The Divine Dao Seal, Its Spirit Undying

On the narrow, steep banks of First-Line Gorge, the Demon-Slaying Squad's elite had completed their first sweep.

At the edge of a dense wood beyond the riverbank, several seasoned Demon-Slaying Guards found a few scattered footprints that spells had forcibly concealed, along with traces of several shattered Concealment Talismans commonly used by rogue cultivators.

The evidence was scant, but it was enough to show that a group of capable rogue cultivators had been active here around the time the Water Earl met his end.

Chu Bai ordered all evidence sealed and placed under the personal guard of ten Demon-Slaying Guards. Everyone else, even nearby hunters and boatmen, was driven at least three li away.

Nearer the river, there were no further clues beyond reefs and deadwood shattered by the impact.

"My lord, that black mist is swirling deep underwater. Ordinary River-Patrolling Strongmen can't get near it." Han Xingmo walked ashore atop the waves, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and shook his head at Chu Bai in defeat.

He had sent several groups of strongmen who were excellent swimmers to dive toward the capsized Divine Ship in midriver. But the moment they neared the black mist, cold seeped through their bodies and their spell power seized up. Had they not retreated quickly, they might have shared the Water Earl's fate.

"Then we hold this position. Our duty is to protect the scene; that alone will be our greatest contribution. The investigation is not ours to overstep into." Chu Bai stood on the towering cliff, his gaze fixed on the broken mast in midriver.

He and Han Xingmo compared what they knew, but both had little to go on. The power that had slain a god was deeply strange. It had not only erased every trace of life; it seemed