Acting

Not far away, Zhao Wanqing witnessed the blood-soaked black-robed evil cultivator pummeling Guan Quan's head into a pulp with his fists.

The senior's prediction was indeed correct!

That group of evil cultivators had indeed sent someone to the dock, and Guan Quan clearly still had secrets he hadn't revealed!

To keep things under wraps, the evil cultivator had chosen to silence him permanently!

At this moment, Zhao Wanqing's decision to return was based on Chu Xingchen's willingness to help capture this potential evil cultivator.

After all, nothing would be more convenient than prying open this evil cultivator's mouth.

Zhao Wanqing was still some distance away, but she was merely bait to draw attention.

By now, Senior Chu Xingchen had already circled around.

All she could do was place her hopes in the senior!

Soon, Chu Xingchen, in whom Zhao Wanqing had placed great trust, burst out from the side.

The spiritual sword in his hand erupted with a brilliant light.

Even from a distance, Zhao Wanqing could clearly feel the oppressive aura unique to a Golden Core stage expert.

That aura was at least that of a late-stage Golden Core expert!

No wonder he was recommended by Yaoqin! He was truly formidable!

Chu Xingchen's longsword transformed into a streak of light as it descended fiercely upon the black-robed evil cultivator!

Boom!

The strike was immensely powerful!

Dust instantly billowed up, obscuring Zhao Wanqing's view.

Then, a violent and frenzied surge of blood energy erupted!

It seemed they had exchanged several blows within the dust cloud!

The intense glow of spiritual energy pierced through the dust, followed by several loud explosions that stirred up even more dust.

The mere residual spiritual energy waves from the clash between these two top-tier cultivators were enough to send shivers down one's spine!

The ferocious aftermath made Zhao Wanqing realize that this was not a battle she could influence, nor did she even have the qualifications to participate.

At this moment, Zhao Wanqing felt a slight worry. With the dust blocking her view, she couldn't tell who had the upper hand.

However, this worry didn't last long.

From within the dust, the figure of the black-robed evil cultivator was the first to retreat, fleeing madly toward the southeast.

Immediately after, Chu Xingchen, holding his spiritual sword, swiftly gave chase.

Seeing this, Zhao Wanqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Chu Xingchen followed closely behind the black-robed man for about half an hour.

Suddenly, the black-robed man stopped, turned around, and removed his hood, revealing a demonic mask beneath.

His voice shifted to a hoarse tone: "Master, this is far enough."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen also stopped, spreading his divine sense to ensure no one was around before sighing and sheathing his spiritual sword.

He then casually sat down on a large rock.

Li Xingtian removed the demonic mask from his face and took a few steps forward to stand before his master.

He looked at his master and asked, "Did it go smoothly? Did she suspect anything?"

"Smoothly, at least she didn't suspect anything," Chu Xingchen replied, glancing at Li Xingtian. "Your acting skills are quite impressive."

"One can never have too many skills when cultivating in the outside world," Li Xingtian said indifferently, then cupped his hands in respect. "Master, I'll go help Senior Sister clean up the rest now."

There were still some arrangements that needed to be tidied up, and time wasn't exactly abundant.

Chu Xingchen nodded lightly and stood up. "Alright, but make sure to keep everything in check. Don't go overboard."

"Don't worry," Li Xingtian agreed with a nod.

Chu Xingchen watched Li Xingtian's departing figure, sighed, and then headed toward the dock where Zhao Wanqing was.

Today's events, starting from finding Zhao Wanqing, had all been part of a well-laid plan.

However, it wasn't purely to frame the Qingfeng Sect.

All the clues Zhao Wanqing knew were actually true.

The purchase of the Tai Xuan Stone was real, and the evil cultivators were indeed from the Central Continent.

Even the fact that the evil cultivators planned to sacrifice a sect was true.

After Zhao Wanqing returned severely injured yesterday, Chu Xingchen and Li Xingtian had gone to investigate further.

After all, if a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had been left to clean up, it was highly likely that there were Golden Core stage experts among the evil cultivators.

Although his disciple had protective talismans, letting him roam around in an unclear situation was still too dangerous.

Moreover, his disciple's suggestion was quite reasonable.

Investigating the situation first and then figuring out how to proceed was the logical course of action.

The array formations Li Xingtian had drawn all required a large amount of foundational stones.

Therefore, Chu Xingchen's initial target had been the smuggling docks frequented by cultivators.

Li Xingtian's cultivation technique allowed him to manipulate blood energy, making it easy to disguise himself as a blood energy evil cultivator.

Chu Xingchen, meanwhile, ensured Li Xingtian's safety from the outside.

With identities established, they scouted several docks to gather information.

It was easy to lock onto a few names, and with their disguises, putting on a show wasn't too difficult.

In any case, Guan Quan had it coming.

All in all...

Everything had gone relatively smoothly.

Chu Xingchen returned to Guan Quan's dock.

By now, the Qi Refining rogue cultivators had scattered like birds and beasts after Guan Quan's brains had been smashed.

Only Zhao Wanqing seemed to be searching the dock for any remaining clues.

Chu Xingchen spoke up, "Sorry, there was someone waiting to assist him. I couldn't catch him."

Zhao Wanqing wasn't too disappointed. "As long as you're safe, Senior."

"Did you find any clues?" Chu Xingchen asked.

"A few," Zhao Wanqing replied, pulling out a blood-red spirit stone from her waist pouch. "I found this in his body."

Chu Xingchen frowned as he looked at the spirit stone in Zhao Wanqing's hand, reaching out to touch it lightly.

This spirit stone wasn't part of the plan Chu Xingchen and Li Xingtian had arranged.

It was Guan Quan's possession.

This blood-red spirit stone was similar to those found in the Qingfeng Sect's mines, but the blood energy within it was far purer.

The Qingfeng Sect used the blood energy of Qi Refining cultivators at the second or third layer to condense their stones, yet even those were of a lower grade than the one Zhao Wanqing held.

Chu Xingchen frowned and said, "They must have succeeded once already. It seems a sect has already been sacrificed."

This was likely the secret Guan Quan had been hiding.

He had probably used the evil cultivator's methods to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, which explained why Li Xingtian had gained his trust so quickly.

However, those evil cultivators were fast and incredibly greedy. Even after succeeding once, they hadn't withdrawn and were still pushing forward under the pressure of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Now the situation had completely changed. This time, the evil cultivators were truly a formidable force.

Zhao Wanqing looked at the blood energy spirit stone in her hand and nodded gravely.

"Let's return to the Demon Suppression Bureau and send people to investigate the smaller sects."

"Then I'll head back first. If you need anything, come find me at the courtyard," Chu Xingchen said with a sigh, adding, "Be careful and don't overextend yourself."

With the situation developing this way, Chu Xingchen needed to readjust his plans.

Zhao Wanqing clenched the blood energy spirit stone in her hand.

This matter was becoming more and more unsettling the deeper they delved.

From initially thinking it was just evil cultivators targeting the Demon Suppression Bureau, to discovering they had sacrificed an entire village, and now realizing their true goal was to sacrifice an entire sect.

And they had already succeeded at least once.

Even the smallest sect had a Golden Core expert overseeing it.

This situation was escalating too quickly, far beyond Zhao Wanqing's ability to handle.

Just the battle between the senior and the evil cultivator was on a level she could never hope to reach.

At this moment, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness weighed heavily on Zhao Wanqing's heart.

For now, all she could do was softly reply,

"I understand, Senior. Don't worry."