Chapter 73: The Death of Zhou Changkong

Lingfu Pavilion.

In the manager's room on the top floor, a rather young unfamiliar man was casually leaning on the chair that only Zhou Changkong could normally sit on, holding a jar of wine and drinking it with relish.

The fragrance of wine filled the air, intoxicating.

Any cultivator who had been to Guangju Hall could immediately recognize it as the entry‑level spirit wine sold exclusively there, called "Forget‑Worry".

Zhou Changkong pushed the door open and entered, and upon seeing the man's demeanor he couldn't help but frown, yet he said nothing.

"Elder Zhou, you shouldn't say that. Though Nanshan Fang is remote and poor, the spirit wine it brews has a unique flavor. It doesn't aid cultivation, but the more you drink, the more exhilarated you become. Want to have some together?" the man asked with a cheerful smile.

Zhou Changkong waved his hand and frowned, "How's your investigation these past few days? I feel like you haven't done any real work, just indulging in food, drink, and fun. Could it be that the sect used the excuse of investigating Evil Cultivators, but actually is dissatisfied with my mission and sent you to supervise me?"

Although the young man's cultivation, strength, and sect standing now far surpass his own, Zhou Changkong had no qualms.

Because the other is his junior, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he watched him grow up.

Even though in the Cultivation World respect is given to those who have attained higher levels, making them seniors regardless of age.

But that applies to outsiders; within sects and families, seniority is still ordered by seniority of resources.

"Elder Zhou, you're overthinking. You're not Hong Jiantao; why would the sect distrust you? Moreover, in these years at Nanshan Fang, Lingfu Pavilion's profits and Talisman Script output have both exceeded targets," the young cultivator said casually after taking another big gulp of wine.

"Then… Mu Renjie, could he really be colluding with Evil Cultivators?" Zhou Changkong asked, frowning.

"Where there's no wind, there's no wave. A native Nanshan Fang cultivator with average talent, no patron, no background, happens to succeed in Foundation Establishment; then within just a few dozen years after foundation, he already possesses strength comparable to late‑stage Foundation Establishment. Doesn't that seem abnormal, Elder Zhou? Even I, a sect genius, can't match him," the young man said with a grin.

The young man's name is Gong Wansheng, a consistently top‑three talent among the inner‑gate disciples of Luoxia Sect, possessing a superior spirit root, and one of the strong contenders for future sect head.

Although his seniority is one generation below Zhou Changkong, he is still young, yet his cultivation is already in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, with hope of forming a Golden Core.

"Encounters are common in the Cultivation World. That doesn't automatically mean he defected to Evil Cultivators, does it? Doesn't he know the fate of allying with Evil Cultivators—his entire Mu family would be sacrificed?" Zhou Changkong found it rather absurd.

In recent years he had dealt with Mu Renjie a few times and never sensed any Evil Cultivator aura from him.

And moreover.

If Mu Renjie truly is an Evil Cultivator infiltrator, the situation in Nanshan Fang would be entirely different.

What was once as steady as solid gold could instantly flip to the opposite extreme.

Gong Wansheng said pointedly, "If one were to join Evil Cultivators, would he still care about the Mu family? At most, perhaps only his daughter…"

Zhou Changkong seemed to grasp something and asked suspiciously, "Have you already uncovered any evidence?"

"Observe and wait," Gong Wansheng waved his hand, shifting the topic: "Speaking of it, the Forget‑Worry wine was brewed by Xiao Zhangqing's concubine, right? This Symbol Path Genius truly cannot be swayed?"

Bringing up the matter made Zhou Changkong somewhat displeased, "Hong Jiantao truly knows how to win hearts. Lu Qiu is like that, and now Xiao Zhangqing is the same. Lu Qiu was cultivated by Hong Jiantao for over a decade, their relationship akin to master and disciple. Xiao Zhangqing has only been emerging for less than ten years, and his ties with Hong Jiantao aren't deep; even my years of courting have proved futile…"

Suddenly.

