Chapter 429 : A Shadow
429: A Shadow
The matter of ascension remained distant. Despite their exceptional talents and fortuitous circumstances, neither of them could fulfill Sect Leader Zhu's wish to ascend before the cultivation world fell into chaos. With their current cultivation, even setting aside Yun Qingyue's two close relations, they couldn't truly remain uninvolved. So despite Jiang Mo's seemingly carefree attitude, she genuinely cared about the cultivation world's future.
No joke—she had already calculated with the system that her ascension would take at least a hundred years!
Besides herself, she wasn't sure if her Senior Sister's cultivation speed could keep pace, while the Sect Leader and Peak Masters would likely not achieve ascension within a hundred years. Beyond them were other friends and loved ones, like Zhong Heng and the young monk—any one of them perishing midway would be heartbreaking.
The two had stayed on the demonic vessel for several days but hadn't detected any conspiracies, though residing there inexplicably felt oppressive.
Today they stood on the vessel's deck, looking outward through the barrier. Beyond the flickering spirit lights filling the sky, they could sense, at close range, a soaring bloodthirsty aura—perhaps illusory, but even with the barrier, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue seemed to smell the sticky, bloody scent in the air. Even the battle-loving White Tiger found it uncomfortable.
Yun Qingyue looked up for a while, then suddenly said: "I keep feeling that there's a shadow over Mount Xuanyin..."
When the two had gazed at Mount Xuanyin from Luoxin Town that day, they had sensed a shadow falling, but since it was dusk, they'd attributed it to nightfall. Only after entering Mount Xuanyin did they realize the overhead shadow seemed ever-present.
Jiang Mo also looked up, seemingly perceiving the shadow and something ominous beyond it. Strangely, apart from them, others appeared not to notice this shadow, or perhaps the bloodthirsty aura was so heavy that no one paid attention to shadows. Even Sect Leader Zhu hadn't mentioned it at all.
After some thought, Jiang Mo suggested: "Why don't we leave Mount Xuanyin's bounds and look again?"
After consideration, Yun Qingyue agreed. Without delay, they flew beyond Mount Xuanyin's range. After flying nearly a thousand li, they suddenly felt their hearts lighten. Looking up again, they indeed saw clear blue skies with no sense of lurking shadow.
They exchanged glances, simultaneously forming the same conjecture: "Could it be that the excessive deaths these past months have created a blood-qi domain?"
But conjectures remained just that, and they harbored doubts about this theory—they had wondered while on the vessel why the bloody scent in the air seemed too intense. If blood-qi had formed a domain, how many people had died on Mount Xuanyin these past months? The Nine Abyss Sect and Crimson Blood Sect were major sects with tens of thousands of disciples, though most were low-level—surely they couldn't all have been used as cannon fodder?
No normal sect leader would do this, as it would undermine the sect's foundation. Yet recalling Sect Leader Zhu's words, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue felt this scenario wasn't impossible.
With these doubts, they returned to the demonic vessel, coincidentally meeting Sect Leader Zhu returning from outside, her murderous aura not yet dissipated.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Jiang Mo caught a glimpse of red light flashing in Sect Leader Zhu's eyes. Yet when she looked more carefully in alarm, she perceived nothing. Turning to her Senior Sister, it seemed she hadn't noticed anything either.
Jiang Mo could only keep this observation to herself, waiting to discuss it with Yun Qingyue when they were alone.
Meanwhile, Zhu Baiyi had indeed just fought with the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, who was slippery and completely lacked a master's dignity. Whenever they engaged, at the first sign of disadvantage, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader would flee faster than he attacked. After several such encounters, Zhu Baiyi's attitude had shifted from indifference to growing irritation, returning from each battle fuming.
Angry though she was, upon seeing Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo upon her return, Zhu Baiyi suppressed her rage. She approached them directly, asking: "What's this? Did you seek me out for something specific?"
There was indeed something, though meeting her here was coincidental.
Neither Yun Qingyue nor Jiang Mo mentioned this point. They glanced at those behind Zhu Baiyi, who immediately understood and dismissed everyone. All three possessed top-tier cultivation—casually setting up a barrier would prevent eavesdropping.
They didn't delay; after establishing the barrier, they got straight to the point: "Sect Leader, what exactly is that shadow in the sky?"
