183: The End of the Jade Water Palace

Lin Feng heard everything clearly from the shadows, his heart enlightened.

These three had come to investigate the death of Daoist Kugu.

He secretly rejoiced that he had been careful enough when dealing with the battlefield, and that his appearance and aura had completely changed; otherwise, he would likely have been discovered by now.

The scarred man's gaze fell upon Lin Feng: "Kid, who are you? Have you seen any suspicious persons or signs of fighting here?"

Powerful Spiritual Pressure flickered over Lin Feng.

The look of panic on Lin Feng's face deepened; he hurriedly bowed and replied in a deliberately altered, hoarse voice: "Rep... Reporting to Senior, this Junior is just a Loose Cultivator passing through. I wanted to find a place to rest for a moment. I haven't seen anything unusual, nor have I sensed any fluctuations from a fight."

The thin Cultivator carefully swept his Divine Sense over Lin Feng.

Confirming that his appearance was unfamiliar and his aura did not resemble the one who killed Daoist Kugu, he lost interest and said to the scarred man: "Big Brother, it's just a small Loose Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage passing by. It seems he doesn't know anything."

The old woman nodded as well, her attention focused more on probing the residual energy traces in the surrounding environment.

Seeing that he couldn't get any answers, and noting that Lin Feng's cultivation was low and he didn't seem capable of threatening Kugu, the scarred man waved his hand impatiently: "Get lost. This isn't a place for someone of your cultivation level to linger."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Senior!"

Lin Feng hurriedly bowed and saluted, then raised a slightly clumsy Escaping Light and flew away at a leisurely pace in the opposite direction of the Tianxuan Sect.

He flew cautiously, acting exactly like someone afraid of angering high-level Cultivators and eager to get away from a place of trouble.

Only after flying hundreds of miles and confirming that those three powerful Divine Senses were not following him did Lin Feng slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

He increased his speed, changed direction, and sped toward the true direction of the Tianxuan Sect.

Lin Feng flew for several days and passed through a range of mountains teeming with Spiritual Qi.

At the mountain gate, the three characters for "Star River Sect" flickered in and out of view amidst the clouds and mist.

He remembered Mu Yurou mentioning that the Star River Sect and Bishui Palace had long had dealings and a close friendship.

His heart stirred, so he lowered his Escaping Light and landed on the guest-welcoming platform in front of the mountain gate, intending to rest for a bit and incidentally gather some information.

The gatekeeper was a young Disciple in the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

Seeing that Lin Feng's Escaping Light was solid and his aura profound—far surpassing that of his own Sect Head—he dared not be negligent and hurriedly greeted him respectfully: "This Junior is a Disciple of the Star River Sect. Greetings, Senior. May I ask what brings you here?"

Lin Feng's expression was peaceful as he cupped his hands: "I am passing through and would like to borrow your esteemed land to rest for a moment. Would that be convenient?"

Seeing such a polite Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, the Disciple was flattered and hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way: "Senior, you are too polite! Please, come in! This Junior will go report to the Sect Head immediately!"

He led Lin Feng to a quiet guest house, served Spiritual tea, and then hurried off to report.

Before long, the Sect Head of the Star River Sect, a white-haired Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, arrived with several Elders in tow.

Upon seeing Lin Feng, the Sect Head's face broke into a warm smile.

He cupped his hands and said: "Your arrival brings great honor to our Star River Sect! I am Zhang Xuzi, the Sect Head of the Star River Sect. Please forgive me for not coming out to welcome you from afar."

His attitude was extremely polite, even carrying a hint of caution.

After all, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Loose Cultivator was an expert that a small Sect like theirs needed to cultivate a relationship with carefully.

Lin Feng stood up and returned the salute: "Sect Head Zhang is too polite. I, Lin, am just passing through and will only be bothering you for a moment."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sect Head Zhang asked tentatively: "Seeing Fellow Daoist Lin's extraordinary demeanor, I wonder where you are headed? If it's on the way, perhaps our Star River Sect can offer some hospitality."

Lin Feng took a sip of tea and said indifferently: "I am traveling about to temper my state of mind; I have no fixed destination."

