Chapter 147: The Demon’s Trail is Hard to Find, and the People are in Peril

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The next morning, the moment Qin Haoxuan opened his eyes, his keen senses picked up an even greater commotion outside. Could it be that someone else has died?

He walked out and, sure enough, saw many disciples standing outside, talking amongst themselves in hushed, agitated tones.

“Another new disciple at the Rooting stage died last night! This is terrifying!”

“I know! A Spirit Tree Realm elder is personally overseeing things, and so many patrol teams are out, yet the Blood Demon can still strike. How is it doing it?”

“I’m scared to death now. Who knows whose blood it will drink tonight!”

“Mm, I think you’re in danger. Have you noticed? Both times, the Blood Demon has targeted a cultivator at the Rooting stage.”

“Even with Elder Sun here, the Blood Demon can still kill people. This is a huge problem. Elder Sun will definitely lose face and fly into a rage!”

As the disciples were discussing this, the elder in question, Elder Sun, who had been entrusted by the Sect Master to oversee the capture of the demon, had a face as black as iron. The captains of the several patrol teams stood before him, trembling, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

“Useless trash! So many people were on patrol last night, yet you didn’t even notice the Blood Demon when it acted!” Elder Sun was furious. Yesterday, he had boasted to the Sect Master that he would have the creature captured in a single night. Not only had he come up empty-handed, but he had let the Blood Demon strike again. How would the Sect Master and the other elders view him now?

The five patrol captains hung their heads, feeling incredibly wronged. Their teams hadn’t slept a wink all night, patrolling diligently. They hadn’t seen so much as a shadow, yet this morning came the news of another death. And in their hearts, they were all thinking, The Sect Master sent you to take charge and catch the demon. When it acts again, why are you taking your anger out on us? We don’t see you dragging it out.

Of course, they did not dare to say such things, nor even let it show on their faces.

After venting his anger, Elder Sun also began to think. He hadn’t slept all night either. Though he hadn’t gone out on patrol, he had blanketed the entire Spirit Field Valley with his spiritual energy. The slightest disturbance should not have escaped his notice. Yet someone had still died. How had the demon done it?

After thinking for a long time without any leads, he leaned back in his chair and stared at the captains. “Each of you, give me your opinions. Tell me your theories about this Blood Demon so we can narrow the scope of our investigation.”

The captains stammered for a long time. Suddenly, one of them had a flash of inspiration. “Elder, there is something very strange. Both times the Blood Demon has acted, the victims have been new disciples who have only been in the sect for six months, and both were only at the Rooting stage.

A Blood Demon would gain more by drinking the blood of a stronger cultivator. The fact that it has only targeted Rooting stage disciples two days in a row suggests that its own strength is low, and it cannot defeat anyone stronger. I theorize that the Blood Demon’s strength is only in the range of the Sprouting stage to the First-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm.”

The moment he finished speaking, Elder Sun’s eyes lit up. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. After a moment’s contemplation, he gave an order: “Take your men immediately and set up a Monitoring Array in the room of every disciple at the Sprouting stage and the First-Leaf stage. I will report the cost to the sect.”

Soon, the patrol captains were leading their teams to set up the arrays. As they were doing so, the master of the Hundred Flowers Hall, Su Baihua, personally arrived at the Spirit Field Valley with several of her disciples. Under Luo Jinhua’s guidance, she went straight to Xu Yu’s residence.

“Master, I will go and ask Junior Sister Xu to come out,” Luo Jinhua said to the Hall Master, who was dressed in a simple, pale-colored robe, her hair tied back simply, yet still appearing as ethereal as an immortal.

Su Baihua pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. A faint, unreadable smile played on her elegant and refined face, giving her an air that was both approachable and inviolably holy. “No,” she said, rejecting the proposal. “Xu Yu is a natural Purple Seed with excellent aptitude and a fine character. I am very fond of her. We will go to her directly.”

When they arrived, Su Baihua personally knocked on the door. When Xu Yu opened it and saw the Hall Master, she was not flustered. She calmly bowed. “Disciple Xu Yu pays her respects to Hall Master Su.”

Su Baihua’s gaze on the girl grew even softer. Not only was her talent excellent, but her Dao Heart was also very good.

