bullyxtreme Chapter 486 Catch them all in one swoop
Chapter 486 Catch them all in one swoop
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. The frost on the Ice Soul Sword melted into water droplets by the putrid palm wind of the dark figure, dripping down the spine of the sword onto the bluestone slab with a "plop," which startled me and made me shiver.
The footsteps of Elder Xuanyun and his disciples from the Enforcement Hall drew closer, but Deacon Wu's black Taoist robe had already disappeared into the fog at the edge of the cliff—the fog was unusually thick, as if someone had deliberately cast a spell to obscure it.
"Miss Xiao!" Elder Xuan Yun's Soul-Chasing Lamp swept over, its green light revealing stray hairs at his temples and the jade token at his waist, clutched so tightly it turned bluish-white. "That mist is the protective array at the entrance to the secret passage; any later and he could have slipped inside!"
I stared at the dark brown hem of her robe, which appeared and disappeared in the mist. Suddenly, the feeling of Qingwei, the senior sister who had gripped my wrist before she died, surged up in my mind—her blood was still warm when it touched the back of my hand. She said, "Deacon Wu... Lord Dark Moon..." before she breathed her last.
The Bodhi prayer beads on my fingertips ached painfully. I gripped them tightly, and the Ice Soul Sword hummed, repelling the last gust of black shadow's claw-like attack: "If he wants to take the secret passage, he must pass through the narrow alley below the Broken Soul Cliff."
Elder Xuanyun's pupils contracted: "You mean—"
“Yes, that alley is only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and there are century-old walls on both sides.” I wiped the sweat from my face; cold sweat mixed with blood condensed into salty beads on my chin. “I will use the Key of Destiny to create a barrier to delay you; you take your disciples to the end of the alley to set up a trap.”
"But the Key to Destiny..." Elder Xuanyun hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
“I can do it.” I interrupted him, placing my left hand on the small jade bottle at my waist—the one Wen Chen had given me the other day, saying, “If you can’t hold on with the Key of Destiny, crush the Snow Soul Pill in this bottle.”
A cold laugh came from Deacon Wu through the mist. I gritted my teeth and drew golden hand seals in the air with my fingertips.
The power of the Key of Destiny surged upwards along his blood vessels, like a fire burning from his dantian to his fingertips. Suddenly, the fog in front of him became clear—Deacon Wu paused, turned around, and the black mole below his left eye glowed with an eerie blue in the fog.
My heart tightened, and I sped up the hand seals. Seven transparent barriers slammed down at his feet with a "bang," and he staggered and crashed into the old wall. A black scale fell off his black robe as it brushed against the wall.
"You little bitch!" he roared, hurling three poisoned needles. I spun to dodge, my Ice Soul Sword deflecting two, the third grazing my ear and embedding itself in the wall. "Lord Dark Moon told me you'd be troublesome. Just wait until I enter the secret passage—"
“You can’t get in.” I interrupted him, staring at the red light that suddenly lit up behind him—it was Elder Xuan Yun’s Soul-Chasing Lamp, swaying from the corner at the end of the alley. “Elder Xuan Yun’s Immortal-Binding Rope has already been set up at the alley entrance. If you retreat now, you’re facing the Enforcement Hall’s sword; if you advance, you’re facing my barrier.”
Deacon Wu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly let out a strange laugh: "You think I only have these subordinates?" He slapped his own head with his backhand, black blood spilling from his mouth. Seven black shadows "whooshed" out from behind him, and the smell of rotting flesh instantly filled the alley.
I gripped the Ice Soul Sword tightly, only to see Elder Xuan Yun's Soul-Chasing Lamp suddenly grow three feet tall, its green light wrapped in golden incantations slashing towards the dark figure—that was the Evil-Suppressing Technique of the Enforcement Hall, which I had seen in ancient texts, specifically designed to counter undead warriors who were sacrificed to living people.
"Miss Xiao!" Senior Brother Lin's voice came from the end of the alley. He held up a bronze bell, and the Immortal-Binding Rope I had given him the other day was wrapped around his wrist. "The mechanism is ready!"
I took a deep breath; the power of the Key of Destiny almost burned through my meridians. My left hand quietly reached for the small jade bottle at my waist.
Wu the Deacon's shadow had already pounced in front of me. I gritted my teeth and swung my sword. The cold light of the Ice Soul Sword suddenly turned into a dazzling gold—it was the life-saving talisman given by Wen Chen that was burning hot in the scabbard. I had a sudden inspiration and stuck the sword into the ground. The golden light spread along the bluestone slab, like a golden snake coiling around the ankles of all the shadowy figures.
“Now!” I yelled.