Zhou Changkong's tone grew cold, his gaze sharp as he said, "Gong Wansheng, report back to the sect. Xiao Zhangqing cannot be swayed; just eliminate him outright! Otherwise, if we nurture him to the end, he'll become another Lu Qiu, which is a trouble. A genius is only a genius if he can serve the sect; if he cannot and becomes rebellious, he must be cut down in time!"

Gong Wansheng smiled and shook his head, "It's not quite to that extent. In peaceful times, subduing such arrogant geniuses was troublesome. But now the Demon Sect has invaded; after facing life‑and‑death crises, I believe they will make wise choices on their own."

"So you mean…"

"Let me first determine what's up with Mu Renjie before we discuss further. I have a premonition that whether Mu Renjie is linked to Evil Cultivators will be revealed soon…"

…

…

Regarding Mu Renjie's specifics, neither Luoxia Sect nor Gong Wansheng is particularly clear.

Back then, as Foundation‑establishing families in Nanshan Fang fought each other, Mu Renjie suddenly stood out, displaying strength comparable to late‑stage Foundation Establishment, prompting Luoxia Sect to investigate his background and rise to fame.

The investigation yielded no concrete results, only that Mu Renjie had a strange encounter before his foundation.

Luoxia Sect didn't suspect Evil Cultivators; instead, they placed high hopes on Mu Renjie, hoping he would guard Nanshan Fang as one of the bastions against Demon Sect Evil Cultivators.

However, over the past two years, Luoxia Sect bought off some members of the Mu family and gleaned internal information: Mu Renjie's personality had drastically changed, becoming brutal and murderous, indifferent to family affairs, even the Mu elders dared not disturb him. Secretly, Mu Renjie also eliminated a foundation cultivator who had voluntarily surrendered and shown goodwill to the Mu family, the behind‑the‑scenes boss of Lai Feng Lou…

Only then did Luoxia Sect begin to suspect whether Mu Renjie's so‑called strange encounter involved allying with Evil Cultivators.

If he truly joined Evil Cultivators, Mu Renjie's sudden foundation success and reaching late‑stage strength in less than ten years after foundation would all make sense.

Thus, at this critical moment, Luoxia Sect directly dispatched Gong Wansheng to Nanshan Fang in secret, to ascertain Mu Renjie's exact situation.

If the intelligence is wrong and Mu Renjie hasn't allied with Evil Cultivators, then all will be well and Nanshan Fang's safety can be temporarily assured; if Mu Renjie truly has, then Gong Wansheng must act decisively to eliminate the hidden threat.

Otherwise, if the strongest cultivator of Nanshan Fang becomes an infiltrator, Evil Cultivators could strike Nanshan Fang without a fight—easier than conquering Silver Leaf Peak! However, although Gong Wansheng has uncovered some clues and evidence, in his view, even if Mu Renjie truly allied with Evil Cultivators, his next move would likely be similar to secretly killing the Lai Feng Lou boss, i. e., targeting the two foundation cultivators of the Cao family.

But Mu Renjie hasn't acted in these two years, perhaps because Cao Hao's mid‑stage foundation cultivation, combined with the Cao family's defensive formation, prevents Mu Renjie from breaking through.

In the past two days, Gong Wansheng has actually intended to have the Cao family's two foundation cultivators cooperate with him, staging a play to test Mu Renjie's reaction.

For example, Cao Hao could voluntarily leave the Mu family's formation protection, go to the No. 1 Jia‑shaped cave, and discuss matters with Mu Renjie…

He also worries that such a move would be too obvious, clumsy, and might alert Mu Renjie, causing him to become overly cautious and refrain from acting.

Thus Gong Wansheng puts it on hold for now, merely waiting quietly for Mu Renjie to find a way to breach the Cao family's defenses on his own.

He believes Mu Renjie is about to lose patience. If he weren't in a hurry, he wouldn't have arranged for his daughter Mu Chunfeng to leave Nanshan Fang and head to Liyang Immortal City, the foremost scattered‑cultivator city of Da Yu in the Cultivation World, at this time.

On this day.

