Chapter 357: The Reason for the Spirit Fox Sect’s Annihilation

Gong Xingsi lowered his gaze.

’So many people.’

Wang’an County had always been crowded.

Perhaps because there was an outsider present, Mao Yuzhu didn’t say much more.

Their points were high now, so they occasionally used voice transmissions for important matters.

They wouldn’t just discuss things openly on the street.

However, she remembered the new players arriving and said enthusiastically to Gong Xingsi with a smile, "Right, it’s about to get even more crowded, so I need to come up with some new products. I’ll take you inside to learn how to make pastries, and we can discuss salary and benefits while we’re at it."

Gong Xingsi nodded.

When they saw Gong Xingsi actually follow Mao Yuzhu into the back kitchen,

Yin Da and the others restrained themselves from probing the area with their Divine Sense.

Yin San gritted his teeth. "If our Young Master is defiled by that female cultivator..."

Yin Da smacked him on the back of the head. "She’s not an idiot. You think she doesn’t know the Young Master is under our protection?"

’She’s just simply lusting after the Young Master’s beauty!’

But there was nothing they could do.

They could only follow the Young Master’s orders, go out, and try to blend into the mortal world themselves.

They had to observe what this group of disciples was doing, mixing with mortals like this.

After all, since they couldn’t just freely observe with their Divine Sense, there were many things they could only find out by asking in person.

*

This time, the players spawned in the Core Sects, which were quite far from Wang’an County.

It would take some effort for the new players who hadn’t even officially joined a sect to make their way over.

For now, they couldn’t get into Wang’an County.

Meanwhile, Song Jiulai was already on her way to the Spirit Fox Sect.

The new Magic Treasure Zhai Xiaotian had given her could travel a thousand li in a day.

Sitting on the gourd, she vanished with a SWOOSH.

Normally, it would take a Cultivator three to five days to travel from here to the Spirit Fox Sect.

But riding this gourd and pushing her current cultivation to its limit, Song Jiulai could reach the Spirit Fox Sect in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The Spirit Fox Sect’s territory was filled with mountain ranges.

Because the spiritual beasts they raised required various environments, the terrain was complex.

There were even swamps here.

These were all environments that had been terraformed by the Spirit Fox Sect back in the day.

Ever since the Spirit Fox Sect was annihilated, even the swamps had dried up.

When Song Jiulai arrived in the area, she could only faintly detect some residual traces of Spiritual Energy.

She extended her Divine Sense to observe and found that Yu Lishan’s theory wasn’t without merit.

Different Cultivation Techniques used by Cultivators left different traces of Spiritual Energy.

Ever since the players began cultivating, they had gained the ability to distinguish these things on their own, so it wasn’t hard to spot some differences.

Some Cultivation Techniques were exclusive to the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect. If there were many unfamiliar techniques, one could tell at a glance that they were from outsiders.

Song Jiulai followed the dried-up swamp bed, flying straight into a mountain range.

The mountains here were steep and overlapping.

On the peaks of varying heights, the shattered remains of buildings were clearly visible.

Song Jiulai flew slowly, observing the traces with her Divine Sense, and discussed with the System, "Did the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect not send anyone to investigate after what happened here?"

System: "Maybe they just don’t care."

The Cultivation World was cruel in some ways. A sect could be annihilated just like that.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect wasn’t a babysitter, but Song Jiulai still felt a pang of sorrow at the fickleness of relationships—how quickly people are forgotten once they’re gone.

The System added, "The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect is unlikely to come for a small sect like this. The Sea View Sect might have sent people to investigate, but maybe they didn’t find anything at the time?"

After all, it had been a long time since the incident.

"I..."

Song Jiulai’s Divine Sense was now extraordinary. She carefully observed the aftershocks left by the battle.

And within them, she sensed a familiar aura.

"There are traces of that Demon Cultivator!"

Song Jiulai said, "The Demon Cultivator from the border of Demon Cave Valley!"

