Chapter 98
While Shen Lijun and Chu Qingyang were still worrying about Lou Yuqing's situation, the image on the light screen suddenly switched to another group of disciples.
The two men froze.
A moment later, they sighed in unison.
This light screen was utterly useless.
Just when they desperately wanted to know what happened next, it had cut away at the most critical moment.
On the other side, Luo Buqi let out a cold snort.
"You won't stay lucky forever. Sooner or later, you'll realize you've walked straight into a trap."
A trace of malicious satisfaction flickered across his face.
"I'll be waiting for the day you're eliminated."
The disciples behind him exchanged helpless looks.
Senior Brother Luo truly seemed determined to be at odds with every disciple from the Wendao Sect.
At the same time, ten miles outside Baiyan City, in Old Xue's Village—Lou Yuqing and the others arrived quickly.
Her gaze swept across the stone tablet standing at the village entrance. The three characters Xue Family Village were carved deeply into its surface.
Without pausing, she and Si Nidie followed Shen Lijun into the village.
It was broad daylight.
The village should have been bustling with activity.
Instead, silence greeted them.
Not only were there no villagers in sight, there wasn't even the faintest sound of conversation.
The entire place felt strangely deserted.
"Senior Brother Shen, something feels off." Lou Yuqing frowned. "When you came here before, was the village empty too?"
Si Nidie also halted, a thoughtful look flashing through her eyes.
Shen Lijun glanced around the empty village and didn't seem surprised.
"It's harvest season right now," he said. "Baishi Sect has been collecting spirit rice these past few days."
He paused before adding with a faint frown, "When we came earlier, most of the villagers were already busy transporting their harvest."
A trace of helplessness entered his voice.
"You know what Baishi Sect is like. If they're told to deliver spirit rice, who would dare delay?"
He shook his head lightly.
"It's not strange for the village to be empty at a time like this."
The explanation made sense.
Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie relaxed slightly.
Lou Yuqing even recalled the conversation she had overheard in the city.
There had been a spirit farmer named Old Ji whose spirit fields had been trampled. Because of that, he had been unable to pay the full amount of spirit rice he owed.
After walking for some time, Shen Lijun finally stopped and pointed toward a stone house in the distance.
"It's there."
His expression darkened slightly.
"They're still trapped inside."
Following his gaze, Lou Yuqing and Si Nidie looked toward the isolated stone house.
Shen Lijun lowered his eyes.
"We thought Old Xue's room might contain clues, so we went in to investigate."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Who would've thought there was a formation hidden inside? By the time we realized what had happened, it was already too late."
Guilt flickered across his features.
"Senior Brother Chu and Ling Yunxiao stayed behind to help me escape. In the end..."
His voice grew quieter.
"I was the only one who made it out."
Si Nidie raised a hand.
Five thumb-sized flames flew from her fingertips.
The flames merged together in midair and shot forward with explosive force.
Boom!
The instant they struck the stone house, a translucent light barrier emerged.
The barrier flickered several times beneath the impact before disappearing once more.
Si Nidie narrowed her eyes.
"It really is that formation."
At her side, Lou Yuqing spoke gently.
"Senior Brother Shen, don't blame yourself."
Seeing the guilt still lingering on his face, she added, "You managed to escape and come back for help. That's already more than most people could have done."
A reassuring smile touched her lips.
"As long as we work together, we'll get them out."
The tension in Shen Lijun's expression finally eased.
After a brief silence, he nodded.
"You're right."
His gaze turned toward the stone house in the distance.
"They're still waiting for us."
His expression gradually hardened with resolve.
"Let's break the formation."
Si Nidie snorted softly. "We've been ready for a while."
A crimson glow blossomed in her palm.
In an instant, a fireball the size of a fist condensed above her hand.
She immediately formed another seal.
Heat surged outward.
Her body rapidly expanded until she stood nearly ten feet tall, waves of scorching heat rolling from her like a furnace and distorting the surrounding air.
At the same time, Lou Yuqing made her move.
A crack of thunder split the air.
Purple lightning burst into existence and coiled around her body. As she raised her right arm, countless arcs of electricity surged toward it like living serpents, gathering in a furious torrent.
In the blink of an eye, her entire arm seemed forged from lightning itself, radiating a terrifying destructive force.
Among all the techniques she had mastered, Thunder Strike was her most powerful offensive spell.
Not far away, Shen Lijun watched in silence.
Something flickered through his eyes.
The next moment, a black spear nearly ten feet long appeared in his hand.
Dark light pulsed erratically across its surface, unstable and violent, as though it could erupt at any moment.
"Attack!"
Si Nidie's giant fireball struck first.
Boom!
The blazing sphere slammed into the formation's light barrier, causing it to tremble violently.
Then the giant fireball suddenly split apart.
Countless smaller fireballs burst outward like a rain of meteors, bombarding the barrier one after another.
The entire formation shook violently.
At that exact moment, Lou Yuqing's Thunder Strike finished gathering power.
Her left hand formed a seal.
