“Mother, I…” Wen Yang stammered.

“I was the one who invited him to this meeting, so it’s not his fault. It’s just a coincidence; I never expected something like this to happen in the manor. Lord Wen, catching the spy is the most important thing. Do you need my help?” Tu Longjian said.

The leader of the peace faction slowly recovered from his shock and said with mixed feelings, "Since that's the case, the suspicion against General Yi is cleared. Get some rest."

Commander Wen, his face extremely grim, led the demons out. After taking one step across the threshold, he suddenly turned back, his profile shifting between light and shadow: "Wen Yang."

They left without saying a word, leaving Wen Yang behind, his face turning deathly pale.

His lips trembled slightly: "My mother has always been strict with me, and I have disappointed her in this matter."

Tu Longjian reached out and gently patted his shoulder, a dark glint flashing in her eyes. She softly comforted him, "She'll understand. It's just a misunderstanding. You remember what I told you, right?"

"I understand." Wen Yang's expression was solemn, and his eyes showed a hint of seriousness. "This matter is of great importance, and I will inform my mother."

After seeing Wen Yang off, Tu Longjian closed the doors and windows tightly, set up an array to prevent spying, and came to Song Liqing's side with a serious expression.

Because of today's farce, coupled with Tu Longjian's sudden departure this morning, which left Song Liqing anxious and worried all day, he looked somewhat depressed at the moment, but he couldn't show it, so he could only silently express his dissatisfaction.

"Senior Brother, are you angry?" Seeing his appearance, which was nothing like the aloof and dignified sword cultivator he usually was, but rather like a quarrelsome husband in the mortal world, Tu Longjian found it somewhat amusing.

Song Liqing slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of dejection, her voice slightly hoarse: "You risked your life for me all by yourself, but I can't do anything about it."

Upon hearing this, Tu Longjian chuckled softly, raised her hand to straighten his disheveled collar, and only spoke after he had regained his dignified and gentlemanly demeanor: "Senior brother is about to recover his strength, you should be happy."

Song Liqing's pupils trembled slightly, revealing a hint of joy and eagerness: "You found the key to the Soul-Locking Chain?"

"Hmm." Tu Longjian bowed his head and responded. His hands moved extremely fast as he injected demonic energy into the Remnant Sun Banner and rapidly replicated the Soul-Locking Key with an array. Soon, he unlocked the Soul-Locking Chain nailed to Song Liqing's collarbone.

The spiritual energy quickly flowed into Song Liqing's body. He endured the pain and discomfort, and soon found that his cultivation had been restored.

Before he could be happy for long, the joy faded from his face, replaced by coldness and anxiety.

"They'll soon discover the keys are stolen. Let's get out of here under the cover of darkness and in the chaos."

"Don't panic, senior brother. The key wasn't stolen. Only a guard died. I've escaped suspicion, and the demons will soon calm down."

"Then how did you untie it for me?" Song Liqing asked in surprise, her grip on Tu Longjian's wrist loosening slightly involuntarily.

Tu Longjian parted her red lips slightly and smiled mysteriously: "It's a secret."

The sudden appearance of the hidden passage before him was like a tempting trap, making Tu Longjian even more cautious.

After picking up the Soul-Locking Key and examining it, she discovered that the key to unlocking the Soul-Locking Chains lay in the demonic magic circle at its core, not in its shape.

Since the decline of the array formation technique, neither human nor demonic cultivators have been proficient in array formations, and they only know how to use the array formation tools that have been left behind. Obviously, the spirit-locking chain also belongs to this category. Therefore, Tu Longjian quickly discovered the key to it.

It was only because she was also a follower of the demonic path that she had this opportunity. Otherwise, she would have had to find a demonic cultivator who understood formations, or abandon her own spiritual roots and cultivate the demonic path for several years before she would have a chance to create a key to unlock the chains.

The demons probably never imagined that they would encounter such a rare opportunity. The powerful magic weapon, the Spirit Locking Chain, which was always reliable and domineering enough to bind Nascent Soul cultivators, was easily broken by a mere Golden Core cultivator at the Sun stage.

“Alright, I won’t interfere. We just need to leave this demonic lair as soon as possible. With Luoxia City occupied, we need to contact other cultivators quickly to jointly resist the demonic invasion.”

Tu Longjian gently pried open Song Liqing's slender fingers that were tightly clasped around his wrist. When the conversation turned to business, she said solemnly:

"I've heard that the Demon Clan's next move is to attack Jiuluo City, in order to obtain the underground demonic mines to forge weapons. There's no time to lose, Senior Brother, you should leave first to find allies, I'll stay here."

"Nonsense." Song Liqing was unusually angry. "Luoxia City has fallen, and even the Demon Lord, whose strength is unpredictable, has come. It is extremely dangerous for you to stay here."

“I still have things to take care of. Besides, I’ve already shown my face to the demons, and disappearing would alert them.” Tu Longjian’s tone left no room for argument. Her hands stroked the removed spirit-locking chain, and a plan took shape in her mind.

"Back among the cultivators, I only have the cultivation level of the Golden Core Sun Stage, which won't be of much use in the war between humans and demons. But by staying in the Demon Cave as an undercover agent, I can gather more information, and our chances of winning will be greater."

Tu Longjian summoned the black bear, who was disguised as the hyena's owner. The black bear trusted her completely and reluctantly put the cub he had been holding on the ground.

"The cub's identity is that of a hyena demon pet. Its disappearance will not easily arouse vigilance. From now on, the cub will take the form of the senior brother and be kept in my room to deal with the demons."

Tu Longjian placed the Spirit-Locking Chain on the puppy, used the Snow-Rolling Silk Fragments to transform it into the appearance of Song Liqing, and left several protective and concealing formations on it.

"Senior brother, go find allies. Use this to communicate." She took out her phone, which she hadn't used in a long time, and briefly taught Song Liqing how to make a call, while simultaneously muting the incoming call ringtone.

Considering the signal issue, she took out the crystal that Feng Tianhe had found for her before, engraved an array on it, and handed it to Song Liqing.

"We can leave crystals along the way on our return trip so we can stay in touch."

Song Liqing clutched the pile of items Tu Longjian handed him, his heart filled with anxiety: "Junior Sister, are you really sure about this?"

"Yes, senior brother, there's no need to persuade me any further."

"Also, take your hand back from behind my neck." A cold glint flashed in Tu Longjian's eyes. With a wave of his hand, the Soul-Locking Chain returned from the "fake Song Liqing" to her hand.

She could already hear the noise outside gradually subsiding, which meant the investigation was about to end. Once the Demon King's Palace returned to order, the defenses would only become tighter, making it even more difficult to escape.

Tu Longjian held the Spirit-Locking Chain in her hand, the long chain dangling to the ground, emitting a chilling, scraping sound. Her tone was dark and menacing:

"My mind is made up. Senior Brother, don't even think about knocking me out and taking me away."

"Since I could unlock the Soul-Locking Chains, I can also... relock them! Your strength hasn't fully recovered yet~"

Song Liqing shuddered, a sense of fear rising in his heart. He was very wary of the thing that had trapped him, and he knew that Tu Longjian's threat was actually meant to make him leave as soon as possible. He had no choice but to abandon his idea of ​​taking Tu Longjian with him.