Chapter 523 : Alarm Bells Ring
523: The Warning Bells Ring
The two left the Nine Abyss Sect outpost, escaping Xuanqing City, yet neither could stop wondering why the Second Elder, who also possessed late-stage Fusion realm cultivation, had seemed so incompetent. Compared to the Grand Elder and Third Elder they had encountered before, this Second Elder was practically a fraud. Could it be that so many Nine Abyss Sect elders had died that their replacements were all of this caliber?
Jiang Mo carried the unconscious Second Elder, mentally grumbling the entire way. Yun Qingyue felt much the same, though she had also considered the possibility that he was playing along, which was why she had no intention of taking the Second Elder back to Xuanqing Sect or meeting up with their fellow disciples.
After finding a random spot outside the city and eliminating the nearby demonic humans, they prepared to begin their interrogation.
With a wave of her hand, Yun Qingyue sent a stream of white ice spiritual energy toward the Second Elder. The spiritual energy, brimming with cold, surged into the unconscious cultivator's body, instantly shocking him awake; this was merely what appeared on the surface. In reality, the meridians throughout the Second Elder's body were nearly frozen solid by this chill. Under such circumstances, unless one was on the verge of death from severe injuries, they would be stimulated into consciousness.
Just as expected, the fraudulent Second Elder opened his eyes, his gaze vacant and confused.
Seeing this, both Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue could not help but frown, the feeling of ill omen growing stronger. This was especially true for Yun Qingyue; recalling her previous senses and suspicions, she even began to wonder if she had truly mistaken his identity.
But that shouldn't be right. The man before them also had late-stage Fusion realm cultivation. If he wasn't the Second Elder, could he be a fake with profound cultivation?
Yun Qingyue's mind raced with endless speculation, but no amount of guessing was as fast or effective as simply asking directly. Moreover, after a few seconds to collect himself, the Second Elder had clearly reacted, his eyes full of vigilance as he looked at them. "Who are you people? What do you want with me after capturing me?"
Hearing this question, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue finally felt that the situation was returning to some semblance of normalcy. Before her Senior Sister could speak, Jiang Mo said directly, "Who we are is none of your concern. We captured you because we have questions to ask." As if afraid he would be stubborn and refuse to talk, Jiang Mo mimicked the villains from television shows, condensing a short blade in her hand and gesturing it at the Second Elder's neck. "You had best answer honestly whatever I asked."
The Second Elder appeared to cherish his life. Though his body did not move, his eyes clearly shrank back in fear.
Jiang Mo immediately felt a sense of accomplishment, followed by a strange feeling. Her expression grew colder. "I'm asking you: how many demonic humans are in this Xuanqing City?"
The Second Elder had not expected this question. He let out an "ah," clearly stunned for a moment, then said, "The city is full of demonic humans, all gathered by the Demon Race. How would I know the exact number?"
This was likely true. Jiang Mo had not expected him to provide an answer anyway, so she did not hold his words against him. She nodded and said, "Then I won't ask about the demonic humans. I'll ask about your Nine Abyss Sect. How many of your people are in Xuanqing City right now?"
This was a question the Second Elder could answer. Judging by his cultivation and his rank, his status in the Nine Abyss Sect was not low. But the Second Elder had seemed to talk so easily just now. When Jiang Mo asked about his own sect, he clammed up like a sealed gourd, refusing to say a word; it was unclear whether he was truly loyal to his sect or if there was some other reason.
Jiang Mo did not care about the reason. She intended to pry answers from the Second Elder's mouth one way or another. Her questions were also progressive, starting with the unimportant, then moving to matters concerning his sect, and finally to the secrets of their entire faction.
"What, you won't talk? If you won't talk, I'll make my move." As she spoke, Jiang Mo moved the short blade away from his neck, slowly lowering it to the location of his dantian. The Second Elder's face indeed changed drastically, but unfortunately, his meridians had already been sealed by the two of them. Even if he wanted to resist now, he was completely powerless.
Jiang Mo did not act immediately. She waited a moment, counting down aloud, "Three, two, one..."
The moment the word "one" fell, an unfamiliar male voice suddenly spoke out. It was not the threatened Second Elder who had spoken. "If Jianbing wishes to know of my Nine Abyss Sect's situation, you need only ask me. I doubt there is anyone who knows more clearly than I do."
The voice traveled from far to near. When he first spoke, it was a sound transmission from a great distance, but by the time he finished his sentence, the person had already drifted to the ground. The man wore a black robe embroidered with gold, a golden crown on his head. He looked dignified and imposing; who else could it be but the Nine Abyss Sect Leader?
