Chapter 243 - Too Late: One Step Behind

Chapter 243: Too Late: One Step Behind

“What happened in the formation’s core?”
“What happened to Ye Yu’s elder sister?”
Jun Yichen and Ye Jiuge asked in unison, even ending on the same note.
A moment later, Ye Yu’s raspy voice rang out: “Su Junqing took my sister to the Yin Corpse Sect.”
“Yin Corpse Sect?!” Ye Jiuge was taken aback, then pressed on, “When did the Bloodthirsty Patriarch and the Yin Corpse Sect join forces?”
“No idea.” Ye Yu tugged at his hair in torment, and his tired body slid down the wall he was leaning on.
He had prepared for this moment for a long time now, yet it had all been for nothing. If only he had come earlier to Bloodcloud Peak.
But there was no medicine for regrets.
Seeing him like that, Ye Jiuge did not have the heart to continue her questioning, so she turned to Luo Tian.
Luo Tian had been with Ye Yu all along, so he should be very aware of what had happened.
“Apparently, the Blood Lotus Flower was nurtured by the Bloodthirsty Patriarch for the Yin Corpse Sect. The Yin Corpse Sect’s female envoy, Si Youyue, brought a demonic corpse to help the Bloodthirsty Sect fend off the Spiritual Practitioner Alliance’s attack. Su Junqing seduced Si Youyue and beguiled his way into obtaining an entrance token for the Yin Corpse Sect. Then, he left with Ye Yu’s sister. We’ll have to verify this information by capturing and interrogating a few Bloodthirsty Sect disciples.” Luo Tian was careful and reserved in his report.
“The information is real,” Ye Yu uttered in torment.
“How are you so sure?” Luo Tian frowned. He felt that Ye Yu was too negative.
“I found a wooden carving on Shou Hou that was made by my sister. He must have been someone she trusted.” Ye Yu whipped out a lifelike wooden carving of a monkey from his waistband.
“How do you know that your sister carved it?” Ye Jiuge took the carving and inspected it carefully. There was nothing special about it.
“It was carved using a special method of the Ye family. You can try pressing it.” Ye Yu gestured for Ye Jiuge to press the bottom of the carving.
Ye Jiuge pressed it and saw a “Ye” character peeking out from the previously smooth, blank surface.
“What do you intend to do?” Ye Jiuge returned the wooden monkey to Ye Yu.
That question had Ye Yu at a loss.
Ever since Su Junqing had gifted his elder sister to the Bloodthirsty Patriarch, he had believed that he would be able to rescue her.
But now, Su Junqing had taken his elder sister to the Yin Corpse Sect.
They were a Black Magic sect infamous for controlling corpses. His sister’s life was most certainly in peril.
Even if she were still alive, he had no way of rescuing her.
Although it was widely known that the Yin Corpse Sect’s headquarters were located at the peak of Mozong Mountain, no righteous practitioner would dare to venture up the mountain.
It was the territory of the devilish sects, anathema to Spiritual Practitioners.
“We will speak of it again later. First, let’s think about how we will deal with the Bloodthirsty Patriarch and the Yin Corpse Sect’s envoy!” Luo Tian calmly assessed the situation. “If we can capture the envoy, perhaps we can exchange her for your elder sister.”
“You are right, Shou Hou mentioned that the envoy’s cultivation was only at the level of a Flawed Spiritual Master.” Ye Yu’s dull eyes relit with renewed vigor. That idea was so much better than infiltrating the Yin Corpse Sect.
“The Yin Corpse Sect’s envoy won’t be so easy to capture!” Ye Jiuge recalled the black shadow she’d seen in the formation’s core. That must have been the demonic corpse that Si Youyue had brought with her.
The demonic corpse’s speed had been alarming. Even Zi Shang had trouble capturing it, let alone the rest of them!
“No matter how difficult, we must also capture her,” Jun Yichen said.
Whoever aided the Bloodthirsty Patriarch was his enemy. They all had to be killed.
Ye Jiuge was about to inform them about the frightening power of the demonic corpse when there was a noise outside the cave.
