Not long after, all the True Disciples who had gone out to scout returned and pointed out the direction.
"Let's go. We still have proper business to attend to!" Yan Xiaohu called out.
The group then headed toward the Western Mountain Range.
Along the way, they followed the traces left by the Azure Flame Dao Palace. At night, they lit bonfires and rested briefly.
Two days later, they completely lost the trail of where the Azure Flame Dao Palace had once passed.
"Reporting to Senior Brother, a cave has been discovered ahead. There appear to be signs of a battle!"
The True Disciple who had gone out to scout hurriedly sent the message.
Everyone immediately got to their feet.
Before long, a half-collapsed cave appeared before them.
Vines grew wildly around the entrance, twisting around one another. Sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of branches and leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground, lending the cave a touch of quietness and eeriness.
"Look, quickly—"
Lu Yaoyao pointed toward the walls of the cave. Only then did everyone notice that the walls were covered in blade marks of varying depths, while broken stones lay scattered chaotically across the ground.
Clearly, a fierce battle had once taken place here.
Li Daoxuan stepped forward at this moment, bent down, and examined the area carefully.
"These traces look rather old. They weren't left recently!"
After saying that, he rose and looked at the pitch-black cave before him. His powerful Spiritual Sense suddenly swept inside.
He quickly withdrew it.
"Don't worry, everyone. There's no one inside, and this cave looks like it has been abandoned for a very long time!" Li Daoxuan said.
Only then did everyone lower their guard.
"I'll go in and take a look." Yan Xiaohu was the first to step into the cave, with Zhou Qing following closely behind.
The entire cave looked exceptionally damp, and it was covered with one shocking mark after another.
It seemed that the battle here had been extremely fierce.
Yan Xiaohu used his long blade to pull down the cobwebs in front of him, his face full of disappointment. "I was thinking of using this place as tonight's campsite. What a pity it turned out like this."
Zhou Qing, meanwhile, looked around. He soon noticed that several of the stones scattered across the ground seemed somewhat unusual.
He then crouched down and gently wiped away some moss from their surfaces.
A faint fragrance entered his nose. At some point, Lu Yaoyao had come before him and was examining them closely.
"It's blood, and it has already dried and blackened, making it almost impossible to notice. It seems Eldest Brother was right. The battle here happened a long time ago. It should have nothing to do with the Azure Feather Immortal Sect and the others."
Lu Yaoyao spoke with a serious expression.
Li Daoxuan stood behind Lu Yaoyao, looking smug. "Of course. Your senior brother still has this much experience."
"Isn't that so? Just look at who the chief of our Divine Peak is. Senior Brother Li, the two of us brothers will be relying entirely on you during this trip."
Yan Xiaohu immediately laid on the flattery. After all, if they kept such a free thug happy, they could save themselves quite a bit of effort.
Zhou Qing, however, pondered for a moment. These past two days, he had been appraising either mountains or rivers anyway. There was no reason not to make use of it.
With a thought, the information on the stone appeared.
Blood-Soaked Stone: This is an ordinary stone. Because blood was spilled upon it when Taiqing Sect Peak Master Gao Xuan perished, it developed a certain degree of spirituality, but its overall value is negligible.
When Zhou Qing saw those words clearly, he froze.
He hurriedly read it over again, carefully and thoroughly, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Gao Xuan? Isn't he the peak master of Golden Sun Peak?"
Zhou Qing frowned tightly, seemingly unable to understand the meaning of the information.
All thirteen peak masters of the Taiqing Sect were alive and well. When Lu Yaoyao had taken a master not long ago, he had even brought all the Core Disciples to offer congratulations.
Yet this said that the blood had been spilled when Gao Xuan perished...
As soon as this thought arose in Zhou Qing's mind, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart gave a violent jolt.
He read it once more.
His mouth went dry.
Peak Master Gao Xuan had perished?
Then who was the one currently staying in the Taiqing Sect?
How long had he been here?
And what was his purpose?
Heavens, last time, Third Senior Brother and I had gone to pay him a visit. He had been so kind and amiable.
Thinking back on it now, it only made my scalp tingle.
All this time, and not a single person had discovered his true face.
