276: Chapter 276 Guan Nan's Words

Ye Tianhao went to the Ganglei Sect to investigate on the Sect Master's orders.

His wife also had to meet with Sect Master Gui Suer of the Frost Moon Sect, and since this was an investigation, it didn't need many people to know.

The Ganglei Sect was the furthest from the Qingyun Sect; even with Ye Tianhao flying on his sword, it took a full day to reach the Ganglei Sect's territory.

Arriving here, he didn't dare fly on his sword. Using his Family's Insect-control Secret Arts, he simply controlled Poisonous Variant Bees to help him scout within a few miles.

He saw that the once prosperous lands under the Ganglei Sect's rule had turned into ruins, so silent that not a trace of a living person could be seen, not even blood.

Presumably, after the Xuanyou Sect destroyed the Ganglei Sect, they left no one alive in the surrounding cities, villages, or aristocratic families.

Even the well-traveled Ye Tianhao couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart upon seeing this.

The Xuanyou Sect was truly swift and ruthless enough.

He lowered his body and walked slowly under the cover of the broken walls, his Spiritual Qi restrained, not daring to leak even a bit.

Ye Tianhao still had to cross this vast expanse of ruins to find the former site of the Ganglei Sect.

After walking about a hundred miles, the Poisonous Variant Bees suddenly began to buzz. Through his control, Ye Tianhao was startled and immediately brandished the moon-breaking sword in his hand.

In the distance, an old man in a black robe held a comatose young girl in his arms. Relying on his Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, he fled all the way, not daring to take action easily.

“Stop! Who are you!”

“Quick, chase him! Don't let this fellow escape! The Cult Leader ordered that not even a mosquito is to be spared within the entire Ganglei Sect!”

Piercing shouts tore through the dead silence of the ruins. Several figures wrapped in Xuanyou Sect black robes darted out from behind the broken walls, their bodies emitting a cold, evil aura. Their gazes were fixed on Elder Guan Nan, their killing intent completely unconcealed.

Elder Guan Nan froze. In his arms, Murong Linger's brows were tightly knit and her small face was pale; she was still in a coma, completely unaware of the killing situation around her.

He had been fleeing the whole way, his spiritual power mostly depleted, and his shoulder was still stained with wet blood after having just forcibly broken through several Xuanyou Sect blockades.

He was already at the end of his rope. If he fought head-on and revealed his Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, it would surely attract Xuan Yin to surround and kill him.

He gritted his teeth, his footwork changed abruptly as he circulated the Sect's remaining escape technique to try and bypass the pursuers. But his spiritual power was in disarray, his steps faltered, and he was ultimately half a step too slow.

“Old thing, still trying to run? You remnants of the Ganglei Sect, not a single one of you shall live today!”

The leading Black-robed Man gave a sinister smile. He was a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Cultivator, ordered by the Cult Leader to come and slaughter the survivors.

Seeing the old man fleeing with a young girl, he thought it was a leftover child of some aristocratic Family and chased them down, intending to kill them.

He raised his hand and threw several pitch-black Poison Blades straight at Elder Guan Nan's heart, the Move ruthless, leaving no way out.

Elder Guan Nan sighed deeply, a flash of resolve in his eyes, just as he was about to use his spiritual power to kill these annoying fellows.

Suddenly, a sharp Sword Qi streaked past his ear.

A cold light flashed as the moon-breaking sword burst through the air with chilly Spiritual Qi, accurately shattering those Poison Blades. The sword's momentum didn't slow; with a diagonal flick, before the black-robed men could react, their heads were severed, and they collapsed to the ground.

After the sword passed by Guan Nan, he immediately regained his senses and looked guardedly at the male Sword Cultivator who had suddenly appeared.

The man just glanced at him and said, “This is no place to linger. I'll take you to a safe place first.”

Guan Nan saw that the man was handsome, wearing fine silk clothes, with pure spiritual power and an air of immortal elegance and pride; he looked like a Disciple from some powerful aristocratic Family.

Currently helpless and alone with the Young Miss, he followed the man for now.

Ye Tianhao was not familiar with the Ganglei Sect's territory. Following the map given to him by the Elder, he led the old man to a remote village.

