Chapter 472 : Midnight Distress Call
472: Midnight Distress Call
The night was deep, with a solitary moon hanging high in the sky, but not a single star visible in the gloomy heavens.
This was certainly not pleasant weather, and combined with the recent constant troubles, it created a sense of oppression in people's hearts, causing inexplicable irritation and unease when looking at such a night sky.
The people of Wanfa Sect were traveling through the darkness. This was their twentieth consecutive day on the road, and even for hardy cultivators, their spiritual and physical energy was nearing exhaustion. Yet they dared not stop, for unknown calamities could occur at any moment—perhaps during just a brief rest, someone might lose their precious life.
This was no empty fear but a tragedy they had witnessed firsthand, which was why they dared not stop easily despite their exhaustion. Fortunately, such days were coming to an end—if they could just persevere for one more day, they would reach their destination!
The Wanfa Sect Leader flew at the front, leading the way, while several elders with the highest cultivation levels brought up the rear. The hazy moonlight fell upon everyone, casting their faces in alternating patterns of light and shadow.
Unlike major sects like Xuanqing Sect, Wanfa Sect was merely an obscure small sect with only a hundred or so members in total. The Sect Leader's cultivation was the highest, yet only at the Spirit Division stage, with disciples naturally at even lower levels. However, when fleeing, the Wanfa Sect Leader hadn't abandoned a single disciple, even bringing along those at the Qi Refinement stage who couldn't yet fly, carried by their fellow sect members.
Such a contingent naturally couldn't be considered strong, and the continuous journey had stretched everyone's nerves to the breaking point.
A young Qi Refinement disciple was lying on his Senior Brother's back. He appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old with limited cultivation, and the days of travel had left him exhausted, yet the oppressive atmosphere prevented him from resting peacefully.
Earlier, the Wanfa Sect Leader had told them that they were approaching Xuanqing Sect, and once they arrived, they could seek refuge there and be safe. But the young disciple still wasn't reassured. After holding back the entire journey, in the deep night he finally couldn't resist leaning toward his Senior Brother's ear and asking: "Senior Brother, I heard Xuanqing Sect is one of the Three Great Righteous Sects. Will they really take us in?"
At this late hour, as the group was focused on traveling, the young disciple had lowered his voice and spoken directly into his Senior Brother's ear, but in the quiet night, it still sounded somewhat loud.
Several Senior Brothers and sisters flying nearby turned to look, their expressions varied, causing the young disciple to instinctively shrink back.
His Senior Brother noticed and patted him reassuringly: "Don't worry, didn't the Sect Leader say that Xuanqing Sect has already accepted many outside cultivators? We aren't bad people, so why wouldn't they shelter us?" He continued: "I heard our Sect Leader has a close relationship with Elder Xiao from Xuanqing Sect, so they certainly won't turn us away."
No one knew who Elder Xiao was, but these words undoubtedly reassured the young disciple. He leaned trustingly against his Senior Brother's shoulder and was about to say something when he noticed a black spot on his Senior Brother's neck in the moonlight.
The black spot was half-hidden by the collar, not very noticeable, appearing at first glance like a mole partially obscured.
The young disciple blinked in confusion, trying to recall if his Senior Brother had always had a mole on his neck. Throughout their journey, he had been carried by his Senior Brother and had looked at him from this angle countless times, but no matter how he tried to remember, there seemed to be no memory of this black mole.
Finding it strange but not immediately recognizing the severity, he even reached out to touch the "mole": "Huh? Senior Brother, when did you get a mole on your neck?"
As he spoke, his still-childish finger touched the "black mole." The skin beneath felt smooth, but a strange coldness transmitted through his fingertip. It wasn't the normal sensation of skin, and the young disciple instinctively withdrew his hand. Then he saw the "mole" he had touched seem to come alive, twisting before extending a large segment from beneath the collar.
"Ah..." The young disciple couldn't help crying out in alarm, startling all the nearby sect members.
Everyone's tense nerves were plucked by this cry, and combined with the young disciple's earlier disheartening comments, the gazes that turned to look were somewhat impatient. Just as someone was about to scold him, they noticed, in the moonlight, a strand of demonic pattern climbing up their fellow sect member's neck.
"D-demonic pattern! He's infected with a demonic pattern!" someone cried out in alarm. The previously well-structured flying formation immediately scattered like an exploded pot, with everyone fleeing in all directions from the center formed by the senior and junior brother pair.
The Senior Brother carrying the young disciple stopped. He raised his eyes to scan the surroundings, his usually gentle gaze now unprecedentedly cold.
The Wanfa Sect Leader was the first to react, immediately ordering: "Quick, capture him!"
People infected with demonic patterns were both their former selves and not. They retained their original memories and could blend perfectly within a group. But once fully infected, they changed in many ways, such as having their strength greatly increased by the demonic pattern, and naturally forming connections with others similarly infected.
