Song Jiaojiao was dead. Li Qingran was not.
After sorting out this cause and effect, Lu Changtian found it even more unbelievable.
What kind of strength did Li Qingran have? At most, she was a slightly above-average martial artist whose body had been nourished by spiritual energy over the years.
And Song Jiaojiao? If he remembered correctly, she was at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
At that level, killing Li Qingran should have been as easy as squashing an ant.
Yet the result was—Song Jiaojiao died?!
"Did Li Qingran kill Song Jiaojiao?" Lu Changtian glared at Yang Botao.
"I… I don't know." Yang Botao was terrified and stammered, "I only told her to kill Li Qingran. At first, she was unwilling, but I promised her a Foundation Establishment Pill, so she went. Then I left to collect spirit stones to buy the pill… When I got back to my cave, I found her soul lamp shattered."
When a soul lamp goes out, it means death.
At least for cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, this was an iron law.
A soul lamp carries a fragment of the soul and a drop of blood.
Once the main soul perishes, the fragment becomes rootless and dissipates.
"Changtian-ge, something's really strange about this," Mu Baishuang put on a frightened expression. "I heard the Demonic Sect has been stirring up trouble in the Cangyun Realm again. What if Senior Sister Li was possessed by a devil cultivator?
Even though she's no longer part of Qingyun Sect, I still hope she hasn't fallen into the hands of the Demonic Sect."
Lu Changtian's face darkened, his mind churning.
Yang Botao was definitely going to be punished—there was no escaping that.
As for Li Qingran… her situation was very strange. He didn't care whether she lived or died, but she definitely couldn't be allowed to become a hidden threat to Qingyun Sect.
Whether she killed Song Jiaojiao through some coincidence or because of something more sinister, it had to be clarified.
Just then, Mu Baishuang chimed in again:
"Changtian-ge, after all, Sister Qingran was once one of us in Chixiao Peak. We can't just leave her to die out there in Wanquing Mountain. What will the other peaks think of us? No matter what really happened, we should bring her back—even if just as a menial worker. That's still better than leaving her out there to die."
She pretended as if she had just learned of Li Qingran's whereabouts, her eyes filled with sorrow and compassion.
"You truly are kind-hearted, little junior sister. After all the pain Li Qingran caused you, you're still speaking up for her. Zhang Hanxiao should've just finished her off back then."
Though Lu Changtian gritted his teeth, he still took her words to heart.
If Song Jiaojiao had died by accident, they could simply send Li Qingran far away from Wanquing Mountain and Qingyun Sect.
But if Li Qingran had really killed her—whether through some lucky encounter or due to possession by a demonic cultivator—she would become a ticking time bomb. Better to keep her nearby than let her explode where they couldn't see.
Still, Lu Changtian believed the first scenario was more likely.
Aside from demonic possession or turning to the Demonic Sect, he couldn't imagine how someone with no spiritual root or dantian could possibly kill a Qi Refining level 9 cultivator.
His master once said: only a Hunyuan Butian Dan could restore a dantian.
That was an ancient divine pill—Li Qingran couldn't have possibly gotten one, right?
"Don't worry, junior sister. I'll report all of this to Master. No matter what, I'll make sure you get a satisfactory answer."
Lu Changtian gently patted Mu Baishuang's head, smiling tenderly.
"Song Jiaojiao didn't die in vain. If Li Qingran isn't the killer, then bringing her back to Chixiao Peak is no big deal. She's just a mortal—we can afford to keep her."
"Mmhm! Changtian-ge, you're the best~"
Mu Baishuang smiled sweetly, a flash of cunning glinting in her eyes.
…
Lu Changtian reported the mysterious death of Song Jiaojiao and the suspicions about Li Qingran to the sect.
Sect Master Wu Duantian took the matter very seriously.
First, he punished Yang Botao with six months of meditation at Thunder Cliff and revoked all resource allocations for one month.
Then, he appointed Lu Changtian as leader of a law enforcement team to investigate the matter in Wanquing Mountain.
Before departure, everyone gathered at the Discipline Hall, where Wu Duantian reminded them solemnly:
"If you encounter members of the Demonic Sect, do not act recklessly. Demon cultivators are cunning—what they show you may not reflect their true strength. Lu Changtian, your top priority is to use the Sound Transmission Jade to report back to the sect!"
