Chapter 78
Upon arriving in the capital, Sui Fu learned that Gu Qingci had long been sent to the Exorcism Bureau by her family. Looking at the imposing gates, he was at a loss for what to do.
Break in? No way. In all my years, I've never heard of any demon or monster managing to break into someone's sect alive. Sneaking in is even less likely—so many formations, so many people patrolling, even elders on duty. Unless you're tired of living.
There is a way. Compared to other immortal sects, the Exorcism Bureau seems more accepting of demons to begin their cultivation journey. I've heard there's a demon elder there, though he rarely comes out. Could I just pretend I want to become his disciple and get in?
The disciples of the Exorcism Bureau had been watching Sui Fu for a long time. He was a thousand-year-old demon who was noticed the moment he stepped into the capital, and they had been following him for a while. They followed him all the way to his doorstep.
Seeing the demon's conflicted and hesitant expression, they had a guess. Just as they were about to inform the elder, the demon suddenly turned around and looked at everyone, then greeted them: "How are you all? You've been following us for a while now, are you tired?"
"Oh no, we've been discovered." The disciples' faces turned pale. Was he trying to make a move outside the Exorcism Bureau? The people inside would come out to help immediately; the situation wasn't too bad. Thinking this, they began to move, and almost instantly, an array was set up. If this great demon made any unusual movements, the array would activate and trap him.
"They're still too young," Sui Fu thought, a hint of amusement in his voice as he saw their thoughts written all over their faces. He dropped his nonchalant demeanor and said seriously, "I am Sui Fu. Please go in and tell the sect leader that Sui Fu wishes to see him."
One person mustered up the courage to ask, "Do you know the sect leader?"
Sui Fu nodded, "We worked together during the war between immortals and demons."
The remaining people were skeptical. One went to report to the sect leader, while the other two kept an eye on Sui Fu to prevent him from causing trouble. They had heard about the war between immortals and demons hundreds of years ago from their predecessors, but the predecessors were not willing to go into details.
Sui Fu didn't mind and stood at the door waiting.
The remaining two looked at Sui Fu. He had just said that he had participated in the war when the demons invaded. This matter had little to do with their demon race, so how could a demon like him have participated in the war?
When Fang Xingyang, the head of the Exorcism Division, came out, he saw Sui Fu teasing two of his sect's young disciples and was somewhat helpless. "How old are you? Still teasing children."
"Aren't you just bored? What a big shot! I've been waiting for you for so long. It's been a long time. You must be having a tough time lately!" Sui Fu acted like a young man at this moment.
For a fleeting moment, Fang Xingyang thought of the time he spent resisting the demons in the "Three States". Sui Fu hadn't changed at all since then, only he had grown old.
“Unlike you, who knows where you’re hiding?” Fang Xingyang invited the man inside.
After Sui Fu stepped into the Exorcism Bureau, he said very seriously, "Do you now understand how the demon race came to the human world?"
Fang Xingyang looked at Sui Fu without saying a word.
"I've been in Guancheng lately, so you should know what I'm going to say!"
After a brief silence, Fang Xingyang tried his best to suppress his anger and asked in a calm tone: "Why are you only bringing up such an important matter now?"
"I was being hunted by the demons, and there was no way to get any news out." Sui Fu also felt guilty.
Fang Xingyang then noticed that the person in front of him was breathing heavily and had a pale face. He must have been being chased the whole way and only dared to relax when he arrived at the Exorcism Division. "I'll have someone take you to rest," he said, and immediately left.
The disciple who had announced their arrival had been standing guard not far away. The sect leader sent a message instructing him to take the guests to rest. Only then did he realize that Sui Fu really did know his master.
As he led Sui Fu toward the guest room, he wanted to ask countless times, but kept his mouth shut each time.
"Ask whatever you want!"
The disciple immediately became interested and asked, "Do you really know Master? Did you really meet on the battlefield? Are you very familiar with each other?"
Sui thought for a moment and replied, "Does drinking together mean we're close?"
The disciple became even more excited and asked many more questions, all of which were answered. Finally, he shut his mouth in front of the guest room and said, "Sir, please rest first. If you need anything, please call me."
After agreeing, Sui Fu went into the room, closed the door, and thought to himself that he could finally have some peace and quiet. He should take good care of his injuries now, otherwise another big battle would be coming soon.
Fang Xingyang relayed the news that the demons had transited through Guancheng to the human world to all the sects. In order to verify the truth of this statement, each sect sent people in to investigate, but none of them came out, and no news came out.
Some elders couldn't sit still any longer. When they tried to go inside to investigate, the gate was closed, and no one could open it again...
By the time the news reached Zhou Xuanzhi, they had already arrived at the Yanyue Sect. Because they had already reported the situation of the village at the foot of the mountain to the Yanyue Sect beforehand, they were greeted by people when they arrived with the villagers.
Inside the Yan Yue Sect, Zhou Xuanzhi tried again to open the Guan City, but failed once more.
"How could they?" Zhou Xuanzhi still couldn't believe that a traitor from the Immortal Sect would reveal the way to open the city to the Demon Clan.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't get in touch with Shi Yunzhou at this time, which was really worrying.
Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi's worried expression, Lin Jichen said, "Everyone in the sects is trying to come up with a solution now, so there's no use in worrying. Junior Brother, he's so cunning, you don't need to worry about him." Who would dare to mess with him? It wouldn't be in his nature to cause chaos and upheaval.
Now that he realized there was nothing he could do, Zhou Xuanzhi calmed down. Now that everyone had come to the Yan Yue Sect, they naturally needed to know what had happened back then.
