They fled in panic, about to fall victim to the demonic cultivators’ wrath.
Liu Qiao’e turned and raised her sleeve, but she was a beat too slow. A streak of verdant green light flashed by!
A tall, slender, frail figure blocked in front of them.
Mu Daoying’s brows were tightly furrowed. Though his frame was thin, he stood unmoving like a mountain. At this critical moment, he alone had considered these villagers’ lives.
“I-Immortal… Immortal one.” The villagers trembled.
Mu Daoying gave an almost imperceptible nod and said softly, “Hide quickly.”
He subconsciously searched for Liu Qiao’e’s figure, only to meet her returning gaze unexpectedly.
Both were somewhat stunned.
Zheng Shen hurriedly pulled the villagers away.
In the end, Mu Daoying hesitated a moment before giving her a slight tug at the corner of his lips. Unfortunately, with his aloof nature, he wasn’t good at smiling.
Liu Qiao’e turned away with a complicated expression, focusing intently on the lead demonic-patterned cultivator.
These demonic cultivators, seeing no hope of escape, flashed with ruthless resolve in their eyes!
“No!” Song Miaoling blurted out. “Stop them—!”
Sizzle!
Before her words finished, a spray of blood whipped through the air!
Liu Qiao’e’s face remained cold as she mercilessly thrust her slender, pale arm into the demonic-patterned cultivator’s dantian!
The demonic-patterned cultivator let out a miserable scream.
Splash!
Another splatter of blood.
Liu Qiao’e reached into his dantian and stirred, brutally digging out a pitch-black inner core the size of a baby’s fist.
“Y-You…” The demonic-patterned cultivator screamed in agony, cold sweat soaking his eyelashes.
Liu Qiao’e expressionlessly held her hand before his eyes and, right in front of him, gently squeezed with her fingertips. With a “crack,” it shattered into powder.
“Now, let’s talk. Who exactly sent you here?”
The demonic-patterned cultivator roared in fury, struggled free of the Immortal Alliance disciples behind him, and lunged at Liu Qiao’e!
But before he could reach the hem of her clothes, Mu Daoying swiftly appeared from somewhere, sword in hand, deflecting his attack.
The sword hummed. Mu Daoying looked down at the crack on the blade and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
His Encounter Spring was lost—this was just something he’d casually bought a few days ago from a weapon shop in Fogveil City, made of mundane iron.
No time to dwell, he raised his sword to block in front of Liu Qiao’e, eyes watchful of the remaining demonic cultivators.
He had thought it through clearly yesterday; his pale face was now serene as autumn waters.
If Liu Qiao’e clashed with his master, he couldn’t stand by and abandon his master.
After all, his master shared years of bond with him…
But until then, he was still her male consort captive. Protecting his lord was his duty.
With his resolve set, Mu Daoying’s Dao heart became whole and firm once more.
Naturally, those demonic cultivators refused to surrender just like that.
But no matter. The Immortal Alliance had plenty of interrogation methods.
The brutal scenes and screams of agony were too much for Mu Daoying to bear watching or hearing; he gently turned his eyes away.
“What’s wrong?” A voice sounded from behind his head.
Mu Daoying’s fingertips trembled lightly, as if an electric current spread from behind his ear to his crown, his back, his bones softening and flesh quivering.
It was Liu Qiao’e.
“Daoist Mu even shows great mercy to demonic creatures? Haven’t you experienced these methods yourself?”
Mu Daoying took a deep breath and tried his best to steady his mind. “Unable to bear seeing it live yet unable to bear seeing it die, hearing its voice yet unable to bear eating its flesh. That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“For example,” Mu Daoying already felt much better and said calmly, “Though I can’t bear it, I won’t stop it.”
Liu Qiao’e sneered but said no more.
Finally, one demonic person couldn’t endure the torture any longer. He trembled and knelt on the ground. “I’ll talk! I’ll say anything!”
Mu Daoying looked toward him. Liu Qiao’e walked up to him.
Di Chong, who had been carrying out the torture, sneered coldly. He pulled the sword tip from the man’s shoulder. Meeting Liu Qiao’e’s gaze, the youth nodded in greeting with pride yet propriety. “Old Mother.”
He withdrew the sword, bringing out a string of blood droplets that splattered onto Liu Qiao’e’s skirt hem. Mu Daoying imperceptibly furrowed his brow.
“Who is the mastermind behind you?” Liu Qiao’e flicked her skirt hem, which unfolded layer by layer like flower petals, as she asked leisurely.
The demonic person said, “It’s… it’s an elder, an elder from the Bone Devouring Sect! He sent us to preach… and find ways to gain the trust of these villagers, then… then pollute the spiritual core.”
As expected, the spiritual core decaying on its own wouldn’t have eroded this quickly.
Liu Qiao’e’s brow arched slightly. “You just said the higher-ups specifically named that surnamed Mu to be killed? What’s that about?”
