Chapter 524: Erasing Traces

Duan Rong lay there; in the darkness, the Ghost Eye Light Spots reflected upon his face.

Xiao Qiwu's disheveled corpse was not far away, with a large, bloody hole in the center of his forehead.

Within this killing trap of Wanxiang Cave, he had actually managed to survive death and kill a cultivator of the Dongming Realm.

There was naturally an element of luck involved in this, but he had also exhausted nearly every available means here to kill Xiao Qiwu in one stroke.

The killing trap had already dissipated, and the sense of crisis like a sharp sword hanging over his head was gone from Duan Rong's heart. Looking at Xiao Qiwu's corpse now, he could not help but wonder why this old fellow had set a trap to kill him.

Moreover, he was no longer the boy from Xiangu County with no background; he had Zhu He behind him, and even Lv Yinlin. Even so, this old fellow had still harbored the intent to kill him.

There must be a deeper story behind this!?

If they had some feud, that would be one thing, but he and Xiao Qiwu had never even met before this.

For Xiao Qiwu to risk so much to kill him, he must have been plotting for a great benefit.

Thinking of this, Duan Rong rolled over and stood up, then began to search Xiao Qiwu's body.

Before long, Duan Rong fished out a booklet from the inner pocket of Xiao Qiwu's chest, as well as a round, curved object the size of three inches. Following that, he fished an Array Tablet from Xiao Qiwu's lower back.

After that, there was nothing else.

Although Xiao Qiwu was a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm, he had not cultivated for over ten years, having spent all that time on Wuliang Cliff studying the tea ceremony and ignoring worldly affairs; thus, he had absolutely no pills or items related to cultivation.

With a thought from Duan Rong, the dense Ghost Eye Light Spots nearby gathered above his head, all turning into an wide-open state, illuminating the area in front of him.

Borrowing the light, Duan Rong fixed his eyes on the three items on the ground; he first tucked the Array Tablet away.

Outside Wanxiang Cave, there was still a Symbol Array.

That Symbol Array was not like Wanxiang Cave, which was a complex system that might have loopholes to exploit. The outside Symbol Array was a very simple, blinding, and hallucinatory Symbol Array. Without the Array Tablet, it was absolutely impossible for him to get out.

In fact, having obtained Xiao Qiwu's Array Tablet, he could leave this place right now.

However, Duan Rong was not in a hurry. With Xiao Qiwu dead, no one could enter Wanxiang Cave for the time being. This place could be said to be extremely safe now, and he had plenty of time to slowly handle the aftermath.

Duan Rong pinched the three-inch-long, round, curved object in his hand, seeing that it emitted a faint fluorescence and was of extraordinary quality.

"What is this thing?"

Duan Rong looked at the agile object in his hand, his curiosity greatly aroused. He knew this item was definitely not an ordinary object, otherwise Xiao Qiwu would not have kept it close to his body in his inner pocket.

An item that could be so valued by a Dongming Realm powerhouse like Xiao Qiwu must have a significant origin.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and while pinching the agile object, he secretly said: "Spirit Reader."

Following that, a data panel glowing with faint fluorescence appeared before his eyes.

Artifact: Yang Fish of the Yin-Yang Fish

Spirit Artifact Tier: Twenty-Third Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level Twenty-Three (Not Met)

Devour Effect: Preliminary mastery of the Yin-Yang Transformation Law (Incomplete)

"Yin-Yang Fish?! Yin-Yang Transformation Law?!" Duan Rong looked at the data panel before him, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

He had thought he had obtained some treasure, but it turned out to be only half. This thing was clearly meant to be used as a set with the Yin Fish and Yang Fish; missing one made it impossible to use.

Duan Rong's interest subsequently waned. He placed the Yang Fish in his hand to the side, picked up the booklet on the ground, and began to read it by the light of the Ghost Eye Light Spots.

"Yin-Yang Cave Underworld!?"

The booklet actually described a rather complex and ingenious method for condensing a Cave Underworld.

"As long as one condenses a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld, it is equivalent to the cultivation of the late Dongming Realm!?"

"Late Dongming Realm?!" A look of deep contemplation appeared in Duan Rong's eyes.

Although he was ignorant of many aspects of the Dongming Realm, he still managed to get the gist of it. Because the method of condensing the Cave Underworld was too bizarre, the booklet inevitably contained long explanatory texts, and it was these explanatory texts that helped Duan Rong understand what the booklet was talking about.

