Transform into ancestral tablets and create a supreme immortal clan.

The mission, issued by the Criminal Investigation Department, is to investigate the bizarre transformation of villagers into dried-up corpses in several villages near Shangshan on the border of Mingzhou.

It was later discovered that it was related to the Blood Corpse of Shangshan.

The two brothers followed the clues to a deserted valley, where they discovered traces of what appeared to be the activities of demonic cultivators, and were then attacked.

The attacker, dressed in black and masked, used unpredictable methods and was particularly skilled in sorcery and stealth. He did not utter a single word from beginning to end.

If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Seven Star Mountain, the two brothers would likely have perished.

The investigation results later provided by the sect were clearly extremely perfunctory, almost causing Nan Shanyu to collapse.

So he went down the mountain alone to find out the truth.

Later, when the "Blood Essence Soul Devouring Curse" took effect, he encountered Shen Muyi. Knowing that his life was about to end, he placed his hopes on Shen Zhe, the mysterious and unpredictable ancestor of the Shen family.

Clearly, the only way to understand the whole story is to start with the punishment hall.

"The Punishment Hall... Mission issued..." Shen Xiao pondered.

If we could access the case files from the criminal investigation department, we might find some clues.

However, given Nanshan Jade's current status and condition, it is almost impossible.

Just as he was pondering, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, and a voice with a hint of concern rang out: "Senior Brother Nan, are you there? I heard you were back, so I came to see you."

Shen Xiao quickly adjusted his expression, adopting the same dejected and listless demeanor that Nan Shanyu remembered, and walked out of the room.

The visitors were two disciples of Kaiyang Peak, a man and a woman, both at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and they had a fairly good relationship with Nanshan Yuping.

"Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Li." Shen Xiao (Nanshan Yu) forced a smile, his voice weak.

"Senior Brother Nan, you still look so pale... Is there really no way to cure the Soul-Eating Curse?" asked the female disciple surnamed Li with concern.

Shen Xiao shook his head and sighed: "The elders of the sect's Pill Hall have examined it and said that the curse power has penetrated deep into the soul. Unless a Nascent Soul ancestor intervenes or an extremely rare soul-nourishing treasure is found, we can only slowly recuperate and delay its dissipation."

These words were half true and half false, which fits Nanshan Yu's situation.

The disciple surnamed Wang sighed and lowered his voice, saying, "Senior brother, you've come back just in time. I've heard some rumors about your attack..."

Shen Xiao's spirits lifted, and a hint of urgency appeared in his eyes: "What's the rumor?"

Junior Brother Wang looked around and lowered his voice further: "A senior brother from the Punishment Hall said something inappropriate after drinking, saying that your case... seems to be something the higher-ups don't really want to investigate, and the case file has been sealed."

Moreover, it seems to have some connection with... Yuheng Peak.

Yuheng Peak!

Shen Xiao's heart stirred.

Shen Muge is none other than Liu Ruochen, the head of Yuheng Peak! And the one who accused Shen Muge of colluding with the demonic path is none other than Gu Zongyi, the eldest disciple of the head of Yuheng Peak!

"Yuheng Peak? Junior Brother Wang, you can't just say that." Shen Xiao deliberately showed a look of surprise and doubt, which was how he should behave as "Nanshan Jade".

"I've only heard about it," Junior Brother Wang shook his head, "It seems that some of the traces you found in Shangshan point not to ordinary demonic cultivators, but to people within the sect... who are involved."

It seems that Senior Brother Gu Zongyi from Yuheng Peak also went to the vicinity of Shangshan to carry out a mission around the time of your accident, which is somewhat of a coincidence.

Of course, this is just speculation and cannot be taken as fact.

The one implicated must be Shen Muge, the unfortunate descendant of the Shen family, who is also a disciple of Yuheng Peak.

As for Gu Zongyi!

Shen Xiao's eyes flashed coldly. It was him again!

The attack on the Nanshan Yu brothers and the frame-up of Shen Muge's expulsion from the sect—both of these events subtly reveal the shadow of Gu Zongyi!

What exactly is this person trying to do? Is it targeting the Shen family, or does he have some other motive?

After seeing his two fellow disciples off, Shen Zhe returned to his room and carefully sorted through the clues.

"Gu Zongyi, the chief disciple of Yuheng Peak, is in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. It is said that he is deeply trusted by Liu Ruochen and has a high reputation within the sect."

If he wants to deal with Shen Muge, his motives may be related to the Shen family.

