Ning Jiufan exerted all his strength, hurrying over.
Seeing Ning Zhuo safe and sound with all limbs intact, he finally heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
Ning Zhuo quickly ran in front of Ning Jiufan, his face still pale, "Ancestor, it was Yang Chanyu who attacked us! I narrowly escaped thanks to the Oil Slick and Smooth Talisman, but, but Zheng Jian…"
Just as he spoke, another Golden Core Cultivator descended from the sky.
"Zheng Jian!" he cried with a mournful voice, overwhelmed with sorrow.
It was Zheng Danlian, one of the second ancestors of the Zheng Family.
His Divine Sense swept across Zheng Jian's entire body, confirming that the latter was dead beyond doubt, his sorrowful expression immediately replaced by anger and hatred.
"Who is it, who killed our clan's genius?!" he roared, glaring fixedly at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo quickly retreated behind Ning Jiufan, only revealing a large head to say, "It was, it was Yang Chanyu from the Bukong Sect!"
Ning Jiufan snorted coldly, stepping forward to shield Ning Zhuo from Zheng Danlian's overwhelming presence, "Brother Zheng, our pressing concern should be to find the murderer and avenge the death. As a distinguished Golden Core elder of a great family, how can you bully a mere Qi Refinement junior?"
Zheng Danlian gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and a violent murderous intent surged in his heart.
At this moment, Zheng Shuanggou also arrived at the scene of the crime.
He landed directly on the ground, squatting to examine Zheng Jian's body in detail.
"His soul is gone, only the flesh remains."
"The body... the heart shattered, devoid of life!"
Zheng Shuanggou shook his head slightly, letting out a long sigh.
Zheng Danlian demanded, "Ning Zhuo, you scoundrel, speak! What exactly happened just now? Don't miss a single detail, or I will take it out on you!"
Mana swelled within Ning Jiufan, "Brother Zheng, I know you are in grief."
"But didn't our Ning Xiaohui also fall just recently?"
"Our two families are in the same situation!"
"Ning Zhuo is not the culprit, this time he only survived because of the Treasure Talisman I gave him."
Zheng Shuanggou intervened, saying to Zheng Danlian, "Elder brother, set aside your thunderous rage. We are allies with the Ning Family, not enemies."
Zheng Danlian took heavy breaths, his eyes bloodshot, finally managing to suppress his fury.
Only then did Ning Jiufan slightly step aside, turning gently, and in a soft tone, instructed Ning Zhuo, "Go on, Little Zhuo, try not to omit a single detail."
"Yes, Ancestor," Ning Zhuo hurriedly recounted the events as they occurred.
Zheng Danlian's brows furrowed deeply, while Zheng Shuanggou maintained an expressionless face.
As the explanation neared its end, a rainbow light flew in from afar, landing there and transforming into a Golden Core Cultivator—Zhu Xuanji.
"Lord Zhu, at last, you've arrived!" Zheng Danlian had sent a Flying Message earlier.
Zheng Shuanggou then said, "Lord Divine Hunter, a genius of our family has perished, and we need your skills to capture the real culprit!"
Zhu Xuanji swiftly glanced over the scene, glanced at Zheng Danlian, then focused on Zheng Shuanggou, "I just went to another crime scene."
"There has been an incident at the Zhou Family too."
"Sun Lingtong suddenly appeared, attacking Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen."
Zheng Shuanggou, "Oh?"
Zheng Danlian, "Have the Zhou Family's geniuses also perished?"
Zhu Xuanji shook his head, "They would have, had the Lava Fairy Palace not saved them. Sun Lingtong, although only at the Foundation Establishment level, was suppressed by the environment of the Immortal Palace. Zhou Zeshen is lightly injured, Zhou Zhu critically wounded and on the brink of death. It was a situation of utmost peril."
Zheng Danlian snorted coldly, "The Zhou Family hasn't lost anyone, yet our Zheng Family has lost a brilliant young successor!"
