Free Web NovelChapter 170: Chapter 170: The True Secret
The night was indeed beautiful.
Above the Fire Cave Dynasty, the clouds were as sparse as ever, and the sky was filled with stars.
A cool breeze blew gently, lulling one to sleep.
But the esteemed disciples of the Douchen Sect had no need for such things. They could achieve the same effect by setting up a simple Array in their rooms.
Therefore, for him to be lying on the roof eaves, it could only be to stand guard.
The man’s pupils were ink-black, yet even in the night, anyone who met his gaze could sense their brilliance.
Bai Mo slowed his breathing, visualizing the form of a Pill Furnace in his mind.
Just as it was about to manifest, he heard approaching footsteps.
Bai Mo paused. He, Zhao Jingyu, and their companion slipped into the shadows.
A concealment Array rose around them.
"Don’t move."
"If we make the slightest sound, my Array won’t be able to fool them."
Wan Shenxiu’s tone was rushed. Sect Disciples weren’t like outsiders; they couldn’t be fooled so easily.
"Junior Brother."
The newcomer’s figure appeared. He wore a silver robe, and his face was obscured.
"What is it?"
The disciple on the eaves didn’t move, only asking the question softly.
"Recently, between the rebel army and the imperial court, two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators have died. The one responsible is suspected to be Mo Qi of the Xuandao Sect!"
"That Mo Qi is extremely bloodthirsty. I recall the girl you have your eye on... isn’t her father near the front lines?"
the Silver-Robed Cultivator asked.
But the cultivator on the eaves was completely unconcerned.
"Don’t worry about it, Senior Brother. If he’s killed, he’s killed."
"Right now, your focus should be on the Xuandao Sect. We came thousands of miles for this. We have to have something to show for it when we report back!"
Being reprimanded by his junior brother like this, the silver-robed man’s expression didn’t change. He simply clasped his hands behind his back and strolled inside.
"Don’t panic, Junior Brother. It’s only the Xuandao Sect. Once the Fire Cave Dynasty changes its allegiance and belongs to our sect, what can they possibly do?"
With that, the silver-robed man walked inside and disappeared from view.
The Douchen Sect disciple on the eaves shook his head, then suddenly noticed a blurry dark figure in the distance.
He froze. Just as he was about to focus his gaze, his vision suddenly went dark as a Pill Furnace was slammed down over his head.
The Douchen Sect disciple was terrified. He immediately tried to shoot up and warn his fellow disciples.
Before he could draw a breath to shout, he faintly sensed something was wrong with the airflow around him.
Relying on his combat instincts, the disciple raised his arm, intending to block the incoming attack.
However, his hand had only made it halfway up when Zhao Jingyu’s iron rod slammed into his stomach.
The Douchen Sect disciple’s breath was knocked out of him. He felt his stomach churn as if he were about to vomit.
Having landed a successful blow and seized the advantage, Zhao Jingyu grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and gave a sharp shake.
Under the immense force, the disciple’s body immediately went limp.
Zhao Jingyu carefully placed him back in his original position and jumped down from the eaves.
Though he was usually unreliable, his expression was now extremely calm, and his actions were decisive and ruthless.
The whistle of displaced air naturally drew the attention of other hidden sentries nearby.
But upon seeing the figure still on the eaves, they looked away again.
"Junior Brother Bai, that was an amazing move! Incredibly useful at a critical moment!"
Zhao Jingyu praised him, then looked at the lurking shadows nearby, a contemptuous expression on his face.
’Who do these losers think they are, daring to speak ill of Brother Mo?’
Bai Mo looked at Wan Shenxiu beside him.
"That Silver-Robed Cultivator from just now... his status seems quite high. Where was he headed?"
Wan Shenxiu’s expression was grim.
"Judging by his direction and path, he was heading toward the woodshed and the kitchen."
A cultivator of his status would never be going to such a place.
"There must be a setup I’m unaware of. It has its own Array, and it’s not as simple as the ones outside."
The three exchanged a glance and immediately came to a decision.
After ambushing two more hidden sentries with the same method, they followed the path the Silver-Robed Cultivator had taken.
"Found it."
The kitchen and woodshed’s doors and windows were now tightly shut, with no light coming from within.
Instead, the octagonal ancient well to their left was highly suspicious.
