Rewards Didn't Matter—Staying Alive Was What Counted!

Ye Zhirou's face darkened as she rode her sword through the air.

When she flew above the mountain farmhouse where Bai Yue had been ambushed days ago, she spread out her divine sense from the sky.

Broken courtyard walls, burned-down homes...

Ten li north of this cluster of farmhouses was precisely where Bai Yue had fallen.

Ye Zhirou kept searching from the air, and soon spotted some strange footprints.

Those prints looked somewhat like a man's. Judging by their size, they should have belonged to a powerfully built man weighing at least two hundred jin!

Ye Zhirou furrowed her brows and reached down to touch the mud in the footprints, always feeling that something was off.

After pondering for a moment, she flew away.

The instant she rose into the air, her eyes abruptly tightened. She turned and flew back to the farmhouse.

Upon entering the courtyard, Ye Zhirou's expression trembled. "Where are the bones...?"

She clearly remembered personally killing four people that day: A Xiang's family of three, along with one demonic-path scoundrel.

Looking around once more, she found not a single corpse.

Only a few bloodstains remained on the ground.

Could wild beasts have dragged them away?

Impossible...

There were no beast tracks at all.

Ye Zhirou raised a hand and took out a detection artifact, controlling it with her divine sense.

The artifact instantly released a circular radiance, and the surrounding space seemed to turn black and white.

Ye Zhirou closed her eyes and searched. Before long, she found something unusual.

After Bai Yue had been ambushed that day, someone had returned to this place.

And taken away the bodies of those four dead people.

It had definitely been cultivators!

It would have been utterly impossible for an ordinary person to take away four corpses at once.

Ye Zhirou instinctively looked toward the north of Jiangliu Mountain. Should she go take a look at the Hehuan Sect Branch?

There were only demonic-path dogs in this area at that place.

Just who would collect the remains of those four people?

Either they had an immense connection with Xiao Yu of the Body Tempering Stage, such as being his master.

Or they were cultivators who had ties to those three mortals!

But what was with those massive footprints...

Ye Zhirou's pupils suddenly shrank. Her fists clenched tightly around the dharma sword in her hands.

"Form-Shifting Escape... She escaped through form-shifting!"

A crazed, unnatural smile curled across Ye Zhirou's lips.

Back when she had studied under Bai Yue, she had heard Bai Yue speak of several methods of survival.

Escaping with a remnant soul, escaping through form-shifting, feigning death...

The light of her Soul Lamp had diminished by another great deal. That meant Bai Yue had now lost all her cultivation!

Whoever found her could obtain a supreme treasure beyond compare!!!

The magical treasures, spirit herbs, and cultivation techniques that woman possessed were riches every cultivator dreamed of!

If she, Ye Zhirou, could refine Bai Yue, then all the treasures in Bai Yue's cave abode would become hers, wouldn't they?

Ye Zhirou looked toward the Hehuan Sect Branch, the corners of her lips lifting to an exaggerated height.

Such a stroke of fortune was enough for Ye Zhirou to defy fate and change her destiny!

She dared to conclude that Bai Yue was nearby.

Either Bai Yue was hiding within the Hehuan Sect Branch, or she had been refined into a cultivation furnace by someone.

Thinking this, Ye Zhirou directly took out a mask and covered her face with it. Her appearance gradually transformed into that of a female demonic cultivator.

Then she picked up a pink fan and hung the token she had previously taken from a Hehuan Sect cultivator at her waist.

She did her best to play the part convincingly.

But there was still a trace of rouge scent on her body, so she took out a Dust-Cleansing Talisman and flicked it against herself.

Then she found a wild beast and bathed herself in its blood.

Suppressing her cultivation to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, she flew toward the Hehuan Sect Branch.

Her heart throbbed with overwhelming excitement the entire way.

She stared ahead with a mad smile, cold light flashing in her eyes.

