The Du family members advanced slowly, the low growls of their ferocious beasts echoing around them. Du Yunsong, walking at the front, suddenly raised a hand, signaling a halt.

The Celestial Masters accompanying them stabilized their beasts at his gesture. Half of these Masters were dispatched, flying into the surrounding dense woods to scout for small game in the forest.

The ferocious beasts were hungry; their needs had to be met, or they would refuse to march obediently and would inevitably cause trouble.

Du Yunsong and a few Celestial Masters spread out, encircling the low-growling beasts in the center. While other Masters chatted and laughed softly, Du Yunsong remained perpetually grim.

A three-tailed wild fox darted through the underbrush. A discerning Master from the rear flashed forward like lightning. An arrow radiating biting cold instantly materialized. The three-tailed wild fox, merely a common small beast, could not evade it in time and was pinned to the ground by a single shaft.

This Master, affiliated with the Du family, approached unhurriedly. Reaching the pinned fox, he extended a hand to seize the carcass.

Pfft!

A dagger suddenly erupted from behind, piercing through his back, spraying scarlet blood onto the surrounding weeds.

Ji Changkong, who had been crouched low, shot forward, snatching the flying dagger mid-air. He spun back and delivered a second, decisive thrust.

Ensuring the man was utterly dead, Ji Changkong seized the corpse and dragged it to a pre-dug, deep pit for burial. He swiftly cleared the blood-stained weeds as well, leaving not a trace behind.

“The third one,” he muttered, wiping the small dagger clean with a piece of ragged cloth. He glanced sharply to his left, his expression icy, then crouched low again, advancing cautiously without making a sound.

Wuuuuu! Wuuuuu!

Strange sounds suddenly arose. A Du family Celestial Master returning with several small kills glanced impatiently around and cursed, “Damn it, Murky Sky Forest has too many mosquitoes. Even their buzzing sounds worse than elsewhere. Damn it! Still staring at me!”

He let out a loud curse, using one hand to drag the beasts while using the other to swat at the “mosquito” that had fixed its attention on him.

Mmm… mmm-mmm…

After several swipes, the “mosquito” did not die, but the man himself began to feel unwell. His consciousness gradually blurred, and finally, a few faint cries of terror escaped him before his body stiffened and crashed down.

Emerging from a hollowed-out giant tree, Ji Changkong quickly approached the corpse while scanning his surroundings, dragging both the man and the game he carried away.

Du Yunsong frowned, his face dark. He barked, “How come there are four missing? What is going on?”

“Perhaps they chased too far,” Baili Tuo, whose face was covered in scars, quickly explained.

“Go look for them! Tell them to hurry back. We still need to travel!” Du Yunsong ordered impatiently.

Baili Tuo immediately agreed and went out to search, calling out loudly in the vicinity for a while, but receiving no reply. Baili Tuo grew anxious, a vague feeling that something was terribly wrong beginning to surface.

Four people not returning was already unusual. The fact that no one responded to his loud calls made it even stranger.

Baili Zhe became cautious, taking careful steps, releasing his Divine Sense to watch for danger vigilantly.

Baili Zhe possessed cultivation at the Five Elements Heaven Realm and was considered a figure of some standing among the non-Du clan guards. He had extensive combat experience, having spent years guarding ferocious beasts, and had encountered many strange events, possessing his own methods for dealing with abnormal situations.

He dared not pursue the matter deeply. As soon as he sensed things were amiss, he began to retreat, planning to report the situation to Du Yunsong and see how he intended to handle it.

Suddenly, an intensely cold aura rushed toward him in an instant.

Baili Zhe felt a chill course through him, his eyes sharpening as he scanned his surroundings, shouting loudly, “Something is wrong!”

A silver gleam flashed momentarily in the void, and a wave of cold energy spread directly from within his body. In an instant, Baili Zhe’s limbs stiffened, his teeth chattering violently.

Puchi!

A sharp dagger shot up from beneath his feet, violently piercing the center of his sole.

The cold intensified. Before he could cry out, Baili Zhe’s body went numb, and he suddenly lost consciousness.

“Baili Zhe!” Du Yunsong heard the sound and rushed closer quickly.

A hand shot out, dragging Baili Zhe’s body into the soft earth. The ground seemed to conceal a hole, immediately swallowing Baili Zhe’s form.

Du Yunsong arrived at the location where the sound originated and called out loudly, “Baili Zhe, what was that yell? Where are you? What happened?”

No reply came.

Du Yunsong realized the danger. Four people had already vanished without a trace, and now even Baili Zhe, sent to search for them, was silent. It was clear that someone was lurking in the Murky Sky Forest, targeting them.

Releasing his Divine Sense using the special method unique to the Du family, Du Yunsong intensely sensed the situation within a wide radius.

Not the slightest abnormality!

Du Yunsong grew tense. He summoned the Du family guards who were watching the ferocious beasts, his face serious as he commanded, “We must have encountered a formidable individual. Even with my Divine Sense fully extended, I cannot detect anything unusual. The intruder’s strength should not be inferior to mine! The Baili group might already be lost. Everyone be extremely cautious. Split into teams of three to investigate the surroundings; absolutely do not separate!”