A dazzling bolt of lightning erupted from her right arm.
The moment it appeared, it tore across the distance and crashed into the barrier with a thunderous roar.
An unexpected scene unfolded.
Lightning and fire were already the most violent and explosive elemental powers.
Now, as the two attacks intertwined, their destructive force multiplied.
Flames and lightning merged into a vast sea of crackling fire and thunder that engulfed the entire barrier.
Deafening explosions echoed endlessly.
Crimson and violet light reflected brightly in everyone's eyes.
A delighted smile spread across Lou Yuqing's face.
"It actually produced a synergistic effect! At this rate, the formation won't last much longer!"
Without wasting words, Si Nidie formed another series of seals.
Two enormous fireballs materialized before her.
As spiritual energy poured into them, their power continued climbing.
Watching the scene unfold, Shen Lijun sneered inwardly.
Break the formation?
In your dreams.
Just as the sea of lightning and fire began to subside, he suddenly made his move.
With a flick of his wrist, the black spear shot forward.
Its dark form flashed once, then vanished from sight.
The next instant, it reappeared at the surface of the barrier and pierced straight into it.
Something strange happened immediately afterward.
The spear did not remain intact. Instead, it dissolved into a mass of black liquid the moment it made contact.
The dark substance spread rapidly across the barrier like ink spilled into water, creeping over its surface and covering a vast area in the blink of an eye.
Lou Yuqing blinked in surprise.
Was that a magical artifact?
Or some kind of spell?
The thought crossed her mind only briefly.
Whatever it was, now wasn't the time to ask questions.
Spiritual energy surged through her meridians once more as she prepared to unleash another Thunder Strike.
Then, her expression changed.
A powerful force suddenly pulled at her body, nearly dragging her off balance.
At the same time, an oppressive pressure descended upon her, suppressing the flow of spiritual energy within her body.
The source of it all was the formation.
A chill ran through her chest.
Something was wrong.
"Be careful!"
Lou Yuqing shouted at once.
Her warning rang sharply through the air.
"There's something wrong with the formation!"
Not far away, Si Nidie nearly lost control of her spell as the sudden force yanked at her body.
Her expression changed instantly.
Unlike Lou Yuqing, she knew enough about formations to recognize what was happening.
"This isn't a Minor Five Elements Trapping Formation!"
Her voice cracked through the air.
"Get back! Move away from it!"
The warning had barely left her mouth when Lou Yuqing felt the pulling force intensify.
The formation seemed to come alive.
A powerful suction erupted from its center, dragging everything toward it.
Her heart sank.
If they got pulled inside, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Lou Yuqing immediately retreated, lightning crackling beneath her feet as she tried to break free of the pull.
Then a cold voice sounded behind her.
"Trying to run?"
A chill shot down her spine.
Before she could turn around, a tremendous force slammed into her back.
Lou Yuqing's eyes widened.
Oh no.
Without hesitation, she dispersed Thunder Strike and activated Lightning Escape.
But it was already too late.
The suction force seized her completely.
As her body was dragged toward the formation, she twisted around for one last look.
The moment she saw the person behind her, shock and fury flooded her face.
"Senior Brother Shen?!"
Shen Lijun slowly lowered his hand.
The guilt, anxiety, and concern he had shown earlier were nowhere to be seen.
Only cold indifference remained.
He stood there expressionless, looking like a completely different person.
When he saw her turn around, a triumphant smile slowly spread across his face.
"So you finally figured it out."
His laughter rang out, undisguised and thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Looks like all that acting wasn't for nothing."
Lou Yuqing's heart sank.
The fake Shen Lijun looked at her as though he were already looking at a corpse.
"Go die with your companions."
The smile on his face widened.
"If you want someone to blame, blame yourselves for sticking your noses into the Snow Lotus."
Lou Yuqing's body went cold.
Her companions?
Did that mean Ling Yunxiao and the others had already...
And if this person was an impostor...
When had the real Shen Lijun been replaced?
More importantly, why did every investigation connected to the Snow Lotus seem determined to get her killed?
Questions exploded through her mind one after another.
None of them would be answered.
The formation's pull abruptly strengthened. Lou Yuqing barely had time to steady herself before darkness flooded her vision, swallowing the world whole.
Beside her, Si Nidie had been caught completely off guard as well.
After being deceived, manipulated, and mocked from beginning to end, even her temper finally snapped.
"You son of a—"
Before she could finish the curse, the formation swallowed her whole.
The valley fell silent once more.
Watching the two women vanish into the formation, the fake Shen Lijun narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Anyone foolish enough to covet the Snow Lotus deserves to die."
His gaze lingered on the formation, amusement flickering across his face.
"And the two of you are no exception."
A low chuckle escaped him.
"You really believed it was a Minor Five Elements Trapping Formation."
He shook his head.
"What you're trapped in is a Repulsion Killing Formation disguised as one."
The smile at the corner of his lips deepened.
"The moment my power activates the formation, it turns into a vortex that drags everything inside."