Bai Yue's cultivation was definitely gone. She was probably the only one who knew that.

Shen Mengya still wanted to find Bai Yue's cave abode?

Heh heh, she, Ye Zhirou, was the greatest contributor in this operation.

If it had not been for her, could the Hehuan Sect Master have come?

Only fools would share such fortune with others.

She could barely wait any longer.

Before long, she smoothly passed through the checkpoint with the token and arrived before the gates of the Hehuan Sect Branch.

The moment she arrived, she happened to brush past the masked Xiao Yu.

In order not to alert the snake in the grass, Ye Zhirou hurriedly lowered her head.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu headed toward the Sect Affairs Hall.

Before he even reached the Sect Affairs Hall, Xiao Yu froze for a moment.

Why did he not remember the Hehuan Sect Branch having such a good-looking female cultivator?

The Hehuan Sect Branch had so few disciples in total that he remembered every female cultivator's appearance perfectly.

Just as Xiao Yu was lost in thought, the system notification sounded in his mind.

[System Notification: A new wicked woman, Ye Zhirou, has been detected. Host, please judge her as soon as possible!]

[Name] Ye Zhirou

[Age] 28 years old

[Cultivation] Foundation Establishment, Eighth Layer

[Appearance] Beauty score: 91 points, height: 172 cm, weight: 110 jin

[Aptitude] Supreme Wood Spiritual Root.

[Personality] Ungrateful and treacherous, driven by profit, willing to abandon everything for cultivation, betrays her master and destroys her ancestors, harms all living beings.

[Background] Second disciple and personal disciple of Bai Yue, Sect Master of the Jade Maiden Sect.

[Crimes] Killed 36 fellow disciples, killed 6,821 mortals, killed the entire family of her lifesaver, killed her parents.

Upon seeing the system notification, Xiao Yu immediately shifted his gaze aside.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, he walked step by step toward the Sect Affairs Hall.

How had this woman's cultivation become so high...

Why had she suddenly come here?

Xiao Yu passed by her, his heart filled with alarm.

Foundation Establishment, Eighth Layer—higher than even his master!

His master was only at Foundation Establishment, Fifth Layer.

What was Ye Zhirou doing here?

Xiao Yu walked away and headed for the inner hall of the Sect Affairs Hall.

He had to report this!

That bitch had come here to find Bai Yue.

Bai Yue's cave abode held so many treasures that anyone who saw them would turn green with envy.

If Bai Yue's Judgment Score had already been full, Xiao Yu would have gone looking for those cave abodes long ago.

No...

This woman was far too troublesome. Her younger sister Ye Zimei, at merely Qi Refining, Eighth Layer, had possessed so many dharma artifacts.

Ye Zhirou's cultivation was even higher than before, which meant she had gained some enormous benefit after Bai Yue disappeared.

Before long, Xiao Yu reached the inner hall. When he saw Zhang Ziling, he glanced toward the disciples and elders on either side, then hurriedly clasped his fists. "Disciple Xiao Yu greets Master and all the elders!"

Zhang Ziling smiled faintly. "Mm... not bad. You returned in only a few days. Your master truly did not misjudge you!"

Xiao Yu clasped his fists again while transmitting his voice to Zhang Ziling. Master, a spy has infiltrated the sect. Foundation Establishment, Eighth Layer... Do not show alarm. I suspect there are people here waiting to meet with her!

Zhang Ziling was much more composed now than when she had first arrived at the branch. Hearing Xiao Yu's voice transmission, she did not react excessively.

Looking at the surrounding disciples, she said softly, "You performed well this time. Come with your master to the study and receive your reward!"

Xiao Yu bowed and followed her, continuing to transmit Ye Zhirou's information to Zhang Ziling along the way.

Zhang Ziling frowned upon hearing it.

After reaching the study, she raised a hand and deployed a soundproof barrier.

