"Lost your magical artifact?" Tian Buyi repeated the question. He suddenly remembered that traces of a battle between two cultivators had indeed been found not far from Grass Temple Village. Moreover, these traces were left by a battle between very powerful cultivators. There was clearly some connection between them.
However, these are all just minor clues. They don't seem to offer any direct help in finding the real culprit.
At this moment, Lu Xuan spoke again.
"Do you still remember that collapsed wall in Caomiao Village?"
“I remember. It looked like it collapsed on the night of the massacre, but you can’t tell anything anymore.”
"No, that's the key. Because everyone else was killed with their bare hands. But that wall was shattered by some kind of magic. I don't know what happened back then. But I think you should... examine it carefully."
After saying that, Lu Xuan didn't continue the topic. Instead, he invited the two to drink his specially made spiritual tea. This amazed them, as it tasted far better than the spiritual tea from the Qingyun Sect.
Afterwards, there was a simple banquet. Lu Xuan knew what kind of food these two poor kids ate every day. Before Zhang Xiaofan joined them, Dazhu Peak basically fed them pig swill. While Zhang Xiaofan's initial cultivation aptitude wasn't apparent, his culinary talent was astonishing. He quickly won the favor of everyone on Dazhu Peak with his cooking.
After a satisfying meal, Tian Buyi and his two companions bid farewell to Lu Xuan and the others and embarked on their journey home.
"This Hidden Immortal Sect has a profound foundation and produces many experts. Its entry into the market will definitely stir up a storm. The cultivation world is likely to be in turmoil."
"Indeed, the two maids behind the sect leader and his wife alone are enough to terrify me. The few disciples who occasionally appear outside the sect are all highly skilled. Apart from the two newly initiated lads, the entire sect is full of experts. Such a formidable sect has only revealed its true strength today. Either they have some kind of scheme, or they know that some opportunity or disaster is approaching."
Su Ru was clearly thinking more deeply. She felt that the emergence of the Hidden Immortal Sect must be a sign of something.
As the three passed through Grass Temple Village, Tian Buyi remembered the half-finished sentence Lu Xuan had said earlier: "You should carefully examine that broken wall."
The three figures turned and landed directly in Grass Temple Village. A moment later, they found the broken wall. Just as Lu Xuan had said, the broken edges of the wall were very fresh. It was clearly knocked down from one side by some kind of violent force. It was obviously the work of cultivators.
However, after looking at the fragments for a long time, Tian Buyi still couldn't find any clues from them.
At that moment, Su Ru suddenly thought of something.
"Da Ren, put these fragments back together."
"Piece it back together?" Song Daren was a little confused. However, Su Ru's authority was formidable, and he dared not disobey. He could only obediently collect the fragments and try to restore the wall.
The restoration process was not simple. Song Daren exerted tremendous effort and could only manage to piece together about 80-90% of it. But it was enough. Both Tian Buyi and Su Ru could see that the wall had been pierced by some kind of powerful magical seal.
Most importantly, Song Daren roughly reconstructed the void in the center that had been directly struck by the Dharma Seal. Aside from the completely shattered parts, the enormous void vaguely revealed a shape that was extremely familiar to all three of them: a Buddhist swastika symbol.
All three of them gasped in unison. Tian Buyi finally understood why Lu Xuan had left things unsaid. These kinds of things really shouldn't be said lightly.
Thinking of this, Tian Buyi's expression changed slightly. He released a burst of spiritual energy, forcibly fixing the fragments in place.
"Take this back to Dazhu Peak. Be careful not to let anyone see it." Song Daren could only give a wry reply, then carried the wall and flew back to Dazhu Peak.
To be on the safe side, Tian Buyi didn't even go to the main hall, but instead invited Dao Xuan directly to Dazhu Peak, accompanied by Cang Song, the head of Longshou Peak. After all, he was in charge of discipline and punishments, so he could get involved in this matter.