The conclusion paid for in blood by countless cultivator groups was that if someone in your team was infected with a demonic pattern, you had to beware of them contacting allies for an ambush. The Wanfa Sect Leader wanted to prevent this, but clearly it was too late...
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Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had been busy lately, taking on missions from Sect Leader Qingxiao and frequently venturing out to assess the situation. Originally, they had intended to monitor demon race movements, since with various forces gathering at Xuanqing Sect, it was obvious that Xuanqing Sect would become a target. But in reality, after multiple patrols, they found themselves more often receiving people coming to seek refuge rather than eliminating demons to uphold the righteous path.
Of course, burning all the mutated flowers they encountered along the way was merely incidental for Yun Qingyue.
On this day, after completing another patrol of the surroundings and burning all newly grown mutated flowers, they found they still had plenty of time. So they decided to fly further today, unconcerned about whether they could return by nightfall.
Indeed, they couldn't make it back that night. Jiang Mo led her senior sister to a lakeside and lit a campfire: "The moonlight isn't good tonight, but it probably won't rain. Let's not rush back, shall we?"
Yun Qingyue acquiesced, sitting shoulder to shoulder with her: "What's this? Don't want to go back?"
Jiang Mo leaned slightly against her senior sister's shoulder, making a soft whining sound as she grumbled: "Don't want to go back; there are too many people. It feels like even the air is crowded." This was certainly an exaggeration—at least the summit of Purple Cloud Peak was still theirs—but that didn't stop Jiang Mo from complaining: "Ah Yue, what do you think the Sect Leader is planning? Gathering so many people in the sect now—is he trying to draw the enemy to attack sooner?"
The cultivation world was undergoing great changes, and it made sense to unite all possible forces, but Sect Leader Qingxiao's approach of gathering everyone at Xuanqing Sect seemed to place all the risk on Xuanqing Sect, which didn't appear wise from any angle.
Yun Qingyue patted the little tiger's head, seeming to hint at something: "The Sect Leader naturally has his own considerations."
Jiang Mo wasn't satisfied with this explanation and pressed: "What consid—"
Before she could finish, they suddenly saw a firework explode in the distant sky—the fireworks in the cultivation world were naturally different from those Jiang Mo had seen before. Here, fireworks were created by bursting spiritual energy, generally used to transmit signals or call for help.
As the firework exploded, it formed a special pattern that Jiang Mo didn't recognize, so she asked: "What's that?"
Yun Qingyue didn't recognize it either, but with her extensive knowledge, she speculated based on experience: "It should be a sect emblem." After a pause, she added: "They might be in trouble and using this method to call for help."
Typically, such signals were more commonly used to gather sect members. But this location wasn't far from Xuanqing Sect, and under normal circumstances, people wouldn't use such an ostentatious method to summon their members. Additionally, with the recent unrest in the cultivation world, cultivators had become more low-key. Releasing this firework now seemed more like a desperate call for help, though those who might respond to the rescue were probably few.
No one would invite trouble at such a time, especially since this emblem was so unfamiliar, clearly not belonging to any major sect. If one rashly went to help, the best outcome would be no reward, and the worst might be falling directly into a trap.
Jiang Mo was naturally lazy, and in ordinary times, even encountering a call for help, she might not bother with others' business. But ironically, at this critical moment, she immediately stood up, frowning as she looked toward the direction of the firework: "It doesn't seem too far."
Yun Qingyue also rose, even waving her hand to extinguish the campfire: "Shall we go take a look?"
Though phrased as a question, seeing that she had already put out the fire, her determined attitude was clear.
Jiang Mo paused subtly, glancing at the extinguished fire, but said nothing as she flew toward the direction of the firework.
The two moved quickly, taking only a few breaths to reach the scene after spotting the firework. Upon arrival, the scene was quite peculiar: in the center was someone infected with a demonic pattern, surrounded by a circle of cultivators, who were in turn surrounded by another circle of people infected with demonic patterns... These concentric circles, viewed from above, looked almost like a target.
Of course, given what Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had witnessed these days, the scene before them wasn't entirely unfamiliar—it was common for someone in a cultivator group to be infected with a demonic pattern and then bring new companions to attack old ones.
However, it was unusual for the betrayer to be discovered before the encirclement was complete.
Jiang Mo scanned the scene, easily seeing that none of those present had high cultivation levels, and casually gestured at the surrounding circle: "Half each, this side is mine, alright?"
Yun Qingyue could set fires faster than Jiang Mo could fight, but seeing the little tiger's eager expression, she didn't want to compete. Yun Qingyue nodded in agreement, then paused as her gaze swept the scene: "In the middle there, that child seems to be normal."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo looked in the direction she indicated and indeed saw a child being carried on the back of the person infected with the demonic pattern in the center. She didn't know the prior situation, but now the child's condition wasn't good—the battle was about to begin, and while the person carrying him seemed fine, the child was already pale-faced with cold sweat, looking terrified to death.
His courage was truly small, but he also looked truly pitiful.
Well, better save people first.