Chapter 328: Su Huanli Is in Trouble

Song Jiulai wasted no time and gave all the collected materials to Liang Xueyao.

Liang Xueyao was quite surprised when she received them.

"I can’t believe the Sect Master managed to get them so quickly."

Even without going to the Dragon Frost Swamp herself, Liang Xueyao knew from what Mu Qiu and the others had said that the Dragon Breath Spirit Material there wasn’t easy to get.

It was already a huge accomplishment for Mu Qiu and the others to be at the Second Rank.

They were also hard to buy on the black market.

And even if they were available, they couldn’t afford them.

The Sect Master wasn’t just fast; he had even collected extras. This proved he had considerable means and connections.

Liang Xueyao murmured in admiration, "As expected of the Sect Master."

Before, they thought the Sect Master was mysterious. His cultivation had been so weak at the start that they’d pictured him as some poor, pitiful figure.

But now, it seemed the Sect Master was far stronger than he let on.

Otherwise, why would he be the Sect Master?

The only thing was, the system’s tone was a bit sarcastic. "That’s right. Our Sect Master has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and plenty of brawn."

It was all thanks to some big sucker walking right into his trap.

Liang Xueyao knew this was just how the system talked. After a moment’s thought, she said, "I need to go into seclusion for at least a month. Tell the others not to bother me, no matter what."

System: "You can send a notification yourself. I am a magnificent system, not your messenger pigeon."

Liang Xueyao: "Oh, okay. I’ll just log off and post it to my feed."

System: "..."

***

"AHHHHHHHHH, I’LL TEAR YOU TO A MILLION PIECES!"

Unable to find his younger brother’s body anywhere, Liang Yang was on the verge of tears.

He had been a cruel, vicious man, utterly devoid of conscience.

But now that his brother was dead, he cried his heart out.

But more than grief, he felt a creeping panic.

’My brother was murdered. Could that female cultivator have done it?’

’But she’s only in the Late-stage of Qi Refining!’

’Liang Yao is dead. So what about me?’

’Will someone come after me now?’

Liang Yang had done many despicable things over his years in Xuanwu City, and he knew it.

Weeping, he scrambled back to Xuanwu City.

He arrived at the grand, magnificent Xuanwu Tower, which hung in the sky.

"Uncle, Uncle!"

Xuanwu Tower was enormous, soaring dozens of stories high.

Each floor was its own separate dimension.

Those who could live here were all either rich or powerful figures in the Dragon Frost Swamp.

Some were even elders from Major Sects, stationed here on a temporary basis.

The Deputy City Lord of Xuanwu City lived on the second-to-last floor.

The very top floor was the residence of Huo Yuan, the City Lord of Xuanwu City.

"Uncle—"

Liang Yang burst into the grand hall, weeping. Every floor of this place was unbelievably luxurious.

The Deputy City Lord’s residence looked more like a lavish mortal palace.

If Liang Yang hadn’t been the Deputy City Lord’s nephew, he would never have had the chance to set foot in a place like this in his entire life.

"You... Have you no sense of decorum?"

An old, displeased voice echoed through the hall. A wisp of smoke drifted by, and the figure of a middle-aged man materialized within.

Based on his looks alone, one might even have called him refined and handsome.

But a dark gloom clung to his features, and his aura was intensely oppressive.

It was merely an incarnation, yet its presence was enough to force Liang Yang to his knees.

And this was just one of his physical bodies.

A Nascent Soul Ancestor would never leave their true body out in the open.

"Uncle!" Liang Yang scrambled forward on his knees, trembling as he cried out, "My brother is dead! Liang Yao is dead!"

"Dead?"

The Deputy City Lord seemed slightly surprised. His brow furrowed for an instant before smoothing out again. He showed no grief for his nephew’s death, only indignation. "Who did it?! Who dares to show me such disrespect in Xuanwu City!"

He wasn’t angry that Liang Yao was dead. He was angry that someone had dared to kill Liang Yao, knowing full well he was his nephew!

Who in the entire Dragon Frost Swamp would dare disrespect him, the Deputy City Lord of Xuanwu City?

After all, he ostensibly had close ties with all the Major Sects. A city-state like Xuanwu City was essentially a neutral diplomatic hub.

Even a Deputy City Lord held considerable prestige.

He could even smooth things over if Liang Yao offended a disciple from one of the Major Sects.

Unless they had offended a Core Disciple.

But what skills did those two good-for-nothings possess that would make a Core Disciple even bother to deal with them?

"I... I don’t know who did it. I couldn’t find any trace of them. Even Liang Yao’s body is gone. I... I can’t sense him anywhere."

"What?" Liang Yucheng grew annoyed, his thoughts racing. "Which Major Sect’s Core Disciple did you two offend?"

"No, absolutely not!" Liang Yang cried. "We wouldn’t dare! Absolutely not, Uncle!"

He wouldn’t dare lie.

You could tell a Core Disciple was trouble at a single glance—they were always protected by numerous Magic Treasures.

The targets they chose were always carefully vetted.

"Then what in the world happened?!"

Liang Yucheng couldn’t figure it out. If it wasn’t a Core Disciple, the two brothers could definitely have handled any ordinary disciple. So how could Liang Yao have died so silently that his own twin brother felt nothing at all?

After all, the Cultivation Technique the twins practiced was supposed to link their minds.

He simply reached out, grabbed Liang Yang’s forehead, and used a mantra to investigate.

Sure enough, he found no trace of Liang Yao’s aura.

It seemed the boy was well and truly dead.

’Liang Yao should have had a protective Magic Treasure on him.’

’The protective Magic Treasure was shattered, and he was dead.’

’Could the attacker be at the Golden Core Stage?’

Liang Yucheng’s face was grim. "Take me there. And tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end."

’Hmph. To dare kill my nephew and show me such blatant disrespect.’

’This time, even if it is a Core Disciple from a Major Sect, I’ll make them answer for this!’

But just as Liang Yucheng was about to leave, a lazy, bewitching male voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Deputy City Lord, what’s all the commotion?"

Liang Yucheng’s face twitched.

’Damn beast,’ he thought. ’I have a powerful sound-dampening array here, and even that can’t hide anything from this monster’s ears.’

But he immediately replied with a respectful mental message, "It’s just a small matter concerning my nephew."

"Oh? So your nephew finally picked a fight with someone he shouldn’t have?"

Liang Yucheng: "..."

’You’ve got some nerve, saying something like that.’

The voice let out a low chuckle. "How bold. For someone to dare lay a hand on one of our people, here in Xuanwu City... When we find this little rat, I’d like to see for myself just how much nerve it really has."

Song Jiulai, now in the form of a male cultivator, and his incarnation suddenly sneezed in unison.

"Someone’s talking about me."

System: "Wouldn’t be the first time."

Song Jiulai sneered. "I forgot. It might not be a person. It could be some emotionless *thing* cursing me."

System: "That’s a bit on the nose. I think you’re judging a system’s heart with your own petty mind."

The two of them continued to bicker.

Then, the system suddenly said something out of the blue.

"Something’s happened to Su Huanli."

The smile vanished from Song Jiulai’s face in an instant.

Meanwhile, on First Mountain, Gu Yunxi—who had been out collecting materials from some Third-stage Demon Beasts—stumbled upon a blood-soaked Su Huanli.

She recognized the Longevity Sect disciple at a glance. The blood-soaked figure was in a wretched state.

A shrill cry tore through the air. "Run!"