Chapter 492 : Revealing the Plot
492: Revealing the Plot
Unlike Yun Qingyue, who habitually maintained constant vigilance, Jiang Mo wasn't quite as careful. Still, in this suspiciously empty city, she naturally walked the streets with extreme caution. However, she never expected that before encountering any ambushing demon-possessed lurking in the shadows, she would first be dragged away by someone—this truly startled Jiang Mo. Although her cultivation wasn't the most exceptional, there was no reason someone should have been able to approach her without her knowledge!
Due to this fright, Jiang Mo unhesitatingly countered with a strike. However, the other party seemed to have anticipated her move, not only accurately blocking her attack but also restraining her and covering her mouth in one smooth motion.
Experiencing such an encounter for the first time, Jiang Mo was instantly both shocked and angered. Just as she was about to struggle, she finally saw the familiar face of her assailant.
The little tiger immediately deflated, obediently accepting the restraint without moving—had it been anyone else, she would certainly have struggled and resisted, but who could blame her when the one restraining her was her master? Not only could she not retaliate out of respect for her senior sister, but the current feeling was exactly the same as when her master had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck that time, determining her fate.
Seeing that the little tiger had settled down, Peak Master Qingyu finally loosened her grip slightly, while making a gesture for silence.
Jiang Mo sensibly pressed her lips together without making a sound, and only then realized that her master had pulled her into an empty building beside the street. This had originally been a wine shop, with the rich aroma of spirit wine permeating the entire room. The owner must have left in a great hurry, as the large wine vats behind the counter hadn't even been covered, making the wine's fragrance even more pronounced.
After quickly surveying her current surroundings, Jiang Mo soon returned her attention to the street outside—she had been walking perfectly fine when her master suddenly pulled her inside; surely the latter wasn't just trying to frighten her for no reason.
Sure enough, just moments after Jiang Mo directed her gaze outside, several figures suddenly appeared on the street shrouded in demonic miasma. Their forms were unfamiliar, and their movements somewhat stiff, immediately making Jiang Mo think of the demon-possessed.
She took a deep breath and turned to her master, gesturing: Should we follow them?
All along, the demon-possessed had been ambushing them, so encounters between the two sides had been fights to the death. But having previously witnessed Huiqian's example, Jiang Mo felt that although these demon-possessed were infected, they probably weren't all mindless puppets... or even if they were all puppets, someone must be controlling them, and following these demon-possessed might lead them to that person.
Peak Master Qingyu naturally understood this simple gesture, but she didn't agree with Jiang Mo's suggestion. Instead, she pointed outside, indicating for Jiang Mo to continue watching.
Jiang Mo obediently shifted her gaze back outside, and then she saw one demon-possessed after another emerging from the thick demonic miasma. She silently counted—in just this brief moment, one to two hundred people had appeared. Although the number exceeded her expectations, these numerous demon-possessed individuals couldn't all be of profound cultivation levels, so dealing with them wouldn't be difficult.
The little tiger immediately puffed out her chest, her face full of confidence, indicating she didn't consider this number of people a threat. Then she saw her master's finger change direction, pointing to the other side of the street, where another group of about two hundred people appeared.
Well... four hundred people, she and her master could handle that together, right?
The little tiger became a bit timid, mainly because she couldn't make decisions for her master. As she was lost in thought, the two groups outside met, but these demon-possessed had no habit of greeting each other—they passed by with barely a glance.
As Jiang Mo watched, she began to understand—these two groups of demon-possessed didn't seem like they had met by chance, but rather as if they had encountered each other while on patrol.
This realization made Jiang Mo's heart tighten, and she didn't dare speak even after the two groups had disappeared back into the demonic miasma. She only carefully turned to glance at her master, seeing her already serious face now completely cold. Then, seemingly sensing her gaze, Peak Master Qingyu looked back at her, still without speaking.
Jiang Mo immediately understood, continuing to remain silent and wait. Over the next quarter hour, she witnessed three more patrols of demon-possessed people.
By this point, Jiang Mo couldn't help but feel relieved—though she hadn't been in the city long, the frequency of these demon-possessed patrols was alarming. Had her luck been worse and she encountered even one patrol, she would likely have immediately attracted a whole group!
Fortunately, she hadn't encountered any before.
Fortunately, her master had appeared in time, sparing her from disaster.
Jiang Mo let out a long breath, but her raised concerns hadn't completely subsided. While she and her master were unharmed, the condition of the others who had scattered was unknown... If her senior sister wasn't as alert as her master and didn't discover the problem immediately, instead facing these demon-possessed as she had outside the city, the consequences would be unimaginable.
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Just as Jiang Mo was anxiously worrying, at the city gate, Yun Qingyue had indeed also reached Xuanqing City.
Unlike Jiang Mo's inadequately prepared vigilance, Yun Qingyue had been ready to face countless demon-possessed when entering the city. After all, while observing the city from outside, she had clearly seen that the demonic miasma within Xuanqing City was several times denser than elsewhere.
