Chapter 331 : Seven Days' Promise
Jiang Mo's thoughts remained unsettled due to the demonic energy, and though Yun Qingyue wasn't completely unaware of this, as mentioned before, their most urgent task was to escape. Therefore, as soon as she had changed clothes and emerged from the divine space, Yun Qingyue said to Jiang Mo, "Let's go and find an exit first."
This was the primary task at hand. Jiang Mo briefly set aside the jumbled thoughts in her mind and nodded in agreement.
Yun Qingyue certainly wasn't searching aimlessly. She turned her palm upward, and a palm-sized jade compass appeared in her hand—Jiang Mo's gaze lingered on the compass for a moment. She had seen many such devices, not only in the hands of Daoist cultivators in the cultivation world but also before her transmigration, when fortune tellers and feng shui masters used them as standard equipment.
But clearly, Yun Qingyue wasn't using this compass for feng shui purposes now. She reached into the air to capture a strand of demonic energy and drew it into the compass while explaining, "This is a tracking compass, normally used for locating spiritual energy. Today it should work for tracking demonic energy as well."
As she finished speaking, the jade compass's needle began to swing wildly, eventually trembling to point in one direction. But after just two breaths, it started moving again, this time settling in a different direction. Before Jiang Mo could examine it closely, it changed yet again, spinning around, making it unclear which direction it was truly indicating.
Jiang Mo's mouth twitched, not particularly surprised by this result. She cleared her throat and gently reminded her, "Senior Sister, this place is full of demonic energy, and unlike spiritual energy, demonic energy doesn't have many attributes." So naturally, with any random sample, the compass would point in random directions.
She found the compass's indications unreliable, but Yun Qingyue didn't share her opinion.
After studying the compass for a while longer, Yun Qingyue raised her hand and pointed, "Let's go this way."
Jiang Mo looked up—wasn't this the direction the compass had first indicated? While the first indication might be special, the compass clearly lacked consistency, having pointed in all directions. How could it be trusted?!
Perhaps noticing Jiang Mo's hesitation or seeing that she hadn't moved, Yun Qingyue explained, "I know demonic energy is everywhere here, and I'm not trying to track anything specific—I'm just using the compass to measure the relative amounts of demonic energy in different directions. This demonic energy has been suppressed for tens of thousands of years, accumulating here, inevitably seeking to break through its containment. So where demonic energy appears most abundant should be the weakest point in the seal."
And the weak point in the seal—wasn't that precisely the dry well that the Nameless Temple was containing?
This was demonic energy's domain, so naturally it would be more perceptive than the two of them. But Yun Qingyue probably hadn't anticipated how strangely the demonic energy was distributed here, making her compass spin wildly in all directions like it had gone mad.
After careful observation, she noticed that although the compass's direction kept changing, in terms of frequency and probability, the direction it had first indicated remained consistently primary. This suggested that demonic energy was indeed most abundant in that first location, making it the most distinctive. Regardless of the outcome, she decided to investigate that area first and seek alternatives if necessary.
Jiang Mo was hardly slow-witted. With Yun Qingyue's brief explanation, she immediately understood and even thought further: "Senior Sister, is it possible that all the directions the compass indicated are correct? Do you remember that the Nameless Temple outside can move?"
Indeed, though the Nameless Temple didn't have legs, it certainly did move.
The first day it was in the desert, the second day on a snowy mountain—where would it appear on the third or fourth day? Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue hadn't researched this beforehand and didn't know, but there was clearly a pattern, otherwise the Nine Abyss Sect disciples couldn't have appeared so precisely in the desert. The dry well would move with the temple, suggesting that it might correspond to multiple exits.
Yun Qingyue's eyes brightened slightly as she praised, "That's likely it. Where demonic energy is most abundant should be the exit that's currently opening or about to open. Let's hurry there; we might still make it in time."
The two had fallen into the well and been unconscious for an unknown duration, then spent more time exploring their surroundings. Outside, it might already be dark... Of course, there was an even worse possibility—perhaps they had been unconscious for more than a day. But neither wanted to consider this possibility now or let it dampen their spirits, so they resolutely headed toward the direction indicated by the compass.
In the darkness, the small blue light flickered rapidly as it moved.
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True to Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's prediction, night had already fallen outside.
The sun had set, its afterglow disappearing on the horizon, and the Nameless Temple had once again appeared before the world.
But this time, it was neither in the desert nor on a snowy mountain, but amidst a pile of rubble.
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu had no interest in investigating where the temple was located tonight; both were still keeping watch by the dry well behind the pagoda.