"When are we going to the site?" Since arriving at Yan Yue Sect, Lin Jichen has been busy taking care of everything. Zhou Xuanzhi reminded himself to stay calm, as the sect leader and elders were all trying to come up with a solution.
Seeing the dark circles under Zhou Xuanzhi's eyes, Lin Jichen said, "Rest for a bit, we'll go tomorrow."
The divine artifacts of the Yan Yue Sect are placed in the ancestral temple, where the memorial tablets of past sect leaders, elders, and outstanding disciples stand. The one that serves as an incense burner is the Shennong Cauldron, but its place is now empty.
Zhou Xuanzhi was utterly unable to calm down at the sight. Using a divine artifact as an incense burner? He tried his best to calm himself down. Indeed, no one would have imagined that the Shennong Cauldron was in the ancestral temple.
Lin Jichen had heard about this situation before, but when he arrived at the scene, he still admired the founder of the Yanyue Sect. If it weren't for this damned traitor, he really wouldn't have been able to come up with this rule even if he racked his brains!
"So when the disciple who was cleaning saw that the incense burner was gone, he thought someone had broken it. In order to clear himself, he told the elder, and that's when he discovered that the Shennong Cauldron had been stolen." The loss of this divine artifact was full of drama.
"This traitor must be someone extraordinary."
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say. They already knew how the demons bypassed the layers of guards. In fact, they didn't need to go around them at all; they could just open the exit through the city directly to the ancestral temple.
"That damned traitor!" Lin Jichen wished he could bite the traitor to death.
The city's exits can be opened wherever they want. If one day the demons launch a massive invasion, they can open a gate in the east, a gate in the west, a gate in the south, and a gate in the north. What's the point of fighting the demons with the immortal gates then? They'd be exhausted from running around everywhere.
Zhou Xuanzhi knew this wasn't the time to act impulsively, so he suppressed his anger. "We need to know more details now. For example, how did they determine that the Shennong Cauldron was in the ancestral temple? How many people knew that the Shennong Cauldron was in the ancestral temple? Did they know that the incense burner was the Shennong Cauldron?"
"Sect Leader Wu said that there are no more than seven people in the Yan Yue Sect who know that the Shennong Cauldron is actually an incense burner. He and his junior brothers, as well as the elders of the previous generation, can't think of anyone who could be it." In terms of status, none of these people are necessary.
"How many people outside the Yan Yue Sect know about this?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked.
Lin Jichen investigated all of this. She said, "Sect Leader Wu said he didn't know either. This person with a keen eye does know which sect possesses divine artifacts and what those artifacts are."
Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "Outsiders only know this much; they can't possibly know the inside story." As he said this, he thought of some unnoticed people, "What about the inner and outer disciples?"
Those who clean the ancestral temple every day are probably disciples. If they pay attention, they will notice something unusual over time.
Lin Jichen looked at the spot where the incense burner used to be and sighed, "The Yan Yue Sect doesn't clean the ancestral temple every day. Someone comes in to clean it every five days, and it's not the same person each time. Inner disciples take turns coming."
"So, there are no useful clues?" Zhou Xuanzhi felt that there were some things he hadn't thought of, not that he hadn't thought of them, but that he dared not think in that direction.
This is someone else's territory, so he couldn't say anything. He just looked at the ancestral tablets in front of him and thought, "They dare to do these things in front of their ancestors. They're really not afraid."
Lin Jichen wished that the "ancestors" of the Yanyue Sect were still lingering in the mortal world, so that they could resolve the matter themselves. However, after the death of a disciple of an immortal sect, there are only two places for the soul to go: reincarnation or dissipation.
"Let's go outside and take a look," Zhou Xuanzhi said, and walked outside.
Outside? Didn't they say the demons opened the city gate directly to the ancestral temple? What clues could there be outside? Despite being full of questions, Lin Jichen still followed Zhou Xuanzhi.
Outside the Yan Yue Sect, after confirming that no one else was around, Zhou Xuanzhi said to Lin Jichen, "If you were a traitor to the immortal sect, what would you do to avoid suspicion?"
This is a bit puzzling. To avoid being suspected simply means that one is also a victim... Lin Jichen suddenly turned around and looked at Yan Yue Sect.
"You mean, they..." After thinking it over and over, Lin Jichen still felt it was impossible, and asked, "Are you really sure?"
Zhou Xuanzhi said with absolute certainty, "The situation of Yanyue Sect is different from other sects. Most of the sect's secret treasures are placed in the treasure pavilion. If the demons capture a disciple and ask for their location, they can get the answer." He didn't say the rest. Lin Jichen also knew that the Shennong Cauldron was placed in the ancestral temple and used as an incense burner. No one would know this except their own people.
Whether it was the sect leader or a successive elder, Zhou Xuanzhi didn't know. He couldn't guess either, at least not yet having seen a beneficiary.
"Do you think the artifact can still be lost?" If they know the demons' purpose, they can set up a control point in one location.
Zhou Xuanzhi was also a little unsure about this, as he didn't know what the Breath Soil and the Shennong Cauldron could be used for.
"The Breath of Earth, the Shennong Cauldron..." Lin Jichen murmured these two names, "Could it be that he wants to refine something?"
It's not impossible, but the cost of using Breath Soil as fuel is too high. What could possibly make the Demon Clan pay such a high price?
Since we can't figure it out, let's leave it to the sect leader and elders to think about. "I'll share my guesses with Senior Sister Ming later and see what she thinks. I'll also pass on your idea to her!" Zhou Xuanzhi said to Lin Jichen.
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