However, the way things unfolded didn't completely follow Yu Xiaotang's script, as the chaotic variables of the secret realm began to assert themselves.
While she was secretly calculating her next move and leading the team into a hidden natural stone crevice deep in the rift valley to rest, the system map showed something off with the moving icons. The two light points representing Granny Hua and Xue Shouren had temporarily shaken off the pursuit of the three red points, but instead of returning quickly like she had expected, they were moving slowly and strangely toward the deeper parts of the Poison Miasma Swamp.
What made her expression shift even more was that the light point representing Granny Hua was flickering far more frequently and dimming much faster than the one representing Xue Shouren. It was as if her very existence was beginning to stutter and fail against the dark background of the map.
On top of that, the system feedback showed Granny Hua's life signs were plunging rapidly, the numerical values dropping in a terrifying countdown.
[Warning. Mark holder's life signs are fluctuating abnormally. Vitality is continuously draining and nearing the limit.]
"Damn it. What the hell happened to Granny Hua," Yu Xiaotang cursed inwardly, her eyes fixed on the flickering light. She immediately tried to establish a deeper link through the system mark to get more detailed information from the elder's mind.
What came back were only broken, chaotic fragments of intent filled with pain that echoed in her own consciousness. "Poison… swamp… can't escape… Xue Shouren…"
"Xue Shouren?" Her eyes narrowed as she processed the jagged thoughts.
Granny Hua's condition was critical, but those fragments mentioned the butcher by name. It didn't sound like a plea for help between allies. Instead, there was a raw fear and fury mixed into the mental resonance.
Was Xue Shouren carrying her while fleeing, or was there something wrong with the man himself?
The temporary loyalty mark had never worked particularly well on him to begin with, and at this distance, its feedback was even more blurred by the interference of the swamp's energy.
"System. Analyze Xue Shouren's life signs and emotional fluctuations," she ordered at once, her voice sharp in the silence of her mind.
[Analyzing. Marked target Xue Shouren signal is weak and affected by unknown energy interference. Unable to obtain detailed data. Last recorded status. Life signs show moderate injury. Emotional fluctuations are extremely intense. Detected peak surges of strong greed, struggle, and killing intent.]
Greed. Struggle. Killing intent.
A cold dread settled in her gut as she looked at the readout.
She instantly thought of the worst possibility for the missing elders. Xue Shouren, seeing Granny Hua gravely injured and on the brink of death, might have turned on her in the depths of the fog.
Was it to monopolize the Star Core Origin Essence fragment they had secured, or did he think she had become a burden and wanted to cut her loose to save himself? Or worse, did he intend to devour her cultivation to heal his own wounds?
"You bastard." Yu Xiaotang's face darkened until it looked like it could drip water, her anger palpable.
She had calculated everything, burned precious points to activate the system marks, and even risked leaking information to stir chaos, all to preserve these two Nascent Soul combatants for her own use.
She had never expected the biggest variable to come from inside her own team.
Xue Shouren really was an unreliable old monster who couldn't be trusted in a crisis.
Those sixty-two points of favorability were worthless in the face of massive profit and a life or death crisis that tested his loyalty.
"Young Sect Master… Granny Hua and the others…" A disciple cautiously watched her gloomy expression and asked tentatively, her voice trembling slightly.
The girl didn't know about the system marks, but she could sense something was very wrong from the chilling aura emanating from the Young Sect Master.
"They're in danger," Yu Xiaotang said coldly. "Granny Hua is heavily injured and on the brink of death. Xue Shouren might have developed other intentions that threaten her life."
As soon as she said that, the expressions of several core disciples changed as they realized the gravity of the situation.
Granny Hua held a high status in the Hehuan Sect and was one of the main combat forces for this secret realm expedition. If she fell, it would be a massive blow to the team's survival prospects.
As for Xue Shouren, his temperament was twisted, murderous, and greedy. Doing something like this wasn't impossible for a man of his nature.
"Then… should we go support them," a disciple asked hesitantly, her eyes wide with concern.
With their current strength, going deep into the Poison Miasma Swamp to save someone carried an enormous risk of total annihilation. But if they didn't act, the sect would lose its elders.
Yu Xiaotang fell silent, the only sound the distant dripping of water in the crevice. Her fingers tapped unconsciously against the cold rock as her gaze flickered with calculation.
