Under the guidance of two Shu Mountain disciples, Ye Ling and Ye You ascended Shu Mountain. However, instead of heading towards the palaces on the summit, they took a turn along a secluded path on the mountainside.
Following the two Shu Mountain disciples, Ye You curiously asked, "Little brothers, the main hall is at the summit. Where are we going now?"
One of the leading Shu Mountain disciples smiled and replied, "The Grand Elder is handling some matters in the back mountain. Since you are here to visit the Grand Elder, we will naturally take you to him."
Ye You smiled, "Oh, thank you for your trouble."
"Not at all. All visitors are guests, and we are merely guiding the way."
The Shu Mountain disciple walking beside Ye You chuckled, but a cold killing intent was hidden within his eyes. He secretly formed a hand seal within the sleeve of his daoist robe, seemingly transmitting a message.
As if unaware of the Shu Mountain disciples' subtle actions, Ye You followed them with a smile and transmitted to Ye Ling, "Brother, those two Shu Mountain disciples seem to be treating us like fools, wanting to lure us to the back mountain to kill us."
Ye Ling nodded slightly, "I can see that. Those two youngsters sent a signal earlier, and now many Shu Mountain disciples are lying in ambush in the back mountain, waiting to ambush and kill us."
Ye You said, "It seems a major upheaval has occurred in Shu Mountain, and we've stumbled upon it. It's also Xu Changsheng's good luck. If we hadn't come here, he would probably be dead."
Ye Ling replied, "Perhaps this is not a coincidence."
Ye You was taken aback and looked at Ye Ling in surprise, "Brother, what do you mean?"
Ye Ling stated, "The Shadow Hall didn't capture Ruo Xue earlier or later, but chose to act only after Shu Mountain experienced trouble. Moreover, they specifically gave us the location of Buzhou Mountain, clearly intending to lure us here."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Ye You was somewhat confused, "Isn't their goal to seize the ultimate power within us? What is the connection between Shu Mountain and the Shadow Hall?"
Although Shu Mountain was a top immortal orthodox lineage in China, and even had some connections with the immortal realm, Shu Mountain was ultimately a mortal force. It was inferior to the Red Dust Pavilion, let alone the Shadow Hall, which secretly controlled the immortal realm. Given the Shadow Hall's scale, they could easily control Shu Mountain by sending anyone with even a slight position within the Shadow Hall. Ye You did not quite believe that the Shadow Hall would expend such great effort solely to target Shu Mountain.
Ye Ling shook his head, "I don't know about that either. We know almost nothing about the Shadow Hall. Whether their true objective is to seize the ultimate power is uncertain..."
"They kidnapped Ruo Xue and lured us to Shu Mountain. Perhaps their true intention is not what it seems. They might want to use us to accomplish something in Shu Mountain." After all, if the Shadow Hall believed they could obtain the ultimate power simply through kidnapping, Ye Ling would question their intelligence.
Ye You suggested, "In that case, we won't interfere with Shu Mountain's affairs. As long as we do nothing, we definitely won't make any mistakes."
Ye Ling smiled and shook his head, transmitting, "You silly girl, what about saving Xu Changsheng?"
"Right..." Ye You only remembered Xu Changsheng when Ye Ling reminded her. "That foolish boy Xu Changsheng is now the Grand Elder of Shu Mountain. If we don't interfere with Shu Mountain's affairs, it's like watching him die..."
"But I don't want to be a tool for the Shadow Hall..."
"The Shadow Hall uses overt schemes. The trap is laid out before you, yet you must proceed," Ye Ling was accustomed to such methods. "However, such overt schemes usually do not harm our own interests. Instead, it is by not doing those things that our interests will be harmed."
"We can't let our own interests be harmed just to spite the enemy, can we?"
Ye You nodded thoughtfully and mumbled, "That does make sense, but I'm still a bit unhappy."
"Alright... relax. Since we have no clue about the Shadow Hall's intentions, all we can do is proceed at our own pace, take it one step at a time, and react as things unfold."
While Ye Ling and Ye You were communicating, the two Shu Mountain disciples led them through the secluded path and arrived before a small grove. One of the Shu Mountain disciples turned to bow to Ye Ling and Ye You, saying, "Distinguished guests, the Grand Elder is in the grove ahead. We will escort you this far. Please proceed on your own from here."
Ye Ling glanced at the small grove ahead and noticed at least ten cultivators hidden within, all at the fifth grade or above in cultivation.
Ye Ling smiled and asked the two Shu Mountain disciples, "May I ask you two a question?"
The two Shu Mountain disciples politely replied, "What would you like to ask, sir?"
Ye Ling inquired, "I'd like to ask why you have arranged assassins in the grove. Have my sister and I offended you in some way?"
As soon as Ye Ling spoke, the expressions of the two Shu Mountain disciples changed drastically. They immediately summoned their flying swords and attacked Ye Ling and Ye You.
"We've been exposed! Brothers, attack!"
One of the Shu Mountain disciples shouted, and more than ten cultivators rushed out from the grove behind them, also charging towards Ye Ling and Ye You! The killing intent was palpable!
Seeing the Shu Mountain disciples attack, Ye You immediately said, "Brother, don't move. Let me handle it!"
With that, Ye You transformed into a graceful figure, weaving through the Shu Mountain disciples. By the time Ye You returned to Ye Ling's side, all the cultivators who had rushed out of the grove were lying on the ground, incapacitated.
Looking at the fallen assassins, Ye You placed her hands on her hips and boasted to Ye Ling, "How was it, Brother?"
"Not bad."
Ye Ling gave a perfunctory compliment. Ye You's cultivation had now reached True Martial, and she would soon break through to Saint. With Ye You's cultivation level, dealing with a group of fifth and sixth-grade cultivators was like a fierce tiger entering a wolf pack; the result would only be a one-sided slaughter.
"Tch!"
Ye You merely pouted at Ye Ling's perfunctory praise, expressing her dissatisfaction with his casual compliment.
Ye Ling did not engage in banter with Ye You. He walked up to one of the Shu Mountain disciples who had guided them, grabbed his head with demonic energy, and lifted him from the ground.
Ye Ling calmly asked, "What happened in Shu Mountain? Shall I search your soul, or will you tell me yourself?"
"I... I'll tell you myself..." The Shu Mountain disciple was terrified and trembling all over. He never imagined that the two visitors to Xu Changsheng were such terrifying monsters in terms of cultivation! He had truly kicked an iron board this time!
Ye Ling calmly looked at the pale-faced Shu Mountain disciple and said, "Speak."
"Yes, yes..." The Shu Mountain disciple stammered, "The Second Elder and the Third Elder, in league with the great demons of the Ancient Demon Town, suddenly attacked the Sect Master and the Grand Elder. Currently, the Sect Master and the Grand Elder are prisoners, locked up beneath the Demon Locking Pagoda."
"The Second Elder also ordered that anyone associated with the Sect Master and the Grand Elder must be executed... Since you two suddenly came to Shu Mountain to visit the Grand Elder, that's why we..."
"But seniors, you must believe that these were all the Second Elder's orders. We were merely following orders, not really..."
*Hiss!*
As the Shu Mountain disciple was halfway through his excuse, Ye Ling's demonic energy suddenly constricted, crushing the disciple into a bloody mist! Blood mist filled the air!