Zhu Xuanji frowned slightly, realizing that Zheng Danlian was speaking out of grief and anger, and did not engage him, but instead looked around and took several steps around the scene.
During this time, his eyes shone with golden light as he employed the Trace Origin Technique.
In an instant, he saw the moment Zheng Jian's heart was pierced.
That bloodied knife, in Zhu Xuanji's sight, became a focal point.
Zhu Xuanji sighed, "This must be Yang Chanyu's weapon—the Soul-Stealing Glint Knife."
"The knife, when used, has an exceedingly restrained aura, its power capable of increasing cumulatively. Combined with Yang Chanyu's Old Cicada Technique, after accumulating power over time, the attack is extremely formidable!"
"The one struck by the knife often has their soul torn and partially seized by the blade, which is extremely sinister."
"Zheng Jian was just at the Qi Refinement Realm, his entire soul was seized after being struck by the knife."
Having analyzed the situation, Zheng Danlian roared, "Yang Chanyu! You, a proud Golden Core, sneak-attacking a Qi Refinement junior, you have no shame! I will kill you, kill you!"
"Lord Zhu, quickly track her down, find the murderer so that I can quench my scythe with the blood of my foe!"
Zhu Xuanji, however, shook his head, "The Bukong Sect's methods are extraordinary, and just like Sun Lingtong, Yang Chanyu struck in a split second. As soon as the time limit was reached, regardless of the situation, she decisively retreated, leaving no clues. How can I possibly chase her?"
"Ah!" Zheng Danlian bellowed in fury.
Zheng Shuanggou's brows knitted together as he sensed something off about Zheng Danlian's mood and quickly stepped beside him to calm him down, "Elder brother, I beg you to keep your cool!"
"Even if Lord Zhu had a lead, it might be intentionally left by the opponent to lure us into a trap."
"The Bukong Sect is still a large Evil Cult and has been hiding in our Fire Persimmon Immortal City for years, not to be underestimated."
At this point, Zheng Shuanggou secretly sent a message, "Elder brother, if we confront Yang Chanyu, our Zheng Family will provoke two major Sects at once."
"I beg you to be calm, calm!"
Zheng Shuanggou's earnest persuasion finally made Zheng Danlian rein in his rage.
Zheng Danlian turned to Zhu Xuanji, asking bitterly, "Lord Zhu, considering the circumstances, will the Royal Family not take action?"
"Ever since the Zheng Family formed an alliance, we've been content to follow in the wake, at the beck and call,"
"Previously, my Zheng Family mistakenly killed a Golden Core True Transmission of Taiqing Palace. Now, our clan's genius youth has fallen at the hands of the Bukong Sect..."
"Thinking about it now, that so-called 'Black Shadow Demon Cultivator' must be one of the Bukong Sect's schemers!"
"How much longer must our Southern Bean Royal Family tolerate such wicked and murderous demons?"
"If help isn't forthcoming, our clan might as well give our allegiance to City Lord Meng Kun to see how he performs!"
Zhu Xuanji immediately frowned deeply, his expression turning cold.
"Brother!!" Zheng Shuanggou bellowed in anger, glaring at Zheng Danlian.
Then, he turned to Zhu Xuanji to offer an apology, stating that Zheng Danlian had spoken out of desperation and distress and did not mean what he said, hoping that Zhu Xuanji would understand and forgive.
After venting his frustration, Zheng Danlian realized his mistakes and broke into a cold sweat, staying silent.
He refrained from speaking, but Ning Zhuo began to speak.
Ning Zhuo looked at Zhu Xuanji, "Lord Zhu, I implore you to take action and come to our aid."
"The Bukong Sect is truly sinister and ruthless!"
"This time, thanks to my ancestor's Oil Slick and Smooth Talisman, I narrowly escaped with my life."
"But the information has been leaked."
"The Bukong Sect possess the Trap Treasure Art. Next time, they could very well seize the treasure talisman before they take my life!"
