Yang Guo: I defied death and reached the heavens in The Return of the Condor Heroes

"Junior brother, please calm down and don't get so angry."

Ma Yu frowned slightly and softly offered words of comfort:

"Although the two are suspects, there is currently no concrete evidence, so it is not appropriate to draw any conclusions."

"The most urgent task at hand is to thoroughly investigate the identities and origins of those four bandits, and then find a way to capture them and bring them back to Chongyang Palace. Whether it's to avenge Zhiping or to find out who the mastermind is behind them, it's a relatively clear path."

"As for the dark figure who killed Zhijing, whether it is 'Ouyang Feng', 'Qiu Qianren', or someone else, we can only guard the mountain gate first, patrol it strictly to ensure the safety of the disciples in the sect, and then conduct a thorough investigation."

"Brother Ma is right."

Hao Datong spoke in a deep voice. He was the most impatient of them all, but he had been suppressing his anger since last night:

"Those four bandits are an obvious target, and they're all injured, so they can't have gone far. They're probably hiding in a town or some hideout at the foot of the mountain."

"Once we find out their identities and follow the clues to arrest them, half of this matter will be resolved."

"As for that dark figure, if he truly harbors a grudge against our Quanzhen Sect, he certainly wouldn't stop after killing just Zhijing. Let's guard the mountain gate first, then set up the Heavenly Dipper Formation. If he dares to attack, we'll make sure he doesn't return alive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall nodded in unison, tacitly approving of the plan.

Sun Bu'er remained silent throughout, simply listening attentively to the various remarks of his fellow disciples.

She seemed to have a sudden thought, and spoke abruptly, her voice clear and crisp, with a touch of delicacy:

"There is one more thing that all of you fellow disciples must be aware of."

"Zhijing is usually in charge of the teaching affairs of the disciples on the front mountain, and when he is on duty or patrolling the mountain, it is mostly in the front mountain area. I wonder why he happened to be on the rocky hill on the back mountain last night?"

"Zhiping is indeed in charge of affairs at the back mountain, but I asked the disciples who were on duty there last night, and they all said they didn't see Zhiping and Zhijing last night. It seems the two of them went around to the back mountain one after the other. What is their purpose in doing this?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chuyi's expression shifted almost imperceptibly, then he said in a deep voice:

"It seems that Zhijing and Zhiping were together last night, and then they noticed something strange happening in the back mountain. They were worried, so they went to check it out together."

"Right now, the perpetrator is out there. The important thing is to track him down. The sect must not panic. We can deal with minor details after we have captured the perpetrator."

Sun Bu'er frowned slightly, and seeing that he was trying to cover it up, she stopped asking.

She knew perfectly well that Zhao Zhijing and Yin Zhiping had been vying for power for a long time, and there must have been something fishy about what happened last night.

However, Zhao Zhijing is dead, Yin Zhiping is seriously injured and unconscious, and now there is a formidable enemy at hand. If she were to dwell on personal grudges among her fellow disciples at this moment, it would only shake the morale of the sect. In the end, she must prioritize the overall situation.

Qiu Chuji closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he opened them again, his expression had regained some clarity. He immediately began to assign tasks to the group in a deep voice, his instructions clear and organized:

"Junior Brother Hao, take a few clever disciples and go to the rocky hill behind the mountain to examine the scene again. Those four bandits were injured and must have left traces. We must follow the traces to find their escape route."

"Junior Brother Liu, you should arrange for the most capable disciples in the sect to act in three groups: one group should contact the Beggars' Sect branch in Xiangyang and ask them to help find out the whereabouts of Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren; another group should go to the green forest strongholds, towns, and wharves around Zhongnan Mountain to investigate bandits who match the characteristics of those people and find out their identities and origins; the last group should send people to keep an eye on the movements of the Mongols around the foot of the mountain, and pay special attention to whether Huo Du and the others have returned again."

"Junior Sister Sun, you are in charge of taking full care of Zhiping's injuries. Bring all the healing medicines from the temple you can. You must save his life no matter what! If he recovers and wakes up, you need to ask him more carefully about the details of last night to see if we have missed any clues."

