Translator: CinderTL
That day, while Song Wen was cultivating, he suddenly noticed movement in the Starry Line Formation.
It was a message from Yu Wen:
Sect Leader, next month, the Mixed Yuan Temple will hold its centennial Buddha Offering and Heavenly Feast. The temple wishes to invite you to attend as an honored guest.
After reading the message, Song Wen frowned slightly. His intuition told him the Mixed Yuan Temple had ulterior motives.
I won't be attending in person. Chief Yu, you can go in my stead. In the future, you don't need to report such trivial matters to me. Song Wen replied.
Sect Leader, I fear it would be inappropriate for me to attend. Master Xiao Chan personally delivered the invitation, specifically requesting your presence. My cultivation is too low; if I were to go, it might offend the Mixed Yuan Temple. Yu Wen said.
Hearing that Xiao Chan himself had delivered the invitation, Song Wen became even more convinced the Mixed Yuan Temple was plotting something.
Chief Yu, you don't need to go either. Just pretend you never heard about it. Song Wen said.
Yu Wen had managed the Asura Sect with remarkable efficiency. If something were to happen to her, finding a suitable replacement wouldn't be easy. Therefore, Song Wen decided to keep her away from the situation entirely.
Whatever scheme the Mixed Yuan Temple had in mind, it was best to avoid it altogether.
"Sect Leader, I'm worried. If no one from the Asura Sect accepts the invitation, the Mixed Yuan Temple might become enraged and sever our cooperation. If that happens, our Spirit Herb trade with them will definitely be affected," Yu Wen said with a hint of concern in her voice.
Song Wen replied, "So be it. Ever since Zi Xiling and Tai He died, the Mixed Yuan Temple has been itching to seize Yishi Ridge. Our Asura Sect and the Mixed Yuan Temple were bound to clash sooner or later."
"Understood," Yu Wen replied.
Just as Song Wen was about to end the transmission, another message arrived from Yu Wen.
"Sect Leader, I just received an urgent report from a disciple. The Yu Clan of Yellow Stone Valley has been annihilated, not a single member spared."
The Yu Clan was a Foundation Establishment family under the Asura Sect.
Yellow Stone Valley, where the Yu Clan resided, was exceptionally well-suited for cultivating Spirit Herbs.
Of the fifty-odd Spirit Herbs needed to concoct the Blood Demon Pill, nine were native to Yishi Ridge. Three of those nine Spirit Herbs came from Yellow Stone Valley.
"What's the situation with the Spirit Fields in Yellow Stone Valley?" Song Wen asked.
"All have been utterly destroyed, not a single leaf remains," Yu Wen replied.
"Do we know who was responsible?" A hint of anger crept into Song Wen's voice.
Based on the on-site investigation, it's likely the work of enemies of the Yu Clan. The attackers were few in number, and the strongest among them was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, Yu Wen reported.
"Impossible!" Song Wen immediately rejected Yu Wen's assessment. "It's well-known that the Yu Clan is affiliated with our Asura Sect. How could a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators dare to act against them?"
"Sect Leader, do you suspect someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Yu Wen asked.
"That's certainly possible," Song Wen replied.
In Song Wen's view, the Mixed Yuan Temple was the most likely culprit.
Taking advantage of the Nine Palaces Sect's weakened state, the Mixed Yuan Temple sought to seize control of the entire Yishi Ridge.
Their slaughter of the Yu Clan was a test of Song Wen and the Asura Sect's resolve.
"Sect Leader, what should we do now?" Yu Wen asked.
"Find the murderers, publicly execute them, and make an example of them," Song Wen ordered.
"Sect Leader, there are few traces left at the scene. Identifying the true identities of the attackers will be difficult," Yu Wen reported.
"I have a way to uncover the truth," Song Wen said. "Chief Yu, gather a force and meet me at Yellow Stone Valley as soon as possible."
He possessed a secret technique called the Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art, which allowed him to search for residual souls left behind after death and witness fragments of the deceased's final moments.
This secret art came from the relics of Lei Yue.
That year, when Song Wen killed Lei Tianyu, it provoked Lei Yue's pursuit. Lei Yue had already used the Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art then, witnessing Gan Yue and Kou Chang's final moments.
However, there were limitations to using the Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art.
After death, unless under special circumstances, the soul naturally dissipates, vanishing into the unknown. The remaining fragments of the soul also gradually fade within a certain time.
To use the Fragmented Spirit Soul-Searching Art, one must reach Yellow Stone Valley before the fragmented souls completely vanish.
Yellow Stone Valley wasn't far from Qingluo Mountain, only ten thousand miles away.
Song Wen flew at full speed, and in less than an hour, he could reach Yellow Stone Valley.
However, when he was still a thousand miles away, Song Wen suddenly stopped.
A thought struck him: someone might be deliberately luring him out, only to ambush him in Yellow Stone Valley.
Song Wen immediately concealed his aura and vanished into a large mountain below.
He released two Shadow Gu to scout the area around Yellow Stone Valley.
Fifteen minutes later, the Shadow Gu returned.
From the Shadow Gu's report, Yellow Stone Valley was nothing but ruins, countless corpses, and severed limbs. There wasn't a single living person.
"Could it be that I'm overthinking this?" Song Wen wondered.
Ding Yan didn't rashly reveal himself. Instead, he remained hidden, waiting.
Half an hour later, a Giant Flying Ship of the Asura Sect arrived above Yellow Stone Valley.
Ding Yan, accompanied by six Foundation Establishment cultivators, disembarked from the ship and landed in the valley.
After thoroughly searching the area, they found nothing of significance, their expressions darkening.
Just as Ding Yan was about to order his group to leave, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Have your men inspect the underground rock layers of Yellow Stone Valley. Look for hidden caves."
After a moment of surprise, Ding Yan recognized the voice as Song Wen's. His expression immediately turned respectful.
He was about to reply when Song Wen's voice sounded again.
"Don't speak. We must avoid revealing my location."
Ding Yan's face instantly returned to normal as he issued orders to the six Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Men, thoroughly search Yellow Stone Valley again. Leave no stone unturned. Dig three feet deep."
The six cultivators exchanged puzzled glances, unsure why Ding Yan had suddenly changed his mind after already ordering them to leave.
However, none dared to question him. They resumed their search of the valley.
This time, their efforts were far more meticulous.
Every crumbling wall was moved aside, and the ground was riddled with hundreds of holes, large and small.
Yet still, they found nothing.
Seeing this, Song Wen contacted Ding Yan again.
"Ding Yan, capture some lingering spirits, then lead your men out of Yellow Stone Valley."
Following Song Wen's command, Ding Yan and his group quickly retreated back to the Giant Flying Ship.
Three hundred miles from Yellow Stone Valley, Song Wen burst from a dense forest, soaring into the sky and standing at an altitude of ten thousand feet.
(End of the Chapter)
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