Chapter 383 - 378: The Possibility of Dying Without a Complete Corpse, Zong Li’s Rage

Two Core Formation Tributors, one named Shangjian Master and the other a Kun Cultivator named Pu Yu Master, took the lead to clear the path after the First Queen gave the order.

Behind them, sixteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators carried the Jade Chariot, following at a slow pace.

The First Queen was either supremely confident in her own abilities or felt secure with the full backing of the Chen Kingdom, believing that the people of Starry Valley wouldn’t dare to make a move against her.

In any case, she proceeded deep into Starry Valley’s Grand Array just like that.

Du Youqian, meanwhile, played his part well: a Foundation Establishment Cultivator trained by the Royal Family.

On this trip, he accompanied the First Queen as one of the sixteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators carrying the Jade Chariot.

He didn’t look around, nor did he even scan his surroundings with his Divine Sense.

After all, in the presence of a Nascent Soul Master, he didn’t dare make any careless moves.

The difference in their Realms was too vast; any anomaly would be easily detected.

He had to admit, the Nine Yin Nine Yang Ten Thousand Transformations Hidden Heaven Technique was incredibly useful.

Even with a gap of an entire Great Realm between them, the First Queen had failed to see through his disguise.

Within Starry Valley, a thick mist swirled, impenetrable to Divine Sense.

Only along the path their procession took did the dense fog part automatically, a clear sign that someone was manipulating the Array.

Shangjian Master said in a "low voice," "This Master Luo Fan certainly has a high opinion of himself. You’ve come in person, Ancestor, yet he doesn’t even come out to greet you."

He had spoken aloud intentionally, wanting Master Luo Fan, who was likely watching from the shadows, to hear his words.

The First Queen’s tone was indifferent. "Shangjian, do not be rude. The Chen Kingdom is a nation of orderly Inheritance, a descendant of the ancient Great Xia Dynasty. We cannot stoop to the level of some country bumpkin who lacks etiquette."

Shangjian played his part perfectly. "Yes, this junior has been taught a lesson."

But it was as if Master Luo Fan was intentionally snubbing them. No matter how much they taunted and sneered, he still didn’t come out to receive them.

The First Queen maintained her composure, her thoughts running deep; no trace of her emotions showed on her face.

As for Shangjian Master and Pu Yu Master, they wore their displeasure openly on their faces.

Du Youqian couldn’t be bothered with any of it. He just focused on playing his role and observing silently.

The vegetation in Starry Valley was dense, filled with a multitude of strange and exotic flowers, which looked to be cared for by dedicated gardeners.

Towering trees that reached for the clouds lined both sides of the road. Occasionally, small animals would peek out from behind the trunks to observe them, showing no fear of people.

After they had walked a few more miles, the mist gradually thinned, and houses began to appear along the roadside.

They were all small farmsteads, with poultry wandering on the lawns and old farmers sitting in wicker chairs, fanning themselves with Palm Fans. It was a picture of peace and harmony.

Further on were flat farmlands with lush crops, where farmers were bent over, working in the fields.

Du Youqian was a little confused.

This was a far cry from what he had imagined Starry Valley to be like.

According to the clues he had gathered, an Evil Cultivator was clearly in charge of Starry Valley and had even managed to control Master Luo Fan through some means.

Evil Cultivators never concerned themselves with production or the lives of Mortals, yet the scene before him showed that ordinary people in Starry Valley could live and work in peace and prosperity.

’How strange.’

’I wonder if the First Queen is also surprised by this scene?’

They didn’t sense another Core Formation Master within the range of their Divine Sense until they had walked all the way to a tall and majestic palace.

Looking up, they saw a middle-aged man with a Scholar’s beard, dressed in a plain Crane Robe, standing before the palace with a smile. He was flanked by two beautiful and bewitching young women at the Qi Cultivation Realm.

"Greetings, Master Su Quan! Your esteemed presence brings splendor to my humble Starry Valley!" he said, giving an elegant bow.

The First Queen, Master Su Quan, gave a reserved nod. "Master Luo Fan. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard much about you."

After a few more pleasantries, Master Luo Fan led them all into the palace hall.

Du Youqian studied him carefully. There were indeed no signs of control by a Secret Technique on Master Luo Fan.

But then again, you don’t necessarily need a Secret Technique to control someone.

Take his control over Kang Yinghe, for instance. Did he use a Secret Technique? No.

