The purple cloud true person and the elders frowned.
Unless it was a particularly powerful demonic beast, there would be some residual demonic energy left behind.
But there wasn't the slightest trace of demonic energy here.
If it were a demonic beast of the Nascent Soul stage or even higher, Wang Yang would have been swallowed in one bite.
After much thought, only one possibility remained.
Wang Yang was seeing things, or having hallucinations!
Thinking carefully, it seemed quite possible...
After all, as the eldest disciple of the Second Elder, he must have received many rewards from the Second Elder before.
The effects of the "underworld items" the Second Elder concocted were self-explanatory...
"Wang Yang, has your master ever given you any strange things to eat before?" The purple cloud true person asked with a solemn expression. "Like pills, for example?"
"There were a few times in the past, but not anymore," Wang Yang replied truthfully. "No, Sect Master, aren't we talking about monsters? Why did it turn to my master?"
The purple cloud true person and the elders nodded as if they had an epiphany.
It had taken so long to manifest, it seemed there was still a chance to save him!
"I will handle the matter of the monsters, Sect Master," the purple cloud true person said with a gentle smile, patting Wang Yang's shoulder. "I see you've had a breakthrough in your cultivation recently, let me check for you."
After speaking, the purple cloud true person grabbed Wang Yang's wrist and injected a stream of true energy into him.
A quarter of an hour later, the purple cloud true person released his hand with a smile. "Good, keep it up."
Without waiting for Wang Yang to ask further, he led the elders away.
As soon as they were out the door, the purple cloud true person's expression changed.
"Sect Master, is the situation very serious?" the other elders asked anxiously.
"No trace of poison residue was found. This is a bit troublesome..." the purple cloud true person sighed. "I can only say that the Second Elder's pills are beyond our comprehension... Let's observe for a while longer..."
The elders nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
The Second Elder's existence was beyond the understanding of mortals like them!
The "underworld items" he refined were probably only solvable by legendary immortals...
That night.
Wang Yang lay on his bed.
The Sect Master's behavior and words today made him feel that something was strange, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
It just felt like they were hiding something from him.
This had a lot to do with Wang Yang's personality.
After being taken in by the Second Elder, he was either refining pills or learning how to refine them, and he rarely left the mountain where he lived.
In short, he was a typical shut-in.
This resulted in him having little interaction with others and being weak in social skills.
He tossed and turned in bed, desperately trying to figure out what was wrong.
He thought for several hours...
Around three or four in the morning, Wang Yang finally understood!
No wonder they had asked and said those things before...
So the Sect Master and the others thought my brain was also broken, just like my master's?!
No, my brain is fine!
I'm perfectly normal!
At this moment, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart...
This must be what they call the warmth and coldness of human relationships...
Wang Yang curled into a ball, helpless, clutching the corner of his blanket tightly.
Tears, unbidden, flowed from the corners of his eyes...
Master, please come back soon...
I miss you so much...
...
In the following days, Wang Yang found that things were indeed as he had predicted.
No matter where he went, people looked at him strangely.
It was as if the entire sect was watching him!
He even read various messages from the disciples' eyes.
Indifference!
Mockery!
Contempt!
...
In short, he felt like the whole world was filled with malice towards him!
A few days later.
Purple Cloud Hall.
The purple cloud true person and the elders held a meeting.
There was a small unexpected outcome.
Li Tianju and A Da had scoured an area of tens of thousands of miles in rotation, but found no anomalies.
They had previously suspected that some unwilling individuals from other sects were stirring up trouble, but after secretly observing, they found nothing amiss.
Later, they tried escorting several batches of disciples out for training, and found that nothing happened.
The previous suspicion of someone causing trouble seemed less and less likely...
It looked more and more like a prank by someone with too much time on their hands...
After reminding everyone to remain vigilant, the meeting concluded.
"By the way," the purple cloud true person said, as if remembering something.
"Sect Master, we have other matters, we'll take our leave!" Everyone thought she, the old scoundrel, was going to drag them into playing mahjong again and quickly prepared to slip away.
"I'm not looking for you to play cards!" The purple cloud true person's face instantly turned dark. "I wanted to ask, how has Wang Yang been recently?"
