Chapter 263: The True Root of Disaster
On the northwest side of the Dongping Mountain Range, in a flat valley near a wild lake.
Because the mountain forest was damp, the burning branches continuously crackled, sending sparks flying.
The two Master-in-charge of Tianshu Academy, Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao, along with Elder Fang and Ge Elder from the Elder Council, stood on a low cliff, observing the cultivators resting in the valley below.
To the east were the Disciples of their Tianshu Academy, while to the west and south were the Disciples of Asked the Dao Sect and Mountain and Sea Pavilion. Besides them, there were also some scattered Disciples from other Sects recovering their Qi here, their faces flickering between light and shadow from the constantly dancing firelight.
The investigation into Dou Yuankong had taken a month, and it had been another month and a half since they entered the mountains.
From discovering the existence of the Bu family to realizing they had underestimated their terror, and then sending more Disciples, they had been busy for the past month and a half without much success.
However, neither the Tianshu Academy nor the people from other Immortal Sects showed any sign of fatigue; instead, they seemed vaguely excited.
Because anyone who had witnessed the Bu family members mutate into Evil Corpses understood that this would be something that could overturn the world.
“More than twenty members of the Bu family fled into the mountains, and the most crucial core figures have never shown their faces. It seems they are hiding.”
“And more than half of them were sent out to confuse us, leading us astray in the mountains.”
“These Disciples, their combat power is only slightly higher than Integration Dao, yet we can’t even find or capture them.”
Elder Fang stood with his hands behind his back, his gloomy voice scattering into the wind.
He was a powerful expert in the Wujiang Realm, and his Divine Thought was stronger than others, but he still felt powerless against the vast Dongping Mountain Range.
So they dispatched Disciples to search everywhere, but there had been no results for many days, and his tone couldn’t help but carry a hint of reproach.
Ji Jingyao and Qin Rong looked at him upon hearing this: “Six Disciples sent to search the northern mountains died, and eight were injured. This was all to capture them alive. If our goal was to kill, we wouldn’t be so passive.”
Elder Fang looked at them upon hearing this: “What can we ask from a dead body? We always need to know how exactly they mutated into Evil Seeds so we can be prepared.”
Hearing this, the two couldn’t help but exchange glances.
They both knew that ‘being prepared’ was just Elder Fang’s official statement.
In fact, almost everyone in the valley felt the same way. They didn’t see the mutation of humans into Evil Seeds as a great disaster, but rather as an Opportunity.
Especially those old monsters in the Elder Council who didn’t have much Lifespan left.
They had been stuck in a Bottleneck for many years, on the verge of their Lifespan ending, so how could they sit still after hearing such news.
Elder Fang looked at their expressions, and a hint of coldness flashed in his deep-set eyes: “Things in the Qingyun World are not simply black and white. Some things you may not need, but you cannot be without.”
Ge Elder immediately chimed in: “Elder Fang is right. Not having it is the root of disaster. Both of you are also Family heads in your respective Worldly Families. Have you ever considered a day when the Families you contend with have Integration Dao experts as numerous as hairs, and Sky Soaring experts are everywhere? How would you manage then?”
Ji Jingyao remained silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded gently: “Both Elders are absolutely right. In the Qingyun World, if others have something and you don’t, that is the true root of disaster.”
Elder Fang then lowered his gaze and surveyed the valley: “Other Immortal Sects have sent more Disciples than us, and their Disciples’ Realms are also higher. We should send more high-Realm Disciples here.”
Qin Rong looked up upon hearing this: “The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better. If everyone has the same Opportunity, then its significance won’t be great.”
“That’s something to consider after obtaining the Opportunity.”
“Elder Fang means—?”
“There are many Inner Courtyard Disciples who spend their days sitting idly on the mountain contemplating the Dao. They should contribute something to the Sect.”
Elder Fang’s idea of sending more Disciples was accurately conveyed to Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao’s minds, but the problem was that this matter was not easy to do.
