As he spoke, he pointed to the side at a farmhouse courtyard. The main gate was shut tight, and a mulberry tree by the entrance was heavy with fruit, its branches stretching into the yard like a canopy. "Weren’t you asking me where everyone went? Come on, I’ll show you."
"Heh heh... Senior Brother, there won’t be any danger, will there?"
Chen Qingyang shook his head. "Of course not."
The door was bolted from the inside. Not wanting to break the latch, the two of them simply vaulted into the courtyard. A millstone was set in a corner of the yard, and firewood was stacked under a thatched shed. There were four rooms in total, each with a door curtain that was washed so white it was a testament to the diligence of the mistress of the house.
The firewood in the thatched shed was also stacked neatly, and some farm tools were polished to a shine; the master of the house was no slacker either.
Chen Qingyang seemingly chose a room at random, pushed the door open, and led Zhang Tong inside. Zhang Tong’s first reaction was a cry of alarm, and he bolted for the exit.
Inside, four people were lying on the heated brick bed.
In the middle were two children, flanked by their parents. Their faces were twisted in utter agony.
The father was pressed against the wall, his body covered in scratches. His five bloody fingers were embedded in the earthen wall, which he must have clawed into himself.
One of the two children was biting their own arm, almost tearing off a piece of flesh. The other was gripping their mother tightly, fingers digging into her flesh, while the mother held both children in her embrace.
All of them had blackened skin, with their veins and sinews bulging out.
With a long sigh, Chen Qingyang flicked out a small flame. The house was left intact; only the four corpses were incinerated.
When he went back outside, Zhang Tong was in the yard, utterly shocked. "How could this happen... How could those people be so vicious?"
Chen Qingyang remained calm. "It’s simple. This happened at night. The villagers all died suddenly in their beds, which is why you don’t see anyone in the alleys. The culprits are those nine Array Building items."
"Then... I saw they died in great pain. Senior Brother Chen, do you know what kind of Dharma Gate this is?"
"The pain is the point. Their souls were forcibly stripped from their bodies, bit by bit. That’s why you can still see their flesh and blood intact. And the process of dying... probably lasted a very long time!"
"Bah, damn them all... Cultivation, Cultivation, why must the Demon Dao exist in this world... Our Daoist Sect is still the best!" Zhang Tong cursed angrily.
’How could he know that in the places where the Tai Xu Sect had extracted an Earth Deity, the devastation was just as severe, leaving nine out of ten homes empty.’
"How about we don’t look anymore? Let’s just sit on this millstone for a while?"
Zhang Tong looked as if he couldn’t have been happier to hear that. "Good, good. Anyway, Senior Sister Jiang said she wanted us to see it, and we’ve seen it."
Without replying, Chen Qingyang sat down, closed his eyes to rest, and sent his Conscious Fish drifting out once again to search for the senior brother and sister pair.
’Jiang Muzhou’s Cultivation is, after all, much higher than my own. Only by keeping track of their movements at all times can I ensure some measure of safety.’
The two of them were still standing at the village entrance, unmoving.
Yao Jingzhi was levitating in a seated meditation pose while Jiang Muzhou chattered on relentlessly.
"Junior Brother, didn’t Master Li already say that the common folk here were all slaughtered by Wandering Cultivators? He told us to rendezvous with our fellow Daoists from the Ningzhen Immortal Mansion. Why did you make them stop here? Do you really want to ’broaden their horizons’?"
It seemed Jiang Muzhou followed Yao Jingzhi’s advice to the letter, treating him as her strategist. But then again, Yao Jingzhi did indeed have the skill for it.
"The sooner we gather, the more we’ll have to do, and the more danger we’ll be in. There’s no need to rush into it. Have you forgotten what happened in the Yong Kingdom? Those Masters hide in the background, plotting against each other and using their Disciples as shields. Who knows what this will turn into!"
Jiang Muzhou thought for a moment. "You’re still the perceptive one, Junior Brother. I didn’t think of that at all. But... in that case, how are you going to deal with Chen Qingyang?"
