"This is a soul lamp. Every Immortal Gate disciple deposits a wisp of their soul within it—when the person dies, the lamp extinguishes," Feng Yifei snorted. "After an Immortal Gate disciple dies, we can use the soul lamp to find their final resting place. Let's first check where Jiang Xuan fell."
"Immortal Gate treasures are indeed formidable," Su Miaozhen praised sincerely, her guards nodding in agreement.
"Heh. Immortal Gate methods are beyond your imagination," Feng Yifei eyed Su Miaozhen coldly. "Once we find where Jiang Xuan died, I have ways to uncover his killer. You'd better pray the Great Zhou has no hand in this, or you'll join him in death."
Su Miaozhen met his gaze坦然 (calmly). The Great Zhou had definitely not harmed Zhang Ling or Jiang Xuan—no matter Feng Yifei's methods, he would find no evidence against them.
"Fine. I hope you remain this defiant," Feng Yifei said, following the soul lamp into the depths of Cloudreach Ridge. Su Miaozhen and her men trailed behind, arriving at a valley.
"Here is where Jiang Xuan fell." Feng Yifei examined the marks of a powerful battle, then took out a palm-sized bronze mirror engraved with profound inscriptions on its back.
Su Miaozhen inwardly marveled at Profound Heaven Immortal Gate's heritage. After ancient demon and demon cultivator invasions, few high-tier treasures and forging secrets remained. The Great Zhou's collections paled compared to hidden sects like this.
"This treasure is the Smoke Light Mirror. It can trace time to reveal what happened here and find Jiang Xuan's killer," Feng Yifei smiled proudly, certain the Zhou lacked such a treasure.
He activated the mirror, releasing a silver light that formed a ten-zhang circle. As the light moved, Jiang Xuan's figure appeared—blurred but recognizable. Next came the Seventh Princess and Chu Chu. Su Miaozhen was shocked, grateful her silver mask hid her expression. Feng Yifei's face turned livid: Jiang Xuan had clearly coveted the two, shaming the Immortal Gate.
A blurred figure suddenly appeared, effortlessly slaying Jiang Xuan and his puppet. The image trembled violently, then dissolved into ripples.
"What's happening? Who is that person? Why is their form unclear?" Feng Yifei was astonished. Reactivating the mirror, he still couldn't make out the mysterious figure—only a vague outline.
"Let's go to where Zhang Ling fell. I refuse to believe I can't identify that bastard!" Feng Yifei used Zhang Ling's soul lamp to find his resting place. The image here was even more disgraceful: though unclear what Zhang Ling said to Yu Weiwei, his intentions were obvious. Both had died by the same hand, but the killer's face remained obscured no matter how Feng Yifei manipulated the mirror.
"Dammit! No wonder Yu Weiwei survived. This person must be related to her!" Feng Yifei stowed the mirror, turning to Su Miaozhen with killing intent. A terrifying pressure burst out, sending her guards flying—they dissolved into blood mist before landing. Su Miaozhen knelt, struggling to withstand thecoercion.
"Elder Feng, what are you doing? You saw their deaths had nothing to do with Zhou!" Su Miaozhen was confused and angry, unprepared for the sudden attack.
"I don't want to kill you, but you witnessed our disgrace." Feng Yifei's eyes were阴冷 (sinister).
"Disgrace...?" Su Miaozhen's eyes filled with despair.
"Correct. An Immortal Gate elder attempting to molest a female disciple—if that spreads, the gate will be mocked by all sects. I won't allow it. Everyone who saw this must die tonight." As he spoke, he raised his hand to strike Su Miaozhen's head.
...
In the hostage manor, Lin Yu's face changed. The wisp of spiritual energy he'd sent into Su Miaozhen suddenly surged—she was in danger. Though from the Great Zhou, she had cared for him; he couldn't stand idly by. He left the manor undetected, mounting his flying sword to race toward where her energy had last faded.
...
In Cloudreach Ridge, Su Miaozhen绝望 (desperately) watched Feng Yifei's palm descend like a mountain, its power enough to crush her. Suddenly, a vast spiritual energy surged from her body, uncontrollable as a torrent, rippling outward.
Boom! Rampant qi burst from Su Miaozhen, shattering trees and rocks. Even Feng Yifei was staggered by the spiritual storm.
"This... This spiritual energy was left by a Myriad Manifestations expert!" Feng Yifei eyed Su Miaozhen coldly.
"Myriad Manifestations? Could it be the National Protector?" Su Miaozhen looked up. "Our Great Zhou has a Myriad Manifestations expert who recently foiled a demon plot and slew a Myriad Manifestations demon cultivator. With him, you can't kill me! I swear by the Heavenly Dao I'll never reveal what happened today."
Feng Yifei sneered: "So you have a trump card. Let's see if this 'National Protector' can save you." He unleashed another狂暴的 (raging)coercion, aiming to crush Su Miaozhen.
"If you want to see my methods, very well. I'm here." A voice sounded in the forest. Feng Yifei'scoercion rebounded like waves hitting a reef, failing to harm Su Miaozhen.