Duan Rong suddenly discovered that one page in the booklet had a folded corner, and the crease was not deep, slightly curled up, as if it had been folded only recently.

It was very likely that Xiao Qiwu had been reading this booklet before entering Wanxiang Cave.

Duan Rong's gaze tightened. "He wanted to condense a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld?!"

Xiao Qiwu must have only recently obtained this booklet, which was why he was still reading and studying it, folding the corner at the stopping point to make a mark.

"Obtained it not long ago?" A thought suddenly flashed in Duan Rong's mind. "Could it be that this old fellow's setting a trap to kill me has something to do with this booklet?"

For him to risk killing me, it must be for a key item, and such an important item was highly likely to be on his person. Based on this, it was very likely that he wanted to kill me because of this item.

Duan Rong had just been reading the booklet and was still clear that the most basic concept of the method for condensing a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld described in the booklet came from the Yin-Yang Fish.

To condense a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld, one must have the Yin-Yang Fish to assist in cultivation, using the Yin Fish and Yang Fish to construct the initial embryo of the Yin-Yang Cave Underworld.

"But now, Xiao Qiwu only had the Yang Fish on him!?"

"Even if he mastered this method of condensing a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld, with only the Yang Fish and no Yin Fish, he couldn't cultivate it!?"

Duan Rong once again picked up the rather agile Yang Fish from the ground and rubbed it in his hand.

He suddenly remembered that when Xiao Qiwu walked into Wanxiang Cave today carrying the God-Striking Whip and found that he had stopped breathing, thinking he was already dead, Xiao Qiwu had said a sentence: "It is not that this old man wants to take your life. It is truly that someone wants to kill you, and I am merely the hand they are borrowing."

Comparing the beginning and the end, with multiple pieces of evidence, the answer was already about to emerge.

Someone had used that method of condensing a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld, along with that Yin-Yang Fish, to make a deal with Xiao Qiwu, and the item exchanged was clearly his life.

A chill ran down Duan Rong's spine.

Who on earth was shooting cold arrows at him from behind the scenes?

Moreover, this person clearly had great power, being able to produce the method of condensing a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld and treasures like the Yin-Yang Fish, dragging a Dongming Realm powerhouse like Xiao Qiwu into the water to set a trap to kill him!

What a grand scheme indeed!?

Although Xiao Qiwu was dead, if the person behind this was not dug out, even if he escaped this killing trap, he would not be able to sleep or eat in peace.

This person had clearly given the booklet and the Yang Fish to Xiao Qiwu first, waiting only until the deed was done to give him the Yin Fish.

Who on earth could it be?

Someone who could possess the method of condensing a Yin-Yang Cave Underworld and treasures like the Yin-Yang Fish, and who would spare no cost to kill me, must be someone with a deep feud with me!

Who is it?

Duan Rong's heart gave a jolt.

It was Ge Rusong, or perhaps someone in Lv Zhongtang's camp, or it could even be Lv Zhongtang himself; after all, his beloved disciple Pei Du had also had his dantian crippled during the Shenyun Prefecture incident, becoming a useless person.

In that wave of conflict, they had suffered a crushing defeat and had no opportunity to take it out on Zhu He. So, taking advantage of his entry into Wanxiang Cave, they persuaded Xiao Qiwu to make a move on him and kill him.

The more Duan Rong thought about it, the more he felt this was possible.

As expected, it isn't easy being a core chess piece, is it?!

However, Duan Rong still felt it was a bit strange; even if they hated him, would they really be willing to give such a method for condensing the Yin-Yang Cave Underworld, along with a supreme treasure like the Yin-Yang Fish, to Xiao Qiwu?

Just to kill him?

He always felt this kind of behavior was not very logical!

Although he was once a core chess piece, the chess game had already ended; did he really still have such great value?

Even if Lv Zhongtang's beloved disciple had perished in the Shenyun Prefecture incident, could a single disciple really compare to the value of a supreme treasure like the Yin-Yang Fish?

He certainly didn't think there were such sentimental people in Lv Zhongtang's camp!

It seems that after he gets out, he must thoroughly investigate who exactly is plotting against him!?