"Even if they don't target me, they are certain to capture any member of the Renovation Team they set their sights on!"
"Under these circumstances, how can we actively pursue positions within the Immortal Palace?"
"I believe, by acting this way, the Bukong Sect has seen through our actions and does not want us to secure any positions in the Lava Fairy Palace! By doing so, they would surely weaken their own control over the palace!"
After Ning Zhuo's speech, the faces of the four Golden Core Cultivators present all showed difficulty.
From their perspective: City Lord Meng Kun had instigated an open conspiracy by promising lucrative rewards for maintaining their current positions.
Under such a blatant scheme, the cultivators must strive to secure their positions and take control of the Immortal Palace, which would be beneficial for the overall situation and cause no harm. Additionally, this plan would kill two birds with one stone, potentially splitting the three-family alliance.
Earlier, Zheng Jian delivered an ultimatum to Ning Zhuo, and the conflict that arose between the Zheng Family and the Ning Family was precisely the result of this open conspiracy.
The Bukong Sect, clearly unwilling to let the Southern Bean country parties control the Immortal Palace positions, took immediate retaliatory action.
Their method of reprisal was quite straightforward: they targeted and killed members of the Renovation Team.
The Renovation Team, at all levels, consisted of Trial Disciples vying for positions within the Immortal Palace and enjoying certain advantages. However, these disciples typically only had Qi Refinement Realm cultivation, and their combat effectiveness was weak, making them easy targets.
The reason the Golden Core Cultivators felt troubled was simple: their position was too passive.
If they guarded the Renovation Team, they would be drawn into expending their own energy.
Even if they used the Renovation Team as bait, as long as the Bukong Sect refrained from attacking, they would still be dragged into expending resources and manpower.
And if they chose to do nothing, how could the Golden Core Cultivators explain to their own family members?
They were, after all, from the Righteous Path.
The troubles of the Golden Core Cultivators did not hinder the retrieval of Zheng Jian's body.
Before long.
Elder of the Zheng Family, Zheng Hua, personally took charge, maintaining stability and reassuring everyone.
His first act was to hold a simple memorial service for Zheng Jian.
All members of the Zheng Family's Renovation Team participated in the mourning ceremony.
"Big brother!"
"Boss!!"
Many looked at Zheng Jian's corpse with reddening eyes, shouting in grief, as if that could bring him back to life.
"Wuu wuu..." Some wanted to weep bitterly but clenched their teeth and forcibly held back.
Zheng Hua stood beside the coffin, his face dark with sorrow.
It was too painful.
The losses suffered by the Zheng Family were deeply felt by Zheng Hua!
Zheng Jian...
This promising member of the family was not just talented, but moreover, he was valued for his character, leadership capabilities, and his ability to judge the situation and more.
He was well-regarded and, in the eyes of the main line of the Zheng Family, Zheng Jian would at least have become a powerful Family Elder!
But now, he had fallen.
He hadn't had the chance to grow up!
A sense of immense regret and agony filled Zheng Hua's heart.
As a family elder, he had always had high hopes for Zheng Jian, looking forward to his future.
But now, Zheng Jian, lying in the coffin, had no future!
Suddenly, a Zheng Family Cultivator approached and reported to Zheng Hua, "My lord, Ning Zhuo of the Ning Family requests an audience, saying he would like to pay his respects to old brother Zheng Jian."
The Renovation Team members nearby started to clamor upon hearing this.
"He has the nerve to come?! If it weren't for the need to speak with him, would old brother Zheng Jian have even left the house?"
"Why did that vile Yang Chanyu only kill the boss and not him!"
"This guy had colluded with the Bukong Sect, and now he's been absolved by Zhu Xuanji, making it ashore successfully. What's this about renouncing darkness for light? Hmph, it's likely he's still plotting with the Bukong Sect. This time, he's targeted our brother Zheng Jian!"