Daoist Competition

Outside the Southwest Dragon Pillar, dozens of tunneling lights flew over and then stopped in front of the pit.

Sect Leader Qiao stepped forward first, glanced around, pondered for a moment, and said to the people behind him, "Junior Bai, take the disciples and set up Array Flags in all four directions. Within thirty miles, no one is allowed to enter or exit. If there is any abnormality, report to me immediately."

Mao Wuwei flipped his eyelids at this time, stepped forward, and stood crosswise in front of Elder Bai, saying, "Hold on."

Elder Bai stopped, cupped his hands, and said, "What teachings does Sect Leader Mao have?"

Mao Wuwei pointed to the three Daoists behind him: "Qianqing," "Shan Cheng," and "Chun Bai," and said, "My three Junior Brothers were well entertained by your sect, had a good meal, and now it’s time to digest. How about letting them accompany Elder Bai?"

Elder Bai snorted; this move was clearly due to distrust of the Zhongtai disciples. However, as the other party was also a sect leader, it was inappropriate to comment, so he looked at Sect Leader Qiao.

Unexpectedly, Sect Leader Qiao was not angry but laughed, "The Qingxuan Three Sages are willing to help, and I am naturally eager for your assistance."

He then instructed Elder Bai, "The three fellow Daoists are guests after all. Sect Leader Mao is being courteous, but you should not take it too seriously. Be cautious in all matters."

Elder Bai understood, bowed, and then called out, "Three Brother Daoists, please follow me."

After speaking, he harnessed the wind and flew north.

Mao Wuwei pursed his lips, and the three followed together.

Sect Leader Qiao then said to the people nearby, "Go summon the disciples on duty to see me."

There were originally disciples patrolling around the Dragon Pillar, but Elder Lin, to facilitate actions and confident with the Triumph Banner obscuring the sky, had already sent them far away. Later, when the Dragon Pillar shook, these disciples, forbidden to approach the Dragon Pillar due to previous orders, were completely unaware of what happened inside. Upon hearing the Sect Leader’s summons, they hurried over, visibly fearful.

Sect Leader Qiao pointed below and asked, "While you were on duty here, did you see any outsiders entering this area earlier?"

One disciple hesitated for a moment, bent, and replied, "Reporting to Sect Leader, an hour ago, Elder Lin said he saw something unusual and ordered us to avoid it. He went in to check personally but has not returned yet."

He Yizhu mocked, "Could it be guarding and stealing?"

Sect Leader Qiao’s face showed displeasure upon hearing this and he flung his sleeve, saying, "I have a clear conscience. I also know the abilities of Sect Leader He. If you don’t trust my Zhongtai, go check for yourself."

Mao Wuwei hurried over to smooth things over, saying, "Sect Leader He, you are in the wrong for this. The matter is yet to be clarified, so how can you make such rash statements?"

He Yizhu chuckled dryly and cupped his hands, "Daoist Brother Qiao, it’s a slip of the tongue from He."

Zhang Yan, since arriving, had been coldly observing without getting involved with the four but was scanning the surroundings. At this moment, he raised his eyebrows as if he sensed something, looked down again, then raised his sleeve and applied it, exerting his Mana, and after a moment, brought up a dried corpse.

Sect Leader Qiao exclaimed upon seeing it, "Junior Lin!"

Everyone at the scene immediately focused their gaze. As senior members, they naturally were knowledgeable and instantly recognized that Elder Lin had died drained of Essence Blood.

Chen Yuan frowned, "Such evil and poisonous means, could it be one of the Evil Sect remnants?"

Zhang Yan slightly shook his head and said, "Not necessarily."

After the Dragon Pillar Meeting, Sect Leader Qiao was very convinced by Zhang Yan, and facing the Southern Three Sects’ Leaders now, felt he still needed to rely on him, so he cupped his hands, "True Master Zhang, did you discern any clue?"

Zhang Yan said, "If the Evil Sect Cultivator committed murder, why leave traces of the corpse? Are they not afraid of revealing their origins? Therefore, in my humble opinion, either Elder Lin encountered something vicious, or was struck by some sinister Dharma Treasure, and the perpetrator was in such haste that they couldn’t clean up and left in a hurry."

Mao Wuwei pondered and agreed, "Indeed, True Master Zhang makes sense. If I were the perpetrator, I would certainly ensure the destruction of the corpse and traces."

He Yizhu impatiently said, "Everyone, the urgent matter now is to ascertain whether the item below has been taken. Other matters can be discussed later."

Chen Yuan said, "Among us, Sect Leader He is the most skilled at identifying Spirits and investigating Mana. Why not invite Sect Leader He to investigate?"

Mao Wuwei naturally agreed, "That sounds good."

Sect Leader Qiao remained silent, which was tacit agreement.

Elder Lin had died an hour ago, and such a commotion arose here. The Daoist Books below, if not already taken, are irrelevant to inspect now.