Chapter 390 - 387: Disappearance
Chapter 390: Chapter 387: Disappearance
From the Overlord Blade Sect was an incredibly burly old man.
He stood a full nine feet tall, powerfully built like a bear, and seemed like an iron pagoda where he stood.
He wore a sleeveless black tunic, revealing two arms thicker than an average person’s waist. Veins coiled like serpents over his bulging muscles, seeming to contain a terrifying Mountain-Splitting Stone-Shattering power.
On his back, he carried a giant blade the size of a door panel. Its body was as black as ink and radiated a cold, sinister light.
Simply by standing there casually, he exuded an incomparably domineering aura, as if he alone was supreme in all of heaven and earth.
He was the Supreme Elder of the Overlord Blade Sect, Lei Lie, known as the "Overlord Blade."
It was said that in his youth, he had a fiery temper and would draw his blade at the slightest disagreement. He had once flattened a small mountain with a single strike.
From the Lingyun Sword Sect was a slender, middle-aged man.
He wore a moon-white robe, and at his waist hung a longsword in its scabbard. The scabbard was crafted from white jade and glowed brilliantly in the twilight.
His face was handsome, his demeanor elegant and otherworldly. Standing there, he looked like a figure from an ink wash painting.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. His expression was indifferent, as if nothing in the world was worthy of his attention.
He was the Supreme Elder of the Lingyun Sword Sect, Bai Yujing, known as the "Sword Fanatic."
It was said he was obsessed with the Sword Dao his entire life. To comprehend a single sword strike, he once went into seclusion for ten years. When he emerged, he severed a waterfall with one slash, and his name shook Qingyang thereafter.
From Tingyu Building was a middle-aged man with a plain face.
He wore a simple bluish-gray robe with no extra adornments. A common-looking longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard even a bit worn.
He just stood there casually, like an ordinary Jianghu Traveler passing by, with no presence whatsoever.
But upon closer inspection, one would discover he was standing in the exact gap where the auras of the other six intersected.
He seemed to have merged with the world around him, yet at the same time, he looked as if he could vanish from it at any moment.
He was the Supreme Elder of Tingyu Building, Shen Mo, known as "Shadowless."
Seven Grandmasters, seven auras. Though all were restrained, they were like seven invisible mountains, pressing down on the area and making the very air feel stagnant.
Within a radius of several thousand feet, insects and birds had vanished, and beasts had fled. Even the sound of the wind seemed to have quieted.
"Ahem."
A light cough broke the silence.
The old monk Hui Ming of Vajra Temple slowly opened his eyes. His perpetually half-closed eyes were now fully open, revealing a clear gaze.
His eyes swept over the other six. He put his palms together and spoke in a calm voice,
"Everyone, since we have all arrived, let us discuss the matter at hand."
"What’s there to discuss?"
Lei Lie of the Overlord Blade Sect snorted coldly, his voice like a great bell.
"We go straight in, find that beast, and cut it down with one slash!"
As he spoke, the giant blade on his back vibrated with a low hum, as if ready to be drawn at any moment.
"Brother Lei is as domineering as ever."
A voice spoke up. All eyes turned to see it was Bai Yujing of the Lingyun Sword Sect.
He still stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
"Since Brother Lei is so confident, why don’t you go in alone and slay that Grandmaster Level Demon?"
The smile on Lei Lie’s face stiffened slightly.
He might be straightforward, but he was not a fool.
Of course he wasn’t going to venture deep into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range by himself to face a Grandmaster Level Demon of unknown strength.
"Hmph."
He snorted coldly and didn’t take the bait.
Bai Yujing paid him no mind, his expression unchanged.
Liu Meiniang of Baihua Valley let out a light laugh, a sound like silver bells drifting through the twilight.
"Why must you two be like this? We are all here to eliminate the Demon. The right course is to work together."
Lei Lie and Bai Yujing exchanged a noncommittal glance but ceased their antagonism.
Li Hanjiang of the Netherworld Pavilion stood with his hands behind his back. His gray-white eyes swept over the group, finally landing on Gu Changqing of the Qingxuan Sect.
"Brother Gu, it has been many years. I trust you’ve been well?"
His voice was deep and raspy, like sandpaper rubbing together, quite unpleasant to the ear.
"Cut the false pleasantries. The Netherworld Pavilion has been making frequent moves over the years, causing no end of trouble for my Qingxuan Sect."
Gu Changqing withdrew his gaze from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, glanced at Li Hanjiang, and spoke coldly.
"Why so angry, Brother Gu? I have not involved myself in Sect affairs for many years. Those were the decisions of the younger generation."
A faint smile touched the corners of Li Hanjiang’s lips as he spoke.
Shen Mo of Tingyu Building remained silent, simply standing there quietly as if he had merged with the surrounding night.
The old monk Hui Ming put his palms together, his gaze sweeping over the group, and said in his calm voice,
"Everyone, I propose the seven of us enter the mountains from seven different directions simultaneously, advancing inward in a fan formation. If any one of us discovers the Demon, they will send a signal, and the other six will immediately rush to provide support."
"This way, we can avoid being defeated one by one by the Demon, and we can also cover the largest possible search area."
At his words, the other six all nodded slightly.
The proposal was indeed sound.
"Master Hui Ming is absolutely right."
Liu Meiniang was the first to speak, her voice soft and charming.
"Then let us do as the Master says."
Bai Yujing nodded without a word.
Lei Lie grunted in tacit agreement.
Li Hanjiang stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze lingered on Gu Changqing for a moment before moving away, and he too nodded.
Gu Changqing said nothing, only giving a slight nod.
