The midnight sky erupted in a deeper shade of darkness when a rift in space opened, allowing an old man to emerge.
His white robes were pristine, unlike the tattered ones his previous colleague wore under his piercing folded eyes. His long ivory hair streaked like a white flame when he touched the ground with a soundless kick.
Having sensed something amiss earlier, he went and checked the illusion containing the dead Elder Xiaosi.
Indeed, why has his Lùdì (soil) jade slip light dimmed away earlier than expected?
When it happened a few days ago, he didn't pay much attention to it, chalking it up to a minor technical mistake that would rectify itself a while later.
After all, he had more pressing matters that required his care than worry about something that inconsequential because the alternative would be incongruous.
But as time passed and the jade slip remained dull and lifeless, doubt began to creep inside his mind.
Obviously, the poison would take many more days to evanesce into something acceptable, so what happened?
Was there a malfunction anywhere?
That was unlikely, for as far as he knew these Lùdì jade slips never failed them…
But just to be on the safe side, he came as soon as he could after he dealt with his duties, if only to ease this nagging feeling…
Well, he'll find out the truth in a moment…
Opening a crack, he stepped inside and what he saw left him stunned.
The poisonous mana pervading the place was gone!
His detached pointy ears twitched while his eyes bulged.
Who could have done it?
What if…
He rushed towards the corpse and checked his ruby bracelet.
A frustrated roar pierced the night sky as a surge of mana blew everything within twelve feet aside, including the corpse who almost flew out of the illusion.
Even the mana residue lodged deep within the furrows blustered their path away from there, merging their way back within the ambient heaven and earth energy.
The Long artifact is gone!
Who stole it?
The imperial family? No, they haven't been aware that they had it for decades, and they would've knocked on their door with hell to pay if they were behind this stunt.
Another enemy? Despite their rivalries with other sects, they were secretive enough and amicable enough to prevent any lasting grudges with them, so he could take them out of the equation.
Which left…
His student, who's been skittish in the Core Court recently over the uncharacteristic disappearance of his master lately…
No, despite his similar talent in poisons, even he couldn't have dispelled the poisonous mana despite how benefic it would've been for him, as he was close but not quite reached the venom body stage yet.
That could only leave a filthy rogue cultivator or a group of them with high attainments in letter energy to open the illusion and left it intact after they took everything of value!
What impudence!
Insolence!
This interloper will pay for what he or she has done!
Stealing from their sect is a crime responsible by death!
This letter and poison masters will soon understand the breath of hell coming out of their ass!
It's increasingly clear that their Sect is becoming softer over the years that even random mercenaries take it upon themselves to not only interfere, but plunder what should obviously be a business these pieces of trash should never even attempt to butt in!
And they even left the grand illusion active to rub it on their faces!
The Sect face!
Wait till the Sect regains its past glory and they shall see-
Taking a deep breath under his clean-shaven face, the elder collected his raging thoughts as he retrieved his erratic aura, returning the ambient atmosphere to its usual stillness.
He now, had to be careful anyway, since he didn't know the thief's cultivation realm.
But how could they stand a chance against a rare Conqueror ranked cultivator like he was? Plus, it had to take a while for them to fully digest the energy unless it runs amok within them and blow their as*es up!
Closing his eyes, his mind focused on the residual mana swirling around him.
He soon finds out two faint, but foreign energy signatures.
They pointed in a direction.
Were they behind this?
With a kick, he left the place to investigate.
They couldn't have been that far anyway…