"Junior Brother Wang, I'm entrusting Zhijing's funeral arrangements to you. He should be buried with the proper rites for a direct disciple of Quanzhen. As for the daily teaching affairs of his sect, you will temporarily take over. Also, investigate who Zhijing has offended or what grudges he has made recently, so we can figure out the reasons."

"Senior Brother Ma and I will be stationed at Chongyang Palace to oversee the overall situation. From today onwards, all passes and gates throughout the mountain must be strictly guarded. All disciples will be ordered to take turns on duty day and night in seven-person teams. The back mountain area needs to be patrolled more closely. Any unfamiliar faces entering the mountain must be detained and questioned."

After he finished speaking, everyone bowed and accepted the order, each going about their assigned tasks.

Hao Datong was impatient. He turned around and strode out of the meditation room. He returned to the front courtyard, gathered a few elite disciples, and headed straight for the back mountain.

The others also got up and began to handle their assigned tasks. The quiet room, which had been silent and solemn just moments before, was now bustling with activity.

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, the rising sun pierced through the clouds, casting a brilliant golden glow on the glazed tiles of the palace roof.

As orders were relayed down the corridors, the entire Chongyang Palace seemed to awaken from its slumber like a giant beast, with disciples hurrying about, their robes fluttering in the wind.

The disciples guarding the mountain gate all looked solemn and dared not relax for a moment. The sword sheaths at their waists looked particularly cold and solemn under the sunlight.

Meanwhile, deep within the ancient tomb located in the back mountain, a completely different scene unfolds.

The heavy stone gate blocked out the outside light, as well as all the disturbances and noise.

Inside the stone chamber, the cold jade bed emitted a faint, white light, casting the boy's figure in a half-light, half-shadow.

Yang Guo had been sitting here in meditation for a whole night, and the Reverse Life Technique was working tirelessly within his body.

At this moment, he slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of luminous energy flashing in his eyes, which then disappeared without a trace.

He raised his hand to brush away the ice crystals on his eyelashes. Although his fingertips moved slightly, he could clearly feel the full power emanating from his muscles and flesh.

Compared to his usual arduous training outdoors, the extreme cold of this night tempered his cultivation, resulting in a speed of improvement that far exceeded his expectations.

The reversal of life occurs in three stages: the first stage transforms Qi into skin and flesh; the second stage transforms Qi into tendons, bones, and internal organs; and the third stage transforms the entire body into primordial Qi, which can then be gathered and dispersed at will.

He had already perfected the first level of the physical realm, making him impervious to ordinary punches, kicks, swords, and knives, and his every move possessed the power of a dragon and a tiger.

To reach the entry level of the second stage, one must first refine the muscles and bones, gradually breaking down and reforging the originally dense and tough muscles and bones until they are completely transformed into a Qi-based body.

Once the body's muscles and bones have fully transformed into Qi, the Qi will begin to spread inward, gradually nourishing the five internal organs until the organs themselves also begin to transform into Qi.

This step is extremely dangerous, but if you manage to do it, you will have truly entered the advanced stage of the second level.

In the reverse regeneration state, as long as the Qi in the body is not exhausted, even if the hands and feet are cut off, they can be regenerated.

Further cultivation, until reaching the peak of the second level, even if the heart and lungs are shattered and broken, the internal energy of the whole body can instantly mend them. At that time, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a "terrestrial immortal god".

But Yang Guo knew in his heart that without the help of a treasure like the Cold Jade Bed, it would take him at least another year and a half to reach the threshold of Qi transformation of his bones and muscles through his own hard work.

Not to mention the higher and peak realms that follow; without decades or even centuries of arduous cultivation and refinement, there is absolutely no possibility of ever reaching them.

But now, with this extremely cold treasure tempering him day and night, judging from his current cultivation progress, he will be able to complete the initial Qi transformation of his muscles and bones in just over a month and steadily step into the second level.

From then on, the ethereal realm that ordinary people could never glimpse in their entire lives was no longer an unattainable castle in the air for him.

He stopped thinking and prepared to stop his internal energy. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a staff tip touching the ground coming from outside the stone gate. The sound was slow and steady.

Yang Guo felt a slight stirring in his heart and knew that Granny Sun had arrived.

A moment later, the bluestone door was gently pushed open a crack.

Grandma Sun's hoarse voice slowly drifted into the room, her tone still carrying an undisguised stiffness and wariness:

"Hey kid, time to eat."