After the Great Dao died

Chapter 87 Evil Arises

There were four other people sitting in the guest seats.

Chen Lingxi had never seen him before, but judging from his clothes and demeanor, he was definitely not a local from Yuanjiang Prefecture.

One of them was a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, who was delicate and extremely beautiful.

She wore a moon-white jacket with very faint orchid patterns embroidered on the cuffs, and a white jade hairpin dangling from her hair, the tassels of which swayed gently by her temples, making her face appear even whiter.

She sat there with her back straight, her hands folded on her knees, her posture dignified to the point of being reserved, only occasionally raising her eyes to give a slight smile to the person beside her.

The other person was a young man, about twenty-one or twenty-two years old.

He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a white jade belt around his waist, a jade crown on his head, and a folding fan in his hand. He had red lips and white teeth, a handsome face, and a refined and cultured demeanor.

At this moment, he was tilting his head slightly, listening to Princess Yunhe speak, his folding fan gently tapping his palm, one tap after another, unhurriedly.

A young man sat beside each of the two men.

The two men were also dressed in extraordinary attire; one wore a royal blue robe, and the other a black brocade robe. They spoke quite politely and were likely companions brought by these two men.

However, the young man in brocade robes seemed somewhat absent-minded as he spoke, his gaze frequently drifting towards the beautiful woman beside him.

The young man in blue slowly sipped his tea, his expression composed, occasionally interjecting a word or two, always at just the right moment.

When Lin Longyue entered the hall, everyone in the hall looked up at her.

Chu Linzi stood up, cupped her hands in greeting to Lin Longyue, and smiled slightly.

"Miss Longyue," Chu Linzi said with a smile, "In my younger days, I did not do many things to please you. Today, I have specially invited you all to a banquet in the garden to apologize."

This garden should belong to Chu Linzi.

She spoke eloquently and sincerely, as if she were truly apologizing for past grievances.

Lin Longyue glanced at her, her face expressionless, and nodded slightly before taking a seat in the guest area.

Princess Yunhe smiled and introduced the two distinguished figures to her: "These sisters are the daughters of the Palace Attendant, named Liu Yuqing."

"This refined young man is the son of the Imperial Academy Director of Studies, named Jiang Ru Nian —"

"The other two young masters are their close friends—"

Princess Yunhe introduced them, and everyone greeted her. The princess then said, "I have specially invited several dancers and musicians from the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) of the government office to entertain you."

The crowd drank wine, enjoyed dancing, and listened to music.

These dancers had exquisite figures and enchanting dance moves, their flowing sleeves creating a fragrant breeze.

Several musicians sat in a corner of the hall, their melodious music mingling with the aroma of wine and the warmth of charcoal fire, enveloping the entire main hall in a dreamlike and enchanting atmosphere.

After several rounds of drinks, the dancers left and the musicians dispersed, leaving only one musician playing his zither in a corner of the hall.

The music was faint and ethereal, like a wisp of smoke drifting slowly through the air.

Everyone was somewhat drunk, slumped in their chairs with unfocused eyes.

Chen Lingxi quietly retreated a few steps, bypassed the main hall, and hid outside a moon gate.

He leaned against a stone-carved screen, peering into the courtyard through the openwork gaps, concealing his true intentions.

"really----"

Chen Lingxi witnessed a horrifying scene, yet felt no surprise whatsoever.

The courtyard looked like a place where a demon was feasting!

The group was drinking.

The musician was still playing his instrument.

Princess Yunhe slumped lazily in her chair, yet with each breath, a faint, extremely delicate breath emanated from Lin Longyue, silently entering her mouth and nose.

It wasn't just her.

Behind Chu Linzi stood two young guards, both dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes, with bulging muscles and a powerful aura.

At this moment, the two men had flushed faces and glazed eyes, and their heads drooped as if they were drunk.

As Chu Linzi breathed, a very fine and faint aura also emanated from the two people, which she silently absorbed into her body.

She also had a smile on her face, a smile that was calm and intoxicating, and her eyes even shone with a red light, like a demon.

The same applies to Jiang Ru Nian and Liu Yu Qing.

Their two companions were now slumped in their chairs, drowsy and unconscious.

The auras of the two individuals were also drawn out and merged into Jiang and Liu's breath.

The scene was extremely bizarre.

Four sober people sat there, their faces bearing identical smiles of rapture, as if enjoying a silent feast.

