Chapter 94: Fucheng Earthquake! The Secret Vault the Qisha Sect Seeks!

“They captured Hong La’er alive?!”

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, a flicker of unusual interest passing through his aged eyes.

He had heard those twin sisters mention in the cold pond that they planned to go down the mountain and stretch their limbs, but he hadn’t expected them to act so swiftly.

Only a few days? They’d already brought him back alive.

Come to think of it, he had quite a connection with the ‘Yunling Six Demons’.

Though the Tianqing Sect spread the story that Wen Yueyao had dealt with He Lao Wu, it was actually Jiang Ye who severed his head with a single slash.

That ugly man who gifted him the ‘Blood Moon Blade’ and ‘Diamond Body Cultivation Art’ was likely also one of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’.

He just didn’t know the man’s alias.

After all, his knowledge of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’ came mostly from idle gossip—he had never actively inquired.

Lü Ming saw Jiang Ye’s slight eyebrow raise and realized his Jiang Elder might not know much about the ‘Yunling Six Demons’.

He quickly spoke up:

“Jiang Elder, Hong La’er isn’t just any ordinary man.”

He paused, drew a deep breath, as if it were necessary to calm his rising excitement:

“He’s the second-in-command of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’, just below that mysterious Grand Demon. Rumor says he cultivates Explosive Flame True Qi—extremely brutal—and excels in hidden weapons, ruthless and cruel in his methods.”

“Many Golden Core cultivators have fallen victim to him—some dead, some injured—he’s truly the worst among bandits!”

As he spoke, his eyes lit up and his voice rose slightly:

“This time, the two Hua sisters from Xianshui Peak actually captured him alive—how incredible! Not just killed him, but captured him alive! Think about what kind of strength that requires!”

He swallowed hard, his face filled with awe:

“The entire Fucheng is in an uproar! Families victimized by Hong La’er, upon hearing the news, are practically burning incense in gratitude! On my way here, I saw several groups heading to Xianshui Peak with gifts!”

Jiang Ye listened to Lü Ming’s endless chatter without speaking, only lifting his gaze toward Xianshui Peak, lost in thought.

Capturing alive… is harder than killing.

The twin sisters’ strength truly exceeds his expectations.

He turned his gaze back to Lü Ming and asked: “If Hong La’er is this formidable, then what about the leader of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’?”

Lü Ming’s excitement dimmed slightly, replaced by a faint bitter smile.

He shook his head, a rare seriousness appearing on his round face:

“Jiang Elder, the leader of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’ is the most mysterious of all—no one even knows if he’s male or female. We only hear his title: ‘Zi Laoda’.”

“Not just the families in Fucheng—even our Tianqing Sect knows very little about this Grand Demon. He’s incredibly elusive.”

Here, Lü Ming lowered his voice and whispered:

“There’s a rumor… an Elder from Houtu Peak vanished mysteriously while investigating ‘Zi Laoda’. Neither alive nor dead, his fate remains an unsolved case within the sect.”

“I just wonder if we can extract any useful information from Hong La’er now.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye’s aged eyes darkened with deeper intrigue.

“Zi Laoda…”

He rolled the name over in his mind, pondering silently.

He had assumed the ‘Yunling Six Demons’ were merely vicious bandits, relying on brute strength to terrorize others.

He hadn’t expected them to harbor someone like this.

Operating on Tianqing Sect’s territory, hiding his identity all this time, still at large…

Beside him, Lü Ming seemed to recall something and changed the subject:

“By the way, Jiang Elder, another bandit has appeared in Fucheng—known as the ‘Head-Cutter Demon’.”

He lowered his voice, fear flickering across his face:

“He’s already committed two massacres—both entire families wiped out… Ding Family, Sun Family—both destroyed. The scenes, they say, were horrific.”

He sighed, his tone heavy with sorrow:

“The ‘Head-Cutter Demon’s’ infamy is now nearly matching that of the ‘Yunling Six Demons’!”

He paused, a glint of gossip in his eyes:

“I heard the Sun Family, recently wiped out by the ‘Head-Cutter Demon’, had a daughter married into the Feng Family who survived. The girl is one of Fucheng’s most renowned beauties—rumor says she’s sworn a blood oath to avenge her family… ah, how tragic.”

Lü Ming shook his head, his expression filled with melancholy.

“Oh? ‘Head-Cutter Demon’… sworn to avenge her family…”

Jiang Ye’s expression remained calm as he gave a slight shake of his head.

