Meanwhile, through the cooperation of countless righteous sects, four individuals—Ma Zhaozong, a talented disciple of the Kongtong Sect; Duàn Língyù of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect; and Han Muhua and Yun Ziyan, the Dragon and Phoenix Twins of the Kunlun Sect—immediately took action, beginning a comprehensive, carpet-style search for the Life Soul fragments of the Seven Saints of Jiangyan.
Aside from these four, three others—Donghuang Taiyi, leader of the Donghuang Sect; Mazu, the Sea Goddess; and Lady Houtu, leader of the Houtu Divine Sect—also began searching for the Life Soul fragments of the Seven Saints on behalf of the righteous path. Yet beneath this seemingly concerted effort, undercurrents were surging. Although Ma Zhaozong was a talented disciple of the Kongtong Sect, he had long harbored a covetous desire for the formidable power of the Seven Saints of Jiangyan. With every Life Soul fragment he found, his inner greed grew heavier.
In a mysterious valley, taking advantage of a solitary search, Ma Zhaozong secretly concealed a newly discovered Life Soul fragment. At that moment, an evil aura suddenly enveloped the area as members of the demonic cult, who had been lying in wait for quite some time, revealed themselves. Having long been aware of the righteous path's plan and cognizant of Ma Zhaozong's greed, they used it to blackmail him into handing over all the collected Life Soul fragments.
Chapter 259