"He hasn't exhibited any unusual behavior," the First Elder quickly replied. "He spends most of his time in his room now and doesn't go out."
"However, some disciples have reported..." the Third Elder frowned. "Wang Yang's gaze the past few days has felt strange..."
"Not only that," the Seventh Elder chimed in. "According to other disciples from Twilight Peak, Wang Yang no longer refines pills or reads books. He just stares into space all day. Sometimes he stares at thin air, sometimes at the image of the Second Elder in the communication jade, muttering something from time to time..."
"Alright, I understand," the purple cloud true person nodded. "Wang Yang's current state is somewhat similar to before the Second Elder completely lost his mind. Everyone, please do not provoke him from now on. Just make sure he doesn't run out of the sect."
"Understood." The crowd echoed, preparing to leave again.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." The purple cloud true person smilingly took out a set of mahjong tiles. "Since you're all here, let's play a few rounds?"
"Whoosh—!" Everyone instantly vanished, not even saying goodbye.
The purple cloud true person looked out the window and sighed helplessly.
"Masters are lonely..."
Town Evil Sect.
Wu Poxie looked at the fragments of the life tablet on the table with a grave expression.
The Third Elder was dead!
Killed by a small sect in a forgotten corner!
It seemed that not only Ye Fan was not simple, but the sect he belonged to was far more complicated than it appeared...
"Tenth Elder, Eleventh Elder." Wu Poxie glanced at the two beside him. "You'll have to trouble yourselves to make a trip to the Purple Cloud Sect."
The two elders felt their scalps tingle.
They had the same cultivation level as the Third Elder, both only at the first level of Void Comprehension.
Now that the Third Elder had been taken down at the Purple Cloud Sect, wouldn't sending themselves be in vain?
"This time, you don't need to enter the Purple Cloud Sect. Just observe secretly from nearby."
Wu Poxie seemed to have noticed their concerns.
"Pay attention to any abnormalities of the opponent, etc. After the matter of the ruins is settled, I will go myself."
"Understood!" The two elders quickly cupped their fists, letting out a sigh of relief.
If they were just secretly observing outside the sect, it would be relatively safe.
To be honest, they really didn't want to be involved in Wu Poxie's revenge.
However, the Town Evil Sect had now become Wu Poxie's private domain, and they dared not disobey...
Besides, they were unwilling to give up the opportunity to exchange cultivation experience with Wu Poxie.
After all, breakthroughs were rapid when cultivated in that way.
"Eighth Elder, Ninth Elder, how is your progress?" After the two left, Wu Poxie continued to inquire.
"Replying to the First Elder, we have made some progress." The Eighth Elder cupped his fists. "Based on the inscriptions and decorative carvings at the entrance of the ruins, that ruin is at least fifty thousand years old."
"The Ninth Elder and I have recently consulted many ancient books and notes, and we preliminarily infer that some of these inscriptions represent power, glory, wealth, and strength."
The Ninth Elder continued:
"If nothing unexpected happens, this ruin was a very powerful sect in its time, possibly not inferior to the top-tier forces in the current Imperial City!"
"As for further information, it will take some more time," the Eighth Elder added.
"Thank you both for your hard work. You may continue with your tasks," Wu Poxie encouraged them before dismissing them.
Afterward, Wu Poxie walked towards the Fifth Elder's residence.
It turned out that before she came out of seclusion, the Town Evil Sect had accidentally discovered an ancient ruin.
It had taken a great deal of effort to open the entrance, but they were blocked by formations, mechanisms, and traps inside.
After several attempts that resulted in considerable losses, they had to temporarily abandon the effort.
Wu Poxie was busy cooperating with the Fifth Elder to study the破解 of the formations, so he had asked other elders to help.
After all, the only ones in the Town Evil Sect proficient in formations were her and the Fifth Elder.
破解 formations was not just about studying how to break the formation at the entrance.
It also involved deducing other possible formations and their破解 methods from this formation, which was a huge amount of work.
Although this would only allow them to破解 a small part of the ruins, it would ultimately prevent some unnecessary losses.
Standing at the Fifth Elder's door, Wu Poxie glanced in the direction of the mountain range where the grand competition was held.
"Those two little whores, I'll let you live a few more days!"