’He knew Chen Qing all too well. Would he really come back the moment he got his hands on a treasure?’

Hearing this, Tan Yang couldn’t help but ask, "Junior Martial Uncle Li, are you so certain? They are the infamous Nether and Ghost Guards, after all. When they work together, they have few rivals below the Astral Force Realm..."

Just then—

"Report—!!!"

A Steward Disciple, flushed and panting, sprinted into the Council Hall. Before he could even catch his breath, he yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Sect Leader! Elders! Chief... Chief Disciple Chen Qing has returned! He’s outside the main gate right now!"

The hall erupted.

The entire Council Hall instantly broke into an uproar. All eyes snapped to the entrance, faces filled with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and immense surprise.

He Yuzhou shot up from his seat, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Quickly! Bring him in!"

The Council Hall immediately filled with murmurs.

"Junior Martial Uncle, it seems you were right." He Yuzhou looked at Li Baichuan, his eyes filled with emotion and amazement.

Sang Yanping took a deep breath, his heart surging with emotion.

’Chen Qing was back. What did that imply?’

’How could these old veterans of the Jianghu fail to understand?’

’The Nether and Ghost Guards had likely met a grim end!’

This conclusion made even Sang Yanping’s own heart pound with alarm.

Just then, a figure walked in with steady steps, the Cloud-Coiling Spear in hand.

The newcomer had a healthy complexion and clear eyes. Who else could it be but Chen Qing?

Li Lei and Yan Yaoyang both held their breath, their expressions a complex mix of immense surprise and relief at seeing their sect brother alive, mingled with an indescribable hint of awkwardness and disbelief.

Li Wang was also extremely excited, clenching his fists.

Nie Shanshan was startled for a moment, then her lovely eyes instantly lit up, and her tightly pursed lips relaxed without her realizing it.

"Disciple Chen Qing pays his respects to the Sect Leader and the Deans."

Chen Qing cupped his fist in salute to those seated at the head of the hall, his voice steady, neither servile nor arrogant.

’He had just left the inn and already heard rumors that he was dead... Who the hell was responsible for this?!’

"Good, good, good!"

Seeing Chen Qing standing before him, completely unharmed, the last trace of doubt in He Yuzhou’s heart vanished. He couldn’t help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily, repeating "good" three times. "It’s good that you’re back! As long as you’re back!"

The upper echelons of the Wutai Sect present also stared intently at Chen Qing, their gazes burning as if trying to see through him, their eyes filled with surprise and an eagerness to ask questions.

’Peng Zhen was shocked. ’This kid really returned without a scratch?’’

He naturally knew what that implied.

Chu Jinyun took a deep breath and thought to herself, ’Now that this kid is back, the Nether and Ghost Guards probably won’t be.’

Elder Sang cleared his throat, quelling the low murmur in the hall. With a warm smile, he followed up on the Sect Leader’s words, "It’s good that you’re back! Returning safely is the greatest blessing. However, the Nether and Ghost Guards’ strength is nothing to scoff at. Both are at Embracing Pill Power Perfection, with vast combat experience. Countless masters have fallen by their hands. For you to... hmm, ’extricate’ yourself from them and return is quite an achievement. Tell us, what exactly happened? How did you manage to... ’escape’?"

In an instant, all eyes in the hall focused on Chen Qing once more.

Chen Qing had already prepared his story. A look of lingering fear appeared on his face as he began, "Elder Sang, back then, the inn was filled with Black Evil Qi. Visibility was poor, and it was utter chaos. I was terrified. I could feel the Demon’s horrifying aura and knew I was no match for it, so I looked for an opening and made a desperate dash for the outside."

"As for what happened after that... I’m not entirely clear. I vaguely heard the sounds of a furious battle and explosions coming from the inn behind me. It seemed like the members of the Demon Sect had clashed with other masters who arrived later. I was only focused on running for my life. I’d sustained internal injuries and stumbled my way to an extremely secluded cave, where I immediately went into seclusion to heal. I only dared to return to the Sect today, after my injuries had fully recovered."

His story was a mix of truth and lies, designed to completely remove himself from the incident and paint the picture of a lucky survivor.

"Oh?"

A glint flashed in Sang Yanping’s eyes as he heard this. He stroked his beard and mused, "So, you’re saying that after you fled, the Demon Sect engaged in a fierce battle with other masters who arrived later?"

"Could it have been Yu He of the Earth Element Sect?"

Peng Zhen chimed in at the perfect moment, naturally steering the conversation. "That old fellow Yu He’s cultivation has already reached the Astral Force Realm, and he was near the Black Water Pier to meet up with Lu Da. It must have been him! He must have arrived and confronted the Nether and Ghost Guards!"

"Brother Peng’s insight is brilliant!"

"It must be so!"

