Chapter 457 : Rapid Spread
457: Rapid Spread
After many years without seeing him, Elder Liu Feng still looked the same as before, with only a slight trace of anxiety on his face. Upon seeing the two of them, he immediately beckoned: "Both of you, come with me quickly to the Enforcement Hall. The Sect Leader is waiting for you."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue naturally went to meet him, taking the opportunity to inquire about the morning's anomalies.
Elder Liu Feng didn't conceal anything. While leading the two towards the Enforcement Hall, he briefly explained the current situation. It turned out that the Sect Leader had just ordered an inspection of disciples yesterday to check for demonic pattern infections, and that night, a large number of people had attempted to flee—knowing their cultivation was too low, they had originally planned to escape from Xuanqing Sect, but with the protective grand formation activated, these people couldn't leave even if they wanted to.
So, unable to escape, these people simply went all out and began attacking the remaining disciples. Their numbers far exceeded expectations, and their strength had been enhanced by the demonic patterns, so even those disciples hiding in their residences couldn't remain safe, and many suffered as a result.
Fortunately, these people's strength enhancements were limited, so the Sect Leader intended to gather the elders and experts to completely suppress and resolve this matter.
This upheaval came too suddenly, or rather, the sheer number of victims had far exceeded the pair's expectations. They exchanged a glance, and in that moment when their gazes met, they shared an understanding that no one else could comprehend.
Elder Liu Feng couldn't decipher the silent communication between the two, but he also had no patience to try. After hurriedly explaining the situation, he urged the two again: "This matter shouldn't be delayed; disciples could perish at any moment. The Sect Leader is still waiting at the Enforcement Hall. We should fly faster and not keep the Sect Leader waiting." As he spoke, his face showed urgent concern.
Hearing his urging, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue indeed increased their flying speed. Their cultivation was originally higher than Elder Liu Feng's, and they had been matching his pace. Now with this increase in speed, they instantly left him behind.
Elder Liu Feng also flew quite fast, closely pursuing the two from behind, his gaze profoundly deep as he watched their backs.
……
The distance from Purple Cloud Peak to the Enforcement Hall wasn't short, passing countless spirit peaks along the way. Some peaks had masters, and when passing by, one could see people fighting fiercely on them. Other peaks were unclaimed, and though desolate, they were peaceful.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue flew past hurriedly, occasionally encountering people fighting in mid-air, which they widely avoided.
With clear targets, they hastened toward the Enforcement Hall. As they passed two unclaimed spirit peaks, a golden net suddenly unfurled in mid-air. The two had been flying extremely fast, and this interception came so suddenly that by the time they saw the golden net, their bodies had already crashed into it like swallows returning to the forest.
Once touched, the golden net immediately descended, with the momentum of catching the two in one swoop.
However, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue were not fish caught in a net, helpless to be slaughtered. On the contrary, their reactions were lightning-fast. Jiang Mo, entering the net first, delivered a mid-air palm strike toward the net, temporarily halting its descent. Her other hand seized the opportunity to grab Yun Qingyue's hand, throwing her out of the golden net. Simultaneously, Yun Qingyue released ice flames, the azure fire climbing up the golden net.
These moves were as swift as a rabbit fleeing and a hawk swooping—from the moment Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue encountered danger to their escape, it took no more than a breath or two. But the golden net hadn't really expected to catch them both; it only needed to delay them momentarily. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight people had surrounded them.
Among those surrounding them, some faces were familiar, others unfamiliar, but their identities weren't hard to guess—with the protective grand formation activated, outsiders couldn't enter Xuanqing Sect's gates, so these people were undoubtedly elders of Xuanqing Sect!
But regardless of their identities, these people clearly could no longer be viewed as fellow disciples, because they were filled with malicious intent.
The two sides quickly engaged. Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's cultivation was originally higher than the others, and with their seamless coordination, they should have quickly gained the upper hand. However, the situation was different now—whenever the two gained a slight advantage, their opponents would become three degrees more aggressive. With each bit of potential squeezed out, black demonic patterns crawled up these people's faces, making them look increasingly ferocious.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's hearts sank slightly. It wasn't that they feared their formidable opponents, but they couldn't imagine how many people in Xuanqing Sect had been affected. Where did these demonic patterns come from? How were they spreading? They still didn't know. Perhaps unknowingly, the entire sect was about to fall!
With anxiety in their hearts, the two showed no mercy, striking fatally when opponents became too difficult to handle.
By the time the lagging Elder Liu Feng arrived, of the seven or eight elders surrounding the two, only two remained, stubbornly holding on. He glanced at the fighting parties and without a second thought, rushed toward Jiang Mo: "Jianbing, let me help you."
