Chapter 317: Met (Fourth Update)

Ye Zhiting was startled

"What happened?!"

Elder Wei Yun rushed over, his expression anxious

"We just conducted a thorough investigation beneath the Nine Nether Tower and found no trace of that ferocious beast's aura. At first, we all thought it had simply grown quiet because the Nine Nether Tower had collapsed. But after waiting for a while, there was still no movement. Only then did we realize that within the Tianyuan Blessed Cave below, that ferocious beast seems to be gone entirely!"

Chu Liuyue's eyes flickered slightly.

Ye Zhiting hurriedly walked toward the ruins

"How is this possible? If it had escaped, the Silver Pestle should have reacted!"

Although the Heaven-Sealing Array had shattered, that Silver Pestle was extremely effective; it could sense anything occurring within the Nine Nether Tower.

Yet, he had not noticed anything unusual just now.

Elder Wei Yun was also very nervous, wiping the sweat from his forehead

"This... we've been checking for a long time, but we haven't found anything..."

By this time, Ye Zhiting had reached the side of the collapsed Nine Nether Tower.

He closed his eyes, and his Origin Power surged forth, instantly covering the area!

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his brow furrowed deeply.

"That beast really is gone..."

Sun Zhongyan asked blankly

"Martial Uncle, what do you mean when you say the ferocious beast is gone?"

Had the beast run away, or was it already dead!?

Ye Zhiting remained silent for a long while before turning back to look at Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu.

"The two of you were inside the Nine Nether Tower at the time. Did you notice anything unusual?"

Chu Liuyue's brow twitched slightly.

Rong Xiu spoke up first

"No. At the time, the two of us were both on the sixth floor when the Nine Nether Tower suddenly collapsed. We barely managed to get out."

Chu Liuyue gave him a subtle, unreadable glance.

Rong Xiu seemed to be emphasizing the sixth floor; why was that?

"Did any of you ascend to a higher floor?" Ye Zhiting asked again.

Having a sudden realization, Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu shook their heads in unison.

Ye Zhiting let out a sigh.

"I must be getting senile. How could you two have entered that place..."

A faint trace of doubt flashed through Chu Liuyue's mind.

Old Ye seemed to know what was on the seventh floor; in fact, it was highly likely he knew that the ferocious beast was suppressed on the seventh floor!

As the Dean of Tianlu Academy, it was normal for him to know such things.

But what was going on with Rong Xiu?

He had been right outside the barrier of the seventh floor at the time, and he had personally seen her emerge from the seventh floor.

Yet, he didn't seem to want anyone else to know this.

Clearly, he knew very well that the seventh floor was extraordinary.

Could Rong Xiu also know the secret of the seventh floor?

Whether it was that Three-Eyed Divine Eagle, or... the Heavenly Square Sacred Cauldron?

"Strange... how could that beast suddenly vanish?"

Ye Zhiting slowly fanned himself with his palm-leaf fan, utterly perplexed.

Sun Zhongyan suddenly said

"Right, that Green Sparrow entered the Nine Nether Tower just now. Perhaps we can get some clues from it?"

Ye Zhiting's eyes lit up! He hurriedly walked toward Mu Qinghe.

From beginning to end, Mu Qinghe had been a cold bystander to this matter, but Ye Zhiting did not mind.

As an envoy of the Tianling Empire, Mu Qinghe naturally had no reason to involve himself.

However, he possessed formidable strength and had been watching from the sidelines; perhaps he knew something.

As Ye Zhiting approached, Hong Yao was perched on Mu Qinghe's shoulder, leisurely grooming its feathers.

"Vice General Mu, this old man has a few questions. I wonder if I might consult your magical beast?"

Mu Qinghe glanced at Hong Yao.

Only then did Hong Yao stop, looking Ye Zhiting up and down.

Ye Zhiting cleared his throat

"I wonder... were the injuries on your body caused by that ferocious beast?"

Hong Yao's eyes bulged! Then, it turned its head away huffily!

Was it really that big a deal to have sustained a minor injury? It was basically healed by now! Why did he have to bring that up!?

Mu Qinghe said expressionlessly

"That is correct."

Ye Zhiting asked again

"Then do you know what happened to it?"

Hong Yao shook its head violently.

Ye Zhiting was somewhat skeptical.

"Truly? Then... at the very least, you should know whether it is alive or dead, right?"

This Green Sparrow was a high-level magical beast, noble and proud; how could it let such an injury go so easily?

Hong Yao continued to shake its head, eventually burying its head under its wing, refusing to say another word.

Seeing it like this, Ye Zhiting knew that continuing to ask would likely yield no results, so he had to give up.

"Thank you, Vice General Mu. It seems we will have to investigate this matter thoroughly from other angles."

Mu Qinghe suddenly said

"The Nine Nether Tower was originally forged to suppress that ferocious beast, was it not?"

Ye Zhiting froze, then nodded.

"That beast has now vanished without a trace, and the Nine Nether Tower has collapsed, so it is no longer a pressing matter. What else is there to worry about? The most important thing is that the Tianyuan Blessed Cave below still exists, is it not?"

Mu Qinghe's voice remained cold.

Ye Zhiting felt a bit of a headache

"Vice General Mu's words make sense, but..."

But, since the existence of Tianlu Academy, the Nine Nether Tower had always been there.

Now that it had been destroyed, as the Dean, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

That ferocious beast was...

Many thoughts flashed through Ye Zhiting's mind, but in the end, he could only let out a long sigh.

"Since things have come to this, there is no other way."

Saying this, he turned back to Elder Wei Yun and the others.

"Use an Arcane Array to seal this area off first, and clean this place up as quickly as possible."

Everyone hurriedly complied.

Sun Zhongyan hesitated for a moment before asking with some concern

"Martial Uncle, what happens after that? Without the Nine Nether Tower, the power within the Tianyuan Blessed Cave below will still be difficult for most students to endure..."

"Do not worry about that. After a period of time, we will simply build another nine-story tower here."

This newly built nine-story tower certainly wouldn't be as powerful as the former Nine Nether Tower, but at least it could provide the students with a certain space for cultivation.

Since the ferocious beast was no longer there, there was no need to worry excessively.

The crowd looked at one another, realizing this was the best solution, and could only agree.

Subsequently, Sun Zhongyan quickly had the students depart, leaving only the elders and teachers to handle the ruins together.

Mu Qinghe was also unwilling to stay and turned to leave.

However, as he passed by Chu Liuyue, he gave her a meaningful look.

"Your ability seems even stronger than I imagined."

Chu Liuyue's expression was composed

"Vice General Mu overpraises me."

"Whether it is overpraise or not, you know in your heart. After all, not everyone can reach that sixth floor relying solely on an Origin Tool."

Mu Qinghe's gaze carried a heavy sense of scrutiny.

Chu Liuyue smiled

"Actually, it is all thanks to Tuanzi. Liuyue is merely a second-tier martial artist; I am truly not much to look at."

The duel between Qing Jiao Hui and Heng Jingchuo had made everyone aware that she possessed an extraordinary Blood Marten.

Mu Qinghe's gaze flickered toward the Tuanzi on Chu Liuyue's shoulder, and he suddenly said

"The aura of this magical beast... I feel as if I have seen it somewhere before."

(End of Chapter)