They did not stay among the ruins of Feng Ye Sect. The two of them quickly flew away from the area and headed toward Hongsu City.

With his speed, Gu Qinghe was certain they could arrive there in less than half an hour.

It was not only Feng Ye Sect that had suffered massive destruction.

Forests had been burned, the ground blackened, and rivers polluted.

As Gu Qinghe looked at the condition of the land, he truly wondered who was responsible for causing such destruction.

What Saint Yue said made sense. A disaster on this scale that affected more than just Feng Ye Sect was clearly caused by the combined assault of several sects.

He needed structured and clear information to uncover the root of this matter.

From afar, Hongsu City finally came into view. Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes and sped forward, his presence drawing the attention of nearby cultivators.

Following the city’s rules, Gu Qinghe and Saint Yue landed on the dirt road before the city gates.

They needed to go through inspection before being allowed inside.

Gu Qinghe’s attention shifted to the side as he looked at the cultivators around him.

They walked without strength, their faces pale, and dark bruises covered their bodies.

"I can sense corrupt energy inside them, Qinghe," Yue said.

"Is it the same as the one on Demon Screaming Abyss Star?"

"Weaker, but still dangerous," Yue replied.

Their steps stopped once Gu Qinghe reached the gate entrance.

He handed over his token, and the guards allowed Gu Qinghe and Yue to enter.

"You may enter," they ordered quietly.

He and Yue nodded. Gu Qinghe stored the identity token away again, and they entered Hongsu City.

The city was much larger than the small town near the Northern Mountains.

Many shops sold a wide variety of goods.

However, since Qinghe’s return, everything had changed.

Many shops were closed, and very few cultivators walked along the city’s main streets. Even those who did could barely move, stumbling weakly as they walked.

What exactly happened here?

"This is bad, Qinghe."

"Follow me, Yue."

He turned eastward and walked along the city streets. The Wang Clan residence was clearly located in the eastern part of Hongsu City.

From where he stood, Gu Qinghe could see that the Wang Clan residence was still there. However, it looked far quieter than usual.

"Is this your home?" Yue asked.

"More accurately, it’s my mother’s home."

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the Wang Clan gate. Footsteps sounded from inside.

A man appeared with a weary face, weak body, and constant coughing.

"Senior Daoist? Do you need something? We no longer have medicinal herbs left," the middle-aged man explained.

Gu Qinghe quickly reached forward, grabbed the man’s wrist, and placed two fingers against his pulse.

He sent spiritual qi into the man’s body. He could clearly see the man’s body polluted with iron particles and wood contaminants, preventing the qi in his meridians from flowing properly.

"What happened?" Gu Qinghe asked.

The middle-aged man’s eyes sharpened in focus and shock when he realized Gu Qinghe was standing at the gate, healthy and unharmed.

"You’re not sick, Young Master Gu?" the middle-aged man asked.

Gu Qinghe did not answer. Instead, he stepped into the Wang Clan residence and observed the polluted surroundings.

The trees no longer grew or bloomed properly. Leaves continuously fell onto the ground, while the trunks and branches looked brittle and weak.

The man raised his hand, creating qi light at his fingertips. His eyes glowed gold as he activated his cultivation eyes.

He swept his gaze around the area and saw tiny crimson-red evil particles floating everywhere.

If cultivators inhaled those evil particles, they would weaken and lose their cultivation base.

If mortals inhaled them, they could potentially die once the pollution became dense enough.

Gu Qinghe gathered qi light at his fingertips before flicking it to the side, triggering an explosion.

A burst of golden qi erupted, pushing away the corrupt energy particles and cleansing the air.

"Help me with the trees, Yue."

"I understand."

Yue gracefully formed hand seals before directing her golden qi toward every tree within the Wang Clan residence.

Each golden qi orb that struck a tree caused a golden rune to appear beneath it.

With a wave of her hand upward, the trees immediately grew fully and bloomed, producing fresh air and natural qi.

Gu Qinghe acted differently. He flew into the sky and fired rune arrays toward four separate points, creating a containment and spiritual gathering formation.

Golden rune arrays appeared in the sky and showered the residence complex with qi.

The outer walls of the formation became sturdy enough to block the evil particles from the corrupt energy.

Several clan members stepped outside and saw Gu Qinghe floating in the sky with powerful golden qi radiating from his body.

There were a total of forty-nine Wang Clan members.

All of them had been infected by corrupt energy to varying degrees. Some were lightly affected, while others were already in life-threatening condition.

"Gu Qinghe? That’s Young Master Qinghe!"

"He’s finally back. Thank goodness he’s safe."

Gu Qinghe turned downward and descended slowly. He landed in the clan residence courtyard, standing directly beside Yue.

Gu Qinghe brought his hands together and lowered his head respectfully.

"Greetings, Uncles and Aunts!"

"Your cultivation has reached Nascent Soul, even Mid Nascent Soul."

"While everyone else suffered cultivation decline because of the evil air, you managed to break through," one of the men praised.

Gu Qinghe smiled, pointing toward the qi gathering formation and telling those with lighter symptoms to begin cultivating.

"The air is filled with corrupt energy. Spiritual qi cannot handle it. You need natural qi, which is aggressive against dark qi."

"Yue," Gu Qinghe called as he handed her an empty token.

"Store a simple natural qi gathering cultivation technique inside that token. Let them learn it."

"Of course, Qinghe," Yue replied.

He turned forward again as they thanked him for coming to save them.

"Where is Mother?" Gu Qinghe asked.

They exchanged glances with each other before a man stepped forward. It was none other than the Wang Clan Head, Wang Hao.

"Your mother was already taken away by Gu Zhen back to Gu Sheng City."

"What?!"

"But why?" Gu Qinghe asked.

Wang Hao fell silent for a moment before inviting Gu Qinghe to discuss Wang Yunxi’s situation inside his room. Gu Qinghe nodded.

Once they arrived inside the clan leader’s hall, Wang Hao began explaining everything.

"That’s because the Demon Abyss Sect Alliance has been formed."

"The Demon Abyss Sect Alliance?" Qinghe asked in confusion.

"Demonic cultivators attacked the Song Kingdom five years ago, spreading corrupt energy and weakening us."

"The reason we allowed Wang Yunxi to leave... was because the Gu Clan has already cooperated with them."

"What?!"