Chapter 1665: Missing

Yuan Xuehan had never considered this question before. Now, prompted by Chu Chuyan, she began to ponder.

In the past, Zu An had saved her life several times, pushing his body to the brink of collapse. Could she truly stand by and watch that man die?

Considering this, she slowly said, "I suppose I still would."

Chu Chuyan smiled faintly. "If that's the case, what is your friend still worried about? Even though it was an unintentional mistake, it's enough that she doesn't regret it internally. As for the subsequent consequences, she can figure out a way to resolve them. Where there's a will, there's a way. There's always a solution."

Her master was usually aloof and cold, like a snow maiden on an iceberg, untouched by worldly desires. Therefore, Chu Chuyan never imagined that the master she revered like a goddess would be the "friend" her master spoke of. Her first reaction was to guess it was an acquaintance within her master's social circle.

Given her master's personality, there were only a few people who could barely be considered friends, yet none of them fit the description she had just given. It couldn't possibly be Yun Jianyue, the Demonic Sect leader, could it?

After listening to Chu Chuyan's guidance, Yuan Xuehan's mood inexplicably improved. "Chuyan, thank you."

Chu Chuyan smiled, "It's a pleasure to help alleviate my master's concerns."

Yuan Xuehan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "I'll find an opportunity to tell my friend."

Chu Chuyan didn't suspect anything otherwise and happily continued to chat with her about the grand competition.

***

Early the next morning, disciples from various sects gathered at Golden Summit, awaiting the final championship battle.

They discussed animatedly who was more likely to win the title.

After several days of observation, most people favored Peng Wuyan. After all, Pei Mianman had a tough time winning against Zhiyīn in the group stage and even suffered a serious injury.

Zhiyīn, however, had not even reached the Grandmaster cultivation level!

Peng Wuyan's track record was much more impressive; she had defeated several chief disciples, including Wu Xiaofan, who was widely considered the top contender before the competition.

Of course, Pei Mianman's supporters argued that because Zhiyīn possessed a Celestial-grade weapon, her combat power was no less than that of Grandmaster-level competitors like Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi.

On the judging platform, everyone took their seats. Wang Wuxie naturally occupied the head seat. He secretly glanced towards Yuan Xuehan's seat, and upon seeing her familiar white silhouette, his mood brightened slightly. Although he had long come to terms with the fact that he didn't truly hope for any outcome with Yuan Xuehan, simply seeing her was pleasing enough.

At this moment, Yuan Xuehan found herself glancing, consciously or unconsciously, in Zu An's direction. Yesterday's so-called hour of love had not brought her inner peace or cut the cords of emotion with her "sword of wisdom"; instead, it had left her even more confused.

Fortunately, with Chu Chuyan's guidance, she was now thinking of taking things one step at a time.

Zu An noticed Yuan Xuehan's gaze, gave her a slight nod, and then continued chatting with the person beside him.

Yuan Xuehan suddenly felt a pang of disappointment. She was used to him shamelessly calling her "Sister Yan" and brazenly taking advantage of her in various ways. Now that he was suddenly acting like a stranger, she found herself momentarily unaccustomed to it.

Suddenly, her heart lurched. She remembered yesterday's agreement of an hour's "love," which had stipulated that afterward, they would go their separate ways with no further involvement. Was he truly planning to do that?

Originally, this was the outcome she desired, but when this day truly arrived, she felt somewhat caught off guard.

Seeing her delicate brows furrowed, Guan Chouhai of Li Hentian couldn't help but say, "Is something bothering Venerable Yuan? Tell us, and we can help you figure it out. With the cultivation and energy of so many of us combined, there's nothing in this world that can't be resolved."

With so many fellow Taoist sect members present, he couldn't bring himself to address her as "Immortal Yuan" repeatedly.

Wang Wuxie, however, frowned slightly, almost forgetting that Guan Chouhai had also relentlessly pursued Yuan Xuehan in the past.

