Chapter 227 : Skulking About
The chaotic battle on Mount Mingzong had continued intermittently for half a month, until both sides were exhausted. Coincidentally, a sudden downpour finally brought a temporary cessation to the fighting, with both sides returning to their territories to recuperate.
Zhong Heng took advantage of the cease-fire to venture out, diving into the forest and casually catching several Splendid Chickens.
When he returned carrying the chickens, he happened to encounter Su Hao and the others. Wen Jin couldn't help teasing him: "Junior Brother Zhong is in good spirits. During this rare cease-fire, you actually have the energy to go catch chickens?"
Before Zhong Heng could respond, Bai Xu laughed beside them: "Brother Wen's words are mistaken. These days of chaotic battle have been exhausting for us, but not for Junior Brother Zhong. Haven't you noticed his newly formed Nascent Soul realm has become much more stable? I suspect if he were to spend another ten days or half a month on the battlefield, his realm would become completely stable—far more effective than closed-door cultivation."
Hearing this, Zhong Heng rubbed his head and chuckled, indeed looking energetic without any trace of battle fatigue. With his straightforward personality, he raised the Splendid Chickens in his hand and said to everyone: "Would you Senior Brothers like to join me for chicken?"
Nascent Soul cultivators had abstained from food for many years, but those present were all lively young people. Since Zhong Heng had invited them, they naturally didn't refuse. So the group walked arm in arm to Zhong Heng's temporary dwelling—Zhong Heng lived quite roughly, spending all his money on cultivation resources and not bothering with portable housing. He was too lazy to set up a tent, so he simply carved out a cave in the mountainside with his sword for shelter.
Such accommodations were certainly crude, but with the current downpour outside, even though cultivators had various methods to keep rain away from their dwellings, living in a cave was definitely more comfortable than in a tent during this rainy weather.
After arriving at Zhong Heng's cave, the group didn't stand on ceremony, helping to build a fire and prepare the chickens, quickly placing the Splendid Chickens on the roasting rack.
Bai Xu was skilled at pill refining, but surprisingly, he was also good at cooking and quickly took over as the main chef.
Bei Luo took out wine while saying to everyone: "Eating roast chicken on a rainy day naturally requires wine. This wine I bought from Dukang City and have kept for ages, reluctant to drink it. Today you all get to enjoy it."
Everyone accepted cheerfully, drinking wine and listening to the rain while waiting for the chicken. The tension from days of killing gradually eased.
Bei Luo drank his wine and casually asked: "Junior Brother Zhong, has Senior Sister Yun's seclusion been effective? Her injuries were so severe initially, and Brother Bai said she would need to recover for a year or more. I wonder if being stranded here will affect her recovery?"
Zhong Heng had indeed gone to see Cloud Qingyue, but hadn't seen her: "Jianbing is guarding her. I haven't seen Senior Sister either."
Upon hearing the Little White Tiger's name, Bei Luo unconsciously touched his still-curly hair but didn't say anything more. Everyone had clearly experienced the Little White Tiger's pettiness, so they tacitly changed the subject and began chatting about various topics—sometimes discussing news from the demonic path, sometimes debating cultivation bottlenecks, and occasionally cracking jokes, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
After a while, Bai Xu finished roasting the chickens. Everyone ate and drank while chatting, enjoying themselves immensely. However, this relaxation didn't last long, as a disciple's message interrupted them: "Senior Brothers, the three Peak Masters request your presence."
Upon receiving this news, Su Hao and the others didn't dare delay, immediately putting everything down and hurrying over.
The three Peak Masters were still residing on the spirit ship. When Su Hao and the others arrived, they found all three gathered together—the other elders weren't present, nor was Supreme Elder Mingxi. As a top-tier combat force at the Grand Achievement realm, Mingxi mostly existed as a deterrent. She didn't like to get involved in discussions and rarely appeared, maintaining her reclusive manner.
Only the three Peak Masters were in the meeting room, but precisely because of this, Su Hao and the others' attitudes were even more solemn. As soon as they entered, they bowed to the three, each looking more respectful and serious than the next: "Disciples pay respects to the three Peak Masters."
Peak Master Qingxu nodded slightly and got straight to the point: "We summoned you all today because there's a matter we want you to handle."
As the senior disciple, Su Hao immediately cupped his hands and said: "Please instruct us, Uncle Master."
Qingxu's expression was very serious, and he said: "Just earlier, patrolling disciples reported that someone had sneaked in during the downpour. After investigation, however, no outsiders were found in the base... After discussion, we believe someone might be colluding with outsiders. We're temporarily entrusting this matter to you. If someone is indeed betraying us, you must get to the bottom of it."
Su Hao's expression remained grave, and despite suddenly receiving such a task, his composure didn't change at all. He readily agreed: "Disciple understands. Please rest assured, Uncle Master. My fellow junior brothers and sisters and I will certainly give our full effort."
Qingxu nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then dismissed the true disciples.