Tan Xin was also there, looking unwell, his face so pale it seemed almost transparent—his sacrifice had been interrupted, causing him serious injury, but precisely because the sacrifice had been interrupted, he was still alive.
The young monk glanced at the darkening sky outside, then turned back to remind the two, "Honored seniors, night is falling. We should leave this place for now."
After nightfall, when yang energy in the world sharply diminished, was the ideal time for malevolent forces to become active. Though demonic energy was somewhat different, humans had crudely classified it among malevolent forces, and indeed, demonic energy did strengthen at night. Thus, the dry well containing demonic energy would overflow with it at night—even demonic cultivators couldn't remain here, let alone righteous path cultivators.
The Nameless Temple's current predicament was inextricably linked to this—the spirits of the monks, still full of Buddhist nature, couldn't withstand the assault of nocturnal demonic energy, so they never came here at night, only reinforcing the seal during the day. But it was conceivable that the temple monks alone couldn't completely maintain the seal. Demonic energy leaked out bit by bit, gradually corrupting the originally pure and clear spirits.
As one waxed and the other waned, it could be said that the Nameless Temple maintained its guardian duty entirely through the monks' perseverance. For this, they were willing to descend to hell, but still couldn't endure indefinitely. Resealing with the Seven Treasures Glass Heart was the fundamental solution.
Now, Tan Xin, who carried the Seven Treasures Glass Heart, was prepared to die, but Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's unexpected fall into the well had forced a temporary pause. Jiang Mo's identity was one matter, but with Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu present, they couldn't possibly watch their adopted daughter perish. Thus, both parties reached an agreement: the sealing with the Seven Treasures Glass Heart would be postponed for seven days. If the two hadn't emerged after seven days, fate would have to take its course.
And now, it was no longer the day they had fallen into the well, nor the second day, but already the third day.
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu had waited by the dry well for three days, yet besides waiting, there was little else they could do—Sect Leader Zhu had attempted to enter the well to rescue them, but merely upon contact with the demonic energy at the well's entrance, she had to abandon the idea.
She had thought her Grand Achievement cultivation level would allow her to move through the cultivation world unimpeded, but reality proved that even Grand Achievement cultivation was insufficient for complete freedom of action. At the very least, the demonic energy in the dry well posed a genuine threat. Though she hadn't been dragged in like Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, at the moment of contact, she understood that if she truly entered the domain of demonic energy, she would almost certainly fare poorly!
This wasn't an exaggeration. The Nameless Temple's abbot had been a Tribulation Crossing patriarch in life, just one step away from achieving enlightenment and ascending. Yet even he had been influenced by demonic energy, which corrupted his soul.
The two valued their lives enough that, hearing Tan Xin's words and seeing the demonic energy surging in the well, they finally rose to leave. However, after three days, both couldn't help feeling worried. As they walked, Qingyu said, "Will Qingyue and the others really be able to come up?"
In terms of emotional attachment, Qingyu, who had raised Yun Qingyue, naturally felt deeper concern than Zhu Baiyi, with worry practically overflowing from her brow. Not only did Zhu Baiyi find this distressing to see, but Tan Xin also found it difficult to tell her that the dry well had swallowed countless people, yet not a single one had ever crawled back out. The promised seven days were merely a courtesy given their past friendship, offering hope and comfort to everyone.
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu weren't fools; they had vaguely perceived the truth. But since they couldn't descend into the well to rescue them, they had no option but to wait.
Fortunately, Yun Qingyue, as a former Xuanqing Sect disciple, had left a soul lamp in the sect. After she left the sect and never returned, Qingyu had taken possession of the lamp. She still carried it, occasionally taking it out to check Yun Qingyue's condition—the result wasn't too bad; the soul lamp showed no signs of extinguishing and even burned quite vigorously.
It was this soul lamp that gave the two hope, allowing them to keep watch here day after day.
Zhu Baiyi patted Qingyu's shoulder, comforting her, "It's alright, fortune favors the virtuous; they'll definitely come out. Qingyue's soul lamp is still in your possession, with no sign of change, right?"
Qingyu pressed her lips together, temporarily accepting this consolation, though worry remained etched on her brow.
Zhu Baiyi felt pained seeing this and added, "If not for the Nine Abyss Sect's Elder Qi's sudden treachery that day, the two wouldn't have fallen into danger. Once this matter is settled, I will personally lead people to the Nine Abyss Sect to avenge this arrow of enmity for them."
Unfortunately, as the primary culprit, Elder Qi had also fallen into the well, and her current fate was unknown.