"Speak, every piece of information you know about my sister from Qingyang, spill it all out. Otherwise, your body will become increasingly fragrant, attracting not only many ants but also cockroaches, venomous snakes, centipedes…"

"Moreover, having taken the Baihua Honeymilk, you'll become immune to all poisons for a short time. No poison will be able to take your life, yet, curiously, your skin and muscles will become extremely sensitive. Even if you are nibbled on for three days and nights, you will not die."

A barefooted woman dressed in colorful clothes and wearing a floral crown, with a pleasing fragrance emanating from her, chuckled as she toyed with a sheep fat white jade ring in her hands, her stunning face clouded by a trace of gloom.

In front of her, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, wearing a pink dress now covered in dust, had her exposed skin crawling with dense swarms of black ants, moving back and forth, nibbling at her.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, trembling all over, with bite marks already visible on her face and neck.

"Just kill me. It's not like heroines to twitch their eyebrows... I've said it time and again, miss is not in Qingyang City, she already hurried to Yunhu County three days ago. No matter how you ask, it's pointless."

Although the ants made her feel itchy and painful and she was extremely scared, Xiao Ju was still very stubborn.

Her eyebrows tightly knitted together. Occasionally, she would open her eyes to look at the white jade bracelet in the colorful lady's hand, a flicker of sadness flashing in the depths of her gaze.

"It's from your lover, isn't it? Like master, like servant, that despicable woman thought herself as so affectionate yet practiced the Oblivion Melody, thinking she can overshadow me?

This bracelet isn't bad. If you continue to argue, I'll shatter it, and let it accompany you in your early grave."

The woman in colorful clothing apparently grew impatient.

Her words were vicious, and her methods ruthless.

Yet surprisingly, this lowly maid was so devoted to Qingyang that not even the prospect of death could frighten her into speaking, against all expectations.

"Furthermore, I want to find the guy who gave you the bracelet, behead him as a proper send-off for you. Trust me, I can find him."

As the colorful lady spoke, her voice paused, because she noticed the ant-covered, half-skinned face of Xiao Ju, whose expression was one of agony, inexplicably showing a strange curve at the corner of her mouth.

That was...

Sarcasm.

"Peony, there's no need to question her anymore. This little wench has made up her mind. Perhaps her life was saved by that woman. Their relationship as master and servant is as deep as sisters'.

If it were not so, Qingyang would not have passed on the Thousand Leaves Hand to her. If you continue this forceful interrogation, even beating her to death would yield nothing."

An old and ghastly voice sounded from the side, as grating as the cawing of a crow, making one's eardrums itch, extremely discomforting.

It was a silver-haired crone with a saggy face and triangular eyes.

"Yes, Granny Yan."

The fierce look in Scattered Flower Celestial Maiden Bai He's eyes vanished in an instant.

Turning around, she bowed respectfully, "If that's the case, this worthless wench is of no more use. Might as well feed her to my pets."

She pursed her lips and let out a sharp whistle, making a popping sound with her tongue.

Outside the wooden hut, a series of rustling sounds followed in response.

Looking around, one could see a mass of creatures, venomous snakes, centipedes, millipedes, and various other strange-looking crawling insects...

"Feed her? She still has her uses."

The old crone rolled her strange eyes and sneered, "Don't you see? The more loyal she is, the more important she becomes. Qingyang wouldn't possibly ignore her. This is the perfect bait to lure out that girl; I want to see just how much capability she has mustered over the years, daring to betray us?"

As she spoke, Granny Yan's gaze turned icy: "At the outskirts of the city, beside Zhuling, you saw the battle traces where Helm Master Fang Buping disappeared without a trace of Divine Will. All signs point to the intervention of a protector deity general from within our organization.

This is peculiar. Helm Master Fang Buping, as the leader of the Guangyun Subruder, why would he run afoul of an internal divine general?

And the one who killed Fang Buping, how could they have cultivated the Purifying Lotus Body to beyond the fifth level?"

This was not only puzzling to the Scattered Flower Celestial Maiden.

Granny Yan, too, was perplexed.

Although she described Fang Buping as worthless with her lips.

Deep down, she didn't actually believe he was so incapable.

A Mortal Rank Ninth Refinement, Second Realm Master of Martial Intent was not any common cabbage.

Even if she herself wished to take him down, it wouldn't be easy; at least two moves, no, perhaps three would be needed to take his life.

Based on the battle traces,

The scope involved wasn't too broad.

This meant that the assailant's strength was overwhelming, making it impossible for Fang Buping to even attempt an escape...

A straightforward attack led to his instantaneous annihilation.

A divine general capable of this, at the very least, must be a fifth level Lotus Body master with another secret technique, or possibly even a peerless talent with the Sixth Level Pure World Lotus Body.

But how could this be?

Even if Qingyang provided the drugs and secretly supported a certain divine general, she lacked the means and resources to cultivate anyone to that extent.

Too many unanswered questions.

No matter how Granny Yan pondered, she couldn't make sense of it.