"Rest assured, Sect Master. I will act with caution." Lu Changtian bowed respectfully, then turned to seek guidance from the Chixiao Peak master, Daoist Qingxuan.
Daoist Qingxuan stroked his beard and squinted. "You've always been steady in your work. I won't say much. Go on."
Lu Changtian, hearing this, drew his flying sword from his waist with a suave flourish, causing a wave of starstruck sighs from the female disciples.
Just as he and the others were about to take off, a sudden thunderclap rang out above them.
BOOM—!
The entire sky of Cangyun Realm shifted dramatically.
A clear sky darkened with thick clouds, and blood-red lightning danced through them.
A wave of spiritual pressure swept across the land like a divine consciousness, heavy and overwhelming.
Lu Changtian's mind went blank. The moment he stepped on his flying sword, he collapsed straight to the ground.
The disciples of Qingyun Sect looked up in horror.
Sect Master Wu Duantian and the various peak elders were also filled with grim expressions.
"What's going on these days? Every afternoon someone is divining the heavenly secrets?"
Divining the heavens was something only powerful cultivators would do when facing an impossible conundrum.
Even then, it required specialized techniques, and the price was high—draining spiritual energy, damaging destiny and fortune.
Most cultivators could only afford to do it once a year.
Now it was happening once per day?!
Just yesterday, a divine pill had appeared in Wanquing Mountain.
Could these events be connected?
"This Cangyun Realm… is becoming more and more unfathomable."
Wu Duantian murmured, deeply moved.
Cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage may appear powerful, but beneath the true forces of heaven and earth, they were mere ants.
Even those great figures who divined the heavens daily had yet to find a solution.
What could lowly cultivators like them do in the face of such a perilous future?
"Lu Changtian," Wu Duantian withdrew his gaze from the grim skies and said, "for safety's sake, you and the enforcement disciples should go on foot."
"With mighty cultivators manipulating the heavens, even demonic cultivators will lie low. Whether you go now or later won't matter much—but keep a low profile."
"…Yes," Lu Changtian replied grimly.
He glanced at the dark sky above him, clenching his fists.
One day, I'll become someone like that too…
Just the act of divining the heavens had terrified everyone into avoiding flying swords!
---
"Divining the heavens—are you AI or something?"
Standing at the bathroom door in his pajamas, Chen Huaian was jabbing at his phone.
[Divining the Heavens… Divination failed. Please ask another question.]
"When does one plus one equal three?"
[Divining the hea… One plus one equals two. Please ask another question.]
"Ten birds on a tree. You shoot one. How many are left?"
[Divining the… One is dead on the ground. None left on the tree. Next. Question.]
"Heh, this is fun~"
"But there must be a GM behind this," Chen Huaian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Normal trick questions could stump AI, but not this [Heavenly Divination]? That meant someone real had to be behind it.
If that was the case…
"Can I get a dev account? I promise I'll give daily feedback and test everything thoroughly. Just stop scamming me with money. I've already learned Golden Needle Acupuncture—sounds fake, but it's real, like getting superpowers from senior-citizen tai chi.
Now my healing is like magic. If any of you ever lose a limb, come to me—I'll fix it for free."
He typed that word-for-word and hit send.
The [Heavenly Divination] window immediately closed.
"Tch, stingy." Chen Huaian pouted.
Fine. If they ever need Master Chen to heal their arms and legs, they better not come begging.
"How to restore a spiritual root?"
He opened the Heavenly Divination again with a serious question this time.
Li Qingran was still absorbing the [Immortal-grade Hunyuan Butian Dan]. As a legendary divine pill, it obviously couldn't be digested in a short time.
So, bored, he returned to pestering the divination system.
Li Qingran had two big issues: her dantian and her spiritual root.
The dantian had been dealt with, but there was still no solid solution for the spiritual root.
[Divination complete!]
[Spiritual roots cannot be repaired—but they can be artificially implanted! The Cultivation Battle Pass has captured a sliver of heavenly insight for you.
Top up ¥12,888 to get 10,000x returns!
Reach Qi Refining Completion, Foundation Establishment Mid, Late, and Completion stages for massive rewards!
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[Would you like to activate the "Qi Refining Mid ~ Foundation Completion" Cultivation Battle Pass?]
Chen Huaian: "…"
"Only a dog would activate that!"