The five dazed people were like empty shells whose souls had been ripped out.

The eerie music only served to amplify the horror of the strange scene.

"It's consuming vital energy again."

Chen Lingxi's eyelids twitched slightly, and a feeling of extreme unease arose in her heart.

He suddenly realized something and looked towards the main hall.

So he quietly retreated, bypassed the moon gate, and silently walked along the covered walkway toward the backyard.

Just now, he vaguely sensed an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy in the backyard. The fluctuation was extremely subtle and mixed with the sound of the zither and the night wind. It was almost impossible to detect without careful observation.

The backyard is quieter than the front yard.

The windows of the several side rooms were all dark, with only a few lanterns hanging under the eaves, their dim yellow light swaying slightly in the night breeze.

Following the fluctuations of spiritual energy, Chen Lingxi passed through a moon gate, and suddenly the view opened up before her.

In the center of the backyard stood a small pond, exactly the same as the one in Yang Zhuri's courtyard.

A very thin layer of white mist swirled around the surface of the water.

Eight bronze lamps were placed by the pond, their blue flames reflecting in the water, making it appear even more emerald green.

Many corpses lay scattered along the pond's edge, all of them emaciated young men, some lying face up, some face down, and some curled up in a ball.

Their wrists were cut open, and dark red blood gushed from the wounds, flowing into the pool through the grooves carved into the stone slab.

The corpses were deathly pale, devoid of any color, yet still bearing the lingering fear and ferocity of their dying moments.

"same."

Chen Lingxi swept her self-illumination over the corpses, then silently retreated behind the stone screen.

Through the openwork gaps, he looked into the courtyard once more.

Princess Yunhe, Chu Linzi, Jiang Runian, and Liu Yuqing all wore calm yet intoxicated smiles, while those whose vital energy they had absorbed were in a daze.

The musician was still playing his instrument.

Every now and then, a look of satiation would appear on their faces, and their eyes would even glow red, like demons.

Lin Longyue, however, remained in a daze, as if drunk, her eyes half-open and half-closed, her pupils severely dilated, completely unaware of everything happening around her.

At today's banquet, Princess Yunhe, Chu Linzi, Jiang Runian, and Liu Yuqing all used the Qi Absorption Technique to absorb essence from their respective "Great Medicines".

Chen Lingxi frowned as she stared at the group of people, a sudden sense of irritation rising within her.

Then that irritability burned brighter and brighter, mixed with disgust, and intensified, like a raging fire!

After a moment's thought, a sudden evil thought arose in his mind.

"I endured when I was a slave, I endured when I was red with copper, I endured when I was on the third level of Qi cultivation, but now that I am on the fourth level, with a blazing golden body and many reliances, do I still need to endure?"

Then he suddenly let out a cold laugh and opened his mouth.

"Oh!"

A soft sigh, yet it was like a dragon's roar!

The sound condensed into a single line, landing only in Lin Longyue's ear.

Lin Longyue, who had been in a daze, suddenly shuddered. Her half-open eyes snapped open, and the unfocused look in her pupils receded like a tide, replaced by clarity and astonishment.

As she glanced to the side, she saw that Princess Yunhe's eyes were glowing red with a look of ecstasy. Her lazy face was now full of satiation and greed, like a female beast feeding on its prey, completely unlike her usual docile demeanor!

The same applies to Chu Linzi, Jiang Runian, and Liu Yuqing.

The four men all wore eerie smiles, their eyes flashing red light, and each had one or two dazed companions beside them, as if they were participating in a silent demonic feast.

Lin Longyue was taken aback and somewhat at a loss.

She glanced at Princess Yunhe, then at Chu Linzi—

Princess Yunhe and the others were somewhat surprised to see Lin Longyue awaken.

The musician's fingertips paused slightly on the strings, and the music stopped abruptly.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Just then—

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard again in front of the moon gate.

Everyone looked over————

Then another person, with a long sword at his waist and a ghost mask on his face, slowly walked out from behind the moon gate, stepped into the courtyard, and then into the hall!

He was dressed in a dark robe, the hem of which fluttered slightly in the wind.

The ghost-faced creature with its blue face and fangs was quite eerie.

He wore a sword at his waist, walked with ease, his back straight as a pine tree, and his aura was deep and profound, like a ghost god emerging from the darkness, majestic and awe-inspiring.

All eyes in the courtyard fell on him at the same time.

