Returning Light Heavenly City, the aftershocks of the battle had subsided. The dazzling afterglow refracted from the nine hundred and ninety-nine dead cosmic crystal walls fell from the sky, passing through the broken branches and leaves in the courtyard, casting a play of light and shadow on the broken eaves, cracked stone steps, and collapsed courtyard walls.
The once quiet and tidy residence was now a mess, with cracks of varying depths crisscrossing the ground, several ancient trees snapped in half, and one side of the house crashing through it with a thud Hua Jingyun flew backward, leaving rubble scattered everywhere.
What is truly alarming is not the visible damage, but the excessive cleanliness of this post-battle courtyard. After such an earth-shattering battle, apart from Hua Jingyun's remaining bloodstains, broken Dao traces, and the faint primordial aura after the collapse of the Primordial Supreme Treasure, the enemy's Fate Soul aura, Dao pattern traces, and causal fluctuations have been completely wiped away.
With a hiss, the void above the mansion suddenly tore open, and three figures simultaneously stepped through the spatial rift, landing in the dilapidated courtyard.
The person in the lead was none other than Hua Yutian, the sixth elder of the Hua Lineage. His Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme, was as solid and imposing as a mountain. He landed on the ground, completely ignoring the spatial ripples that had not yet subsided behind him. His gaze swept across the entire courtyard in an instant, not missing a single detail.
The young man following closely behind was his personal disciple, Hua Luoyuan, who possessed the Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage. Upon landing, he moved steadily, examining the battlefield traces throughout the courtyard.
The last woman to land was named "Hua Qichi". She was also at the Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage. She was still young, with clear and pure eyes, untouched by the corruption of the clan's power struggles. After landing, she did not easily touch any traces around her, but stood quietly observing and secretly deducing the beginning and end of the battle.
"Jingyun!" Hua Yutian strode into the courtyard, his voice urgent and deep. The courtyard was deathly silent, and no one responded.
His steps quickened. He first stepped into the room where the lamp was still lit, then silently turned back a moment later, heading straight for the collapsed ruins of the courtyard wall. The blood that Hua Jingyun had vomited before the battle was still congealed among the rubble, retaining a wisp of the original aura of his Fate Soul. But no matter how he traced this aura, all the clues ended in the center of the courtyard.
At this point, there was utter Emptiness; no corpse remained, no lingering soul drifted, and no complete trace of life continued. Even the last wisp of origin that should have naturally dissipated into the world after a cultivator's fall was completely erased, cleanly and without the slightest trace.
Hua Yutian stood rooted to the spot, his expression gradually hardening and turning cold. He had already discerned the cruel truth behind this scene.
His hand, hanging by his side, slowly tightened, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked slightly. His brows furrowed deeply, and the overwhelming rage surging within his chest made even his breathing heavy and rough.
He and Hua Jingyun had known each other for decades, and their friendship far surpassed that of ordinary clan elders. Decades ago, when Hua Jingyun's Fate Soul essence was severely damaged and he went into seclusion, he was one of the very few people who knew his true whereabouts and secretly took care of him.
He was ultimately too late. "Who is it..." A low growl was forced out from between his teeth, suppressing endless grief and rage.
Hua Yutian suddenly raised his head, Eternal Silence Realm · Supreme instantly surged in all directions, causing the broken stones in the courtyard to tremble and the broken branches to fall to the ground.
"Who is it?!" "Who dares to Annihilation my Jingyun?!" "Ah...
An uncontrollable roar broke through the confinement of the courtyard, shaking the surrounding void, and causing several new cracks to appear in the already dilapidated courtyard wall. Hua Yutian's chest heaved violently, his fingertips were taut to the Ultimate, and the anger in his eyes was about to burst through the bottom line of his restraint.
"Master." A steady voice called from behind, slightly suppressing his surging anger.
Hua Luoyuan had already traversed the entire battlefield, thoroughly examining every trace. Compared to the outburst of Hua Yutian, he was much calmer and more composed. His eyes calmly swept over the broken courtyard walls, cracked stone steps, and blood-stained ground, reviewing, weighing, and deduce every detail of the battle in his mind.
He crouched down, tracing two fingers across the cracks in the ground without touching the marks, probing only with his Fate Soul's perception, but received no response. He then delved deeper into the spatial texture, the causal network, and the depths of his Fate Soul, but still found nothing, gaining nothing at all.
Hua Luoyuan slowly rose, a deep solemnity finally settling between his brows. "Master, this person is definitely not simple." Hua Yutian turned to look at him, her anger still burning, but she had already calmed her mind to listen.
"This place witnessed an earth-shattering battle; the murderer must have unleashed a top-tier killing technique," Hua Luoyuan said in a deep voice, reviewing the situation. "However, after thoroughly examining the courtyard ground, space, cause and effect, and Fate Soul traces, I couldn't find a single complete trace of the second person. All auras, origins, and Dao rhythms related to the murderer were completely erased before their departure, leaving no trace whatsoever."
"We have no way of deduce it, no way of tracing its origin."