But the Nanshan brothers had no grudge against him, so why would they do such a vicious thing?

Unless... Nanshan Yu and the others discovered something in Shangshan that touched upon Gu Zongyi's secret!

"The Blood Corpse of Shangshan... Traces of Demonic Cultivation... Gu Zongyi..." Shen Xiao felt he was getting closer to the truth.

He needed more evidence, he needed to see the case files in the criminal investigation department with his own eyes, and he even needed to investigate Gu Zongyi's movements.

In the days that followed, Shen Xiao controlled the body of "Nanshan Jade" while "recovering from his injuries" and cautiously gathering information within Kaiyang Peak and the sect by utilizing the remaining connections and memories of Nanshan Jade.

At the same time, he was secretly trying to use his own power, along with some exorcising and calming talismans he had exchanged from the system, to quietly remove some of the curse power from Nan Junchi and stabilize his condition.

A few days later, an opportunity quietly arrived.

The Seven Star Mountain Sect holds a small market once a month, where many disciples bring out items they no longer need to trade.

Shen Xiao was currently in Nanshan Jade, so naturally he had to go and try his luck, mainly so as not to appear too unusual.

The market was filled with disciples of Seven Star Mountain.

They gathered in small groups, mostly discussing trivial matters within their sects, and occasionally sharing their observations of the cultivation world in Chu.

But no matter what the information is, Shen Xiao will always pay attention to it.

"...Senior Brother Gu seems to be in a good mood lately. A few days ago, he even bestowed some pills as a reward to the junior brothers who followed him on a mission to Shang Mountain."

"Yes, I heard that the case at Shangshan has been completely closed. It seems to have been the work of some wandering demonic cultivator, who has been wiped out by Senior Brother Gu's team. The case at the Punishment Hall has also been closed."

"Eliminated? So quickly? Well, it makes sense. With Senior Brother Gu taking action, success is naturally swift."

Shen Xiao sneered inwardly. Had they "eliminated" the real culprit and closed the case so quickly?

This was clearly murder to cover up the crime and silence witnesses!

He approached discreetly, pretending to look at the items on the nearby stalls, but listening intently.

"By the way, Senior Brother Gu seems to still care about Shen Muge, who was expelled from the school before."

Just a couple of days ago I asked if the Shen family had made any moves lately.

"The Shen family? That declining little family? What could they possibly be up to?"

Shen Muge is practically a cripple now; the Shen family probably won't be able to cause any more trouble. Senior Brother Gu is kind-hearted; he still cares about the family of such a traitor.

"Shh, keep your voice down... I heard that Senior Brother Gu seems a bit uneasy, thinking that the Shen family might still be hiding something... It's something about a 'secret treasure of the ancestral land'? I'm not sure."

The secret treasure of the ancestral land?

Shen Xiao's brow twitched slightly.

The ancestral home of the Shen family?

Could it be that Gu Zongyi's actions against Shen Muge, or even the Shen family, are motivated by something that might exist in the Shen family's ancestral land?

He recalled the ancestral hall where he had awakened, the memorial tablet and the offering table, which seemed to have nothing special about them.

Could it be a secret that even the Shen family themselves are unaware of?

That's impossible!

Or perhaps only a select few know? Shen Jiuyang?

Unfortunately, because it was such a secret, he, as an ancestor of the Shen family, could not ask it directly.

Just then, the two disciples seemed to finish their conversation and turned to leave.

Shen Xiao's gaze narrowed slightly as he noticed a pale blue jade pendant hanging from the waist of one of the men. This pendant served as a pass for inner disciples of Jade Balance Peak to enter and exit certain areas.

In the blink of an eye, a new plan gradually took shape.

He quietly followed them, and in a crowded area, he used his offerings to exchange for a jade-stealing talisman, secretly "stealing" the jade token into his hand.

After obtaining the jade token, Shen Xiao quickly left the market and returned to his courtyard.

In the dead of night, he changed into dark clothes and, using the jade token and the familiarity with the sect's terrain from his memories of Nanshan Jade, slipped past the patrolling disciples and quietly made his way to the "Document Archives" where the Hall of Punishments stored files and records.

Inside the archives, the outer area stores ordinary documents of the sect. Although there are restrictions, the security is not particularly strict, since important documents are not kept here.

Using the jade tablet and the invisibility talisman, Shen Xiao successfully infiltrated the outer area.

They quickly found the file shelf labeled "Shangshan Blood Corpse Case".

Pull out the file and quickly browse through it.