Chapter 1626: Wounded That Was Destroyed

Liu Wu led Bai Ziqi to a nearby large tree, its trunk covered in moss. "It looked like something had peeled or scraped away the moss from this tree, even tearing off the bark beneath. Some of the marks were irregular grids, resembling… a fishing net."

"A Sky Net with extremely strong adhesive properties?" Bai Ziqi mused. Net-shaped magical artifacts were not uncommon. "To be able to trap Qi Yunsheng, this net must be an extraordinary artifact."

"The other seven or eight bodies showed signs of severe crushing," Liu Wu stated. "One person even had their dried rations flattened in their pouch."

Bai Ziqi looked at the boulders scattered across the mountain. "They were crushed to death."

"Yes, but those who were crushed were more scattered, not clustered together."

"Perhaps Emperor Jiuyou used large battle puppets, such as the Green-Turbaned Strongmen. Otherwise, given a normal human's physique, it would be difficult to move such large rocks and throw them at people," Bai Ziqi mused. "But in this terrain, battle puppets would be clumsy. Could they truly have caught up with the elites trained by Xue Zongwu?"

Whether it was Golden Armored Guards or Green-Turbaned Strongmen, despite their great strength, their movements were slow. How could they have chased down and crushed guards scrambling all over the mountain?

"Could it be a living creature or a dharma body with immense strength?" His lamp spirit could certainly achieve that.

Liu Wu also remarked, "When I came down to investigate, I also noticed that Emperor Jiuyou's methods of killing were very diverse. Dozens of people ran frantically across the mountain, yet not a single one managed to escape."

"Moreover, Emperor Jiuyou didn't use any of these methods in the North Mountain Grand Hall," Bai Ziqi said, his eyes glinting. "It's one thing for him to have killed Qi Yunsheng, but why did he feel the need to eliminate all witnesses? What exactly did these people see?"

When killing Xue Zongwu, Emperor Jiuyou did so deliberately in front of everyone. But when killing Qi Yunsheng, he didn't spare a single witness!

He and Liu Wu returned to the manor to examine Qi Yunsheng's remains.

Thanks to excellent refrigeration methods, Elder Qi's headless corpse still appeared as fresh as ever, though its surface was covered with a layer of white frost.

He had numerous wounds on his body, but the truly fatal one was a fist-sized blood-hole on his back, precisely located at the Gaohuang acupoint.

The Gaohuang point is vital for refining the essence of grains and providing energy to the heart-fire. Once this area was pierced, Qi Yunsheng would have been completely debilitated.

This allowed the killer to calmly sever his head.

Most importantly, the wound penetrated from his back straight through to his chest.

"In other words, this attack originated from behind Qi Yunsheng. Therefore, there were at least two enemies attacking him."

Liu Wu whispered, "The wound has been damaged, so it's impossible to deduce the shape of the weapon."

"Then it wasn't caused by an ordinary spear or lance," Bai Ziqi noted. Was there something special about the weapon that warranted such effort to conceal the wound? He examined it closely and suddenly said, "Qi Yunsheng had deep cultivation and a robust physique, so it wouldn't have been easy to destroy his body. I suspect they were pressed for time, which is why a small clue was still left behind."

"A clue?" Liu Wu had examined the corpse more than two or three times and hadn't found any useful evidence. "Please enlighten me, sir."

Bai Ziqi turned and gave an instruction, and several divine attendants immediately went to prepare.

Soon after, they brought over a small basin containing a trembling, light-yellow, semi-solid substance, resembling jelly or gelatin.

Before Liu Wu could fully understand, the substance rolled itself twice within the basin.

It… it was a living creature?

"Director, it's ready," an attendant reported.

Bai Ziqi pointed at Qi Yunsheng. The fatal penetrating wound on the latter's chest had already been sealed at both ends. "Pour it in," he instructed.

The divine attendant carefully poured the transparent, soft substance from the basin into Qi Yunsheng's wound.

Liu Wu confirmed again that it was a living creature, as the substance that spilled onto the clothes retracted back into the wound by itself.

He watched as the substance slowly filled the deceased's wound, leaving not a single gap.

"What is this?"

Bai Ziqi replied casually, "It's just a type of divine ability."

This was one of the small demonic puppets researched by the Celestial Palace's demon puppeteers. Its base was a slug-like creature that could dehydrate and shrink to the size of an egg, and then be rehydrated with water when needed. It was a failed experimental semi-finished product, almost discarded, but it found a new use in Bai Ziqi's hands.

However, he didn't need to explain too much to the diviners. "Give it some time," he said.

The cellar was very cold, and Qi Yunsheng's body also had frost runes attached, causing a layer of white frost to form on his surface.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Bai Ziqi reached out and pressed the soft substance in the deceased's wound. It had already frozen solid.

He then carefully pulled the substance out of the wound.

It had solidified, taking the shape of the wound's interior, like a mold.

Liu Wu, seeing this method for the first time, couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Is this… the shape of the weapon?"

"Yes, it simulates the killer's weapon." The soft substance had frozen hard, presenting the three-dimensional shape of the wound's interior.

It looked like a—

Liu Wu blurted out, "A spiked club?"

In his memory, only a spiked club could create such an irregularly shaped, sharp wound. Such clubs were typically covered with spikes and barbs to inflict greater damage on enemies.

Qi Yunsheng was pierced through the chest by a spiked club of such size – how could he have survived? Liu Wu felt a shiver run down his spine just imagining the scene.

"The wound was somewhat damaged, but after shaping, it's still clear that this 'spiked club' was curved and conical, thinner at the front and thicker at the back. Moreover, the assailant didn't use any unnecessary force; their control over the power was remarkably subtle," Bai Ziqi mused. "This might be because there was another person standing in front of Qi Yunsheng, and the killer didn't want to accidentally injure them."

"Emperor Jiuyou?"

"Yes, Emperor Jiuyou was likely confronting Qi Yunsheng head-on, while the true killer struck Qi Yunsheng from behind. The battle ended swiftly." In a life-or-death situation, no one adhered to the rules of one-on-one combat. "So, in this fight, the one who truly ended Qi Yunsheng's life wasn't Emperor Jiuyou, but this—"

Bai Ziqi articulated each word clearly: "This demon!"

A demon? Liu Wu considered, then realized, "Yes, this weapon is excessively large; it wouldn't be easy for a human to wield."

"It's a palm-width in cross-section, curved and conical, with sharp hooks and barbs," Bai Ziqi said, stroking his chin. "It looks like the chela of some hard-shelled animal. Could it be an insect?"

The divine attendants behind him exchanged glances. "An insect that big?"

"It's also possible someone used a weapon made from a giant insect's chela, but that would require special handling techniques," Bai Ziqi analyzed. "Emperor Jiuyou and his two subordinates appeared in human form at the mountain hall, but they didn't use this type of weapon, or it would have been remembered."

"Qi Yunsheng sustained this type of wound, and his subordinates were crushed by immense force; none of these are conventional ways to die. By all appearances, this seems to be the work of two or more demons," he said, his eyes flickering. "Emperor Jiuyou felt compelled to eliminate all of Qi Yunsheng's subordinates as witnesses. Could it be that these demons, or these killing methods, cannot be seen by others?"

What would happen if they were seen?

Would it expose Emperor Jiuyou's secrets?

He stared at the wound model formed by the soft substance demon puppet. "I have a feeling I've seen this kind of wound somewhere before."