Chapter 203 : Drawing the Tiger Away from the Mountain
Su Hao and the others were eager to meet the Young Master of the demonic path, but they weren't reckless in their approach. They still didn't know exactly how many demonic cultivators were in the area, nor the Young Master's level of cultivation, so charging in for a direct confrontation was certainly not an option.
Killing those two demonic cultivators was merely to stir up the hornet's nest.
Now that the demonic cultivators had been alerted, Su Hao and his group had already retreated to a safe distance, employing various methods to observe the situation. Just as the system spoke those words to Jiang Mo, Su Hao and the others also spotted that familiar figure, and their expressions instantly darkened—the Young Master was actually Chu Yang, the demonic spy who had once represented their Xuanqing Sect in the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition. After his identity was exposed, someone had rescued him from the Enforcement Hall!
This incident wasn't particularly glorious for the Xuanqing Sect, so it hadn't been widely publicized, but everyone present had participated in the Three Sect Competition. Chu Yang had been quite prominent then, so naturally, everyone recognized him.
Tan Xin had once fought against Chu Yang, so he recognized him at a glance, and immediately cast an uncertain look at his Senior Brother.
Tanming, as the Buddha Sect's leading disciple, possessed remarkable observational skills and also quickly recognized Chu Yang. Meeting his Junior Brother's surprised gaze, he gently shook his head, indicating there was no need to point it out.
You Yi likewise recognized Chu Yang's identity. He patted his Junior Sister on the shoulder, also choosing not to mention it.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange. After a while, Su Hao finally broke the silence with a calm tone: "There are likely over a hundred demonic cultivators gathered here, with dozens appearing at once. Confronting them directly would be exceedingly difficult. We should first find a way to disperse these demonic cultivators, then defeat them one by one. But we must act quickly, before the Demon Monk catches up... What do you all think?"
Seeing that Su Hao didn't mention Chu Yang, everyone else tactfully followed his lead and ignored the matter. Moreover, they had crossed paths with Chu Yang before—a year ago, his strength couldn't match some of those present. Even if he had improved over the year, they themselves weren't incompetent either, so what was there to fear?
Knowing that Chu Yang was the mysterious Young Master behind everything actually made everyone feel more at ease. No one objected to Su Hao's plan, so they all gathered together to discuss the subsequent arrangements.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
At the foot of the distant mountain, Chu Yang looked at the corpses of the two disciples with a gloomy expression. One glance told him that whoever struck had been clean and efficient, killing with a single blow. Although these two disciples were only of average cultivation, simultaneously taking both their lives wasn't something one person could accomplish—it seemed that the entire group of righteous disciples had indeed arrived.
He merely scanned the two corpses once, inwardly cursing "useless," before turning his gaze to the surroundings.
All around were snowy peaks and canyons, with mountain ranges undulating, presenting a landscape of pure white. Yet everywhere could potentially serve as a hiding place. Chu Yang couldn't spot anyone at a glance, but his heart inexplicably sank—the enemy hidden and us exposed, this wasn't a favorable situation.
"Young Master," a Hall Master responsible for defense cautiously approached.
Chu Yang glanced at him askance and asked: "Well? Have you found any traces of those who attacked?"
The Hall Master wore an embarrassed expression, forcing himself to answer: "This... Young Master, these two disciples were killed without a sound. By the time we discovered them, it was already somewhat late. When we pursued, we... we couldn't find anyone."
Chu Yang's gaze suddenly sharpened: "So you're saying you didn't even see who attacked?!"
The Hall Master's legs went weak under his stare, and he dropped to one knee: "It was my negligence."
Chu Yang took a deep breath, looking around at his imposing entourage—useless for finding their opponents. He scowled and waved his hand, saying to everyone: "Disperse." Then he looked at the Hall Master, leaning forward slightly, his voice low and cold: "Just this once. If something like this happens again, you can bring your head directly to me!"
Hearing this, the Hall Master immediately broke out in a cold sweat despite the freezing weather, hurriedly responding: "Yes. Rest assured, Young Master, I will arrange everything thoroughly and not give those righteous disciples any opportunity to exploit."
Chu Yang didn't spare the Hall Master another glance. He straightened up, surveyed the area once more, and finally swept his sleeve, leading his imposing group back.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
After Chu Yang's proclamation, the demonic cultivators' defense arrangements suddenly became much stricter.
Previously, they had assumed those righteous disciples were still being chased around the Ice Plain, and that they were safe guarding the canyon exit, so most had been lax. But now with a sword hanging over their heads, compounded by the Young Master's orders, who would dare to slack off? Demonic cultivators who had been hiding from the cold all emerged, and the once-empty canyon suddenly filled with human presence.
The Hall Master began personally leading patrols. His status was incomparable to ordinary disciples, so naturally, he knew more information—he knew the Demon Monk was already on his way back, with Void Crossing stage cultivation that would crush everyone, leaving those righteous disciples little time.
If they still wanted to escape or do something, they would certainly act soon!
