112: Chapter 112 The Return of the Slaughtering Clan Shocks the Audience! Top-Secret Files Reveal the Demon Emperor's Human Skin!

[Age 33. July 18th. Hour of Chen.]

[Two streaks of light break through the clouds from the southern horizon, coming to a halt over the Main Peak of the Tianxuan Sect.]

[You and Huo Quji land one after the other on the White Jade Square in front of the Tianxuan Hall.]

[No sleep for three days.]

[Huo Quji's Daoist robe has two holes burned in it, unwashed bloodstains hang from his cuffs, and his hair is a mess.]

[You aren't much better off than him.]

[When the jinhong sword is sheathed, its body trembles slightly; it is a manifestation of spiritual power that has not yet settled after continuous high-intensity combat.]

[The disciples on duty at the Main Peak block the way.]

["Two Senior Brothers—"]

[You show your waist token.]

[The duty disciple sees the dried blood scabs on your face and catches a glimpse of the clotted black blood in Huo Quji's hair; he swallows his words.]

["Where is Hall Master Lei Zhen?"]

[The duty disciple opens his mouth, his voice dry.]

["Hall Master Lei Zhen is... discussing matters in the Tianxuan Hall. The Sect Leader has come out of seclusion, and the four Hall Masters are all inside."]

[Your footsteps pause for a moment.]

[The Sect Leader has come out of seclusion.]

[Seclusion for five years.]

[This is the first time you have heard of him making an appearance since joining the sect.]

["Let's go."]

[You step onto the stairs of the main hall.]

[Huo Quji follows behind, smoothing his messy hair and muttering softly, "The Sect Leader is inside? Should I tidy up my appearance?"]

["No time."]

[You push open the hall doors.]

[——]

[Inside the Tianxuan Hall, five gazes sweep over simultaneously.]

[On the central main seat, a white-haired Daoist sits upright.]

[Perfected Xuanyang.]

[White hair tied in a crown, Daoist robe pristine, he looks no older than fifty, with a clear and composed expression.]

[He sits quietly, without intentionally releasing spiritual pressure.]

[But the moment you step into the hall, the Supreme Sword Bone emits a very low vibration of its own accord.]

[The aura of the Great Circle of the Nascent Soul stage silently blankets the entire hall.]

[The number one person in the Eastern Region.]

[Hall Master Lei Zhen sits in the second seat on the left; seeing the disheveled state of you and Huo Quji, his teacup stops at his lips.]

["Shen Ji?"]

[You step forward a few paces.]

[You take out three sealed jade boxes from your storage bag and present them with both hands, placing them flat on the stone table in the center of the hall.]

["Disciple Shen Ji reports to the Sect Leader and the Elders."]

["On July 15th, this disciple and Huo Quji ambushed and killed Valley Master Mo Jiuyou of the Xuanyin Valley at Kugu Ridge. That same night, we raided the Xuanyin Valley headquarters and wiped out the entire valley."]

[No one speaks.]

[The teacup in the hand of Hall Master Song Changkong of Fenglei Hall clatters against the armrest, and tea spills out.]

["What did you say?"]

["The entire valley was wiped out," you repeat.]

[You open the first jade box.]

["These are the original secret letters between Xuanyin Valley and the demon race, involving Demon Emperor Lietian's comprehensive infiltration plan for the Eastern Region."]

[Open the second one.]

["The complete list of spies planted in various major sects of the Eastern Region. Seventeen in the Tianxuan Sect, twelve in the Moyun Sect, nine in the Cangqiong Sword Sect, and six in the Lingxu Valley."]

[Open the third one.]

["The internal infiltration route map of Xuanyin Valley. It marks every intelligence transmission node, handover method, and timing pattern."]

[Five powerful divine senses simultaneously sweep toward the jade boxes on the stone table.]

[Perfected Xuanyang raises his right hand.]

[The secret letters float up on their own and fall into his palm.]

[He flips to the first page, his fingertip brushing over the dark green mark at the bottom of the letter.]

[That is the Bone-Eroding Poison Seal exclusive to the Valley Master of Xuanyin Valley, which cannot be forged.]

[Perfected Xuanyang finishes flipping through the last page.]

[He sets down the secret letters and looks at you.]

["You are at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, and you killed Mo Jiuyou of the eighth level?"]

["Yes."]

["And wiped out the entire Xuanyin Valley?"]

["Just Huo Quji and myself."]

[Perfected Xuanyang glances at Huo Quji.]

[Huo Quji cups his fists and puffs out his chest, standing straight, letting his messy hair stick out.]

[Perfected Xuanyang does not press for details of the battle.]

[He hands the list of spies to Hall Master Yan Su of the Law Enforcement Hall beside him.]

["Verify. Immediately."]

[Yan Su takes the list and flips to the first page.]

[The first name on the Tianxuan Sect list—Deacon Zhao.]

[Yan Su closes the list, cups his hands to accept the order, and strides out of the hall.]

[The sound of footsteps quickly disappears at the end of the corridor.]

[——]

[Half an hour later.]

[Law Enforcement Hall disciples lead a string of people out from various hall offices one after another.]

[Deacon Zhao's arms are pinned behind his back by two Foundation Establishment disciples; his face is ashen, and his feet drag on the ground.]

[Seventeen people.]

[Not one missing.]

[The contact codes and meeting locations marked on the list are too precise; these spies have no room for excuses.]

[The news quickly spreads within the sect.]

