Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 99 No wonder rumors were spreading
"Summon the experts in the manor and come with me to the place where the spiritual energy is fluctuating."

"Yes, Lord Marquis!"

Jiang Tai accepted the order and left, while Gu Changzhou took the lead and rode his sword alone, speeding towards the palace.

Inside the Zhenxie Division's headquarters, Su Jinghuan also sensed this powerful evil spiritual energy.

He immediately ordered: "Everyone, move out and follow me to investigate. We must wipe out the evil cultivators in one fell swoop!"

The members of the Demon Suppression Division responded immediately and rushed towards the source of the spiritual energy fluctuations.

Inside the Xuanji Hall, Lin Yan looked at the black area that had suddenly appeared on the spiritual energy map, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Hmph, it seems those idiots made their move ahead of time. But that's fine too. It's a good opportunity to disrupt the situation and let them kill each other.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Tai Souhu pointed at several hidden strongholds on the map, and several streams of spiritual energy shot out, conveying his instructions.

Gu Changzhou flew on his sword and arrived near the palace in an instant.

Although the evil spiritual power had receded, a faint, nauseating aura still lingered in the air.

His brows furrowed, his heart filled with worry for Liu Sijun's safety, and he quickened his pace toward Yangshou Palace.

Gu Changzhou had just arrived at Yangshou Palace when Master Min was still high in the sky, on high alert. When he saw Mo Linhou arrive, he nodded slightly as a greeting.

Looking down at Liu Sijun, who was safe and sound, Gu Changzhou felt a little relieved.

"Master Min, what just happened?"

“A powerful evil spiritual force is attempting to break into the Longevity Palace, but I have no idea what it is.”

Min Rui had just exchanged blows with him, but before he could figure out where he came from, the opponent withdrew.

Gu Changzhou looked in the direction where the spiritual energy had receded, his expression solemn.

This heretical cultivator dares to cause trouble near the palace; he must either be out of his mind or doing it on purpose, so there must be a bigger conspiracy behind it.

At this moment, Su Jinghuan arrived with the Zhenxie Division.

"Ran?"

Gu Changzhou nodded.

Su Jinghuan said with a cold expression, "We cannot let this evil cultivator escape so easily."

Just as he was about to use his spiritual power to track its whereabouts, Min Rui spoke up: "I just tried it, this evil cultivator has a magic weapon on him, which has completely erased his traces."

As they spoke, the group flew down from the sky and landed outside the main hall of the Longevity Palace.

This was the first time Liu Sijun had met Su Jinghuan.

His skin was wheat-colored, giving him a very masculine air. His black hair was tied back with a dark ribbon, with a few stray strands falling on either side of his face, adding a touch of unruliness to his cool and aloof appearance.

He was dressed in a black outfit embroidered with silver patterns, and the runes shimmered faintly with his movements.

A long sword rests at his waist, its hilt inlaid with a deep blue gemstone that seems to possess profound spiritual power, adding to the sword's imposing aura.

Looking at Su Jinghuan, Liu Sijun thought to himself, "This Commander of the Evil Suppression Division is indeed extraordinary."

Su Jinghuan grumbled and cursed...

He was clearly furious about the escape of the heretical cultivator.

He was the Commandant of the Evil Suppression Division. There were evil cultivators active near the imperial city, yet he had no clue whatsoever. It was a slap in the face to him, no wonder he was so angry.

After looking around, Gu Changzhou said, "This evil cultivator comes and goes without a trace and can easily erase his tracks. He must have a powerful force supporting him. We cannot act blindly; we must plan carefully."

Su Jinghuan snorted coldly: "Deliberately consider this? Are we just going to let it go like this? This evil cultivator dares to run wild near the palace and doesn't take the Suppressing Evil Division seriously. I, Su Jinghuan, will not swallow this insult!"

"What do you think?"

Gu Changzhou countered with a question.

Su Jinghuan was somewhat bewildered by the question: "...Naturally, we should find the evil cultivator and eliminate him." Min Rui stroked his beard and slowly said, "Captain Su, don't be hasty. This matter is indeed strange. That evil spiritual power is powerful and bizarre, and the force behind it must be extraordinary. If we investigate rashly, we may fall into their trap."

Liu Sijun nodded: "Master Min is absolutely right. Let's sort out the clues first and see if we can find any leads."

Su Jinghuan's gaze fell on Liu Sijun.

"You're the new resident alchemist?"

Liu Sijun nodded.

“So young!” She glanced at Gu Changzhou meaningfully, “...No wonder there are rumors circulating.”

In recent years, which alchemist sent by Yougu Palace hasn't had their cultivation affected by multiple distractions? It's said that Alchemist Liu is only seventeen years old. No, she arrived before New Year's Day; she was only sixteen.

A sixteen-year-old resident alchemist is indeed hard to believe.

Liu Sijun: "..."

She never expected that the seemingly upright Commandant Su would have such a gossipy look on his face.

Liu Sijun glared at him without any politeness.

Su Jinghuan found it amusing that someone dared to glare at him, especially a mere True Person who was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

So brave.

After some analysis, the group pointed the clues to Xuanji Hall.

Su Jinghuan said, "Xuanji Hall has always been mysterious and unpredictable. If it is really related to them, then things will be complicated. However, this can be considered an important clue."

Gu Changzhou: "Although Xuanji Hall is suspected, today's incident is not like Xuanji Hall's style of doing things."

Liu Sijun asked, "What style? Is Marquis Molin very familiar with Xuanji Hall?"

Xuanji Hall and Wuji Tower have some overlapping business, such as intelligence gathering and offering rewards for their services.

The difference is that Wuji Tower has principles.

At Xuanjitang, you can do whatever you want as long as the price is right.

"The manager of Xuanji Hall is named Du Wei. I have met him a few times and have heard about his style of doing things. He would not act so rashly."

He nodded keenly: "Although the opponent is strong, it is indeed impossible for them to break through the palace's defenses in one go."

After pondering for a moment, Liu Sijun said, "Is it possible that this incident was not caused by Xuanji Hall, but rather that someone is acting in the name of Xuanji Hall to deliberately disrupt the situation and make us point the finger at Xuanji Hall, thereby diverting the real mastermind from the situation?"

Gu Changzhou's gaze was profound: "There is also a possibility that the mastermind behind this is Xuanji Hall. Today's situation is just someone being pushed to the forefront so that we can see it."

Su Jinghuan stroked his chin: "That makes sense."

"No matter what, we can't let go of the Xuanji Hall clue."

As they were talking, Min Rui suddenly said, "Let's go. His Majesty summoned us, probably to inquire about the matter of the evil cultivator earlier."

The group hurriedly followed Min Rui to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the atmosphere heavy throughout the journey.

"See Your Majesty."

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Bei Chenyao sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes shining with wisdom and majesty.

"Everyone, get up."

Bei Chenyao watched as everyone bowed, his voice steady and powerful, "Min Rui, tell me in detail what just happened."

Min Rui stepped forward and reported to Bei Chenyao in detail about the attack by the evil cultivators, the battle, and their sudden retreat and elimination of traces.

After listening, Bei Chenyao frowned and turned his gaze to Gu Changzhou and Su Jinghuan, "Lord Molin, Commandant Su, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

(End of this chapter)