Such an attitude, by any means, could not be considered polite.

However, it seemed that Xu Hui did not come with the intention of directly dealing with Yu Ci. Upon entering the room, he only glanced at him and said straightforwardly to Xie Yan, "Normally, when a person dies, the matter ends there. The affair with the White Sun Mansion should have concluded. However, since your young kin still clings to life, he can serve to explain the situation to Elder Jin."

"The affairs of the Lichen Sect do not require explanation to outsiders."

Xie Yan countered with a single sentence, not surprising Xu Hui, who nodded and said, "I expected as much from Elder Xie. I'm merely making a suggestion. Since you disagree, I will not persist. I will apologize to Elder Jin myself. How to proceed next will be his decision."

At this, Xie Yan only scoffed.

Xu Hui paid him no mind and finally turned his gaze to Yu Ci. His pupils shone with a golden light that pierced into Yu Ci's eyes like needles. However, this was merely a sign of his profound cultivation, not an intentional intimidation.

"Your name is Yu Ci?"

Yu Ci slightly bowed on the bed, "Immortal Elder Xu."

Xu Hui, not being particularly hostile, simply said in a cold tone, "I won't speak for others in the White Sun Mansion, but the Jin Huan family is of the bloodline of Elder Jin Bo Cang from our sect. As a disciple of the Lichen Sect, you colluded with four other sects to exterminate them, from the highest to the lowest, all seventeen were killed. Even if you didn't personally kill anyone, the grudge will still fall upon you. You best be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ci thought for a moment and then laughed, "Immortal Elder Xu, you said you wouldn't speak for the others, but is there really no one you care about?"

Xu Hui's eyebrows, the color of burnt yellow, raised slightly as he looked at Xie Yan, who was also frowning. He huffed, "Who?"

"The Chief Elder of the White Sun Mansion, Tu Du."

Yu Ci, not at all intimidated by his attitude, became more serious, "On the Sky Wing Tower, he used the 'Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse', causing the death of dozens of fellow practitioners and over a hundred innocent civilians. His methods are appalling..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.

"'Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse'?"

Both Xie Yan and Xu Hui were shocked, their eyes meeting in unison, "What happened?"

They didn't know? Yu Ci was surprised. It seemed that the events of the previous night had been too chaotic, and with the subsequent incident involving Yu Ci, both Immortal Elders had been preoccupied with the changes on the Shadow Slope and the details of the battle on Cinnabar Cliff, overlooking the situation on Sky Wing Tower.

However, judging by their reactions, there was definitely something suspicious about this "Tu Du."

Xie Yan's expression was solemn, "Are you sure it was the 'Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse'?"

With steadfast conviction, Yu Ci continued, "Whether it's the Spider Shadow Curse or not, Immortal Elders, you can ask Zhou Youde, the steward of the Random Heart Pavilion, and a Lone Cultivator named Zhao Zirui. They were the ones who identified it. Oh, right, that 'Tu Du' was eventually dealt with by the Xuan Yin Sect Master, Red Yin. You can inquire about the details from her."

"Red Yin again?" Xu Hui's amber eyebrows almost knotted, "She killed Jin Huan, and Tu Du too..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ci chuckled inwardly. If Red Yin couldn't clear herself now, she wouldn't be leaving Cliff City anytime soon.

The question was, could she clear herself?

The anomalies on 'Tu Du' were clearly related to the Sky Rift Valley unrest, and he wanted to see if the Xuan Yin Sect, which was already implicated, would give away any clues through this indirect probing.

However, Yu Ci, still recovering from a severe Divine Soul injury, had used a lot of mental energy in trapping Red Yin. He relaxed and quickly became exhausted, his mind growing hazy. He could no longer converse with Xie and Xu, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up again, Xie Yan and Xu Hui were gone, and it was already night. He felt a bit more refreshed. There were attendants outside who brought him a bowl of medicinal soup to alleviate his hunger without him asking.

But before he could finish the medicinal soup, someone came to see him.

It was Hu Dan. Probably to show respect, this top expert from the Thousands Spirits Sect had become a dedicated messenger. His visit was to report the battle situation from the previous night to Yu Ci. This was just a formality, but for the Thousands Spirits Sect, this formality was absolutely necessary.

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Yu Ci understood this. In his view, there were four major powers remaining in Cliff City: the Xuan Yin Sect and the Pure Water Sect, both backed by a powerful force and representing their will, were not to be co-opted; the Lifeless Sword Sect was too small, good as a hired hand but not worth considering as a city controller.

Only the Thousands Spirits Sect, with decent strength and no backing, could rely entirely on the Lichen Sect to secure its foothold in Cliff City. It was the ideal representative. Yu Ci intended to have it replace the former position of the White Sun Mansion, making his control of Cliff City more effortless.

Therefore, Yu Ci respectfully listened to Hu Dan's report. Fortunately, Hu Dan knew that Yu Ci was currently low on energy and kept his report brief, only roughly reporting the casualties on both sides, what the four sects gained from the White Sun Mansion, etc. Yu Ci was only half-listening, but one thing caught his attention:

Hu Dan said, "From Jin Huan downwards in the White Sun Mansion, to the Nature-Connecting Cultivators upwards, there were twenty-one people in total. Twenty of them have been confirmed dead, and only one is missing, who is Kuang Yan Qi, the disciple of Lu Yang..."