Then he sighed softly, an expression of compassion appearing on his aged face as he murmured:

“I only hope that poor girl doesn’t end up sacrificing herself too…”

Lü Ming nodded vigorously in agreement: “Exactly! The world is truly turbulent—thankfully, Tianqing Mountain remains a pure land.”

He felt even more certain that his desperate effort to join Tianqing Sect had been the right choice.

In this world, without the protection of a great sect, even a Qi Refinement cultivator could be struck down at any moment.

After Lü Ming left, the herb garden fell silent once more.

Jiang Ye sat back down cross-legged on the green stone, closed his eyes, and began nurturing his fire qi.

Sunlight fell upon him, casting a faint golden halo around his body.

About an hour later.

Sudden footsteps echoed outside the herb garden.

Jiang Ye slowly opened his eyes, a flash of crimson-gold light vanishing from his aged gaze.

He looked up to see a young man dressed in the attire of Tianyangfeng disciple standing respectfully at the garden’s entrance. Seeing Jiang Ye awake, he bowed slightly:

“Jiang Elder, the Peak Master requests your presence.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye’s eyebrow twitched slightly, then he rose slowly to his feet.

Just after news broke of Hong La’er’s capture, the Peak Master summons him.

There must be a connection.

He asked no questions, only nodded slightly, then followed the messenger toward the summit of Tianyangfeng.

This was Jiang Ye’s second time ascending the summit of Tianyangfeng.

The air remained scorching, a wave of heat as if capable of roasting a man alive rushing toward him.

At the center, the massive black-gold cauldron still blazed fiercely, flames leaping skyward, warping the surrounding air.

What surprised Jiang Ye was that besides himself, the other Golden Core cultivators of Tianyangfeng had all gathered here.

Qin Lie still looked drunk, slumped against a green stone, a wine flask still in hand.

Upon seeing Jiang Ye, his ruddy face broke into a boisterous grin as he waved from afar: “Jiang Lao Ge is here!”

Wen Yueyao and Zheng Feng stood on either side, turning their heads at the sound.

“Jiang Lao Ye!”

Wen Yueyao greeted him warmly, her lovely oval face lit with a bright, cheerful smile, her eyes crinkling as always.

Zheng Feng bowed slightly, his manner polite and respectful:

“Jiang Elder!”

Beside them stood two other Golden Core Elders: Elder Li and Elder Wang.

After Jiang Ye wiped out Heifeng Zhai , they had visited him—so they had met once before.

Now seeing Jiang Ye arrive, both gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Jiang Ye returned their bows, then stood among them, his gaze fixed on the withered figure lying on the ground.

It was none other than the Tianyangfeng Peak Master, Luo Song.

Everyone had arrived, yet he was still snoring loudly.

His emaciated body curled on the green stone beside the black-gold cauldron, breathing evenly, sleeping soundly.

Waves of scorching heat rolled over him, yet he remained oblivious, occasionally mumbling in his sleep, rolling over as if the burning stone were the most comfortable bed in the world.

Seeing this, everyone’s faces showed a touch of helplessness.

No one spoke, no one approached to disturb him—they were clearly used to it.

After a long while,

Luo Song finally stirred awake.

He yawned sleepily, then slowly sat up, glancing at everyone with a slight nod, his voice hoarse and drowsy:

“Since everyone’s here, let’s get to the matter at hand.”

At once, everyone straightened up.

Luo Song stretched his stiff neck, his bark-like face still half-asleep, yet his words cut straight to the point:

“Those two girls from Xianshui Peak are quite capable—they caught a fat fish this time…”

As he spoke, his gaze deliberately swept over Wen Yueyao and Zheng Feng.

Both immediately flushed with shame.

Wen Yueyao bit her lip; Zheng Feng lowered his head even further.

As True Disciples, those two Hua sisters from Xianshui Peak were far superior to them.

Especially Zheng Feng—his pale, refined face turned bright red…

His failure to capture Bai Lao San in Anxi County had become an indelible stain.

Luo Song yawned and continued: “Hong La’er’s mouth is stubborn, but our people still extracted some information.”

“Did he reveal anything about Zi Laoda’s identity…?”

Zheng Feng asked instinctively.

The other several also perked up their ears, eyes gleaming.

No one was not curious about this mysterious figure, “Purple Boss.”

“No.”

Luo Song shook his head, a cryptic smile flickering across his gaunt face, then raised his voice slightly:

“But the information we extracted this time is more useful than Purple Boss’s identity.”

At this, everyone’s faces immediately showed traces of curiosity.

What kind of information could be more useful than Purple Boss’s identity?

On Luo Song’s bark-like, gaunt face, a rare look of gravity appeared.

