Xie Zhaolin nodded, her expression grave.
No words were needed. Both of them knew exactly who "she" was—the Peak Lord of the Array Peak, Elder Chou, whose Primordial Soul had behaved strangely and then fallen utterly silent.
After all, the last thing Patriarch Wei had said before leaving, though seemingly casual, had already pointed the finger of suspicion at her.
Alchemy Peak… old matters…
"But…" Mo Yan's brow furrowed, his tone heavy with confusion, "why would she do this? Sword Peak's Peak Lord Ling didn't seem to have any old grudges with her, at least none openly. A peak-level Golden Core sword cultivator, with no conflicting interests, could've even been persuaded to join her side. Or… is there some deeper reason we don't know about?"
Xie Zhaolin moved toward the stone table, lightly tapping it with her fingertips in a rhythmic pattern.
"The motive being unknown is what makes this truly unsettling," she said slowly. "And Elder Wei coming here today… even though he didn't openly say it, his meaning was clear. Even someone like him, who suffered deeply from her schemes and has kept close watch on all sides, immediately thought of her as a suspect after the incident. Yet he's still at a loss, has no evidence, and doesn't dare speak it aloud… that alone says a lot."
It suggested that either Elder Chou's methods were supremely clever, erasing every trace, or… the interests or forces she was connected to were powerful enough that even Elder Wei dared not confront her openly.
"So what do we do now?" Mo Yan asked. With the enemy concealed and so dangerous, their situation was extremely passive.
Xie Zhaolin paused, then looked at him. "Do you remember the intel you got from Elder Wei back then?"
Mo Yan nodded immediately, but a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. "You mean…"
"Yes," Xie Zhaolin inclined her head slightly. "If she truly wanted to do something, she wouldn't leave a handle so easily."
Elder Wei's hesitant words today weren't caution, they were helplessness. He might have had a guess, but that guess was either too shocking, or involved something too big for him to voice.
Mo Yan drew a deep breath, sensing the turbulent undercurrents. "Then we…"
"Wait and see," Xie Zhaolin cut him off. "The sect is under lockdown. Any reckless move now could be fatal."
She had considered stirring chaos with rumors herself, but under the current enforcement patrols, it would've been impossible. One misstep and it could be their undoing.
Her judgment proved right.
In the following days, the sect's atmosphere grew even tenser. Enforcement disciples repeatedly traveled between peaks, conducting rounds of investigations.
Any disciples or elders with a grudge against Sword Peak, or whose recent behavior was suspicious, were scrutinized carefully.
When the investigation reached Xie Zhaolin's area, the party that came was just a low-profile early Golden Core elder, accompanied by two Foundation Establishment enforcement disciples.
This elder clearly hadn't considered Mo Yan, a practically invisible inner sect elder, worth attention. He went through the motions, asking Xie Zhaolin and Mo Yan about their recent movements, whether they noticed anything unusual, then used a sect-issued detecting artifact to quickly scan their auras. Finding no demonic qi or abnormal energy fluctuations, he left promptly for the next location.
Xie Zhaolin didn't even need to respond personally. Mo Yan answered casually as needed.
The Golden Core elder detected nothing unusual. After all, against such a major sect incident, Mo Yan was insignificant.
Once the inspection team departed, both prepared for a long wait.
A peak-level Golden Core cultivator dying in the sect's core area wasn't a small matter. Normally, a thorough investigation would take at least three to five months.
Yet what happened next far exceeded their expectations.
Just two months later...
The sect had barely finished the first full round of checks on all disciples and elders. Many details hadn't been fully verified, and rumors were still fermenting—when suddenly, the protective array that had shrouded Qingxi Sect for over a month dimmed without warning and completely dissipated.
Immediately, the Sect Master's voice rang through all the peaks, calm to the point of being chilling:
"After investigation, Sword Peak's Peak Lord Ling Jianfeng, due to miscalculating a secret cultivation method, suffered a Primordial Soul backlash and died unexpectedly. This was an accident, not caused by outsiders or internal strife.
Effective immediately, the sect lifts the lockdown, and all affairs resume as normal. Let all disciples take heed, train diligently, and avoid repeating mistakes.
Sword Peak's affairs will temporarily be managed by me until a new Peak Lord is appointed."
The announcement was brief and tone flat, as if reporting the most mundane news.
Meanwhile, the array covering the sect quietly vanished, lifting all restrictions and letting disciples move freely.
Yet those few words were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake.
"Miscalculating a secret method? Primordial Soul backlash? Accidental death?"
Absurd!
A peak-level Golden Core sword cultivator, experienced and strong-willed, couldn't fall victim to their own technique so easily.
And Elder Wei had already revealed the eerie detail that Elder Ling's Primordial Soul had been wiped clean, without even leaving a trace of a residual soul. This wasn't something simple backlash could explain.
It was clearly… a cover-up.
The sect's top brass had chosen to forcibly close the case with a flimsy excuse.
Xie Zhaolin didn't believe for a second that nothing had been uncovered during the investigation. Even Elder Wei and others had been able to deduce possibilities—she didn't believe the cunning Sect Master would remain oblivious.
Either they found a shocking secret that could spell disaster for the sect if exposed, forcing a cover-up, or a powerful external force had intervened, pressuring them into compromise.
Either scenario meant Elder Chou's actions far exceeded imagination. If she remained in Qingxi Sect, who knew who'd be the next victim?
Xie Zhaolin's mind raced. She made a decision instantly, looking at Mo Yan, whose expression was equally serious.
"Pack up. We're leaving the sect immediately."
Mo Yan understood.
At the mountain gate, the crowd was thick. Many restless disciples were heading out, and they blended in without standing out.
They gathered their essentials and followed the flow of people to the gate. The guards only checked their ID tokens, asking no questions.
The moment they stepped out of the protective array, Xie Zhaolin exhaled quietly.
As for the Tianxu Secret Realm slot… that could wait.