Chapter 244 : Prerequisite Mission
The group that had just entered the small town all had greenish complexions, with emaciated, sunken flesh. From a distance, they resembled skeletons dressed in clothes out for a stroll. With such distinctive appearances, anyone in the cultivation world with basic knowledge would instantly recognize their identity—these were people from the Nine Abyss Sect. Since the events at Mingzong Mountain eighty years ago, they had once again become active in the public eye.
No, to be more precise, they had become more active than ever before!
Jiang Mo withdrew her gaze and settled back comfortably on the ancient locust tree, her fingers idly tapping the branch beneath her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering specks of light across her face, reminding her of events from eighty years ago...
Back then, after the Three Sects had just fought against the Demonic Path, before they could even recover at their base, people from the Tiandao Sect had rushed over to accuse them. What had initially seemed like unreasonable accusations ultimately took a dramatic turn because of a single white hair. Senior Sister's background became problematic, and people from Xuanqing Sect and Tiandao Sect came to blows. Before anyone could seek further proof, she was swept away by a stream of demonic energy.
Some believed it was people from the Demonic Path coming to rescue her, while others thought Yun Qingyue had been abducted. Unfortunately, even with Supreme Elder Mingxi personally taking action, they couldn't bring her back. Jiang Mo, who had just broken through to the Void Crossing stage, naturally had no means to help either.
In truth, regardless of whether Senior Sister had been rescued or abducted, Little White Tiger had wanted to follow. The only person she felt close to and attached to in this world was her. Regrettably, even after convincing System to expend a tremendous amount of energy to scan the entire Mingzong Mountain, they still couldn't locate Senior Sister's whereabouts. Even if she wanted to pursue, even if she wanted to follow, it was completely impossible!
However, Little White Tiger's attitude had been observed by the Xuanqing Sect members. Considering the relationship between Jianbing and Yun Qingyue, everyone easily guessed her intentions. After much persuasion, they finally convinced her to stay.
They promised to help find Senior Sister and ensure her safety, but even after waiting eighty years, Jiang Mo still hadn't seen her!
Reflecting on these events today, Jiang Mo wasn't particularly angry—Xuanqing Sect members hadn't neglected to search; they simply couldn't find her. Jiang Mo herself had been searching for two years since leaving the sect, but failing to find Senior Sister was truly beyond anyone's control. Back then, she had been young, and it was a special time of conflict between the righteous and demonic paths. Who knows what would have happened if she had recklessly left Xuanqing Sect to search for Senior Sister?
As for Xuanqing Sect, although her advancement primarily relied on System's assistance, she had to admit that since seeking refuge with Xuanqing Sect, they had treated her with full dedication. While divine beasts may be favored by heaven and earth, certain karmic debts cannot be ignored.
Divine Lord Zhiming had long reached the Tribulation Crossing realm, so why hadn't he undergone his tribulation and ascended? It was simply because he owed Xuanqing Sect a karmic debt.
In Divine Lord Zhiming's words, from the moment they agreed to accept Xuanqing Sect's offerings, a subtle connection formed between them under the Heavenly Dao. Whether Xuanqing Sect harbored ulterior motives and failed to fulfill their obligations, or the divine beasts broke their promises and didn't honor their commitments, either would incur punishment from the Heavenly Dao. Even if divine beasts wouldn't perish from this, what good could come to a divine beast that had earned Heaven's disfavor?
When the tiger cub returned to the sect with the Xuanqing Sect members, the awakened Divine Lord Zhiming had patted her head and earnestly advised: "A promise made is a commitment, and we divine beasts are the beings who absolutely cannot break our word, understand?"
The little tiger, though somewhat confused, had kept these words in her heart and to this day had no intention of leaving Xuanqing Sect.
As for the aftermath of that righteous-demonic battle eighty years ago, Jianbing had been too young to participate further and was quickly sent back to Xuanqing Sect for protection. However, while residing in Xuanqing Sect, bits of news had gradually reached her ears.
