Chapter 488 : Pointing Directly to Xuanqing
488: Pointing Directly to Xuanqing
The drop of demon blood was ultimately consumed by the Purifying Golden Flames, and after burning the demon blood completely, the golden flames didn't remain either—with a flash of golden sparks, they were utterly extinguished and disappeared. Unless another Buddha's disciple burned his soul to ignite them, they would never appear before the world again.
The rapidly flying Swan Goose flapped its wings a few times, gradually slowing down.
Jiang Mo sighed. Thinking about it now, Tan Xin's death still felt unreal—since the beginning of this calamity, many in the cultivation world had died, but most of those people had little connection to Jiang Mo, as those she knew weren't ordinary figures. Yet recently, she had faced two deaths in succession: You Yi's resolute sacrifice and Tan Xin's self-immolation.
These two deaths suddenly made Jiang Mo realize that she had been here for over eighty years now. Even if she had maintained the mindset of an observer throughout, she had unknowingly integrated into this world.
This calamity concerned the cultivation world, concerned the cultivators, and concerned her as well—their fates were intertwined!
Yun Qingyue gradually came to a stop, and the others who had been on her back departed one by one. Only Jiang Mo, either lost in thought or deliberately slow, reacted much later than the others. So when Yun Qingyue transformed back into human form, the person who had been embracing her neck continued to do so, and the one who had been lying on her back remained pressed intimately against her.
Sect Leader Zhu and Peak Master Qingyu were well aware of their relationship, finding the scene merely cloying. The Buddha Sect elder, however, knew nothing of this and saw nothing wrong with two women being physically close, especially since his attention was elsewhere.
Yun Qingyue raised her hand to grasp Jiang Mo's arm, about to admonish her to be more restrained in public, when she heard the Buddha Sect elder suddenly say in a deep voice: "This direction leads toward Xuanqing Sect."
At these words, Yun Qingyue forgot about Jiang Mo still embracing her neck and immediately looked up.
Indeed, the direction in which the demon blood had fled pointed straight toward Xuanqing Sect. Although this place was at least a month's journey from Xuanqing Sect, the direction was unmistakable. Previously, they had assumed the Demon Race would remain in another stronghold, like Nine Abyss Sect, Celestial Demon Sect, Harmony Sect, or even Tiandao Sect. These major sects each occupied different territories in different directions, and having a general direction would allow them to make an educated guess.
Unfortunately, the Demon Race wasn't in any of the above sects' territories but instead was heading toward Xuanqing Sect.
An ominous feeling immediately arose in Yun Qingyue and the others, though no one was the first to voice it. Surprisingly, it was Jiang Mo who finally spoke: "That demon blood must be heading toward the Demon Race. Why would they be at Xuanqing Sect instead of presiding over a sect under their control?"
The Demon Race wasn't necessarily at Xuanqing Sect; they might also be on their way there... Of course, this wasn't good news either, as the emergence of this behind-the-scenes manipulator likely signaled the moment for the decisive battle had arrived.
Everyone understood this point, including Jiang Mo who had just spoken.
Peak Master Qingyu didn't waste words, simply saying: "Return to the sect!"
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When Sect Leader Qingxiao received the message from Peak Master Qingyu and the others, Xuanqing Sect still appeared peaceful.
Except for the increased number of people the sect was sheltering—with every small and large spirit peak filled to capacity and occasional friction among the guests—there were no major issues within the sect. Therefore, compared to the devastation outside Xuanqing Sect, this place was indeed a pure land, truly peaceful.
However, all this peace ultimately shattered with the arrival of that message.
Sect Leader Qingxiao, though distrustful of others, certainly trusted Peak Master Qingyu. Upon receiving the message, he immediately summoned all important figures to Lingyun Hall for discussion. The majority were naturally from Xuanqing Sect, but Buddha Sect, Crimson Blood Sect, and Harmony Sect, who had sought refuge there, also sent their leading figures to participate.
That day, the two rows of seats in Lingyun Hall were filled with people. Sect Leader Qingxiao sat at the head with a solemn expression, not keeping anyone in suspense. He straightforwardly displayed Peak Master Qingyu's message for everyone to see. After reading it, the hall immediately erupted in discussion.
Sect Leader Qingxiao waited a moment, and once everyone had calmed down, he finally spoke: "What Qingyu says is still conjecture, but she is not one to speak carelessly. Since she has discovered this clue and sent word back, we naturally must make preparations." As he spoke of making preparations, his gaze first fell on Fei Yuan, seated in the front row.
Fei Yuan naturally understood Sect Leader Qingxiao's meaning—he wanted to inquire about news from the outside world, which was why Xuanqing Sect had taken them in. However, at this moment, Harmony Sect couldn't be of help. Fei Yuan slightly lowered her head and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, the scouts outside have all lost contact; news hasn't been transmitted for a long time."
This statement was both unexpected and expected—even though everyone was sheltering in Xuanqing Sect, they weren't completely ignorant of the outside world. Harmony Sect's scouts, whoever they were, faced the approaching calamity of the cultivation world that spared neither cultivators nor ordinary people. Fei Yuan watched as one contact after another went silent, not knowing whether they had met with disaster or deliberately cut off communication with her.
