Very soon, Wushan was completely sealed off. Sikong Bai warned every Night Patrol disciple—Wen Jiu included—that this matter was absolutely not to be leaked.

As Wen Jiu had predicted, Sikong Bai immediately deployed dozens of people to search the mountain, leaving no corner unchecked. Wen Jiu had no way to escape and had to follow the main search party. The search lasted for three full days.

As for that cold pool—when Wen Jiu returned to check, there was nothing unusual anymore. Though some remnants of ghostly energy lingered, the Night Patrol members were unable to uncover anything.

At the same time, during the daily settlement that took place after midnight, Wen Jiu finally learned the true name and purpose of that eerie ghost-faced flower.

Its name was Ghost-Faced Pagoda.

A rare and extraordinary treasure of heaven and earth.

Not only was it classified as a top-grade Tier-One resource, but it was also a unique ghostly entity that only grew in the Blood Fiend Abyss. Just making it bloom required the life force of at least a hundred cultivators. And for it to form that sinister ghostly face, it needed even more time and an immense amount of original ghost energy. In other words, the one cultivating it had to nourish the flower with their own body for no less than ten years.

However, to ordinary people, it was completely useless—it couldn't be refined into pills or forged into weapons. In fact, it was essentially a lethal poison.

Not to mention consuming it—merely staying near it for too long could allow its ghostly energy to invade one's spiritual body, leading to corruption. Those afflicted would neither be human nor ghost, eventually becoming ghost puppets—mere nourishment for the Ghost-Faced Pagoda.

But for ghostly beings and ghost cultivators, this was nothing less than a divine medicine. Once the ghostly face turned crimson, it meant the flower was bearing fruit. And when it did, its fruit had the power to restore flesh to bones and bring the dead back to life. For an incorporeal soul, it provided a chance at rebirth.

In other words, for ghosts and ghost cultivators, the Ghost-Faced Pagoda was a second life.

Its value was self-evident.

Lastly, the daily settlement revealed another crucial detail—no Ghost-Faced Pagoda had appeared in the past three hundred years.

That only made its rarity even more pronounced.

"By stealing this Ghost-Faced Pagoda, I've essentially robbed him of a chance to resurrect. Next time we cross paths, he'll probably stop at nothing to kill me." Wen Jiu sighed with a wry smile.

Unknowingly, he had made yet another enemy.

But Wen Jiu wasn't worried—by the time they met again, the Black Ghoul would have evolved into a Three-Fiend Corpse Walker. Killing that ghost would be as easy as snapping his fingers.

To be honest—he was actually looking forward to their next encounter.

The ghostly techniques alone, coupled with the Ghost-Faced Pagoda, were enough to prove that this wandering soul harbored an extraordinary secret.

As for what to do with the Ghost-Faced Pagoda...

Wen Jiu hadn't quite decided yet.

Selling it?

He could probably fetch an astronomical price.

But nine times out of ten, that would only invite a disaster upon himself.

Letting the Black Ghoul devour it directly?

He felt reluctant. The Ghost-Faced Pagoda was simply too valuable for ghost cultivators and specters.

If the Black Ghoul consumed it, it would indeed gain a massive surge in experience, but… it still felt like a bit of a waste.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

—

Night Patrol Division.

Main Hall.

Sikong Bai lightly knocked on the door of Gong Chi's secluded chamber, not daring to speak. He simply waited in silence outside.

A moment later.

A cold voice rang from within.

"What is it?"

Sikong Bai spoke nervously, "Elder Gong, Mu ye is dead."

"You disturb my cultivation for something so trivial?" Gong Chi's voice carried clear displeasure, with a hidden trace of killing intent.

Sikong Bai hurried to explain, "Elder Gong, on the surface, it looks like Mu ye was killed by a wandering ghost. But at the scene of his death, we not only found traces of the Whirlwind Sword Art, but also an extremely dense Blood Fiend Hand—at least at the third level!"

"So you suspect… that there are Bloodrobe Tower agents among us?" Gong Chi immediately deduced his meaning.

However, as an undercover agent of the Bloodrobe Tower himself, he knew for a fact that there were no other spies within the Night Patrol Division.

Still, the discovery intrigued him. If there were no infiltrators, then where had that third-level Blood Fiend Hand come from?

