Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

To think that Song Tianyang, one of the Eastern Domain’s Five Great Demon Fiends, would be so deferential to a young woman. More importantly, Lin Yun also recognized this young woman whom Song Tianyang addressed as "Miss"—it was Qing Zhu, who had vanished without a trace from Yanhuang Country.

Seated on the main seat, Qing Zhu was as refreshingly elegant as ever. The only difference from her time in Yanhuang Country was her aura. While still beautiful, the current Qing Zhu radiated a powerful dignity—the authority of a superior, like a queen.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ll handle this. It’s not a good time to expose your identity," Qing Zhu said coolly to Song Tianyang, then waved her hand, dismissing him.

At this, Song Tianyang respectfully exited the grand hall. He was deeply afraid of Qing Zhu, but at the same time, he harbored a profound admiration for her. He feared her methods, but he admired her because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

After Song Tianyang left, two figures emerged from the shadows of the grand hall. One was an old man, and the other was Guang Xuanji of Flawless Palace.

"Xuanji, there’s no need for you to return to Flawless Palace. Lin Yun now knows your identity," Qing Zhu said coolly, looking at Guang Xuanji.

"I understand," Guang Xuanji replied, her tone just as cool.

Her gaze fell upon the old man. He was short and stood there without the slightest trace of an aura leaking from his body, as if he were an ordinary person.

But to assume this old man was truly ordinary would be a grave mistake. If a Spirit Realm expert were present, they would surely discover that the old man’s cultivation was also at the Spirit Realm.

"Miss, please allow this old servant to handle the matter," the old man offered before Qing Zhu could even speak.

Qing Zhu nodded slightly. In response, the old man’s figure vanished from the grand hall into thin air.

Qing Zhu’s identity was becoming more and more bewildering. The "Miss" that Chang Jing had mentioned was actually her. Even Song Tianyang, one of the Eastern Domain’s Five Great Demon Fiends, was a member of this organization. On top of that, Qing Zhu even had Spirit Realm experts at her command. If Lin Yun were to find out about all this, one could only wonder what he would think.

"Miss, about Lin Yun..." Guang Xuanji began after the old man left.

"There’s no need." Qing Zhu said with a light laugh, signaling to Guang Xuanji not to make a move on Lin Yun. "I truly want to see how far he can go. I’ve trusted my intuition ever since we first met, and it looks like I wasn’t wrong."

With Chang Jing dead, Flawless Palace launched a full investigation. Once the conflicts among the Core Disciples crossed the line for Luo Feng and the others, he and the Six Supreme Elders would undoubtedly strike like thunder.

「Three days passed.」

Lin Yun’s life returned to a state of peace. He spent every day engrossed in his cultivation, and the Gravity Cultivation Chamber became part of his daily routine.

However, this tranquility was merely superficial. While the conflicts between Core Disciples had paused thanks to Luo Feng and his group, over the past three days, no fewer than a hundred Disciples and Elders of Flawless Palace had died under mysterious circumstances.

Luo Feng, however, suppressed news of these incidents, so the average disciple had no way of finding out.

Notably, the hundred who had died so bizarrely all shared one common trait: every one of them had been a target of suspicion for Luo Feng and his group.

The moment Luo Feng’s group found a clue suspecting someone of being connected to the mysterious organization, that person would, without fail, turn up dead under bizarre circumstances the very next day.

At that moment, Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders were gathered in the grand hall. The expressions on all seven faces were grim. The Supreme Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall spoke with a heavy voice.

"It seems we’ve underestimated the situation. This mysterious organization’s power is likely far from simple."

Hearing this, Luo Feng nodded. "A hundred people have died mysteriously in three days. Fifty of them were Outer Disciples, forty were Inner Sect Disciples, seven were Direct Disciples, and three were Elders. It looks like their infiltration of Flawless Palace didn’t just happen overnight."

Such a high death toll, with every victim killed covertly, had put Luo Feng on high alert against this mysterious organization.

"Based on the current situation, the organization’s strength certainly can’t be underestimated. But what is their objective? And who is its leader?" one of the Supreme Elders asked.

The Six Supreme Elders and Luo Feng all felt a heavy weight in their hearts. This mysterious organization that had appeared out of nowhere was like a dense fog.

Everything was a mystery. At the same time, the power they had demonstrated was terrifying. After all, what kind of ordinary faction could kill people so freely within the walls of Flawless Palace?

Frowning in thought for a moment, Luo Feng came to a swift decision. "It seems we can no longer operate as we have been. Effective immediately, all conflict between Core Disciples is forbidden. From now on, anyone found participating in such conflicts will be severely punished, regardless of their status."

With things having reached this point, Luo Feng and the others could no longer turn a blind eye.

Soon, Lin Yun and the other Core Disciples received the news: Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders had decided to no longer permit any conflict to occur within Flawless Palace.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Yun wasn’t particularly surprised. ’This was to be expected.’ With a small smile, he didn’t give it much more thought and resumed his daily cultivation.

Flawless Palace grew quiet, but over the past few days, Gong Lingqi had been worried sick. Guang Xuanji had vanished as if into thin air. Gong Lingqi searched all over Flawless Palace but couldn’t find a single trace of her.

"Lingqi, stop looking for that woman. It’s been confirmed that she’s part of that mysterious organization. You absolute fool, being used for so long without even realizing it!" Gong Lingqi had been summoned by his master, who was now scolding him angrily.

Being fiercely berated by his master, Gong Lingqi didn’t dare to talk back. In his heart, however, he still couldn’t let go of Guang Xuanji. She was like a poison, and by now, Gong Lingqi was thoroughly addicted.

Seeing his disciple in this state, Gong Lingqi’s master knew he still hadn’t let go of Guang Xuanji. He roared, "Unruly disciple! I am punishing you with one month of reflection on Jingsi Cliff! Go and clear your head!"

Punishing his disciple to reflect on Jingsi Cliff was, in reality, a way to protect him. If Gong Lingqi couldn’t forget Guang Xuanji and became entangled with this mysterious organization, there would likely be no place left for him in Flawless Palace.

After Gong Lingqi left, the Supreme Elder of the Punishment Hall emerged from an inner room. Looking at Gong Lingqi’s master, he said, "Sending him to Jingsi Cliff is merely treating the symptom, not the root cause."

"Then what other choice is there? Chang Jing has already defected. I don’t want to watch my own disciple suffer the same fate," Gong Lingqi’s master replied slowly.

(Twenty-ninth update. Please add to your library, vote with a Monthly Pass, recommend, and support the author!)