The anger in Hua Yutian's eyes had not subsided, but his mind was completely calm. The Hua Jingyun head-on, and then erase all traces of himself and cut off all possibility of investigation in an instant, was far more meticulous, powerful, and ruthless than an ordinary cultivator.
Hua Qichi, who had been silently observing from the side, frowned slightly at this moment. She was pure and innocent, and did not know anything about power struggles and intrigues, but she had exceptional insight. The moment Hua Luoyuan finished speaking, she accurately grasped the most crucial flaw.
"Senior brother, Sixth Elder." Hua Yutian and Hua Luoyuan turned to look at each other at the same time.
Hua Qichi's gaze was clear as she surveyed the chaotic courtyard. She spoke softly, "Elder Jingyun has lived in seclusion here for many years, extremely discreetly. The fact that the murderer was able to find this place so precisely and set up an ambush beforehand proves that they knew Elder Jingyun's location before they acted."
The question hit the nail on the head, "Who exactly knows about this top-secret residence?" The courtyard fell silent.
Hua Yutian lowered his eyes slightly, forcibly suppressing the surging anger in his chest. His fingertips unconsciously twitched slightly as his mind rapidly reviewed the situation. Hua Jingyun was cautious and suspicious by nature. Having experienced power struggles and conflicts throughout his life, there were very few people he could fully trust and who knew about his secret hiding place.
After a long silence, he slowly raised his eyes, his voice low and cold. "Besides the three of us, only two others know about this place." Hua Luoyuan's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Even the clan leader, Hua Nongrui, knows nothing about this place."
Hua Qichi intelligent and perceptive. Upon hearing this, she did not ask for his name, knowing that this matter was extremely complicated and that further words would be of no use. Hua Yutian gazed deeply at the Wuhen area in the center of the courtyard one last time, all the grief and anger in his eyes settling into a chilling coldness and resolute determination.
"Go back first." He turned around, his aura as cold and unyielding as an abyss. "I'll go and question those two myself."
After speaking, he turned to the two men and instructed them in an extremely serious tone, "What happened tonight must be kept completely sealed away. Not a single word must be revealed to anyone. Elder Jingyun's seclusion is a top secret within the clan. Now that the real culprit is still unknown and undercurrents are lurking, any leak of this information will surely alert the enemy."
"Disciple will remember Master's teachings." "Junior understands." Hua Luoyuan and Hua Qichi nodded in unison, their expressions solemn. Hua Yutian looked back at the dilapidated courtyard, his five fingers slowly clenching, each word heavy with conviction. "I will definitely find out the real culprit and avenge Jingyun."
Sizzle! Another narrow rift tore open in the void.
Hua Yutian stepped in first, followed closely by Hua Luoyuan and Hua Qichi. The three figures disappeared into the depths of the rift in an instant, and the spatial crack slowly closed, erasing all traces of the people who had come. This secluded mansion, hidden for many years, returned to deathly silence once more. Only the Returning Light Heavenly City quietly fell among the ruins, reflecting a desolate and chaotic scene.
Meanwhile, at the Hua Lineage's Grand Elder's Hall.
Hua Yin had already changed back into his usual neat elder's robes, shedding the murderous and violent aura he exuded during the night raid Returning Light Heavenly City. The black clothes that had previously concealed his figure had long since been destroyed, and his aura had returned to its usual calm and composed state, without the slightest abnormality.
He sat alone deep within the main hall, a single ancient lamp flickering quietly, its warm yellow light illuminating his calm and composed face, exuding gentle humility and dignified bearing. Anyone who entered the hall at this moment would absolutely find it impossible to reconcile this man with the ruthless murderer who had just personally killed Hua Jingyun and erased all traces of her.
Only Hua Yin himself knew that the Ultimate excitement surging deep in his chest at this moment was almost about to break through the composure he had cultivated over decades. Hua Jingyun was dead. This greatest obstacle that had weighed on his heart for decades, stood in his way, and hindered his power, had finally been completely, cleanly, and permanently erased from the world.
He gently stroked the armrest of the chair with his fingertips, his eyes surging with ecstasy, yet he dared not reveal a trace of it. The greater the success, the more cautious and clear-headed he became, knowing full well the principle that one wrong step could lead to total defeat.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, reviewing and meticulously rehearsing every action he had taken that night: Returning Light Heavenly City, sneaking into a hidden mansion, instantly killing his personal steward, engaging in a direct battle with Hua Jingyun, confronting and probing, forcing the other to crush the communication jade, sensing three auras approaching, forcefully annihilating Hua Jingyun's essence, erasing all traces of his own Fate Soul and Dao from his body layer by layer, quietly withdrawing, closing the space, and secretly returning to the Hua Lineage.
He scrutinized every detail, meticulously examined every flaw, and only after confirming there were no oversights or hidden dangers did Hua Yin slowly open his eyes, a faint, chilling smile playing on his lips. "Hua Jingyun... has finally been completely eliminated by me." A dark glint flashed in his eyes, concealing endless scheming. "Next... hmph."