The incident occurred abruptly, catching Murong Qingyan off guard. Even if she had been prepared, her ability at the Initial Stage of Golden Elixir was no match for Liu Guan's Taoism Immortal Cultivation Level.
A chilling intent to kill seeped from his fingertips, strangling her throat and sending a cold shiver straight to her Brain Palace. Beyond that, an oppressive weight emanated from Liu Guan, forcing her body to buckle under the strain. Gradually, she bent lower and lower until her legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground.
The disparity in their strengths forced Murong Qingyan to strain her neck just to make her situation slightly more bearable. At this moment, Liu Guan spoke, his voice sharp and piercing, "Do you know what I want to do most to women like you?"
Murong Qingyan, of course, could not respond.
Liu Guan's face remained hidden in the shadows, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed a morbid excitement. He extended his other hand from the shadows. His palm and fingers seemed deliberately distorted, the nails long and sharp. They moved like iron hooks, tracing the lips and tongue of the female cultivator. Occasionally, they brushed against her delicate cheeks, threatening to draw blood at any moment.
"For women like you, I should first rip out your tongue, then reach into your mouth, and pull out your heart to see what it truly looks like!"
As Liu Guan demonstrated his intentions with his arm, the female cultivator trembled noticeably when his fingertip pressed against her tongue.
Murong Qingyan was clearly taken aback by this sudden threat of death. She instinctively struggled, but after two unsuccessful attempts, her body went limp. Her cheeks turned pale, and her eyes filled with fear and pleading.
Her reaction seemed to stun Liu Guan, who suddenly noticed the difference between the woman he had imagined and the female cultivator before him: "Too weak!"
At that moment, he wasn't sure whether he was satisfied or disappointed. He grunted, releasing his grip. Murong Qingyan gasped, collapsing onto the ground, coughing and trembling.
"You've got a good head on your shoulders, but what a coward!" Liu Guan laughed heartily to himself. Murong Qingyan continued to cough, but a thought crossed her mind: "He's having an episode!"
The Liu Guan just now was undoubtedly reminded of the Lady of the Underworld.
Back in the day, Liu Guan and the Lady of the Underworld were disciples of the same sect, the superpower Primordial Demon Sect of this world. In that powerful organization, known as the "Ancestor of Ten Thousand Demons," the Lady of the Underworld was the most dazzling figure. She was stunningly beautiful and highly cunning, with countless heroes falling at her feet. Liu Guan was one of them. He may not have been the most infatuated, but he was certainly the most tormented.
It was said that Liu Guan was arrogant and reckless, a trait the Lady of the Underworld exploited. She used him as a pawn in her games of politics within the Primordial Demon Sect, causing him to offend almost everyone he could. He thought he was winning her favor, but the situation changed dramatically. The Lady of the Underworld betrayed the sect and married one of the top Earth Immortals, the Eastern Magic Sovereign Lu Chen, who had survived the Thunderbolt Tribulation three times and remained standing.
Leaving aside the uproar caused by the Lady of the Underworld's betrayal, let's talk about Liu Xu, who was discarded like a dog by the Lady of the Underworld. His pride was severely damaged, and in his attempt for revenge, he was gravely injured by Old Demon Lu Chen, who was protecting his beloved. This series of events left him mentally unstable, his Divine Soul severely damaged, and he began to act like a madman. This directly led to him being abandoned by the God Lord and expelled from the Sect.
Therefore, the Lady of the Underworld is the demon in Liu Guan's heart, his greatest weakness. Unless that shadow is removed, Liu Xu will never be able to return to his peak.
Murong Qingyan's confident demeanor might have reminded Liu Guan a bit of the Lady of the Underworld, which drove him mad. Fortunately, she realized this in time and distanced herself from the Lady of the Underworld by adopting a weak and fearful posture. If she had remained calm, Liu Guan, in his agitated state, might have ripped out her heart and lungs to see!