Because the more people there were, the higher the risk of the news leaking.
Moreover, this was not a journey but a capture, with potential casualties, so selecting people required extra caution.
At this moment, Ji Jingyao paused slightly and couldn’t help but look at Qin Rong.
Qin Rong met his gaze, and a name identical to his own thoughts appeared in his mind—Ji You.
In the eyes of the Master’s Courtyard, Ji You was the most useful Disciple of Tianshu Academy, having conquered the Sword Forest, crossed the Snow Region, and won the Heavenly Dao Conference.
It was a pity that he couldn’t break through his Realm after coming out of the Xianxian Holy Land; otherwise, even if he entered the Integration Dao, he would be of great use.
Qin Rong sighed slightly, then suddenly heard Ge Elder’s voice from beside him.
“Why is there some commotion?”
“?”
The four of them looked up in unison and saw a group of Asked the Dao Sect Disciples returning, seemingly carrying something.
Before they could observe clearly, a team of Tianshu Academy Disciples also arrived in the valley, immediately causing a stir.
Upon seeing this, Elder Fang instantly swooped down from the cliff, followed by Ge Elder, Qin Rong, and Ji Jingyao.
Then they saw a head, its eyes tightly closed, its pale skin tinged with a gloomy black.
Elder Fang looked at the head before him with some anger: “Why was it killed?!”
The Disciple who brought the body back looked up upon hearing this, speaking somewhat fearfully: “Although it’s not alive, it’s still a member of the Bu family. Can—can we exchange it for some Medicinal Pills?”
“What meaning does a dead one have? I didn’t give an order to leave them alive.”
“This, this—”
Elder Fang looked at them coldly: “Where did you get the guts to disobey a Sect Order?”
The returning Disciples raised their heads, hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but speak: “Reporting to Elder, actually, we didn’t kill this one.”
Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao exchanged glances: “You didn’t kill it?”
“We just found their bodies while searching.”
“?”
Elder Fang instantly frowned: “Where did you find it?”
The answering Disciple immediately bowed his head: “In a valley to the east, there were a total of three bodies—”
“Who did it?”
“When we arrived, only the bodies remained in that valley. We don’t know who made the move.”
Hearing this, Elder Fang’s eyes instantly turned cold: “This is simply a waste of treasure!”
His Lifespan was already limited, and for the past few decades, he had placed his hopes on breaking through his Realm but had not succeeded, making his mind already gloomy. Now, he finally saw some hope, only for it to be ruined by others, leaving him unable to calm down.
Seeing Elder Fang furious, the two Master-in-charge couldn’t help but exchange glances, a hint of confusion flashing in their eyes.
Because they had just examined the cut on the neck and found the wound clean and precise, clearly done with ease.
But they didn’t understand why the attacker didn’t capture him alive to exchange for Medicinal Pills, Spirit Stones, and techniques, but instead chose to decapitate him with a single sword strike.
Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao couldn’t help but regain their composure and looked in the direction of Asked the Dao Sect.
If what they had just seen was correct, what they brought back should also be the head of a Bu family member.
In fact, their guess was indeed correct. Among the Immortal Sects that came here, except for the Dan Sect, almost all other Immortal Sects had Disciples who discovered bodies scattered in the mountain forests.
Asked the Dao Sect, Chen Clan, Mountain and Sea Pavilion—everyone was discussing it.
“Someone actually killed a Bu family member and abandoned the body in the wilderness?”
“Yes, five bodies have already been found, all decapitated with a single sword strike, with no attempt to leave them alive.”
“The lowest Realm among the Bu family members who fled into the mountains is Integration Dao Realm, and they can mutate into Evil Seeds, making them even more terrifying. Who could have such strong combat power?”
“Could it be an Elder from a certain Sect?”
“Impossible. All the Great Immortal Sects have Sect Orders to leave the Bu family members alive.”
“Not entirely.”
“??”
“It is said that the Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain issued a kill order.”