Hearing this, Sect Leader Qingxiao sighed, though he hadn't held much hope to begin with: "In that case, let us begin preparations."
……
Peak Master Qingyu and the others' return to the sect wasn't a matter of a day or two. Despite their concern for the sect, they couldn't abandon the mess at Mount Xuanyin. After clearing the blood pool and leveling the underground palace, they were finally able to set aside these matters and return to the sect, by which time news from Xuanqing Sect had already reached them.
Sect Leader Qingxiao had first ordered the complete sealing of the sect gates, no longer accepting cultivators seeking refuge. Then, behind closed doors, he began examining whether those within the sect had been infected with demonic energy. After all, many had come from outside, and it wouldn't be surprising if some infected individuals had mingled among them.
Events proved Sect Leader Qingxiao right—in just a short time, the overcrowded Xuanqing Sect had identified many people infected with demonic energy.
This discovery shocked and angered everyone in Xuanqing Sect, especially some younger disciples with unstable temperaments, who developed great hostility and dislike toward these outsiders. So while the sect elders were busy reinforcing the protective formation in preparation for battle, a not-insignificant internal conflict erupted within Xuanqing Sect, nearly placing Xuanqing Sect disciples and the refugee cultivators in opposition.
Fortunately, after several senior disciples intervened, this drama was ultimately stopped, preventing the situation from developing to its worst. However, from that time on, the atmosphere within Xuanqing Sect grew tenser by the day, making uninformed observers think they all knew about the impending battle.
Peak Master Qingyu and the others weren't aware of these many changes within Xuanqing Sect, but knowing the sect was temporarily safe allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. After cleaning up the aftermath, they began their return journey. Without Divine Lord Zhiming's help this time, they had to fly back honestly.
Throughout their journey, they witnessed scenes of devastation everywhere.
Jiang Mo, usually carefree, grew increasingly silent during the journey. Until one day, she suddenly realized something and privately asked Yun Qingyue: "Yue, have you noticed we've hardly encountered any living people along the way?" Whether normal people or those infected with demonic patterns and energy, there were none—the entire journey felt like traveling through death itself.
Yun Qingyue, more attentive than her, had naturally discovered this earlier, and this abnormality boded ill in everyone's eyes. Thus, they traveled with increasing speed and communicated with the sect more frequently.
Finally, one day, contact with Xuanqing Sect was lost—they could no longer reach Sect Leader Qingxiao or anyone else within the sect.
……
Xuanqing Sect's loss of contact with the outside world was a sudden event.
That day, Xuanqing Sect was carrying on with preparations for the great battle. Due to the busy activities of Xuanqing Sect disciples, those who had sought refuge there began to sense something and joined in to help. While everyone was busily working, someone casually looked up and suddenly exclaimed: "Quick, look at the sky! What are those?!"
Hearing this, everyone looked up and saw only a mass of shadow, like storm clouds or mist, gradually enveloping Xuanqing Sect... Actually, even earlier, people had vaguely noticed the dimming light, assuming it was due to cloud cover, with no one paying much attention.
But now everyone realized that what blocked the sunlight wasn't clouds but the black mist that had suddenly drifted in.
Before anyone could investigate what this sky-covering black mist was, spiritual light suddenly flickered on several main peaks. With several swooshing sounds, over a dozen figures appeared in mid-air. Those with good eyesight who had seen Xuanqing Sect's leadership before noticed that these figures were almost all high-ranking members of Xuanqing Sect, with the occasional exception like Fei Yuan.
Seeing that the black mist had alarmed the sect's experts, the disciples below knew without being told that the black mist was definitely not benign. So they stopped watching the spectacle and returned to their residences.
Even though most residences had only a simple defensive formation outside, incomparable to the sect's protective formation, returning to one's own territory was always reassuring. Then, these reassured individuals poked their heads out one by one, observing the leaders in the sky with extreme caution and curiosity, wanting to see how they would deal with the black mist.
On the other side, those actually facing this black mist, or rather demonic obstacle, felt increasingly heavy-hearted.
Peak Master Qingxu, not one to sit and wait for death, grew concerned as the demonic obstacles outside the protective formation gathered more densely. He suggested: "These demonic obstacles suddenly appearing outside must indicate some change. Let me go out and investigate."
This was truly a risky proposal, as everyone knew that anything related to the Demon Race was malevolent. Though the demonic obstacles outside the formation weren't too numerous yet, who knew what scene awaited outside?
Just as several elders from Mount Luoxing were about to dissuade the Peak Master, someone suddenly said: "There's no need to go out."
At these words, everyone instinctively looked beyond the formation. From their elevated position, they could vaguely see that within the layers of demonic obstacles, shadow-like figures seemed to be surrounding them, like ghosts.
From that day forward, overwhelming demonic obstacles surrounded Xuanqing Sect, completely severing its contact with the outside world.