168: Chapter 168 Tracing the Roots!

"What on earth?"

Hearing Su Wenjian's words, the Revered Master and Disciple were stunned on the spot.

The schadenfreude that had just appeared on Chen Yan's face froze instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But he found that within his current vocabulary, he couldn't find a single suitable word to describe his current mood.

No, wait. Is this some kind of sick joke?!

He had just brought out the evidence of Li Qingxuan's collusion with the enemy and was pondering how to screw that old geezer over, and then you tell me the boss is gone?

He felt like he had ten thousand curses to scream, but he could only bury them in his heart, unable to vent:

"Damn it! How did this old dog die so fast?"

"I was all prepared for Revered Master to take him down so I could humiliate him and show off big time!"

"And now you're telling me he's dead?"

"This is like playing a game, finally getting a full set of god-tier gear, only to find out someone stole the boss kill?"

"This feels so freaking bad!!!"

The more Chen Yan thought about it, the angrier he got. His expression collapsed completely, and the corners of his mouth twitched as if he'd suffered a stroke.

He turned to look at his Revered Master with a pitiful expression, only to find that her fingertips were also trembling imperceptibly!

Leng Qingshuang's brows were tightly furrowed; she clearly hadn't expected such a result either.

Wait, Sect Head, are you for real?"

Chen Yan asked, unwilling to let it go, "That's Li Qingxuan, the old geezer who's as devious as they come. Is he really dead?"

Su Wenjian's eye twitched slightly, feeling somewhat helpless at Chen Yan's lack of filter.

However, he still nodded with a grim face.

"Early this morning, the Discipline Hall Disciples noticed an anomaly at the Cliff of Reflection while on patrol."

"By the time they arrived, Li Qingxuan had already breathed his last."

"The traces at the scene were clearly wiped away by hand, leaving behind only a single Jade Slip."

Hearing this, Chen Yan silently rolled his eyes and grumbled in his heart:

"Duh! Does that even need saying? This is a classic case of silencing a witness!"

"I just got back to the Sect, and he kicks the bucket right after."

Could it be that the demonic cult has other moles within our Sect?"

"The great Taiqing Sword Sect is being treated like a public restroom—people coming and going as they please!"

"This is such a massive embarrassment!"

He looked at Su Wenjian's serious face, feeling incredibly frustrated.

He thought he would be the one to personally deal with the old dog Li Qingxuan, but someone had jumped in halfway and ruined his revenge fantasy!

"Come, I will take you there."

Su Wenjian stood with his hands behind his back and rose directly on his sword. "This concerns the Ninth Peak; you should see it for yourselves!"

"It concerns the Ninth Peak?"

Chen Yan didn't understand why, but he still followed on Leng Qingshuang's Flying Sword, heading toward the Cliff of Reflection!

Along the way, the Disciples were filled with wonder when they saw Leng Qingshuang restored to health!

"Is that Sword Venerable Shuanghua? Wasn't she in a coma due to her injuries? When did she recover?"

"Strange, where are they going?"

"Sect Head Su is there too. Did something happen in the Sect?"

The news regarding Li Qingxuan had been sealed off by the Discipline Hall, so few of the lower-level Disciples knew the truth.

Chen Yan, listening to the chatter below, leaned closer to Leng Qingshuang.

His fingertips restlessly brushed against the back of his Revered Master's hand.

Leng Qingshuang shot him a sideways glance but didn't pull away.

Chen Yan felt delighted:

"Revered Master's hand is still so smooth... the texture is top-notch~"

"It's only because there are so many people right now; otherwise, I'd just pull Revered Master into my arms."

The trace of a lecherous smile at the corner of his mouth was caught by Leng Qingshuang.

The tips of her ears turned slightly red, and she secretly pinched the soft flesh at Chen Yan's waist!

"Behave. What are you thinking about?"

Chen Yan blurted out instinctively, "Thinking about you, Revered Master."

Leng Qingshuang: "..."

Bah!

This Rebellious Disciple's skin was truly getting thicker and thicker.

The Cliff of Reflection.

It was already surrounded by Disciples from the Discipline Hall.

Tie Wuya, the leader, had a dark expression, his brows knitted into a knot. When he saw Su Wenjian approaching, he quickly bowed.

"Greetings, Sect Head."

"Where is he?"

