Chapter 43 So the Blood Essence Pill ended up at the Qingyuan Sect...

The newcomer had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his black hair simply tied in a white jade crown. His sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards towards his temples, and his peach blossom eyes were slightly upturned, the corners of which exuded a natural charm. His eyes seemed to hold shimmering spring water, clear and gentle.

Who else could it be but Fu Yunshu?

"Master!" Yin Lisheng darted to Fu Yunshu's side, his puppy eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

Fu Yunshu gently patted Yin Lisheng's shoulder, signaling him to step back.

Although Yin Lisheng had many questions in his heart, he knew that this was not the time to ask questions, so he obediently stepped aside and stared intently at his master's back.

Fu Yunshu stood in the center of the secret room, his expression calm, his eyes as cold as ice. He looked at Yunniang, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority, "Just surrender as soon as possible."

Yunniang sneered, her laughter sharp and piercing, a hint of madness flashing in her eyes: "Immortal Venerable Huaiwei is indeed worthy of his reputation. I didn't even know when you came in so quietly, but killing me is not an easy task."

Fu Yunshu did not respond, but simply raised his hand slightly, a faint spiritual light gathering at his fingertips, "Then let's give it a try."

Before she finished speaking, Yunniang suddenly raised her hand, and a ball of dark demonic energy condensed in her palm. She slammed her palm hard into the ground, and instantly the surrounding black mist rose up.

Fu Yunshu and the other two covered their mouths and noses and retreated repeatedly, but by the time the black mist dissipated, Yunniang's figure had already disappeared.

Yu Jiangheng was speechless. He made so many threats, thinking he was going to be really tough, but he ran away faster than a rabbit.

Yin Lisheng had no mind to think about Yunniang at the moment. They had only been apart for a few days, and he thought he wasn't such a helpless person, but upon actually seeing Fu Yunshu, the longing in his heart instantly overwhelmed him. Only then did Yin Lisheng realize that the branches of his longing had already grown wildly within him.

"Ancestor." Yu Jiangheng came over and bowed.

Fu Yunshu nodded, then looked at Yin Lisheng: "Why are you still so impulsive after coming down the mountain?"

"No way!" Yin Lisheng immediately retorted, his voice rising involuntarily, "Why would Master be here? Is he missing his disciple?"

The last syllable rose slightly, carrying a hint of coquettishness.

Fu Yunshu smiled helplessly, but a hint of doting flashed in his eyes: "I'm not as clingy as you. It was an accident that I ran into you guys."

Two days ago, after paying respects to the Yin family, Fu Yunshu went to the Northern Border to seal the seal with the others.

Since the incident involving the Yin family, several major sects and families have jointly established an inspection bureau in the sealed land, which is rotated every ten years.

Fu Yunshu naturally couldn't stay in the Supervisory Department to guard the seal. His main purpose for this trip was to confirm that the seal was safe and to pay homage to the Yin family.

However, at one point in the seal, Fu Yunshu vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

After some probing, Fu Yunshu indeed discovered that someone was secretly hiding in the shadows, their purpose unknown.

"The man was masked, so I couldn't see his face clearly. After reporting this to the Censorate, I tracked down the masked man and eventually arrived in Yuzhou City."

"The masked man disappeared in an alley in the city. I unexpectedly discovered a secret passage in the alley, and I didn't expect to run into you after entering it."

Fu Yunshu raised his hand to rub Yin Lisheng's head, but when his gaze fell on Yin Lisheng, who was already taller than him, he awkwardly prepared to withdraw his hand.

Yin Lisheng lowered her head and leaned closer before he could make a move.

Fu Yunshu chuckled and obliged, "It's fortunate that we met you two. That woman's cultivation level was extraordinary; it wasn't something the two of you could handle."

"It was my fault for not protecting my great-uncle. I will definitely work harder in my cultivation in the future." Yu Jiangheng lowered his head in shame.

"It's not Brother Jiang Heng's fault, it's just that my cultivation is not good enough." Yin Lisheng also quickly lowered his head.

