Hurriedly arriving at the former site of the Blood Sword Sect, now the new location of Mingyue Valley, Mu Jinyu gazed at the scene of scorched earth and ruin before him, and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
Wen Rou was also taken aback, turning to see the uncontrollable anger and self-reproach on Mu Jinyu's face. She quickly comforted him, saying, "Things might not be as terrible as you think. Perhaps Ji Li and the others realized something was wrong and left early."
Hearing this, Mu Jinyu found the suggestion reasonable. He then suppressed his fury and inquired around nearby, indeed obtaining quite a few clues.
Some said that when the Dragon Head Leader was being pursued by the Wu Family and other forces, the Sect Leader of Mingyue Valley, seeing the unfavorable situation, decisively departed Yan Kingdom with the entire faction.
Others said they didn't leave Yan Kingdom but went to the Heavenly Sword Faction, so the two sects could look out for each other.
Opinions varied, but without exception, when the various forces led by the Wu Family arrived at Mingyue Valley, they truly couldn't find the real disciples of Mingyue Valley. There were only a few stray cultivators, seeing Mingyue Valley's departure, who thought they had nothing to do with Mu Jinyu, occupied the mountain gate, and were subsequently killed by the Wu Family and others in a fit of anger...
"That girl Ji Li is indeed clever; she should be fine."
Upon hearing this news, Mu Jinyu felt slightly relieved, self-consciously comforting himself.
"It's just unfortunate that the new ruler of Yan Kingdom was implicated in this matter, ultimately leading to the destruction of the entire Yan Kingdom, alas..."
"Yes, at that time, when the King of Yan learned that Mu Jinyu had captured the position of Dragon Head Leader and moved the Dragon Vein to Yan Kingdom, he thought it was divine favor and sent gifts to the Heavenly Sword Faction to congratulate. Who would have known, it was this reason that brought the disaster of annihilation."
"It's not just about the gifts; the reason that the final ruler of Yan could ascend was also related to Mu Jinyu, which is why they were implicated."
The group shifted topics again, starting to discuss with regret and pity.
Mu Jinyu stood there stunned, not expecting that Yan Ran was already dead, not only dead, but the entire Yan Kingdom was already annihilated...
His heart was filled with discomfort and self-reproach.
If Yan Kingdom was destroyed, then what about Yan Chengyun, who once enabled him to initially comprehend the Domain, Yan Kingdom's first National Scholar, had he also sacrificed himself to protect Yan Kingdom?
Upon inquiry, Mu Jinyu learned that indeed, Yan Chengyun went down with Yan Kingdom, sacrificing himself and resting in peace in the green mountains.
'Why did it turn out like this? Clearly, I had no close ties with Yan Ran or Yan Chengyun. When I went to Yan Kingdom, it was just at Yan Ran's invitation to see the Heaven's Pride of other countries. Why did they have to be implicated?'
Mu Jinyu's fingers grew cold, trembling slightly, as he tried hard to suppress the rage surging within his heart.
If it were because of him that the Heavenly Sword Faction and Mingyue Valley got involved, he would be furious but could understand it, as these two sects were indeed closely related to him. The Heavenly Sword Faction was his teacher's sect, and Mingyue Valley was rebuilt under Ji Li's direction at his behest...
But Yan Ran, Yan Chengyun, what close bond did they have with him?
Their interactions were at most once or twice, yet they too were implicated, which truly made him outrageously angry!
And next, a comment made with a slightly helpless tone almost made Mu Jinyu utterly lose control.
"What is the tragedy of Yan Kingdom compared to Beixue Mountain Villa? It's nothing at all!"
"Indeed, the King of Yan and others had some ties with Mu Jinyu, so they could be reluctantly considered as implicated, but Beixue Mountain Villa truly had no relationship with Mu Jinyu and was even in competitive relations with the Heavenly Sword Faction. But because of the interactions between our Yan Kingdom's Four Great Sects during the Four Sects Martial Meeting, they were also settled with."
"The villa master of Beixue Mountain Villa probably died without understanding. Clearly, they had no relationship with Mu Jinyu. Their disciples were even completely suppressed by Mu Jinyu and Yun Ge during the Four Sects Martial Meeting, and they probably planned to find payback in the future. Who knows, hearing that Mu Jinyu was being pursued, they might have been delighted. But then, they too were implicated and such a large sect was annihilated."
"I heard some say it's like the powerful beings from those large factions declared they wouldn't just settle with friends of Mu Jinyu but anyone Mu Jinyu encountered along the way; even mortals had to be wiped out completely!"
"Wow, who would dare to have contact with that Dragon Head Leader in the future?"
"..."
Mu Jinyu, standing aside, grew angrier as he listened, never expecting that after the fall of Yan Kingdom, even Beixue Mountain Villa, a sect with no ties to him, was exterminated.
If he hadn't taken action to destroy the Blood Sword Sect back then, perhaps even the heavily antagonistic Blood Sword Sect would have unwittingly suffered in this unfolding disaster.
'All those who've had contact with me should be killed off completely, that's how it is, huh...'
Mu Jinyu clenched his fists, roaring and screaming within his heart.
Never before had his killing intent been so intense, wanting to truly unleash a massacre, to carve out a bright and just world.
"Whew... why do I suddenly feel so cold, and get goosebumps all over?"
"Yes, my body hair stood up too, my heart feels uncomfortable. It feels like some ferocious beast is watching us nearby."
As Mu Jinyu's killing intent burst forth uncontrollably, everyone in the inn felt a jolt, struggling even to speak properly.
Mu Jinyu quickly restrained his killing intent and afterward found out that the ones who destroyed Yan Kingdom and Beixue Mountain Villa were, besides the young disciples of the Wu Family, primarily a high-ranking offspring from the Divine Formation Sect.
The phrase about killing anyone who's had contact with him, even mortals, came from his very mouth!
'Well, well then, Divine Formation Sect, so malevolent. Fine, I've prepared to visit your mountain gate just like you, now I have more reason to head to your Divine Formation Sect first!'
Mu Jinyu struggled to regain his composure for a while, then left the inn, casting a deep glance in the direction of the Heavenly Sword Faction, before finding Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan to speed towards the Southern Domain where the Divine Formation Sect was located!
Two shichen later.
When Mu Jinyu passed by Demon Slaying City, his heart stirred, his expression growing colder.
He knew that since even Beixue Mountain Villa was destroyed, his past visit to Demon Slaying City to help the City Lord resist a beast tide was definitely known, and Demon Slaying City might not have fared any better.
He felt very troubled within, eventually stopping his steps and still heading in the direction of Demon Slaying City.
Though he already guessed that Demon Slaying City might have been affected, he still wanted to see how it was now.
Reaching a point not far from Demon Slaying City, he could see from afar that the once bustling city had long since collapsed, with nothing left. The ground was littered with the ruins and remnants, marked with black scorching traces of devastating fires, and a faint smell of burned flesh still lingered in the air.
"How did Demon Slaying City end up... like this..."
Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan stared blankly at the desolate scene, their eyes full of disbelief and deep sorrow.
"Alas..."
Mu Jinyu almost vomited blood, managing only to let out a long sigh full of desolation and helplessness, and then turned to continue towards the direction of the Divine Formation Sect!