A palm wreathed in a faint black magnetic force broke through the green barrier and struck Pei Yuan squarely in the chest. Its devastating force instantly shattered every bone in the Foundation Establishment cultivator's body, and even the Qi Sea and Purple Mansion where his True Essence was stored were smashed to pieces. A little while later, the sky filled with the whistling of wind. Several people dressed much like the Baiyue Temple disciples from before surrounded a Golden Core cultivator, then descended from above on Flying Swords shining in every color. "Damn it, don't run!" "Calm down. Collect Pei Yuan's body." "You jest, young friend." Pei Qing smiled. "After all, we can't afford to offend the Azure Nether Sword Sect. So hand over your Magic Treasure and surrender. We'll notify the elders of the Azure Nether Sword Sect to come and take you back." Bai Qiuran had also glanced at the disciples who had given chase. Pursuing Zuo Yanfei were one mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and one late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. The one after Tang Ruowei, meanwhile, was at Foundation Establishment Peak, in the so-called "Virtual Core" realm—just one step away from forming a core. "Sigh, I'll be honest. Just as you suspect, the Crown Prince of Dingguo was killed by my senior brother, who used a spell to destroy his heart. Then he framed those monsters for it... That way, our Baiyue Temple can put a prince on the throne and control Dingguo from behind the scenes, while also using revenge for the Crown Prince as an excuse to capture those monsters and refine them into pills. Two birds with one stone." The Golden Core cultivator at the head of the group, who looked like an old Taoist priest, gave an order. Then he turned to Bai Qiuran and asked, "Young friend, could you tell me who killed this man?" Only then did Pei Qing beside him react. Pei Yuan and Pei Qing blocked Tang Ruowei's way, sneering at her. The old Taoist stroked his beard and clasped his hands behind his back. "Let me guess. Earlier, Pei Qing reported that Pei Shan was killed by a female Foundation Establishment cultivator. According to our intelligence, among those who took the bounty on the Crown Prince case in Dingguo this time, one group consisted of two women and one man: two Foundation Establishment cultivators and one Qi Refining cultivator. The one who killed Pei Yuan was your senior sister, wasn't she? Pei Qing and the others aren't here, so I imagine they went after them. Young friend, what do you think would happen to your senior sister if we took you prisoner?" "That's... Pei Yuan? Master, he's dead!" The old Taoist glanced at Pei Yuan's body and said flatly, "Do you think we'll believe you? Pei Yuan's bones were shattered one after another, starting from his chest. It's obvious he was killed by a vicious, overbearing palm technique. And a thick stream of True Essence remains inside his body. But you're only at Qi Refining. Where did you get True Essence?" "Pei Yuan?!" Tang Ruowei smiled, then suddenly changed her expression. "Not a chance!" When Pei Dao saw Zuo Yanfei disappear, he stamped his foot and hurried after her. Another quiet disciple blurred and sank into the ground, using some kind of earth-escape technique to follow in the direction Zuo Yanfei had vanished. "Sigh, wait a moment." "Heh, I believe you..." Bai Qiuran shrugged. Even so, the force of the strike sent Pei Yuan staggering back several steps. He was secretly alarmed, but laughed aloud. "Ha! You think I'll make the same mistake twice? Miss, I can't stop your sword, but this Spirit Talisman, made by my late-Golden Core-stage master, is more than enough to stop your attack. Give up. You've already—" Her lips parted slightly, and a streak of black Sword Light shot out, aimed straight at Pei Yuan's Purple Mansion. But a faint green barrier appeared in front of him and stopped the strike. "Pei Shan, go after her!" It was like someone jumping around in front of another person, shouting, "Come on, beat me to death!" If they really got beaten to death, no one would feel sorry for them. Pei Dao's palms blurred as he unleashed one palm strike after another, but Zuo Yanfei blocked them all with her spear. Still, he was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so Bai Qiuran wasn't worried about his disciple at all. As long as she wasn't facing someone from a whole major realm above her, with the moves he'd taught her, there was no way she'd lose if she used her head a little. Before he could finish speaking, Tang Ruowei suddenly blurred and appeared in front of him. She raised her hand and struck him in the chest. "Master, this is where Senior Brother