Yet Kang Yinghe still obeyed his every word and dared not resist.

Master Luo Fan personally attended only to Master Su Quan, Shangjian Master, and Pu Yu Master.

The sixteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had carried the Jade Chariot were not qualified to be entertained by him and could only rest in a side hall.

A few bewitching Kun Cultivators of the Qi Cultivation Realm, likely Master Luo Fan’s concubines, were responsible for entertaining Du Youqian and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

These little temptresses seemed quite restless, flirting outrageously with Du Youqian and the other Cultivators, their words explicit.

They weren’t looking for a secret tryst; it was simply that they had long been accustomed to their duty of attending to guests in bed.

An idea struck Du Youqian. Feigning lust, he gave a meaningful look to a particularly seductive Kun Cultivator, motioning for her to join him in a nearby private room.

Once inside, the Kun Cultivator eagerly threw herself at him, but with a single glance, Du Youqian froze her in place.

Du Youqian had been secretly keeping a sliver of his Divine Sense on Master Luo Fan. Seeing that Master Luo Fan hadn’t noticed the commotion here, he immediately activated his Soul Searching Secret Technique.

In the span of just a few breaths, he had read through all the information he wanted to know.

Due to the vast difference in their Cultivation, his Soul Search met with almost no resistance, and as a result, he didn’t harm the seductive Kun Cultivator.

A moment later, the Kun Cultivator could move again. Completely unaware of the passage of time or that she had just been subjected to a Soul Search, she resumed her previous actions, pouncing on Du Youqian and kissing him greedily.

This concubine of Master Luo Fan had never heard the name "Zong Hui," Zong Li’s sister, but she knew that all of Master Luo Fan’s hundreds of past concubines who had died of normal causes were buried outside the rear garden’s wall, near a small grove.

As for those who died of unnatural causes, such as by angering Master Luo Fan, they were of course left without a proper burial. That much went without saying.

Du Youqian had no interest in cuckoldry. After feigning interest for a bit, he once again used his Divine Sense to control her, trapping her in an erotic fantasy. He himself slipped away to the rear garden, scaled the wall, and saw a dense cluster of burial mounds in front of the grove.

The Demon Sect was extremely proficient in Secret Techniques related to bloodlines.

Du Youqian performed a Secret Technique that would trigger a reaction whenever he neared skeletal remains that shared a blood connection with his current body.

However, he walked past every one of the newer-looking burial mounds and felt no reaction at all.

He then decided to walk past all of the several hundred densely packed mounds, but still found nothing.

In other words, Zong Li’s sister, Zong Hui, was not buried here.

But Zong Li clearly remembered his sister had become one of Master Luo Fan’s concubines...

That left only one last possibility.

At some point in the last few decades, Zong Hui had angered Master Luo Fan, and her body was never recovered for a proper burial.

A surge of rage rose in Du Youqian’s heart, along with an impulse to tear everything apart.

The moment he noticed these Emotions, he immediately forced himself to calm down.

But he understood that this rage, this impulse, was all triggered by the lingering slivers of Zong Li’s will.

’Although I’ve suppressed it for now, I haven’t solved the root of the problem.’

’If I want these Emotions to be completely pacified, I’ll have to do the one thing I’ve been avoiding—demand an explanation from Master Luo Fan.’

’I might even have to make Master Luo Fan’s blood spill to eliminate the hatred in Zong Li’s lingering will and allow it to fully merge with my own.’

When he performed the Possession, Zong Li was clearly just a Qi Cultivation Cultivator. Logically, he should have been powerless against him.

But confrontations in the Soul Domain were just that dangerous and unpredictable.

Compared to him, Zong Li was but a weak insect, yet his lingering will had prevented Du Youqian from truly merging with this body.

After a moment’s thought, Du Youqian moved decisively and quickly, making some minor adjustments to a few nodes of the Grand Array.

Throughout this process, he remained vigilant. According to the information he had, there was supposedly a Nascent Soul Master, suspected to be an Evil Cultivator, controlling everything in Starry Valley from behind the scenes.

But today, perhaps that Evil Cultivator’s attention was also focused on Master Su Quan, so they hadn’t noticed his small actions.

After finishing his work, Du Youqian slipped back to the side hall and waited nonchalantly for the outcome of the negotiations between Master Su Quan and Master Luo Fan.