Investigation 1

"Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but we're not the only ones who came. Our senior brothers and sisters are waiting outside!

We'll get you out first. As for the mastermind behind this, we'll investigate carefully, report it to our sect elders, and ask them to come."

Seeing that Feng Wuhen had prepared in advance, the cultivator felt somewhat reassured. "I see. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

He felt he had to clarify things. If their sect was not strong enough, it would be better not to drag them into this.

Feng Wuhen saw what he was worried about, but before he could speak, Bing Ling proudly said, "We're from Mount Grand Mystery. My junior brother and I are both from Nine Heavens Peak. Outside, our eldest senior brother is standing watch, along with the young sect master of Dao One Sect and Senior Brother Xia.

Once we find out who did this, we can have my junior brother summon his master, the Sword Venerable Canglan. Or we can call the sect master over instead—after all, both his son and daughter are here."

Those people had never imagined that these two unremarkable young cultivators were disciples of Mount Grand Mystery, and disciples under that man at that.

Although they had never heard that Chu Moqing, the Sword Venerable Canglan, had taken disciples, they did not doubt the pair's identities. Across the entire Qiankun Continent, no one dared use Chu Moqing's name to swindle others.

Still, though they were not people who judged by appearances, weren't these two a little too ordinary?

While they were quietly wondering, Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling removed the Transformation Talismans from their bodies, revealing their true appearances for an instant.

The doubts in their hearts abruptly caught in their throats. Feng Wuhen's elegant, moon-bright appearance alone was not something that could be faked.

And Bing Ling's hair and eyes, colors no human could possess, made it obvious that he was not human, but a demon.

They had never heard of Chu Moqing taking disciples, but they all knew that, years ago, the Sword Venerable Canglan had found a Phoenix egg within a secret realm and hatched an Ice Phoenix from it.

When the Demon Race learned the news, they had wanted to bring the Ice Phoenix back, but the little Phoenix had refused to leave and stubbornly latched onto Chu Moqing.

After Mount Grand Mystery and the Demon Race discussed the matter, the little Phoenix was allowed to remain, though he had never left Mount Grand Mystery.

Many people had wanted to glimpse a Phoenix's true form. They had never expected that Rogue Cultivators like them would see one today. They really were fortunate.

Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling tore off their Transformation Talismans and applied Breath-Concealing Talismans. After leaving the cultivators with items that could save their lives, they climbed over the wall and left.

The two cautiously searched through the residence. It was not large; aside from the guest courtyard where the captives had been held, there was only a main courtyard and a kitchen.

They searched the entire residence without encountering anyone. They did not know whether the person behind it all believed no one could possibly find this place, or had left some contingency behind.

Feng Wuhen always felt that the residence could not be this simple. There had to be somewhere they had missed. He and Bing Ling returned to the main courtyard and focused this time on the study and bedroom.

There was nothing wrong with the study. None of the ornaments, books, or paintings concealed any mechanisms.

But they found a problem in the bedroom: beneath the bed was hollow.

Feng Wuhen did not dare enter recklessly. He grabbed Bing Ling, who wanted to jump down. "We'll go in after Eldest Senior Brother and the others arrive!"

Feng Wuhen sent a message to Qin Xiaoran and the others waiting outside. In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived.

There was not even a barrier around the residence. They entered as though walking through empty land.

Feng Wuhen told them about the guest courtyard. Xia Jingcheng had the Dao One Sect disciples take the people outside and instructed them, "If we haven't come out after two hours, leave Radiant Moon City, or send word to your sect and Mount Grand Mystery."

"Yes, Eldest Senior Brother!"

After making the arrangements, Xia Jingcheng took the lead into the hidden passage. Feng Wuhen and the others followed one by one, with Qin Xiaoran bringing up the rear. As the person with the second-highest cultivation, he needed to cover their retreat.

After descending, they had expected the tunnel to be pitch-black. Instead, candles were burning below, sparing them the trouble.

Xia Jingcheng tightened his grip on the Soaring Cloud Sword and cautiously walked in front. Feng Wuhen followed behind him, also gripping the Jade Bone Sword, while Bing Ling trailed behind Feng Wuhen, curiously looking left and right.

Behind Shen Ziheng came Meng Hongying and Qin Leyan, arm in arm. Hua Yichen held a crimson whip and guarded the two women from behind, while some distance behind him, Qin Xiaoran followed with a staff in hand.

The underground space was quite large. After walking for fifteen minutes, they finally encountered someone. When that person saw intruders, he did not even have time to warn his companions.

His head tilted to one side, and he collapsed to the ground. A razor-thin sword mark had appeared across his neck, scarlet blood gushing from it.

Feng Wuhen glanced at the person on the ground, then followed Xia Jingcheng farther in.

Seeing a living life vanish before his eyes made him slightly uncomfortable, but the dead man had aided the curse in its tyranny and harmed many people. He could only be said to have deserved his death.

The others were not as calm as he was. If not for the fact that they were still inside the hidden passage, they would have long since crouched to the side and vomited.

Hua Yichen noticed their discomfort. "Sooner or later, you'll all experience this. Get used to it early!"

Once one stepped onto the path of cultivation, one's hands were bound to be stained with blood.

They had long known this and had already prepared themselves mentally. Yet this was their first time seeing such a bloody scene, and they still found it somewhat hard to accept.

But none of them were soft-hearted. Even though they were uncomfortable, they forced themselves to look at the corpse on the ground. The longer they looked, the less frightening it seemed.

Seeing that they wanted to observe, Xia Jingcheng did not continue onward. Instead, he stopped to give them time to adjust, only moving on after they had adapted.

After taking only a few steps, they saw three people emerge from around a corner. Xia Jingcheng raised a hand, signaling them to hide. They concealed themselves in the shadows, holding their breath as they listened to the men speak.

"Tsk, tsk. The City Lord really is generous, sharing his slaves with us.

No wonder they're people the City Lord has taken a fancy to—their flavor really is good. Especially that female cultivator in yellow. Her skin was so smooth, tsk, tsk, truly comfortable!"

When one of them began spouting such filthy words, Feng Wuhen and the others felt awkward. After all, there were two female cultivators in their group!

Meng Hongying and Qin Leyan were ashamed, embarrassed, and furious. Their pretty faces flushed crimson, and they dearly wished they could beat the speaker senseless.

"The City Lord treats us well. As long as we work diligently in the future, there'll be no shortage of benefits for us.

Maybe if the City Lord is pleased, he might even give that woman to you outright!"

"Hahaha, you're right. Then let's hurry up and handle what the City Lord ordered. Catch a few more talented children, then go collect our reward from the City Lord."

This was exactly what Xia Jingcheng had been waiting for. From the moment those three appeared, he had been holding an Echo Talisman in his hand. Now, he had heard what he wanted to hear.

He put away the talisman, drew his sword, and stepped out. The three men were completely relaxed and had never expected anyone to discover this place. Before they could react, two of them were already dead.

The remaining one desperately ran back, shouting as he ran, "Come quickly—"

But before he could finish, a red whip coiled around his neck and strangled him to death.