Chapter 1155: Wu Chang, the Great Soul-Summoning Art!

The moment the fruits arrived, before Niu Youdao had even awakened from healing his injuries, the Fox Clan had already begun preparing to restore the Old Clan Chief's body. They had never intended to wait for Niu Youdao's approval. Even if he refused, refusal would not have been accepted.

They also believed this was something they deserved. Without the Fox Clan's help, Niu Youdao could never have obtained these Fox Immortal Fruits. On what grounds should they receive no share?

Of course, it was best that Niu Youdao had volunteered the fruit himself. That spared them an argument over the matter and prevented unnecessary conflict.

As Hei Yun carefully put away the fruit, Niu Youdao tested the waters with a question. "Once the fruit's medicinal power takes effect, how long will it take the Clan Chief to recover?"

Hei Yun replied, "The Old Clan Chief's body has already undergone transformation once before. With the medicinal power of a Fox Immortal Fruit, naturally she can regain the ability to assume human form. The real problem is that the Old Clan Chief suffered damage to her foundation. Her injured body needs to be restored."

Niu Youdao understood. Hei Yun meant restoring the vertical eye Yin Ji had gouged out herself. He nodded. "Can you begin now?"

There was another reason he had wanted the Old Clan Chief to receive a fruit first. He had no experience using a Wuliang Fruit, while the Fox Clan certainly did. He wanted to observe the process.

Hei Yun said, "As long as the Fox Immortal Fruit is here, we can begin at any time. But we still need to wait for everyone to arrive. I've already summoned the senior Elders scattered throughout the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and ordered them to return as quickly as possible. We'll combine our strength to help the Old Clan Chief recover."

Niu Youdao immediately asked with genuine humility, "Using a Fox Immortal Fruit requires assistance from others?"

Hei Yun shook his head and explained, "No. You know the Old Clan Chief's condition. She's been unconscious all this time, so she cannot circulate her own demonic power to refine the fruit's medicinal power and restore herself. Naturally, outside power must be injected to help her. With only the few of us here, I'm afraid our demonic power might run short halfway through and something could go wrong. It's safer to wait until everyone arrives."

"So that's how it is." Niu Youdao nodded. In that case, all they could do was wait until everyone had returned. There was no reason to rush.

After asking further, he learned that the Elders would need slightly less than half a day to arrive one after another. Once they did, Hei Yun intended to let them first recover the demonic power expended during the journey.

For the Fox Clan, restoring Yin Ji was a matter of enormous importance. There could be no carelessness. Every precaution had to be taken.

Niu Youdao therefore stopped worrying about the delay. With his injuries somewhat improved and his energy recovering, he began arranging his own affairs.

...

At Daluo Sacred Land, Luo Fangfei hurried into Sha Rulai's office.

Sha Rulai merely glanced up at her, then lowered his head and continued working. Luo Fangfei unexpectedly planted both hands on his desk, leaned forward, and said, "Senior Brother, something happened. Niu Youdao is dead."

Sha Rulai froze. Slowly raising his head, he asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"

Luo Fangfei said, "Niu Youdao is dead. He was attacked in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and killed."

Shock flashed across Sha Rulai's face. He shot to his feet. "How is that possible?"

Luo Fangfei stared, surprised by the force of his reaction. "Why wouldn't it be possible? I just confirmed it. There can't be any mistake."

Sha Rulai asked, "Attacked in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands... Was it the Demon Foxes?"

"No. They say it was a group of masked men. Their identities are unknown, and the killers are still being investigated. Even Father was alarmed and went to Wentian City."

"Dead?" Sha Rulai muttered to himself. He left the desk and paced the room, looking somewhat lost, as though he could not quite accept it.

Not long ago, he had already received news from Wentian City that Wushuang Sacred Land had placed the inspectors from the seven sects under control. He had been wondering what was going on. Could it have been because of this?

Seeing his reaction grow increasingly strange, Luo Fangfei asked suspiciously, "Senior Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Sha Rulai shook his head and sighed. "Nothing."

