A shrill alarm suddenly rang out across the entire valley!
Right after, the Yin Yang Qi above the lake churned violently, and the faint fish-shaped Phantasmal Image abruptly opened its eyes.
Gu Chengming had no time to think. After quickly cleaning up the bloodstains and scraps of flesh, he snatched up the body on the ground and hoisted the still-bleeding corpse over his shoulder. At the same time, he picked up the black bead and tucked it into his robes.
An incense stick's time earlier.
Mortal World Mountain's main peak, the Council Hall.
Night had fallen deep, but the hall remained brightly lit.
Li Suizhuang sat in the guest seat. The tea in front of her had already been changed three times. Fragrant steam curled upward, but no one was in the mood to drink.
Across from her sat three elders of the Joyful Union Sect. The one in the middle was a woman who looked to be around forty. Her face was exceptionally well-preserved, and her purple palace robes lent her an air of elegant nobility. She was Yun Ni, an elder of the Joyful Union Sect—and the "Senior Sister Yun" who had welcomed them at the mountain gate that day.
To Yun Ni's left sat a thin old woman, her silver hair combed into a simple bun, her face withered. To her right sat a young woman who looked barely over twenty, with delicate features and an otherworldly bearing. Her white robes were snowy white, but Li Suizhuang knew that this seemingly youngest elder was already four hundred years old. She had simply mastered the art of preserving her youth, and so still looked like a girl.
"Suizhuang, how have you been at the Imperial Academy all these years?"
Yun Ni's tone was warm and gentle, as