As Xiao Yu took out the Ghost Wolf Chain refined by Fire Monk, he said in a low voice, "When this disciple was leaving, I also saw many cultivators from the Profound Spirit Sect and Jade Maiden Sect carrying numerous storage bags to Fire Monk to have dharma artifacts refined!"

"Moreover, on my journey back, I barely saw any righteous-path cultivators. I suspect they are planning something!"

"If they are not planning to attack us here, then they must be preparing to launch a surprise assault on the front lines of the righteous-demonic war... Master must be on guard!"

Zhang Ziling nodded. "Mm, I have already built a teleportation array in the west. If we cannot prevail, we can retreat to the main sect on Demon Island! As for the front lines, your master will send word to inform them. If this information proves true, there will be a great reward!"

"By the way, tell me about Ye Zhirou. Even if she is at Foundation Establishment, Eighth Layer, this is far too risky. Could it be that we possess something she values immensely?"

"She is a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet she came here alone. This is too abnormal..."

Xiao Yu lowered his head in thought. If this matter was not handled properly, it would likely become extremely troublesome.

Previously, the system had told him to judge Mei Chunlan, and he had directly killed her.

There had not been any punishment anyway.

Ye Zhirou's cultivation was truly troublesome. If he could not subdue her, he could only destroy her!

Rewards did not matter.

Staying alive was what counted!

If it really came down to it, he could refine her body into a human puppet after she died. It would still be warm, anyway.

"Mm... This disciple suspects Ye Zhirou intends to uproot us completely. It is likely because Master raided the Jade Maiden Sect not long ago and seized quite a few of their sect's dharma artifacts and supplies, so this woman bears us a grudge!"

"Furthermore, she is the second disciple of the Jade Maiden Sect Master, while our Sect Master killed her master. Old hatred atop new enmity has made her wish to slaughter us all..."

Zhang Ziling's expression grew grave. She was only at Foundation Establishment, Fifth Layer.

If a fight broke out, she could only rely on the other two elders.

The three of them, all at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, should be able to defeat Ye Zhirou together.

Yet she always felt something was wrong. No matter how much Ye Zhirou hated them, she should not have come here alone to take such a risk.

And how had Xiao Yu discovered her?

Looking at Xiao Yu, whose cultivation had already reached Qi Refining, Sixth Layer, Zhang Ziling's eyes curved upward. "Good disciple, the speed of your cultivation advancement is truly like the sun soaring into the heavens. I fear it will not be long before you achieve Foundation Establishment..."

"How did you discover Ye Zhirou had infiltrated this place?"

Xiao Yu stepped forward with clasped fists, meeting Zhang Ziling's eyes without concealment. "This disciple would brave boiling water and tread on blazing fire for Master. Once this disciple reaches the Foundation Establishment Realm, I will certainly do everything in my power to help Master form her golden core!"

"This disciple previously investigated spies within the sect and looked into the names, appearances, and backgrounds of every senior and junior sister! So long as it is a woman, even an eighty-year-old granny cannot escape this disciple's discerning eyes!"

"Besides, that woman carries the scent of beast blood. The scent of a Hehuan Sect disciple is not something an ordinary person can imitate..."

A trace of doubt appeared in Zhang Ziling's eyes. "What I asked was how you knew she was Ye Zhirou. With your cultivation, if you probed her, she would definitely notice, would she not?"

Xiao Yu bowed again. "Master should have heard something of this matter. Many disciples in the sect have drawn the appearances of the Jade Maiden Sect's female cultivators in erotic paintings... and studied them day and night... Bai Yue, Ye Zhirou, Shen Mengya—every one of them is an outstanding cultivation furnace..."

"This disciple is untalented, but I had looked through them before, so I naturally remembered her appearance!"

For a moment, Zhang Ziling was speechless. "Obscene..."

The moment she said that, Xiao Yu stepped toward her and looked into her eyes with an earnest expression. "Master... didn't you say that when I returned, you could grant me one wish?"