20demayo Chapter 451 Abnormal
Chapter 451 Abnormal
"Elder, what have you discovered?" Yun Chen asked hurriedly.
Elder Lei's gaze was solemn as he slowly said, "First of all, the person was found in the forbidden area of Taixu Palace."
"That forbidden area has an extremely strong barrier, making it impossible for ordinary disciples to enter, let alone hide people in it silently."
He paused, looked at everyone, and continued, "Those who can freely enter and exit the forbidden area and have the authority to control or temporarily close the barrier are very few and far between within the Taixu Palace."
Liu Yanran gasped, "Elder, do you mean... the kidnappers of Second Senior Sister and Junior Sister are very likely high-ranking members of the Taixu Palace?"
"There is at least a strong suspicion."
Elder Lei nodded: "It would be extremely difficult for outsiders to sneak into the forbidden area of Taixu Palace without alerting it. Moreover, those men in black robes are so familiar with the internal paths, patrol patterns, and even the location of the forbidden area of Taixu Palace."
Shen Nan frowned: "But... Lin Wan'er...didn't she help us? She even gave Yun Chen the Breaking Realm Jade Pendant. If the Taixu Palace is the mastermind, why would she do that?"
"Perhaps...it's because of Yun Chen?"
Elder Lei gave Yun Chen a meaningful look.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Lin Wan'er has feelings for Yun Chen.
This is the only reasonable explanation at the moment.
Yun Chen's eyes flickered, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
However, instead of offering an explanation, he said, "If it was really the higher-ups of the Taixu Palace who arrested Ruoruo and the others, wouldn't that mean that a high-ranking member of the Taixu Palace was colluding with cultivators from Japan? And this high-ranking member might even be someone of considerable status?"
Elder Lei nodded: "This is the most reasonable speculation at present."
"Wouldn't we be in great danger?" Shen Nan frowned.
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly said, "Oh right, what did Second Senior Sister say before she fainted... Did she discover something?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Chen, Liu Yanran, and Zhao Xiruo were all moved.
Only Elder Lei looked bewildered: "What did Qingluo say before she fainted?"
Yun Chen and the others exchanged glances, then said, "Second Senior Sister said, hurry... let's go!"
"Let's go?"
Elder Lei was stunned upon hearing this, his brows furrowed as he repeatedly pondered the two words.
"Was Qingluo still conscious at the time?" he asked in a deep voice.
Yun Chen carefully recalled the scene at that time. Bai Qinglu managed to say those two words before completely losing consciousness. The urgency and warning in her eyes were genuine.
"Although my second senior sister was weak at the time, her eyes were clear and she was definitely not talking in her sleep."
Yun Chen affirmed, "She must have discovered some extremely important clue to desperately warn us before she lost consciousness."
Elder Lei pondered for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping across the deep night outside the window, and said in a low voice, "No matter what we've discovered, the most important thing right now is to prepare for the ranking matches. As for what we've discovered, we'll talk about that after Qingluo wakes up."
Upon hearing this, Yun Chen forcibly suppressed his unease and nodded, saying, "The elder is right. The most important thing right now is the ranking competition. No matter what kind of conspiracy the person behind the scenes has, it should appear after the ranking competition."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yanran and Shen Nan calmed down and expressed their agreement.
"Alright, everyone take turns on duty tonight, and be sure to stay alert. Tomorrow is the ranking competition, so act according to the situation," Elder Lei gave his final instructions.
As night faded, the first rays of dawn appeared.
On the square of Taixu Palace, a huge martial arts arena had already been set up, with banners waving all around and a bustling crowd.
Disciples from the three major lineages gathered here, the atmosphere both lively and tense, as if the turmoil of the previous night had never occurred.
As for the people from ordinary sects, they had already taken their seats in their respective viewing areas, discussing the ranking matches with great interest, completely unaware of the impending storm in the ranking matches.
Yun Chen followed the group from Shenlei Palace to the designated area, his gaze sweeping over the seats of Taixu Palace and Yuxu Palace without making a sound.
Lin Xuantong sat upright in the main seat, his expression normal, chatting and laughing with Master Yushu beside him, showing no sign of anything amiss.
Beside them, Mu Bingyun had already taken her seat.
Today she wore an ice-blue long dress, her temperament as cold and aloof as snow, her beautiful face indifferent, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her.
Only when his gaze occasionally swept towards the direction of the Divine Thunder Palace would a barely perceptible ripple flash deep within his eyes.
Yun Chen's gaze lingered on Mu Bingyun for a moment before shifting away. He always felt that the Pavilion Master of Chaoyin Pavilion was unfathomable.
He then turned his attention to the area of the Taixu Palace disciples, but did not find Lin Wan'er.
However, he didn't think much of it, assuming that something had delayed him and he hadn't arrived yet.
"Yun Chen... there's no need to be so nervous. The top leaders of the four major Dao lineages are all present during the ranking competition. Even if the person behind the scenes wanted to make a move, they couldn't do so in public."
Liu Yanran, who was standing nearby, leaned closer to Yun Chen and offered a word of comfort.
Yun Chen smiled and said, "I'm not nervous, it's just... a little strange that there are so many people missing from Taixu Palace."
"A lot of people are missing?" Liu Yanran asked in confusion.
Zhao Xiruo, standing to the side, nodded solemnly: "Yun Chen is right. Taixu Palace has indeed lost many people, at least half of them."
After being reminded by them, Liu Yanran also looked carefully at the area where the Taixu Palace disciples were located, and indeed found that the number of people was much less than yesterday.
"It really is!"
Yun Chen's gaze darkened slightly, and the unease in his heart rose again.
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.
Although he couldn't figure it out, he still sensed something unusual.
As he was pondering, a slightly arrogant voice sounded from his side: "I heard that Junior Sister Zhao went missing yesterday?"
The voice, laced with undisguised sarcasm, came from my side.
Yun Chen turned his head and saw that Yuwen Tingxuan from Yuxu Palace had arrived nearby at some point.
He crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and swept his arrogant gaze over Yun Chen before finally settling on the slightly weakened Zhao Xiruo. A half-smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like the rumors were true after all?" Yuwen Tingxuan drawled, his gloating barely concealed. "Tsk tsk, Junior Brother Yun can't even protect his own woman. Why don't you... give her up? Following a piece of trash like you would only hinder Junior Sister Zhao's innate Dao Body."
His words were not merely a provocation, but a blatant insult and desecration, treating Zhao Xiruo as an object that could be transferred at will.
Yun Chen's aura instantly plummeted to freezing point, and a dark, surging light seemed to surge deep within his eyes.
"Say that again...!"
"Hahaha...!" Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tingxuan burst into laughter, then looked at Yun Chen provocatively.
"What's wrong with saying it again? I said you're a useless piece of trash, unable to protect Junior Sister Zhao. Why don't you let her come with me? I promise I'll make sure she... has a good time..."
"Snapped!!"
Before Yuwen Tingxuan could finish speaking, a loud slap landed hard on his left cheek, interrupting him.
Yuwen Ting froze on the spot, clutching his swollen right cheek, staring in disbelief at the man who had suddenly appeared before him.
He never expected that Yun Chen would dare to take the initiative to attack him.
Most importantly, it was a slap in the face.
"you wanna die!"
His spiritual power erupted instantly, and a powerful pressure far exceeding that of the Golden Core stage swept towards Yun Chen like a tidal wave.