Duan Rong tucked away the booklet and the Yang Fish; he looked at Xiao Qiwu's corpse, his gaze flickering.

Setting aside the person plotting against him from behind for now.

Right now, how should he handle the aftermath of killing Xiao Qiwu?

He had used the power of Wanxiang Cave to kill Xiao Qiwu, as well as the God-Striking Whip!

He could explain the matter of Wanxiang Cave; after all, Lv Yinlin already knew about the situation within his Spirit Sea.

But he could not explain the use of the God-Striking Whip; in any case, he would not expose the ability of the Devouring Artifact Spirit.

If he were to explain his killing of Xiao Qiwu, he could only hide the matter of the God-Striking Whip. He would only speak of the Wanxiang Cave!

But the problem is, could the power of Wanxiang Cave alone really kill Xiao Qiwu?

He was not sure.

But the Sect Ancestor Lv Yinlin must know clearly. The Symbol Array within this Wanxiang Cave was fixed by him in the end.

Duan Rong thought for a moment and decided to bury the whole matter.

It was not just that his killing of Xiao Qiwu was difficult to explain clearly.

Moreover, once this matter spread, that person plotting behind the scenes would definitely be even more anxious to kill him.

It would be better to simply bury the matter and leave a fog for all parties; this could instead buy him time to secretly investigate the ins and outs of this affair.

After determining his direction, Duan Rong began to contemplate the specific details.

In fact, as long as he destroyed Xiao Qiwu's corpse and left no trace, who would know that it was he who killed Xiao Qiwu?

He was a cultivator who had only stepped into the Qi Cyclone Realm for a month and hadn't even achieved the First Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm yet; how could he possibly have killed a cultivator of the Dongming Realm?

After Xiao Qiwu disappeared, the entire Sect would only think he had gone into hiding for some reason. Moreover, he had always stayed at this Wuliang Cliff, ignoring worldly affairs, and his temperament was very reclusive.

Now that he had left without saying goodbye, leaving Changliu Mountain, the Sect would likely not find it too strange.

More importantly, the person plotting against him behind the scenes would not find it strange either. He would think that Xiao Qiwu did not want to risk killing him and thus left without saying goodbye; he would only curse Xiao Qiwu for not keeping his word, but he likely wouldn't make another move against him in the short term.

This situation was, on the contrary, the most favorable for him.

Having thought through the ins and outs, Duan Rong prepared to implement it immediately.

The Endless Great Mountains of Changliu Mountain had countless deep forests, and this Wuliang Cliff was very remote; he only needed to find a place to dispose of Xiao Qiwu's corpse.

Duan Rong hoisted Xiao Qiwu's corpse, picked up the God-Striking Whip from the ground, and walked out of Wanxiang Cave.

Arriving in the square-foot space outside Wanxiang Cave, Duan Rong looked at the Shrine in front of the stone wall, a look of hesitation appearing on his face.

This God-Striking Whip was quite miraculous, but after all, it was an object of the Sect's founding ancestor Lan Ruoshui, so it was truly too eye-catching.

But since he wanted to disguise Xiao Qiwu's disappearance as him going into hiding, it seemed reasonable to say that Xiao Qiwu had taken the God-Striking Whip with him.

In the end, Duan Rong still decided to keep the God-Striking Whip for himself.

This God-Striking Whip was quite miraculous, and Duan Rong also coveted the Artifact Spirit of this God-Striking Whip.

It was better to just find a place to hide the God-Striking Whip; perhaps there would be a use for it in the future. After all, this God-Striking Whip was no ordinary object; once returned, it would not be so easy to get it into his hands again.

Duan Rong placed Xiao Qiwu's corpse and the God-Striking Whip on the ground in front of the Shrine, reached behind his waist to touch the Array Tablet, and pointed at the air in front of him; the scenery before him blurred and shifted.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he flashed out alone.

He saw that outside it was pitch black, with the valley cliffs churning with clouds and mist.

Duan Rong hovered there, riding the wind, the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown above his head opening and closing at will.

He narrowed his eyes to survey the valley, then suddenly released his Divine Sense, enveloping the surroundings.

At the Cave Abode not far away, a young attendant was dozing off at the entrance, and there were a few loose Guards at various spots on Wuliang Cliff.

At this time, it was clearly the dead of night, the perfect time for him to destroy the evidence.

