Song Jiaojiao is dead, but Fang Qingzhi is alive.
After grasping this cause-and-effect relationship, Lu Changtian was even more incredulous.
What kind of strength did Fang Qingzhi have? With a body nurtured by spiritual energy all year round, she was merely a formidable warrior.
As for Song Jiaojiao? If he recalled correctly, she was at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage.
Killing Fang Qingzhi with such power should have been as simple as crushing an ant.
Yet the outcome was that Song Jiaojiao ended up dead?!
"Was Song Jiaojiao killed by Fang Qingzhi?" Lu Changtian glared at Yang Botao.
"I don't know," Yang Botao, terrified, stammered. "I just told her to kill Fang Qingzhi. At first, she was reluctant, but I said I could get her a Foundation Establishment Pill, and then she went. Later, when I went back to the cave to get spirit stones to buy the pill, I saw Song Jiaojiao's soul lamp shattered."
When a person dies, the lamp goes out.
At least for cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, these four words were an ironclad law.
A soul lamp housed a wisp of a cultivator's divided soul and a drop of essence blood.
If the main soul died, the residual soul, like a rootless duckweed, would naturally detach from that drop of essence blood and dissipate into the world.
"Brother Changtian, this matter is highly suspicious. I've heard that recently the devilish sects have been active again in the Cangyun Realm. Could it be that Senior Sister was possessed by someone from a devilish cult?" Mu Bai Shuang put on a frightened expression. "Although Senior Sister Qingran is no longer part of our Qingyun Sect, I still don't want her to be harmed by the devilish sect."
Lu Changtian's face was gloomy as he pondered.
Yang Botao would definitely be punished; there was no escaping that.
Fang Qingzhi's situation was indeed strange. Lu Changtian didn't care whether Fang Qingzhi lived or died, but she absolutely couldn't be a threat to Qingyun Sect. Whether Fang Qingzhi had killed Song Jiaojiao by coincidence or for some other reason, it had to be clarified.
At that moment, Mu Bai Shuang chimed in from the side: "Brother Changtian, Senior Sister Qingran was once part of our Chixiao Peak. We can't just leave her unattended. Otherwise, what would the other peaks think of us? Regardless of whether it was Senior Sister Qingran who did it, if we bring her back, even if it's just to make her a laborer, it's better than letting her wait to die in the Wanqing Mountains."
She pretended to have just learned of Fang Qingzhi's whereabouts, her eyes filled with compassion.
"Only my junior sister has such a kind heart. Even though Fang Qingzhi hurt you so much, you still speak up for her. Back then, Zhang Hanshao should have just finished her off!"
Lu Changtian gritted his teeth but took Mu Bai Shuang's words to heart.
If Song Jiaojiao's death was an accident, then they would send Fang Qingzhi away from the Wanqing Mountains, the farther from Qingyun Sect, the better.
If Song Jiaojiao was indeed killed by Fang Qingzhi, whether Fang Qingzhi had some fortunate opportunity or was possessed by a devilish sect, she would be a time bomb. It was better to keep such a bomb under close watch rather than let it explode unexpectedly one day.
However, he leaned more toward the former possibility. Unless Fang Qingzhi was possessed by a devilish sect or had joined them, he couldn't think of any other way for a cultivator with no spiritual root or Dantian to kill a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
His master had said that only the Primeval Mending Pill could restore the Dantian.
That was an ancient divine medicine. Fang Qingzhi couldn't possibly have obtained such a divine pill, could she?
"Junior sister, don't worry. I will report this matter to our master. No matter what, I will give you a satisfactory answer." Lu Changtian patted Mu Bai Shuang's head with a gentle smile. "Song Jiaojiao's death cannot be in vain. If Fang Qingzhi is not the murderer, then bringing her back to Chixiao Peak is not an issue. A mortal is still manageable for Chixiao Peak."
"Okay, Brother Changtian, you're the best~"
Mu Bai Shuang's eyes curved into a smile, a flash of cunning in their depths.
...
Lu Changtian reported Song Jiaojiao's mysterious death and his speculations about Fang Qingzhi to the sect.
Sect Leader Wu Duantian took the matter very seriously. First, he punished Yang Botao to face the Thundercliff for half a year of solitary contemplation and stripped him of all resource allocations for a month. Then, he appointed Lu Changtian as the leader of a team of enforcement hall disciples to investigate the situation in the Wanqing Mountains.
Before departure, the group gathered in the enforcement hall. Sect Leader Wu Duantian repeatedly cautioned, "Should you encounter any members of the devilish sects, do not act immediately. Devilish cultivators are cunning; the strength they display might be merely what they want you to see. Lu Changtian, your primary responsibility is to report back to the sect using the sound-transmitting jade token!"
