The hall was in shambles, but it didn't look like the aftermath of a fierce battle.
Rather, it seemed as though some tremendous power had swept through the entire hall.
As for Zhao Hong, she had vanished without a trace.
"Lady Zhao Hong?!"
Seeing this scene, Han Xiu's face went deathly pale, and she panicked completely.
In her alarm, Han Xiu began calling out loudly, searching frantically in every direction.
But she couldn't find a single trace of Zhao Hong. The only lingering aura Zhao Hong had left behind was confined within the hall itself.
It was worth noting, however, that while there were signs of destruction, there was no blood.
"Senior, there's no need to keep searching. Zhao Hong has most likely been abducted," Chu Feng said.
"Abducted?"
"But who would dare abduct Lady Zhao Hong?"
"Lady Zhao Hong didn't have many enemies when she returned this time."
"And the few enemies she did have were no match for her."
Han Xiu had already considered the possibility that Zhao Hong had been captured. But she couldn't think of anyone who would make a move against her. After all, none of those with a motive had the ability to defeat Zhao Hong.
"Could it be... them?"
"The Yun Kong Immortal Sect?"
Suddenly, Han Xiu spoke in a grave voice.
The Yun Kong Immortal Sect was the very group that had captured Yin Zhuanghong before. And on that day, there had also been some friction between the Yun Kong Immortal Sect and the Red Garment Sacred Ground.
"It seems you've also investigated the origins of those people, Senior," Chu Feng said.
When the people from the Yun Kong Immortal Sect had come to the Red Garment Sacred Ground that day, they hadn't revealed themselves. Neither Han Xiu nor Chu Feng and the others had known their true identities at the time. It was only later, after asking Long Daozhi, that Chu Feng had learned who they were — the people who had captured Yin Zhuanghong hailed from the Yun Kong Immortal Sect.
Now that Han Xiu could also name them, it meant she had done her own investigation into their origins.
"They took Zhuanghong from us, and I couldn't simply stand by and do nothing."
"But if it really was them, why would they only abduct Lady Zhao Hong without coming after us?"
"They clearly had the power to wipe the Red Garment Sacred Ground off the map."
Han Xiu's brow furrowed deeply as she wracked her mind.
"Could it be that man named Lian Xi?"
"He came for personal revenge?"
After a moment of deliberation, the only person she could think of was him.
Lian Xi was also a member of the Yun Kong Immortal Sect. On the day they had come to capture Yin Zhuanghong, Lian Xi had been at the forefront. His disdain for the Red Garment Sacred Ground — and for everyone else — had been the most blatant of all.
Moreover, Lian Xi had clashed with Zhao Hong.
In that brief exchange, it was Zhao Hong who held the upper hand. Had the experts of the Yun Kong Immortal Sect not intervened, Lian Xi would have continued the fight.
As a result, it was plain for everyone to see that Lian Xi harbored a deep grudge against Zhao Hong.
Back then, the Yun Kong Immortal Sect had possessed the power to level the Red Garment Sacred Ground, but they hadn't — they had simply taken Yin Zhuanghong and left. That indicated the sect as a whole had no intention of destroying the Red Garment Sacred Ground.
If anyone were likely to target Zhao Hong personally, it could only be that Lian Xi.
"It's certainly possible that it was him."
"But we can't rule out other factors either."
At this point, Chu Feng's thinking was largely aligned with Han Xiu's.
But what worried him far more was Zhao Hong's safety.
If she had truly fallen into the hands of the Yun Kong Immortal Sect — and into Lian Xi's clutches — given that man's temperament, Zhao Hong would be in grave danger.
And so Chu Feng activated his Heavenly Eyes, carefully surveying the area.
He was looking for clues.
To find Zhao Hong, they needed concrete evidence and tangible leads — they couldn't rely on speculation alone. After all, the pressing priority right now was locating her.
"A formation?"
Suddenly, Chu Feng's gaze sharpened.
He had sensed something.
It was a power, hidden within the depths of the hall.
But upon closer inspection, Chu Feng realized it wasn't a barrier formation at all — it was a force condensed from pure martial power.
The moment Chu Feng detected it, the force surged outward, coalescing into several lines of large characters that hovered in mid-air above the hall.
"Chu Feng — from this day forward, you may no longer show your face to the world behind a mask."
"Otherwise, not only will Zhao Hong die..."