Above Yunze Market, a figure stood in mid-air.

It was an old man, dressed in the Elder robes of the Heavenly Veil Sect. With completely white hair and a thin face, he stood atop the clouds with his hands behind his back.

Behind him stood seventy-eight Law Enforcement Hall cultivators. Every single one of them had their hands cupped in salute and their heads bowed, not even daring to breathe loudly. Li Xiuyuan was among them.

“Manager Li.” The old man’s voice was not loud, but it carried an imposing aura without him having to show anger. “My two disciples died under unclear circumstances in your Yunze Market. I did not travel thousands of miles just to drink tea; I need an explanation.”

Li Xiuyuan felt like he was about to shatter his back molars from gritting them so hard. It was true that he was at the Late Golden Core stage, and he was considered a notable figure in the Yunze Market’s Law Enforcement Hall, but the person before him was a Nascent Soul Elder of the Heavenly Veil Sect, whose Cultivation Base was an entire major realm higher than his own.

Nascent Soul against Golden Core, that was not a difference of strength, but a difference of whether one could even survive.

“Elder Fu Yuan,” Li Xiuyuan braced himself and cupped his hands. “It seems your esteemed disciples, Li Hanyuan and Zhou Ruoshui, came into conflict with the disciple of a Nascent Soul Powerhouse. According to the descriptions of the cultivators who witnessed the scene, it was Li Hanyuan who first heavily injured the other party’s disciple…” He subconsciously lowered his voice as he reached this point. “…Subsequently, he was slain on the spot by the other party with a Sword Talisman.”

Fu Yuan’s gaze pierced Li Xiuyuan’s face like two knives. Li Xiuyuan felt the skin on his face burning faintly, and he hurriedly added, “The rights and wrongs of this matter are still under investigation by the Law Enforcement Hall—”

“Where is the person?”

“We are still investigating…”

“Investigating?” Fu Yuan’s Spiritual Pressure suddenly grew heavier. It was as if an invisible giant palm had pressed down from the air. Li Xiuyuan’s knees bent slightly, and the Flying Sword beneath his feet trembled.

Behind him, the faces of several Foundation Establishment Stage disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall turned deathly pale. One with the lowest Cultivation Base was already tottering, relying entirely on his companions’ support to keep from plummeting from the clouds.

“This Yunze Market is barely a hundred miles in radius. Your Law Enforcement Hall has been here for hundreds of years, and there are still things you cannot find out?” Fu Yuan’s voice was icy cold and unforgiving. “Or is it that Manager Li thinks this old man is easy to fool?”

“Senior, please quell your anger! The other party’s methods were masterful. After a single sword strike, they disappeared without a trace. Our preliminary speculation is that the person who attacked is a Sword Cultivator at least at the Nascent Soul level. We truly have the will but lack the strength.”

Fu Yuan fell silent for a moment. A trace of apprehension flashed through his eyes, but it was immediately suppressed by an even deeper anger. So what if they were at the Nascent Soul stage? Although his Heavenly Veil Sect was not a top-tier Sect, it was not a lamb waiting to be slaughtered either.

His eldest personal disciple had been slain in the middle of the street. If he just let the matter drop, how could he, Fu Yuan, ever hold his head high in the Cangwu Realm again?

He raised his right hand slightly, and a ball of Spiritual Power began to gather in his palm as he intended to make an example out of someone.

“Daoist Brother Fu Yuan.”

A gentle voice came from below. The Spiritual Power in Fu Yuan’s hand paused slightly. Looking down, he saw Elder Sun stepping on a wisp of azure cloud, rising unhurriedly from the center of the Market.

Fu Yuan narrowed his eyes and quietly withdrew the Spiritual Power in his palm. “Elder Sun. We haven’t seen each other for many days; I trust you have been well.”

Elder Sun stopped a few dozen feet away from him and cupped his hands slightly. “Daoist Brother Fu Yuan has traveled from afar and should have been an honored guest of Yunze Market. It’s just that this time… what happened to your esteemed disciple is truly regrettable. If Daoist Brother trusts this old man, why not come with me to the scene of the incident to take a look? Perhaps we can find some clues.”

Fu Yuan stared at Elder Sun for a few breaths and gave a cold snort, serving as tacit consent. Elder Sun waved at the few Law Enforcement Hall disciples behind him, signaling them not to follow, before turning and flying toward a corner of the Market. Fu Yuan followed closely behind.

The two landed in the narrow alley. It had been sealed off by the Law Enforcement Hall for a day and a night. The Spiritual Lamps on both sides had not been relit, and in the dim light, the sword mark on the bluestone ground remained clearly visible.

Standing before the sword mark, the expression on Fu Yuan’s face froze.

His Spiritual Sense had only lightly touched the sword intent lingering within the mark, yet he felt as if his Divine Sense had been viciously stabbed by something.

Fu Yuan’s pupils shrank slightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. “This sword intent… who delivered this strike?”

Elder Sun stood by his side, his gaze also falling on the sword mark, his eyes profound. He did not answer immediately, for he did not know the answer either.

Fu Yuan stared at the sword mark for a long while before finally withdrawing his gaze.

He turned around, the killing intent on his face mostly restrained, but his voice remained cold and hard. “Elder Sun, this incident happened in Yunze Market, so the Law Enforcement Hall must give me an explanation. No matter what the other party’s Cultivation Base is, a disciple of my Heavenly Veil Sect cannot die in vain.”

Elder Sun nodded slightly: “That is naturally so. The Law Enforcement Hall has already made this case its top priority. Regardless of the other party’s origins, we will definitely get to the bottom of it.”

Fu Yuan gave a cold snort and said no more. With a flicker of his figure, he vanished at the end of the alley.

Elder Sun stood alone in place, gazing at the sword mark in silence for a long time.

Both he and Fu Yuan were at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage. Having cultivated in the Cangwu Realm for hundreds of years, they had witnessed countless duels between experts and life-and-death struggles.

But a sword strike like this, he had never seen. To be able to condense sword intent to such a degree… this was no Nascent Soul method.

Neither of them was willing to say the words, but they both knew it clearly in their hearts: Deity Transformation.

In the entire Cangwu Realm, there were only a handful of known Deity Transformation cultivators, and the whereabouts of each one tugged at the nerves of every major faction.

When did another one emerge? Since when had such a mighty figure hidden in this inconspicuous alley in Yunze Market? Elder Sun looked up at the darkening sky and let out a soft sigh.

I fear the heavens might change.

After seeing Ruan Se off, Lai Li’an turned around and returned to Su Wan’er’s bedside.

He brought over a low stool, sat down in front of the bed, and looked down at the young girl’s peaceful sleeping face.

Her breathing was much steadier than before, and a faint hint of color had returned to her cheeks. She looked as if she were merely asleep.

Lai Li’an reached out to touch her forehead but withdrew his hand halfway.

Looking at the deepening twilight outside the window, he suddenly felt a bit ridiculous.

When he had first transmigrated, he only wanted to cultivate, to become stronger, and to survive in this dog-eat-dog world.

To him, Su Wan’er had initially been nothing more than an EXP pack. Yet, without him realizing when it happened, this silly girl who was always letting her imagination run wild seemed to have become more than just a mere tool.

Lai Li’an gave a self-deprecating laugh, withdrew his gaze, and stopped dwelling on it.

Right now, there was only one thing that mattered: obtaining the Azure Profound Root. And the only way to get the Azure Profound Root was to have Ruan Se win the championship at the Alchemy Conference.

He stood up, smoothed out his robes, and turned to leave the room.