281: you old beast

The other three were so terrified their souls seemed to fly away and their spirits scatter. Every hair on their bodies stood on end, and their teeth chattered uncontrollably. The youngest Disciple directly collapsed to the ground, supporting himself with his hands as he scrambled backward, tears and snot mixing together as they streamed down his face:

"Don't... don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Wanting to know if a Cultivator has backbone is simple; often, just giving them a knife is enough to reveal the truth.

Yun Xuanxuan's light green bird wings gave a slight flutter, suspending her figure in mid-air as she looked down upon the three from above, her tone icy and devoid of emotion: "What is the current situation of the Chusheng Sect? Which Elders remain within the Sect, and what are their respective Realms?"

"R... reply, Senior! This Junior only heard that the Sect Master and several core Elders convened an emergency meeting, after which they all left the Sect."

The Disciple replied with a trembling voice, his eyes darting around, not daring to look directly, "A... as for the Elders... the Third Elder has already defected, many Inner Sect Elders have also sought their own livelihoods, and within the Sect... the number of Outer Sect Elders has also decreased by more than half."

Seeing that the woman before them still had narrowed eyes, her expression difficult to discern, the three thudded to their knees in unison, pressing their foreheads against the ground:

"Senior, this Junior truly only knows this much, I beg Senior to spare my life!"

The Sect Master and the core Elders from the meeting were not currently within the Sect? For Yun Xuanxuan and her group, this was undoubtedly excellent news.

The man with the spider body and human head stepped forward, asking in a deep voice: "Where is your Outer Sect Elder Feng?"

The three looked up blankly, exchanging glances, all wearing expressions of confusion: "R... reply, Senior, there are over two hundred Outer Sect Elders in the Sect, this Junior is just an ordinary Disciple, I truly don't know which Elder Feng Senior is referring to?"

The man spat in disgust, his tone impatient yet forced to continue questioning: "You should at least know where the Sect's Alchemy takes place, right?"

"K... know! The Pill Refining Tower is... is northwest of the Sect Main Hall, it's an octagonal pavilion!" The Disciple hurriedly answered, fearing that even a moment's delay would cost him his life.

The other Half-Demons, hearing the desired answer, each breathed a sigh of relief, revealing barely perceptible joy on their faces. Yun Xuanxuan narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling that something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what.

With the questioning concluded, the man with the spider body and human head said no more. A flash of spider silk, clean and decisive, gave the three a swift end.

"Sister Yun, let's sneak in now."

Yun Xuanxuan remained silent for a moment, but ultimately nodded slowly.

Over ten Half-Demons flickered, merging into the shadows like ghosts, stealthily advancing toward the Sect's heartland.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered a few Chusheng Sect Disciples, the highest cultivation base among them being only Golden Core Seventh Layer. Just as those three Disciples had said, the current Chusheng Sect was already demoralized and scattered. Inner Sect Elders, or those with some insight and cunning, had already sought their own escape routes in advance and dispersed.

The lowest Realm among Yun Xuanxuan's group was also Golden Core Ninth Layer. Moreover, with her Yao Race Bloodline, her perception was astonishingly sharp. They avoided all patrols and scattered Disciples along the way, and not a single person detected their traces.

After advancing for about half an hour, a majestic Octagonal Tower abruptly appeared at the edge of their vision.

The pavilion was entirely carved from White Marble, with eight sides featuring upturned eaves and corners, hanging with Gilded Bronze Bells. The plaque in the center bore the three large characters 'Pill Refining Tower' written in Cinnabar with forceful brushstrokes that seemed to pierce the paper.

"It seems this is the place, no mistake." The man with the spider body and human head lowered his voice, his tone certain.

The others wore resolute expressions, clearly already prepared to face death.

Yun Xuanxuan's light green bird wings trembled slightly, the feeling of something being off growing stronger in her heart. An Pill Refining Tower of such grand scale should logically be permeated with a rich medicinal fragrance, yet at this moment, she could sense nothing.

Her brows furrowed tightly. Just as she was about to open her mouth to remind everyone to be careful, several impatient Half-Demons beside her could no longer restrain themselves, eagerly charging toward that Vermilion Door.

"Creak—" The door was easily pushed open, without the expected Restriction blocking it.

Inside the tower was pitch black, not a hand visible in front of one's face, with only a sliver of moonlight leaking down from the Skylight on the top floor.

"Empty?" A Half-Demon muttered in confusion. The scene inside this Octagonal Tower was vastly different from what they had imagined.

In that instant!

A blinding Talisman Light suddenly lit up beneath their feet!

A golden Talisman Character, as if come to life, spread across the ground, instantly entangling everyone's ankles.

"It's an ambush!"

Yun Xuanxuan exclaimed, her light green bird wings abruptly spreading as she unleashed all her Demonic Power, trying to break free from the Talisman Light's restraint.

But the Talisman Characters clung like maggots to bone; the more they struggled, the tighter they wound. The golden light burned their demonic bodies, transmitting waves of sharp pain. The other Half-Demons also roared, urging their Demonic Power, tearing with claws and burning with Demonic Fire.

At that moment, a figure slowly walked out from the shadows.

The man with the spider body and human head looked at the figure, first slightly stunned, then cried out involuntarily: "Young Master Feng? Why are you here!"

"No need to shout. You'll soon be just like this traitorous thing."

A hoarse, aged voice came from the top floor of the pavilion, as if phlegm were stuck in the throat, extremely unpleasant to hear.

Only when that person slowly walked out of the shadows did Yun Xuanxuan and the others get a clear look at 'Young Master Feng's' appearance. His face was an abnormal iron-gray, his eyes hollow and lifeless, with no trace of vitality flowing within. His steps were stiff and mechanical as he walked, like a Marionette controlled by strings.

Clearly, he had already been refined into a Puppet through some Secret Method!

"Was it you who controlled him?" Yun Xuanxuan demanded coldly, her bird claws clenched tightly, Demonic Power wildly circulating within her body as she tried to find a flaw in the Talisman Light.

The man with the spider body and human head also reacted, the surprise on his face turning to fury: "Who exactly are you? Why did you do such a vicious thing to Young Master Feng?"

A "creak, creak" sound came from the stairs on the top floor of the pavilion. A hunchbacked old man slowly walked out; it was Han Yinjiu. His gaze fixed venomously on Yun Xuanxuan as he said coldly: "Demoness, daring to kill my son. This old man will make you repay blood with blood today!"

"Your son?"

Han Yinjiu's eyes grew even more resentful, gnashing his teeth: "My son was an Outer Sect Elder of the Chusheng Sect! After he went to Pingquan Village, he died at the hands of you, demoness!"

Only then did Yun Xuanxuan suddenly remember!

It was that cautious Chusheng Sect Elder Xue, who had even specifically brought a Nascent Soul Stage friend to ambush her among the villagers.

That day, after Li Pingan and the other appeared, she had fled hastily with Sister Fang, only knowing that Pingquan Village had not suffered at the hands of the Chusheng Sect. Now thinking back, Xue Cheng and his Nascent Soul friend must have died at the hands of Young Master Li and the other.

Yun Xuanxuan had no intention of explaining. She just swept a cold gaze over that Puppet and asked coldly: "You were originally fellow Sect members. Why commit such beastly acts, refining him into a Puppet?"

"Why?"

Xue Yinming said sharply: "If it weren't for this traitorous thing leaking information to you, how would my son have met such a sudden disaster! Moreover, those who betray the Chusheng Sect deserve death anyway!"

"Beastly thing!"

The man with the spider body and human head cursed angrily, "We'll definitely slaughter you, old ghost, to avenge Young Master Feng in a moment!"