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 thoroughly, report it to our sect elders, and ask them to come."

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

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

Feng Wuhen could see what he was worried about. Before he could speak, Bing Ling proudly declared, "We're from Mount Grand Mystery. My junior brother and I are both from Nine Heavens Peak. Our eldest senior brother is outside receiving us, along with the young sect master of Dao One Sect and Senior Brother Xia.

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

Those people had never expected these two unremarkable young cultivators to be disciples of Mount Grand Mystery, and disciples under that person at that.

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

Still, though they did not judge by appearances, weren't these two a little too ordinary?

Just as doubts stirred in their hearts, Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling removed the Transformation Talismans from their bodies, exposing their true faces for a fleeting instant.

The doubts in those people's hearts abruptly came to a halt. Feng Wuhen's appearance alone was as clear and radiant as wind and moon—certainly not the face of a deceiver.

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

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

When the Demon Race learned of it, they wanted to bring the Ice Phoenix back, but the little phoenix refused to leave and clung to Chu Moqing.

After Mount Grand Mystery and the Demon Race discussed the matter, the little phoenix remained behind, though she had never once left Mount Grand Mystery.

Many people had wanted to see a phoenix's true form, yet today, these Rogue Cultivators had seen one. They truly were fortunate.

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

The two carefully wandered around the residence. It was not very large; apart 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 this believed no one could find this place, or whether they had left something in reserve.

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

There was no problem with the study. None of its ornaments, books, or paintings concealed mechanisms.

The bedroom, however, held a problem: beneath the bed was hollow.

Feng Wuhen did not dare enter rashly. 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. Less than a quarter of an hour later, they arrived.

There was not even a barrier around the residence. They entered as though walking through an unguarded realm.

Feng Wuhen told them about the guest courtyard. Xia Jingcheng had the Dao One Sect disciples take the people out and instructed them, "If we have not returned after one hour, 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 descended one after another, with Qin Xiaoran last. As the person with the second-highest cultivation, he needed to guard the rear.

After descending, they had expected the tunnel to be pitch-black. To their surprise, candles were burning below, saving them the trouble.

Xia Jingcheng tightened his grip on the Soaring Cloud Sword and carefully walked at the front. Feng Wuhen followed behind him, holding the Jade Bone Sword, while Bing Ling trailed after him, curiously looking left and right.

Behind Shen Ziheng came Meng Hongying and Qin Leyan, arm in arm. Hua Yichen gripped a fiery-red whip and guarded the two from behind, while Qin Xiaoran followed some distance behind him, holding a staff.

The underground space was quite large. After walking for a quarter of an hour, they finally encountered someone. Seeing people enter, that person 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 wound marked his neck, scarlet blood gushing from it.

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

Watching a living person die before his eyes made him feel a faint trace of discomfort, but the dead man had committed every evil and harmed many people. He could only be said to have deserved his death.

The others were not as calm as he was. If they had not been concerned about still being inside the hidden passage, they would already have crouched to the side and vomited.

Hua Yichen saw their discomfort. "You'll have to go through this sooner or later. Get used to it early!"

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

They had known this long ago and had mentally prepared themselves. Yet this was their first time seeing such a bloody scene, and they were still somewhat unaccustomed to it.

But none of them were softhearted. Though uncomfortable, they still 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 forward. Instead, he stopped and gave them time to adjust. Only after they had adapted did he proceed.

After 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.

"Tut, tut. The City Lord is truly generous, sharing those slaves of his with us.

"No wonder they're people the City Lord has taken a liking to—their taste is indeed excellent. Especially that female cultivator in yellow. Her skin was so smooth, tut, tut. It was truly comfortable!"

As one of them spewed such filthy words, Feng Wuhen and the others all 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 man who had said it to a pulp.

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

"Perhaps if the City Lord is in a good mood, he might even give that woman to you outright!"

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

This was exactly what Xia Jingcheng had been waiting for. From the moment the 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 walked out. The three men were completely relaxed and never expected anyone to discover this place. Before they could react, two of them were already dead.

The sole survivor desperately ran back, shouting as he ran, "Come quick..."

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