Such a situation generally had only two possible explanations. First, Xuanqing City might be the source of the demonic miasma, in which case the miasma here would naturally be denser than elsewhere. Second, an excessive number of demon-possessed had gathered here, and the demonic energy they carried would affect the miasma, leading to the current situation.
Of course, both possibilities could also occur simultaneously.
Yun Qingyue couldn't yet determine exactly what was happening, but regardless of which possibility, it represented great danger within the city. She had hesitated outside the city, but then considered that with Jiang Mo's cat-like curiosity, she would probably be unable to resist exploring the city. So after some deliberation, she stepped into the deathly silent Xuanqing City.
Unlike Jiang Mo, Yun Qingyue paid no attention to the city's eerie, ghostly atmosphere; her focus was entirely on being alert for demon-possessed who might appear at any moment. Her luck was neither good nor bad—almost immediately upon entering the city, she encountered a patrol of demon-possessed.
Yun Qingyue decisively hid and concealed her aura at once, fortunately avoiding detection.
From then on, Yun Qingyue remained vigilant regarding the patrolling demon-possessed, carefully noting the frequency and number she encountered. Gradually, she discovered patterns, so when the pattern was disrupted at a certain moment, it naturally caught her attention.
Who knew how many demon-possessed had gathered in Xuanqing City, with patrols coming and going on the same street. Because these patrolling minions generally had low cultivation levels, they compensated with greater numbers. So when a group of fewer than ten demon-possessed with Spirit Division level cultivation or higher appeared, they stood out like cranes among chickens.
Yun Qingyue saw this group from her hiding place, and they were remarkably perceptive, seeming to sense her gaze and looking in her direction. Fortunately, Yun Qingyue's methods were superior, and she wasn't discovered.
It was because of this glance that Yun Qingyue's curiosity was piqued, with an inner voice urging her to follow them.
......
As events had developed to this point, the plot had clearly been revealed.
With the Xuanqing Sect now surrounded, Xuanqing City—being closest to the Xuanqing Sect and with a name revealing its significance—had naturally become the headquarters of the demonic faction. Here, not only were there mindless demon-possessed puppets filling the city, but there was also no shortage of high-ranking members from various sects who had joined the demonic faction early on. Their treatment was evidently much better than that of the demon-possessed; at least they remained clear-minded.
A certain mansion in the city had been occupied by the Nine Abyss Sect many days ago, becoming their temporary base. Today, almost all the Nine Abyss Sect's upper echelon had gathered here, and all the newly arranged formations in the mansion had been activated.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader sat elevated at the front, his habitual arrogance gone, replaced by undisguisable gloom.
Presumably seeing the Sect Leader's poor mood, those below dared not speak a redundant word, and the deathly silence continued for some time. Finally, the person in the seat of honor spoke quietly: "Have you found out where that person is?"
These words broke the original silence, but the people in the room didn't relax; rather, they became even more tense. Various glances were exchanged privately, but no one dared delay, and someone immediately stood to answer: "In response to Sect Leader, we have found out. The person is in the Celestial Demon Sect. However, the Celestial Demon Sect is guarding them closely, and that person never appears in public, so we haven't found an opportunity to act."
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader's expression didn't improve at all with this answer. Seemingly suppressed to the extreme, his gaze swept over each person present: "No opportunity—is that your answer? Am I surrounded by nothing but useless trash?!"
These words were harsh and difficult to respond to, so everyone lowered their heads and eyes, becoming even quieter than before.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader massaged his temples, finding it hard to suppress his irritation—he had always been ambitious, otherwise he wouldn't have risen from an ordinary mortal to become the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, much less aspired to collude with the Demon Realm to break the seal. As such a person, pride was etched into his bones. Who would have thought that all his schemes would benefit others, and now he was reduced to being controlled by someone else.
Was it frustrating? Extremely frustrating!
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader had never suffered such a great loss in his life. Compared to the righteous cultivators whose peace had been disturbed, he actually wanted more to drag out the mysterious demon behind all this and subject them to a thousand cuts. However, the other party was too mysterious and had the Celestial Demon Sect as a backer. The Nine Abyss Sect, having already suffered mutual destruction with the Crimson Blood Sect, found themselves unable to do anything against the opponent, and ultimately had no choice but to join their side... making things even more frustrating.
As his frustration grew, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader couldn't help but want to cause trouble. He had never been one to follow rules obediently, and naturally would resist oppression. After witnessing the demon race's tyranny, he had even given up on colluding with the Demon Realm.
After calming down for a moment, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader collected his thoughts and spoke again: "If you are too concerned to act, so be it. It seems quite a few people have slipped into the city these past days." He paused briefly, surveying the room: "Find a way to lure them all to the Celestial Demon Sect."
This was an order that couldn't be refused. His subordinates finally obediently acknowledged and agreed to carry it out.