Cheng Yuan gestured for everyone to gather around before whispering, "We accidentally discovered that someone deliberately collected the bodies of sect disciples who died in the previous battles and arranged them in a certain formation, as if performing some kind of ritual."
Qiqi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked in her childish voice, "Brother Cheng Yuan, can you take us to see him?"
“Okay, but it’s a bit dangerous there. You’re just a little kid… Are you sure you want to go?” Cheng Yuan looked at her with concern.
Qiqi nodded.
Bai Xuan and Hu Ying said in unison, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we will protect her well."
The girl who had been saved by Qiqi earlier stood beside her, saying, "I will also protect my little sister with my life."
Seeing that Qiqi had so many people protecting her, Cheng Yuan didn't say anything more. "Then come with me."
Led by Cheng Yuan, they arrived at an open space not far away.
The sight before them made everyone gasp in shock.
The corpses of more than a dozen disciples from various sects were arranged in a strange circle, each with its chest cut open and its heart missing.
The ground was covered with complex runes drawn in blood, emitting a nauseating stench.
"This is..." Qi Qi's expression changed drastically as she looked at the runes, "The Reverse Yuan Demon Transformation Formation!"
Cheng Yuan hurriedly asked, "Little sister, do you recognize this formation?"
Qiqi nodded, her little face solemn, her voice trembling slightly, "This is an ancient forbidden formation that can convert the essence of living beings into demonic energy, accelerating the Demon Lord's breaking of the seal. The one who sets up the formation must be proficient in ancient demonic script and have a cultivation level of at least the Nascent Soul stage..."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned pale.
"A Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator has infiltrated the secret realm?" a female disciple exclaimed in terror. "Then aren't we doomed?"
No one present doubted what Qiqi said, since talisman cultivators are usually also proficient in some formations, and judging from the girl's previous performance, she seemed to be very skilled in talisman cultivation.
Qiqi carefully examined the runes and suddenly noticed a detail, "Wait... the stroke order of these runes... is wrong..."
She crouched down and gently touched the dried bloodstains with her fingers. "This isn't the method of demonic cultivators, it's... the method of the Daoist sect!"
"What?" the crowd exclaimed again.
Qi Qi stood up, her eyes filled with disbelief. "The one who set up the formation wasn't a demonic cultivator, but a member of the Taoist sect! And... he deliberately altered the strokes of several key runes, greatly reducing the formation's effectiveness..."
Bai Xuan frowned. "Why would they do this?"
They could have simply set up an array to create even more powerful demonized beings and wiped out all the sect disciples in the secret realm.
Why bother modifying the formation and weakening its effectiveness?
Is it because they're afraid of being discovered?
Qi Qi said slowly and solemnly, "The other party must have some difficulties that forced them to set up such an array. But they don't really want the Demon Lord to break the seal, so they are using this method to buy time and send information to the outside world..."
A thought struck her, and she suddenly looked around and raised her voice, "Or rather, he's sending a message to a specific person!"
For example... her!
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, a soft laugh suddenly came from the depths of the dense forest, "Clever. No wonder you are a 'person from beyond the heavens' who can merge with the world."
Deep in the dense forest, a figure slowly emerged.
The man was dressed in the robes of an inner disciple of the Xuantian Sect. He had a handsome face and a gentle demeanor, and looked to be no more than twenty years old.
However, the aura emanating from him made everyone present feel uneasy.
"Senior Brother Lin?!" Cheng Yuan exclaimed in surprise, looking at the newcomer in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Weren't you in seclusion at the sect?"
The man addressed as Senior Brother Lin smiled slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Qi Qi. "Junior Brother Cheng, it's been a long time. I have indeed been in seclusion, but it's all in preparation for today's events."
Qiqi tilted her head and looked at him, her little hands clutching Bai Xuan's sleeves, deliberately feigning nervousness and fear. "Are you the one who deliberately set up the formation to lure us here?"
Senior Brother Lin nodded. "It is indeed me, Lin Qingyu. Young lady, it's a pleasure to meet you."
His gaze as he looked at Qiqi was full of scrutiny and sizing, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Feeling slightly offended, Qiqi shrank behind Bai Xuan, her long, thick eyelashes drooping down, concealing the emotions in her eyes.
This person's gaze seemed to see right through her.
Great beings at the Nascent Soul stage all possess a certain degree of precognitive ability. Could it be that he truly knows his own identity?
Thinking of this, Qiqi tugged at Bai Xuan's sleeve even harder.
Even Bai Xuan noticed something was wrong and glanced down at her.
On the other side, Cheng Yuan looked devastated when he saw Lin Qingyu appear.
He looked at Lin Qingyu with a pained expression, "Senior Brother, why? Why you? Why did you do this? You are the most promising disciple of our Xuantian Sect to inherit the position of sect leader, why did you collude with the demon race?"
Lin Qingyu chuckled lightly, but there was no smile in her eyes. "Colluding with the demons? Junior Brother Cheng, you are too naive. I have never colluded with the demons. I am saving you."
He pointed to the array on the ground, "If I hadn't secretly altered the array to delay the Demon Lord's break of the seal, the entire secret realm would have already been completely corrupted by demonic energy, and all of you would have become sacrifices for the Demon Lord's resurrection."
Qiqi instantly understood what he meant, her big, dark eyes staring straight at him. "Brother Lin, are you a spy planted in the Demon Realm by the Daoist sect?"
Lin Qingyu gave her an approving look. "You're really smart, little girl. A hundred years ago, my master predicted that the Demon Lord would break his seal today, and he ordered me to infiltrate the Demon Clan and seize the opportunity to sabotage their plans."
"A hundred years..." Bai Xuan was shocked. "You've been lurking in the Demon Realm for a hundred years?"
Lin Qingyu nodded, a hint of weariness flashing in his eyes. "After a century of dormancy, today is finally the time to reap the rewards. But I need your help."
Tiger Eagle asked warily, "Why should we trust you?"
Lin Qingyu took out a jade pendant from his robes. The pendant was exactly the same as the guiding jade pendant that Qiqi had obtained before. "This guiding jade pendant was made by the Heavenly Mystery Sect. Besides being used for guidance, this jade pendant has another function. Little girl, you should know what it is, right?"
The question, though phrased with an affirmative tone, almost confirmed the fact that Qiqi was connected to the Tianji Sect.
Upon hearing the words "Tianji Sect," everyone immediately turned to look at Qiqi.
Qiqi's pupils contracted slightly when she saw the jade pendant.
“Tianji Sect…” Bai Xuan murmured, his gaze towards Qi Qi somewhat complicated.
Is she really connected to the Heavenly Mystery Sect?
But the Heavenly Mystery Sect was destroyed a thousand years ago, and she was only three years old.
Could it be the reincarnation of someone from the Heavenly Mystery Sect?
Qiqi did not react to the scrutinizing and probing gazes of the crowd.
They neither admitted nor denied it.
He simply took the guiding jade from Lin Qingyu's hand and tapped the surface of the jade tablet rhythmically a few times with his fingertips.
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