Led by Luan Yexin, Nie Kong passed through the illusion formation and truly saw the valley that had been concealed by aversion. The instant he stepped out of the illusion formation, Nie Kong sensed several formidable auras.

"...Thirty-three, thirty-four!"

It was a total of thirty-four Ninth-Rank Illusion Masters!

In such a short time, so many experts had gathered in the valley; coupled with those already positioned around Shenxiu Peak, the total count exceeded seventy.

No wonder Luan Yexin had said that anyone intruding would find it impossible to escape, even with wings.

In truth, under normal circumstances, that was precisely the case. Within the vicinity of Shenglong City, any disturbance, no matter how minor, would instantly draw experts from dozens of surrounding peaks and cities to the scene. Under such a siege, even a newly ascended Spirit God would have nowhere to flee, no place to hide.

Ninth-Rank experts could be seen constantly within the valley, their powerful spiritual senses sweeping across the land again and again, leaving no blade of grass, no stone unturned.

Nie Kong and Luan Yexin flew at speed, soon arriving outside the Tong Shen Tower.

Even from dozens of meters away, Nie Kong could smell the thick scent of blood wafting from within the tower. The two exchanged a look, and with a flash, entered.

Inside the white tower, bodies lay strewn about haphazardly, the ground slick with gore.

Taishu Yan stood amidst the corpses, his hawk-like eyes seeming to meticulously search for something, a deep gloom clouding his brow.

Luan Yexin frowned slightly. "Senior Brother, what's the situation?"

"The attacker was just one person. The residual aura here is incredibly strong—likely a... newly ascended Spirit God, otherwise these people wouldn't all have died in a single move. If I guess correctly, that person certainly hasn't left Shenxiu Peak yet." Taishu Yan gave a cold snort, barely suppressing the fury in his expression.

"A newly ascended Spirit God?"

Luan Yexin paused, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes. "Up to now, the only newly ascended Spirit Gods in the Shenkong Realm, besides our Danxian Sect's Martial Uncle Wuhou and Martial Uncle Zhuang Yu, is Gong Chengzi from the Hongmeng Heavenly Palace. There’s no way he would come to our Danxian Sect for no reason to commit such an atrocity."

Taishu Yan said grimly, "Besides the two Martial Uncles and Gong Chengzi, there might be others we don't know about. The Shenkong Realm is vast; this possibility is very high."

"Whoosh!"

An almost inaudible sound of displacement echoed, and Wuhou's figure abruptly materialized at the tower entrance.

"Martial Uncle." Taishu Yan and Luan Yexin quickly bowed.

"Let this old man take a look."

Though his eyes were closed, Wuhou was perfectly aware of the scene inside the tower. His figure flashed, and he arrived before a severed body. Nie Kong followed along, looking closely to see the corpse of Zhan Tianfeng—his face contorted in a hideous snarl, eyes wide open like bronze bells, clearly dying with grievances unaddressed.

Since everyone was already dead, could anything else be discovered?

Nie Kong was also curious, closely observing Wuhou’s actions. He watched as Wuhou stopped before Zhan Tianfeng, suddenly opened his eyes, and two brilliant beams of light seemed to infuse themselves into the deceased man’s pupils.

The 'Heavenly Eye Heart Penetration Art' again?

After only a brief ten seconds, Wuhou’s eyes snapped shut. Taishu Yan and Luan Yexin didn't press for answers, simply watching him silently.

An instant later, Wuhou's right index finger began tracing lines in the empty air, and a dark red sword shadow gradually manifested.

"Is that a sword?" Taishu Yan murmured just as Wuhou's index finger swiftly sketched a few more strokes beneath where the hilt would be—a cluster of roots unexpectedly connected to the hilt.

"It's not a sword; it's a tree!"

Wuhou said expressionlessly, "This is the last image this person saw before being killed—this manifestation."

Luan Yexin carefully examined the dark red tree shadow a few times, then suddenly gasped, "I know! This is the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree' manifestation!"

