“Don’t!”

Sensing Qing Han’s intention to sneak up on Qing Quan, Lu Yun hurriedly yanked him back from flying into motion.

“Qing Quan’s actually dead. His body is just being used as bait by a mysterious monster to lure other immortals here,” Lu Yun carefully transmitted. “There’s a powerful layout in the room that would kill even Bing Ling and Bing Xuan if they were to enter.”

Bing Ling was the rimesnake king that had become a three-fruit arcane dao immortal after consuming Bing Xuan’s power. Although her power came from the former North Sea subject, she was more powerful than him, as she was the snake king.

Other than the emperor corpse puppet in Violetgrave, the two of them were Lu Yun’s greatest assets.

However, in Lu Yun’s eyes, this room was the gaping maw of a vicious beast. Even arcane dao immortals would be devoured and picked clean upon entrance.

“Dead?” Disappointment creased Qing Han’s face.

There was no love lost between him and the Qing Clan. What little attachment he had for the clan came from his father’s branch of the family, but they’d long become the clan’s puppets. Qing Taxian, the Qing patriarch, was the scapegoat for every atrocity they committed, while the benefits were divvied up by everyone else.

Qing Han didn’t want Qing Quan to die so easily. It was one of his dearest wishes to kill the Qing dao immortal with his own hands.

“He’s dead.” Through the Spectral Eye, Lu Yun could see how lifeless Qing Quan’s body was. A cold consciousness had entered the corpse and become its careful puppetmaster.

Whatever it was, it’d noticed Lu Yun and Qing Han, and was observing the two particles they’d turned into in its own strange way. However, it wasn’t interested in two mere cultivators. It thus remained within Qing Quan’s body and ignored the two humans.

Not long after the humans left, a faint shadow stepped into the room and walked up to ‘Qing Quan’, who looked at the newcomer with surprise and delight.

“Your, Your Royal Highness....” Eyes wide, he shot to his feet and grabbed Ghost Dragon.

“The crown prince of the North Sea dragons is dead. I am Ghost Dragon.” Ghost Dragon’s voice was calm as still water. “Will you follow me… for revenge, Wuming?”

“This subordinate is at your service!” Wuming said without hesitation. “I will destroy the cretin of the Untroubled Sea!”

“Untroubled Sea?” Ghost Dragon shook his head. “A mere Qi Clan of the Untroubled Sea wasn’t powerful enough to go against our imperial clan.”

He tipped his head back, allowing two beams of black light to burst from his eyes and penetrate the firmament to reach a sky beyond the sky.

“Was it... them?” Wuming shuddered. “But... they’re dead as well.”

 ……

There was no water on the outskirts of the tomb, but as Lu Yun and Qing Han continued deeper inside, the air grew increasingly humid. They started to run into other immortals who’d entered to explore the tomb.

“You’re looking a bit off, Lu Yun. Is everything alright?” Qing Han looked worriedly at Lu Yun’s paling face. He was in constant communication with the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals. If anything happened, he could summon the Azure Dragon King at the drop of a hat.

“Oh? Aren’t you two Lu Yun and Qing Han?” A golden immortal came up to them out of the blue and scanned them with a derisive look. “Tsk, tsk, great timing. I just found a chamber filled with treasure that can only be opened by human sacrifice. You two will come with me.”

Before the two of them could react, the golden immortal whisked them away with a wave of his hand.

Many around them had witnessed the ‘invitation’, but didn’t dare do anything about it.

“I was among the spectating crowd back on Immortal Sky Island, but I never asked anything of him,” muttered a peerless immortal as he looked at the direction the golden immortal had disappeared in. “I don’t have to risk offending the fiend from the Star Demon Sect for him.”

“It’s better this way! The two of them restored the path of cultivation and caused the obsolescence of us immortals. We owe them nothing, so why should we save them?” scoffed another immortal.

“If that demon hadn’t taken them away, I would’ve torn the unruly brats apart myself.”

……

“My young lords!” After traveling a great distance, the golden immortal plopped down on the ground with his face as pale as a sheet. Pouring with perspiration, cold sweat soaked his clothes to the point that it looked as if he’d just gotten out of water.

“What did the two of you enter this tomb for? If I hadn’t reacted quickly enough, those immortals would’ve skinned you alive!” The golden immortal panted heavily, casting Lu Yun and Qing Han an exasperated look.

“Um....” Lu Yun paused. He’d been poised for a fight and didn’t know how he should react now. He’d sensed the malice of the immortals around them earlier, but why would this golden immortal protect them? He hadn’t refined anything for this man back on Immortal Sky Island.

“This subordinate is golden immortal Situ Yun from the Star Demon Sect, young lords.” He bowed to Lu Yun and Qing Han.

“Eh, ah… ah. Demon? You have something to do with the Skandha Range?” Lu Yun looked at him in surprise. He didn’t remember such a sect being under the Skandha Range’s banner.

“That’s right.” Situ Yun nodded. “My sect was established by the five lords of the Skandha Range as a secret weapon. Even the honored Willow God doesn’t know.”

There were no secrets about the Skandha Range that hadn’t been plumbed by the major factions of the world. Even Wellspring, an old recluse, was known to the world. If anything were to happen, the forces that the Skandha Range had planted across the world would be eliminated in full. This was why the leaders of the Skandha Range had established the Star Demon Sect.

However, this had been kept a secret from the desolate willow. It was suspected that the Skandha Range had spies among them, so not even the followers of the desolate willow could be trusted.

Situ Yun was patently a core member of the Skandha Range as well, or he wouldn’t have known about the truth of the sect.

“The five forefathers received news that you two are the real masters of the Skandha Range. That’s why—”

“The real masters of the Skandha Range?” a chilling voice interrupted Situ Yun. “Well isn’t this a delightful surprise. So the Star Demon Sect serves the Skandha Range as well!”

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