Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 41 Killing in the Forest
The Divine Woods, located eighty miles north of the Fuyao Sect, are home to lush green trees, chirping birds, and fragrant flowers. Many exotic flowers and herbs grow here, so disciples from the Dan Pavilion often come here to pick herbs.

The group of four went their separate ways. Xun Ziyu and Qi Ling'er went to the west, which was a little further away, while Yun Yi and Shi Yucheng went to the east to inspect.

For some reason, Yun Yi had a vague sense of foreboding today.

Based on his understanding of the Futian Pavilion, those people would never give up halfway. Since they were going to destroy the earth veins near the Fuyao Sect, they would definitely have other plans. The incident in Qingxi Village, Cuiwei Mountain was probably just an insignificant part of a larger plan, so they only sent a mere late Qi Refining Realm cultivator to pollute the earth veins.

Song Xinci didn't care about these things. She just wanted to go out and relax, change her mood, and see what the disciples of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect wanted to do.

She asked, "I heard from Senior Brother Xun that you once encountered disciples of the Demon Sect destroying the earth veins?"

Yun Yi nodded and said, "That's true, so I think we'd better be cautious."

Song Xinci wondered what the Ten Thousand Poison Sect was trying to do. Was it simply to harm others and not benefit themselves? That was in line with the Demon Sect's style.

As they walked and talked, they reached the depths of the sacred forest. Yun Yi noticed that the birdsong and cicada chirping had suddenly become less frequent, and a strange atmosphere gradually filled the forest. Occasionally, a breeze blew, and the treetops swayed, emitting a mournful cry.

So Yun Yi stopped and said softly, "There's something strange."

He then took out the communication talisman, but was unable to contact Xun Ziyu and the others. He looked up at the sky and found that it seemed to be covered with a layer of black gauze, just like the time at Cuiwei Mountain.

broken.

Yun Yi didn't have time to think, he grabbed Shi Yucheng and turned to run, but he was stopped by an invisible barrier after just two steps.

Someone actually set a trap here, you can only enter but not exit!
Although Song Xinci could break the barrier with just a flick of her finger, she was interested in investigating the earth veins, so she did not take action.

She pretended to be dumbfounded and said, "Brother, what should we do?"

Yun Yi frowned, "It's a problem. We have lost contact with the outside world. I'm afraid Zi Yu is not doing well either."

He reached out his hand and tried to touch the barrier, but was violently bounced back. "A forceful attack may not be able to break the barrier, and it may also attract attention. I have an idea. You hide near the entrance of the barrier. If the sect notices that we haven't returned for a long time, Master Qingwei will definitely come to rescue us."

"What about you?"

"The people behind the scenes set up the barrier to prevent anyone from disrupting their plans. Since I can't get out now, I can only go in and explore."

"I'll accompany you."

"No, to be honest, what I'm most worried about right now is that this barrier is coming for me."

Song Xinci asked in surprise, "You suspect there's a spy within the sect, and deliberately leaked your visit to the Divine Forest to the Demon Sect?"

Yun Yi nodded: "Xun Ziyu and I have uncovered their conspiracy before, and they will definitely not let it go."

"Then I'll follow you even more. If someone deliberately sets a trap to harm you, they'll definitely search the Godswood. It would be even more dangerous for me to be alone."

Shi Yucheng was right, which made Yun Yi feel guilty, thinking that he had implicated his junior brother. However, regret was useless now that things had come to this point. Yun Yi had not expected that there was actually a traitor in the Fuyao Sect, who was colluding with the outside world to set up a killing trap.

Yun Yi even thought of a worse situation - the ground veins near the Fuyao Sect had actually been destroyed, but the news was deliberately concealed by the top leaders of the sect.

The Cuiwei Mountain incident was quite secretive. If Yun Yi and Xun Ziyu had not followed the clues through the abnormalities in Qingxi Village, no one would have discovered that the ground veins there had been contaminated.

Thinking about it this way, if the traitor in Fuyao Sect is in a high position and has great power, waiting for rescue may not be the best option.

If you want to survive now, you can only rely on yourself.

The two of them exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and then gave up the path they were originally taking, instead walking lightly into the depths of the woods.

It is impossible for such a large sacred forest to be completely covered by the barrier. If the person behind the scenes really has such a skill, his cultivation level must be at least at the Spirit Transformation Realm. It would be better for him to show up and kill Yun Yi on the spot.

Yun Yi guessed that the people who destroyed the earth veins had low cultivation levels, most of them were at the Qi Refining Realm, and some were at the Spirit Transformation Realm. This was to conceal their whereabouts and not attract the attention of the Fuyao Sect.

After all, Cuiwei Mountain and Shenmulin are not far from Fuyao Sect. If a master of the Return to Void Realm really takes action here, he will definitely leave traces.

