Chapter 435 - Red Herring

A quarter of an hour later, the Pathseeker Palace was already surrounded by the enforcers from the Mystic Zenith Temple, tight as a drum.

"The Temple Head has arrived!"

A heavy atmosphere parted the crowd, and amidst the escort of numerous Dharma Crowns, a woman in a bright red robe approached the blood-stained hall.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Before this, no one dared to disturb the scene! Her dark red eyes swept over, strikingly encountering the

Devil

character made from the heads of disciples of the Pathseeker Society.

Among them, Tian Yuxue formed the top dot of the character for

Devil

. Each one of them died in extreme fear and despair, their eyes wide open in agony.

Such a scene was a brutal blow to everyone who arrived. What was most frightening was that these were all descendants of the Three Immortals, and most of them were of direct lineage!

Even if they did not study in the Primordial Academy, they were influential and prestigious nobles outside. Each was a chosen child of heaven!

For the enforcers of the Mystic Zenith Temple, it was as if their

reserve army

had been wiped out in one fell swoop!

"This is the most malevolent incident since the arrival of the Three Immortals in the Primordial Ruins!"

Every enforcer of the Mystic Zenith Temple was clear in their hearts that this atrocity was enough to shock the entire Primordial Ruins!

And as one of the responsible figures, beneath that cloak, the eyes of the red-robed woman were already blood-red, her presence as chilling as a sea of blood, her aura terrifyingly bloody.

"Devil? A resurgence from the ashes?" Her lips moved silently, muttering this word.

"Temple Head..." As the first discoverer, Dharma Crown He knelt deeply, his son and daughter also among the slain.

He sorrowfully said, "The Blood Devil Ark collapses, their devil blood forms a sea, in this world, apart from the mixed blood, where exists a True Devil? We must be vigilant of someone using the name of the devils to commit evil deeds!"

"Who do you think the murderer is?" The red-robed woman looked down at him.

"Yun Xiao!" Dharma Crown He, with blood-red eyes, looked up resolutely. "He had major conflicts with the children, and his methods are brutal, without any scruples. Given his unknown strength, he definitely could have done this."

At that moment, all eyes turned to the red-robed woman.

"It's definitely him! We can't worry about the five-day trial period anymore, right?"

"We urgently need to capture him immediately!"

The other Dharma Crowns, one after another, expressed similar thoughts.

The Temple Head fell silent.

"Temple Head, could it be?" Dharma Crown He stared at her in disbelief.

"I've been tracking him constantly with the Blood Bat Curse, and he has not left Divine Dawn Pavilion tonight," the red-robed woman said.

"Not him?" Dharma Crown He found it hard to believe.

"Is it possible that someone could break the Blood Bat Curse?" another Dharma Crown dared to ask.

"It's possible, but if it were broken, the Blood Bat Curse would vanish, not remain at the Divine Dawn Pavilion," the Temple Head said, her gaze cold.

Hearing this, the crowd furrowed their brows deeply.

"Could it really be a devil?" someone murmured.

"There's no need to jump to conclusions. Look for clues." the Temple Head ordered. "Seal off the Pathseeker Palace, and search for any leads."

"Yes!"

A group of people started to enter the Pathseeker Palace.

Seeing the massacre up close twisted their spirits even more.

"We, the descendants of the Three Immortals and enforcers of the Primordial Ruins, have never faced such a tragedy in our history..."

Anger was no longer sufficient to describe their emotions.

"Temple Head." Dharma Crown He stood behind the red-robed woman, his demeanor calmed, and seriously said, "It seems that the only clue left is Tang Wenqian. She had been here, but her body is not among the dead."

"You take charge and lead a team to the Jade Immortal Tower to find her," the red-robed woman instructed.

"Yes!" Dharma Crown He nodded and hurried off, but in less than a quarter of an hour, he returned, his expression even more puzzled than when he left.

"Why have you returned so soon?" the red-robed woman standing above, looked down at him with her hands behind her back.

"The trail has gone cold!" Dharma Crown He's voice trembled.

"What do you mean?" The red-robed woman's dark red eyes narrowed.

"News just came from outside, Tang Wenqian committed suicide in front of the Jade Immortal Tower, slashing her own throat. Before dying, she used her blood to inscribe the words

Devil Ark

on the ground!" Dharma Crown He said through gritted teeth.

"Suicide?" The red-robed woman's expression turned cold, "Are you sure it was suicide? That all her actions were voluntary?"

"Yes! Thousands witnessed it!" Dharma Crown He said, finding it hard to believe himself.

The red-robed woman took a deep breath, "It sounds indeed like the work of a devilish soul control."

"Temple Head, there's something even more detestable!" Dharma Crown He said.

"Speak." The red-robed woman's brows furrowed deeply.

"The highest four floors of the VIP area in the Jade Immortal Tower were completely emptied. According to the full staff of the Jade Immortal Tower, Tang Wenqian herself had closed off the VIP area to facilitate the theft. They all said that at the time, Tang Wenqian showed no signs of abnormality..." Dharma Crown He shook his head.

Hearing this, the brows of the Dharma Crowns present furrowed even deeper.

"All the goods from the VIP area of the Jade Immortal Tower? That's indeed a lot of treasures."

"Nearly half their foundation was looted away."

"Is this the ultimate goal of the murderer? Are the deaths of these children and Tang Wenqian warnings or intimidations from the devil?"

The Dharma Crowns were puzzled, their expressions stern.

"Considering both the Jade Immortal Tower and Pathseeker Palace, these two major cases have too great an impact, it's unlikely that Yun Xiao could do this on his own..."

To these Dharma Crowns, what Yun Xiao had done so far was merely minor mischief, merely a minor evil.