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The downpour continued for three days with no sign of stopping, as if heaven itself had sprung a leak, determined to empty the celestial river completely before ceasing.
Su Hao and the others investigated for several days but found no clues and naturally had no results.
Bei Luo and the others, facing the lack of progress, finally grew impatient. Bei Luo suggested: "Senior Brother Su, we have no clues, and continuing to investigate like this seems pointless. In my opinion, we might as well join the patrols. Perhaps we'll stumble upon some leads. At worst, we'll strengthen the base's defenses, which wouldn't be wasted effort."
With so few clues from Peak Master Qingxu, Su Hao had no clear direction and agreed without objection. Bei Luo, with his impetuous nature, dragged his fellow disciples out that very night to take action.
The five peak disciples—with Zhong Heng temporarily replacing Cloud Qingyue, who was in seclusion—were still a group of five.
By evening, the torrential rain had finally subsided somewhat. The five, dressed in dark clothing, moved through the air. Their cultivation was already higher than their peers, and with deliberate concealment, they toured the base without being noticed.
Su Hao was somewhat dissatisfied, and Bei Luo shook his head, saying: "This won't do. These junior brothers and sisters are not vigilant enough. We've wandered around the base for so long, yet hardly anyone has noticed us. I'd say their earlier discovery of someone sneaking in was probably just luck, no wonder they didn't have any additional clues."
These words were indeed harsh. Hearing them, Bai Xu coughed lightly, trying to salvage the juniors' reputation: "Senior Brother Bei Luo's words are somewhat biased. This base was established by the Supreme Elder, with alerts and defenses around its perimeter. The junior disciples might feel secure here, relaxing their vigilance somewhat..." His voice dropped significantly toward the end.
While speaking, Bai Xu's peripheral vision suddenly caught a suspicious dark shadow, so he immediately lowered his voice and made a gesture for silence. The basic tacit understanding among fellow disciples was always present, and everyone immediately fell silent.
Following Bai Xu's indication, Su Hao and the others quickly discovered several skulking figures.
Bei Luo's eyes immediately brightened, his eyebrows dancing as he gestured to everyone: Look, didn't I say so? Just by taking a walk, the clues have come to us!
Seeing this, the others had no time to argue with him. They all gave him a thumbs up before concealing themselves and silently approaching those dark shadows.
All five were at the Nascent Soul realm—while not the strongest, they were more than capable against those below them—those dark shadows moved with ghostly techniques, coming and going like a black wind, nearly impossible to detect if not for a chance encounter on this rainy night. Fortunately, the downpour had lessened somewhat, and Bai Xu happened to catch sight of them, finally capturing a trace of their presence.
But this was enough. The five peak disciples each had their own abilities and immediately gave chase. Su Hao gestured to everyone: Follow for now, don't startle them. Perhaps we can follow the trail and obtain different information.
Everyone naturally had no objection and silently followed, only to witness those dark shadows preparing to ambush the patrolling disciples.
From their movements and cultivation, it was clear that ordinary patrol disciples were no match for these shadows. If they were ambushed, they might not even be able to send a distress signal or warning. Su Hao and the others weren't heartless; they had originally wanted to follow the trail, but seeing this scenario, they couldn't stand by. So before these shadows could act, Su Hao's group, following behind them, made the first move.
"Attack!" Su Hao suddenly shouted.
Bei Luo and the others had already prepared their attacks, even launching them before Su Hao's shout. So as Su Hao's words fell, various colored attacks were already heading toward the dark shadows in the darkness.
The shadows had hidden well, making them overly confident, never realizing they were being followed.
They were caught completely off guard. In an instant, they lost two companions, and the rest were injured to varying degrees. Seeing the situation deteriorate, the lead shadow immediately called out in a hoarse voice: "Retreat."
However, the call to retreat came too late. Not only were Su Hao and the others well-prepared, but even the patrol disciples who had nearly been ambushed had now reacted and were helping to surround them—they didn't need to fight to the death, just delay the enemy for a few moments. Using talismans, formation disks, and various small tools, anything that could slow down the opponent would do.
For a moment, the shadows were indeed held back by these patrol disciples, and Su Hao and the others' attacks arrived in an instant.
Because they had disrupted the enemy's plans from the start, this battle didn't last long. Before long, several shadows were cut down by swords, with only the leader still struggling desperately.
Finally, surrounded by everyone, the leader understood the situation was hopeless.
He suddenly took something from his bosom, about to destroy it. Su Hao, quick-eyed and swift-handed, immediately reached out to snatch it.
At the same time, Bei Luo, standing opposite Su Hao and behind the leader, couldn't see the leader's small movements. Seeing Su Hao suddenly reach out, he thought Su Hao was going for the kill. To help, Bei Luo also immediately attacked, striking directly at the leader's back, creating a pincer attack with Su Hao.
"Wait!" Su Hao's pupils contracted, and he shouted sharply.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Bei Luo's fist struck heavily at the leader's heart... The bad news was that the person died on the spot; the good news was that the leader didn't have time to destroy what was in his hand.