112: Chapter 112 The Fall of the Chosen One

The night was as dark as ink, thick enough to seemingly swallow all light.

Inside Yingxian Pavilion, the candlelight flickered uneasily, casting four slender shadows onto the mottled walls, waxing and waning like some silent omen.

Chen Zilong, Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, Ye Xishui, and Lu Bingyun stood side by side before the carved wooden window on the sixth floor, their gazes piercing through the thin mist to stare at the twisted corpse in the courtyard—Ye Wushuang.

A faint scent of blood permeated the air, mixed with the decaying odor of aged wood, making it suffocating.

Tu Shan Xiaoxiao's slender fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, her jade-white knuckles turning slightly pale from the force.

Her autumn-water bright eyes were filled with terror and confusion; as her gaze shifted, it was as if a thin layer of water mist covered them.

She tilted her head slightly, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her exquisite profile. Her long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, casting fine shadows on her delicate skin.

Ye Xishui pursed her cherry lips tightly. Her clear and beautiful face, which usually held a hint of aloofness, was now shrouded in a layer of frost.

Her jade-like hand unconsciously pressed against the hilt of her sword, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The moonlight outlined her tall and straight figure, like a snow lotus standing proudly in the cold night.

Lu Bingyun's eyebrows were deeply furrowed. In her almond eyes, which usually contained a hint of a smile, there was now nothing but solemnity.

Her red lips parted slightly as if to speak, but she hesitated, and in the end, it only turned into a barely audible sigh.

She raised her hand to lightly tuck the stray black hair behind her ear, her elegant movements carrying a few hints of indescribable worry.

Chen Zilong's brow was knit into a knot, and complex emotions surged within his deep eyes.

He clearly remembered that Ye Wushuang should have been thousands of miles away at the Xuantian Sect right now.

This realization was like a cold needle, stabbing deep into his mind and bringing a sharp pang of pain.

What startled him even more was that the rules rumored to protect the child of destiny seemed to have completely failed at this moment.

There was no heavenly thunder to punish the killer, nor did the Taixu Divine Dragon appear to save him; only a deathly silence enveloped this eerie night.

He quietly circulated his divine sense, cautiously probing the ancient storage ring on Ye Wushuang's finger.

In the next moment, his pupils constricted suddenly, his face instantly lost all color, and even his breathing hitched.

The remnant soul of the Taixu Divine Dragon...

Had disappeared!

This discovery made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; a chill surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

A series of questions, like venomous snakes, coiled around his heart, tightening further and further until he could barely breathe.

Outside the window, something seemed to be wriggling in the depths of the thick fog, making a faint rustling sound. The sound was fleeting yet exceptionally hair-raising.

The night wind blew through the corridor, carrying a wail, as if something was whispering in the shadows.

"That monster is still out there,"

Chen Zilong lowered his voice, his gaze warily scanning the thick, impenetrable fog outside the window. "I don't know if there are other dangers."

"Since it is not yet dawn, we can only wait until sunrise to go out and examine Ye Wushuang's corpse."

His voice echoed in the empty pavilion, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.

Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance, both seeing the same bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Regarding this memory, their minds were almost a total blank, as if it had been forcibly erased by someone.

They only vaguely remembered that Ye Wushuang was supposed to have resolved the crisis here, but now this child of destiny had become a cold corpse.

So, who else could resolve the current crisis?

Lu Bingyun lightly bit her lower lip, leaving a shallow tooth mark on her full lips.

She struggled to search for clues in her blurred memories, a focused expression appearing between her beautiful brows.

She only remembered that the appearance of this monster was related to an injustice in Tianji Village over a thousand years ago, and that the seemingly charming and gentle female Village Chief was actually a hidden Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

In her memory, she had been caught and captured, only waking up after everything had settled, eventually escaping this eerie Tianji Village with Ye Wushuang.

But now, even this memory seemed fragmented, as if seen through a layer of frosted glass, impossible to see clearly.

The three women simultaneously felt a surge of despair, as if the sky were slowly pressing down, making even breathing difficult.

The spiderwebs in the corner of the pavilion trembled slightly in the breeze, the dew condensed on them shimmering with an eerie light.

Chen Zilong stroked his chin, his gaze never leaving the corpse outside the window.

The candlelight danced on his sharp-featured face, casting deep shadows that made the solemnity in his eyes even more apparent.

Just then, Tu Shan Xiaoxiao timidly tugged at his sleeve, her voice trembling like spider silk in the wind:

"Senior Brother, what should we do now?"

She tilted her exquisite small face up, her eyes shimmering with tears, carrying a hint of dependence and unease.

Her slender fingers trembled slightly, betraying her inner fear.

"We'll talk about it after daybreak. Rest for now," Chen Zilong replied in a heavy voice.

His gaze remained locked outside the window, his voice carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

Hearing this, the three women nodded obediently.

Tu Shan Xiaoxiao lightly lifted her skirt and sat down gracefully with her knees bent, like a dark orchid quietly blooming in the night; every movement carried a natural grace.

Ye Xishui sat cross-legged, her back straight as a pine tree. Her cold temperament made her look like a fairy under the moon.

Even at such a critical moment, she still maintained her innate pride.

Lu Bingyun slightly adjusted the stray hairs at her temples.

This simple action was uniquely charming when she did it, and then she slowly sat down, her poised manner revealing a hint of indescribable melancholy.

Silence returned to the pavilion, with only the occasional crackle of the candle flame, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet.

Chen Zilong still stood by the window, the night wind blowing his clothes, making them rustle loudly.

Something seemed to be peering from the thick fog; that feeling of being watched followed him like a shadow, making his spine tingle.

After an unknown amount of time, a sliver of grey light finally appeared on the eastern horizon.

The first ray of dawn pierced through the thick fog and spilled into the courtyard, making the dew on the bluestone slabs look crystal clear.

Chen Zilong took a deep breath, knowing that the time for investigation had finally arrived.

However, when he looked out the window again, he suddenly gasped—

Ye Wushuang's corpse had mysteriously disappeared.

On the bluestone slab where the corpse had been lying, only a pool of dark red blood remained, looking exceptionally piercing in the morning light.

The surrounding fog seemed to have thickened, wriggling slowly as if silently mocking their slowness.

Chen Zilong's hand unconsciously gripped the window frame, his knuckles turning white from the force.

At this moment, he truly felt that this seemingly peaceful Tianji Village was far more eerie and unpredictable than they had imagined.

And the real danger might have only just begun.