He paused briefly, as if already imagining the outcome.
"Once you're caught within it, opposing forces will crush you from every direction."
His eyes darkened with malice.
"It won't take long before your bodies tear themselves apart."
Inside the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, Ling Yunxiao's gaze settled on the figure kneeling before the ancestral tablets.
One thought after another flashed through his mind.
So Miss Hu discovered my shadow clone.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Impressive.
The previous night, he had sensed someone leaving the neighboring room.
He had intended to follow and investigate, but before he could act, a warning suddenly came from his shadow clone.
Something had happened.
There hadn't even been time to notify Lou Yuqing and the others.
His true body had immediately rushed to the clone's location.
Unexpectedly, the moment he arrived, he had been trapped inside a formation.
Only after spending considerable effort breaking free had he finally escaped.
And when he did, he found himself standing inside the Hu Family's ancestral hall.
Before leaving the residence earlier, he had hidden a shadow clone within the shadow cast by a lotus beside the pond.
From there, he could keep watch over the snow rabbit stone carving in the pavilion.
His intuition had told him the carving might be connected to an important clue.
Now, however, there was no longer any need for speculation.
Looking at Hu Ruoyan kneeling before the ancestral tablets, the scattered pieces finally fell into place.
Everything led back to her.
Ling Yunxiao appeared calm on the surface. In reality, he was already prepared to act at any moment.
Even if he couldn't defeat Hu Ruoyan, he was confident she wouldn't be able to kill him.
Before coming here, Ling Yunxiao had left another shadow clone behind at the inn.
Unlike the one hidden by the pond, this clone was attached directly to his own shadow.
Unless someone's cultivation far exceeded his, discovering it should have been impossible.
Yet Hu Ruoyan had not only noticed it despite being merely a Qi Refining cultivator, she had even used it to lure him into a trap.
That alone was enough to prove one thing.
She was far more dangerous than he had initially believed.
Silence settled over the ancestral hall.
Time passed little by little.
At last, Hu Ruoyan moved.
She slowly turned around.
A gentle smile rested on her beautiful face, as though she were greeting an old friend rather than confronting an intruder.
"I didn't expect you to escape the formation."
Her gaze fell on him, calm and unhurried.
"It seems I underestimated you."
Ling Yunxiao met her eyes without speaking.
Hu Ruoyan tilted her head slightly.
"You had already left the Hu residence. Why come back?" Her smile deepened faintly. "I was originally prepared to let you go. But instead, you insisted on throwing your life away."
Her tone remained soft from beginning to end.
There was no hostility in it.
No anger.
Not even the slightest trace of killing intent.
That only made her more unsettling.
Ling Yunxiao merely smiled.
"I'm afraid you've got that backwards, Miss Hu."
His voice was equally calm.
"The moment I started asking questions about the demon, you already intended to kill me."
He glanced around the ancestral hall.
"The only reason you didn't act was because I was still inside the Hu residence, and there were too many eyes watching."
For the first time, Hu Ruoyan's intentions had been laid bare. Yet her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Instead, she let out a soft sigh.
"Fellow Daoist is quite clever."
There was even a hint of admiration in her voice.
"Unfortunately..." Her eyes curved into a smile. "Clever people often die from being too clever."
The atmosphere inside the ancestral hall suddenly turned cold.
Hu Ruoyan looked at him quietly.
"Since you've fallen into my hands this time..." Her smile never wavered. "...I won't be letting you escape again."
The instant the words left her lips, a freezing wind swept through the ancestral hall.
The ancestral tablets began to tremble violently.
Whispering voices echoed from every corner, eerie and indistinct, as though restless spirits had awakened from their slumber.
Ling Yunxiao remained completely unfazed.
"I'll wait and see."
Hu Ruoyan raised an eyebrow.
Then she rose to her feet and slowly circled him, looking him over from head to toe.
The confidence in her expression was unmistakable.
To her, the outcome of this confrontation had already been decided.
"Before you die, I'll allow you three questions."
She smiled faintly, her tone almost generous.
"If I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll let you leave this world knowing the truth."
The implication couldn't have been clearer.
She didn't consider Ling Yunxiao a threat in the slightest.
The only reason she was indulging this conversation at all was because she found it mildly interesting that he had managed to escape her formation.
Ling Yunxiao had no intention of wasting words.
"First question." His gaze fixed steadily on her. "Were you the one crying thief while acting as the thief yourself?"
Hu Ruoyan sighed helplessly and shook her head.
"As expected of a demon hunter."
There was even a trace of admiration in her voice.
"You already completed your mission and filed your report, yet you still couldn't resist digging deeper."
After a brief pause, she gave a small shrug.
"Very well. Since you want an answer, I'll give you one."
The smile on her lips widened slightly.
"Yes. It was me."
She spoke with astonishing frankness.
"The story about the demon disfiguring me was a lie from beginning to end."
Her fingers brushed lightly across her cheek.
"As for the divine physician..." she said, almost amused, "I was the one who found him."