Elder Xuanyun's sword finger slashed down heavily, the Soul-Chasing Lamp exploded with a "boom" of green light, Senior Brother Lin's bronze bell hummed, and the old wall at the end of the alley suddenly cracked open, revealing densely packed poisoned bamboo spikes—that was the one I had Junior Sister Chu and the disciples set up the day before yesterday, using the Thousand Machine Pavilion blueprints left by Senior Sister Qingwei.
Wu the Deacon's shadowy figure was entangled by the golden light, making it difficult for him to move. He staggered backward and bumped into a bamboo thorn, with black blood dripping down the tip of the thorn.
"You...you dare..." He glared at me, the mole on his left eye suddenly bulging, "Lord Dark Moon will...will..."
"You can ask who Lord Dark Moon is when you get to the underworld." I drew my Ice Soul Sword, pressing the tip against his throat. "I've avenged Senior Sister Qingwei."
Elder Xuanyun's Binding Immortal Rope wrapped around his wrist with a "whoosh," and Senior Brother Lin and several disciples rushed up to hold down his limbs.
Junior Sister Chu ran over from the end of the alley, clutching a black cloth bundle in her hand, her eyes red, and said, "Senior Sister Xiao, I found this by the wall—it's Senior Sister Qingwei's jade pendant!"
I took the jade pendant, and the cool touch made my eyes sting.
Senior Sister Qingwei always says that this jade pendant was given to her by her mother, saying, "When I become an elder, I will carve your name on it."
Her blood was still on the jade pendant. I gently wiped it off and suddenly noticed a line of tiny characters on the back: "Dark Moon is hidden in the Mysterious Ice Cave."
Deacon Wu suddenly began to struggle violently, letting out an inhuman roar: "Kill me!"
"Kill me now!" The black mole on his left eye split open, and a small black snake crawled out. I used my Ice Soul Sword to smash the snake's head in half. The snake's blood splattered on the jade tablet, sizzling and emitting blue smoke.
"He's been poisoned by the Heart-Eating Gu." Elder Xuan Yun narrowed his eyes. "Killing him now will cause the Gu poison to explode, injuring those around him."
I stared at Deacon Wu's contorted face and suddenly remembered what Wen Chen had said yesterday: "If you encounter a situation you can't resolve, see what the other party is most afraid of." What Deacon Wu is most afraid of right now is revealing Lord Dark Moon's secret while still alive.
I crouched down, and the Ice Soul Sword gently grazed the back of his right hand: "Didn't you want Lord Dark Moon to know that I'm troublesome?"
Why don't I take you back alive now and let him come and rescue you himself?
Deacon Wu's pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints, and the veins on his forehead throbbed as if they were about to burst.
Elder Xuanyun nodded slightly to me, and I knew he understood what I meant—to keep the fish alive is to catch a bigger one.
Senior Brother Lin and his disciples escorted Deacon Wu to the Hall of Law Enforcement, while Junior Sister Chu followed behind, clutching Senior Sister Qingwei's jade token and wiping away tears.
Elder Xuanyun patted my shoulder, the warmth of his palm seeping through my Daoist robe: "Miss Xiao, you did very well."
I gazed at the swirling fog at the alley entrance, and then, on the wind, I heard faint strains of a zither, as if someone were playing a soul-sending melody.
Wen Chen's voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Yao Yao, I'm waiting for you in the Xuanbing Cave."
I gripped Senior Sister Qingwei's jade pendant tightly. The words on the back of the pendant were somewhat blurred by the snake blood, but the two characters "Dark Moon" became increasingly clear.
Although Deacon Wu has been captured, Lord Dark Moon's shadow is still shrouded in mist—this game has only just begun.
I stared blankly at the fog at the alley entrance for a while, when suddenly the jade pendant of Senior Sister Qingwei in my sleeve became burning hot.
Just as he was about to look, he heard hurried footsteps behind him—it was Junior Sister Chu, her hairpin askew behind her ear, grass clippings clinging to the hem of her skirt, her chest heaving as she ran: "Senior Sister Xiao...!"
"Don't rush, speak slowly." I held her trembling shoulders, my fingertips touching a new ligature mark on her wrist, as if she had been bound by rope.
Junior Sister Chu sobbed, tears pattering onto the back of my hand: "I went to the side hall to burn paper money for Senior Sister Qingwei, and I overheard two servants talking by the well... They said... that Lord Dark Moon's people aren't just Steward Wu, but seven or eight other disciples have also been cursed!"
My heart tightened as I recalled the black snake crawling out of Deacon Wu's left eye.
