yī chén yín ， lín xuān shēn shàng qīng máng dà qǐ ， huà wèi yī piàn guāng xiá ， jiāng liǎng nǚ E pò kōng fēi zǒu 。
一沉吟，林轩身上青芒大起，化为一片光霞，将两女E破空飞走。
Lin Xuan's body was enveloped in a bluish-green glow, transforming into a radiant light that carried the two girls away through the void.
yǐ tā rú jīn de xiū wèi ， dùn guāng zì rán jí qí xùn sù ， zhǎ yǎn zhī jiān ， jiù fēi chū le shù shí lǐ ， rán hòu suí yì zhǎo le yī huāng liáng pì jìng de dì fāng ， jiàng luò xià lái 。
已他如今的修为，遁光自然极其迅速，眨眼之间，就飞出了数十里，然后随意找了一荒凉僻静的地方，降落下来。
With his current cultivation, his遁光 (flying light) naturally moved at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he flew several dozen miles away. Then, he casually found a desolate and quiet place to land.
“ hǎo le ， zhè ér lí líng yào shān fēn tán yǐ yuǎn ， yǒu shén me kǔ zhōng ，
“好了，这儿离灵药山分坛已远，有什么苦衷，
"Alright, we are far from the Spirit Medicine Mountain branch sect now. What's the reason for this?"
“ shì ！” lù yíng ér liǎn rèn yī lǐ ， kàn xiàng lín xuān de mù guāng ， gèng duō le yī fēn jìng yì ， duì fāng bù yòng rèn hé fǎ qì ， fēi xíng de sù dù jiù rú cǐ jīng rén ， nán dào shì níng dān qī de xiū shì ？
“是！”陆盈儿敛衽一礼，看向林轩的目光，更多了一分敬意，对方不用任何法器，飞行的速度就如此惊人，难道是凝丹期的修士？
"Yes!" Lu Ying'er bowed respectfully, her gaze towards Lin Xuan filled with more respect. Without any magical tools, his flight speed was already so astonishing. Could he be a cultivator at the Condensation Core stage?
suī rán jǐn jǐn shì cāi cè ， dàn yě zú yǐ ràng cǐ nǚ xīn zhōng xīng fèn ， píng rì lǐ ， tā néng jiē chù dào de zuì lì hài de gāo shǒu ， yě bù guò zhù jī zhōng qī ér yǐ ， níng dān qī gāo rén ， yě jiù gāng gāng rù mén de shí hòu ， yuǎn yuǎn wàng guò yī yǎn 。
虽然仅仅是猜测，但也足以让此女心中兴奋，平日里，她能接触到的最厉害的高手，也不过筑基中期而已，凝丹期高人，也就刚刚入门的时候，远远望过一眼。
Although it was just a guess, it was enough to make this girl excited. Normally, the most powerful experts she could come into contact with were only mid-Foundation Establishment stage. High-ranking condensation core cultivators were just beginners who had only caught a glimpse.
sú huà shuō ， fú xī huò suǒ yǐ ， huò xī fú suǒ fú ， zhè shì jiān de shì qíng ， běn jiù hěn nán shuō dé qīng chǔ ， jīn tiān de shì qíng ， duì zì jǐ hé shī mèi ér yán ， shuō bù dìng shì yī fān qí yù ， ruò néng dé zhè wèi gāo rén zhǐ diǎn ， duì rì hòu de xiū xíng ， zì rán dà yǒu zhù yì 。
俗话说，福兮祸所倚，祸兮福所伏，这世间的事情，本就很难说得清楚，今天的事情，对自己和师妹而言，说不定是一番奇遇，若能得这位高人指点，对日后的修行，自然大有助益。
As they say, fortune and misfortune are interdependent; things in this world can be hard to discern. For her and her junior sister, today's events might be an extraordinary opportunity. If she could receive guidance from such a high-ranking expert, it would undoubtedly greatly benefit her cultivation in the future.