For instance, spies had infiltrated Tiandao Sect. More specifically, it wasn't exactly betrayal, but rather some disciples had somehow fallen victim to the Demonic Path's schemes. Just like You Yi's experience in the secret realm, when the junior disciple he encountered had been turned into a puppet by the Demonic Path, leaving him completely unprepared for the ambush.
This matter was somewhat related to Jiang Mo, because the elder who had "died" at her hands was actually a puppet. It was only when Tiandao Sect later confronted Xuanqing Sect that the two sects discovered this secret, leading to further investigation of these hidden truths.
Another example: after Senior Sister was carried away by demonic energy, the Demonic Path fought several more battles with the righteous path. This time, through some unknown manipulation by the Nine Abyss Sect, the Celestial Demon Sect and Harmony Sect were pushed to the front lines, ultimately suffering severe damage to their foundations at the hands of the righteous path. The Nine Abyss Sect, meanwhile, having instigated the conflict, hid behind the two sects and managed to preserve themselves.
Speaking of which, the Crimson Blood Sect deserves mention.
They had been absent from the battlefield for a long time. When the righteous path and other demonic sects finally remembered them and went to check, they discovered that only a handful of people remained on the Crimson Blood Sect's spirit boats. The truly formidable figures had long since departed from Mingzong Mountain.
All in all, after the turmoil eighty years ago, neither the righteous nor the demonic paths had fared well—due to Tiandao Sect's accusations, Xuanqing Sect and Tiandao Sect no longer maintained their former harmony, and over the years, their disciples had grown increasingly confrontational. The demonic sects didn't care much for such sentiments, but after being betrayed by the Nine Abyss Sect, the Celestial Demon Sect and Harmony Sect suffered great losses, causing rapid changes in the Demonic Path's internal dynamics.
In summary, the cultivation world had not been peaceful these past eighty years. By comparison, Xianyuan Town, far removed from the cultivation world, remained like a paradise untouched by these events, maintaining its tranquility day after day, year after year.
However, it seemed that this peace would ultimately not last and would soon be shattered.
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After the Nine Abyss Sect members entered the town, Jiang Mo continued waiting in the ancient locust tree at the town entrance for quite some time. Instead of encountering the next batch of newcomers, she witnessed a group of indignant people leaving the town.
With so many people arriving for various purposes these days, this was the first time Jiang Mo had seen anyone leave.
Due to this unusual occurrence, Jiang Mo took a moment to glance down at the people passing beneath the tree and found something peculiar about the departing group—she had previously observed every outside cultivator in Xianyuan Town, whether righteous or demonic. But the group passing below was special because they weren't outsiders but local cultivators from the Southern Sea. The young man leading them appeared to have been born in Xianyuan Town itself.
On their first day of arrival, Jiang Mo had eavesdropped on them and learned they had been sent by their sect to gather information. It was clear their intelligence network was truly lacking, as they seemed completely unaware of the cultivators' intentions.
But had they now gathered the information they sought, prompting their departure?
While Jiang Mo pondered this, she saw a young man below angrily kick a stone and turn back to ask with frustration: "Senior Brother, that was clearly the courtyard we rented, yet today those Nine Abyss Sect people were completely unreasonable, simply evicting us. Why? Why should they get to seize our courtyard just because they arrived late and couldn't find accommodation?"
He hadn't lowered his voice, allowing even passing townspeople to hear, not to mention the many cultivators within earshot. The young man leading them tried to cover his mouth but was too late, and could only helplessly respond: "We are less skilled than they are. The cultivation world has always been this way, have you forgotten?"
The young disciple's face flushed red, wanting to protest but ultimately swallowing his words—despite his youthful appearance, he had cultivated for many years and wasn't without experience. The rule of the strong devouring the weak in the cultivation world was something he had known since beginning his practice. Perhaps influenced by the town's peaceful atmosphere these past days, he had mistakenly believed that everyone in town now abided by reason.