Dao Xuan stared at the swastika symbol, stunned for a long while. Qingyun Sect was a Taoist sect, and there were no Buddhist sects around. Even the newly risen Yinxian Sect was of Taoist lineage. But the coincidence was that, not long before the massacre, there was indeed a Buddhist person near Qingyun.
That person was Master Puzhi, who had previously visited to request an exchange of cultivation techniques. However, Daoxuan then forcibly dissuaded him. Although Daoism and Buddhism were not on good terms, he acknowledged that Puzhi was a truly enlightened monk and would never do such a thing.
He didn't notice that the Taoist Cangsong behind him had a strange expression on his face.
"It really was him!!"
7017k
------------
Chapter 410 If your cultivation level isn't high enough, make up for it with equipment.
Cangsong had initially suspected that a third person was present that night, but he couldn't find any clues. After all, he knew that although he had ulterior motives, he absolutely did not massacre the villagers of Caomiao Village. Although he looked down on that old bald monk Puzhi, the old man seemed to be of decent character and wouldn't do such a thing.
However, upon seeing the swastika symbol, Cangsong vaguely understood. He thought of the Bloodthirsty Bead, the evil treasure on Puzhi's body. He guessed that Puzhi must have been severely injured and unable to suppress the Bloodthirsty Bead, leading to him being devoured by the evil energy and becoming possessed by a demon.
However, Cangsong couldn't understand why he didn't kill the two boys.
He might think about it, but Cangsong would never reveal it.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, I think this matter should be kept secret. But this wall should be preserved. We might need it in the future."
Tian Buyi had a different opinion.
"Sect Leader, we cannot determine anything from this seal alone. Perhaps someone deliberately forged this mark? The Sect Master of the Hidden Immortal Sect is also a prime suspect."
Both men had valid points, leaving Sect Leader Daoxuan in a dilemma. Frankly, he genuinely hoped it was Puzhi of Tianyin Temple who did it, as this would mean he had crucial leverage over the temple. This would be immensely beneficial to the covert struggle between the three major sects. After all, Buddhism had always touted itself as a force for salvation, and such a scandal was a double-edged sword, dealing a devastating blow to Tianyin Temple.
However, Tian Buyi's words also made sense. Based solely on this wall, it was impossible to definitively prove that Puzhi was responsible. This left Daoxuan somewhat conflicted. But ultimately, he decided to keep this 'evidence'.
"This item will be kept at Dazhu Peak for now. No one else is allowed to see it." Furthermore, Junior Brother Cangsong and Junior Brother Tian, you two are responsible for secretly investigating this matter. The people of Caomiao Village have some connection to our Qingyun Sect; we cannot let them sacrifice themselves in vain.
The two nodded in agreement. However, Tian Buyi didn't look too willing. He had originally intended to pass on this hot potato, but unexpectedly, he had taken it back himself due to his sharp tongue.
Cangsong and Daoxuan left, each with their own thoughts. At this moment, only Tian Buyi, Su Ru, and Song Daren remained, all with bitter expressions.
Su Ru understood that Tian Buyi was suffering from a bout of laziness. So she directly volunteered herself.
"Leave this to me." Tian Buyi was happy to have someone to share the burden, and without another word, he slipped away. Only Su Ru was left sighing, wondering how she could have such a lazy husband.
............
At the Hidden Immortal Sect, Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan had begun their cultivation journey. They had already memorized the most basic Qi cultivation methods. The rest depended on who could quickly establish their first small cycle.
Lin Jingyu lived up to his reputation as a genius, successfully inducing the flow of energy into his body and establishing his first small cycle in just three days. The next step would be to receive the baptism of the Moon's Essence from the Ape Strike Technique and officially begin his cultivation journey.
In contrast, Zhang Xiaofan had made no progress after half a month. Seeing that Lin Jingyu had already mastered the basics, Zhang Xiaofan became even more impatient.