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， tā liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng biàn dé yuè gōng jìng 。
想到这里，她脸上的表情变得越恭敬。
Thinking of this, her expression became more respectful.
lín xuān de zuǐ jiǎo biān liú lù chū yī shuǎi róng ， suī rán bù zhī dào shào nǚ xīn zhōng de xiǎng fǎ ， dàn cóng tā yǎn jiǎo méi shāo de biàn huà ， yě néng cāi gè bù lí shí 。
林轩的嘴角边流露出一甩容，虽然不知道少女心中的想法，但从她眼角眉梢的变化，也能猜个不离十。
Lin Xuan's lips curled into a smile. Even though he didn't know what was going on in the girl’s mind, he could guess with about 90% accuracy based on her subtle changes.
“ shuō ba ， jiū jìng zěn me huí shì ？”
“说吧，究竟怎么回事？”
"Speak up, what happened?"
“ qián bèi ， cǐ shì shuō lái huà cháng ， yǔ yōu zhōu gè dà shì lì yī yàng ， wǒ líng yào shān zài lún xiàn qū jiàn lì le fēn tán ， shōu jí gè zhǒng tiān cái dì bǎo ， qǐ chū yī qiè shùn lì ， rán ér jiù zài shù rì yǐ qián ， què jiē lián shēng guài shì 。”
“前辈，此事说来话长，与幽州各大势力一样，我灵药山在沦陷区建立了分坛，收集各种天材地宝，起初一切顺利，然而就在数日以前，却接连生怪事。”
"Senior, there's much to explain. Like other major forces in Youzhou, our Spirit Medicine Mountain established branch sects in occupied territories to collect various heavenly materials and treasures. At first, everything went smoothly. However, just a few days ago, strange incidents began to occur."
“ guài shì ？”
“怪事？”
"Strange incidents?"
“ shì 。” lù yíng ér liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī kǒng jù zhī sè 。 què huí tóu zhāo hū ：“ shī mèi 。 cǐ shì dì lái lóng qù mài 。
“是。”陆盈儿脸上闪过一丝恐惧之色。却回头招呼：“师妹。此事地来龙去脉。
"Yes," Lu Ying'er's face showed a trace of fear as she turned around to call out: "Junior sister, let me explain the details of this matter."
“ wǒ ……” nà míng jiào liú xīn dì é dàn liǎn shào nǚ xiǎn rán yào dǎn xiǎo nèi xiàng yī xiē 。 dàn tīng le cǐ yán 。 hái shì shàng qián liǎng bù 。 chōng zhe lín xuān yíng yíng yī lǐ 。
“我……”那名叫刘芯地鹅蛋脸少女显然要胆小内向一些。但听了此言。还是上前两步。冲着林轩盈盈一礼。
"I…" The round-faced girl named Liu Xin took two steps forward and bowed respectfully towards Lin Xuan.
“ qián bèi 。 fēn tán dì yī cì chū xiàn guài shì 。 shì bàn yuè yǐ qián 。 nín yě zhī dào 。 xiàng wǒ men zhè xiē dī jiē xiū shì 。 hái wèi néng bì gǔ 。 shí cháng zǒu chū fēn tán 。 qù fù jìn dǎ yī xiē liè wù 。 kě jiù zài nà tiān 。 què yǒu sān wèi shī xiōng dì méi yǒu huí lái 。”
“前辈。分坛第一次出现怪事。是半月以前。您也知道。像我们这些低阶修士。还未能辟谷。时常走出分坛。去附近打一些猎物。可就在那天。却有三位师兄弟没有回来。”
"Senior, our branch sect first encountered strange incidents half a month ago. You know that we low-ranking cultivators cannot yet practice alchemy. We often leave the branch sect to hunt for prey nearby. However, on that day, three fellow disciples did not return."
