I don't know.
Qin Yangui his head. "That pursuit only lasted a few days, after which the Holy Envoys collectively left the Eastern Continent and never appeared in public again."
Ten years later, the Holy Academy recruited disciples again. Shaoyuan was already twenty-nine years old, but due to his outstanding talent, he still received an exceptional invitation.
She slowly closed her eyes, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
"But the child said that he was abandoned by his parents when he was young, and that I raised him. If he goes to the Holy Academy, he doesn't know when he will be able to return."
So he refused.
Si Yunshu said softly, "Grandmaster Lu was unparalleled in filial piety and righteousness; this is also recorded in the sect's old records."
Qin Yangui did not respond, but a deep sorrow appeared in her eyes.
If Lu Shaoyuan had accepted the invitation back then, perhaps he wouldn't have disappeared for thirty years.
But there are no "what ifs" in this world.
Chu Yunfei remained silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "I have finished asking my questions."
Qin Yangui suddenly opened her eyes.
What about Shaoyuan?
Where is he?
Chu Yunfei did not answer.
He raised his hand and brushed it across the storage ring, and a gentle spiritual energy surged out from it.
The next moment, a relatively intact skeleton was gently placed in the center of the quiet room. In the skeleton's right hand, a rusty broken sword, only half of which remained, was still tightly gripped.
Qin Yangui's body froze instantly.
She stared intently at the broken sword, the color draining from her face at a visible speed.
"No..."
"No, it won't..."
After years of waiting, she had already considered the worst possible outcome.
But when the disciple's remains were actually laid out before him, all his hopes were instantly crushed.
Chu Yunfei sighed softly.
"Senior Qin, please accept my condolences."
These words were like a heavy hammer, completely shattering Qin Yangui's last remaining support.
She staggered to her feet, her steps unsteady.
Si Yunshu quickly reached out to support her.
" Your Grand Elder Qin!"
Qin Yangui pushed Si Yunshu aside, quickly walked to the skeleton, and squatted down with trembling hands.
Instead of touching the bones first, she reached out and carefully wiped away the rust from the broken sword inch by inch.
Under the hilt of the sword, an almost completely corroded word "LU" is revealed.
Qin Yangui's fingertips stopped.
A single tear fell silently onto the broken sword.
" Azure Firmament Sword..."
"This is the Azure Firmament Sword that I forged for you myself when you were sixteen..."
The voice of this dignified expert at the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer was trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Yangui gently stroked the sunken chest of the withered bones, feeling the familiar scent that had not completely dissipated deep within the bones, and tears finally streamed down her face.
" Shaoyuan..."
"It really is you..."
She waited for thirty years and searched for twenty.
In the end, all that was left was a skeleton, left unburied.
Si Yunshu's eyes reddened slightly as she softly advised, " Your Grand Elder Qin, the deceased is gone. If Grandmaster Lu could know this in the afterlife, he would not want to see you so heartbroken."
Qin Yangui did not respond.
She gently embraced the skeleton, as if holding the spirited young man from many years ago.
"It's because I'm useless."
"If I had accompanied you back then, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
Chu Yunfei watched this scene with mixed feelings.
He didn't interrupt, but waited until Qin Yangui's emotions calmed down before taking out the yellowed letter from his storage ring again.
"Senior Qin."
"This is the letter that Senior Lu Shaoyuan left for you before he died."
Qin Yangui suddenly looked up.
She took the letter with both hands, feeling the unique Spirit-Edict Seal of the Heavenly Edict Sect on the envelope, and tears fell again.
She would never mistake the aura of this seal.
It was Lu Shaoyuan.
She didn't open the letter immediately, but asked in a hoarse voice, "Young Master Chu, where did you find him?"
Chu Yunfei did not hide anything and briefly recounted the events of being ambushed in the Black Wind Mountain Range, falling into the abyss, and later discovering the cave and the last words on the stone wall beside the Earth Vein Spirit Spring.
Of course, he omitted the matter of the demon soul and Luo Wuxu.
After listening, Si Yunshu finally understood everything.
"So, your Sea-Overturning Ninefold Sword was left in the cave by Grandmaster Lu?"
"Good."
Chu Yunfei nodded. "Senior Lu entrusted his remains and letters to be delivered back to the Heavenly Edict Sect in exchange for his swordsmanship."
Qin Yangui's gaze fell on the withered skeleton's chest.
There were a few very faint dark red lines remaining there.
She glanced at it once, and a chilling killing intent suddenly erupted in her eyes.
"This evil marking..."
Si Yunshu also leaned closer for a closer look.
The next moment, her pupils contracted sharply, and she exclaimed:
"These evil markings are exactly the same as the martial arts techniques used by the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect in recent decades."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yangui's killing intent intensified. "When I encountered the Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master in the Western Continent, his body was also covered with these patterns, and the power he used originated from the same source."
boom!
The overwhelming pressure of the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer suddenly erupted, instantly turning the teacup on the table into dust.
Qin Yangui held his disciple's remains and spoke in a cold voice.
" Blood Baleful Intent Tower, Heavenly Evil Devil Sect."