"Let's go! Stop spacing out!"
The next moment, Yan Xiaohu patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder and startled him awake.
Only after coming back to himself did he realize that everyone in the cave had already gone outside, preparing to search for a campsite for the night.
Zhou Qing's heart pounded wildly. In his daze, he seemed to see an enormous conspiracy hidden within the Taiqing Sect.
But how was he supposed to tell anyone?
Was he supposed to say that he had smelled it out, like with the Spirit Turtle Fluid?
Who would believe that?
He might even alert the enemy. For all he knew, he would be silenced first.
Steady. I have to stay steady.
Zhou Qing's mind raced as he decided that he could not tell anyone about this matter for the time being.
He then hurriedly opened his Personal Panel.
Name: Zhou Qing Age: Nineteen Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivation Art: Taiqing Mysterious Qi Art Talent Skill: One Appraisal per Day, Mind Mirror Vision—LV2 (139/200), Reduce Presence—LV3 (3/100) Skill Shards: 0/3 (Cannot Be Obtained)
The talent skill Mind Mirror Vision would soon advance to Level Three. When that happened, the number of things it could bind to would definitely increase.
If it really comes down to it, I'll save one for Martial Uncle Gao Xuan and test the waters first.
"Watch your step. Why are you so absent-minded after coming out? What are you thinking about?"
Yan Xiaohu suddenly shouted. Only then did Zhou Qing snap back to his senses, nearly tripping over the stone in front of him.
Zhou Qing hurriedly said, "N-No, it's nothing. I was just wondering where the Azure Feather Immortal Sect people went."
Yan Xiaohu could not help but laugh. "They're hard to find anyway. We'll take things one step at a time. Maybe the senior brothers and junior brothers from the other peaks have already found them by now."
Li Daoxuan, however, took out his token and made some inquiries before shaking his head.
"None of the peaks have made any gains so far. However, a Secret Order has arrived from the sect, telling everyone to be on guard against the people of the Azure Flame Dao Palace. If anyone finds clues about them, they must share the information with one another!"
After Li Daoxuan finished speaking, he subconsciously looked toward Zhou Qing.
It seemed that Zhou Qing smelling out the Spirit Turtle Fluid on the Jade Pendant Yin Xiao of the Azure Flame Dao Palace had given Cui Yingying had received great attention from the sect.
They had not even found the man yet, but this fellow had somehow stumbled into earning merit first.
Heart Insight Points +5
Hearing the sudden notification, Zhou Qing turned back. Only then did he notice that the lecherous pervert label above Li Daoxuan's head, which clung like dog-skin plaster, was visibly changing into Smell-Sensitive Pervert.
Heh—
Thanks for your latest opinion of me!
That night, the group did not continue onward. Instead, they found a sheltered spot and began setting up camp.
After Lu Yaoyao finished arranging her tent, she looked at Zhou Qing, who had remained glum and unhappy. After thinking for a moment, she walked over.
"Senior Brother Zhou, what's wrong with you? Do you have something on your mind? If you trust me, you can tell me. I'll help you sort it out!" Lu Yaoyao said softly.
Zhou Qing shook his head. "I don't trust you."
Lu Yaoyao: "..."
Seeing his junior sister get snubbed, Li Daoxuan let out a sigh.
I really don't understand. What exactly do you see in him?
If it's the man himself, he's a peeping tom who learned bad habits from his own senior brother. He isn't worth it.
And you even went around playing matchmaker, forcibly tying him together with the Profound Abyss Immortal.
If you want nothing from him, then why do you keep looking for him? And after all that, he still acts impatient with you.
You've now achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. Your future accomplishments are limitless. At this point, you should stay away from people like this and find your own circle as soon as possible.
Just as Li Daoxuan stepped forward, intending to lead his neglected junior sister back from the brink, he suddenly raised his head toward the distant night. He rushed forward and directly extinguished every fire.
Before anyone could react, Li Daoxuan immediately moved in front of Lu Yaoyao, his expression grave.
"Shh, someone's here!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately hid within the surrounding forest, keeping their guard up.
Thanks to reader Aihǎozhě Boss for the 200 reward. Many thanks for the support!
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