“ qǐ chū 。 gè wèi shī shū bó hái yǐ wéi tā men yù jiàn le ** hún 。 pài chū dà liàng rén shǒu zài fù jìn sōu suǒ 。 kě què yī wú suǒ huò 。 cǐ shì yě jiù bù liǎo liǎo zhī 。 rán ér zhè jǐn jǐn shì è mèng dì kāi shǐ ……”
“起初。各位师叔伯还以为他们遇见了**魂。派出大量人手在附近搜索。可却一无所获。此事也就不了了之。然而这仅仅是噩梦地开始……”
"At first, various senior mentors thought they had met soul beasts and sent out large numbers of people to search in the vicinity. But there was no trace found, so this matter was left unresolved. This was just the beginning of a nightmare..."
“ jiē xià lái dì jǐ tiān 。 yòu jiē lián yǒu dì zǐ mò míng shī zōng 。 shèn zhì jīng dòng le zài fēn tán lǐ zuò zhèn dì jǐ wèi níng dān qī shī zǔ 。 tā men shī zhǎn dà shén tōng 。 zhōng yú zhǎo dào le nà xiē shī zōng dì zǐ dì xià luò 。 kě ……” shào nǚ shuō dào zhè lǐ 。 shēng yīn gā rán ér zhǐ 。 liǎn shàng liú lù chū shēn shēn dì kǒng jù 。
“接下来地几天。又接连有弟子莫名失踪。甚至惊动了在分坛里坐镇地几位凝丹期师祖。他们施展大神通。终于找到了那些失踪弟子地下落。可……”少女说到这里。声音嘎然而止。脸上流露出深深地恐惧。
"Over the next few days, more disciples went missing for unknown reasons. Even the几位 condensation core elders stationed at our branch sect were alarmed and used their great powers to find out where those missing disciples had gone. But…" The girl paused here, her voice cutting off as fear spread across her face.
“ zěn me le 。 bié pà 。 màn màn shuō 。” lín xuān qū zhǐ yī dàn 。 yī dào xiān xì dì lǜ máng fēi rù le liú xīn dì é tóu lǐ miàn 。
“怎么了。别怕。慢慢说。”林轩屈指一弹。一道纤细地绿芒飞入了刘芯地额头里面。
"What happened? Don't be afraid, speak slowly," Lin Xuan flicked his fingers, sending a thin green ray into Liu Xin's forehead.
níng xīn jué suī rán zhǐ shì hěn cū qiǎn de shén tōng ， què yǒu píng fù rén xīn jìng de xiào guǒ 。
宁心诀虽然只是很粗浅的神通，却有平复人心境的效果。
Though the Heart Refinement Method was just a simple technique, it could calm one's mind.
“ tā men quán dōu sǐ le ， ér qiě cán quē bù quán ， jiù xiàng shēn tǐ bèi shén me měng shòu yǎo shì guò yì bān ， gèng jiā kě pà de shì ， jǐ rén de hún pò xiǎn rán yě bèi qǔ zǒu 。”
“他们全都死了，而且残缺不全，就像身体被什么猛兽咬噬过一般，更加可怕的是，几人的魂魄显然也被取走。”
"They all died, and their bodies were mangled. It seemed as if they had been torn apart by some ferocious beast. The most terrifying part is that the souls of several people clearly had been taken," Lin Xuan sighed. No wonder the two girls were so scared. For cultivators, physical death was not the worst outcome; even soul scattering could be endured. But there was one thing they feared more.
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì ， nán guài liǎng nǚ rú cǐ hài pà ， duì yú xiū xiān lái shuō ， ròu shēn sǐ wáng bìng fēi zuì huài de jié guǒ ， shèn zhì hún fēi pò sàn yě kě yǐ rěn shòu ， kě yǒu yī jiàn shì qíng què lìng tā men tán zhī sè biàn 。
林轩叹了口气，难怪两女如此害怕，对于修仙来说，肉身死亡并非最坏的结果，甚至魂飞魄散也可以忍受，可有一件事情却令他们谈之色变。
That was when their essence souls fell into the hands of evil cultivators or certain beasts with strange abilities, used to refine magical treasures or make puppets to control. That was truly a situation where life and death were impossible.