Fu Yunshu sighed helplessly, "What are you doing? I didn't mean to blame you. Fine, I'll go check on that altar."

He walked to the altar and carefully examined the runes and array layout on it.

Fu Yunshu's brows gradually furrowed, and a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

"This is part of the Blood Essence Array," Fu Yunshu said in a low voice, his tone tinged with coldness.

"Blood Essence Array?" Yin Lisheng and Yu Jiangheng exchanged a glance, a vague unease creeping into their hearts.

Fu Yunshu nodded and explained, "The Blood Essence Array is an extremely insidious array that requires the essence blood of a large number of living people as a catalyst to refine the Blood Essence Pill."

Yin Lisheng and Yu Jiangheng exchanged a glance and immediately thought of the 178 lives lost.

"Master, a major event has indeed occurred in Yuzhou City recently."

Yin Lisheng quickly explained the situation of the temple fair tragedy to Fu Yunshu, including the bizarre deaths of the 178 people who had their blood drained overnight.

After listening, Fu Yunshu's expression became even more solemn: "It seems that Yunniang wants to use the blood essence of these 178 people to refine the Blood Essence Pill. The Blood Essence Array needs a large amount of blood essence as a catalyst, and the temple fair in Yuzhou City has given her the opportunity."

Yu Jiangheng frowned and said, "Ancestor, what should we do next? Yunniang has already escaped, and she probably won't show herself easily."

Fu Yunshu pondered for a moment and said, "First, we need to find the city lord to seal off the exits of Yuzhou City and open the city's protective formation. Refining the Blood Essence Pill is not an easy task. Yunniang cannot do it alone. She must have accomplices in the city. We need to find those accomplices."

"The blood essence of those 178 people was just the starting point; her goal was the entire city of Yuzhou."

Having said that, Yin Lisheng and Yu Jiangheng understood the seriousness of the matter.

"There's no time to lose. Jiang Heng, go and gather the other disciples. Start with Yunniang and see if you can find any clues."

“Li Sheng, come with me to destroy the Blood Essence Array. Although the Blood Essence Array can absorb people’s essence and blood, it also needs a medium. She should not have started refining the Blood Essence Pill yet.”

The three quickly left the secret room and returned to Linjiang Tower along the secret passage.

As soon as they stepped out of the secret passage, they heard hurried footsteps outside. Yu Jiangheng immediately drew his sword alertly and whispered, "Be careful, someone's coming."

Before he finished speaking, Yin Simiao arrived in a hurry with several disciples.

Upon seeing them, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Are you alright? We sensed a powerful demonic aura just now and rushed here immediately in fear that something might have happened to you...Young Master Su?"

Yin Lisheng turned around and found that Fu Yunshu had somehow transformed back into "Su Yun".

Several disciples behind Yin Simiao asked in confusion.

Yin Lisheng explained, "This is my friend, the rogue cultivator Su Yun. He happened to be traveling in Yuzhou City and, after hearing about the tragedy in Yuzhou City, he wanted to lend us a hand."

Yin Simiao naturally knew who "Su Yun" was, and had even suffered a loss because of it before. This time, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to expose the ancestor's identity again.

What exactly happened here?

Yu Jiangheng pulled the person away: "Let's talk as we walk."

Somewhere in Yuzhou City, a masked man collapsed into a room with a thud, lying on the ground panting, half-dead.

Another person came over from inside the house and kicked the masked man who was dying on the ground hard.

"You'd better be dead, then there will be one less person competing with me."

The masked man struggled to sit up and fed himself a pill. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, you won't die anytime soon."

The other person glanced at him coldly, "Who made you look like a stray dog?"

The masked man said weakly, "Immortal Venerable Huaiwei of the Qingyuan Sect."

"Fu Yunshu?" The other person seemed surprised. "What's he doing in the Northern Border?"

“Who knows, but—” the masked man laughed eerily, “it might not be a bad thing.”

"Do you know, I found the aura of that child from back then in Fu Yunshu."

