[Fleeting Cloud]: Senior, what should I do? There are Nascent Soul cultivators in the city. I'm afraid my actions might alert them.
She was tempted. Very tempted. She also wanted to expand her inner space beyond a mere hundred square meters.
[Ethereal Grace]: That's where it gets tricky. If those powerhouses become aware of the space, you won't be able to claim it for yourself.
Yun Xi instantly deflated. She could tell this senior had only mentioned it casually in passing.
She logged off the chat. Her spirit returned to her body, and she opened her eyes. Then she took out her talisman brush and began to draw talismans. Previously, she had burned through a large number of mid-grade spirit stones to survive, which had pushed the barrier of her late Foundation Establishment stage to the thinnest it had ever been. It could break through at any moment. But this wasn't the right time to advance.
The only way to manage the surplus spiritual energy was by drawing talismans. She was now capable of crafting upper second-tier talismans. With her strong spiritual sense and abundant energy, her success rate hovered around ninety percent.
The days that followed were spent drawing talismans and practicing her basic body refinement technique. After each session, she used spiritual power to gradually expand her meridians, slowly opening the smaller channels throughout her body.
Mu Ningzhu and Qin Tongshuang barely left their rooms either. They remained in secluded cultivation. What had happened weighed heavily on all of them.
Meanwhile, over in the City Lord's Mansion, the atmosphere was thick with tension. City Lord Li explained the situation to the gathered Zhēnjūn and Zhēnrén. He expressed his deep remorse over his son's actions and vowed to compensate the cultivators who had perished. He would also abdicate his position and take full responsibility for the tragedy.
After sighing, City Lord Li cupped his hands respectfully and said,
"Cangyuan was tormented by inner demons after losing the one he loved. It gave hidden evil cultivators an opening. While I was in deep closed-door cultivation, trying to break through to Divine Transformation, they exploited that opportunity and brought disaster upon this city. I have failed all of you.
I have already abolished Cangyuan's cultivation. After this is over, I will execute him publicly to give closure to all the victims."
Zhenjun Yufeng and Shi Jun exchanged a glance but didn't respond right away.
Shi Jun was focused on something else entirely.
"City Lord Li, since Li Cangyuan Daoyou has already been captured, may I ask if you've found out where that evil array came from? It's not something he could have constructed on his own."
Yu Feng Zhēnjūn didn't speak but gave a small nod, clearly sharing the concern.
"I questioned him. He refused to say anything. I even considered soul-searching him once you all arrived, but Cangyuan… that child is stubborn. He said someone placed a restriction on his sea of consciousness. If we force a soul search, his mind will collapse, and he'll die instantly."
After saying that, City Lord Li sighed again and gestured for the guards to bring his son in.
Yu Feng, however, sent a voice transmission to Shi Jun.
"Shi Zhēnjūn, do you believe what he said?"
"Half of it."
"It seems to me City Lord Li was involved in this as well. The only question is: what is his goal?"
"He's the City Lord. How could something this massive happen under his nose without triggering his divine sense? He's just using this situation to shift the blame."
"Then it's likely a rift has formed between father and son. But now that he's parading himself as righteous, declaring he'll execute his own child, we can't be too aggressive."
"Exactly. We have no evidence, and he's using retreat as a way to advance. He wants this wrapped up quickly. If we want to investigate that evil array further, we'll have to look elsewhere."
"Then we keep a close watch. Sooner or later, the fox will reveal its tail."
Shi Jun fully agreed. The Nascent Soul cultivator from the Loose Cultivator Alliance sitting beneath him also sent a voice transmission with similar sentiments.
It was then that Li Cangyuan was brought in.
He was no longer a Golden Core cultivator. With his spiritual power gone, he looked like an old man in his fifties. His hair had gone white, his back hunched.
In the main hall, the silence was oppressive. When Li Cangyuan was dragged in, he knelt on the floor with lifeless eyes.
Huan Die Zhēnjūn of the Hehuan Sect raised her eyes as he knelt. She flicked her pale-pink sleeve and motioned for him to face her.
Her seductive gaze locked onto his, and she smiled faintly.
"Cangyuan, why did you do it?"
"I wanted to save Qiu Shui."
"Qiu Shui died before your very eyes. She cannot be brought back."
"No. She can. They said the array could reverse life and death."
"They? Who are 'they'?"
Huan Die Zhēnjūn had hit the crucial point.
But Li Cangyuan's expression suddenly turned ghostly pale. He clutched his head and repeated her words like a broken record.
"Who are they? Who are they? I don't know! Don't ask me!"
Then he collapsed face-first onto the floor, his body convulsing. Huan Die had to quickly retract her divine sense. She frowned and shook her head at the others. Clearly, nothing could be extracted.
City Lord Li just kept sighing. He made no move to stop any of the attempts to probe.
After a few spasms, Li Cangyuan lost consciousness completely. He lay limp on the floor, his breathing shallow.
Although their suspicions remained, the cultivators knew they wouldn't get any answers from him. So they moved on to the matter of compensation. None of them had come all this way for nothing.
The discussion lasted for three full days. Afterward, the City Lord's Mansion issued an announcement to the entire city: they would publicly execute Li Cangyuan, the one responsible for the disaster, and compensate all surviving cultivators. As for those who had perished, compensation would be handled by their sects, clans, or the Loose Cultivator Alliance.
When Yun Xi heard the news, she and the others gathered to talk it over.
"City Lord Li really went all in to calm everyone down. After paying all that out, I bet his storage ring will be cleaner than his face," Yun Xi said with a sigh.
Mu Ningzhu had a different view.
"Not quite. Compensation for low-level cultivators won't be much. Only those with notable talent or achievements will get more. Otherwise, the Nascent Soul cultivators would never let it go."
"So since we made it out alive, we should be getting a decent amount too, right?"
That was what Yun Xi was most concerned about. She didn't even want to think about how many spirit stones she'd burned. More importantly, she had destroyed a third-tier array disk, one of her best multi-purpose formations. It had served her well on countless occasions.
Mu Ningzhu quickly said, "I ran into Senior Brother Sheng a couple of days ago. He said we can write down whatever compensation we think we deserve. He'll compile the list and deliver it to the City Lord's Mansion. I believe we'll get what we ask for."
"Then let's not waste time. This is rightfully ours."
Yun Xi immediately pulled out a sheet of talisman paper and started writing her list. At the very top was a new third-tier array disk, followed by reimbursement for the spirit stones she had used.
Once she finished, Yun Xi handed her list to Mu Ningzhu. She had no intention of seeing Sheng Yuhong in person.
Qin Tongshuang also wrote out her own list. She had consumed a thousand-year cold-ice crystal, a rare treasure. When she was done, she passed hers to Mu Ningzhu as well.
Mu Ningzhu shook her head in mild exasperation. She could tell these two girls had no particular fondness for the famously talented Sheng Yuhong.
Just then, a message talisman flew into the courtyard.