Shen Mo remained silent, but his figure seemed to shift slightly, which served as his response.
"If that is the case, then it is settled."
The old monk Hui Ming put his palms together, his voice calm.
"Tonight, we will rest outside the mountains. We will enter together at dawn tomorrow."
Everyone nodded and spoke no more.
The twilight deepened, and the last ray of daylight was swallowed by the distant mountains.
In the darkness, the Cloud Mist Mountain Range grew ever more profound and mysterious, like a great, crouching beast.
The next morning, before the sky had brightened, seven figures disappeared into the vast, boundless sea of trees that was the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
Gu Changqing, dressed in a deep cyan robe, walked with his hands clasped behind his back.
He didn’t use any Body Technique, simply walking at a normal pace. Yet with every step he took, his figure drifted over a hundred feet forward.
The dead leaves on the ground were several feet thick, yet he seemed to tread upon the air itself, not stirring a single speck of dust.
All the auras in the surroundings were within his perception.
The breathing of the grass and trees, the squirming of insects, the babbling of a distant stream—everything was clear and distinct, like a newly unrolled scroll painting.
For a Grandmaster Level expert such as himself, even without practicing any Tracking Secret Technique, he could rely on a Grandmaster’s spiritual power to achieve an incredibly terrifying level of perception.
However, half a day passed, and he had found nothing—no sign of a Grandmaster Level Demon.
He had encountered quite a few Demons along the way.
There was an Upper Three Grades giant python coiled by a mountain stream, its scales pitch-black and its body as thick as a water bucket. Sensing his aura, it lunged at him ferociously.
He didn’t even raise his eyes. With just a casual flick of his sleeve, a flash of cyan light shot out, and the giant python was severed in two. Blood sprayed out, dyeing half the stream red.
There was an Upper Three Grades giant ape lurking in the treetops, its arms as thick as tree trunks and its eyes crimson as blood. Seeing him pass by, it leaped down, its fists whistling through the air as they smashed toward his head.
Without breaking his stride, he simply sidestepped the attack, reached back with one hand, and tapped his finger on the giant ape’s heart.
The giant ape’s enormous body crashed to the ground. It twitched twice, then fell silent forever.
There was an Upper Three Grades giant bear hidden deep in a cave. Hearing the commotion, it charged out. It reared up on its hind legs, standing a full thirty feet tall, and swiped down with a paw powerful enough to shatter stone tablets.
He didn’t even turn his head, simply continuing to walk forward.
The giant bear’s paw struck the ground ten yards behind him, shaking the earth and leaving a deep Palm Seal.
But the giant bear itself was struck by an invisible force. Its massive body was sent flying backward, snapping several ancient trees as thick as a man’s embrace before it, too, fell silent.
One, two, three...
The number of Upper Three Grades Demons that died at his hands grew and grew.
But these were not what he was looking for.
What he wanted was to find the Grandmaster Level Demon that might be out there.
However, even as the sun sank in the west and twilight began to fall, he still had not sensed any Grandmaster-level aura.
In the evening, the seven figures returned to the rendezvous point outside the mountains as agreed.
When Gu Changqing arrived, three people had already returned.
The old monk Hui Ming of Vajra Temple was sitting cross-legged on a green stone, his aura peaceful. Seeing Gu Changqing arrive, he nodded slightly.
Liu Meiniang of Baihua Valley stood beneath a flowering tree, still twirling a small flower made of Gang Qi in her hand.
She raised her eyes to Gu Changqing, a hint of a question in her shimmering, watery gaze.
Shen Mo of Tingyu Building was still standing in the shadows, as if he had never left.
Not long after, the other three also returned one by one.
Lei Lie of the Overlord Blade Sect did not look pleased.
Bai Yujing of the Lingyun Sword Sect remained as indifferent as ever.
Li Hanjiang of the Netherworld Pavilion stood with his hands behind his back, his gray-white eyes sweeping over the group.
"Any luck?"
The old monk Hui Ming was the first to speak, his voice calm.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Lei Lie snorted. "Nothing."
Bai Yujing shook his head slightly.
Liu Meiniang sighed softly.
Shen Mo remained silent, only shaking his head slightly.
Li Hanjiang’s gray-white eyes flickered, and he slowly said, "Nothing on my end, either."
Finally, all eyes fell on Gu Changqing.
Gu Changqing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Nothing."
At his word, all seven of them frowned slightly.
Nothing?
The seven of them had come from seven different directions, practically turning the entire Cloud Mist Mountain Range upside down and slaying countless Demons along the way, yet they hadn’t even seen the shadow of a Grandmaster Level Demon.
"Could we have missed it?"
Lei Lie spoke, his voice low.
"That night of the Demon rampage... tens of thousands of Demons attacking at once is not something an ordinary Demon could orchestrate. Only a Grandmaster Level Demon could cause such a commotion."
"But we’ve searched the entire mountain range and haven’t sensed even a trace of a Grandmaster Level Demon’s aura."
Hui Ming said slowly, his clear eyes gazing into the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
"Could it be... that the beast sensed the danger and ran away ahead of time?"
Bai Yujing said with a frown.
This speculation made everyone fall silent for a moment.
It wasn’t impossible.
A Grandmaster Level Demon’s intelligence is no less than a human’s. If it sensed danger and fled in advance, that would make perfect sense.
"If it really escaped, then we’re in trouble."
Lei Lie said with a frown.
If a Grandmaster Level Demon isn’t found and eliminated quickly, the consequences will be dire once it has hidden away and grown stronger.
At that point, it would be a catastrophe for the Seven Sects and for all of Qingyang County.