It was only half a month after Zhenru provided the map showing the distribution of the evil cultivators' strongholds when news came.

Good news! As expected, the Qiu family of Red Moon City was unable to relocate their stronghold in time and was easily captured by a group of Nascent Soul cultivators.

The bad news is that Qi Yunguang wiped out the Qiu family first, leaving no survivors and completely eliminating any evidence that the Qiu family was working for him.

It was still that secret room in Luoxia City. Although everyone had won the battle, no one showed any joy on their faces.

"Young friend Zhenru, are you sure that Qi Yunguang is colluding with the Qiu family?"

Venerable Xian'en frowned, looking at Zhenru with great concern.

Before Zhenru could even speak, Daoist Wenxi had already lost his temper and said somewhat irritably:

"What do you mean? Would Zhenru really lie? What good would it do her to offend Qi Yunguang by lying?"

Facing the Daoist Master Wenxi, Venerable Xian'en lowered his eyes with some helplessness and sighed:

"Could Fellow Daoist Wenxi perhaps have a little more patience?"

“I naturally believe in my friend Zhenru, and it is precisely because I believe that I find it unbelievable.”

"Besides, what good is it if we believe it? Without evidence, who would believe that Qi Yunguang would betray the Sunrise Realm?"

"They may not know Qi Yunguang, but how could we not? Without direct and positive evidence, no one will believe it."

Upon hearing Venerable Xian'en's words, Wenxi Daoju fell silent.

If the person doing this is someone who is neither entirely good nor evil, or someone who deviates from the norm, others might be willing to believe it.

However, without strong evidence, no one would believe Qi Yunguang.

Because his image has always been that of a very upright and law-abiding person, let alone the level of cultivation he has reached now.

Although Ke Zhenru was certain that it was Qi Yunguang, she couldn't actually produce any concrete evidence.

Inside the secret room, everyone fell silent instantly.

After a long while, it was Zhuo Ying's master, Daojun Yinian, who finally spoke slowly with a frown:

"To bring down Qi Yunguang, the Qiu family issue alone is definitely not enough, but it's not entirely without its downsides."

Upon hearing Daoist Yinian's words, everyone seemed to have something to say and turned to look at her.

Daoist Yinian didn't put on airs. Seeing everyone looking over, he continued:

"Although the Qiu family is a small family, it does indeed depend on Qi Yunguang's lineage for its survival."

"Qi Yunguang wiped out the Qiu family ahead of time, which can be said to be cleaning house, but he didn't leave any survivors for questioning, so he was naturally suspected of killing to silence witnesses."

"Even without clear evidence, there's nothing we can do to him, but everyone sees it and will always have a sliver of doubt in their hearts."

In the world of cultivation, whether a person does good or bad deeds, it is difficult for them to be remembered if it does not concern them personally.

However, if that person has done something bad that might damage one's own interests or affect one's path to immortality, whether it is true or just hearsay, then that person is no longer someone who can be trusted.

That's what Daoist Yinian meant.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the tense expressions of dissatisfaction on their faces gradually relaxed.

Master Jinghui, the venerable master of Feng Piaopiao, had always been known for his carefree and unconventional demeanor. But as the atmosphere in the secret chamber relaxed, his old eyes darted around, and he said with a hint of cunning:

"Isn't it just evidence? Just because we don't have it now doesn't mean we won't have it in the future."

"If we really don't have any, then let's fabricate some evidence!"

Chunyu Changfeng glanced at Daoist Jinghui, somewhat helplessly saying to this old rascal:

"Easy for you to say. That's someone even you or I could easily crush. Fabricating evidence? Just don't become evidence against yourself."

Jinghui Daojun chuckled, appearing to be in a very good mood. With nothing else to do, he patted his disciple's head playfully, then turned his gaze to Zhenru.

"Other matters can be put on hold for now. It would take him a lot of effort to crush us, so he probably won't dare. But it might be a bit dangerous for you, young friend."

Killing a few Nascent Soul cultivators, especially those with powerful backers, would require a great deal of effort. The Sun Realm does not allow such a large-scale operation, so even if Qi Yunguang was unhappy, he really had no way to do it.

Especially now, he can't afford to give himself any leverage.

But to crush Zhenru, the person who provided the map, would be an easy task.

It's hard to imagine how Qi Yunguang would know that Zhenru had taken the map.

It would be very easy for a powerful cultivator of that level to find out what Zhenru had done.

Zhenru naturally understood this principle, but she showed no panic on her face. In fact, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes just now, and a faint smile still lingered on her lips.

Seeing that several seniors and her friends were looking over, Zhenru thought for a moment and smiled:

"Although Zhenru is just a rogue cultivator, he is not without support."

She couldn't say directly that Si Qing was by her side, but these people in front of her genuinely cared about her, and she didn't want to keep them worrying.

After thinking about it, Zhenru put it another way:

"I have saved two lives from Qi Yunguang, but it is all thanks to the powerful backer behind me."

Everyone was surprised and then realized what was happening, and then a happy smile appeared on their faces for Zhenru.

The people were wise enough not to ask any further questions about the inside story.

Only Wuchen, upon hearing Zhenru recount his two rescues from Qi Yunguang, understood who Zhenru was referring to.

Yes, just now, without any fluctuations, Zhenru suddenly felt a sense of certainty and knew that Siqing had returned.

As it turns out, Zhenru's strange perceptions were indeed miraculous.

The only thing that Zhenru couldn't understand for the time being was why she felt at ease after Si Qing was found.

...

"Hmph, you little girl, you're dishonest!"

"You said you were staying home to cultivate yourself, so why are you running around like this?"

With less than a year to go before the Cultivation Grand Competition, Zhenru invited his friends to stay at his cave dwelling when he left the City Lord's Mansion, so they could participate in the competition together.

Just as he finished settling his friends in, Si Qing grabbed him and pulled him aside for questioning.

Zhenru noticed the obvious change in Si Qing's attitude towards her, and she was no longer afraid of him. She smiled and said:

"Ah, I got bored during my cultivation, so I decided to go out and find a monster to fight with."

"Isn't that how all cultivators are? When they are in motion, they think; when they are still, they think of action. How can this be related to integrity or dishonesty?"

"Besides, haven't you been following me all along? Don't you know what I've been doing?"

Seeing that Zhenruo really looked puzzled, Siqing naturally wouldn't say that he had left halfway through, but only muttered a few words about being careful not to lose his life if he encountered a powerful demon.

Zhenru naturally showered him with praise, repeatedly using the succinct phrase "the senior is following along," and Si Qing indeed fell silent.

Zhenru was certain once again that Si Qing's attitude towards her was indeed different from before she left.

After thinking for a moment, he tentatively began to speak:

"Senior Si Qing, between you and Qi Yunguang, whose cultivation level is higher?"