Chapter 74: The Twins Seek a Person Before the Gate of the Demonic Sect

Bai Shengyun saw her glance toward Huo Tianqing and snorted coldly, his eyes icy as he stared at her and questioned, "Are you really so afraid of me? Am I some ancient beast that will devour you?"

Xie Yingying secretly rolled her eyes, thinking: He wouldn't eat me, but he could certainly take my life!

Of course, she dared not voice her thoughts, so she forced a laugh and hurriedly replied, "No, of course not. How could you possibly eat me? With your esteemed status, consuming someone like 'Xie Bushou' would only lower your dignity, wouldn't it?"

Her words of flattery softened Bai Shengyun’s expression somewhat, and Xie Yingying breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, she craned her neck, searching for her master. Seeing Huo Tianqing still present, her heart leapt with joy.

With Huo Tianqing, a person of such formidable strength, she wasn’t afraid that Bai Shengyun might whisk her away without resistance.

"Yingying," Huo Tianqing called, seeing she was unharmed. His brow relaxed, though his demeanor remained as debonair and carefree as ever; still, his gaze betrayed a hint of ferocity and anger. "You refuse to heed your master’s words, and now you suffer for it."

Hearing this, Xie Yingying felt a bone-deep pain, swallowed hard, and her expression grew complex.

"If you act so recklessly again, I'll throw you straight into the River of Blood, so you may soak in bitter cold and resentment," Huo Tianqing said, his brows furrowed, and his tone icy, no longer concealing his anger.

Xie Yingying had seen the River of Blood before; even approaching it made her skin crawl. The ghosts and skeletons floating above it enjoyed tormenting people—if she were truly left there for any length of time, she’d surely go mad.

Bai Shengyun, seeing the atmosphere between the two so congenial and Xie Yingying all but ignoring him, grew even darker in countenance.

Huo Tianqing noticed but did not care. Instead, he felt a mischievous urge to further annoy Bai Shengyun, chatting with Xie Yingying even more enthusiastically.

Though he appeared to stand idly by, he had already sent a secret message to his trusted disciples, instructing them to keep a close watch on the main gate and the palace entrance, ensuring Xie Yingying wouldn’t slip away before her wounds healed, nor would he allow Bai Shengyun to take her away directly. He also sent some disciples outside the sect to bring in Ning Qingqing, who was gravely injured.

Moreover, he sealed all information and, after barely freeing the Ghost Infant from Bai Shengyun's restraints, learned that Gu Ruohan was seriously injured and unconscious. He sent someone to quietly bring Gu Ruohan back to his own hall and instructed the Ghost Infant not to utter a word to anyone.

The Ghost Infant owed his survival to Huo Tianqing, having been rescued from the jaws of monsters and becoming a ghost cultivator. He had long sought ways to repay this kindness, and now, following Huo Tianqing’s orders, he handled all matters efficiently.

Everything was firmly within Huo Tianqing’s grasp.

Meanwhile, outside the sect.

The passage had been completely sealed by Huo Tianqing. Shen Ruru, whose cultivation was inferior to his, attempted several times to break through, only to circle back to her starting point, as if caught in some ghostly maze. Furious, she wreaked havoc in the corridor, but the restrictions laid by Huo Tianqing flung her aside with ease.

This was the third time Shen Ruru had been thrown out by the barrier. Now she lay on the ground, clutching her chest as she spat blood, her face twisted with unwillingness. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to try again, but suddenly, two figures emerged from the black mist, approaching rapidly.

She hastily pressed a concealment talisman to herself, as did those she brought with her—their speed truly rivaled flying arrows.

But Ning Qingqing, reaching into her spatial pouch, found she had run out of concealment talismans! Only then did she realize she had none left.

Shen Ruru cursed under her breath, "Idiot!" and tried to hand Ning Qingqing a talisman.

But the two figures closed in swiftly; Shen Ruru had barely produced the talisman when they were already upon her.

The newcomers were twin sisters, their eyes devoid of emotion, their expressions cold and sinister, their brows marked by intense murderous energy—clearly practitioners of the Dao of Slaughter.

Upon seeing Ning Qingqing, each extended their divine sense to examine her, confirming her severe injuries. They beckoned to her, speaking in unison, "Come in."

"W-what?" Ning Qingqing was surprised, never expecting that upon seeing her, they didn’t try to kill her, but instead wanted to bring her inside. Uneasy, she asked, "Why?"

"Why so many questions?" snapped the sister on the right, impatiently. "If we tell you to come in, then come in. Why the endless chatter?"

With that, the twins stepped forward to drag her into the sect.

Ning Qingqing quickly retreated several steps, terror on her face.

The twins grew vexed—just moments ago, they had been preparing materials for their task, only to be instructed to bring Ning Qingqing in. They were sticklers for punctuality, and even a slight delay made them uncomfortable. Seeing her waste their time further, one lifted her hand, sending a wave of spiritual energy to forcibly drag Ning Qingqing back.

Unexpectedly, Ning Qingqing dodged swiftly—but the spiritual energy had already been released, and the twins assumed it would miss its mark. To their surprise, it collided with something invisible in the air.

Before them, a concealment talisman suddenly appeared, destroyed by their spiritual energy, revealing a terrified man.

The man stared blankly as his talisman was destroyed, his pupils trembling, knees buckling as he collapsed, gazing at the twins in shock.

The twins exchanged a look of surprise, then released their formidable domain.

In an instant, countless blades of spiritual energy flashed forth. Shen Ruru's followers, whose cultivation was no higher than the twins’, were exposed immediately by the domain.

As more people materialized before them, the twins' expressions shifted from astonishment to calm. Seeing everyone trying to escape, they coordinated seamlessly—one blocked the exit, the other set up a formation.

Shen Ruru managed to dodge the blades, thinking she could escape unscathed. But the man who had first been discovered suddenly raised his vacant eyes to the sky and cried out, "Lord, Lord! Save us!"

Hearing mention of a "Lord," the twins became alert, scanning their surroundings. Their thoughts aligned: this "Lord" had yet to appear, and neither their formation nor domain had harmed her at all—her cultivation must be formidable.

The twins exchanged another glance, then secretly sent word to several powerful ghost cultivators and hybrid demons within the sect, asking them to help search.

A ghost cultivator, who had stolen a brief respite inside the sect, received the message and immediately floated out.

He was at least at the Divided Spirit stage, and quickly located Shen Ruru, whose cultivation matched his own. Raising a hand, he pointed not far from Ning Qingqing, chuckling slyly.

"Here."