Back then, she had been chasing Ma Feng, who was then assassinated with a single sword strike by a Demon Cultivator. Before leaving, that Demon Cultivator had also heavily injured Song Jiulai.

He had used a Soul Banner at the time, and Song Jiulai detected the aura of a Soul Banner here.

’The annihilation of the Spirit Fox Sect really is related to Demon Cultivators!’

A Mid Golden Core Stage Demon Cultivator with a Soul Banner was not someone an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator could handle.

The Human Clan was already slightly weaker than Demon Cultivators of the same level.

After all, the path of cultivation for Demon Cultivators was much more difficult.

"There are other auras mixed in." Song Jiulai wrinkled her nose as if she were smelling it rather than observing with her Divine Sense. "They’re definitely not from any of the common Cultivation Techniques in the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect. I can feel the aura of a very unsettling technique."

Song Jiulai narrowed her eyes and suddenly discovered a collapsed skeleton under the trees on one of the mountain peaks.

She landed on the spot. Upon seeing the skeleton, her expression shifted. Analyzing more from the Spiritual Energy, she said in shock, "Nine-Turn Puppetry Technique!"

She herself was cultivating this sinister technique.

She instantly recognized the familiar aura.

These remains had been converted with the Nine-Turn Puppetry Technique, but the process had failed.

The Nine-Turn Puppetry Technique really wasn’t a Cultivation Technique from the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect. She had made a point to ask around before she left, and this stuff wasn’t even sold on the market.

Some Cultivators hadn’t even heard of it.

She hadn’t heard anyone mention it in the Dragon Frost Swamp either.

"Is it popular in the Tianyang Sect?" Song Jiulai was lost in thought. "If so, could it be that Human Clan Cultivators working with the Demon Cultivator were the ones who wiped out the Spirit Fox Sect?"

System: "Probably. After all, the Spirit Fox Sect had many members. At the time, only a single person, Lu Yao, escaped to call for help. A lone Demon Cultivator might not have been able to pull it off."

Lu Yao probably didn’t see the final scene.

Otherwise, she would have mentioned the possibility of other Cultivators being involved.

"If that’s the case, no wonder no one else found out." Song Jiulai frowned. "A Human Clan Cultivator worked with him, but for what purpose? For that Soul Banner?"

If it was to refine the Soul Banner, then a lot of people would indeed have to die.

The System tutted. "Didn’t they say the Fierce Eagle Sect was involved? Looking at it this way, it’s a real possibility. Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, you know you’ve got ghosts in your own house!"

"...The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect probably won’t bother with this mess. But that’s not certain. The problem is, if they were to get involved, who would report this information? The Sea View Sect never said anything."

In that case, Song Jiulai wasn’t about to go looking for trouble.

She had secretly taken a fancy to the Spirit Fox Sect’s land anyway. It would be best if neither the Sea View Sect nor the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect found out.

Song Jiulai mused, "If they’re really targeting the Feique Sect."

System: "Unlikely. Right now, Zhai Xiaotian and Han Daozi are in Wang’an County. Anyone would gather intel before making a move. Not to mention, those four Golden Core Stage Cultivators are still there today. It looks like they don’t plan on leaving and are settling in for the long haul. That guy named Gong Xingsi has even started working at the player’s cake shop."

Song Jiulai was a little surprised. "What for? To be an undercover agent?!"

System: "Hard to say. In a situation like ours, a house is bound to have some ghosts."

Song Jiulai: "..."

She looked at the skeleton before her. With the intention of doing a good deed, she waved her hand, planning to bury the remains in the earth.

To make a simple grave.

The very instant she made her move.

Her brow twitched.

The next second, she spun around abruptly, her hands manipulating the formula. Executing the Moonlight Sword Technique, she slashed directly into the empty space behind her.

A sinister laugh rang out. "This Late-stage Qi Refining junior is quite sharp!"