Yunxi had her own purpose for this trip. Killing Mu Zijun was a spur-of-the-moment decision. She had grown used to the ways of the cultivation world. A hidden danger must be cut out at the root. Back in the lower realm she had been restrained by many factors, so it had not been convenient to act.
After the entire realm ascended, her Out-of-Body cultivation no longer looked like much. She also needed to adapt to a new cultivation environment, then there was relocating the sect and caring for the families that relied on the sect. One thing after another left no room for anything else.
After her own advancement, she had to cultivate as well, so she never even thought about Mu Zijun. Even if she had, it was not appropriate to silence him inside the sect.
By chance, she ran into Mu Zijun in Chong'an City. The sealing sigils in his body had even begun to loosen. That tugged at a very sensitive nerve in her heart.
She still had fragments from a ten-year dream during her slumber, which made her clearly aware that her transmigration to the Weiyu Realm had not been an accident. So she would not let any potential hazard slip by.
After decisively removing Mu Zijun, she considered it and decided to destroy his corpse as well. She remembered that evil souls loved bodies like his. Mu Zijun had a natural "Fate-Seizing Constitution." If he really fell into the hands of evil cultivators, it would only bring disaster to righteous cultivators. She would not gamble on that chance.
That was why she took the initiative to go to the City Guard Office. After explaining the situation, she claimed the corpse as a same-sect and could then destroy it openly and properly. It was troublesome, but foolproof.
This time, however, Cen Sen's subordinate was gone a little too long, and embarrassment crept onto Cen Sen's face. Just as he was about to send another deputy to hurry things along, the guard who had left flashed back into the hall, reporting anxiously, "Captain Cen, Mu Zijun's corpse has been stolen."
Yunxi's brow twitched. Her gaze sharpened at Cen Sen and her tone lost its courtesy. "Captain Cen, my sect's disciple died inexplicably in Chong'an City. His body was brought into the City Guard Office barely an hour ago, and now you tell this Lord you could not keep watch over a single corpse?"
Cen Sen's face could not quite hold. This was his first time encountering such a thing. Who would steal a corpse unless
Cen Sen's expression changed. He no longer cared about the displeasure on the woman's face at the head of the hall and barked orders to the men behind him, "Hurry. Pass my command. Temporarily close the four city gates. Send word to the City Lord that evil cultivators have infiltrated Chong'an City."
The subordinates were stunned by the order. One lifted his head to confirm the captain was not joking. Simultaneously closing all four gates required the City Lord's warrant.
Impatient, Cen Sen tossed him a token. "Take the warrant. If anyone defies the order, execute on the spot. Go."
The man caught the token and recognized it at a glance as the City Lord's deputy token. With it in hand, he had nothing to fear. He cupped his fists and hurried out.
Only then did Cen Sen look back to Yunxi. "Senior, do you have a means to track the whereabouts of that disciple's body?"
Yunxi frowned. "His soul lamp is in the sect. This Lord did not foresee his death. How could I carry his soul lamp with me?"
Cen Sen had not placed much hope in the first place, but he still felt disappointed when he heard Yunxi's answer. He said, "Senior, Chong'an City will certainly investigate this matter. Earlier we speculated he was ambushed by an enemy. Now that the corpse has been stolen, it is highly likely the culprits are evil cultivators and that your sect's disciple was their chosen target."
This piqued Yunxi's interest. She had not expected that casually removing a hazard would pull in evil cultivators as well, even handing her a convenient scapegoat. She smoothed away the displeasure on her face. "Captain Cen, explain in detail. If evil cultivators are involved, this Lord is willing to lend a hand."
Sensing that Yunxi's attitude had improved, Cen Sen began, "This goes back to the Weiyu Realm's return. The Weiyu Realm's reintegration with the Spirit Realm was a good thing. The heavyweights of each region tacitly acknowledged it. However, Yunxiao Sea remained a hidden danger. After Yunxiao Sea was sealed again, every region and every major sect sent capable disciples to garrison the place, to prevent evil cultivators from sabotaging the seals.
For the first twenty years Yunxiao Sea was calm and the seals intact. But in the thirtieth year, some of the rotating garrison disciples secretly attempted to damage the seal. The guardian of Yunxiao Sea, Xuanze Beast King, discovered this and captured them.
Investigations revealed those disciples had been replaced on the inside. Evil souls had taken over, and their goal was to infiltrate the Yunxiao Sea garrison and destroy the seals on the evil god's body by any means."
Yunxi cut in, "People who live side by side, replaced on the inside by evil souls, and no one noticed? How is that possible?"
Cen Sen said helplessly, "The evil soul devours the cultivator's spirit, keeping all memories intact. They also use Yinxi Elixir to perfectly hide their evil energy. Unless you perform a soul search, there is no way to detect it."
When Yunxi heard the words "Yinxi Elixir," she felt that trouble was on its way. Still, she asked, "As far as this Lord knows, only Yixian Gate can refine such an elixir. Did it leak from them?"
Cen Sen shook his head. "I do not know. Yixian Gate is investigating as well. There are vague rumors that someone in the Weiyu Realm inherited Yixian Gate's legacy that was left in the lower realm. Perhaps the elixir flowed out from there."
Cen Sen trailed off, as if something had just clicked. No wonder the name "Haoran Sect" had felt familiar. So this was the sect rumored to have a disciple who inherited Yixian Gate's legacy.
Moreover, that sect was founded in the lower realm by Hao Ran Zhēnzūn of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, and with a Mahayana Zhēnzūn overseeing it, Yixian Gate had yet to come knocking.
Yunxi felt as if someone had walked right up and cast a big spell in her face. She remained composed, carrying herself with a steady senior's air. "This Lord is Ran Xi of Haoran Sect. Captain Cen, do the reports you have received include any 'rumors' about this Lord?"
She made the last word very light, but her meaning was clear enough. She was the ascended cultivator who inherited Yixian Gate's legacy.
Cen Sen froze, unsure what expression to wear. He could at least confirm that the death of the Haoran Sect disciple and the theft of the corpse were not coincidences. Evil cultivators were almost certainly behind it.
Previously he had guessed that the evil cultivators wanted the disciple's body to take his place, to infiltrate the sect and lie low before making a move when the garrison changed at Yunxiao Sea. Now it seemed they had another purpose for stealing the corpse.
Yunxi did not even need to think. This was aimed at her. No wonder Ancestor Hao Ran had been so quick to let her leave the sect. Besides wanting her to travel and clear her head, he must also have wanted her away from the storm. She was not looking for trouble, yet trouble had come knocking.
If Mu Zijun's corpse fell into the hands of evil cultivators, the one to suffer would likely be her. She lifted a hand and used spiritual power to sketch a sealing sigil in midair.