Everyone knows that a mad Liu Guan is capable of anything.
Once Liu Guan's frenzied mood passed and his laughter subsided, Murong Qingyan was kneeling on the snow-covered mountain peak, half-bent over, supporting herself on the ground, seemingly still recovering from the threat of death.
She no longer spoke, but Liu Guan wanted her to. The radiating shadows covered most of the female cultivator, making her feel the power and threat:
"Your words just now were good, I want to hear more, continue!"
Murong Qingyan touched her throat and pursed her lips, "Senior Liu, are you mocking me?"
"Continue!" Liu Guan elongated his tone, like a stretched noose, tightening around the female cultivator's neck.
Murong Qingyan hesitated slightly, and the shadow completely covered her. At such a close distance, she still couldn't see Liu Guan's face, but she could feel from his aura that this madman was crouching down, roughly at her level, and then he extended the finger that nearly penetrated her throat, rubbing it on her face. The female cultivator could even hear the faint sound of friction.
"What a nice skin and flesh you have! Little girl, you are well-informed, have you ever heard of a sacrificial technique in the Primordial Demon Sect, called the Five Yin Ghost Stew?"
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"Senior, you must have already made up your mind."
Murong Qingyan immediately followed Liu Guan's tone and began to speak. However, at this moment, she slightly closed her eyes, ignoring the outside world, only her voice was still steady: "The purpose is known, and the decision to oppose them has been made, naturally, it is to do the opposite of what they want; whatever they fear the most, give them that. Now that we know that they fear chaos, doesn't senior know what to do?"
Liu Guan's fingers paused, yet he chuckled, "Why don't you tell me, what would I do?"
He used the phrase 'why don't you', but if she didn't say, it seemed there would be a significant 'hindrance'.
Murong Qingyan took a deep breath to steady her emotions before speaking, "If we were to consider the temperament you held in your youth, you would likely wreak havoc here, seizing an opportunity to annihilate those two. As for the circumstances that would follow, you would probably disregard them. However, from what you've told me, over the past couple of months, you've managed to keep your temper in check, which seems somewhat different from your past, doesn't it?"
Of course, this 'keeping your temper in check' was achieved by overlooking the outrageous act of casting the 'Minor Five Sense Frosty Soul-seizing Curse'. Both understood this.
"Go on, continue!" Liu Guan's voice sounded quite relaxed.
Murong Qingyan continued, "If you're determined to thwart their plot, the simplest way would be to leave without a care, allowing the murky waters here to clear and the clues to become evident. The Lichen Sect and Sunset Valley would handle the rest. However, this method is too stifling and reactive, which you probably wouldn't enjoy.
"As for digging deeper to expose the conspiracy, the junior generation doesn't fully understand the situation and wouldn't dare to make rash statements. In this chaotic situation, peeling back the layers doesn't seem like a good idea. It would be better to step outside the circle, take in the whole picture, find the key point, and cut the Gordian knot, which would be more lethal."
Having said all this in one breath, the female cultivator closed her eyes and pursed her lips, truly not uttering another word. In fact, she had said all that needed to be said. At this point, Liu Guan should have made his own judgement.
After a moment, a slight pain appeared on her face where Liu Yan had scraped her with his fingertip:
"See the bigger picture! Well said, young lady, see the bigger picture!"
Repeating the phrase, Liu Yan distanced himself from her, but his voice still echoed in her ears, "That poisonous woman back then probably did the same, seemingly retreating but actually always one step ahead. I pondered this for a hundred years in the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion before understanding it. But upon returning to this realm, I almost forgot. Well, this time, I might as well take a broader view, yes, just take a broader view for now!"
His last sentence was barely audible. Then, he asked a question, "Where is Ghost Bell Taoist?"
Murong Qingyan's heart skipped a beat, but she still replied with her eyes closed, "The Northern Sea, Heavenly Star Palace."
