Chapter 124: A Special Clue

Thick, viscous blood gushed from Cheng Yu’s mouth as his vision gradually blurred.

In the final seconds of his existence, he felt as if all the blood in his body was surging wildly toward the puncture wound in his neck.

"...Ugh..."

Sheng Nian exerted force with his right hand, intending to pull the blade from the man's throat, but found it somewhat awkward to gain leverage. He stepped back with his left foot, planted his right foot firmly onto Cheng Yu’s already stiffening face, and gave a violent shove.

*Bang!*

The saber was yanked free. A massive spray of blood erupted from Cheng Yu’s throat like an explosion.

"Demonic cultivator ambush!"

Only then did the surrounding disciples snap out of their stupor. They unleashed their defensive spiritual energy, and one of them scrambled in a panic to release a bolt of spiritual light into the night sky—the distress signal of the Six Sects.

Sheng Nian swung his blade horizontally, the surging bloodlust blowing the nearby disciples away.

"Consider yourselves lucky."

Had Cheng Yu shown even a modicum of caution, killing him would have required significantly more effort, and several of these surrounding men would likely have died as well. Sheng Nian’s aura was surging, his presence fierce and terrifying. The disciples around him had no heart left for a fight; they were all preoccupied with how to survive until reinforcements arrived.

However, they noticed that the intruder had no intention of lingering. With a flicker of his blade and a few swift leaps, he vanished into the night.

By the time Dai Rui arrived with a patrol squad, the blood Cheng Yu had shed had already been washed away by the heavy rain. The cultivators gathered in the courtyard, staring at the ghastly remains of the corpse. No one spoke.

Since the opening of the Changping mission, it was not as though the disciples of the Six Sects had suffered no casualties. A few had died, but they had been isolated incidents involving ambushes by demonic cultivators while out in the field, much like Song Yan’s encounter with the Five Devils of Hanshan. Cheng Yu, however, was the first to die within the patrolled jurisdiction of Changping itself.

A single thought arose simultaneously in the minds of every cultivator present: "Will he be the last?"

...

The next day, at Lianheng Tower, the presiding elders gathered to hear the reports from Cong Yuzhen, Dai Rui, and others. As one of those in the know, Song Yan was also present.

"Last night, only Lü Qin appeared at Cheng Family Village. This disciple believes that if the intelligence had been leaked, the Demon-Seeding Sect cultivators would not have appeared in the vicinity."

"It is likely the Yellow Springs Sect cultivators discovered something, yet for reasons unknown, they did not inform the Demon-Seeding Sect."

The elders nodded. "That is a possibility."

Shen Yu sat near the center, saying nothing. He had arrived in Changping about half a month ago. Having just broken through to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm and stabilized his cultivation, he had volunteered to come here.

Naturally, it was not merely out of a sense of sectarian devotion, but rather for other motives.

"Furthermore..." Cong Yuzhen continued, "this disciple found a jade slip in Lü Qin’s storage bag related to the Asura Sect."

"It mentions a name."

"This person is called Jin Tianya..."

For the vast majority of those present, this was the first time they had heard the name in Changping. Shen Yu, however, suddenly raised his eyes slightly, his gaze sharpening.

"According to the contents of the jade slip, this person is likely the root cause of why such a large number of demonic cultivators have come here with such a massive operation."

"This disciple deduces that the Yellow Springs Sect had long known that the Asura Sect intended to secretly seize Jin Tianya—or perhaps a certain treasure he carries."

"They took the man away in advance... though it is unclear why the Demon-Seeding Sect’s Lü Qin still kept the appointment..."

A white-bearded elder waved his hand. "No need to be concerned. The various demonic paths are not exactly united. Internal strife and conflict are all too common."

"Understood."

The elder continued, "Is there any other information regarding this person named Jin Tianya?"

"The jade slip mentions nothing further."

"I see." The white-bearded elder mused for a moment before looking toward Shen Yu. "Does Elder Shen have any insights?"