jiù shì jīng hún luò rù xié xiū huò mǒu xiē yǒu zhe gǔ guài shén tōng de yāo shòu shǒu zhōng ， bèi duì fāng yòng lái jì liàn fǎ bǎo huò zuò chéng kuǐ lěi qū cè ， nà yàng cái shì qiú shēng bù dé ， qiú sǐ bù néng ， yǒng yuǎn shēng huó yú tòng kǔ zhī zhōng 。
就是精魂落入邪修或某些有着古怪神通的妖兽手中，被对方用来祭炼法宝或做成傀儡驱策，那样才是求生不得，求死不能，永远生活于痛苦之中。
"Such things happened,
“ shēng le zhè yàng de shì qíng ，
“生了这样的事情，
"Yes, Senior, as you said, several elders vowed to find the culprit. However, matters did not improve; they worsened instead. Low-ranking disciples received strict orders not to leave the branch sect. Thinking that with the protection of our senior cultivators in this important area, the opponent might be more restrained. But over the next few days, more and more disciples went missing. Even Senior Zhaogang became a victim."
“ ń ， qián bèi suǒ yán bù cuò ， jǐ wèi shī zǔ shì yào zhǎo chū xiōng shǒu ， kě jiē xià lái ， shì qíng bù jǐn méi yǒu hǎo zhuǎn ， fǎn ér yuè de è huà le qǐ lái ， dī jiē dì zǐ dé dào yán lìng ， bù dé zǒu chū fēn tán ， xiǎng lái zài běn mén zhòng dì ， yǒu zhe zhū wèi qián bèi shǒu hù ， duì fāng yě gāi yǒu suǒ shōu liǎn ， nǎ zhī dào jiē xià lái de jǐ tiān ， shī zōng de dì zǐ gèng duō ， shèn zhì lián zhào shī shū yě chéng le shòu hài 。”
“嗯，前辈所言不错，几位师祖誓要找出凶手，可接下来，事情不仅没有好转，反而越的恶化了起来，低阶弟子得到严令，不得走出分坛，想来在本门重地，有着诸位前辈守护，对方也该有所收敛，哪知道接下来的几天，失踪的弟子更多，甚至连赵师叔也成了受害。”
"Yes, Senior Zhaogang was a mid-Foundation Establishment stage expert who had cultivated several special techniques. His strength was greatly admired by the elders. Yet even he could not protect himself, let alone us low-ranking disciples," Liu Xin spoke while Lu Ying'er stood quietly beside her, unable to hold back and added: "Yes, Senior, I am not being bold or disrespectful, but with such incidents occurring without finding the culprit, we should move away. But they still set up our branch sect in this dangerous place and forbade us from leaving. Two senior brothers took a risk, defied the edict to temporarily avoid danger, were caught, and were branded as traitors, losing their cultivation."
