Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 159: Accomplishment
Nine nights later, the heavens shifted, and a sudden thunderstorm broke out.
Amid the torrential downpour, lightning flashed across the horizon. Beyond that, there was no other light to be found.
Bai Mo pressed himself as close as he could to the cliff wall behind him, avoiding the slanted strings of raindrops, and sat down cross-legged.
Thunder roared and echoed through Suspended Blade Cliff, lingering endlessly. No other sound could be heard between heaven and earth.
Bai Mo’s Divine Thought stirred restlessly, like an insect under rotting leaves and mud, about to awaken from its long slumber.
This was especially true as his esoteric Cultivation Technique circulated, drawing the intent of the thunder from the world into his body.
The impulse for his Divine Thought to pulse became even more irrepressible.
The thunder’s intent was magnificent and terrifying. Bai Mo couldn’t help but feel a dreadful fear, yet he held himself back.
’If I can endure this great terror while completely open and defenseless, it will bring immense benefits to my Dao heart’s cultivation!’
The world grew dim, and Bai Mo slipped into a daze. Only the threads of fear, occasionally plucked by the thunder, stirred his mind.
It was the most primitive instinct of a living being.
Several days later, a figure appeared at the edge of Suspended Blade Cliff in the dead of night, stretching his limbs under the pouring rain.
’With the strange properties of Suspended Blade Cliff and several days of thunderstorms, forget a Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Talisman—even the aura of an ancient Ghost King should have been wiped clean.’
’Why hasn’t Bai Mo come up yet?’
Wei Xianxing craned his neck, looking toward Bai Mo’s position, but could only see a patch of inky blackness.
’The disciples from Medicine Peak said the skies will definitely clear up tomorrow. Tonight is the end of the storm, so the thunder’s intent is no longer at its peak.’
His eyelid twitched as he recalled the rumors among the disciples.
’Is it that Bai Mo is just incompatible with the scripture, making the awakening of his Divine Thought slow, or did something really happen to him?’
He couldn’t help but stretch his neck again, peering down intently.
’If a flash of lightning reveals him lying there spread-eagled, that would be a real disaster!’
RUMBLE!
Lightning spiderwebbed across the horizon, branching out like a tree.
Wei Xianxing’s nerves tightened. He held his breath, focusing his gaze to get a better look.
"Brother Wei?"
Bai Mo leaped up from the side, holding a large leaf over his head for cover.
"What are you doing here?"
Wei Xianxing froze, his gaze darting between Bai Mo and the stone platform below the cliff.
Seeing that the platform was indeed empty, he finally registered what had happened and let out a small sigh of relief.
"You’ve been down there for days. Of course I was worried."
"This is no place to talk. Let’s go to your place and get out of the rain."
Seeing Bai Mo’s pale and weakened face, Wei Xianxing knew he hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice in days.
The two left quickly and soon arrived at Bai Mo’s residence.
By the time Bai Mo came out in a fresh set of clothes, Wei Xianxing had already used the heat from his qi and blood to mostly dry himself.
He had already helped himself, placing the Demon Beast meat Bai Mo had prepared onto the fire to roast.
The leftover vines from Alchemy served as ready-made firewood, and he could control the flame’s intensity with a thought.
Wei Xianxing tore off a dry-looking strip of meat and put it in his mouth to chew.
"Setting aside everything else, the meat you have here is all top-grade. You eat much better than I do."
Ever since he started sending letters, Wei An in Immortal Arrival City had continuously sent more Demon Beast meat via the disciples from Beast Taming Peak.
One could tell they were carefully selected cuts of superior quality.
Bai Mo sat down, tore off a strip from the edge that was sizzling and dripping with fat, and stuffed it into his mouth.
For the past few days, he had been in a daze, oblivious to the world, only occasionally returning to his senses to swallow rainwater to sate his hunger.
He had reached a state where he could subsist without food.
Now that he was fully awake, his body was incredibly weak and needed serious replenishment.
"Immortal Arrival City is near Celestial Barrier Mountain, which has plenty of local specialties. Besides, it’s a kind gesture from my fellow Daoists."
"Naturally, one should eat well."
Bai Mo explained between bites.
Wei Xianxing nodded.
"It’s a good place."
"I wonder why the people from Beast Taming Peak are so friendly, even helping you deliver things. You must have some sort of connection with them."