“Understood.”

The Celestial Masters summoned by Du Yunsong formed groups of three and began searching outward from Du Yunsong as the center point…

Moments later, everyone returned to Du Yunsong’s side, each shaking their heads, indicating they had found no clue whatsoever.

Du Yunsong’s heart sank. He took it as a given that the hidden assailant was a true supreme powerhouse.

“Set off immediately! Leave the Murky Sky Forest at the fastest possible speed! Everyone, stay alert, and no one is permitted to separate. This journey through Murky Sky Forest will clearly not be smooth. For the sake of the Du family, and for yourselves, be cautious!” Du Yunsong spoke these words swiftly, then returned to the front of the procession and led the advance.

Du Yunsong paid absolutely no mind to the deaths of Baili Zhe and the others.

Having killed five people in a row, including Baili Zhe of the Five Elements Heaven Realm, Ji Changkong’s courage gradually swelled.

By leveraging the marvelous concealment ability of the Grand Void Secret Record, which allowed him to merge with heaven and earth, coupled with the terrifying icy power of his Silver Pupils, he had easily eliminated Baili Zhe, who was a full realm above him. His objective shifted, and he gained the confidence to target Du Yunsong.

Within the Murky Sky Forest, practicing the Grand Void Secret Record, he was truly like an unseen phantom. Even Du Yunsong could not perceive his presence with his Divine Sense, which made Ji Changkong increasingly reckless.

He ghost-like poked his head out from the dense foliage of a large tree. A non-Du clan Celestial Master below suddenly grew alert, looked up, and immediately shouted, “Someone’s in the tree!” An intense chill descended, and a silver light flashed suddenly.

This Du family Celestial Master only managed to shout once before his body stiffened, followed by a sharp pain in his neck; his head flew into the sky.

The Celestial Masters in front quickly rushed over. Upon arrival, they saw only a corpse with blood spilt across the ground.

Every single Du family Celestial Master, including Du Yunsong, felt a surge of fear, their faces turning ashen.

Throughout their journey, anyone who momentarily let down their guard would vanish from the group. At no point had they seen the shadow of an enemy. This invisible pressure brought them immense terror, and no one felt like laughing or chatting anymore.

Du Yunsong was also afraid. He had no idea who the attacker was, what their objective might be, or how profound their cultivation level reached. This feeling of having no grasp on the situation was excruciating for anyone.

Especially since the Celestial Masters accompanying them were being killed one after another while he remained helpless. This began to make the usually composed Du Yunsong increasingly irritable.

And his lack of composure was precisely Ji Changkong’s objective.

The more agitated and furious Du Yunsong became, the more likely he was to make mistakes. Seeing his subordinates fall one by one, Ji Changkong knew that if he didn't act soon, these non-clan members would become utterly disillusioned with the Du family, possibly even damaging the Du clan's reputation outside.

The value of the dying Celestial Masters now far surpassed that of this group of ferocious beasts. Seeing that it would take another full day to exit the Murky Sky Forest, Du Yunsong finally issued an order… find the culprit.

Du Yunsong’s method was simple: lure the enemy out.

With only seven Celestial Masters remaining, including himself, he ordered the other six to split into pairs, maintaining a distance where they could support each other, and spread out around him, waiting for Ji Changkong to strike again.

Du Yunsong stayed behind with the ferocious beasts, pacing back and forth irritably, waiting for any abnormal movement so he could pursue the attacker according to the prearranged plan.

As one of the Seven Great Families, the Du family possessed vast resources and some special Celestial Treasure artifacts that could be utilized. The Soul Chain was one such artifact used by the Du family to connect the Divine Souls of multiple people, forming a massive, wide-ranging net of Divine Soul surveillance.

If any Celestial Master connected by the Soul Chain encountered trouble, the others would instantly know through their shared connection. Since the Soul Chain inflicted some harm on the Divine Soul, generally, no one wished to be linked this way, but the current situation was critical. Under Du Yunsong’s command, the remaining six reluctantly linked their Divine Souls together.

With the Divine Soul connection established through the Soul Chain, Du Yunsong, situated near the ferocious beasts, suddenly gained six extra pairs of eyes. The exploratory senses of the six individuals would feed back into his own Divine Soul, allowing him to clearly perceive the situation around each of them.

The six dispersed, while Du Yunsong remained by the beasts, using the Soul Chain to observe the activities on their end.

Ji Changkong’s primary target this time was not just anyone, but Du Yunsong, a core member of the Du family. He knew that only a direct descendant like Du Yunsong was likely to possess the secret knowledge concerning the disappearance of his parents years ago—this was what he truly sought.

As soon as the Soul Chain appeared, he keenly perceived its subtle function, and his actions immediately became more cautious.

Should he strike at Du Yunsong while the others were far away? With the Soul Chain active, if he failed to take down Du Yunsong immediately, the others would quickly return to rescue him, making the situation extremely perilous.

Do it! After a moment of hesitation, Ji Changkong suddenly resolved himself and quietly began closing in on Du Yunsong.

Author's Note: I owe five chapters. I remember. The annual meeting ends tomorrow, and I will settle all of them. Please forgive me.