Star Martial Era: The Way of Star Light Cultivation-Chapter 61 - 57 On the Verge of Success Only to Meet with Failure

Once that happened, earning recognition and rewards from the Star Hall would be secondary.

The main goal was the Divine Soul Inheritance from Lingji Star Hall that Qi Shanye possessed; that was his true objective.

If he obtained the Divine Soul Inheritance from Lingji Star Hall, his cultivation level would easily advance further.

With a breakthrough in cultivation level, everything else would naturally fall into place.

Watching the luminous trace on the Star Positioning Plate start moving rapidly once again, Hu Xuechuan frowned and looked back into the sky.

What was Zhou Qingzhu doing?

It had been three days.

Why hadn’t he arrived?

The encirclement he had set up based on the Star Positioning Plate’s directions wasn’t invincible.

If they didn’t act now, in at most a day, Qi Shanye would escape his net, and his two years of painstaking preparations would be for naught.

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Bear in mind, Qi Shanye was already an expert in the late stage of the Gathering Battle Realm over a decade ago.

Although he didn’t break through, he had sustained serious injuries during the Locking of Lingji Star Hall that hadn’t yet healed, but he was not someone Hu Xuechuan could capture alone.

It would require a combined effort with Zhou Qingzhu to have a chance at capturing him.

Logically, Zhou Qingzhu should have long since arrived upon receiving the signal.

Could it be that something went wrong at the Tianyang Branch?

Normally, that should be impossible.

Of course, it never hurts to be cautious.

Just yesterday morning, since Zhou Qingzhu still hadn’t arrived, Hu Xuechuan had sent Governor Huang Yunshu of Tianyang Branch back to Jinshan county city to find out what was delaying Zhou Qingzhu.

He even gave Huang Yunshu his own token.

If there was any trouble, even resistance from Jinshan Taoist Institute, it could be resolved immediately.

With his token at stake, if Jinshan Taoist Institute dared to screw up his plans, he would make sure they regretted it.

Logically, with Huang Yunshu’s speed, a round trip to Jinshan county city should have been long completed.

As he watched Qi Shanye’s presence on the Star Positioning Plate begin to move again, and was about to continue the chase, Hu Xuechuan suddenly saw a thread of Starlight zigzagging swiftly between distant mountains, heading straight for him with a familiar aura.

The presence of Governor Huang Yunshu of Tianyang Branch.

Why had only he returned?

Where was Zhou Qingzhu?

Hu Xuechuan had a bad premonition.

Nevertheless, with the Star Positioning Plate ensuring the target was locked, the injured Qi Shanye could not escape his grasp.

Hu Xuechuan was not in a hurry and decided to wait for Huang Yunshu for a quarter of an hour.

A quarter of an hour later, the Starlight that Huang Yunshu had transformed into settled before Hu Xuechuan, his expression one of alarm and panic.

“Hmm, what happened?”

The panic-stricken expression of Governor Huang Yunshu of Tianyang Branch’s Star Patrol Guard was evident, “Hall Master, starting from Mountain Master Zhou Qingzhu all the way down to Vice Mountain Master Liu Yelan, Superintendent Wang Qiang, and a multitude of instructors and mentors at the Tianyang Branch have all been captured by Jinshan Taoist Institute!”

“What?”

Hu Xuechuan was stunned for a few moments, struggling to digest this shocking news before cursing furiously, “How is this possible?

Are Zhou Qingzhu and his subordinates all dead pigs?

How could the entire group be captured by Jinshan Taoist Institute?

Not to mention having superior strength, even if they were equally matched, or even slightly inferior, they should have taken down at least half of Jinshan Taoist Institute’s forces in a fight, right?

At the very least, a few should have escaped to deliver the message!

How could they all be captured by Jinshan Taoist Institute?

Have you been deceived by someone?”

Huang Yunshu had a bitter expression, “Hall Master, when I first heard the news I didn’t understand either, not until I saw Mountain Master Zhou and my colleagues in the prison of Jinshan Taoist Institute, then I believed it!”

“So it’s true!”

Hu Xuechuan’s eyebrows shot up in an instant and his beard seemed ready to explode with rage, “How could this be?

What exactly happened, tell me quickly!”

“It is said that Dong Zhao got hold of ironclad evidence accusing Mountain Master Zhou of causing chaos with the name of an evil demon, then they planned an ambush and surrounded him.

With no choice left, the Mountain Master had to surrender!

The other colleagues, in the face of Jinshan Taoist Institute’s righteousness, dared not resist for fear of being labeled as accomplices of the evil demon and were all captured as well!” explained Huang Yunshu.

Hearing this, Hu Xuechuan was once again dumbstruck!

