Facing the Sect Master's reprimand.

Shangguan Hong's face flushed slightly with shame. When Chu Xingchen was about to draw his sword, he had backed down.

Yaoqin's sword strike was so terrifying that even standing aside, Shangguan Hong felt the ominous stars flashing wildly above his head.

At this moment, in this scene, Shangguan Hong could only lower his head and admit his mistake:

"My apologies, esteemed guests, I overthought things."

From the moment Yaoqin swung that sword, all doubts vanished into thin air.

Chu Xingchen looked regretful and tried to persuade them to stay: "Don't be in such a hurry, I'm really not a disciple of the Tianyan Sect."

Hearing this, the Sect Master quickly turned his head, his gaze falling on Zheng Xiaofeng.

Zheng Xiaofeng felt a bit overwhelmed. It was you who tacitly allowed that old dog Shangguan to court death, and now I have to clean up the mess?

Being an elder is truly frustrating.

"Gentlemen, let's focus on the important matters," Zheng Xiaofeng said with a forced smile, cupping his hands. "There's no doubt about your identities. Whatever you need, our Qingfeng Sect will certainly cooperate."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen looked regretful. After returning the longsword to Yaoqin, he slowly sat back down and spoke solemnly:

"Two things. The first is the main reason we came this time."

"We received a commission from Yuzhou City. There's an evil cultivator holding large-scale blood sacrifices, suspected of planning something big, and they've fled to this area. I request you to conduct a thorough investigation."

The Qingfeng Sect Master breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As long as they weren't here to cause trouble, he quickly replied:

"Since it's a matter of righteousness, it's naturally our duty. May I ask what the second matter is?"

Chu Xingchen's gaze turned icy as he looked at Shangguan Hong: "Not just anyone can question the reputation of our Tianyan Sect."

The Sect Master did not respond but instead looked at Zheng Xiaofeng again.

Alright! This life-threatening question is for me to handle!

Zheng Xiaofeng sighed inwardly and continued, cupping his hands: "Elder Shangguan, he..."

He paused for a moment, finally thinking of an excuse: "He was just concerned that someone might be using the name of the Tianyan Sect to deceive others."

Chu Xingchen's tone suddenly turned cold: "So you're saying that even if my Senior Sister and I carry the token, we don't look like disciples of the Tianyan Sect, but rather like frauds?"

Zheng Xiaofeng hurriedly replied: "Of course not... of course not."

Before Zheng Xiaofeng could continue explaining, Chu Xingchen abruptly raised his hand to interrupt:

"I don't care about the rules of your Qingfeng Sect, but now we must follow the rules of our Tianyan Sect! As long as I'm handling the case in Qingfeng Sect, Elder Shangguan will spend a day in the confinement room!"

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Hearing this, Zheng Xiaofeng could only look at the Sect Master, as he couldn't make such a decision. Shangguan Hong's seniority in Qingfeng Sect was far greater than his.

"I agree to this," the Sect Master said without much thought, then looked at the other two elders. "You two, personally escort Elder Shangguan to the confinement room."

After the two elders accepted the order, they took Shangguan Hong away.

With Shangguan Hong's departure, Chu Xingchen's expression instantly softened, as if his ire was solely directed at Shangguan Hong.

Seeing this, the Sect Master also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the issue was with the person, not the matter itself, which was manageable. He then asked:

"May I ask how our Qingfeng Sect can assist you in your mission?"

Chu Xingchen smiled confidently, as if he had a brilliant plan:

"Just send people out, using Qingfeng Sect as the center, and conduct a comprehensive carpet search to flush out those evil cultivators."

Qingfeng Sect Master: "..."

Is this really a plan?

With such a high-profile search, the evil cultivators would flee long before they're found. Besides, the scope of such a search would be immeasurable once it extends further.

But whatever, judging from the recent events, these visitors are just disciples who like to show off.

Whether or not the evil cultivators are caught has nothing to do with Qingfeng Sect, so it's better to play along with the kids to avoid further trouble.

After a brief consideration, the Sect Master smiled and agreed:

"As expected of a high disciple of Tianyan Sect, this is indeed a foolproof plan. Our Qingfeng Sect will arrange the manpower to carry it out."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen showed a pleased expression and pointed to Zheng Xiaofeng:

"I like what this man says. Let him assist me in this task."

Zheng Xiaofeng wanted to speak, but his Sect Master agreed even faster:

"No problem, Xiao Zheng, you go with this esteemed guest from Tianyan Sect."

The powerless Elder Zheng could only nod in agreement.

"Very well, if there's anything else, I'll be back," Chu Xingchen nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at the ruined hall. "We don't have to compensate for this damage, do we?"

The Sect Master just wanted to send these two deities away as quickly as possible and hurriedly replied:

"Of course not."

With that, Chu Xingchen strode out of the hall: "Alright, Xiao Zheng, come with us."

Yaoqin also got up without hesitation to follow.

Sighing, Zheng Xiaofeng quickly followed after them.

With Chu Xingchen leading the way, they headed straight for the mountain gate.

At this moment, many disciples on either side of the corridor were cautiously watching Chu Xingchen and Yaoqin.

That sword strike just now had shocked the entire Qingfeng Sect.

Moreover, after wielding that sword, the two could walk out unscathed, indicating that besides their formidable strength, they had a strong backing.

Zheng Xiaofeng followed closely behind the two.

Chu Xingchen had his reasons for doing so.

In Qingfeng Sect, it shouldn't be just the Golden Core guarding the mine that conducted the evil ritual. One person alone couldn't accomplish such a large-scale operation.

When those elders and the Sect Master entered, Chu Xingchen used the System to scan their panels.

Based on the panel traits, the other elders didn't seem problematic for the time being.

Only Shangguan Hong was different.

The last time he scanned him, the black trait [Heart Demon Entangled] had been replaced with the blue trait [Acquired Demonic Body].

And [Acquired Demonic Body] was the trait of the evil cultivator Golden Core in the mine.

This indicated that Shangguan Hong must have joined the ranks of the evil cultivators during this period.

Now that the initial clue was found, they needed to follow it further.

First, they had to blind one of their eyes, making the situation murky for them, so they could fish in troubled waters.

Directly attacking the mine wouldn't be enough to lure out all the big fish.

This was why Chu Xingchen deliberately provoked Shangguan Hong. His real purpose was to confine Shangguan Hong, making those slippery eels uneasy, prompting them to cautiously peek out to assess the danger.

Moreover... the short-sighted Zheng Xiaofeng behind them was not only easy to manipulate but also an extremely easy tool to turn.

Chu Xingchen conveyed his thoughts to Yaoqin through a voice transmission.

Yaoqin's response was a simple, "Alright."

After the three of them walked a distance from the Qingfeng Sect's entrance, Chu Xingchen suddenly stopped.

Zheng Xiaofeng also stopped, asking in a puzzled tone, "Is something wrong?"

Chu Xingchen turned around and sighed, "Playing the role of a subordinate isn't easy, is it?"

Zheng Xiaofeng was taken aback. How could this person speak so directly to his heart?

Just as he was unsure how to respond.

Chu Xingchen smiled and said:

"Now there's a better path for you."

Chu Xingchen paused, then tempted:

"Do you like the Tianyan Sect?"

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