Jiang Runian frowned, closed his folding fan, and stood up.

He sized Chen Lingxi up and down, and immediately rebuked her, "Who are you? Hiding your head and tail, how dare you intrude on the banquet grounds!"

""

Liu Yuqing still looked gentle and weak, but the tenderness in her beautiful eyes had vanished, replaced by a cold wariness.

Her right hand hung casually at her side, but her five fingers were slightly curled up, and there was a faint golden light shimmering at the fingertips.

Everyone was wary, because they couldn't see through this person's true nature.

It is highly unusual for someone with no energy fluctuations to be able to silently pass through the heavy guards outside the courtyard and walk into the unguarded main hall of the main garden.

Especially Princess Yunhe and Chu Linzi, who had experienced many grand occasions and seen many powerful figures—

When they saw the long knife at Chen Lingxi's waist and the ghostly face on his face, they couldn't help but recall the sensational massacre that had shocked the Jiang family.

At Qingjiang Villa, all the martial artists in the courtyard were killed by Yang Zhuri. It seems that the one who did the killing was a figure wearing a ghost mask, dressed in black, and with a long sword at his waist.

Princess Yunhe had completely lost her composure, and a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes, but she still wore a smile on her face. The smile was warm and composed, as if she were welcoming a distinguished guest who had arrived late.

"Your Excellency," she said gently, "this is a small banquet for us today. May I ask what brings you here?"

She paused, her gaze lingering on the knife at Chen Lingxi's waist, then smiled and said, "Since you're here, why not have a few drinks? I have some fine wine here, unopened, perfect for sharing with you."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly clapped her hands, and a maid came out from inside the main hall, carrying a bottle of fine wine.

Princess Yunhe gestured casually towards the empty chair opposite her, as if she were genuinely inviting a latecomer to sit down.

"Please, sir." She turned her head slightly, her phoenix eyes brimming with smiles. "Guests are welcome. Please sit down and talk things over."

Lin Longyue was somewhat taken aback.

She looked at the masked man, then at Princess Yunhe.

I wonder what brings this senior here?

She naturally remembered this person and his imposing presence. Now that he had appeared here again, she wondered where he had come from.

Chen Lingxi's gaze swept over Princess Yunhe.

After thinking about it, I took a seat anyway.

He sat down in the empty chair, the long sword at his waist resting on his knees, not drawn.

Princess Yunhe then asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Your Excellency?"

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Linzi gave a wink to someone behind her.

One of the two young guards behind her nodded slightly, silently took a step back, and disappeared into the shadows of the courtyard wall in a flash.

Chen Lingxi saw all of this but ignored it.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but every word was clear.

"Everyone calls me General Zhiling," he said. "I have come here today for one purpose."

Chu Linzi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

She suddenly reached out and gestured towards Princess Yunhe, speaking casually: "Unknown, sir, this is the daughter of the Eastern King, a princess of the current dynasty."

His father, the Eastern King, was one of the strongest figures in our Great Li, a true Xuan-level expert, and could be described as extraordinary.

She paused slightly at this point, then said, "If you have a request, and the princess grants it, it will surely come to fruition naturally."

That was a very clever way of putting it.

While seemingly praising Princess Yunhe's background, he was actually invoking the name of the Eastern King to intimidate him.

The Eastern King, a figure who has entered the Xuan realm, is one of the symbols of the ultimate martial arts of the Great Li.

That's enough to scare away scoundrels.

Lin Longyue remained silent.

She looked at the masked man, at Princess Yunhe, and at Chu Linzi, her expression shifting constantly.

But in his heart, he recalled that soft, dragon-like roar from just now.

This gentle breath allowed her to see the strange red light in Princess Yunhe's eyes.

That red light—what is it?

Chen Lingxi, wearing a mask, nodded slightly, seemingly unconcerned about Chu Linzi's words.

He looked at Princess Yunhe and said, "I do have something I'd like to ask Princess Yunhe."

Princess Yunhe smiled and said, "General, please speak."

Chen Lingxi suddenly stretched out her right hand, her fingers moving slowly, pointing in turn at Princess Yunhe, Chu Linzi, Jiang Runian, and Liu Yuqing.

Extremely rude!

"You are descendants of nobles, of extraordinary birth," his voice echoed in the hall. "Now you hold this demonic feast, harming your friends and taking the blood of so many young people. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

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