The demonic person said, “I don’t know! We don’t know!” He seemed to realize his end was near. Whether he spoke or not, it was just a matter of suffering less torment. His gaze swept over the Immortal Alliance disciples one by one, a flash of hatred suddenly appearing in his eyes along with vengeful intent. “It was your Immortal Alliance people who wanted to kill him!”
The moment these words came out, the whole place erupted in an uproar!
Mu Daoying’s expression remained unchanged as he steadied his sword, holding it firm and unmoving.
That demonic person said hatefully, “It was your Immortal Alliance! Someone from your Immortal Alliance is collaborating with our elders and specifically named him to be killed! Since we happened to be here, they had us do it!”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Di Chong’s face changed drastically with fury. He stepped forward and grabbed the demonic person, slapping him several times. “Biting at everyone, do you want to die?”
Blood trickled from the demonic person’s mouth. He laughed several times. “Who in your Immortal Alliance doesn’t know that someone has secretly defected to the Demonic Sect long ago?! You’re all just playing deaf and dumb!”
Liu Qiao’e asked, “What was the drug you gave to the Ren Family Village villagers just now? What was it made from? How precious is it?”
The demonic person’s expression changed slightly. He suddenly changed his tune. “I don’t know!!”
No matter how the Immortal Alliance crowd pressed him, he seemed to regret it and absolutely refused to say more.
Seeing this, Liu Qiao’e borrowed Di Chong’s sword and stabbed the man to death with one strike. She then looked toward a short demonic person beside him.
That demonic person dropped to his knees with a thud. “I… I’ll talk…”
“That drug was given to us by someone from your Immortal Alliance!”
“You insolent fool!” Zhao Yange didn’t know why, but his face changed. He was usually dissolute and gentle, yet now he stepped forward and kicked the demonic person’s chest hard. “This bewitching drug clearly emanates demonic qi. How is it related to the Immortal Alliance?! Facing death, instead of begging for a way to live, you still want to frame us!”
Yongzhang…
Mu Daoying was stunned, not understanding why Zhao Yange had suddenly changed color.
This drug… In a flash, he remembered something and his expression also changed dramatically! His pale face grew even whiter as a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down from his temple. He nearly couldn’t hold his sword steady anymore.
“Even if what you say is true, I’m already facing death, so why would I frame you! This drug is extremely special and hard to refine. Someone from your Immortal Alliance gave it to us, and we used Demonic Sect secret methods to assist it! If we hadn’t received orders to kill that surnamed Mu, we wouldn’t have gotten such a secret drug!”
Amid the crowd’s stunned confusion, they all subconsciously turned their gazes toward Mu Daoying.
Song Miaoling said, “Little Friend Mu, what’s really going on here?”
Mu Daoying helplessly closed his eyes slowly. “Elder Song, how would I know?”
Song Miaoling faltered, realizing she had asked the wrong person.
But no one knew how unsettled Mu Daoying’s heart was.
This bewitching drug was related to the Great Dream Pill!
The Great Dream Pill could knock out Liu Qiao’e; taking down Song Miaoling, Zhao Yange, and the others would be even easier.
No wonder he had faintly felt it was familiar when he smelled the bewitching drug earlier. Even after the Demonic Sect’s modifications to conceal it, several ingredients were still similar to those in the Great Dream Pill.
And such subtle differences could only be detected by Jade Clarity disciples, inner sect disciples at that— the elites among elites.
After all, ordinary disciples didn’t even have the chance to come into contact with the Great Dream Pill.
To obtain extremely rare and precious materials, wield the Spirit Mother Jade Liquid Cauldron, and command the sect’s pill-refining elders to labor for years to mass-produce the Great Dream Pill—
The one who wanted to kill him—
The answer was now obvious: Qingxu!
No one else but Sect Leader Qingxu fit.
Yet Mu Daoying was unwilling to believe it.
He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart. Stunned, he couldn’t help but recall what his master Ling Yuan had said before leaving.
He hadn’t colluded with the Demonic Sect. The one colluding with the Demonic Sect was Qingxu!
Could it be that Master was right, and the one colluding with the Demonic Sect was really Sect Leader Qingxu!
If this matter came to light, where would that leave the Jade Clarity disciples? No wonder Yongzhang had suddenly changed color; he must have realized the key point too.
Master. Mu Daoying closed his eyes. His ears buzzed chaotically, his heart in turmoil. Could this be the real reason you led your disciple here?!
Just as Mu Daoying was at a loss, suddenly! Another strange sound came from deep within the spirit vein!
Liu Qiao’e and the others all changed color. They urged their escaping lights and chased after the sound. “Who goes there?!”
“Ling Yuan?!”
Mu Daoying’s expression changed drastically. Ignoring the suspicions about the Great Dream Pill for the moment, he chased after them with all his might!