Normally, the disciples of Beast Taming Peak didn’t act like this.
After that casual remark, he moved on to serious business.
"So, Bai Mo, how is your cultivation going?"
Bai Mo reached out again and tore off a slightly charred strip of meat.
"My Divine Thought is like the sprout of a green bean. It has been awakened and has begun to grow. When I gather it together, it forms a ball about the size of a candle flame."
Wei Xianxing praised him heartily.
"It may have taken a while, but it’s still commendable. So many disciples in the sect can’t even get their foot in the door."
"I assume the aura left by the Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Talisman has been removed as well?"
"Of course."
Bai Mo nodded. Although he couldn’t perceive the talisman’s aura himself.
But on the second day of the thunderstorm, Bai Mo had indeed felt something within his body being annihilated and removed.
For some reason, his entire being felt a bit lighter.
This feeling appeared after his Divine Thought was awakened, a time when his thoughts were particularly active, so he was sure he wasn’t mistaken.
In reality, the awakening of his Divine Thought hadn’t been slow at all; he had already been on the cusp of a breakthrough.
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Wei. You should take that half-rack of deer meat with you when you leave."
Wei Xianxing didn’t refuse, openly accepting his junior brother’s kind gesture.
"Deer meat is great! It’s perfect for replenishing qi and blood."
They ate in a comfortable silence.
One was starving, and the other had a huge appetite.
Before long, the entire chunk of roasted meat had been devoured.
Wei Xianxing patted his stomach, which produced a dull thud, as if it were solid.
He leaned back contentedly in his chair and narrowed his eyes.
"Bai Mo, I think I’ve figured out the origin of that Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Talisman you had on you."
Bai Mo was instantly alert.
"Please tell me, Brother Wei!"
Wei Xianxing glanced at him and said slowly,
"It seems to have come from a disciple of the Miaofa Sect. He was one of their ’Thirteen Prodigies’."
"When his body was found, the head was missing."
Bai Mo paused, frowning. "Is the killer known?"
Wei Xianxing shook his head.
The Miaofa Sect suffered this loss for no apparent reason; even the deacon who was secretly protecting the disciple has vanished.
Their entire sect is now up in arms, searching for the culprit.
"They actually suspect our Eldest Brother was behind it, but they lack evidence and haven’t dared to come to our sect."
Bai Mo asked in surprise, "How did Brother Shui get dragged into this?"
"When our Eldest Brother visited their sect, he sparred with that disciple and defeated him by a single move,"
Wei Xianxing said with disdain.
"The rumor is that the disciple left his sect with the intention of winning back his honor and reforging his Dao heart."
But instead, he perished midway through his journey, his body and soul extinguished, his corpse abandoned in the wilderness.
Bai Mo thought for a moment.
"Perhaps the Thousand-Mile Soul-Chasing Talisman ended up on me just to create a distraction?"
’Brother Shui isn’t the type to be sneaky. He’s always been open and honorable. He definitely wasn’t the one who did it.’
’I’m just a nobody. How could I get involved in such a shocking case?’
’I was probably just dragged into this innocently.’
But Wei Xianxing looked at Bai Mo.
"Although Eldest Brother has made it clear that he wasn’t involved, with this incident, it’s not appropriate for him to go out."
"The task he was assigned has been given to someone else. After some discussion, the deacons decided that you will go on a mission with some other disciples."
Hearing this, Bai Mo’s heart skipped a beat. He sucked in a breath.
"This isn’t just a simple mission to serve the sect, is it?"
’For them to suddenly think of me at a critical juncture like this... there’s obviously a deeper meaning.’
Wei Xianxing reached out and patted Bai Mo’s shoulder.
"Don’t overthink it."
"It’s a tradition for new outer sect disciples to go out and temper their new Cultivation Techniques with real combat experience."
"As for any other motives, it’s just a matter of convenience."
Wei Xianxing began to explain the details of the process to Bai Mo, including the departure date, his companions, and so on.
This task wouldn’t be easy and would require him to be away for several months.
But upon completing it and returning, he would be exempt from at least two years of sect duties.
An offer like that would actually tempt many disciples in the sect.
"Where are we going?"
"To a small dynasty that’s a vassal to our sect, called the Fire Cave Dynasty,"
Wei Xianxing said.