He felt the urge to curse up a storm.

This was some bizarre fantasy twist.

The Jinshan Taoist Institute captured the high-level members of Tianyang Branch without any losses?

“Ironclad evidence that he was spreading chaos under the guise of an evil demon has been found?”

“If this gets out, the reputation of the Tianyang Star Hall will be utterly disgraced.”

“Where will he ever be able to show his face after this!”

“Under the guise of an evil demon?”

Suddenly, Hu Xuechuan realized something.

The phrase “under the guise of an evil demon” bore profound implications.

It could even be possible to frame Zhou Qingzhu as an evil demon.

If Zhou Qingzhu were to be framed as an evil demon?

If a Mountain Master of a sub-branch of Tianyang Star Hall were to be branded an evil demon with ironclad evidence, what would the consequences be?

And he was the immediate superior of the Tianyang Branch!

What’s more critical, the origin of this matter was actually him.

Capturing Qi Shanye alive and obtaining the Divine Soul Inheritance from the Lingji Star Hall was a conspiracy he engaged in with Zhou Qingzhu after determining that Qi Shanye possessed the Divine Soul Inheritance from Lingji Star Hall.

What’s even more dreadful, if the affair where Jinshan Taoist Institute completely took over the Tianyang Branch in Jinshan County got out, the impact would be enormous.

If things go wrong, he may not even be able to retain his position as the Sub-hall Master!

Suddenly, Hu Xuechuan became extraordinarily troubled.

He had laid out plans for years, acted for almost two years, and was on the verge of capturing the highly adept in concealment, Qi Shanye, when suddenly this major upheaval occurred!

This….

Hu Xuechuan’s heart was bleeding.

But the issue was, this unexpected event was too significant; he had to deal with it.

He coveted Qi Shanye for the unique Divine Soul Inheritance of the Lingji Star Hall and for better personal progression after his breakthrough.

But now, if he didn’t deal with the matters of the Tianyang Branch, his personal progression within the Star Hall would cease; he could only exist as a Star Hall Wanderer in the future.

He had already weighed the two options and understood which was more critical!

However…

He glanced once again at the Star Positioning Plate…

Hu Xuechuan genuinely felt like vomiting blood.

The Star Positioning Plate, although a Sixth-tier Star Device and a Tracking Divine Artifact, had its own flaws.

After locking onto a qi signature, the closer you were, the more precise the direction.

However, if the distance was too great, the direction would become increasingly vague until, in the end, it could only point out a rough area or even just a direction.

Unless the qi signature was locked onto again at close range.

At this very moment, if he were to return to the county city of Jinshan…

But he no longer had a choice.

The more Hu Xuechuan thought about it, the more furious he became, when suddenly, with a stomp, a faint flash of starlight appeared, and immediately, the mountain underneath collapsed, startling countless beasts and even Star Beasts.

“Return!”

“Notify the others!”

After saying that, Hu Xuechuan soared into the sky, stepping on starlight, heading towards the direction of Jinshan County City.

Around two hours after Hu Xuechuan departed, in a stream deep within Green Mountain, a watery figure suddenly condensed, looking somewhat like Qi Shanye from behind.

“The aura of the Star Positioning Plate is far away?

Is it a success?”

“Damn that Tian Zhang, he really is a piece of work, made me flee desperately for three days and nights, nearly forcing me to use my last resort for survival, but luckily…”

“I wonder how that young man is doing?

With the Dawn Emblem I gave him, he should have safely returned to Jinshan County City by now, right?”

“First, I need to shake off the Star Positioning Plate’s lock on my aura.”

Muttering to himself, Qi Shanye leaped up from the water and hurried in the opposite direction from Hu Xuechuan, swiftly disappearing.

Under the broad daylight, in the uninhabited expanses of the great mountains, clumps of moisture hurriedly moved into the distance.

******

On the afternoon of July 1st, Xu Jin, who had completed his spirit protection mission, returned to Jinshan Taoist Institute.

Upon handing over his mission at the Foreign Affairs Hall, he received another notice.

All disciples who had participated in the spirit protection mission had returned, and all those sent out to pursue the evil demon had also returned to the Institute.

At 15:45 that afternoon, all disciples were to assemble at the Martial Arts Hall.

Mountain Master Dong Zhao and Governor Tian Zhang would distribute rewards to those who participated in the pursuit of the evil demon and offer special commendations to those who had distinguished themselves.

This made Xu Jin very excited.

But at the same time, Xu Jin was also pondering another matter: with the great pursuit of the evil demon concluded, had the evil demon been captured?

Xu Jin was, in fact, somewhat worried about the mysterious figure who had taught him the Clearing Soul Star Pattern.