Unable to Refute

After assessing the situation, Chen Mouguang ultimately abandoned the idea of launching another attack on Zhou Mountain Village.

It wasn’t due to any sense of propriety or high moral standards on his part.

Rather, their scheme had already been exposed, and reinforcements from Mist Mystic Temple might already be on the way. Even with the presence of the "God of Slaughter" personally acknowledged by Bai Xuanling, there was no need to push their luck.

After all, they hadn’t come away empty-handed.

Moreover, since his identity as a disciple of Tianyan Sect could still be kept under wraps for now, it was best to maintain secrecy for the time being.

As for Chen Baiqing’s illusion of impersonating Bai Xuanling—that couldn’t even be considered evidence.

For one, such "proof" was flimsy at best. You couldn’t just blame someone because an illusionist mimicked them, could you?

And even if they tried using that excuse to confront Bai Xuanling, the way Bai Xuanling would "settle the account" would likely be… excessively violent.

At the Yongping Funeral Parlor in the western district of Towering City,

Chen Baiqing had already projected a life-sized illusion of the ritual formation inside the room while simultaneously sketching the patterns by hand.

Chen Mouguang lounged casually atop a coffin lid. He didn’t understand ritual formations—staring at them was pointless—so he left it to the experts in their group.

His gaze lingered on Zhou Ping, who seemed visibly uneasy.

Perhaps it had something to do with the eerie paper effigy standing beside him.

Though the operation had deviated significantly from the original plan—no earth-shattering chaos had ensued—it wasn’t a complete failure.

Sure, they might have tipped their hand, but the outcome was still acceptable.

Most importantly, they had gained something without outright provoking Mist Mystic Temple, leaving room for negotiation in future encounters.

Honestly, the moment Chen Mouguang saw Chu Xingchen actually send Chen Baiqing for the mission, he had already tempered his expectations.

Yet the results turned out surprisingly well. Despite her youth, the girl handled things with remarkable efficiency.

Take Zhou Ping, for instance—now standing before them with a pale complexion.

Or Chen Baiqing’s meticulous reconstruction of the ancestral hall’s ritual formation.

With both witnesses and physical evidence secured, they now had solid justification to storm the sect’s gates if needed.

Had Chen Mouguang gone in himself, fighting tooth and nail, he might not have achieved half as much. A bloodless victory? That was the best possible outcome.

As for capturing someone like Old Ancestor Zhou—Chen Mouguang wouldn’t dare dream of dragging such a core figure out alive.

So when the young girl wore that "I messed up" expression,

Chen Mouguang almost wondered if she was humble-bragging. This was an overperformance by any measure.

Still, having capable teammates was a blessing—it made things easier.

"Kid, you hungry?" Chen Mouguang asked abruptly.

Zhou Ping shook his head hurriedly. "N-no, I’m not."

Chen Mouguang stood up from the coffin and walked over to the memorial tablets, plucking an apple from the offerings and tossing it to Zhou Ping.

"Don’t be shy. Eat up—you look half-starved," he said with a grin.

Zhou Ping fumbled to catch the apple. It was large and fragrant, its sweetness undeniable.

But… wasn’t this technically stealing offerings? Elders said that would deduct from one’s karma.

Then again, Zhou Ping didn’t dwell on it. He wasn’t the one who took it—he merely accepted what was given. Soon, he was biting into the fruit.

Chu Xingchen, seated beside Chen Baiqing, glanced over at the exchange.

Chen Mouguang’s team consisted of four Tianyan Sect disciples, including himself—the weakest among them at the early Nascent Soul stage.

Three men and one woman. The veiled woman stood silently, observing the ritual formation Chen Baiqing had conjured.

The other two male teammates were similarly reserved, speaking only occasionally to offer input.

Most of the time, they followed Chen Mouguang’s lead without question.

Their coordination suggested this wasn’t their first mission together—they’d clearly worked as a unit many times before.

If Chu Xingchen’s own disciples were sent out as a four-person team…

Shudder.

The mental image wasn’t pretty. Though in terms of sheer chaos, there’d be no contest.

