After briefly introducing the courtyard, Qin Chengyi turned around and looked at Li Yan's group seriously. "Fellow Daoists, I have seen everything you said just now. Since you all firmly believe you are not the murderer, then please rest peacefully here for a night. When my Master returns tomorrow, he will give you all justice. However, I must still advise you to rest well in your rooms and not wander around. I'm sure you are all very clear about the foundation of Xuanqing Temple. The only thing we can boast about is our formations. This place is covered in them. As long as you are out of this courtyard, your safety cannot be guaranteed. These formations were laid down by a former Nascent Soul Ancestor of our temple. Once triggered, even a Golden Core cultivator would find it difficult to escape. A severe case would result in instant death. Please remember this! Alright, please choose your rooms." With that, he made a single-handed Daoist salute, turned, and left.
After Qin Chengyi left, the five people in the courtyard exchanged glances. The two black-robed figures swept their gaze over Li Yan, then fixed it on the purple-robed youth. They let out a few strange, "hehe" laughs, then turned and walked towards the houses. They each chose a room and closed the door. The purple-robed youth in the courtyard, having been stared at by the black-robed figures' gloomy gazes, stood there in a daze. The hunchbacked elder, meanwhile, was staring blankly at the black-robed figures' rooms.
Li Yan's eyes flickered a few times. He sensed that when the two black-robed figures looked at the purple-robed youth at the end, a murderous intent seemed to be revealed. The purple-robed youth's expression had clearly changed a few times at that moment before returning to normal.
He shook his head slightly and didn't bother with it. Since he was playing a part, he might as well play it a bit longer. He couldn't just pull out the Malevolent Spirit Sect token at the slightest inconvenience. He would just have to wait a night. Thinking of this, he felt irritated. Haste truly makes waste. Then, with a hesitant expression on his face, he looked left and right before walking towards the room at the far right corner.
As Li Yan left, the purple-robed youth in the courtyard seemed to be startled awake. He glanced at the two black-robed figures' rooms again, and an old voice suddenly transmitted into his mind, "Young Master, worrying is useless." The purple-robed youth's face grew a little paler. He gritted his teeth and walked directly towards a room. This room was next to Li Yan's, with a few rooms separating it from the two black-robed figures. The master and servant did not separate.
After entering the room, Li Yan's expression finally returned to normal after he sensed his surroundings with his Divine Sense. He looked around. The layout of the room was almost identical to the side room he had been in while waiting for the teleportation. The only difference was that there were faint spiritual power fluctuations on the walls of the room. After Li Yan scanned it with his Divine Sense, he discovered that it was emanating from the spirit stones in the spirit stone slots hidden within the walls. There was indeed a formation here.
On the wall opposite the door, under the window, was a chair and a table. On the table was a square, bronze-colored token, obviously for activating the restrictive formation in the room. At this moment, three Night Pearls arranged in a triangle in the center of the ceiling were emitting a soft white light. Li Yan recognized this type of Night Pearl. It was not the common kind made of crystal stones seen among mortals. It was the core of a type of sea-dwelling shellfish demonic beast. This demonic beast's flesh was delicious, and its shell's defense was unusually sturdy. It did not like to actively attack other creatures. After its core crystallized, it had no medicinal value, but whenever the light grew dim, it would become brighter as the surrounding darkness increased. Therefore, it was often hunted by some cultivators. Its flesh was occasionally used to satisfy cravings, and its core was used for lighting in cave residences. A single core could often be used for twenty to thirty years before it would self-destruct, so it was very popular among some cultivators.
Li Yan flicked his sleeve, and the door behind him closed silently. He did not immediately activate the restriction in the room, nor did he take out his formation flags to set up a formation. Instead, he walked to the table, first pushing open the large window. A cool breeze blew in through the window, making Li Yan feel refreshed, and his mind seemed to clear up a lot. As he had guessed, this window was also adjacent to the bank of the lotus pond. By now, night had fallen. The sky was woven with stars, twinkling like a dream. The huge moon of the Desolate Moon Continent had also gradually risen. Although it still seemed to be on the horizon of the distant mountains, the white and red lotus flowers in the pond could already be seen clearly.
