallen unconscious. Several Zong Family Spirit Masters stationed in Jiujiang Commandery immediately took action. Only after all of them joined forces did they finally manage to stabilize Zong Wencheng's injuries.

Because the Corpse Poison infecting Zong Wencheng was extremely troublesome, even the Spirit Masters with their wealth of methods found it difficult to dispel. Zong Wencheng had remained unconscious throughout this period and had yet to wake.

The other Spirit Masters were all caring for Zong Wencheng. Otherwise, they would not have let Zong Lin come forward to discuss official affairs with Chu Han.

Xu Zhe's heart was filled with guilt. When he met Chu Han again, he was extremely awkward as well. After hurriedly exchanging a few words, he continued pursuing the Corpse Demon and had yet to return.

Chu Han knew that Zong Wencheng's injuries were recovering, and his heart relaxed somewhat. Just now, when Li Yuan had asked him about the Corpse Demon, he had nearly failed to keep his expression from cracking.

This unlucky kid really knows exactly which pot not to open!

He had made things terribly awkward for both Chu Han and Zong Lin!

But Chu Han was an old hand who had spent many years in the Special Capture Division. His skin was thick enough. After coughing, he changed the subject and smoothly let the matter pass.

As for Li Yuan, although he had been worried that the Corpse Demon might cause some disaster, there was nothing he could do. His current strength was still far behind the Corpse Demon's.

For him, the most important thing was to seize every moment and increase his strength. Even if the Corpse Demon attacked, would the Special Capture Division not be there to hold it off?

When the sky fell, someone tall would hold it up. It was not his place, a tiny Inner Force Realm shrimp, to worry about it.

After submitting the Shocking Step martial art, it was foreseeable that he would not lack contribution points in the future. That meant he would no longer need to go out and accept missions so frequently. He had saved a great deal of time and could cultivate in peace while increasing his strength.

In the days that followed, Li Yuan spent nearly every day at home studying and cultivating diligently. He constantly practiced his martial arts and tempered his body, and the results were extremely obvious.

His strength had already broken through the three-thousand-jin threshold, while his body's toughness was drawing ever closer to its limit.

Qi Zhengyang also knew that Li Yuan was at a crucial juncture in his breakthrough to the True Qi Realm. He did not come to disturb him during this period. Whenever something happened at the martial arts school, he arranged for several other Inner Force Realm disciples to handle it.

As Li Yuan's identity as the Zhengyang Martial Arts School's senior disciple gradually spread, the story of his fierce battle with Qi Zhengyang that day was told with ever more color. More and more people learned that the Zhengyang Martial Arts School had produced an extraordinary powerhouse. Even though Li Yuan stayed at home all day, people still frequently came to visit—some were the martial artists who had traveled with him to Changgan, some were other disciples of the martial arts school, and some were martial artists Li Yuan did not know.

Everyone wanted to build a good relationship with this promising young martial artist. This caused Li Yuan's previously deserted doorway to gradually become lively.

At that moment, Li Yuan was practicing his martial arts in his courtyard when another bout of knocking sounded from the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a figure that surprised Li Yuan walked inside.

"Dong Yuezhen?"

The visitor was none other than the Zhengyang Martial Arts School's only female Inner Force Realm disciple, Dong Yuezhen. Li Yuan had been deeply impressed by her. She also practiced Cinnabar Palm, and her ferocious fighting style was in no way inferior to a man's.

Upon entering and seeing Li Yuan, Dong Yuezhen respectfully greeted him. "Greetings, Senior Brother. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Although she was older than Li Yuan and had entered the martial arts school earlier than he had, she did not put on any airs of seniority. Instead, she greeted Li Yuan with complete respect.

Li Yuan smiled faintly. "Not at all. Come, sit over here."

He stopped circulating the technique in his hands, wiped the sweat from his brow, and led Dong Yuezhen to sit at the stone table beside the courtyard.

Li Yuan poured Dong Yuezhen a cup of clear tea. "Here, have some tea."

Dong Yuezhen accepted the tea, took a light sip, and placed the cup on the stone table.

Back at the Zhengyang Martial Arts School, Li Yuan had never spoken with this female disciple. The two had no connection at all, so he was naturally curious about Dong Yuezhen's sudden visit.

"May I ask why you came..."

Dong Yuezhen straightened her expression and spoke respectfully.

"Senior Brother, to be frank, I have a favor to ask."

"I would like to ask Senior Brother to guide me in cultivating Cinnabar Palm."