Yu Ci turned his head, gazing at the bloodstains that had spread over most of the "cloud" with the flow of the mist, feeling a slight headache. He could only hope that Bao Guang wouldn't take it too seriously.
He stopped moving Zheng Yan. Despite having taken medicine, Monk's condition continued to deteriorate. At this moment, he seemed to be somewhat conscious, emitting low moans.
The most appropriate course of action now would naturally be to take Monk to the Pure Water Sect's base. Not to mention the external injuries, the harmful fire energy that had taken hold of his wounds should be treatable by his Sect.
However, how to approach this required a bit of tact.
At this time, the forest was far from peaceful, with the frequent sounds of birds' and beasts' cries echoing around, and the atmosphere was incredibly chaotic.
Yu Ci moved further away, turning his back to look at the Divine Map, to further confirm his current location. But at this moment, he saw that the chaos in the canyon had spread to the top of the valley forest. The first wave of demons and monsters, Birds of Prey, that had escaped from the cold wave had climbed up the valley, and the following wave was still unending. Forced by the cold wave and the increasingly chaotic situation, they scattered towards this wider world.
The situation now was just as he had lamented before:
"A big problem has arisen!"
Moreover, through the Divine Map, he saw that at least two "Golden Elixir Hazes" had reached above the valley and disappeared into the forest. This was only within a fifty-mile radius, how many demons and monsters had burst out along the thousands of miles of the Sky Rift Valley?
Although the Lichen Sect seemed powerful, he wondered if they had any countermeasures for this situation.
Just as he was thinking, an area in the Divine Map became blurry and was about to leap above the valley top, which meant:
The Divine Map suddenly darkened!
Not the entire Divine Map, but within the "Golden Elixir Haze" that had just flown over, a shadow exploded in size, instantly covering a radius of three miles.
Within this range, the lights that shuttled and changed in the Divine Map disappeared in the blink of an eye. The "Golden Elixir Haze" and the surrounding clear forest scenery seemed to have been hollowed out, revealing a huge black hole that seemed to suck in all sight and thoughts, unable to pull them out again.
Yu Ci quickly shifted his thoughts, steadying his mind, but couldn't help but look again. But at this moment, the darkness seemed like an illusion, along with the vast "Golden Elixir Haze", disappeared. The scenery there returned to clarity, just an ordinary area beside the cliff wall, with sparse vegetation, only a crooked pine tree.
Hmm, what was that?
Yu Ci's gaze focused. On the branch sticking out from the side of the cliff wall, a piece of black cloth was clearly hanging, embroidered with intermittent golden patterns, very familiar. Looking further to the side, on the cliff wall, there was a layer of splashed bloodstains, slightly blue, very eerie.
Yu Ci's heart pounded, instantly shifting his view, casting his thoughts into the boundless fog.
Soon, he saw a blood-stained Meat Wing tumbling down in the cloudy and misty void. Further down, a short stick still adorned with a banner was sliding down the sheer cliff, blown by the wind, rolled up in the air, and thrown into the rolling fog.
Upon witnessing this scene with his own eyes, Yu Ci was stunned for a long moment. From this, he understood one fact more clearly: he could no longer stay in Sky Rift Valley, or even in the surrounding areas!
************
As the turmoil in Sky Rift Valley intensified, the various forces stationed near the sheer cliff city reacted differently.
The Xuan Yin Sect was the most composed. Upon discovering the disturbance among the living beings in the valley, the members of the Xuan Yin Sect, under the leadership of Master Ming Lan, retreated in an orderly manner. They even had the leisure to send warning messages to the White Sun Mansion and the Pure Water Sect.
Unfortunately, both the White Sun Mansion and the Pure Water Sect could only envy the calm of the Xuan Yin Sect without being able to emulate it.
The backbone of the White Sun Mansion, Elder Tu Du, had not yet returned. Under these circumstances, even if the living beings were in turmoil, even if the Sky Rift Valley collapsed, they had to stay put and wait for Tu Du to return.
As for the Pure Water Sect, they were even more panic-stricken. Early this morning, their leader, Monk Zheng Yan, had mysteriously disappeared. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem as he was known for his unpredictable appearances. However, with the turmoil ongoing and no sign of his return, and with the scope of the disturbance growing as night fell, the wicked monks of the Pure Water Sect were thinking of abandoning their camp and leaving. But then, Monk Zheng Yan returned - carried back, in fact.
Monk Zheng Yan was found by scouts sent out to investigate the situation in Sky Rift Valley. They discovered their senior brother lying by the roadside, on the brink of death. Without a second thought, they carried him back to the camp.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
By the time Zheng Yan opened his eyes, it was already the next morning. The sounds of his fellow disciples arguing could still be heard outside the tent, but inside, someone was attending to him, busily moving about with their back to him. Judging by the figure, it was probably a junior disciple. He took a deep breath and didn't speak, just staring blankly at the top of the tent.
"Awake?"
The junior disciple spoke softly, but his tone was far from fitting his status.
Zheng Yan jolted, aggravating his internal and external injuries and nearly coughing up blood.
The junior disciple turned around and pressed on his chest. With a jolt, the toxic fire energy tangled in his organs was dispersed, flowing into his limbs, and then transformed into lifeforce that nourished his damaged organs.
When Zheng Yan looked at the junior disciple, blood was seeping from his facial features, yet his face was calm. Only in his eyes, a circle of eerie purple light surrounded his dull pupils.
