Chapter 491 : A Dead City
491: A Dead City
After entering the demonic miasma, Jiang Mo and her companions encountered demon-possessed people and quickly discovered the correct way to kill them through combat—specifically, destroy the spirit platform, or more brutally, explode the head. Other areas like the heart were no longer vital points.
For the Xuanqing Sect, which had specifically captured people for research, discovering such weaknesses during combat was naturally no difficult task.
Almost on the same night they brought captives back, Sect Leader Qingxiao and the others discovered this weakness. However, this discovery was far from sufficient for the Xuanqing Sect's currently chaotic personnel situation. For high-level cultivators, who could discover such weaknesses during battle, the demon-possessed people's "undying" trait was of little use. But ordinary cultivators facing these demon-possessed with their dramatically increased power would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Therefore, to level the playing field as much as possible, the captured demon-possessed people and creatures were all transferred to Mount Qionghua, where Peak Master Qinglan led a group of sect members with research capabilities to begin studying countermeasures.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the demonic miasma outside the Xuanqing Sect not only hadn't dissipated but had grown even more intense.
Fortunately, after this half-month of research, good news finally came from Mount Qionghua. Sect Leader Qingxiao immediately led people over and met the exhausted Peak Master Qinglan.
A smile appeared on Qinglan's tired face as he handed over a jade bottle: "Sect Leader Senior Brother, your junior brother has not failed his mission and has developed this demon-suppressing powder. The medicine has been tested on the captured demon-possessed people and creatures with decent results. However, before distributing it to the disciples, it would be best to test it once more in the demonic miasma outside."
The cultivation world had suffered greatly from this catastrophe, and the people remaining in the Xuanqing Sect were all precious—the loss of any one of them would be heartbreaking. So the medicine certainly needed to be thoroughly tested, which was entirely reasonable.
Sect Leader Qingxiao took the jade bottle and immediately said, "Rest assured, Junior Brother, I will have someone test it first." Only then did he add with concern, "You have worked hard these past days. Take a two-day rest for now; we will likely need to rely on you more in the future."
Hearing this, Qinglan didn't refuse. Without further words between the brothers, Sect Leader Qingxiao hurriedly left with the demon-suppressing powder.
He was entirely correct in what he told Qinglan—there were still many matters that would require his attention later. For instance, regarding protection against the demonic miasma, the sect naturally had such treasures, but not enough for everyone, which meant Qinglan and Qingyuan would likely have to exert themselves. Another example was medicine to counter demonic energy infection; disciples fighting the demon-possessed would inevitably be injured, and they couldn't just soak in the Lightning Pool for ten days or half a month every time, hoping for luck.
In short, Qinglan was destined to be very busy in the coming days. However, compared to Qinglan's busyness, Sect Leader Qingxiao would not have a moment's respite either. Now that he had obtained Qinglan's research results, he needed to arrange for testing immediately.
After leaving Mount Qionghua, Peak Master Qingxu was the first to volunteer: "Sect Leader Senior Brother, please let me handle this matter. I believe my strength is sufficient; even if I encounter formidable enemies in the demonic miasma, I have the ability to protect myself."
Even without Peak Master Qingxu volunteering, Sect Leader Qingxiao had him in mind. As Qingxu himself said, his cultivation level was certainly among the top in the Xuanqing Sect. Apart from Divine Lord Zhiming and the few at the Great Achievement stage, only the Sect Leader surpassed him in the sect. With such cultivation, he would have greater self-protection capabilities outside and could observe the experiment more freely.
So Sect Leader Qingxiao didn't hesitate and handed the demon-suppressing powder to him: "Then I'll trouble Junior Brother."
Qingxu excitedly cupped his hands in salute and left with the medicine—the sect's protective formation still needed the Sect Leader to open it, but before that, he naturally had to return to his own peak to select a few companions.
Bei Luo quickly received the news and immediately rushed to his master's presence to volunteer to accompany him, but was unfortunately rejected.
Half a day later, Sect Leader Qingxiao once again opened a gap in the sect's protective formation, and Qingxu led a few selected elders through that opening, stepping into the demonic miasma for the first time.
Through the transparent barrier of the sect's protective formation, he waved to those inside before leading his people into the dense demonic miasma.
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Jiang Mo was very familiar with the terrain around the Xuanqing Sect, especially since during the initial anomalies, she and her senior sister had flown around patrolling the vicinity of the Xuanqing Sect every day. While she might not know every rock and blade of grass in the area with perfect clarity, she certainly knew the general mountains, cities, and paths very well.
