245: Chapter 245 It seems we're late; someone arrived before me.

The Demonic Path Cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment, then, under the orders of their respective leaders, they swarmed toward every part of the Hehuan Sect like a plague of locusts!

They roughly broke open the hall gates protected by Restrictions, rushing into the Alchemy Rooms, Artifact Pavilions, Scripture Libraries, and Spirit Medicine Gardens...

However, the sight before them quickly turned their initial greed and excitement into shock, disappointment, and finally, a towering rage!

In the Alchemy Rooms, the jade shelves for storing Medicinal Pills were empty; not even a few pill bottles remained, and only some worthless failed pills and dregs were scattered on the ground.

Inside the Artifact Pavilions, the display stands for Magic Treasures were equally bare, leaving only some rusted, spiritless defects or training Magical Artifacts.

In the Scripture Libraries, most of the bookshelves had been cleared out, with only a few scattered, insignificant miscellaneous books and Jade Slips discarded carelessly on the floor.

In the Spirit Medicine Gardens, those ancient and priceless Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicines had been harvested completely, leaving only some newly sprouted seedlings or immature plants with thin Spiritual Qi.

In the vital Storehouses, the doors stood wide open, and inside, there was nothing but dust!

Even the private Immortal Caves of some Elders and Core Disciples had been ransacked; everything of value was gone!

The entire Hehuan Sect looked as if it had been visited by a group of the most professional and greedy hamsters; except for the buildings and land that couldn't be taken or weren't worth the effort, all valuable resources, classics, and wealth... were gone!

"Dammit! Who?! Who beat us to it and emptied the Hehuan Sect?!"

Situ E was fuming with rage, kicking and shattering a nearby white jade railing.

He felt like a guest who had rushed excitedly to a banquet, only to arrive and find that the feast had long since ended, with not even the leftovers remaining!

"Could it be the Elders who left the Hehuan Sect?"

Liu Rurao's expression was also very grim. The Hehuan Sect's accumulation that she had been longing for—the secret scriptures that might record techniques to counter or perfect the Meiying Sect's Cultivation Techniques, and Xiao Nianyin's personal collection... all of it was gone!

"Impossible! They only left a few days ago. How could they have the ability or time to clear it out so thoroughly? Besides, the Mountain Protection Array is still active!"

The Shiyin Sect Elder said with a dark expression.

"It's that new Sect Master! Xu Ruyu! It must be him!" the Wudu Sect Elder screeched. "He's the one who took everyone and made off with everything! He left us an empty shell!"

"Right! That must be it! That kid at the Qi Refinement Stage knew he couldn't hold out, so he ran away early! And he took the entire family fortune with him!"

The WanGui Sect Cultivator gnashed his teeth.

"Chase them! Chase them for me! Carrying so many things, they definitely won't get far!"

Situ E roared, his eyes bloodshot. He hadn't just failed to get any benefits; he hadn't even seen a shadow of Xiao Nianyin. How could he be satisfied?

Right then—

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!"

From the distant sky came the clear sound of objects breaking through the air!

Everyone looked up to see hundreds of pure-colored streaks of light, like a meteor shower, rapidly flying toward the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate!

Leading them were two streaks of light: one with a hazy green Sword Qi soaring into the sky, and another bone-chillingly cold. It was none other than the Righteous Path coalition led by Zhao Qianyi and Master Xuanming!

"The Righteous Path hypocrites are here too!"

Liu Rurao's gaze turned cold.

Situ E was even more furious: "Dammit! These sanctimonious fellows really want a piece of the pie too!

Just as well! I've got a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent!"

In the blink of an eye, the Righteous Path coalition had also arrived outside the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate, facing off against the Demonic Path camp from a distance.

Zhao Qianyi and Master Xuanming frowned deeply as they saw the mess before them—the empty Hehuan Sect mountain gate and the frustrated Demonic Path Cultivators scurrying around inside like headless flies.

"It seems we are a step too late," Master Xuanming's voice was cold. "Someone arrived before us."

Zhao Qianyi's gaze swept over the halls that had been broken into and ransacked by the Demonic Path Cultivators, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

He was more concerned about Xiao Nianyin's whereabouts!

"Fellow Daoists of the Demonic Path," Zhao Qianyi suppressed his displeasure and stepped forward, speaking loudly. His voice, infused with Spiritual Qi, spread in all directions. "The Hehuan Sect is a giant of the Demonic Path; its downfall is the will of heaven.

However, the demonic leader Xiao Nianyin and her core cronies have committed heinous crimes and must be handed over to my Righteous Path Alliance for public trial and judgment to set the record straight.

For you all to be scavenging here... I'm afraid it's not quite right, is it?"

He directly characterized the Hehuan Sect as "destroyed" and intended to seize the moral high ground of "judging Xiao Nianyin."

"Bah!"

Situ E spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground and pointed at Zhao Qianyi's nose, cursing.

"Zhao Qianyi, stop your damn bullshitting in front of me!

What 'Righteous Path public trial'? Don't think I don't know what filthy plans you're hatching!

Weren't you infatuated with that bitch Xiao Nianyin back then? You couldn't get her, so your love turned to hate, and now you want to take this chance to get your hands on her to satisfy your perverted desires? Stop pretending to be so high and mighty!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many in the Righteous Path camp looked shocked, and their gazes toward Zhao Qianyi became somewhat strange.

Zhao Qianyi's past interaction with Xiao Nianyin, which even led to a Heart Demon, was not a top secret among the high-level officials, but having it exposed so crudely and publicly by Situ E still made him lose a lot of face.