The next morning, in the southwestern mountain range of Nanyun Province.
The mountains stretched endlessly, and the roars of wild beasts echoed through the dense forests.
A mountain gate, built from white jade, was hidden deep within the mountains, perpetually shrouded in thick fog and rarely visited by humans.
Anyone who stumbled into this place would likely meet no other fate than to be devoured by wild beasts.
Li Wenjie landed alone before the white jade mountain gate, his face pale and his expression dazed as he stepped on his flying sword.
"Elder Li."
Two disciples of the Tian Yin Pavilion, clad in white robes, hurried out from within the mountain gate to greet Li Wenjie.
Li Wenjie collected his thoughts, nodded to the two disciples, and entered the mountain gate without a word.
Yesterday, after witnessing Ye Ling's strength, Li Wenjie knew that their Tian Yin Pavilion was on the verge of disaster.
The Tian Yin Pavilion was a hidden sect that had existed for two thousand years, holding an extraordinary status in China.
Many extraordinary individuals in China were unaware of the Tian Yin Pavilion's existence, but those who knew of it understood its immense power.
Even the great families of the capital, and the Dragon Department, the official organization of extraordinary individuals in China, dared not provoke the Tian Yin Pavilion lightly.
The reason was simple: the Tian Yin Pavilion had three Grandmasters of the seventh rank!
During the warlord era a century ago, an ignorant local warlord, in league with several extraordinary factions, attempted to seize the Tian Yin Pavilion's mountain gate and plunder its treasures.
However, the warlord, with over ten thousand soldiers and nearly a thousand extraordinary individuals from several sects, all heavily armed, marched upon the Tian Yin Pavilion's gates.
The Tian Yin Pavilion merely sent forth one person with one sword, and swept away all the invading forces. The pungent smell of blood permeated the forest for a full three months!
Since then, no hero in Yan Hua had dared to provoke the Tian Yin Pavilion again.
Tian Yin Pavilion, Hidden Immortal Hall.
A person resembling a child was intently watching a丹炉 (dan lu - alchemy furnace) in front of him, tossing several medicinal herbs into it.
Others might not know, but everyone in the Tian Yin Pavilion was well aware that this child-like man was the current Pavilion Master of the Tian Yin Pavilion, Mo Qianji!
The master of Qiu Baiyi.
Li Wenjie, heavy with worry, strode into the Hidden Immortal Hall and respectfully bowed to Mo Qianji, saying in a deep voice, "Senior Brother, I have an important matter to report."
"Why aren't you going to Elder Meng with this matter, and instead coming to me?" Mo Qianji asked casually, still focused on the alchemy furnace.
In recent years, Mo Qianji had been engrossed in alchemy and largely stayed out of the sect's affairs. Currently, all matters of the Tian Yin Pavilion were handled by the First Elder, Meng Xinyue.
Li Wenjie opened his mouth, hesitating slightly.
Noticing Li Wenjie's unusual demeanor, Mo Qianji stopped his work, furrowed his brow, and turned to ask, "Is this about the Ghost Gate?"
Mo Qianji suddenly remembered that Li Wenjie had gone to Jiangcheng yesterday to check on the refinement progress of the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse.
Li Wenjie had returned early this morning, still with a worried expression, and Mo Qianji immediately felt a bad premonition.
Li Wenjie knew he couldn't hide it and said to Mo Qianji in a solemn tone, "Senior Brother... Qiu Baiyi is dead."
Boom!
An extremely powerful aura erupted from Mo Qianji's body. The alchemy furnace exploded, and Li Wenjie was blown away by the powerful impact!
The Hidden Immortal Hall trembled, and the entire Tian Yin Pavilion was thrown into chaos as disciples rushed towards the commotion.
"What did you say?"
Mo Qianji's eyes turned red, and he tightly grabbed Li Wenjie's collar, demanding in a stern voice, "Baiyi had fifth-rank cultivation, and a sixth-rank evil spirit companion. Who in Jiangcheng could kill him?"
"Where is the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse now?"
"Broth- Brother... calm down!"
Li Wenjie quickly shouted, "I personally saw Qiu Baiyi die. The one who killed him was a Red Dust Immortal! The Pure Yin Yuan Corpse is also in his hands!"
