Chapter 381

Hua Changxi learned from the boy with the Underworld Eyes that there was indeed a deep, abyss-like black well beneath the mass grave, and thus she guessed that the Ghost Fire Well was in all likelihood located in this area.

When she had investigated the mass grave earlier, she hadn't discovered any traces of spatial fluctuations, so she hadn't thought about it being a Cave Heaven.

Now, after Hua Changxi came out of the mortuary, she returned to the mass grave, and this time, she investigated more carefully.

Finally, while scanning the center of the mass grave with her divine sense, she discovered traces of an array.

Someone had set up a concealment array to hide the spatial fluctuations!

Hua Changxi's expression was somewhat heavy; she was worried that someone had already taken the Ghost Fire Well a step ahead of her.

It wasn't that she had to possess all the Cave Heavens.

It was just that, based on her previous experiences obtaining the Karma Fire Platform, the Nine Heavens Fire Spring, and Li Huo Cliff, the masters of the Cave Heavens would all receive clear instructions, which was that the Twelve Cave Heavens were meant to serve the Zhu Que Army.

But now, the person occupying the Ghost Fire Well had actually attacked the Zhu Que Army!

This was completely contrary to the fundamental reason for the existence of the Cave Heavens.

And she wondered, did the previously missing Zhu Que Army members also have something to do with the Ghost Fire Well?

Fearing that she might alert the enemy, Hua Changxi did not rashly go deep to investigate and retreated from the mass grave.

"Changxi."

Just as Hua Changxi came out, she saw Tong Yao, who was also investigating everywhere in the mass grave; besides him, there were several other groups of cultivators from other factions in the distance.

Tong Yao walked up to Hua Changxi and sighed: "Your flight technique is too powerful; you left me behind by a huge margin, and I couldn't even find your trail."

Hua Changxi smiled and gave a modest reply, then asked: "Why did you come here?"

Tong Yao countered: "Then why are you here too?"

Hua Changxi: "... I just wanted to come and see, which faction would dare to attack the Zhu Que Army?"

Tong Yao's expression became serious: "I heard it was a giant hand condensed from black mist that attacked the Zhu Que Army." As he spoke, he looked around the mass grave, "It's gloomy and eerie here; that black mist is in all likelihood ghost Qi."

Hua Changxi frowned: "This mass grave looks like it has been abandoned for a long time; I can't figure out why it would accumulate so much ghost Qi?"

Tong Yao seemed to think of something, his lips pursed and his brows knotted.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Changxi took the initiative to share some of her own findings: "In this area, besides a dilapidated mortuary a few miles away, there is almost no human presence for dozens of miles around; this is too abnormal."

Only then did Tong Yao say: "A very tragic village-extermination event once happened here." He paused, "Not just one village, but seven or eight consecutive villages; all the villagers disappeared overnight."

"The imperial court sent the Ministry of Justice, the Grand Court of Justice, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate this incident together, and the final result of the investigation was that it was the work of fierce beasts."

"But what kind of fierce beast could silently sweep away so many villagers?"

"The reason given by the imperial court was simply insufficient to convince the public; the first person to stand up and say he didn't believe it was the then-Magistrate Song Weimin, and it was his continuous petitions that facilitated the relocation of the surrounding villages."

"After that, this mass grave was abandoned."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered.

The people of several villages disappeared mysteriously, and the imperial court actually said it was the work of fierce beasts; either they were incompetent and hadn't investigated anything, or they were deliberately covering something up.

Hua Changxi looked at the mass grave, her expression suddenly changing; she remembered something.

When she first met the Prince of Shou, she had smelled a nauseating odor on him; now that she thought about it, how similar it was to the odor here at the mass grave.

Did the imperial family occupy the Ghost Fire Well?

A cold light flashed in Hua Changxi's eyes as she looked at Tong Yao: "When did the villagers' disappearance happen?"

Tong Yao: "It happened ten or twenty years ago."

Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes.

Villagers disappearing, Zhu Que Army disappearing, foul stench, Ghost Fire Well, Ghost Hand...