"It really is the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree'!"

Surprise flashed across Taishu Yan’s face. "I never imagined that after several millennia, someone would cultivate this manifestation again and even achieve the Spirit God realm. In the entire Shenkong Realm, perhaps no one is his match!"

Wuhou snorted coldly. "Judging by the residual aura here, that person does possess the strength of a Spirit God. However, he is not yet a true Spirit God!"

"If that's the case, things are much simpler."

The tension eased slightly on Taishu Yan’s face, but then he said fiercely, "Even if we have to turn this entire Shenxiu Peak upside down tonight, we will capture him."

"No need to search here; that person has already left Shenglong City," Wuhou said, waving a hand.

"What?"

Taishu Yan and Luan Yexin exchanged a look, both showing disbelief. Taishu Yan asked doubtfully, "Martial Uncle, has that person's speed reached such a level?"

"..."

Wuhou offered no reply, instead turning and walking toward the valley exit.

"Sect Master, Elder Luan, what exactly is this 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree' you mentioned?" Nie Kong finally found an opening to speak, wearing the expression of a curious child.

"You haven't even heard of the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree'?"

Luan Yexin was stunned for a moment, then instantly recalled Nie Kong's 'background,' relaxing her expression. She explained, "It’s an incredibly potent manifestation. The entire tree resembles an incomparably sharp divine sword; even every leaf is a blade, incredibly tough, almost indestructible. Although these people all possessed respectable cultivation, compared to that person, they were severely lacking. Combined with a manifestation like that, it’s no wonder they were completely annihilated in such a short time."

At the end of her sentence, Luan Yexin sighed, turning her gaze toward Taishu Yan. "Senior Brother, there are a few friends who might have some understanding of that person's situation."

"Oh?" Taishu Yan raised an eyelid.

"Lingxiao Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Fahua Sect, Hundred Flowers Mountain, Xuan Ying Sect..."

Luan Yexin continued, "A few days ago, I received a message from the Pavilion Master of Lingxiao Heavenly Sword Pavilion saying that someone cultivating the 'Blood Prison Sword King Tree' had been causing trouble consecutively at these few locations, throwing the sects into chaos and injuring quite a few people. They had already prepared a trap in Xinyi City, waiting for him to step in, but he only made a brief appearance there before vanishing. Word was that he headed for Shenglong City. After hearing this news, I didn't pay too much attention, not expecting him to actually show up here to cause trouble at our Danxian Sect and kill so many people."

"Junior Sister, go immediately and find out the detailed situation from them," Taishu Yan commanded decisively. "I will continue searching here. If he isn't here, then that item must have been stolen by him too."

"Alright, I’ll go now. The leaders of those sects are all currently in Shenglong City."

"Elder Luan, I'll go with you."

"..."

Nie Kong followed Luan Yexin out of the valley. Perhaps having received instructions from Wuhou, the number of Ninth-Rank experts remaining to search the valley had significantly decreased.

"Elder Luan, I just noticed that there are many precious medicinal herbs in this valley," Nie Kong suddenly exclaimed after sweeping his spiritual sense over a hundred-meter radius.

Luan Yexin turned her head slightly, spotting Nie Kong’s sparkling eyes and the look of envy on his face that even the darkness couldn't hide. She laughed, "This used to be a dedicated herb garden. Brother Tai Shuang, if you like them, you can take some, but no more than ten stalks."

"Elder Luan, thank you so much, I won't be polite then." Nie Kong was overjoyed at the words, his figure flashing repeatedly within a hundred meters.

When he reappeared beside Luan Yexin several seconds later, his hand held a large handful of herbs—exactly ten stalks, of various colors. As he flew, he admired them endearingly, like a child who had just received a beautiful toy, his palm filled with a dazzling array of colors.

Luan Yexin couldn't help but smile faintly as she glimpsed Nie Kong's demeanor from the corner of her eye...

... ...RO