Gong Wansheng, idle and with nothing to do, went again to Guangju Hall to drink wine until late night, savoring the tipsy "Forget‑Worry" feeling.

Guangju Hall enjoys an excellent location, not far from the Cao family's ancestral residence; should anything happen to the Cao family, he could arrive immediately.

However, what Gong Wansheng never expected was that, having not received any distress signal from the Cao family, he suddenly received a rescue signal from the sect! "This is…"

Gong Wansheng's drunkenness vanished instantly, yet he was still momentarily stunned, unable to grasp what was happening.

He is in Nanshan Fang; how could he receive a rescue message that only fellow foundation cultivators receive?

"Elder Zhou!"

After a slight turn, Gong Wansheng finally came to his senses, his complexion changing dramatically in an instant.

Among the Nanshan Fang Luoxia Sect foundation cultivators, besides him, only Zhou Changkong, who was dispatched to Lingfu Pavilion, exists.

Thus the rescue message naturally came from Elder Zhou! "Mu Renjie, how dare he?"

Usually nonchalant, as if everything were under his control, Gong Wansheng became anxious.

Both hurried and angry.

He didn't know what was happening, couldn't understand why Mu Renjie didn't go to assassinate the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cao family, yet dared to act against the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Luoxia Sect; it was completely illogical—could it be that he feared his Evil Cultivator undercover identity would be exposed?

But no matter what, if Elder Zhou were killed by an Evil Cultivator right under his nose, his face would be utterly disgraced.

His body turned into a sword light, speed pushed to the limit, rushing toward Zhou Zhangkong's residence.

……

……

Time returned to a moment earlier.

Zhou Zhangkong's current dwelling is in Jia-level Cave Dwelling No. 4.

There are only six Jia-level Cave Dwellings, all planned within the same area, so the distance from Mu Renjie's residence is not far.

Yet even though he knew Mu Renjie might have already joined the Evil Cultivator camp, Zhou Zhangkong was not worried.

Because, like Gong Wansheng thought, as an elder of the Luoxia Sect, he is his Protection Talisman.

Even if Mu Renjie secretly joined the Evil Cultivator camp, as long as he does not wish to expose his identity, nor be pursued by the Luoxia Sect or the entire Da Yu Cultivation World, he will not go mad and make a move against him.

At most, he would only covertly act against the two Cao family Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Buzz! The formation of the Cave Dwelling sensed a guest arriving.

Zhou Zhangkong still thought it was Gong Wansheng coming to see him, perhaps with something to discuss.

But when he withdrew the formation and saw the figure outside the Cave Dwelling, he was also taken aback.

Mu Renjie! How could it be him?

"Zhou shopkeeper, I have something to discuss with you."

Mu Renjie entered the Cave Dwelling expressionless, showing no abnormality nor any murderous intent, just as usual.

Yet Zhou Zhangkong's inner alarm rang loudly, giving him an ominous premonition.

In these years, Mu Renjie had never personally visited him.

When affairs are abnormal, there must be a demon.

Although he still did not believe Mu Renjie would dare act against him, he cautiously activated the sect's emergency rescue talisman.

"It seems… you know something, don't you?"

A cruel, snarling smile suddenly appeared on Mu Renjie's face, black aura swirling around him, comparable to the terrifying aura of a late‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator rising.

Zhou Zhangkong instantly generated a second‑tier Defense Talisman Script forming an outer light‑ring defense, while the Foundation Establishment Realm's mana surged, creating a second defense; his robe was also of second‑tier level.

Unfortunately.

These three defenses, if facing a mid‑stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, might hold for a brief moment.

But Mu Renjie possessed genuine late‑stage Foundation Establishment strength.

Within the black mist, countless evil spirits roared, and black wind blades like knife‑light slashed toward Zhou Zhangkong.

Crack! Crack! Crack! …

The three defenses were as flimsy as paper, shattering completely in an instant.

Zhou Zhangkong could only let out a wail before being beheaded by a single slash.

At the same time, a soul was drawn out by the black mist and absorbed into the Nether Saint Stone…

(End of chapter)