Chapter 99: Planting a Spiritual Meridian
To investigate the Gu Master incident thoroughly, the Tianshi Hall coordinated with every major sect for a detailed inquiry. And just as Yun Jiao had guessed, that wasn’t an isolated case — in recent days, several similar disturbances had occurred. Strange incidents kept cropping up all across the land, each somehow tied to the shadow of the demonic or heretical path.
While none were as atrocious as the Gu Master using children’s innate spiritual energy to breed his poisonous insects, some methods were equally disturbing — unheard of, even.
The more the Hall dug, the worse it looked. There had always been the occasional rogue cultivator who strayed down evil paths, but lately, the number had spiked unnaturally. These people seemed unconnected on the surface, yet their actions hinted at a shared purpose — as if collecting something. And afterward, they either vanished without a trace or turned up dead under bizarre circumstances. No pattern, no survivors, no leads.
The only clue left was that sinister artifact — the Underworld item they’d destroyed.
Yun Jiao glanced toward the man calmly sipping soup beside her and hesitated before asking, “Grandmaster… have you ever seen an artifact from the Underworld before?”
Night Abyss’s hand paused midair. Slowly, he set down the bowl with an elegance completely at odds with the fact that he’d just emptied half a pot of soup. His brow furrowed slightly.
“This matter,” he said evenly, “is not something you need to interfere with.”
“Eh?” Yun Jiao blinked. It was the first time her ancestor had ever refused her request for something other than food. “Why not?”
“It’s nothing but the same tedious game — bored fools fighting for power.” His frown deepened, a trace of annoyance flickering across his handsome face. “They make a mess of things every few thousand years. It’ll burn itself out soon enough.”