Chapter 1287: The Change of Qingyun

Hearing Wang Jianqiang's words, Qingyun frowned.

She seemed to have no intention of lingering on this topic and looked around.

Seeing that there was no one around, she looked at Wang Jianqiang with a serious expression, "Tianyu, I handed the real Mermaid Tear to you before. After you returned, why didn't you return the Mermaid Tear to the clan?"

Wang Jianqiang smiled bitterly and shook his head, "The Elder is unaware; after I was separated from the team, I also encountered a huge crisis and was almost killed by an Octopus Clan Cultivator."

"When I fell into that crisis, fearing that the Mermaid Tear would fall into the hands of the Octopus Clan Cultivator, I threw the Mermaid Tear away while fleeing."

"As for where the Mermaid Tear is now, I don't know either."

Upon hearing this, Qingyun's frown deepened.

After a moment of silence, she spoke coldly, "Then why didn't you inform the clan about this matter?"

"I~"

Wang Jianqiang's expression faltered, "I lost the Mermaid Tear and was worried about being punished by the clan."

Qingyun frowned, "Take me to the place where you discarded the Mermaid Tear; let's see if we can still find it."

Wang Jianqiang hesitated for a moment, "This~ Elder, you have just recovered from a serious injury, and the Octopus Clan might still be searching in that area. If we go, wouldn't it be too dangerous?"

Qingyun's expression turned cold, "This Elder tells you to go, so you go, otherwise..."

"I will report your crime of concealing the whereabouts of the Mermaid Tear to the clan and have you dealt with according to clan rules."

Wang Jianqiang shrank his neck, "Alright then."

Qingyun snorted coldly and grabbed Wang Jianqiang's shoulder, not flying directly into the air.

Instead, her figure flickered, concealing her tracks.

Avoiding the attention of everyone along the way, she snuck out of Huanling City.

"Elder, why must we avoid our clansmen and leave in such a sneaky manner?" Wang Jianqiang, enveloped by Qingyun's power, looked at her with a face full of confusion.

Qingyun glanced at him indifferently, "I am doing this for your own good. If others see us and ask, and your concealment of the Mermaid Tear intelligence is exposed, it is you who will be punished."

Wang Jianqiang realized, a look of gratitude appearing on his face, "So that's it. The Elder is indeed thoughtful. Many thanks, Elder."

Qingyun did not speak, a flash of mockery appearing deep in her eyes.

Not long after.

The two arrived outside Huanling City. Qingyun revealed her figure, still enveloping Wang Jianqiang with her own power, and at full speed, she flew toward the edge of the Sea Region with him.

Just as the two flew out about a hundred miles.

Whoosh~

A streak of Spirit Light shot over abruptly.

With a puff.

Blood splattered from Elder Qingyun's shoulder, a hole appearing that went straight through, and fresh blood instantly stained her clothes red.

Elder Qingyun groaned, her aura fluctuating violently.

The Spiritual Power enveloping her and Wang Jianqiang became difficult to maintain and dissipated.

Whoosh~

The next moment.

Another streak of light shot past.

Elder Qingyun was startled, then realized she had not been attacked, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately after.

She suddenly realized something and hurriedly looked at "Tianyu" beside her.

Her expression then sank.

Tianyu had disappeared, who knows when.

She hurriedly looked up, her gaze then narrowing.

Ahead, a White Jade Sedan pulled by three dragon horses had appeared, who knows when.

At this moment.

Wang Jianqiang was riding on the back of one of the dragon horses, looking at her with a playful expression.

Her expression flickered, and she bowed to the White Jade Sedan, "Greetings, Your Highness Princess. Previously, when Qingyun was in danger, I must thank the Princess for saving Qingyun from the hands of the Octopus Clan Cultivator."

"It is just..."

"The Princess suddenly attacked me... what is the meaning of this?"

As she spoke, a look of bewilderment and confusion appeared on her face.

"Hehe, you are quite good at pretending."

After Qingyun's voice fell, Wang Jianqiang suddenly sneered.

Qingyun frowned, looked at Wang Jianqiang, and said coldly, "Tianyu, I am an Elder of the Black Scale Lineage. Why are you speaking to me like this? Is it..."

"A bit too disrespectful to your elders?"

Wang Jianqiang smiled, "If you were still the Qingyun Elder of before, Tianyu would naturally be respectful, but..."

"Do you dare say that you are still the Qingyun Elder of before?"

Qingyun frowned, "I don't understand what you are talking about."

"Don't understand?"

Wang Jianqiang shook his head, "Since that is the case, then I will speak more plainly."

"You have already become a Demon Servant of the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Octopus Clan, haven't you?"

Qingyun's expression flickered, then she revealed a cold look, "Tianyu, I have treated you well in the past, haven't I? Are you framing me like this just so you can avoid punishment?"

As she spoke, she bowed to the White Jade Sedan again and continued, "Reporting to the Princess, when I distributed the real and fake Mermaid Tears to the team members, the real Mermaid Tear was indeed handed to Tianyu."

"Later, Tianyu returned, but the Mermaid Tear had disappeared."

"Tianyu told me the Mermaid Tear had been discarded by him; I did not think much of it, and with the intention of giving him a chance, I spared no effort to have him take me to retrieve the treasure and atone for his crimes."

"I never expected to be slandered by him; he is truly a wolf-hearted, dog-lunged wretch..."

"Looking at it now..."

"We have reason to suspect that the Mermaid Tear was hidden away by him, or perhaps..."

"He is the one who truly colluded with the Octopus Clan."

"Otherwise... how could so many Spirit Transformation stage and even Integration stage Cultivators have been hunted to death back then, unable to escape?"

"As a mere Nascent Soul stage Cultivator, how could he have successfully escaped from the pursuit of those Octopus Clan Cultivators?"

Elder Qingyun's words were resonant and forceful, logical and well-founded.

If it were an ordinary person, they would most likely choose to believe her.

It is just a pity...

The Mermaid Princess is no ordinary person.

Swish~

Just as Elder Qingyun finished speaking, Spirit Light suddenly lit up on the tip of a dragon horse's horn.

The next moment.

A beam of light shot out from the tip of the dragon horse's horn.

It was as if it had pierced through the void.

Puchi!

Elder Qingyun's body was instantly pierced through, and the tyrannical power overflowed into her body, raging wildly.

With a bang.

Her body exploded with a boom.

Swish!

A Nascent Soul flew out from the shattered flesh in a panic, attempting to flee.

Swish~

No sooner had this Nascent Soul appeared than another stream of light followed, transforming into a cage of Spiritual Power that imprisoned her within.

Seeing that she could not escape, Qingyun feigned calmness, looked toward the White Jade Sedan, and a look of deep confusion appeared on her face, "Princess, why?"

"You would actually rather believe Tianyu than believe me!"

"Why should I believe you?"

After Qingyun's voice fell, the space around the White Jade Sedan rippled, and a figure flashed out.

It was none other than the Mermaid Princess Lianyin.

Lianyin raised her beautiful eyes slightly, her gaze landing on Qingyun.

Her red lips parted slightly, and an ethereal, melodious voice emerged from her mouth.

"Why should I believe you?"