The arrival of the four powerful cultivators caused quite a commotion, with thunderous sounds rolling from afar, even reaching Song Yan's ears faintly.
He could roughly deduce the situation through mental deduction.
Nanwu Sword Sect wanted to eliminate the Puppet Palace, a major malignancy.
Meanwhile, the ghost cultivators were also plotting, hoping to provoke a conflict between Nanwu Sword Sect and Puppet Palace.
Thus, the Shadow Puppet Peak Master, as a ghost cultivator, accepted Qi Yao, such a half-baked spy, into the inner sect to act as a messenger.
Then, seizing the opportunity, she timely spread the news of the "four elders secretly departed to fight the Multi-tailed Demonic Fox at the border" through the messenger.
Among this...
Truth and falsehood mingled, hard to discern...
They thought Qi Yao and others would send false messages, but they conveyed the truth. Otherwise... Nanwu Sword Sect wasn't foolish; they would verify from multiple sources before taking action.
You thought she was telling the truth, but this was actually the design of the four elders of Puppet Palace.
The four elders of Puppet Palace suddenly returned, but their target wasn't the Nanwu Sword Sect; it was the Shadow Puppet Peak Master, who was a ghost cultivator.
However, the Shadow Puppet Peak Master seemed to have detected some unknown clues and narrowly escaped the killing trap, safely returning to the center of the Evil Land.
'Too dangerous.'
Song Yan couldn't help but sigh.
The countless schemes, numerous plots intertwined, all erupted tonight.
Among these machinations, he almost got involved, but he narrowly escaped, avoiding disaster. Otherwise... he might also be on the way to the center of the Evil Land by now.
His identity as a ghost cultivator would be exposed.
Of course, he could try to use the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique and Turtle Breath Technique" to make himself seem dead... but it's merely an appearance.
Among those ghost cultivators, each one is more cunning than the other; could they not see the flaw?
At that time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But Song Yan estimated, at worst, it would be the Soul-Searching Skill; it's unlikely they would naively think "fellow villagers meeting each other," right?
He, too, narrowly escaped the killing trap.
...
...
At this moment, somewhere outside the main peak of Shadow Puppet Peak, the fighting cultivators were slowly separating.
At a certain spot...
A spirited female cultivator in a red-edged Profound Robe stood with legs together, a sword slanted, snowflakes falling heavily.
A dark figure approached.
"Seventh Miss, let's go. After this, your identity will surely be exposed, no need to stay at Shadow Puppet Peak."
"The Su Family cares little whether I'm around or not; no matter what I do, no one cares. They wish I would die at the Demon Sect, don't they?"
"Someone will care."
"Who?"
"You'll meet them."
As the words fell, Qi Yao... or rather Su Yao sighed, then picked up her sword and followed the dark figure towards the Nanwu Sword Sect's camp.
The "Qi" in Qi Yao was simply because she was the Seventh Miss, using a homophone for "Seven."
...
...
The night passed.
The snow stopped as well.
Rumbling...
The stone mechanism door slowly opened.
Golden sunlight burst through the widening gap from outside.
The Princess Consort, Qiu Xiaoniang, clenched her fists tightly, nervously looking out, only to see a familiar man standing at the door. Who else could it be but Song Yan?
"It's over." Returning to South Bamboo Peak, Song Yan waved to the distance.
The expression of the Princess Consort was one of mixed emotions, neither joy nor sorrow.
The same went for Qiu Xiaoniang.
They were still under the control of the Fanatic Fans; true feelings or fake ones, regardless, they didn't wish harm upon Song Yan. But they equally longed for freedom.
The dark, eternal days as a Furnace in the Cave Mansion were unbearable for them.
"Yes." Qiu Xiaoniang smiled.
The Princess Consort also forced a smile.
After delivering the news to the two women, Song Yan hurriedly went out to investigate the situation.
Meanwhile, the entire South Bamboo Peak was in chaos. Cheng Danqing had betrayed them, the senior brother frequently going to Qingxi Market to buy demon beast skins had died tragically at the mountain gate, and Zhang Yin had gone missing. The entire scene was one of post-battle chaos.
...
...
Three days later.
The chaos finally subsided slightly.
Zhang Yin was confirmed dead, falling forward on the ground, head twisted back, with a conspicuous penetrating sword mark on his back, clearly the victim of an ambush.
Beside him, the Shadow Puppet of a Blood Blade Deer was also covered in blood, the antlers impaled with part of a body, all evidence that on that night... he killed at least two or three disciples of Nanwu Sword Sect; otherwise, there wouldn't be so much blood.
Song Yan couldn't help but sigh, 'It's really like the taller ones standing at the front, only to end up dead...'
Though Zhang Yin was a standard evil demon, brutal and tyrannical, bullying the weak, he was pretty good to him.
He collected Zhang Yin's body, found a nice scenic spot to cremate him, then buried the urn in the soil.
Due to the ghost cultivators, "cremating deceased disciples" was a necessary task.
