The man in black robes was none other than Yu Qing!
"My main body... truly has fallen." Yu Qing's voice was low. "This is merely... a clone that happened to survive."
"Oh?" Xiao Chengdao's eyes shifted slightly as he pressed, "I would very much like to know how you learned that the martial artist this Holy Son is pursuing is named Lu Lin. Do you... know him?"
"Know him? It's far more than that!" A towering surge of hatred and killing intent erupted in Yu Qing's eyes. He practically ground the words out between his teeth. "My main body... was killed by that very Lu Lin! This hatred is irreconcilable!"
"With your strength, you actually fell at the hands of a martial artist in the late Golden Body stage?" A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Chengdao's eyes.
"It happened inside the Return Ruins." To win Xiao Chengdao's trust, Yu Qing forced down his hatred and gave a brief explanation. "That little thief obtained the inheritance of the Undying Will of the Martial Dao within the Return Ruins and used the terrain to carefully set a trap. I... let my guard down for a moment and walked right into it. On top of that, he had two old apes by his side, both comparable to Golden Core Great Perfection..."
He deliberately concealed the crucial detail of the Yellow Springs Corpse Water, attributing his defeat solely to the trap and the opponent's outside assistance.
"I see." Xiao Chengdao nodded slightly, his suspicions easing somewhat. "Then... what means do you have now to track down Lu Lin?"
"I once planted a unique Soul Seal deep within his soul."
Yu Qing held out his hand as though gripping invisible threads. "Even though my main body has fallen, as long as this clone remains, I