The well’s opening was about five feet across. An old dog lay nearby, occasionally lifting its head to look around.
"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"
A rat scurried out from a crack in the brickwork, its four legs moving rapidly, headed somewhere unknown.
But as it neared the ancient well, it stopped short, skirted around it, and set off again in a new direction.
SMACK!
The old dog shot out a paw, pinning it to the ground.
"Should we go down and take a look?"
Zhao Jingyu hesitated for a moment before asking.
"You two junior brothers from Broken Blade Peak and Golden Jade Peak should have experience with this sort of thing."
"Have you ever heard the saying, ’Never go down a well you happen upon’?"
"Nope."
Wan Shenxiu said flatly and stepped forward.
The well wasn’t deep, only a little over thirty feet.
The three of them dropped inside and found a tunnel appearing before them.
A strange-smelling wind blew from the tunnel, lifting the corner of Bai Mo’s robes.
Zhao Jingyu’s eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat.
"What is this place?!"
Bai Mo forcibly suppressed the intense revulsion in his heart and took the lead, heading down the stone tunnel.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the three of them found what they were looking for.
At the very end was a pool of stagnant water. Wind seeped through the earthen walls, stirring ripples across its surface.
A coffin, wrapped in iron chains, was suspended in mid-air.
Wan Shenxiu’s eyes lit up.
"So it’s this thing!"
Bai Mo and Zhao Jingyu both turned to him.
Wan Shenxiu had no choice but to explain:
"See that coffin?"
"Those markings on it aren’t the wood grain. They were carved by someone to use the foul winds to nurture a corpse."
"There’s definitely an ancient corpse inside that’s been there for years!"
Bai Mo was confused.
"The Douchen Sect is supposed to be a righteous sect. They came thousands of miles just to do something like this?"
"You don’t understand, Junior Brother."
There was a look of excitement in Wan Shenxiu’s eyes.
"The wind seeping from these walls is no ordinary wind. It carries all the foul, putrid air from the earth."
"And with the Fire Cave Dynasty’s years of accumulated mineral waste, the land here is especially filthy!"
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but take a couple of steps forward to look at the Array Patterns on the coffin, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"An ancient corpse nurtured with this method is called a Combat Puppet in the Douchen Sect."
"In the demonic path, it’s called a Purifying Monarch!"
"Either name is incredibly famous in the Cultivation Realm!"
Seeing Wan Shenxiu’s expression, Bai Mo and Zhao Jingyu looked at each other, speechless.
The latter sighed in a low voice:
"I’d long heard my senior brothers say that the Golden Jade lineage is full of weirdos. Looks like it’s true..."
CLACK!
A footstep echoed.
The three of them snapped back to their senses and whipped around to look behind them.
The Silver-Robed Cultivator was walking toward them from behind, his face a mask of composure.
"Not bad, not bad."
"You live up to your status, knowing even such obscure lore."
His gaze fell upon Wan Shenxiu.
"I saw you wandering around during the day and kept an eye on you. It seems I was right to be cautious."
Seeing the other man’s composed demeanor, Zhao Jingyu felt an inexplicable annoyance.
"The Fire Cave Dynasty is a vassal dynasty of the Xuandao Sect. If your esteemed sect wants to make a Combat Puppet, might I suggest you head out the door, turn left, and try your luck at someone else’s home."
"Lest you damage the harmony between our two sects!"
The Silver-Robed Cultivator chuckled.
"Fellow Daoist, you jest. Foul winds can’t be found just anywhere."
"In recent years, many qi vents have appeared in the Fire Cave Dynasty. My Douchen Sect has been watching for a long time."
"And since we happen to be in such a tense period, I, Guo, must ask the three of you to leave your heads behind, so no word of this gets out."
The moment his voice fell, the aura of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer erupted from his body.
The powerful qi whipped at their clothes. Wan Shenxiu’s expression remained unchanged as his hand moved.
BOOM!
A violent wind carrying Spiritual Qi completely sealed off half of the tunnel.
Zhao Jingyu stretched his body and asked:
"When you came, did you happen to notify any of your other sect brothers?"
The Silver-Robed Cultivator’s expression finally grew solemn.
"To deal with the likes of you, I’d need others?"
Zhao Jingyu immediately pointed at him.
"You’re a fool!"
