The rest of the people saw that Gui Liugang and the scholar with the Blood Hand Flying Sickle had already walked into the courtyard first. After looking at each other, they followed one after another. Li Yan was the last to take a step forward.
As he walked out of the room, he inadvertently saw the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had returned from patrol walking towards Taoist Gong, and then handed a jade slip to Taoist Gong.
There was only a slight fluctuation of Taoist Gong's spiritual consciousness, and then his eyes looked at the two men in black robes in front of him. The two men in black robes seemed to sense something, and one of them even tilted his head slightly, revealing a smile on the corner of his mouth under the shadow of his cloak.
All this happened very quickly, but was seen by only a few people including Li Yan and Sect Leader Yue.
Li Yan saw clearly that the jade slip must contain the information left by him and others when they entered the Taoist temple. Although it was difficult to tell whether the information was true or false, as long as he paid attention, he could still guess some of it.
Even if you follow the clues, you can find the root cause. For example, his identity as a member of the Blood Leaf Sect would definitely be exposed if he really went to the Blood Leaf Sect to investigate.
As soon as Gui Liu arrived in the courtyard, he began to look at the points where the formation was laid out along the courtyard wall. From time to time, he released his spiritual sense, closed his eyes and sensed it carefully. Sometimes he squatted down to take a look, and sometimes he even released his magic power and knocked on the ground or wall with his hands.
Those who practice Taoism all know a little about formations, and the others also released their spiritual senses to detect in the courtyard. Li Yan had recently studied puppetry and had also dabbled in some knowledge of formations, so he had gained some knowledge of formations.
So, he also started to watch in the courtyard. Of course, if one were to watch like this, unless he was a person who was extremely proficient in formations, it would be impossible to learn the essence of other sects' formations from it.
Therefore, most people here just check whether the formation has any obvious signs of damage.
After Li Yan turned around, with his knowledge of formations, he found nothing unusual except that there were traces of bombardment on the front of the courtyard gate.
The eight spirit stone slots that drove the formation in the courtyard eventually ran out of spiritual energy and turned into balls of gray powder after the formation was attacked vigorously. This shows how fierce Luo Sanpang's attack was at that time.
After Gui Liugang finished the circle, he still had a puzzled look on his face. After thinking for a long time, he spoke.
"Fellow Daoist Gong, there is nothing wrong with this formation. At least I can't find any problem. Apart from the explosion points on the front of the formation, which were caused by external attacks, all other signs indicate that no one has modified the formation's restrictions, so it is possible to sneak in and out.
In other words, no one should be able to break the restriction and leave from the inside. After the formation was activated, the entire courtyard was like a cage, and even escaping through the earth was a fantasy.
I think it would be impossible to find clues from the formation, so it would be better to focus on the cause of the death of Junior Brother Liu.
I remember that Junior Brother Liu's heart was broken, but there was still some spiritual power left. Can we find the corresponding skills from it?"
After listening to this, Taoist Gong glanced at Gui Liugang and nodded after a while.
This time he was just using Gui Liugang's formation to see if there were any other discoveries. They had checked several times before and found the same thing.
He is the head of Xuanqing Temple. Although Xuanqing Temple has declined, the art of formation is still passed down from generation to generation. In fact, his formation is several times stronger than that of Gui Liugang. He just holds the idea that he can learn from others' experience to improve himself.
Li Yan was originally standing in a corner of the courtyard, thinking about all the strange things here. For a moment, he was also confused by the questions that Taoist Gong had raised before.
The murderer could have entered here through someone he knew who had deceived him into trusting him, but after killing someone, how could he have left a cage-like place without any exit and yet the formation was not damaged at all, as if he had disappeared out of thin air
This matter is weird. Should I really find an opportunity to take the Wuliang Sect token and leave
While he was thinking, Gui Liugang's words came into his ears, which made Li Yan's body tremble slightly. It was as if a flash of lightning passed through his mind, and he remembered a passage he had read in some classics.
He could not help but probe the dead Taoist in the house again with his spiritual sense, and he did not hide his actions this time. After listening to Gui Liugang's words, many of the cultivators here felt that it made a lot of sense, and they all probed into the house with their spiritual senses.
Li Yan's spiritual sense swept over, then probed the wound on Senior Brother Liu's heart, and then expanded to the surroundings again.
After a moment, although there was no change in his expression, he was already surprised in his heart.
And just as everyone was investigating again with their spiritual sense, the young man in purple who seemed to be the master of the pair of master and servant was standing to one side of the crowd, muttering something in a low voice.
"Xiren..."
His words were almost inaudible. Although a few people around heard them, they all thought he was just talking about the attacker. However, Li Yan had always had a trace of spiritual awareness paying attention to this place, and he heard it clearly, and was shocked.