After understanding the situation in the surroundings, Duan Rong took out the Array Tablet, pointed at the void behind him, and returned to Wanxiang Cave once more.

This time, Duan Rong tucked the God-Striking Whip into his waistband, hoisted Xiao Qiwu's corpse, and dashed out directly.

As soon as Duan Rong entered the valley, he plummeted downward like a great eagle; after falling several zhang, he suddenly flew horizontally, exiting the valley amidst the drifting clouds and mist.

Wuliang Cliff was located in a remote area, far from the various peaks of the Sect, and the valleys here were even more desolate and uninhabited, with no birds or beasts to be found.

Duan Rong, carrying Xiao Qiwu's corpse, leaped across several valleys in succession before landing at the bottom of one.

There was a stream at the bottom of the valley, with wet black soil on both sides of the stream.

Duan Rong placed Xiao Qiwu's corpse beside the stream, then took off his own clothes, hung them on a tree not far away, and stuck the God-Striking Whip under the tree.

He walked back naked, suddenly reached out in the darkness, twisted off Xiao Qiwu's head, and then, with his hands moving like millstones and his internal energy surging, he ground the entire head of Xiao Qiwu into blood foam and scattered it into the stream.

Many blood droplets splashed onto Duan Rong's face and chest; he remained unmoved and continued to twist off one of Xiao Qiwu's arms, repeating the process.

When Duan Rong first arrived in this world, he had a stress reaction the first time he killed someone, almost vomiting his bile. But now, as he ground the corpse with such cruel methods, he felt absolutely nothing in his heart.

People really do change.

Duan Rong ground Xiao Qiwu's entire corpse into blood foam and scattered it into the stream. In the darkness, following the sound of the murmuring water, the scent of blood drifted away; in a few days, there would be no trace left.

After disposing of the corpse, Duan Rong walked a distance upstream and washed his body clean in the creek water.

Then he stepped out of the stream, and as the Yuan Qi vibrated through the pores of his body, the water stains on him dried completely.

He walked to that tree, took down his clothes and put them on, grabbed the God-Striking Whip from the ground, and left this valley.

Duan Rong arrived at another valley not far from the first, suddenly rose into the air on the wind, ascended from the valley floor, and searched among the cliff walls here.

Very quickly, he discovered a cave.

Duan Rong knew that on the cliff walls of such remote valleys, there were usually eagle nests.

His Divine Sense was suddenly released, and he immediately discovered a large eagle sleeping deep within the cave.

Unmoved, Duan Rong darted directly into the cave.

The sound of the wind he brought with him immediately startled the mountain eagle.

But the moment the mountain eagle opened its eyes, it suddenly saw a speck of light like a firefly before it, which flashed past and drilled into its head.

As soon as Duan Rong entered the cave, he used the Divine Soul Illusion, Bewilderment, on the mountain eagle.

The mountain eagle remained motionless deep in the cave; Duan Rong walked over, passing almost right against the mountain eagle to reach the very back of the cave. At such close proximity, Duan Rong smelled the scent of the mountain eagle's droppings inside the cave, as well as the musky odor on its body.

Standing at the deepest part of the cave, Duan Rong suddenly pulled out the God-Striking Whip from his lower back, infused it with Yuan Qi, and thrust the God-Striking Whip into the stone floor at the back of the cave, burying it up to the hilt.

Duan Rong then grabbed a handful of dried droppings and plastered them over the hole in the stone. A fair amount of dried droppings had already piled up there, accumulated by the mountain eagle over a long period.

After finishing all this, Duan Rong flashed out of the cave.

The moment he flashed out of the cave, the mountain eagle suddenly woke up. Its eagle eyes scanned the cave, but it discovered nothing unusual and soon fell back asleep.

Duan Rong soared through the clouds and mist, and before long, he returned once again to Wuliang Cliff.

Along the way, his Divine Sense had remained released; at this moment, the young attendant and the Guards at Wuliang Cliff were still in their original places.

Duan Rong hovered before the cliff face, took out the Array Tablet, and tapped the void before his eyes. As the scenery before him blurred and shifted, a cave entrance appeared abruptly on the cliff wall.

Duan Rong's figure flickered, and he slipped inside. The scenery here shifted once more, returning to the appearance of a bare cliff wall, as if nothing had ever happened.

(End of this chapter)