"Besides Elder Yu He, there was likely no one else nearby with the strength to contend with the Nether and Ghost Guards."

Everyone present was sharp; they immediately nodded in agreement, showing their strong approval of this line of reasoning.

For a moment, an atmosphere of "sudden realization" filled the Council Hall.

"The Nether and Ghost Guards are unfathomably strong, and their combined attacks are bizarre and deadly. Unless an Astral Force master took action, who could possibly have finished them off?"

"Yu He must have stumbled upon them and decided to slay some demons while he was at it!"

"That old coot Yu He is usually so quiet, but this time he stumbled into doing a great deed! Killing the Demon Sect’s Nether and Ghost Guards is a huge merit!"

Seeing this, Chen Qing laughed to himself, but he kept a clueless expression on his face, as if thinking, ’So that’s what happened,’ and, ’I don’t know a thing.’

’These old foxes really know how to play the game!’

They were right. The Nether and Ghost Guards were elites of the Demon Sect and trusted subordinates of the Blood Rakshasa, Hu Mei. Once their deaths were pinned on someone, the Blood Rakshasa’s insane revenge was a virtual certainty.

Pinning this enormous blood debt on Yu He of the Earth Element Sect couldn’t be more fitting!

As for whether there were any small flaws in the story?

Who cared?

The Four Great Sects needed this outcome, and they also needed a target to draw the Demon Sect’s fire.

As for whether the Earth Element Sect was willing to take the fall—along with the "glory" and "trouble" that came with it—that was not the Wutai Sect’s concern.

He Yuzhou took in everyone’s reactions in the hall, especially Chen Qing’s perfectly feigned confusion. In his heart, he understood everything perfectly.

His gaze swept imperceptibly over the several Chief Disciples.

Li Wang had the weakest cultivation. His performance on this mission had been unremarkable, making him seem rather mediocre.

Li Lei had lost his composure in the face of the treasure, acting impulsively. His foundation and temperament still required more tempering.

Yan Yaoyang’s strength and aptitude were good, and he had a certain cleverness. But when faced with a real crisis, he froze for an instant and chose to retreat. While that was an understandable human reaction, in comparison, his decisiveness and courage were still lacking.

Although the Nether Guard was strong, Yan Yaoyang was not completely powerless to fight him.

Nie Shanshan’s talent and temperament were both top-notch. She understood the value of being discreet and had a good sense of the overall situation. However, she was still a bit naive when it came to social intricacies and adapting to circumstances.

But then there was Chen Qing... The more He Yuzhou thought about it, the more unfathomable this disciple seemed.

His strength progressed with incredible speed, yet he kept it completely hidden. His mind was meticulous, and his temperament was as steady and seasoned as a veteran’s, belying his youth.

When faced with a hopeless situation against the Nether and Ghost Guards, he not only managed to ’escape with his life’ but also handled the aftermath flawlessly, skillfully diverting everyone’s attention elsewhere.

Such composure, calmness, and scheming far surpassed that of his peers!

After making these comparisons, Chen Qing’s standing in He Yuzhou’s mind rose to an even higher level.

He Yuzhou took a deep breath and waved his hand. "Alright, if there is nothing else, you are all dismissed. Let Chen Qing get some proper rest."

After a few more pleasantries, the crowd began to disperse.

Li Wang, Li Lei, Nie Shanshan, Yan Yaoyang, and the others came forward to greet Chen Qing before taking their leave as well.

Chen Qing then followed Li Baichuan, preparing to return to the Cyan Wood Institute.

Just then, Peng Zhen, the Dean of the Kun Earth Institute, gave a dry cough. He quickened his pace to catch up to the two and asked, "Returning safely is a joyous occasion indeed. Uh... well, forgive my forwardness, but during the chaos that day, the Earth Essence Marrow Pearl... *ahem*, did you happen to see it? Or perhaps... you later managed to, hmm, by some twist of fate... acquire it? If it’s convenient, would you mind letting me... take a look?"

Hearing this, Chen Qing looked as if he’d just heard the most incredible thing. He quickly waved his hands and said, "Dean Peng, you must be joking! After Yu Jiayao snatched the Treasure Pearl that day, I never saw it again. When chaos erupted at the inn, I could barely protect myself and was only focused on fleeing for my life. How could I have had time to worry about any pearl? I’m completely in the dark about what happened after that. I really have no idea where the treasure ended up."

’This kid... still putting on an act!’

Looking at Chen Qing’s incredibly sincere expression, Peng Zhen was ninety-nine percent sure that the real Earth Essence Marrow Pearl was in this kid’s hands! 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But he couldn’t say this out loud.

The corner of Peng Zhen’s mouth twitched. He could only force a smile and say, "Ah, so you don’t know. Well, that’s fine, just fine... The most important thing is that you returned safely, yes, the most important..."

After saying this, he turned and left, looking quite dejected.