Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At midnight, the Nine Li Sect was eerily silent. The vast buildings of Elder Peak were shrouded in darkness, with only a faint light flickering from the doorman's quarters.
Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi had discussed for half a day and decided to lie in wait, using themselves as bait. They sat beside a flickering candle, adopting a meditative posture while remaining vigilant, their Divine Consciousness already extended outward.
Ling Panzai was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, while Ling Shizi was slightly stronger, being at the late stage. Their cultivation levels were quite formidable within the Nine Li Sect; unless a Nascent Soul Stage master approached, they would certainly sense any presence within a hundred feet.
As time slipped into Chou Time, the darkest hour before dawn, both felt an unusual heaviness in the darkness. Looking through the small window of the Scripture Repository's doorman's quarters, they could see nothing. The entire Nine Li Sect was enveloped in silence.
Ling Panzai felt some anxiety. He believed that the Demon only dared to kill two low-level night watchmen and must have low cultivation himself; it seemed unlikely that he would come out to hunt two nights in a row. If he did not appear for three nights, they would exceed the deadline set by Chu Li, and that troublesome figure might devise some new scheme to torment them.
Ling Panzai sighed deeply. Everyone knew that he and Ling Shizi had a good relationship with the deceased Spirit Stone and leaned towards Chuming. It would be difficult for Chu Li and Ling Jizi's group not to target them. Had he known this earlier, he would not have sought comfort but should have followed Yue Changzi to defect from the Nine Li Sect.
Regret filled his mind! Ling Panzai sighed again, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Ling Shizi's body jolted violently. Ling Panzai instinctively turned to look at him and saw that Ling Shizi was staring wide-eyed out the window, his face turning pale as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
They had come! A loud ringing echoed in Ling Panzai’s mind as he steeled himself and followed Ling Shizi's gaze out the window.
In the pitch-black night, distant outlines of Nine Li Cave Heaven Mountain Peak could be vaguely seen, while nothing hovered above the nearby clearing. After concentrating for a long time and sensing with his Divine Consciousness, both told him that there was nothing there.
Ling Panzai couldn't help but elbow Ling Shizi: "What did you see?"
Ling Shizi stared intently for a moment before uncertainly replying, "It seems... I might have seen it wrong."
Ling Panzai sighed heavily, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he complained, "Brother! Scaring someone can be deadly!"
Just as he finished speaking, Ling Panzai suddenly stood up, pointing outside with trembling fingers: "Senior Brother, look!"
Following his finger's direction once more, Ling Panzai felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; his entire body turned cold.
A shadow stood silently before the window, only about ten feet away! It was so close that they could see it with their eyes, yet their Divine Consciousness sensed nothing there!
The shadow faced the small window; in the pitch-black night, only its outline was visible. Ling Panzai's first reaction was: "Demon Sect Monster!" The figure seemed to wear a black hooded cloak, identical to those of Demon Sect Monsters. The most bizarre part was that it stood there quietly, yet in their Divine Consciousness perception, it clearly felt like there was nothing there!
Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi stared at the strange black shadow, their eyes not daring to stray even a fraction. They communicated silently, "What should we do? Should we rush out? Could it be a trap? What exactly is that?"
They asked each other numerous questions, almost all of them spilling out simultaneously. Just as the two were unable to make a decision, the black shadow suddenly vanished, as if it had melted into the air, leaving nothing behind in the blink of an eye.
The two were even more alarmed. "Not good!"
Whether this being was human or a Demon, its cultivation level must be extraordinarily high. If it were a Demon Sect Monster, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi exchanged glances and without hesitation, one jumped out of the window while the other swiftly kicked open the door and took off, simultaneously igniting a Fire Phoenix Mid-Level Spirit Talisman.
Two Fire Phoenixes, trailing long flames behind them, soared into the sky, illuminating the area above Elder Peak in a brilliant red. Below, the Artifact Hall and Scripture Repository appeared dark and dull, as if coated with a layer of red oil, sparkling with reflected light.
Nine Separation Peak immediately stirred with activity as Yue Mangzi, Ling Jizi, and others rushed over with their disciples.
Yue Mangzi asked directly, "Did you find the Demon?"
Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi nodded and recounted what had just happened.
Upon hearing that the Demon was dressed similarly to a Demon Sect Monster, even though Yue Mangzi and Ling Jizi tried to maintain their composure, the panic in their eyes betrayed them.
Ling Jizi shouted, "Ring the bell! Gather everyone and search the entire cave!"
The loud ringing echoed across Nine Separation Peak. All Six Veins Disciples capable of sword flight and at least at the Initial Stage of Caution were mobilized to converge on Nine Separation Peak. Soon they organized themselves into four teams and began searching from the east, south, west, and north towards Elder Peak. Yue Mangzi, Ling Jizi, along with Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi remained stationed at Elder Peak, flying high above while using their Divine Consciousness to monitor everything within a ten-mile radius.
