"We even mobilized some hidden agents in other parts of the Eastern Continent, but we couldn't find any useful information."
"It seems he really was just a powerful lone Rogue Cultivator. After fighting the Holy Son, he died at the hands of the Saintess."
The hooked-nose elder's brows were tightly furrowed. Though unwilling to accept it, he could find no flaw in the story.
"Could it be that we really were overthinking things?"
"Perhaps Liu Ruyan's injuries are real, too?"
Their investigation had not only failed to uncover any flaw in the Saintess's story—it had instead made them believe in the "truth" even more firmly.
Meanwhile, stories about the Saintess "Liu Ruyan" had been growing increasingly heated within the sect.
"Have you heard? For the sake of the sect's greater good, Her Highness the Saintess personally killed the guest elder she had recruited!"
"Her Highness the Saintess is kindhearted and profoundly cultivated. She truly is a blessing to our sect."
"She goes to the outskirts of Xuanling Cave Heaven every day to heal her injuries, all so she can recover as quickly as possible and shoulder the sect's burdens."
For a time, "Liu Ruyan's" prestige within the Xuanba Sword Sect reached an unprecedented peak.
The "frailty" she displayed and her air of "worry for the sect" won her the trust and sympathy of Sect Master Xuan Tianba and many neutral elders.
Xuan Tianba had even personally visited the Saintess's Palace several times to check on her. He had heaped praise upon "Liu Ruyan" and bestowed quite a few sacred medicines for healing.
Yang Lingtian was naturally "grateful to the point of tears" and "humbly accepted" them one by one.
On this day, Yang Lingtian was once again "healing" at the outskirts of Xuanling Cave Heaven.
Suddenly, a subtle intent once