Chapter 313 - 285: In Peach Blossom Valley, Already Lost Contact

Chapter 313: Chapter 285: In Peach Blossom Valley, Already Lost Contact

Sun Long asked,

"Elder, how exactly did our clan sister go missing?"

"I don’t know," the Third Elder said.

"You don’t know?" Sun Long’s mouth fell open, but no other words came out.

’If we don’t even know how she disappeared, then how are we supposed to find her?’

"I suspect the Huang Clan is behind this. Their goal is to keep Zixuan out of the competition so they can win," the Third Elder said, her face still grim.

However, this explanation clearly didn’t convince Sun Long.

"Something doesn’t feel right."

"You have to remember, she’s the jewel of our Sun Clan, possessing an Ice Anomalous Spirit Root and peerless talent."

"Unless the Huang Clan wants to declare all-out war on our Sun Clan, they would never dare to do something like this."

"...Or perhaps, someone else intends to frame the Huang Clan, hoping to sit back and watch the tigers fight—to see us and the Huang Clan go at each other’s throats."

Sun Long’s words made sense, but there was no evidence to support them.

The problem was, any attempt to frame the Huang Clan would require leaving clues pointing to them; otherwise, the Sun Clan wouldn’t just pin the blame on the Huang Clan for no reason.

But now, Sun Zixuan had vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace. It was completely baffling.

"Sun Long, aren’t you the one who supposedly knows a thousand kinds of Magic? Try to find Zixuan’s whereabouts."

Once the Third Elder gave the order, Sun Long didn’t dare say another word and immediately began preparing to use his Magic.

Hearing this, Jiang Xu also perked up.

He knew that Sun Long commanded a vast array of Magic, but he had never seen him use it seriously.

The Sound Insulation Shield he had cast earlier, for instance, was done so casually that it didn’t count.

Moreover, having cultivated the Star Inference Spell himself, Jiang Xu knew very well just how significantly this Cultivation Technique could enhance a person’s Magic.

Sun Zixuan’s disappearance had stumped even the Third Elder, a master at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, forcing her to ask for help. This meant that no ordinary tracking Magic would be able to find her; Sun Long would surely have to use his Star Map.

’If I can witness Sun Long’s Star Map firsthand, it’ll be an eye-opening experience and might give me some new ideas for my own Cultivation of the Star Inference Spell.’

Sun Long closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a cosmos of stars reappeared within his pupils.

Within this cosmos, over a thousand stars drifted slowly.

In the central region of the Star Map, a hundred-odd stars suddenly began to spin at high speed.

Like the gears of a precision clock, they propelled the entire Star Map system into a state of high-speed operation.

Each of these stars represented a different form of Magic that Sun Long had mastered. Now, under the power of the Star Inference Spell, they combined with fluid precision.

The shape of this Star Map was not fixed.

As the stars shifted and combined, it would at times form the image of a sharp blade, then an all-seeing eye, and then an invisible, giant hand.

By manipulating these stars, Sun Long was actually focusing the power of his Magic on the task of searching and locating his target.

He was attempting to use the power of the Star Map to transcend physical barriers and find the missing Sun Zixuan.

Every ray of light within the Star Map was like an extension of Sun Long’s Spiritual Power.

They wove an invisible net throughout the cosmos, sweeping across vast expanses of space, ensuring that not even the faintest clue could escape its grasp.

Beads of sweat began to form on Sun Long’s forehead; clearly, controlling the Star Map was putting him under immense pressure.

After a long moment, the Star Map in Sun Long’s eyes returned to calm. The stars dimmed, reverting to their original state.

"Well? Did you find her?" the Third Elder asked, her voice laced with impatience and anxiety.

Jiang Xu was also extremely curious.

’Who in the world had been bold enough to abduct a personage like the Sun Clan’s young lady?’

"..."

But Sun Long’s expression was strange.

He looked as if he had seen something strange; his lips moved, but he didn’t speak. His expression was hesitant, as if he were wary of something.

"Stop hesitating, you brat! Spit out what you saw!" Seeing Sun Long’s reluctance, the Third Elder looked as if she wanted to press her Magic Sword to his neck to force the words out of him.