“ shì a ， zhào shī shū kě shì zhù jī zhōng qī de gāo shǒu ， ér qiě liàn yǒu jǐ zhǒng tè shū shén tōng ， shí lì zhī qiáng ， jǐ wèi shī zǔ xiàng lái shì qīng yǎn yǒu jiā ， kě lián tā ， yě wú fǎ zì bǎo ， wǒ men zhè xiē dī jiē dì zǐ zì rán gèng shì rén xīn huáng huáng 。” liú xīn shuō huà de shí hòu ， lù yíng ér yì zhí wén jìng de zhàn zài yī páng ， zhè shí hòu què yě rěn bú zhù ** kǒu bǔ chōng 。
“是啊，赵师叔可是筑基中期的高手，而且炼有几种特殊神通，实力之强，几位师祖像来是青眼有加，可连他，也无法自保，我们这些低阶弟子自然更是人心惶惶。”刘芯说话的时候，陆盈儿一直文静的站在一旁，这时候却也忍不住**口补充。
"Junior sister,"
“ shì a ， qián bèi ， bú shì wǎn bèi dà dǎn ， bèi hòu shuō jǐ wèi shī zǔ de bú shì ， kě shēng le zhè yàng de shì qíng ， yī shí zhī jiān ， yòu zhǎo bú dào xiōng shǒu ， wǒ men yīng gāi bān zǒu cái shì ， kě tā men bù jǐn yī jiù jiāng fēn tán shè lì zài zhè xiōng xiǎn zhī dì ， ér qiě yě bù zhǔn wǒ men lí kāi ， yǒu liǎng wèi shī xiōng tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn ， wéi bèi fǎ yù xiǎng yào zàn shí yuǎn lí xiōng xiǎn ， bèi zhuā zhù yǐ hòu ， bèi dìng wèi le pàn mén zhī zuì ， fèi diào le xiū wèi 。” huò xǔ shì jiàn lín xuān hé ǎi ， zhè míng jiào liú xīn de é dàn liǎn shào nǚ ， shuō zhe shuō zhe huà què yě dà dǎn le qǐ lái ， yǔ qì zhī zhōng ， suī shuō bù shàng yuàn dú ， dàn bù mǎn zhī yì ， què yě biǎo lù dé shí fēn míng xiǎn 。
“是啊，前辈，不是晚辈大胆，背后说几位师祖的不是，可生了这样的事情，一时之间，又找不到凶手，我们应该搬走才是，可他们不仅依旧将分坛设立在这凶险之地，而且也不准我们离开，有两位师兄铤而走险，违背法谕想要暂时远离凶险，被抓住以后，被定为了叛门之罪，废掉了修为。”或许是见林轩和蔼，这名叫刘芯的鹅蛋脸少女，说着说着话却也大胆了起来，语气之中，虽说不上怨毒，但不满之意，却也表露得十分明显。
Lu Ying'er tugged at her sleeve. Regardless of what they said behind closed doors, it was still a taboo in the cultivation world.
“ shī mèi 。”
“师妹。”
However, Lin Xuan did not mind. He held Liu Xin close with one hand while supporting his chin with the other and pondered.
lù yíng ér lā le lā tā de yī xiù ， bù guǎn rú hé ， bèi hòu shù shuō zhǎng bèi de bú shì ， fàng zài nǎ lǐ ， dōu shì xiū xiān jiè de dà jì 。
陆盈儿拉了拉她的衣袖，不管如何，背后述说长辈的不是，放在哪里，都是修仙界的大忌。
There was something suspicious about this matter. While the initial strange incidents might have been terrifying, Lin Xuan's current cultivation level didn't take them seriously. However, the reaction of several condensation core elders afterward was quite intriguing—was it unintentional or for some unknown reason?
rán ér lín xuān què bìng bù jiè huái ， fǎn ér yī shǒu bào **， yī shǒu ** zhe xià bā ， chén yín le qǐ lái 。
然而林轩却并不介怀，反而一手抱**，一手**着下巴，沉吟了起来。
In any case, if what these two girls said were true, it would indeed be unreasonable.
cǐ shì què yǒu qī qiāo zhī chù ， qián miàn de guài shì suī rán tīng qǐ lái yǒu xiē kǒng bù ， dàn yǐ lín xuān de xiū wèi ， què yě bìng bù fàng zài yǎn zhōng ， rán ér hòu miàn jǐ wèi níng dān qī zhǎng lǎo de fǎn yìng ， jiù pǒ wèi lìng rén wán wèi le ， jiū jìng shì wú yì ， hái shì lìng yǒu shén me bù wéi rén zhī de lǐ yóu 。
此事却有蹊跷之处，前面的怪事虽然听起来有些恐怖，但以林轩的修为，却也并不放在眼中，然而后面几位凝丹期长老的反应，就颇为令人玩味了，究竟是无意，还是另有什么不为人知的理由。
"Since the punishment is so severe,
zǒng ér yán zhī ， liǎng gè yā tou suǒ shuō de ruò shì shì shí ， què shí yǒu xiē bù hé qíng lǐ 。
总而言之，两个丫头所说的若是事实，确实有些不合情理。
"Yes, Senior, we have no choice but to do as we must. Every day, our fellow disciples go missing without explanation. The elders are searching for the culprit, but they might not find him before we fall victim," Liu Xin said helplessly.