Liu Yan let out a hearty laugh, and the oppressive aura permeating the mountaintop suddenly disappeared. When Murong Qingyan opened her eyes, there was no trace of the madman on the mountain.
Looking at the sky, the heavy snow still fell, but the deeper, cold, turbid atmosphere had also vanished.
The residents of Cliff City were unaware that during their confusion, a Thunderbolt Tribulation had silently brushed past them and dissipated.
***********
Murong Qingyan descended the mountain, walking leisurely in the snowstorm. After walking a little over a mile, the vast mountain behind her was completely hidden in the snowstorm, with the vast wilderness stretching out in all directions, directionless.
However, she saw a figure standing in the plain ahead, shrouded in a hooded cloak. Its dark color stood out in the white snow.
Without hesitation, Murong Qingyan walked towards it. When she was still several feet away, the figure lifted its hood. A head of black hair was simply tied back, hanging behind her head. The hairline had been meticulously groomed, without a single stray strand, revealing a porcelain-white forehead. This made her long eyebrows seem even more sharp, like two hanging swords, reaching into her temples.
Beneath her elongated eyebrows, her slender phoenix eyes were filled with a bright, dark light, half-open yet half-closed, always carrying an air of disdain, an aura of arrogance. She was none other than the Red Yin Immortal!
Red Yin squinted her eyes, watching as Murong Qingyan approached, raising her hand in a gesture of respect: "Thank you!"
"It was merely a stroke of luck!" Murong Qingyan let out a soft sigh, fatigue seeping through her words.
Seeing her in this state, Red Yin took the initiative to step forward, linking her arm with Murong Qingyan as they continued on their journey. This gesture was the epitome of intimacy for her. She had always treated Murong Qingyan differently, as this female cultivator possessed many abilities that she admired:
"God Lord has summoned you. To start from Liu Guan was indeed a stroke of genius. With the presence of the madman Liu, the situation is not only complicated, but it also provides Yi Xin with two excuses to jump around. Now that you've persuaded Liu Guan to leave, we can leak some information here, and with a mix of persuasion and force, we should be able to quiet them down a bit. My life in this Cliff City will be much easier!"
Murong Qingyan gave a slight smile, but before she could respond, Red Yin continued: "More importantly, this provides an opportunity to get our intentions across to that Bodhisattva, and have a thorough discussion with our God Lord, so as to maintain harmony. In this, your contribution is immense."
"Red Yin sister."
"Hmm?"
"Please refrain from such talk in the future."
Murong Qingyan gazed at the snow-filled sky, softly saying: "When immortals fight, it's the mortals who suffer. I came to Cliff City this time merely to deliver a message, visit friends, and explore the landscape. As for other matters, I am unaware, ignorant, and uninterested!"
Red Yin glanced at her, laughing: "The world's number one Spiritual Witch, why are you speaking such dispiriting words? As far as I know, of the six God Lords under heaven, besides the Buddha and Daoist who truly disappeared after the creation of the world, leaving only their divine positions before people, the other four are more or less connected to you."
"Sister, be careful with your words!"
Murong Qingyan made a silencing gesture, her expression serious.
Seeing Red Yin undeterred, she thought for a moment, saying: "Do you know why, among hundreds of Spiritual Witches in the world, I became known as the number one? It's because I know nothing at all!"
***********
Finally, this subplot has come to an end. It might have been a bit lengthy, but it left many clues. Here, I suddenly want to explain a couple of things: It might be hard for my long-time readers to find a consistent conspiracy throughout Inquiry the Mirror. The world of Inquiry the Mirror is much more diverse and vast than the underworld. Even the so-called "God Lord" can't guarantee that his plans will be under control from beginning to end. The plot should develop in a dynamic way, like "you set a trap, I break it, you set another trap, I simply cut it off with a sword". Of course, the most important thing is the epic life of Brother Fishbone. I hope I can convey this feeling, and I hope my brothers and sisters will continue to support me as always.
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e