As he spoke, a short blade appeared in Elder Liu Feng's hand. The material of the blade seemed neither gold nor jade, but was pitch-black in color. Sunlight falling upon it seemed to have its brilliance absorbed... Jiang Mo vaguely remembered that Elder Liu Feng's magical weapon was indeed a short blade, but it didn't seem to be black. However, there was no time for her to ponder this in detail.
Elder Liu Feng swung his blade upward, the blade's edge pointing directly at the opponent, extraordinarily fierce. But just before the blades clashed, he suddenly changed direction, and with the opponent, attacked Jiang Mo from front and back.
In that critical moment, Jiang Mo seemed to see the dense blackness on the black blade flow slightly.
A cold light flashed in her eyes as she slightly shifted to dodge the opponent's strike, while simultaneously reaching out to grab the sneak attack from behind—Elder Liu Feng's blade-wielding hand was caught. But his cultivation was already high, and with the boost from the demonic patterns, he now possessed Fusion stage power. He was confident his cultivation wouldn't be inferior to the newly-matured Jianbing, which was why he dared to attack Jiang Mo.
However, as soon as they engaged, Elder Liu Feng found his wrist caught and couldn't pull it back no matter what. Jianbing was far stronger than he had anticipated. Before panic could rise in his heart, a tiger paw wrapped in golden spiritual light swung heavily toward him.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
When Peak Master Qingyuan arrived with several elders to provide support, the group that had ambushed Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had already perished at their hands. Of the seven attackers, five were dead, two were injured, plus the last sneak attacker, Elder Liu Feng.
Jiang Mo unceremoniously pulled him out and handed him over to them: "I think this ambush was planned by Elder Liu Feng."
Qingyuan and the others fell into a brief silence, especially the elders who had come to provide support. Looking at the dismembered bodies of fellow disciples they had once spent day and night with, their eyes inevitably revealed profound sorrow. But facing Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue who had done the deed, not one showed dissatisfaction, nor did anyone step forward at this moment to accuse them of being too heavy-handed.
After a while, Qingyuan finally spoke: "Seven elders were ambushed this morning. Six died, and only one escaped to Mount Qingyun to seek my help..." Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't much better.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue frowned upon hearing this, but didn't find it particularly surprising: "The Sect Leader didn't summon anyone, did he?"
Qingyuan nodded: "With the current chaos in the sect, the Sect Leader wouldn't have everyone rush to the Enforcement Hall and waste time. Instead, everyone is subduing fighting disciples nearby." Although they didn't know if those elders and disciples infected with demonic patterns could regain clarity, these people were the foundation of Xuanqing Sect. They couldn't let them die without attempting to save them. Not to mention that these people wouldn't die quietly—they would harm other disciples.
After briefly exchanging a few words, everyone was ready to continue cleaning up the mess.
Just before parting, Jiang Mo couldn't help but ask: "What will happen to those who have been captured?" After a pause, she added: "Regardless of the others, I find Elder Liu Feng somewhat special. Perhaps the Sect Leader could make a breakthrough with him."
Qingyuan noted her words and also answered Jiang Mo's question: "These people, send them to the lightning pool first."
Indeed, anyone tainted by demonic energy should be soaked in the lightning pool!
Jiang Mo was satisfied and watched as they departed.
……
This day was incredibly busy for Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue. From being awakened in the early morning, they had been continuously resolving conflicts between disciples. They didn't have time to distinguish which side was infected by demonic patterns and which side was forced to defend themselves—they simply bound them all and stored them in their dimensional storages.
By dusk, Xuanqing Sect, which had been noisy all day, finally began to return to tranquility.
Jiang Mo dragged her heavy steps to meet with Senior Sister, feeling for the first time that a sect with strong power and too many disciples wasn't necessarily a good thing. She directly fell into Senior Sister's embrace, almost hanging on her: "A-Yue, I'm so tired. Those demonic patterns are like a plague, infecting so many people at once... And there are really so many disciples in Xuanqing Sect."
Yun Qingyue appeared much more composed than Jiang Mo. She still stood upright, raising her arms to catch the little tiger who threw herself into her embrace. Then, as the other acted coquettishly, she gently patted her back to comfort her: "It's alright, it's over. Let's send these people to the lightning pool first."
At the mention of sending others to soak in the lightning pool and get struck by lightning, the little tiger immediately perked up. She counted the people in her dimensional storage and said: "I've captured over three thousand, and probably half of them should be soaked." After saying this, she paused: "I alone have captured so many people—will they all fit in the lightning pool?"
Although when she first saw the lightning pool, she thought it should be called a lake. But no matter how large the lightning pool was, if half the sect's disciples were soaked in it at once, it would probably be as crowded as dumplings in a pot, wouldn't it?
Yun Qingyue saw through her gloating and lightly tapped her forehead with a finger: "Nonsense. Do you think everyone can soak in the lightning pool?"
Jiang Mo rubbed her forehead and also put away her jokes: "Alright, alright, let's send them over first. Perhaps they can still be saved."