Junior Sister Chu gripped my sleeve, her nails almost digging into the fabric: "They said those disciples were threatened with threats against their families, and that they had to go to the dilapidated temple on the back mountain at midnight on the fifteenth of each month to deliver a message."
Senior Sister Qingwei...did Senior Sister Qingwei discover this and that's why...?
Before she finished speaking, I caught a glimpse of Elder Xuanyun turning around from the end of the alley.
The Soul-Chasing Lantern at his waist still glowed faintly. When he heard the words "the dilapidated temple behind the mountain," his brows furrowed deeply. "The dilapidated temple is the Xuanzhen Hall, which was struck by lightning a hundred years ago. Behind the broken walls is a cave. I investigated it when I was young; it leads to the outer sect's medicinal garden."
"We have to save them before the fifteenth." I took out the jade pendant from my pocket. The words "Dark Moon Hidden in the Mysterious Ice Cave" on the back shone blue in the moonlight. "Deacon Wu has been poisoned with the Heart-Eating Gu, and those disciples may also be controlled."
If we act now, the Darkmoon people might resort to desperate measures.
Elder Xuanyun took out his bamboo pipe and tapped it on his palm: "I'll go get the bewitching incense from the Enforcement Hall, which is specifically designed to counter this mind-controlling Gu."
"Miss Xiao, you should help Junior Sister Chu identify the people first, and then compile a list of the disciples who have been threatened—" He suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over the marks on Junior Sister Chu's wrists, "You just said the handyman was talking by the well?"
Junior Sister Chu withdrew her hand: "I...I heard them say 'This little brat has sharp ears,' and then I was caught and tied up in the woodshed. Senior Brother Lin was passing by and broke down the door..."
"Senior Brother Lin?" I turned my head and saw Senior Brother Lin carrying a lantern coming from the alley entrance. His shoulders were still covered with firewood, obviously he had just come from the woodshed.
Seeing us looking at him, he scratched the back of his head: "Just now, when I was escorting Steward Wu, I passed by the woodshed and heard some noise inside. I kicked the door open and ran into two masked men who were trying to silence me."
They've already been tied up and sent to the court of law enforcement.
Elder Xuanyun tapped his pipe against the stone wall with a crisp sound: "Good, this means that the people of Dark Moon are already purging those who know the truth."
Miss Xiao, tonight at 11:45 AM, we'll split into three groups—"He counted on his fingers, "I'll lead the Enforcement Hall to guard the back cave of the dilapidated temple, Senior Brother Lin will lead the outer disciples to guard the exit of the medicine garden, and you and Junior Sister Chu will infiltrate among the threatened disciples and lead them to the dilapidated temple."
"Guide?" Junior Sister Chu clutched Senior Sister Qingwei's jade token, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "I know!"
Those disciples receive wooden plaques engraved with black lotuses on the fifteenth of each month. If we forge these plaques tonight... Senior Sister Xiao's disguise skills are superb. You can disguise yourself as someone from Dark Moon and say, "The plan is ahead of schedule," and they'll definitely go to the ruined temple!
I touched the Ice Soul Sword at my waist; the gold patterns left by Wen Chen on the scabbard gleamed warmly in the moonlight.
This idea is feasible, but the risk is too great—if the Dark Moon people find out, the lives of those disciples will be in danger.
If they delay any longer, and the poison takes effect on the fifteenth night, they will either become walking corpses or be silenced.
“I’ll play the part.” I bit my tongue, the pain making my thoughts clearer. “Junior Sister Chu, go and make a list of the disciples who have been threatened, focusing on those who have been complaining of headaches and dreaming of black snakes lately—Deacon Wu’s Gu poison has early signs.”
Brother Lin, find ten trustworthy disciples to disguise themselves as servants and lie in ambush around the dilapidated temple. If they see anyone carrying a black lotus wooden plaque, they should follow them.
Senior Brother Lin clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Senior Sister Xiao, don't worry, I'll go to the outer sect to get help right away." As he turned around, the bronze bell at his waist jingled—the very same one he had used to save Junior Sister Chu earlier.
Elder Xuanyun took out a celadon bottle from his sleeve and handed it to me: "This is Gu-dispelling powder. If your disguise as the Dark Moon Envoy is suspected, sprinkle it in their teacups."
I used this move when I followed the former Elder of Law Enforcement to suppress demonic cultivators.
I took the porcelain bottle, my fingertips touching the ice-like patterns on its surface, just like the Snow Soul Elixir bottle that Wen Chen had given me yesterday.
Remembering his words, "If you can't hold on, crush it," a sudden warmth filled my heart.
The moonlight at midnight was like a layer of frost. I stood behind the broken walls of the dilapidated temple, wrapped in a black cloak.
