William released control over his Qi, deactivating Force Multiplier just as the Elders landed next to the dead body.

[Name: Bai Yun | Level: ?]

[Name: Meng Hui | Level: ?]

They were slightly older-looking cultivators in the Core Formation Realm, with nothing really standing out except for the sharp looks on their faces. A change from the either blank or pleasant expressions of most Elders of the Jade Healing Sect.

“You’re Wei Liang,” Meng Hui stated before staring at the body with the crushed neck, “What happened here?”

Mei Lingxi stepped back to stand slightly behind William, and with the way the Elders ignored her even though she had higher cultivation, they must have been aware that she had a status as an attendant.

He would need to provide the answers.

“A disciple defected from the sect,” William noted the look of surprise on the Elders’ faces, “He tried to use outsiders to steal some Soul Lotuses, and possibly drag me along with them.”

“Who is this disciple?” Bai Yun asked gruffly.

“Zheng Tao,” William spat, the hatred rising the moment he thought about him.

“Zheng Tao?” Bai Yin muttered before saying to his fellow Elder, “Wasn’t that the name of the disciple that applied to be the caretaker of the Jade Forest?”

“Yes,” Meng Hui replied with a frown, “The lecturers gave him glowing recommendations, so I gave him entry access to familiarize himself with the forest. But he would have no hope of touching a Soul Lotus without an Inner Court Elder being notified.”

The Elders turned and gave them suspicious looks.

“How did you two enter the forest? And how did the traitor know it was possible?” Meng Hui asked with narrowed eyes.

William had been angry beyond reason at a ‘friend’ defecting to the demons that gave him a nightmarish welcome to this world. The arrival of the Elders calmed him a little since he assumed they would be of help, but all they had done so far was be utterly useless.

It didn’t matter that they were Core Formation Realm cultivators. If they were stupid enough to question him when there was a trespasser that was left alive just for this reason, then he didn’t need to keep his ire held inside him.

Luckily, Mei Lingxi must have seen that.

“Young Master was given the freedom to explore any part of the Outer Court by Elder Yu. It must have included entry into the Jade Forest.”

The interjection also helped William cool his anger slightly.

“Elders,” William said with a strained voice, “If you have any questions, they can be directed to this one,” he pointed to the broken, yet alive, body of Ren Wushan, “I left him with his life exactly for that reason.”

The Elders glanced at each other before seeming to come to an agreement. Bai Yun took out a bottled vial full of white powder before sprinkling it on the dead body.

It disintegrated into a grayish pile of dust almost instantly under William’s shocked eyes. With the way Mei Lingxi seemed unsurprised, this wasn’t uncommon.

Bai Yin lifted Ren Wushan’s broken body using his Qi before flying back to the Outer Court without another word said to them, leaving Meng Hui behind.

“I’m Elder Meng,” he finally introduced himself, “Of the Punishment Hall. Disciple Wei, I can see you are displeased, but this matter is serious. We have never been so close to losing a Soul Lotus before.”

“I understand,” William didn’t, “More than that, there is something else that is worrisome about the group Zheng Tao defected to. The leader that came to pick him up claimed to use people as cultivation resources.”

“People?”

He didn’t get the reaction that he had expected. Instead of horror and shock, what he saw was just confusion.

“Yes, people,” William stressed, “To increase their own cultivation.”

“I see,” Elder Meng drawled, “So Zheng Tao was lured to abandon the sect by raving lunatics. What an idiot.”

William was about to activate Force Multiplier again, purely to try and pound some sense into the moron in front of him. No matter if it was practically suicide. However, under all the annoyance, he realized the group of depraved cultivators that used the souls of others to fuel their cultivation was not as well known as he assumed.

Again, Mei Lingxi came to the rescue.

“My Young Master was shocked, Elder Meng. They tried to lure him with promises of easy power. This might have been a way to convince him.”

“Of all the reasons to use,” Elder Meng scoffed, “Whatever it may be, Elder Yu has to take responsibility. Giving you two access to such an area is unheard of.”

William shared a look with Mei Lingxi when the Elder looked away. It almost sounded like Elder Yu getting into trouble was a cause to be happy.

It was another thing that was added to his mind about Elder Meng. It firmly put the man on his disliked persons list.

“Why did it take so long for help to arrive?” William asked, thinking of the convenient timing of the arrival. After the danger had passed.

“The Punishment Hall was only alerted by the one you killed. We cannot be dispatched with every Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator that passes the border. There are far too many instances of that.”

“Even when they were so close to the Jade Forest?” He asked skeptically. If the Soul Lotus was so important, why was there such an uncaring attitude toward trespassers? Especially when there were supposedly Jade Trees that were stolen occasionally.

“That is precisely the reason we don’t care,” Elder Meng gave him a strange look, “Entering the Jade Forest is a possible death sentence for sect members who do not have permission. As for outsiders under the Core Formation Realm, they are instantly killed by the protections before they even have the chance to reach the area where the Jade Lotus is planted.”

William stared at him in shock before looking at Mei Lingxi. “Sister Lingxi, did you know this about the Jade Forest?”

“No, Young Master. What Zheng Tao told you seemed suspect, but I didn’t know enough to contradict him.”

“Explain,” Elder Meng ordered.

“Zheng Tao claimed the Jade Forest was well known,” William explained, “And thieves occasionally steal Jade Trees to sell in the surrounding kingdoms.”

“A laughable claim,” Elder Meng sneered, “There hasn’t been any theft in nearly a thousand years.”

“I’m starting to understand that,” Willam admitted with a quieter voice. He finally recalled where he had learned about the Jade Forest.

Zheng Tao.

It had been around a week after the tutoring started. He remembered how the traitor asked him how he could access any manuals, even ones that were meant for higher cultivation, without spending any sect points.

William had told him that Elder Yu had given him a pass that waived those requirements. Perhaps the idea of the Jade Forest had been planted in Zheng Tao's mind since that moment.

“No matter,” Elder Meng said, “An Elder of the Punishment Hall from the Inner Court is being summoned. You two will remain here with me until his arrival. In silence. The decision of what to do will be left to him.”