Jiang Mo found this man somewhat unfamiliar, but Yun Qingyue had been abducted by him before. She recognized him at a glance and instinctively moved to shield Jiang Mo behind her. She finally understood where the strange feeling she had had all along had come from. From her inexplicably transferred ice flame, to the suddenly incompetent and captured Second Elder, to this current appearance, it was all clearly orchestrated by this one man.
Warning bells blared in Yun Qingyue's mind. She was immensely grateful that she had not considered binding the Second Elder and taking him back to Xuanqing Sect for interrogation by the Sect Leader. Her face was full of wariness as she looked at the Nine Abyss Sect Leader before her, already prepared to fight to the death. "What is your intention?"
……
The moment she recognized the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, Jiang Mo had already prepared herself to flee into her innate space. Hidden behind her Senior Sister, she simply grabbed hold of Yun Qingyue's sash, ready to escape the moment the Nine Abyss Sect Leader let his guard down.
However, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader showed no intention of taking their lives. His demeanor was slightly arrogant, but he did not seem inclined to make a move.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue did not let down their guard. Setting aside their current opposing stances, the matter of Chu Yang alone was an insurmountable obstacle; that was the hatred of a slain son. Moreover, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader was in the Grand Achievement realm. He would likely never have another child in this lifetime. Although a cultivator could take on disciples and treat them more dearly than their own children, such a grudge was absolutely irreconcilable.
Their guard intensified. The Second Elder took this opportunity to return to his Sect Leader's side, and the two of them were powerless to stop him. The Nine Abyss Sect Leader ignored his subordinate and showed no intention of explaining things or reconciling with the two before him.
He suddenly raised his hand, and a stream of spiritual energy carrying something flew toward the two of them.
This was a Grand Achievement realm opponent. Jiang Mo knew full well that this enemy was not like Sect Leader Zhu and the others, who would go easy on her. So when she saw that spiritual energy hurtling toward them, she did not hesitate. She pulled her Senior Sister and ducked into her innate space. To be honest, she was a little nervous doing this. While the innate space was excellent, entering and exiting it still took time. She was afraid the enemy would strike a fatal blow before she could fully enter the space.
Fortunately, he did not. From beginning to end, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader had only launched that one "attack." In the blink of an eye, the two people before him vanished. A careful probe could only detect a faint spatial fluctuation.
Only then did the Second Elder step forward. His previous timid demeanor was gone. He called out, "Sect Leader..."
He clearly had more to say, but before he could speak, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader knew what he was about to say and raised a hand to interrupt him, his tone utterly domineering. "This is sufficient. Let's go."
With that, he indeed turned to leave. The Second Elder, however, glanced back as he followed.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had hidden inside the space. The ground where they had been was now empty... or perhaps not entirely. Amidst the withered grass and sand, a patch of white could be vaguely seen, as if something had been left behind.
The Second Elder's gaze swept past it. When he looked back, he felt a sharp gust of wind. He did not dodge, allowing the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's wide sleeve, carrying spiritual energy, to strike him. The next moment, he felt his meridians clear up; the spiritual energy that Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had sealed was now released. Then, one after the other, they took to the air and vanished from sight in less than a single breath.
The moment Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue entered the space, they activated the Water Mirror Technique, so they saw everything that happened outside. But neither of them could have imagined that the Nine Abyss Sect Leader would leave so cleanly.
Since he had left so cleanly, why had he bothered to let the Second Elder get captured, only to follow the two of them out here?
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue looked at each other, completely baffled. But out of caution, Jiang Mo suggested, "I don't know if that Nine Abyss Sect Leader has really left or if he's hiding somewhere, waiting for us to come out. Ah Yue, why don't we wait a bit longer before going out? I'm afraid the moment we leave, he'll come back for a surprise attack."
Yun Qingyue did not think it likely. After all, with the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's cultivation, he could have made a direct move back then. Since he had let them go now, he probably wouldn't go to the trouble of laying an ambush just to wait for them to emerge.
However, Jiang Mo's concern was not entirely unfounded, so Yun Qingyue hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. But she did not forget to remind Jiang Mo, "Ah Mo, we've been out for quite a while today. Judging by the sky, it will soon be You Shi. If we delay any longer, we probably won't make it back to the sect today, and who knows where the entrance will open tomorrow."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo froze. She glanced at the sky through the Water Mirror and saw that it was indeed late. If she did not make it back today, she would lose a large sum of challenge rewards. But the thought of leaving the space now to rush back to the sect left her deeply uneasy.
Finally, Jiang Mo gritted her teeth and said, fighting back her heartache, "Forget it. We'll just stay in the space for today. We're not going back."
As for how to return to the sect tomorrow, that was not a major problem. They just needed to find a disciple heading out.