Chapter 866 - 277: Wait, Did Shen Yunzhou Turn Into a Dog Demon? (6k)

Shen Yunzhou opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words of rebuttal that were about to escape.

In the end, he could only clench his fists in frustration and stomp his foot heavily.

After a brief silence, Zhou Qing’s expression turned grave.

He then slowly turned his head, looking towards the lonely figure in white atop the distant treetop, and spoke: "She’s just a child."

Lin Jin also remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

A moment later, his voice was flat, yet it seemed to carry endless weariness and desolation: "I am curious about his choice as well. Besides, I don’t have much time left."

With that, Lin Jin’s figure flickered and he left.

Zhou Qing’s heart sank suddenly.

Not much time left?

What does that mean?

Shen Yunzhou was so angry his face turned red, cursing: "Damn it, I haven’t been this pissed off in ages! Zhou, stay out of this, I’ll just call my sister over and flatten this damn Cangyan Daoist Palace!"

Zhou Qing felt a stir in his heart but still shook his head.

Even if the Spirit Severing Realm strikes swiftly, it can’t outspeed a madman without scruples.

This guy has always acted without rhyme or reason, and now he even dares to kill Royal Family members and mock them.

Moreover, how do you know he isn’t backed by a master in the Spirit Severing Realm?

Besides, he is the seventh of the Divine Ruins Celestial Palace, having seen the existence of frightening forbidden zones; no one knows how many aces he still hides.

For now, he treats this as a game, so Nannan likely won’t be in immediate danger.

But once a strong figure from the Spirit Severing Realm gets involved, things will blow up, and the situation will become impossible to clean up.

"No need, this is a vendetta between our two sects, and we’ll handle it ourselves!"

Zhou Qing’s voice carried an undeniable determination.

Shen Yunzhou sighed long, his face full of guilt.

He glanced around, self-reproachful: "Zhou, it’s all my fault, insisting on coming here to get to the bottom of things. That guy obviously acted on a whim; if we hadn’t come, maybe none of this would have happened."

Zhou Qing patted his shoulder, consoling him: "It’s not your fault, that guy is simply a lunatic, acting on a whim. Let’s return to the sect first and deliberate carefully."

Afterwards, the two boarded the Flying Ship, speeding towards the direction of the Taiqing Sect.

...

Within the Taiqing Sect, everyone was delighted and excited to see Zhou Qing return safely from the border.

But upon seeing Zhou Qing’s sullen face and strange demeanor, Cao Zhengyang and Mo Xingjian couldn’t help but ask with concern: "What’s wrong? What happened?"

Zhou Qing looked at them, his face grave, eyes slightly narrowed, speaking heavily: "There’s good news, and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Cao Zhengyang and Mo Xingjian exchanged glances, then said: "The bad news first, sweet after the bitter."

Zhou Qing nodded, took out the Imaging Stone he had kept, and narrated the encounter with Sikong Yan at Canglan Mountain in detail.

As he recounted, Cao Zhengyang and Mo Xingjian’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter, their expressions gradually growing grave.

This secret regarding the real Gao Xuan being replaced is only known to them up to now.

"How could Nannan possibly still be alive? And after so many years, her appearance hasn’t changed at all..."

Cao Zhengyang stared at the image of the little girl in a floral dress, looking at the tens of thousands of Black-robed Puppets sinking into the ground, his tone full of confusion and unease.

Mo Xingjian sighed heavily: "If it were me in a dilemma, I’d probably choose my own daughter too."

Cao Zhengyang nodded silently.

No matter how close they are, it ultimately can’t surpass the bond of blood.

What’s more, Gao Xuan suffered humiliation and plunged into the Taiqing Sect, everything he had done over the years was to repay a favor.

The real Gao Xuan accidentally wounded Nannan in battle back then, and now Sikong Yan has somehow resurrected her.

"This matter is too strange." Mo Xingjian rubbed his chin, his expression grave, "With Sikong Yan’s methods, if he truly wanted our three Peak Masters dead, there was a chance at Canglan Mountain, why bother with such intricate schemes?"

"Exactly." Cao Zhengyang agreed, "What’s weirder is he even revealed the information ahead of time, clearly handing the initiative to us."

Zhou Qing’s tone was cold: "He’s just someone whose mind isn’t quite right, he said it’s just a game, or maybe a form of amusement."

Both snorted coldly upon hearing this.

"By the way, there’s also something regarding Lin Jin..."

Soon, Zhou Qing remembered something and shared what he currently knew about Lin Jin with his senior uncle and junior uncle.

After hearing this, Mo Xingjian was thoughtful: "Could it be Sikong Yan did all this to help Lin Jin?"

"It’s possible." Cao Zhengyang nodded, "Lin Jin once tortured you and Yan Xiaohu in the White Jade Taixu Courtyard; Sikong Yan might have designed this plot to repay a favor."

Mo Xingjian’s eyes flickered: "You mean, Lin Jin sacrificed himself to save Consort Chen back then, but she ultimately married the current Emperor,"

"The current situation resembles that event somewhat. So Lin Jin would say he also wants to see Senior Uncle Gao Xuan’s choice again?"

Cao Zhengyang nodded: "That’s probably it. Rather than calling it a game of choices, it’s more like he’s testing to see the disgraceful state people reveal in extreme decisions."

After a brief contemplation, Zhou Qing shook his head.

"What can be confirmed now is that Nannan is the mother of those Black-robed Puppets, and she still retains her former appearance, showing that this has been prepared for many years."

"Moreover, Lin Jin in the academy only spoke inconsequential things outside our place at most every night, at most causing mental torture without any substantial harm."

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