As a puppet, Qingzhi is devoid of emotions and desires; Ji Yueze’s prideful Heart Evil Technique is nothing but a gentle breeze to it, completely ineffective.
And its aura, driven by a Second Tier core and perfectly concealed by the Qi Concealment Technique, was completely undetected, even by a cultivator like Ji Yueze at the Ninth-Layer of Qi Cultivation!
In an instant, a sudden explosion erupted!
"Boom!"
Ji Yueze’s heart was filled with terror. Before he could react, a fist made of Profound Iron with Cold Jade as bone ripped through the air, carrying an immense force, and struck solidly against his back!
His Protective Magical Artifact had just emitted a faint glow before it was shattered instantly!
"Crack!"
A bone-chilling sound of breaking bones echoed clearly throughout the cave.
His body trembled violently, and the countless sword lights lost control and dispersed instantly.
Ji Yueze lowered his head in disbelief, seeing a pitch-black iron fist penetrate through his Protective Spiritual Light, deeply embedded within his back, shattering all his internal organs!
"Pup... pet..."
With difficulty and using his last ounce of strength, he turned his head, only to see a pair of eyes glinting with a faint green light.
Qingzhi remained silent, tightening its grip.
With a tearing sound, blood splattered across the sky!
Ji Yueze, fallen!
"Just like that... dead?"
Chen Ye looked at the gruesome scene, momentarily dumbfounded.
He had thought... he would have a duel with Ji Yueze.
Never did he anticipate that this Stone Mirror Chairman, abandoned by the Ji family, would die so simply after a surprise attack?
Like a legendary Grand General, not dying in the charge between two armies, but killed by a Medicinal Farmer who emerged from nowhere, stabbing him with a rusty farm fork.
Such is the unpredictability of life.
Chen Ye shook his head, suppressing the fleeting sentiment.
He hurried forward, skillfully scavenging Ji Yueze’s corpse, carefully collecting both the gleaming Flying Sword and shattered Eight Trigrams Mirror.
It was just unfortunate that Ji Yueze, sitting here in the cave, had nothing else upon him aside from the Flying Sword; not even a Storage Bag.
"He claimed to be trapped here, but who trapped him? All was plundered except for the Flying Sword..."
Chen Ye pondered, suddenly feeling frustrated.
Qingzhi acted too swiftly, directly tearing Ji Yueze in half.
He had intended to interrogate Ji Yueze about Qing Jun’s whereabouts.
Having done all this, Chen Ye sat cross-legged, running the Evergreen Technique to quickly regulate his turbulent Qi and blood.
Earlier, Ji Yueze’s anger-fueled strike, although mostly blocked by the Eight Trigrams Mirror, still severely damaged his internal organs, requiring immediate treatment lest he die before finding Qing Jun!
Luckily, at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation now, the recovery capability of the Evergreen Technique had progressed tremendously.
In less than a two-hour period, his pale complexion regained some color.
With his injuries stabilized temporarily, Chen Ye refocused his attention on the eerie cave before him and the Purifying Heart Lotus swaying over the Demon Pool.
He walked slowly to the altar constructed of white bones, his gaze fixed intensely on the sacred lotus in the pool.
Second Tier Spirit Plant, Purifying Heart Lotus!
Its seeds could cleanse and fortify the body, precisely solving his Pill Barrier predicament!
"Since Ji Yueze lingered here for so long, why didn’t he act on the already mature lotus seeds?"
A hint of wariness rose within Chen Ye’s heart.
He expanded his Divine Sense cautiously, gently probing toward the Purifying Heart Lotus.
Sure enough, just as his Divine Sense was about to touch the lotus, the Power of Restriction erupted suddenly, instantly pulverizing the strand he extended!
"Hiss..."
Chen Ye groaned, feeling a burst of pain in his brain, hurriedly retracting his Divine Sense, his face turning pale again.
There was a highly sophisticated restriction placed on this Purifying Heart Lotus!
This restriction, linked integrally with the altar and even the Earth Vein Demonic Qi below; forcibly breaking it would likely trigger a rebound of the entire cave’s demonic qi, resulting in disastrous consequences.
"That explains it."
Chen Ye realized.
He glanced again at the complicated, eerie demon patterns on the altar, understanding even more.
Ji Yueze’s prolonged presence here wasn’t unwilling to harvest the lotus seeds, but he was waiting, or rather, maintaining!
He was likely coerced by the Demon Cultivator of the Emotion Crossing Sect with some method, compelled to remain here, utilizing his spiritual power to operate the grand altar array day and night, refining the chaotic qi absorbed from the East Valley, converting it into pure Demon Liquid to nurture the Purifying Heart Lotus.
He was titled the Watcher, but was actually... a gardener working against his will!
This also explained why he bore nothing but his life-bound Flying Sword.
His Storage Bag must have been taken away by the Demon Cultivator, cutting off all retreat, leaving only the Flying Sword to repel Resentful Spirits.
The sacred Purifying Heart Lotus swayed silently over the Demon Pool.
But,
No matter how great a spirit plant is, how can it compare to one’s disciple?
Chen Ye suppressed the urge to harvest the seeds, once again taking out the Thousand-Mile Communication Talisman from Luo Heng, injecting it with spiritual power.
He didn’t know who was on the other end of the Jade Talisman, but for now, it was his only clue.
"Where is Qing Jun?" he asked in a deep voice once more.
The Jade Talisman was met with a prolonged silence.
Just as Chen Ye thought there would be no response, the voice spoke again:
"You’re not dead?"
Chen Ye’s heart sank instantly to the bottom.
How could he not understand? The other party clearly wanted to use Ji Yueze’s hand to get rid of him!