Sun Long took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.

"I saw... I saw our clan sister... heading toward Peach Blossom Valley. She’s almost there... And she’s alone. No one is forcing her..."

The Third Elder and Jiang Xu both froze.

The Third Elder knew far, far better than Jiang Xu what kind of place Peach Blossom Valley was.

Jiang Xu had only heard a brief description of Peach Blossom Valley from Master Fatty.

The Third Elder, however, had a truly deep and personal understanding of the place.

She had even entered it herself once.

And had to drag the Fourth Elder out of it...

After that incident, the bond between the Third and Fourth Elders as cultivation partners completely shattered, causing the relationship between their two branch families to deteriorate to an all-time low.

And now...

’Why would her own granddaughter run off to such a filthy place?’

She had been trying to find a suitable husband to marry into the family for her granddaughter and had even picked out several candidates.

But that didn’t mean she wanted her granddaughter to just give herself away to some random person.

’That girl... what in the world is she thinking?!’

Just as the Third Elder’s mind was reeling with anger and uncertainty, she suddenly heard Sun Long let out a startled cry, "AH!"

The cry made the Third Elder’s heart skip a beat, and all her previous frustration and suspicion were instantly replaced by overwhelming worry and concern.

"If you dare to pull a stunt like that again instead of immediately telling me what you saw,"

"I’ll cripple you from the waist down and send you to Peach Blossom Valley to service those... clients with special needs!"

Though the Third Elder’s voice was calm, the deadly serious look on her face sent a shiver down Sun Long’s spine, and he hurriedly blurted out what he had seen.

"I just saw our clan sister step into the boundaries of Peach Blossom Valley, and then my Investigation Magic lost her trail! I’m afraid there must be some kind of powerful concealment Array in the valley!"

The long string of words tumbled out of Sun Long’s mouth in a single breath, yet every word was perfectly clear and distinct. This, too, was evidently some peculiar form of Magic.

The Third Elder immediately grabbed Sun Long’s arm, intending for him to lead the way so they could quickly catch up to Sun Zixuan.

Jiang Xu, however, remained hesitant.

Peach Blossom Valley...

’Although I’m very interested in that withered branch, I still have my reservations.’

His concerns weren’t about Peach Blossom Valley, but about the Abyss of Destiny.

Although there was no evidence that the Cultivators from the Abyss of Destiny meant him any harm,

he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

He watched as the Third Elder and Sun Long flew some distance ahead, but for some reason, the pair turned around and came back.

Her other free hand clamped down on Jiang Xu’s shoulder, hoisting him up and dragging him along toward Peach Blossom Valley.

"If I’m taking one, I might as well take two. You’re both coming with me!"

Jiang Xu wanted to cry but had no tears.

...

Anxious to save her granddaughter, the Third Elder flew at incredible speed.

Her speed was comparable to what Jiang Xu could achieve using his Light Body Spell at full tilt.

Before long, in just a few moments, they had already flown nearly a hundred li.

At the edge of their vision, a vast, boundless grove of peach trees gradually appeared.

Its sheer scale was difficult to comprehend. As far as the eye could see, a dense forest of peach trees, arranged in a pattern both chaotic and orderly, covered the land, resembling a green ocean dotted with countless pink waves.

The peach blossoms were in full bloom, their vibrant flowers exploding from every branch. From a distance, they resembled a sea of pink clouds; up close, each blossom was a delicate marvel, vying for attention in a riot of beauty.

Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows and draping the grove in a dreamlike halo. This lent the beautiful Peach Grove an air of poetic charm, making it seem like an otherworldly paradise.

But when Sun Long laid eyes on this Peach Grove, he cried out in excitement,

"That’s right, this is it! Third Elder, this is where our clan sister’s trail vanished!"

Upon seeing the beautiful Peach Grove, the Third Elder’s already grim expression darkened further, overlaid with an indescribable, murderous aura.

After all, it was this very grove that had once lured away her cultivation partner, causing their relationship to shatter.

And now today, it had swallowed the hope of her entire lineage, leaving no trace of her.

This scene only deepened her hatred for the Peach Grove.

She wished for nothing more than the satisfaction of burning the entire grove to ash!