CHAPTER 2114: CHAPTER 2112: HE HAD IT ALL PLANNED

Fortunately, the black mist spewed by the Second Elder was far less dense than the monster’s. Before long, the black mist was completely absorbed by Bai Ruozhu, without harming anyone.

The Second Elder was furious, "How can you not fear the black mist? Who are you really?"

The Third Elder reacted quickly, rushing over and striking the Second Elder’s chest with a palm. The Second Elder spat out a mouthful of black blood, his entire body falling away.

Suddenly, the Second Elder’s figure shot up and darted into the distance. Due to his rapid speed, everyone tried to stop him, but it was too late. They could only watch as he disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Bai Ruozhu’s people quickly captured all of the Second Elder’s subordinates. Fo Lanying lay on the ground bleeding incessantly, a look of desolation in her eyes, whispering, "Still couldn’t kill him, couldn’t kill him..."

For a moment, Bai Ruozhu suddenly understood why Fo Lanying was still willing to go to the Enlightenment Tablet; she wanted to gain power, to seek justice from the Second Elder.

From this moment, Bai Ruozhu suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for the girl in front of her. If not born into such a family, and not used by her elders, perhaps she would be an outgoing and lively woman, full of vigor like Tu Ying.

Both wearing red clothes, yet Tu Ying had lost her former flamboyance, and Fo Lanying had turned from arrogance to despair and evil aura. If her grandpa hadn’t been the Second Elder, and if her father Fo Wen hadn’t neglected her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Bai Ruozhu walked up to Fo Lanying and fed her a pill. She took out a silver needle, intending to protect Fo Lanying’s Heart Meridian, but Fo Lanying pushed it away with a strong shove.

Using too much force, Fo Lanying spat out more blood, glaring at Bai Ruozhu, saying, "You don’t need to pretend to be kind, it doesn’t matter whether I live or die, just let me die like this."

Her face was filled with sorrow, eyes full of despair, truly determined to die. Bai Ruozhu felt her nose twinge with a sour sensation, suddenly laughing coldly, "You want to die just like that? Didn’t you want to kill the Second Elder for revenge? You haven’t killed him yet and you’re giving up? Where did your determination go?"

She deliberately showed a look of contempt, "Didn’t you still want to defeat me? Our confrontation isn’t over yet, and you’re giving up now? Do you want to be my defeated opponent for the rest of your life?"

Fo Lanying laughed, her pointed chin stained with blood, staring at Bai Ruozhu, saying, "Actually, you’re quite annoying, you know? Your soft heart will get you killed sooner or later."

Bai Ruozhu ignored her, continuing to apply the needle and treat her. This time, Fo Lanying didn’t resist. But Bai Ruozhu remained on guard against a sneak attack, given her unstable mental state, who knew if she might suddenly turn against her?

Before long, Fo Lanying’s breathing became smoother, and she stopped bleeding. Bai Ruozhu put away her silver needle and went to check on others. Not many were injured, the situation better than originally expected.

The Third Elder looked at the chaos, somewhat dazed, saying, "I didn’t expect it to be resolved so easily, I thought I was dreaming."

Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, "We were well prepared and used poison this time. Plus, the Second Elder was overconfident. He thought the black mist could deal with all of us, but in the end, the mist was of no use."

The Third Elder nodded, "Yes, if you hadn’t come today, we’d probably all have perished at the Second Elder’s hands."

Tenth Elder suddenly looked enlightened, saying, "I get it now! Entering that secret realm before wasn’t a coincidence. The Second Elder had people blocking us in that direction all along. The only escape back then was to enter that dangerous secret realm. He planned from the start to have us feed the monster!"

The Tenth Elder got angrier as he spoke, his old face turning red with rage, "Turns out he aligned himself with that monster long ago. No wonder he’s been plotting all these years, and the Evil Technique he taught Du Fei to use on Xin Sheng must’ve been from him too!"

"Unfortunately, the Great Elder has already left us..." Elder Su looked grief-stricken, "I suspect many who left the clan were sent to that secret realm by him. On several occasions, when young people went out to train, the Second Elder was the one escorting them. For a while, the Great Elder was ill and had to entrust the Barrier Jade Pendant to the Second Elder."

"Those young people..." Everyone’s faces turned ashen, because for the Jiuli Clan youths’ first training outside, the duration could vary from a year to three years or more. So even when there was no news from those who had recently departed, the elders never suspected anything.

But now it seems, their fate is likely grim.

Elder Liu’s body trembled; his daughter was among those who recently went out for training.

The Seventh Elder noticed his distress and quickly said, "I reckon the Second Elder wouldn’t dare be so blatant in harming everyone, or else those kids together wouldn’t be easy to deal with. At most, he tricked one or two into it."

Hopefully, that’s the case, and if a few can survive, then so be it.

"What is that monster exactly?" the Third Elder asked.

The Tenth Elder’s face turned paper white, shaking his head vigorously, "Don’t ask, don’t ask anymore."

"Then how do you know?" the Third Elder asked, puzzled.

The Tenth Elder’s face remained grim, "When I was young, I accidentally saw it in one of the clan’s Forbidden Books, but I don’t really know the specifics. You all mustn’t ask or inquire about it. Let’s pretend this never happened, and forget about it!"

The Forbidden Books in the clan could only be read by the clan leader, and even then, they were only consulted in dire times of crisis. If a clansman read the Forbidden Techniques and spread its contents, they were said to be punished by the gods, suffering the pain of being blinded and having their tongue cut out.

All the elders quieted down, not daring to inquire further about the monster.

"What do we do about the Second Elder? Leaving him will be a constant threat," asked the Seventh Elder.

Bai Ruozhu coldly laughed, "He must have entered that secret realm. A beaten dog seeks its master for protection; only that monster can shelter him now. Let’s guard the entrances and exits, and wait for him to come out. Can he never come out again?"

All the elders nodded and immediately arranged for someone to guard the secret realm, instructing them to signal at any sign of the Second Elder, and absolutely avoid direct confrontation.

All of the Second Elder’s cronies were captured; some were stubborn, some were under the influence of an Evil Technique. The elders deliberated and decided to first find a way to break the Evil Technique.

While everyone was busy, Bai Ruozhu saw Fo Lanying stand up and slowly head towards the Back Mountain, her bright red silhouette appearing particularly lonely.

"Where are you going?" Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but ask.

Fo Lanying didn’t look back, saying, "It’s none of your business. Do I stay here waiting for you to deal with me?"