But he wasn't worried. Compared to him, a greasy man like Guan Chouhai had no competitiveness whatsoever. He didn't believe that a woman as pure and noble as a celestial fairy would ever be interested in him.

As expected, Yuan Xuehan spoke coolly, "Sect Master Guan, you've misunderstood. I'm just curious why the other participant hasn't arrived yet."

When Chuyan said something similar yesterday, Yuan Xuehan had found it heartwarming. But what relationship did this Guan Chouhai have with her? What right did he have to help her with her worries?

Sensing the coldness in her tone, Wang Wuxie almost chuckled. This Guan fellow was indeed overestimating himself. Even Wang Wuxie himself wouldn't dare to be so attentive; how could Guan Chouhai think he was worthy?

However, he quickly recalled the content of Yuan Xuehan's words. Looking towards the arena, sure enough, only Pei Mianman had appeared; Peng Wuyan was nowhere to be seen.

Not only her, but even Elder Peng of Kongming Island, and indeed all other disciples from Kongming Island, were absent.

Wang Wuxie frowned and summoned Feng Wuchang. "Junior Brother, go check on the situation."

Feng Wuchang nodded and flew directly towards the Kongming Island annex.

At this moment, the disciples from various sects below the arena instantly erupted into commotion:

"Could it be that Peng Wuyan got scared and dared not show up?"

"What a joke! Peng Wuyan's cultivation is clearly higher; how could she be scared?"

"Then something must have happened. Surely, Miss Pei isn't going to win by default again, is she?"

***

Hearing the various discussions from below, Zu An was also startled. Surely the effects of the Luck Pill couldn't still be lasting, could they?

How could she possibly win by default again?

Just then, a figure rushed over in a fury. It was Elder Peng of Kongming Island, and Feng Wuchang was trailing behind her, unable to keep up.

"Elder Peng, what happened?" Seeing her distressed appearance, everyone on the judging platform felt their hearts sink and hurriedly asked.

"Wuyan is missing!" Elder Peng's face was grim.

At these words, the entire venue erupted in an uproar. Was Pei Mianman's luck really that good?

Guan Chouhai asked curiously, "What do you mean by 'missing'?"

Elder Peng glared at him. "Are you deaf? What else could 'missing' mean? When I went to speak to her this morning, I found she wasn't in her room. My disciples and I searched everywhere, but we couldn't find her whereabouts."

Guan Chouhai was immediately speechless. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was genuinely anxious, he might have turned hostile on the spot.

The many prominent figures on the judging platform exchanged glances. In all the years of the Taoist Sect Grand Competition, nothing like this had ever happened.

Wang Wuxie couldn't help but ask, "Could she have encountered something and left on her own?"

"How could that be?" Elder Peng retorted immediately. "She has no relatives or friends here, and today is the championship match. How could she possibly leave? Someone must have taken her."

"How is that possible?" Wang Wuxie countered directly. "Purple Mountain is heavily guarded, and it's difficult for outsiders to enter. Moreover, Junior Niece Peng's cultivation is among the top of her generation, and she was staying in the same courtyard as Elder Peng. Who could possibly abduct her without a sound?" He refuted, as Purple Mountain was his territory, and he would bear the greatest responsibility for any security incident.

Elder Peng scoffed. "Indeed, it's hard for anyone of her generation to threaten Wuyan, but what about the previous generation? I suspect some people don't want our Kongming Island to win the championship."

At these words, the expressions of the nine sects on the judging platform instantly changed.

Even Wan Guiyi couldn't help but look at his father. If Peng Wuyan disappeared, who would benefit the most? Naturally, it would be Azure Palace, as Pei Mianman would then win by default again and directly become the champion.

He still had a considerable fondness for Peng Wuyan, who possessed a robust beauty. Furthermore, his personality disliked such underhanded dealings.

Wan Tongtian almost choked on his words, seeing his son look at him like that. If even his son suspected him, what about everyone else?