Li Yan pulled out the chair and sat down. With the window wide open, he could see the houses along the bank of the lotus pond, arranged in a semicircle. Some rooms were lit with white light, while others were dark. Li Yan knew that the dark rooms should have their formation restrictions activated, concealing everything within. In the rooms with white light, some had their windows open, and figures could occasionally be seen moving inside. These should be cultivators who had not yet entered into cultivation. They also had not activated their formations and were enjoying the lotus fragrance and green waves in the night breeze. Li Yan even saw a familiar person in one of these windows. That person was sitting by the window just like Li Yan, leaning sideways on the table, holding a pot of wine, and occasionally taking a sip, as if deep in thought. It was Qin Chengyi, who had arranged their rooms earlier.
Li Yan withdrew his gaze. He could guess what Qin Chengyi was thinking. As long as the killer was not caught, he and that Luo Sanpang were the biggest suspects. He probably had no mood for cultivation at this time.
Thinking of this, Li Yan suddenly had a thought. 'That purple-robed youth also saw the clue. But isn't that thing recorded as being extinct? How could it appear here so coincidentally? If it were something else similar, the method of attack and the result are extremely similar to what's recorded in the classics. What is the origin of that purple-robed youth? The record of this thing, even in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, I only saw a simple introduction on a broken Jade Slip. He actually said its name.
...And also, how was this thing put inside?'
He became lost in thought, just like that. From the outside, it looked as if he were staring blankly at a certain spot in the lotus pond.
He remained like this for quite a while. Even Qin Chengyi, who was holding the wine pot, noticed Li Yan's dazed state when he occasionally looked out the window. This courtyard was arranged by him, and cultivators had excellent eyesight. He could tell at a glance that it was the lone Bloodleaf Sect cultivator.
Qin Chengyi couldn't help but think, 'He must have been frightened and has no mood for cultivation either. He's probably thinking about how to get out of here.' Then his gaze shifted to the other five rooms. Only two of them had white light shining through their closed windows. It was clear that the other three dark rooms were occupied and had their protective formations activated.
Inside the room next to Li Yan's, the purple-robed youth was also sitting on a chair by the window. The hunchbacked elder stood respectfully to the side. The protective formation in the room was already activated.
"Young Master, it's safe to speak now. This old servant has set up two more formations inside: one to enhance the defense of the original formation, and one offensive formation," the hunchbacked elder's low voice sounded in the room, no longer a voice transmission.
"Uncle Sang, how certain are you?" The purple-robed youth withdrew his gaze from the wood grain on the tabletop, took a breath, and turned to look at the hunchbacked elder.
"At least seventy percent. It seems it is those two. However, it's actually safer here. They wouldn't dare to make a move openly in Xuanqing Temple. That's why I decided this afternoon that we couldn't leave. It's better to wait for an opportunity and make another plan," the hunchbacked elder, addressed as Uncle Sang, said in a low voice.
"Uncle Sang, if we had taken out the token then, we might have been able to leave. Although our identities would have been exposed, those two might not have been able to leave. How could Xuanqing Temple easily let go of people with unknown backgrounds?" The purple-robed youth still felt he should have tried in the afternoon.
"Right now, we are only seventy percent sure that they are the ones tracking us. What if they aren't? Perhaps they are just some evil cultivators who rob for wealth? We can't gamble. Until we reach the family, your identity, Young Master, cannot be exposed. Otherwise, the danger would increase by several times, or even more." Uncle Sang sighed. He was a cautious person and had seen countless storms in his life. He was crystal clear about the dangers involved.
"The deceased Daoist of Xuanqing Temple, was it their doing? This way, they can hold us up while they wait for more backup to arrive," the purple-robed youth said with great worry.
After a moment of silence, Uncle Sang spoke again in a low voice, "Young Master, did you see the cause of that Daoist's death this afternoon?"
"There were too many Foundation Establishment cultivators' Divine Senses there, so I couldn't examine the wound carefully. But I'm sixty to seventy percent sure. However, I thought about it for a long time and still can't figure out how this thing was put inside. You have to know, this thing kills on contact. If you wrap it in spiritual power to hold it, it will corrode the spiritual power and enter the meridians directly along with it. If this problem isn't solved, then it wasn't caused by this thing. That's why I feel it's thirty to forty percent unlikely," the purple-robed youth's brows furrowed tightly. He had been pondering this problem for several hours but still had no clue.