Luo Fangfei stepped closer and looped an arm through his. "I can tell. Senior Brother really does pay a lot of attention to this Niu Youdao. Is it admiration? I know he's somewhat capable. It really is a pity that he died."

Her words brought Sha Rulai back to himself. He denied it. "You're thinking too much. I'm simply shocked. What status does Niu Youdao hold now? He's an inspector personally appointed by the Sacred Venerables. Who has the nerve to kill him?"

"Exactly. I'd like to know who did it too. What enormous dog-guts!"

Something suddenly occurred to Sha Rulai. He tested her with another question. "Has it been confirmed that the dead man really is Niu Youdao?"

Luo Fangfei paused. "Senior Brother, what's wrong with you? Do you think someone would falsely report something like this? Of course the dead man is Niu Youdao. If it isn't him, who else could it be?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm asking whether they've confirmed that the corpse is Niu Youdao himself."

His explanation sounded weak even to his own ears. The reason he asked was that he knew something else: he had personally escorted another "Niu Youdao" into the Sacred Realm.

Luo Fangfei said, "Even Father was alarmed. Naturally they've confirmed it. How could they possibly make a mistake?"

"That makes sense." Sha Rulai nodded. Afterward, he used official work as an excuse to send Luo Fangfei away.

Yet once she left, he did not return to his work. He continued pacing inside the room, his expression shifting with uncertainty. Was the dead man really Niu Youdao? If so, didn't that mean there was still another "Niu Youdao" inside the Sacred Realm?

He suspected the corpse was the fake.

But after thinking it over, something still felt wrong. Fake or real, once one of them died, the other could no longer show his face. Had Niu Youdao truly met with an accident? That slippery brat was so cunning. Could he really have been killed so easily?

Sometimes knowing too much was not a blessing. The more one knew, the more one thought, and the more troublesome everything became.

Later, Wang Zun arrived and presented him with a secret letter.

The secret message was from Niu Youdao, arranging another meeting. As always, Sha Rulai was to choose the time, because he had more constraints to consider on his end.

The moment Sha Rulai saw the letter, he finally relaxed. The dead man was probably the fake. He simply could not understand why Niu Youdao had done this. One Niu Youdao had died inside the Sacred Realm. Could the other still show himself afterward?

Eager to know the reason, Sha Rulai immediately began arranging the meeting...

In Wentian City, the atmosphere was extraordinarily tense. Huang Ban, the steward holding down the city, was deeply uneasy. He had no choice. The spectacle was simply too great.

All nine Sacred Venerables had arrived in person.

In a small place like Wentian City, one could normally go years without seeing even a single Sacred Venerable. Now all Nine Saints had gathered here at once. Huang Ban felt enormous pressure.

Waiting outside the courtyard where the Nine Saints were meeting, Huang Ban kept estimating the time and wondering when Ding Wei would arrive. By his reckoning, it should be soon.

He badly hoped Ding Wei would hurry back. Otherwise, Huang Ban felt he could barely withstand the pressure. None of the Nine Saints was in a good mood. If he served them poorly, he might die without even knowing how.

Xuan Yao stood nearby as well, quiet and subdued.

To some extent, he should have been the one overseeing Wentian City. But now that something like this had happened, the fact that he had previously been removed from the post had instead become a stroke of fortune. The pressure no longer fell on him to bear.

"Steward, Niu Youdao's remains have arrived."

Zhou Tianyu strode over and cupped his hands to Huang Ban. He too looked haggard. The killers had not been caught, and the ordeal had left him deeply anxious and worn down.

Huang Ban snapped, "Why did it take until now to bring the body back?"

Zhou Tianyu hurried to explain. "Steward, we couldn't simply let the assassins escape. We've been searching everywhere with all our strength. Only after receiving Steward's message did we divert a flying mount to turn back and bring the remains here. That caused the delay."

