Elder Shi Ding’s soldiers were released.

When the Wanxiang Immortal opened the door and everyone rushed into the room again, there was no sign of Elder Shiding.

No debris, no clothes, he disappeared from this world completely.

The Wanxiang Immortal stroked his beard and remained silent. The Xuandu Sect Master, who had rushed over after hearing the news, grabbed Linghu Chu and asked him what had happened.

Linghu Chu's eyes were red, and he managed to say a few words. He did not follow Elder Shi Ding out, so he did not know what happened.

Third Senior Sister Liang Ruohua was crying silently beside them, her face showing sadness and confusion.

Luo Yan and Shi Liuli, who should have been the saddest, surprisingly had no expression on their faces.

Luo Yan hugged Shi Liuli gently and looked at the place where his master had been lying, still unable to accept the reality.

My master, just like that... is gone?

For a moment, he seemed to have lost the ability to cry. Thousands of thoughts were intertwined in his mind, but it also seemed as if his mind was empty, blank.

Shi Liuli also stared at the bed, without shedding tears, but just said nothing.

Her silence was frightening. The Xuandu Sect Master wanted to ask her what happened, but seeing her in such a daze, like a quiet volcano about to erupt, he could not say much and could only whisper to Linghu Chu:

"Let Liuli calm down for a while. When she recovers, we can ask her about the attack on the stone tripod..."

"No need." Shi Liuli suddenly raised her head, gently broke free from Luo Yan's embrace, saluted to the Xuandu Sect Master and said, "Whatever you want to ask, Liuli will answer."

Seeing her behave so uncharacteristically, Luo Yan, Linghu Chu and Liang Ruhua all felt a pang in their hearts at the same time.

The etiquette of talking to elders is impeccable, but when has Miss Shi ever paid attention to etiquette? The sense of disobedience is too strong.

The Xuandu Sect Master said gently:

"No hurry, no hurry. Liuli, please accept my condolences first. It will be the same if you ask again in a few days."

"This matter is extremely important to Penglai, so it's better to explain it clearly first." Shi Liuli still had no expression, but just said mechanically, "Father and I were attacked on the way back."

"Where are we returning from?" asked Master Xuandu.

"Ulleung Island," Shi Liuli replied, "is located 1,500 miles northwest of Penglai. It's an isolated island with no other large islands around it."

"The island is surrounded by cliffs on all sides, with a solitary peak in the center. Inside the peak is the secret realm of the Purple Mansion. After my father heard about it, he took me to explore it."

"The location of the attack was on the sea on the way back from Ulleungdo, about 700 miles from Penglai."

"So that's how it is." These words were so logical that even Master Xuandu was quite surprised.

Liuli is actually a smart child... Maybe it's because of the loss of her father that she has matured?

"About the attacker..." he asked again.

"I was just about to explain this to the headmaster." Shi Liuli said softly. Luo Yan noticed that she was holding his hands with a barely perceptible force. "There are three of them, all female, in the Nascent Soul stage. I cannot tell their specific cultivation levels due to my limited knowledge."

"One of them wore a black robe, with a bun on the back of his head, secured with a bone-colored hairpin. There was a green dot in the center, which commanded the demons to attack him. The demons were in the form of translucent skeletons, traveling around in green smoke and making evil noises..."

"The leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Dugu Xie." The Wanxiang Immortal stroked his beard and said, "This villain's magic is extremely advanced, and ordinary cultivators cannot defeat him. Your father... Alas, his luck is bad."

Shi Liuli nodded slightly and continued:

"The other two were also wearing black robes, but their hair was disheveled. They had seductive looks and similar facial features, as if they were the same person. Their faces were as pale as paper, and they commanded invisible demons..."

"Ghost Mother Sisters." Xuandu Sect Master said solemnly, "Dugu Xie's right-hand men are accomplices to the evildoer."

Shi Liuli wrote down these names and whispered:

"There are some things that I don't know whether I should say or not."

"Just say it." Wanxiang Immortal nodded.

Shi Liuli was silent for a moment and said:

"It doesn't seem like these three people met by chance, but they followed my father all the way here."

"Liuli is puzzled: My father and I came on this trip on a whim, and we never told anyone beforehand. How did that evil villain know the whereabouts of my father and I?"

"If there wasn't a spy inside the party who leaked the information, how do you explain it?"

"Liuli..." Senior Brother Linghu Chu said, but was interrupted by the Wanxiang Immortal:

"Xuan Du, this matter must be investigated. Since Liuli suspected that someone informed the Demonic Path of his whereabouts, who was the elder who patrolled the outer periphery of Penglai that day?"

"Elder Lingying," Xuandu Sect Master replied, "I will go find her."