It was a chaotic night without rest. They searched until dawn; when the four teams regrouped at Elder Peak and meticulously searched again but found nothing.
Ling Jizi was furious and harshly reprimanded Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi, accusing them of spreading falsehoods that misled others. He punished them to guard the Scripture Repository for three months before dismissing everyone.
The following night, they prepared themselves for action, determined to capture the Demon to prove their claims. However, that entity did not appear at all; they stared out of the window until their eyelids grew heavy but saw nothing until dawn.
This continued for ten days.
On the morning of the Twelfth Day, two more low-ranking disciples were found dead, their blood and spiritual energy drained. This time, the victims were not from Elder Peak but from Nine Beam Peak.
From then on, every ten days, two low-ranking disciples would die. The Demon was very cunning, never committing two murders in the same place consecutively; instead, it alternated locations, striking here and there without a fixed pattern. The only constants were the two victims each time and the ten-day interval between attacks. It specifically targeted disciples in the later stages of Qi Refinement to the Initial Stage of Caution, ignoring those with lower cultivation levels and likely scaring off those with higher levels. As a result, low-ranking disciples at this stage within the sect were terrified and desperately sought protection from their masters. However, there were always those who could not find shelter. Over a hundred days, twenty low-ranking disciples had died.
The outcry within the sect grew louder. Even though Ling Jizi was reluctant to care about the lives of low-ranking disciples, he could not ignore that four low-ranking disciples from his own territory, Nine Mystic Peak, had died, including one who was a trusted junior's disciple. Ling Jizi had no choice but to announce that capturing the murderer was imperative.
All disciples at this cultivation stage were gathered at Nine Mystic Peak, personally protected by members of the Disciplinary Hall, with a Nascent Soul Stage expert watching over them at all times.
This measure proved somewhat effective; for twenty consecutive days, no low-ranking disciples died.
However, Ling Panzai and Ling Shizi made a shocking discovery while guarding Elder Peak. They inadvertently noticed signs that the Restrictions in the Scripture Repository had been tampered with. This time they learned their lesson and did not report it immediately but instead investigated themselves. One night, they witnessed a familiar shadow drifting out of the Scripture Repository before disappearing in an instant.
That entity had been hiding deep within the Scripture Repository!
The situation was serious, and they had to report it again. At dawn, everyone entered the Scripture Repository together and discovered that all the revered scrolls had signs of tampering with the Restrictions. The Demon seemed very familiar with how to unlock their sect's secret sealing techniques and quietly opened each scroll one by one to search for something without triggering any alarm from the Restrictions.
An insider! Everyone was shocked.
Ling Jizi first suspected the escaped Yue Changzi, Chuxuan, and Chuming, especially Li Hong. However, after discussing with Yun Jiuzi from Array Hall, they learned that Yue Changzi and Li Hong had not entered during this period; only one person frequently went in and out—Elder Yao.
Everyone then realized a terrifying fact: no low-ranking disciples from Heavenly Pill Hall had died during this time, and Elder Yao had never appeared before anyone.
All suspicion turned toward Elder Yao. Even Ling Jizi, who had trusted him greatly, could not help but feel doubt in light of these facts.
Elder Yao was soon summoned to Nine Separation Peak but provided his own explanation. He claimed he was busy gathering herbs for alchemy and that it was fortunate for him that the Demon had not targeted Heavenly Pill Hall. After saying this, he left angrily.
Ling Jizi had to compromise and secretly assigned two late-stage Golden Core elders to keep an eye on Elder Yao. After more than ten days of observation, they reported that Elder Yao was indeed busy either gathering herbs or refining pills, appearing flawless in his alibi. Ling Jizi initially believed these daily reports; however, one day, those two elders mysteriously vanished as if they had disappeared into thin air—no trace left behind.
Ling Jizi realized that Elder Yao must have serious issues. Along with Yue Mangzi, Ling Xiaozi, Ling Daozi, and other top experts from Six Veins, they set up a tight net to summon Elder Yao once more to Nine Li Great Hall.
At dusk, Elder Yao arrived late.
As soon as he appeared, everyone couldn't help but feel a shock in their hearts. Elder Yao was dressed in a brown hooded cloak, his face pale and thin, with deep-set eyes staring at the crowd, his gaze extremely sinister and disdainful.
Is this still Elder Yao? The more they looked, the more he resembled a Demon Sect Monster! Even his aura...
The highest-ranked Yue Mangzi could hardly believe his eyes, trembling as he pointed at Elder Yao: "You, you, you actually practiced the Demonic Cultivation Technique! You are a traitor!"
