After lunch, it was already three in the afternoon.
Everyone returned to the Myriad Law Altar, their spirits much improved.
Following a session of information exchange, the remaining three matches were all clarified.
Lin Zitong would face Yi Hehuan, the female Taoist from Longhu Mountain would contend with Luo Ning, and the male Taoist from Longhu Mountain would battle Yuan Jianxin.
Now, in the quarter-finals, each match carried immense weight. Everyone's focus was heightened, determined not to miss a single detail.
"Little girl, go for it!" Yan Shouyi embraced everyone's dream goddess amidst envious glances.
Revenge for a stolen wife, a feud of unending bitterness!
Kill Yan Shouyi, seize Lin Zitong!
Such slogans had already spread throughout Longhu Mountain during lunch.
Lin Zitong gave Yan Shouyi a shy glare before stepping onto the Myriad Law Altar.
Lin Zitong had shone brightly before, accumulating a large fan base. As soon as she took the stage, many spectators cheered, surprisingly with a majority of female disciples.
Indeed, excellent women appealed to both genders.
The Second Elder of Longhu Mountain announced, "For the second match of the quarter-finals, it is Lin Zitong of Lushan Sect versus Yi Hehuan of Wuzhen Sect!"
"Yi Hehuan, where are you? Hurry to the stage!"
"Yi Hehuan of Wuzhen Sect, quickly to the stage!"
The Second Elder called out several times, but no one appeared on stage.
This left everyone bewildered.
What was going on with Yi Hehuan?
She had shown some skill earlier; surely she wouldn't be scared and flee now, would she?
Even if she couldn't win, she could at least concede, there was no need to simply not show up!
Everyone began to look around, searching for Yi Hehuan.
Yan Shouyi and the others glanced towards the direction of Wuzhen Sect, noticing that the disciples there looked flustered, as if they had encountered something strange.
"What's wrong with them?" He Xiping asked.
Long Feicheng laughed heartily, "What else could be wrong? We're old acquaintances with that Yi Hehuan. She's probably afraid of meeting my sister-in-law on the Myriad Law Altar, where old and new grudges would be settled, and she'd be beaten so badly she couldn't get off the stage. So, she simply forfeited!"
Zhao Yiyao gritted her teeth, "If she didn't run, I'll find trouble with her once we're down the mountain."
Although Zhao Yiyao didn't approve of Fukada Ichiro, he was still a member of the Zhao family. She felt this revenge must be taken if the opportunity arose.
At this moment, the people from Wuzhen Sect waved to the Old Heavenly Master.
The Old Heavenly Master naturally wouldn't enter the arena himself, but sent Zhang Shanli to communicate.
Seeing this, Yan Shouyi released his Sanyuan, letting it hover in the sky, subtly listening to what the Wuzhen Sect people were saying.
Zhang Shanli quickly approached the Wuzhen Sect disciples, his brow furrowed, and said:
"Where is Yi Hehuan? If she doesn't appear soon, this match will be awarded to Lin Zitong!"
The Wuzhen Sect disciples said anxiously, "Yi Hehuan is in trouble!"
"In trouble? What kind of trouble?" Zhang Shanli's expression darkened.
The other party replied, "During the intermission, Yi Hehuan took three male disciples to the mountain forest for impromptu cultivation. However, they went and never returned. Before the match, we sent someone to urge her on, and there was still no news. We just sent someone to check again, and the result... the result..."
Zhang Shanli urged, "The result what?"
"The person we sent back reported that many bodies were found in the mountain forest, and among them was our Wuzhen Sect disciple, Yi Hehuan!"
"What?!"
Zhang Shanli's face changed drastically.
This was outrageous!
Earlier, when Wang Qihe disguised himself as Wang He of Suishan Sect and ambushed Wang He halfway up the mountain, Luo Ning had mistakenly found the body. Zhang Shanli had already taken it very seriously.
Only after understanding the truth did he feel relieved.
But now, so many people had died right under their noses!
And among them was a highly anticipated competitor like Yi Hehuan!
This was no trivial matter!
The leading elder of Wuzhen Sect was distraught, "Yi Hehuan is our Sect Leader's personal disciple, doted on like a precious jewel. Now she has died inexplicably on Longhu Mountain. How are we supposed to explain this when we return! The person died on your Longhu Mountain, and Longhu Mountain must give us a satisfactory explanation!"
Zhang Shanli said in a deep voice, "Do not spread this news for now. I will immediately report this to the Old Heavenly Master! Rest assured, she died on our Longhu Mountain, and we have an undeniable responsibility. We will definitely give you an explanation!"
After appeasing the Wuzhen Sect disciples, Zhang Shanli immediately turned and even ran to the Heavenly Master's Hall, whispering into the Old Heavenly Master's ear.
Upon hearing this, the Old Heavenly Master did not appear surprised, but his expression was unusually grim.
"Heavenly Master, how should this matter be handled?" Zhang Shanli asked anxiously.
The Old Heavenly Master said in a deep voice, "This matter should not be publicized. You take Zhang Wuma and other elite disciples to investigate the mountain forest where the incident occurred and see if any clues can be found."
"Understood, I will attend to it immediately!"
Zhang Shanli paused, then asked curiously, "Why isn't the Grand Elder here?"
From the opening of the Luotian Grand Ceremony until now, Zhang Sishui had been accompanying the Old Heavenly Master. His current absence made Zhang Shanli unable to resist asking.
The Old Heavenly Master replied, "Sishui is feeling unwell and is resting in the Heavenly Master's Hall. You need not worry."
"Yes."
Zhang Shanli dismissed his doubts, immediately gathered his men, and quietly headed to the scene of the incident.
Yan Shouyi had heard Zhang Shanli's conversation with the Wuzhen Sect disciples word for word.
Yi Hehuan's death had shocked him immensely.
Upon learning that Zhang Shanli was going to inspect the scene, Yan Shouyi became restless.
He said softly, "You all continue watching the competition here. I'll be gone for a while."
"What happened?" A'Gong asked with a frown.
"Nothing good," Yan Shouyi sighed. "I'll tell you the specifics when I get back."
With that, Yan Shouyi quietly withdrew from the group and followed Zhang Shanli and his party.
Upon receiving the news, the Second Elder of Longhu Mountain announced Yi Hehuan's forfeiture, and Lin Zitong advanced without a fight.
This left the audience greatly disappointed.
They had hoped to witness their goddess's grace again.
As it turned out, this Yi Hehuan was so terrified that she didn't even have the courage to show her face on stage.
Alas, worthy of our goddess! Her mere aura was enough to intimidate the opponent into not daring to step onto the stage!
Amidst the cheers, Lin Zitong easily entered the top four.
As she walked off stage, she noticed Yan Shouyi's absence and quickly asked, "Where is he?"
Though she didn't name him, everyone knew who Lin Zitong was referring to.
Luo Ning pointed in a direction, "He went that way, and it seems to be related to Yi Hehuan's forfeiture."
Lin Zitong headed in the direction Yan Shouyi had left without hesitation.
Luo Ning sighed, "Indeed, there's a man who's forgotten his best friend. The next match is my home ground, and Lin Zitong left without even watching."
Lin Zitong heard these words, but she had already walked beyond the crowd and could only jump up and shout:
"Luo Ning, cheer up! You're the best! I'll be back soon!"
"Hmph."
Luo Ning rolled her eyes, then looked at the mysterious female Taoist from Longhu Mountain standing opposite the Myriad Law Altar.
Luo Ning froze.
Was it an illusion?
She seemed to have grown stronger again.