……

Not long after Elder Qingwei sent his four disciples away, his eyebrows suddenly began to throb wildly, accompanied by a feeling of distress.

He wondered if one of his prized disciples might have met with misfortune, so he took out the tortoise shell and prepared to cast a divination. Unexpectedly, before he could even move, the Fuyao Sect's morning bell rang six times, summoning the sect's elders to a meeting. Desperate, Qingwei abandoned the divination and journeyed to the sect's main hall on Qingluo Peak.

The headmaster Daocheng, the three great elders, and the other five preaching elders have all arrived.

Daocheng was the first to sit cross-legged and said, "Piaomiaozi, you will preside over it."

"Yes." Piaomiaozi, with long hair and white beard, has an immortal look. He wears a plain white Taoist robe and holds a whisk in his hand. He is a cultivator whose cultivation level is second only to Daocheng in the sect.

He said loudly, "First of all, a few days ago I sent my disciples to check over a hundred ground veins, but found nothing abnormal. This shows that what happened before was just a coincidence."

Qingwei raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't say anything.

Piao Miaozi continued, "Secondly, rumors have been circulating about the Demon Sect making quite a stir recently, and it seems Demon Lord Yi Tianxing will soon be emerging from seclusion. Therefore, I've discussed with the Sect Leader and have decided to move the Cheng Huang Trial, which was supposed to be held two years from now, to this year to encourage the disciples to cultivate diligently."

An elder asked, "Isn't this arrangement inconsistent with our ancestors' rules?"

"I also want to hold a competition every four years as usual, but once the Demon Lord comes out of seclusion, I think there will be another great war between the righteous and evil forces. Time waits for no one."

"If I remember correctly, Yi Tianxing was already at the Hedao Realm when he was in seclusion. Wouldn't that mean he reached the Feisheng Realm after coming out of seclusion?"

“It’s not impossible.”

There was an uproar in the hall.

Dao Cheng then said: "An Jing, even if Yi Tianxing advances to the Ascension Realm, there are still people in my righteous path who can fight him."

This is quite true. It is rumored that Song Guanglin of the Qinglian Sect gave up his old Taoism and broke through the Hedao realm a few days ago, ascending to heaven in one fell swoop.

Moreover, the Zhengqi Sect has also accepted a disciple named Feng Mo, whose aptitude for cultivation is rare in the world, even faster than Song Xinci of the Demon Sect. In time, he will surely achieve enlightenment and become an immortal.

Piao Miaozi continued, "So the reason I've gathered you all together this time is to draw up a set of rules for the Cheng Huang Trial."

Someone asked, "Isn't it possible to do it as usual?"

Daocheng replied, "I plan to use the 'Fuyao Dao Fruit' as a prize."

"what?!"

Everyone was astonished. Even Piao Miaozi, who hadn't known about this beforehand, immediately said, "The Fuyao Dao Fruit is extremely useful for cultivators in the Return to Void Realm. Giving it to a junior like this isn't... a bit of a waste."

Dao Cheng shook his head and said, "No, I have another request. This trial must allow all disciples to participate. And it's not about the level of cultivation, but the character and will of the heart."

"This..." Daocheng's proposal was unprecedented, so most elders found it difficult to accept it for a while.

Daocheng suddenly laughed and said, "We are all human. The disciples in the Qi Refining Realm are our family, and the disciples in the Return to Void Realm are also our family. Why bother with it? Besides, in the years of great contention, there will surely be geniuses and prodigies. The rising generation may become the backbone of our sect in the future."

Piaomiaozi thought of Meng Fan, who had been trapped in the Return to Void Realm for many years, and nodded, saying, "Master Brother, what you said is correct. I was worrying too much."

Qingwei also nodded in agreement.

An elder teased, "Qingwei is naturally happy to see this. He just accepted two disciples, one of whom, Shi Yucheng, is a monster. If he can achieve Dao Fruit, he will make rapid progress."

Qingwei quickly waved his hands: "Senior brother, you are joking. That child has just entered the Qi Refining Realm. How could he possibly win the trial?"

Unexpectedly, Dao Cheng said: "Anyone has the potential to win the Fuyao Dao Fruit, as long as his determination to cultivate is strong enough and his heart is pure and kind."

With the Sect Leader's words, the Chenghuang Trial was finally settled.

The Dan Pavilion's Great Elder and Qingwei had always been good friends. He said with a smile, "You must urge your disciples to prepare well. Who knows, the first prize might fall into your family this time."

Qingwei put on a smile, but felt a little uneasy in his heart.

Piaomiaozi on the side looked normal, as if he was confident that Meng Fan would obtain the Fuyao Dao Fruit.

He thought to himself, Yun Yi and Shi Yucheng are indeed extremely talented, but it's a pity...

(End of this chapter)