As an external affairs elder of the Xuanyuan Sect who had just reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Shen Yu’s influence among the current elders of the Six Sects was extremely high. With the departure of Elder Yu Tian of the Dongyuan Sect, the leaders of the six sects here were now Elder Chen of the Sheyang Sect, Master Sanjue of the Huadu Temple, and Elder Shen Yu of the Xuanyuan Sect.

Shen Yu shook his head slightly. "I am newly arrived and not yet familiar with the situation in Changping. Elder Chen, you should continue to preside over the overall strategy."

Unexpectedly, Shen Yu remained very low-key this time.

"Very well." Elder Chen nodded and laid out the arrangements for the subsequent matters. He specifically instructed Cong Yuzhen, Xu Ziqing, and the other younger-generation Foundation Establishment cultivators to pay close attention to any leads concerning "Jin Tianya."

"Elder, about the matter of Cheng Yu..."

Elder Chen sighed softly. "Has the origin of the fleeing demonic cultivator been discovered?"

"Not yet. The person’s evasion techniques were extremely bizarre. The disciples patrolling with Cheng Yu had no warning or defense; Cheng Yu was killed by a single strike."

Elder Chen frowned. "There were many disciples patrolling Caoyuan Township together. Why did the attacker target only Cheng Yu?"

"It seems like a personal vendetta."

Seeing that Cong Yuzhen remained silent, he added, "I will handle the consolations for Elder Cheng. As for this matter, I leave the investigation entirely to you."

Ultimately, Cheng Yu was only a late-stage Qi Condensation disciple. While his sudden death was regrettable, Elder Chen did not want to waste time on this issue at such a critical juncture. It was best to leave it to his own Foundation Establishment disciples to handle. From a positive perspective, from this moment on, no disciple should think that patrol duty was merely a formality.

The meeting soon adjourned.

Although they had not intercepted the other cultivators from the Yellow Springs or Demon-Seeding Sects, Song Yan had made a certain contribution in terms of intelligence. Consequently, he was able to collect thirty merit points from the merit bureau.

Song Yan now possessed a total of one hundred and twenty-five extra merit points. Furthermore, with Cheng Yu dead, he could imagine that his remaining days in Changping would be much more pleasant.

As for Shen Yu of the Xuanyuan Sect, there was no need for excessive worry. From the perspective of their internal factions, the Dongyuan Sect and the Sheyang Sect were more closely aligned; the Xuanyuan Sect had little reason to interfere in these affairs. He only needed to be wary of the female cultivator named Shen Huai.

Thanks to his current accumulation of merit, as long as he could pass the next four months peacefully, he would be able to return to his sect ahead of schedule. Everything was looking up.

...

Meanwhile, Shen Yu and Shen Huai walked out of Lianheng Tower together.

"You mean..." Shen Yu transmitted his voice. "Cheng Yu and Song Yan had a grudge?"

Shen Huai mused for a moment. "Cheng Yu actually offended quite a few people, though most were outer disciples of the Dongyuan Sect and the Spirit Talisman Sect."

"Only Song Yan has ever had a direct confrontation with him."

"Hmm..."

"I heard that the intelligence regarding the Demon-Seeding Sect was provided by Song Yan?"

"Indeed."

Shen Yu pondered.

Shen Huai spoke first: "Elder, do you think he might have..."

"..."

"In matters like this, without absolute evidence, one should not speculate wildly."

Shen Yu thought for a while before saying, "You are in the same patrol squad as that Song Yan; you can keep an eye on him."

To Shen Huai’s surprise, Shen Yu did not immediately conclude that Song Yan was guilty.

"Also..."

"If you find any leads regarding this person, Jin Tianya..."

"Do not report it; notify me first."

"Do you understand?"

Shen Yu was quite satisfied with Shen Huai, a junior from his own clan. Not only was her talent decent, but she was also very sensible. Moreover, she practiced a secret art for observation and tracking. She was a seedling worth cultivating.

"...Yes."

Shen Huai nodded and departed alone.