Winter drew near.

A bleak autumn wind blew as the temperature plummeted.

Pearly-white snowflakes drifted down, gathering in a thin layer upon the eaves.

"What... close the case?!" Bai Xiuying exclaimed, stunned.

"But the real culprit behind the outer city murders is still at large! We’ve only managed to capture a dozen or so demonic cultivators..."

"Why close the case under these circumstances?!"

Bai Xiuying’s sharp brows shot up, and she clenched her fists.

Sikong Xin stood by the glazed window, dressed in a greyish-white Daoist robe, looking relaxed and elegant.

He gazed out at the falling snow, holding a cup of steaming Spirit Tea.

Hearing this, Sikong Xin turned and sighed.

"Miss Bai, you are also aware..."

"There have been no leads in these hundreds of murder cases. Even the Nine Rites Spirit Testing Talisman has turned up nothing..."

"The culprit’s power... I’m afraid they’re at the Crystal Realm!"

"They are most likely a heretical master from the Outer Sea, like Jiuyuan..."

Sikong Xin shook his head, a flicker of trepidation in his eyes.

"Given the current situation in the sea regions... it’s best to be tolerant of such heretical masters and avoid conflict if possible..."

At the mention of the sea regions, Bai Xiuying’s eyes darkened, her expression turning somber.

Weiyuan Immortal City might seem mighty and grand, appearing to rival the Cyan Profound Sect.

However, the Immortal City was suffering in silence.

After all, the Cyan Profound Sect had dominated the sea regions for hundreds of years. Their influence ran incredibly deep.

Especially after Zhaoxia’s fall, the Cyan Profound Sect, feeling the sting of a personal loss, had seen its internal conflicts temporarily subside.

This freed them up to employ various tactics to suppress Weiyuan Immortal City.

During these seemingly peaceful and calm years, a dark undercurrent was stirring, and the Immortal City had suffered several setbacks in silence.

Even the decennial Grand Auction had been postponed until now...

Sikong Xin continued.

"Besides, this killer knows where to draw the line."

"There haven’t been any more murders in the outer city recently..."

"The person has most likely left Weiyuan Immortal City... At this point, there’s no reason to continue the investigation."

"As for the dozen or so demonic cultivators we captured, pick an auspicious day and execute them publicly... That will serve as an explanation for the Loose Cultivators of the outer city."

"Let’s just close the case," Sikong Xin said coolly.

"Hn..."

After a moment of hesitation, Bai Xiuying chose to obey.

"Yes..." She nodded.

Sikong Xin smiled, satisfied, and continued.

"Next, our focus should be the Grand Auction..."

At the mention of the Grand Auction, Sikong Xin’s expression grew much more serious.

As a center of trade that gathered rare treasures from across the sea regions, the Grand Auction had always been an effective tool for Weiyuan Immortal City to expand its influence.

And this time, being the first Grand Auction held since their falling-out with the Cyan Profound Sect, its significance was even more critical!

"This time, we plan to sell a Crystal Realm-grade Spiritual Object at the Grand Auction..."

"We’ll use it to boost our influence and win over the Foundation Establishment families in the sea regions who are dissatisfied with the Cyan Profound Sect... gaining allies for the Immortal City..."

Bai Xiuying listened intently as Sikong Xin laid out his plans.

A short while later, Bai Xiuying bowed and took her leave.

She walked down the corridor, her crystalline eyes glinting as she watched the snowflakes drift past the window.

As she gazed at the snowy scenery, a faint sense of unease crept into her heart.

’This feeling again... this unease...’

Bai Xiuying frowned, clutching at her chest.

She could feel her heart beginning to pound.

For some reason, her thoughts turned to the victims of the outer city murders and their gruesome deaths.

’Has the killer... really left the Immortal City?’

Bai Xiuying furrowed her brow, asking herself the question.

’What Mr. Sikong said should be true...’

’And it’s true that there haven’t been any more murders...’

’Forget it... I should just go back and cultivate. My training has felt much easier recently, and the bottleneck to Late-stage Foundation Establishment feels like it’s loosening a little...’

Bai Xiuying mumbled to herself as she thought.

But just then, something moved in the corner of her eye.

Bai Xiuying glimpsed a deathly pale figure standing on the eaves not far away!

But when she turned to look, there was nothing there.

"Hm?"

A look of surprise crossed her beautiful eyes.

...

The murders ceased.

The panic that had gripped the outer city in recent days began to subside.

The upcoming Grand Auction attracted numerous Loose Cultivators and clan cultivators to Weiyuan Immortal City.

Amid the winter snow, they added another layer of bustle to the city’s prosperity.

However...

Only a few people noticed.

Although the murders had stopped, the number of ’disappearance cases’ in the outer city was on the rise!

They seemed to be increasing at an unnatural rate.

But this didn’t cause any panic.

After all, given how cultivators operated, using a false identity when visiting Weiyuan Immortal City was perfectly normal.

Take the veteran rogue cultivators, for example, who came to the Immortal City, stained with blood, to fence their illicit goods.

They were all as cunning as ghosts and incredibly experienced.

Which of them wouldn’t use four or five different faces and seven or eight different identities while making their rounds to a dozen shops?

They were all slippery old dogs!

Even a normal Loose Cultivator selling resources and buying a Spiritual Object would use multiple identities to avoid being targeted by rogues.

With all this coming and going,

a single cultivator could easily be responsible for what appeared to be several missing persons cases...

And that’s not to mention the unsolved cases created by duels and deadly robberies between cultivators...

It was precisely because they understood these ’customs’ among cultivators so well

that Weiyuan Immortal City paid very little attention to cases of missing persons.

Moreover, with the Grand Auction approaching, a massive influx of cultivators poured into Weiyuan Immortal City, bringing with them a sea of false identities that appeared and vanished at a whim.

The increase in disappearances, therefore, caused not a single ripple.

...

「Several days later.」

Bai Xiuying opened her eyes, her expression darkening slightly as she sat cross-legged in her residence.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was hiding in the shadows, staring at her with a cold, malicious gaze.

This feeling of being watched made her extremely uncomfortable.

She let out a breath,

stood up, and summoned her Escape Light. She flew out of her residence and soared aimlessly through Weiyuan Immortal City.

By the time she came to her senses, she found herself looking down at a mansion with a high gate and stone carvings.

Bai Xiuying swept the area with her Divine Sense.

The two words ’Zhong Mansion’ appeared in her mind.

’The Zhong Mansion...?’

Something stirred in her heart, and she descended on her Escape Light.

...

CRUNCH.

A black boot, embroidered with gold thread, stepped onto the snow.

"So... this is the Zhong Mansion?"

The handsome, black-robed young man lifted his head, glancing at the old plaque.

"Yes, Mr. Su, this is the place..."

Zhou Liangcai huddled, a half-step behind Su Ye, and nodded.

He was about to step forward and knock for Su Ye, but was stopped by him.

Su Ye’s hand twitched, and Magical Power surged forth.

CREAK.

The gate, sealed by dust for ages, slowly swung open.

A cold, sinister air billowed out from the courtyard.

Su Ye’s eyes narrowed. He summoned the Frost Thorn Spear and strode inside.