But this village was bloodstained, with zombies and evil ghosts wreaking havoc—clearly the handiwork of the Xuanyou Sect. Seeing this, Ye Tianhao killed them all with his sword and then took out a jade talisman for concealment.

This jade talisman could mask the detection of Golden Core Stage Cultivators. It was given to him by Yun Jian to avoid being noticed by Xuan Yin.

Seeing this, Ye Tianhao said, “I am Ye Tianhao, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect. May I ask who you are, Fellow Daoist...?”

Currently, Guan Nan had restrained his cultivation and was dressed in rags; even the young girl in his arms looked extremely disheveled.

Hearing that he was a Qingyun Sect Disciple, his tense mind relaxed slightly, but he still didn't dare lower his guard completely.

“This old man goes by the name Guan Nan, an Elder of the Ganglei Sect. The child in my arms is the daughter of the Ganglei Sect's Sect Master, the current Sect Master Murong Linger.”

As the words fell, Ye Tianhao's eyes darkened as he understood. No wonder the Xuanyou Sect was so thorough; they wanted to pull up the roots and eliminate the source.

Seeing that Ye Tianhao's expression didn't change and he had no malicious intent to take advantage of their plight, Elder Guan Nan bowed to him, his tone full of sincerity.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Ye, for your rescue. Had you not arrived in time, the Young Miss and I would likely have perished here today.”

Ye Tianhao quickly reached out to support him and said solemnly, “To be honest, Senior, the Qingyun Sect ordered me to investigate the incident at the Ganglei Sect.”

“I wonder if Senior could tell me—the Ganglei Sect's Sect Master is a Golden Core Middle Stage venerable. Even against the Xuanyou Sect, it shouldn't have ended in total annihilation with no survivors. Is there some hidden truth behind this?”

Mentioning the destruction of his Sect, Elder Guan Nan's eyes instantly reddened, and a sorrowful, hostile aura uncontrollably rose around him.

“What hidden truth? It was nothing but a long-premeditated execution, a siege with no chance of victory!”

He was full of resentment and indignation.

“Our Sect Master, Murong Xiao, was a genuine Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator. Even if he were no match for Xuan Yin, he would never have had his Soul Lamp extinguished so silently without sending out even a single message.”

Ye Tianhao thought of what he had heard from Yun Ling and the others; they suspected the Xuanyou Sect had collaborated with some Golden Core Cultivators to assassinate Murong Xiao. But besides the four Sects, where would other Golden Core Cultivators come from?

He immediately asked, “Senior, may I ask if Sect Master Murong left the Sect before his death, or if he went somewhere at someone's invitation?”

Elder Guan Nan shook his head upon hearing this. “The Sect Master rarely left the Sect. Recently, he only had a dispute with Sect Master Fan Lang of the Lingxiao Sect over some matters regarding Red Copper Mountain, but it seemed to have come to nothing in the end.”

Speaking of which, Guan Nan suddenly said, “Could it be the Lingxiao Sect's doing? But how could Fan Lang cooperate with the Xuanyou Sect?”

“He hates the Xuanyou Sect the most! For the past few centuries, as long as a Xuanyou Sect Cultivator appeared within the Lingxiao Sect's territory, he would dig three feet into the ground to hunt them down and kill them!”

Ye Tianhao couldn't help but ask, “Why does Sect Master Fan hate the Xuanyou Sect so much?”

“This matter is an old grudge that the Lingxiao Sect refuses to mention, and it is the deepest scar in Fan Lang's heart. Very few people in the entire cultivation world know the inside story.”

He lowered his voice and looked around to ensure no one else was eavesdropping before slowly speaking, “Three hundred years ago, Fan Lang was not yet the Sect Master of the Lingxiao Sect. He was then just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and his parents were the Sect Masters of the Lingxiao Sect, having only Early Golden Core Stage cultivation.”

“One night three hundred years ago, a Xuanyou Sect Devil Head broke into the Lingxiao Sect Palace and killed Fan Lang's parents without warning. It's said the strike was so ruthless that his parents didn't even leave a single word behind; their physical bodies shattered, leaving nothing behind.”