“ jì rán chǔ fá rú cǐ yán kù ， nà
“既然处罚如此严酷，那
"This is indeed true, but
“ qián bèi ， xiǎo nǚ zǐ jiě mèi yě shì méi yǒu bàn fǎ ， měi tiān dōu yǒu shī xiōng mèi mò míng shī zōng ， jǐ wèi shī zǔ suī rán zài xún zhǎo xiōng shǒu ， kě kǒng pà tā men hái méi yǒu zhǎo dào ， wǒ men jiù yǐ jīng zāo le dú shǒu 。” liú xīn yǒu xiē wú nài de kāi kǒu 。
“前辈，小女子姐妹也是没有办法，每天都有师兄妹莫名失踪，几位师祖虽然在寻找凶手，可恐怕他们还没有找到，我们就已经遭了毒手。”刘芯有些无奈的开口。
"This…" The two girls exchanged glances, and Liu Xin hesitated before softly asking: "Is it really that dangerous?"
“ zhè dào yě shì shì shí ， kě
“这倒也是事实，可
Lin Xuan smiled without speaking. It couldn't be blamed on the girls for their lack of knowledge; with their current cultivation level, they had no chance to encounter soul beasts or ghostly entities. What they heard secondhand was unimaginable.
“ zhè ……” liǎng nǚ miàn miàn xiāng qù ， liú xīn yóu yù le yī xià ， ruò ruò de kāi kǒu ：“ zhēn yǒu zhè me wēi xiǎn ？”
“这……”两女面面相觑，刘芯犹豫了一下，弱弱的开口：“真有这么危险？”
"Senior sister, what should we do?"
lín xuān xiào ér bù yǔ ， yě bù néng guài liǎng nǚ wú zhī ， yǐ tā men zhè diǎn xiū wèi ， zì rán méi yǒu jī huì jiē chù ** hún lì guǐ ， dào tīng tú shuō ， wú fǎ xiǎng xiàng lún xiàn qū yǐn cáng zhe zěn yàng kě pà de shā jī 。
林轩笑而不语，也不能怪两女无知，以她们这点修为，自然没有机会接触**魂厉鬼，道听途说，无法想象沦陷区隐藏着怎样可怕的杀机。
Of the two girls, Lu Ying'er was more decisive. But even this beautiful young woman frowned in uncertainty at the moment.
Lin Xuan's body was enveloped in a bluish-green glow, transforming into a radiant light that carried the two girls away through the void.
With his current cultivation, his遁光 (flying light) naturally moved at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he flew several dozen miles away. Then, he casually found a desolate and quiet place to land.
"Alright, we are far from the Spirit Medicine Mountain branch sect now. What's the reason for this?"
"Yes!" Lu Ying'er bowed respectfully, her gaze towards Lin Xuan filled with more respect. Without any magical tools, his flight speed was already so astonishing. Could he be a cultivator at the Condensation Core stage?
Although it was just a guess, it was enough to make this girl excited. Normally, the most powerful experts she could come into contact with were only mid-Foundation Establishment stage. High-ranking condensation core cultivators were just beginners who had only caught a glimpse.
As they say, fortune and misfortune are interdependent; things in this world can be hard to discern. For her and her junior sister, today's events might be an extraordinary opportunity. If she could receive guidance from such a high-ranking expert, it would undoubtedly greatly benefit her cultivation in the future.
Thinking of this, her expression became more respectful.
Lin Xuan's lips curled into a smile. Even though he didn't know what was going on in the girl’s mind, he could guess with about 90% accuracy based on her subtle changes.
"Speak up, what happened?"
"Senior, there's much to explain. Like other major forces in Youzhou, our Spirit Medicine Mountain established branch sects in occupied territories to collect various heavenly materials and treasures. At first, everything went smoothly. However, just a few days ago, strange incidents began to occur."