“Who is it?” Jun Yichen’s inner alarm was instantly triggered. He released his Legendary Venomous Insect.
“It’s Ye Zi.” Ye Jiuge could already smell Zi Shang’s fragrance.
Just as she finished speaking, Zi Shang appeared by her side, unharmed.
His clothes were neat and clean, and not a hair was out of place. He did not look like someone who had struggled in battle and had been beaten badly.
Ye Jiuge heaved a sigh of relief then asked, “Was that black shadow a demonic corpse?”
“Yes.” A dark look flittered across Zi Shang’s handsome face as he confirmed Ye Jiuge’s suspicion.
As part of the demonic tribe, seeing his distant cousin subdued and controlled by humans like a puppet made him very uncomfortable.
“Did you have a way to deal with it?” Ye Jiuge continued.
“The demonic corpse’s cultivation is around the level of a mid-rank Spiritual Master. It would take a lot of effort to kill it. It’s not worth it.” Of course, Zi Shang was able to kill it.
But if he did, his demonic powers would be depleted. Then if anything happened to Ye Jiuge, he would not be able to look after her.
Zi Shang would never put himself into such a situation.
In his eyes, the Blood Lotus Flower and treasure map were worthless compared to Ye Jiuge’s puny little life.
Ye Jiuge thought for a moment, then turned to Zi Shang. “What if you do not kill it, but bind it?”
“Acceptable.” Zi Shang nodded.
The demonic corpse might be ferocious and powerful, but it had no intelligence. With some tricks, binding it would be easy.
“Does Eldest Miss have an idea?” Ye Yu asked with anticipation.
“I do. But we do not have enough manpower. We will require the Spiritual Practitioner Alliance’s help.” Ye Jiuge nodded.
With the Yin Corpse Sect involved, no matter what, they had to inform Gong Xifan.
“But there are spies within the Spiritual Practitioner Alliance. Informing them means that the Bloodthirsty Patriarch will also be informed.” Luo Tian frowned in disagreement.
“Who are the spies?” Ye Yu asked as he secretly threw a glance at Zi Shang.
“Wang Haoqiang and Lin Yanxi,” Zi Shang offered coolly.
“So, it was them?!” Ye Yu exclaimed.
Wang Haoqiang, he could understand, because he looked like one.
But Lin Yanxi, the beauty from the Tianxiang Sect, was a spy! It was unbelievable. No one would believe it even if they told them.
“Could it be that they had spiritual weapons and donned other people’s skins? Just like Xiong Yunhu.” Ye Yu still felt wary at the thought of Xiong Yunhu.
“No. They simply infiltrated the Qiqiao Sect and Tianxiang Sect with their original appearance,” Zi Shang confirmed, shaking his head.
“Then how are you so sure that they are spies sent by the Bloodthirsty Sect?” Ye Yu asked uncertainly.
It was not that he doubted Zi Shang’s judgment. But he felt that being an inner disciple of a branch of a large sect was much better than being a sorcerer.
Furthermore, Lin Yanxi was a beauty with charisma and status.
“Of course, I investigated thoroughly. Wang Haoqiang has a fetish of playing with young girls, and Lin Yanxi relies on the Fragrant Blood Pill provided by the Bloodthirsty Sect to maintain her appearance.” Ever since Zi Shang had caught wind of the Spiritual Practitioner Alliance’s ill-intentions regarding Ye Jiuge, he had conducted a thorough inquiry. As a result, he had also flushed out the two spies concealed deep within its ranks.
“I see.” Those fetishes were wicked indeed. Ye Yu was finally convinced.
“Jun Yichen, tonight, you will summon the three Legendary Venomous Insects from the Spiritual Practitioner Alliance for questioning.” Ye Jiuge took this piece of information seriously, and she immediately acted.
“Summoning all three at once is too suspicious,” Jun Yichen rejected this idea with a shake of his head. For questioning, just one would suffice.
“Alright. You play it by ear.” Ye Jiuge nodded and called for everyone to rest.
They’d all had a long night. If they did not rest and recoup, they would not be able to handle the upcoming battles.