Connecting these things together, one could reasonably speculate that someone was conducting some kind of evil art at the Ghost Fire Well, and the imperial family was the prime suspect.

Seeing that the several groups of people scouting the mass grave in the distance had left one after another, Tong Yao said to Hua Changxi: "Let's go too."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"I heard that the reason the Lingguang Hall Master took such strong action before was because some Zhu Que Army members had also gone missing."

"This place is somewhat evil; the Demon-Suppressing Army has also come to investigate, but they were all forced back by the thick ghost Qi."

Hua Changxi looked over: "How do you know that Zhu Que Army members went missing?"

Tong Yao laughed: "Among the Zhu Que Army, there is no lack of people from noble families."

Hua Changxi stopped talking and left the mass grave with Tong Yao.

Tong Yao: "What are you going to do next?"

Hua Changxi: "I want to go and see the second place where the Zhu Que Army was attacked."

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi with implication: "You seem very concerned about the affairs of the Zhu Que Army."

Hua Changxi didn't even turn her head, leaving behind a "Yes" before heading straight for the area where the tiger demon attacked the Zhu Que Army.

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi's back and moved his lips, wanting to ask something, but after a moment of silence, he swallowed the words back into his stomach.

Soon, Hua Changxi and Tong Yao arrived one after the other at the place where the tiger demon appeared.

Hua Changxi observed the terrain: "The Zhu Que Army was first attacked by the Ghost Hand, and then encountered the tiger demon; being attacked from both front and back, this is meant to put the Zhu Que Army to death!"

As she spoke, she looked at Tong Yao.

"I don't believe in coincidences; the Ghost Hand and the tiger demon attacking the Zhu Que Army at the same time—I think the Ghost Hand and the demon race have joined forces."

Tong Yao's expression was also very serious; he thought the same, after all, that tiger demon was a Spirit Platform Realm demon beast, which was a big shot even among the demon race.

Hua Changxi's mood at this moment was quite heavy; if the Ghost Fire Well was really occupied by the imperial family, then in the future, she would have to face the imperial family head-on.

That wasn't all; the demon race had also gotten involved.

Although the number of people in the Zhu Que Army was not small now, their overall combat power was still not enough.

Those with Nascent Soul Realm cultivation accounted for less than one-tenth of the total Zhu Que Army; those with Golden Core Realm cultivation were only about two-tenths; the vast majority of the rest were still stuck at the Qi Sea Realm; and Qi Refining Realm cultivators accounted for nearly one-tenth.

The imperial family kidnapping the Zhu Que Army must be to perform some kind of evil art, but what about the demon race? Just to eat the Zhu Que Army?

Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao: "Why do you think the demon race got involved?"

Tong Yao: "The demon race must be aiming for Nanxiang City." Seeing Hua Changxi's confusion, he added, "You don't think Nanxiang City must be taken over by the human race, do you?"

Hua Changxi: "Isn't it? Isn't Nanxiang City, like Xuanyuan City, a gathering place for the human race?"

Tong Yao: "Nanxiang City was indeed a gathering place for the human race in ancient times, but Nanxiang City is also the Daoist practice ground of the Zhu Que Emperor in the Central Continent."

"For an existence like the Zhu Que Emperor, both the human race and the demon race are creatures of the Four Spirits Realm; therefore, the demon race can also take over Nanxiang City."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi felt terrible.

She certainly wouldn't abandon Lingguang Hall, so one day in the future, she would have to face the entire demon race?

Tong Yao looked at Hua Changxi: "Fortunately, Lingguang Hall appeared a few years ago and recruited so many Zhu Que Army members so quickly; I think the demon race is also anxious, which is why they sent a Spirit Platform Realm demon to test us."

Hua Changxi nodded randomly to show her agreement, then said: "Tong Yao, I have other things to do, so I won't chat with you anymore."

If the demon race was eyeing Nanxiang City in the shadows, and the person who occupied the Ghost Fire Well had joined forces with the demon race, then she had to get rid of them quickly, otherwise, she would be attacked from both sides.

No, she was already being attacked from both sides.