Huang Ban sneered. "Searching? Did you find them? They dared carry out a public assassination. Do you think they wouldn't prepare an escape route? If you couldn't catch them at the scene, you still expected to find them afterward? Looks to me like you're deliberately dragging things out!"

Among their own people, Zhou Tianyu did not bother lying. With a bitter expression, he said, "Steward Huang, I know I'm dragging it out, but what choice do I have? If I don't at least 'do everything possible,' what am I supposed to say afterward? If I search twice and simply come back, how do I explain myself?"

As they spoke, two Demon Fox Bureau men arrived carrying a makeshift stretcher with a corpse lying upon it.

Huang Ban immediately stepped forward. Once he clearly saw the dead man's face, he could not help sighing. "It really is that bastard."

Xuan Yao quickly came over as well. Seeing that the corpse truly was Niu Youdao, he even reached out and examined the body. After confirming the man was genuinely dead, his eyes flickered. He glanced back toward the courtyard, wondering why the Nine Saints wanted to inspect the corpse.

"Come. Carry him in carefully." Huang Ban waved them forward and personally led the stretcher inside. At the same time, he called to Zhou Tianyu, "You come too. You're involved in this affair. The Sacred Venerables may have questions for you."

Zhou Tianyu hurriedly said, "Steward, I didn't see it personally. By the time I arrived, it was already over. I only heard the account from my subordinates. They saw everything. They know." He pointed toward the two men carrying the stretcher, plainly hoping to avoid meeting the Nine Saints. He was truly afraid.

Huang Ban grew angry. "If I tell you to come in, then come in."

Zhou Tianyu had no choice. Xuan Yao gave him a push in the back and voluntarily followed as well.

The stretcher was carried inside and placed in the center of the courtyard. The others stood respectfully to one side. Huang Ban straightened his clothes before entering the main hall.

Before long, he came back out with his body slightly bowed. Behind him, nine men and women emerged one after another.

They were the Nine Saints.

The moment they appeared, their presence weighed heavily over the courtyard.

"Greetings, Sacred Venerables!"

Everyone standing to the side immediately cupped their hands and bowed.

Yuan Se came forward looking like an enormous ball of flesh and casually waved a hand. Everyone present from Misty Pavilion was, after all, originally from his Dayuan Sacred Land, which currently controlled Misty Pavilion.

Those saluting immediately stepped back from the stretcher.

The Nine Saints gathered around and examined the body. Luo Qiu asked, "This is Niu Youdao?"

Huang Ban was just about to answer when Du Wuxu gave Lü Wushuang a cold sidelong look. "If you want to know whether it's Niu Youdao, you should ask Great Beauty Lü. She ought to know him quite well."

Several people immediately looked toward Lü Wushuang.

Lü Wushuang replied icily, "Du Wuxu, spare me the insinuations. I met him once outside Wuliang Garden. That hardly counts as knowing him well." With that, she walked over gracefully, looked down at the corpse from above, and said, "It should be him."

Mu Lianze glanced toward Wu Chang. "Demon, use that evil soul-summoning art of yours."

Tall and powerfully built, Wu Chang stepped out from the group. Half his torso was bare, revealing thick, muscular flesh beneath loose, disordered hair. He studied the corpse's face for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If the yin soul has not dispersed, there may still be a possibility. But he died in broad daylight, when yang was at its strongest and yin recoils and withdraws. So much time has passed as well. There is basically no chance."

Mu Lianze said, "Basically no chance isn't the same as none at all. We still have to try."

Wu Chang wasted no words. He suddenly flicked one finger.

A sharp burst of force pierced the corpse between the brows. A single bead of coagulated blood slowly floated out from the wound.

When the blood droplet rose to the level of Wu Chang's chest, he appeared to murmur an incantation. Suddenly, he clapped his palms together. Wisps of barely visible black mist began curling around his joined hands.

The little fingers and ring fingers of both hands drew inward. His paired middle and index fingers thrust forward sharply, pointing at the floating droplet of blood.

The black mist twining around his fingers immediately streamed toward the blood like a nest of black serpents.

[End of Chapter 1155]