"Kuang Yan Qi?"

Yu Ci narrowed his eyes. He remembered seeing this man when he was sprinkling divine consciousness starlight on the Sky Wing Tower. He must have taken advantage of the chaos at the Sky Wing Tower to escape over the mountains. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"This man has some unclear involvement with 'Tu Du'. We must put in effort to search for him. If found, try to capture him alive and bring him back for Elder Xie and others to handle."

Hu Dan knew that today Xie Yan and Xu Hui, the two Vacuum Walking Immortal Leaders, had suddenly expressed great interest in "Tu Du". Now that Yu Ci emphasized it again, he immediately obeyed. With that said, the matter was almost settled. Seeing Yu Ci showing signs of fatigue, Hu Dan stopped disturbing him and turned to leave. Just as he was about to leave the room, he suddenly remembered something and called the maid who had been waiting outside for a long time to bring in a tray:

"Immortal Yu, how do you think this should be handled?"

Yu Ci looked closely and saw a worm-like creature lying on the shiny tray. It was much thinner than a worm, about the thickness of a hair, so light that it seemed to be blown away by a breath. Therefore, even though its body was slightly trembling, Yu Ci couldn't confirm whether it was its own movement or caused by the breath of people in the room.

However, with a very weak aura connection, Yu Ci confirmed the identity of the little bug:

"Is this... a Fish-Dragon?"

Perhaps the familiar sound stimulated the little guy's nerves, the lifeless thin black worm on the tray suddenly began to stretch its body, and then it started to float and swim. Looking at its direction of movement, it was heading towards Yu Ci.

But, it moved so slowly!

Watching the little guy struggling hard in the air, Yu Ci was full of surprise: "The 'Spine' carried the vital essence away, and the Fish-Dragon can still survive? Of course, it has shrunk a lot.

Speaking of which, he was somewhat pleased. After ten days together, the aura was shared, and some feelings were nurtured. Especially knowing that the little guy's flesh and divine soul, including its pitiful intelligence, were all controlled by the strong instinct of its "Spine" center, he felt a bit of sympathy.

Now, although it's pitiful, it's still alive, isn't it?

But, he didn't know how much of the little guy's previous miraculous abilities remained.

"Last night's incident was indeed strange. Monk, your eyes are sharper than mine, did you see how that youngster revived?"

"Mmm."

"Oh? Tell me, all I saw was that Fish-Dragon being drained of its vital essence. What happened afterwards was beyond my understanding... Monk?"

Lu Mingyue finally realized that his partner's attention was completely focused on the human figure on the stone platform. His prior response was merely perfunctory. But he was in good spirits and didn't mind, watching Monk continue his intricate hand movements with a smile, all the while expressing his admiration:

"You've really put in the effort. After such a series of modifications, he's only a hair's breadth away from the Golden Elixir Stage. No, that's not right. For you, he's already at the Golden Elixir Stage!"

Monk Yi Xin exhaled, stopping his hand movements, declaring an end to the day's work. He glanced at Lu Mingyue and said, "After you leave, I'll be short of help in the city. You never know what might happen, it's always good to be prepared."

Lu Mingyue chuckled, "What kind of accident? If there's going to be an accident, it would be that kid with the surname Yu. I confirmed it at the Sky Wing Tower, the scent on that kid is exactly the same as the one in the Monster Nest that day. It's definitely the one who destroyed your spirit clone, but it's hard to say how much he knows about our secrets."

With a grin, he added, "Why don't we seize the opportunity and get rid of him? Otherwise, we might wake up one day to find the Lichen Sect and Sunset Valley surrounding us..."

"Even if he knows about us, he would have said something by now. If he hasn't, he's unlikely to suddenly blurt it out."

Monk casually wiped his blood-stained hands, seemingly unconcerned, but then his tone changed, "You should stay a few more days. Once this matter is settled, you can return to the sect."

Lu Mingyue had just mentioned taking action, but when it came to the crunch, he seemed somewhat reluctant, "Take action directly? That kid just had an incident, it's a tense time. Xie Yan is watching him closely, even if we join forces, dealing with Xie Yan would be somewhat difficult..."

Monk shook his head, "There's no need."

"Oh? Do you have a way to take the kid's life right under Xie Yan's nose?"

Monk continued shaking his head, "We definitely need to bypass Xie Yan to have a chance. That opportunity is coming soon..."

With a sudden sigh, he added, "Jin Huan truly lacks fortune. He was prepared. If Xu Hui had arrived half an hour earlier to back him up, the joint attack of the four sects would have been a joke. Unfortunately, he did not anticipate that Yu Ci's methods would be so crude and ruthless, seizing the opportunity to die first, leaving him no chance to catch his breath!"

Lu Mingyue laughed heartily at this, "Jin Huan must be rolling in his grave."

"All the better."

Monk smiled faintly, "It's precisely because of this that the situation in Cliff City has escalated. And with this escalation, comes our opportunity."

A brief interlude, the real action starts soon!

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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e