Although Ling Xiao and Li Yuanhuan didn't find the two disciples alive, they did catch ahold of a whiff of danger. Since whoever killed the two dared to provoke the Northern Jade Sect so wantonly, they clearly had nothing to fear. The enemy was hiding in the dark, yet they were out in the open. They practically had no way of defeating the other party. The only means they had now which wasn't a means of sorts was to wait for Master to return tomorrow before discussing this matter further.
Cheng Qiantai finally returned in the afternoon the next day. He couldn't hide his excitement when he saw Ling Xiao who he hadn't seen in six months. He pressed both his hands on Ling Xiao's shoulders. "Xiao'er, you've returned!"
Ling Xiao naturally could feel the weight of emotions contained within that one sentence. He had a lot of things to say in that moment, but it all turned into, "Master, it's been a long time since I've last seen you. Your disciples missed you even more."
"It's good you've returned. It's truly good." Cheng Qiantai recalled why he went to the distant lands this time. He quickly took out a transparent pearl the size of a duck's egg from his storage depository. "This is a Soul Storage Pearl. I bought it at an auction in the Crystal Sea Pavilion. It suits you very well."
Ling Xiao accepted the pearl and stored it into his chain depository. "Thank you, Master."
Even if Cheng Qiantai had failed to purchase this pearl, Ling Xiao would still be happy. Master's intentions alone were enough for that. But it was only natural he was twice as happy now that he also received a substantial benefit. There was no helping it. In his own words, he was so poor in the past that the fear carried over to the present.
Ling Xiao, Li Yuanhuan, and Cheng Yu followed Cheng Qiantai into a conference hall in the Northern Jade Sect. Li Yuanhuan hastily told Cheng Qiantai the outcome of the investigation the night prior when he had gone out with Ling Xiao.
Cheng Qiantai's heart immediately sank. This was the first time such a thing had happened ever since he'd taken over as Sect Master of the Northern Jade Sect.
"Master, I reckon this matter is either directed at the Northern Jade Sect, or me," Ling Xiao voiced out the speculation he thought about all night. "If it's directed at me, I reckon it's only possible for Shen Xuan to do something like this."
Cheng Qiantai instantly negated Ling Xiao's opinion. "It's not Shen Xuan. I already entrusted someone to investigate him. Shen Xuan is still staying in Shen Nanfeng's old family home like a well-behaved child. It's impossible for him to come out and stir up havoc."
Ling Xiao looked at Cheng Qiantai in shock. He never expected that Master would actually ask around about Shen Xuan. Wasn't he doing so because he was worried the other party would seek revenge against Ling Xiao? "Thank you, Master." He couldn't find the words to express his appreciation other than a simple thank you.
Cheng Qiantai faintly laughed. "Xiao'er, why are you still being courteous to Master for? Oh right, continue what you were going to say."
"Sure." Ling Xiao continued his conjecture, "If its directed at my Northern Jade Sect, I reckon those Demonic Soul Masters are the only ones who can do this. They even dealt with the corpses so cleanly."
After a slight hesitation, Ling Xiao carried on, "But I just can't figure out why they would specifically target our Northern Jade Sect." He really didn't understand why. "Furthermore, even if their target is our Northern Jade Sect, what can killing two disciples resolve? If anything, it'd reveal their schemes!"
Li Yuanchong listened to Ling Xiao talking for a long time. He suddenly spoke up, "Junior Brother Ling, didn't you notice the flames used to destroy the evidence were more than hot enough to kill Little Gang and Little Yue in the first place? So, why was there blood on the ground? Could it be that they first killed them, and then burned them?"
"This…" Ling Xiao tightly knitted his eyebrows, pondering on Li Yuanhuan's words. "Killing, then burning… That's right! Could different people have done it? One of them killed the disciples, and the other one destroyed the corpses and all evidence fearing it would divulge their whereabouts?"
"I asked around that teahouse in Northern Jade City where Little Gang and Little Yue were last seen," Li Yuanhuan continued. "I heard someone left right after they did. I then got them to recount what that person looked like and roughly sketched him out. Take a look. Who does it look like?" He took out a parchment and rolled it out, revealing a sketch.
A man who looked like a tramp entered Ling Xiao and Cheng Qiantai's eyes. But they recognized him instantly. If it wasn't You Songxi, who else could it be?
Never in You Songxi's wildest dreams would he have thought Ling Xiao and Li Yuanhuan's conjecture alone was spot on. Nor did he feast the idea Li Yuanhuan would manage to capture his appearance.
Cheng Qiantai admired the extraordinary capabilities of his two disciples, especially Li Yuanhuan. He never thought this gentle young man had a mind that was in no way inferior to an eccentrically crafty disciple like Ling Xiao. It seemed he had to reevaluate Li Yuanhuan. He was honest and considerate, but also possessed great intelligence. Others simply didn't latch onto this last part because they were fooled by his appearance that screamed stupidity.
