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Meanwhile, outside Youlin County.

Having lost track of Shen Dujiang, Wei Chi finally found the area where Chen Yue, Gu Yiqiu, and Guo Xun were engaged in fierce combat.

The pale moonlight illuminated two bodies lying in the wilderness.

Wei Chi's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously stepped forward to examine the area.

When he saw Gu Yiqiu's shattered hand, his sunken chest, and the fatal fist mark on Guo Xun's chest, he was shocked and his face showed disbelief.

The two bodies were cold and their deaths were gruesome. The young man wearing a straw hat and mask had vanished without a trace.

He couldn't understand it at all. Before, Old Master Gu had the upper hand and was chasing after him all the way. How could the positions of hunter and prey be completely reversed in the blink of an eye, and the ending be so tragic?

Not daring to linger any longer, Wei Chi suppressed the shock in his heart and, carrying the bodies of Gu Yiqiu and Guo Xun, rushed towards a secluded manor stronghold outside Youlin County.

……

Deep within the manor, in a brightly lit room.

Han Yizhou stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his brows slightly furrowed, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Gu Yiqiu personally led a team to capture a black market alchemist and a local thug. Logically, they should have been captured easily, so why haven't they returned yet?

Just then, hurried and frantic footsteps came from outside the room.

Han Yizhou turned around abruptly, the door to the room was pushed open, and Wei Chi rushed in, carrying two long objects haphazardly wrapped in cloth on his shoulders, which he then unloaded.

The cloth was spread out, revealing the corpses of Gu Yiqiu and Guo Xun inside.

"Old Gu! Guo Xun!"

Han Yizhou's pupils suddenly contracted. He rushed forward and crouched down to examine the area closely.

When he saw Gu Yiqiu's right palm shattered and his spine broken, an uncontrollable rage mixed with icy fear surged to the top of his head!

"What happened! Who did this!" Han Yizhou stood up abruptly, his beard and hair standing on end, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, and his voice hoarse and deep with rage.

A master of the Marrow Refining Realm! This was a crucial pillar of Youquan Prefecture in Youlin County, and he died so inexplicably?

Wei Chi stood aside and recounted the events of the night in fits and starts. He couldn't understand how Old Master Gu, who clearly held the upper hand, had ended up in such a state.

As Han Yizhou listened to Wei Chi's account, his expression shifted constantly, his gaze darting between the corpses of Gu Yiqiu and Guo Xun, and a flurry of thoughts flashing through his mind.

He simply couldn't accept that a Marrow Refining Realm expert, along with two Bone Forging Realm experts, would actually suffer such a crushing defeat in a remote town like Youlin County!

This is simply unbelievable! Just who are those two people in the black market?

Just then, a series of deep footsteps came from outside the room. The newcomer was about fifty years old, with a thin face, and wore a dark blue robe similar to Gu Yiqiu's, only with slightly different patterns.

It was Lu Jingting, another Marrow Refining Realm expert from Youquan Prefecture stationed in Youlin County.

He had come to investigate after noticing something unusual happening in the manor, but as soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Gu Yiqiu's corpse on the ground, and he stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"Brother Gu?"

Lu Jingting strode forward, crouched down, and carefully examined Gu Yiqiu's injuries. The more he looked, the more grim his expression became. Just last night, he had been drinking and chatting with Gu Yiqiu, discussing their next move. Who would have thought they would meet like this today?

He slowly stood up, looked at Han Yizhou beside him, and asked in an icy voice, "Who did this?"

Han Yizhou took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "They are those two black market thieves who killed Cheng Ziqian and Yuan Tiansu before, and they are suspected to be that alchemist..."

"Black market thief? Alchemist?"

Lu Jingting frowned, her eyes filled with suspicion:

"How could such a small place as Youlin County have so many experts capable of killing those at the Marrow Refining Realm? This is suspicious! Could it be that the Divine Flame Sect has secretly set a trap, using the guise of black market thieves to actually eliminate the wings of my Youquan Prefecture, intending to take over Youlin County for themselves?"

This guess struck Han Yizhou like a thunderbolt.

His eyes flickered; indeed, this possibility was not entirely out of the question.

Although the Divine Flame Cult was cooperating with them, they were also secretly vying for power and wary of each other. Their previous assistance in finding the black market thieves might have been a ruse, a trap to be set!

If that's true, then the Divine Flame Sect deserves to be condemned!

"but……"

Han Yizhou pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Lu, you know about Elder Gu's movement techniques. Those two from the Divine Flame Sect in Youlin County will probably not find it so easy to keep Elder Gu, who is trying to escape with all his might."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingting frowned even more deeply.

He crouched down again, this time examining the area even more thoroughly.

Examining Gu Yiqiu's shattered hand, examining the fatal wound on his chest, and even lifting Gu Yiqiu's leg to check... there were no signs of poisoning, and the leg bones were intact, indicating that his movement techniques were not restricted.

Moreover, judging from the injuries, Gu Yiqiu's right palm was shattered by a tremendous force, and his spine was broken by an extremely powerful punch.

This is pure power crushing; in a head-on confrontation, the opponent is utterly defeated by superior strength!

"The person who killed Brother Gu was fierce and violent, and must be a master of hard-style fist and palm techniques. It is very likely that it was the same person who did it."

Lu Jingting slowly stood up, his tone solemn, "Within the Divine Flame Sect, there are naturally people who can do this. But as far as I know, there are definitely no experts with such strength and expertise in this kind of fierce style within Youlin County at present."

Han Yizhou frowned. If it wasn't the Divine Flame Sect, it meant that Youlin County, the hunting ground they considered their own, was actually hiding a local tyrant capable of devouring even a Marrow Refining Realm expert!

This is more unsettling than the scheme orchestrated by the Divine Flame Cult, because the unknown implies greater variables and risks.

"If there really is such a master in Youlin County..."

Han Yizhou's voice was hoarse, "Many of our plans for the upcoming operation will probably need to be reassessed, or even changed."

Lu Jingting nodded, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes:

"This person was able to kill Brother Gu, so his strength must be at least among the best in the Marrow Refining Realm, or even have touched the threshold of the Dirty Refining Realm. With him around, our actions have become much more unpredictable."

To be on the safe side, should we immediately request reinforcements from the government and send more experts? Now that Brother Gu has fallen, our strength in Youlin County is considerably inferior to that of the Divine Flame Sect.

"It's inevitable that top talents will be transferred out."

Han Yizhou nodded, but a troubled look appeared on his face: "However, experts at the Marrow Refining Realm are all on missions in various places, and it will take time to transfer them. As for the deacons at the Dirty Refining Realm..."

Given the importance of this operation in Youlin County, it's probably not enough for the prefecture to send a powerful expert of this caliber in person; they have other important tasks. However, I will do my best to report this situation to my superiors and try to request support.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingting nodded silently, knowing that what Han Yizhou said was true.

Why would a Refining Realm expert easily mobilize for the operation of a county-level stronghold?

He turned his gaze back to Gu Yiqiu's cold face on the ground, his expression grave.

If he were to lead the team in place of Gu Yiqiu tonight, what would the outcome be? Would he be able to return alive?