Yun Jin focused her gaze—and her expression shifted dramatically.
In a single glance, she saw Qin Ping strung up at the center of the city wall, someone relentlessly whipping him without pause.
His clothes had long since been shredded, soaked through with blood. Beneath the tattered fabric, horrific wounds could be seen, crisscrossing his body like a net of torment.
Not far away, the King of the Canglan Kingdom sat calmly in ceremonial golden robes, sipping tea as he watched the spectacle.
Feng Linglong's tears began falling again the moment she saw this. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Sect Master… this shouldn't be happening. The King, Chen Chen, is my senior brother. Ever since he could walk, he was raised by our master. Master raised him personally, taught him both the way of rulership and the path of cultivation. To me and Senior Brother, he's like a true father. There's no way my Senior Brother would do this to Master."
Her heart felt like it was being twisted and wrenched with every beat.
She simply couldn't understand how things had come to this.
Even if Senior Brother's temperament had suddenly changed and he had turned against their master—
Still...
With Master's strength...
How could it have come to this? How could he be captured so completely, not even able to send out a single message?
Feng Linglong even started to question whether the image she saw was real.
But...
She had many friends in the capital.
They had all confirmed that the scene was genuine. There was no deception in the image.
To this day, Qin Ping was still hanging from the city wall.
Qin Ping held immense prestige in the Canglan Kingdom. A thousand years ago, he had shielded the nation during a time of crisis. Though he had long since stepped back from worldly affairs, the people had never forgotten him. His name remained lit in the hearths of countless families.
According to the rules set by the Four Great Holy Lands, he had been forbidden from interfering directly in mortal matters for the past millennium. Still, every generation of kings in Canglan had been personally taught by him.
He was the true Imperial Teacher.
After Qin Ping and several others had been strung up, some citizens who recognized them began organizing themselves, calling for justice.
But the King ignored it all.
Now, voices crying out on behalf of Qin Ping echoed through every corner of the capital.
Yet no matter how loud they shouted, they could not breach the city walls. Much less rescue Qin Ping.
Yun Jin stared at the image of the barely breathing Qin Ping, her eyes growing cold.
At first glance, this was clearly aimed at Qin Ping. But Yun Jin couldn't shake the feeling that this also involved her somehow.
She asked, "Are you saying your senior brother's entire personality changed?"
Feng Linglong replied, "Changed? That's putting it lightly. It's like he's a completely different person."
Yun Jin's gaze sharpened. Something clicked in her mind.
Coldly, she said, "What if he actually is a different person?"
Feng Linglong froze for a moment, staring at Yun Jin in confusion.
Yun Jin didn't explain further. She simply asked, "Did he give any reason for capturing and torturing Senior Qin?"
Feng Linglong's eyes burned with indignation. "That's the most absurd part. There's a public notice posted below the city wall. It claims that demonic spies have infiltrated the capital—and Master and the others are suspected of colluding with the demons. That's their reason for capturing and interrogating them. They've even sealed off the capital, using the same excuse. No one can leave—only enter!
The message I received said Master had been falsely accused. Now, millions of citizens across the kingdom are marching toward the capital. They're all going to demand justice for Master!"
Yun Jin furrowed her brow.
The King knew full well what Qin Ping meant to the people of Canglan. Yet he still dared to publicly arrest and torture him.
And on top of that...
He issued an order—
No one leaves the capital. Only entry allowed.
In that case...
Wouldn't the people who love and honor Qin Ping feel compelled to rush to the capital?
This was no mistake. This was a deliberate trap, luring people into the capital and not letting them leave.
Something had gone terribly wrong in the capital of the Canglan Kingdom.
And this so-called King—real or fake—what exactly was he planning?
A sense of deep unease stirred within Yun Jin.
She remembered—
Back when they interrogated Zhao Wuji, he had confessed everything.
Including this—
The mysterious liquid that masked one's aura came from a member of the Blood Path Sect named Xue Daoren.
And in recent years, the Blood Dao Sect had been most active in the region around Canglan.
Here, they had just uncovered the origin of the liquid. Once matters with Qingxiao Pavilion concluded, the Demon-Slaying Alliance had planned to move against the Blood Dao Sect in full force.
But now, the capital of the Canglan Kingdom had erupted in crisis.
The King's personality had drastically changed. Qin Ping was framed and tortured.
It was difficult to believe this was just a coincidence.
Yun Jin sifted through her memory, trying to recall the original novel's plot.
But no matter how she searched, there had never been a direct record of the Blood Path Sect. It only showed up once in a mission description the female protagonist accepted.
"S-rank mission: Eliminate the Blood Dao Sect. Active in the Canglan Kingdom region. The cultivator known as Xue Daoren has already reached Mahayana stage. This mission is best undertaken by a team, led by at least one Mahayana cultivator. Minimum participants: 100.
Note: Xue Daoren belongs to the Illusion Demon Clan. Capable of altering appearance. Use extreme caution when identifying targets."
This mission revealed two key facts.
First, Xue Daoren was a Mahayana-level cultivator.
Second, he belonged to the Illusion Demon Clan.
The demons of that clan were masters of disguise.
If any race were perfectly suited to use that mysterious liquid, it would be them.
Disguise the aura, change the appearance—together, the result would be seamless infiltration.
Then came Feng Linglong's earlier words—the King's entire personality had changed overnight.
A thought surfaced in Yun Jin's mind.
Could it be...
This entire incident was orchestrated by Xue Daoren posing as the King? Taking advantage of Qin Ping's guard being down to carry out this betrayal?
"Sect Master, something's not right here. I have to go to the capital. I must save Master," Feng Linglong said through gritted teeth.
She didn't believe it.
That her senior brother would ever attack their master.
She didn't believe—
That her master could have any connection to the demon clan.
To her, the entire situation stank of illusion and trickery.
She had to go to the capital. She had to rescue Master—and she had to look her senior brother in the eye and ask him why.
"We're going to the capital regardless," Yun Jin replied. "Have you forgotten? That was our destination to begin with."
Qin Ping had already promised to join Wushuang Sect. That made him practically one of their own. And if he was one of theirs, then she had to protect him. Besides, she couldn't believe that someone with such immense Luck—who still had such fortune even after being suppressed by a celestial artifact—would ever collude with the demon clan.
There had to be a deeper plot behind all this.
She had to see it for herself.
Feng Linglong hesitated, unease flickering across her face.
Yun Jin looked at her, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Feng Linglong hesitated before speaking. "Sect Master, I just realized something. My actions earlier might have been reckless. When I received the image, the friend who sent it told me to seek you out immediately—that you'd surely have a way to save Master. I was so desperate that I rushed here without thinking it through. But now…"
She trailed off, caught in indecision.
Now that she had calmed down, she finally realized—
How difficult it would be to save Qin Ping.
Her master was a Mahayana cultivator.
And among those captured with him, there were many other powerful figures.
To rescue them... they'd need strength beyond even that level.
But right now, Wushuang Sect didn't have that kind of power.
A troubling thought surfaced in her mind—
Had her friend wanted her to reveal this to the Sect Master on purpose?