Pei Qing launched the Spirit Talisman from." Watching the scene, Bai Qiuran didn't interfere. He let the Underworld Emissaries carry Pei Yuan's soul away. Now that Baiyue Temple disciple was truly dead. Besides, before the fighting began, Tang Ruowei and Zuo Yanfei had given their sect's names and tried every way to reason with them. Tang Ruowei had even warned them repeatedly that this move might kill them. But the Baiyue Temple disciples had insisted on fighting anyway, so they had only themselves to blame. Bai Qiuran didn't advocate humans killing one another, but in the Cultivation World, things like this were hard to avoid. He'd also heard that Tang Ruowei had already killed a Baiyue Temple disciple when she was ambushed last time. By rights, the others should have known she was capable of it. Pei Dao, on the other side, saw what happened and roared. His palms glowed red as he charged at Zuo Yanfei. Thinking of this, Bai Qiuran lazily glanced at the stone statue of Dingguo's late emperor, then sat down on the stone platform at its feet. Huh, they were even so polite. One of the disciples looked around, then spotted Pei Yuan's body lying on the ground and Bai Qiuran sitting on the platform beneath the statue. By this stage, a cultivator's True Essence had condensed to its utmost within the Purple Mansion and Qi Sea, and would naturally begin to solidify. At this point, the cultivator also displayed some of the traits of a Golden Core cultivator. When he looked over, the several Underworld Emissaries looked back at him. For a second, a man and several ghosts stared at one another. Then the Underworld Emissaries looked as if they'd seen a ghost, and dragged Pei Yuan's soul into the void. "All right, young friend. This bluff ends here." "Hard to say." He glanced at Pei Yuan's body lying nearby. Thanks to the unusual sight he'd gained after crossing the threshold between life and death several times, he could see Pei Yuan's utterly bewildered soul being shackled by several Underworld Emissaries. He shook his head. "Who knows? Maybe I killed him." Blood sprayed from all seven of Pei Yuan's orifices, and he collapsed to the ground. Tang Ruowei stomped her foot, sank into the earth, and fled into the distance. He'd decided to kill her. He took out a Spirit Talisman and activated it to notify his fellow disciples, then summoned a golden sword and flew off in the direction Tang Ruowei had gone. By then, Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei had lured all the Baiyue Temple disciples into the heart of Ding Jiangshan. Only Pei Yuan's body remained where it was, the result of Tang Ruowei's palm strike, lying there all alone. A little while later, the ground stirred again. Amid a flash of Spirit Light, Bai Qiuran emerged from beneath the statue, completely at his leisure, and stood beside it. Zuo Yanfei's spear tip struck a faint layer of runes with a crisp clang. "Before the truth of the case is uncovered, my senior sisters won't stop." Bai Qiuran raised a hand to stop him. "To avoid any 'I didn't know, so I'm innocent' nonsense, let me make this clear first. My senior sister and I are from the Azure Nether Sword Sect, and the other young lady is with the Divine Martial Heavenly Army. You'd better think carefully before attacking us. Besides, I'm no ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. For all you know, I'm the one who killed the body on the ground." The old Taoist sighed. "But what difference does knowing make? Even if you can persuade Emperor Qu Peng to open the Crown Prince's chest and discover the true cause of death, there's no way to prove who did it when the victim was killed by such a common spell... I know you come from orthodox sects, but your sects aren't here. Against a Golden Core cultivator, you can't do much. We might not be able to eliminate you outright, but we can take you prisoner. Once things have settled down, we'll have your sect's elders come and collect you. It amounts to the same thing. The gap in strength is this wide, young friend. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." "Don't worry, miss. We won't do anything to you." The silver-dragon-like spear spat out a surge of True Essence, its force fierce and violent. The silent disciple had been prepared, but still grunted as Zuo Yanfei knocked him back a step. "Sigh, why won't they listen? People's hearts are too greedy." "Maybe I should teach Ruowei some moves for subduing people..." Pei Dao was two minor stages above Zuo Yanfei in cultivation. She redirected the force to retreat, shifted her footing, and darted into the woods of Ding Jiangshan with an elusive step.
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