The atmosphere remained oppressive.
Their reunion with Ghost Li during the day had dealt every one of them a tremendous shock.
Lin Jingyu most of all. He kept his head bowed, drinking cup after cup of wine, his eyes filled with pain and confusion.
"Enough. Don't be like this." Zeng Shushu looked at everyone and finally broke the silence.
"What's done is done. No matter how much we grieve, it won't change anything."
"What matters now is finding out what's going on with the Treasury of the Heavenly Emperor, and what those Demon Sect fiends are plotting."
His words lifted everyone's spirits.
That was right.
They had more important things to do.
They couldn't keep drowning in their own emotions.
Li Xiaoyu looked at Zeng Shushu, approval flashing in his eyes.
The fellow who usually seemed the least serious was always the clearest-headed one when it mattered.
"Senior Brother Zeng is right." Li Xiaoyu nodded, his voice steady once more.
"We'll set out at dawn tomorrow and venture deep into the Death Swamp."
"No matter what, we have to find the Treasury of the Heavenly Emperor before the Demon Sect does."
His words rekindled the fighting spirit in everyone's eyes.
Yet, just as they were discussing their plans for what came next, three powerful, utterly different evil auras suddenly rose at once from three separate directions around the village.
Those three auras pressed down on everyone's hearts like mountains, leaving them momentarily short of breath.
"Not good! Demon Sect experts!" Li Xiaoyu's expression changed. He was the first to rise and look outside the courtyard.
Three figures now hovered above the village, though no one knew when they had arrived.
The one on the left wore a blood-red robe. His features were bewitching, and a pair of peach-blossom eyes gleamed