He couldn't help but look up at the young man in purple, and at the same time he looked over there, the hunchbacked old man who had always been a little dull also raised his head and looked at Li Yan with a pair of turbid eyes.
Li Yan was shocked. He didn't expect that the hunchbacked old man was so sensitive. He was noticed by the other party just as he looked at something. However, his expression remained the same. He calmly moved his gaze to another place, as if he had passed by it inadvertently.
At the same time, he had already made a judgment in his mind about this hunchbacked old man whose cultivation level he could not see through. He could not detect his spiritual sense, and he had such a response from his casual glance just now, so his cultivation level might be the great perfection of foundation building.
Even if he was a Jindan cultivator like Taoist Gong, Li Yan felt a little relieved after roughly judging the other party's strength.
Soon, his mind was focused on his recent discovery. He stood aside and lowered his head to meditate.
Just as everyone was examining the Taoist's body again, Gui Liugang spoke again.
“The spiritual power fluctuations on your junior brother’s wound should be wood-attributed spiritual power, and it should also contain water spiritual power at the same time. Although the edge of the wound seems to be shattered, it shows that the spiritual power is extremely overbearing.
But these fragments are all covered with water mist, making the edges of the fragments look sharp, but also rounded, as if they were pierced through. "
"Well, I guess the result is the same as Brother Gui's. At the same time, this magic should be a wisp of wind from the fingers, not the palm or fist. All the cracks on the heart are formed by the force from one point spreading out to the four directions."
Sect Leader Yue also spoke.
"That should be the case. In this case, the murderer must at least have wood and water spiritual roots, or be carrying wood and water magic weapons to kill."
The scholar with the Blood Hand and Flying Scythe also gently waved his folding fan and spoke softly, but as he opened the fan, the strong and somewhat disgusting smell of blood once again filled everyone's nose, causing many people to frown slightly, but he didn't care at all.
With the judgment of these three foundation-building monks, the other outside monks stopped talking.
For a moment, the courtyard fell silent. Everyone here who could cultivate to such a level must be a smart person. The words of these three people had already pointed out that the murderer was at least a cultivator of the Wood and Water Departments. This could be known with a simple search.
But this only narrows the scope, and cannot completely rule out that it was done by cultivators with other spiritual roots. Just as the scholar Blood Hand Fei Lian said, magic weapons of the wood and water series can also cause such a result.
But they are not people from the Taoist temple like Qin Chengyi just now. Everyone has his own life-saving trump card, most of which are kept in storage bags. How can they be known to outsiders
What's more, there may be other secrets in the storage bag, such as wealth and property, which cannot be known to outsiders.
Unless the monks of Xuanqing Temple used their cultivation to force others to check, but in this case, even Xuanqing Temple could not do it. Li Yan sighed in his heart. He could let these Taoists check his storage bag. Anyway, his important things were placed in the soil spots. No matter how they looked, it would be fruitless. However, he had five elements of mixed spiritual roots, so he could not escape the wood and water elements anyway.
Taoist Gong frowned, but for a moment, he couldn't really suggest checking other people's storage bags. The few Qi Condensation cultivators were okay, as they wouldn't dare to resist, but these foreign Foundation Establishment cultivators gave him a headache.
If one is not careful, the other party will really turn against him immediately. For example, the scholar with the Blood Hand and Flying Scythe is also from a second-rate sect. Once he offends him, it will not be a problem just for him, but it is very likely that the entire sect will be offended.
After thinking for a while, he bowed to everyone.
"Fellow Daoists, let's put it this way. As long as you can give me a convincing reason, you can leave later, and the transportation fee will be waived as well, as an apology for the offense I've caused you today."
When he said these words, his voice was low, but his eyes became sharp.
“If you can’t give me a convincing reason, then please stay here. Since I can’t figure out how the murderer kills people here, I will wait until Master returns tomorrow evening. Then everything will be clear.
When the result comes out, if it really has nothing to do with this Taoist friend, then similarly, not only will the spiritual stones for this transmission be waived, but my Taoist temple will also have some other compensation. I hope that you will forgive me for any offense I have caused.
But I have to be frank with you. If any of you forcibly leave at this time, I will be offended."
When Master Gong spoke up to this point, his tone was already extremely cold.
After hearing this, Li Yan and others fell silent again, but someone soon spoke up.
"Fellow Daoist Gong, my two disciples and I have been in the hall since the beginning, and later on, Fellow Daoist Gui came in to testify.
When everyone was gathered, we walked out of the hall directly and left the courtyard with Fellow Daoist Lin and others. All this can be witnessed by your two servants.
