Sang Ying Killed Him!

Just as Su Fuyun had predicted, before everyone could even step into the Azure Feather Sect, the news of Chi Yan's death reached everyone's ears.

Elder Xu hurriedly examined Chi Yan's corpse. If he hadn't found no obvious wounds on his body, he probably would have accused many people on the spot, completely disrupting the sect competition that was not yet over.

Fortunately, he knew his limits and quickly ordered people to collect Chi Yan's body before leading his disciples back to the Azure Feather Sect's courtyard.

The cultivators from the other sects witnessed all of this. They were both surprised that this talented individual with considerable strength had lost his life so early and puzzled as to why he had suddenly met with misfortune.

Sang Ying was also curious, after all, not long ago, this person had been fighting fiercely with Bai Kejin and the others. If it weren't for Lan Fusheng's help, they probably wouldn't have been able to subdue him.

The fact that a disciple of a cultivation sect inexplicably lost his life on his own ship is truly thought-provoking.

"It is said that Chi Yan was only discovered later, having died in the cabin. When everyone got up and disembarked, they couldn't find Chi Yan for a long time, so his disciples who knew him went to look for him. But they didn't find him, only his body."

The speaker was Dong Fuzhu. She was pleasing to the eye and eloquent; she could bring back a lot of news after just a short stroll outside.

After saying that, Dong Fuzhu sighed again, "It's strange, really. I heard that Chi Yan was just an ordinary disciple with Three Spirit Roots before, but a few years ago he suddenly became Single Spirit Root, and his cultivation level increased rapidly. Originally, the Mara Gate wanted to rely on him to gain face in the competition, but unexpectedly now..."

Upon hearing her words, a hint of apprehension appeared on Bai Kejin's face. "The fact that the other party could easily kill a Golden Core cultivator without being seen by so many elders suggests they are no ordinary character."

He didn't harbor deep resentment towards Chi Yan; setting aside the other's unpleasant identity, the man's strength was enough to make him look at him differently.

Therefore, the incident at Chi Yan made Bai Kejin feel a sense of shared sorrow, like a rabbit mourning the death of another.

After a moment of silence, Sang Ying reassured everyone, "Alright, the elders will investigate this matter thoroughly. Let's get ready now; tomorrow is the last day of the competition. Once we receive our rewards, let's hurry back to Qing Zhou."

This matter was clearly not simple, Sang Ying didn't want her junior brothers and sisters to get involved.

Dong Fuzhu and the others, who always listened to her, naturally wouldn't disobey Sang Ying's wishes. They all agreed to their senior sister's words, and then Sang Ying saw them off one by one from the Star-Plucking Pavilion she had just moved into.

Just as they left, Sang Ying turned around and knocked on Gu Shu's head, who was hiding in the jade pendant to cultivate. Sword Qi had recently gained some inspiration and had some opportunity to cultivate, so he hid in the jade pendant to cultivate.

However, before he went into seclusion, he specifically instructed Sang Ying that if she encountered any difficulties, she must wake him up.

After all, Green Vine is currently being led around Qing Zhou by Cang Lian, and Jiang Zhuoxue is still recovering from her injuries and has not yet woken up.

Gu Shu was afraid that if he went into seclusion, Sang Ying would be bullied. If Sang Ying hadn't given him some good advice, he probably wouldn't have been able to settle down and focus on his cultivation so easily.

A sudden thought flashed through Sang Ying's mind, and a familiar voice quickly rang in her head. "What's wrong? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Gu Shu's tone was clearly anxious, as if he had been waiting for this day to be woken up by Sang Ying.

Having not heard Gu Shu's voice for a long time, Sang Ying felt a little nostalgic, but she quickly explained, "There's nothing difficult, just something strange I wanted to ask you about."

Gu Shu instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He moved his non-existent limbs, adopting a posture of attentive listening. "Alright, then tell me, there's nothing in this world I don't know!"

While that's a bit of an exaggeration, it's also true. Gu Shu has lived a long time and has heard many of Gu Shu's secrets.

"Have you ever heard of anything that can cause a cultivator to develop Single Spirit Root?" Sang Ying had wanted to ask this question back during the individual competition.

She was simply preoccupied with other matters until Dong Fuzhu brought up Chi Yan's strange Spirit Root again, which sparked Sang Ying's interest.