"Yin Lanyuan used forbidden techniques to cover his destiny star. The Yin family protected him for seven years. Yin Tianhe risked the lives of his entire clan to send him away, which is why we haven't been able to find his whereabouts for so many years. But heaven rewards those who persevere. It turns out he ran away to the Qingyuan Sect..."

…………

Yin Lisheng was unaware that he was being watched. At that moment, he was with Fu Yunshu on the highest city wall of Yuzhou City.

"Master, what are we doing?"

"The altar at Linjiang Tower is only part of the Blood Essence Array, used as a catalyst for refining the Blood Essence Pill. Now that the catalyst is complete, the altar is useless, which is why Yunniang was able to abandon it so decisively."

"Where is the real Blood Essence Array?"

Fu Yunshu looked down at Yuzhou City.

"The entire city of Yuzhou is on the Blood Essence Array."

"What!" Yin Lisheng exclaimed in surprise. "Master, what should we do now?"

"Just find a few key parts and destroy them." Fu Yunshu raised his hand and summoned a spirit bow, drawing the bow and aiming at a certain spot.

“You and Jiang Heng were the first to discover that something was wrong with the corpse at Linjiang Tower, which led to the discovery of Yunniang. You did a good job in that respect. However, Li Sheng, you shouldn’t have overlooked other places.”

"call out--"

The first arrow was fired.

"Of those 178 corpses, the truly crucial ones are those other than Zhou Dazhuang's."

"call out--"

The second arrow was fired.

"None of the remaining 177 bodies were found indoors; they were all found outdoors."

"call out--"

The third arrow was fired.

"Moreover, they are distributed in the four places of east, west, south, and north of Yuzhou City, and are with the city lord."

"call out--"

The fourth arrow was fired.

"Li Sheng, this is the true Blood Essence Array."

"call out--"

The fifth arrow was fired.

The entire city of Yuzhou was bathed in golden light, becoming as bright as day for a moment.

"break--"

The faint crimson hue that shrouded Yuzhou City was dispelled by the golden light, and a radiant sun slowly rose from the horizon. Yin Lisheng's gaze, however, couldn't help but fall upon Fu Yunshu.

The moon-white robe, embroidered with cloud patterns outlined in silver thread, fluttered gently in the wind, as if flowing clouds were swirling around Fu Yunshu. Under the sunlight, it shimmered with a faint halo, making him appear otherworldly.

This person was too dazzling, and Yin Lisheng felt a pang of sadness.

The sun is meant to save all living beings, so how could it only shine on one person?

"Let's go. The Blood Essence Formation is broken, so Yunniang can't refine the Blood Essence Pill anymore, but we still need to find her." Fu Yunshu turned to go downstairs.

"Boom—"

Fu Yunshu stopped and turned around sharply to look at the place where the explosion had occurred.

That's the location of the city lord's mansion.

"Master?"

Fu Yunshu's face was ashen: "She wants to force me to refine the pills."

Yunniang's madness exceeded Fu Yunshu's imagination. Without further ado, the two prepared to head to the city lord's mansion immediately.

"Immortal Venerable Huaiwei, wait!"

Fu Yunshu was taken aback when two women appeared beside him.

Who are you?

"Junior Chu Yu, my master is Qin Lianyue of Miaoyin Palace," Chu Yu bowed, "and this is my junior sister, Duan Xuan. We have important matters to report to Immortal Venerable Huaiwei."

Duan Xuan...

Fu Yunshu suddenly looked up. Wasn't this the official pairing of the female lead and the arrogant male lead from the original book?

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Author's Note: I've actually already written a side story about Ji Yuanbai, but since the story hasn't progressed to his point yet, I won't release it for now [shy].

No prize for guessing: Why was the masked man able to detect Yin Lisheng's aura on Fu Yunshu? [Thumbs up]

As for Duan Xuan, she will not have any romantic storylines with Yin Lisheng. The two will treat each other as ordinary acquaintances, and there will be no plot where Fu Yunshu tries to bring them together. You can rest assured, my darlings.