Chapter 2545: Misunderstanding “What happened?” The Mermaid Queen’s mind turned blank. Zu An quickly draped her bridal gown over her body. “Quick, put on your clothes. Something seems to have happened to the Chang clan.” The situation outside unnerved him, but he didn’t dare to leave the Mermaid Queen alone in here, fearing that something could happen to her. His grim expression relayed the severity of the situation to the Mermaid Queen. Her lust faded, and she quickly put on her clothes. Only then did Zu An lead her out of the room. The Mermaid Queen took a sniff, and her expression warped in shock. “Blood stench!” The Mermaid race revered nature, so they were exceptionally sensitive toward such smells. Zu An didn’t say a word. He grabbed her hand and led her outside to further investigate the situation. Several ladies were sprawled in the courtyard; these were the people who had escorted the Mermaid Queen into the consummation room earlier. They were beautiful, but all of them had stopped breathing. “They're dead?!” The Mermaid Queen was appalled. It was not long ago that these people were cheerfully dolling her up, and some even teased her about Zu An. It was shocking to see them as corpses just hours later. Tears brimmed in her eyes. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 Zu An nodded grimly. He continued heading out to investigate the situation. Most of the Chang clansmen had been gathered in the square. It was still bustling there when he slipped off to the consummation room, and youths had still been dancing merrily together. But by the time he arrived there, the whole place had fallen silent. All that could be heard was the crackling of burning firewood. The Chang clansmen were sprawled out on chairs, tables, and the ground. There was a strong alcohol smell in the air. Were it not for what they'd seen earlier, perhaps they'd have just shrugged it off as the Chang clan being drunk. But now, this silence just felt eerie. Zu An inspected some of their bodies; they had no pulse. Soon, he found the old chieftain. He was lying amid a couple of older women, and they were embracing one another comfortably. But there wasn't the slightest smile on his face. His face was twisted in fear as if he had seen something utterly horrifying. The Mermaid Queen squatted down to check their pulse. Soon, her face twisted in shock. “Why are they all dead? What happened?” “I don’t know either.” Zu An’s face clouded over. He had already spread his divine sense, and there didn’t seem to be a single survivor in the Chang clan. Even though he'd been distracted by the consummation, given his current cultivation, it should have been impossible for someone to kill all the Chang clansmen without alerting him... unless they all died at the same time, leaving him no time to react. But who could possibly do that? His expression suddenly warped in shock. “This is bad!” He began scouring the Chang clan as he got increasingly anxious. “What’s wrong, hubby?” The Mermaid Queen followed him. “Little sister Ling’er is missing!” Zu An’s heart sank. Given that the Chang clansmen were all dead, it was unlikely that Yumen Beiqing was still alive. He didn’t dare to entertain that thought, however. The Mermaid Queen was stunned as well. If something happened to the Fiend races’ Saintess here, she would be a sinner. However, she didn’t lose her bearing and quickly took charge of the situation. “It’s also good news in a way that we haven’t found the Saintess’. Let’s continue searching together.” Zu An understood what she was saying. As long as they hadn’t found Yumen Beiqing’s corpse, there was hope. He continued searching the premises while expanding his divine sense. All of a sudden, he grabbed the Mermaid Queen and flew eastward. They soon arrived at the entrance of town, where they saw Yumen Beiqing slowly returning from outside. Relieved, Zu An rushed forward to embrace her. “Where did you go earlier?” Yumen Beiqing didn’t expect such a forceful embrace. She instinctively tried to push him aside, but it was to no avail. In the end, she coldly replied, “I don’t need to report my whereabouts to you.” “Of course you don’t have to. I’m just glad that you’re safe and sound.” The feeling of having found someone he thought he had lost filled Zu An with relief. He had been seriously worried about the worst-case scenario earlier. “Saintess, something huge happened on our side. The Chang clansmen are all dead,” the Mermaid Queen helped to explain. She wasn't angry to see the two of them hugging each other; she was only glad to see Yumen Beiqing safe. “Oh?” Yumen Beiqing’s response was surprisingly calm. The Mermaid Queen frowned. She was extremely sensitive to emotions, so she keenly noticed how cold the other party’s response was. Even though she didn’t consider herself a true member of the Chang clan, the care and concern they had showered her with over the days had left her with some feelings for them. It hurt her to see something so tragic happening to them. However, the Chang clan had also warmly welcomed the Fiend races’ Saintess. The latter’s attitude was overly cold in comparison. “What were you doing outside?” Zu An asked. “Was I to cheer you on while the two of you were having fun consummating your marriage?” Yumen Beiqing coldly retorted. The Mermaid Queen felt awkward. Zu An was also rendered speechless. Little sister Ling’er feels different from before. While silence loomed among the trio, powerful auras suddenly surged from afar. Several towering figures rushed across the ground outside, heading in their direction. A deafening voice rumbled, “Why don’t we compete in terms of leg strength?” “Sure!” The two tallest figures suddenly accelerated. Despite only taking a few strides, they instantly arrived at the town’s entrance. The man carrying a giant axe and shield was slightly slower, and he muttered in frustration, “Kuafu, your speed is truly incredible.” The other man held a green snake in his right hand and a yellow snake in his left. He burst into laughter. “Xingtian, that’s only because your axe and shield weigh you down. That gave me an advantage.” The man named Xingtian brandished his axe and shield, causing a powerful wind to blow. “A loss is a loss. There’s no need for so many excuses! These weapons have long become a part of me; they can’t possibly slow me down!” Zu An was stunned. Both Xingtian and Kuafu were renowned mythological figures in his previous life. Could these truly be them? It was then that the two men noticed Zu An’s group. They were initially mesmerized by the Mermaid Queen and Yumen Beiqing’s beauty, but they quickly recovered and asked, “This is the Chang manor, right? Where’s your chieftain? Call him out to meet us.” Zu An frowned. “I’m afraid he can’t meet you now. He...” Before he could finish his sentence, the two men frowned. “I smell an overwhelming stench of death.” “There’s no one alive in there.” The two of them widened their strides and instantly arrived at the square. They gasped upon seeing the corpses lying all around. They exchanged looks before returning to Zu An and the others. With hostile eyes, they asked, “Were you the ones who massacred the Chang clan?”