Therefore, after separating from her senior sister and the others, although she felt somewhat uncomfortable, her actions weren't aimless—their group's ultimate goal was to return to the Xuanqing Sect, so as long as she headed in that direction, she would be on the right track and would eventually reunite with them.
Coincidentally, Jiang Mo still remembered her position when she first entered the demonic miasma, so she was confident about making it back to the Xuanqing Sect.
Unfortunately, reality proved that the area covered by the demonic miasma could no longer be judged by normal standards... After Jiang Mo eliminated the pursuing demon-possessed by exploding their heads, she had been walking in the demonic miasma for a day. By normal travel pace, she should have been standing in Xuanqing City by now. But reality was different—she was still wandering in the demonic miasma. The surrounding scenery was somewhat familiar, confirming she hadn't taken a wrong turn, yet she still couldn't reach Xuanqing City.
Jiang Mo once again eliminated an attacking demon-possessed person, no longer bothering to count how many monsters she had killed along the way. She gradually grew impatient and asked the only entity she could still communicate with in her heart: "System, how long have I been in the demonic miasma?"
The demonic miasma was dim and confusing, making it difficult to discern the passage of time. However, the system's timekeeping was unfailingly accurate, and it promptly reported: "24 hours, 37 minutes, 09 seconds."
Jiang Mo had asked just half an hour ago, and now asked again: "How far are we from Xuanqing City?"
This time the system couldn't provide an answer. Although the map of the Xuanqing Sect's vicinity was already in the system's records, and its sealing didn't greatly affect this, the current situation was clearly abnormal—according to the map recorded by the system, the host hadn't taken a wrong turn, and based on her travel speed and the distance to Xuanqing City, she should have arrived long ago, yet she hadn't.
Unable to provide an answer, the system remained silent.
Jiang Mo wasn't specifically targeting the system; she muttered a few words but didn't trouble the system further. She continued forward in her determined direction, asking the system again after about half an hour.
When Jiang Mo asked for the fifth time, she finally penetrated the layers of demonic miasma and caught sight of tall city walls in the distance.
Xuanqing City was extremely close to the Xuanqing Sect. From here, even a small Foundation Establishment cultivator could reach the Xuanqing Sect in one or two hours of flight. For someone of Jiang Mo's cultivation level, it would naturally be even faster, so her eyes immediately lit up.
It seemed she hadn't taken a wrong turn after all.
Jiang Mo was delighted and initially intended to fly directly over Xuanqing City to the Xuanqing Sect, but after some thought, she decided to explore Xuanqing City first—Xuanqing City was affiliated with the Xuanqing Sect, strictly speaking, it was also territory of the Xuanqing Sect, just not encompassed by the sect's protective formation. However, when the Xuanqing Sect was previously overcrowded, some people with unclear allegiances who had come seeking refuge were settled in Xuanqing City.
Originally, this arrangement posed no problems, but later when the demonic miasma surrounded the Xuanqing Sect, Xuanqing City was also greatly affected. Jiang Mo wasn't sure if people had been left in the city at that time, and if so, what the situation was now.
With two parts curiosity and three parts concern, Jiang Mo ultimately stepped through Xuanqing City's grand gates.
This wasn't Jiang Mo's first time entering Xuanqing City; more accurately, she had visited Xuanqing City more than a dozen times. She had seen its bustling activity during the sect's grand competitions, its desolation during the sect's mountain closures, and even its false prosperity when people came seeking refuge... Just two months ago when she left, it had still been a lively scene, but now upon her return, it was a deathly silent ghost town.
As Jiang Mo stepped through the city gates, the first thing that met her eyes was the spacious, empty street. Then a gust of cold wind blew past, rolling a tattered lantern across her path—coincidentally, a white lantern.
Combined with the dim light under the demonic miasma's cover, for a moment Jiang Mo even thought she had stepped into a ghost city!
At this thought, Jiang Mo couldn't help but shudder, quickly dismissing the unreliable idea from her mind. After steadying herself, she truly began to enter Xuanqing City.
The current Xuanqing City wasn't quite a dead city, but it was close—ever since Qingyu and the others had sent warnings back to the Xuanqing Sect, the sect had anticipated and prepared for the current situation. Thus, most of the cultivators previously settled here had been gathered back to the Xuanqing Sect, and most of the city's original residents had also been taken into the sect for protection. By the time the demonic miasma spread and enveloped the area, the city was basically empty.
Jiang Mo knew nothing of these arrangements, so as she traversed the empty streets and saw one vacant house after another, her mood inevitably became heavy. And in this vast city, aside from gusts of cold wind and her own footsteps, there were no other sounds.
She walked slowly through it, both guarding against demon-possessed that might ambush her at any moment and searching for possible companions.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed her, pulling her away from her original spot.