Hearing this, a flash of envy crossed Sect Head Zhang's eyes.

He sighed: "Fellow Daoist is free and unfettered; it is truly enviable. Unlike us, trapped in one place and entangled in the trivial affairs of the Sect."

"Take, for example, the recent sudden incident at the nearby Bishui Palace. Palace Master Yushu sent an urgent distress signal. Although we were anxious, our strength was too low. By the time we gathered enough people to rush over, it was already..."

He lowered his voice at this point, shook his head, and a look of lingering fear and trepidation appeared on his face.

An Elder beside him interjected, his voice filled with disbelief: "It wasn't just that we were late... It was, sigh! The entire Qixia Water Lake where Bishui Palace was located, along with the surrounding mountains, just... just vanished into thin air."

"Only an endless, charred black crater remained. Everything was burned away; not even a piece of rubble was left. The scene... it was as if some colossal creature had swallowed it in one gulp. Not a blade of grass survived; it was terrifyingly deathly silent."

Another sallow-faced Elder lowered his voice and added: "When we arrived, we could still feel a trace of residual, extremely cold and evil aura that made one's Divine Soul uncomfortable."

"Privately, we all suspect that it was... it was those fiends from the Ghost Spirit Sect who did it. Bishui Palace lost their tianyi true water, and that is why they suffered such a catastrophic disaster..."

Sect Head Zhang coughed hurriedly and glared at the Elder, signaling him to be careful with his words.

He turned to Lin Feng and forced a smile: "Ahem, these are just unfortunate matters concerning neighboring Sects; I hope Fellow Daoist Lin will not laugh at us. Fellow Daoist, please continue with your tea..."

The hand holding the teacup was as steady as a rock, and Lin Feng's expression was calm and unruffled.

He only nodded slightly: "The heavens have unpredictable winds and clouds, and the cultivation world is even more so. Sect Head Zhang, please accept my condolences."

He sat for a while longer, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Sect Head Zhang, and then rose to take his leave.

The people of the Star River Sect escorted him all the way to outside the mountain gate, their attitude remaining respectful and warm.

Once he left the vicinity of the Star River Sect, the calmness on Lin Feng's face instantly faded, his eyes deep and still like water.

Bishui Palace... is gone.

The determined yet gentle smile Mu Yurou wore when she transferred the tianyi true water into his body seemed to be right before his eyes.

It was she who traded her own life for a glimmer of hope for him.

And Bishui Palace, having lost the tianyi true water—their only bargaining chip—suffered such a fate.

Recalling his encounter at the Hundred Beasts Valley, he could almost conclude that everyone in Bishui Palace had likely become fodder for the Ghost Spirit Sect to refine that evil Magic Treasure.

Several days later, he passed through a vast hilly region called the "Luoying Plains."

It was nearly dusk; the setting sun was like blood, and the wind blew through the wild grass, desolate and bleak.

Ahead was a simple marketplace located at a traffic junction, consisting of a few huge animal-hide tents and scattered stalls.

It was mostly low-level Loose Cultivators who lived on the edge of a knife trading and resting here.

Lin Feng brought out the hidden star pendant, restrained his aura, and transformed into the appearance of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Loose Cultivator before landing in the marketplace.

The wonder of this hidden star pendant was that the lower the Cultivator's cultivation, the stronger the effect of the disguise.

Back when he was in the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, he could even use this pendant to suppress his aura to the Qi Refining stage.

However, as his cultivation advanced to the Peak of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, the disguise ability of this treasure had reached its limit; now, it could at most suppress his aura by one minor Realm, unable to replicate the effect of those years.

The marketplace was a mixed bag of people.

Lin Feng sat in a corner of a noisy wine stall, ordered a bowl of turbid wine, and appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his Divine Sense was like a net, quietly spreading out into the chaotic discussions around him.

At first, he mostly heard fragmented news: which group had robbed whose cargo, where a fierce Yao Beast had appeared, which small group had fought due to uneven spoils... until a few Cultivators with obvious fresh wounds and panicked expressions stumbled into the wine stall; their whispers caught Lin Feng's attention.