"Why would you ask that?" Gu Shu found it a bit strange. "Spirit Root is predetermined. Even with the miraculous Spirit Cleansing Grass, it can only wash away one of a cultivator's Spirit Root, and it will make their future cultivation path fraught with difficulties."

"Single Spirit Root isn't something you can obtain so easily. It's precisely because it's scarce that it's so precious. If Single Spirit Root were commonplace, what would be their value?"

Having received Gu Shu's confirmation, Sang Ying quickly told him about the strange things she had discovered regarding the Mara Gate.

Finally, Sang Ying's brows furrowed. "So I suspect that Chi Yan might have suffered this misfortune because of his Spirit Root."

Upon hearing these inside details, Gu Shu quickly realized how terrifying it was without Sang Ying needing to give him any further hints.

He told Sang Ying, "There is absolutely no treasure in this world that can turn a person into someone with Single Spirit Root. But Sang Ying, how could you forget that while it cannot turn a cultivator into someone with Single Spirit Root, there is something that can turn a mortal into a cultivator!"

Sang Ying's eyes narrowed, and she felt as if her head had been hit by a heavy hammer, leaving her momentarily dazed.

She unearthed a face she had almost forgotten from the depths of her memory.

After a moment of silence, Gu Shu heard Sang Ying's slightly heavy reply, "I remember, I remember... White Foothill City!"

Because so much time had passed, Sang Ying had almost forgotten about it. Now, reminded by Gu Shu, as she recalled the past, she pulled a seemingly insignificant old story from her mind.

The city lord of White Foothill City didn't hesitate to cooperate with the Demon Race and murder mortals, all in order to find a way to allow ordinary people to also possess Spirit Root.

Back then, the city lord died, but his daughter disappeared without a trace...

This night was extremely difficult for many people. As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon the main hall of the Azure Feather Sect, the sects of the Immortal Spirit Realm had already gathered there.

Today is the final day of the sect competition, and also the day the results will be announced.

Today, the cultivators of Ten Thousand Daos Born, no matter how much they tried to restrain themselves, couldn't hide their joy. Mara Gate, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

The death of Chi Yan remains unresolved, casting a shadow over everyone's lives.

The one responsible for announcing the results was the Sect Master Jimo.

The scores for each sect have already been tallied, and Ten Thousand Daos Born firmly holds the top spot on the leaderboard with a commanding lead of 1.2 million points.

It has a full 300,000 points more than the second-place Mara Gate!

This was the highest number of points ever earned in the sect competition. Suddenly, the Sect Master Jimo understood why White Duckweed Island had been suddenly closed.

Suppressing his laughter, he waited until everyone had completely quieted down before slowly speaking, "It is thanks to you all that you have traveled a long way to my Hidden Sparrow City for this competition. It is precisely because of the appearance of young talents like you that this competition has become so full of novelty."

"Today is the final day of the competition, and I, shamelessly as the host, will announce the final results..."

As his long, drawn-out voice faded, a hush fell over the surroundings. Even though they already knew the rankings, everyone still held their breath in anticipation.

"First place, Ten Thousand Daos Born!" Unlike White Duckweed Island, where the ranking was from lowest to highest, the Sect Master Jimo seemed to be impatient and immediately uttered the name "Ten Thousand Daos Born".

The Sect Master Jimo took out an exquisite jade box containing an entire Spirit Vein! This was a reward that the various sects had agreed upon long ago, and it was also a rare Cultivation Resources.

"Disciple of Ten Thousand Daos Born, step forward!" The Sect Master Jimo's gaze swept over them. Others might not know, but Sang Ying knew that he was looking at her.

She glanced back at her junior brothers and sisters, who were also looking at her with anticipation.

"Senior sister, hurry up and go get our reward!" Dong Fuzhu blushed with excitement.

"Senior sister, hurry up!" Bai Kejin mustered up his courage and called out to her.

Urged on by the crowd, Sang Ying stepped onto the high platform.

On the long steps of the hall sat the elders of various sects. The Sect Master Jimo was in the very center, and he was smiling as he waited for Sang Ying to walk toward him.

However, his expectations were dashed. Before Sang Ying could even reach the Sect Master Jimo, a shrill voice interrupted everything:

"Ten Thousand Daos Born is unworthy of being the first place winner in this competition, and Sang Ying is even less worthy of receiving this reward!"

"Because it was Sang Ying who killed my disciple, Chi Yan, of the Mara Gate!"