"Strange incidents?"
"Yes," Lu Ying'er's face showed a trace of fear as she turned around to call out: "Junior sister, let me explain the details of this matter."
"I…" The round-faced girl named Liu Xin took two steps forward and bowed respectfully towards Lin Xuan.
"Senior, our branch sect first encountered strange incidents half a month ago. You know that we low-ranking cultivators cannot yet practice alchemy. We often leave the branch sect to hunt for prey nearby. However, on that day, three fellow disciples did not return."
"At first, various senior mentors thought they had met soul beasts and sent out large numbers of people to search in the vicinity. But there was no trace found, so this matter was left unresolved. This was just the beginning of a nightmare..."
"Over the next few days, more disciples went missing for unknown reasons. Even the几位 condensation core elders stationed at our branch sect were alarmed and used their great powers to find out where those missing disciples had gone. But…" The girl paused here, her voice cutting off as fear spread across her face.
"What happened? Don't be afraid, speak slowly," Lin Xuan flicked his fingers, sending a thin green ray into Liu Xin's forehead.
Though the Heart Refinement Method was just a simple technique, it could calm one's mind.
"They all died, and their bodies were mangled. It seemed as if they had been torn apart by some ferocious beast. The most terrifying part is that the souls of several people clearly had been taken," Lin Xuan sighed. No wonder the two girls were so scared. For cultivators, physical death was not the worst outcome; even soul scattering could be endured. But there was one thing they feared more.
That was when their essence souls fell into the hands of evil cultivators or certain beasts with strange abilities, used to refine magical treasures or make puppets to control. That was truly a situation where life and death were impossible.
"Such things happened,
"Yes, Senior, as you said, several elders vowed to find the culprit. However, matters did not improve; they worsened instead. Low-ranking disciples received strict orders not to leave the branch sect. Thinking that with the protection of our senior cultivators in this important area, the opponent might be more restrained. But over the next few days, more and more disciples went missing. Even Senior Zhaogang became a victim."
"Yes, Senior Zhaogang was a mid-Foundation Establishment stage expert who had cultivated several special techniques. His strength was greatly admired by the elders. Yet even he could not protect himself, let alone us low-ranking disciples," Liu Xin spoke while Lu Ying'er stood quietly beside her, unable to hold back and added: "Yes, Senior, I am not being bold or disrespectful, but with such incidents occurring without finding the culprit, we should move away. But they still set up our branch sect in this dangerous place and forbade us from leaving. Two senior brothers took a risk, defied the edict to temporarily avoid danger, were caught, and were branded as traitors, losing their cultivation."
"Junior sister,"
Lu Ying'er tugged at her sleeve. Regardless of what they said behind closed doors, it was still a taboo in the cultivation world.
However, Lin Xuan did not mind. He held Liu Xin close with one hand while supporting his chin with the other and pondered.
There was something suspicious about this matter. While the initial strange incidents might have been terrifying, Lin Xuan's current cultivation level didn't take them seriously. However, the reaction of several condensation core elders afterward was quite intriguing—was it unintentional or for some unknown reason?
In any case, if what these two girls said were true, it would indeed be unreasonable.
"Since the punishment is so severe,
"Yes, Senior, we have no choice but to do as we must. Every day, our fellow disciples go missing without explanation. The elders are searching for the culprit, but they might not find him before we fall victim," Liu Xin said helplessly.
"This is indeed true, but
"This…" The two girls exchanged glances, and Liu Xin hesitated before softly asking: "Is it really that dangerous?"
Lin Xuan smiled without speaking. It couldn't be blamed on the girls for their lack of knowledge; with their current cultivation level, they had no chance to encounter soul beasts or ghostly entities. What they heard secondhand was unimaginable.
"Senior sister, what should we do?"
Of the two girls, Lu Ying'er was more decisive. But even this beautiful young woman frowned in uncertainty at the moment.