“Impossible. We met some Lingjian Mountain Disciples a while ago, and they said they were also required to leave them alive.”
“Those were Disciples from Tianjian Peak. Lingjian Mountain is different from other Immortal Sects; it is the only Immortal Sect with two wielders of power. Tianjian Peak follows the Sect Leader Yan Zhong’s Sect Order, while Xuanjian Peak follows the Master Jian’s Sect Order.”
“Could it be an Elder from Xuanjian Peak who killed the Bu family Disciples?”
The Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain had indeed issued a kill order; this was known to other Immortal Sects as well.
So, when the bodies of the Bu family members were continuously discovered, the first thought that came to everyone’s mind was Xuanjian Peak.
Most importantly, those Evil Seeds were indeed killed by sharp swords, which fit perfectly.
In the dense night of the mountain forest, powerful experts from the Immortal Sects stood with their hands behind their backs among the mountains, their gazes slightly cold.
In their view, it was not surprising that the Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain, at such a young age, already wielded a Sacred Artifact and possessed extremely high talent, with no strong desire for external pursuits, would issue such a Sect Order.
However, in the eyes of these powerful experts, they still felt that she was a bit too arrogant.
The Opportunity on the Bu family members did not only concern an individual’s Realm; it could even affect the Rank division of the Qingyun World, the survival of Worldly Families, and the entire Nine Provinces.
Under the gloomy sky, the Dongping Mountain Range’s sky did not brighten much with the arrival of dawn.
Ji You stood among the intertwined roots of ancient thousand-year-old trees, gently rubbing his lower back.
There wasn’t a very good lodging environment in the mountain forest. He hadn’t slept last night but had been meditating to calm his mind. Upon waking, he deeply missed his bed at Tianshu Academy, or the bed at Ji Village. Of course, the Phoenix bed of the arrogant one was also quite good. At this moment, he leaped into the air and landed on a towering bluestone, using the rare daylight to determine his route.
The terrain of the Dongping Mountain Range continuously ascended, with peaks crisscrossing and no clear view of the sky, causing the temperature to drop the deeper one went.
The slopes ahead were now covered in snow, and even the chirping of insects had significantly decreased.
“This environment is a bit like where I came from.”
Zhuo Wanqiu was standing guard nearby, holding a delicate longsword. Hearing him, she couldn't help but look up: "Young Master is talking about Yuyang County?"
Ji You shook his head: "Somewhere else."
Zhuo Wanqiu was stunned for a moment, her eyes somewhat blank.
Seeing this, Ji You said: "The people sent by the next Family to distract us are very scattered. Compared to the Seven Great Immortal Sects, my advantage is that I can vaguely sense their positions, but my disadvantage is that I am only one person. To kill the next Family's Disciple before others, I must speed up. If you are tired, just tell me."
Zhuo Wanqiu shook her head after hearing this: "Young Master's matters are important, we can keep up."
As soon as her voice fell, footsteps came from afar.
Ding Yao emerged from a distant cave, her dress already changed: "Young Master, I'm ready."
Ji You glanced at her with a strange expression, then coughed twice: "Then let's go."
"Yes."
Ding Yao felt that the Young Master was a bit aloof today, but she didn't think much of it and immediately followed.
Ji You's speed was extremely fast, his Spiritual Qi whistling as he flew low to the ground. Fortunately, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were not delicate Young Misses; they showed no complaints during such high-intensity pursuit.
Even when their Spiritual Qi was exhausted, they would silently take out Spirit Stones to replenish it.
A long time later, Ji You drew his longsword between two low peaks, his blood and Qi surging, and leaped down.
Immediately, the sword hummed.
Although they had seen it many times, the two women were still shocked by every move their Young Master made. At this moment, they stared intently downwards.
Amidst the furious sword hum, facing the suddenly surging Evil Qi, the white-robed figure slashed down with his sword, his Aura overwhelming, and with a hum, he fiercely sent one of the figures at the bottom of the valley flying.