Hearing this, Sect Leader Zhu gave them a strange look, then looked up, asking curiously: "There's nothing in the sky—what shadow?" Today happened to be perfectly clear, with clear skies as far as the eye could see.
Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo felt both surprise and sudden understanding. Jiang Mo then asked: "Then Sect Leader, having stayed at Mount Xuanyin all this time, don't you feel oppressed?"
At these words, Sect Leader Zhu's brow furrowed slightly. As a Grand Achievement cultivator, external factors couldn't easily affect her, unless as some kind of warning. Yet similarly, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had high cultivation and divine beast bloodlines—their perception potentially exceeded hers. Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and instead of responding immediately, she looked up again.
Strangely, the shadow visible to Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo remained completely imperceptible to Zhu Baiyi. She saw nothing, even when extending her divine sense to probe—not the slightest discovery.
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After their conversation with Sect Leader Zhu, who perceived nothing, the three even left Mount Xuanyin together, yet Zhu Baiyi felt no abnormality whatsoever. Her composed demeanor almost made Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue doubt themselves.
Back aboard the vessel, Yun Qingyue stated with certainty to Jiang Mo: "It seems only we two can perceive it."
Since the conflict at Mount Xuanyin began, the area had been a focal point for countless cultivators—any abnormality would have spread widely by now. Moreover, during their stay in Luoxin Town, they hadn't heard any cultivators who daily observed Mount Xuanyin's activities mention any shadow. That this shadow remained imperceptible even to Grand Achievement stage Sect Leader Zhu indicated that the vast majority couldn't detect it.
As for Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo's unique perception, it likely stemmed from their bloodlines.
Jiang Mo inwardly agreed with her Senior Sister's reasoning, but the fact that only they could see it raised concerns that it might be an illusion. For once, she prodded the system in her sea of consciousness, asking it to serve as a third eye: "System, can you see the shadow in the sky?"
As a mechanical intelligence occasionally sharing perception with its host, the system naturally saw it.
Pleased by the affirmative answer, Jiang Mo hastily asked further: "Then System, can you determine what it is?"
The system, sometimes reliable, sometimes not, had become almost mentally challenged after being disciplined by the White Tiger. Its voice sounded pitifully in Jiang Mo's consciousness: "Cannot. Detect. Don't. Know."
Resigned, Jiang Mo abandoned communication with the system, relegating it back to her sea of consciousness.
Afterward, Jiang Mo looked up at the sky again, her golden tiger eyes reflecting three parts confusion and two parts investigation. Turning to Yun Qingyue, she said: "Alue, perhaps I should fly up and take a look."
Yun Qingyue immediately grabbed her, as if fearing she'd impulsively act on her words: "Don't be reckless—what if there's danger?"
Jiang Mo appreciated her Senior Sister's concern but dared not show it. She blinked and said: "I'll just go up for a quick look. Since others can't perceive it, it's probably not something with physical form. I'll activate my protective golden light—there won't be any harm..." Her voice suddenly diminished toward the end, the entire tiger becoming timid.
Yun Qingyue hadn't done much—just gave her a cold glance—yet the little tiger immediately backed down. Observing from the side, Sect Leader Zhu seemed pleased by this, the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifting—good, her cub wasn't being taken advantage of.
Just as the little tiger had acknowledged her timidity after being scolded, Yun Qingyue continued: "Since you're so confident, I'll go with you."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo immediately shook her head like a rattle drum: "No need, absolutely no need—I won't go look, that's all."
As she spoke, she pulled Yun Qingyue close—not for intimacy this time, but fearing her Senior Sister might impulsively fly off. In two sentences, their roles had completely reversed.
Sect Leader Zhu initially felt concerned, but by the end merely felt exasperated. She looked up at the sky again, still perceiving nothing. So rather than letting the two continue their endless back-and-forth, she simply flew upward herself—she harbored none of their worries, truly seeing and feeling nothing, and had flown high into the sky numerous times these days.
"Sect Leader..." The two couldn't stop her in time, managing only to call out before seeing Sect Leader Zhu plunge directly into that shadow.
Yun Qingyue's heart sank, her grip on Jiang Mo unconsciously tightening, her clear glass-like phoenix eyes filled with worry. But Zhu Baiyi, flying into the shadow, felt nothing amiss. After circling once, she returned, landing steadily on the vessel.
Jiang Mo squeezed Yun Qingyue's hand reassuringly, and Yun Qingyue's tense heartstrings gradually relaxed.