The sweet, fishy scent of incense wafted in the wind; it was Elder Xuanyun's men who had scattered it on the roof beams.
Before long, seven figures crept into the temple gate one after another. Leading them was Xiao Tao, an outer disciple—she had delivered spiritual herbs for me just last month, but now she walked as if she were being led by a string, her eyes glazed over.
"Come here, all of you." I lowered my voice, mimicking Deacon Wu's hoarse tone, "Lord Dark Moon said the plan is being moved up to draw out your Gu."
Xiao Tao's fingers suddenly dug into her palm, blood seeping from under her nails: "Sir...didn't you say...we'd wait until the full moon..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" I flicked my sleeve, revealing a black lotus wooden plaque hidden inside. "If you don't want your family to be fed with Gu worms, then do as I say!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Senior Brother Lin's shadow move on the roof beam, and I knew that he had prepared the Immortal Binding Rope.
Xiao Tao trembled all over and suddenly knelt down: "Senior Sister Xiao, save me!"
I don't want to harm the immortal sect!
My mother was captured by them... They said if I didn't tell, they would feed my mother's blood to a poisonous insect...
Before she finished speaking, the other disciples also knelt down, and several of them burst into tears.
My heart ached, and I pulled off my cloak: "I am Xiao Yao, from the Enforcement Hall, here to rescue you!"
Instantly, more than a dozen soul-chasing lamps lit up in the dilapidated temple, and Elder Xuanyun's voice came from the rafters: "Don't move!"
The Enforcement Hall is here! Senior Brother Lin led his disciples in from all directions, and the Binding Immortal Ropes accurately wrapped around the wrists of each disciple—not to capture them, but to prevent them from harming themselves when the Gu poison took effect.
I squatted down and held Xiaotao's cold hand: "Where is your mother?"
Tell me, I'll go save her.
"The...the dilapidated kiln in Qinglan Town!" Xiao Tao sobbed, unable to catch her breath. "They make me deliver the Immortal Sect's defense map on the fifteenth of every month, or they'll put a curse on my mother's food..."
Elder Xuanyun brought the Soul-Chasing Lamp close to her face, and in the green light, a faint blue snake-shaped pattern could be seen on her neck: "This is a Soul-Locking Gu. She needs to take the Gu-Dissolving Powder for seven consecutive days."
I've instructed the pharmacy to prepare it; please don't worry.
As dawn approached, all the threatened disciples were sent to the medicine hall.
I stood at the highest point of the training platform, gazing at the pale dawn breaking in the east.
The sound of the zither in the wind was clearer than last night, as if it were coming from the direction of the Xuanbing Cave.
"What are you thinking about?" Wen Chen's voice came from behind, carrying the coolness of the morning mist.
I turned around and saw that his white clothes were stained with frost and a pine needle was hanging from his hair—he had obviously just returned from the Xuanbing Cave.
“The Dark Moon people are hiding deeper than I thought.” I took out Senior Sister Qingwei’s jade token; the words “Dark Moon hides in the Xuanbing Cave” on the back were tinged red from being soaked in snake blood. “Xiao Tao said her mother is in Qinglan Town, but thirty miles south of Qinglan Town is the outer edge of the Xuanbing Cave.”
Wen Chen reached out and smoothed my wind-blown hair. The warmth of his fingertips traveled through my reddened earlobes. "I discovered Dark Moon's communication array outside the Xuanbing Cave, engraved with the same black scales as Deacon Wu's." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Enforcement Hall disciples hurrying past the martial arts arena. "You saved those disciples; Dark Moon won't let this go."
As I gazed at the summit of Xianmen Mountain, which was faintly visible in the morning mist, I suddenly recalled the look in Senior Sister Qingwei's eyes before her death—not fear, but resentment.
The wind picked up again, swirling a few withered leaves around my feet.
I gripped Wen Chen's hand tightly; the calluses on his palms stung slightly, but they reassured me: "Then let them come."
Wen Chen lowered her head and smiled, the frost on her brows falling into my collar: "I'll stay with you."
Below the martial arts arena, Senior Brother Lin led his disciples to escort the servants they had captured the previous night to the Hall of Law Enforcement.
Junior Sister Chu followed behind, carrying a small cloth bag in her hands—I knew that it was a change of clothes she had collected for the rescued disciples.
The sunlight finally pierced through the morning mist, shining on the plaque of the Immortal Sect, where the two golden characters "Yuqing" shone brightly.
But I know that the shadow of the dark moon is hidden even deeper.
Just like the words on Senior Sister Qingwei's jade pendant, the surface is covered with snake blood, but there are deeper veins hidden underneath.
This purge is far from over.