"Rest assured, Sect Leader. I will not act rashly," Lu Changtian bowed to Wu Duantian and then turned to consult with the Chixiao Peak master, Qingxuan Daoist.
Qingxuan Daoist stroked his beard and said with narrowed eyes, "Your actions have always been steady. I won't say more. Go ahead."
Upon hearing this, Lu Changtian drew his flying sword from his waist with a dashing motion that left many female disciples swooning.
As he was about to take off with the enforcement hall disciples, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed through the air.
Boom——!
The sky over the Cangyun Realm turned turbulent.
The originally clear sky was now filled with dark clouds, and within them flickered blood-red lightning.
A divine consciousness swept over them with terrifying pressure.
Lu Changtian's mind went blank. He stumbled onto his flying sword and fell straight down.
Qingyun Sect cultivators gazed at the sky, filled with anxiety, while Sect Leader Wu Duantian and the elders of the various peaks wore grave expressions.
"What's been happening these past few days? Every afternoon, great cultivators are divining the heavenly mysteries?"
Divining the heavenly mysteries was a measure usually taken by great cultivators when faced with insurmountable difficulties and no other options. Moreover, not just anyone could divine the heavenly mysteries; only cultivators who practiced corresponding techniques could gain fleeting insights through such divination. This practice was extremely draining on a cultivator's vital energy and could even damage their destiny and fortune.
Divining once a year was already considered a significant expenditure.
Divining once a day was unheard of.
Yesterday, a divine pill had emerged in the Wanqing Mountains. Was there a connection between these two events?
"The Cangyun Realm is becoming more and more inscrutable," Wu Duantian muttered, filled with sighs.
Cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage might seem glorious, but under the grand forces of the universe, they were but mere ants.
Even the great cultivators who divined the heavenly mysteries daily could not find a way to break the deadlock.
How were they, the lesser cultivators, supposed to face such a perilous future?
"Lu Changtian, to be safe, take the enforcement hall disciples and walk there," Wu Duantian retracted his gaze from the gloomy sky and instructed Lu Changtian.
"With the great cultivators divining the heavenly mysteries, even members of the devilish sects would likely not dare to move about. It doesn't matter whether you go early or late. Just don't make a spectacle of yourselves and keep a low profile."
"Yes," Lu Changtian nodded grimly.
He glanced at the dim sky.
Clenched his fist.
One day, he would become such a person.
Merely the act of divining the heavenly mysteries left the weak panic-stricken and too afraid to fly on swords!
...
...
"Divine the heavenly mysteries, are you an AI?"
At the bathroom door, Chen Ping An, already dressed in pajamas, was vigorously tapping on his phone.
[Divining the heavenly mysteries... Divination failed, please change the question.]
"When does one plus one equal three?"
[Divining the heavenly... One plus one equals two, please change the question.]
"Ten birds on a tree, if you shoot one, how many are left?"
[Divining... One dead on the ground, none left on the tree. Change... the... question!]
"Hehe, fun~"
"However, there must be a GM behind this," Chen Ping An rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Questions that could stump an AI couldn't stump this
In that case...
"Can you give me an internal account? I'll definitely enjoy the game and write daily reports for you. Stop scamming me. I've learned acupuncture. You might not believe it, but following it like an old-person Tai Chi, I've become a master healer. If you ever lose limbs, I'll treat you for free."
Chen Ping An typed each word carefully and sent it. As soon as he clicked send, the Divine the Heavenly Mysteries game window closed automatically.
"Tsk, pretty stubborn," Chen Ping An pouted.
In that case, when they come to him, Master Chen, with their missing limbs, they'll have no regrets.
"How to Restore Spiritual Roots." He opened the Heavenly Mystery Oracle again, this time with a normal question.
Fang Qingzhi was still absorbing the Primeval Mending Pill. As a divine medicine from ancient times, the Immortal-grade Primeval Mending Pill was clearly not something to be fully absorbed in a short time. So, with nothing else to do, he started tormenting the Heavenly Mystery Oracle again.
Fang Qingzhi had two major issues.
The Dantian and the spiritual roots.
Currently, there was no good solution for the spiritual roots.
[Heavenly Mystery Oracle Complete!]
[Spiritual roots cannot be repaired, but they can be artificially planted! The Cultivation War Order has captured a sliver of heavenly mystery for you. Simply recharge 12,888¥ to receive a tenfold reward! Super prizes await at Qi Refining Great Perfection, Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, Foundation Establishment Late-stage, and Foundation Establishment Great Perfection! Obtain an exceptional, mysterious spiritual root upon reaching Foundation Establishment Great Perfection!]
[Would you like to activate the
Chen Ping An: "..."