He quickly stepped forward to explain, "Last night, I was with Grandmaster Huoling, training Manman and teaching her strategies for today's competition. How could I possibly do such a thing?"

"With Grandmaster Huoling?" Guan Chouhai uttered an "Oh," wiggling his eyebrows with a gossipy expression.

Seeing the ambiguous expressions on others' faces, Grandmaster Huoling, for the first time, blushed. Wan Tongtian, on the other hand, grew anxious. "Guan, it's not as sordid as you think. We were having a proper conversation."

Witnessing his anxious explanations, Grandmaster Huoling felt a surge of irritation, her temper flaring up.

"Spending half the night together in one room, chatting all night long—that certainly sounds 'proper'," Guan Chouhai said mockingly. Li Hentian and Azure Palace had always been at odds, so naturally, Guan Chouhai reveled in chaos.

"Guan, you truly speak ill of others!" Grandmaster Huoling rose in fury, slamming the table and cursing.

Guan Chouhai was, after all, a sect leader. Being cursed at in front of so many people, he couldn't maintain his composure either and rose, slamming the table. "You do things yourselves, but you don't allow others to speak of them?"

"Enough!" Seeing two influential figures arguing undignifiedly in front of juniors, Wang Wuxie finally couldn't bear it. "We are here to discuss Junior Niece Peng's disappearance, not other matters."

After speaking, he looked at Elder Peng. "Junior Niece Peng's cultivation is not weak, and you were guarding her nearby. I truly cannot fathom who on Purple Mountain has the ability to abduct her without a sound."

At these words, everyone's gaze fell upon Elder Peng. Indeed, there were people on Purple Mountain with higher cultivation than Elder Peng, but to abduct someone without her noticing was simply impossible.

"Yesterday, a mysterious person left a letter, saying they had something important to discuss with me regarding today's competition," Elder Peng explained, a look of vexation on her face. "Although I found the person's actions suspicious, as it concerned today's grand competition, I didn't dare to take it lightly, so I went to the meeting place as agreed in the letter. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I didn't see anyone."

At this, Wan Tongtian and Grandmaster Huoling both gasped, seemingly having thought of something similar.

Wang Wuxie looked at them. "Have the two of you thought of any clues?"

"No," they replied in unison. How could they let others know about their embarrassing incident? That would make them a laughingstock of the Taoist sects.

Then Elder Peng continued, "After that, I simply returned, thinking nothing had happened, and that it was just a prank. Now that I think about it, Wuyan must have gotten into trouble around that time."

Li Changsheng of White Jade Capital asked curiously, "You returned and didn't even check if your disciple was in her room, only discovering she was missing today?"

"Wuyan had several consecutive battles; what she needed most at that time was rest, not last-minute preparations like some people," Elder Peng said, casting a cold glance at Wan Tongtian and Grandmaster Huoling.

Wan Tongtian and Grandmaster Huoling were displeased and both snorted in protest.

Next, Elder Peng caused a huge commotion at Golden Summit, firmly believing that some sects, unwilling to accept their disciples' defeat, had allowed their elder masters to disregard their status and interfere.

This immediately caused the expressions of those from Kunlun Void and Taixuan Cave to sour. Even Wang Wuxie's face changed, as their disciples had all lost to Peng Wuyan.

However, everyone involuntarily looked towards Wang Wuxie. It wasn't a big deal for other sects to lose; they wouldn't resort to such undignified actions.

But Wang Wuxie was different. Wu Xiaofan was his disciple, widely considered the most likely candidate for the championship. Wang Wuxie had even lent him the Green Scale Armor, showing how much he wanted him to win.

Furthermore, this was Purple Mountain's territory, and Wang Wuxie's cultivation was high. He truly had the greatest motive and ability to commit such an act.

Seeing their suspicious gazes, Wang Wuxie's face turned purple. He truly had no way to defend himself against such an accusation.

At this point, Yuan Xuehan spoke. "Could it be Yun Jianyue of the Demonic Sect? This kind of thing seems very much like her style of doing things."