But the case of the Jade Immortal Tower and Pathseeker Palace was a solemn challenge to the entire Primordial Ruins, and even a humiliation to the Three True Immortals!

It wasn't something on the same level at all!

Dharma Crown He furrowed his brows deeply and said, "I still think that the devil is likely a decoy. Apart from the devil, the demons of the Forgotten Demon Sea could be possible, but they are not adept at using such strategies. So, the only possibility left, with the motive to do so, is..."

"Are you suggesting Dean Yu and her followers? They're planning all this, with Yun Xiao as one of their pawns?" the red-robed woman asked with raised eyebrows.

"Though, given the current situation, for Dean Yu to dare to do this is purely a suicidal act, she doesn't have the guts. But... suspicion can be reserved," Dharma Crown He seriously said.

"Makes sense." The red-robed woman gave a cold smile, "The true devil, or, the fake devils like Yu Nichang and her group, one of them... Regardless of who it is, they're challenging us, seeking their own death."

"What do you wish to do, Temple Head?" the crowd asked.

"The case is too significant for me to handle alone; I can only start by seeking clues and points of suspicion while notifying the Three Great Ruins. They will decide whether to report this to the Three Immortals," the red-robed woman stated.

Just as her words fell, someone arrived from outside. It was a dignified and elegant woman in a white dress, her eyes full of blood vessels, slightly unstable on her feet. It was the Celestial Official, Tian Yulan.

"Mystic Zenith Temple Head, you are summoned by the Sky Source Ruins! Please proceed immediately," Tian Yulan said with a trembling voice.

"Understood." The red-robed woman glanced at Tian Yulan and said softly, "My condolences."

Tian Yulan didn't respond but walked past her with heavy steps. Then, she saw her daughter, Tian Yuxue.

As the dot of the

devil

character, Tian Yuxue was too conspicuous, hardly requiring any search.

With a thud, Tian Yulan collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. Her cries were so heart-wrenching that they moved the listeners to tears.

"Sigh." The red-robed woman turned around to leave.

"You must find the murderer and exterminate their family for generations!" Tian Yulan glared.

"Don't worry." The red-robed woman glanced back at her, "This is the Primordial Ruins! Since we've been here, we've never been at a disadvantage."

▬ι══🪦✧⚰️✧🪦══ι▬

In front of the Jade Immortal Tower, a dazzling woman in a crimson dress pierced her own heart, lying in the middle of the street. As she died, she still smiled at the sky, her expression incredibly satisfied.

To her left and right were words formed from fresh blood,

Devil

on the left and

Ark

on the right. She lay in the middle of the

Devil Ark

, her dress spread out like a flower from hell.

More and more people gathered around her! From a few hundred people at the start to thousands, and now tens of thousands!

Tens of thousands of people crowded in the dead of night, indicating the sensational impact.

"The VIP area of the Jade Immortal Tower has been emptied, leaving only the curtains..."

"Have you heard? The disciples of the Pathseeker Society of the Primordial Academy were killed, their heads piled into the shape of the character

Devil

!"

Devil and Devil Ark. These two sites, linked by this event, now shook the entire Primordial Ruins.

It was said that no one dared to move the body of the young mistress of the Jade Immortal Tower, and many were filled with shock, coming out to see the spectacle.

"Could it have been Yun Xiao, that murderous fiend?"

This was everyone's first thought.

"Just kill him already, a thousand cuts and a thousand slices!"

"It must be that beast's doing; if wrong, my brain's grown in vain."

The public, witnessing this horrifying scene, was filled with righteous indignation.

Among the crowd, a young man with silver eyes, Yuan Fu, said to his father, Yuan Zhantian, "More and more people are gathering. It's not suitable for our identities to be exposed, shall we go?"

Yuan Zhantian pressed his lips together, took one last deep look at Tang Wenqian, and nodded. "Let's go!"

Father and son, wearing dark cloaks, squeezed through the crowd and quietly slipped into the darkness to leave.

"Dad, the common folks all think it's Yun Xiao. What do you think?" Yuan Fu asked in a low voice.

"They're all fools. If Yun Xiao could do this by himself, I'd pee with my mouth," Yuan Zhantian said.

"So you mean, it's either a real devil, or the remnants of the former dynasty of the Primordial Academy have gone mad?" Yuan Fu said through clenched teeth.

"I'm inclined to the latter, but I just heard that Dean Yu has already gone to the Sky Source Ruins to prove her innocence," Yuan Zhantian said, pursing his lips.

"Could it really be a devil? Weren't they exterminated by the Martial Emperor Clan? Are there still remnants?" Yuan Fu said incredulously.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet. Keep all possibilities open. This matter is too significant. If we don't find the real culprit, it'll be a disgrace for us, the descendants of the Three Immortals... Let's wait for the Three Great Ruins to investigate!" Yuan Zhantian said.

"Three Immortals Day is coming up soon, and with the Nian causing chaos in the Nine Hells, all sorts of demons and heretical paths are emerging," Yuan Fu said with a cold laugh.

"Yes, and I just heard that those demons from the Forgotten Demon Sea are supposedly planning to

rescue

the Nian. Rescue my foot! The Nian hasn't turned into a demon. If they really rescue it, it might as well go straight to the Forgotten Demon Sea for a seafood feast." Yuan Zhantian chuckled.

"After so many years, the brains of those demons are still filled with seawater," Yuan Fu sneered.

As they talked, they had already returned to their base. Their base was located near the Jade Immortal Tower. As shadow agents of the Three Immortals who shunned the light, they were very low-key in their comings and goings, naturally keeping their base unlit, shrouded in darkness.