Faced with Zhou Qing's inquiry, Lu Yaoyao shook her head triumphantly.

"Last time we returned from the border, you always made a detour to the academy to inquire about Luo's news."

"Today, that Ji Xifeng said he was entrusted by Lin Daochen's Master Lin, I guess there must be a clue about Luo."

Zhou Qing rubbed his forehead helplessly, still trying to persuade: "This trip might be dangerous, you should stay with Master Lu and focus on your cultivation..."

"Master Lu and the others are too busy right now, I can't even meet them." Lu Yaoyao pouted.

"And last time in Kunpeng Palace, you said that I am your little lucky star."

She blinked, "Maybe bringing me along will make it easier to find Senior Sister."

Zhou Qing hesitated after hearing this.

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao already spotted the old hen standing on Zhou Qing's shoulder, and immediately stomped her foot in mock anger: "You'd rather take a chicken with you than me, right?"

The old hen seemed to understand, dissatisfiedly "clucked" and pecked at Zhou Qing's ear with its beak.

"Alright, alright, let's go together." Zhou Qing finally compromised.

Lu Yaoyao immediately beamed with joy and patted her chest in assurance: "I am now at the Late Stage of Nascent Soul Realm, and my Realm has some semblance, I won't hold you back."

Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly, took out the Flying Ship, and after they boarded, headed to the Teleportation Array of Lingyun Mansion...

...

Two months later!

A dust-covered Flying Ship slowly descended outside the White Jade Taixu Courtyard.

Zhou Qing put away the Flying Ship and looked at the desolate scene in front of him, feeling a tightness in his chest.

The once bustling academy was now deserted.

Yellow fallen leaves covered the green stone steps, untended.

Wild vines climbed over the courtyard walls, and several half-open windows creaked in the wind.

The whole academy resembled an aging old man, quietly awaiting his final moments.

"How could it be like this..." Lu Yaoyao murmured softly, unconsciously clenching her palm.

In fact, the day after Lu Yuanzhi arrived at Taiqing Sect, Zhou Qing had a detailed conversation about the academy with her.

According to Master Lu, the dean Weng Yunqi was not from the Holy Martial Dynasty, but likely a powerful figure from the Fifth-level Cultivation Country, the Celestial Fate Sacred Dynasty.

He came here only to heal, and now that his injuries have healed, it is natural for him to return home.

As for why the academy was to be disbanded, the reasons were unknown.

When she followed her eldest sister to Taiqing Sect, many mentors had already been poached by other sects with high salaries.

And the students returned home one after another after the Vast Mansion, Southwest Two Domains battle ended.

Now—

As Zhou Qing's Divine Sense swept over, the large academy was empty.

Most of the disciples had already left, only a few scattered figures were still lingering, seemingly reluctant to leave this former place of cultivation.

"Let's go." Zhou Qing said softly, then led Lu Yaoyao familiarly to Lin Daochen's residence.

Turning a few corridors, the sight made Zhou Qing's heart ache.

In the small courtyard where Master Lin resided, he held a broom, sweeping the fallen leaves scattered all around.

This former spirited Array Master now seemed slightly hunched from behind.

"If it doesn't work out, just invite him to Taiqing Sect." Zhou Qing secretly decided.

Just then, Lin Daochen, sensing something, slowly lifted his head.

When he saw who had come, his cloudy eyes suddenly lit up:

"You've come!"

The simple three words made Zhou Qing's nose sour.

He hurried forward, saluting alongside Lu Yaoyao:

"Greetings, Master Lin."

...

On the stone table in the courtyard, Lin Daochen took out an Imaging Stone emitting a faint blue light from his Storage Bag and gently pushed it in front of Zhou Qing.

Over the years, he had used many of his accumulated connections to inquire about Zhou Qing's second senior sister.

Just recently, someone accidentally got this image from a Golden Core Realm practitioner, in the picture appeared figures suspected to be Luo Lingling and the White Crane.

But Zhou Qing needed to see for himself to be sure.

Zhou Qing hurriedly grabbed the Imaging Stone, his fingertips slightly trembling.

As the Spiritual Power was infused, a blurred image projected into the air.

"Everyone watch closely, this is the exciting scene I risked my life to leave for you!"

A deliberately lowered voice of an elder came from the image, "Right now, it's a battle between Divinity Transformation Realm old monsters, look at this aura, this pressure…"

The image shook violently, vaguely showing an old man in a gray robe sneakily crouching among the stones.

As the image shifted, two figures flashed across the distance.

It was a man and a woman, also lurking at the battlefield's edge.

When the woman seemed to sense something and turned her head, Zhou Qing's heart almost stopped.

"Second Senior Sister!" he exclaimed.

The woman in the image making a "shh" gesture with her finger was none other than the long-missing Luo Lingling!

And in the image, many seemed to be engaged in battle, the elder only recorded for a while before being caught in the fighting, fleeing in panic.

Zhou Qing eagerly looked up: "Master Lin, where is this?"

Lin Daochen sighed softly, then slowly spoke.

"You should be aware of the situation on this side of Vast Mansion. Initially, it was a chaos among the six major sects of the Western Domain, but within just a year, it was suppressed and ended by the strongest, Mixed Element Sect."

"But shortly after, for unknown reasons, the Western Domain and the seven major sects of the Southern Domain inexplicably began fighting again."

"And the most intense and frequent battles occur at the junction of the Southwest Two Domains—Witch Ancestor Mountain Range."

Zhou Qing heard this and nodded silently.

Of course he knew this. At the time, after his Overbearing Realm took shape, he originally planned to strengthen and refine it by heading there to "schedule fights" for honing.

This was information revealed by Zhang Wanbao, saying that Divinity Transformation Realm experts frequently appeared there.

But just as he prepared to set off, Second Uncle returned.