A month slipped by in a flash.
On the surface, Mysterious Mountain Island had returned to its former order, and the market ward remained as bustling as ever.
But everyone who had lived through that upheaval knew that beneath the placid waters, the undercurrents had never ceased.
A few days earlier, an urgent message from the sect had summoned Gu Jianchun back to Earth Jade Island to report on his duties.
Yet the complicated case remained a tangled skein.
Demonic cultivators running rampant, sect disciples turning traitor, vassal lineages implicated, the hidden hand behind it all...
Mid-tier Mystic Grade spells, a Second-Tier Demonic Formation, and numerous late Qi Refining stage demonic cultivators appearing at once-none of this could be easily unraveled merely by killing a few lackeys.
Especially where the Yue Household was concerned, a local power second only to the Four Golden Core Powers.
Was the involvement of Yue Zhimu, a collateral descendant, his own doing, or merely the tip of the iceberg?
Just thinking it through sent a chill down one's spine.
Over the past month, Qing Chen had enjoyed sole use of a cave abode with the richest spiritual energy on Luofu Island, devoting himself to cultivation.
Thanks to his merits in investigating the case, his standing was no longer remotely what it had been.
Before leaving, Gu Jianchun had told him that Deputy Hall Master Xu Jiuling had personally submitted an application for him to become an Inner Sect disciple. The matter was all but nailed down.
Chu Feikong and Di Huaiyi had also received commendations from the sect for their outstanding performance during the investigation.
Chu Feikong had even been entrusted with an important responsibility: temporarily commanding all the Condensed Jade Sect cultivators on Luofu Island.
In such favorable surroundings, with the vast quantities of