"Could it be that we're overestimating the strength of that divine general? Perhaps Helm Master Fang did not run into trouble but went into hiding instead?"

Bai He, however, was skeptical.

She had personally witnessed the three weapon-wielding divine generals under Saintess Yunling during her journey following the saintess to the Southwest, and how the Saintess Yunling, at the age of thirteen, wandered the states of the Southwest at will, casually selecting divine general seeds, branding their spirits, and passing down powerful methods.

They were waiting for these people to grow up, so that one day, they could become the sharpest weapons in their hands.

Baihe did not understand by what means Saintess Yunling selected the seeds for her Divine Generals, but no matter how discerning her eye was, or how talented and well-endowed the geniuses were, after all, there were only a mere ten years.

Within the span of ten years, to reach the Fifth Level and attain a realm of transcendence like Ran Sifei was something one could only hope for, not something that could be found easily.

It's not like there could be two such masters, right?

As for a Divine General with a "Sixth Level Purifying Lotus Body," she had not even considered it.

If such a monstrous being were to appear, the entire Southwest battle situation would have to treat him with the utmost respect and deference...

Even the Holy Maiden would not casually order him around.

Instead, she would treat him as a pillar of strength, with great importance.

You must know, in history, whenever a Divine General with a "Sixth Level Pure World Lotus Body" appeared, they were all top-tier famous generals who swept through an entire region, unstoppable by any.

Was it so easy to train such a person?

The most crucial point was that this was a wild talent, who had not received much support from the Holy Maiden.

"Even if you don't trust Granny Yan's judgment, don't you trust Black Bull's divine will perception?"

Granny Yan chuckled coldly, yet her hands gently caressed a tiny black cat the size of a palm.

The black cat, round and plump, shivered slightly when touched by the dry and skinny claws, appearing both scared and submissive.

However, its pair of amber feline eyes glanced sideways at Baihe with disdain, seeming resentful that this barefooted biped would dare underestimate itself.

"Since it's Black Bull who found him, and it has the strongest ability to sense divine souls, it should be true that Helm Master Fang has died."

Baihe did not argue further.

She knew exactly how strong the black cat's perception was.

There were all sorts of legends about it within the sect.

Some were true, and some were false.

But regardless of whether they were true or false,

just by seeing how Granny Yan treated the black cat as a treasure, always holding and caressing it dearly, one could tell that this little thing might truly possess no small ability.

"They're coming."

The two had only exchanged a few words and had yet to analyze more information when the black cat on Granny Yan's lap suddenly arched its back, and its ears stood up abruptly.

A moment later, a series of dull footsteps approached from afar.

"Fire..."

"Puff puff!"

A mass of arrow volleys, dense like a swarm of locusts, pierced through the walls of the wooden hut, targeting Baihe and Granny Yan as if they were guided by sight.

"Hmph..."

Granny Yan grunted, and her gray robe flicked.

The crossbow arrows were suspended mid-air before exploding violently, sending wood splinters flying backward as if swept away by a strong gust.

From afar, a succession of screams rang out, and warning signals were launched.

The wailing did not cease.

"Let's go, change locations, and take the maid with us."

Granny Yan leaped through the window, pointing her fingers that curled like claws, each resembling small daggers that suddenly shot out.

She swept her hand through the air.

In the void, five grayish-black trails appeared, shrieking as they swept toward the armored warriors who were rapidly approaching from a distance.

The seven or eight spear and crossbow soldiers running at the front fell to the ground without a sound, their bodies quickly covered in frost, freezing solid within a few breaths.

"Impressive, old witch", someone bellowed from a distance, "surround them, but do not rush in recklessly."

Meanwhile, from another direction came a shout, "Watch your footing, beware of snakes and insects, cover your nose with a wet cloth, guard against poison powder."

"Damn it."

Fairy Sanhua had just crushed the petals in her hand, scattering the pollen into the air, when her method was exposed, she looked resentfully at the increasing number of soldiers and hurriedly dragged Xiao Ju into an alleyway.

They swiftly turned a corner.

"This is already the third wave of searches, it's as if the entire Qingyang City's military has been mobilized. It's just a maid from the Flower Washing Garden that's been captured, so why does it feel like a hornet's nest has been disturbed?"

Not only was Baihe puzzled,

Granny Yan's mood was also far from good.

What exactly had happened? Qingyang City seemed to be filled with watching eyes, as if the maid Xiao Ju in their hands wasn't just some inconsequential girl, but rather a very important "VIP".

Even though they were generally fighting soldiers at the Bone Tempering and Muscle Transforming stages, and no matter if hundreds or even thousands came at them, they couldn't stop them.

However, being constantly targeted like this, using every tactic they had, if they were to kill people and delay even a little, they might attract the strongest forces within Qingyang City.

Not long after the death of Fang Buping, even the Yi Heavenly King had not been able to take down the city decisively.

No matter how confident they were in their abilities, they did not believe that just the two of them could suppress everything and take the city for themselves.

How arrogant would they have to be to think that way?

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