He shed his lazy demeanor and said in a low tone:

“According to what Red Second revealed, the demon of the Seven Kill Sect ordered them to incite the refugees to seize the county seat...”

“To perform a blood sacrifice and locate a relic from the previous dynasty!”

“Within that relic lies a secret treasury...”

At these words, everyone’s faces flashed with shock.

The air seemed to thicken slightly.

Jiang Ye furrowed his brow tightly.

The source of the chaos in Anxi County was the Seven Kill Sect’s demon seeking a secret treasury?!

“A relic from the previous dynasty...”

“That was hundreds of years ago!!!”

“What is this secret treasury...”

Everyone asked, unable to hide their shock.

“What the secret treasury is... Red Second didn’t know either.”

Luo Song shook his head slightly and explained:

“Because the ‘Six Demons of Yunling’ were only nominally absorbed by the Seven Kill Sect—they’re not truly members.”

He paused, then shifted tone:

“But we didn’t come away empty-handed.”

“After several blood sacrifices, the Seven Kill Sect’s demon finally narrowed the relic’s location to near Taishan Mountain. But the exact spot remains unknown.”

At this, everyone froze.

Taishan Mountain lies at the border between Yunling Prefecture and Huangxin Prefecture.

Its mountains stretch endlessly, its territory vast—let alone ordinary people, even we, as Golden Core cultivators, could easily lose our way inside.

To find a relic with no known location in such a place is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Regardless of what the secret treasury is, a relic from the previous dynasty must hold many rare treasures.”

Luo Song said gravely.

Among cultivators, there is a shared understanding: the natural environment of heaven and earth has been deteriorating year by year.

Many celestial substances are gradually dwindling, becoming exceedingly rare, even extinct.

For example, the foundation of the Sky Blue Sect—the Sky Blue Spirit Liquid—was passed down from hundreds of years ago.

Had our founding master not preserved it properly, it would be gone now.

He raised his eyes and scanned the group, speaking low:

“The Sect Master’s order is: since this relic’s secret treasury lies within Yunling Prefecture, we cannot afford to miss it.”

He paused, then intensified his tone:

“Even if we truly cannot find it, we must not let it fall into the hands of the Seven Kill Sect’s demon.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions hardened.

“Also, Taishan Mountain is far too vast—just relying on the inner sect’s few people, even searching for a year may yield nothing. This time, we will send a large number of outer sect disciples to search for the relic!”

Luo Song continued, his gaunt face unusually serious:

“To guard against the Seven Kill Sect’s demon, each peak must send two Golden Core cultivators to Taishan Mountain to hold the line—on one hand, to protect the outer sect disciples; on the other, to search for clues to the relic.”

“Of course, you won’t go empty-handed—upon return, you’ll be rewarded with twenty thousand contribution points.”

“Who among you volunteers?”

As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept over the men present.

“Peak Master! I volunteer!”

Wen Yueyao spoke first, her bright eyes brimming with eagerness.

Luo Song shook his head slightly. “One thing: not you.”

The light on Wen Yueyao’s face instantly froze; she stared, incredulous. “Why?!”

Luo Song replied calmly: “You’re too weak. Rest and refine further.”

“Ah...”

Wen Yueyao bit her moist red lip, unable to argue.

Though gifted, she had only just entered the Golden Core realm—her cultivation base was indeed the lowest among those present.

She recalled her recent clash with Jiang Ye, where she was defeated in a single blow...

She lowered her head and said no more.

“Peak Master! I volunteer!”

Zheng Feng stepped forward solemnly, his handsome, refined face filled with seriousness.

He took a step forward, his gaze resolute.

Luo Song glanced at him and nodded slightly. “Fine, you’re one. Don’t let that Qi Condensation cultivator slip away again.”

Zheng Feng’s face flickered with embarrassment, then he bowed deeply.

“Peak Master, rest assured—if I meet White Third again, I won’t let him escape!”

Then Luo Song’s gaze swept over the other four. “No one else volunteers?”

Elder Li and Elder Wang instinctively shrank back, their eyes darting elsewhere, as if studying the patterns on the black gold cauldron.

As for Qin Lie, the drunkard remained in his usual dazed state, eyes half-lidded, mumbling to himself, not even glancing this way.

Only Jiang Ye remained calm as still water, his thoughts unreadable.

Luo Song’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer; his decision was already made.

He spoke slowly: “Little Jiang, you’ll have to make the trip.”

Jiang Ye’s aged eyes flickered with a hint of surprise, then he stepped forward steadily and said, “Yes, Peak Master!”