Chapter 763: Death Investigation

Eliminating the second-in-command sent by the Outer Lands indeed boosted Ye Feng’s confidence greatly. It also meant that within their faction, the only one who could pose a threat to him was Shi Hun.

After sending Luo Yan and Jin Wen back to areas below level 250, Ye Feng returned to regions below level 300 to search for targets. Since the two didn’t have the divine ability enhancements he did, it would be difficult for them to survive in this area.

Unbeknownst to Ye Feng, while he was still wandering around the forest, a huge uproar had broken out in the Outer Lands.

“Elder Supreme, something terrible has happened!” A lowly member rushed into the council hall of the Devouring Clan.

At that moment, seven people were in the hall. The leader was an old man with white hair and beard, who was presiding over the meeting.

“Shi Ling, whose soul imprint has disappeared this time?” The old man frowned slightly and looked at the young man who had suddenly rushed in.

The young man was part of the Devouring Clan and responsible for guarding the soul imprints. A soul imprint was a mark left by a living person using their soul. Once the person died, the soul imprint would vanish. This young man, Shi Ling, was actually a messenger who reported on the lives and deaths of clan members.

Whenever he appeared, it never meant good news—hence why even the Elder Supreme with white hair and beard frowned.

“Elder Six… Elder Six… his soul imprint has disappeared!” After stammering for a while, Shi Ling finally explained what had happened. He had discovered it by chance while cleaning the Mortality Hall early in the morning.

“How is that possible?!” someone in the hall exclaimed in shock. “Elder Six isn’t weak either—his divine ability level is 230. Plus, with the clan leader by his side, it’s only possible if that old guy from the Heavenly Dao himself took action.”

“It’s not entirely impossible. It might not have been murder; perhaps he was killed by a secret realm,” said a man wrapped in a long robe in a deep voice. As soon as he spoke, no one else dared to speak up. This man was the Third Elder of the Devouring Clan—Shi Ying.

“That’s possible too,” the Elder Supreme nodded. “After all, it’s a peculiar realm closest to a legendary secret realm. Let me ask Shi Hun if he knows anything about this…”

The Elder Supreme picked up the communication stone. “Clan Leader, Elder Six is dead. What happened to you?”

A moment later, the communication stone rang. “We’re behind the gate. As soon as we teleported in, we lost contact. Are you sure he really died? That idiot might have challenged someone beyond his level and been killed by the secret realm…” Hearing this response, everyone present finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Elder, although he’s dead, don’t forget to retrieve that guy’s black hole,” the eldest priest reminded again. A short while later, the communication stone lit up again. “I know. I’ll go look for it right away.” After ending the call, Shi Hun swiftly defeated his opponent and left the area, frowning slightly. “Idiot, dying just by entering a secret realm? How has he survived all these years?” Though cursing under his breath, he returned to an area below level 300. Using the coordinates left by the soul imprint, Shi Hun quickly made his way there. Another advantage of the soul imprint was that it left behind the coordinates of the death site, aiding in uncovering the truth. In just a few moments, Shi Hun arrived at the coordinates. “Huh?” He looked around, but there was nothing unusual—not even a broken small branch, let alone a tree. “How is this possible?” This situation made Shi Hun frown. There were no signs of a struggle. If a beast had killed Shi Kong, there would surely be traces of battle. Beasts here attacked directly and never relied on surprise attacks to kill instantly; they had no such concept. Moreover, although Shi Kong’s Devouring Artistry was only at level 230, facing a beast with Artistry around level 300, he wasn’t guaranteed to win, but he certainly had a chance to fight back. It was impossible for him to be killed instantly by a beast. “Shi Kong’s death seems to be man-made…” Shi Hun’s frown deepened. “There are two possibilities: one is someone with a similar level of Devouring Artistry secretly attacked him. The other is that that guy, Tian Dao, did it himself. Aside from Tian Dao, no one in the human camp could kill Shi Kong in one round.” After conducting a preliminary analysis, Shi Hun closed his eyes and sensed the lingering energies in the area. “Devouring Artistry… Swordsmanship Artistry… Divine Eye Clan’s Artistry… There seems to be time fluctuations too…” After a long while, Shi Hun opened his eyes. “Could it be the Divine Eye Clan?! Why would they do this?” After calming his shock, Shi Hun reconnected the communication stone.

“Is there any result? What exactly happened?” The Grand Elder asked two questions in a row.
“I inspected the scene, and there were no signs of a struggle,” Shi Hun continued. “So it probably wasn’t done by the monsters in this forest. As for another thing, I also sensed residual energies in the vicinity—there were traces of the Devouring Art, the Swordway Art, the divine powers of the God-Eye Clan, and even fluctuations from the Time Art…”
Silence fell over the council hall.
After a long while, the Third Elder finally spoke again, “Are you saying it was done by someone from the God-Eye Clan?”
Hearing this, everyone turned to the communication stone, waiting for Shi Hun’s reply.
“Based on my investigation of the scene, it seems to be…” Though reluctant to admit it, the facts were clear—the divine powers of the God-Eye Clan were innate talents, usable only by them. Even if other races obtained the corresponding techniques, they couldn’t master them without the guidance of their bloodline.
“Did you get into a conflict with the God-Eye Clan while in that secret realm?” the Grand Elder asked further.
“No,” Shi Hun replied bluntly. “But I’m not sure. That brainless guy, Shi Kong, might have offended them. However, this time the God-Eye Clan sent only two people whose combined power level is only 180. Their strength is probably not enough to kill Shi Kong instantly. But it’s not impossible for them to be killed in a surprise attack. This is the only logical explanation for now.”
“I personally think the killer isn’t from the God-Eye Clan but humans…” The Third Elder spoke up again. Seeing everyone’s gaze on him, he continued, “Don’t look at me. I’m just sharing my feelings. Don’t ask me why.”
“Anyway, be careful there, and also keep an eye on those two from the God-Eye Clan,” the Grand Elder warned.
“I understand…” Shi Hun then ended the call and headed straight into the depths of the forest…