Sikong Bai continued, "Whoever it is, they know the Whirlwind Sword Art and possess an extremely strong Blood Fiend Hand. That means they're likely among the stewards… perhaps even the deacons. Moreover, the very ghostly energy you ordered us to track—also appeared at the crime scene!"

BANG—

The door was suddenly flung open.

A forceful aura surged out, far stronger than before. But even so, Gong Chi had yet to step into the sixth stage of Qi Refining.

"Did you soul-search Mu ye?"

"Impossible. His soul was forcibly extracted by the ghost… But the Whirlwind Sword Art is only taught to stewards and deacons—there aren't many who practice it."

As soon as he appeared again, Gong Chi let out a cold laugh. "I didn't expect you to leave so many traces this time. Immediately investigate all the stewards and deacons of the Night Patrol Division who have practiced the Wind-Piercing Sword Technique over the years!"

Hide?

You little thing.

Since you're on Fei Xian Peak, where can you possibly hide?

Si Kongbai didn't dare meet Gong Chi's gaze and only asked in a low voice, "Elder Gong, what about the Supervision Hall?"

"Erase all traces... Publicly announce that Mu Ye was killed by the Yin Soul. Make sure the investigation is conducted without a sound."

The elder of the main peak's Supervision Hall would be arriving soon.

Before his arrival, that person had to be found.

...

Back home.

After dealing with Li Ye, Wen Jiu felt completely at ease.

From now on, there was no one left on Fei Xian Peak who bore a grudge against him.

No one could stop him from heading to the main peak.

As for those who had targeted him because of Li Ye, now that Li Ye was dead, they wouldn't be foolish enough to continue. After all, given his strength, it was inevitable that he would pass the assessment and enter the main peak.

Who would risk offending a future main peak disciple over a dead man?

Those people might not be too bright, but they weren't outright stupid.

As soon as he got home and let out a breath of relief, visitors started showing up one after another. Even though Wen Jiu refused to entertain guests, it didn't stop them from coming. What surprised him even more was that people were now trying to befriend his sister, Wen Ya.

The Xu family even had Wen Ya prepare a gift for him—

A generous one, worth about twenty or thirty low-grade spirit stones.

"Being in a sect really is different. As long as your status is rising, even if you were ignored before, people will start flocking to you."

Even though he didn't accept the gift, Wen Jiu was still quite pleased.

If he were a rogue cultivator, the faster he improved, the more people would want him dead.

A rogue cultivator?

He would never be one in this lifetime.

After that, Wen Jiu checked Li Ye's storage bag.

Over a hundred spirit stones.

A golden bell-type magical artifact, plus a flying sword artifact—both of which Wen Jiu had seen before. Their combined value was close to three hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Several pills and talismans, worth at least another fifty or sixty spirit stones.

As for the rest, most of it wasn't worth much. The Wind-Piercing Sword Technique, for instance—he couldn't sell it.

Even if he dared to sell it, no one would dare to buy it.

If anyone was caught practicing it, they were as good as dead.

After storing away his spoils, Wen Jiu planned to visit Fei Xian Peak's library to see if there were any records on the Ghost-Faced Pagoda.

The daily settlement only provided basic information, but Wen Jiu refused to believe that the Ghost-Faced Pagoda had just one function.

Something capable of granting a second life to Yin Souls and ghost cultivators couldn't possibly be that simple.

But just as he was about to send the black ghoul to the Land of Broken Corpses, a knock came at his door.

Wen Jiu had no intention of responding—until the person outside spoke.

"I am Chen Daoqing, eldest grandson of an Elder from the Demon Slayer Division. I have come to invite Fellow Daoist Wen to a banquet. May I have the pleasure of meeting you?"

The eldest grandson of a Demon Slayer Division elder.

A high-status figure.

A proper third-generation immortal.

On Fei Xian Peak, someone like him could do whatever he wanted.

"This announcement really has changed my situation overnight." Wen Jiu chuckled to himself.

If the third generation of immortals had arrived, the first generation wouldn't be far behind.

Had it been anyone else, Wen Jiu might have brushed them off. But Chen Daoqing was different—he was a third-generation immortal.

For a rogue cultivator like Wen Jiu, who had decided to stick with the sect, having connections like this could only be beneficial.