Sure enough, that very night, someone infiltrated the canyon again. But with the previous lesson learned, the canyon's defenses were now much tighter, with not only manual defense but also numerous formations and mechanisms hidden in secret places. This time, as soon as the intruders entered the canyon, they triggered a mechanism, alerting the demonic cultivators on night duty: "Someone's infiltrated... Not good, they're running away, quickly pursue them!"
The ice plain at night wasn't actually very dark, as even the slightest light reflected off the ice and snow, amplifying its brightness. The guarding demonic cultivators swarmed out, quickly spotting two figures rapidly leaping across the snow in the distance.
Having lost two people in the previous incident without even seeing their opponents, the demonic cultivators harbored a burning rage—not from any sense of comradeship, which they lacked, but from a fear-turned-anger. So when they discovered enemy traces this time, they all charged in pursuit without needing any orders.
The Hall Master wasn't present at the time. When he received the news and arrived, he witnessed the scene of everyone giving chase. As for the two who had fled across the snow, they had already disappeared from view.
He grabbed a subordinate beside him and asked: "How many people came?"
The subordinate, being timid, hadn't immediately joined the pursuit. Hearing the question, he stammered: "On-only saw two figures."
Upon hearing this, the Hall Master immediately called back the subordinates who hadn't gone far. According to his knowledge, that group of righteous disciples numbered at least eight or nine. The appearance of only two people was either a diversion or an attempt to lure people out for individual elimination.
Either way, he had no intention of letting them succeed!
Most people received the order and turned back, but some who had run faster and gone further didn't hear the Hall Master's call and continued the pursuit. Predictably, their life tokens shattered that very night, with not a single person returning.
Before the news could spread, those righteous disciples came again, attempting the same tactic to lure people out.
Unfortunately, the Hall Master had already seen through their strategy. With a cold laugh, he refused to send people in pursuit—unless all the righteous disciples appeared, he only intended to stall—responding to changing circumstances with steadiness was now the best approach. They clearly had the advantage in numbers and position; those righteous cultivators were merely autumn grasshoppers, easily dealt with once the Demon Monk returned. Why take unnecessary risks?
Of course, if those righteous disciples grew impatient and all revealed themselves, putting themselves at risk, he would gladly oblige—his only concern now was the enemy sneaking in. Without this risk, how could he possibly be worried about a mere handful of righteous disciples?
However, the Hall Master never anticipated that the first to lose patience would be his own Young Master.
Chu Yang rarely made appearances. Though this was only the entrance to the Ice Plain, the extreme cold of the Ice Plain had permeated the entire canyon. No one who had achieved success in cultivation would willingly endure such severe cold, so he spent most of his time in his portable courtyard. However, not going out didn't mean he was unaware of what was happening outside. When the righteous disciples repeatedly appeared to provoke them, the news naturally reached his ears.
As the Young Master of the Nine Abyss Sect, Chu Yang's pride was beyond what others could imagine. When he received this news, he felt that their provocations were slapping his face. Even though he rationally understood that the Hall Master's choice was correct, emotionally he still found it hard to tolerate.
When he heard yet again that righteous disciples had appeared, he immediately appeared in the canyon.
The Hall Master was startled upon seeing him, inexplicably feeling somewhat uneasy. He approached and greeted: "Greetings, Young Master." After a pause, he explained himself: "Young Master, these righteous disciples have repeatedly appeared to provoke us, trying to draw the tiger away from the mountain. Lord Wuxiang will return soon, and we really don't need to compete with these people for momentary advantage..."
Chu Yang raised his palm, expressionlessly interrupting his explanation: "I know."
Just as he finished these three words, Bei Luo, seeing him across the way, raised an eyebrow and threw out a set of explosive talismans. Twelve talismans formed a small formation, quickly flying toward Chu Yang. Even though they were intercepted halfway by demonic cultivators, the resulting ice fragments still showered everyone's faces and heads—minimal damage but maximum provocation.
Chu Yang, never one with a good temper, swept away the ice fragments before him, his face so dark it could drip water. The Hall Master saw this but had no time to advise him before Chu Yang casually pointed at more than a dozen people: "You, you, you... you all follow me in pursuit!"
"Young Master, you must not!" the Hall Master quickly called out, trying to stop him.
But Chu Yang completely ignored him, taking the dozen or so people he had just selected and chasing after Bei Luo, who had fled immediately after throwing the talismans. Seeing this, the Hall Master gritted his teeth and was about to follow when he received a voice transmission from Chu Yang: "You stay behind and guard the place."
The Hall Master paused upon hearing this, watching as Chu Yang quickly led his people away. Then he looked around and suddenly realized that those Chu Yang had selected were all the highest cultivators present, clearly not chosen randomly in anger. This reassured him somewhat, though he still felt the Young Master had taken too few people, considering that group of righteous disciples had killed so many of their people on the Ice Plain and weren't just empty legends.
"Hall Master, what should we do now?" a subordinate who had witnessed everything cautiously asked.
The Hall Master frowned, gazing in the direction Chu Yang and his group had departed. After a while, thinking of something, his furrowed brow gradually relaxed: "The Young Master has his own plans. We'll just stay and guard the place."