Chapter 145 The Fuxi Village Massacre

Three days later, flying tirelessly day and night upon the back of the Bifang, the young man and the two divine birds finally returned once again to the long-departed Hanyuan Valley.

While the Bifang was still circling high above the valley entrance, it immediately issued a cautious warning to Baimu: "There seems to be someone outside the valley, and their cultivation base is by no means low. Should we avoid them for now to prevent an unnecessary battle?"

"There is no need!" Baimu replied with absolute confidence. "Unless the intruder below is a master on par with Chi Yan, with your and my combined strength, we should not easily suffer defeat."

"Besides, since the normally secluded Hanyuan Valley has suddenly been visited by a stranger, I must all the more go down and investigate. In the event of any suspicious movement, we can intervene in a timely manner to prevent any harm to the unconscious Lingyan and Senior Fansheng."

"Very well, as you say." The Bifang nodded obediently, plummeting swiftly toward the valley entrance. The fire-glazed bird, which had swallowed the fire lotus, followed closely and obediently by its side, the two descending one after the other right before the valley entrance.

Once the Bifang landed firmly, Baimu leapt down agilely from its back and hurried swiftly toward the location where the protective formations had been set up at the valley entrance.

After passing through a dense bamboo grove, the entrance of Hanyuan Valley came into view in the distance. The red plum blossoms within the valley remained as fresh and tender as ever. Under the reinforcement of the Myriad-Domain Divine Flute array, a layer of flowing radiance steadily enveloped the Hanyuan Valley, making the plum blossoms inside appear even more brilliant.

Unexpectedly, however, standing outside the valley with his hands clasped behind his back was an elderly man with white hair and white feathered robes. Since he was facing inward toward the valley, his features were not yet visible.

Yet, from his posture, which stood like an unyielding abyss, and his ethereal, otherworldly temperament, it was evident that the newcomer was no ordinary person.

Of course, what brought the greatest sense of relief to Baimu was that the spiritual aura faintly emanating from this person was pure white. Although his hair appeared completely white from behind, his overall demeanor was remarkably refined and gentle, indicating at the very least that he was not a figure of evil or malevolence.

Filled with a sudden surge of joy, Baimu quickly led the Bifang to the outer perimeter of the valley entrance, stopping about five meters away from the white-robed, white-haired elder.

"You have finally returned?"

The moment Baimu steadied his footing, the white-robed, white-haired elder ahead of him spoke up. His voice was exceptionally calm and serene, as if he felt not the slightest astonishment at Baimu's arrival.

"You... what sacred being are you? Why have you appeared in Hanyuan Valley?" Baimu stood in his tracks, asking with a trace of hesitation.

"I am called Tianfa!"

As the white-haired, white-robed elder spoke, he slowly turned around to face Baimu directly.

His pure white hair was neatly bound within a jade crown, and his smooth complexion bore few traces left by the passage of time, despite his silvery hair indicating that he must be at least over eighty years of age.

Though his facial features could not be described as particularly handsome, they radiated a sense of profound peace. Every gesture he made carried an untethered freedom, granting him a truly distinguished and elegant temperament.

The white feathered robe he wore was impeccably tailored, with two celestial cranes embroidered exquisitely across the chest. It exuded an unconstrained grace coupled with a tranquility distinct from the troubled mortal world—truly resembling an immortal being. At first glance, it left Baimu completely captivated.

Yet what shocked him most of all was the name "Tianfa".

Having escaped from the Guixu Sacred Palace not long ago, how could Baimu possibly be unaware of who Tianfa was?

According to Lingyan's previous descriptions, among the first-generation disciples of the Guixu Sacred Palace, four were personal disciples of the God of War Fanxian: the eldest disciple Tianfa, the second disciple Tianqian, the third disciple Tianyan, and the fourth disciple Tianfen.

He had already witnessed the hot-tempered Venerable Tianqian and the middle-aged scholar-like Venerable Tianfen. As for this legendary current sect master of the Guixu Sacred Palace, however, this was his very first encounter.

Yet, contrary to all expectations, as fellow martial brothers, why was Second Disciple Tianqian's temperament so vastly different from that of Eldest Disciple Tianfa?

Seeing Baimu gazing dazedly at him without speaking, Tianfa simply offered a carefree smile and continued his inquiry: "Young man, this formation was laid down by you, was it not?"

"It appears to be a formation of considerable power. Amidst the circulating brilliance, one can see that the spiritual energy is extremely abundant. I presume there must be a divine artifact inside the valley reinforcing the formation?"

Hearing this, Baimu felt a jolt in his heart, and hesitatingly replied, "What Senior says is true; this formation is indeed reinforced by a divine artifact."

"Hmm."

Tianfa nodded slightly, continuing with calm composure, "I have waited at the valley entrance for three days, originally intending to forcefully break through the formation today. To think you would return at this very moment!"

"Sen... Senior..."

Baimu stammered in response, "This formation was indeed set up by the junior to protect Senior Fansheng and Lingyan..."

"Lingyan?"

Tianfa muttered the name in bewilderment, then asked in astonishment, "Could it be the Emperor of Heaven's beloved daughter, Lingyan?"

"It is indeed her!" Baimu answered truthfully.

"I see..."

Tianfa nodded with a look of half-understanding, then mused once more, "As far as I know, my Martial Uncle Fansheng has never taken in disciples. You should not be a disciple of my Martial Uncle, correct?"

"I am not."

Baimu shook his head blankly, replying with an awkward expression, "I am not a disciple of Senior Fansheng. Surely you must have heard the name Baimu?"

"Baimu?"

Tianfa immediately furrowed his brows. The previously serene expression on his face instantly darkened, and with a trace of rising irritation, he sternly rebuked, "Could it be that you are the fiend Baimu who massacred the disciples of my Guixu sect?"

"No, no, no."

Seeing that Tianfa still harbored some misunderstandings about him, Baimu hurriedly tried to clarify, "Venerable Tianfa, you have truly misunderstood. I never harmed Xiuji or Wushang. It was the Gray Crane Ancestor from the Abyss of Cangwu who framed me behind the scenes. I beg the Venerable to investigate and discern the truth!"

"Is that so?"

Tianfa swept his gaze across Baimu like two burning torches, questioning him with an icy expression, "What about when you broke the Nine Extremes Demon-Slaying Sword Array of my sect on the back mountains of Guixu? Did you not kill Guixu disciples then?"

"This... I..."

Pressed by this interrogation, Baimu, usually sharp-tongued and articulate, suddenly found himself at a loss for how to respond.

While Wushang's death was undeniably a frame-up by the Gray Crane Ancestor, when he broke the Nine Extremes Demon-Slaying Sword Array on Mount Fuyu, he had indeed accidentally killed the Guixu disciple guarding the formation. That was an undeniable fact.

Harboring lingering guilt in his heart, Baimu could only stand frozen in place without a word.

Seeing a look of remorse on the young man in white before him, Tianfa pressed on relentlessly with an angry, accusatory tone, "Burning Dayong 集, and assassinating the Immortal of Xuanyuan Sword—surely those were also fine deeds done by you, Baimu?"

"And just a few days ago, did you not go to the Southern Wilderness?"

"Yes... yes, I went to the Southern Wilderness, but I went there to..."

Before Baimu could finish his defense, Tianfa impatiently waved his hand to stop him. "There is no need for excessive defense. You need only answer this Eminence: was the annihilation massacre of Fuxi Village your handiwork?"