Chapter 643: Murder

Soon after.

"Hall Master, Hall Master, something serious has happened!"

"What happened that you're so flustered?"

"Elder Feng has been killed!"

"Hm? What?!"

Yan Buji stood dumbfounded, looking at the disciple who brought the news: "Where is Elder Feng?"

"The corpse has already been taken to the Internal Affairs Hall...."

How could it be so sudden?

Yan Buji furrowed his brows, suddenly recalling the words He Caifei had said a few days earlier.

"Could it be that Yao Wen used a proxy to kill? That would be a gross breach of protocol," Yan Buji's expression changed.

Although the matter doesn't directly involve him, if it provokes Elder Pang of the Inner Gate, who is behind Feng Yue, then the Hall Masters of the Outer Gate will also be thoroughly investigated.

It would be troublesome, and would make people think the Outer Gate elders are idle, being murdered in broad daylight.

Logically and reasonably, Yan Buji hurried to the Internal Affairs Hall, pushed through the watching disciples, and entered.

At that moment, Yan Buji also saw the others in the main hall, especially the members of Yao Wen's faction, whose expressions were abnormal.

"Hall Master," Hall Master Wang Daolong of the Miscellaneous Hall walked over, looking at Yan Buji.

"Hall Master Wang," Yan Buji said, looking at Wang Daolong, whose face was ugly, with sharp eyes and a monkey‑like mouth, yet his strength was not weak; he was also a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

"What exactly happened? How could Elder Feng be murdered in such a fine manner?" Yan Buji asked.

Wang Daolong shook his head: "That part is unclear. It is said that early this morning the disciples found Elder Feng absent, so they went to his residence. There they discovered Elder Feng had already ceased to exist; everyone is now discussing how to handle the matter."

Beside them, Yao Wen, seeing everyone gathered, said solemnly: "Everyone, Elder Feng's murder grieves us deeply, but for now we should seal the Outer Gate, preventing anyone from leaving! A great formation guards the vicinity of the Outer Gate; if the thief infiltrated here, they cannot escape in a short time. If it was done by someone within us..."

Yao Wen looked around: "This matter should be reported to the Inner Gate, and we should ask an Inner Gate elder to handle it."

"What?"

"Well... perhaps we should conduct an initial investigation first, and postpone the Inner Gate's involvement for now, what do you think?"

"Indeed, with Elder Feng's murder we should quickly find the thief!"

Yan Buji saw the Hall Masters' expressions change instantly, as if they did not want the Inner Gate elder to learn of this quickly.

But Yao Wen said: "Everyone, consider this: since that thief could silently slay Elder Feng, we would also find it hard to escape his deadly hand if he targets us. Therefore, during this time, send someone to notify the Inner Gate, then we should search for clues and unite to capture the thief; we must not let him pick us off one by one."

"I agree with Elder Yao's suggestion. At this moment we don't know how ferocious the thief is, nor whether he has left the Outer Gate. For now, we should have the disciples return to their quarters and not wander, then investigate together."

Yan Buji also worried that if it were a familiar of Elder Feng it would be manageable, but he feared a very powerful cultivator might have infiltrated and killed him.

To kill a late‑stage Nascent Soul Cultivator without any sign of movement, the killer must be equally capable.

Thus, considering his own safety, Yan Buji thought the matter didn't concern him and he wasn't afraid of being investigated, so he decided to inform the Inner Gate elder; even if he gets scolded, it doesn't matter.

After much deliberation, the Hall Masters agreed with Yao Wen's proposal.

Yao Wen also walked over, looking at Yan Buji: "Hall Master, what are your thoughts?"

"First, let's go see Elder Feng's corpse."

"We have already examined it; Elder Feng was pierced by a sharp weapon at a vital point, causing his Nascent Soul to collapse—such speed is unimaginable," Yao Wen said, and then led Yan Buji and the others to inspect Feng Yue's body.

All the Hall Masters entered Feng Yue's room and saw him sitting on the bed, appearing to be meditating with closed eyes, but in fact he was already lifeless.

"Everyone, take a look."

Yao Wen walked over, pointed at a red spot on Feng Yue's neck: "I think the thief acted here, using a long needle or similar hidden weapon to kill Elder Feng."

"This..."

The others examined carefully, and Yan Buji also furrowed his brows.

Feng Yue's corpse was remarkably intact; however, on exposed skin there were almost no visible wounds, only the red spot on the neck that Yao Wen pointed out.

But how could a person not react at all when something touches the neck? That's a lethal spot; even cultivators, unlike ordinary people whose neck injury might cause immediate death, still tend to avoid harm, so they cannot have zero response.

Yan Buji looked around carefully; he could not dissect Feng Yue's corpse now, so naturally he could not discover anything.

His divine sense swept the surroundings as Yan Buji moved aside and picked up an incense burner.

"This place is....."

"Call over the disciple who first discovered Elder Feng's corpse."

Yao Wen walked over, puzzled: "Hall Master, what have you found?"

"Something's wrong with what's inside this incense burner."

Soon, the disciple was brought over, and upon seeing the scene, immediately knelt: "Disciple has seen the elders, Hall Master."

Yan Buji, having no time for idle talk, asked: "Who prepared the incense inside this burner?"

Replying to Hall Master, the disciple said, "This incense burner belongs to Elder Feng, but the incense was obtained from Long Qi Cheng as 'Huadan incense' per his instructions."

"Huadan incense?"

Yan Buji thought carefully, then suddenly realized something: "Run! Run! Run!"

"What?"

Boom!

The entire Internal Affairs Hall suddenly erupted in a massive explosion, the blast sweeping in all directions, leaving the watching disciples and those inside heavily wounded and dead!

"Who was it?"

Yan Buji, covering his wound, looked around: "Is anyone still here?"

"Hall Master..."

A few Hall Masters beside Yao Wen were unharmed, and Yan Buji breathed a sigh of relief: "Everyone, come this way!"

"What happened? Hall Master, did you discover something?"

"A small amount of Huadan incense burns without issue, but if it is exposed to the air together with Refined Spirit Pill for more than ten hours, it will trigger an explosion!"

"Quiling Pill?"

"Right, now that you mention it, the Internal Affairs Hall actually received the pills sent by the Inner Gate yesterday but hasn't stored them yet," Yao Wen thought, but also found it odd: "How could that Huadan fragrance have any effect with the Quiling Pill?"

"I read about it in an ancient book," Yan Buji thought.

In fact, a certain component of the Huadan fragrance is very similar to the formula of the spiritual spear ammunition Yan Buji saw earlier in the West Sand River Basin, and although the Quiling Pill helps disciples absorb spiritual energy, it is also one of the components of the spear ammunition.

If purchased on a large scale, stored improperly, and placed in a sealed space, it can easily explode; this is experience Yan Buji gained firsthand.

"Let's not talk about that for now; let's hurry to save the people," Yan Buji looked around at the disciples' wails filling the area, thinking that this group would hardly escape being scolded to death.