As his sword fell, a sharp claw appeared within the Qi waves, howling as it attacked with a tearing sound.
Just as the sharp claw was about to seal his throat, it was firmly clamped by an arm in mid-air the next moment, and a sudden cracking sound of bones rang out.
Ding Yao was watching intently when she suddenly heard Zhuo Wanqiu yawn, so she couldn't help but turn to look at her: "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Zhuo Wanqiu's eyes suddenly became strange: "Senior Sister Ding, did you sleep well last night?"
"Actually—I slept pretty well."
"Did you sleep well, or did you dream well?"
"?"
Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help but glance at Ji You in the valley: "Senior Sister Ding started calling out 'Young Master' after she fell asleep yesterday—"
Hearing this, Ding Yao's eyes widened.
She was the kind of person who slept very lightly away from her own bed, especially since the environment in the mountains was really not suitable for rest.
So she would have many dreams.
And last night's dream was indeed a bit excessive, so much so that she hurriedly found a cave to change her clothes and her dress in the morning.
But the good thing was that no one would know about her dream, so she wasn't too flustered.
But she really didn't expect that she had talked in her sleep last night. At this moment, Ding Yao suddenly remembered Ji You's strange look at her and immediately said: "Perhaps I've gotten used to calling out 'Young Master' these past few days, so I couldn't help but murmur a few times in my sleep."
Zhuo Wanqiu glanced at her: "But you kept calling 'Young Master' and then started calling 'Brother'—
"?"
"Master Jian hasn't even called 'Brother' yet, but Senior Sister Ding started calling it first."
The scene from last night instantly flashed in Zhuo Wanqiu's mind.
She had found that Senior Sister Ding, who usually appeared cold and arrogant, kept calling 'Brother', and instantly dared not sleep, fearing that she would also call out if she fell asleep, so she endured the whole night.
Ding Yao naturally denied it, solemnly telling Zhuo Wanqiu that she was calling someone else.
Zhuo Wanqiu didn't believe it at all, only thinking that if Master Jian couldn't hold on, Senior Sister Ding might be able to share the firepower.
At this moment, the sounds of battle in the valley gradually subsided.
Ji You killed two more next Family members and gracefully leaped onto the cliff.
Those killed earlier on the outskirts of Dongping Mountain were basically only at the Integration Dao Realm in terms of combat power. Even if their Physical Bodies were extremely strong,
It wasn't difficult for him.
But the ones he encountered today were clearly stronger than the previous ones.
He put away the longsword in his hand, his surging Divine Thought swirling into the distance, and couldn't help but look at the two women: "The people from the Seven Great Immortal Sects are coming, let's go first."
Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao immediately bowed: "Yes."
The two women followed him, constantly moving through the mountain forest.
During this time, Ji You again drew his sword and killed two more next Family members, finally stopping at a cliff when night was deep.
There were not many of the tally marks he had drawn on the paper left, which made Ji You feel a little relieved.
At the same time, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had already cleared the snow from the cliff and then lit a bonfire.
However, even after dinner and late into the night, neither Ding Yao nor Zhuo Wanqiu had any intention of sleeping.
"Junior Sister Zhuo has been awake for two days, go to sleep first."
"No, Senior Sister Ding should go—."
"I—I'll meditate."
Zhuo Wanqiu turned to look at Ji You at this moment: "Young Master, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
Ji You glanced at her: "No, boys still need to protect themselves when outside."
"?"
Sunrise and sunset, stars and moon rotate.
A mountain mist rose from the dense forest, and amidst this mist, countless figures full of Spiritual Qi flew past.
At the same time, countless Elders with names and surnames floated above, their sharp eyes constantly scanning the depths of the mountains, then lightly tapping their toes, they swiftly departed across the dark mountain ridges.
The cultivators in the mountain forest became increasingly dense.
This was not because more people had arrived, but because cultivators from different Immortal Sects, though operating independently, were tacitly shrinking the encirclement area.