"You're the ones who killed Shaoyuan."
Under the oppressive aura, Si Yunshu's face paled slightly.
She had never heard of Qin Yangui so out of control.
Since returning from the Western Continent severely injured, this Supreme Elder has remained in seclusion. Some within the sect even believe that she has severed all worldly ties and no longer cares about external affairs.
But it was only at this moment that Si Yunshu understood.
Qin Yangui has not let go.
Instead, he buried all his pain and murderous intent deep in his heart.
Chu Yunfei slowly spoke, "Senior Qin, these two forces are indeed inextricably linked, but we cannot be certain yet. The people who besieged Senior Lu represent the entire Heavenly Evil Devil Sect."
Qin Yangui suddenly looked up.
" Shaoyuan's remains already bear evil markings, and you still want to exonerate the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect?"
"I'm not trying to excuse myself."
Chu Yunfei looked directly into her murderous eyes and calmly said, "Senior Lu also received an invitation from the Blood Baleful Intent Tower back then. If he had accepted, the Blood Baleful Intent Tower would have gained another golden-masked assassin who cultivates the Heavenly Edict Sect Sect's techniques."
"Does recognizing the Sea-Overturning Ninefold Sword mean that the entire Heavenly Edict Sect is a henchman of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower?"
Qin Yangui's gaze froze.
Although she was furious, she had not completely lost her mind.
Chu Yunfei continued, "I saw Li Tianxing, the Holy Son of the Li Tianxing Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, use the Devil-Suppressing Hand in the Imperial City. Evil patterns also appeared on his left arm, and his aura was completely consistent with Senior Lu's last words."
"Later, when Zhou Changgeng, the Grand Elder of the Jade Firmament Sect, ambushed and killed me, he also used the same power."
Si Yunshu's expression changed drastically.
"Is the Grand Elder of the Jade Firmament Sect also connected to the Blood Baleful Intent Tower?"
He has already admitted it himself.
Chu Yunfei's eyes were cold. "But he's dead."
Those five short words sent a jolt through Si Yunshu's heart.
Zhou Changgeng is a powerful expert at the Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level.
Chu Yunfei actually said he was dead?
Was it murder, or was it someone else?
Chu Yunfei ignored Si Yunshu's reaction and continued:
" Zhou Changgeng is the Grand Elder of the Jade Firmament Sect, yet he can use the Devil-Suppressing Hand of the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect. This means that the Blood Baleful Intent Tower's techniques are not solely derived from the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect."
"They are able to recruit powerful individuals from different sects to their side."
The anger in Qin Yangui's eyes subsided slightly, replaced by a deeper chill.
"You mean, the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect might have simply been infiltrated?"
"That's possible."
Chu Yunfei said, "It's also possible that the Blood Baleful Intent Tower was originally a force secretly cultivated by the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect. Another possibility is that the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect has already been completely controlled by the Blood Baleful Intent Tower."
"We need to continue investigating to determine which one it is."
Qin Yangui lowered her eyes to look at the skeleton in her arms, her voice icy.
"No matter which it is, I will make them give Shaoyuan an explanation."
Chu Yunfei nodded.
"This Seven Sects Grand Competition could very well be an opportunity."
Qin Yangui looked up. "What do you mean?"
" The Seven Sects Grand Competition was originally scheduled for a month later, but the location was unusually chosen to be the imperial city. Later, the competition was moved up, and then the Jade Firmament Sect was suddenly destroyed."
Chu Yunfei tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.
"Despite such a major upheaval in each sect, the grand competition was not canceled; instead, disciples were urged to arrive in the imperial city as soon as possible."
"Does Senior Qin believe that no one was behind this?"
Qin Yangui deeply.
She had not been involved in sect affairs for many years, and indeed knew very little about the changes in the Seven Sects Grand Competition.
But when you connect these events together, you can see that something strange is going on everywhere.
Si Yunshu said with a solemn expression, "The decision to move the competition forward was made jointly by the high-ranking members of the seven sects."
"Within the Heavenly Edict Sect, at least three elders have been pushing this matter hard. I was not involved in it before, so I am not clear about the specific reasons."
Chu Yunfei sneered.
"With a major sect destroyed, instead of investigating the truth, other sects are rushing to hold a competition for their young disciples. Who would believe there's nothing fishy going on?"
Si Yunshu's expression was rather unpleasant.
She had sensed something was amiss before, but the seven sects had already made a joint decision, and she, as a saintess, had no power to change it.
It now seems that the elders who strongly advocated for bringing the competition forward might all have problems.
Qin Yangui said in a deep voice, "I have never interfered in sect affairs over the years, giving certain people too many opportunities."
"Now that I know, I will investigate further."
She raised her head, her eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"As for the Blood Baleful Intent Tower and the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect's plot to harm Shaoyuan, I will never let it go."
Chu Yunfei advised, "Senior, it's best not to disturb them in time."
"If the Blood Baleful Intent Tower is truly plotting a massacre that will cover the entire Eastern Continent, they will surely act sooner rather than later once they realize that their scheme has been exposed."