Bam.
Song Yan opened a jar of fine wine previously bought at the market and poured it before the tombstone.
Watching the wine seep into the earth, he softly said, "Brother Zhang, have a safe journey."
The cold wind rises,
In the distance, the sunset also rolls with red Evil Qi, climbing and clinging.
Desolate and chilling, remnants of snow still cover the green mountains, like rivers and mountains with white hair...
Song Yan remained silent, not because he mourned for Zhang Yin, but rather he felt a bewildered sense of "lips gone, teeth cold, not knowing where to go from here."
This battle deeply impressed upon him the importance of "Breaking Realm."
But "Refining Profound Third Layer" requires a certain external object, without which one cannot break through.
The sect's rules are strict, and he couldn't purchase that object even if he went to the market. Unless... he could reach an outside market of the sect. That would offer a glimmer of hope.
Otherwise... he could only wait quietly for time to pass, wait for others to break through, and then follow, to avoid exposing his possession of the "Remaining Life Dao Fruit."
As he was thinking, a familiar voice came from not far away.
"Junior Brother, quickly return to South Bamboo Peak, the Sect Leader has arrived!!"
Song Yan turned his head; it was Wang Susu.
Wang Susu was also very cunning, it was unclear how she survived that night.
He responded, and quickly followed Wang Susu.
This Sect Leader was naturally the Puppet Sect Leader, also the Peak Master of Paperman Peak, the first among the five great peaks of "Paperman, Blood Corpse, Shadow Puppet, Mechanism, and Strange Poison."
Paperman Peak was situated right above one of the only two swirls of the Profound Vein, with an advantageous geographical position, and thus its Peak Master was the Sect Leader.
The other swirl was naturally the center of the Evil Land.
Like a red jade, like a Blood River, a place even the three Peak Masters dared not delve into despite pursuing it.
...
...
A paperman stood upon the high platform of South Bamboo Peak.
It was a beautiful paperman, and with a slight sway in the wind, it transformed into a beautiful woman in white, with flowing ribbons and billowing sleeves.
"You are low-level disciples within the sect, but you also possess a Profound Root, and in the future, someone may achieve success."
The woman in white spoke faintly, yet her voice was that of an old man.
"Hence, you should not perish here."
"Currently, the situation within the sect is not good. The Ghost Cultivators no longer hide, and the Multi-tailed Fox Race has driven straight in. Fortunately, we have temporarily reached a ceasefire agreement with Nanwu Sword Sect."
"I have decided that all disciples below the fourth layer of Refining Profound will be scattered; you go to the Mortal Dynasty to seek refuge, hide wherever you like."
"Within five years, things will surely improve, and it will be appropriate to return by then."
After speaking, the woman in white waved her hand, and a box flew out from her wide sleeve.
The box snapped open, revealing countless dense elixirs inside.
In the red light of the dusk, the elixirs exuded a somewhat sinister blood color.
"These elixirs will aid your cultivation, so even where Profound Qi is scarce in the mortal world, your realm will not decline.
However, these elixirs are also poison.
If you do not return within five years, then die outside."
"Come and collect them one by one, after which quickly descend the mountain!!"
The woman in white spoke no more, floating up, coldly overlooking each disciple.
Anyone who refused to take them would immediately be killed by her.
This sudden change stunned all the disciples.
In fact, most of the disciples on South Bamboo Peak were once servants.
The servants were abducted, they all had families.
Returning home was also a good thing!
Instantly, a disciple rushed forward, quickly grabbed an elixir, and tossed it into his mouth.
Subsequently, others stepped forward.
Song Yan had no choice but to join the queue, step forward to take an elixir, and then consume it under the burning gaze of the paperman overhead.
...
...
Early the next morning.
A carriage appeared at the foot of the mountain.
The carriage was "taken" directly from the market.
Song Yan, wrapped in a cloak and pressing down a bamboo hat, sat in the carriage with mixed feelings, alongside the excited yet nervous Miss Qiu and the Princess Consort.
On the side, Wang Susu emerged on horseback, the furnace or whatever... likely already drained by her in a frenzy.
"Senior Sister, are you taking the same road?"
"Where are you going?"
"Western Shu."
"Western Shu? There is the least Profound Qi of the Three Kingdoms, I'm not going."
"Then take care, Senior Sister."
"You take care as well."
Wang Susu nudged the horse's belly, galloped away, turned beyond the valley, and vanished without a trace.
...
...
A few more days passed...
The carriage continued westward, as a pitch-black crow carrying a bundle landed on the roof, took a few steps forward, and placed the bundle lightly at the driver's feet.
Song Yan quickly turned his head, but the crow had already flown away.
The bundle's opening lay open, and on it was a letter.
The letter began with a phrase: I know your heart, you understand my intention, my teachings will only be passed to the most suitable person, if you acknowledge me as master, bow three times toward the Puppet Sect, there is no need to admit it in front of others.
Signed: Stone Seat Elder.