In their view, as long as they were surrounded in the middle, even if it was a bit slower, these rats hiding in the mountains would definitely be caught.
This was actually why Ji You needed to speed up.
Because as the encirclement tightened, the Divine Thought of those cultivators would become more effective.
In fact, since he entered the heart of the mountains, there were several times when he was almost caught by others' Divine Thought.
There was also one time when someone clearly sensed the aftershocks of a battle with their Divine Thought and pursued him.
If his strength hadn't been astonishing, he might have been surrounded by those cultivators before he even killed the next Family Disciple.
He wasn't afraid of encountering others, but if he did, his killing would certainly be interfered with and obstructed.
Ji You vaguely began to feel that his next move might involve snatching people from others.
The most crucial point was that the next Family members were not dead.
Although they could mutate into Evil Seeds, they were not truly Evil Seeds that feared no death.
In his opinion, as the Immortal Sects gradually closed in with their ring-mountain search, the next Family members would surely not sit idly by and would likely make a move first.
In other words, the later he acted, the more difficult it would become.
And he wasn't the only one feeling worried; so were the powerful figures from the Immortal Sects.
Because several times, they had already locked onto the next Family members, but upon arrival, they only found corpses.
One, two, three corpses—the faces of the Elders from the various Immortal Sects gradually changed, thinking that something was seriously wrong.
They didn't know how this beheader found these Bu family members, but they found that the Bu family, who had fled into the mountains, were almost all accounted for!
"How strange."
"What's strange?"
"No money pouches, but the strings for the money pouches are all there, and it's like this for every single one."
"?"
Some people encountered corpses, while others encountered acquaintances.
As the search area narrowed, many old acquaintances met by chance.
For example, in a valley called Eaglefall Gorge, on its south side, people who met by chance found that they all knew each other.
Such as Jiang Chenfeng, Jiang Yan, Tu Ri from Asked the Dao Sect, as well as Huo Hong, the illegitimate son of Mountain and Sea Pavilion, his Junior Brother Lu Dacheng, Junior Sister Jiang Yuerou, Yan Qiubai and Xie Chenyu from Lingjian Mountain, and Chu Butian from Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion.
They had once traveled together on a mission to the Snow Region Yao Race. Although they each had their own objectives, they had, in a way, shared life and death.
Especially after the Yao Race's night raid, they had developed some camaraderie.
So, with this coincidental meeting, a round of pleasantries was naturally indispensable.
"Brother Jiang, have you not broken through your Realm yet?"
"I gained a lot in Xianxian Holy Land. If it weren't for the Evil Seed matter, I might have already gone into seclusion to break through the threshold of the Sky Soaring Realm. But this is good too; waiting to get the Medicinal Pill from the Dan Sect before going into seclusion might make it smoother."
"Xianxian Holy Land is truly profound. But I heard that Ji You hasn't broken through his Realm. Is this true?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, so it's naturally true."
"I never expected it would be like this. Back in the Snow Region, at the Heavenly Dao Conference, I thought he could be on par with us. I didn't expect it to be so regrettable."
At that time, the Chen Clan suffered heavy losses and, for that reason, did not send anyone to the Snow Region, so only a few people from Tianshu Academy were missing here.
There's a basic principle when gathering: whoever isn't present becomes the topic. Ji You was, of course, the best topic of conversation.
Because his failure to break through his Realm was indeed regrettable, and it also made people feel relieved.
While chatting and laughing, Jiang Chenfeng had been paying attention to Huo Hong, who was just standing there silently.
Since entering Dongping Mountain, this was the second time he had seen Huo Hong, but he felt that Huo Hong was acting strangely. He was originally a very talkative person, but he had been silent during these two encounters.
It wasn't that he didn't like to talk, but rather that he seemed to be preoccupied with something.
Jiang Chenfeng observed for a long time and found that people often came to seek him out, whispering in his ear, as if some message was being passed along.