"Master!" Zheng Yan's voice was clearly trembling, but the corners of his lips were neurotically twisted into a curve, looking like mockery, yet also self-deprecation.
"After this incident, it's quite impressive that you can still call him 'master'."
The junior disciple stood there, looking down at him condescendingly, and finally asked, "Who saved you and brought you back?"
Zheng Yan's lips twitched, feigning surprise, "Wasn't it the master who saved me?"
The junior disciple narrowed his eyes into a thin slit, a cold purple gleam that could pierce one's heart, "You can still be so glib?"
Zheng Yan maintained his surprised expression, appearing even more innocent, "I had fainted at the time and only just woke up. I assumed that the master, in a moment of urgency, had abandoned me, this burden, but then had a change of heart. Perhaps he saw that I could still guard the house and bark at people a few times, and found me somewhat useful, so..."
He stopped speaking mid-sentence, his face suddenly turning purple, as if someone had strangled his throat. His long tongue protruded as if trying to draw in some fresh air, but he was completely helpless.
Even so, his eyes remained curved, clearly laughing, both triumphant and mad.
The junior disciple was not angered by his attitude, but merely nodded slightly, "I know you want to provoke me into killing you, and I also know that you, with your Separate Consciousness and Thoughts, want to live more than anyone else. Since I have discarded you, there is no reason to take you back. Conveniently, I have an important matter at hand and need a tool, you will do for now."
With that, he lightly flicked his sleeve, and Zheng Yan fainted without even time to react.
"What do you want him to do?"
In the tent with only two people, a third voice rang out. It was the "Moon Demon".
"We are at risk of having our identities exposed, of course, we need to create a diversion. Tell me, who saved him?"
The "Moon Demon" chuckled, "How would I know? But, we left him alone for less than an hour, and he was able to climb up the valley. In the current Sky Rift Valley, this speed is not ordinary!"
"Indeed, the person who saved him must have an extraordinary Cultivation Level."
Seeing his agreement, the "Moon Demon" continued, "Unless he has other motives, this act of saving a life without leaving a name is like what those upright gentlemen would do. It's just that it happened under the Sky Rift Valley, near the Monster Nest... Isn't this the guy who destroyed your Separate Consciousness and Thoughts?"
"Perhaps!" The junior disciple was also in deep thought, casually responding.
"The water here is getting muddier."
After the "Moon Demon" sighed, the sound disappeared. The two didn't realize that their speculation was a million miles off, and they wracked their brains, pondering deeply. The real protagonist, however, was already thousands of miles away due to his hurry.
***************
Early winter brought snow again, and Yu Ci returned to the Still Heart Temple, weary and covered in dust.
When he left the mountain last time, the autumn breeze was cool, and the mountain was ablaze with red leaves. Now, looking at the Sect's Mountain Gate again, the red leaves had all fallen, replaced by snow covering the mountain forest.
Strangely, when he saw the Sect's Mountain Gate of the Still Heart Temple, he felt an inexplicable sense of calm. The various concerns about the serious situation in the Sky Rift Valley that had been accumulating in his heart seemed suddenly insignificant, a feeling that was quite extraordinary.
Perhaps, was this a testament to their faith in the Lichen Sect? But where did such faith originate?
Coincidentally, the one sweeping in front of the Sect's Mountain Gate in the early morning was the same young Taoist who had initially greeted him, the one who had bewildered Jin Huan and his party. However, at this point, Yu Ci no longer needed to feign indifference. The young Taoist recognized him at a glance, first expressing surprise, then respectfully saluting him. Yu Ci nodded in return and asked, "Is the Temple Master available?"
"Yes, Brother Yu, please come in," the young Taoist replied, before relaying the message inside.
Not far into the temple, Yu Ci encountered Bao Guang, who hurried over in excitement. "It really is you! I thought Qingfeng was just teasing me. You returned so quickly, did everything go smoothly? Did you find enough Fish Dragon Grass? And, what's that on your back?"
Bao Guang was referring to the package containing the Fish-Dragon. Yu Ci merely smiled without answering, instead asking, "Is the Temple Master free at the moment?"
"He's conducting the morning prayers. It will be another half an hour."
"Very well, let's head to the One Mind Hall first."
Yu Ci's mood had indeed calmed down. He even had the leisure to calculate the merit points, which no longer held any significance to him.
"So, you really did return with a full load!"
Bao Guang was even more thrilled than Yu Ci, tugging at him and practically sprinting towards their destination. They passed through two courtyards before reaching the One Mind Hall where tasks were handed over.
Yu Ci methodically sorted the medicinal herbs and ores he had gathered over the days, matched them with the corresponding merit points, and then handed them over.
He chose to retrieve the physical items first before selecting the tasks. The advantage was that he had a wider range of choices and wouldn't be penalized for failing to complete a task. The downside was that by the time he retrieved the items, the tasks might have been taken by others, rendering his efforts futile.
His luck was not bad. Of the items he retrieved, only one task involving a seven-merit-point ore had been completed by someone else. Of course, this was partly because he had intentionally chosen the more challenging herb-gathering tasks.
After selecting the last task, the Taoist on duty tallied the final gains and handed back the Merit Card, laughing, "197 merits, Junior Brother Yu, you've made quite a harvest in just two months, truly enviable."
Yu Ci also laughed. However, Bao Guang's face fell immediately:
"Is that all?"
***************
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e