“There is no need for such formalities, Xu Yu. I have come to the Spirit Field Valley today to discuss a matter with you.”

“Please give your instructions, Hall Master. If it is within this disciple’s ability, I will certainly not refuse.”

Su Baihua smiled faintly. “I have heard that a Blood Demon has appeared in the Spirit Field Valley. For your safety, and so that your cultivation is not disturbed, I would like to invite you to temporarily move to the Hundred Flowers Hall. After the Blood Demon is caught, you can return.”

Although she spoke tactfully, her meaning was clear. This was also a strategic move to secure the prized disciple for her hall.

Seeing Xu Yu hesitate, Luo Jinhua quickly urged her, “Junior Sister Xu, Master is showing you great kindness. And if you go to the Hundred Flowers Hall, with Master there to guide you, your progress will be much faster than with an untalented senior sister like me!”

Hearing this, Xu Yu, who had been about to refuse, thought of Zhang Kuang. He was now at the Fifteenth-Leaf, a great threat to Brother Haoxuan. She was only at the Eighth-Leaf. If she could not quickly catch up, Zhang Kuang would surely endanger him when he was released. If she had a Hall Master to personally guide her, her cultivation would advance much faster. So, she bowed to Su Baihua. “Xu Yu thanks the Hall Master for her kindness. But before I leave, I would like to say goodbye to a close friend.”

After Xu Yu agreed, Su Baihua and the other disciples of the Hundred Flowers Hall all smiled happily.

Luo Jinhua, however, looked anxious. She knew exactly who Xu Yu wanted to see, and she feared that after seeing Qin Haoxuan, she might change her mind. “Junior Sister Xu,” she said hurriedly, “there is only one month until we ‘Enter the Mortal World.’ Time is pressing. I will inform Junior Brother Qin for you. He will surely be very happy for you. And you should think about Zhang Kuang…”

Just as she was trying to prevent them from meeting, Qin Haoxuan arrived. He had heard the news of the Hall Master’s visit and had come not to stop Xu Yu, but to make sure her stubborn loyalty to him didn’t cause her to refuse this great opportunity.

“Disciple Qin Haoxuan pays his respects to the Hall Master,” he said, walking to Xu Yu’s side and bowing.

Su Baihua glanced at him coolly. But when Xu Yu saw him, she happily ran over and took his hand. “Brother Haoxuan, Hall Master Su wants to take me to the Hundred Flowers Hall. Do you think I should go or not?”

Only then did Su Baihua realize that this was the “close friend” Xu Yu had mentioned.

Qin Haoxuan smiled and nodded. “Of course you must go. For a Hall Master to personally come and invite you is a great honor. When you get to the Hundred Flowers Hall, you must cultivate diligently and not disappoint her kindness.”

Su Baihua was surprised that Qin Haoxuan was so sensible. Her impression of him improved greatly.

Xu Yu said with some concern, “But if I leave like this, you’ll be all alone. And with the Blood Demon around, I’m worried about you…”

Before Qin Haoxuan could comfort her, Su Baihua spoke. “You need not worry about that, Xu Yu. This seat will gift him two spiritual talismans to ensure his safety.”

She then produced a green and a white talisman and had Luo Jinhua pass them to Qin Haoxuan. “The green one is a rescue talisman. If you crush it, every disciple of the Hundred Flowers Hall will know your location and come to your aid. The white one is a defensive talisman. It can withstand three full-power attacks from a Thirtieth-Leaf cultivator.”

To get Xu Yu to leave peacefully, Su Baihua was willing to pay a heavy price. As Qin Haoxuan accepted the talismans, Xu Yu bowed deeply to her, her eyes filled with gratitude.

With her worries assuaged, Xu Yu said a reluctant farewell to Qin Haoxuan. “Brother Haoxuan, I’ll go with the Hall Master now. If you have time, come and visit me at the Hundred Flowers Hall. If you run into danger, remember to protect your life and send for help.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded and watched her leave. The news of her departure quickly spread, causing another wave of discussion and fear among the disciples.

Not long after, the master of the Jade Bamboo Hall, Master Bizhu, also personally arrived at the Spirit Field Valley, heading for Li Jing’s residence. The crowd watched, now certain that the other Purple Seeds were also being evacuated, leaving them behind to face the danger alone.