Xue Jing understood and carried Mu Shasha out.
Zi Linling then said to Ye Lingyuan, "Speak! What exactly is going on?"
Ye Lingyuan knew she was asking about Mu Shasha.
He smiled and said, "Fancheng sent news that a hideout of the Poison Sect has been discovered."
"Where?"
Zi Guochang, Situ Jinglei, and Situ Yunfeng exclaimed in unison.
Although Zi Linling did not speak, she looked very interested.
Ye Lingyuan said faintly, "Three hundred li north of Xuanwu Empire's Northern City, in a dilapidated temple!"
"A dilapidated temple?"
Zi Linling frowned.
Ye Lingyuan nodded and said, "Yes, a space disguised as a dilapidated temple."
"This Poison Sect is quite good at hiding!" Situ Jinglei stroked his beard and said.
The others remained silent, waiting for Ye Lingyuan to continue.
"When this king went in, I happened to encounter..."
Ye Lingyuan recounted everything that had happened in the Poison Sect, leaving nothing out.
"The Sect Master of the Poison Sect, Mu Jiuge, is dead?"
Zi Linling's brows furrowed again.
She had originally thought that "Yi Xiao Fang Hua" referred to Mu Jiuge, the Sect Master of the Poison Sect. She never expected that Mu Jiuge had been poisoned long ago and was then ambushed and killed by his own brother.
Therefore, like Ye Lingyuan, she harbored a question: why would Mu Jiuge attack the Tianyuan Continent?
No! That's not right! There's a conspiracy here...
But what kind of conspiracy could it be? Zi Linling could not figure it out.
Ye Lingyuan nodded and said, "Not only is he dead, but he died at the hands of his own brother!"
Zi Linling shook her head and said, "No! There's something wrong here!"
"This king thinks so too!" Ye Lingyuan laughed.
"Something wrong? What's wrong?"
The Situ father and son, and Zi Guochang, all asked.
"We don't know yet!"
Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling exchanged glances and said in unison.
"Ah?"
The Situ father and son, and Zi Guochang, gaped open their mouths, wide enough to fit an egg.
"What 'ah' for? Hurry up and eat!"
Zi Linling said impatiently, and then she and Ye Lingyuan were the first to leave the secret chamber.
The remaining three were completely baffled, wishing they could pry open the heads of the two to see what riddle they were playing.
Thus, the birthday banquet, which should have been lively, became dull and tasteless because everyone had doubts in their hearts.
That night, Zi Linling emerged from the secret chamber.
However, she did not return to her room to rest, but walked out of Fengyu Tower.
There were some things she had to see for herself to confirm whether her guess was right or wrong.
Therefore, she was going to the Poison Sect's space outside Xuanwu Empire's Northern City to investigate.
As soon as Zi Linling stepped out of Fengyu Tower, she saw a familiar figure in the night.
Her heart warmed, but at the same time, she knew she had been exposed.
As she hesitated about whether to go to the Poison Sect, she heard that familiar magnetic voice.
"Lin'er, what am I going to do with you?"
Zi Linling smiled sheepishly, "The moon is nice tonight, I came out for a walk!"
Ye Lingyuan was amused and angry, "Alright! Stop pretending, let's go!"
The two of them sped off, disappearing into the night.
Soon, they arrived outside the dilapidated temple.
Their divine senses were extremely powerful, so they naturally bypassed the sentries with ease and entered the Poison Sect's space.
Inside the Poison Sect's space, it was still incredibly bright.
Ye Lingyuan finally realized where the strange feeling he had when he entered here before came from—there was no night in the Poison Sect's space.
Being familiar with the way, under Ye Lingyuan's guidance, it only took them a few breaths to return to the Mu family's secret chamber.
The secret chamber was clean and tidy, with nothing left behind.
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying in unison, "As expected!"
"Clang!"
A cage descended from the sky, perfectly trapping Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan inside.
Immediately, a hearty laugh echoed.
"The arrival of His Royal Highness the King of Hell and the Princess of Hell makes our Poison Sect honored!"
As the voice faded, Mu Jiuzhang walked in from outside the secret chamber.
Ye Lingyuan sneered, "Should this king call you Mu Jiuge, or Mu Jiuzhang?"
Mu Jiuzhang froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes, "What do you mean?"
Zi Linling continued, "So, the Sect Master of the Poison Sect, Mu Jiuge, was just a fool who lived by possessing someone else's body!"
Mu Jiuzhang's face changed drastically, and he forced himself to remain calm, "I don't understand what you two mean!"
Zi Linling snorted coldly, "Don't understand? Then I'll make it clear! Mu Jiuge's body died, but his soul lived on. Mu Jiuzhang's body lived, but his soul died. You, the dignified Sect Master of the Poison Sect, possessed your own brother and staged a play, is that right?"
A killing intent surged from Mu Jiuzhang.
This secret, besides him and a few elders, no one else knew.
His face darkened, "How did you know?"
Ye Lingyuan sneered, "You told us!"
"I told you?"
Mu Jiuzhang, or rather, Mu Jiuge, asked in confusion.
Zi Linling smiled, "Your body was poisoned a long time ago, and its functions were rapidly deteriorating. Without any other options, you would have only faced death.
Coincidentally, your foolish brother wanted to take advantage of your weakened state to contend for the position of family head with you.
So, you played along, pretending to be weaker and weaker, luring that idiot to kill you, right?"
Mu Jiuge remained silent, but his expression was undoubtedly an admission of Zi Linling's words.
Zi Linling continued, "You sent your daughter away and told her that there was a Ten Thousand Poisons Grass in Old Li the Cripple's house, and that you needed it to refine an antidote.
But that was just an excuse. After your daughter left, you then sent a message to Mu Jiuzhang, revealing your extreme weakness.
In reality, your body was genuinely weakening. If your soul remained inside, you would have had to go drink tea with the King of Hell in a few days.
And that fool Mu Jiuzhang had no idea that it was just a lure you deliberately set for him!
After Mu Jiuzhang arrived, you took him by surprise and possessed him directly! You then faked your death at the hands of Mu Jiuzhang, is that right?"
Zi Linling's words struck Mu Jiuge's heart, word by word.
Mu Jiuge sneered, "I have to say, you are too smart. You got the entire sequence of events exactly right. I even suspect you were spying on me when I was doing all this!"
Zi Linling shook her head and smiled, "No, no, no, there's one point I don't understand!"
"Which point?" Mu Jiuge asked.
"Mu Jiuzhang was clearly your own brother, why did you kill him?"