Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen opened his mouth, and the Blood Sea Seal materialized in mid-air.
A vast amount of viscous Blood Sea gushed forth from the seal.
In the blink of an eye, a Blood Sea appeared, blotting out the sky and covering the earth.
Song Wen raised his hand and pointed at the Blood Sea. The sea surged like a breached celestial river, unleashing a crimson flood ten miles wide that crashed down toward Yellow Stone Valley below.
"Boom... boom..."
The crimson torrent slammed into the ground, causing mountains to crumble and the earth to split apart. The thunderous roar echoed endlessly.
The crimson flood effortlessly tore through the earth, like a giant sword plunging deep into the planet's core.
After a moment, the thunder subsided. The Blood Sea in the valley receded, and the Blood Sea in the sky vanished.
Everything returned to stillness, but Yellow Stone Valley was forever changed.
The valley, once dozens of miles wide, had vanished, replaced by a colossal crater a hundred miles deep.
Yan and the others stared into the bottomless abyss, their jaws agape, their hearts pounding with terror.
"Is this the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator?"
Yan tilted his head slightly, gazing at Song Wen with reverence.
However, Song Wen frowned deeply.
Beneath Yellow Stone Valley, there was nothing—no hidden figures as he had suspected.
"It seems I was overthinking," Song Wen muttered inwardly.
He then addressed Yan. "Yan, bring the Remnant Soul over."
Yan, upon hearing this, led several subordinates to Song Wen's side.
"Greetings, Sect Leader!" they chorused.
With that, Yan respectfully presented a Soul Bottle to Song Wen.
Song Wen received the bottle, released the Remnant Soul, and began to cast the Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art.
After several dozen breaths, Song Wen's aura grew slightly weaker. The Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art consumed a great deal of Spiritual Power.
However, from the Remnant Soul's memories, Song Wen learned some simple details of what they had seen before their deaths.
The murderers were indeed a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, six in total. The most powerful among them was a middle-aged, beautiful woman at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Song Wen's heart stirred slightly, and a wisp of Spiritual Power drifted out.
The Spiritual Power snaked through the air like a nimble brush, sketching the image of the beautiful middle-aged woman. The depiction was so lifelike, it seemed as if the woman herself had descended.
"Does anyone here recognize this woman?" Song Wen asked.
A Middle-Aged male cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage flew forward on his sword, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Reporting to Sect Leader, this subordinate recognizes her."
Pausing here, the Ugly Male Cultivator glanced up at Song Wen, who was silently gazing at him, waiting for him to continue. The Ugly Male Cultivator continued, "Her name is Wei Qin. She's a rogue cultivator who frequently travels between the Wu Yuan Market and the Brahma Sound Market, trading in unique Spirit Herbs or stolen goods from both places."
Song Wen sized up the Ugly Male Cultivator.
Ugly!
Hideously ugly!
That was Song Wen's first impression.
Perhaps due to his Cultivation Technique, the Ugly Male Cultivator was covered in large and small fleshy tumors. Yellow pus oozed from these tumors. His small eyes darted about, giving off an aura of sinister lechery.
"Is there any past grievance between Wei Qin and the Yu Clan?" Song Wen asked.
"This subordinate is not aware of that," the Ugly Male Cultivator replied.
Song Wen continued, "Then do you know where Wei Qin's Cultivation Cave is located near the Wu Yuan Market?"
Since Wei Qin frequented the Wu Yuan Market, she must have a Cultivation Cave nearby.
The Ugly Male Cultivator said, "Wei Qin's Cultivation Cave is at the bottom of a lake three thousand miles southwest of the market."
The seven people present, including Song Wen, turned their heads slightly at this.
If Wei Qin's Cultivation Cave was so remote, she must be a meticulous person. How did the Ugly Male Cultivator know its location?
Feeling the gazes of the others on him like needles piercing his back, the Ugly Male Cultivator hastily explained.
"Wei Qin is beautiful and has outstanding cultivation talent, so she has many admirers. This subordinate... this subordinate was once one of them. I once borrowed a treasure from our sect to conceal my tracks and secretly followed her, reaching the vicinity of her Cultivation Cave."
Song Wen frowned. "If you admired Wei Qin so much, why would you reveal her information? Aren't you afraid I'll kill your beloved?"
The Ugly Male Cultivator's expression twisted into a grotesque grimace.
"Wei Qin has many male companions, yet she has always treated me with extreme coldness and even humiliated me with her words. I humbly request, Sect Leader, that after Wei Qin is captured, I be allowed to oversee her custody."
As he spoke, the several fleshy tumors on his face were squeezed by his contorted expression, causing strands of yellow pus to ooze out and drip into his mouth.
Hearing this, Song Wen suddenly imagined Wei Qin entangled with the Ugly Male Cultivator.
An inexplicable wave of disgust surged through him.
"Very well," Song Wen said coldly.
"Thank you, Sect Leader," the Ugly Male Cultivator replied, tears streaming down his face.
"Lead us to Wei Qin's Cultivation Cave," Song Wen commanded.
Under the Ugly Male Cultivator's guidance, Yan piloted the Giant Flying Ship, carrying the group to a vast lake spanning several hundred miles.
Song Wen extended his Divine Sense deep into the lakebed, quickly locating a Cultivation Cave.
The cave was long deserted, with only a Water Control Formation still active, preventing it from being submerged by the lake water.
Song Wen's Divine Sense swept across every inch of the Cultivation Cave, finally discovering a discarded undergarment in a corner. It appeared to have been torn off during a passionate moment and carelessly tossed aside, forgotten.
Song Wen shot out a stream of Spiritual Power, drawing the undergarment toward him.
The garment belonged to Wei Qin and was imbued with her aura, making it perfect for the Thousand Mile Breath Tracking Technique.
As Song Wen formed the magic seal, a wisp of pale blue smoke emerged from the undergarment.
The smoke condensed without dissipating, drifting southwestward.
Song Wen roughly sensed that the smoke's destination was incredibly distant, at least a million miles away.
Traveling with Yan and the others would hinder his pursuit.
Therefore, Song Wen instructed them to return to Tiancang Mountain while he followed the smoke alone.
After several hours of flight, Song Wen left Yishi Ridge and arrived near the Brahma Sound Market of the Mixed Yuan Temple.
Night had fallen, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
Concealing his aura and altering his appearance, Song Wen disguised himself as a rogue cultivator in his early thirties at the Foundation Establishment Stage. He then mounted his sword and flew toward the market.
The Buddhist Sect claims to save all sentient beings, preaching "Lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha instantly." Consequently, Brahma Sound Market enjoyed relatively good order, even though it was past midnight and visibility was so poor one could barely see their own hand. Occasionally, rogue cultivators could still be seen wandering the streets.
Song Wen navigated the labyrinthine streets, twisting and turning until he reached the gate of a courtyard.
The courtyard was protected by defensive and Divine Sense-blocking Formations. Moreover, since the market was only a hundred miles from Mixed Yuan Temple, Song Wen didn't dare to forcefully break through the Formation.
However, the Formation wasn't enough to stop Song Wen's Divine Sense from penetrating. Everything within the courtyard was laid bare before his eyes.
The courtyard was vast, spanning several miles. Within its walls, pavilions and towers were arranged in an orderly fashion, while artificial mountains and flowing water created a serene and elegant atmosphere.
Deep within the courtyard, in a secluded pavilion, lay a woman's boudoir.
The boudoir was lavishly furnished, radiating opulence and grandeur.
On a large bed within the boudoir, two naked bodies lay sprawled across it.
It seemed they were taking a break.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1018. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.