Elder Yao cackled, clearly unafraid.
Just as everyone felt uneasy, a Black Light silently swept through, and all the doors of the great hall slammed shut with a bang. As the cold wind passed, another figure appeared in the hall. No, it was actually a ghostly shadow!
The shadow resembled a mass of human-shaped black mist, with two eyes coldly scanning across the faces of the crowd. In an instant, everyone's bones felt frozen, and they gasped in horror:
"Yandao Demon Lord!"
Suddenly, ten or so beams of treasure light flashed simultaneously. The disciples and descendants of Ling Jizi waiting in the distance saw bright flashes bursting from the window—red, green, blue—flashing incessantly.
They exchanged glances; their magical treasures had already been summoned to hover above their heads. Unspoken understanding passed between them: "Master Uncle has indeed made a move! So Elder Yao is truly the culprit! His cultivation is quite high, at the Early Stage of Nascent Soul; this battle is somewhat concerning. However, with so many experts gathered here, even if Elder Yao is an Early Stage of Nascent Soul master, he is still just meat on the chopping block and will definitely not escape the hands of Shibo and Ancestor!"
These disciples still had considerable confidence in their Master Ling Jizi and Yue Mangzi. Little did they know that they were not the ones wielding the knife; they were clearly the fish on the chopping block!
Ling Jizi, Yue Mangzi, and all of the Sixth Pulse Masters were truly the meat on that chopping block!
In just a breath's time, the battle ended without any suspense. Everyone lay on the ground in despair, watching Yandao's eerie black misty form sway before them. Then Elder Yao stepped forward and pulled out a bottle of pills emitting black gas from his bosom, feeding one to each person.
Yandao cackled ominously; his deep voice seemed to rise from hell: "Don't worry, I won't kill you; you are still of great use..."
Just as he said this, Ling Daozi suddenly sprang up from the ground, spewing forth a fountain of purple-black blood as he burst through the main door of the hall and fled into the sky.
Elder Yao was taken aback; just as he intended to chase after him, he heard Yandao shout: "Close the door! Let him go! He has taken the Three Flower Five Soul Pill; even if he desperately breaks through its effects, he won't survive for more than an hour!"
Elder Yao's eyes shifted as he chuckled lowly; with a wave of his hand, the doors of the hall closed silently. Turning to Yandao, he bowed and said: "Master's foresight is truly remarkable; a small fish cannot stir up great waves. Let us continue with our business."
Ling Daozi felt dizzy as he shot up into the air. He saw the disciples guarding the entrance and realized that speaking to them was futile; he had to enter the Li Fire Formation and inform Yun Jiuzi!
His heart raced, and Ling Daozi trembled on his Flying Sword. He pulled out several bottles of Elixir from his pocket and poured them into his mouth, suppressing the surging spiritual energy as he flew towards the entrance of the Li Fire Formation on the back mountain. Moments later, he entered the great formation.
Taking out the Passage Token, Ling Daozi could no longer move forward. He leaned against the stone wall, desperately calling out for Yun Jiuzi.
A response echoed from the Jade Tablet.
Before Ling Daozi could finish speaking, Yun Jiuzi exclaimed in alarm, "Hurry! Get out of here and go find Chu Hong in the Southern Wilderness! They will definitely come after you soon! Escape first; as long as there are green mountains, one need not worry about firewood. Preserve your life and leave quickly!"
"No, I can't go on. I used the Nine Separation Technique to force my way here. Yun Jiuzi, I have a secret to tell you; you must listen to me." Ling Daozi gasped, "Yue Changzi Shibo told me before leaving that there is actually a secret passage in the Array Hall leading to the outside world. This was personally stated by Ling Xuzi when he was alive, and it is absolutely true. Listen to me..." Ling Daozi brought the Passage Token close to his mouth and whispered about how to leave, saying with despair, "Yue Changzi Shibo said that until the very last moment, this passage must not be used lightly because once you leave the Array Hall, it will be discovered. This means our Nine Li Sect has lost its last hope and is preparing to completely abandon Nine Li Cave Heaven! So he told me not to tell you until it was absolutely necessary. Now is already that critical moment. You all leave quickly; I will..."
With a loud bang, Ling Daozi's entire body exploded into a shower of blood. The Jade Tablet rolled far away, thick droplets of blood sliding down from it like tear stains.
The Jade Tablet continued to relay Yun Jiuzi's anxious calls: "Ling Daozi! Are you okay..."
The Azure Light of the Jade Tablet flickered, and Ling Daozi's exhausted spiritual energy was completely depleted. Yun Jiuzi's cries faded away.
Comment 0 Comment Count