Su Wenjian asked in a heavy voice.

Tie Wuya stepped aside, revealing the entrance to the cliff cave behind him.

A thick, inescapable stench of blood instantly rushed toward them, making one want to vomit.

Chen Yan frowned and followed closely behind his Revered Master into the cave.

He saw that the stone walls of the cave were covered in hideous sword gashes.

Clearly, an intense battle had taken place here.

Li Qingxuan's corpse was slumped in a corner.

Every bone in his body had been shattered.

His face, in particular, had been beaten into a bloody pulp, making him almost unrecognizable.

Chen Yan marveled at the sight of his miserable death and thought to himself:

"Holy crap! Whoever did this is a real ruthless beast."

"It feels like they hated this old dog even more than I do."

"Did Li Qingxuan dig up their ancestral graves or something? Such deep hatred?"

"It's just a pity I didn't get to beat him up myself!"

He crouched down and carefully examined Li Qingxuan's body.

The perpetrator's methods were truly brutal!

Looking at these injuries, it was as if they were venting their rage!

Every punch, kick, and sword strike had avoided his vital organs!

Li Qingxuan had been completely, literally, beaten to death bit by bit!

Su Wenjian scanned the surroundings and said softly:

"The scene was cleaned; all traces of the fight and residual spiritual energy have been wiped away."

"Furthermore, the opponent is very familiar with the Sect's Great Sect-Protecting Array, being able to sneak in silently, kill Li Qingxuan, and leave without triggering any alarms."

"This person's cultivation is at least at the Peak of the Mahayana Stage!"

Peak of the Mahayana Stage?

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Wait? Are Mahayana Stage cultivators common as dirt now?

Anyone who shows up is at the Peak of the Mahayana Stage?

And since this person is familiar with the Sect's Protection Array, isn't it obvious they're someone from the Taiqing Sword Sect?

As these conditions were listed one by one, the range of suspects seemed to narrow down instantly.

In the entire Sect, those who could satisfy all these conditions could be counted on one hand!

Tie Wuya stepped forward, handed over a Jade Slip, and said respectfully:

"Sect Head, this is the only thing found at the scene."

Su Wenjian took the Jade Slip and extended his Divine Sense into it.

The next second, his face turned black.

Chen Yan noticed the change in Su Wenjian's expression and felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Sect Head, what's wrong?"

Su Wenjian didn't speak but handed the Jade Slip over.

Chen Yan took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

There wasn't much content in the Jade Slip.

However, it clearly recorded the father-son relationship between Li Qingxuan and the Hall Revered Master of the Netherworld Hall, Li Xuanyou, as well as all the evidence of his secret collusion with the demonic cult over the centuries and his betrayal of Sect intelligence!

And at the very end of the information, it was recorded:

In the extermination of the Feng Clan three hundred years ago, Li Qingxuan was one of the primary conspirators!

Shit!

Chen Yan's pupils shrank violently.

He instinctively turned to look at Leng Qingshuang.

He saw that the knuckles of his Revered Master's hand gripping the sword hilt were slightly white, and the Wind Spirit Intent around her was fluttering uncontrollably!

As the breeze brushed past, some of the rubble around them was instantly sliced into powder by invisible Sword Qi!

Chen Yan quickly reached out to hold her hand and comforted her softly, "Revered Master, stay calm."

He cursed in his mind:

"That son of a bitch Li Qingxuan, still causing trouble even after he's dead."

"When I find the mastermind, I'll definitely grind their bones to ashes to vent Revered Master's anger!"

Leng Qingshuang's killing intent faltered, and she slowly withdrew her Wind Spirit Intent.

But her slightly reddened eyes betrayed her current state of mind.

Su Wenjian looked at them and spoke:

"Li Qingxuan was unable to send out any distress signal before he died."

"There was no shockwave from the fight that spread out from this place either."

"In the entire Sect, no more than three people could have accomplished this."

Chen Yan's brow was tightly furrowed.

"No more than three people?"

Doesn't that mean the person who did it is likely among the Sect's high-level members?

[Detected the host's strong desire to protect his Revered Master. Issuing new task: Tracing the Source!]

[Tracing the Source: Help Revered Master uncover the truth behind the Feng Clan's extermination. For every key clue found, Revered Master's favorability +1; Task completion reward: Wind Spirit Sword Manual!]