Recognizing the disciple's understanding and frustration, the young man patted his shoulder without saying anything. Such incidents were all too common in the cultivation world. That the other party hadn't resorted to direct violence could even be considered courteous. They would undoubtedly encounter similar situations in the future.
After a while, the disciple finally asked in a sullen voice: "So, Senior Brother, what do we do now? The cultivators in this town are extremely cautious, with lips sealed tight as clams. We haven't gathered any information yet. Are we really going back like this?" After speaking, he seemed to realize something and shrank his neck: "If we can't even handle such a small task, Master will be displeased."
The young man sighed and glanced back at the small town, feeling that a layer of restlessness had somehow settled over the peaceful community, giving the impression of an approaching storm. They didn't necessarily have to leave just because they'd lost their lodging, but given their low cultivation levels, temporary departure seemed wise.
Before the young man could speak, a voice suddenly came from the roadside locust tree: "Hey, are you really leaving?"
Standing beneath the tree, they hadn't detected anyone in the ancient locust, and the sudden voice startled them all. Their hands tightened on their spirit swords, their entire bodies radiating vigilance and caution. The young leader in particular immediately recalled the faint laughter he had heard at the tea stall earlier, along with the falling locust blossoms.
Despite their wariness, young people's curiosity is undeniable.
After waiting a moment without detecting any danger, their investigative instincts emerged. They looked toward the source of the voice but found the locust tree's dense foliage obscured any view of the speaker. Moving forward a few steps, they finally saw a white-robed young woman leaning against a branch, gazing at them with interest.
In the cultivation world, the most taboo practice is judging by appearances—who knows if the seemingly young person before you might actually be a monstrous entity thousands of years old beneath that youthful facade? Moreover, this person was lounging in the ancient locust at the town entrance where cultivators constantly passed by, yet none had detected her presence, clearly indicating her formidable cultivation!
The young man glanced once then averted his gaze, respectfully bowing and addressing her: "Senior."
Jiang Mo lifted her leg and floated lightly down from the tree, taking a few steps forward: "How do you know I'm your senior?"
Without thinking, the young man replied: "Senior's cultivation is far deeper than mine." After a pause, seeming to recall something, he quickly added: "The accomplished are always respected as seniors. Since your cultivation surpasses mine, you naturally deserve the title of senior."
Jiang Mo smiled slightly, accepting the title, though she knew this young man was probably older than herself. Not dwelling on the matter of address, she returned to her earlier topic: "I said, weren't you here to gather information? Given how tight-lipped everyone in town is, have you actually learned anything?"
The young man looked embarrassed but answered truthfully: "No, we're just temporarily leaving because we have nowhere to stay."
Jiang Mo had grown rather bored waiting for someone these days, and as she mentioned, the cultivators in Xianyuan Town all kept their secrets closely guarded, leaving her with no new information to hear. Finding herself extremely bored, she had stopped these people hoping to gather some news.
This had been a casual act on Jiang Mo's part, but unexpectedly, after stopping them, she suddenly received a System task notification—
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered the main storyline prerequisite mission: Secret of the Southern Sea!”
"After years of preparation, the host has finally completed self-improvement, fulfilling the preconditions for reaching life's peak. By coincidence, you have arrived at the Southern Sea, where the vast ocean holds endless secrets and limitless legends. These people before you have lived in this area for a hundred years and seem to know something. Quickly approach them and inquire."
Faced with this sudden mission and its description, Jiang Mo felt completely taken aback, asking System in disbelief: "System, isn't our main mission to reach life's peak? Where did this main storyline mission come from? And I've been in this world for eighty years already, yet the mission triggering now is still a prerequisite task?!"
System remained calm, attempting to transmit this calmness to its host: "Host, stay calm. The System's main mission hasn't changed. This is just an inquiry mission with point rewards."