Yao Jingzhi replied, "What’s the hurry? There’s no need to rush. He’s already a bug in a jar. We just need to be careful on the road ahead. If we run into any traces of Wandering Cultivators, we can split up. Won’t that give us an opportunity?"
"Alright, I’ll listen to whatever you say, Junior Brother."
’After all, they are out in the open with no cover on any side. They’re just talking. It would be difficult to try anything else.’
...
Zhang Tong looked at Chen Qingyang, finding it very strange. ’How can he just enter a meditative state whenever he wants and not make a sound for so long?’
"Senior Brother Chen, we should be heading back."
At the sound of his voice, Chen Qingyang immediately opened his eyes. When they re-gathered at the village entrance, he saw that everyone else had assembled as well.
This time, Jiang Muzhou didn’t speak; instead, it was Yao Jingzhi who addressed the group. "Fellow disciples, in the direction we are heading, many disciples from the Ningzhen Immortal Mansion have discovered traces of Demons. It’s highly likely the two sides have already clashed."
"I’ve just discussed this with Senior Sister Jiang. Since they aren’t our Tai Xu Sect’s disciples, it’s better to let them wear down the enemy’s strength and probe their capabilities first."
"We will travel slowly from here and search as we go. Even if we encounter Demons, they will be ones with low Cultivation, perfect for us to practice on and interrogate for information. This way, none of you will be put in danger. What do you all think?"
Although Yao Jingzhi wasn’t the official leader of the group, all these shrewd people could see that he and Jiang Muzhou came from the same lineage and had a deep relationship.
"Junior Brother Yao is truly insightful. In my opinion, we shouldn’t rush. The last to arrive often have the easiest time earning merit."
"Yes, Senior Sister Jiang, I think we should do just that."
In an instant, everyone agreed. Yao Jingzhi was quite skilled at winning people over. Even Chen Qingyang chimed in, "Senior Brother and Senior Sister are wise!"
Once the decision was made, Jiang Muzhou descended from the air and stood in the center of the village. A golden light emanated from her body. As her hands formed a series of seals, wisps of green Qi seemed to flow from within her, connecting her as one with the earth.
It was as if the mountains and rivers of this land had become a part of her.
Chen Qingyang immediately understood. So, what she practiced was the Dharma Gate of the Mountain and River Daoist Lord. When unleashed, its power was nothing short of astonishing.
Gradually, a fierce wind began to blow, and eight currents of Spiritual Qi seemed to swirl up from the ground, shooting off in eight directions. The Senior Sister stood bathed in golden light, motionless, like a divine being.
"Senior Sister Jiang’s methods are impressive. She’s using her own spirit to connect with the lay of the mountains and rivers to trace the Demons’ tracks..."
"As they say, even stepping on snow leaves a trace. By using such a Dharma Gate, there are bound to be traces of the Demons left between heaven and earth..."
More people began to discuss, mostly offering words of praise intended for Yao Jingzhi to hear.
Yao Jingzhi’s expression was composed. He shot a quick glance at Chen Qingyang before looking back up. ’This bastard, he’s really nursing a grudge against me all on his own!’
After about a quarter of an hour, Jiang Muzhou retracted her Dharma Gate. Her tone was firm. "We head northwest. I’ve detected an unusual Qi Mechanism. We’ll slay one or two Demons so the Masters can’t say we were slacking off and wasting time!"
"Senior Sister makes a good point."
...
For a moment, it was all flattery and adulation, a picture of perfect harmony.
Before the group had even set out, Chen Qingyang had already sent his Conscious Fish four hundred li away. He, too, wanted to see just how capable this Senior Sister’s methods were.
His Conscious Fish saw a vast mountain range. Although there were no signs of Demons, he spotted another village before the mountain entrance.
The village had over a hundred households, clearly more than the one they were in. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and a deathly stillness hung over everything...
Deeper inside, every corpse was fresh, and all had died in agony. No more than two days had passed.
Jiang Muzhou’s judgment had not been wrong. The Dharma Gate of the Mountain and River Daoist Lord was truly profound!