Translator: Cinder Translations
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Zhang Xiaofan moved swiftly, and soon he was only a few miles away from the Corpse Demon Sect.
At such a close distance, for a Golden Core cultivator, it would only take a few dozen breaths of time.
Zhang Xiaofan, who had been on edge, gradually began to relax.
Along the way, he had been worried that 'Ji Yin' might change his mind and suddenly turn on him midway.
Zhang Xiaofan stopped at a concealed spot at the foot of a mountain. After spreading his spiritual sense and confirming that no one was around, he activated his spiritual power and slapped his own chest with a forceful strike.
"Poof!"
Fresh blood mixed with unknown internal organ fragments spewed out, staining large areas of his clothes red.
Zhang Xiaofan's breath instantly became weak and ragged.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he staggered toward the mountain gate of the Corpse Demon Sect.
The deaths of Lu Cang and Lu Chan would surely have drawn the attention of the Corpse Demon Sect.
If the murderer wasn't found, the Sect would sooner or later suspect him.
Therefore, someone had to take the fall for the deaths of Lu Cang and Lu Chan.
In Zhang Xiaofan's view, the best person to take the blame was 'Ji Yin.'
'Ji Yin' was a traitor to the Corpse Demon Sect, holding a deep grudge against it. It would make sense for him to kill Corpse Demon Sect cultivators in his pursuit of revenge.
Moreover, 'Ji Yin' had the strength to do so, after all, he had a top-tier third-stage corpse puppet.
The only flaw in this plan was the recording stone in 'Ji Yin's' possession.
He never expected that Song Wen had secretly used a recording stone to capture the process of him killing Lu Chan.
However, Zhang Xiaofan's soul lamp was with the Corpse Demon Sect, so there was no way for him to escape. He had no choice but to proceed according to the plan they had set.
If the footage in the recording stone were to be exposed, he would have no choice but to flee.
Zhang Xiaofan, staggering, arrived at the mountain gate of the Corpse Demon Sect.
Then, as if he had been severely injured and unable to control his body, he suddenly collapsed to the ground.
This sudden change immediately startled the guards at the mountain gate, who turned to look.
"Someone, take me to see the Elder Miao Tong from the Law Enforcement Hall."
As he spoke, Zhang Xiaofan spat out another mouthful of blood.
Two guards at the Foundation Establishment stage quickly rushed to Zhang Xiaofan's side.
"Elder Fancheng, your injuries are serious. Do you need us to give you some healing medicine?" one of them asked.
Zhang Xiaofan waved them off. "No need, just take me to see Elder Miao immediately. Don't concern yourselves with anything else."
"Yes!"
The two guards used their spiritual power to lift Zhang Xiaofan, flying towards the middle of Corpse Demon Mountain.
Soon, a black stone building, built into the mountainside, appeared before them.
The guards led Zhang Xiaofan into the stone hall, and one of them quickly instructed the hall's attendant.
"Hurry, inform Elder Miao. Elder Fancheng has urgent business and needs to report to him immediately."
After a moment, the attendant nodded and hurriedly walked into the side hall.
Soon after, a middle-aged male cultivator, with a lean and emaciated frame, emerged from the side hall.
This man was the "Elder Miao Tong of the Law Enforcement Hall" Zhang Xiaofan had mentioned.
"Fancheng, you've finally shown up. If you didn't, I would have gone to the Ten Thousand Souls Hall to retrieve your soul lamp and track your soul," Miao Tong said in a somewhat unfriendly tone.
Zhang Xiaofan, severely injured, sat cross-legged on the ground. He didn't mind the doubt in Miao Tong's tone, and in his panic and sorrow, he hurriedly spoke.
"Elder Miao, my master and my wife were killed by Ji Yin. You must avenge them, Elder Miao. Cough, cough..."
At the mention of his grief, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't hold back and coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.
It was clear that before Zhang Xiaofan arrived, Miao Tong had already heard of the deaths of Lu Cang and Lu Chan. He asked.
"Who is Ji Yin?"
Zhang Xiaofan then briefly described Ji Yin's past.
After listening, Miao Tong furrowed his brows. He didn't easily believe Zhang Xiaofan's words.
"According to you, Ji Yin is a traitor to the sect, who has been estranged from the sect for a hundred years. He should have stayed far from the sect. Why would he risk coming back to kill Lu Cang and his daughter?"
Zhang Xiaofan responded, "There was also a female disciple named Chen Yi who joined the sect with Ji Yin. She and Ji Yin are from the same village and grew up together. Chen Yi's death is related to my wife, and Ji Yin harbors a deep grudge. He killed my master and my wife to avenge Chen Yi."
Miao Tong didn't comment on Zhang Xiaofan's words, but he asked, "Describe in detail how Ji Yin killed Lu Cang and his daughter."
Zhang Xiaofan replied, "My wife, master, and I were piloting a flying ship when we passed through a mountain valley southeast of the sect, a thousand miles away. We were ambushed by Ji Yin. He controlled a top-tier third-stage corpse puppet and suddenly appeared from the valley, destroying our ship."
"My master, in order to protect me and my wife, stepped forward to fight the corpse puppet, while I assisted my master from the side. My master controlled his third-tier late-stage ghost king, which could fight Ji Yin to a standstill. But when Ji Yin saw he couldn't defeat my master immediately, he used a dirty trick. His corpse puppet crushed a jade vial, releasing Corrosive Soul Smoke."
"My master, not noticing in time, was poisoned by the Corrosive Soul Smoke, weakening his strength, and ultimately was killed by Ji Yin. However, Ji Yin paid a heavy price, being injured by my master's ghost king."
"After my master died, I knew I was no match for Ji Yin, so I could only escape with my wife. But Ji Yin didn't let up and pursued us. I fought back desperately, but ultimately, I wasn't Ji Yin's match. My wife was also killed by Ji Yin, and I was severely injured and had to flee."
"Ji Yin came after me again, but his injuries were also serious. His spiritual power had been severely depleted, and in the end, he gave up when he couldn't catch up."
Zhang Xiaofan spoke with a heavy heart, recounting the story he had already devised.
Miao Tong scrutinized Zhang Xiaofan carefully. He found that aside from the part about Zhang Xiaofan, Ji Yin, and Chen Yi all entering the sect together, the rest of the events could not be verified.
Therefore, it was impossible to determine whether Zhang Xiaofan was telling the truth.
Zhang Xiaofan was a Golden Core elder of the sect, and without any evidence, they couldn't easily search his soul.
If a soul search were to harm his soul, the sect would lose another Golden Core cultivator.
"Why did your family go to the mountain valley a thousand miles southeast of the sect?" Miao Tong asked.
Zhang Xiaofan answered, "My wife recently encountered a bottleneck in her cultivation and was feeling troubled. So, I decided to take her out to relax. Coincidentally, my master also had some free time, so the three of us went together. Our destination was Tian Mountain Lake, far to the southeast, but we passed through that mountain valley on the way."
After finishing, he suddenly remembered something and added.
"Yesterday, when we left the sect, we met Elder Zhou from the Artifact Refining Room and two Foundation Establishment elders from the Sect. They can confirm my story."
"I will verify this. I will also send people to investigate the mountain valley where you were ambushed. You should go back and heal your wounds," Miao Tong said.
Zhang Xiaofan looked filled with grief and anger. "My master and wife are both dead at Ji Yin's hands. Until the murderer is caught, how can I rest and heal? Elder Miao, I beg you, send someone to hunt down Ji Yin and avenge my master and wife."
Miao Tong responded, "I also want to capture Ji Yin. But after killing, he must have already fled far away. Finding him won't be easy."
(End of the Chapter)
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