Go save them?
The Poison Miasma Swamp was full of lethal danger, and if Xue Shouren really had betrayed them, he might even turn on her to keep his prize. With a group of Golden Core cultivators, could she deal with a mid stage Nascent Soul expert like him?
Don't go?
Let Granny Hua die, lose the Star Core Origin Essence fragment, and risk the butcher escaping with it or defecting to another force. The future trouble would be endless if he survived as a rogue agent.
"Young Sect Master…"
"Leave here immediately," Yu Xiaotang suddenly said, her voice cutting through the indecision. "Full speed. Move northeast to the Earthfire Magma Caverns."
"Then Granny Hua and the others…"
"I will handle it personally," she said as she stood up, a cold light flashing in her eyes. "You will wait at a safe point near the Earthfire Magma Caverns. Without my orders, you are not to act on your own. If I don't return within three days, wait half a year, then leave the secret realm on your own and report everything to the Sect Master."
"Young Sect Master, you can't," the disciples cried out in alarm, their faces pale. "You alone, it's far too dangerous."
They revered her, but they also knew she was the future hope of the Joyous Union Sect. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her person.
"My decision is final," Yu Xiaotang said in a tone that allowed no argument. "If Xue Shouren really dares to betray us, then the sect has to be cleansed of his presence. If Granny Hua can still be saved, she must be brought back. As for that Star Core Origin Essence fragment, it absolutely can't fall into outsiders' hands. If you follow me, you will only be dead weight in the swamp."
Her words were blunt and cruel, stripping away their illusions.
But everyone knew she was right. Facing a potentially traitorous mid stage Nascent Soul elder, Golden Core cultivators truly couldn't help and would only die in vain.
What they subconsciously ignored was that Yu Xiaotang herself was only at the Foundation Establishment stage right now. What could she use to stop a Nascent Soul expert?
The disciples exchanged looks. Seeing the icy resolve in her eyes, their hearts trembled. In the end, they clenched their teeth and said, "Yes. Young Sect Master, please be extremely careful. We will wait at the Earthfire Magma Caverns for good news."
"Mm." She nodded and said no more.
Her figure blurred as a faint system glow spread around her. Her presence instantly became elusive, as if she had merged with the surrounding environment, and she shot toward the Poison Miasma Swamp.
Her speed was far faster than usual, her feet barely touching the ground. She had clearly activated some kind of secret technique to bridge the gap.
Watching her disappearing back, the disciples felt a mix of complex emotions.
There was worry for her safety, and there was an indescribable sense of awe at her courage.
This Young Sect Master always seemed able to make the calmest and boldest decisions, venturing into danger alone to deal with the life and death of two Nascent Soul elders. That took an incredible amount of resolve and confidence in her own hidden methods.
At this moment, her heart was far from as calm as she appeared to her subordinates.
"System. Fully activate the concealment halo. Spare no points and make sure I can't be detected by any existence. At the same time, mark Granny Hua's life sign changes and track them in real time."
[Affirmative. Highest level Heavenly Secret Concealment Halo activated. Continuous point consumption in effect. Ten points per hour. Target Granny Hua life signs locked. Real time tracking active.]
[Warning. Target vitality continues to drain. Estimated time to critical point is within two shichen (around 4 hours).]
"Two shichen," she muttered to herself, her eyes icy as she accelerated again through the fog.
"Xue Shouren… you had better not actually do something stupid… otherwise…" She didn't finish the sentence, but the killing intent flashing through her eyes was completely undisguised.
Deep in the Poison Miasma Swamp, in a deathly silent region shrouded in pale green fog that smelled of decay.
"Cough… cough… pfft."
Granny Hua suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood that sizzled against the damp ground. Her face was as pale as paper. A horrifying penetrating wound ran through her chest and abdomen, the flesh torn and ragged. The edges were charred black and oozed an eerie dark green poison that was constantly eroding her vitality and melting her meridians.
She leaned against a dead giant tree, her eyes locked on the blood-robed figure not far ahead, his back turned to her and his aura equally unstable.
Xue Shouren.
"Xue Shouren… you're really… really something… cough…" Every word she spoke was accompanied by violent coughing and more blood. Her eyes were filled with venomous hatred and disbelief as she clutched her side.
"I trusted you… fought alongside you for years… and you actually… used me to take the blade…"