Seeing the youth's expression, Uncle Sang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Perhaps it was only with the Young Master's persistence that he could cultivate the "Ghostly Poison Scroll" to the fourth level at such a young age. This time, he would have to risk his old life to ensure the Young Master returned to the clan safely.
Thinking of this, he suddenly thought of Li Yan and interrupted the purple-robed youth's thoughts. "Young Master, that silent young man in the green robe seems to know about this thing too. Although he acted somewhat frightened, your unintentional whisper this afternoon was heard by a few people. The others are fine, I suppose they don't know about this thing and just glanced at you. But that young man in green looked at you with a different gaze. And ever since this person appeared, I've had a very dangerous feeling. This feeling even surpasses my reaction to those few Foundation Establishment cultivators. I always feel that he is not as timid as he appears on the surface. But his cultivation is only at the late tenth layer of Qi Condensation. Even with some advanced aura-concealing techniques, this old servant is confident I can see through them, unless he possesses a supreme cultivation technique." As he said this, his face was grave.
"Oh? You're talking about the person next door? Could this person also be an expert in poison? It's just that the name of this thing is rarely known. Could he have a very deep background?" Hearing this, the purple-robed youth's eyes actually showed a look of interest. He always felt a sense of kinship with those on the same path.
"I can't judge. If he has a very deep background, why would he be willing to be trapped in this second-rate sect? The reason I said this is to remind you, Young Master, not to let your guard down just because the other party is a Qi Condensation cultivator. We need to be careful of this person as well."
The purple-robed youth nodded upon hearing this. For a moment, the room fell silent again. The purple-robed youth's thoughts quickly returned to the murder during the day.
'How can we leave here quietly?' Uncle Sang thought over and over in his mind. Finally, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. 'I might have to make things more chaotic here.' He might be able to fish in troubled waters and find an opportunity.
In another room in the courtyard, the protective formation had also been activated long ago, completely preventing outsiders from eavesdropping. The two black-robed figures had gathered together.
"Big Brother, are we really going out to do it later?" one of the black-robed figures asked in a low voice.
"So what? The worst that can happen is we explain it clearly later. If we delay any longer, who knows who will come tomorrow?" the other black-robed figure said grimly.
"Big Brother, I'm afraid that if more people die then, Xuanqing Temple will not let it go and it will get entangled with today's events," the younger brother said.
"So what? Once we succeed, the reward we get will be enough to cover our cultivation resources for the next hundred years. That Golden Core old Daoist won't be back until tomorrow night. With the magical treasure we got from that woman last time, breaking through the restrictive formation shouldn't be a problem. Although the formations of this Xuanqing Temple were laid down by a Nascent Soul old monster, the spirit stones consumed each time it's activated are also staggering. Do you really think they've activated them all? They've only activated the mountain gate's protective formation. After we're done, we'll sneak to the mountain gate. As long as we break the mountain gate's protective formation and escape under the cover of night, where will they find us?" the black-robed older brother said slowly.
Hearing his older brother's words, the younger of the black-robed cultivators couldn't help but think of the scene of that woman's full, snow-white body twisting and struggling intensely under them. His body couldn't help but heat up. "Hehe, although this magical treasure is a damaged product, it's truly remarkable at breaking through restrictive formations. Otherwise, we really wouldn't have been able to get out of the forest's ghost mist last time. We would have died inside like Feng Lingzi and his dozen or so people."
"The origin of this magical treasure is unknown. Just its ability to break through restrictive formations is already heaven-defying. Not just the forest's ghost mist, but also the time when we were ambushed by 'Ginseng Head King' and his four Foundation Establishment cultivators. He lured us in. If it weren't for this treasure directly breaking the formation, making them never dream that the formation was like paper, and they couldn't catch up in time, we would have died there too. I estimate there are still many secrets within this magical treasure. After we go back this time and get the reward, you and I will find a deserted place and go into seclusion. We must also thoroughly figure out the secrets of this magical treasure."
He said this as if for his younger brother to hear, but in fact, he was also giving himself a pep talk. After all, the fame of Xuanqing Temple's formations was widespread, and he actually had no confidence in his heart whether he could really break through the formations here. Also, that Golden Core Ancestor might come back early at any time.
Next, the two began to whisper and conspire again.