Chu Xingchen’s focus returned to Zhou Ping. Chen Baiqing had privately informed him that this boy might be… unusual.

[Target: Zhou Ping]

[Cultivation: None]

[Purple Trait: Eyes of Truth]

[Purple Trait: Alchemical Aptitude]

[Blue Trait: Mediocre Talent]

[Blue Trait: Tenacious Will]

[Does not meet disciple recruitment criteria]

Eyes of Truth… Sounded similar to Yuan Kong’s abilities. Not entirely unique, then.

But Alchemical Aptitude certified by the system? That was rare.

By Chu Xingchen’s standards, even Bai Xuanling’s alchemy skills bordered on perfection—yet the system had never acknowledged them.

Yet this boy received its endorsement. It piqued Chu Xingchen’s curiosity—just how skilled was this "aptitude"?

Could he replicate Chu Xingchen’s own elixirs?

The problem was Zhou Ping’s abysmal innate talent—worse even than Cui Hao’s.

Perhaps the sect needed an outer disciple division… or someone to take him under their wing.

Chu Xingchen spoke up. "Kid, what’s your name?"

Zhou Ping turned, startled, then answered promptly, "Zhou Ping."

"Can you read?"

"N-no, never learned," Zhou Ping admitted softly.

Chu Xingchen nodded in understanding. The matter wasn’t urgent for now, and there were more pressing affairs at hand. His gaze shifted to Chen Mouguang.

"Mouguang, what’s your plan now?"

Chen Mouguang chuckled lightly and casually seated himself atop the coffin holding the offerings—making use of what was readily available.

"We’re not like the Taidao Sect, after all. Things like this should be exposed for others to scrutinize."

Chu Xingchen immediately grasped Chen Mouguang’s intention. This man was truly cunning and had rather flexible morals.

According to Chen Mouguang, disciples from the Eighteen Immortal Sects had gathered here, and Tianyan Sect wasn’t the only one. Given the current situation, this matter already had some groundwork laid.

It was enough to sway those among the Eighteen Immortal Sects who were still on the fence.

After all, even major sects valued contribution points.

If other sects obtained certain intelligence, they might cross-verify with Chen Mouguang—or at the very least, cause some trouble for Mist Mystic Temple.

It would also lay a solid foundation for Chen Mouguang’s next moves.

The saying "You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child" was something Chen Mouguang had mastered perfectly.

Still… having a teammate with brains like his was undeniably refreshing.

"In that case, go ahead with your work. Contact me if there are any developments," Chu Xingchen said casually. "This young man seems decent. It’s fine to ask him for information, but don’t push him into a pit of fire."

Since he didn’t know as much as Chen Mouguang at the moment, giving random orders might only complicate things.

For now, it was time to take Baiqing out for some leisure. After such a dangerous ordeal, she needed to calm her nerves. Bringing Zhou Ping along wouldn’t be appropriate either.

Rather than leaving Zhou Ping unattended, entrusting him to Chen Mouguang was the safer option.

Chen Mouguang’s expression turned serious. "Senior, what kind of talk is that? We’re not some shady cult."

Chen Baiqing had already sketched the ritual diagram from her mind onto paper. Setting down the brush, she quietly stood by her master’s side.

Chu Xingchen reached out and patted Chen Baiqing’s head before flicking a talisman toward Chen Mouguang.

"Use this to contact me if needed."

Chen Mouguang’s eyes lit up as he swiftly caught it. "Many thanks, Senior."

Chu Xingchen waved it off and turned to leave. "Let’s go explore. Where would you like to go?"

Chen Baiqing tilted her head in thought. Strictly speaking, this was her first real outing. During the chaos in the demon realm, she had mostly stayed by her master’s side.

When her eldest senior sister went out, she had promised to bring back candied fruits. Her second senior brother also brought small gifts upon his return.

Chen Baiqing felt she shouldn’t fall short either.

"Let’s buy gifts for Eldest Senior Sister, Second Senior Brother, and Fourth Junior Sister," she suggested.

"Oh? What about your Fifth Junior Brother?"

"He’s probably gotten into trouble again. Not beating him up will be his gift."

Chu Xingchen found himself at a loss for words.