Upon hearing Li Wenjie's words, Mo Qianji was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Red Dust Immortals have been extinct for hundreds of years. Where are there still immortals in this world? And they specifically go to seize Pure Yin Yuan Corpses?"
"Are you trying to monopolize the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse, and that's why you killed Baiyi?"
"Senior Brother, please calm down! There really is a Red Dust Immortal!"
Li Wenjie didn't know how to explain this to Mo Qianji, but he had indeed experienced it firsthand last night!
Yesterday, after Ye Ling had inquired about the Tian Yin Pavilion's address, he had said he would visit the Tian Yin Pavilion the next day and told him to be prepared.
Although Ye Ling had not killed him yesterday, he could feel that Ye Ling harbored immense hostility towards the Tian Yin Pavilion at that moment!
Li Wenjie had rushed back to the Tian Yin Pavilion from Jiangcheng precisely to persuade Mo Qianji to prepare, lest the entire Tian Yin Pavilion be annihilated when the Red Dust Immortal arrived.
Unfortunately, Mo Qianji was currently enraged, and Li Wenjie's words were too absurd for him to believe!
"Li Wenjie, I have always treated you well, yet you would cruelly kill Baiyi for your own selfish gain of the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse. Do you still have any respect for me as the Pavilion Master?"
Mo Qianji roared, his sleeves billowing, and his palms accumulating powerful spiritual energy.
Seeing that Mo Qianji was about to attack him, Li Wenjie's expression changed slightly. He quickly channeled his spiritual energy to push Mo Qianji away and retreated rapidly from the Hidden Immortal Hall, landing on the plaza.
"Senior Brother, Junior Brother, what is going on?"
Meng Xinyue, having heard the commotion, rushed over with a group of Tian Yin Pavilion disciples. Seeing Mo Qianji and Li Wenjie confronting each other, he quickly stepped between them.
"Xinyue, step aside! Li Wenjie, this scoundrel, in his madness to monopolize the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse, actually murdered my disciple Qiu Baiyi!"
"I will purge the sect today!"
Mo Qianji said with bloodshot eyes, his aura becoming increasingly ferocious.
"Second Senior Brother, don't listen to First Senior Brother. Qiu Baiyi was killed by a Red Dust Immortal. The Tian Yin Pavilion is in grave danger now, and we must prepare quickly!"
"Red Dust Immortal?" Meng Xinyue was taken aback when he heard Li Wenjie's words and instinctively assumed Qiu Baiyi was talking nonsense.
What Red Dust Immortals were there in this era?
Meng Xinyue asked, "Wenjie, what nonsense are you speaking?"
"You guys!"
Li Wenjie, seeing that neither Mo Qianji nor Meng Xinyue believed him, became furious and didn't know how to handle the current situation.
Indeed, compared to the possibility of a Red Dust Immortal killing Qiu Baiyi, it was more plausible that he had murdered Qiu Baiyi for the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse.
The Pure Yin Yuan Corpse could be refined into a Pure Yin Sacred Pill, enough to help a seventh-rank extraordinary individual break through to the eighth rank.
Qiu Baiyi had been helping Mo Qianji refine the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse for years, and the Yin Yuan Sacred Pill was on the verge of completion. Now, this had happened... it was understandable that Mo Qianji misunderstood Li Wenjie.
Not only Mo Qianji and Meng Xinyue, but none of the Tian Yin Pavilion disciples who had rushed over believed Li Wenjie's words, and they all whispered amongst themselves.
"I didn't expect the Second Elder to kill Qiu Baiyi for the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse... Has he fallen out with the Pavilion Master?"
"It is said that the Pure Yin Yuan Corpse can be refined into a Pure Yin Sacred Pill. The Second Elder has been in the seventh rank for decades, so his actions are somewhat understandable."
"Where are there still Red Dust Immortals in this world? Is the Second Elder treating us like fools?"
"..."
Hearing the rising tide of questioning voices around him, Li Wenjie broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively clenched his fists.
If this continued, and Ye Ling arrived...
"It seems like things are quite lively here!"
Just as Li Wenjie was worrying, a voice he would never forget echoed from behind.
Li Wenjie's pupils contracted sharply, and he turned to look.
He saw Ye Ling, arriving through the air!