"Where is it? Take us there—now!"
Jiang Baishan's body tensed as the implication struck him. A chill crept into his heart.
The others reacted just as quickly. Almost at once, several figures rushed in the indicated direction.
Ning Qi followed behind, feeling a faint sense of helplessness.
He knew exactly what they would find.
Earlier, after killing Flying Sky Eagle, he had rushed to reinforce the front lines and had no time to deal with the body. Now that a Disciple had stumbled upon it, discovery was inevitable.
His gaze flickered, but he said nothing.
Soon, everyone arrived at the site of the earlier battle.
The scene made them draw sharp breaths.
A pavilion stood half-collapsed. Deep scars crisscrossed the ground. Even without witnessing it firsthand, anyone could tell—the clash here had reached the Gang Yuan Realm.
"A Gang Yuan Realm expert infiltrated the sect!"
"So River-Mixing Dragon was drawing our attention earlier?"
Feigning an open assault while sending someone to strike from the shadows—such calculations were far from simple.
And this direction…
It led straight toward the Scripture Pavilion.
Greed bared its fangs.
They had come for the True Martial Sect's inheritance.
Shock and fury spread through the crowd.
Ye Qinghe was the first to speak, her voice sharp.
"Earlier, Ground-Walking Tiger shouted, 'How did Second Brother die?' Could it be that this corpse… is Flying Sky Eagle?"
Silence fell.
A Gang Yuan Realm expert—dead?
Bear Stone crouched and pulled away the mask.
A gaunt, sinister face was revealed. The eyes were still wide open, frozen in terror, as if the owner had seen something utterly inconceivable.
"Is it him?" someone asked.
Bear Stone frowned and slowly shook his head.
"Can't tell yet."
Then, as if recalling something, he drew a dagger from a nearby Disciple. With a swift motion, he sliced open the black robes on the corpse's back.
A faint pattern emerged.
Bear Stone's pupils contracted. He grabbed the cloth and tore it away.
A descending fierce tiger appeared before everyone's eyes—majestic, ferocious, alive with spirit.
Bear Stone inhaled deeply.
"It's Flying Sky Eagle."
Jiang Baishan asked in a low voice, "How can you be certain?"
Bear Stone straightened.
"You all know of the Iron Ridge Three Fiends—but do you know their origins?"
The crowd shook their heads. Ye Qinghe frowned slightly.
"There are rumors they aren't blood brothers. They supposedly came from a place called Iron Ridge and later swore brotherhood."
"That rumor is true," Bear Stone said. "And it goes deeper."
"The three gained a fortuitous encounter back then, but they never fully trusted one another. To guard against betrayal, they bound themselves together in a peculiar way."
"They each obtained a True Intent Diagram—dragon, tiger, and eagle. But instead of tattooing their own diagrams, they tattooed each other's onto their bodies."
Realization dawned across the group.
"So Flying Sky Eagle carried the others' techniques?"
"If I'm not mistaken," Bear Stone said gravely, "this is Ground-Walking Tiger's Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram."
"Which means River-Mixing Dragon bears the Heavenly Eagle Diagram, and Ground-Walking Tiger carries the Ferocious Dragon Diagram."
Everything fell into place.
No wonder Iron Tiger had been so furious—and so reluctant to retreat.
Flying Sky Eagle's death meant the loss of his True Intent Diagram.
Anyone would go mad over that.
A True Intent Diagram was no ordinary martial record. To observe it daily was like receiving constant enlightenment, paving the way to higher realms—and even the creation of new martial paths.
Such a treasure could only be forged by a Heavenly Human expert who had refined a technique to its pinnacle.
A flicker of desire appeared in many eyes.
Then Jiang Baishan spoke.
"Then… who killed Flying Sky Eagle?"
The question struck like a hammer.
Only now did everyone realize what they had overlooked.
Who fought him here—and killed him?
Jiang Baishan's gaze darkened.
As the sole Gang Yuan Realm expert present, he had been carefully studying the battlefield. He crouched, tracing the wounds across Iron Eagle's chest and throat.
After a long breath, he said slowly:
"If I'm not mistaken, Flying Sky Eagle was killed instantly—with a single sword strike. Even without the cut to the neck, that first blow alone would have been fatal."
A heavy pressure settled on his heart.
If he had been in Flying Sky Eagle's place… the outcome might not have differed much.
The appearance of such a swordsman within Zhenwu Mountain was deeply unsettling.
Silence reigned.
A Gang Yuan Realm expert, slain so cleanly—it spoke volumes of the attacker's strength.
"Could there be other intruders?" someone asked quietly.
The thought weighed heavily on everyone.
But soon, a Disciple rushed in.
"Senior Brothers! The Scripture Pavilion is untouched. No signs of intrusion elsewhere either."
The tension eased slightly.
If this unknown expert harbored ill intent, nothing in the sect could have stopped him. Yet nothing else had been disturbed.
That could only mean one thing.
"Could it be…" someone ventured, "…that this expert is one of our own hidden seniors? Someone who noticed Flying Sky Eagle's infiltration and acted?"
Eyes lit up.
Images of a reclusive, crane-like elder surfaced in many minds.
"That makes sense!"
"Otherwise, there's no explanation!"
As excitement quietly spread, Ning Qi lifted his gaze from the Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram.
His expression was… complicated.