[From the inner sect to the outer sect, every corner is boiling—Shen Ji and Huo Quji, the two of them, have leveled Xuanyin Valley.]

[——]

[Noon. Tianxuan Hall.]

[You and Huo Quji stand in the hall once again.]

[This time, the five high-level leaders are all seated together.]

[The hall is surrounded by inner sect elders who rushed over upon hearing the news.]

[Perfected Xuanyang speaks.]

["Although Xuanyin Valley was bottom-tier in the Eastern Region, as an important base for the demon race's infiltration of the human race, its strategic significance far exceeds the sect itself."]

["The two disciples have uprooted the demon spies, killed the enemy leader, and seized the infiltration list; their merit lies with the state."]

["Reward five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Three thousand for Shen Ji, two thousand for Huo Quji."]

[Huo Quji's shoulders twitch, and he clenches his jaw to keep from grinning.]

["In addition," Perfected Xuanyang looks at you, "the sect's secret treasury will be opened once, and each of you may choose one fourth-grade artifact."]

[Huo Quji can hardly hide his excitement now.]

[In your storage bag, you already have the fourth-grade Xuanwu Heavy Light Shield and the jinhong sword, and even the fifth-grade Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword.]

[You cup your fists.]

["This disciple thanks the Sect Leader for the generous reward. I shall give my share of the artifact to Junior Brother Huo."]

[The other four Hall Masters all pause their movements simultaneously.]

[Huo Quji snaps his head to look at you, his mouth half-open.]

[You look at Perfected Xuanyang.]

["This disciple has one request—I implore the Sect Leader to allow me to enter the seventh floor of the Scripture Pavilion to consult the top-secret records regarding Demon Emperor Lietian."]

[Perfected Xuanyang's finger lightly taps the armrest of his seat.]

[Since the founding of the Tianxuan Sect, only successive Sect Leaders and Vice Sect Leaders have been qualified to set foot on the seventh floor of the Scripture Pavilion.]

[What is stored inside are not cultivation techniques, but top-secret scrolls involving the demon race, the demon clan, and ancient secrets.]

[Hall Master Lei Zhen glances at you.]

[His gaze is filled with approval.]

[Not wanting an artifact, but wanting intelligence. This calculation is very shrewd.]

[Perfected Xuanyang nods.]

["Granted. Limited to three days."]

[You cup your fists to express your gratitude.]

[Huo Quji stands beside you, scratches the back of his head, and speaks in a low voice: "Then I won't be polite."]

[He eventually chose a fourth-grade Black Jade heart-protecting mirror from the secret treasury.]

[The chiyan sword paired with a heart-protecting mirror.]

[Both offense and defense are covered.]

[——]

[Age 33. August 1st. Hour of Mao.]

[Seventh floor of the Scripture Pavilion.]

[Ancient restrictions are carved at the entrance.]

[You insert the token given by the Sect Leader into the stone slot, and the restriction silently dissipates.]

[The stone door opens, and the scent of agarwood wafts out.]

[The space on the seventh floor is not large; the four walls are filled with jade slip shelves.]

[Every jade slip has a yellowed seal attached to it.]

[You walk to the third row of the west wall.]

[The records related to "Demon Emperor Lietian" are sealed here separately.]

[Three jade slips, all with double seals.]

[You circulate your spiritual power to break the seals one by one and press the first jade slip to your forehead.]

[Text and images flood into your divine sense.]

[After a moment, you set down the first one and pick up the second one.]

[Then the third one.]

[Your fingertip stops in mid-air.]

[At the end of the last jade slip, an ancient secret record is recorded, which has been repeatedly annotated by successive Sect Leaders.]

["Demon Emperor Lietian, original name Li Wuji. Not of demon race origin. He was an ancient human rogue cultivator who once ranked among the top ten in the Eastern Region's sword dao."]

["Due to practicing forbidden techniques, he suffered a backlash from the Heavenly Dao, and his physical body was destroyed."]

["Later, he used a remnant soul to possess a fourth-rank demon beast, the Lietian Roc, and merged with the demon core to reconstruct a golden body. Since then, he is neither human nor demon."]

[You stare at the last line of text on the jade slip.]

["This person knows the defense systems of human sects like the back of his hand. If he were to invade with full force, most sects in the Eastern Region would be unable to resist."]

[Your fingertip rubs the edge of the jade slip.]

[The extermination of Xuanyin Valley and the removal of spies from various sects is equivalent to directly overturning Demon Emperor Lietian's chessboard.]

[Decades of painstaking infiltration work have been ruined.]

[Li Wuji acts ruthlessly and will never give the human race a chance to breathe, clean up internally, and rebuild their defense lines.]

[If covert seizure fails, only overt plunder remains.]

[The move of exterminating Xuanyin Valley will surely bring the demon army's invasion forward.]

Outside the light screen.

Shen Ji picks up his teacup; the tea has already gone cold.

Demon Emperor Lietian is a human.

A traitor who knows the human race's secrets inside out.

There is now a logical explanation for why the Eastern Region's defense lines collapsed so quickly in the previous life.

The root of that kind of silk-stripping, precise infiltration method used by Xuanyin Valley lies here.

Shen Ji's gaze falls back to the bottom of the light screen.

[The annotations on the third jade slip have a very familiar brushwork.]

[The habitual pause at the horizontal turns is identical to the personal handwriting of Sect Leader Perfected Xuanyang.]

[The annotation consists of only four words.]

["This person is not dead."]