"Grandpa, wait a moment." Shi Liuli said, "Since my father and I did not reveal our whereabouts to anyone before we set out, it is true that only the cultivators patrolling the outer periphery of Penglai saw which direction we were going and then informed the Demon Sect."

"The patrolling monks are under the jurisdiction of Elder Lingying. If something happens, Elder Lingying will be the first to bear the brunt and will be suspected at the first time. If she is the traitor, she acts so recklessly. How is that different from standing on her own in danger?"

"That's true." Master Xuandu nodded. "The traitor could also be a patrolling monk under her command. Then..."

"Liuli's humble opinion: We can first have someone make a big move to capture Elder Lingying, and secretly monitor the patrolling monks under his command."

"When the traitor sees Elder Lingying being arrested, he will surely be frightened and will reveal his flaws. In addition to the patrolling monks, their relatives and friends who have daily contact with them must also be monitored. We cannot rule out the possibility that they may have learned the news from the patrolling monks."

Shi Liuli finished speaking in one breath, then retreated to Luo Yan's side, lowered his head and remained silent.

"Let's do it this way." Wanxiang Immortal sighed.

"There are still some matters that need the help of the Immortal and the Grand Master." Seeing that the two men were about to leave, Shi Liuli spoke again.

"Speak." Master Xuandu felt sorry for her and asked gently.

"First, it's about the change of ownership of Tiangongfang." Shi Liuli said calmly, "When my father was alive, he designated my junior brother Luo Yan as the successor of Tiangongfang. Now the temple should respect his will and allow him to inherit the position of the owner of Tiangongfang."

Luo Yan was somewhat surprised, and only heard Xuandu Sect Master hesitantly say:

"Since it is Shi Ding's last wish, there is nothing wrong with it. However, Luo Yan has not yet formed his elixir, and it is inappropriate for him to be the owner of Tiangong Workshop as a Foundation Establishment Realm."

He turned his gaze to Third Senior Sister Liang Ruohua and said:

"Master Hengqiu (Linghu Chu) has already established his own sect. It would be better if Master Huashu (Liang Ruohua) took over as the abbot temporarily, and then handed over after Luo Yan formed his elixir..."

Luo Yan's eyes shone, and he heard Shi Liuli's startled voice again:

"That's not possible! Although our Tiangongfang is proficient in casting hundreds of instruments, the bulk of our income comes from setting up formations. This is why Master designated Junior Brother Luo as the successor."

"Besides, the Heavenly Crafts Hundred Treasure Bag was passed down by the abbey master himself, and was already given to Luo Yan by my father in advance. If Senior Sister Liang does not have the Heavenly Crafts Hundred Treasure Bag, and temporarily takes over the position of the abbey master, how will the outside world view Senior Sister?"

Liang Ruohua felt a little anxious when she heard the headmaster's words. However, after Shi Liuli's reminder, she immediately calmed down:

Tiangong Workshop specializes in casting magical instruments, but is weak in fighting. If there is no Tiangong Treasure Bag to succeed the workshop owner, how can he control the situation outside?

The Demon Cult could kill Elder Shi Ding, but couldn’t they kill her, the next abbess?

Thinking of this, she felt a little ashamed and declined politely:

"The Tiangong Treasure Bag is the exclusive property of the owner of Tiangong Workshop. This is the will of my master, and Hua Shu dare not disobey it."

"This..." Master Xuandu looked at the Immortal Wanxiang.

“With the cultivation level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, only a heretic would act so unruly to inherit the mantle of a Taoist sect.” Wanxiang Immortal shook his head, “Since Master Hua Shu is unwilling, the owner of Tiangong Workshop can put it aside for the time being…”

Shi Liuli gritted his teeth upon hearing this, and became even more anxious.

It can be said that today's Tiangongfang is supported by my father alone.

His father's sudden death was undoubtedly a huge blow to the status and reputation of Tiangong Workshop.

In the future, whether the third senior sister who is not familiar with formations temporarily takes over as the owner of Tiangong Workshop, or the position of the workshop owner is temporarily vacant, the situation will further deteriorate.

Now that my father has passed away not long ago, it is the time when the elders in the sect are most concerned about the friendship we have had in the past and would be the best to speak to him.

If I can't push my junior brother up, after a period of time, when the sadness fades away, it will be almost hopeless!

I can’t let my father’s Tiangongfang fall into oblivion. I…

She was furious and was about to abandon all her dignity, kneel down and kowtow, begging the immortal for mercy in the most humble manner, but she only heard Luo Yan say in a deep voice:

"Reporting to the Immortal and the Master, I am a humble disciple, Luo Yan. I went out to practice and overcome tribulations a few days ago, and I have returned with a second-grade golden elixir!"