Moreover, with our lowly cultivation level, we are incapable of creating a clone that only Nascent Soul cultivators can do. "
The person who spoke was Yue, the head of the Qinggu Sect. He revealed that he had been in the lounge, and with the cultivation level of him and his two disciples, they did not have the ability to create clones to go out and kill people.
What he said was true. If one wanted to refine a clone, apart from some special techniques, which might be possible in the Jindan stage, only Yuanying monsters had this ability. This meant that the three of them who remained in the hall must be their real bodies.
As long as someone can prove that the three of them never left the hall from beginning to end, that will be enough.
When Taoist Gong heard this, he turned his gaze to Gui Liugang, who just smiled slightly.
"That's true. When I entered the hall, Sect Leader Yue and his two disciples were already there. My nephew and I also stayed in the hall until we left. Sect Leader Yue and the servant can also testify to this."
In this way, the two of them had mutual evidence, and Gui Liugang only admitted that after he came, Master Yue and his disciples had not left, and his words were flawless.
Soon, the two blue-clothed servants outside the hall were called over.
After looking at the two groups of people, the two blue-clothed servants nodded repeatedly. These people were always in their sight. Even if one of them went to call the monk in the side room, the other would always be guarding outside the hall door.
Taoist Gong called Hall Master Ji, who was in charge of the rules and regulations of Xuanqing Temple and the investigation of the disciples' entry. After looking at the two servants, Hall Master Ji whispered to Taoist Gong.
"There is absolutely no problem with the origins of these two disciples, um, but please wait for a moment, Master Brother."
Then, in the frightened eyes of the two green-clothed servants, Hall Master Ji led the two out of the courtyard. Half an incense stick later, Hall Master Ji walked in with a normal expression and nodded to Taoist Gong.
Except for some Qi Condensation cultivators here, how could the Foundation Establishment cultivators not know what Hall Master Li had just done? He must have used some kind of magic to confuse the minds of the two servants and make them tell the truth.
Although the Foundation Establishment cultivators do not have the soul-searching method of the Golden Core cultivators, they do have techniques to make people lose their minds. They will answer whatever you ask, without any lies at all.
However, this kind of spell is only suitable for when there is a huge difference in the cultivation level between the two people. These two servants are only at the second level of Qi Condensation Stage, so there will be no problem at all for Master Ji.
"Oh, in this case, Sect Leader Yue and Fellow Daoist Gui are innocent."
Taoist Gong nodded. As long as there was sufficient evidence, he would not offend a foundation-building cultivator.
"Please wait for a moment, fellow Taoists and your disciples. We will leave with the others later."
Taoist Gong bowed to Sect Leader Yue and Gui Liugang respectively, and then turned his gaze to the rest of the people. The other Taoists of Qingxuan Temple behind him also had sharp eyes and stared at the rest of the people.
As the scope narrowed, the possibility that the remaining person was the murderer became greater and greater, and they naturally hoped that the murderer would show up soon.
A foundation-building cultivator is too important to a second-rate sect. They have long regarded the murderer as a person who must be killed, and they can't wait to find him immediately and make him live a life worse than death.
Especially since Senior Brother Liu’s previous generation was related to the Master, when the Master comes back and learns about this, I don’t know what kind of punishment they will receive. If the murderer is found, there will be an explanation.
Otherwise, they will be greeted with the wrath of thunder, which is not something they are willing to endure.
"I have been meditating and resting in the side room. During this time, no one has testified. Hehehehe... Do Fellow Daoist Gong and Hall Master Ji think that this was done by Lin?"
The scholar with the bloody hand and flying sickle saw Taoist Gong looking at him and couldn't help but sneer and speak.
After hearing this, Taoist Gong thought for a moment and spoke slowly.
"In fact, from the beginning, Fellow Daoist Lin, I have never considered you as a suspect. Anyone who knows Fellow Daoist Lin knows that the technique you practice is special. It is the secret of the Blood Hand Sect, the Burning Sea of Blood.
Whether you are using magic weapons or magic, they will be filled with strong blood energy, and your spiritual roots are the three types of spiritual roots with fire as the main one, and there are no water spiritual roots.
Master Ji is more familiar with this. When you two were young, you both participated in many sect competitions together. "
In response to what Taoist Gong said, Master Ji on the other side nodded slightly. He had fought with Blood Hand Flying Scythe many times, and both sides were very familiar with each other's skills.
What's more, the Blood Hand Flying Scythe has been famous for a long time, and there are no secrets among many veteran foundation builders.
Upon seeing this, the Blood Hand Flying Scythe scholar said no more and looked at the remaining people with interest.
The only remaining people were the master and servant, two men in black robes, a middle-aged couple in the Qi Condensation stage, and Li Yan who had been standing in the corner.