Pu Yehai: "…Not even a little bit alike!"
His mother had been a mere mortal, there was no way she could possess such beauty.
"My meaning was… right before I died, I recalled my mother."
Yao Ranran paused for a moment. "So that was it. Your mother has passed away?"
Pu Yehai nodded. "Many years ago, she was already gone…"
"Then what you saw in that instant before death may well have been your mother, feeling too lonely in the underworld, wanting to bring you along with her!"
Yao Ranran blurted it out without much thought.
Pu Yehai: "…"
He stared at Yao Ranran silently for a long moment, then sighed helplessly.
"You are right. My mother was far too lonely below, so as her son, I could only let Ding Ping go and keep her company."
Yao Ranran: "???"
"Wasn't Pu Dingping your own blood brother?"
She froze. Hadn't this man once hidden in Longyin Village, scheming to kill her for the sake of Pu Dingping? How could he now speak so calmly of him!
Pu Yehai caught the doubt in her eyes and raised his hand, producing an object.
"Ding Ping's death I have already set aside. This is the deed to Youyan Gate and the key to its treasury. From now on, our grudges are settled. I only hope you will treat the remaining disciples of Youyan Gate well."
The deed, wrapped around a skull-shaped key, floated before Yao Ranran. She stared in astonishment, half-suspecting this was some hidden ploy.
Pu Yehai's already weakened voice grew fainter and fainter. "Believe it or not, that is for you to decide. But with your strength, what need have you to fear any trick sealed within this deed? No matter what trap lay hidden there… it could never harm you in the slightest!"
Yao Ranran watched as his soul dispersed before her eyes, feeling an odd weight in the lingering tones of his last words.
How could he be so certain? Even if there was a trap, how could it fail to hurt her at all?
Pu Yehai departed too swiftly—or perhaps, fled too swiftly. She had no chance to voice her suspicions.
With the Demon Staff, she prodded the deed open. From within, a skull-shaped key floated into the air.
"Is this truly the treasury key?"
Circling around the eerie skull key, Yao Ranran rubbed her chin as she scrutinized it.
"Master, the disciples of Youyan Gate once claimed the treasury key was always carried by Hao Yinqin. But when we searched his corpse… Eh? Isn't that Youyan Gate's treasury key?!"
Lu Ziqian rushed inside, eyes wide as he spotted the skull key hovering before Yao Ranran.
"Master, so you found Youyan Gate's treasury key here! No wonder, the very moment you stepped inside Youyan Gate you made straight for this side hall. You must have foreseen that Sect Master Hao would hide the treasury key here!"
He broke into delighted laughter, his gaze upon Yao Ranran brimming with admiration.
"This… disciple, are you certain this really is the treasury key of Youyan Gate?"
Yao Ranran was already immune to his flattery. All she wished to know was whether the key could indeed open the treasury.
"Yes. This is the very treasury key Sect Master Hao once wielded. I myself saw him use it to open the treasury doors!"
Lu Ziqian affirmed with confidence.
Yao Ranran swallowed hard. "Youyan Gate has endured tens of thousands of years. The contents of their treasury must be staggering, mustn't they?"
Lu Ziqian replied, "Though it cannot compare with Wuxiang Sect of the Central Domain, the disciples of Youyan Gate pillaged and plundered without restraint. After tens of thousands of years, the wealth they amassed is at least equal to two treasuries of Yun Gu Sect!"
Yao Ranran's jaw dropped.
"Then what are you waiting for? Take me there! Where is Youyan Gate's treasury located?!"
Lu Ziqian soothed her gently. "Master, this disciple will take you at once."
…
Dongman City, in the plaza of the City Lord's residence.
A streak of azure light descended, landing at the plaza's center, revealing the impatient figure of Yue Qingsu.
"Why would disciples of Miao Yun Sect hold the Great Decree of the Central Domain in such a savage and barren place?"
Had the Great Decree not been crushed, he would never have been dispatched here amidst the turmoil of the Central Domain!
His gaze swept quickly over the plaza before abruptly fixing upon the three desiccated corpses hanging overhead.
"These… the robes they wear look so familiar!"
Yue Qingsu sniffed the faint lingering scent in the air, crouched down, and pinched a trace of crimson dust between his fingers. His eyes widened. "These are the Dao robes of Miao Yun Sect elders!"
"Then these three hanging corpses… are all elders of Miao Yun Sect?!"
He shot upright, leapt onto the wall, and examined the corpses closely.
"Which elders are they? Curse it, Miao Yun Sect has always been too weak, its presence in the Central Domain so low that for years no elder of Miao Yun Sect has even visited Wuxiang Sect…"
Pondering their identities, he eventually realized—Miao Yun Sect's standing was so insignificant that he only knew a single elder by name: Xiao Fengyi.
He shook his head. "After careful study, none of these three is Xiao Fengyi. Which means… Xiao Fengyi still lives!"
"…"
Sensing no trace of life around him, Yue Qingsu's eyes darkened.
"To slay three Nascent Soul elders in a single move—this is surely the work of evil demons!
The Central Domain is already plunged in chaos, and now this desolate Eastern Wilderness is plagued by demonic slaughter. Has the world truly reached the tribulation of Heaven's Will?"
He lifted his gaze skyward. The clear blue heavens suddenly thundered, violet lightning rolling in the clouds.
Yue Qingsu's eyelids twitched, his hands clenching tight.
"Even if the end of days comes, I will never allow Qiao Qiao to suffer so much as a scratch!"
His gaze hardened as he looked once more at the three hanging corpses. He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Since Xiao Fengyi has not fallen, let him deal with the demonic scourge of the Eastern Wilderness."
A cold azure gleam flashed across his eyes. Yue Qingsu turned with indifference. "The chaos of the Central Domain far outweighs the Eastern Wilderness. The lives of the Central Domain cannot be compared to the cheap lives of the Eastern Wilderness!"
Azure light burst forth, piercing the heavens.
Boom! Boom!
Violet lightning surged and churned, gathering into the terrifying force of the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation.
But Yue Qingsu was already gone.
He had arrived in haste, and left just as quickly.
Beneath the oppressive dark clouds, a troop of demon soldiers approached quietly, gazing up at the three corpses hung high upon the walls.
"Should we take them down?" one demon asked.
"Hmph, no need. The Demon General gave no such order. Let them hang!"
"This may be the grandest day Miao Yun Sect's elders have ever known. Now, at last, none can ignore their presence!"
The two demon squad leaders burst into laughter, their soldiers joining in mockery.
No one knew of Miao Yun Sect's humiliation. Yue Qingsu, carrying the Great Decree of the Central Domain, had already returned to Wuxiang Sect.
Han Huijun pressed a weary hand to his brow without lifting his head. "You are back. Who was it that crushed the Great Decree?"