Since they sussed out You Songxi, they naturally understood that this matter couldn't detach itself from the Demonic Soul Masters of the Seven Devils Cult. But a question still burned in Ling Xiao's mind. It was completely normal for You Songxi to vent his anger by killing the disciples from the Northern Jade Sect out of hatred. But why did the Seven Devils Cult have to tenaciously stare at the Northern Jade Sect too?
After hesitating for a long time, Cheng Qiantai seemed to have made up his mind. He slowly started speaking, "This has something to do with the Northern Jade Sect's secret. Yu'er, Huan'er, Xiao'er, what I'm about to say, it can never leave this room. No matter what!"
"Yes, Master (Father)," the three of them responded in unison.
Cheng Qiantai spoke of the reason why the Seven Devils Cult was so fixated on the Northern Jade Sect. Actually, Ling Xiao more or less knew a little about it already. But hearing it from his Master's mouth, it was far more thorough and detailed.
A great many years ago, even Cheng Qiantai didn't exactly know when. The powerhouses of the Seven Grand Holy Lands and the Sect master of the Northern Jade Sect set up the Celestial Soul Ward together. Each of the Seven Grand Holy Lands were assigned the strongest soul stone representing their respective Holy Land. It was unknown what treasure the Northern Jade Sect possessed. It concentrated the power of the strongest soul stones of the Seven Grand Holy Lands and jointly linked up this Celestial Soul Ward.
Since Celestial and Demonic Soul Masters had different ideologies, they couldn't live harmoniously together in the Clear Sky Continent ever since the beginning of time. Speaking of which, the Celestial Soul Masters had always been situated in a disadvantageous situation in the fight between the two factions that spanned over innumerable years. If it wasn't for the discord between the Three Grand Demonic Sects, the last war from thousands of years ago would've rid the world of all Celestial Soul Masters.
After that final battle, the Celestial Soul Masters could only hide within the Celestial Soul Ward. They no longer dared to leave its confines. It became their last barrier. Once it was broken, what awaited them was only the road of extinction. With this layer of reasoning, how could the demonic sects not have their eye on the Northern Jade Sect?
Leaving the demonic sects aside, even all Celestial Soul Masters were greatly tempted by this unknown treasure of the Northern Jade Sect. Wasn't that so? As long as they had this treasure in their possession, they could force the Seven Grand Holy Lands on their knees and demand their servitude. It was no wonder why Qian Gui was so zealous in letting Qian Hai chase after Cheng Yu back then. If not for anything else, he was thinking of creating an opportunity to obtain this mystery treasure to protect his own sect.
As long as the Northern Jade Sect's treasure was found and destroyed, the Celestial Soul Ward would breathe its last breath. So would the Seven Grand Holy Lands.
Ling Xiao suddenly recalled his soul oath. If he got rid of the ward and let the demonic sect exterminate the Seven Grand Holy Lands, would it count as him honouring his oath to Ancestor Qi Mo? However, he quickly threw this crazy thought to beyond the highest clouds. It didn't matter who it was. As long as they dared to harm the Northern Jade Sect, he simply wouldn't let them off. This was the promise he and Li Yuanhuan made outside the Northern Jade Sect the day prior.
After listening to Cheng Qiantai's story, Ling Xiao fell silent before a question popped into his mind. "Master, can I be so bold to ask you a question?"
Cheng Qiantai nodded, giving him permission to do so. "Master probably doesn't know what this treasure is either, right?"
Cheng Qiantai bitterly smiled. "If I knew, why would our Northern Jade Sect need to be in such dire straits?"
"The previous Sect Masters didn't leave any accounts behind?" Ling Xiao couldn't help but feel a little angry. This matter was of great importance, yet even their own family didn't know what their heirloom was. What significance did this treasure still have to be in existence?
Cheng Qiantai let out a long sigh. "It's precisely because this treasure is too important. The Hierarchs of the Seven Grand Holy Lands were always suspicious and jealous of our Northern Jade Sect. Even though they didn't say anything on the surface, the reality of the matter is that they've banded together and are secretly pushing us aside. This led to our seniors who were widely known for being upstanding people to do a terrifying thing."
This was the first time Cheng Yu heard about these past events. Curiosity got the best of her as she asked, "What did they do?"
"They sent seven letters to the Hierarchs of the Seven Grand Holy Lands, requesting them to come to the Northern Jade Sect and collect the corpses." When Cheng Qiantai spoke of this matter, the expression on his face turned gloomy.
Even Ling Xiao and Li Yuanhuan felt their hearts go cold. "Collecting corpses?"